Serial Killer Couple Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo

Karla Homolka, one of Canadas most infamous female serial killers, was released from prison after serving a 12-year sentence for her involvement in drugging, raping, torturing, and killing young girls. The teenage victims included Homolkas younger sister, whom she offered to her boyfriend Paul Bernardo  as a gift.   Homolka was born May 4, 1970, to Dorothy and Karel Homolka in Port Credit, Ontario. She was the eldest child of three, and by all accounts, was well-adjusted, pretty, smart, and popular. She received ample love and attention from friends and family. Homolka developed a passion for animals, and after high school she started work at a veterinary clinic. Everything about her seemed normal. No one suspected her of hiding deeply disturbing desires. Homolka and Bernardo Meet At age 17, Homolka attended a pet convention in Toronto, where she met 23-year-old Paul Bernardo, an  attractive, charismatic blond with a persuasive personality. The pair engaged in sexual relations the day they met and soon discovered that they shared sadomasochistic inclinations. Paul quickly took on the role of master and Homolka willingly became his slave. Over the next few years, the relationship intensified. The couple shared and encouraged one anothers psychotic behavior. Bernardo began raping women with Homolkas approval. Bernardos specialty was attacking women getting off buses, sexually assaulting them, and subjecting them to other  humiliations. The police and media dubbed him The Scarborough Rapist, after the Ontario town in which many of the sexual assaults were committed. A Surrogate Virgin One source of friction between the couple was Bernardos incessant complaint that Homolka had not been a virgin when they met. Homolka was aware of Bernardos attraction to her sexually inexperienced 15-year-old sister Tammy. Homolka and Bernardo came up with a plan to force Tammy into being a surrogate virgin for her older sister. To accomplish the plot, Homolka stole Halothane, an anesthetic, from the veterinary clinic where she worked. On December  23, 1990, at a Christmas party at the Homolka family home, Bernardo and Homolka served Tammy alcoholic drinks spiked with halcyon. After the other family members had retired, the couple brought Tammy to the basement, where Homolka held a cloth soaked in Halothane over Tammys mouth. Once Tammy was unconscious, the couple raped her. During the attack, Tammy began choking on her own vomit and ultimately died. Unfortunately, the drugs in Tammys system went undetected and her death was ruled an accident. Another Present for Bernardo After Homolka and Bernardo moved in together, Bernardo began blaming Homolka for her sisters death, complaining that Tammy was no longer around for him to enjoy sexually. Homolka decided a young, pretty, virginal teenager named Jane, who idolized the attractive, older Homolka, would make a good replacement. Homolka invited the unsuspecting teen out to dinner and, as shed done with Tammy, spiked the girls drinks. After inviting Jane to their home, Homolka administered Halothane and presented her to Bernardo. The couple brutally attacked the unconscious teen, videotaping the sexual assaults. The next day when the teenager awoke, she was sick and sore but had no idea of the violation she had endured. Unlike others, Jane managed to survive her ordeal with the couple. Leslie Mahaffy Bernardos thirst to share his rapes with Homolka increased. On June 15, 1991, Bernardo kidnapped Leslie Mahaffy and brought her to their home. Bernardo and Homolka repeatedly raped Mahaffy over a period of several days, videotaping many of the brutal assaults. They eventually murdered Mahaffy, cut her body into pieces, encased the pieces in cement, and threw them into a lake. On June 29, some of Mahaffys remains were found by a couple who were canoeing on the lake. The Bernardo-Homolka Wedding June 29, 1991, was also the day Bernardo and Homolka married one another in an elaborate wedding at a Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, church. Bernardo orchestrated the wedding plans, which included the couple riding in a white horse-drawn carriage, and Homolka dressed in an elaborate and very expensive white gown. The guests were served a lavish sit-down meal after the couple exchanged vows, which included, at Bernardos insistence, Homolka promising to love, honor, and obey her new husband. Kristen French On April 16, 1992, the couple kidnapped 15-year-old Kristen French from a church parking lot after Homolka lured her to their car on the pretext of needing directions. The couple took French to their home, and for several days, they videotaped as they humiliated, tortured, and sexually abused the teen. French fought to survive but just before the couple left for Easter Sunday dinner with Homolkas family, they murdered her. Frenchs body was found in a ditch in Burlington, Ontario, on April 30. Closing in on the Scarborough Rapist In January 1993, Homolka separated from Bernardo after months of constant physical abuse. His attacks became increasingly violent, resulting in Homolka being hospitalized. Homolka moved in with a friend of her sister, who was a police officer. Evidence against  the Scarborough Rapist was building. Witnesses had come forward and a composite drawing of the suspect was released. A work associate of Bernardo contacted the police, reporting that Bernardo matched the sketch. Police interviewed Bernardo and obtained a saliva swab, which eventually proved Bernardo to be the Scarborough Rapist. The Ontario Green Ribbon Murder Task Force closed in on Bernardo and Homolka. Homolka  was fingerprinted and questioned. The detectives were interested in a Mickey Mouse watch Homolka had that resembled the one  French was wearing  the night she disappeared. During questioning, Homolka learned that Bernardo had been identified as the Scarborough Rapist. Realizing they were about to be caught, Homolka confessed to her uncle that Bernardo was a serial rapist and murderer. She obtained a lawyer and began negotiations for a plea bargain in exchange for her testimony against Bernardo. In mid-February, Bernardo was arrested and charged with the rapes and the murders of Mahaffy and French. During a search of the couples home, police discovered Bernardos diary, with written descriptions of each crime. Controversial Plea Bargain A plea bargain was discussed that would offer Homolka a 12-year sentence for her participation in the crimes in exchange for her testimony against Bernardo. According to the deal, Homolka would be eligible for parole after serving three years with good behavior. Homolka agreed to all terms and the deal was set. Later, after all the evidence was in, the plea bargain  was referred to as one of the worst in Canadian history. Homolka  had portrayed herself as an abused wife forced into participating in Bernardos crimes but when videotapes that Homolka and Bernardo had made were given to police by Bernardos ex-lawyer, Homolkas true involvement came to light. Regardless of her apparent guilt, the deal was honored, and Homolka could not be retried for her crimes. Paul Bernardo was convicted on all counts of rape and murder and received a life sentence on September 1, 1995. Rumors that Homolkas punishment was too lenient surfaced after pictures of her sunbathing and partying with other prisoners were published in Canadian newspapers. Tabloids reported that she was in a lesbian relationship with Lynda Verrouneau, a convicted bank robber. The National Parole Board denied Homolkas application for parole. Homolkas Release On July 4, 2005, Karla Homolka was released from prison in Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec. Strict conditions for her release limited her movements and whom she could contact. Contact with Bernardo and the families of several murdered teens was expressly forbidden. She is paralyzed with fear, completely panicked, said Christian Lachance,  one of Homolkas attorneys. When I saw her she was in a state of terror, almost in a trance. She cannot conceive of what her life will be like outside. Sources McCrary, Gregg O and Katherine Ramsland. The Unknown Darkness: Profiling the Predators Among Us. 2003.Burnside, Scott and Alan Cairns. Deadly Innocence. 1995.Transcript of Homolka interview. The Globe and Mail, 4 July 2005.

Romeo and Juliet - Friar Lawrence Character Analysis

Friar Lawrence is one of the most important characters in the play, Romeo Juliet. He plays a crutial role in the tragic fates of Romeo Juliet. Friar Lawrence is trusted and respected by other characters. The younger characters of the play who can not share their feelings with their parents seek advice from Friar Lawrence. When Romeo confesses his love for Juliet, Friar’s advice is of wisdom of an old man: In Act 2 Scene 3 he tells Romeo that people who rush in make mistakes. â€Å"Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.† He brings out solutions to conflicts of Romeo Juliet throughout the play with good intention but with fatal consequences. Althrough Friar finds it dificult to understand Romeo’s†¦show more content†¦Whether someone becomes good or evil depends on the course of life he chooses. Good may be tansformed to evil, and evil may be swept away by good: â€Å" For naught so vile that on the earth doth live. But to the earth some special good doth give, Nor caught so good but strain’d from that fair use , Revolts from true birth, stumbling on abuse, Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied, And vice sometimes by action dignified.† So Friar agrees to marry Romeo Juliet hoping the good of their love will end the evil of the hatred. This view of Friar leaads his course of actions throuhout the play. All of his well intentioned plans and advices ,- soothing Romeo on his banishment and advising him to go to Mantua, encoraging Romeo to visit Juliet before his departure for Mantua, giving sleep potion to Juliet and planning her escape with Romeo , turn out to prepare the tragic moments of the Play. We can say that these plans are well intentioned to unite Romeo Juliet in the hope that their love will bring peace .However they don’t seem to be well thought, as events take place in an unexpected direction, his plans don’t give the desired results, in fact they become the majà ¶r cause of tragic deaths of Romeo, Juliet and even Paris. He talks about how he made the mistakes which led to deaths of Romeo and Juliet, â€Å" And I here stand both to impeach and purge myself condemned and myself encused.† AlthoughShow MoreRelatedCharacter Analysis on Friar Lawrence in Shakespeare ´s Romeo and Juliet794 Words   |  4 PagesThere are many characters in the play of Romeo and Juliet that have important roles and unique characteristics. One of these characters is Friar Lawrence, a Franciscan monk who is an expert in plants and medicines. While the Friar does not appear in all parts of the play, he acts as an advisor to Romeo and Juliet and gets them married. Being an honest, trustworthy, and loving friend, Friar Lawrence helps keep Romeo and Juliet together while maintaining his character and not acting dual-sided or havingRead More1. Title, author, authors dates, date of first performance, period of play. Title: Romeo and1200 Words   |  5 Pagesauthors dates, date of first performance, period of play. Title: Romeo and Juliet Author: Shakepeare (Born in 1564-died in 1616) First Performance: 1662 Time Period: 1300s 2. Awards, if any, the play has won. Not sure about this, I could only find awards that the movie won. 3. Main characters and their relationship (e.g., in THE BACCHAE by Euripides, Pentheus, the king, is the main character; he is the son of Agaue. Other major characters and their relationships would be noted. Guards, butler—notRead MoreCharacter Analysis of Romeo Essay1903 Words   |  8 PagesCharacter Analysis of Romeo Romeo and Juliet is a tale of two star-crossed lovers who in their love for each other were willing to sacrifice their lives. Romeo is a very temperamental person; his character develops considerably throughout the play in various ways. In this essay I shall be looking closely at Romeo’s character, his intentions abilities and his relationship with other characters in the play. In the conversation between Benvolio and Montague in actRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1490 Words   |  6 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the appellation characters are teenagers who abatement in adulation at aboriginal sight. Undeterred by the abhorrence that exists amid their families, they foolishly ally which sets off an alternation of abrupt accomplishments that advance to their deaths. Both Romeo and Juliet seek the admonition of the adults in their lives, but are met with carelessness according to their own. Shakespeare’s affair that abrupt accomplishments can generally accept adverseRead More Friar Lawrence in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay2603 Words   |  11 PagesFriar Lawrence of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet In reading critical analysis of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet I found that many people call Friar Lawrence a moderate man who elicits to others his voice of wisdom and reason. An example of this sort of conclusion is George Ian Duthies opinion that Lawrence is A very worthy man, prudent and worldly-wise(xix.xx). G.B. Harrison views him as sympathetically treated, wise, grave, patient(6). Due to this continuing interpretationRead MoreRomeo And Juliet Character Analysis747 Words   |  3 PagesWhile secondary characters are undersized compared to the main characters of the play, they often have an eminent impact on the story. In William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Romeo and Juliet, certain secondary characters influence the decisions made by the two lovers and avail to establish the play’s tragic outcome. This will be conveyed through a detailed analysis of Tybalt, Capulet and Friar Lawrence. Although admirable qualities add to ones life, they can often lead to their death. In ShakespearesRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet2208 Words   |  9 Pages With each new rendition of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, a new generation is given that opportunity to connect with one of the greatest tragedies of all time. Although each adaptation had its own unique play on the play, they also provide the occasional twist that make the centuries old story never seem old. From the opening fight scene to the infamous balcony scene even to the final death scene, every adaption provides a different versions of the scenes while still managing to produce the sameRead MoreRomeo And Juliet Personal Evaluation Essay1441 Words   |  6 PagesThere are interesting thematic overlaps between my learning objectives and school site. Ultimately, I’m asking students to understand the motivations of characters who live in conflicting communities. Like some of the characters in Romeo and Juliet, my students traverse the social lines of many communities on a daily basis as they travel to school, interact with students and teachers, participate in extracurriculars, and return to their families. Students need to manage â€Å"transitions between variousRead MoreThe Role of Fate in Romeo and Juliet2091 Words   |  9 Pagesbreakdown in order, or the character of the hero, due to some human limitation. The play Romeo and Juliet has all these typical characteristics. However, the resultant conclusion of events for the characters in this tragedy is adversely affected by the hands of fate, and not solely the product of human limitations. Fate in fact has a decisive role in the events of the play; it is a series of rapid coincidental events, which lead to the final tragedy. Romeo and Juliet are described during the prologueRead MoreThe Role of Fate in Romeo and Juliet2082 Words   |  9 Pagesbreakdown in order, or the character of the hero, due to some human limitation. The play Romeo and Juliet has all these typical characteristics. However, the resultant conclusion of events for the characters in this tragedy is adversely affected by the hands of fate, and not solely the product of human limitations. Fate in fact has a decisive role in the events of the play; it is a series of rapid coincidental events, which lead to the final tragedy. Romeo and Juliet are described during the prologue

Should Downloading Music Be Illegal. Free Essays

Response to text- Why You Should Pay For Music by John Sheldrick Dear John, I read your article and I have some comments about it I would like to acknowledge about it: Firstly when you mention that you advocate a culture in which people actually want to spend money on music, but I actually think we should advocate a culture where everybody listens to music and not just the ones who have a computer and and a bank account, I believe that music should be a right and not a privilege and everybody should want to willingly listen to music. Then you argue that people value music but they don’t value it in the sense that they will willingly fork over $1 for a song, I have more than 2 thousand songs in my library, that is equal to 2 thousand dollars and I really don’t have that extra money to spend and people usually don’t like to spend their money on things they can get for free. I would much rather use that money to buy something else and if we had to pay for every single song we would like to listen to our music library would be much smaller and we could not enjoy music as much as we enjoy it when we have a large variety of it. We will write a custom essay sample on Should Downloading Music Be Illegal. or any similar topic only for you Order Now For the consumer, music is not a product or a service. They pay for physical copies of music such as CD’s, they pay for music sheets or for subscriptions to music services, but they don’t pay for a song by itself. After that you state that artists now have no money to keep recording music and have to go on tours to get the money. I do agree that some artist that are not yet discovered should get support from their fans so they could keep recording music, but aren’t musicians supposed to be doing music because its their passion? They are not supposed to go into the business because they want money and fame even though I don’t see the artist at the top of the charts starving to death. Music is about passion and the ones who are recording music are supposed to want to bring their music to all kinds of people so they can enjoy it and the musician is supposed to be satisfied with that and not be crushed because they are not the cover of a magazine. I also think that tours are a great thing, why listen to a record when you can go out and the real human behind the voice live and enjoy it more closely. It’s clear that everybody thinks music should be free, because it’s going to sell everywhere else. Why should the music industry care whether the money comes from a tour with $100 in profits or the exact same amount is brought in from CD purchases? In the end, it doesn’t matter, money is still coming in and can be used to record more music. Then you talk about how music labels are closing because the lack of money they are getting but I actually think that record labels are trying to turn music into gold, music recording labels are getting a large cut of the artists money and are overcharging. The artist who are not yet discovered cant record a good album because the labels are asking for absurd quantities of money which the artist cant pay, so the label closes and the vicious circle starts again elsewhere. I think labels should spend more time developing the artists because they would have a stake in them that extended beyond their recorded music. There is no possible way anyone could seriously work in music and be looking for money and a the same time state that they truly care about the musicians. In conclusion I think that we do need to support our artists, but that could be done a million ways other than paying an overpriced dollar for a song. With the internet now how can we be surprised when people now expect to get their music online for free? The internet file sharing and the advantages we now have in technology I see no way to make the clock turned back and force people to start paying again. So the business has to get creative and evolve away from the sale of recorded music and start receiving money in other ways. How to cite Should Downloading Music Be Illegal., Papers

Malacca free essay sample

The evolution of this one of a kind ethnic group dates as far back as 500 to 600 years prior when Chinese dealers touched base in parts of the Malay Peninsula, the core of which was Malacca, the centre of the Malacca Sultanate. The Chinese men did not bring their ladies society along, and numerous intermarried with the neighbourhood ladies. The lack of Chinese ladies represented the incessant intermarriages between the early Chinese and the neighbourhood ladies. Intermarriage between the Babas and the Malays in the long run stopped, and for many years past, the Babas have hitched solely among their own people groups turning into an endogamous and tip top gathering.Today, it is discovered dispersed all through Malaysia and Singapore with its fortifications in Malacca, Singapore and Penang. There exists some perplexity of phrasing. Three terms are ordinarily utilized conversely to depict this group – the Peranakan, the Straits Chinese, and the Babas and Nyonyas. We will write a custom essay sample on Malacca or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The word Peranakan is gotten from the Malay word anak which signifies youngster. The term alludes to neighbourhood born and additionally the posterity of outsider local association. Straight to the point Swettenham clarifies that the term Baba is utilized for Straits conceived guys, regardless of whether the offspring of English, Chinese or Eurasian guardians and is of Hindustani source (Tan, 1988). Baba is the term for the male and Nyonya for the female. The word Baba might be gotten from the word bapa which implies father in Malay. A few students of history feel that it is a honorific and the proportionate for a tuan or a towkay. The word Nyonya is said to have begun from Java.The Straits Chinese viewed the Straits Settlements as their country and keeping in mind that keeping up a fundamentally Chinese personality, bit by bit relinquished the nearby connections of family relationship, notion, political dependability and money related settlements to China so normal for the non-Baba Chinese. An unmistakable qualification must be made between the Straits Chinese and the Straits-conceived Chinese. To be characterized as a Straits Chinese, he or she would need to embrace the outside markers of a Baba or Nyonya, in dialect, traditions, family relationship, dress, sustenance and even occupation.

The Great Wall of China Essay Sample free essay sample

My household and I went to the Great Wall of China on a Christmas Holiday three old ages ago. It was winter and the beautiful white snow poured down on the frozen land. The chilling air current seeped into the thick beds of my jacket and touched my organic structure with its cold slender fingers. We used the overseas telegram auto to make the top of The Great Wall. Siting in the overseas telegram auto was a awful experience because it sways to a great extent due to the strong air current blowing on the cold metal surface. The overseas telegram autos were forced to halt really frequently because of the turbulency. At the top of the Great Wall of China. the scene was merely beautiful. The tall mountains covered in soft powdery snow were antic scene. There were many tourers sing The Great Wall every bit good. The floor was slippery because of the moisture melted snow. We will write a custom essay sample on The Great Wall of China Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Everybody was cautious in their stairss so that they would non fall. The crowd was incredible. there was about as many people at the dark market as there were on the Great Wall of China. There were many merchandisers selling keepsake every bit good as a photo-taking service. No 1 would lose the opportunity of acquiring their exposures taken with their households. There were many tourers disputing themselves to mount the step to acquire higher on the Great Wall. The floor was slippery ; therefore they had to trust on the hand-railings to mount up the step. The scene was even more antic at the top of the incline. The snow radiances dazzlingly and reflected the brightness of the Sun. The top of Great Wall was terribly cold that I felt I was standing at the fringe benefit of North Pole. but the scene appreciation my eyes every bit good as other tourers. The sight of dropping snowflakes was like watching bright stars falling. It was the most arresting thing that I of all time seen with my really ain eyes. This was the first clip that I witnessed the existent feeling of the Mother Nature. After the sight-seeing. we took the overseas telegram auto down the Great Wall. We arrived at a little convenient store that sells food markets and drinks. My household and I drank hot tea to warm ourselves. The warm feeling of the tea was great after half a twenty-four hours exposed in the cold chilly winter air current. We bought shirts with the picture of the Great Wall and some other keepsakes to retrieve the magnetizing position on the Great Wall of China.

Five Mistakes to Avoid When Entering Writing Contests

Five Mistakes to Avoid When Entering Writing Contests Naturally youd love to win a prize for your writing. Most writers crave affirmation and reward, and like everyone else, you need money. You proof your work, read the guidelines, and submit Well yes and no. Things arent quite as simple as that, and here are some pitfalls to avoid. Ive made pretty much all of these mistakes over the years and when I stopped doing them, I won 20 writing contests. DONT: 1. Read only How to Enter page but not the Terms and Conditions and FAQs pages. On the How to Enter page youve been told to write a story up to 2,000 words on the theme of Whatever, and email it. Who could blame you if you do just that? Unfortunately vital information often hides on other pages. In the Terms and Conditions, for instance, you may find that entries have to be in a certain font. In the FAQs you may find that stories containing profanity will be disqualified. Check every page on the site that pertains to the competition. Its a pain, but it saves wasting your time. 2. Proof your piece in too short a time. Youve proofread your work. In fact youve read it through six times! Great, but did you read it six times one after the other? If theres time before the deadline, leave the piece for a week or longer so that you can proofread with fresh eyes. Even then theres a danger of seeing what you meant to write rather than what you actually wrote. Ideally youre fixed up with a writing comp buddy, and you proof each others comp entries. 3. Forget to check the time zone. You know the deadline, but make check the time zone. If its GMT and youre on EPT, find out when exactly you need to get your entry in. Its very frustrating to miss out 4. Send your elegant sonnet to a competition that likes heartwarming tales of people who overcome lifes obstacles, or vice versa. If its the inaugural year of the competition you may have no precise theme or detailed instructions to go on. In that case, gauge the tone and style of the website and research the judges. If the competition has run in previous years, read the winners. Youre unlikely to win with a clone of a winning piece from last year, but youll understand the type of writing the judges like. 5. Logic yourself out of entering. Youve written the piece, followed the guidelines, and read the rules and FAQs. Youve proofed your entry. Then you have a thought sequence that goes something like this: There will be thousands of entrants. Is it really worth it? Logically, its a waste of time entering. You dont enter, convinced that youve been sensible. Have you, though? If theres an entry fee and you cant afford it, then yes. If you know of a better home for your piece, then yes. Otherwise, no. Your piece may not win, but you dont know how many entries there will be in even a free competition. One that I won had just 20 entrants. And you never know how you compare to the talent of the other writers. You just might be the cream of the crop!

U.S. and international business operations and environments Essay

U.S. and international business operations and environments - Essay Example Cultural diversity identifies one of the differences. The American domestic culture is largely homogeneous and identifies uniform behaviors and practices in business negotiations and agreements. This is however contrary to the international environment that has diversified cultures and requires extensive knowledge of the cultures for successful business initiatives. Failure to understand the different cultures disadvantages operations in the international environment as opposed to experiences United States’ domestic set up. Business operations in the Unites States majorly uses the U.S. Dollar for transactions while operations in the international environment encounters many currencies, requires currency conversion and is susceptible to losses due to variations in currency values. Business operations and environment in the United States are also subject to a homogeneous legal environment under the federal laws and variations within state laws are not very significant while oper ations and environments in international set ups are regulated by different legal systems. Similarly, moral obligations, as derived from cultures, are homogeneous in the domestic business environment but diversified in international set up. Business operations in the United States are also majorly conducted in English while the international set up involves a multilingual approach that sometimes requires translators (Dlabay, Scott and Scott, 2010). Business operations and environments in the United States are therefore different from those in the international set up with culture, currency, legal environment, language, and ethics as the major bases for the

Two Page Summary on Chapter 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two Page Summary on Chapter 3 - Essay Example In the chapter, What can I contribute? Drucker focuses on contributions and results. An executive sometimes gets bogged down and distracted by unnecessary things like office politics, the future of the company, his own personal growth, etc. This will make him unproductive. Instead he should ask himself â€Å"What can I contribute†. Drucker (2006) feels that to ask this question â€Å"is to look for the unused potential in the job†. He is of the view that, â€Å"The focus on contribution turns the executive’s attention away from his own specialty, his own narrow skills, his own department, and toward the performance of the whole.† Further he discusses the four basis requirements necessary for effective human relations which in turn are absolutely necessary for effective contribution. The four requirements are: "What can I contribute that will significantly affect the performance and the results of the institution I serve?" This question, which Drucker thinks, an effective executive must ask, forms the basis of Drucker’s views on an executive’s contribution to his organization. Here, by contribution, Drucker means what one can do better than anyone else to make a difference. An executive’s goal must be to make a difference and be effective. It is not about doing well in what you have specialized or your specialized area of wok. It is about achieving excellence in other areas as well. An expert in one field has to learn and know about other fields, other people’s perceptions, needs and limitations and use this knowledge to be effective in his work. For an organization contribution may mean different things. But for Drucker it means â€Å"performance in three major areas: direct results, building of values and their reaffirmation; and building and developing people for tomorrow.† A person who wants to contribute must ask

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 23

Case Study Example The company’s website offers customers a platform in which they can track their orders and make inquiries regarding their requests. Interestingly, the service is offered at very affordable rate. Therefore, it can be clearly stated that given UPS business strategy, the key success factors and risk that are responsible for the company’s fortune growth are, prompt response to customer needs. The success is also attributed to competition based pricing strategy and accuracy. The company’s ability to offer a service that enables customer track their order is a major milestone for the organization. In addition to the service, the UPS introduced another service that allows customers to change the destination of their orders before the order reaches its destination (Study mode, 2014). However, the company also faces when it comes to managing its fleet of cars and airplanes. Maintaining the huge number of vehicles and airplanes is very expensive for the company. The cars and planes require regular servicing because of the many trips that are made hence have to be in a good condition. Achieving the objective can be a daunting task to the management because it translates to more cash outflow. Conversely, the company also uses its staff to send orders to customer. Workers may fail to respond to customer’s orders promptly a situation that may extend the lead time for an order. Furthermore, they may fail to deliver according to the expectations of the customer, or even may not deliver. Moral issues put UPS operations at a risk (Study mode, 2014). The performance of UPS has been growing over the current years. In the year 2012 during the first month, the price of a share was $4.53 while the revenue stood at an estimated $5.4 billion. In the current financial year, the dividends of the company are expected to fall between $4.80 and $5.06. The fall represents a 6%-12% increase from the year 2012 which is a remarkable

Construction Project for Denver International Airport

Construction Project for Denver International Airport 1. Project Concept and Strategy 1.1 Is the decision to build a new airport at Denver a strategically sound decision? Give Reasons for your opinion. Yes, the decision to build a new airport at Denver is a strategically sound one. This is because Denvers Stapleton Airport was experiencing brisk growth prior to deregulations. Deregulation meant open market competition that would bring air travel within the reach of average person thereby increasing air traffic at the Stapleton Airport. Moreover, the regional council of governments predicted that the airport would not be able to handle the necessary traffic by 2000. Stapleton could have been modernized giving it a lease of life for another five years but Denvers remote location meant that the insufficient capacity problem would still persest and could cause city to lose valuable business. Denver Stapleton airport was also one of the major connecting airports and was ranked in top ten worst air traffic bottlenecks in United States. These bottlenecks at Denver affected other airports as it had only two runways located very closely to each other which in bad weather were considered one. The new airport was meant to solve this bottleneck problem for Denver city. Stapleton airport was affected by high velocity winds which resulted in operations being shifted from one direction to the other, this procedure wasted 45 minutes. The new airport would bring this time to 4 minutes thereby saving cost and time for the airport. 1.2 Using the Gray and Larsons model, write a simple project scope statement for DIA project. Project Objective: Constructing a world class international airport that would serve the needs of the city for at least fifty to sixty years with an estimated cost of $1.7 billon. Deliverables:- Building a world class international airport for Denver City. Ten 12,000 runways and two 16,000 foot runway. 327 foot FAA air traffic control and a base building structure. Runway/taxiway lighting system. Creation of a buffer zone to protect surrounding residents. Building three concourses with 72 airline gates and 18 commuter gates. DCV baggage handling system for the entire airport. Milestones:- Passing of Airport Referendum. Land Selection and other legal clearance Airport Design Project Management teams selection Construction of the runways Construction of airport facilities Opening Day Technical Requirements:- Continuos noise monitoring and limits on business which are in direct competition with the existing business in Adams County. Prohibiting residential development within 60 LDN noise level. Translucent tent-like roof for the Airport. Runway/taxiway lighting system. All three concourses to provide 70 airline gates and 18 commuter gates. Fully automated baggage handling system. Limits and exclusions:- BAE would design and build the automated baggage handling system. U.S. West Communication Services was responsible for Airports telephone services. The City of Denver, Greiner Engineering and Morrison-Kundse Engineering will comprise the project management team and will be responsible for information management, managing costs, scheduled coordination and administration of the contractors. New Orleans Architectural firm responsible for creating standards that would unify the whole airport and to do the schematics and design development of the main terminal. Review with customer:- Review is to be done with the Denver City Council. 2. Project define and planning 2.1 Did the project plan explain how risk management, and any changes in the project would be controlled? Should this be part of the plan? Give reasons. DIA project plan did not explain how risk management or any other changes in the project would be controlled. Project Management teams often use Statement of work (SWO) or Project Charter to establish risk limits (Larson Gray, 2011). DIA case study does not provide any evidence as to the use of these documents to establish risk and to manage them. Risk are always perceived to have negative impact but they can also be positive (Turbit, 2011). Therefore, Risk management is very crucial part in project planing as the future is uncertain and what risk management can do is to identify all the potential risk and assign contingence plan for the same. Turbit (2011), has given the basic steps for risk management, these are:- Risk Identification Risks Quantification Risk Response Risk Monitoring and control By following these simple steps, risks can be identified and appropriate contingencies plans for them same can be made. These steps if followed correctly justify the importance of risk management in project management. 2.2 How many times has the DIA project changed the scope and what are the effects of scope changes on project management? Project Scope is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The work that needs to be accomplished to deliver a product, Service, or result with the specified features and functions.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Going by this definition the scope of DIA has been changed seven times thereby extending the deadline of the project. These are as follows:- In March 1993:- Denver Mayor announced that opening would be postponed to December of 1993. The effect of this is the rise in cost form $1.7 billion to $2.7 billion. In October 1993:- Opening date pushed to March 1994. Delay associated with problems in Baggage handling system and fire- security system. The effect of this was the projects cost rising to $3.1 billion and upset cargo carriers. In December 1993:- Due to incomplete baggage handling system another delay announced. In February 1994:- Opening rescheduled to May 1994 due to the incomplete baggage handling system. In May 1994:- Another delay in opening and Hiring of two German experts who had worked on a similar baggage handling system at Frankfurt airport. In August 1994:- Indefinite delay in opening announced, manual backup baggage handling system. The effect is, rising costs now estimated at over $4 billion. The effect of scope changes on project management is scope creep and rising costs. DIA project managers have incorporate so many small changes giving rise to so much additional work that the budget in hand and the time needed to accomplish the project is now insufficient resulting in seven delays in project completion. 2.3 Recommend a suitable project organisation structure for DIA project and justify your choice. The project organisation structure that I would recommend for DIA project is Organising projects as dedicated teams. Following are the reasons for my choice:- Simple: As the project teams comprise of specialists the functional organisations working is not affected by the formation of such project organisational structures (Larson Gray, 2011). If this structure was adopted the City of Denver would have been kept out of Project management and only the specialist team would have been responsible for the project Fast: It has been observed that dedicates teams accomplish the projects much more quickly as every team members effort is dedicated to one common goal (Larson Gray, 2011). In DIA this was not the case as three Project Management teams were coordinating there effort. Staff adhesion and high motivation: Team members show high degree of motivation, adhesion and responsibility as everyone in the team is working for a common goals (Larson Gray, 2011). If DIA had followed this structure the responsibility and ownership of task would have been much easier. Cross Functional Integration: People with different skill set work towards the optimisation of project even if it is not there area of expertise (Larson Gray, 2011). Freedom to project manager: compared to other to form of project organisation structure the project manager has comparatively more freedom to control their team resulting in better and quicker decision making (Larson Gray, 2011). 3. Communication and Stakeholder Management 3.1 Project communications were apparently poor. Give examples of two communication mishaps and justify your answer. According to Larson Gray (2011) Communication is one of the main components in project management. However, in DIAs case the communication was rather poor. Examples of two communication mishaps are as follows:- No inputs from the two major Airlines in the design phase: 80% of the flights at Stapleton airport were controlled by United and Continental yet no inputs or their involvement in design face was never sought. This was a major communication mishap, because these two would be the major controllers of flights at the new Denver International Airport. Failure to get their vital input in the design phase was a failure on the part of PMT. DCV system: Good project communication plan would have told the team member about the issues and risks associated with this complex baggage handling system. But communication in regards to DCA system was a diaster in project management perspective. The terminal construction had already begun and no one knew what the design of DCV system was. No one was aware of the risks and complexity associated with such system. This is an instance of a major failure of communication in the DIA project. 3.2 Why was Unites Airline opposed to expansion of Front Range Airport? UPS wanted to build a regional hub at the Front Range Airport. This required federal funds. If FAA granted funds for UPS regional hub then a commercial airlines could not be prohibited from setting up shops in the Front Range Airport. As costs were already fixed the threat to United Airlines was from the low cost carriers who would have operated at Front Range Airport. If this happened it would reduce the passenger traffic at DIA which equated to less profit for United Airlines. To curb UPS ambitions United filed a lawsuit. Moreover, it also secured the passenger number at the new DIA airport. 3.3 Why is Stakeholder involvement so critical? Briefly explain four main stakeholders interests or objectives? Stakeholders includes everyone whose interest the project affects negatively or positively (Larson Gray, 2011). This definition of the stakeholder makes it very clear how important stakeholders are to a project. If the Project Manager does not understand how different stakeholders affect the project it can de detrimental for the projects completion. Therefore, it is important to manage their dependency on the project. Four main stakeholders and their interest / objectives Adams County: Adam County is interested in DIA because it is being constructed in their area. Their objective is to ensure the interests and safety of people living in its area. This is being done by creating buffer zones, keeping the noise pollution down and the limits on new business opening as a consequence of DIAs construction. New Orleans-based architectural firm:- One of the contractors of DIA. Their objectives are:- Creating standards for the unification of the airport and taking the design of main terminal through design development and schematics. BAE:- One of the contractors for DIA. Their objectives are to design and build the baggage handling system within two years. U.S. West Communication Services: Is one of the contractors in the DIA project. They are responsible for the telephone services of DIA. 4. Risk Management 4.1 What appears to be the single greatest risk in the decision to build DIA-discuss? The single greatest risk in the decision to building DIA is that the construction of the Airport began 1989 without a signal contract being signed between DIA and the two major airlines, Continental and United. These two airlines were the main stakeholder in the project and were likely to control 80% of the flights at DIA as they did in Stapleton airport, they convinced DIA to make some substantial changes and addition to the originally plans. DIA did oblige to their request but without any agreement between them. If the two later on decided not to operate at DIA they could not be forced to do so as they were not legally bound by any contracts. 4.2 How did DIA project handle risk? Was this effective? What might they have done? DIA only did the preliminary risk analysis which involved only three areas, these were weather, cost and human resources. Apart form this no risks analysis were done. These risks analysis were not that effective as it was seen in cost risk analysis where the bids for construction were received below citys own estimates. DIA project did not have a proper risk management programme. After Mr Waddles left DIA to join State of Colorado the project was without a full-time risk manager for several months and eventually a replacement was found in Molly Austin Flaherty. To sum up whatever endeavours DIA undertook in regards to risk management were unsuccessful. To manage risks more effectively DIA should have undertaken the risk management process. This process includes four steps, these are (Larson Gray, 2011):- Risk Identification Risk Assessment Risk Response Development Risk Response Control If DIA had diligently followed these steps it would have been in a far better position to identify all the risk involved with the project and develop appropriate responses for them. 5. Contracting Services 5.1 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Construction began without a signed agreement from Continental and United Airlinesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?- why is a formal signed agreement necessary in this project? Continental and United were the main stakeholders in the DIA project; together both controlled 80% of the flights at the Stapleton airport. Given their existing presence in the Denver air space it was given that they would be the major users of the new DIA airport. Denver City Council should have formally involved Continental and United in the DIA project as they could have given vital inputs at the design phase and should have sign an agreement with them. Instead, DIA project planners made important changes to the original design on suggestions made by the two airlines. Moreover, these changes were made to the original plan without any contract being signed between them and the two airlines. DIA should have signed agreement with both of them as this would have lead to the sharing of risk that would have risen through the changes proposed by the two airlines (Larson Gray, 2011). The commitment would also have assured a commitment of maintaining a certain number of flights at the new DIA airport. However, DIA opted for not having any agreement with the two airlines. This left DIA venerable, as both could reduce their operations at the new DIA airport or withdraw from the new venture altogether. This meant that the very companies on whose base the billion dollar investment was planned and constructed could walk out at will as they were not binded by any formal agreements. 5.2 What contractors were involved in the DIA project and briefly explain two main contractors performances. The Contractors that were involved in the DIA project are:- Morrision-Knudseb Engineering (MKE):- Contracted for Project Management Team. Greiner Engineering: Contracted for Project Management Team. New Orleans Based Architecture firm: Contracted for creating unified standards for airport and taking the design of main terminal through schematics and design developments. BAE: Contracted for the design and building of baggage handling system. US West Communication Services: Contracted for DIAs telephone services. Union Pacific: Contracting for designing track for the train that would connect Denver to DIA. Bechtel Corporation: Responsible for transferring of airport facilities from Stapleton airport to DIA, this has to be done over night. Two Main Contractors Performance:- BAE: They were responsible for designing and building the automated baggage handing system. BAE was brought into the project after 3 years of construction and still BAE miscalculated the time it needed to complete the project and committed to do the entire work in two years which otherwise would have taken eight years. BAE miscalculated the work involved which resulted in the baggage handling system not being delivered at the required time. To sum up BAEs performance was unsatisfactory for this project. Greiner Engineering: Was one of the firms in the project management team (PMT). The PMT did not perform satisfactorily. Things such as risk management, project communication biding, to name few, were not performed satisfactorily by the PMT. 5.3 Did the project follow a systematic bid process? What might they have done? No, the project did not follow a systematic bid process. Case litterateur does give some evidence in regards to the biding process but it is not strong enough to classify the biding process as systematic. There is an instance in case where the New Orleans based architecture firm was selected on their past experience with Denver city council thereby providing further evidence that a systematic biding process was not followed. DIA should have followed the RFP process. The first step the Project manager should have done was to develop the Request of Proposal (RFP) for the project or for parts of it (Larson Gray, 2011). Then the RFP/s should have been announced to the outside contractors with adequate capabilities and expertise (Larson Gray, 2011). The next step would have sees the interested contractors submitting written bids which would have been followed by DIA project mangers selecting the bid that best meet the requirements of RFP/s (Larson Gray, 2011). This process would have ended by providing explanations to contractors as to why they were not selected (Larson Gray, 2011). 6. Progress Monitoring and Control 6.1 Identify the main causes of schedule variation in DIA project. Numbers of causes were associated with the scheduled variation of the DIA project but the main ones are listed as follows:- DCV baggage handling system: according to case literature the baggage handling system delayed the DIA project four times. Two specialists were hired from Germany to iron out the problems with the baggage handling system at the DIA airport. Ultimately a back manual system was financed by DIA authorities as the reliability and completion of the automated system could not be guaranteed by the contactors. Frequent Scope Changes: The scope of project was changed on a number of occasions, though the changes were minor but their aggregated effects on the project cost and its completion were immense. Communication Plan: The project did not have an effective communication plan. There was no communication between the different stakeholders resulting in scheduled variation of DIA project. Risk Management planning: The project managers of DIA did not evaluate the risks involved with the project nor did they develop an effective communication plan to tackle the identified risks. This also led to the scheduled variation of the project. 6.2 What would you have done when you saw that the project would not meet its schedule? If I saw that the project would not meet its deadline I would have done the following things:- Conducted an in-process Audit: In-process audit would have been used by me if I saw the project would not meet its deadline. This is because it allows for corrective actions if the situation changes keeping a strong focus on project advancement and performance (Larson Gray, 2011). This would also help to identify constraints in the project. Implementing Integrated Cost/schedule system: The major problems that the builders of DIA had were the costs, time and communication in the project which were beyond their control. According to Larson Gray (2011), as time passes the ability to influence a particular cost decreases. Therefore, a well integrated cost/schedule system will be able to keep the costs and schedule in check through timely reporting of the same. This will also aid in better decision making as all the stakeholders will be provided with the same facts and figures. Resource levelling: DIA is a time constraint project. I can use resource levelling technique to delay non-critical activities and concentrate on critical ones (Larson Gray, 2011). 7. Project Closeout 7.1 Highlight the major areas of strength in the management of this project. DIA project did not have much to speak about, but a couple of things do deserve to be mentioned, these are:- Even though DIA failed to involved all the stakeholders effectively into the project. They however, did work efficiently with stakeholders, whom they were involved with, to resolve their queries and objections. The original Airport design had four concourses but DIA project planners had efficient WBS to build only three concourses in order to keep the budget down. 7.2 The DIA project was evidently not well run. Why? Give reasons for your opinion. Yes, the DIA project was evidently not well run. The reasons are as follows:- Inadequate Risk Management: Though DIA project managers did under take risk management it was not sufficient for the project. The risk management process failed to identify critical risks which resulted in waste of time and money to cope up with such risks. Moreover, the project was without a full time Risk Manger for several months. Lack of effective communication plan: DIA did not have a well executed communication plan. Consistent and timely information about the project was not given to various stakeholders. This effected the decision making process as everyone was not on the same wave length. Scope creep: DIA project managers kept on including small tasks without realising the impact it was having on the scope of the project resulting in increased costs. 7.3 Overall, What lessons have you learnt from DIA project? The lessons learnt from the DIA project are as follows:- Involvement of main stakeholders: It is very important and crucial for a projects success to involve the main stakeholders in the project. DIA made a blunder by not involving the Continental and United in the design phase ad these two could have given vital inputs in the design phase. Moreover, their involvement in the inception stage would have meant that the later changes made by each of them to the design would not have happened. Importance of Risk Management Process:- A proper well execute risk management process is very important for an project as it prepares and makes the management about all the risk that may arise and equips them with options to tackle the risks as and when they may arise. Importance of communication plan: A well executed communication plan delivers consistent information to the various stakeholders thereby increasing the speed of decision making process. Setting realistic goals: Management should take into account the budget and the time before setting up any goals. Prime example in the case is of the automated baggage handling system. The system involved eight years of work but the contractor committed to complete it in two years which was not a realistic goal. Proper biding process should be followed: A proper RFP process should be followed. This given equal chance for all the external contractors to participate in the biding process and ensures that deserving contractors will be selected which ultimately will be beneficial for the project.

Intellectual Property on the Internet Essay -- IP Intellectual Propert

Intellectual Property on the Internet On one of my first web sites I had an original graphic design, done by one of my friends. The design was interesting and eye-catching, two necessary elements for my site. I kept the design on the site for over six months, before taking it down and rebuilding. Almost a year after the graphic went up on my site, the person who designed it saw it on another site. After he showed me, he expressed his disappointment. He had put his time and hard work into this and someone else had just copied the image off my site and used it for themselves. The design was my friend's work and his intellectual property. According to the United States Information Agency, intellectual property is [i]nformation that derives its intrinsic value from creative ideas. It is also information with a commercial value. Intellectual property rights (IPRs) are bestowed on owners of ideas, inventions and creative expression that have the status of property. Like tangible property, IPRs give owners the right to exclude others from access to or use of their property. (United States Information Agency, "Intellectual Property Rights Protection") One example of tangible property is the ownership and use of an automobile. If I hold the title to a car it is my car, and I have the right to let people borrow this automobile. I also retain the right to prevent someone from taking my car. Just as I have the right to share or prevent others from using my tangible property, I ought to have the right to share my intellectual property, my word, graphics, and sounds, with whom I choose. If I choose not to allow someone else to use these ideas, then that person will be violating my intellectual property rights. The concept of in... ...ctual Property Organisation." World Intellectual Property Organisation. 1993. {http://ra.irv.uit.no/trade_law/documents/i_p/wipo/art/wipo.html} (1 April 1997). "Intellectual Property Rights Protection." U.S. Information Agency. {http://www.usis.usemb.se/topics/ip/1.html} (27 March 1997). Rosenberg, Matt. "Copyright Law Meets the World Wide Web." 1995. {http://www.acm.org/crossroads/xrds2-2/weblaw.html} (1 April 1997). Templeton, Brad. "10 Big Myths about copyright explained." {http://www.clari.net/brad/copymyths.html} (1 April 1997). Thilman, Jude. "Telecommunications Radio Project." 1993. {gopher://gopher.igc.apc.org/00/orgs/pacifica/tel/5} (5 April 1997). Turnbull, Paul. "Conversational Scholarship in Cyberspace: The Evolution and Activities of H-NET, the On-line Network for the Humanities." Australian Universities' Review. 39(1): 12-15, 1996.