Scandinavia myself Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Scandinavia myself - Essay Example to around 1700 B.C.E. As history advanced, this area gave birth to the more modern Viking era, 600-700 C.E. that we tend to associate with much of the civilization advances from that region of the world. They were a basically pagan people who began to experience Christianity in 829, but were not released from pagan practices until around the 12th century. There were many internal struggles as well as territorial conquests that kept the Nordic region unstable until around 1300C.E. with the emergence of three distinct kingdoms; Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. ((New World Encyclopedia 2008) Scandinavians today are a peaceful people who generally hold to their traditions and values, while being accepting of new ideas and people. They have a high regard for privacy, tolerance and discretion, while at the same time hold their individual natures with respect. They often occupy peace-keeping roles in NATO and the UN. ((New World Encyclopedia 2008) The official name of Denmark is the Kingdom of Denmark. It is a Constitutional Monarchy with the current Constitution established on June 5, 1953. It has Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government which oversees 5 regions and 98 municipalities. The Capitol of Denmark is Copenhagen. It has a temperate climate with slightly rolling hills and is situated between Sweden and Norway, above Germany in the Baltic Sea. (U.S. Department of State 2011) The people of Denmark are known as Danes and Danish; population 5,557,709. There are several languages spoken there; Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic, and German, although English is the second most widely spoken language. There are multiple ethnic groups including Inuit, Faroese, Scandinavian, Turkish, Polish, German, Lebanese, Iraqi, Bosnian, Yugoslav, Pakistani, Iranian, Somali, Vietnamese, British and Afghan. Various religions are acknowledged by the regions including† Danish National Evangelical Lutheran, which comprises approximately 81% of the population, Muslims, 4 %, and others such as Protestants, Roman Catholics, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu communities make up the remaining 15 % of religious faiths in Denmark. (U.S. Department of State 2011) Danes have compulsory education through 9 years, with 100% attendance and a literacy rate of 99%. They have contributed greatly to the arts, literature, music and ballet. Denmark established a Ministry of Cultural Affairs in 1961 to oversee the development of the arts and leisure activities including museums, libraries, theatres and drama groups. (U.S. Department of State 2011) The official name of Sweden is the Kingdom of Sweden. It is a Constitutional Monarchy with the current Constitution coming into effect on January 1, 1975. It has Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches that oversee 21 counties, 18 county councils, 290 municipalities, and 2 regions. The Capitol of Sweden is Stockholm. It has a wide variety of climates from temperate in the south, maritime along the coast, and subarctic in th e north; with mountains, lakes, and lowland areas near the coast. It is located between Norway and Finland. (U.S. Department of State 11/8, 2010) The people of Sweden are Swedes or Swedish; population 9,373,379. Swedish is the official language, although English is widely spoken. There are three main ethnic groups: the Swedes, ethnic Finns, and ethnic Sami. There is also about 14% of the

Risk Management in Facilities Management Dissertation

Risk Management in Facilities Management - Dissertation Example In the end research ethics is given followed by the conclusion of the chapter. Background Facilities management is a field or profession that includes a number of disciplines in order to guarantee the proper functionality of the environment that is being built through incorporating a mix of people, process, place and technology (David, 2006). Facilities as the name suggests can include properties, buildings and other infrastructure. In the industry of facility management, facility is defined as a ‘built environment’ (Booty, 2009). As mentioned in the beginning, facility management’s main objective is to manage the effective and efficient operation of the said ‘built environment’ (David, 2006). In addition to this, facilities management also covers the areas of delivering services that add to the profitability and productivity of the personnel who are using any facility; reducing costs related to operational life cycle; and looking after the maintenanc e and security of facility for high efficiency in operation (David, 2006). Facility managers are the people responsible for the management of facilities. These managers can be working on business levels such as top management level where strategic planning and decision making takes place; or at managerial or operational level where technical issues are being handled (Booty, 2009). During the 1980s, the facilities management industry started to grow due to the expansion of business globally which during that era mainly included outsourcing of management and maintenance of the business facilities by enterprises (David, 2006). The effect of facilities management today not just on one country but on global basis is large because of the rapid growth and diversification in different industries (David, 2006). For instance, in Australia, the number of full-time employees amount up to 200,000 contributing to annual GDP turnover of more than AUD$20 billion making Australia as one of the large st business sectors (Booty, 2009). While the growth of facilities management industry is impressive, it is not without risk. This is where risk management comes in. Over the decade, a lot of emphasis has been given on risk management especially in the field of facilities management (Booty, 2009). It is based on two objectives: to identify risks associated with facilities management and to reduce or eliminate those risks (Booty, 2009). It is therefore important for any facility manager to implement a risk management program in the ‘built environment’ in order to save money on the costs, reduce obligations and insurance, operate a safe facility etc (David, 2006). This phenomenon has increased the importance of risk management in facilities management. Therefore, this research will explore this phenomenon in the topic of facilities risk management. Problem Statement Facilities management has become a vital factor for the effective operation of organizations in either publi c sector or private sector. This has put the role of facilities managers in high importance for the realization of organization objectives in terms of daily operating functions (Booty, 2009). Because facilities management involves the effective and efficient maintenance of operating facilities, it has given rise to many risks that are part of the daily work environment. To identify these risks and reducing them is a big challenge that facilities manage

Marketing of Barcelonas Tourism Industry

Marketing of Barcelonas Tourism Industry

Macbeth: Witches Influence on Macbeths Decisions :: Free Macbeth Essays

Macbeth: Witches Influence on Macbeth's Decisions In the Shakespearean play, "Macbeth," the witches influence on how Macbeth made his decisions played a crucial part in contributing to his eventual destruction. The witches were trying to create chaos by prophesying to Macbeth in order to get him to act. They planted the seed of evil in Macbeth's head that grew to dominate his mind. But it was Macbeth who made the choices that determined his fate. He was not forced to kill Duncan nor any of his other victims. But after he murdered Duncan, Macbeth lost his sanity. The witches were easily able to control his mind. They made him believe that he was invincible, and then he willingly continued to fight when he knew that it would mean his doom. Macbeth's downfall was planned by the weird sisters, but it was Macbeth's own free will that lead him to it. The three witches called the weird sisters are the root of the problem that is the subject for this story. The weird sisters are creators of chaos by nature. They associate with evil spirits and obey them, and they are followers of the evil goddess, Hecate. In the play the witches, with their spells, plan the downfall of Macbeth. They cannot directly harm him themselves, so they tell Macbeth predictions for his possible future, in order to make him act on them. The witches tell Macbeth that he will become the thane of Cawdor and then king of Scotland. They poison his mind with these prophesies, making him greedy and bringing out the evil qualities in his soul. When the first of the promises is proven authentic, Macbeth then considers the idea of murdering Duncan for the first time. This is his first step on the journey to his demise, as the witches had planned. The three witches' plan succeeded, they had aroused the greed in Macbeth, allowing him to make the most important choice of the play - to kill Duncan. Macbeth does not easily make this decision. In fact, at first he decides against it, but, with the knowledge that he could be king, he could not help himself from considering it. After constant persuasion from Lady Macbeth, she and Macbeth finally made their decision. Lady Macbeth would load Duncan's attendants with liquor, and then, on Lady Macbeth's signal, Macbeth would creep into Duncan's chamber and slay him with his servant's weapons. This act surges Macbeth forward on the direct path to his destruction. Afterwards, when Duncan is discovered dead, Macbeth kills again when he murders the servants who were

Establishign a Company Pmo, Ppm & Governance Structure

A project management culture is important in today’s competitive environment. If the company is to thrive and meet future financial targets, project management principles and practices must be a part of our business management model. Every employee must understand how critical this undertaking is. Below are examples (Gary, Larson, 2008) of business environment drivers that are moving the company to create this extremely important initiative. oIn high-tech industries, the product life-cycle is averaging 1 to 3 years.Approximately 30 years ago, life cycles of 10 – 15 years were not uncommon. Time to market for new products with short life cycles has become increasingly important. oThe open global markets of today demand cheaper products and services but also better products and services. This coincides with the quality movement and the practice of building quality into the project plan. oThe growth in new knowledge and understanding has increased the complexity of project s because projects encompass the latest advances from the materials used to the specifications, codes, equipment and specialists required to complete the project objectives.Increased competition has placed much emphasis on customer satisfaction. No one settles for generic products and services. The demand is around customized products and services that cater to specific needs. Years ago there was more of a â€Å"one-size fits all† approach. Now there is a great deal of selection. In summary, there are a substantial number of environmental forces requiring the company to take project management to the next step. The company project management initiative will position us for the future business environment which will require increased accountability, flexibility, innovation, speed and continuous improvement.This briefing will describe this company initiative and plans to create a Project Management Office (PMO), initiate Project Portfolio Management, an improved governance stru cture and addresses a change in culture to assure project management and proper governance are part of our daily activities. Establish Project Management Office Project Management Offices often have different styles (Morris, 2008). The company PMO will have a style of â€Å"Operational Partner. † The PMO is not only to create the project management methodology and governance, it will also help organizations grow and meet their strategic targets.The PMO will also be a major factor in project selection through Project Portfolio Management (PPM). This will assure projects are being selected for their overall contribution and alignment to the company strategies. The responsibilities of the PMO are: oMethodology Creation – Creates successful and repeatable processes in support of the company project management methodologies. oProvide Project Management – Supply the project management function to the company business units. Centralized Reporting – Organizationa l level reporting providing complete views of all project activity and summarizing cost and progress reporting for the entire company. oKnowledge Center – Act as an advisor and will maintain a knowledge center for project documentation. oProject Selection – Creating criteria and methods for project selection via a Project Portfolio Management process. The plan (see accompanying MS Project File) to establish the Project Management Office starts with a Brainstorming session with the CIO.This session leverages participant innovation and â€Å"out of the box† thinking to establish the PMO strategy management elements (Vision, Mission, Goals). Once the strategy management elements are defined, the PMO design and architecture phase will start. During this phase, the PMO Responsibilities, Authority and Accountabilities (RA&A) are documented, the team architecture is defined and the facilities requirements are documented. Choosing the PMO team could be the single most i mportant decision in establishing the PMO (Campbell, Baker, 2007).During the development phase, the PMO staff, team operating rhythm, PMO processes will be created and the facilities build up occurs. Establish Project Portfolio Management A Project Portfolio Management (PPM) methodology will be established. The purpose of the PPM is to assure approved projects are aligned with the company strategic goals and priorities. This methodology will provide information that enables better business decisions. Figure 1 shows a conceptual project scoring matrix that may be used to measure projects against specific criteria.Projects that are approved will be tracked to assure the business case comes home and the forecasted return on investment is realized. The plan (see accompanying MS Project File) to establish PPM, like the PMO, starts with a brainstorming session and again will include the CIO and leverage participant innovation and â€Å"out of the box† thinking. The key outcome of t he session is to define and document the objectives of the PPM and each step of a PPM gated process. The PPM gates to be defined are: oGate 1 – Define and Prioritize Business Strategy Gate 2 – Capture and Publish Idea oGate 3 – Publish Business case for Idea Review and Rating oGate 4 – Idea Analysis and Approval oGate 5 – Finalize Design Document oGate 6 – Approval Each gate will go through a design phase prior to entering the development phase. A formal tracking method and visual controls will be created to include â€Å"return on investment† verification. The net present value (NPV) model will be used to access the project against management’s minimum desired rate-of-return to compute the present value of all cash inflows.If the result is positive, it will be eligible for further consideration. Other project considerations are shown below. oIncreasing market share oIncreases difficulty for competitors to enter market oCreatio n of an adjacent product or service oIncreases independence from unreliable suppliers oCreation of new technology that enables new products or product derivatives oCreation of a product that will increase sales of more profitable products oReduced production defectsFigure 1 – Conceptual Project Scoring Matrix (Gary, Larson, 2008) Each project will be scored against the selection criteria. Based on the scoring for the project a total scoring based on the weighting will reflect the final score. Establish Governance Structure In order for the PPM to function properly, an Investment Review Board (IRB) must be put in place to assure proposed projects are brought through the approved process, voted on based on the selection criteria established and formally tracked to the success criteria stated in the business case.Each functional area will have representation on the IRB. This assures that impacts to the overall company priorities can be assessed and result in the best possible go vernance of the projects and priorities in alignment with the company strategies. Like the other major planning components of this company initiative, the plan to build the new Governance Structure will start with a brainstorming session. The session will include the CIO and a representative from each of the functional areas.This provides an opportunity for a manager from each area to help shape this important board and voice any risks or issues to assure these are addressed in the design and architecture phase in creating the governance structure. The session will focus on foundational elements in creating the new structure such as board chartering, RA&A (Responsibility, Authority & Accountability), team structure and operating rhythm. A draft of a governance board structure is shown in figure 2 to facilitate initial discussions. Figure 2 – Governance Board Structure Establish Culture Change/Communication PlanThe success of this company initiative is in the hands of every te am member in the company. If we are going to remain competitive and thrive in a global market, we must take our business disciplines in project management and governance to the next level. A communication plan is part of the overall plan to assure the flow of information horizontally and vertically. Culture change requires a high degree of multi-faceted communications (hybrid of high touch and no-touch). This plan supports a corporate communications expert to help assure â€Å"the right information† is getting to â€Å"the right individuals† as â€Å"the right time. This includes branding the activities for promotional purposes and creation of escalation paths for any employee (non-management and management alike) with questions, concerns and issues surrounding the initiative. This effort will mitigate previous issues where a top down deployment of a company initiative did not enable the escalation of issues and concerns related to the implementation challenges experi enced by the employees. Summary This plan requires a commitment from all employees. We can not afford to fail in our efforts.Securing our future growth and prosperity are paramount in the challenging business climate of today. To help the company make this successful journey, extensive use of the Independent Review process (to be created by the PMO) will assure full implementation of the initiative and achievement to the expected level of performance. The benefits of this initiative will be seen and felt by every employee in the way of focused efforts that are sized and prioritized for the approved resources and aligned to the company strategies resulting in greater levels of shareholder value.Thank you in advance for your support of this plan. NOTE: A non-recurring budget snapshot for the development and implementation of this initiative is shown in figure 3. Figure 3: Non-recurring Budget SnapshotReferences Morris, Rick A. (2008) The Everything Project Management Book 2nd Edition Avon, MA: Adams Media Gary, C. F. , Larson, E. W. (2008) Project Management – The Managerial Process New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin Campbell, G. M. , Baker, S. B. (2007) Project Management Fourth Edition New York, NY: Penguin Group

Effects of Growing Up in a Dysfunctional Family Essay

When some people look back on their childhood they see happy times full of family memories, traditions, love, and encouragement. When I look back on my childhood I remember drug abuse, visiting my step father in jail, going without utilities, and playing the role of a mother at the age of eight. I knew I was different from other children. I knew that my parents depended on me to play the role of an adult. They depended on me to get up every morning and get my brother and sister on the school bus. I knew they depended on me to go straight home from school every day so I could babysit. I would wake my mom up for work so she could work two jobs to support us and then I would cook dinner. Homework, friends, and things I wanted came last and I knew I didn’t have a choice. Indeed, my family was, and is, dysfunctional. What is dysfunction? Dictionary. com defines dysfunctional as any malfunctioning part or element. Dysfunction contains many aspects of unhealthy relating. Unhealthy relating can include such things as manipulation, using guilt or anger as motivation and at its most severe, abuse, including verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. Dysfunction is something that is passed down from generation to generation until it is implemented into the family. From family to family there are different levels of dysfunction which span from mild dysfunction, to moderate dysfunction, and even severe dysfunction. A child growing up in a mildly dysfunctional environment tends to have an easier time fitting into society and functioning normally in life and their life may not be effected at all. One example of a mild dysfunction is a parent treating a child like an adult or making the child take care of the adult either emotionally or physically. The adult treats the child as if they were an equal rather than a child. This results in the child having difficulties later in life in relationships getting their own needs met. This comes from having to give up a lot of these needs as a child to take care of the parent. An example of moderate dysfunction in a family is having a parent who is an alcoholic or drug addict. Because the child sees this on a regular basis, these behaviors are deemed to be â€Å"normal† or â€Å"accepted† behavior. The parents’ drug and alcohol abuse increases the risk of a child abusing drugs or alcohol causing a strain in the child’s relationships later in life. Parents who use drugs tend to become emotionally absent and may, under the influence, scare the child, and may consistently disappoint the child. Severe dysfunction is the highest level of dysfunction. This occurs when a parent physically or sexually abuses the child on a regular basis, which severely damages the child on many levels. Children who grow up in these environments tend to need a lot of help and lengthy treatment to heal. Some children are not able to heal at all and without help, the patterns of abuse are likely to be passed down to the next generation. Along with different levels of dysfunction there are specific roles each person in the family plays. There is the dependent, the enabler, the hero, the scapegoat, the lost child, and the mascot. The only exception is the only child. An only child tends to take on multiple roles, at the same time or alternating between roles. Because of this, the only child tends to have a great deal of confusion and overwhelming pain. The dependent is the spouse that causes the family problems. The dependent, also known as the problem spouse, has a serious problem and it impacts every other member of the family and is taken care of by every member of the family. The enabler is the spouse that allows the dependent to continue his or her actions so that the dependent does not have to face consequences of his or her own actions. The enabler feels angry and resentful about having to pick up the slack of the dependent; they feel powerless to do anything to stop it. The enabler feels that they should act this way because without them holding everything together the family will fall apart. Since the family’s survival is dependent on the enabler, they may pay the cost of stress-related illnesses, never having his or her own needs met, and be a sufferer for the cause of the family. Ironically, because the enabler permits the dependent’s behavior, they are also preventing the corrective experience that crisis brings, which may be the only thing that stops the dependents downward spiral. The hero is usually the oldest child. They are also named as â€Å"the good child† or â€Å"the caretaker†. The hero takes on the role of a parent and feels responsible for the emotional health of the family. The hero is characteristically an over-achiever and over-responsible. The family looks at the hero’s as a source of humility and honor, and it makes the family feel as if they are doing well. The hero may do well in school and be good at sports and obtain good employment while inside the hero suffers from feelings of insufficiency, failure, or guiltiness. These feelings derive from thoughts that no matter how well the hero does, it will not heal the wounds of their family. The hero’s obsessive drive to accomplish something may lead to stress-related illness as well as compulsive over working. Since the hero tries so hard to do well, he or she often obtains a great deal of positive attention. However, inwardly, the hero feels empty and unable to express their true feelings. The second born usually plays the role of the scapegoat and is also known as â€Å"the problem child†. The scapegoat is characteristically the trouble maker and is blamed for the majority of the family’s problems. He or she acts out in anger or defiance because of the built up feelings they harvest inside because all the families attention goes toward the dependent or the hero and they are being ignored. The scapegoat often gets labeled as the family’s problem because of their experimentation with alcohol, drugs, promiscuous sexuality, involvement in adolescent gangs, or criminal activity. It is often the difficulty of the scapegoat that leads the family into treatment or counseling. Along with drug or alcohol abuse, the scapegoat’s acting out may bring with it early pregnancy when they are not prepared, or incarceration. The irresponsible attitude and hostility tends to lead them to acts of violence against themselves or others. This defiance affects their opportunity to obtain adequate income leading them into outright criminality to earn a living. The scapegoat has lost touch with their morality, casting them in the role of a rebel. The characteristically shy, lonely, isolated child is dubbed as the lost child. The lost child feels like an outsider and feels like their parents and siblings ignore them. The lost child removes themselves from the chaos of their family, often engaging in their own fantasy world. The lost child has trouble identifying themselves and discovering who they are. They are often confused about their sexual identity and have weak communication skills and difficulties with intimacy. The only way the lost child knows how to seek attention is by wetting the bed, and getting sick with asthma or allergies. They take care of themselves by easing their pain with overeating, or drowning their problems with alcohol or drug abuse. Low self-esteem usually ends all attempts of achievement. The lost child often has few friends and has trouble finding a marriage partner later in life. Instead, he or she tends to comfort their lack of intimate relationships with pets or other material possessions. The lost child is often stuck in his or her own isolation preventing them from getting professional help. Clowning and hyperactivity are the main characteristics of the mascot who is often the youngest child. The mascot attempts to be the center of attention, or tries to make the family feel better through his or her comical relief. They use their comic efforts as a defense mechanism. Even though the mascot is protected from tribulations of life, they still feel intense anxiety and concern. Because the family tends to try to protect the mascot, he or she is often unprepared and immature when they grow into adulthood. The only way they know how to deal with problems is to change the subject or by fooling around. Since the mascot uses comedy frequently, they are rarely taken seriously and are often a subject or subjected to criticism or rejection. The mascot may develop a learning disability because of struggling with concentration and focusing in school. They tend to be unaware of their feelings because they fear their own emotions. Since the mascot fears their own inner feelings, it prevents them from getting the help they need; often leading to intense depression and even suicide. Growing up in a dysfunctional family changes a child’s outlook on life. It changes the way they grow up, the way they act, and the way they view normal behaviors. Children in a dysfunctional family miss necessary milestones in growing development to prepare them for adulthood. They, in other words, grow up too fast. Children of severely dysfunctional families are often subjected to sexual abuse becoming the substitute spouse for the parent of the opposite sex. Children of dysfunctional families have their boundaries violated by their parents. Children either do not have any freedom or too much freedom. When a child grows up in a physical or sexual abusing family their physical boundaries are desecrated leading them to not being able to set boundaries in adult relationships. When a parent is intoxicated most of the time it creates confusion about which behaviors are appropriate and which are not. Children growing up seeing these kinds of behavior on a daily basis see these behaviors as normal. These children of dysfunctional families grow into teenagers with more emotional problems. Many of them end up using drugs severely or turn to alcohol. Teenagers who were sexually abused, or molested, have a tendency to have many sexual partners because they were forced to have sex as a child, they have a conscience thought that they cannot say no. Many teenagers from a dysfunctional family try to escape the realities and runaway to try to find a better life. They in fact find prostitution, drug use, and some even find death. Females from a dysfunctional family triple the chance of having a baby before the age of twenty. When children from a dysfunctional family grow up they become adults. These adults can lead their lives in one of two directions: either role with the dysfunction and not try to stop it and raising their children the same way, or they can fight it and try to change it to keep it from spreading to the next generation. When someone chooses to not fight it, they inflict the same pain on their children as they had experienced without truly realizing it. Since they saw dysfunction their whole lives they feel like it is normal and there is no problem with it. When someone chooses to overcome it, they inflict a great deal of stress on themselves. Some participate in counseling, or therapy, and some try to fight it on their own. Some people may not be able to completely erase the dysfunction. It may take generation after generation to change. For example, someone from a severely dysfunctional family may try to change the dysfunction in their own family but, in fact, only change to a moderately dysfunctional family. Then someone from a moderately dysfunctional family may only be able to change it to a mild dysfunction in their own family. It takes generations of work to change the ways of the family. There are many ways, many different routes people can take to try to overcome the dysfunction they have dealt with throughout their childhood. Many try counseling or therapy. Some just try to fight their way through it. Either way there are many ways to overcome it and change your life. It takes drive and fight to change patterns of dysfunction but with work and determination it is possible. I grew up in a family of severe dysfunction. I am twenty five years old and have seen more than anyone else I know my age. I played the role of the hero, the lost child, and the replacement spouse. I have dealt with more than I should have at any age. But after all this, I know I can and will do better for my family. In my opinion, anything can be overcome, anything can be changed. There are so many ways for a family to be dysfunctional and so many different roles for a child who deals with that kind of pain. Everything can be overcome and changed for the better. Children from a dysfunctional family do endure a great deal of pain and it changes their lives forever.