Operation Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 17000 words

Operation Management - Assignment Example gy, Infrastructure, Globalization: 35 Chapter 3: Existing Problems and Weaknesses of Operations Management in the Company: 36 Part 1: Reduced Earnings in the Recent Years: 36 Part 2: Independent Franchise Dealers Being Weaknesses: 38 Part 3: Weaknesses of Operations Management Leadership Program: 39 Part 4: Problems with Plant Applications Production Management: 40 Chapter 4: Need for Re-orientation: 41 Part 1: Overcoming the Problems with Operations and Reorient towards More Cost Effective Operations Management: 42 Part 2: GE Invests Over EUR 85 Million In Germany For Operations Reorientation: 43 Part 3: Improving the Entry Level Leadership Programs for Better Management: 45 Conclusion and Recommendations: 46 References 50 Introduction: Operations management of any business organization deals with the management and operations of products and processes, and supply and delivery of products and services from the company to its end consumers (What is Operations Management? 2013). Thus it involves optimized utilization of available resources towards effective production and delivery of products and services. There are different levels of operations followed in an organization depending on which strategies and tactics are planned (What is Operations Management? 2013). Areas of business concerned with management of production and distribution of products: Logistics and supply chain management are essential parts of the operations management of a business organization that is concerned with the administration of production and distribution of products. Logistics enables a planned structure for the flow of production and information throughout the business (Sekhar 2009). Thus the different processes of operations are linked with the help of logistics. Supply chain management is in charge of the entire responsibility of production of products and services and passing them to the end consumers without causing delay in the processes. The basic functions concerned by the supply chain include design of the products, procurement, production, management of demand, and distribution (Sekhar 2009). Product design is concerned with generating products that can satisfy the needs of consumers. It involves design of the product, its engineering and packaging as well. Procurement refers to gathering the necessary materials in order to produce the actual products (Sekhar 2009). Production is the process that transforms the raw materials into finished products to be offered to the customers. Demand management involves managing the flow of the demand from the market with the ability of the company to meet the demands (Sekhar 2009). Distribution is the

Nature Imagery in Wuthering Heights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nature Imagery in Wuthering Heights - Essay Example Characters played by Cathy and Heathcliff and key locations of Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights depict frequent use of symbolism in the structure of themes and imagery in the novel. The whole novel fundamentally revolves around the thesis: How the use of nature imagery depicts the mutual existence of â€Å"good and evil† in relation to the key characters in the novel who become self aware of their feelings and bond.   Nature imagery depicts the contrast of Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights: The central locations of Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights signify the apparent contrast between them as the main action sites with the use of nature imagery. The integral part of Wuthering Heights is apparent in the novel. Characters involved in the plot of novel are Lockwood, Nelly, Mr. Earnshaw, Hindley, Catherine, and Heathcliffe. The story begins with Lockwood renting a manor house called Thrushcross Grange. The manor house is owned by his landlord, Heathcliff. Nelly Dean, who happens to be Heathcliffe’s housekeeper, narrates the story of Heathcliff and the strange citizens of Wuthering Heights. ... Also, Catherine chooses to marry Edgar because of the peace, calm and protection offered by the Thrushcross Grange Valley. The similarity between Grange and heaven shows up when Catherine describes her experience with heaven in these words, â€Å"... heaven did not seem to be my home, and I broke my heart with weeping to come back to earth; and the angels were so angry that they flung me out into the middle of the heath where I woke sobbing for joy† (Bronte 64). On the other hand, Wuthering Heights is described as a hell because of many similarities between the two. It is described as a dark place with dark complexioned and dark haired inhabitants. Lockwood explains in the very beginning of the novel that Wuthering is â€Å"a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather"(Bronte 4). Furthermore, Lockwood describes Heathcliff as â€Å"a dark-skinned gypsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman, t hat is, as much a gentleman as many a country squire† (Bronte 6).   Nature imagery depicts the depth of relationships: At their young age, Catherine and Heathcliff like each other and their relationship grows stronger with the passage of time. The role of nature imagery in the lives of the main characters highlights the destructive power of love. Particularly, the character of Heathcliff represents the destructive power of love through the growing relationship of Catherine and Edgar. Catherine comes from Wuthering Height while Edgar belongs to Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff develops a strong sense of hatred towards Edgar Linton upon hearing the news of Catherine’s approval of Edgar’s proposal of marriage. Catherine made Heathcliff leave

A Business Value Of Service Transition Information Technology Essay

A Business Value Of Service Transition Information Technology Essay Plan and manage the capacity and resources required to package, build, test and deploy a release into production and establish the service specified in the customer and stakeholder requirements Provide a consistent and rigorous framework for evaluating the service capability and risk profile before a new or changed service is released or deployed Establish and maintain the integrity of all identified service assets and configurations as they evolve through the Service Transition stage Provide good-quality knowledge and information so that change, Release and Deployment Management can expedite effective decisions about promoting a release through the test environments and into production Provide efficient repeatable build and installation mechanisms that can be used to deploy releases to the test and production environments and be rebuilt if required to restore service Ensure that the service can be managed, operated and supported in accordance with the requirements and constraints specified within the Service Design. (Service Transition 2.4.1) Objectives Of Service Transition Manage resources to enable the transition of a service into production within the predicted cost, quality and time estimates Ensure that there is minimal unpredicted impact on the production services, operations, and support organization Increase the customer, user and service management staff satisfaction with the service transition practices, including deployment of the new or changed service, communications, release documentation, training and knowledge transfer Increase proper use of the services and underlying applications and technology solutions Provide clear and comprehensive plans that enable the customer and business change projects to align their activities with the service transition plans (Service Transition 2.4.1) Business Value Of Service Transition Service Transition also adds value to the business by improving: The ability to adapt quickly to new requirements and market developments (competitive edge) Transition management of mergers, de-mergers, acquisitions and transfer of services The success rate of Changes and Releases for the business The predictions of service levels and warranties for new and changed services Confidence in the degree of compliance with business and governance requirements during change The variation of actual against estimated and approved resource plans / budgets The productivity of business and Customer staff because of better planning and use of new and changed services Timely cancellation or changes to maintenance contracts for both hardware and software when components are disposed of or de-commissioned Understanding the level of risk during and after change; for example, service outage, disruption or re-work (Service Transition 2.4.3) Basic SACM Concepts Configuration Item (CI) A Configuration Item (CI) is an asset, service component or other item that is, or will be, under the control of Configuration Management. CI Types include: Service Lifecycle CIs (e.g.: Business cases; service management plans; service lifecycle plans; Service Design Packages (SDPs); release and change plans; test plans) Service CIs (e.g.: Service capability assets: management, organization, processes, knowledge, people; service resource assets: financial capital, systems, applications, information, data, infrastructure and facilities, people; service models; service packages; release packages; service acceptance criteria) Organization CIs (e.g.: Business strategy; policies; regulatory or statutory requirements; products shared by more than one group; internal CIs: tangible and intangible assets that are required to deliver and maintain the service and infrastructure) External CIs (e.g.: External customer requirements and agreements; releases from suppliers or sub-contractors and external services) Configuration Model Configuration Management delivers a required logical model of the services, assets and the infrastructure by recording the relationships between CIs. Relationships A relationship is a link between two CIs that identifies a dependency or connection between them. For example, applications may be linked to the servers they run on; IT services have many links to all the CIs that contribute to them. Configuration Management Database (CMDB) A database used to manage configuration records throughout their lifecycle. The CMDB records the attributes of each CI, and relationships with other CIs. A CMDB may also contain other information linked to CIs, for example incident, problem or change records. The CMDB is maintained by Configuration Management and is used by all IT Service Management processes. Configuration Management System (CMS) The CMS holds all of the information for CIs within the designated scope. The CMS maintains the relationships between all service components and any related service management records / documentation. Typically, the CMS will also hold data about employees, suppliers, locations and business units, customers and users. (Service Transition 4.3.4.2) Definitive Media Library (DML) The exact configuration of the DML is defined during the planning activities. The definition includes: Medium, physical location, hardware and software to be used, if kept online. Some Configuration Management support tools incorporate software libraries, which can be regarded as a logical part of a DML Naming conventions for file store areas and physical media Environments supported (e.g.: Test and live environments) Security arrangements for submitting Changes and issuing software, plus backup and recovery procedures The scope of the DML (e.g.: Source code, object code from controlled builds and associated documentation) Retention period Capacity plans for the DML and procedures for monitoring growth in size Audit procedures Procedures to ensure that the DML is protected from erroneous or unauthorized Change (e.g.: Entry and exit criteria for items) (Service Transition 4.3.4.3) The Configuration Management System (CMS) holds all the information for CIs within the designated scope. Some of these items will have related specifications or files that contain the contents of the item (e.g.: software, document). For example, a service CI will include the details such as supplier, cost, purchase date and renewal date for licenses and maintenance contracts and the related documentation such as SLAs and underpinning contracts. The CMS is also used for a wide range of purposes, for example asset data held in a CMS (CMDB data) may be made available to external financial asset management systems to perform specific asset management process reporting outside of Configuration Management. The CMS maintains the relationships between all service components and any related incidents, problems, Known Errors, change and release documentation and may also contain corporate data about employees, suppliers, locations and business units, customers and users. (Service Transition 4.3.4.3) SACM Activities Management Planning There is no standard template for determining the optimum approach for SACM. The management team and configuration management should decide what level of Configuration Management is required for the selected service or project that is delivering changes and how this level will be achieved. This is documented in a configuration management plan. Configuration Identification Define and document criteria for selecting Configuration Items (CIs)and the components that compose them Select the CIs and the components that compose them based on documented criteria Assign unique identifiers to CIs Specify the relevant attributes of each CI Specify when each CI is placed under Configuration Management Identify the owner responsible for each CI Configuration Control Configuration control ensures that there are adequate control mechanisms over CIs while maintaining a record of changes to status, approvals, location and custodianship/ ownership. Without control of the physical or electronic assets and components, the configuration data and information there will be a mismatch with the physical world. Status Accounting Reporting Each asset or CI will have one or more discrete states through which it can progress. The significance of each state should be defined in terms of what use can be made of the asset or CI. There will typically be a range of states relevant to the individual asset or CIs. Verification Audit The activities include a series of reviews or audits to ensure: There is conformity between the documented baselines (e.g.: agreements, interface control documents) and the actual business environment to which they refer To verify the physical existence of CIs in the organization or in the DML and spares stores, the functional and operational characteristics of CIs and to check that the records in the Configuration Management System (CMS) match the physical infrastructure Checking that release and configuration documentation is present before making a release (Service Transition 4.3.5) Updates to asset and configuration information are triggered by change requests, purchase orders, acquisitions and service requests. Some of the more noteworthy interfaces are: Change Management identifying the impact of proposed changes Financial management capturing key financial information such as cost, depreciation methods, owner and user (for budgeting and cost allocation), maintenance and repair costs ITSCM awareness of assets the business services depend on, control of key spares and software Incident/problem/error providing and maintaining key diagnostic information; maintenance and provision of data to the Service Desk Availability management detection of points of failure Service Asset Configuration Management Practical Application Audit your PCs to see if what you actually have is what has been recorded. Is there more than one PC per person? Can this be justified? Are there any extras which could be disposed of? Define those service components which are truly critical these are most likely your CIs and start tracking them and their relationships. Discover where configuration information is already being maintained, and leverage any information of value in creating a single virtual repository. Are there relationships between components in one repository and those in another? These should be tracked. place text Basic Change Management Concepts Service Change A Service Change is a change to an existing service or the introduction of a new service. It is the addition, modification or removal of authorized, planned or supported service or service component and its associated documentation. Normal Change Any change that follows the normal change process is considered a normal change. Normal changes can include changes to services, the service portfolio, service improvement projects, etc. Standard Change A pre-approved change that is low risk is relatively common and follows a procedure or work instruction; for example, provision of standard equipment to a new employee. They are logged and tracked using a different mechanism, such as a Service Request. Emergency Change An emergency change is a change that must be introduced as soon as possible; for example, to resolve a major incident or implement a security patch. The Change Management process will normally have a specific procedure for handling Emergency Changes. Remediation planning No change should be approved without having explicitly addressed the question of what to do if it is not successful. Ideally, there will be a back-out plan, which will restore the organization to its initial situation, often through the reloading of a baselined set of CIs, especially software and data. However, not all changes are reversible, in which case an alternative approach to remediation is required. Change Advisory Board The Change Advisory Board (CAB) is a body that exists to support the authorization of changes and to assist Change Management in the assessment and prioritization of changes. Emergency Change Advisory Board Emergency changes are sometimes required and should be designed carefully and tested before use or the impact of the emergency change may be greater than the original incident. Emergency changes may document some details retrospectively. The number of emergency changes proposed should be kept to an absolute minimum, because they are generally more disruptive and prone to failure. Emergency change authorization Defined authorization levels will exist for an emergency change, and the levels of delegated authority must be clearly documented and understood. In an emergency it may not be possible to convene a full CAB meeting. Where CAB approval is required, this will be provided by the Emergency CAB (ECAB). Change Management Practical Application Create a CAB and begin holding meetings to assess changes. Develop a change model that provides an authority model for assessing and authorizing changes based upon the change type. Determine if there are any changes made without being assessed by the CAB. Did any of these result in degradation or loss of service? Consider changing the categorization of these in the future to be included with those the CAB assesses. Ensure timelines for change assessment are documented and agreed in SLAs, OLAs, and UCs. Change model A repeatable way of dealing with a particular category of change. A change model defines specific pre-defined steps that will be followed for a change of this category. Change models may be very simple, with no requirement for approval, or may be very complex with many steps that require approval (e.g.: major software release). Change process models and workflows Organizations will find it helpful to predefine change process models and apply them to appropriate changes when they occur. A process model is a way of predefining the steps that should be taken to handle a process (in this case a process for dealing with a particular type of change) in an agreed way. Support tools can then be used to manage the required process. This will ensure that such changes are handled in a predefined path and to predefined timescales. Changes that require specialized handling could be treated in this way, such as emergency changes that may have different authorization and may be documented retrospectively. The change process model includes: The steps that should be taken to handle the change including handling issues and unexpected events The chronological order these steps should be taken in, with any dependences or co-processing defined Responsibilities: who should do what Timescales and thresholds for completion of the actions Escalation procedures; who should be contacted and when These models are usually input to the Change Management support tools in use and the tools then automate the handling, management, reporting and escalation of the process. Example of types of request by service lifecycle stage Type of change with examples Documented work procedures SS SD ST SO CSI Request for change to service portfolios New portfolio line item To predicted scope, Business Case, baseline Service pipeline Service change management Æ’Â ¼ Request for Change to Service or service Definition To existing or planned service attributes Project change that impacts Service Design, e.g. forecasted warranties Service improvement Service change management Æ’Â ¼ Æ’Â ¼ Æ’Â ¼ Æ’Â ¼ Æ’Â ¼ Project change proposal Business change No impact on service or design baseline Project change management procedure Æ’Â ¼ Æ’Â ¼ Æ’Â ¼ User access request User access procedure Æ’Â ¼ Operational activity Tuning (within specification/constraints) Re-boot hardware on failure if no impact on other services Planned maintenance Local procedure (often pre-authorized) Æ’Â ¼ Seven Rs Of Change Management Who RAISED the change? It is important to have the information on who is representing the Change in case further clarification about the Change is needed. There are also instances where the priority of a Change can be affected by the position or department where the Change originated. What is the REASON for the change? It is important to know why the change is being requested. Some examples could include: Quality Performance Compliance Maintenance Defects What is the RETURN required from the change? What benefit can the organization, department, support personnel or customer expect from the change? What are the RISKS involved in the change? All changes have a risk which could range anywhere from processing being delayed to the entire organization not being able to provide service to its customers. It is important to understand what the risk is so that appropriate precautions can be taken in the timing and execution of the change. What RESOURCES are required to deliver the change? In every change there are a number of resources that need to be considered such as: Human Financial External Internal Who is RESPONSIBLE for the build, test and implementation of the change? It is important to identify all the parties involved in bringing a change to realization and that the managers are informed as to the role their people will play in implementing the change. What is the RELATIONSHIP between this change and other changes? The complication of the interaction, dependencies and relationships of changes cannot be overemphasized. It is not uncommon to have parallel multiple changes that can affect each other at any point in their critical paths. It is essential to understand this and to accommodate for it in order to avoid an increase in unplanned outages and failure in your change process. (Service Transition 4.2.6.4) Change Management Activities Record RFC The change is raised by a request from the initiator an individual or a group. Review RFC Change Management should briefly consider each request and filter based on: Reasons To Accept Reasons To Reject Practical Impractical New RFC Repeats of earlier RFCs: Information complete Already accepted Information accurate Rejected Has the necessary budgetary approval Still under consideration Incomplete submissions: Inadequate description Without necessary budgetary approval Assess Evaluate Change The issue of risk to the business of any change must be considered prior to the authorization of any change. Many organizations use a simple matrix to categorize risk. Authorize Change Formal authorization is obtained for each change from a change authority that may be a role, person or a group of people. Plan Updates Careful planning of changes will ensure that there is no ambiguity about what tasks are included in the Change Management process, what tasks are included in other processes and how processes interface to any suppliers or projects that are providing a change or release. Coordinate Change Implementation Authorized RFCs should be passed to the relevant technical groups for building of the changes. It is best practice to do this in a formal way that can be tracked. Review Close Record On completion of the change: Results are reported Evaluation takes place If successful, the record is closed If failed, the record is closed (Service Transition 4.2.6) Change Management Relationships Business Change Management Changes to any business or project deliverables that do not impact IT services or components may be subject to business or project change management procedures rather than the IT service Change Management procedures. However, care must be taken to ensure that changes to service configuration baselines and releases do follow the Change Management process. The Change Management team will, however, be expected to liaise closely with projects to ensure smooth implementation and consistency within the changing management environments. Project Management Project management must work in partnership to align all the processes and people involved in service change initiatives. The closer they are aligned, the higher the probability that the change effort will be moved forward for as long as it takes to complete. Change Management representatives may attend relevant Project Board meetings. Supplier Management Effective Change Management practices and principles must be put into place, in conjunction with Supplier Management, to manage supplier relationships effectively to ensure smooth delivery of service. Effort also should be put into finding out how well the partners themselves manage change and choose partner and sourcing relationships accordingly. Service Asset Configuration Management The Configuration Management System provides reliable, quick and easy access to accurate configuration information to enable stakeholders and staff to assess the impact of proposed changes and to track changes work flow. This information enables the correct asset and service component versions to be released to the appropriate party or into the correct environment. As changes are implemented, the Configuration Management information is updated. Problem Management Problem Management is another key process as changes are often required to implement workarounds and to fix known errors. Problem Management is one of the major sources of RFCs and also often a major contributor to CAB discussion. IT Service Continuity IT Service Continuity has many procedures and plans that should be updated via Change Management to ensure that they are accurate, up to date and that stakeholders are aware of changes. Security Management Security Management interfaces with Change Management since changes required by security will go via the Change Management process and security will be a key contributor to CAB discussion on many services. Every significant change will be assessed for its potential impact on the security plan. Capacity Demand Management Capacity and Demand Management are critical aspects of Change Management. Poorly managed demand is a source of costs and risk for service providers because there is always a level of uncertainty associated with the demand for services. Capacity Management has an important role in assessing proposed changes not only the individual changes but the total impact of changes on service capacity. Changes arising from Capacity Management, including those set out in the capacity plan, will be initiated as RFCs through the change process. (Service Transition 4.2.7.3 and 4.2.7.4) NOTES: The goal of Release and Deployment Management is to deploy releases into production and establish effective use of the service in order to deliver value to the customer and be able to handover to service operations. Release and Deployment Management aims to build, test and deliver the capability to provide the services specified by Service Design and that will accomplish the stakeholders requirements and deliver the intended objectives. The following objectives are also important for the Release and Deployment Management process: Ensure knowledge transfer to enable the customers and users to optimize their use of the service to support their business activities Ensure that skills and knowledge are transferred to operations and support staff Ensure minimal unpredicted impact on the production services, operations and support organization Ensure that customers, users and service management staff are satisfied with the service transition practices and outputs (Service Transition 4.4.1) Basic RDM Concepts Release Policy Includes the unique identification, numbering and naming conventions, roles, responsibilities, time tables, frequency and other requirements pertaining to how releases will be handled. Release Unit Identifies the portion of the service or infrastructure that is normally released together in accordance with an organizations release policy. The unit may vary, depending on the type or item of software and hardware. Release Package The package may contain multiple release units such as hardware, software, applications and documentation. Release Design Options Service Design will define the approach to transitioning from the current service to the new or changed service or service offering. Common options are: Big bang vs. phased Big bang option the new or changed service is deployed to all user areas in one operation. Phased approach the service is deployed to a part of the user base initially, and then this operation is repeated for subsequent parts of the user base via a scheduled rollout plan. Push and pull A push approach is used where the service component is deployed from the centre and pushed out to the target locations. A pull approach is used for software releases where the software is made available in a central location but users are free to pull the software down to their own location at a time of their choosing or when a user workstation restarts. Automation vs. manual Automation will help to ensure repeatability and consistency. If a manual mechanism is used it is important to monitor and measure the impact of many repeated manual activities as they are likely to be inefficient and error-prone. Release and Deployment Models Models enable consistency and repeatability when preparing releases for deployment and will incorporate a variety of criteria and guidelines. DIKW represents the hierarchical progression from data to wisdom. Data is a set of discrete facts about events Information comes from providing context to data Knowledge is composed of the tacit experiences, ideas, insights, values and judgments of individuals Wisdom gives the ultimate discernment of the material and having the application and contextual awareness to provide a strong common sense judgment Service Analytics Instrumentation Service Analytics is useful to model existing infrastructure components and support services to the higher-level business services. This model is built on dependencies rather than topology causality rather than correlation. Infrastructure events are then tied to corresponding business processes. This is as far along the DIKW hierarchy as modern technologies allow. It is well understood that no computer-based technology can provide wisdom. It requires people to provide evaluated understanding, to answer and appreciate the Why? questions. (Service Transition 4.7.4) Specifically within ITSM, Knowledge Management will be focused within the Service Knowledge Management System (SKMS) concerned, as its name implies, with knowledge. Underpinning this knowledge will be a considerable quantity of data, held in a central logical repository or Configuration Management System (CMS) and Configuration Management Database (CMDB). However, clearly the SKMS is a broader concept that covers a much wider base of knowledge, for example: The experience of staff Records of peripheral matters (e.g.: Weather, user numbers and behavior, organizations performance figures Suppliers and partners requirements, abilities and expectations Typical and anticipated user skill levels

Binge Drinking Essay example -- Drugs Alcohol Alcoholism Essays

Binge Drinking On a wet, dark, and snowy Sunday night an outsider wouldn't expect a Northeastern University campus bar to be crowded. In fact, most students can't even leave their dorms because there is too much snow. Yet a tiny pub, located barely off campus on Gainesboro Street, is packed wall to wall with students. A small community is drinking away their problems while discussing the probability of school being canceled. Many experts would describe this act as binge drinking, but any student would prefer to describe it as just a regular Sunday night. The Harvard School of Public Health has done numerous studies on college binge drinking. These studies are known as the standard for binge drinking data. They define binge drinking for men as the consumption of five or more drinks in a row at least once in the past two weeks. Women are considered binge drinkers when they consume four or more drinks in a row. This is a growing problem among college students throughout the country. According to the Harvard study, in 1999, 44 percent of college students were binge drinkers. Results of the survey prove that drinking is the most serious drug problem on college campuses. Henry Wechsler, Ph.D., was the doctor who authored the Harvard study. The term â€Å"binge drinking† was used by Wechsler and colleagues in Massachusetts several years before the study. The term is now a mainstream term used to describe drinking among college students that leads to serious problems. "Binge Drinking has so many negative effects on students, and I see it first hand. Students should be careful they don’t develop alcoholism, because then you have a serious problem,† said Danna Kobo a sophomore at Northeastern. A study by the federally appoin... ...â€Å"A lot of students tell me their depressed, and then they tell me that they’ve been drinking a lot more often lately. Since alcohol is a major depressant, this is usually where I begin in terms of helping them,† said Birnberg. The counseling center is also loaded with useful pamphlets and handouts discussing the negative effects of drinking. The U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Center for Alcohol and Drug Prevention is actively trying to fight binge drinking by students. They recommend restricting marketing and promotion of alcoholic beverages both on and off campus. They also encourage colleges to create a social, academic, and residential environment that supports health-promoting tactics. Drinking on college campuses has always been an issue, and the truth is, it will continue to be an issue for as long as young adults continue to attend college.

The Making of the Writer, Richard Wright

The making of the writer, Richard Wright In Richard Wright? s autobiography Black Boy Wright describes his life from a very young boy to his early twenties. He gives us a good perspective on what it is like to be a black person in the 1920? s. But not only that, he gives us a very good perspective on what it is like to be an individual. How did Wright become a writer? What events in this book described why Wright became a writer? Wright discovers the power of words at a young age and is a rebellious little kid. He kills a cat over one of his father? careless comments, â€Å"Kill that damn thing†, â€Å"Do anything, but get it away from here†. He gets drunk in a bar and starts whispering words he does not know to some of the women in the bar, â€Å".. for a penny or nickel, I would repeat to anyone whatever was whispered to me†. He writes bad words he learns from his classmates on almost all the windows in the neighborhood without knowing what they mean. And when his grandma is cleaning his ass he says to her, â€Å"When you get through, kiss back there†. When Wright gets new words and expressions he uses them before knowing what they mean.It is like you could give him a detonator to a bomb and he would push the button before asking what the button was for. But after all the punishment he gets for all the events he learns little by little that he need to think before speaking. It is not only from his family that he learns that, it is mostly strangers. Like when he was out on delivery for the clothing store and his bike brakes. Some white folks offer him a ride back to town, Wright says yes. When they offer him a drink he says â€Å"Oh, no†. He gets a whiskey bottle smashed between his eyes. The white man says â€Å"Nigger, ain? you learned no better sense? n that yet†. †Ain? t you learned to say sir to a white man yet†. Wright realizes little by little that words are â€Å"weapons† and you get punished if you â€Å"shoot† the wrong person. Wright learns the power of words the tough way with beating and punishments. But when Wright discovers books, it changes his life. The first real story Wright writes is in 8th grade, the story is called â€Å"The Voodoo of Hell? s Half-Acre†. When the kids at school read the story in the newspaper they asked Wright why he wrote it and they think he copied it out of a book.He doesn’t get any support from his family neither. Nobody in his society understands why he wants to become a writer. It sounds like it is the stupidest thing they ever heard. When Wright gets Ella to reads him a story from the book she is carrying, it is like a new reality to him. â€Å"She whispered to me the story of Bluebeard and His Seven Wives and I ceased to see the porch, the sunshine, her face, everything. As her words fell upon my new ears, I endowed them with a reality that welled up from somewhere within me†.The story is so intriguing t o him that he vows to himself that when he is old enough, he is buying all the novels he can. Nothing could change his mind after that. Wright realizes that books are a better reality that the reality he is living in now. It is his way of dreaming away from all the misery he is living in. But how is Wright so determined when most of the people he knows make fun of him and don’t understand why he wants to become a writer. Why can? t he just be like his family and the society around him wants him to be? Where is he getting all this inspiration? Anything seemed possible, likely, feasible, because I wanted everything to be possible †¦ Because I had no power to make things happen outside of me in the objective world, I made things happen within†. It? s like he lives in his own nutshell, with windows and a door. He knows what’s outside and he even goes outside sometimes. But he just waits to find his place in society so he can leave his nutshell, come out and expr ess everything on his mind. He hopes the north can give him that. The rumors Wright hears that in the north black people are treated better than in the south.This makes Wright drops out of school so he can work more and save up more money to travel up there. When he gets there he is by himself for the first time in his life. No family or friends, we see that Wright is maturing and acting more like a man and not like the boy he used to be. When Wright first meets Mrs. Moss and her daughter Bess, he is really uncomfortable. He has no previous experience on how to deal with them. Mrs. Moss is like the complete opposite to his mother. But we see that during the stay in Memphis, he has more of a chance to stand up for himself.He handles Bess? s overwhelming crush and establishes a workable relationship for all of them. Wright handles it like a more mature person. There is a transition from Richard as a boy to Mr. Wright, the writer he became when he wrote this book, two points of view go ing into one. When Wright gets help from his Catholic coworker to get a library card he finally fulfills his vow to himself to read all the novels he can get his hands on. This is the real beginning to his self-education. He reads and reads, every day he reads. He gets to know all the writers.It is like he is swimming in parallel universes, but instead of universes he is swimming in different peoples? minds. â€Å"I was jarred and shocked by the style, the clear, clean, sweeping sentences†. He never read anything like it before. After reading book after books Wright gets a revelation. He is not alone anymore. There are other people like him out there, who feel and think like Wright does. They also feel like individuals in this society and the world they are living in. This makes Wright really satisfied. For the first time in his life he feels like he is part of a group, a society.He wants to tell somebody about his discovery. He just wants to talk to somebody about this, tell about what he has learned and his dreams for the future. But Wright has nobody to talk to about this. His coworkers, friends, and family would not understand. They would ask Wright why he is reading, what? s the point? After Wright is satisfied he becomes sad. He knows he is not alone, but the people that share the same view and understanding as him are not around. He is still alone. Wright became a writer because that was his only way out.He was an individual, trying to fit in to the society where he was born. It was the only way he could express himself, as an individual. Writing allowed him to say what was on his mind without getting punish for it. It was an escape from the reality he was living in. After learning more and more he became more secure on the path he had chosen. Words became his weapon in life. We see that writing and reading was his inspiration and motivation. He feels like he can do anything when he reads or writes. â€Å"Anything seemed possible, likely, feasib le, because I wanted everything to be possible†.

Building a Coalition Essay

PART I: Group Development At this point in time, the group is not yet even development. It almost seems as if all the individual organizations are storming because they want to make sure that each one of their opinions is heard, and they have control of the situation. No one wants to give up their own power or control. They have started off correctly as it is stated in the case that HR representatives from each organization have been selected to pick individuals from each organization that they feel will have the best impact and will be proficient leaders. The individuals chosen need to understand the stages of group development to help them get along and build a cohesive coalition. They will have to understand that the initial stage will be the forming. Here the newly formed group will test each other out. They will be able to get a feel for whom their co-workers are, what strengths and weaknesses each member has, and they will be able to develop a set of guidelines on what is acceptable behavior for the mem bers. This is when they realize that they are no longer individuals representing just their organizations but instead their own group of people representing the students, and the students’ best interests with the backing of their individual organizations. They will lead into storming, where they will butt heads over power and what steps to take first. I believe here is where the true leader of the group will come out. It will be the individual who will be able to get the storming under control, get everyone to focus on what the main goal is and will help guide the group into the norming stage. In the norming stage, the main goal will be highlighted, the scope of the project defined, and a project plan created. Goals and guidelines will be set along with milestones and progress meetings. This is where they will start feeling like a group and start feeling like the project is finally moving along, and they all know how to get to the end. This leads us into performing, where  the team moves forward with the project working together and adjusts timelines as needed, resolving issues, and getting the job done. The final step is adjourning where the project will come to a wrap. The team will have a guidebook to help train any new personal that will be coming in and to help further build what they have already started. Knowing the steps of group development, help guide team members to establish proper guidelines not only for the project but for their own person behaviors. It helps members realize their own strengths and weaknesses and how the team can build upon those to make everyone successful. It also teaches the team how to function well together, develops relationships, and help motivate each other. All this is important in keeping the group motivated and keeping a positive dynamic to the group. PART II: Problem Identification The initial problem the group will face is for power. Each organization wants to make sure that their opinions are heard, and each feels that they are the most correct and should have the most power because they have the best influence and the students’ best interests in mind. Getting everyone on a common ground will be the hardest part since it seems that everyone thinks that they are right. Egos will need to be put aside and the storming phase may be longer than anyone would really like. As I had mention, before the true leader will come out of this phase and be the one that will be able to get a handle over the group. This will be an individual that everyone will respect and be able to relate to. I do not feel that there was much that there was much that could have been previously done in essence to understanding individual membership in teams to prevent the issue of the power struggle. This seems to be an ego struggle and also a difference of opinions. Everyone feel like they know what is best for the students and want to be involved, and have their opinion heard. In this case each organization is correct in their own way. Developing a coherent plan will be the biggest struggle incorporating everyone’s opinions as much as possible and trying to please everyone at the same time will be the additional struggle. The plan will have to be easy enough to follow so that it can be implemented as quickly as possible now and slowly change as time goes on. It will be easier for students to adjust to the smaller changes over a longer  course of time, than having their worlds turned upside down all at once. Also implementing changes a little at a time will help teachers to adjust and keep up their motivation and not be burnt out too quickly as students will be less resistant to small changes. This will also help with training new staff members as they come in. Having a handbook to guide further changes will help to continue moving the project forward in further years, and keep up with the progress of changed making sure the project stays successful and is not just a quick fix. PART III: Retrospective Evaluation The primary problems will be the power struggle and diversity will also play a role in this power struggle, and who relates best to the students. Also another issue will be making sure that the individual organizations feel that they are being equally represented, and heard. Each individual has their own struggles and comes from different backgrounds, we cannot judge what we have not gone through and cannot say how it affects that individual. Each member is here because they can relate to the students in their own personal way. We will need to put our own personal issues aside for the better of the students. Again the storming phase maybe long and members learn to work together and get over their difference. Each organization will have to give up power and the group that is made up of the representatives from each organization will have to identify themselves and their own organization not 3 individuals. Picking the team members will be the most crucial. The members cannot be egotistical but should also be respected members from their individual organizations. They will have to work together to come up with a project plan that they feel is the best way to proceed forward and will have to also convince their individual organizations and the community that they are making the best decisions. The pros of developing one main group to represent all and having this group break off and be seen as their own will help develop a stronger group dynamic between these individuals. The more they feel like a group the more they will be able to convince their individual organizations that they are being equally heard and that their opinions and suggestions are being incorporated into the overall plan. There may be backlash from the organization that they are developing on their own but this will need to be done in order to establish  authority, and not have individual organizations trying to go behind the backs of the group and work on their own. The biggest issues will be with establishing authority and making sure that each organization feel that is it being equally represented and their opinions are being heard and incorporated. PART IV: Reflection Diversity is an issue that is long over do in needing to be resolved. We as American’s need to embrace that we are a culture made up of many differences. We are the mute! This school and its new program for helping these students should be a great representation of that. These students will be representing our future and they can show that when differences are put aside and people work hard to work together they can be successful. Each individual contributes something and makes up for where the others lack. Difference should be embraced because they can show us a new way of thinking, acting, or doing. We should forever be evolving. My advice to program leaders would be to set your difference aside. Let us find what our common goal is and see how we can get their together. Ask what peoples string suites are, what their weaknesses are, and even what they would like to learn from this. This gives each member a sense of ownership to the project and will help keep them motivated by giving them their own individual goal to work towards succeeding. Giving them a their own sense of ownership to the project gives them a sense of pride to the project and will help lead them.