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Egypt and Mesopotamia
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Egypt and Mesopotamia
The architectural style of the Mycenaean city developed in the early Mycenaean period, though the art concept comes from the architectural plans of the Minoans of Crete with so much resemblance with the palaces of the Minoans. The megaron was the characteristic structure of the Mycenaean. It was an indoor hall that was marked as the center piece of their palatial structures. According to (biers 70) the megaron is ‘a free-standing unit composed of amore or less square room entered at one side of the Porch with two columns and dominated by around fixed hearth. The Minoans preferred to build a large courtyard that was round in shape in contrast to the Mycenaean preference of megaron. The megaron was mainly constructed in the royal palaces and the private house that were mainly large in size. The roof of the megaron has an opening through which the smoke from the hearth is allowed to escape. Most megarons had a throne placed in a centrally position and the factor that suggested that the megaron was used for the cult and rituals of the Mycenaean.
The Mycenaean constructions were mainly made of bronze unlike their predecessors that made constructions of stone. The megaron has come a long way in the architectural views with the most distinct feature changing with construction being the roof. In the Minoan time it was seen as a structure with a flat roof with contiguous rooms while in the Mycenaean they were gable structures with free-standing walls that were later reconstructed to flat roof, (archeology journal). The reconstructions of the megaron have been based on the environment, the influence from other cultures like the Cretan and the different interpretations of the four pillars of support.
In the Mycenaean time the megaron were highly decorated with precision. The walls, roofs and the floors were covered in frescoes that were brightly colored with the private residence decorations inspired from the palaces. The tombs were also made in a manner resembling the megaron, with walls that were thick and the decorations just like the megaron structures. The art of the Minoans on the other hand showed a slight difference from the Mycenaean. The Minoans art showed a lot of influence from other cultures like the Mediterranean and the Egyptians who were the closest neighbors. Their structures that resembled the Mycenaean megaron were mainly vivid images of the religious life and images of nature. The art was decorated in bright colors though the walls were painted in only one color with large, oversized decorations of frescoes, (Kleiner 167)
Unlike the Minoans, the megaron is mainly a feature of the Mycenaean despite the fact that it is believed the style of the megarons was derived from the Minoans. The megarons were a place of worship, a sanctuary like place used for sacrifices and royal meetings with the throne always placed at the centre. The evolution of the megaron arose therefore from the Minoans with the Mycenaean following the art and perfecting it, making it known better than during Minoan and incorporating the style of megaron into their culture. The structures of the megarons however were not sustained to the other generations like the Minoans. The Mycenaean period was short lived, and even the modern structure of today that resemble the megaron in construction are not as decorated as before and they also do not resemble the ancient ones in aesthetic value.
Works Cited
Archeology institute. “The megaron and its roof. Archeology institute of America, 6(1): (1942): Print.
Fred, Kleiner. Gardner’s art through the ages: the western perspective. Wadsworth: cengage learning, 2006. Print.
William, Biers. The archeology of Greece: an introduction. Oregon: Cornell university: 1996. Print.
e-Governance in governments
e-Governance
Most governments, especially those in the developing world are moving to e-government in order to enhance better service delivery to the citizens in their respective countries. However, frequently the change to e-government ends up partially successful or failing completely. The success or failure of the change is always attributed to some various issues.
An unnamed government from southern Africa decided to come up with a single personnel information system. Currently, the office of the civil service has been given the mandate of recruiting employees for the different ministries, but it is the responsibility of the ministries to keep their own records. After the first phase of implementing the system, it was found that the Design-Reality gap totaled to 42. This was attributed to a variety of factors. In terms of information, the data was not accurate and incomplete. The setback called for some action to be taken in order to rectify the situation. The first step that I would have taken as the director of the office would have been to assess the ITPOSMO acronym because this is the only way to understand the difference or the gap.
In terms of the information perspective, I would make use of prototyping. This will be done through giving the users a chance to test the application then provide a feedback on what they really want. The gap in the processes can be solved by doing things as they were done before, which in this case in manual entry. Initially, clerks were given the duty of amending records except those that were considered as confidential. The gap in objectives and values can be solved by calling a meeting of all the top management in order to compel those who are withholding any information that is worth sharing to avail it in the meeting.
On staffing and skills, the best way to deal with the situation would be outsourcing of people with skills and have them operate the system. Some staff that were taken for the training and did not take that seriously should be fired and other skilled workers employed.
Evaluation
The issue whether the project was a failure or a success can be determined after a period of about two years after the system is fully implemented. As it stands, the system cannot be referred to as a failure or a success. The overall rating of 42 is a warning that the system might fail if something appropriate is not done to reduce the gap. In addition, if nothing is done then the project will be a partial failure. The system is only having trouble in certain areas but most of the vital parts are a success. The project was completed within the allocated budget and time frame; employees were also taken for training in time.
Conclusion
The project was an all-inclusive one as all the major stakeholders participated to ensure that it become successful. Experts in various fields such as information system analysts guided the project. Even though the project did not perform well in terms of the Design-Reality gap, there is still time to work on certain issues that are contributing to the widening gap. Moving from manual to e-government is not an easy task. Many African countries are trying to switch to the new system in order to be able to offer better services to their citizens. Challenges might be present but with time, they will surely overcome them.
References
HYPERLINK “http://www.bibme.org/” o “Edit this item” Beckmann, F. v. (2009). Rules of law and laws of ruling on the governance of law. London: Ashgate Pub..
HYPERLINK “http://www.bibme.org/” o “Edit this item” Belanger, F., & Carter, L. (2008). Trust And Risk In E-government Adoption. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 17 (2), 165-176.
HYPERLINK “http://www.bibme.org/” o “Edit this item” Design-Reality gap . (n.d.). Design-Reality gap . Retrieved November 11, 2013, from http://www.catedras.fsoc.uba.ar/rusailh/Unidad%202/Silcock%202001,%20What%20is%20E-gov.pdf
HYPERLINK “http://www.bibme.org/” o “Edit this item” Kjær, A. M. (2004). Governance. London: Polity Press.
HYPERLINK “http://www.bibme.org/” o “Edit this item” Ho, A. T. (2002). Reinventing Local Governments And The E-Government Initiative. Public Administration Review, 62 (4), 434-444.
HYPERLINK “http://www.bibme.org/” o “Edit this item” Williams, C. (2008). Effective management (3rd ed.). New York: Thomson/South-Western
EFQM Excellence Model
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EFQM Excellence Model
European Foundation for Quality management is an excellent model which helps an organization to measure the areas of improvement in an organization. It is an excellent model because it focuses on what the organization does or should do in order to provide excellent services to their customers and how relate with the stakeholders in the organization. Both private and public sectors are able to benefit from using the excellence model. It is applicable to all organizations because it does not necessarily involve following set of rules. It provides a way in which the organization should operate in all its aspects to promote easier management of the organization. This essay focuses on the application of four main elements of EFQM in an Abu Dhabi Ports company.
The Abu Dhabi Ports Company should follow a certain strategy of the EFQM. That is concerning how the organization should conduct itself on given aspects in the organization. The key areas that this model looks into include people, leadership, policy and strategy, processes, and lastly partnership and resources. These are the four main elements that Abu Dhabi Company should incorporate in its management system.
The first element is appropriate leadership. For an organization to run well and make profits, it requires an effective leadership strategy. The leaders are supposed to ensure that, there is effective communication between the workers and the management. This is to ensure that, the organization operates well. Communication is an important aspect in the organization that is why the leaders are supposed to ensure that there is feedback on the part of the recipient in order to provide flow of information from one party to another. Leaders in Abu Dhabi Ports Company should ensure that they develop a good communication structure for proper coordination in the organization.
The other element is people who include customers and employees in Abu Dhabi Ports Company. The excellent model ensures that, the customers and employees are satisfied. This is determined by the way they impact on the community at large. Through the excellent model, you are able to examine the operation of the organization through a series of practical questions. Through a given criteria, the organization is supposed to create questions to carry out the research on the wellbeing of the organization. After carrying out the research, the organization is supposed to improve the areas that have impacted negatively on the organization. When carrying out the research, the organization should select criteria that best suits them and the people around.
Some of the ways include coming up with questionnaires based on the excellent model. You can also come up with a workshop where all the issues in the organization are dealt with. The other approach is where the organization gives detailed information on the organization. Lastly, the organization may decide to come up with small teams within the organization and work with these small teams. This model mainly aims at improving the internal operation of the organization for the good of different stakeholders in the company.
The model also helps the organization to create a link between the achievements of the organization and what the organization does. It clearly outlines the procedures that the organization has used to achieve different goals. It highlights how the company coordinates its activity for the achievement of the set goals. The excellence model provides a certain framework that is useful in an organization. The framework systematically addresses the issues in an organization in this case Abu Dhabi Ports Company has come up with an effective communication strategy.
To ensure the effectiveness in an organization, there are different resources which include courses, support, information, leadership, staff time, and skills. Analytical and strategic skills are required to ensure that all the aspects of the organization are met. In the excellence model the company may seek outside training to guide the process. This is to ensure that the organization gets accurate information and corrects areas that may need correction within the organization. Time is needed to address the issues in question. This is because the process may involve inclusion of customers and the stakeholders in the organization.
In the excellence model, the company should have advisors and consultants. These people provide advice to the members of the organization in a broad spectrum. During the meeting the advisors provide information to the people who have attended the meeting. That means that, the advisors are supposed to have knowledge about the company so that they may offer proper and relevant advice to the members of the organization. Leadership is also an important aspect addressed by the excellence model. Therefore, there must be a good relationship between the staff and the leaders. The management should be actively involved in all the activities of the organization.
The excellence model has a great impact on Abu Dhabi Ports Company is committed towards conserving and promoting its heritage, traditions, and culture. It is one of the most populous cities in the United Arab Emirates. It carries out trade with other states within the areas of its jurisdiction. There are different stakeholders who ensure that the activities of the organizations run effectively. All the stakeholders coordinate effectively in all the operations of the organization. There are different teams that are supposed to work together which include aviation, attractions, tour operators, retail, hospitality, and Business Tourism. These different teams are supposed to work together as one entity to ensure that all the functions are in order.
The excellence model ensures that, the company comes up with a strategy or policy which facilitates the operation of the organization. The Abu Dhabi Ports Company has come up with strategic direction for the culture and tourism sectors. This helps them improve the image of the organization. By coming up with a strategy of it facilitates faster decision making. The division also helps in monitoring the activities of the organization and benchmarking internally to improve different aspects in the organization. The different activities carried out in this department include market intelligence, strategy and policy, and lastly performance and risk management. The business plans are created through the measurement of the sector performance. This greatly improves the image of an organization.
Different analytical and strategic skills are also incorporated in Abu Dhabi Ports Company. This is an element of the EFGM. It has an online revenue and statistics system used to operate all the aspects of the organization. The guests use it to submit all the information on guest’s statistics and the revenue. The information obtained from the statistics ensures that the stakeholders get accurate information on different aspects in the tourism sector. The information obtained is used to make strategic and informed business decisions. The management ensures that, all the stakeholders in the business work together effectively to ensure that the company operates in the appropriate manner.
Additionally, the management ensures that the culture of the people is maintained in all its operations. This is another element of the EFQM. They do this by protecting the archeological sites such as museums. This is to maintain the customer relationship that is supposed to be upheld in a high regard. They have also created a website where customers and interested parties can give their opinion on the improvements that they need to be made. Abu Dhabi Ports Company ensures that it maintains the culture of the people around.
In a nutshell, the excellence model is appropriate is applicable in Abu Dhabi Ports Company. All the resources involved in the excellence model are clearly portrait in Abu Dhabi Ports Company. They include leadership, skills, staff time, and courses, information, and support. In Abu Dhabi, the chairman is the leader and ensures that, all the activities are coordinated effectively. He ensures that the culture of the state is maintained to ensure that the business maintains a good relationship between the business and the society. Excellence model enables an organization to gain competitive advantage and know how to relate well with customers. It will also enable the organization to increase its productivity and profitability. This is by the coordination of the activities in the organization. The main goal of the excellence model is to ensure that the image of the organization is improved. Abu Dhabi Ports Company will be able to improve its infrastructure by incorporating these four elements discussed above.