Research Topics: Books

The Universal Appeal of Comic Books

Introduction From the black and white caricatures of the olden days to the full coloured version of today, the comic book has been one of the world’s greatest past times. There has been thousands of storylines and character has been created in the past years but only a few has captivated a vast number of readership. In any case, the comic book has been infused in the international popular culture. Since its rise in the mainstream several decades ago, these comic books has elevated itself from something that is shunned at to something that is revered immensely as a body of creative work. Nowadays, the name of Marvel and DC has become commonplace and consistently taken a synonymous identity with top of the line comic books. It has created several characters and icons that has become a part of the consciousness of the common man. From invincible men from planets unknown to genetically mutated individuals, comic books have time and again provided individuals a world of fantasy and an outlet for escape from reality. This paper shall be looking discussion the primary developments in the comic book industry and determine specific issues on these comic books. Specifically, the study determines whether or not the comic books were originally created for adult readership and not for kids. Statement of the Problem Comic books are essentially a graphic narrative that constitutes a storyline and a set of characters based on certain realistic assumptions. ( 1995, 79) Traditionally, these illustrations are in a two-dimensional form providing a frame by frame account of the development of the storyline. In the same manner, these comic books are often connected to infantile connotations because they show close resemblance to another form of literary work that infuses illustration and graphic images, children’s books. However, when one looks upon the storyline of comic books, one can uncover undertones of mature issues and social realities. Upon such consideration, this study comes to question whether or not the comic book is originally made for adult readership and not for the younger generations. To realise this main objective of the paper, the following questions shall be answered: a.      What is the historical context of comic books in society? b.       How did the comic book develop in the past years? c.      How do western comic books differ from eastern comic books? d.      What are the perceived implications of comic books to the consciousness of its readership? e.      How are the storylines and characters of comic books interpreted in the existing literature? f.        Are comic books considered to be directed to the adult readership as opposed to the earlier notion of it being created for the young readers? History of Comics The history of comic books differs from country to country. For instance, the period between the 1940s-1960s shows the rise of the comic book in Australia. (1998,) The rise of the said industry in the said nation came from the comic strips in newspapers to the more complex comic books. In any case, these mediums share a common characteristic: the conservative ideology. (1998, ) Hence, the absence of violence, bad language, and sex is apparent. However, this development in the comic industry in Australia is predated by the rise of the comic industry in the United States. To some extent, one may also construe that the rise of the said industry in Australia may also be attributed to the rise of same in the United States within the period of 1933-1955. Studies on the progression of comic book history in popular culture refer to this period as the golden age of the comic book industry in the United States. The said period got its name because of the emergence of numerous comic book talents in this era which constitutes the likes of . Apparently, the rise of the comic book industry started during the in 1930s. Tabloid-sized comic strips were given away which contain “funnies” or simply a comic bit concluded within a strip.  Development of the Comic Book in Recent Years The development of the comic book started when an American company, the Eastern Colour Printing, compiled the Sunday comic strips collectively categorised as the funnies into a single book. This was printed in 1934 which was called the Famous Funnies. This is followed by what is now called the Popular Comics, which includes strips of now classic titles like Dick Tracy and Gasoline Alley. However, it was not after an upstart company, the National Allied Publications, entered the market and considerably changed the face of the comic book industry. This company acquired a lot of name changes which included National Periodical and Detective Comics. Today this comic book outfit is known by the name of DC Comics. The creation of this company set the motion for the rest of the industry and prompted all the talents in the land to engage in its improvement. In this golden age of comic books, characters like Superman, Spiderman, and Batman sported their costumes and capes into the annals of popular culture.   The Universal Appeal of Comic Books   How Western Culture Regard Comic Books   How the Eastern Culture Treat Comic Books   Perceived effects of Comic Books on its Readership   Effects on Children   Effects on Adolescents   Underlying Interpretation of Comic Books and its Characters   A Consideration of the Gender Roles   Language in Images   Of Heroes and Villains   As a Driver of Mass Culture   The Blurring of Racial lines   As an Alternative Educational Tool   Emergence of Adults as the Target Market of the Comic Book Industry   The Rise of the Graphic Novel   Mature Storylines in Manga   Consequent Film Adaptations     Analysis of the Issue   Implications of These Shifts: An Analysis   The Present View on Comic Books: A Summary   Conclusion   Recommendations   References   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

The Universal Appeal of Comic Books

Introduction From the black and white caricatures of the olden days to the full coloured version of today, the comic book ha...

INFORMATION

There are counter-arguments to the stated advantages of e-books in Gates’ essay that can be illuminated across the society. For an individual, the provision of e-books of “audio-visual and flexibility through web linkages” not only improve understanding to a book’s contents but also impede pacing and concentration.  Audio unique intonation, startling images and explanatory quotes from external links need additional time and effort for a curious reader.  Unlike the traditional book, a reader is confronted by mere words with supporting illustrations on the same page that develops reader intimacy and flow. For the household, the “storage portability of e-books” prevents simultaneous reading that will result to isolation of other interested members of the family.  Information tends to slow.  Or the other scenario, the first reader would slip of telling the important facts of the story that could spoil the interest of other members.  On the other hand, when there is a common library, family members have wide array of books to select at.  Even old ones, when securely stored, are worth reading.  No need to pressure the current user of e-books that could minimize comprehension, or worse, result to conflict.   In the macroeconomic view, situating the technology in the less developed country would detach Gates’ projection of “improving literacy and education”.  In most of them, poverty is the result of heavy corruption, warfare and strong belief of mediocrity practices that are likely to hamper the introduction of such technology.  With paper books’ simplicity, any interested citizen would not be deprived for information only because of deprivation or absence of technology. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

INFORMATION

There are counter-arguments to the stated advantages of e-books in Gates’ essay that can be illuminated across the society. For an indivi...

Red Pony

Chapter two “The Great Mountain” and Chapter 4 “The Leader of the People” are different from each other. Although, there are some similar events in these two chapters with two different characters being represented. Gitano is a paisano or a Spanish peasant while Carl’s father in law is an old man who lives in Monterey that is just visiting Jody. Gitano’s visit has a purpose; this will uplift Jody’s spirit in his desire to explore the mountain. Carl Tiflin hates these two people that have great influence in his son’s life. This can be considered as one of the similarities of the two chapters. Carl Tiflin is placed in an adversarial position as the enemy of what he sees as impracticality and softness aspiration, adventure, and history n short, the finer human spirit that soars above the mundane life of everyday grubbing for existence ( 1992). Carl complains of his father-in-law’s endless talking about his past involvement with Indians and pioneers who settled in America. While on Chapter two, from the moment Gitano arrives, his spirit uplifted toward the mountains, he seems one with God, or at least something higher than the natural, physical world of the ranch. His nemesis is Carl Tiflin, the practical man who places value on animals and people according to their ability to work and help make the ranch successful. Carl belittles as “soft” everything that the old man represents. He is angered by Gitano’s quiet insistence that he will stay at the ranch and do small jobs, angered by the sympathy that others in the family show toward the old man, sensing full well the parallels between old Easter and Gitano. The initiating incident in the story -that which sets the rest of the action in motion-is the appearance of the old man Gitano. He is mystical rather than materialistic in sentiment; his actions are guided not by reason and the five senses, but by deep and ancient feelings (2006). He appears mysteriously from out of nowhere and as mysteriously disappears. He inexplicably announces that he has come back to the place where he was born and repeatedly insists that he will stay until he dies, even though there is no explanation for why he must do this and no hope that he can actually stay. Gitano carries a deerskin and a rapier like magical totems, cherished religious and traditional relics. Jody recognizes that the old man and his relics are part of some kind of spiritual truth to which he is drawn. Gitano’s identification with the spiritual rather than the material, practical world is also found in his connection with the Great Mountains. Like them, he is deep, unknowable, and mysterious. Unlike most people, he has actually visited the mountains and, at the end, disappears heading toward them ( 1997). Jody recognizes something sympathetic between the two, realizing that he is attracted to the old man just as he is pulled toward the mountains. Gitano is also identified with old Easter, the horse who has outlived his usefulness on this earth, as Gitano has himself. Jody, on the other hand, has been touched by Gitano’s presence, almost as if the old man had been sent precisely to him to give him some sense of the greatness of the mountains, sent as an answer to Jody’s early curiosity, his hunger for some experience with mystery. Gitano somehow verifies human qualities greater than those his father displays or tolerates in others. After Gitano has gone, Jody again gazes at the mountains and simultaneously thinks of the old man. The life of great poetic meaning, exemplified by Gitano, seems to be one with tradition and the past. Joining Gitano on his journey into the mountains, where the body will surely die, is the old horse, Easter, whose name denotes a spiritual resurrection in the future. The grandfather stands for everything Carl Tiflin hates. And the grandfather is the one who embodies greatness and the hope for passing along to subsequent generations the adventuresome spirit that led to his and his generation’s courageous trek toward the West (1992). Grandfather was the leader of these brave people, facing hostile Indians and famine on a wagon train in their quest for the unknown. Jody thinks of his grandfather and the other pioneers as heroes, “a race of giants”. The tragedy is that this great pioneering way of life has died out. Something small and petty has taken its place. Even before his grandfather tells him that “westering has died out of the people”, Jody realizes this that perhaps only Billy Buck has something of the necessary greatness in him ( 1992). Those in control in the present generation, unlike the pioneers, are smaller men, interested in diminishing life, killing the spirit, and belittling the importance of the tradition and the past. The common element in the four stories that comprise The Red Pony is the affirmation of the human heart, great in imagination, sensitivity, aspiration, and spiritual meaning. This is real “life.” It must always battle and seek to rise above an opposite death force found in devouring, dog-eat-dog nature and in the deadening smallness of men whose vision is limited to the mundane practicalities of natural survival.                                                                                     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Red Pony

Chapter two “The Great Mountain” and Chapter 4 “The Leader of the People” are different from each other. Although, there are some similar...

PERFECT PRUDENCE

Perfect Prudence               The book, entitled “Perfect Prudence”, basically talks about the uncanny abilities of little miss Prudence. According to the book, Prudence basically “tops on everything, from maths to spelling, to singing and dancing.” Prudence is the personal choice of teachers when they make a show on “Jack and the Beanstalk”. This play entails the utilization of many students and cast since there are many parts to play. But as the production goes underway, the teachers assign everything to Prudence, and Prudence on the other hand, does not complain. She plays Jack, Jack’s mother, the cow, and the Giant. Soon after, only Karen Brown was left to play her banjo. However, this too was taken over by prudence. All the things that is related to the play is taken by Prudence. Soon, the big day comes. Prudence is ready to put on her best show. And that she does. However, she forgot to pull the curtain on the last minute.             The book is meant to target the young audience, which are around the age of 6 to 10. These children cannot yet fully digest if the book is written the way it is when adult people are the audience. Therefore, the writer must take into consideration which type of audience he is writing for. As was mentioned, in the case of this book, the main audience are children, therefore, the book and the story it contains must be presented in a such a way that children would find it easy to understand the story being told to them. The purpose of the story affects its composition. The story’s purpose is, on my understanding, to convey to the audience the folly of a little girl who may be good in everything, but can be “stupid” at the time when her intelligence and alertness is greatly required. The purpose, as well as the context, affects the composition in such a way that the composition must first fit the audience, then the context and purpose next.             The book is a combination of visual and written language which seeks to express the themes and the issues tackled in the short story. The written ls basically the most used language after the spoken language. This is used as a medium to convey a person’s thoughts and ideas through the use of the written word. The written word can be extended in the hands of a skilled writer. The writer can create worlds with only words. However, some people find it difficult to understand the written language alone. Therefore, it is vital to employ another type of medium which can greatly aid the writer in conveying these ideas: the visual language.             Let us define visual language. Visual language is a concept wherein a person can communicate through the visual medium. By using visual language, the conveyor is not limited to using the written language in conveying his thoughts. Furthermore, with the use of this type of medium, one is given the chance to convey his idea perfectly to many more people. Visual language’s use in the book is extensive. This is due to the fact that the book mainly employs the visualization of the idea to convey it properly and put in it the proper justification. If the writer mainly relied on the written language, it would be drab and the humor of the story would be lost to faceless words.             Basically, the book’s presentation is appealing, not only to children, but to the older generation as well. The book’s presentation includes the visual content which is vital in keeping the attention of children and also conveying the idea and purpose of the book with the aid of the written word. The story, bit by bit, uncovers itself to the audience. It does not present itself right away. Instead, it chooses to tackle every little part of the story, from the selection of the cast, to the idiocy of Prudence in forgetting that she did not let bring up the curtain. Furthermore, with the visualization, it is easier for the audience to take in the happenings within the story and with less use for words. The use of bright colors are one of the main good features of the book. It captures the attention of the audience as well as helps in conveying the ideas properly.             The flow of the story is also very significant and very well prepared. The flow is very simple, however, it is also very interesting. The flow is enough to keep the audience captivated till the end. The book is not so long, just 30 pages of illustrations and a few words. However, the book conveys so much in the little allotment that it is given.             The cultural impact of the story is basically huge, tackling the issue of favoritism among educators. It is not an uncommon occurrence. It has happened in many settings and has affected many people. This story sought to illustrate the folly of the educators who gave everything to their best student, “Prudence”. Because of too much belief in the girl, in the end the show became a disaster. It touches that issue. Therefore, educators should be well-aware of the issue on favoritism.             However, there are also problems in the use of visual language. Sometimes we tend to disagree thoughts or ideas of others first, because it is not the same as our representation of what we see. Second, one may not see the sense of the idea, therefore, one may argue of its validity and therefore its presentation. Lastly, one may want to consider only his idea, and not someone else’s. But the real reason why people disagree is because they tend to see one side of the issue, in the context of the book, their own understanding of the visualization.             Who would have thought that so many treasures were hiding beneath the surface? This question can be presented when one comes up with many ideas connected to the story. Well, in the same way, the people in our society are filled with their own treasures– their personalities, their hopes, their dreams, their talents. But one needs to look beyond the surface to discover them. Take time to learn what the people are interested in and what they are capable of in order for them to build a humane society. Uncover the unique and priceless treasures of your thoughts. Sometimes when one tries to justify, our conversation doesn’t cohere from one idea to another. One must look into the issue more rather than judge the whole affair in a brash manner.             Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

PERFECT PRUDENCE

Perfect Prudence The book, entitled “Per...

Book Analysis

Book Analysis   Order 1:             The novel entitled “Dune” by  can be considered as a science fiction because of its futuristic theme.  Accordingly, science fiction has been described by these conventional characteristics: humans with supernatural powers and abilities, alien creatures and space travel and futuristic. In fashioning Dune, it can be said that the novel has these science fiction elements; however, the author has been able to add credibility and depth in the story. In Dune, the author creates a universe giving emphasis to the complexities faced by humans and their society. Although space travel is only limited and has a small detail in a setting of power politics, ancient religions, ecological queries, and human survival techniques, against which is a enthralling cast of characters interlace the story of the novel. The believability of the universe established by the author, the multi-dimensional cast of characters as well as the intensive plot have made the novel a superb experience for readers.             The story started as the royal family of Altreides set up to leave their home world which is called Caladan, and accept the leadership of the desert planet of Arrakis or more commonly known as Dune which is considered to be the most important planet in the universe. It is the only heavenly bodies which are noted to possess the spice of melange. A thing which has the ability to guide ships within the space extends the life of humans and gives prescient awareness.  Upon the request of the Emperor, the family leave to Arrakis and replace the royal house (House Harkonmen) which has been their ultimate enemy for thousand years. In the planet, Duke Leto Atreides, her wife Lady Jessica and Paul have faced the risks of attacks from the enemies including the tough and merciless planetary culture. Atreides’ family was betrayed by one of the people in the household and connive with the enemy to arrange the defeat of Atreides. When this happened, Lady Jessica and their son Paul are forced to go to the deep desert. Therein, the two must fight to survive in spite of sandstorms and sandworms huge enough to gulp down large spaceships.  The only hope for the survival of the two lies in being connected with the desert people called the Fremen and achieving the acceptance as one of them.             It can be said that the author of this novel has never allowed the tension in the plot to subside. Whether Herbert highlights the thoughts of Lady Jessica, or Paul or the Baron Harkonmen, feelings of doubt and mistrust are extensive in a universe of political conspiracy and all are aware that every hazardous condition they encounter may have “a feint, within a feint, within a feint”. In the novel it is said that the overarching mystery of Dune gradually unfolds: Like where does the spice of melange came from, how the people in the deep desert survive, the alteration of the ecology of Arrakis and many more. Chapter by chapter, the author has been able to provide intriguing revelations which draw the readers to read mode.             The science fiction novel has a plot which induces the reader to continue reading. Moreover, the novel has also created fascinating central character. The elements of science fiction are shown with the thoughts of Paul Atreides who found himself enlightening to prescient awareness at the core of a universe which is on the edge of a massive upheaval. Superficially, Dune seems like the ultimate power fantasy for nerdish adolescents. One meets the identification figure as the special young boy that is one’s own dreamself; follows him through battle, spiritual adventure, and derring-do; and finally one becomes the transcendent object of worship of all the worlds and crowns oneself Emperor of Everything. Technology is also given emphasis in this novel which confirmed its being a science fiction novel. Herbert’s universe is one without much by way of machinery, and with nothing at all by way of thinking machines or computers: these were wiped out in the ‘Butlerian jihad’, ‘the crusade against computers, thinking machines, and conscious robots’ (Herbert, Dune (1965): 594). Generally speaking, most of the technology in this novel would not be out of place in a shop today. The inner thoughts of Paul enabled the author to explore the implication of being able to foresee the future and how this can be terrifying, confining, revealing and illuminating. In addition, the novel is considered a fiction because of the supernatural abilities of Paul enough to survive with the challenges he faces. Though he is the protagonist, he is also noted to be a superhuman that has the characteristics of being good and bad.  The ambiguity of the existence Paul attributes to different issues in human society like moral, social and philosophical aspects.  In the novel, the author has shown the philosophical side of a science fiction novel. It can be said that the author has been able to present a universe, planet and culture and human society. And because of the struggles, survival and other important issues tackled in the story, it can be said that some aspects of the novel can happen in human society where people strive hard to survive and live a quality life. On the other hand, some parts of the novel specifically the fictional side may also occur but with a limitation.                    Order 2:   Paul Atreides, the hero, comes to Dune as an outsider; he is born on the Earth-like planet Caladan and arrives on Arrakis (Dune) at the age of 16 with his father Duke Leto. This enables the first part of the book to introduce the world and culture of the desert planet, thus arranging our encounter with the difference through the device of the initiation of the protagonist. At the end of this first part, the evil Baron Harkonnen seizes the planet and murders Paul’s father, forcing Paul to flee. The second part, which takes as its title the name Paul adopts among the Fremen, the desert dwellers, details his Lawrence-of-Arabia-style encounter with the ways of the desert tribes, his acceptance by the Fremen, his adoption of the position of ruler and his taking of a Fremen wife. The third section is where the religious strand takes centre stage; in terms of basic narrative the final third of the book is a return: Paul takes his revenge against Harkonnen and the Emperor and the book comes full circle. Paul Atreides in Dune gets his real power from reaching out beyond logic to vision through his subconscious, emulating and connecting with his mother and sister. Paul Atreides, the overtly transcendent hero of Frank Herbert’s Dune sage, prescient superman that he is, wrestles with this final task of the true hero and ultimately fails, to his own sorrow. Paul is the hunted, exiled, rightful heir to the dukedom of Arrakis. He undergoes a whole seizes of initiation mysteries under many spiritual masters and mistresses as he rises up the Fremen into the People’s Army, which will free the planet from the evil Harkonnens. Paul is destined by breeding to become the Kwizatz Haderach, a being of such godlike prescient power that he will be worshipped as a god in whose name jihad will sweep the worlds of men. At the triumphant end of Dune, he not only destroys the Harkonnens but stands fully revealed as the avatar of the godhead and quite literally crowns himself Emperor of Everything. An early chapter sees Paul being trained in knife-fighting by the Atreides weapons-master Gurney Halleck. As with Star Wars (a film which, as several critics have noted, owes a great deal to Dune), a fascination with the toy-like ingenuity of machine technology is ultimately undercut by a deeper sense of satisfaction at a retro-defined sense of chivalric conflict. This happens on a personal level, so that the battles in Dune are fought by individuals with knives and swords; this includes two crucial scenes, Paul’s fight with the Freman Jamis that establishes his place in the Sietch, and his climactic knife-fight with the evil Feyd-Rautha. But it also happens on a larger one: Paul eventually defeats the Emperor and captures the planet by resorting to antique weaponry, namely atomic bombs, that had been long outlawed. with the Freman Jamis that establishes his place in the Sietch, and his climactic knife-fight with the evil Feyd-Rautha. But it also happens on a larger one: Paul eventually defeats the Emperor and captures the planet by resorting to antique weaponry, namely atomic bombs, that had been long outlawed. The drug melange has made Paul prescient, so that quite early on he envisions the jihad that he is destined to bring. And he abhors it. Everything he does, at least on a certain level of self-deception, is designed to prevent it, but everything he does ends up leading him back along the timeline to the inevitable. At the end of Dune, he can only surrender to his unavoidable destiny, assume the godhead, crown himself emperor, and become the icon of the jihad. For my topic I would the proposed topics includes the following: 1.    Analysis of the character of Lady Jessica? 2.    Assessment of the cultural aspects of the novel “Dune”. 3.    Investigation of the technological context of the “Dune”.     Order 3 In the written novel of  entitled “Neuromancer”, there are two settings described: the external setting and the cyberspace. The external environment or setting presented in the Neuromancer refers to the environment in which everything is not affected by the real world. This environment is known to be outside the so called cyberspace. According to  cyberspace is a consensual hallucination experienced by billions of legitimate operators in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concept. A graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data like what he described in the Neuromance about the city lights (). Cyberspace, at the broadest conceptual level, is the global village, the Internet, the Information Highway, and the World Wide Web. It is humanity connected by electronic information. It is also a much narrower literary construct and metaphor. At its most basic level, within novels like Neuromancer, it is a mnemonic device, that is, a visual construct of the world of electrons and information that flows around us, but that people cannot see or experience directly. In this context, cyberspace is a word that is more reminiscent of a pre-Gutenberg and medieval world than of a modem or typographic culture. In Gibson’s novels, artificial intelligences take on a life of their own in the matrix. Magic is rediscovered and made possible in cyberspace. It is filled with more than just data. There are ghosts and spirits in cyberspace. People are brought back from the dead (like the McCoy in Neuromancer). Cyberspace in  novel is a nontextual and closed world— what he described as “an infinite cage” ( 1989, p. 49). It is a world of visual images, of corporate fiefdoms, and of samurai, his many respects, it is a medieval and feudal world—a brilliant act of literary imagination. In the Neuromancer, the author gives focus In the world of cyberspace, and the so called cyberpunk. Broad terms, cyberpunk dealt with the impact of technology, particularly networks of computers, virtual reality (VR) and biotechnology, on the nature of human existence. It dealt with the nature and essence of humanity in a future in which the use of VR and the ability to extensively change and modify one’s own body allowed individuals to constantly re-invent themselves and to avoid dealing with the ‘real’ world if they did not want to. In Neuromancer, a largely urbanized world exists in physical space while its information flows and data are reproduced in cyberspace ()—a VR representation of a vast city which is perhaps best described as a totally immersive version of the Internet. Individuals can exist solely in this space, and even continue to exist after their physical death as what Gibson referred to as ‘constructs’. Computer code can itself take on an agent -like form and act as an intelligent, self-reliant entity. The barriers between human, software representation and reconstruction of human and humanlike machine are undermined in Gibson’s world. On the other hand, in Dune, the environment is set in a technological and futuristic setting with supernatural objects which makes it fictional. Moreover, the plot of the story turns to be about artificial intelligence and corporate power.     Order 4             In the novel Neuromancer, the Gibsonian universe presents a world where humans battle to survive in an urban jungle; but the most dangerous predators in this jungle are the machines. At times Gibson eerily captures exactly the unease with which we can regard the familiar technological props of our own lives, such as phones, TVs and microwaves—the way in which they seem almost to have a life of their own. His character Case’s first encounter with Wintermute, the Artificial Intelligence or ‘AI’ that is arguably the novel’s chief protagonist, manages this tone of technology-paranoid sensibility perfectly. The characters of Gibson’s Neuromancer — Wintermute, Neuromancer, McCoy Pauley, Case, the Finn, are all entities who live to one degree or another in the machine, in cyberspace, or to use Gibson’s formulation, in the matrix of human knowledge “from the banks of every computer in the human system. They are all, to put into play another of his frequently used words, “personalities.” Most of the characters are constructed from reproductions, digital representations (or manifestations), textual narrations of someone who was already alive, already human, and in that sense, already someone who thinks. Characters such as McCoy Pauley, a “ROM personality matrix” who exists as a construct of a human within a computer in Gibson’s most widely read novel, Neuromancer, figure the uneasy perception that there is no boundary between our selves and our encompassing computing environments; that we are, though sentient, “merely” machines. That they are, though machines, sentient. For instance, Pauley, known by the characters in Gibson’s “Sprawl” novels as the “Flatliner” for surviving “braindeath behind [the] black ice” defenses of an AI that he was buzzing in Rio, comes back after his physical death (by heart attack) as a “recording” on a cassette. More often than not the novel denies that these digital copies of people, ghosts in the machines, are real like we’re real. Or rather, the narrative denies that they are cognitive like we are cognitive. Neuromancer equivocally decides that representations of humans, “a hardwired ROM cassette replicating a dead man’s skills, obsessions, knee-jerk responses”, is not sentient, not quite human, not quite the ghost that it seems to be. The Flatliner compares himself to another type of entity, however, that is sentient, analogous to the ways humans are sentient: Artificial Intelligences. When Case, the protagonist of Neuromancer, asks Pauley what possible motive the AI Wintermute could have for carrying out the detailed plot that drives the novel, the program answers that he can’t answer. Pauley’s inhuman laugh, or rather “ugly laughter sensation,” signals his inhuman state. Human, by the construct’s figuration, is to have a psychology that is directed in some determinate, intentional, teleological sense. It’s to have a discernible “motive,” a tendency to move to action and a source for that action, which allows others to “get a handle on it.” But Pauley also claims that he is “human” in just this directed way, in contrast to the AI: he responds like a human. Neuromancer makes much out of the science of predicting human response. Psychology and psychological profiles are presented again and again as the way the matrix knows what Case, Molly, and the rest of the cast of human and once-human characters will do. The other word besides “personality” that marks this particular definition of psychology and intelligence is “profile.” A profile is a “detailed model” of a subject’s psychology Case, for example, is the personification of a “case”: “You’re suicidal, Case. The model gives you a month on the outside’“ claims Armitage / Corto when they first meet. Molly herself wonders aloud to Case, leveraging her knowledge of his psychology and motivation against his own self-knowledge. Introducing Peter Riviera as a certified psychopath. From one vantage, then, Pauley the ROM personality matrix is only motivation, all profile, the ultimate “case”: he’s a program that is algorithmic in his response to the world and its stimuli. He claims that what ultimately marks him as not human (ironically, ontologically, bearing out W. K. Wimsatt Jr.’s claim about the intentional fallacy, Pauley being all intention) is the likelihood that he wouldn’t write poetry. AIS, on the other hand, are likely to be creative with culture; they have tendencies to be demonstrative, to articulate expression and action outside of predicted paths; they’re likely to write poetry. “Your AI, it just might,” even if the Flatliner wouldn’t; or rather, Pauley can’t move or gesture outside the psychological boundaries of his own read-only memory. Case, however, if not quite “poetic” is paradigmatically human throughout the novel, and goes outside his own psychological profile in just this creative, novelistic way.  The novel shows how constructive a cyberspace is and how it influences the minds of the humans. In Neuromancer, psychology has played an important role to describe the attitudes of the characters. Psychological aspects enable the reader to understand each character and to be more attached with them just like how I view the people around me. On the other hand, the technological context helps each character to be introduced in a cybernetic manner. It enables the reader to understand better the term coined by Gibson which is cyberspace. In this generation, it can be observed the technological factors help humans to deeply understand information and how it can be used to different human aspects.     Order 5 Neuromancer’s plot is generally as follows: the protagonist Case, who is a former cyberspace cowboy, is working as a robber for his boss, who is considered as wealthier thieves. These are his employers who provided the unusual and mysterious software needed to enter the bright walls of corporate systems and has the ability to open windows into rich fields of information and data. In this event, Case has been nerve-damaged by these bosses he stole from, making him powerless to jack into the world of cyberspace. Eventually, Case was recruited and healed by Corto. In return, Corto wants him to take a digital copy of his teacher, McCoy Pauley, and with his help, break into the corporate computer matrix of Tessier-Ashpool. Corto, who was formerly a military officer named Armitage, is controlled by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) named Wintermute. Wintermute wants to merge with his other half, an AI represented in Tessier-Ashpool’s systems as a young, beautiful boy, Neuromancer. Case, his bodyguard Molly, the sexual psychopath Peter Riviera, and Armitage / Corto eventually succeed in releasing Wintermute and Neuromancer from the hardwired constraints that keep them from melding and evolving into a higher form of sentience and intelligence. Neuromancer draws on Chandleresque visions of social corruption, with characters trying to preserve their humanity and integrity in an inhumane and corrupt world. Like pulp noir fiction, the plot includes elements of romance punctuated by deception, high-tech gangsters ranging from corporate criminals, to low-life street hustlers, gun molls and deceptive women, punk and oppositional subcultures, intricate corporate structures, an incestuous family drama, and science fiction fantasy characters such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) constructs trying to take over the world and computer constructs achieving “reality” in the cyberspace of computers.  The story has themes of betrayal love and trust. In the story it shows how Case loved Linda. The underlying emotion in the novel is the fear of who is loyal and trustworthy. In the first half of the story, Case, the protagonist is trying to know the reasons why a drug lord is looking after him and what will be their purpose. In the novel, Case receives a drug shipment and he has not paid Wage. After the incident he went to see his friend Julius for help, eventually Case becomes the leader for Tessier-Ashpool sabotage.   As the story goes, Jules reveals that he killed Linda Lee, the love of Case and makes Case upset of what was told him. Another issue of test of loyalty is when Armitage was able to capture Case to join the force to run on Straylight. When the protagonist accepted the offer, Armitage agreed to give Case a new liver and pancreas. When Armitage has been able to provide Case the organs, he places packs of myotoxins surrounding the liver and pancreas to ensure that Case will not be able to feel the side effects of the drugs and to make sure that the former will not leave their group. At one point, the test of loyalty has also become an issue when Linda betrays Case by stealing the device called RAM. With this, Case felt upset because of his feeling towards her. Throughout the whole incident that Linda is playing on Case, he already knew what is in the mind of Linda. However, since Case really loves Linda, he understands the purpose of Linda for stealing the device. Along with the notion that Case would let his love manipulate him and that Linda was murdered by Case’s boss leads the latter to a life of lost love. As mentioned the boss killed Linda so as to make Case angry and motivate him to complete his mission. With these incidents of losing Linda (his loved) and Jules (close friend), Case was torn within himself since the two people whom he trusted were gone. Consequently, when Molly came to the life of Case, their relationship is described purely as sexual relationship. This kind of relations is considered to have no emotional satisfaction. In the end, Case was again tormented because Molly left him.  In the novel, the protagonist is searching or love to fill his needs but he was never able to find such person. The major character that signifies the emotion and love in the novel is Neuromancer. The characters try to drag Case over his side by using the love of Case to Linda and using her image to manipulate Case.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Book Analysis

Book Analysis Order 1: The novel entitled “Dune” by can be considered as a science fiction because of its futuristic th...

SECURITY, GUIDANCE, WISDOM AND POWER: AN ANALYSIS OF COVEY’S PRINCIPLE-CENTERED LEADERSHIP

SECURITY, GUIDANCE, WISDOM AND POWER: AN ANALYSIS OF COVEY’S PRINCIPLE-CENTERED LEADERSHIP     I.             Introduction Leadership paradigms have been in existence since the inception of the modern organization. A recent addition to this school of thought is provided by Stephen Covey. In an attempt to resolve the existing dilemmas that classical leadership theories fail to settle. In a sense, the work of Covey presents a modern take on the age-old problems organizations encounter. He called this new leadership model as Principle-Centered Leadership (PCL). As stated in the book, the use of principles such as security, guidance, wisdom and power are important for leaders in dealing with problems in the organization. This paper intends to look into these principles and how it could be implemented on the line of work that I have. In the same way, an analysis of the book will also be provided such that the strong points and the major criticisms will be presented. The main source of the arguments and the discussion will be based on Covey’s “Principle-Centered Leadership.”   II.           Security, Guidance, Wisdom and Power The concepts of security, guidance, wisdom, and power are regarded by Covey as the sources of strength that an individual could acquire innately. Covey defined security as “our sense of worth, emotional anchorage, self-esteem, and personal strength.” ()  This means that the sense of security of an individual defines the capability of an individual to stand on his own, the ability to recognize his strengths and weaknesses and the ability to realize how these could be used in his individual growth. Personally, I reckon that an individual’s security inherently applies to decision-making capabilities of an individual. A sense of security provides an individual confidence in his resolve and keeps him from being reliant on other people. For instance, in operations of the company, people tend to put blame on certain individuals who “screwed up” or failed to do their jobs efficiently. As long as an individual finds a way to assign blame, he/she will always have the tendency to encounter failure. His/her inability to recognize the capacities or limitations of his/her self and environment clouds his/her judgment such that he/she will inevitably acquire a sophomoric decision. For leaders having a sense of security strengthens their resolve and consequently allows them to see situations with a more objective and even critical perspective. In such a way, the entire organization reaps all the benefit. On the other hand, guidance is recognized by Covey as “the direction we receive in life.” () He added that the foundations represent one’s conscience based on the principles and values held closely by the individual. For my part, one could recognize guidance as the sense of right or wrong of the individual. For individuals holding leadership positions, it is imperative that their sense of right and wrong holds a strong foundation. Otherwise, they could fail to finish an endeavor. In connecting it with the concept of security, the notion of guidance will allow individuals like me to establish well-founded goals and courses of action. Having a good sense of security and a set of principles that will serve as one’s guidance will essentially paint the path where one could realize certain goals. Guidance illuminates the uncertain. When one knows his/her goals, he/she is bound to achieve it because he/she is able to ascertain the courses of action needed to do the job. In relation to the discussion above, one could effectively perform and realize these goals by wisdom. Covey defined wisdom as “a keen understanding on how the various parts and principles apply and relate to each other.” () In relation to the concept of guidance, an individual’s sense of wisdom establishes the person’s ability to see what things should be and the existing conditions without leaving out the recognition of the gaping chasm that subsist between them. In a practical sense, this wisdom comes from the education and training we have acquired and even in the mistakes that we have made in the past. In both instances, the use of such dimensions has helped me in foreseeing what will happen in the organization as we encounter certain situations. Power, on the other hand, is defined by Covey as “the capacity to act.” () He simply puts it as the strength and the courage to accomplish something. As I reckon, this is fundamentally an individual’s political will. As leaders, one’s ability to trigger change represents this dimension. For leaders to create any semblance of development in their organization, they should first take steps in instigating change. It is the capacity to depart from one’s comfort zone and the resolve to take measured risks that creates great leaders. However, in taking these considerations, leaders must first have a strong sense power such that their resolve will not waver midway of the endeavor. On a personal sense level, this dimension reflects on the capacity of the individual to live with his/her decisions and take responsibility on it. As stated above, along with wisdom, security and guidance, the use of power represents a balance for the individual; devoid of dependencies, failures, and impacts of the externalities thrown at us by the real world.         III.         Analysis of the Book It is a well written material; however I could not help but realize some of the flaws in Covey’s book. Generally, the book presents a generic self-help formula in fixing one’s personality in line with leadership situations. Bordering on being preachy, the book provides the reader an account of immediate solutions on certain issues of daily living. Though it provides great insights on self-improvement, there are still questions lingering on the practicality of such claims held by the book. Moreover, it appears that the perspective held by Covey seems too idealistic and even naïve. Regardless of its views on the improvement of the self for leadership situations and complex views of the dimensions discussed above, the discussions in the book seem to center on the individual thus neglecting other important elements of the organization such as culture of the collective. Nevertheless, the book provides a vast contribution to the leadership literature. It tackles the problems held by the leader as an individual. And as an individual, a leader should strike a balance within him such that he/she realizes not only the organizational goals but also the personal missions he/she has constructed.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

SECURITY, GUIDANCE, WISDOM AND POWER: AN ANALYSIS OF COVEY’S PRINCIPLE-CENTERED LEADERSHIP

SECURITY, GUIDANCE, WISDOM AND POWER: AN ANALYSIS OF COVEY’S PRINCIPLE-CENTERED LEADERSHIP I. Introducti...

Summaries of the specified text book

Chapter Summary   PART 1: THE LIFE OF A PROJECT (Chapter 1-4)               This chapter emphasizes the basic characteristics and factors that influence the concept of project management. The concept of project management is important to understand and take note of because it serves to be an effective guide for managing and organizing the resources of organizations in order to address the problems regarding production and operations. This summary highlights the important aspects of project management, and will be used in order to realize the importance of the topic to the whole chapter.  The brief explanation and definition of a project must be taken note of, as it serves to be the reason for the need of managing it. The chapter defines a project to be an endeavor in accomplishing specific objectives through a unique set of interrelated tasks, along with the effective utilization of resources. Given this definition of a project, it can be understood that it serves to be the core of the whole project management concept, and thus, all the other aspects of the concept relies upon. A certain project has several attributes, and in this chapter, seven attributes were discussed. The following include: 1) having a well-defined objective or expected result of the product; 2) carried out through a series of non-repetitive and interdependent tasks; 3) utilizes various resources to carry out the tasks, such as physical and human resources; 4) has a specific timeframe or life span; 5) can be a unique or one-time endeavor; 6) has a customer or entity that provides the funds necessary to its accomplishment; and 7) involves a degree of uncertainty, which include assumptions on the project that may serve to influence its development. These attributes or characteristics of a project must be taken note of because they influence the success and the management of a certain project. However, these attributes are not enough to ensure the success of a project. As such, the constraints of a project must also be given emphasis, as these constraints may serve to become the problems or the restrictions of individuals involved in project management. Four constraints in project management are involved in the process, namely, scope, cost, schedule and customer satisfaction. The project or work scope refers to the work that must be done to satisfy the customers; the cost refers to the amount the customer has agreed to pay the project; the schedule is the timeframe or timetable that specifies the start and finish of the project; and customer satisfaction means the involvement of the customer through active participation during the project. In this regard, all these constraints, along with the attributes of the project intertwine in order to get the project done effectively and efficiently. The use of these attributes and constraints would not be useful without the actual application, and its application is involved in the four phases of the project life cycle, which include identifying the need, developing a proposed solution, performing the project, and terminating the project. The first phase involves identifying the need, the problem, or the opportunity for the project, which can result to the requesting proposals of customers. In this phase, the customer specifies his or her request in the Request for Proposal or the RFP, given that the need or the problem has already been determined. Specifying the needs in the RFP is important because this helps project management to be more efficient and effective, basing decisions and situations on the costs and availability of materials, and many others. The RFP or Request for Proposal must be complete and substantial, and include twelve important aspects, such as statement of work the requirements, the deliverables, the customer-supplied items, the approvals required by the customer, the type of contract the customer intends to use, the payment terms, the schedule for completion, the instructions for the format and content of proposal, the due date, the evaluation criteria, and the available funds of the customer. Given the specific project in mind and the available resources that it requires, listing assumptions on the project and gathering relevant information must be done next. This must be done in order to effectively evaluate the needs and the changes that must be done in the project, based on the requirements of the customer. As such, this process involves careful planning before presenting the proposal, to ensure that all aspects and angles of the project have already been explored, in assumption of future changes and risks. In addition, as the initial stage or phase involves planning, it requires to gather information regarding the persons involved in doing the project, the objectives of the project, the resources needed to accomplish the project, the timeframe set by the customer, and the specifications required by the customer. In addition, the attributes of a project previously discussed fall under this phase, and the attributes become the basis for the substantial and potential project that can be done.   The second phase of the project life cycle is the development of the proposed solution to the need or the problem. Identifying the problem in the initial stage will lead to this stage, as the different important elements of the project have already been identified, thereby, a proposal must be shown to the customer, showing the strategy or the solution on how to answer the problem in the first phase. The contractors interested in providing a solution to the RFP of the customer would show a proposal, and if the customer approved this proposal, then they will sign a contract, stating their agreements on the project. However, this is not as easy as it seems because the interested contractors would have to extensively and tediously gather relevant information on the needs, problems, and decision-making process of its customers. After gathering relevant information, the contractor can develop a pre-proposal, and then consult and clarify this information with the customer in order to further address the needs and requirements of the project. In this regard, the process seems to be a trial and error process first before determining and targeting the specific problem or need of the project. With this process, the contractor would be able to present a variety of ideas and solutions, which may be opted for by the customer. Moreover, preparing the proposed solution for the problem or need of the customer is a tedious task, as it involves close competition from other contractors. However, it would be helpful to remember that being realistic regarding the proposal, along with its good quality would help in winning the proposal. Good quality means that the proposal must be simple, brief, concise, and optimistic, thus, it must involve the accurate and complete cost estimates of the whole project. Given the approval and the contract for the winning proposal, the third phase of the project life cycle is now involved, which is the implementation of the proposed solution or performing the project. In performing the actual project, a number of resources would be utilized, including financial, human, and physical resources. In this regard, resource allocation is important, for when resources are limited, the project would be affected. Aside from the amount of resources, this phase or stage involves the length of time to complete the project. The length of time to complete the project is directly proportional to the amount of money spent, so the increase in the timeframe would result to the increase for the money spent. Every company wishes to lessen its expenditures, so following the project’s specified timeframe would enable the company to allocate enough resources for the project. In addition, the four constraints previously discussed are all integrated in this phase of the project cycle, as they may become the source of the problems or difficulties of the project. In this stage or phase, the contractors must be able to follow the requirements specified under the contract between the contractor and the customer. The hardest part in dealing with this stage is the presence of changes or alterations, which may also lead to the increase of use of resources, amount of time to allocate for the project, and increase in costs. The last or final phase is the termination or the completion of the project. However, this just not end in this phase because close-out activities must still be performed, such as confirming the deliverables provided and accepted by the customer, clarifying the payments collected, and paying all the invoices. In this regard, all other activities related to the project must be cleared out. In addition, the evaluation of the performance of the project must be done, as this would enable both parties to obtain feedback from one another, which may serve to be suggestions or comments for future endeavors. From the discussion, it can be understood that the aspects discussed are crucial in building the larger concept of project management. This is because the aspects discussed are the specific details that make the whole concept of project management to be substantial. Without the important details and aspects, the process of project management would not be as useful and comprehensive as it is now. PART 2: PROJECT PLANNING AND CONTROL (Chapter 5-9)   The sections for this summary discuss the important elements involved in the third phase of the project cycle, including activities such as planning, scheduling, schedule control, resource considerations, and cost planning and performance. As discussed in the first chapter summary, the third phase of the project life cycle involves the actual performance of the project being proposed by the contractor to the customer. However, the implementation of the project is not only as simple as saying that the actual project would be performed, but it involves a tedious and extensive process of planning and scheduling activities, and proper and effective allocation of resources and time for the project at hand. In this particular phase, planning is the most important part of the task and involves the determination of what needs to be done, the persons who will execute the plan, the time or period involved, and the expenses to be spent. This results to the baseline plan, which can be changed depending on the situation, the flow of the project, and the satisfaction of the customer. Once the plan has been worked out, the project is now ready to be performed, and thus, needed to be controlled. The control or the monitor of the project must be done effectively and properly to measure the progress of the project and keep track of the activities for completion. Proper control of the project also involves its comparison with the planned progress to take corrective action if necessary. As such, gathering relevant data through reporting of the events and progress of the project must be done, thus, collecting two kinds of data, namely, the data on actual performance, which includes the actual time the activities started and finished and the actual cost spent, and the information on any changes to the project, which may be initiated by the customer or the project team. In addition, in this phase or stage of the project life cycle, planning of the project must involve the work breakdown structure or the WBS, which easily enable the individuals involved in the process to manage each component of the project to ensure that all elements of the project can be completed. This involves the proper scheduling of activities based on the planned progress of the actual project, thus, making network planning useful in the process, which helps in communicating relevant information regarding the project.             Another important element in implementing the project or the third phase of the project life cycle is scheduling. In scheduling the activities of the actual project, the planning done previously through the technique of network planning would be used, as the schedule depends on the plan made by the contractors. A schedule is a timetable for a plan, and cannot be established until the plan has been developed. Basically, scheduling involves the time allotted for every activity in the progress of the project. Most of the time, the amount of time allotted for every activity depends upon the resources available for the accomplishment of the project. In this regard, scheduling involves the estimation of the start and the finish of the project, which is based on the available resources and the needs or satisfaction of the customer. Determining the schedule of the project involves the determination of the earliest start and finish and the latest start and finish of the project. All estimated times are calculated to be able to determine the estimated start and finish of the actual project. This determines the path of the project through network planning, with which is the most time-consuming of all activities and represents a series of activities that cannot be delayed. Moreover, scheduling of the project would be done most effectively with the help of an information system, which helps the project to come up with realistic estimated durations. Scheduling the actual performance of the project would be done most appropriately with its effective and proper control. As stated earlier, the implementation of a specific project must be controlled or monitored in order to ensure that every objective of the project is achieved and that every activity is done according or based on the plan. Effective and proper control of the project involves the measurement of the actual progress and comparing it to the planned progress on a timely basis. This is also to ensure that corrective action would be done in needed. In addition, schedule control involves addressing the negative paths or slack values as identified during the process, as this may contribute to the problems, such an in the cost and scope, or the delay of the entire project. Correcting the negative path can be done through the time-cost trade-off method, which can be through the increase of costs or the reduction of the project scope. For this to be prevented, regular reporting of activities must be done to ensure that the problems would be identified at hand and solutions would be provided immediately, thus, lessening the changes and impact to the scope, costs, and schedule of the actual project. Moreover, the control of the schedule in the completion of the project can be done using a project management software. Through this software, the current, done and future activities are entered in the system, thus, properly monitoring the project schedule. In this regard, making the reports and updates regarding the activity can be accomplished efficiently.             The fourth important element in the actual implementation of the project is the allocation of resources in the project. Proper allocation of the needed resources for the project must be done to enable the smooth running and progress of the actual project. In this regard, all the types and needed resources of the project must be first identified and included in the baseline plan for proper estimated cost of the project. As such, both technical and non-technical resources must be determined, including the type of information system to be used, time estimates, and physical, human, and financial resources needed in the project. This is because resources serve as constraints to the project schedule, as the amount of resources available to the project entirely affects the time and the activities involved. In this regard, it is important to include the resources to be used in the initial planning process to ensure that proper allocation and schedule of the activity can be done. As such, both resource leveling or smoothing, and resource-limited scheduling must be incorporated in the process. Resource leveling or smoothing is the technique in resource allocation, which is used to minimize the fluctuations in requirements for resources, and done through applying the resources evenly to every activity without extending the project schedule. The other method or technique used is the resource-limited scheduling, which is employed given the limited resources available for the project. In addition to these two methods is the use of the project management software in the proper allocation of resources. This allows the contractors to have a list of the resources available to the project, thus, allowing more time for inventories and monitoring of expenses, time and progress of activities. With its use, the contractors and the customers would easily monitor the progress of the project and would easily provide solutions to problems regarding the available resources in relation to time and cost of the project.             The last aspect to consider in the actual implementation of the project is the cost estimates and performance. Project cost estimates are done along with the baseline schedule and plan, and involves important aspects, such as the labor, or the costs for the various people or manpower expected to work for the project; the materials including the paint, lumber, computers, and many others; the subcontractors and the consultants who are involved in the designing and developing of the manual or software; the equipment and facilities rental, which may be done when equipments are too expensive when bought; and travel expenses. As stated earlier, the cost or the budget of the project is regarded as an important resource, thereby must be appropriately allocated to ensure the effective completion of the project. Similar to the schedule and actual project, the cost and work schedule must also be monitored through regular reporting of the cumulative budgeted cost, cumulative actual cost, cumulative earned value, and total budgeted cost. The cost performance can also be monitored using the cost performance index or CPI, which can be calculated by dividing the cumulative earned value by the cumulative actual cost. The cost variance or CV can also be used, which is the difference between the cumulative earned value and the cumulative actual cost. Moreover, monitoring the cost performance of the project can be done using the project management software, which efficiently and timely records the costs of the project, with relevance to the time, schedule and resources used. This also enables the project to monitor and manage cash flow, which involves the payments received from the customer and serve to be the source of budget for the expenses of the project. All of these aspects or elements are important in the completion of a particular project, as these are considered the constraints, which limit or restrict the accomplishment of the project. In this regard, these elements must be given significant attention and regard to ensure the smooth operation of the entire project.     PART 3: THE KEY TO THE PROJECT (Chapter 10-13)   The sections in this summary discuss the important elements involved in the completion of the entire project, and include the project manager, the project team, project communication and documentation, and types of project organizations. Primarily, the entire project would not be complete without the leadership and supervisory tasks of the project manager. The project manager is responsible in planning, organizing and controlling the activities involved in the project, and with these responsibilities, the project manager must have a number of excellent skills. Skills of the project manager must include a strong leadership ability, the ability to develop people, excellent communication skills, good interpersonal skills, the ability to handle stress, problem-solving skills, and time management skills. Strong leadership ability means inspiring the people assigned to the project and requires the involvement and empowerment of the project team. As such, the project manager must exhibit a participative and consultative leadership style, thus, providing guidance and coaching to the project team. The ability to develop people means that the project manager has the commitment in training and developing the people working on the project, thus, establishing an environment where people can learn from the tasks and experiences in the project. Third, project managers must be good communicators, establishing effective and frequent communication for sharing information and problems in the project. Interpersonal skills must also be developed in a project manager, and involves good oral and written communication skills in order to establish clear expectations of members of the project team. This is particularly important in empathizing with individuals when special circumstances arise. The ability to handle stress is also important for the project manager must be able to act as a buffer between the project team and the customer or upper management. In this regard, good communication and interpersonal skills must be given emphasis. A good project manager must be an excellent problem solver, becoming critical on the problems that arise in the accomplishment of the project. In this sense, the team members must also be keen and deeply involved in the completion of the project to be able to effectively provide solutions to problems. Lastly, time management skills are important for project managers, thus, involving self-discipline and willingness to delegate tasks. In terms of the delegation of tasks, this involves the empowerment of the team in achieving the objectives of the project. Thus, it involves the proper skills in order to lead and delegate responsibilities to the project team. More importantly, the responsibilities of the project manager include the management and control of changes in his or her aim to lessen the negative impacts of the problems or constraints in the project accomplishment. As such, the skill of the project manager count a lot, which are further developed through continuous self-assessment, feedbacks, learning, exposure, and training programs.             The job and responsibilities of the project manager would not be successful and meaningful without the support and contributions of the project team. In this regard, the survival of the project team lies on their teamwork, which is their cooperative effort in achieving a common goal. Teamwork, trust, cooperation, and coordination are then achieved depending on its development, which involves four stages, namely, forming, storming, norming, and performing. In the forming stage, the group begins to establish an identity and attempts to define and plan the tasks that need to be done. In the second stage, the storming stage, the team members start to apply their skills to work on the assigned tasks, thus, leading to the slow progression of the work. In the norming stage, conflicts between individuals have been settled, and these conflicts are brought about by a number of factors, such as the work scope, resource assignments, schedule, cost, priorities, organizational issues, and personal differences. However, because conflicts have been resolved, trust is developed at this stage, thus, increasing sharing of information, ideas and feelings. In the last stage or the performing stage, the team is now highly committed to achieve the project objectives. At this stage, each member becomes interdependent from one another, thus, become fully delegated and empowered by the responsibilities and authority of the project manager. At this stage, the whole team works effectively and efficiently with the project manager at all costs. In this regard, the project team is now described as being effective, with characteristics as having a clear understanding of the project objective, clear expectations of roles and responsibilities, and high degree of cooperation, collaboration and trust. In addition, the project team undergoes brainstorming and team building, which further develops the team through socialization and problem solving. As such, the time management skills of the team are being developed, making the team more effective in managing their time and resources efficiently.             Project communication and documentation is also important in the completion of a project because communication serves to be the key in dissipating relevant information to all the individuals involved in the accomplishment of the project. In this regard, effective and frequent personal communication is important, and includes oral and written communication. Oral communication can be done in different means, such as through telephone, personally, video, or voice mail. This provides a forum for discussion, clarification, and immediate feedback. This also includes the expression of body language or non-verbal communication, which also becomes the basis for understanding and feedback, and is dependent on the culture or practice of a particular individual. On the other hand, written communication can be carried out through letters, memos, and other written documents, and expresses sentiments or information regarding the project. Despite the availability of both forms of communication, the key in effective communication is listening and understanding. As such, good listening skills are important for it enables the project manager and his or her project team to effectively communicate with one another. In project management, meetings are good venues where the project manager and the project team can effectively communicate with one another. Three types of meetings are recognized, namely, status review meetings, which aims to inform, identify problems, and establish action items; problem-solving meetings, which are used to develop a problem statement, identify potential causes, gather data, and evaluate possible solutions; and technical design meetings, which are used for gaining customer approval before proceeding with the remainder of the project effort. In all these types of meetings, presentations and reports are being given, and in order to properly give reports and presentations, it is crucial to determine the purpose of the presentation, the target audience, make visual aids and handout materials, and practice. Along with presentation is the documentation of the report, which takes the form of either a progress or a final report, which should be both clear and concise.             These elements would be useful depending on the type of project organization thus; it would be helpful and beneficial to identify its type to be able to effectively and efficiently assess the approach and type of management that needs to be applied. Three type of project organizations are determined, namely, functional, project, and matrix type of project organizations. The functional-type of project organization develops new products, designs information systems, and redesign and updates company policies and procedure manual. The project manager in this regard has no control or authority over his or her project team because the members of the team work for their functional managers. In this regard, this type of project organization is appropriate for internal company projects. Its advantages include the lack of duplication of activities, and the target of functional excellence. However, disadvantages include insularity, slow response time, and lack of customer focus. The second type of organization is the project-type organization, where all resources are assigned full time, where full time means that the project manager has complete project and administrative authority over his or her project team. In addition, this type of project organization is present in companies that are involved in very large projects, being multimillion dollar and with long durations. Its advantages include efficient control over its resources and responsiveness to customers, while its disadvantages include low level of knowledge transfer and cost-inefficiency. Third and last type is the matrix-type project organization, a hybrid or the combination or mix of both the functional and the project-type organization. This type of project organization is appropriate for companies working on multiple projects at the same time and with projects that vary in size and complexity. Advantages include effective utilization of resources, functional expertise, increased learning, and knowledge transfer, improved communication and customer focus. However, disadvantages include dual reporting relationships and need for the balance of power.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Summaries of the specified text book

Chapter Summary PART 1: THE LIFE OF A PROJECT (Chapter 1-4) This chapter emphasizes the basic characteristics and fact...