Managing Projects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing Projects - Essay Example Another aspect of global or domestic management is ability of project manager to be able to monitor a project closely and control different dimensions such as, cost, quality and integration. These differences are sometime very different and sometimes very similar distinctions that can leave company leaders looking for contingency plans. Organization looking to get into globalization must take into consideration such differing factors as the language, expatriate, cultural, political, legal, economic, technological and many more that exist between the US and foreign countries. But only four of these items will be discussed in regards to globalization and the problems companies facing when venturing into foreign countries. The most common barrier organizations encounter going into foreign countries is language barriers. There are unspoken signals and gestures that are non verbal form of communication that that sometimes may be disregarded. Non verbal forms of communication include gestures, body language and semiotics, which refer to the underlying meaning of signs. Companies also encounter the issue of translation of document in English to various languages. For instance, the company I work for have subsidiaries in China, Japan, Taiwan and other parts of the world. On several occasion we have had problems with translations of our documents into various languages. ... ntages to the project team but more careful attention need to be given to development work, more careful attention needs to be given to the team of what is expected of them. Expatriates face the difficult of local team members not wanting to share their knowledge or lend a helping hand to an outsider. Using expatriates can be costly because the organization would have to provide housing and transportation and other amenities for the duration of the project. Cultural differences can be sub-group into attitudes, beliefs and values. Employee attitudes differ from country to country and this affects the way consumers in foreign countries react to certain scenarios. For instance, people in some foreign countries beliefs that a man should be the head of a business unit but in the US we belief in placing the most qualified person in the position. In terms of attitude, some cultures do not allow lower level employees to speak during a business because the respect is supposed to go to the head of the department. Lower level employees are required to brief their boss on every aspect of the business before the meet and during the meeting they are not allowed to comment or contradict. To illustrate how cultural differences can affect an international country I will use the example of the company I for, we were so insensitive to the religious beliefs of our Muslim countries who we conduct business with that we use a bi-product made from pig intestin e and at the end the drug product was reject by the Health Authorities of those countries. We had to find a substitute for the bi-product in order to keep the drug on the market. Other area of importance for companies to consider when entering into foreign markets is politics, which reflects the importance of the government and the legal

Calculated Versus Observed Underwater Sound Speed Essay

Calculated Versus Observed Underwater Sound Speed - Essay Example The speed of sound in air is approximately figured out by the formula . . . speed of sound (m/s) = 331.5 + 0.60 T(C). The speed or velocity, at which sound travels through water was first researched by Sir Isaac Newton in 1687 when he found that measurements of sound in fluids relied only on the physical properties of the fluid, such as elasticity and density (Funk & Wagnalls). The speed of sound in water is about four times greater than that in air. Although this seems to contradict the physical law that the denser the gas, the slower the speed of sound, the sound speed is actually determined more by the elasticity of the medium (Urick, 1983). In 1822, Daniel Colloden used an underwater bell in an attempt to calculate the speed of sound underwater in Lake Geneva, Switzerland. His attempts resulted in figures remarkably close to today's accepted values (Acoustics . . . 2006). But sound speed cannot be discussed without mention of Jaque Sturm, French mathematician, who made the first accurate measurements of sound velocity in water in 1826. World War I created a great necessity to study the propagation of sound under water, with more progress in World War II and increased understanding from current research (Funk & Wagnalls). ... His attempts resulted in figures remarkably close to today's accepted values (Acoustics . . . 2006). But sound speed cannot be discussed without mention of Jaque Sturm, French mathematician, who made the first accurate measurements of sound velocity in water in 1826. World War I created a great necessity to study the propagation of sound under water, with more progress in World War II and increased understanding from current research (Funk & Wagnalls). The fact that sound moves in a straight line in a medium of equal density (ibid.) led to studies of water variables. Sonar's accuracy depends upon: 1. The reflection of sounds propagated in water. 2. Whether sound is reflecting or refracting. 3. Levels of salinity, while generally constant in the open ocean, greatly changes how sound travels through shallow water. 4. Temperature, a foremost factor in sound speed calculations, usually becomes lower at greater depths of water, decreasing sound speed at about 3 m/sec per degree Celsius. Below 1000m, though, temperature becomes generally constant and pressure is the predominant consideration. But a depth change of about 165m can cause the same change in sound speed as a one-degree temperature drop. Acoustic Tomography (a type of underwater CT scan) and Sofar Floats are examples of technologies and instruments that measure the movement of large scale ocean water mass. A unique feature of the ocean is the Sofar Channel in the upper regions of the deep ocean. In this layer of the ocean, at about 1250 meters below the surface in the northwest Atlantic, the temperature and pressure act to provide a "long range acoustic path or channel"(Acoustic . . . 2006). The SOFAR float is an instrument designed to be neutrally buoyant at a certain depth and