Managing communication knowledge and information Essay

London’s Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports. It is used by over 82 airlines flying to 180 destinations (in 85 countries) worldwide. The airport has five passenger terminals and a cargo terminal. In the 1950s, Heathrow had six runways, now it has just two parallel runways running eastwest of the airport. Heathrow has witnessed strong growth over recent decades, currently handling about 72.3 million passengers and over 477,000 flights a year compared to around 48 million passengers and 427,000 flights a year in 1996. In the absence of any increase in runway capacity, this growth has resulted in Heathrow’s runways operating at around 98% capacity compared to its main European competitors which operate at around 75% capacity, leading to increased delays, lower resilience and fewer destinations served. As the UK continues to face the challenge of airport capacity, Heathrow is considered the most deliverable solution – because it builds on one of the UK’s strongest national assets. Over the last decade since 2003,  £11bn has been spent on making Heathrow world-class, with the award-winning Terminal 5 and the new Terminal 2 (The Queen’s Terminal which opened in June 2014). There are other several reasons why Heathrow is best placed to deliver more jobs, more exports, business opportunities and air travel options for passengers. For example, the centre of economic gravity is to the west of London. There are 120 of the UK’s top 300 company HQs located within a 15 mile radius of Heathrow, compared to just 16 within 15 miles of Gatwick. Several businesses are located closer to Heathrow as they recognise the greater long-haul connections and surface access it has – making it easier for them to do business around the globe. The Thames Valley area, for example, has 60% more international businesses than the national UK average, 100% more US businesses and 260% more Japanese businesses. Heathrow will  help more UK businesses go global with a third runway as it already carries more freight exports and imports than every other UK airport combined, and cargo facilities will be doubled as a result of this plan. However, Heathrow authorities have faced a big problem, whether to build a new airport (option 1) or to increase the capacity of the existing one by building the 3rd runway and a sixth terminal (option 2). The second option needs less investment and is potentially easier to accomplish, but needs more political and social support and agreements as there are many stakeholders with different views about the proposal of a 3rd runway. On one side there are economic benefits, on the other side are considerations involving the environmental impact, increasing noise level and discontent of the people, particularly those living on the area close to the airport. The Airports Commission has been tasked with recommending the best way forward on the UK airport capacity issue. (Adapted from www.heathrowairport.com/about-us/, 2014) You have been recruited as a consultant to provide some contributions to the members of the Airports Commission, who have been tasked to produce a detailed report with recommendations that will help the Heathrow authorities in finding the best way forward on the 3rd runway plans to increase the airport capacity at Heathrow. Your communication skills, understanding of information needs and knowledge management will be crucial for you to be effective in this role. Note: This scenario is for Task 1 and Task 2 that cover Learning Outcomes LO1 and LO2. Dr Knowledge Mpofu September 2014 Semester Assignment Tasks Task 1: Assessing information and knowledge needs Based on Scenario for Task 1 and Task 2, you are expected to: AC1.1 Discuss  the range of decisions to be taken by the Heathrow Authorities and Management  Guidelines: Your answer should discuss the various possible decisions that can be taken by the Heathrow authorities in dealing with the issue highlighted in the scenario. AC1.2 Examine the information and knowledge needed to ensure effective decision taking based on the scenario Guidelines: In your answer to this question, you need to think about, and give examples of, the different types of information and knowledge needed by Heathrow authorities in order to ensure effective decision making in this case. The examples of types of information and knowledge you can give may be of different forms that include qualitative (descriptive information), quantitative (statistical data), official and unofficial information, policy and opinion, tacit and explicit knowledge. AC1.3 Assess internal and external sources of information and understanding based on the scenario Guidelines: Your answer should clearly identify the key sources of information that can help Heathrow authorities. These sources might include internal and external stakeholders of the company, formal and informal sources, team workers and customers. It will be useful to give examples in your answer. Task 2: Stakeholders, Personal networking and Decision-making process Based on Scenario for Task 1 and Task 2, you are expected to: AC2.1 Identify both internal and external key stakeholders of Heathrow airport who should be involved in the decision-making process in the issue highlighted in the scenario. AC2.2 Explain how Heathrow authorities can make contact with their internal and external stakeholders, and develop business relationships. AC2.3 Explain how Heathrow authorities can involve the identified stakeholders in the decision-making process, as appropriate. Guidelines: Your answer should explain the possible ways through which Heathrow authorities can connect, interact or share some ideas with some of the identified stakeholders of the organisation in order to develop business relationships with them. In addition, explain how these identified stakeholders can be involved in the decision-making process with a view to finding the best way forward on the 3rd runway plans to increase the airport capacity at Heathrow. AC2.4 In your role as a consultant in this case, design strategies for improving personal networking and involvement of stakeholders in the decision-making process based on the scenario and, (AC1.4) justify your recommendations for improvement. Guidelines: Your answer should suggest and describe possible ways (strategies) which you could use to improve your personal networking or connections with the identified stakeholders and involve them in discussions and decision-making processes based on the scenario. Any relevant approaches, illustrations or diagrams can be used in designing the strategies for improving networking and stakeholder participation in decision-making process (AC2.4), and your recommendations for improvement should be clearly justified to meet the assessment criteria AC1.4 as well. In this task, you will need to select and analyse the communication processes in an organisation which you are familiar with. In your selection of the organisation, make sure you will have access to both internal and external communication processes used by that organisation. Other students and lecturers will be interested to learn about the communication processes from your selected organisation. You are aware that you will need to find effective ways of communicating this to your colleagues and lecturers. In particular, you recognise that effective communication helps to improve relationships at work and other social situations by deepening your connections to stakeholders and improving teamwork, decision-making and problem solving for the success of an organisation. Based on Scenario for Task 3, you are expected to: AC3.1 Report on existing processes of communication that you have researched and observed in your selected organisation: (i) between management and employees (ii) between the organisation and its customers Guidelines: Your answer should clearly show evidence of some research carried out to identify the different information technology (IT) systems used within the organisation for communication purposes. The answer should also show how people within the organisation meet or create platforms for sharing ideas and decision-making. These opportunities for meetings could be structured and coordinated, planned, face-to-face, formal and informal. AC3.2 Design ways to improve the appropriateness of the communication processes (that you have identified in AC3.1 above). Guidelines: In designing the ways to improve the appropriateness of the communication processes, your answer may include some relevant illustrations or diagrams and specifying the IT systems involved in the process. AC3.3 Explain how the improvements to the ways and IT systems (that you have suggested above in AC3.2) can be implemented to ensure greater integration of systems of communication in the organisation. AC3.4 Based on Scenario for Task 3, create a personal plan to improve your own communication skills. A self-reflective summary is also be needed in this part of the task. Use the following guidelines to help you in preparing and creating an effective personal communication development plan: (i) Identify five communication skills relevant to your role These could be classified under verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills. (ii) Identify three strengths in your communication skills, and describe how each strength will enable you to be more effective or achieve in your role. (iii) Identify three weaknesses in your communication skills and describe how each weakness can be improved. (iv) Create your own Action Plan using a SMART Objective technique: Guidelines: Your Action plan should include the following: a. At least three SMART objectives that can be followed to improve your own personal communication skills b. Specific actions that can be taken to address each objective c. Possible barriers for each objective, and how you think the challenges can be addressed d. Resources and/or support required to achieve each objective e. Time scale: When you expect each objective to be achieved? (v) Produce a Self-Reflective Summary Guidelines: Finally, you are required to produce a Self-reflective summary on how you think the production of your Personal Communication Development Plan has helped you to understand your communication skills, and how to improve them. Your self-reflective summary may also include:   Information on how useful you found the techniques applied in this task (e.g Skills Audit table, SWOT analysis and Action plan based on SMART objectives). How helpful do you think the process of developing your Personal Communication Development Plan has been, and how this may be useful for you in the future. Task 3 covers assessment criteria AC3.1, AC3.2, AC3.3 and AC3.4 under LO3 Task 4: Improving Access to Systems of Information and Knowledge Scenario for Task 4: You are an Information Systems development specialist working for a Knowledge Management company in London. You have been hired by a University in London to produce information systems that could be used by registry and both students and lecturers in supporting their teaching and learning. In this role, you will produce technology systems which will specifically help the University to improve collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge, and assist in improving access to these resources for the benefit of the stakeholders of the university. Based on the Scenario for Task 4, you are expected to: AC4.1 Report on existing approaches to the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge to support the teaching and learning at the University. Guidelines: Your answer should identify and explain how different information technology systems (IT) and other approaches which are used by the University particularly for collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge available to support their teaching and learning process. In your answer, you may also think about approaches that help to ensure the knowledge and information available within the University to their students is consistent, reliable, current, valid, legal and kept safely and confidential. AC4.2 Carry out appropriate changes to improve the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge involving the teaching and learning at the University. Guidelines: Your answer should suggest possible changes that can be done to  improve the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge at the University. You may think about better ways to handle knowledge and information, including how these could be displayed and disseminated to students, lecturers and other stakeholders within and outside the University while ensuring that the information is consistent, reliable, current, valid, legal and kept safely and confidential. AC4.3 Suggest one possible way (strategy) which you think can be used more effectively to improve access to information and knowledge for students, lecturers, management, employees and other stakeholders within and outside the University. Your answer should highlight some possible benefits of creating a way which can be used to increase access to information and knowledge that help in supporting the teaching and learning at the University.

The Biggest Sharks in the World

The Biggest Sharks in the World The whale shark holds the title of the worlds biggest shark species. Growing to a length of about 65 feet (the length of about 1 1/2 school buses!) and weighing about 75,000 pounds, this streamlined fish is really a gentle giant.   Some areas frequented by these sharks, such as Ningaloo Reef  in Australia, have become popular tourist destinations because of their swim-with-sharks programs. Whale sharks live  in tropical and warmer temperate waters in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. In addition to their size, these sharks can be easily recognized by their gorgeous coloration, which is formed from lighter spots and stripes over a gray, blue or brown skin. They also have very wide mouths, which they use to eat tiny prey primarily plankton, crustaceans, and small fish, which are filtered from the water as the shark swims. The second-biggest shark species is the basking shark, which grows to about 40 feet long. These animals are also plankton feeders. They live primarily in temperate ocean waters throughout the world. The Biggest Shark Filmed In summer 2015, a video swept the news, touting it was the biggest shark ever filmed. What many of the news reports failed to mention is the species. There are more than 400 shark species, and they range in size from the 60-foot whale shark to pygmy sharks and lantern sharks that are less than a foot long when fully grown. The biggest shark filmed was actually a white shark, also known as a great white shark. At average lengths of 10 to 15 feet, white sharks are generally much smaller than a whale shark or basking shark.   So, while the 20-foot white shark nicknamed Deep Blue may (or may not) be the largest white shark ever filmed, its by far not the largest shark ever filmed as there is plenty of video footage of much larger whale sharks and their slightly smaller relatives, the basking shark.   The Biggest Shark Ever Caught According to the International Game Fish Association, the largest shark ever caught was a white shark nabbed in  Ceduna, Australia. This shark weighed 2,664 pounds.   Another one of the largest white sharks caught is thought to be a 20-foot shark caught by a trawler about 12 miles off the coast of Prince Edward Island, Canada. The significance of the sharks size was underestimated at the time, and the shark was initially buried. Eventually, a scientist dug it up to investigate it and realized the enormity of the find. The shark was later estimated to have been about 20 years old, meaning it may still have had some growing to do Sources Bateman, D. 2015. Canadian Who Caught Real-Life Jaws Wishes He Hadnt. Toronto Star Newspapers. CBS News. 2015. Giant Great White Shark Caught OFF P.E.I. Was a Teenager. Grenoble, R. 2015. This Is Deep Blue, Probably the Biggest Shark Youve Ever Seen. The Huffington Post.Martins, Carol, and Craig Knickle. 2009.  Whale Shark.  Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department.

Using Genealogy Timelines as Research Tools

Using Genealogy Timelines as Research Tools Research timelines are not just for publicationuse them as part of your research process to organize and assess the mountain of information you have uncovered for your ancestor. Genealogy research timelines can help to examine our ancestors life in historical perspective, uncover evidence inconsistencies, highlight holes in your research, sort two men of the same name, and organize the evidence necessary to build a solid case. A research timeline in its most basic form is a chronological list of events. However, a chronological listing of every event in your ancestors life could go on for pages and become impractical for evidence evaluation purposes. Instead, research timelines or chronologies are most effective if used to answer a specific question. Most often such a question will pertain to whether evidence may or may not pertain to a particular research subject. Some questions which might be answered with a genealogy research timeline: When did my ancestor migrate to or from a particular location?Why might my ancestor have emigrated from Germany in 1854?Is there only one man of a particular name in a certain area and time period, or has my research (or others) erroneously combined information from two men of the same name?Was my ancestor married only once, or multiple times (especially when the first name is the same)? The items you might want to include in your timeline may vary based on your research goal. Typically, however, you might want to include the date of the event, a name/description of the event, the locality in which the event occurred, the age of the individual at the time of the event, and a citation to the source of your information. Tools for Creating a Research Timeline For most research purposes, a simple table or list in a word processor (e.g. Microsoft Word) or spreadsheet program (e.g. Microsoft Excel) works well for creating a research timeline. To get you started, Beth Foulk offers a free Excel-based timeline spreadsheet on her website, Genealogy Decoded. If you make heavy use of a particular genealogy database program, check and see if it offers a timeline feature. Popular software programs such as The Master Genealogist, Reunion, and RootsMagic include built in timeline charts and/or views. Other software for creating genealogy timelines includes: Genelines - Genelines timeline software includes seven customizable timeline charts and reads directly from Family Tree Maker versions 2007 and earlier, Personal Ancestral File (PAF), Legacy Family Tree, and Ancestral Quest. Genelines also supports GEDCOM import.XMind - This mind-mapping software offers a number of different ways to look at your data. For research timeline purposes, the Fishbone Chart can be helpful for showing the causes of a specific event, and the Matrix View offers an easy way to organize and represent chronological data.SIMILE Timeline Widget - This free, open-source web-based tool helps you to visually represent your timelines for easy online sharing with family or colleagues. The SIMILE widget supports easy scrolling, multiple time bands, and inclusion of photos, however youll need to be able to work with and edit code (at a level similar to basic HTML website coding) to use this program. SIMILE also offers a Timeplot widget. See the Getting Started guide for more details. Time Glider - If you prefer a visual timeline solution that doesnt require a lot of technical skill, then this subscription, web-based timeline software makes it easy to create, collaborate on, and publish interactive timelines. A free plan is available (students only) for very simple timelines with limited photos. The regular $5 monthly plan offers extensive flexibility.Aeon Timeline - This Mac-based timeline software equips you with a variety of tools for creative and analytical thinking. It is designed for writers creating story plots, but the same tools for connecting people, places, and relationships with events is perfect for genealogical research. Want something even more creative? Valerie Craft shares a demonstration of using the free presentation software Prezi to create a visual genealogy timeline on her blog Begin with Craft. Case Studies Demonstrating the Use of Genealogy Timelines: Thomas W. Jones, Organizing Meager Evidence to Reveal Lineages: An Irish Example- Geddes of Tyrone, National Genealogical Society Quarterly 89 (June 2001): 98–112.Thomas W. Jones, Logic Reveals the Parents of Philip Pritchett of Virginia and Kentucky, National Genealogical Society Quarterly 97 (March 2009): 29–38.Thomas W. Jones, Misleading Records Debunked: The Surprising Case of George Wellington Edison Jr., National Genealogical Society Quarterly 100 (June 2012): 133–156.Marya C. Myers, One Benjamin Tuell or Two in Late Eighteenth-Century Rhode Island? Manuscripts and a Timeline Provide the Answer, National Genealogical Society Quarterly 93 (March 2005): 25–37.

Appreciative Inquiry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Appreciative Inquiry - Essay Example It’s about finding out what makes something alive, what makes someone the way they are, and what makes someone do the best at something. The Appreciative Inquiry is about asking questions not that get the job done, but focuses on questions that help anticipate and solve problems before they are ever created. The Appreciative Inquiry looks to see the best in people. It looks to get people to talk about their accomplishments: their past accomplishments, their present accomplishments, what they’re proud of, and what they love. The Appreciative Inquiry is all about making you learn the best about someone. It’s all about focusing on high-point movement. Essentially, it’s about allowing someone to â€Å"toot their own horn,† so to speak. Many people like the Appreciative Inquiry because it focuses on what is the best them. Overall, the Appreciative Inquiry is about learning the best in people, and about learning what they’re discovering, what they’re dreaming, what they’re designing, and what makes them the most

Providing support to families of individuals with severe mental health Research Paper

Providing support to families of individuals with severe mental health diagnoses - Research Paper Example Clients suffering from mental problems such as depression are most likely to live with parents and other family members. Such clients require support to get through the recovery period and assist them from succumbing to their habits once more (Baucom, Shoham, Mueser,  Daiuto,  Stickle, 1998, p. 57). The National Institute of Mental Health has carried out a survey that proved an approximated 17 million adult citizens enduring depression on an annual basis (Becker and Drake, 2006, p. 149). Depression is a factual and psychological problem with an extreme price of suffering and decreased work output. At the same time, depression is a treatable mental illness. Curtis is an educational and coaching analyst at the University of California, who has evolved his profession by service users following an analysis opinion carried out by the National Institute of Mental Health. Curtis was enduring migraines, severe headaches, sleepless nights, hallucinations and even convulsions while working at the university. Curtis sought for psychological help from specialists. Even though his journey to recovery is still incomplete, he struggles with his symptoms, while sorrowful the financial and relationship losses that he has undergone (Kuyken, Dalgleish and Holden, 2007, p. 5). Curtis has been divorced twice in one year, with both spouses claiming that they do not get â€Å"enough quality time since their husband is ever-working.† Late working hours, constant interruption from students, banking alerts, family and children demands have continuously depleted Curtis’ mind as he seeks to satisfy each of the needs. Therefore, Curtis sought for mental help at the National Institute of Mental Health. As a result, his siblings, children and career colleagues played a enormous role in causing his depression, as well as offering support for mental help. In accordance with my professional help, self-help and mutual

Gay Marriage Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gay Marriage - Research Paper Example The reasons for my belief will be discuss thoroughly in the following pages. But before that discussion, I shall present the history of gay marriage in America and the controversial landmark ruling of the Supreme Court regarding the legalization of gay marriage in San Francisco back in 2004. I shall have discussions regarding how countries such as the Netherlands have already recognized that these unions are valid and carry specific economic benefits for all concerned. I will touch upon the fact that 19 states beginning with New York, San Francisco, and Massachusetts, including California have already passed state laws legally recognizing these unions. It is my belief that our national laws and policies must be revised to follow suit or else it will fall behind the times and become irrelevant in our future societies. I will prove that in the long run, gay marriage is exactly what we need in order to cure certain problems within the psyche of our nation. In America, the first document ed case of gay marriage license application dates back to 1967 when Michael McConnel and Richard John Baker applied for an Oklahoma marriage license. This was the time of the Stonewall Riots and a huge wave of change was taking over the gay and lesbian communities. (Eskridge & Spedale 5). The Stonewall riots were taken by the gay and lesbian community as a chance to have: ... marched out of their closets and challenged their outlaw status. Lesbian and gay activists insisted that the state should no longer treat them as presumptive criminals and should instead, treat them the same as it treated straight citizens. This was the first time that the once hidden in the shadows issue of gay marriage came to the forefront of a public debate that would run for over 30 years. The state was now in a precarious position. Do they allow the re-definition of marriage as also covering same sex couples or not? Marriage had always been defined as a union between a man and a woman for decades. Now tha t definition was being challenged and the state felt a need to protect the sanctity of marriage as defined by their understanding of the law. And that is exactly what the state legislators did. But true love will never be denied. To this day, in the states where gay marriage is not yet recognized, they continue to have life bonding commitment ceremonies and construct families by conceiving children through artificial means. They are in fact, leading the normal life of any traditional couple. However prude that the United States proved to be, other countries during the same time frame were already recognizing the rights of gay couples and treating them with the normalcy that they so deserved as citizens of their country. Denmark and Sweden were the first countries to allow and recognize same sex unions. In fact Denmark is noted as, in 1989, having been the first country to: ...enact a law enacting (almost) all the rights of marriage to same sex couples. These unions, were called regi stered partnerships. ((Eskridge & Spedale 5) Due to the approval of this law in Denmark, there was an influx of gay couples into the country coming from other countries like the United States, who took advantage of the law by registering and residing in Denmark as same sex couples. As an institution, marriage by definition has been challenged and revised by same sex couples across the globe over the past decades. Although not

Gender and Politics in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gender and Politics in America - Essay Example These reasoning’s parallel the social barriers women have endured throughout the ages. Those that rule whether they are the church, government or financial leaders, shape the laws and ideology of a society. Consequently, the rules of society favor those in power which has been predominantly male in composition. Until the printing press allowed for ideas to be widely and freely circulated, the patriarchal dominance was total. The language was the tool of oppression yet proved to instigate the beginnings of emancipation. The proliferation of knowledge permeated both genders thus aided in moving the balance of power slightly back toward the center. At about the time of the printing press’s invention, women in America generally did not attend school. Education led to the growth of economic independence for women which translated in the growth of political power. â€Å"Without economic power, women are denied honor and prestige. Economic power has important consequences for what women can, or cannot do in a society†. Throughout the history of much of the world including the regions where the English language originated and developed, society has been dominated and controlled by patriarchal rule. The resulting product of the language represents this dominance by means of categorizing the realities of society. Language establishes the boundaries of perception. Male references in everyday speech dominate language usage simply because males have historically dominated society and to a large extent still do.