Knowledge management research paper

bilingual education essay

There is no historical basis for bilingual education. Appeals to history can be elegant, but they are largely irrelevant for purposes of passing judgment on bilingual education. If for emotional reasons and for perspective one would like to appeal to history, however, one could point to non-English language instruction provided in the 1800s in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York, mostly for immigrants from German, Scandinavian, and French backgrounds. The goals of current American bilingual education can also be seen as directed toward assimilation of the non-English-speaking children. One of the original concerns that led to bilingual education, it will be recalled, was the alarmingly high dropout rates among minority students.

bilingual education research paper

The most interesting aspect of the results was in the background characteristics of the respondents who were against bilingual education. Three characteristics were important. First, men were more likely than women to oppose bilingual education. Second, men and women aged fifty or older tended to be more opposed. And third, men and women who had grown up using a non-English language at home were more opposed. These three effects were additive, so that among men in their fifties who had grown up using a non-English language (mostly Italian), there was overwhelming opposition.

assignment on mentoring

Mentors generally serve as organizational role models who teach the protégé the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are needed to fast-track the protégé's career. Mentors provide a protégé with challenging job assignments, organizational visibility, and often exercise power to advance the protégé's career. Mentorship is generally viewed as the most intense work relationship in organizations and the relationship extends beyond organizational boundaries by evolving into a solid, personal friendship. However, since most senior managers are men, their mentoring relationships with women are riskier than more traditional mentoring with other men. The literature about cross-gender mentoring identifies several risks when men mentor women.

assignment project management

The only serious problems encountered in implementing project management at SPNB were concerned with convincing the various levels of management that project management was the way to go. As previously indicated, there were few problems encountered in obtaining the full support of top management, however middle management was a different story. It took approximately two years of concentrated effort to eliminate the last areas of resistance. During this implementation period there were a number of instances of conflict characterized by foot-dragging and/or haggling over authority. This conflict was almost entirely due to the unfamiliarity of the line/functional managers with the matrix and their failure to accept the multiple-boss situation.

essay on management

Project management can be implemented with a minimum of trauma and organizational conflict. If project management is to get started on the right foot, it depends upon top management, functional management, and project management making a number of critical actions very early in the life of the project. The most important action to be taken by top management is that of completely selling the project management concept to the entire organization. A number of other actions must be taken by top management which all in volve firm and continuing support of the project manager and the project concept. The action then passes to functional and the newly appointed project manager.

management term paper

The very existence of project management is contingent on two critical issues: (1) whether the organization needs changing, and (2) whether new control systems need to be developed, separate and apart from the existing systems of the sponsoring company. The degree of project success is directly proportional to the effectiveness of the information and decision-making processes. Efficient and effective management of projects demands strict attention and adherence to the PDM. However, in most cases, while all the steps are performed, they need not necessarily be completed in the order started. The PDM can be used to determine project management needs because it brings to the surface the "hard" questions that need management attention. Ultimately, the right answers are furnished to get the job done.

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At the other end of the scale are very large and complex projects which have a compelling need for project management. However, as projects increase in size and duration, they eventually fall prey to the same bureaucratic system that their parent companies turned away from when they adopted project management. This occurs because the project is as large and complex as the parent organization without becoming a separate division or subsidiary company. In the planning are several large construction efforts where a single project, involving billions of dollars and spanning a dozen years, has a project organization which is almost a duplicate of its hierarchical parent company.

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Project management fills the need to bring information closer to the decision maker. One step toward meeting this requirement is through development of formal information systems and procedures called Project Control Systems. Traditionally, Project Control Systems have consisted of individual and independent information processing subsystems solving specific operational problems. The individual solutions have not been necessarily compatible with each other. The systems approach suggests that every system or subsystem of project control directly affects the performance of other systems. The effective project control systems integrate the planning, scheduling, cost control, estimating, administration, status reporting, and contract effort of the project manager.

free research papers on knowledge management

Does the organization have just one big project? A pure project organizational form is usually the answer for that one gigantic project, whether its an aerospace or construction project. If there are a number of rather medium-sized projects, a strong matrix is usually a better answer. Whenever there are multiple projects, a matrix should be considered, particularly if the projects are technically very complex and cross many disciplinary boundaries. A number of small projects usually suggests the use of multiproject management where a single project manager has a number of small projects, none of which justify a full-time project manager. Multiproject management works best when the projects are not complex but are similar or interrelated.

knowledge management research paper

Since project management is a function of the project, the organization, and the project manager, it should follow that these three would determine effective leadership style for managing projects -- not so. The evidence shows that organizational climate is the strongest influencing factor in determining effective leadership style. What this means is that it makes little difference how complex the project, or whether the project manager reports directly to the president or another manager. If the organizational climate is good, chances are the project manager will get the job done concentrating on team member needs and support. This is slightly more than a coordinating role.