Critical analysis of Bob Dylan’s song “Hurricane” Essay

Bob Dylan’s iconic songwriting, unique and distinctive singing voice, as well as his controversial and thought-provoking lyrics has undoubtedly placed Dylan among the elites of modern, American musical history. This is not to say there are those who dislike and generally do not care for his songwriting, but almost everyone has come in contact with his expansive body of work. Born Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, he moved to New York City in 1961 and legally changed his name to Bob Dylan in 1962. In the onset of his career Dylan focused on politically charged themes and acoustic/folk type guitar playing. Protest songs written in the 1960’s established a reputation as a free-thinking songwriter engrossed in the trials and tribulations of the times. After a break from this style, his 1976 album Desire contained the eight and a half minute mega-track â€Å"Hurricane,† which saw a return to the societal-minded songwriting that had helped him make h is name. â€Å"Hurricane,† is a narrative that describes Dylan’s own account of the events in New Jersey bar in June of 1966, which lead to the arrest and imprisonment of Rubin â€Å"Hurricane† Carter, an American middle-weight boxer. Although this is one of his most popular songs, Dylan no longer incorporates it in his live sets. Also, despite its popularity, â€Å"Hurricane,† is truly a masterpiece and a wonderful lens with which to examine this great artist’s literary style and influence. Through the exploration of several critics’ analysis coupled with a detailed examination of the actual song lyrics, it is clear that the song â€Å"Hurricane† by Bob Dylan intertwines modern social elements of race and equity, the literary aspects of genre, language and metaphor, and his own unique and individualistic songwriting that has established him on a plateau of excellence rivaled by no other modern artist. The racial aspects of the song ring out louder than any other theme. Upon listening to the song, Dylan’s emotionally charged singing and sharp lyrics clearly display that fact that Rubin Carter’s skin color had a major influence in his arrest and conviction. This, of course, is just Bob Dylan’s interpretation however. Evan Schlansky, a critic from American Songwriter.com, explores the issue of race and social equity in his analysis. ‘†Hurricane† functions like a real live detective story. It’s a song that peppers the listener with rich details and impolite truths, many  of which are enough to make the hairs at the back of your neck stand up’ (Schlansky, 1). Paterson, New Jersey in the 1960’s was a hotbed of racism and racial issues, and the lyrics explain the direness of the situation. Dylan sings, â€Å"In Paterson that’s just the way things go/If you’re black you might as well not show up on the street, ‘less you wanna draw the heat† (Metrolyrics.com, 1). Dylan is obviously critiquing the law enforcement and judiciary system, as well as striking a chord with racial and political activists everywhere. As mentioned before, Bob Dylan’s songwriting as always been poignant and controversial and although this song was released ten years after the incident, its themes are just as true. He lays blame on society’s elite with the lines, â€Å"And though they could not produce the gun, the D.A. said he was the one who did the deed, and the all-white jury agreed† (Metrolyrics.com, 1). These lines have been regarded as some of Dylan’s most controversial and along with his use of the â€Å"N-word,† he created an extremely moving and thought-provoking example of how racism is still present in society. The first element of Dylan’s genre in â€Å"Hurricane,† relate to his writing the song as a narrative. This means he is singing the song as a story being told of the actual accounts as if Dylan himself was in the bar that night. Gerard Steen, in his essay â€Å"Metaphor in Bob Dylan’s ‘Hurricane'† writes, â€Å"†¦such story format options are also part and parcel of well-conventionalized cognitive genre schemes, such as narrative songs† (Steen, 190). Another important genre aspect of â€Å"Hurricane,† is his utilization of a protest song. â€Å"†¦the accusation of false conviction is clear enough to make the song a serious protest song from the beginning† (Steen, 189). Protest songs were elemental in establishing Dylan’s reputation as a singer/songwriter. â€Å"Hurricane,† marked a return to this style of songwriting. Dylan also uses language to convey his message. Usage of extreme language and powerful metaphors enhance the drama and suspense that builds throughout the song. The metaphors used by Dylan are key to his message. However these metaphors are not always clearly displayed throughout the verses, and the reader (or listener) usually has to make up his/her mind (Steen, 196). These important elements of literary style add to the significance and complexity of this monumental work. Aside from his singing voice, Dylan’s unique songwriting as placed him in a class of his own even among his peers. â€Å"Hurricane,† is a delightful piece to examine based on his return to the in-the-moment style songwriting that had made him famous in the 1960’s. Previous staples of Dylan’s first albums like â€Å"The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll,† and â€Å"Who Killed Davey Moore?,† had plots seemingly taken right from the papers and words beautifully woven into songs in a way completely peculiar to his own style. In fact many critics argue that the song may have fit more unto one of his earlier albums such as Masters of War or The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (Schlansky, 1). The fact that this song was not released until 1976 also leads to the element of surprise that Dylan (ever the individual) would ever back-track to his previous writing styles. â€Å"Harking back to the days when he used to rip his song ideas from the headlines of newspapers, Dylan masterfully sums up and dramatizes Carter’s story, and also manages to embarrass the system by coming off smarter than every lawyer, cop, and jury on the case. To live outside the law, you must be honest† (Schlansky, 1). Through the exploration of several critics’ analysis coupled with a detailed examination of the actual song lyrics, it is clear that the song â€Å"Hurricane† by Bob Dylan intertwines modern social elements of race and equity, the literary aspects of genre, language and metaphor, and his own unique and individualistic songwriting that has established him on a plateau of excellence rivaled by no other modern artist. Although there are those who do not enjoy Dylan’s music, one would be hard-pressed to find someone who had never heard of him. He is undoubtedly one of the most famous and influential American musicians of all-time. â€Å"Hurricane,† stands as one of Dylan’s true masterpieces and incorporates the best aspects of his literary style and songwriting capabilities. The song was so influential many believe it even helped to get Rubin Carter released from jail and acquitted of all charges. â€Å"†¦but only ‘Hurricane’ actually helped get someone out of jail, even if it did take 12 years (Schlansky, 1). In conclusion, â€Å"Hurricane,† is a song that will stand the test of time, and shines as a beacon of accomplishment in an immense and critically acclaimed body of work. Works Cited Levy, J., Dylan, B., â€Å"Hurricane.† 15 May 2009. < http://www.metrolyrics.com/hurricane- lyrics-bob-dylan.html>. Schlansky, Evan. â€Å"The 30 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs: #21 ‘Hurricane’.† 2009. American Songwriter.com. 15 May 2009. . Steen, Gerard. â€Å"Metaphor in Bob Dylan’s ‘Hurricane’: genre, style and language.† 15May 2009. < http://books.google.com/books?id=O1R79- TsVKoC&pg=PA183&lpg=PA183&dq=literary+criticism+%22hurricane%22&s ource=bl&ots=Ioa4GCmjjQ&sig=MYMBoFGCnh0yV3ihRZ9gRLmnRXQ&hl=e n&ei=jqgNSopHYzCMdmhpbYG&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4 #PPA183,M1>.

Milestone Assignment Chemistry Essay

Milestone Assignment Chemistry BY 2233 In Method 1. You start by watching the building from afar, seeing how it is used and what Its general structure Is. You then begin to get closer and more particular, examining systems such as the electrical system and sprinkler system, walls and floors. Your last step is to examine the nails, screws and other elements of the building. Which method do you think is closest to your study of chemistry thus far? What are the pros and cons to proceeding one way rather than another? Write 3-5 arcographs and submit the short essay to your teacher. Have fun’ Method one is most similar to Chemistry. This is because the table of elements is like the building and we began by looking at it as a whole and then learned the individual parts of It. First we learned the anions and canons and where they are located. Also we learned specific elements with their symbols. Second chemistry Is like method 1 because as we learned the symbols we also started to put everything together and began making compounds. We did this by lancing the charges and making sure everything was stable like a building. The periodic table Is the foundation of chemistry as a blueprint Is to a building. A pro about this method Is that we begin to see trends and patterns within the table itself. Which help us identity and put together compounds. A con is that you can become overwhelmed when you first look at the periodic table and see how many parts there are. With out the periodic table there would be no chemistry and without the walls and floors and other elements of a building, It would not exists.

Eleanor Roosevelt Essay

And strength, courage and confidence she possessed. Forty-six years after Eleanor Roosevelt’s death yet she the former First Lady still remains an influential women in the world. She supported her husband’s political career. In fact, President Franklin Roosevelt often called his wife his â€Å"eyes and ears† (Bradgon, McCutchen, and Ritchie 776). Eleanor Roosevelt played a pivotal role in the Roosevelt administration especially when paralysis hit the president (776). She used this power to advocate for civil rights, especially for the women (Goodwin 1998). The was the first woman to become the voice of the ordinary people, she spoke in national conventions, held press conferences, lectured, and wrote a syndicated column (1998). She fought for the plight of the poor, the women, and the African Americans (777). She was a super woman, so to speak. Her fight for social justice was perhaps what Roosevelt is famed and revered for. She helped laid the cornerstone of the civil rights and women’s movement. It was her greatest achievement, one that the world will forever be grateful for. Eleanor Roosevelt was born October 11, 1884 to Elliott Roosevelt and Anna Hall (Caroli 2008). Although she came from an influential family (her uncle was Theodore Roosevelt), her life story did not start out smoothly (2008). Hers was what people would call a â€Å"dysfunctional family† (Tindall and Shi 1266). Her father was described was an alcoholic who got servant girl pregnant while her mother was said to be a â€Å"cold, self-absorbed socialite† (Tindall and Shi 1266). Despite this, Eleanor loved her parents deeply. However, tragedy struck the family. By age ten, both her parents died and Eleanor, together with her brother, was brought to be raised by relatives (Caroli 2008). Eleanor’s other brother had died a year before (2008). Eleanor was extremely close to her father and his death deeply affected the young girl (2008). The siblings were brought to their grandmother Mary Hall to become their guardian (Black 2008). An introvert, Eleanor was sent to Allenswood, a girls’ boarding school by age 15 (Caroli 2008). Under the wing of Mademoiselle Marie Souvestre, Eleanor’s intellectual curiosity was awakened. Souvestre was a confident woman who was a staunch believer in the liberal causes (Black 2008). In Eleanor’s three years at Allenswood, she forged friendship not just with Souvestre but with young girls her age; she learned language, literature and history; expressed her opinions on political events; and discovered Europe in summers (2008). She was, to say the least, transformed into a â€Å"tall, willowy, outgoing woman† (Tindall and Shi 1266). In 1902, Eleanor went back to New York for her â€Å"coming out† into society (Caroli 2008). Following her family’s tradition, she immersed herself into social responsibilities, enlisting with the National Consumers League and the Junior League for the Promotion of Settlement Movements (Black 2008). She also volunteered to teach at the College Settlement on Rivington Street (2008). Her endeavors soon reached the attention of the New York reform group (2008). One summer, on a train ride to Tivoli, she bumped into her fifth cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Black 2008). A secret courtship began and on November 22, 1903, the two became engaged (2008). The two were different. Eleanor was often described as a serious person, someone of â€Å"high ideals and principles† while Franklin was a confident man, who grew with love and affection from his family (Tindall and Shi 1267). Franklin’s mother, Sara was against the relationship and tried in vain to separate the two. On March 17, 1905, Eleanor and Franklin were married in New York (2008). The wedding, wherein President Theodore Roosevelt gave the bride away, was on the front page of the New York Times (2008). In a span of 10 years, Eleanor gave birth to six children, one of whom died after birth (Caroli 2008). In 1911, Franklin won a seat in the New York senate and the family relocated to Albany (Black 2008). Eleanor looked forward to moving out, especially since in their old home, her mother-in-law was constantly breathing down her neck. She was said to comment that the move ignited her desire to become independent and be an individual (2008). As Franklin started to carve his political career, Eleanor took on the role of a political wife- gracing formal parties and â€Å"making social calls† (2008). When World War I broke in 1917, Eleanor found herself returning to volunteer work. She spent her free time helping the Navy- Marine Corps Relief Society and the Red Cross (Caroli 2008). Her unwavering commitment opened another door in her life- that of being able to be of service to others. For some time, she was in the shadow of her political husband. The War ignited her desire to pursue other plans outside her husband. It helped boost her confidence. Ruby Black, Eleanor’s friend, once commented that the war became her first work â€Å"outside her family† (Black 2008). But this awakening of sorts was dampened when Eleanor found that her husband was involved romantically with another woman, Lucy Mercer. Mercer was Eleanor’s social secretary (Caroli 2008). This caused a dent in the couple’s relationship and Eleanor suggested to have a divorce, which Franklin refused (2008). Franklin ended the relationship with Mercer and tried to patch things with Eleanor. Though they continued on with the marriage, it was said that they remained affectionate but no longer intimate (2008). In 1921, Franklin fell ill with polio and was paralyzed (Tindall and Shi 1267). Despite what had happened in their relationship, Eleanor did not leave her husband. She helped him in his career, attending political gatherings and speaking on his behalf (1267). According to their daughter Anna, polio was instrumental in bringing their parents together (1267). While Eleanor supported her husband, she started to carve her own name. She became active with the Women’s Trade Union League and the Democratic Party of the New York state (Caroli 2008). As Chair of the League of Women Voters Legislative Affairs Committee, Eleanor read the Congressional Record, talked with members of Congress and the State Assembly and presented a report on a monthly basis (Black 2008). She was especially interested in non-legislative issues like primary reform, voter registration and party identification (2008). Eleanor also wrote for the Women’s Democratic News (2008). Three years after, Eleanor was part of a group whose purpose was to inform women on participating in political and social issues. As board member of the bi-partisan Women’s City Club, Eleanor led the City Planning Department, tackling issues such as housing and transportation, child labor, and the distribution of birth control information on married people (Black 2008). She also taught at a school (2008). When Franklin was elected governor, Eleanor divided her time equally, ensuring that she pursued her personal interest and that of being a governor’s wife. When the Governor’s inner circle had disagreements with Eleanor’s League of Women Voters, Eleanor acted as arbitrator (Black 2008). Her political grace, no doubt, was shaping up. Following Franklin’s successful crack at the presidential election, the now First Lady continued with her passion. With her own staff, Eleanor carried on with her causes. She had press conferences with women correspondents, something she was keen on. She also talked to her husband about employing women in his cabinet (Tindall and Shi 1268). In fact, she backed the successful appointment of France Perkins as Secretary of Labor (Caroli 2008). Like the First Lady, Perkins was an advocate of minimum wage and maximum hour laws, child-labor restrictions and other reforms (Bradgon, McCutchen, and Ritchie 776). Eleanor was not afraid to speak her mind, even if it meant carping on her husband’s plan regarding unemployment insurance (Caroli 2008). In 1936, she started her own daily syndicated newspaper column â€Å"My Day† (2008). This was her channel for expressions her opinion publicly. While some greeted her write-up with criticisms, many people admired her for taking interest in their plight. She often tackled child welfare, racial minorities, housing reform and women equality (2008). Following her husband’s death in 1945, President Harry Truman her to the US delegation in the United Nations (UN) (Caroli 2008). She was responsible for the drafting and adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (2008). The UDHR was approved on Dec. 10, 1948 at a U. N meeting in Paris, for which the former First Lady received a standing ovation from the delegates (Gardner 1988). The UDHR is deemed the touchstone of human rights (1988). It is also used to measure the performance of UN entities and NGOs (1988). Likewise, the UDHR continued to serve as inspiration for other human rights treaties in Europe and Latin American (1988). Based on the American Bill or Rights, the British Magna Carta, and the French Declaration of the Rights of the Man, the UDHD comprises a preamble and 30 articles on basic rights and freedoms (1988). When John F. Kennedy became president, she appointed Eleanor as chair of the Commission on the Status of Women (Caroli 2008). She continued to work and fought for the underprivileged. Even at her age, Eleanor travelled the globe to conduct meetings with world leaders (2008). She also did not stop writing books and articles. In 1962, she contacted a rare form of tuberculosis and succumbed. She was buried at Hyde Park. Works Cited Black, Allida. â€Å"Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. † The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project. Jan. 31, 2008. May 7, 2008 < http://www. gwu. edu/~erpapers/>. Bragdon, Henry, Samuel McCutchen and Donald Ritchie. History of a Free Nation. Ohio: McGraw-Hill, 1996. Caroli, Betty. â€Å"Eleanor Roosevelt. † Britannica. com. 2008. May 7, 2008 . Gardner, Richard. â€Å"Eleanor Roosevelt’s Legacy: Human Rights. † Dec. 10, 1988. May 7, 2008 . Goodwin, Doris. â€Å"Leaders and Revolutionaries. † TIME. com April 13, 1998. May 7, 2008 . Lewis, Jone. â€Å"Eleanor Roosevelt Quotes. † Womenhistory. about. com 2008 May 7, 2008 . Tindall, George and David Shi. America A Narrative History 5th ed. USA:W. W. Norton and Company, 1999.

Criminal justice , organized crime Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Criminal justice , organized crime - Term Paper Example This present paper aims at discussing crime, justice and organized crime in Italy and outlining the effects of Italian Mafia o business government. Back in the 20th century, the Italian government imposed any laws (anti-racketeering laws) to end this illegal activity as well as weakening the Mafia group. Nevertheless, these types of illegal activities still take place in the country’s business currently. During the 19th centuries, a large group of Italian immigrants, most of them farmers, unskilled workers, and artisans moved to American to search for better paying jobs and economic opportunities, as well (Beare and Naylor 34). The number of Italians immigrants was mostly high in the New York town with a maximum of 250,000 immigrants for the year 1880 to 1910. The majority of these immigrants were law-abiders. However, most of the big groups involved themselves with criminal activities, therefore forming neighborhood gangster groups. In the 1920s, the period of the prohibition era, the time when the U.S. government made its 18th amendment to the country’s constitution mainly to ban the production, transportation, and selling of illicit beverages in the country (Finckenauer and Yuri 56). The Italian Mafia group alongside with other ethnic groups unlawfully, started to associate themselves with liquor activities as well as transforming themselves to perform other criminal activities such as money laundering, smuggling, and bribing the police officers as well as any other public officers (Albini 47). Typically, the entire Italian Mafia group had some hierarchies with each hierarchy being headed by its own boss. The boss with a lot of authority and could receive some amount of money from any moneymaking criminal activity performed by the members of his group. The vice chairperson of any group was second-in-commander and below this commander

How can we combine Homeric texts and archeology to learn more about Essay

How can we combine Homeric texts and archeology to learn more about elite behaviour in Greek Society What are the difficulties - Essay Example What they help archaeologies in achieving are the clues of the things they need to study. They provide a road map on what to explore and the direction to take in the study of these ancient remains. Among the clues that have been provided before are the study and the investigation of the ancient Greek world in the tradition of Schieman digging at Troy with the hand of Iliad. To enhance the understanding of the past human activities, archeologists often utilize classical texts in conjunction with archeology to understand past way of the Greek world. The study of the past is also instrumental as it helps archeologist in understanding the contemporary way of life in relation to the origin of human activities. This paper focuses on how classical text in conjunction with archeology helps in the understanding of the ancient and the elite behavior of the Greek society as well as the probable problems that are likely to be faced in the study of past and present human activities. ... He wanted that that entire he does to come out to be beautiful (Kardaras 2011). The narrative rivets this thought by explaining how Walt was dying for excellence. He always wanted the best products and always did awesome jobs. Through the narrative, it is also beautiful to learn that Walt’s craziness and obsession with aretes, excellence pushes him into the production of the purest meth (Ross, & Hook, 2006). During the moments of war, archeologists through the script and text analysis discovers that during the moment of greatness and war, Homeric heroes displayed the strength and the might of aretes during the war. In search of recognition and honor, Walt took his good time in the meth lab to come up with exceptional and the most refined weapons. The second value held by the Homeric that inspires Walt is Kleos: that is, the urge to personal glory and might. In other words, the Greeks wanted to be known for something. In this case the subject wanted to be known for arete. Throu ghout the story, it is evident that the major motive that drives one to work is the desire to achieve something significant. The Greek education and culture have been dominated by the pursuit of excellence and the urge to greatness: personal glory. The Homer’s and Illiad are paeans and pursuant of arete. These very urges and desires still dominate the contemporary Greek way of life. A noble and apos aretes in Homer, is indicated by the acuity of his prowess in war and the excellence of his weapon manufacturing. In athletics, he is seen as a person who is peaceful and admirable (Sissa, & Detienne 2000). Both of these occasions, war time and moments of peace are all of immense value in show casing the

Business Law Questions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Law Questions - Coursework Example The first advantage is that this type of business is easy to form. The business organization is simple with minimal legal formalities that includes the license and permits in special cases. The business is also easy to dissolve if Eva so wishes. The second advantage is that this type of business only needs small startup capital. Apart from this, the amount of money needed for management is small as there is usually no need for specialist in the various functional areas of the company. The third advantage Eva gains from this type of business organization is that it affords a great deal of flexibility in that decision making and changes are easy and fast. The fourth and probably the biggest advantage is that the owner receives all the profits from the business. The final advantage offered is that the company if moderately free from government control. The government regulates this type of business less than other types, thus Eva’s day-to-day operations are smooth as long as she follows the letter of her permit and license. While the business offers many advantages, it also has some challenges. First, these types of companies usually have limited resources. Due to this, banks and other credit facilities are usually reluctant to grant loans due to the high mortality rate of these companies as well few assets owned. The second disadvantage is that the owner assumes unlimited liability. This means that all the debts and loses fall on the head of the owner. The third disadvantage is that in the event the company fails, creditors have the right to force the owner to sell their own property as well as those belonging to the company to offset the debt. Finally, if the owner dies or is incapacitated, the business dies or is incapacitated. In order to raise capital, Eva faces some difficulties as investors unrelated to her will not be comfortable regarding the security and use of their investment. Capital investment for sole proprietorship is also difficult to secure and formalize without risking losing control of the company. The first course of action she may take is to seek financial aid from people related to her such a family and friends. She can also raise loans from financial and banking institutions. In this case, she can secure a loan from the bank for her working capital and seek help from specialized financial institutions in case of long term investment such as buying fixed assets. The third approach is discussing with her suppliers to receive goods on credit, i.e. acquire trade credit. Finally, she can lease her equipment to other firms in order to acquire medium term funds. Question 2 By looking at the second scenario, we find that Don has a basis to set aside the contract. This is because the contract between Don and Evan was entered under coercion. According to Bigwood (369), pure coercion occurs when one party plans to engage in a legal wrong to endorse his demands leaving another party to without any reasonable alternative but to comply. While Evans threat is not a legal wrong it is however exploitative, disagreeable and wrongful in the broader sense hence an improper proposal. Under contract law, Don can prove that he was under duress (duress to the person) thus enabling the contract to be rescinded since it will then be voidable (Stone 337). In order to prove that the contract was under coercion, Don has to prove that no other reasonable option remained but to sign the contract. This can be done by reviewing the relationship between him and his nephew as well as contracts they had entered before. Apart from voiding the contract, Ron can also choose to enforce the contract (Bigwood 370). Cases of

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 6

Marketing - Essay Example come the basic idea of marketing just before the discovery of internet marketing, it is important to understand the level in which businesses or firms have eventually evolved based on their capacity to introduce their offerings to prospective customers. Part of this paper prior to arguing the impact of internet on the dominant logic of marketing is the discussion of the basic concept of marketing. The basic information about this portion is the basis of probable identification on the level if any; the marketing concept has evolved from the basic. Marketing as we know about it is composed of sub functions such as selling, advertising and promotions. These sub functions are common areas where companies can actually establish their corporate advantage (Kotler and Keller, 2008). What makes marketing so alive today is due to underlying five orientations guiding any marketing effort of any organisation in their marketing activities. These five orientations involved production concept, product concept, selling concept, marketing concept and societal marketing concept. Products or services are two most common offerings of companies, but today some of them seldom get much attention because of poor communication of information given to people. Some might have encountered a certain product or service but do not care enough due to lack of details or familiarity about it. A market-driven strategy is therefore important in order to get the consumers acquainted with company’s offerings. One of the ways to depict a market-driven company is to observe their interaction with their target buyers. Companies are always looking forward to unfed needs of their customers and thus they usually reward them with corresponding solutions. This is the case of customer-centered way of dealing business with marketing (Kotler and Keller, 2008). However, what seems to be the most significant and contrasting part here lies on the capacity of each firm to convey or impart information to its

Cloud Computing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cloud Computing - Case Study Example This is achieved through being allowed to pay at a very low rate the capacity which they use only (AmazonWebService, November 2012). The provision of Software-as-a-Service and Infrastructure-as-a-Service offloads the burden of constantly updating systems both hardware and software from the consumer to service provider. In this regard Ericsson rides on the latest and updated systems handing at no extra cost. Cloud based systems such as the ones offered by AWS are accessed through web APIs which can be remotely accessed from virtually anywhere in the world offering a very flexible and highly convenient system which to international companies such as Erickson redefines global outreach literally. Furthermore Cloud based systems are a 24 hour service which allow round the clock access as a results clients are able to get an on demand availability of their data and systems. On demand systems offered by AWS Allows ericsson to work only with the capacities they require as and when they are n eeded as such no resource goes to waste of idle time and they freed from costs arising from long term planning upgrades and maintenance of systems. The fact that Ericsson runs mobile networks, a real-time on demand availability of their systems offers a cutting edge market advantage over their competitors (Dodani, 2009). Ericsson cloud based systems uses Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Amazon Simple Storage Services (S3), and Rightscale. These are powerful and robust services provided by Amazon designed to simplify cloud computing. Amazon EC2 for example provides a complete control of the system as if it were on premise by allowing users to obtain and configure their systems capacity with a lot of ease. Acquisition and booting a new server through Amazon EC2 has been simplified providing a quick means of either increasing or decreasing capacity depending with system requirements (AmazonWebService, November 2012). This is a highly scalable

Effectiveness of leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Effectiveness of leadership - Essay Example It is possible that every become leaders, but it is difficult that everybody becomes effective leaders. Most of the persons act as a leader either at their family or at work, at some time of their life. Leadership styles are different for different people because of the individual differences. Some people may adopt authoritarian approach whereas some others adopt democratic style of functioning. Rewards and punishments are the main weapons in the hands of a leader in order to motivate the subordinates. Power is an essential component of leadership.There are passive leaders and active leaders. A passive leader will never act for the betterment of either the organization or the community which he leads. Some of the ancient monarchs who got leadership of a country simply because of their tradition, are the best examples of passive leaders. But an effective leader always incorporates the positives of these approaches in his leadership style. Leadership is an art which requires lot of ski lls like temperament, patience and preparation. It is not possible that a short tempered person or a person with lack of control over his emotion may become an effective leader. Emotional intelligence is the core of effective leadership. An effective leader is the one who takes quick and effective actions or decisions. There are endless qualities which can be attributed to an effective leadership. This paper tries to analyse some of the essential qualities of an effective leader.'Leadership' is a term which has so many definitions and used differently at different instances. Leadership can be generally defined as the behaviour of an individual when he was able to direct and control a group of persons towards a goal. Leadership can be of different types. Some people adopt autocratic or authoritarian style of leadership in which they never allow the opinions of the group members led by him; instead he will force the group members to functions in a specific manner as directed by him wi thout any questions or doubts. It is a kind of dictatorship. On the other hand some other leaders adopt democratic style of functioning while leading a group. Such leaders always value the opinions of the group members and they consider the needs of the group members on a humanitarian basis. There are also a third kind of leaders who incorporate both autocratic and democratic approaches in their functioning. The behaviour patterns of a leader vary from person to person and situation to situation. Same leader may function differently on different occasions. The behaviour pattern of a leader is often influenced by the personality of the leader. The term power always associated with leadership. Without power it is difficult for a leader to function properly. If a leader was unable to exercise the power, he will be labelled as a leader by position. In any case, the success of a leader often measured on the basis of the effectiveness of his performances. In order to become effective in their mission, the leaders should have certain qualities and skills in order to lead a group of individuals Essentials of effective leadership "Effective leaders are alike in crucial way: they all have high degree of emotional intelligence" (Goleman & Maccoby, p.3) Emotional intelligence is an essential quality required for an effective leader. The group which he leads often consists of individuals of different personality and behavioural traits. Only a leader with emotional intelligence can identify each individual member of the group very well and utilize them in an effective manner to execute the objectives of the group project. "The renowned researcher in human organizational behaviour David McClelland found that when senior managers had a critical mass of emotional intelligence capabilities their divisions outperformed yearly earnings goals by 20%" (Goleman & Maccoby, p.5) Emotional intelligence make a leader capable of increasing the productivity of the organization

Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and Essay - 1

Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence - (and one extra option) - Essay Example To me, scientists are the people who really make a difference in the world. Their effort gives rise to products that the whole world makes use of and benefits from. Even if a scientist does not manage to develop a product in his life time, he leaves sufficient information for others so that they may follow him in the same footsteps and ultimately reach the goal that the deceased ever dreamt of. Benjamin W. Lee who has been a great Korean-American physicist is a source of influence for me. Coincidently, he was related to me. He died away a couple of years ago. In the period that urgently preceded his death, he had been working upon renormalization theory. Unfortunately, he could not achieve the goal he wanted to as his life ended before he could do that. Being related to him and accoutered with good scientific comprehension skills, I felt it as my responsibility to take my uncle’s mission further and complete the rest of his work. So I took it as a task. Benjamin was both my friend and tutor in scientific discussions. If there is one way I can show my respect towards him, that is by accomplishing his mission. If I am a physicist today, Benjamin W. Lee is the most dominant reason for that. He was a physical model and realization of my dream personality. I always wanted to be like him. Many of my cousins and brothers used to talk to him generally. I remember that my discussions with Benjamin were always science oriented. I knew how he started over with the renormalization theory, and what steps he had taken in its way thus far. Although I saw it as my duty to carry forward his work, I was not mature enough to do that by the time he died as I was studying. I had to build my academic career first. So I resolved to take higher education in America in Elementary Particle Physics. Since my childhood, I always found interest in Nuclear Physics. It was fundamentally because of Benjamin, that I decided to take Elementary Particle Physics as my major subject given

The Nazi Doctors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Nazi Doctors - Essay Example In fact, they had a task of eliminating people that were considered unfit for work, while others were sacrificed for others to live. Therefore, this period entails complications regarding rules that were altered frequently in accordance with camp commandants. Nevertheless, the paper will focus on analysing this issue based on the idea whether the famous philosophers, Aristotle, Kant, and Mill would agree with the practices in which Nazi doctors were involved. Aristotle, Kant, and Mill do not agree with practices conducted by the Nazi doctors through the agreement of their medical professional. In this case, they were chosen to take role of concentrating camp doctor and saving lives of numerous people while making decision regarding condemning others to death. On the other hand, both Aristotle and Mill would support the argument that the Nazi were not in a position to decline the offer of position offered by the Nazi regime. In fact, the doctors were bound to admit these offers as a w ay of saving their own lives. Others agreed with the notion that they would increase the possibility of benefiting numerous people. As a utilitarian, Mill has a conviction that actions are considered right based on their aspect of promoting happiness while wrong leads to grief or unhappiness ((Mill, 2010). Therefore, causing death for innocent people created a difficulty, thus failing to comply with the Greatest Happiness Principle. Moreover, Aristotle sought to offer a better notion to support this idea, whereby indicating that wise people are able to bare kinds of fortune in a seemly way thereby acting in an aristocrats way in various situations (Amemiya, 2007). However, Kant disagrees with the idea of doctors agreeing to the mandates given to them by the Nazi regime. This is due to his maxims conviction, which is universalized without inconsistency (Cahn, 2012), whereby if it prevailed; the doctors would not have had a chance to make their Faustian bargain. Moreover, Kant (1964) argued that a man’s dignity is lost by lying; thus, decisions, which concern determining, people who will live or die does not require to be accommodated in the law or universalized maxims. In this case, the three philosophers were advocating for a world that facilitated coexistence whereby every human being lives without being subjected to death that would be caused by another human being. Difficult choices regarding establishment of a substantial number of choices was made by Aristotle and Mill, whereby they stood for consequentialism. In this case, there was not chance for Kant to establish a philosophical justification of the murder for some people for the sake of saving others. In fact, he advocates for deontological ethics that focuses on people’s intentions (Honderich, 2005). Therefore, Kant’s convictions do not support the killings perpetrated by Nazi doctors despite the idea of saving other people’s lives. Furthermore, this is an attitude, which can be supported through a verse in the Bible at Matthew 7:12, â€Å"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do you even so to them.† Concerning the choice of whether I would support the actions of Nazi doctors or the offer that was presented to them by the Nazi regime is a problem that required deep thinking. However, the analysis on the three philoso

The Psychology of Personal Adjustment and Social Adjustment Essay Example for Free

The Psychology of Personal Adjustment and Social Adjustment Essay Prior to presenting my life script, I would like to take the liberty of introducing myself. I am a 23-yearold lady, hailing from Boston, Massachusetts. My father is a medical doctor and my mother, a pharmacist. They have been divorced for more than three years now but they both live in Tokyo, Japan. I have two younger brothers; one goes to medical school in Japan and the other goes to boarding school in England. My childhood is something I hold close to my heart, for it was in many ways interesting. I have lived abroad for most of my life. As I have stated, my father, a medical doctor, worked for the United Nation. This job demanded frequent travel and consequently my family was constantly moving around the world to places like France, Switzerland, Korea, Russia and Japan. To address the travel issues, I took an entrance test for a girls’ boarding school when I was three-years-old since it would allow me go to its sister’s school later on in my senior years. At that age, I also started taking classical ballet classes. As I continued my journey through life from childhood to adolescence, ballet remained an integral aspect of my life with respect to my development. I placed all my time, concentration and energy into ballet, though I will delve into the details elsewhere in this script. At the age of sixteen, I left ballet school for personal reasons and decided to pursue a career outside ballet. Without further ado, I allow me to go into my life script. Quoting an excerpt from our class text, â€Å"Our life script, including the messages from both our family of origin and our culture, forms the core of our personal identity. † I could not agree more. Since I have lived abroad in various countries outside my home, I have always asked myself, â€Å"Who am I? †, â€Å"What am I? † and â€Å"What defines me? † Each of these questions explores a different aspect of my social identity. When I was an elementary school student in Switzerland, I was like an energetic, studious student. During lectures, it never embarrassed me to ask questions at all so I was asking constantly presenting queries whenever I encountered difficult problems. Even though I was only seven or eight years old, I knew I needed to master the material in order to excel in my exams. In my case, this ties in with Erikson’s stage four – â€Å"Industry versus Inferiority†. I received praise for my work from both my peers and my teachers and it encouraged me to undertake and complete more challenging tasks. I particularly wanted to gain recognition for my innovation. In general, children’s efforts to master school work help them to grow and form a positive self-concept a sense of who they are. Once I moved to Asia, many changes took place, most of them negative. In Korea, it is considered rude for a student to ask questions during class because it is thought to interrupt the lesson. Compare this with Swiss classrooms, in which children are encouraged to ask questions. It is all about culture so that moving to a school abroad meant adjusting a new culture. However, since I was used to the classroom culture of the United Sates and Europe, I found this new environment rather uncomfortable at first. Older children may find it harder to adapt, both to a new culture and to a new language, but since I was only ten years old, I settled in quickly. Once I get used to the Korean culture, not only did I start to feel embarrassed asking questions in class but I also began to feel a bit out of place, knowing that I was different. The feeling got worse after I moved to Japan. Even though have lived abroad for most of my life, I consider myself Japanese through and through, since my parents taught me a lot about Japanese culture, morals, injunctions and many other aspects. I remember once when, my teacher asked me the meaning of a famous Japanese proverb which threw me off completely. She told me, â€Å"This question is in fact quite easy and kind of common sense. However, even if you are not able to answer, it is understandable; you are from a different culture. † My face burned with shame. At that moment, failure to answer that simple question made me feel like I was a failure at everything. My sense of industry, nurtured at home was shattered here by an insensitive teacher. Since then, I have developed a degree of glossophobia, the fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak. This is another instance of Erikson’s Stage four – â€Å"Industry versus Inferiority†. The image of the classical ballerina is traditionally that of classical ballet itself graceful, poise, sophisticated and â€Å"very European†. I had been taking classical ballet for more than thirteen years and my mind was too consumed with ballet to think of any other purpose in life. I took part in Prix de Lausanne ballet competition in Switzerland, and won a prize as well as a scholarship to ballet school. I decided to attend Paris Opera Ballet School in France when I was 14 years old. I have always admired the long limbs of European dancers, gracefully moving to rhythmic music. Dancing, particularly ballet teaches young people to be highly self-critical. Dancers, from a very early age, are continually corrected by their teachers and are trained to focus on self-reflection as a means of observing and correcting one’s mistakes, over and above perfecting technique. From my experiences, I observed that ballet puts dancers under considerable pressure to be thin and attain the perfect figure. I recall one instance when my ballet teacher criticized my appearance in front of others. As I see it, relentless attack commonly forms grounds for denial. As we learned in our class, in psychology, denial is a concept originating from the psychodynamic theories of Sigmund Freud. The initial denial protects that person from the emotional shock. According to the reference, â€Å"Denial is one of many defense mechanisms. It entails ignoring or refusing to believe an unpleasant reality. Defense mechanisms protect one’s psychological wellbeing in traumatic situations, or in any situation that produces anxiety or conflict. However, they do not resolve the anxiety-producing situation and, if overused, can lead to psychological disorders. † The assumption I unearth here is that denial affects one’s internal thoughts and feelings. In my case, I was taught that average weights are unacceptable in any situation in the ballet world. At that point in time, I was controlling my weight, keeping it at around 85 pounds. I was already thin but I was still asked to â€Å"trim down†. Therefore I practiced for hours on end on a daily basis, pushing myself to my physical and psychological limit to achieve professional success. Essentially, I stopped eating and my weight plummeted from 85 to 70 pounds. I ended up developing an eating disorder, but outwardly I received continual praise. Nobody knew I was starving myself to look the way I did. It did not take long before I dropped out of ballet school because of anorexia nervosa. My parents sent me to an eating disorder facility, where I stayed for more than six months. I was obsessed with ballet and it was not easy for me to see myself with the objectivity others did. I had not learned the appropriate mechanisms to deal with stressful situations. In the eating disorder facility, my therapist assisted me in examining my thoughts and behaviors and devised strategic ways effect the necessary lifestyle changes. However, even when the labels are accepted, I did not realize the severity of my eating disorder and anorexia slowly shifted to bulimia. I had been semi-phobic of solid food for years. Every time I started eating, I could not control myself and I just kept eating. I then hated myself after every episode of binging. Purging therefore made me better and gave me a sense of control. I was always telling myself â€Å"I do not need to do this†. Then I would look in the mirror and realize that I would get extremely fat if the food did not get out of my system; I just could not help it. Due to such conditions, I would find it extremely difficult to manage my school schedule as well as my coursework. I had to attend weekly counseling sessions for treatment of psychological symptoms due to depression, anxiety and eating disorders. To be honest with you, I was desperate because I could not see myself living free of an eating disorder within one and a half years. Looking back at my life script, I see how the intersection of my life and history shaped my variable perceptiveness of good and bad. I have met many different people who have played an important role in helping shape my personality, thereby making significant changes in my life. I still have ongoing personal issues regarding weight and body size. The perception from my ballet teachers that average body weights are not acceptable has slowly been ingrained in my mind over a period of fourteen years. Consequently I still have a phobia of taking too many calories, and I cannot eat three meals a day. In addition to that, I still harbor a bit of guilt after each meal, but at least I have learnt to enjoy my meals. Eating disorders leave one very confused. I got through a lot of different things and I believe I have gained more depth as human being. I am pretty sure that this now the time to take my growth to the next level. I got an acceptance letter from UC two weeks ago and building up a new career is one way of coping with feelings of inadequacy. Now that I have spilled my secret life script, I am able to see myself more objectively.

The Effects Of Transformational Leadership Education Essay

The Effects Of Transformational Leadership Education Essay In recent years, educational leaders have been voicing concerns about higher burnout rates among special education teachers as compared with teachers in general education (Fore, Martin, Bender, 2002). Many factors contribute to burnout in special education. Increased teaching workloads, shrinking school budgets, increasing demands for accountability, and disruptive students are often blamed (Byrne, 1994; Fore et al., 2002). The recession that took place in the United States in 2007 has significantly exacerbated these issues. Teachers, including special educators, must cope with the issues that come from difficult economic times. As budget tightens, teachers have to face layoffs or are being forced to take pay cuts and unpaid furlough days (Oliff Johnson, 2010). They have to worry about providing for themselves and also putting in the time and effort to promote a conductive learning environment for their students. This makes them stressful and reduces their morale to teach to the be st of their capabilities (Reeves, 2010). Furthermore, special education teachers are asked to do more with less than before this includes rising teacher pupil ratios (Center for Public Education, 2010). In special education, this means teachers have to teach students with a broader range of disabilities and grade levels. Moreover, teachers are unable to use as many of the same resources that they used before, and the school supplies, materials, and other resources that have previously been given are slowly being taken back (Center for Public Education, 2010). With the end of the federal stimulus funds that helped prevent severe education cuts, many school districts will face a more stressful budget shortfall in the next few years (Husch, Banton, Cummings, Mazer, Sigritz, 2010). All these problems can make special educators more vulnerable to burnout. Burnout has been defined as a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment (Leiter Maslach, 1988, p. 297). Emotional exhaustion refers to the feelings of being drained or used up by the clients (Maslach Jackson, 1981). Emotional exhaustion also is identified as feelings of strain, particularly chronic fatigue resulting from overtaxing work (Hakanen, Bakker, Schaufeli, 2006, p. 498). Teachers who have experienced this sense of emotional exhaustion report feeling dread at the thought of having to put in another day on the job and often put distance between themselves and coworkers and students (Schwab, Jackson, Schuler, 1986, p. 15). This distancing of oneself from the students is the second aspect of burnout, depersonalization (Schwab et al., 1986). Leiter and Maslach (1988) defined depersonalization as developing an unfeeling and callous response toward clients. Depersonalization is also referred to as cynicism, indifferent, or a distant attitude toward work in general and the people with whom one works (Hakanen et al., 2006). The third aspect of burnout is reduced personal accomplishment (Leiter Maslach, 1988). Workers tend to have a negative appraisal of themselves as well as their work with clients (Maslach Jackson, 1981). Teachers who suffer from burnout are unable to function effectively in their jobs, unable to give much of themselves to students, and frequently exhibit negative, cynical, and callous attitudes toward their jobs (Byrne, 1993). A number of studies have shown that teacher burnout may lower student achievement. Teachers who experience job burnout are more likely to criticize students, which in turn reduce students self-efficacy, motivation to learn, completeness of understanding, and creativity (Huberman Vandenberghe, 1999; Maslach Leiter, 1999). Researchers found teachers who experience burnout have reduced motivation, impaired performance, and higher rates for leaving the teachi ng profession (Byrne, 1993; Fore et al., 2002; Schwab et al., 1986). The vital role that supervisors play in affecting teachers propensity towards burnout was observed in research (Russell, Altmaier, Van Velzen, 1987; Sarros Sarros, 1992; Zabel Zabel, 2001). Supportive supervisors are likely to provide positive feedback concerning supervisees skills and abilities, which may make them less vulnerable to burnout. Russell et al. (1987) reported teachers who felt support and received positive feedback from supervisors were less vulnerable to burnout. Zabel and Zabel (2001) showed special education teachers were less likely to experience burnout when they receive more support from administrators, peers, and parents. According to Sarros and Sarros (1992), the importance of supervisor and principal support cannot be underestimated as a critical resource for addressing teacher burnout. Rose (1998) found that incidence of burnout can be reduced by high-quality leader-member exchange relationships. Positive contact with supportive supervisors is also a strong deterrent to the factors that lead to burnout. According to Leiter and Maslach (1988), unpleasant contacts with supervisors were associated with all three aspects of burnout. Their research showed that stressful interactions with supervisors lead to emotional exhaustion that causes depersonalization, which in turn leads to diminished feelings of personal accomplishment. However, little research has focused on the relationship between transformational leadership style of supervisors and burnout dimensions, and the empirical evidence is inconclusive. One possible reason for the inconclusive evidence is that previous literature overlooks a psychological mechanism that may be a powerful mediator to account for the relationship. In addition, very few studies have investigated the effect of transformational leadership style of supervisors on burnout among special education teachers. The purpose of this paper was to fill the gap by examining the relationship between transformational leadership style of supervisors and teacher burnout in special education while accounting for the mediating role of teachers calling. Literature Review Transformational Leadership and Job Burnout Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership theory is central to understanding the relationship between transformational leadership style of supervisors and the levels of burnout among special education teachers in this study. According to Fry (2003), transformational leadership is an intrinsically based motivational process whereby leaders engage followers to create a connection that raises the level effort and moral aspiration in both (p. 702). Northouse (2004) proposed transformational leadership refers to the process whereby an individual engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower (p. 170). Transformational leaders inspire followers to achieve positive outcomes by giving meaning to their work and understanding their personal needs (Boerner, Eisenbeiss, Griesser, 2007). The transformational leadership theory identifies four behaviors such as inspirational motivation, idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration that motivate followers intrinsically to give their best efforts and change their attitudes toward their work (Bass, 1999). Bass described idealized influence as shown by leaders whose behaviors can serve as an example to be emulated by followers and encourage followers to perform their best (Bass, Avolio, Jung, Berson, 2003). Furthermore, transformational leaders provide one with a sense of making a difference through service to others by emphasizing the importance of purpose, commitment, and the ethical consequences of decisions. Such leaders are admired as role models; they generate pride, loyalty, confidence, and alignment around a shared purpose (Bass, 1997, p. 133). Bass (1997) described that inspirational motivation is displayed by leaders who articulate an appealing vision of the future, challenge followers with high standards, talk optimistically and with enthusiasm, and provide encouragement and meaning for what needs to be done (p. 133). In doing so, transformational leaders lift up the efforts and work morale of their followers through enhancing the sense of calling, which in turn help improve individual productivities and organizational outcomes. Transformational leaders empower their followers by developing them into high involvement individuals (Bass, 1999, p. 9) and followers will transcend their own self-interests for the good of the organization (Bass, 1985, p. 15). Individualized consideration is described as leaders [who] deal with others as individuals; consider their individual needs, abilities and aspirations; listen attentively; further their development; advise; teach; and coach (Bass, 1997, p. 133). Transformational leaders pay attention to followers needs and support and coach their growth through individualized consideration. The leaders can help followers analyze their work-related problems and seek possible solutions. As a consequence, the transformational leadership helps prevent the feeling of being strained (i.e., emotional exhaustion) or distancing themselves from coworkers and students (i.e., depersonalization), and increase the assessment of their personal accomplishment. Intellectual stimulation is demonstrated when leaders [who] question old assumptions, traditions, and beliefs; stimulate in others new perspectives and ways of doing things; and encourage the expression of ideas and reasons (Bass, 1997, p. 133). Transformational leaders stimulate followers to be innovative and creative in approaching old situations in new ways through intellectual stimulation (Bass et al., 2003). This transformational behavior lessens the burnout symptoms such as cynicism and negativism and a tendency to be rigid, and inflexible in thinking (Freudenberger, 1977). These four transformational leadership behaviors can ease followers the feelings of emotional depletion and loss of motivation and commitment. Transformational leadership and burnout. Research is mixed on the relationship between leadership styles and burnout. Seltzer, Numerof, and Bass (1989) showed that transformational leadership style helped reduce burnout, while management-by-exception leadership did the opposite in a sample of employed MBA students. Corrigan, Diwan, Campion, and Rashid (2002) found that transformational leadership had a negative relationship with burnout among mental health professionals. However, Stordeur, Dhoore, and Vandenbergh (2001) contended that transformational leadership and contingent reward had no relationship with emotional exhaustion among hospital nursing staff. Hetland, Sandal, and Johnsen (2007) found that transformational leadership was not related to emotional exhaustion, and transactional leadership had no relationship with any of the three dimensions of burnout. Existing literature indicated a need for further study of the mechanism through which transformational leadership had an impact on burnout, particularly in the school setting (Gill, Flaschner, Shachar, 2006; Griffith, 2004; Hetland et al., 2007). Calling and Burnout Calling. Calling, as defined by Fry (2003) is the experience of transcendence or how one makes a difference through service to others and, in doing so, derives meaning and purpose in life (p. 703). Fry posits that calling is a critical part of workplace spiritual well-being that provides one a sense of making a difference and therefore that ones life has meaning (p. 714). Followers who experience a sense of calling are more committed to their organization and more productive in their workplace. Markow and Klenke (2005) defined calling as work performed out of a strong sense of inner direction (p. 12). Calling is often described as something that pertains to careers that an individual sees as promoting the greater good or being meaningful to society (Duffy Sedlacek, 2007). Baumeister (1991) discussed the job-career-calling concept in Meanings of Life. Baumeister stated that those who view work as a job perform tasks solely to obtain things that they want. He also stated that this att itude is often prevalent among lower classes, who tend to be people with less education. In contrast, a person with a calling feels compelled to perform a kind of work, whether it is from a higher calling (as is often stated in association with religion) or a calling to meet a societal need (for example, higher military enlistment rates after Pearl Harbor). A calling might also come from an individuals inner sense of having a special talent or gift. A calling satisfies the need for being valuable to others and society. A calling engenders a great deal of personal meaning, linking a vocation and an individuals value base. According to Bellah, Madsen, Sullivan, Swidler, and Tipton (2008), a calling is when work becomes inseparable from the individuals life and character. The person works for the fulfillment that doing the work brings to the individual. A calling links a person to the larger community, and the person is making a contribution to the entire community. In Fry, Nisiewicz, Vitucci, and Cedillo (2007) study, calling can be enhanced by giving employees recognition can do this, along with giving them a sense of worth through service and a positive attitude (p. 20). Transformational leadership and calling. Transformational leadership is a motivation-based theory of how to move the organization toward its desired future. Transformational leaders motivate followers by raising their levels of consciousness about the importance of goals (Northouse, 2004). The most important role that the transformational leader plays is to paint a vision of a desired future state and communicate it in a way that causes followers to believe and have faith in the vision of organizational transformation to make the pain of change worth the effort (Fry, 2003, p. 702). A literature review revealed that the vision exhibited by spiritual leaders is predictive of ones sense of calling (Fry, 2003; Fry et al., 2007; Fry, Vitucci, Cedillo, 2005; Malone Fry, 2003). Fry (2003) suggested creating a compelling vision that has a broad appeal to key stakeholders, defines the destination and journey, reflects high ideals, encourages hope/faith, and establishes a standard of excellence provides followers with a sense of calling that motivates them to believe that they make a difference to other people (p. 695). A transformational leader who also possesses these qualities develops a vision and communicates it effectively through exemplary leadership behaviors such as idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation to their followers. Consequently, followers have hope and derive meaning and purpose in their experiences. For example, Fry (2003) explained that the vision displayed by a spiritual leader incl udes establishing a standard of excellence which builds followers confidence and trust in leaders. As mentioned earlier, this behavior is a characteristic of idealized influence. Transformational leadership moves followers beyond immediate self-interests to a shared vision and mission in the organization through idealized influence. The vision also vividly portray a journey that, when undertaken, will give me a sense of calling, of ones life having meaning and making a difference (Fry, 2003, p. 718). This quality is a characteristic of inspirational motivation that awakens intrinsic motivation of followers (Boerner et al., 2007). According to Bass (1999), followers under transformational leaders are generally more self-assured and find more meaning in their work. Consequently, teachers will find personal meaning in their work or feel called to their work. Coladarci (1992) posited that teaching is viewed as a profession with high initial commitment and is a calling for many entering the profession. Teachers who find personal meaning in their work or feel called to their work have a deep commitment to their profession (Hakanen et al., 2006). The great value they find in teaching and the feeling that they are helping others and working toward the greater good of society may reduce the feelings of strain and distancing of themselves from the students (i.e., depersonalization), and raise the evaluations of their personal accomplishment. Fry proposed a causal framework that the followers sense of calling is predictive of the organizational outcomes, such as commitment and productivity. Based on the theory of calling, the present study hypothesizes that teachers who have a high level of calling will experience low emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and high personal accomplishment. Mediating effect of calling. Though existing literature indicated a direct effect of transformational leadership on levels of burnout, this study proposes that the linkage between transformational leadership and burnout may be indirect, or intervened by the sense of calling. According to Fry (2003), the followers sense of calling mediated the relationship between the vision exhibited by a spiritual leader and the organizational outcomes, such as commitment and productivity. Fry et al. (2005) examined a newly formed Apache Longbow helicopter attack squadron and found strong empirical evidence that calling is a mediator between the qualities of spiritual leadership and organizational outcomes, such as loyalty and productivity. Followers who have a higher sense of calling are more committed to their organizations and more productive. Malone and Fry (2003) conducted a longitudinal field study of elemental schools and found that spiritual leadership had a significant impact on organizatio nal commitment and unit productivity mediated by the sense of calling. In Markow and Klenkes (2005) study, calling mediates the relationship between personal meaning and organizational commitment. Fry et al.s (2007) study of a municipal government revealed that ones sense of calling is a mediator of the relationship between the vision of a leader and organizational commitment and productivity. Fry, Hannah, Noel, and Walumbwa (2011) found that organizational commitment and unit performance were fully mediated by the sense of calling by studying a sample of cadets at the United States Military Academy. Therefore, this study hypothesizes that transformational leaders exert their effects on job burnout among special educators through the sense of calling. Given that teaching is a field where many express a sense of calling, the extent that calling accounts for the relation between transformational leadership and burnout among special educators needs to be explored. One of the most powerful influences that transformational leaders have on followers is to create a compelling vision that provides one with a sense of calling through service to others, and therefore find meaning and purpose in life. Transformational leadership fosters a positive work attitude and provides followers with a sense of meaning in their work, which in turn boosts their intrinsic motivation and energy and enables them to perform their best. Control Variables and Burnout Studies on demographic variables, i.e., gender, age, and race, and their relation to burnout have shown differing outcomes. Maslach (1982) stated that women tended to experience more emotional exhaustion, yet men are more likely to exhibit depersonalization behaviors. Brewer and McMahan (2004) also reported that women were more prone to job stress and burnout than men. However, Maslach and Jackson (1981) reported no relationship between gender and burnout. Several studies have associated burnout with age, with burnout usually affecting the younger employees (Brewer McMahan, 2004; Maslach Jackson, 1981; Russell et al., 1987). No findings have supported a difference in burnout among ethnic groups (Brewer McMahan, 2004; Maslach, 1982). In Kilgore and Griffins (1998) study, they found less experienced special educators had more burnout. Method Hypotheses Based on the above discussion, the following hypotheses were formulated for testing the mediating effect of calling on the relationship between transformational leadership and burnout of special educators: H1: Transformational leadership is negatively related to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and is positively related to personal accomplishment among special educators. H10: Transformational leadership is not negatively related to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and is not positively related to personal accomplishment among special educators. H2: Transformational leadership is positively related to the calling. H20: Transformational leadership is not positively related to the calling. H3: Calling is negatively related to special educators emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and is positively related to personal accomplishment. H30: Calling is not negatively related to special educators emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and is not positively related to personal accomplishment. H4: Calling mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and each of the three dimensions of burnout. H40: Calling does not mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and any of the three dimensions of burnout. Participants and Data Collection The sample in the study consisted of special education teachers who exclusively teach special education students in Maryland non-public and public separate day schools in Anne Arundel County. Separate day schools refer to those that enroll students between six and 21 years old who spend greater than 50% of the school day in a separate day facility that does not serve students without disabilities (Maryland State Department of Education, 2010). These schools are primarily self-contained facilities, not residential facilities.  The subjects were recruited through the MANSEF (Maryland Association of Nonpublic Special Education Facilities) network of non-public private special education schools as well as public separate day schools in Anne Arundel County. This population of teachers works with students with disabilities that preclude them from receiving education services in regular education classrooms within public schools. Initial contact was made through the MANSEF director and th e Director of Special Education of Anne Arundel County. Further contact was made with the educational directors of these schools to discuss the proposed study. The directors were informed of all of the information that would be required of the teachers (e.g., signature on Informed Consent, a short demographic questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Teachers, the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, and the Calling Scale). Once the directors agreed to have the study conducted in their schools, the survey packets were disseminated to the directors for distribution to the teachers. Each packet had a cover letter that provides an introduction of the research project and invites teachers to participate in the study. Teachers were asked to sign the Informed Consent prior to their participation of the study. Stamped addressed envelopes were provided in each packet for teachers to return their completed surveys. Teachers who declined to participate or partially complete the survey s were not included in the study. Each of the surveys was distributed and collected in the same manner to ensure consistency in data collection. According to Gall, Gall, and Borg (2003), consistency in data collection procedures is essential for reliability. It was estimated that it would take approximately twenty minutes to complete these three measurements and the short demographic questionnaire. To ensure confidentiality, all questionnaires were completed anonymously, and only a coding number rather than a name was used to designate each respondent. No other personal identification information such as social security numbers, telephone numbers, and addresses were solicited on these questionnaires. All survey forms were locked up in a safe place. The size of the population was estimated at 700 non-public special educators in MANSEF schools and an additional 100 special educators in Anne Arundel County separate day schools. That makes the total estimated population of 800 special educators. Although all of the directors granted permission for the survey to be administered in her or his school, actual teacher participation was voluntary. As a result, a total of 256 teachers from 35 MANSEF schools (n = 250) and two Anne Arundel County separate day schools (n = 6) returned their completed surveys anonymously, which yielded a 32% response rate of the estimated population. Measurements Maslach burnout inventory for teachers. The construct of teacher burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Teachers (MBI Form Ed: Maslach, Jackson, Schwab, 1986). The MBI consists of 22 statements regarding attitudes and feelings about work (Maslach Jackson, 1981). There are nine items relating to emotional exhaustion, five items relating to depersonalization, and eight items relating to personal accomplishment (Maslach Jackson, 1981). The participants responded to the statements based on a 7-point frequency scale (0 = never, 6 = every day). Examples of statements included in the survey include I feel emotionally drained from work and I feel very energetic (Maslach et al., 1986). The MBI produces three areas of scores: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment (Leiter Maslach, 1988). As discussed earlier, these factors have been identified as major indicators of burnout and the MBI has been used extensively in studies examining burnout ( Byrne, 1993; Fore et al., 2002; Gill et al., 2006; Hakanen et al., 2006; Leiter Maslach, 1988; van Dick Wagner, 2001). Maslach and Jackson (1981) reported that the reliability of the subscales range from .71 to .90 using Cronbachs coefficient alpha. The test-retest reliability ranges from .53 to .89 (Maslach Jackson, 1981). Multifactor leadership questionnaire. The construct of transformational leadership was measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ Form 5X-Short) developed by Avolio, Bass, and Jung (1999). The subordinates rated their leaders on 45 leadership items on a 5-point frequency scale (0 = never, 4 = frequently if not always). The MLQ is comprised of nine subscales, which assess a full range of leadership styles such as transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leaderships. Although measured, the constructs of transactional and laissez-faire leadership behaviors were not included in the regression analyses as the preliminary analysis did not show a correlation between these two leadership styles and job burnout. According to de Vaus (2001), a correlation between two variables is a pre-requisite for establishing a causal relationship (p. 179). The five subscales used to identify transformational leadership style are: (1) idealized attributes, (2) idealized behaviors, (3) inspirational motivation, (4) intellectual stimulation, and (5) individualized consideration (Bass et al., 2003). For the subscale idealized attributes, an example item is (my supervisor) goes beyond self-interest for the good of the group. An example item pertaining to the subscale idealized behaviors is (my supervisor) specifies the importance of having a strong sense of purpose. An example item that measures the subscale inspirational motivation is (my supervisor) articulates a compelling vision of the future. The subscale intellectual stimulation includes items such as (my supervisor) seeks differing perspectives when solving problems. An example item for the individualized considerations subscale is (my supervisor) spends time teaching and coaching. The supervisor received a score on each of the five subscales, and together, those allowed for describi ng how frequently he or she engaged in transformational leadership behaviors. For example, high scoring supervisors displayed transformational leadership behaviors more frequently than those low scorers. Bass and Avolio (2000) reported reliabilities of the subscales ranging from .74 to .91 based on Cronbachs coefficient alpha. Calling. The construct of calling was measured by the Calling Scale developed by Markow and Klenke (2005) based on Baumeisters (1991) work. Respondents provided ratings on twelve items that assess three subscales such as job, calling, and career on a seven point Likert scale (1 = not at all, 7 = a great deal). As discussed earlier, the major purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of teachers calling on the relationship between transformational leadership and job burnout, therefore, only the calling subscale was included in the analysis. The subscale of calling was measured by six items, such as I feel that I must do the work I do it is part of who I am and the work that I do expresses truths and values that I believe are important (Markow Klenke, 2005). Markow and Klenke reported that the scale demonstrated an internal consistency reliability of .88. Control variables. Teachers were asked to fill out a short demographic questionnaire. It included items asking about gender, age, and years in teaching. There was also a question asking whether the teacher was a public or non-public employee. Based on the research, demographic variables do not have a consistent relationship with burnout. Data Analysis Data were analyzed using one SPSS file combining all instruments to examine the effects of transformational leadership and calling on job burnout among special education teachers. Descriptive statistics were produced to summarize the demographic data as well as survey measurements in this study. Pearson Product-Moment Coefficients were also computed to determine the correlation among study variables. To determine whether transformational leadership has an indirect effect mediated by calling on the various dimensions of teachers burnout, a mediation model was tested (Baron Kenny, 1986). A mediation model is to identify the mechanism through which an independent variable accounts for the variation of a dependent variable. To clarify the meaning of mediation, a path diagram was used to describe the relationship among independent variable, mediator, and dependent variable. Panels A and B in Figure 1 illustrated the designated paths of a direct effect and a total effect, where transformational leadership is the predictor variable, burnout is the outcome variable, calling is the mediating variable. a is the pathway from transformational leadership to calling, b is the pathway from calling to burnout, c (Panel A) is the direct effect of transformational leadership on burnout, controlling for the effect of the mediator, calling, and c (Panel B) is the total effect of transformational le adership, without controlling for the effect of the mediator. R2 was reported to measure the faction of the total variance explained by the model. To get over the overestimation problem of R2, adjusted R2 was also reported to measure the variability in the outcome that the model explains in the population rather than the sample (Tabachnick Fidell, 2007). This study conducted two methods to examine the extent to which calling accounts for the relationship between transformational leadership and burnout. First, this study followed the four-step procedure recommended by Baron and Kenny (1986) to assess the mediation hypothesis of calling. Second, this study performed a more statistically rigorous bootstrapping method to examine the mediating effect of calling on the relationship between transformational leadership and job burnout. Bootstrapping is a nonparametric approach to effect-size estimation and hypothesis testing that makes no assumptions about the shape of the distributions o

System Analysis Report

System Analysis Report Table of Contents Executive Summary System Vision The purpose of this report is to present the proposed system analysis for the client, Click Connect, with the intention of ensuring all stakeholders involved agree on the planned solution. Throughout the project the analysis, development, implementation and testing phases will be conducted using, the industry standard, agile development life cycle. This specifies that changes can be made if required and appropriate. The system analysis report is intended for all the projects major stakeholders: the client, the academic supervisors and the development team. Firstly, this report will highlight the system vision by expanding on the project description, system capabilities and business benefits. The purpose of this initial section is to ensure that all stakeholders involved agree on the expectations and benefits of the system.   Secondly, in this deliverable the system requirements section is used to describe the functionality listed in the system vision and with the use of diagrams allow for all stakeholders to agree on the system requirements. With the use of a functional decomposition diagram the major subsystem for the Click Connect system have been described and all major functions identified. Alongside this a conceptual data model (entity relationship diagram) is presented to assist in explaining the main business processes and their relationships. It is expected that this diagram will change throughout the iterative development process. Following on, an architecture overview is utilised to highlight the current IT system and any proposed constraints. Finally, in the system requirements section a prioritised list of the system build plans has been included. The purpose of this section is to identify and describe the system requirements and constraints on the system. Thirdly, the project organisation section of this report focuses on the system development approach, the team structure, the overall project plan and risk management plan. Ultimately this section will describe how the system develop will be approached with both its iterative and incremental nature in each build. A Gantt chart has been included to list the major tasks that will be carried out and the proposed timetable that will be followed. This chart, as a part of the overall project plan, includes the tasks and activities highlighted in the system overview. Alongside this, the risk management plan outlines current risks and possible impact they would have on the project completion. The intention of this section is to ensure all stakeholders are across the incremental development and risks involved with this project. Finally, in this document a sign off sheet has been provided to ensure that the client has acknowledge the system overview report and to signal acceptance of the scope, content and expectations laid within. In this section if aspects are to be changed they need to be noted and agreed upon. As well an appendix has been included with client interactions and development artefacts. Project Description Client Background Click Connect English for kids Inc. is not for profit organisation that use technology to connect with disadvantaged students from underprivileged backgrounds. Using skype, volunteers connect with their students to achieve both academic success and self-empowerment for their students. Their focus is on enriching the lives of those less fortunate by teaching English and other skills. Click Connect skype lessons are currently taught out of King David School, in Armadale, where volunteers teach English to students from elementary schools in Israel. They are currently connected with two schools however aspire to educate students from across the globe, when the organisation grows. The program has been acknowledge and welcomed by the Israeli Ministry of Education. History Leading up to the Project Click Connects current website was created by volunteer programmer who designed a basic website. The websites current functions allow for visitors to access information about the organisation and how to contact them. The website also allows for individuals to apply to be a volunteer, which is done by filling out an online form, attaching a police check and a working with childrens check. Alongside this the website has an image carousel which displays images highlighting the students and volunteers learning together. The current website has an upcoming events section, where the client can create, read, update and delete. System Modifications Including System needs and Current Problems The current system is simple and does not provide all necessary functionality that the organisation requires. The clients aspires for the organisation to expand over the next few years and they have acknowledges that a more complex system is required. The dream for client is to have the organisation expand regardless of geographic location and ultimately enable volunteers to teach students from around the world. Firstly, the client has requested that the website to be aesthetically enticing to encourage visitor to either volunteer as a teacher or donate to the organisation. Secondly, the website has a video carousel (vimeo) which the client is not entirely happy with. The client is happy to keep the image carousel however they would like it to be presented better and to include more images of education and the students learning. Thirdly, and arguably the most important aspect, the client would like a secure password protected portal for volunteers to log into and access all the information required. The client would like the volunteers to be able to access lesson information prior to starting the skype lessons. Additionally, as mentioned before, all skye lessons calls are currently made from the King David School in Armadale where volunteers log into skype. The client is requesting if there is a way for volunteers to make their skype lesson calls from home (or any geographic location) via the volunteer portal. With this new feature it will be fundamental that the calls can be monitored so the organisation is aware who is calling the students. This aspect will allow for the organisation to grow and allow for volunteers from around the world to teach the students. Next, the client wants to modify their system to include an internal calendar. This calendar will be used to advise dates of important events and post classes per semester. Additionally, the client currently accepts donations by cheque and responds by writing a handwritten thank you letter to the donor. The client has requested that the revamped website has an aspect for visitors to the website to donate to the organisation. The donation of the aspect will ultimately increase the number of donations received due to the usability and efficiency of online donations. System Capabilities Stakeholders Volunteers: those volunteering time to teach students via skype Admin: those individual/s which manage the system Donors: those individuals who donate to the organisation Teachers: external to the organisation, the teachers managing students receiving lessons Students: external to the organisation, those being taught via skype Activities of Stakeholders Volunteers Make skype calls Check lesson plans View internal calendar Admin Create, read, update, delete content Monitor lessons Update lesson plans Create calendar events Donors: Donate funds Receive donation invoice Context Physical locations the system will be used: Volunteers houses, volunteers schools, currently main administrator client main location is the King David School in Armadale Technology Internet Service Provider Skype Computers/Laptops Website/Browser Based: html, xml, css CakePHP, CodeAnywhere, jQuery Database design, mySQL, phpMyAdmin Vimeo Non-Functional Requirements Security: a secure portal login will ensure security for all stakeholders Reliability: ensuring that software hardware will perform the required tasks Usability: the modified website interface and the internal database system designed to be user friendly and straightforward Extensibility: the client has stated that the organisation will one day be handed over therefore the system will be built in a way that future growth can occur Documentation: user manuals to ensure that the system can be maintained once the Industry experience project has commenced Business Benefits The following business benefits have be derived from the proposed system vision, system capabilities and all meetings held with Click Connect. For the purpose of this report all benefits and have been categorized by who the primary benefiter would be, the action that would be taken and of course the outcome this benefit would have. Volunteers Action: Skype lesson calls made via secure portal Primary benefit: Enables calls to be made regardless of geographic location Outcome: Increasing the number of volunteers as the calls can be made securely from around the globe Action: Internal Calendar Primary benefit: Keep volunteers up to date with semester information and important dates Outcome: Ensure all volunteers are aware of up to date information thus increasing efficiency Donors Action: Donations made online via PayPal Primary benefit: donors can easily donate funds to the organisation online Outcome: Potential increase in amount of donations the organisation will receive as a not for profit organisation these donations are crucial Admin Action: Creating a secure password protected portal Primary benefit: Ensuring that only authorised users (volunteers or approved users) can access sensitive information regarding lesson plans, times and students Outcome: Security for volunteers and students is one of the main priorities for Click Connect. This secure portal will ensure all data and information is safe Action: Monitoring Skype calls Primary benefit: Ensuring security Outcome: the admin (client) will be able access information about when skype calls were made to students Organisation Action: Editing the content and design of the current website Primary benefit: An aesthetically enticing website hypothetically will encourage visitors to the website to be drawn and in and more likely to donate and/or volunteer to the organisation Outcome: Increase in volunteers and donations Action: Improving on current video carousel (vimeo) Primary benefit: Showcasing images of students and teachers learning will put a face to the organisation and encourage those visiting the website to donate and/or volunteer to the organisation Outcome: Increase in volunteers and donations Major Sub-systems (Functional Decomposition Diagram) Figure 1. Functional Decomposition Diagram of Click and Connects System.Remove 1.3 This diagram encompasses different pieces of functionality that the complete system should provide. Each function or subsystem is broken down further into smaller processes. Functional Decomposition Diagram Description The following is a description of each major function or subsystem from Figure 1. 1. Manage Volunteers 1.1 Volunteer Registration Only members of the organisation such as volunteers are allowed to access certain resources. First, potential volunteers are required to input personal information and take a quick survey. Documents and certificates showing proof of working with children are required to become a volunteer. Volunteers are also given a skype account belonging to Click and Connect. 1.2 Login and Authentication Important step in safeguarding the website from attackers. Only volunteers and personnel with administrative rights have a login and username. All other information on the website is public, hence no security restrictions are needed on other pages of the website. Genuine users will be able to access Click and Connects volunteer page or admin page. This is very much dependent on their access rights which is assigned upon account creation. 1.3 Update Teaching Material This an admin function where teaching material can be uploaded and managed. This is a necessary function to ensure that the children are taught a variety of topics and not the same topics by different volunteers. 2. Manage skype sessions Unfortunately, no real solution has been adopted as of yet. (Many holes in understanding of this subsystem) 2.1 Organise Session Times Schools must let the organisation know what days and times during the week they are providing this program for the children. Similarly, volunteers are required to set days and times they are available to participate in skype sessions. 2.2 Volunteer Session Assignment What happens is that the school asks for a certain number of volunteers. (E.g. 5 teams in a classroom means that they will need 5 volunteers for the next hour). Volunteers who are available at the time will be invited to join the skype sessions by clicking on a link or button. 2.3 Update Session Logs Certain information is kept about each skype session between volunteers and the children. This is for security concerns and allows easy tracking of accounts to follow up on flagged behaviour. 3. Manage Donations Visitors are able to make donations by accessing the donation page on the website. PayPals online service will be integrated into Click and Connects website to handle donations. PayPal is a widely accepted brand that takes most credit cards including Visa, MasterCard and American Express. It is also free and does not take any commission. 3.1 Receive Donations The donor is required to submit personal information and payment details in order for donation to be successful. 3.2 Send Emails (Receipt or other) Sending of receipts is going to be an automated process. A receipt will be sent to a donor immediately after their donation has been processed. 4. Manage Website Content Solely an admin function where they can change the content of the website such as images and text. 4.1 Upload Material The admin can make changes to specific elements of the homepage and other pages of the website. An easy to use interface allows uploading of images and texts. It is also possible to specific elements that needs to be changed. Some of these elements include: Images in the Carousel Resource Page History Page Event creation and updates fall under this category as they are just specific places where new content is applied. This will change the homepage under Upcoming Events. 4.2 Update Website Content Once the material has been uploaded, they will be applied where appropriate. The admin has the option to prevent certain content to be changed and can also remove content. (E.g. Admin adds a new video to the website, however, this video does not replace or appear on the front page unless specified.) Constraints Volunteers have a limited number of sessions that they can take each week and month. This constraint is in place so that other volunteers may also get an opportunity to participate especially since the accounts are shared. Volunteers can only have a single account. (1 username and an associated password) Volunteers are assigned 1 skype account. Admin is only able to change the content and not the layout of the website. Not every aspect or page is changeable. See Appendix for development artefacts    Conceptual Data Model Description Our client, Click Connect (CC) manages its database system by storing the information in a number of entities such as: Staff/Admin managing tutors schedule session and receive donation from donors Donor there are mainly two type of donors. Donation can be cash or material such as book Tutor is connected to school and course Country storing the country names. At the moment, CCs tutors are in Australia and there are prospective tutors from New York and Canada Tutor_School is the bridge to connect between tutor and school entities School consist of tutor, class/session and students names Class/Session displays all the available sessions for the school Student stores the required details about the students Course lists different levels of course and its related tutor To display more details, please see Entity Relationship Diagram below Proposed System Architecture Overview The client wish to have a flash screen as a starting point. It displays rich of features as much as possible to attract all visitors with ease of use and navigation. The above image is the initial system architecture overview of our client. Also, it is the only paper base information which we received from CC. this becomes an appendix to the erd The one in the presentation become an appendix Build Plan In each cycle, we will work on a single function or sub-system from Figure 1. Priority: Volunteer Management Function Skype Session Management Function Donations Management Website Content Management See Project Organisation on the next page for more details. System Development Approach The proposed system development for Click and Connect will be created using an Agile development approach. Agile development methodology provides opportunities to assess the direction of a project throughout the development lifecycle. This is achieved through regular cadences of work, known as sprints or iterations, at the end of which teams must present a potentially shippable product increment. By focusing on the repetition of abbreviated work cycles as well as the functional product they yield, agile methodology is described as iterative and incremental. In waterfall, development teams only have one chance to get each aspect of a project right. In an agile paradigm, every aspect of development requirements, design, etc. is continually revisited throughout the lifecycle. Every time we finish a cycle, we stop and test with our client and then get feedback so we can make changes if needed. Otherwise the project wont go towards the right direction. Our project is to develop sub-syst ems based on the website they have at the moment. Functions are prioritised like: 1.Volunteer Management Function 2.Skype Session Management Function 3.Donations Management 4.Website Content Management Team Structure Team Name: Slash Programming Team Number: 8 Team Members: Anthony Nguyen (Project manager) Lauren Madson (Client Liaison) Sinon Sil Hanyu Li As a team, we will all contribute to the project and attend meetings as long as we are able to. Everybodys ideas will be considered and discussed so that we can make a better decision. Each member will have a specific role in the build plan and will all help to work on each cycle. Overall Project Plan Gantt Chart This gantt chart is created from Microsoft Project software. The tasks in this gantt chart are from the initial project plan. We may make changes to the project according to the further information given by our client. Currently we just finished the system overview report. And we will start to build the functions that our client requires. Although we only have 4 main functions to implement, but the subsystems in each function could take some time to build. We will try finish all function before build 5 then we can do system testing and fix small problem we may face. Risk Management Plan Risk Name: Risk Description: Context (What is it? Likelihood of occurring and impact. Low/Medium/High) Risk Management: (prevent, reduce, transfer, contingency, accept) What actions are needed implement the strategy? Risk Name: Poor Time Management Skills (Team Risk) May conflict with incorrect time estimates scheduling Risk Description: Tasks may be allocated poorly. There is a high chance of this happening as many members of Slash Programming work several times a week as well as studying other units. This affects the ability to complete tasks on time and may result of failing to complete development deadlines. Risk Management: (Transfer) Risk Name: Existing Architecture May Conflict with New Design Risk Description: Click and Connects website is being worked on by another Risk Management: Risk Name: Risk Description: Risk Management: Hanyu Risk Name: Budget problem(budget risk) Risk Description: during the development of the system, we may have to expenses, but this organization is non-profit, so it is hard for them to get budget from outside. Risk Management: Apply for help from government Risk Name: Third person involvement (team risk) Risk Description: We heard there is a volunteer called Luke is also working on the website, we may have conflicts in the future. Risk Management: keep each other informed and discuss the possible solutions Laurens section Risk Name: Third party components and plugins (technical risk)Risk Description: Risk Management: Risk Name: Incorrect time estimates scheduling (schedule risks) Risk Description: Risk Management: Project Title: Click and Connect Website Start Date: 30/03/2017 Completion Date: 11/10/2017 Project Duration: 6 months and 12 days. Signature..Date././. Client Signature..Date././. Project Leader Signature..Date././. Client Liaison Signature..Date././. Project Builder Signature..Date././. Project Builder Date Team Member Version 19/03/17 1.00 20/03/17 1.01 20/03/17 1.02 21/03/17 1.03 21/03/17 1.04 22/03/17 1.05 24/03/17 2.00 24/03/17 2.01 24/03/17 2.02 25/03/17 2.03 25/03/17 2.04 25/03/17 2.05 26/03/17 2.06 26/03/17 2.07 27/03/17 2.08 28/03/17 3.00 Client Interaction Meeting minutes Client interaction notes Client weekly updates Development Artefacts User stories The following stories were used to build use case diagrams in the next section. Use Case Diagrams Use case diagrams were used to help build an understanding of functional requirements in Figure 1. Donation Subsystem Skype Session Management Subsystem Volunteer Management Subsystem Website Management Subsystem