11 Veterans

Caregiver Program for Post-9/11 Veterans Caregiver Program for Post-9/11 Veterans The VA recognizes that family caregivers provide crucial support in caring for our veterans; they help by allowing the veteran to stay in the homes and communities they once fought for which has been shown to enhance their overall health and wellbeing. Under the â€Å"Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010,† seriously injured post-9/11 veterans and family caregivers may be eligible for additional VA services through ‘Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers.  (1)Eligible veterans include those who sustained a serious injury (including traumatic brain injury, psychological trauma or other mental disorder) incurred or aggravated after 9/11 in the line of duty. Further, the veteran must be in need of personal care services for at least 6 months because of an inability to perform one or more of their activities of daily living and/or need supervision or protection based on symptoms or residuals of neurological impairment or injury.  (2)Eligible caregivers include the veteran’s spouse, child (at least 18 years of age), parent, step-family member, extended family member, and/or someone who lives with the veteran on full-time basis. Moreover, qualifying caregivers may be eligible to receive the following services under this program: monthly stipend; travel expenses (which includes lodging and per diem while accompanying veterans who are undergoing care); health insurance (if the caregiver is not already entitled to care or services under a health care plan); mental health services and counseling; comprehensive VA Caregiver training provided by Easter Seals; and respite care (if not less than 30 days per year).If you think you may be eligible under the VA family caregiver program and want to download an application, you may  click here. The application allows veterans to designate one primary family caregiver and up to two secondary family caregivers.  (3)In fact, many of our eligible veteran clients receive this b enefit and have told us how appreciative they are for the help and support. In one instance, a veteran client with a 10% service-connected disability rating for a traumatic brain injury qualified for services under this program. Approval for disability-related veteran’s benefits, including caregiver assistance, can provide further supportive evidence for a  Social Security Disability claim. Many veterans may qualify for disability benefits from both the VA and the Social Security Administration, depending on the case.Disability Attorneys of Michigan strictly specializes in disability benefits – both Social Security and  VA Disability claims.  Contact us  today for your free consultation or to see how we can help you win the benefits you deserve. 888-678-5839.PL 111-163. For more information, see  caregiver.va.gov/pdfs/CaregiverFactSheet_Apply.pdfand  caregiver.va.gov/support/support_benefits.asp.For consideration, veterans must be enrolled for VA health ser vices.Caregiver Support Coordinators are available at every VA Medical Center to help veterans and their caregivers with the application process. To find a Coordinator near you, you can visit  caregiver.va.gov/helpasp. Additional assistance with the process is available by calling 1-877-222-VETS (8387).Blog Post Provided By:Disability Attorneys of Michigan 30500 Van Dyke Ave, Ste. 400 Warren, Michigan 48093 Phone: (888) 678-5839

Stephen Kings On Writing

Stephen Kings On Writing Stephen King’s On Writing Stephen King’s On Writing By Ali Hale One of the best books I’ve read about writing and being a writer is Stephen King’s On Writing. Written whilst he was recovering from a horrific accident (a van driver hit him while he was out for a walk), it’s a fascinating book combining autobiography and advice. If you’ve not heard of Stephen King, he’s a very well-known American horror writer – you may have seen films such as Carrie and The Dead Zone based on his books. The first part of On Writing is headed â€Å"CV†, and is an autobiographical account of King’s childhood and development as a writer. Loosely chronological, it’s structured in a series of short chapters or segments, each headed with a number and each dealing with a single point or topic in King’s life. It’s a fascinating insight into the makings of a famous author – not only an entertaining read but one with a lot to teach writers about persistence and working towards your dreams. King started sending out short stories to magazines and publications when he was very young: By the time I was fourteen †¦ the nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and kept on writing. King writes about his early attempts at self-publication (helping his elder brother Dave write and print a newspaper, Dave’s Rag, then writing a novelisation of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Pit and the Pendulum and selling it to school friends.) After â€Å"CV† there is a short section entitled â€Å"Toolbox† where King segues from a story about his Uncle Oren’s toolbox into a discussion of what the writer needs in his/her own â€Å"toolbox† of writing. This includes vocabulary and grammar as the basics on the top layer (hang around at Daily Writing Tips a while and you’ll pick up plenty of help with these!) with style coming on the second layer. The third section of the book, â€Å"On Writing†, deals with what King calls the third layer of the toolbox – everything that goes into writing good fiction. He tells us: What follows is everything I know about how to write good fiction. I’ll be as brief as possible, because your time is valuable and so is mine, and we both understand that the hours we spend talking about writing is time we don’t spend actually doing it. I’ll be as encouraging as possible, because it’s my nature and because I love this job. I want you to love it, too. But if you don’t want to work your ass off, you have no business trying to write well – settle back into competency and be grateful you have even that much to fall back on. This part of the book is hugely entertaining (King is very easy to read, and writes like a friendly mentor chatting to you over a beer), and absolutely packed with invaluable advice. Two of the key points King makes are: If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. King strongly believes in setting writing goals, and recommends a minimum of a thousand words a day, six days a week. I tried following his advice (whilst working a full-time office job) and didn’t last long – you might prefer to set your own goal at five hundred words a day or even two hundred. Since King himself says he writes 2,000 words a day whilst working on a book, I suspect his advice is aimed at those aiming to make fiction writing their career (especially given his advice to read for four-six hours a day as well!) King gives great advice on how to choose what genre to write in (one you read, and love), and how to create a â€Å"situation† for your story and write good description and dialogue. He goes into useful detail about what to look for when revising your work – does the story hang together, are the scenes paced well, are there factual errors? He includes an example of his own draft work and explains the edits he made to it. As King says: Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. On Writing is an encouraging but very honest look at what it means to be a fiction writer, and if you’re an aspiring author – especially if you secretly worry about not being â€Å"clever† enough or educated enough to write fiction – then I highly recommend it. You can find the book on Amazon.com Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Book Reviews category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Religious Terms You Should KnowLatin Words and Expressions: All You Need to KnowHow Long Should a Synopsis Be?

Hypothetical Human Resources Department Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hypothetical Human Resources Department - Essay Example Increasingly, organizations will seek HR professionals who can align HR strategy with business strategy (Bundy, 3). In this paper here is the review of Human Resource roles and responsibilities that will be assigning to this department in response to trends in globalization, technology, diversity, e-business and ethics. Human Resource professionals are increasing their scope when it comes to searching for talent. Globalization has enabled HR professionals to seek candidates from around the world. This trend towards globalization brings up several new factors to consider when hiring employees. For example, HR practices must take into consideration differences in culture and business practices. It would be a mistake to send someone who has been an excellent manager in one country to a brand new country and expect him to be as successful as he was in his own country. Before selecting employees to work in another country, HR must take into consideration the employees ability to understand and respect the cultural and business norms of the host country. In addition, even hiring at home may involve selecting employees from other countries. It is estimated by 2006 immigrants will likely account for an additional million persons in the U.S. workforce (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart & Wright, 23). Leading todays HR function involves much more than having the right programs in place for employees and managers. Now, one of HRs most important responsibilities is leveraging technology and the Internet to support both the function and the business (Mercer, 2006). Advances in technology have had huge impacts on how HR professionals manage Human Resources. Management and implementation of Human Resource information technology solutions now include highly developed Human Resources programs often referred to as HRIS (human resource information systems) that are used in an effort to maximize productivity throughout an

Skills Shortage and HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Skills Shortage and HRM - Essay Example Furthermore, it often increases the crime rate as people resort to earning money in illegal ways due to their unemployment. Other problems like low morale in the workforce, and economic recession are also very common due to unemployment. Furthermore, it discourages people to pursue further education because they see how even the highly educated people are often forced to do jobs which are below their potential, simply due to the lack of jobs available. Thus, unemployment has a major negative effect on the economy and welfare (Beresford, pg 190, 2004). Another difficult, however completely different, scenario occurs when the economy has plenty of jobs available in various industries, but does not have enough skilled labor to meet this demand. Whereas the people in the above mentioned situation were forced to compete with several other qualified people for the same job, this scenario describes a situation where companies are competing against each other for the same potential employee. They are forced to do this when the economy does not have an adequate supply of people with the skills which these companies require (Capelli, pg 145, 2005). PROBLEM WITH THIS SHORTAGE A shortage of skilled labor as described above usually pertains to fields which require high level skills, such as those needed for the technological industries. These industries are ever changing and developing, and thus require the workers to have updated and relevant skills. Such a feat can only be accomplished by regularly training these workers, which requires time and money. Sometimes, workers with such updated skills are not available for the companies to fill their vacancies. This causes severe problems, because then the company has to divert substantial resources to recruitment, which costs them heavily to get new employees; whereas new employees are supposed to be making more money for them, not costing them their funds. This causes problems for the companies, and thus it is necessary for t hem to determine some cost effective recruitment strategies (Goss, pg 232, 1994). POSSIBLE RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES One way of employing such cost-effective recruitment methods is to pay attention to factors which will attract employees as well as motivate them to keep working. These include the fringe benefits, bonuses, promotions, training programs and compensation rates that these companies offer the employees. The management style, reputation and size of the company are also very important factors in this regard. Different factors have a different level of importance for employees. Some may prefer a job which pays them a high salary, while others may be attracted to large companies with good reputations in the industry. Thus, these companies need to account for these individual differences when recruiting employees (Capelli, pg 146, 2005). Not every company can afford to offer the potential employees being recruited all the above benefits. In fact, some companies may face severe d ifficulties in recruiting new people due to such limited resources. If they exist in an economy which has a very limited supply of employees who possess the skills needed, they face major problems when trying to recruit such employees. Since they do not have all the resources other companies may be able to offer employees, they will not be the preferred choice of employers for

Early Civilian Matrix Essay Example for Free

Early Civilian Matrix Essay Early Civilizations Matrix Using your readings and outside sources, complete the following matrix. Be sure to address the following in your matrix Provide names, titles, dates, brief descriptions of important events, and other details, as necessary. Note the details of key political, socioeconomic, technological, artistic, musical, architectural, philosophical, and literary developments for each civilization listed in the table, which were evidenced in the humanities. Properly cite the sources you use in completing this matrix. The Budda tells the story of his life. Buddhism is one of the most important Asian spiritual traditions.(Buddhism, n.d.)Brahmanism and Buddhism gave rise in India to form two types of socities. (Buddhism, n.d.) Buddist influences on print technology in East Asia are far reaching.Buddist Technology, n.d.)Buddist art is the artistic practices that are solely influenced by Buddhists(Buddhism, n.d.).Buddhist music or so call Saskit Music is an orginal form of a Buddhist chant.(Buddhism, n.d.)The development of Buddhist architecture can be traced back to the introduction of Buddhism. Their main feature are temples. (Buddhism, n.d.)Buddhism philosophy is the teachings o the Buddha Buddist Philosophy, n.d.)Buddhist scriptures comprise on complicated texts. (Buddist Literature, 1982)Early Middle AgesThe political structure of the western Christendom were changing and the boundaries of the known world were expanding.(Politics in the Middle Ages, 1912)The Middle Ages were a dark age for Europe. There was rapid technology progress during this time. One big improvement was the heavy plow. (Technology in the Middle Ages, n.d.)Art saw many changes during this period. (Art in the Middle Ages, n.d.)The music of the Early Middle Ages generally consisted of the secular music of the church. (Early Middle Ages, n.d.)During the Early Middle Ages, architecture can be divided in two classes religious and military architecture. (Newman, 2008-2014)The first period in the Early Middle Ages from around 400-1000 were called the Dark Ages.(Early Middle Ages, n.d.)Latin was the language of the church and of learning. (The Middle Ages, 2010-2014)High Middle AgesThere was political stability in Western Europe in the early High Middle Ages.(Middle Ages, n.d.) The High Middle Ages began after AD 1000. The churchs became the universal and unifying institutions. (The Middle Ages, n.d.)Some technology was developed  with the heavy plow, tidal mills, and blast furnaces. (The Middle Ages, n.d.)Christ ian-oriented art architecture flourished. Crusades were mounted to recapture Holy Land. The music during this period was primarily religious in nature. The music changed after the fall of Roman EmpireDuring the High Middle Ages, architecture took many innovative changes from Romanesque style to Gothic style. (Middle Ages,n.d.)The first truly great medieval philosopher was Augustine of Hippo. The Carolingian Rennaissance led to scientific Philoshical revival of Europe.A variety of cultures influenced the litersture of the High Middle Ages. (The Middle Ages, n.d.)Late Middle AgesThe Late Middle Ages went through major political changes. These changes were marked by the rise of strong and royalty-based nation-states.(Late Middle Ages Politics, n.d.)The Late Middle Ages lead to a crisis of events in the 14th 15th centuries that brought centuries of European property growth to a halt. The mining industry under went a transition during the Late Middle Ages.Until the late 11th century, Southern Italy occupied the western border of the vast Byzantine Empire.Medieval music is Western music written in the Late Midddle Ages. This era begins wi th the fall of the Roman Empire. (Late Middle Ages Music, n.d.) Gothic style and Christian motifs dominated aret and architecture during the Late Middle Ages.(Middle Ages, n.d.)Medieval philosophers are thehistorical success of the philosophers of this era. The development of secular litersture written in the vernacular continued and accelerated in the Late Middle Ages. (Middle Ages, n.d.)Ancient GreeceAncient Greece wascomposed of mulitiple self-governing states. Political standing was determined by sex, age, foreign status, and states. ( Discovery Channel, 2010)Agriculture was difficult due to geographic necessities such as rich soil.Talos, automatic doors, steam engines, and water/air pumps. Talos was an operational robot.(Sfetos, 2002)Art during the Archac period was on a more natural level. Approved greek artists worked in jewelry making, metal working, ivory carving, and gem cutting. (The Metropolitian Museum of Art, 2000-2001)Lyric poetry and short songs with musical instruments. Poems to be sung by a chorus on sacred or ritual occasions. (King, n.d.)Donic Ionic principals. Columns were very popular in the Ancient Greece period.( The Metropolitian Museum of Art, 2000-2001) In Ancient Greece only free men born in the city were all owed to vote. They were able to enter political  debates.( Philosphy Politics of Ancient Greece, 2002-2011)Poetry was created far before literature and writings. Poetry was intented for singing and reciting. (Greek Literature, 2001)Ancient RomanThe ancient government was very similar to that of greeks. The Roman Empire was under one man rule until the beginning of time.(UNRV.com, 2003-2014)Slave-based economy. Agriculture and trade dominated the Roman economy. (UNRV.com, 2003-2014)Aqueducts, sewage systems and major technological achievements. The aqueducts brought water into the city of Roman and supplied water to some of the fountains.(Roman Technology, n.d.)Murels and large wall paintings were popular forms of art within Anciet Roman. Stautes, portraits, and sculptures were also important art forms.(The Art of Ancient Roman, n.d.)Romans took musical influence from those they conquered. Music in this time period was generally performed and associated with the military.( The Music of Ancient Rome, n.d.)Architecture was an essential part of the Roman period. Arches and columns of many different shapes and sizes became fluent within the city. (The Art of Ancient Rome, n.d.)By 50 BC, Romans began writing philosophy. Much of the Roman philosophy mocked greek philosophy. (Carr, 1998-20 11)Roman literature began as dramas, which began with no song or dialogue. It was much later, Rome began to see both comedies and tragedies played out by Roman Writers.(Roman Colosseum, 2008)ChinaAncient China had a government ruled by dynasties, sometimes united under on dynasty. China was ruled by emperors.The people of China were arranged in different social classes based on their economic status. (Ancient China History, n.d.)Ancient China was technically advanced in iron-making. Ancient Chian was also advanced in other technological fields.Chinese art is a visual art as we know it today. Traditional Chinese music can be traced back 7000-8000 yrs based on a bone flute made in Neolothic ( Discover.com, n.d).They lived in small houses made of mudbrick with only one room and dirt floors.(Discovery.com)Neo-Confuciumism became highly popular during this era.People in China started writing about 1500 BC. IndiaThe identity and unity of its government belong to the Ancient Vedic Age. The system goes back 5000 years or more. The customs, beliefs, and practices we re quite different during the Ancient India. The modern numeration system was developed. The art work during the India Era, consisted of sared murals and photographs.The Birthplace of Indiam musical  Ragu and Swwarus.The architecture was a very unique style. Earliest architecture dated back to 2500 BC.The Bhagavad Gita is revered as a sacre text of Hindu. The Republic has 22 officially recognized languages.Judaism1st century Judaism was a cauldron of resentment and frustration.(Jadaism Politics, n.d.)Concerned with caring for the needy people of there society. Looks at remedying the situation of poverty.(Judaism Economist, n.d.)Technology helped them in understanding the commandments betterMterial on the art formation is extremely rare. Investigastions lead to pottery, seal-engraving, metal cast, and sculpture.Jewish music stems from Ancient prayer chants of the Levant some 3000 years ago.Synagogue architecture followed styles in vogue for artistic expression.(Jewish Architecture, n.d.)Early Jewish Philosophy drew heavily from Plato, Aristotle, ans Islamic philosophy.H ebrew literature consists of ancient, medieval, and modern writings in Hebrew language.Early ChristianEarly Christians fell within the boundaries of the Roman Empire. The citizens within the Roman Empire generally made offerings to the state Gods and Godesses. (Early Christian History, n.d.)Much Earl Christianity was underground, the economy and society was the same as the Roman Empire. Christianity was no ant acceptable religion. Individuals remained a part of the Roman Empire.(UNRV.com,2003-2011)The technology used was similar to the Roman Empire. Aqueducts, sewage systems and amphitheaters were some of the greatest technological achievements .Art included decorations of the hidden places of worship. Early artists focused on portraying the Christians Beliefs.Music was discreet, Early Christian music came in the form of chants an versus.Early archecture was primarily for churches. This included the Basilica Church. The churches were primarily made of regular brick and marble.(Early Christian Architecture, n.d.)Early Christian wss derived from may subcuktures within the Roman Empire. The Christian church was a place for new ideas. (Graham,2011)Early literature included the New Testament, which was a collection of these writings. This included documentation of the early movement the words and death of Jesus. (TroxelIslamTotal tarianism seeks total political control. Not solely a religious movement.The Islamic economy was primarily dependent on trade between China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. (Carr, 1998-2011)The piston pump was created in 1206 AD. The pump enabled water to travel underground to surface  by means of pressure.(History of Science And Technoloy in Islam, n.d.)Islamic Art was primarily in pottery from potters used metal-based glazed on their pottery. (Carr, 2008-2011)Music took on a multi-cultural approach between 661-750 AD. Arab music had great influences.In the late 600s AD, they began to build mosques and oalaces. (Carr, 1998-2011)Islamic litersture was not always in existent. Arabic was primarily spoken and rarely written until after 1000 AD(Carr, 1998-2011) Use a list format of complete sentences rather than paragraphs. Do not copy and paste from outside resources. The following are two examples of the level of detail and documentation expected for this assignment Ancient Egyptian politics The union of Upper and Lower Egypt by Narmer in 3150 B.C.E. is commemorated in a 2-foot high slate known as the palette of Narmer (Sayre, 2013, pp. 3233). Ancient Greek architecture Minoan society The three-story palace a t Knossos was a labyrinthine masonry structure with dozens of rooms and corridors built around a central courtyard (Sayre, 2013, pp. 4344). Include a reference page if you are using sources other than the textbook.

Marlows Assessment of Africa in Conrads Heart of Darkness :: Heart Darkness essays

Marlow's Assessment of Africa in Heart of Darkness   Ã‚   Marlow's assessment of the African wilderness in the beginning of the story is like that of something that tempts him and his fellow explorers to Africa. When Marlow says, "And as I looked at the map of it in a shop-window, it fascinated me as a snake would a bird - silly little bird" (Conrad, Longman 2196). If we take note of the phrase "silly little bird" it may be noted that the Marlow is comparing Britain to that silly little bird. It could be that he felt Britain's occupancy of Africa was nothing more than his own country falling into a trap. It was not a designed trap but one of destiny. It was his countries destiny to fall prey to the allures of that Dark Continent. Millions would die in the attempt to make monetary gains while occupying Africa.    When Marlow mentions "the whited sepulcher" he could be referring again to his homeland, and when he makes this statement he may be referring to the fact that Britain has sent many of its people to be buried in that deep and mysterious place referred to as the Congo. According to YourDictionary .com, the word sepulcher means, "to bury" (YourDicitonary.com). In combination with the word white, referring to his Caucasian race, could Marlow be referring to the death of his fellow countrymen, or could he be referring to the death of a continent, Africa, at the hands of the white race invading her? These thoughts may both have validity when deciphering this text. When Marlow describes the, "Two women, one fat and the other slim, sat on straw-bottomed chairs, knitting black wool" he may be describing the future of two races combined in utter disarray in Africa. He may be using the "black wool" as something akin to insight into what future had in store for millions of people both black and white in the Congo (Longman 2197). The "black wool" may be referring to black shards for covering the dead. It may also be an idea of not human death but the death of an area such as the Congo. He may have been sensing that the influx of his own countrymen may be taking away the spirit of that wild and forbidden Congo. Marlow's utterance of, "guarding the door of Darkness, knitting black wool as for a warm pall, one introducing, introducing continuously to the unknown, the other scrutinizing the cherry foolish faces with unconcerned old eyes" could give more clues to Marlow's characterization of the African wilderness (Longman 2198).

Management of a Software Development Project Essay

Introduction Many years ago, general services offered by hotels like dinner reservations, room reservations and other services were done manually. Most hotels used books, ledgers and papers to record names of guests, their duration of stay and contact details. This required a lot of effort and time. Since the advent of the information age however, dynamic and interactive websites have been introduced which have more efficient and faster technological features and capabilities for the management of hotel services. For any business to remain competitive, it is necessary to maintain an online presence in order to reach out to customers all over the world and compete on a global platform. Reservations and payments are now done online to ensure that conduction of business is faster and more convenient for customers. Definition of Project Management A project is a temporary endeavor that is done to generate a unique product or service (Duncan 1996). Project Management is an activity that involves the overall supervision, management and co-ordination of all activities related to accomplishing a set activity. It always has a start and a finish date. According to Whitten, Project Management is a process that starts at the beginning of a project, is conducted throughout a project and doesn’t end until after the project is completed (2001).   According to Duncan (1996), Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to activities to fulfill stakeholders’ needs and expectations. It usually involves finding a balance among scope, time, cost, quality, and varying expectations of stakeholders. Another definition of Project Management is â€Å" the process of scoping, planning, staffing, conducting, directing, and managing the development of a system at an affordable cost within a specified time frame† (Whitten, Bentley & Dittman 2001, p.124). Importance of Project Management According to Dr Malcolm Wheatley, â€Å"Project management as a management discipline, supports much economic activity.† In major industries like Information Technology, Software Development, Construction, Pharmaceuticals, and Aerospace, project management is fundamental. Project Management is also important in governments that have set goals and milestones which can only be achieved with effective management practices. Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the US Department of Commerce, estimated in 2001 that the US companies spend $2.3trn on projects every year (2000).   Project management is important in any economic activity because it ensures adequate planning, scheduling and successful execution of a project; it also helps to reduce possible risks associated with a project and ensure minimal hitches. Project Management is indeed important to every economy. Many projects fail because of poor knowledge of Project Management concepts. Its relevance cannot be over emphasized. Role of the Project Manager The project manager is in charge of daily management and supervision of the project. He manages the project to ensure that things go according to plan. He also communicates with all stakeholders and project team members to ensure that there’s a clear understanding of general requirements. The project manager confirms users’ requirements to make sure that these requirements are incorporated into the end-product. A project manager engages in scoping, planning, staffing, organizing, scheduling, directing, controlling and closing a project (Whitten 2001, p.127). Swot Analysis The Regency Hotels has several strengths that serve as advantages. It has the potential to expand its services to customers internationally due to the number of branches it has, internet availability and its unique services. It is also strategically located, can leverage on its positioning and has a wide customer base. Its two major weaknesses are: 1) it has a static website which cannot provide interactive functions like online payments, online reservations, message boards, fan clubs, and so on. 2) It does not have skilled IT staff in-house that can manage the online system when it is eventually deployed. There are however, opportunities for it to become one of the best hotels in the world by maintaining a consistent and interactive global presence.   Increased competition is the major threat to Regency Hotels. Most hotels today, have a strong online presence that offers customers various services that make their experiences with the hotel more memorable and convenient, like booking and paying online. Regency Hotels is yet to rise to the challenge. Development methodology The software development methodology to be adopted for the production of this system is the waterfall method. This is an approach to software development that specifies that a project should be grouped into phases and one phase must be completed before the next. The project is carried out in a logical manner through a pre-determined number of steps. This method is preferred because the duration of the project is only two weeks and the requirements are clear.   With the waterfall method, project reviews are conducted between stages, which represent milestones. This provides an organized scenario that ensures required documentation and quality management of the developed application is carried out (Sorensen 1995). Project Scope The project scope definition involves clarifying the boundaries of the project. Regency Hotels in addition to available technological features like retrieving customers’ information, billing, checking for room availability, desires a system with added capabilities of online booking and payment. This project involves building a system that can accept online booking and payment options by customers. A portal will be developed to include the following features: Online reservations, online payment, checking room availability, checking in, checking out, discussion group and general information on the hotel. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) will be added to the website to provide for added security when paying online; search functions will be provided on web pages to check for room availability and booking; e-mail and discussion group facilities will be included to facilitate communication between customers and the hotel; and other technological features from the available website will be incorporated into the new portal to ensure that a robust system that meets the expectations of Stakeholders at Regency Hotels is built. The final system will be deployed at the hotel and tested. Staff members that need to be trained will be identified and educated on how to use the system. The change management process will be made easier for staff of Regency Hotel by ensuring that they are adequately trained, resources are provide to assist them, and maintenance/ support plans are put in place. Result of using COCOMO model to estimate effort, duration and number of people required. The Constructive Cost Model, known as COCOMO was developed by Barry Boehm in 1981. It is based on the waterfall model and is used for estimating the number of person and months needed to develop software. It also estimates the development schedule in months. The development mode for this project is organic because it is a small and straight-forward one. A small team with sufficient experience work together to develop the portal system (Merlo-Schett 2002). COCOMO is defined in terms of three basic models: The Basic model, the Intermediate model and the detailed model. The KDSI is the size of the project in Kilo delivered source instructions. These are source lines that are created by the project team. Using the Intermediate COCOMO I, calculation is done as follows: Required: Portal system for online payment and booking Development Effort (MM) = a * KDSI b Effort and development Time (TDEV) =     2.5 * MM c With organic mode of development, a = 3.2, b = 1.05, c = 0.38 4 modules to implement: Data entry – 0.5 KDSI Data update – 0.3 KDSI Online Reservations – 0.8 KDSI Online Payment – 0.7 KDSI System SIZE 2.3 KDSI MM = 3.2 * 2.3 1.05   = 7.7 TDEV = 2.5 * MM c = 2.5* 7.7 0.38 = 5.4 (Project needs more than 5 months to complete) Number of people to be hired = MM/TDEV = 7.7/5.4 = 1.4 (This means that more than one team member is needed to execute the project). The major shortcoming of the above calculation is that value of the KDSI used is approximate (Merlo-Schett 2002). Hardware and Software Requirements At least four separate computers will be needed for building the portal, testing it and hosting it.   Softwares like Macromedia Dreamweaver, Java, PHP, SQL Server and Visual Basic .NET will be needed for building the portal. A central server for hosting and managing user connections to the portal will also be required.   Work Breakdown Structure Work Breakdown Structure shows the hierarchical decomposition of projects into phases, activities and tasks (Whitten 2001, p.135). SOFTWARE REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATION 1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify sponsors and stakeholders 1.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Meet with sponsors and stakeholders to clarify system requirements 1.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Produce Software Requirements Specification Draft 1.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sign-off on software requirements TECHNOLOGY SPECIFICATION 2.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determine hardware and software needed for developing the system 2.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Procure hardware and software needed for system development 2.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Set-up hardware and software for use SCOPE MANAGEMENT 3.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop a written scope statement as a basis for future project decisions 3.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Verify Scope of the Project with sponsors 3.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perform Scope Change Control to prevent scope creep COST & SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT 4.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop an estimate of project costs 4.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Schedule Meeting with Stakeholders to agree on cost and deadline 4.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Receive Payment from Stakeholders 4.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Allocate cost estimates to individual work items 4.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evaluate actual versus projected schedule 4.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Control changes to project budget to avoid going over the budget 4.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Compare actual and budgeted costs 4.8  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Schedule Development 4.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Schedule Control HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PHASE 5.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify Project Roles/Conduct Organizational Planning 5.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determine Skills of People needed to develop system 5.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determine number of people to work on the project 5.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recruit Project Team Members 5.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Engage staff with appropriate skills 5.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop individual and group skills to enhance project performance ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT PHASE 6.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop activity list for project team members 6.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sub-divide major project deliverables into smaller components 6.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assign Team Members to tasks and deliverables 6.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Supervise activities within the project team 6.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evaluate Performance and Productivity 6.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Update activity list as necessary 6.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conduct meetings and review status reports on software development PROJECT OFFICE ADMINISTRATION 7.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Attend to daily activities or events concerning the project 7.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   General project supervision PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS 8.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determine information and communication needs of stakeholders 8.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Provide information to stakeholders in a timely fashion 8.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Put contact details of all team members and stakeholders into the database 8.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Performance reporting to stakeholders through status reports, progress measurement and forecasting 8.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Set up meetings with project team members 8.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop status reports for the project RISK MANAGEMENT 9.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify all possible risks within the project and effects on project 9.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Define steps for responding to threats 9.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Respond to changes in risks during the course of the project QUALITY MANAGEMENT 10.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify quality standards relevant to the project and how to satisfy them 10.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evaluate overall project performance 10.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Define Quality Assurance Specifications 10.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Code and check the system for compliance with quality standards 10.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Test System to make sure it fits clients’ requirements Hand-Over of Project 11.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ensure adherence to client requirement 11.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conduct Customer Acceptance Tests 11.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Review Software User Manuals 11.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sign off & Certify Solution Development 11.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Submit Project Close-out Report 11.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Terminate Project Project scheduling (Please refer to attached Microsoft Project document for dependency between activities, network diagram, critical path and Gantt chart) A Project network diagram displays the logical relationships of project activities. A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart that shows tasks against timelines. Each bar is equivalent to a project task. Gantt charts show, tasks that can be performed at the same time (Whitten 2001, p.128).Any tasks on the critical path cannot be delayed. Name of Activity  Ã‚      Duration Starting Date    Finishing Date    Software Requirement Specification 1 Day Wed 4/23/08 Wed 4/23/08 Technology Specification       1 Day Thu 4/24/08 Thu 4/24/08 Scope Management       10 Days    Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08       Cost & Schedule Management       12 Days Wed 4/23/08 Thu 5/8/08 Human Resources Management Phase 8 Days Wed 4/23/08 Fri 5/2/08       Activity Management Phase       10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Project Office Administration       10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Project Communications       10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Risk Management       10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Quality Management       10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Hand-Over of Project       10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Possible risks related to the software development project Every project has its own share of risks. Risks associated with this project are outlined below: The period of time given for the execution of the project is short. The COCOMO model shows that a project of such magnitude requires at least 5 months for completion. There is a risk of the project exceeding the time frame allocated by the stakeholders. User requirements may change or expand during the duration of project. There is a risk of having to accommodate changes to the design of the portal. This is known as scope creep and may affect the schedule and budget (Whitten 2001). With the obvious need to procure softwares for the development of the portal system, resources like time and money may not be sufficient. There is a risk of taking short cuts around the system development methodology in order to meet the deadline and not exceed the budget. This might affect the quality of the final product. Another potential risk is that of feature creep. This refers to the uncontrolled addition of technical features to a system that is being developed without regard to schedule and budget (Whitten 2001, p.125). A portal system is a robust application that is designed to fulfill various needs of an organization. The temptation to add more features is always a prevalent risk There is the risk of a team member resigning from the project. This will cause a considerable loss of time. There is also the risk of insufficient communication within the project team which may lead to misunderstanding of customers’ requirements, and cause a deviation from the project plan, budget and schedule. Project Monitoring Project monitoring involves supervising the project throughout its lifecycle. This is important in order to know how things are going and to solve any problem that may arise during the course of the project. This can be done via meetings, emails, reports on progress and finances and also by observing project management best practices. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Applying the principles of Project Management to the development of the portal system at Regency Hotels will go a long way to ensure that the objectives are met on time, within budget and that the software product will be of the desired quality. Project Management is a crucial practice that should be encouraged in every sector of the economy. It ensures that money, energy and time are not wasted on failed projects. With sufficient project management practices in place, stakeholders and contractors can conduct businesses without bothering about the hitches involved with long-term projects. Regardless of the end product, which could be a new service, product or knowledge, project management ensures that a successful outcome is achieved within the available resources and time frame. References Whitten, JL, Bentley, LD, & Dittman, KC 2001, Systems Analysis and Design Methods, 5th edn, Mc Graw-Hill, New York. Wheatley, M 2000, The Importance of Project Management, Project Smart. Available from: [22 April 2008] Sorensen, R 1995, A comparison of Software Development Methodologies, Software Technology Support Centre. Available from: [24 April 2008] Duncan, WR 1996, A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge, PMI Standards Committee. Available from: [24 April 2008] Merlo-Schett, N 2002, ‘COCOMO Constructive Cost Model’, Proceedings of the seminar cost estimation W 2002/2003, pp. 1-24. Available from: [22 April 2008].