Is Chocolate Physiologically or Psychologically Addictive? Essay

Is Chocolate Physiologically or Psychologically Addictive? Chocolate is made from the seeds of the tropical tree, Theobroma cacao. Theobroma is the Greek term for 'food of the gods.' In Aztec society chocolate was a food of the gods, reserved for priests, warriors and nobility. The Aztecs used cacao beans to make a hot, frothy and bitter beverage called chocolatl. Chocolatl was a sacred concoction that was associated with fertility and wisdom. It was also thought to have stimulating and restorative properties. The bitter drink was first introduced to Europe in 1528. However, it was not until 1876 that milk, cocoa powder and cocoa butter were combined to form what we now know as chocolate (1). Today, production and consumption of chocolate is a global affair. People crave chocolate more than any other food. In the United States, the typical person eats 11.5 pounds of chocolate annually (2). What makes chocolate the food that is craved more often than any other food? Yes, chocolate tastes good, has a beautiful texture and melts in your mouth, but there must be more to chocolate than what meets the lips. In fact, chocolate is made up of chemicals associated with mood, emotion and addiction. Many people eat chocolate as a comfort food when they are depressed or stressed. The question is, do people crave chocolate because their bodies and brains are addicted to the chemicals in it or do people crave chocolate because they have a psychological attachment to it? Substances found in chocolate, such as phenylethylamine, theobromine, anandamide and tryptophan trigger mood enhancing chemicals and neurotransmitters to be released in the brain. Phenylethylamine is a chemical found in the body that is similar to amphetamine. It he... ...es 1)CHOCOLATE, on the Chocolate web site http://www.chocolate.org/ 2)Prescription-strength chocolate, on the Science News Online-Food for Thought web site http://www.science.org/sn_arch/10_12_96/food.htm 3)Chocolate and Anxiety, on the About the Human Internet web site http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/shfitness/a/chocolate.htm 4)Theobromine: Chocolate's Caffeine Cousin, on the About the Human Internet web site http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/?once=true& 5)Chocolate "addiction" A Fiction?, on the Personal MC web site http://www.personalmd.com/news/a1998121611.shtml 6)Health and Happiness-does chocolate have it all wrapped up?, on the IFIS Hot Topic web site http://www.ifis.co.uk/index.html 7)Chocolate: A heart-healthy confection?, on the CNN web site http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/diet.fitness/02/02/chocolate.wmd/

The new graduate

The new graduate nurses (NGN) are faced with various issues and challenges especially in their first year of nursing practice. The period of transition from a student to a graduate nurse is a demanding period that is filled with new experiences and there are several concerns and factors that can affect the transition process. The research into the issues has recommended some strategies that can be utilised to ease the transition process from being a student to a professional practicing nurse.Exhaustion, reality shock and time management are some of the actors and issues that the new graduate might encounter during their first year in their career. There are several recommended programs, which have been developed to address the issues that influence the transition period such as mentoring, support networks and time management planners. This essay will discuss in detail the range of issues, as well as the strategies and resources to facilitate the adjustment to the new role of a new re gistered nurse. Romyn et al. 2009) states some factors that influence the transition period from a student to a graduate nurse and how quickly newly graduate nurses are able to emonstrate mastery of their new role including personal qualities of the individual registered nurse such as age, previous work experience, maturity and aspirations. It was found that students who have worked as nursing assistants seemed to do better in their role as they had early hands-on experience. Other factors include the quality of educational preparation received during their pre-registration nursing program and the period of clinical experiences.Also, the duration and quality of transition programs for new graduates which is provided by institutions of employment, the ttitudes and behavior of the more experienced nurses in employing institutions as well as the demands been placed on the registered nurse in clinical situations (Chang & Daly, 2012). Fink, Krugman, Casey and Goode (2008) found that the transition of graduate nurses from a student into a professional practice setting is a concern, which is long- standing and widely recognised as a period of stress, reality shock and role adjustment.This is often due to the fact the students are been observed by a nurse when performing clinical tasks. Once the student graduates, they experience reality shock, when they try to adjust to their new role. Reality shock is a term used to describe a gap between what the students are taught to expect, and what is actually experienced during their early stages of work and often the shock occurs when the new graduate nurses discover it difficult to integrate the knowledge obtained in the university into their daily protessional practice.Moreover they discover there is a theory- practice gap as the theory they have been taught in lectures differs to the theory required in a clinical setting (Vieira da Silva et al. , 2010). Duchscher (2008) states that the discrepancies between what graduates understand s nursing from the real world of delivery of health care service compared to their education leaves the new nursing graduates with a sense of groundlessness.The nursing environment moves the new graduates away from the nursing practice adopted in their educational process towards a more productive, efficient and achievement-oriented context that places importance on institutionally imposed social goals which leads to role ambiguity and internal conflict. Duclos-Miller (2011) identified that role stress, role overload and role ambiguity all contribute to transition issues. Role stress is the incongruence between perceived xpectations, role and achievements, which occurs due to the status change from a student to graduate nurse.Furthermore, difficulty experienced from the challenges of the new role, such as lack of consistent and clear information about the behavior expected from them, lack of clearly specified responsibilities, lack of confidence, as well as coping with th e beginning level of competence as a registered nurse (Duclos- Miller, 2011). Role ambiguity is the lack of information needed for role definition and behavior that is expected in their new role, which includes the psychological, social aspects of role performance.Whereas, role overload includes learning of new roles, difficulty with time management and prioritising task. Also other stressors include the feeling of not being competent, encountering new procedures and situations, fear of making mistakes due to increased workload and working with experienced staff nurses that are unwilling to assist (Duclos-Miller, 2011). West, Ahern, Byrnes and Kwanten (2007) indicate that the new graduate nurses may have not worked full-time in the past; given that graduate nurses begin their career with a full-time Job can lead to exhaustion.It was discovered that shift work leads to esynchronisation of physiologically determined circadian rhythms which has a major psychobiology effect and it is co mmonly perceived the effects of shift work contribute to graduate nurses attrition rate. The NGNs often have a high level of stress due to disturbed sleeping patterns, as they find to adaption to shift work or rotating work hours difficult. Eventually, it leads to feelings of lack of Job satisfaction, exhaustion and spending of less time with their friends and family, which can eventually could lead to burnout (West et al. 2007). Dyess and Sherman (2009) found that new graduate nurses expressed concerns bout their ability to delegate and supervise other nurses or unlicensed assistive personnel as they felt unprepared to deal with any type of conflict, they tend to avoid any type of situation rather than confront the situation, as they felt unequipped to explore to conflict professionally. Another issue encountered by the NGN is the ability to communicate witn physicians and other members ot the multidisciplinary team ot which interactions with physicians were a source of anxiety and stress.Moreover, the lack of professional confidence that new graduate may feel can be heightened, when nother professional expresses disgust or uses a gruff tone. This is a safety issue because a sense of insecurity can contribute to the NGN avoiding contact with the physician, unless a patient experiences an extreme physiological decline (Dyess & Sherman, 2009). Morrow (2009) states that most graduate nurses experience horizontal violence in their first year of practice, they felt undervalued and neglected by other nurses and experienced rude and humiliating verbal statements and unjust criticism.The most common form of horizontal violence was in form of psychological harassment, which ncludes intimidation, exclusion, and innuendos. The cumulative impact may lead to absenteeism and frustration that may lead to the consideration of leaving the nursing profession (Morrow, 2009). In order for the factors and issues that surround the transition from a student to a graduate nurse to b e addressed, certain strategies needs to be implemented that can ease the transition period.An Important strategy that can be implemented to assist the graduate nurses to assimilate into a professional working environment is a graduate program. It will aid to build the confidence of the new graduate nurse hrough the provision of support and mentorship during their period of adjustment, and assist the new nurse to assimilate into the hospital environment, think critically and problem solve which will allow the graduates to deal with obstacles encountered in patient care and prepare them for a lifelong learning and also help them in the integration of theory to practice (Davey & Vittrup, 2009).The creation of formal preceptor and mentorship is an effective strategy to facilitate a successful transition. A preceptor is an assigned role in which a capable employee assists with the development and orientation of the new graduate; they are usually esponsible for evaluation and supervising the work of the preceptee. However, a mentor actively supports the graduate nurse with personal and career development, personal support, counseling and acceptance. Also, they help the novice nurse to raise their confidence and recognise their limitations.In addition, mentors help novice nurses in setting realistic goals by recommending appropriate courses of action (Ellis & Hartley, 2012). NGN require resources and information that are designed to facilitate their adjustment in a clinical area, which will enable them to gain skills and knowledge to perform satisfactorily in their Job. Resources such as an orientation program involves the induction of a NGN to the organisational mission and vision statement, as well as an introduction to the procedures and policies related to nursing activities such as medication administration.An appropriate orientation and induction program will ensure that a NGN can safely plan and conduct patient care. In addition, with an appropriate orientati on program the NGN is aware of the overall culture of the hospital, which can make the NGN to teel accepted and part ot a team in a clinical environment, which can promote overall positive outcomes with workplace atisfaction of the NGN (Burgess & D' Hondt, 2007).Effective strategies that enhance the time management skills which is one of the above mentioned issue for new graduates are to arrive to work much earlier, avoiding distractors such as focusing on issues of co-workers, assess patients to note if any extra supplies will be needed to carry out clinical procedures, keeping shift record on track and to chart during the shift and not at the end of the shift and prioritise task to be performed (Booth, 2011).However, to prioritise task the novice nurse needs to learn how to delegate. First, to enhance the skill the nurse should consider how others have delegated to them, consider their body language when delegating by maintaining eye contact, being pleasant and leave any room for suggestions, but ensure they are not intimidated by writing a list of task and posting it at the nurses station, it leaves little room for a misunderstanding (Cherry ; Jacob, 2008).

Types of Crystals Shapes and Structures

Theres more than one way to categorize a crystal. The two most common methods are to group them according to their crystalline structure and to group them according to their chemical/physical properties. Crystals Grouped by Lattices (Shape) There are seven crystal lattice systems.   Cubic or Isometric: These are not always cube-shaped. Youll also find octahedrons (eight faces) and dodecahedrons (10 faces).Tetragonal: Similar to cubic crystals, but longer along one axis than the other, these crystals forming double pyramids and prisms.Orthorhombic: Like tetragonal crystals except not square in cross-section (when viewing the crystal on end), these crystals form rhombic prisms or dipyramids (two pyramids stuck together).Hexagonal:  When you look at the crystal on end, the cross-section is a six-sided prism or hexagon.Trigonal: These crystals  possess a single 3-fold axis of rotation instead of the 6-fold axis of the hexagonal division.Triclinic:  These crystals are not usually symmetrical from one side to the other, which can lead to some fairly strange shapes.Monoclinic: Like skewed tetragonal crystals, these crystals often form prisms and double pyramids. This is a very simplified view of crystal structures. In addition, the lattices can be primitive (only one lattice point per unit cell) or non-primitive (more than one lattice point per unit cell). Combining the 7 crystal systems with the 2 lattice types yields the 14 Bravais Lattices (named after Auguste Bravais, who worked out lattice structures in 1850). Crystals Grouped by Properties There are four main categories of crystals, as grouped by their chemical and physical properties. Covalent Crystals:  A covalent crystal has true  covalent bonds between all of the atoms in the crystal. You can think of a covalent crystal as one big molecule. Many covalent crystals have extremely high melting points. Examples of covalent crystals include diamond and zinc sulfide crystals.Metallic Crystals:  Individual metal atoms of metallic crystals sit on lattice sites. This leaves the outer electrons of these atoms free to float around the lattice. Metallic crystals tend to be very dense and have high melting points.Ionic Crystals:  The atoms of ionic crystals are held together by  electrostatic forces (ionic bonds). Ionic crystals are hard and have relatively high melting points. Table salt (NaCl) is an example of this type of crystal.Molecular Crystals:  These crystals contain recognizable molecules within their structures. A molecular crystal is held together by non-covalent interactions, like van der Waals forces or  hydrogen bonding. Molecular crystals tend to be soft with relatively low melting points. Rock candy, the crystalline form of table sugar or sucrose, is an example of a molecular crystal. Crystals may also be classified as piezoelectric or ferroelectric. Piezoelectric crystals develop dielectric polarization upon exposure to an electric field. Ferroelectric crystals become permanently polarized upon exposure of a sufficiently large electric field, much like ferromagnetic materials in a magnetic field. As with the lattice classification system, this system isnt completely cut-and-dried. Sometimes its hard to categorize crystals as belonging to one class as opposed to another. However, these broad groupings will provide you with some understanding of structures. Sources Pauling, Linus (1929). The principles determining the structure of complex ionic crystals. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 51 (4): 1010–1026. doi:10.1021/ja01379a006Petrenko, V. F.; Whitworth, R. W. (1999). Physics of Ice. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198518945.West, Anthony R. (1999). Basic Solid State Chemistry (2nd ed.). Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-98756-7.

What Is a Congener

When Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ( Aids ) - 772 Words

When Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) appeared in the early 1980’s on United States’ soil, people - including healthcare professionals - were confused about its nature and origin (Aids.gov). The public looked for a scapegoat and found it in the gay male contingent (Isay). What if a similar phenomenon happened, but in a keystone insect? Rowan Jacobsen, in Fruitless Fall, asserts that a comparable type of illness is affecting the honey bee, apis mellifera; the illness, now termed Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), seems transmissible and causes â€Å"extraordinarily high disease loads† (63-82). According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Research Service (ARS), there is no effective treatment for the disease and viral loads (Kaplan). Jacobsen is an award-winning author of five books, among them several anthologies, about the complex relationship between food and environment. In Fruitless Fall, he provides an comprehensive analysis of the honey b ee’s current agricultural existence, with special attention to human impact on its life. As with the AIDS epidemic, beekeepers, media, and agriculturalists began searching for a culprit. Jacobsen alleges that there is no singular cause for CCD - rather, a plethora of problems with which to contend. These include: monocultures and malnutrition, pesticides and antibiotics, urbanization and deforestation, as well as the usual virii, bacteria, and pests which predominate in raising bees (Jacobsen 68, 137-147). Likewise, he offersShow MoreRelatedAIDS, which stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome, has been a worldwide issue for many800 Words   |  4 PagesAIDS, which stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome, has been a worldwide issue for many years. People of all ages have been affected by this syndrome, from newborns to young teens, all the way to adults going all the way through their seniority. 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Michael free essay sample

â€Å"Lauren, come watch with me! Come on! Let’s go!†. Michael was already tugging on my arm and pulling me toward the living room. It was Christmas Eve. Garlands and twinkle lights were plastered against every wall and railing throughout the house and Bing Crosby’s, â€Å"White Christmas†, could just barely be heard over the loud hustle and bustle that is my family. Mike’s voice, loudest of all, came blasting into my ear for the second time in the course of three minutes. â€Å"Lauren! Are you coming now? It’s starting!† We had been close since birth—born less than two weeks apart and living nearly ten minutes away from one another. As toddlers, we bathed and took naps together and as three year olds, we caroused with matchbox cars, Barbies, and Legos. It was not until I was about five that I realized Michael was different. We would sit down to watch a movie and he would constantly stop, rewind, and replay the same scene over a nd over until he knew every line. We will write a custom essay sample on Michael or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He would line up all of the cars, toys, books—almost everything—across the deep blue carpet of his family living room, and I just wanted to play. Aside from reciting movie quotes, he did not talk much. He still wore diapers, still needed help bathing, and stayed in preschool while I moved on to kindergarten. As we got older, the dissimilarities between us became even more apparent. He would not play hide and seek, would not play soccer, and became a loner, only interested in reciting the order of the United States Presidents and lines from Disney movies. It astounded me that he could rattle off every word of every Dr. Seuss book, and yet even at fifteen years old, needed his hand held to cross the street. Autism, the scientific term for Michael’s disorder, did not mean much to me at the time. In my pubescent eyes, it simply seemed as though, for some unfathomable reason, I got to keep on growing up and he was going to stay four years old for the rest of his life . I saw the unfairness in this harsh truth at a very young age and as a result was much more tolerant than most other children. I befriended the outcast in every group or activity and deemed it my responsibility to make everyone feel included. I can recall many instances in elementary school where I was denied the privilege of recess-time for getting into fist-fights with bullies who had been picking on my friend Oscar, who like my cousin Michael, was autistic. As I went on through the years, I found that bullies, like those I had encountered in grade school, were afraid of Michael and Oscar simply because they did not understand. If only they had tried to accept someone different than themselves, they could have learned something†¦something life-changing†¦something powerful. Michael has taught me many things, life long lessons that I will forever cherish. I began to ponder those lessons I had learned as I sat there with him last Christmas Eve, rewinding and fast forwardin g our favorite scenes over and over, laughing as we recited lines and repeated the â€Å"Hot Chocolate† dance, knowing it meant the world to him. I understood him, how to connect with him, and that is how we have managed to stay close all of these years, despite a multitude of differences. Michael has taught me not to judge; he has taught me to be a sensitive person; he has given me a drive to learn how to help and understand others, and he has taught me to appreciate the little things in life, all without even saying a word. I have learned that Michael’s autism is by no means a curse, but rather an inspiration to others, opening not only the eyes, but the hearts of each person he encounters as he recites his way through life. The writing of this essay symbolizes a harsh reality: I am moving on to a new and exciting future and sadly, Michael may never be able to experience the things that lay ahead of me. Yet, despite the inevitable expansion of the space between us, o ne thing that will never change is our annual Christmas tradition and all of the learning and laughter that it brings to our friendship.

Sharjah Higher University of Technology Project Management

Introduction/Background Sharjah Higher University of Technology (SHUT) is one of the 17 colleges that constitute the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) in the UAE. The institution operates as a public university in the UAE.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Sharjah Higher University of Technology’ Project Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The institution is divided into men and women’s colleges. The women’s college was founded in 1997 while the men’s college was founded in 1998. The institution provides Emiratis with an opportunity to achieve their professional and career goals. The university can be described as a ‘peoples’ institution that allows the Emiratis to access higher education. SHUT has attained remarkable growth over the past decade. For example, the number of full time students has increased from 3,000 to 5,000. SHUT intends to develop a dynamic learning environment that will enhance the students’ personal and academic success. The institution intends to impart sufficient knowledge and skills that will improve the students’ competitiveness in the labor market. The university will focus on the students’ communication skills, critical thinking, leadership, and technical skills. The university is also concerned with improving the students’ personal integrity. By focusing on these issues, the university will improve the competitiveness of the students in the labor market. Subsequently, they will fit in an environment that is increasingly becoming complex and globalised. Vision Organizational objectives SHUT is committed towards achieving the set organizational goals, which are projected to the student and the society in general. The institution intends to nurture a high level of long-term sustainability, economic, and social sustainability in the UAE. In the process of implementing the IT project, th e institution intends to achieve the following objectives. To enhance Emiratisation of the UAE’s workforce by offering high quality educational programs Enhance effective utilization of educational technologies in order to expand accessibility of education to Emirati students. The Business case Purpose of the business case Currently, the institution’s information technology infrastructure is poorly developed due to poor funding. The university’s director, Dr. Sarid, intends to transform the institution’s IT infrastructure by re-engineering the computer information systems. The institution intends to update its classroom technology with state of the art computers. Moreover, the students will be issued with iPads, which have the ability to undertake all academic requirements. Implementing the new technology will significantly improve the effectiveness with which the institution imparts knowledge to students in the UAE. The new information technology will improve the effectiveness with which students interact with each other hence promoting information sharing.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, the success of the intended changes will depend on the effectiveness of the new technologies to work seamlessly with each other and allow for a smooth transition from the current systems. Failure to configure the new information technology successfully will culminate in low usability of the new technology. Moreover, substantial cost will be incurred in the process of implementing the new information technology (Nevitt and Fabozzi 64). Business case sponsor The business case will be sponsored by the UAE federal government in partnership with the institution’s ‘Learning by Doing Initiatives.’ Situational assessment and problem statement The UAE has experienced consistent growth in the education sector over the past decades. The growth has emanated from rising educational needs and increment in government initiatives directed to the education sector. In 2010, the UAE government allocated 22.5% of the national budget to education. A study conducted by Nevitt and Fabozzi (43) shows that the UAE graduates have not met the employers’ needs. The students lack the innovation and skills demanded by employers. The UAE government has recognized this gap and it has called the learning institutions in the country to establish first-rate education systems that will promote the development of vocational and scientific skills that align with the market needs. SHUT’s objective is to improve the information technology infrastructure within the institution. Implementing new technology will improve the institutions’ position amongst students in the UAE. The institution will become the ‘University of Choice’ amongst students in the UAE especially in Sharjah and the bord ering areas seeking post-secondary education. Currently, the university utilizes old information technology. The majority of the implemented technologies are ineffective as they are reaching the end of their lifecycle replacement period. Moreover, the functionality of the old technologies is limited. The university intends to replace the old technology by implementing multi-functional devices, which can print and scan documents. The new technology will improve the competitiveness of the institution in the UAE’s education sector. The university will be in a position to provide students with diverse, high quality, and career-oriented programs. SHUT intends to deal with the market gap by offering students programs that meet the students’ needs, the workforce requirement in the labor market, and the set international educational standards. This aspect will improve employability of its students.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Sharjah Higher Univ ersity of Technology’ Project Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Assumption and constraints Hallows argues, â€Å"Projects experience problems due to the existence of assumptions that turn out to be invalid or constraints that were never identified (104). The university assumes that the UAE government will sponsor the Information Technology project to its completion, which will improve the institution’s ability to meet the market demand. Moreover, the university’s management team assumes that the government will aid in the process of maintaining the new technology. Consequently, the life of the new computer systems implemented will be improved. Implementing change in organizations is usually characterized by incidences of resistance from different stakeholders such as the employees (Schwalbe 89). However, the institution’s management team assumes that the project will not experience resistance fro m staff. In addition, the director assumes that the IT department will provide the necessary support to aid in the implementation of the new computer technology. When implementing the project, it is imperative for the university’s management team to appreciate the existence of project constraints. The constraints refer to the boundaries or limits within which the project must be implemented (Kerzner 85). The following constraints will be experienced in implementing this project. Budgetary constraints – The UAE federal government will sponsor the implementation of the new computer technology in the university. The government has limited its sponsorship of the ‘Learning by Doing Initiative’ to the university to 10%. Some of the funds will be allocated to other initiatives such as improving engineering and science laboratories, work placement initiatives, and field trip. Consequently, the funds for the new computer technology will be limited. Delivery constr aints – Another major constraint to the project relates to time. The new computer technology systems must be installed by 30 June 2014 to allow sufficient training for the faculty. Resource constraint – currently, the university’s information technology department is understaffed. Moreover, the university’s staff members do not have adequate skills with regard to new information technologies. Consequently, the university might not have adequate support to aid in implementing the new technology. Identification and analysis of options Currently, the R203 class is installed with old computers, which are functional and have up-to-date software. However, the software is reaching the end of its replacement period. The university will incur a substantial cost by installing new computers in the classroom. Apart from installing the new computers, the university intends to utilize the budgetary allocation by the federal government in other projects such as improvi ng the engineering and science laboratories, work placement initiatives, and field trip. Subsequently, the amount allocated will be constrained. The university faces a number of options that it can consider as explained herein. Option 1: – upgrade the computers The existing computer technology in the institution has been replaced by more effective and functionally richer computer technology in the market. However, the university can decide to upgrade the old computers. The university will incur a lower cost by upgrading the computers compared to buying new computers.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The process of upgrading the computers will entail focusing on the most important aspects. Consequently, the staff and students will be more efficient and effective in executing diverse tasks. Rose (46) asserts that upgrading the computer systems ensures that optimum configuration is undertaken, thus attaining the intended benefits. Therefore, the institution will know exactly what is installed in the computers. The university will also be in a position to resolve problems that might occur. However, upgrading the computers may pose a security threat to the institution’s computer system. The computers may be infected by bugs, which might affect the normal operation of the institutions. The firm will also incur substantial costs in training the staff on how to use the upgraded computers. Another risk relates to incompatibility of the installed software and hardware. Option 2- Install new computers The institution can also consider overhauling the entire computer system in class R203 by installing new computers. The university will accrue a number of benefits by installing new computers. First, new computers have a higher processing capacity compared to old computers. Therefore, the computer systems will be more effective, efficient, and productive. Buying new computers will culminate in the university staff being enriched on new computer skills. Despite the above benefits, installing new computers will consume a significant proportion of the university’s budget. Thus, the opportunity cost involved is higher. Moreover, some crucial information might be lost in the process of transferring data from the old to the new computer. Option 3- retain the status quo The university may also decide to do nothing and remain with the old computers. By taking into account this decision, the university will be in a position to utilize the budget allocation in other academic projects such as improving its engineering and science laboratories. This decision will pos e a major risk in the university’s effort to offer students high quality education. For example, the delivery of knowledge and skills to the students will be weakened, and thus, the attractiveness of the university to students the UAE and the entire GCC region will be diminished. Comparison of options The following is a summary of the comparison of options on a 5-point scale. A scale of 5 = high while 1= low. Criteria Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Benefits; Government Students University Management 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 1 1 Costs; Direct Indirect Recurrent 5 4 4 5 2 2 1 1 5 Risks; Initial Mitigation cost Resulting risk 3 4 5 5 2 1 1 5 5 Shareholder impact 5 5 5 Stakeholder impact; Attainment of the respective objectives 3 5 1 Issues: Compatibility issues System failure Usability 3 5 4 1 1 5 1 5 1 Recommended option The university should consider option 2, viz. install new computers in the 30 workstations. Implementation strategy Project title: Implementation of 30 new computers in class R203 at SHUT University Project Target outcome/benefits The project is intended to improve the quality of education delivery at the University. The success of the project will be evaluated by assessing the number of student enrollment at the university and the level of compatibility amongst the students and the labor market demands. Outputs The project outputs will be assessed by evaluating whether each phase is successfully completed. Work plan Projects consume a substantial amount of time (Taylor 87). The project is expected to be completed by 1 July 2014, which entails a duration of 5 months. However, the project duration will be crashed to 4 months. The table below shows the project phases and the key milestones. Project phases and milestones Start time Finish date Milestone Evaluating the old computer systems to determine their suitability 5th Feb. 2014 1 2th Feb. 2014 Successful analysis of the old computer systems Creating backup for th e data in the old computers 15th Feb. 2014 30th Feb. 2014 Successful establishment of backup Identification and purchase of new computers 1st March 2014 15th March 2014 Delivery of the new computers to the university Removing the old computer systems 16th March 2014 7th April 2014 Successful removal of the new computers Installing the new computers 8th April 2014 29th April 2014 Successful installation of the new computers with the appropriate software and hardware Testing the functionality of the computers 1st May 2014 15th May 2014 Successful operation of the new computers Project budget The chart below illustrates the estimated cost of implementing new computer systems Work package Estimated cost [Amount in $] Market research on the new computers 5,000 Cost of establishing data backup 10,000 Purchasing new computers 300,000 Uninstalling the old computers 7,000 Installing and configuring the new computers 120,000 Testing the computers 8,000 Total estim ated cost 442,000 Other resources The success of the project will be determined by how well the computer systems are configured and implemented. Subsequently, the services of IT experts are necessary. The University will outsource the services of well-established IT consultancy firms in the UAE to undertake the installation of the computers. Project management framework Governance The chart below illustrates the projects’ governance structure. Quality Management The project manager will set and ensure that the project meets predetermined quality standards. Every phase of the project will be reviewed to ensure that the intended objectives are met. Organizational change management The project manager will ensure that the students and the University’s staff are well informed about the intended change on the computer systems. This will aid in minimizing resistance by the students and the employees. Project review After the completion of the project, the project manager will conduct a comprehensive review of the project to determine its suitability. The review process will also aid in identification of possible gaps, which should require improvement. Work Cited Kerzner, Harold. Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling,  and Controlling, Hoboken: Wiley. Nevitt, Peter, and John Fabozzi. Project financing, London: Euro Money, 2000. Print. Rose, Kenneth. Project quality management: why, what and how, Florida: Ross Publication, 2005. Print. Schwalbe, Kimmel. Information technology project management, Boston: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Taylor, John. Project scheduling and cost control: planning, monitoring and controlling  the baseline, Ft. Lauderdale: Ross Publication, 2008. Print. This case study on Sharjah Higher University of Technology’ Project Management was written and submitted by user Sullivan Gould to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.