Media Portrayal of Gender Roles in the Household

Media Portrayal of Gender Roles in the Household The Right Man for the Job She suddenly snaps. Her infant accidentally bursts open her bottle and floods the car with milk, she jams on her brakes and parks her car in the middle of the bridge, blocking traffic. The police try to convince her to move her car, to no avail. The news reports An overworked and underappreciated housewife has parked on the bridge, refusing to budge. A crowd has gathered to observe the scene, some extend their sympathies: Sweetheart, whats the matter? and Not getting enough of the good stuff? Finally, her husband arrives and convinces her to get out of the car, and she is promptly arrested by the police. Theres a debate between the Mayor and the police chief on if the city should press charges or not. The Mayor, concerned about the optics of the situation, flatly states I can kiss the chick vote good-bye and if I go down, youre breaking my fall! This is the opening for Homer Alone, an episode of the Simpsons in which Marge, the quintessential housewife suffers a nervous breakdown and takes some time away from the chaos of family life, leaving Homer in the role of caretaker for the house and their infant daughter. In their investigation into the topic of masculinity in the media, Ronald Jackson and Jamie Moshin find that shows like The Simpsons can function as witty satires regarding American myths of normalcy and desirability in the public and private spheres. (184) The medias portrayal of the masculine role in the household has evolved over the decades, much of the time keeping pace with the general social trends. The post war show Father Knows Best, described by TV Guide as a normal, intelligent businessman controlling his family sensibly, even wisely and as a classic example of American Pop Culture at its best an idealized nuclear family with the patriarch providing for his stay at home wife, teaching their children to play catch, but if a situation required emotions, it was go talk to your mother. These tropes in the gave way to more multicultural families such as The Cosby show as the Reagan years approached. In the 90s, we had Roseanne a glance into the lower middle class, blue collar duel income familys struggles. These TV fathers roles became less of the father-knows-best stereotype and more involved roles as caregivers, taking active roles in their childrens lives and being equal partners in the decisions of the household. Despite this progress the media has made in showing men to be at least capable of sharing childcare burdens, men depicted in the media are showing to be essentially domestically-illiterate. The everyday activities, such as cooking, washing, cleaning, shopping for own household, caring for the elderly, the sick, and the disabled are still shown to be primarily womens work. The US Department of Labor, Womens Bureau reports that since 1940, the percent of women participating in the labor force the increased from just 24.3 percent 47 percent of the total U.S. labor force, and are projected to account for 51 percent of the increase in total labor force growth by 2018. Similarly, the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that In 1967, 49 percent of mothers were stay-at-home mothers. That proportion steadily dropped through the decades until 1999, when only 23 percent of moms stayed at home. The fight for Womens equality in political, economic, and social spheres has made great progress, however the division of household labor remains virtually unchanged. Domestic work and childcare are still seen as primary responsibilities of the women. After their shifts at work are completed, women are expected to complete chores and childcare. This double-burden was dubbed the second shift by American sociologist and academic Arlie Russell Hochschi ld in her book The Second Shift, written in 1989. Hochschild found that working women averaged three hours a day on housework while men averaged 15 minutes (259) Though nearly 20 years has passed since the publication, there has been little change in the balance of housework between male and female households. Theodore Greenstines 2005 study found that In general, regardless of income, education, ideology, or extent of paid employment, women tend to do far more domestic labor than their male partners (1039). Medias portrayal of the working mother has rarely been accurate, as Hotchschild describes an advertisement she presented to working mothers during interviews: She is not the same women in each magazine advertisement, but she is the same idea. She has that working mother look as she strides forward, briefcase in one hand, smiling child in the other. Literally and figuratively, she is moving ahead. Her hair, if long, tosses behind her; if it is short, it sweeps back at the sides, suggesting mobility and progress. There is nothing shy or passive about her. She is confident, active, liberated. She wears a dark tailored suit, but with a sick bow or colorful frill that says, Im really feminine underneath. She has made it in a mans world without sacrificing her femininity. And she has done this on her own. (258) Its not only advertisements that sell the idea of a Super-mom, but the stories of Celebrity Moms that dominate tabloid magazines, television, movies, and now social media that not only delegitimize the labor involved in housework, but also reinforce both the gendered stereotypes of who is responsible for the work, and the ease in which the work is completed. Women as consumers is not a new idea. PG productions, producers of the soap opera As the World Turns, spanned for 72 years and over 10,000 episodes, chiefly marketed towards women. PG productions is a subsidiary of Procter Gamble, an American multinational consumer goods company and makers of Swiffer, Tide and Bounce, who spend nearly $10 billion per year advertising budget. Product placement in womens media isnt just a happy coincidence, PQ Media, a media research company found that Product placements were worth $6.01 billion, up 12.8% from the previous year, the fifth straight year of growth. PQ Media projects that product placement revenue will reach $11.44 billion in 2019. Globally, women account for $20 trillion in annual consumer spending. Most of the income growth in the U.S. during the past 15 to 20 years is attributed to women, per the television consumer specialist firm Nielsen. The media doesnt only focus on the perceived stereotypical womens role as housekeeper, but often puts its female characters into traditionally feminine roles. In TV Guides list of best TV shows for the past year, the trend continues. The Walking Dead shows us that even in the zombie post apocalypse, women are the ones performing the childcare, nursing, preparation of food and forming community ties. Additionally, theres Penny in The Big Bang Theory. Penny, a waitress (typical female job) is shown to be living in a one bedroom apartment in LA, near a prestigious college. Most of her role in the series to function as a catalyst for the lead characters lack of social lives. As the show progressed, the other characters girlfriends are seen in having successful, professional careers, but are still expected to fill the emotive role in the relationship. An egregious example of this is Carrie Bradshaw of Sex the City. A struggling journalist is seen living an extravagant life, living in the upper east side of New York City. These women shown living above their means perpetuate what is considered an ideal life, contributing to the feminization of poverty. This phenomenon is described in United Nation reports revealing that there are 1.5 billion people living on 1 dollar a day or less, the majority of which are women. In addition, the gap between women and men caught in the cycle of poverty has continued to widen in the past decade. While women earn on average seventy-seven cents for every dollar earned by men, they are disproportionately concentrated in the lowest-paying fields. Furthermore, most the pay gap between men and women actually comes from differences within occupations, not between them and this gap widens in the highest-paying occupations such as business, law, and medicine (S. Pressman, The Shriver Report) One might think that such a significant economic impact would lead to more progressive representations in the media, however this does not seem to be the case. Advertisements, both televised and otherwise, very rarely show housewives or mothers outside of their stereotypical gender roles. The pick them back up add, produced by our friends at PG productions, was heavily broadcast during the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games. Mya Frazier observes that Men are unmentioned, even if their breadwinner status is implicit: What working mother could devote herself solely to the making of an Olympian without substantial financial support? (Frazier). The question of where is dad? can be answered by considering other media. A meta-analysis shows that the odds of women being depicted at home (vs. at work) are approximately 3.5 times higher than for men (qtd. in JÃ ¶rg et. al). These gender stereotypes are nearly ubiquitous across not only American media, but society in general. Webster dictionary defines our idea of gender as the role or behavior learned by a person as appropriate to their gender are determined by the prevailing cultural norms. The perceived femininity or masculinity of a task is equally as culturally subjective. The hegemonic frame tends to constitute a good father as the responsible breadwinner/provider and protector gender identity for men has traditionally been associated with the competitive rationality of work rather than the intimate emotionality of family. (J. Gentry and R. Harrison, 77). This hegemony is reinforced by our real-life experiences, mass media exposure, and the ever-present social media feeds. Traditionally feminine tasks such as cooking, laundry, and cleaning are overwhelmingly performed by women; traditionally masculine tasks such as yard work and auto maintenance tend to be done by men (T. Greenstein, 1039). With the Simpsons family, the fault of the self-destructive pragmatic Family First idea that sends Marge over the edge. The husband and forever needy kids who will never appreciate her were hardly subtle ideas, even in a comedic or satirical format. In media, when the gender roles are reversed, how often is it successful? We often see the TV dad portrayed as inept, typically uninvolved or uncaring, unless the situation calls for a sardonic wit, then TV dad is your man. Among the worst offenders, we have Al Bundy of Married with Children, a blue-collar-everyman who either by laziness or ineptitude is completely absent from any domestic labor or parenting duties, unless they call for violence or a punchline. While satirical, the presentation of the masculine role in the family is to provide the paycheck, grumble, and be the butt of the joke. The inability or failure when gender roles are reversed is also a common trope. The Tim Taylors (Home Improvement) and to a lesser extent Phil Dunphy (Modern Family) all reflect the masculine breadwinner who may find themselves in an occasional feminized role, only to learn that they woefully under equipped to deal with the task at hand. While Marge Simpson was relaxing in a resort after her nervous breakdown, Homer struggled with even the most basic of household chores, inevitably getting drunk with his bar-fly best buddy Barnie and losing Maggie in the process. (Homer Alone) Even in the TV homes where there was a closer semblance to equality when it came to social, political or economic issues, we would rarely any flexibility or male housewifization (househusbandization?). Dan Conner (Roseanne) was shown in a more active role in the parenting of his children -but the shows namesake was the primary housekeeper, child raiser, and do-it-all blue-collar mom a much better representation of the second shift idea. Cliff Huxtable (The Cosby Show) and his wife Clair were equals, but the gender roles were never questioned. Despite the forward progression and increased airtime of a less oafish and more, helpful father, research has consistently indicated that husbands are not doing much more housework than they ever did (although they are on a relative basis, as wives are doing much less; (qtd. Robinson and Godbey, 1997) Typically, its only representations of single fathers like Danny Tanner (Full House) that are not only shown in the house husband role, but are not failing at it. Only by not having a wife or mother in the house to fall back on, would the male take on the traditionally feminine tasks. In James Gentry and Robert Harrisons study of gender portrayals in the media, they found that single fathers needed to redefine their masculinity as they become involved parents. Traditionally (or at least in the 20th century), only one form of masculinity was conceived; this masculinity is non-feminine (or anti-feminine), independent, heterosexual (or anti-homosexual), tough, and takes risks (qtd, 79). The persistence of gendered labor inequality within the home is caused in part by the reluctance of men to participate in the lesser-valued roles that women perform and to avoid being emasculated by performing womens work. For example, in The Second Shift, Hochschild describes the division of household labor between Nancy and Evan, married parents of one child who both worked full-time. Evan refused to share the housework equally with his wife, feeling that this was not his responsibility as a man and that he was entitled to refuse to participate in tasks that he saw as his wifes (261). This suggests that at their core, men are psychologically predisposed to reject housework due to its apparent femininity, an idea that mass media has all but reflected and marketed back to consumers. The difference being that in the media examples, there is rarely a cost to only one parent working the second shift. When it comes to duel income families, Rebecca J. Rosen of The Atlantic writes The statistics on this are a bit of a mess, as moms and dads report different household divisions of labor, both when it comes to chores and parenting. Dads are more likely to see the division as equal, and it can be tricky business to sort out whos right. While its unlikely that there is a shadowy cabal of men and fathers looking to shrug off their housework to their presumably exhausted wives by influencing mass media outlets, the perception of inequality at home is a tricky subject. Greenstein explores this idea: Just as differences in gender ideology (at the individual level) have been found to lead women to different choices of comparative referents and consequently to reach different conclusions about the fairness of the division of household labor, national context provides a comparative referent for married women from which they might form their perceptions of justice relevant to the division of household labor. I propose that women not only compare themselves to other individuals when making determinations of fairness or justice but that they also compare themselves to the more generalized conception of the level of support for gender equity in their nation. That is, women who perceive a high level of support for gender equity in their generalized comparative referent- for example, their perception of the beliefs of the people in their nation or society-are more likely to perceive microlevel inequalities as inequities (1040). If ideals of fairness or inequality are founded in the perception of what is happening in others lives, then what we see in the media must be included in that. If there were more Rosannes and less Peg Bundys, would women feel more shortchanged by the division of household labor. If the they (the media, or shadowy cabal of lazy men) could show men performing reproductive labor without appearing emasculated, would that change things? Its not as if the advertising and entertainment is completely bereft of positive household-male examples. After the Pick Them Back Up ad ran during the Sochi Olympic, they produced a similar ad directed towards males. Unfortunately, it was a social media non-starter. Consider the forgettable 2013 Power of Dads Oral-B spot. It offers a succession of heartwarming clips of dads joyfully engaged with their children, but didnt exactly burn up the viral charts. An ad about a stay-at-home dad doing laundry for Tide? A measly 60,000 views on YouTube. (M. Frazier) We can plainly see that it was ingratitude and an unequal share of work that led to Marge Simpson breaking down on a bridge, going ballistic was a cry for help that could resonate with anybody whos work has been chronically underappreciated, even the police woman taking Marges mug shot gives her the sisterly empathy, Off the record, maam. All the girls on the force knew just how you felt (Homer Alone). If the lesson was to show how we underappreciate the women in our lives, the return to normalcy at the end of sitcoms is the undoing of any lesson or basis for comparative basis. Ronald Jackson and Jamie Moshin quote In these spaces, however, the critiques of dominant norms fall short when the characters return to their traditional roles at the conclusion of the episodes. (qtd. 184). Without the continuity of lessons learned, there is no real impact. In the next episode, Homer and the kids are right back to their scheming, lazy, and unappreciative selves. Marges breakdown, subsequent c atharsis has meant nothing. Its not all hopeless, the gap in the division of household labor is slowly closing. The status quo has protected male privilege, but its not permeant. The ultra-masculine western cowboy is now seen as nothing more than a cultural relic (J. Gentry and R. Harrison, 98). Fathers depicted in Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 80s was killing entire private militias in the movie Commando then in the 90s he was performing literal reproductive labor in Junior. Our views of what emotional value labor holds and if our ideas about masculine and feminine work can change. If Homer Simpson can, even for a short while, perhaps the rest of us can too. Works CitedHochschild, Arlie Russell, and Anne Machung. The Second Shift. New York, Penguin Books, 2003. Web. Frazier, Mya. Honor Your Mother: Dont Watch That Patronizing Viral Ad. New Republic, 8 May 2014, newrepublic.com/article/117693/mothers-advertising-regressive-stereotypes-dominate-pg-and-others. Greenstein, Theodore N. National Context, Family Satisfaction, and Fairness in the Division of Household Labor. Journal of Marriage and Family 71.4 (2009): 1039-051. Web. Lafayette, Jon . Product Placement Revenue Climbing 13.2% This Year. Product Placement Revenue Climbing 13.2% This Year | Broadcasting Cable. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017. Paek, Hye-Jin, Michelle R. Nelson, and Alexandra M. Vilela. Examination of Gender-role Portrayals in Television Advertising across Seven Countries. Sex Roles 64.3-4 (2010): 192-207. Web. 1 Feb. 2017. Pressman, Sonja. Top 18 Issues Challenging Women Today. The Shriver Report. N.p., 21 May 2014. Web. 04 Feb. 2017. Gentry, J., and R. Harrison. Is advertising a barrier to male movement toward gender change? Marketing Theory 10.1 (2010): 74-96. Web. 2 Feb. 2017. Rosen, Rebecca J. Money-Rich and Time-Poor: Life in Two-Income Households. The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2017. Matthes, JÃ ¶rg, Michael Prieler, and Karoline Adam. Gender-Role Portrayals in Television Advertising Across the Globe. Sex Roles 75.7-8 (2016): 314-27. Web. 1 Feb. 2017. Jackson, Ronald L., and Jamie E. Moshin. Communicating marginalized masculinities: identity politics in TV, film, and new media. New York: Routledge, 2013. Print. Homer Alone. The Simpsons. Fox, 6 Feb. 1992

Project Management Student

Table of contents Contents page number Executive summary Introduction Problem identification Case analysis Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Conclusion and Recommendations Bibliography EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Polk County is a scarcely populated County in the state. The roads are in a very poor condition and the Transportation Department supervisor, JR has been tasked to manage all the three projects: * The entrance to the Big John’s superstore ELK Mountain road * Bridge on County road 1045 The writer will analyse the case, evaluate the alternatives and propose a solution for the case that would benefit the Polk County Transportation Department to execute their projects effectively. Various models and literature will be used to motivate the assertions. INTRODUCTION Polk County is the largest county in the state it is governed by three-member Board of commissioners: Harold, Richardson and Thomas.The state faces a challenge of delivering critical projects which involve impro vements to the local roads which at the current state have put the local residents as well as tourists at risk because they are dilapidated, worn out and inadequate for purpose generally being unsafe for use. This challenge is due to many projects competing over limited resources. The three projects are: * The entrance to Big John’s Superstore * Elk Mountain road Crockett Creek bridge on the country road 1045 near prison The reasecher will analyse the case evaluate it, systematically prioritise the steps to be taken on the approach to successfully propose a solution which will benefit the Transportation Department, Polk municipality and ultimately the community at large. Various shortfalls are evident in the current Polk county municipality. The researcher will discuss them in depth with reference to various models and literatures as well as assumptions to back up the recommendations, below are the identified shortfalls: * No poor project office Funds are very limited to kick start projects that would add value to the community and improve their safety. * The tax is minimal to sustain the developments * Insuffient or no fundraising initiatives * High rate of crime As depicted on the case, there are three projects at hand and below is the gathered information on each project. Body governing the county The following individuals comprise the Polk County administration team NAME | DESTINATION/ STATUS| Thomas| Commissioner retired| Herald| Commissioner retired|Richardson| commissioner| JR| Supervisor- Transport Department| Joe| Former head of Transport Department| Unnamed | Current Senator| Zachary | Transport Department intern (civil engineering)| PROJECT 1 THE ENTRANCE TO THE BIG JOHN’s SUPERSTORE * It is off a two lane high at the base of the hill * It is difficult for cars travelling in the opposite direction until they come over the crest * This makes it difficult for the cars turning left into the store and those pulling out of the parking lot. * A number of accidents have occurred The number of cars travelling on the road has increased over the last three years since the store opened * Several residents have raised concerns at the commissioners meetings in the past * JR had approached the store manager about helping to pay for road improvements to widen the roads to add a turning lane or install a traffic light. * The manager replied that they are barely making any profit and if they do not make profit corporate headquarters will close it down and a lot of people will lose their jobs therefore they cannot afford to assist * Many people go to the store because there are no other shopping malls in the countyPROJECT 2 WIDENING AND REPAIR OF ELK MOUNTAIN ROAD IN THE NORTHWESTERN PART OF THE COUNTY * The winters have taken their toll on the road and left it with large deep potholes * The increase in unemployment in the county has led to an increase in independent loggers using the road to bring logs from Elk Mountain to severa l saw mills, including Ye Olde Saw mill in the adjacent county. The lack of repair over the years and the heavy trucks are causing the road to deteriorate even faster Both commissioners, Thomas and Richardson have seen the worsening condition of the road: they use it frequently to go hunting and fishing on ELK Mountain. * Each has received an earful of complaints from friends who use the road. * Zachary also knows how bad the road is from personal experience as he was nearly sideswiped by the logging truck and was forced off the resulting in his car’s low hanging tail pipe and muffler ripped off as he hit a large pothole.PROJECT 3 CROCKETT CREEK BRIDGE ON COUNTY ROAD 1045 NEAR THE PRISON * It is the main road to the state correctional Institution in the south western past of the county. * The bridge barely passed the last state inspection four years ago. * Each spring during the winter thaw Crockett Creek threatens to wash the bridge. * If the bridge is washed out or closed, the detour would be nearly 15 miles for people who work at the prison. * The largest employer in the county is the state correctional institution for female offenders located in the south western part of the county.A project is an endeavour to accomplish a specific objective through a unique set of interrelated tasks and the effective utilisation of resources (Clement and Gido, 2012; 4) It has a clear objective of what is to be accomplished and this is usually defined in the form of deliverable, schedule and budget. A project utilises various resources to carry out interdependent task that need to be accomplished in a certain sequence in order to achieve a project objective within a specific time frame. A project has a sponsor who provides the funds necessary to accomplish the project.A project usually has challenges because it is constrained by many factors including scope, quality budget and risks. 1. SITUATION ANALYSIS 1. 1. NO PROPER PROJECT OFFICE Polk County is the largest cou nty in the state with a shallow structure of Authority. This is evident as the line of command is very short from the top, senator, commissioner to bottom lower management this could be of advantage as there is rapid communication hence close interactions and therefore easy delivery of organisational / municipality goals strategy. JR is the supervisor for the county Transportation Department.The case states that county roads have progressively deteriorated and several critical projects need to be done. He works with his summer intern Zachary and is concerned that if the does not present a good case for the at least one of the project, then the commissioners probably would not fund any of the project. It is evident that JR is struggling as he cannot apply himself explicitly on the tasks at hand as he lack the skills, methodologies that would easily aid to address the projects smoothly, this therefore calls for the introduction of project management office in the municipality 1. 2PROJ ECT MANAGEMENT OFFICEProject management is defined by the PMBOK as†¦. ’the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques in order to meet stakeholder’s needs and expectation from a project. ’ (Burke, 2011; 18) 1. 3GENERIC ROLES OF A PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE 1. 3. 1The project management office’s aim is to link individual project to the organisation’s dynamic strategic intent through a focused discipline of project management. 1. 3. 2The project management office is established to act as support and reporting channel between projects and senior management without removing the accountability or authority of project managers. . 3. 4The project management office provides top management with a consolidated view on all projects within the organisation and thus assists top management in ensuring that all projects are aligned with the strategic direction of the organisation. 1. 3. 5The project management office will provide value-added assis tance to all its identified customers in the organisation. 1. 3. 6The project management office will enable support and facilitate project disciplines with a: * A project life cycle Programme/project management * Project management training * Prioritisation support * Project start-up workshops and project administration ‘With the budget situation JR is worried that none of the projects may get done’, the case reads, this emphasises how the department is financially constrained and several projects are competing over this limited funds. The project management office is equipped with tools and techniques which provide a systematic approach on every project. The PMBOK states ‘†¦.Because projects are unique and involve a certain degree of risk, companies performing projects will generally subdivide their project into several project phases to provide better management control. Collectively these project phases are called the project lifecycle’. (Burke, 201 1; 40) The general project life cycle has four phases: * Concept or initiation phase * Design or planning phase * Implementation or performing phase * Commissioning and handover or closing phase In the initiating phase, projects are identified and selected. They are then authorised using a document referred to as a project charter.The planning phase includes defining the project scope, identifying resources developing a schedule and budget and identifying risks all of which makes up a baseline plan for doing the project work. In the performing phase the plan is executed and work tasks are carried out to produce all the project deliverables and to accomplish the project objective. During this phase the project progress is monitored and controlled to assure the work remains on schedule and within budget, the scope is fully completed according to specifications and all the deliverables meet the acceptance criteria.Also any changes need to be documented, approved and incorporated into a n updated baseline plan if necessary. In the closing phase the project evaluations are conducted lessons learned are identified and documented to help improve performance on future projects and project document are organised and archived. (Clement and Gido, 2012; 9) Phases in a project lifecycle are interrelated which means the previous phase should be successfully completed before progressing to the next phase.In this particular case, JR, the supervisor at a Transportation Department is struggling to make a selection on a project to perform first since there are limited funds. The main focus of this case is based on the initiation phase of the project lifecycle and because of the interrelation of the phases; it has to be successfully completed to move forward to the next phase of project. The initiation phase of the project lifecycle starts with recognising a need, problem or opportunity for which the project or projects are identified to address.Projects are identified in various ways: during an organisation strategic planning, as part of its normal operations, in a response to unexpected events or as a group of individuals deciding to organise a project to address a particular need. It is important to try to quantify the need to help evaluate whether the expected benefits from implementing a project outweigh the costs or consequences of conducting the project. Once the magnitude and the expected benefit or improvement has been estimated the cost for a project to implement the improvement. The transportation epartment of Polk County identified several needs but have limited funds and people available to pursue the projects to address those identified needs. In this case the department must go through a decision making process to prioritise and select the project that will result in the greatest overall benefit. Project selection is making a commitment for the future. The execution of a project will tie up the company resources and as an opportunity cost, the selection of one project may preclude your company from pursuing another (perhaps more profitable) project.We live in a world of finite resources and so cannot carry out all the projects we may want or need. Therefore a process is required to select and rank projects on the basis of their beneficial change to a company. (Burke, 2011: 66). The steps in the project selection process include: * develop a set of criteria against which the project will be evaluated * list assumptions that will be used on the basis of each project * Gather data and information for each project to help ensure an intelligent decision regarding project selection.Methods of gathering this information could include surveys, focus groups, interviews or analysis of available reports * Evaluate each project against criteria. Once all the data and information have been collected analysed and summarised for each potential project it should be given to all the people responsible for performing the evaluation. It is beneficial to the have several individuals in the evaluation and selection process in order to get various viewpoints.Each person on the evaluation and selection committee should have a different background and experience to bring to the decision making process, (Clement and Gido, 2012:35) emphasises that although it may take longer and be more stressful to gain group consensus on projects priorities and selections it will most likely be a better quality decision than if the decision is made by just one individual. The committee may develop a set of evaluation criteria with some type of rating system (such as Low-Medium-High, 1 to 5) against which to rate each potential project against each criterion.Various models can be used in project selection. The main purpose of these models is to aid decision making leading to project selection. The models include: * Numeric models * Non- numeric models A numeric model is usually financially focused and quantifies the project in terms of tim e to repay the investment or return on investment while non-numeric models look at a much wider view of the project considering items such as market share, relocation or environmental issues. Most importantly the models must evaluate projects by how well they meet the company’s strategic goals and corporate mission. 2.NUMERIC MODELS The numeric selection models may be subdivided into financial models and scoring models. The financial models are: * Payback period * Return on investment * Net present value * Internal rate of return Companies tend to prefer financial models and often select solely on profitability. 2. 1SCORING MODELS The numeric models mostly have common limitation, they only look at the financial element of the project. In an attempt to broaden the selection criteria, (Burke, 2011:79) suggest ‘a scoring model called the factor model, which uses multiple criteria to evaluate the project will be introduced’.The factor model simply lists a number of d esirable factors on a project selection pro-forma along with columns to show the rating of each factor. A weighted column can be added to increase the score of important factors while reducing the scoring of the less important. The advantages of using a scoring model are; * It encourages objectivity in decision making * It uses multiple selection criteria to widen the range of evaluation * It uses the simple structure therefore easy to use It uses selection factors structured by senior management, this implies that they reflect the company’s goal and objectives * It makes it easy to change factors. * It uses weighted scoring to reflect the factor’s differential importance * It is not biased towards short run projects favoured by financial models. * It is a weighted model which can also be used as a flag to improve projects by identifying the variance between the factor score and the maximum possible score The disadvantages of using a scoring model are: If the factors a re not weighted they will all equal importance * A simple model may encourage the developments of long lists that could introduce trivia factors and therefore waste management time. Assuming that the county Transportation Department has a budget of hundred million pula (P100  000) to allocate over the three project the researcher has used a scoring model to score some desirable factors on each project. This analysis and evaluation determines which project is critical and assist the project manager to prioritise effectively on which project to perform first followed by others.The figure below shows the factor scoring model for a county Transportation Department. SCORING FACTOR MODEL – PROPOSED SOLUTION| | FACTORS| PROJECT 1| PROJECT 2| PROJECT 3| 1. BENEFITS| 8| 9| 9| alignment to organisation strategy, mission, visions, values|   | 4| 4| 4| impact (organisational Department County)|   | 4| 5| 5|   |   |   |   | 2. COSTS| 4| 6| 8| budget (impact on budget)| 2| 3| 4| expenditure| 2| 3| 4| |   |   |   | 3. TIME| 7| 6| 7| delivery(how long will it take to deliver value to the community| 4| 3| 3| start- up (when can the project start)| 3| 3| 4|   |   |   | 4. RISKS| 5| 7| 9| safety and health (stakeholder and community| 3| 4| 5| environment| 2| 3| 4| |   |   |   | 5 RESOURCES| 7| 7| 8| capacity (at your disposal)| 4| 4| 4| availability| 3| 3| 4| |   |   |   | 6. STAKEHOLDERS| 5| 6| 9| commitment| 2| 3| 4| reputation| 3| 3| 5| TOTAL| 36| 41| 50| PERCENTAGE| 60| 68. 33| 83. 33| Key 5= very good weighting 4= good 0-40% low priority 3=fair 41-60% average priority 2= poor 61- 80% high priority 1= very poor 81- 100%very high priorityA priority list of projects from the model depicts Crockett Creek Bridge on road 1045 will progress under the current budget, if enough funds will be secured. ELK mountain road will follow then lastly the entrance to the Big John’s superstore. Therefore the researcher recommends that the cou nty Transport Department should adopt the project management approach by introducing a project management office. The project management office will be merged into the current county municipality opening structure to undertake all the projects across all departments with expertise.A project will be allocated a project manager and through his knowledge and skills. A methodological approach of project management will be applied. From project initiation phase are identified and selected through planning phase which involves defining the project scope, identifying resources, developing a schedule and budget and identifying resources development risks to the performing phase whereby the plan is execute and finally the closing phase/ project handover where the project lifecycle terminates.This methodological approach would be suitable for Polk County Transportation Department as projects would be executed effectively and effectively. To generate funds for the county, the commissioners can come up with initiatives like introducing road levy, introducing toll gates as well as adjusting tax higher so as to acquire funds for local developments. The crime rate is also igh as the case states that the largest employer is the state correctional institution for female offender, therefore prison as an offenders rehabilitation centre with skills they acquire during their serving period, prisoners can produce goods that can be sold to the local community to generate funds which could assist with the developments. CONCLUSION Polk County faces a problem of under development or road improvement because of limited funds. Multiple projects have been identified to address the current situation, besides the limited funds inadequate skills and lack of proper facilities have been identified.The writer analysed the case, quantified case data, evaluated it and suggests that introduction of project management office in the Polk county municipality would highly benefit the organisation as a proper systematic methodology of project management will be used to tackle and manage all projects effectively and also various fund raising initiatives will be implemented to raise money for the local government for developments. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Burke, R. 2011, Project Management Techniques, ( College Edition), China, Burke Publishing 2. Clements, J. P. and Gido J. 2012 Effective Project Management Fifth Edition, Canada. Joe Sabatino

Personal Statement Essay - 1738 Words

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Documentación para entrevista de visa americana

Los documentos que se llevan a la entrevista al consulado americano pueden ser muy importantes para ayudar al oficial consular a decidir si aprueba o niega la visa. Ademà ¡s, la documentacià ³n es fundamental a la hora de luchar contra una decisià ³n de negacià ³n de visa que se considera es errà ³nea. Por lo tanto, si està ¡s en el proceso de solicitar una  visa de no inmigrante  por primera vez o intentas obtener una aprobacià ³n despuà ©s de un rechazo de una peticià ³n anterior, te conviene informarte sobre quà © documentos llevar a la  entrevista en la embajada americana. Tanto  los obligatorios como los recomendados. En este artà ­culo puedes informarte sobre cuà ¡les son las razones mà ¡s comunes para  de que nieguen una visa no inmigrante, como por ejemplo, la de turista, estudiante, trabajo o intercambio. Esto es importante porque hay que saber con anterioridad dà ³nde pueden estar los problemas y presentar documentacià ³n para mostrar evidencia que ayude a subsanarlos. Ademà ¡s, segà ºn  el paà ­s en el que se aplica, quà © documentos llevar, cuà ¡les son los tres  tipos de contestaciones que puede dar el oficial consular y quà © hacer si la visa es denegada. Recordar que la entrevista para todas las visas no inmigrantes se solicita como parte del trà ¡mite de la visa que se pide al llenar el formulario DS-160, que marca el inicio del mismo.  ¿Van a aprobar mi solicitud de visa americana no inmigrante? Esa es la pregunta que muchos solicitantes se hacen. pero no hay una respuesta que se pueda dar con absoluta certeza. Cada caso es un mundo con peculiaridades propias ya que ninguna persona es igual a otra. Lo que sà ­ se sabe es que en algunos paà ­ses los porcentajes de negacià ³n de las visas son mà ¡s altos que en otros. Sin embargo,  esto no debe de tomarse como una invitacià ³n a solicitar visas en consulados americanos distintos a los del paà ­s en el que se reside habitualmente, ya que para esto existen reglas especiales y, ademà ¡s, puede no ser conveniente. Ademà ¡s, existen situaciones que complican la peticià ³n de visa no inmigrante. Por ejemplo, cuando se està ¡ esperando por una visa inmigrante, es decir, por una tarjeta de residencia, tambià ©n conocida como green card. Las estadà ­sticas nos dicen como son las cosas y nos sirven para estar informados sobre quà © esperar. El gobierno de los Estados Unidos publica cada aà ±o fiscal cuà ¡ntas visas se solicitan y cuà ¡ntas son negadas. Ademà ¡s, en cuà ¡ntos casos se obtuvo finalmente una aprobacià ³n, a pesar de haber sido negada en un principio. En el 2017, el à ºltimo sobre el que hay datos, las embajadas y consulados de Estados Unidos aprobaron en todo el mundo un total de 9.681.913 visas no inmigrantes. Ademà ¡s, no aprobaron un total de 3.516.581. Las causas principales de negacià ³n de la visa fueron, por el siguiente orden, las siguientes: En primer lugar, el solicitante no prueba suficientemente que no tiene intencià ³n de quedarse en Estados Unidos. Es la causa que se conoce como 214(b). En el FY2017, un total de 2.624.543 visas no inmigrantes fueron rechazadas por esta causa. En segundo lugar, la aplicacià ³n no cumple con los requisitos que exige la ley que se conoce como INA. Las causas mà ¡s frecuentes son la falta de documentos o informacià ³n o la necesidad de que otra agencia del gobierno revise la solicitud. En FY2017, un total de 811.238 solicitudes fueron rechazados por esta causa, que se conoce tà ©cnicamente como 221(g). En tercer lugar, por mentir para obtener  un beneficio, por escrito o hablando, en lo que se conoce en inglà ©s como misrepresentation y tà ©cnicamente como la causa 212(a)(6)(C)(i). En el à ºltimo aà ±o fiscal, 18.114 visas no inmigrantes fueron rechazadas por esta causa. En cuarto lugar, haber estado previamente de forma ilegal en Estados Unidos por mà ¡s de 365 dà ­as un total de 15.924 personas vieron sus peticiones de visa rechazadas.. Es la causa de negacià ³n de visa que se conoce como 212(a)(9)(B)(i)(II). En este punto hay que tener en cuenta que aplica el castigo de los tres y de los diez aà ±os. Y en quinto lugar, haber permanecido en Estados Unidos despuà ©s de haber cometido una violacià ³n migratoria. Esta causa, que se conoce como 212(a)(9)(c), afectà ³ a 9.551 solicitantes. Es muy importante tener en cuenta que durante ese mismo periodo de tiempo, un total de 744.003 solicitudes que en un principio fueron negadas fueron finalmente aprobadas porque se puedo demostrar con evidencias documentales que no aplicaba la causa de negacià ³n o porque puedo solicitar un waiver, tambià ©n conocido como perdà ³n, y à ©ste fue aprobado. Por lo tanto es evidente la importancia de la documentacià ³n para obtener la aprobacià ³n de la visa y, en el caso de ser negada, poder probar que la negacià ³n no corresponde. Documentos obligatorios para llevar a la entrevista para la visa americana Alguna papelerà ­a es comà ºn a todo tipo de visas no inmigrantes, por ejemplo: 1. Hoja de confirmacià ³n de la cita. 2. Pasaporte và ¡lido y en buen estado. La fecha de expiracià ³n no puede ser inmediata. Las embajadas americanas imponen diferentes reglas a cada paà ­s en cuanto a quà © pasaporte esa và ¡lido. Por favor verificar particularmente en aquellos paà ­ses en los que en los à ºltimos aà ±os ha habido cambios de modelos de pasaporte o existen diferentes modelos và ¡lidos al mismo tiempo. Tambià ©n ver las reglas segà ºn el documento tenga incorporado chip o no. 3. Prueba de haber pagado el arancel o cuota de la visa. Hay que saber que este dinero nunca se recupera. Ni en los casos en los que la visa es rechazada ni cuando el solicitante cambia de idea y decide no ir a la entrevista porque ya no le interesa viajar a los Estados Unidos. Ademà ¡s, en  algunos paà ­ses, como en el caso de Mà ©xico, es necesario acudir a un Centro de Atencià ³n antes de la entrevista por tema de  las fotos  y las huellas digitales. Pero cada paà ­s sigue sus propias reglas. Pero ademà ¡s hay que seguir las reglas especà ­ficas de cada visa. Esto es asà ­ para casos como las de estudiante, intercambio, trabajo temporero, etc. Dos clases de problemas que pueden dar lugar al rechazo de la peticià ³n de visa Llegados a este punto hay que diferenciar entre dos posibles situaciones. Primero, si lo que se quiere es probar que no hay razones para negar la visa por ser inelegible. Y el segundo, cuando hay un problema que convierte al solicitante en inadmisible y desea pedir un perdà ³n, tambià ©n conocido como waiver o permiso. En otras palabras, la visa no inmigrante puede ser denegada porque se considera a una persona extranjera como inelegible para el visado que solicita o por ser inadmisible para ingresar a Estados Unidos. Documentos para que el oficial consular no considere al solicitante como inelegible Aunque hay varias causas, la mà ¡s comà ºn por la que se niega una visa no inmigrante como la de turista o la de estudiante es porque el cà ³nsul tiene sospechas de que el solicitante se puede quedar en Estados Unidos mà ¡s tiempo del permitido. En este punto es muy importante entender que dentro de las visas no inmigrantes hay dos que son consideradas de doble intencià ³n, las L y las H-1B. Esto quiere decir las personas con este tipo de visados pueden buscar activamente la green card en Estados Unidos. En otras palabras, no es importante para ellos probar que su intencià ³n no es quedarse en USA. Pero para el resto de las visas no inmigrantes, como la de turista, estudiante, intercambio y otras de trabajo temporal la causa mà ¡s comà ºn por la que no son aprobadas es precisamente porque el solicitante no es capaz convencer al oficial consular que su intencià ³n no es emigrar a Estados Unidos. En otras palabras, debe  probar lazos familiares y/o fuertes en su paà ­s de residencia.  Para eso se utilizan documentos adicionales, por ejemplo: Certificado o partida de nacimiento, original o copia certificada.Certificados de matrimonio, divorcio, relaciones de hecho, viudedad.Libros de familia en el que consten los hijos.Prueba de empleo, de ser propietario o socio de una empresa.Documento que acredite el estatus de estudiante.Cuentas bancarias tipo corriente y de ahorro con extractos que demuestren los movimientos en los à ºltimos seis meses.Inversiones, ahorros, propiedades de todo tipo.Hipotecas o contratos de arrendamiento de vivienda.Pensiones o rentas. Y ademà ¡s  cualquier otra documentacià ³n que el solicitante crea que puede ayudarle a probar al oficial consular que su intencià ³n no es quedarse en Estados Unidos. No obstante, tener en cuenta que la persona de la oficina consular que lleva a cabo la entrevista no està ¡ obligada a examinar la documentacià ³n presentada. Es muy recomendable llevarla ordenada. Ademà ¡s, para el caso concreto de solicitud de una visa de turista, paseo o placer puede ser conveniente contar con una carta de invitacià ³n redactada por un ciudadano americano, un residente permanente legal u otra persona que se encuentre legalmente en Estados Unidos. Pero no es necesario. Consecuencias de mentir  o presentar documentos falsos en la solicitud de visa Como se ha indicado previamente en este artà ­culo, la tercera causa mà ¡s comà ºn por la que se deniega una peticià ³n de visa no inmigrante es por mentir o presentar documentos falsos lo que, tà ©cnicamente, es un fraude de ley. Pueden darse mà ºltiples casos, como presentar documentos falsos de identidad, propiedades, trabajo o estudios acadà ©micos. Pero el fraude de ley incluye situaciones en la que se falta a la verdad en las contestaciones de que dan en el formulario de solicitud de  visa, por ejemplo, asegurando que no se tiene familiares que son ciudadanos americanos cuando lo cierto es que sà ­ se tienen. Una vez que las autoridades consulares o las de control migratorio se dan cuenta de que existe o puede existir un fraude de ley las consecuencias son inmediatas y graves. Por ejemplo, automà ¡ticamente deniegan la peticià ³n de visa o, si à ©sta ya sido ya aprobada, la cancelan.   Aunque en casos muy concretos es posible levantar el castigo despuà ©s de haber cometido un fraude de ley mediante la peticià ³n de un waiver y, asà ­, obtener una visa, lo cierto es que es uno de los perdones mà ¡s difà ­ciles de obtener.   Quà © sucede despuà ©s de la entrevista en el consulado Pueden darse tres situaciones: 1. La visa es aprobada. En este caso el pasaporte debidamente estampado se recibirà ¡ a los pocos dà ­as. Si este es el caso, los turistas deben tener especial cuidado y evitar estos 8 errores que pueden provocar que le cancelen la visa.   2. La visa entra en fase de procedimiento administrativo. No ha sido aprobada pero tampoco rechazada. Es lo que conoce como 221g. 3. La visa es denegada. Si una visa de turista o de estudiante, etc es negada porque no se ha podido demostrar lazos fuertes con el paà ­s de residencia, antes de pedirla de nuevo es conveniente realizar cambios que puedan convencer al consulado para aprobar una nueva solicitud. Si todo sigue igual, la respuesta va a ser la misma. Es decir: no. Por el contrario, si las razones para la negacià ³n fueron otras causas, es aconsejable consultar con un abogado para estudiar si procede solicitar un waiver, tambià ©n conocido como perdà ³n o permiso especial. Si se solicita un waiver, es importante contar con el asesoramiento de un abogado migratorio con experiencia en este tipo de casos ya que son complejos y conviene saber diferenciar entre todos los posibles perdones y cà ³mo argumentar y apoyar con documentacià ³n la peticià ³n de dicho waiver. Infà ³rmate con este  test de respuestas mà ºltiples Toma este quiz, trivial o test sobre visas para asegurarte de que sabes lo fundamental para obtener y conservar el visado. Este artà ­culo no debe considerarse como asesorà ­a legal. Tiene simplemente un carà ¡cter informativo.