Total Information Network Essay Example for Free

Total Information Network Essay Total information is a paradox; no one library or resource can serve the need for scholarly pursuits though a network of such is gradually moving toward satisfying particular informational needs. The recent times are a witness to increased cataloging and documentation- which in time will be part of historical documents and databases. There is a particular inclination toward the use of the internet for informational necessities that, though not an all-inclusive resort, accords one the flexibility the modern world demands. Students and academicians benefit from the online resources at their disposal. Online libraries such as questia.com and bibliomania.com are gaining popularity from a scholarly clientele because of the flexibility it can accord one from using those online resources. Questia.com boasts of over a million journals and tens of thousands of books in fields from architecture to law, economics to psychology etc. Tools such as the encyclopedia and thesaurus, along with newspapers and magazines in their reading room, are extra amenities. Bibliomania.com has a voluminous collection of fiction, drama, poetry, and short stories, and non-fiction, biographies and religious texts in its domain. In addition, study tools such as study guides and references are part of the package.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On a more complex note, the online library libraryspot.com is connected to an even wider array of libraries- online, academic, government, public, state, law and medical libraries for one’s research needs. The online government libraries give one access to the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Internet Law Library, the White House Press Room, National Library of Education, National Library of Medicine, National Agricultural Library and the Air Force Library. As an example, the National Archives (archives.gov) allows for an exploration of federal research documents (legislative, executive and judicial), research and order, America’s Historical Documents and presidential files. The Library of Congress (loc.gov for the online counterpart), being Congress’ research arm and â€Å"the oldest federal cultural institution† is the largest library in the world and has for its collection millions of books, manuscripts, maps, photographs and recordings. The online academic libraries give one access to select university libraries per state (e.g. Indiana University in Indiana and Columbia University in New York) that have their own collection of books, journals, dissertations and other documents along with regular library materials. The public libraries portal is connected to PublicLibraries.com, Libweb, UK Public Libraries and the Public Libraries of Europe- all of which are online. The state libraries section channels you to state-specific libraries with public records on population censuses, marriage indexes, family and local histories, military and pension information, and cemetery location files. The National Library of Medicine online and Medical Libraries online, and the Law Library Catalogs online, the Law Library of Congress online and the American Association of Law Libraries online, are cached under the medical and law libraries, respectively. Access to these online libraries is usually free, although some require a login ID and password.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For a model, the Walden Library is an excellent resource. It has a wide array of articles, books, dissertations, government resources and textbooks which one could get from Walden databases, local libraries, commercial sources and by document delivery. Walden University’s Document Delivery Service is a unique feature that allows researchers to borrow books and obtain materials’ photocopies owned by the IU-Bloomington Libraries. Registration is a requirement, and an email with a username/password will be forwarded to the subscriber. Materials requests can then be submitted (e.g. books, photocopies) after checking on an IU-Bloomington ownership from the online catalog. The service is free but typical delivery time is 7-10 days or longer and there is an assumption of responsibility for the book’s return amidst any circumstance. The Walden Library even has a portal connected to other local libraries, online bookstores and commercial sources, should the requested material prove to be inaccessible. A portal linking one to the librarian, should one have particular queries, is also an amenity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Building a total information network need not be an impossibility!

The Importance of A Project Management Office Essay Example for Free

The Importance of A Project Management Office Essay Project management can be a tedious job especially if the personnel or department in charge is already loaded with tons of work. It may be hard to cope up with the schedule, time pressure, workload, and other factors. In line with this, the task of handling such tasks must be assigned to a specialized department known as Project Management Office. What is a Project Management Office? A Project Management Office is a unit or department functioning within a business, company, or agency that is charged with defining and maintaining project management standards within the company. The main objective of this office is to achieve beneficial gains from setting uniform policies, processes, and methods in managing projects(Search CIO. com, n. d). The Project Management Office will provide direction, metrics connected with practices concerning project management and implementation. The principles, methods, and practices of managing a project are based from Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) or Project in Controlled Environment (PRINCE2). These models complies with the specifications related to ISO9000 as well as in government regulation specifications(Search CIO. om, n. d). Essentially, the job of the Project Management Office is to perform related to a certain project and to work for the completion of the project. The PMO may from time to time update management regarding the status and problems of the project so that they can come up with decisions which are congruent to the goals and objectives of the firm(Search CIO. com, n. d). The Kinds of Project Management Office There are three varieties of project management offices that are suitable for organizations in various phases of developing a project. Each of them have their own pros and cons. Here is a brief explanation of the different kinds of project management offices(Billows, 2006). The Weather Station With this kind of PMO, the person-in-charge of the project is aware of what is going on with the project but does not make any action to influence it. The project officer just disseminates information without bothering the flow of work(Billows, 2006). This kind of office is most suitable in organizations that have just started in project management. The job of this kind of office is usually limited because the various line managers usually experience difficulties in incorporating various projects into their management duties(Billows, 2006). The Control Tower In contrast to the first variety, this kind of PMO provides the guidance that the project managers might need. Although they are still doing their tasks, the project managers are being instructed by the project officer. They are liable for any glitch that will happen to the project(Billows, 2006). The Squadron Commander Just like in the Control Tower, the Squadron Commander provides guidance to the project managers. However, the SC closely supervises all the people handling the project. There might be instances of successes and shortcomings but the Squadron Commander is held resposible for the general performance of the department(Billows, 2006). The disadvantage of this kind of office is that the personnel who have the technical know how as well as the most credible managers are doing multiple tasks aside from their main job. Aside from that, the job of allocating resources and prioritizing projects can go out of hand. Another problem that Squadron Commanders is that management may be hesitant in injecting company-wide standards related to project tracking and approval(Billows, 2006). History of Project Management Office The concept of modern project management can be traced to only a few decades back. During the 1960s, businesses and other firms discovered the advantages of organizing project tasks. Most companies developed an understanding on how crucial it is for their staff to establish communication and collaboration while incorporating their jobs with several departments and professions, and in certain instances, with several industries(Microsoft Office Online, n. d). The Early Years During the later years of the 19th century, at a time when businesses were becoming complicated, the corporate world began to see the evolution of project handling from simple management principles. Wide-scale government initiatives became the foundation for project management processes and principles. During the time that the United States was constructing the transcontinental railroad during the 1860s, business leaders were faced with the tough task of coordinating with workers who will engage in manual labor as well as in producing and processing of a large number of raw materials(Microsoft Office Online, n. d). Into The Twentieth Century Frederick Taylor started to made further studies of work. Using scientific reasoning, he proved that labor can be evaluated and enhanced by concentrating on its basic elements. Taylor applied this view in various jobs found in steel mills, such as shoveling and lifting and transporting parts. At that time, the only method of increasing productivity is through hard work and extended working hours. Taylor believed that productivity can be improved through efficient work instead of exerting more effort and work extension(Microsoft Office Online, n. d). Henry Gantt, an associate of Taylor, extensively studied the sequence of operations in work. His research delved on navy ship manufacturing during World War I. He developed the Gantt Charts, which comes with task bars and milestone markers, as a tool for outlining the order and extent of all tasks in a prcess. These illustrations proved to be a powerful aid for managers that there were no modifications for almost a century. In the early part of the 1990s, Microsoft Corporation introduced MS Project which included connector lines to the tasks bars, showing a more accurate relationship between the differen tasks. Over the years, Microsoft Office became an even more powerful tool(Microsoft Office Online, n. ). His contribution merited Gantt with a patent from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In the years leading to the Second World War, new approaches to marketing, human relations, and industrial psychology, became vital components of project management(Microsoft Office Online, n. d). Middle 20th Century The Second World War necessitated the need for new organizational patterns. Complicated network illustrations, like PERT charts and critical path method were developed, providing managers with greater control over complicated projects. As the demand for new management techniqes increased, these tools extended to various industries. General system theories were applied by businesses in their business dealings during the early part of the 1960s(Microsoft Office Online, n. d). New Trends In Project Management In the last decade, project management continued to develop. At present, there are two trends evolving namely bottom-up planning and top-down planning and reviewing(Microsoft Office Online, n. d). Bottom-up planning, also called agile project management, involves basic project designs, shorter project chain, efficient cooperation between members of the team, solid involvement of team members in the decision process. Common methos used in this trend are Scrum, Unified Process, Extreme Programming, Crystal, to name just a few(Microsoft Office Online, n. d). In top-down planning and reviewing, the entire organization is involved in making decisions concerning the various projects of the organization(Microsoft Office Online, n. d).

Developing and improving environmental problems

Developing and improving environmental problems Environmental problems are always on the agenda when it comes to developing new and improved ways to â€Å"fix† the concerns the general public holds towards the current environment. New technology and new sources of clean energy, fuel, and water are the challenges being embraced by new, young, and exciting companies. The thinking of these companies is that new technology is the focus that is needed to bring about environmental change. The portfolios of these fledgling companies are growing, and the dreams of these energetic companies will soon become reality as the plans come from the drawing boards to commercialisation. Young entrepreneurs are being made millionaires virtually overnight and Australia is seeing a rise in its superannuation funds giving the impression that Australia is definitely not in a cash shortage. This growth, as well as sustained resources, has built the Australian superannuation economy to nearly $1.2 trillion with just 2 percent of these funds represented by venture capitalists. With the prospect of new technology comes the expansion of the Australian venture capital which is currently worth around $65 million a year. Government policies, along with consumer demand and environmental pressures, have brought about the growth in these technological companies which has now attracted 13 percent more venture capitalists. This gives us the impression that the clean technology boom is matching that of the 1990s Dotcom boom. With clean technology being compared to the Dotcom boom, key differences are highlighted by the promise of spectacular returns on high-risk investments. The Dotcom boom was in fact a very promising enterprise (on paper) with many of its success stories still showing profit. However, there are those that did lose out when the saturation of the market forced company profits down. Unlike the Dotcom boom, clean technology is seen as an ever constant need for the solution to environmental problems. With the current government regulations on offer there is no shortage of assistance giving the clean technology companies the range in which to work and the support needed to get the ideas from the drawing board to the consumer market. The key here is to have somewhat of a balance between environmental responsibility and producing creative solutions. This gives way for any rival ideas to be brought forward with each environmental problem. The silicon that is used to generate decentralised electricity is currently expensive and while silicon companies are conducting ways to cut this cost, other companies such as electricity companies are looking for ways to reduce consumers electricity expenses by using cheaper materials that in fact perform the same function. Government and venture capitalists funds as well as the initial public offering of more than $1 billion has helped lead the way for this clean technology venture and to date there is currently only five specialists in this field to ensure its steady growth. Australians are definitely unique in their way of thinking. What might seem like mere common sense ideas are in fact solutions to problems. Distribution networks and climatic conditions give way to an endless supply of ideas that make way for the clean technology sector. Australia has launched its first wholesale carbon fund with the idea of raising $250 million from wholesale investors. Fifty percent of The ArkX fund is to be invested into global renewable energy with 25 percent in Clean Development Mechanism, 20 percent in trading European Union carbon credits, and the last 5 percent being invested in high-risk projects in Australia. Around 70 dedicated carbon funds currently operate globally with some of these funds returning a 24.7 percent profit to date. With the environment in turmoil, the need for clean technology increases and while there are always going to be some companies that will benefit from technological advances there will unfortunately be those that dwindle. The biggest irony in the environment dilemma is the fact that technology was the instigator of the current problems and now seems to be the only thing that can relieve the situation. Bearing this in mind, the real winners in this matter will undoubtedly be the environment and indeed the general public.

Discuss Priestleys depiction of the Birling household and Gerald :: English Literature

Discuss Priestley's depiction of the Birling household and Gerald Croft, prior to the arrival of Inspector Goole In this submission I hope to fully discuss Priestley's depiction of the Birling household and Gerald Croft, prior to the arrival of Inspector Goole. The play is set in the fictional town of Brumley, an industrial town in the North Midlands. It is evening in the town, in the spring of 1912. At the moment the play starts the characters are celebrating the engagement between Gerald Croft and the Birling family's only daughter Sheila. They are all very pleased with themselves and are enjoying the occasion. The house is described as being a fairly large suburban house. The furniture in the rooms is described as being, "good solid furniture of the period. The general effect is substantial and heavily comfortable, but not cosy and homelike." As you will see later Mr. Birling always wants to make the impression that he is better than his guest, or at least is his guest's social equal. The furniture in the house may be another one of Birling's attempt to make the guest feel this way. He doesn't want to make the guest feel comfortable in his home he wants to make them feel small and insignificant in comparison to himself. Mrs. Birling is, herself, a person that is obsessed by social class, she may have selected the furniture herself as a way of showing off their status and again making their guests feel as if they aren't as "good" as the Birling family. Birling as you will see later is the stereotypical capitalist of the time. He will do anything to make himself look and feel as if he is better than his guest. The furniture represents the Birling families longing for status. In the early 1900s social status was virtually everything. This was because socialism dominated the whole of the United Kingdom. The vertical social ladder of status was what controlled who was a "somebody" and who was a "nobody". The description of the house is a good example of how unsocial many families were during this time because all anybody, who was "anybody", wanted was to show how wealthy they were, and to climb the social ladder. I shall now talk about the characters themselves. Mr. Birling is described as being, "a heavy-looking, rather portentous man in his middle fifties with fairly easy manners but rather provincial in his speech." He is a prosperous factory owner and is "a self made man". He follows all the capitalist traits of the time and works heavily under the capitalist business mentality, "build them cheap, sell them expensive".

The Decisions to Bomb the Serbs :: essays research papers

THE DECISION TO BOMB THE SERBS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Decision to Bomb the Serbs was a very interesting case study. It was hard for me to choose a case study but after reading my top three choices I finally came to a conclusion. I never knew about this particular topic, but as I read I was impressed with it, which brought this question to my mind. Should the US have intervened to prevent or end violations of human rights in Kosovo, when these violations did not directly affect other American interests? This was one of the many questions that I and the American public asked themselves, their congressmen and ultimately, their government, during the chaos in the Middle East. It must have been a difficult task to decide whether or not to take action against Milosevic in Belgrade. In this case there are many underlying concepts that shape the way in which the events that led to the bombing of Kosovo played out. I will attempt, in this paper, to discuss the different themes that played a role in this case study. It was thought that the Kosovo crisis came at a time when the President of the United States was most distracted, and could easily have made the wrong decisions. Based on the severity of the situation in Kosovo, one would need to focus on the negotiations necessary to find peace. The Clinton Administration ¡Ã‚ ¦s primary focus was on the pending impeachment of their leader. The case against President Bill Clinton required his undivided attention, as it pertained to his promiscuous actions while in office. The lack of personal attention to this crisis as it developed, may have been the triggering factor that led to many deaths and violent acts of crime that took place in Kosovo. The decision to bomb was one that could not follow the rational method of decision making, even though the goals, alternatives and consequences were known. The US government knew what the primary goal was pertaining to Kosovo, they needed to negotiated or come to some form of middle ground with Milosevic, allowing for peace. They had alternatives to the negotiation process, which was to take military action. The consequence of taking these actions would be the repercussions of the bombings. Even with all this known, it would still be impossible to follow the rational decision-making model as defined by Charles Lindbolm. However, a more appropriate method would be the  ¡Ã‚ ¥Branch Method ¡Ã‚ ¦.

Platos Allegory of the Cave - Its Importance in Todays World Essay

Plato's Allegory of the Cave - It's Importance in Today's World Our society so values education that sociologists have recognized the problem of "over-education" (Hadjicostandi). Many people are spending years pursuing degrees which they simply do not need for the jobs they perform. It is therefore prudent for students to question whether pursuing a liberal education is really as important as our society believes. What is the point of a college education? Does it have any purpose beyond its material benefits. Are these benefits worth their cost? These are important questions that need answering. In the end, we may see that there is far more to this debate than simple accounting. Perhaps what makes education worth pursuing is that it gives us the freedom to makes these kinds of decisions about what is best for us. In many ways, this debate over education has its roots in the writings of Plato (Jowett). In Book VII of The Republic, Plato discusses such topics as enlightenment, epistemology, forms, and the duties of philosophers. The rhetorical styles which he employ are those of the dialogue and the allegory. The dialogue takes the form of a discussion between Socrates and Glaucon, while the allegory serves as a concrete illustration of the abstract ideas which Plato talks about (Jacobus, 444). Let us examine this "Allegory of the Cave" in more detail. In it, Plato asks the reader to imagine human beings living in an underground den. [where] they have been from childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and [there is] a low wall. [with] men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues a... ...nough to catch a glimpse of the light shinning at the mouth of the cave. When he has once seen the light, he will immediately embark upon a lifelong journey to reach it. Works Cited Hadjicostandi, Joanna. Module 13: Education and Medicine. Introduction to Sociology. 1 May, 2006. . Jacobus, Lee A. A World of Ideas. 7th Edition Boston: Bedford/St. Martins. 2006. Plato. The Apology of Socrates. The Internet Classics Archive. Retrieved 2 May, 2006. . Plato. The Republic. Trans. Jowett, Benjamin. Cleveland, Ohio: 1946. Plato. 2006. Wikimedia. Retrieved 1 May, 2006. . Plato's Allegory of the Cave. 2006 Reference.com. Retrieved 1 May, 2006. . The Matrix. Dir. The Wachowski Brothers. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburne. 20th Century Fox, 1991. Thoreau, Henry D. A World of Ideas. 7th Edition. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins. 2006.

An analysis of The Flea written by John Donne Essay

The flea, written by John Donne is another poem containing love, sex and religion. One of John Donne’s characteristics is to always include these three main subjects in his poems. The Flea represents lust, but a lust with respect for women. The subject of this poem is about a couple of lovers lying in bed. He wants to take her virginity away from her. In essence, the meaning of this quote: â€Å"And in this flea our two bloods mingled be† means that the flea has bitten both lovers and that their blood is mingled in the flea. The act of having sexual intercourse is considered to be an exchange of bodily fluids, not necessarily being all about love and lust. The lover also feels some kind of jealousy because the flea has already mingled with her before their marriage, and he has not, or in the poem referred to as to befroe â€Å"woo†. The vocabulary used in this poem is quite old, I would say it dates back to the 17th century, it does not contain a lot of complicated words, but the old English used made it necessary to translate the poem in a more contemporary language. Imagery is widely present. â€Å"two blood mingled be† is very clear link to exchanging bodily fluids, the equivalent of having sexual intercourse. Another clear link to the sexual side is â€Å"And pamper’d swells with one blood made of two† The flea symbolizes a different thing every stanza. In the first stanza, the flea represent the two lovers united together in the flea, â€Å"This flea, you and I† is a metaphor simply stating what the greatest part of the poem is about. The flea contains both their blood, and in it, they are together. Then in the second stanza, the flea is not simply them being together, but it means the whole world to them. In the third and last stanza however the flea’s symbol is that of sin and suddenly gets demoted to simply being a flea again. â€Å"And cloister’d in these living walls of jet† immediately cretes an image of a small, dark place, most probably in this case being the inside of the flea. There is quite a lot of repetition in this poem, especially â€Å"Mark but this flea, and mark in this† creates an emphasizing effect and attempts to get the readers attention on the flea. The structure is mostly consistent throughout the whole poem, except for the last 3 lines. The poem is a closed-form poem, and the rhyming pattern is AABBCCDDD. † This, is, thee, be† in the first stanza clearly shows this rhyming pattern is present in the poem. The effect of this rhythm is that makes it easier to remember this poem, as it in some way sounds like a song when the rhythm is followed. The tone in this poem is one of deep intimacy and curiosity, especially in the first stanza; the tone is one of curiosity. He is jealous of the flea that already has mingled their â€Å"bloods†. â€Å"And this, alas! Is more than we would do.† Suggests that the lover finds it a pity that they did not have intercourse yet, but it doesn’t bring him down so to speak. In the second stanza however, the tone changes from curiosity to pity for the flea and is more impassionate, as in the second flea it becomes clear that the woman wants to kill the flea because it has her blood already. The lover presents an argument and tries to seduce her into not killing the flea seeing that she would committing 3 sins as she would be killing â€Å"three sins in killing three† the flea, the lover, and herself. So it also carries some sadness with it. In the third and last stanza the tone is set to a more playful mood again. Sinfulness in this poem is clearly present. To stress the flea’s innocence, â€Å"Wherein could this flea guilty be?† It changes the image of the flea to that of just an insect again, that is not smart enough to realize what it has done. Overall, the tone is a lot like the process of sexual intercourse. It has the foreplay, and then it builds up to the climax and finally relaxes again. The first stanza represents the foreplay, a small thing such as the flea sucking the blood of both, with a sexual connotation â€Å"it suck’d me first, and now sucks thee† is a playful connotation of for example intimate kisses. Then it builds up in intensity as the man attempts to persuade her but fails at protecting the innocent flea’s life; finally the woman kills it, which would be the climax. The final stanza is simply reflecting upon what just happened and the pace slows down again, the r elaxation. To conclude this essay, I believe this poem is about two people who deeply love each other and the lover tries to persuade the woman into losing her virginity to him. This poem is about the intimate relationship, love, and sex and religion. Religion as in the marriage bed and marriage temple and not having sex before â€Å"woo†. It refers to human nature as all of us have the same desire and feelings in us. Most of us will find their true love at some point and experience the mingling of their blood. Not necessarily of course, but I believe that for most of us this is true.