Nobody stays in one career all their life nowadays. Some go from teaching into law. Nurses enter the police force. Actors become politicians.

Project Management offers the greatest opportunity for a career change. Demanding and rewarding in equal measure, it draws on transferable skills rather than industry specialisation.

Do you have the skills to be a Project Manager? How can you prove these skills to your new employer? What do you have to do to make your career transition as smooth as possible?

Are you already a Project Manager?

You don’t need the words ‘Project Manager’ on your contract in order to have project management responsabilities.

The basic role of a project manager is to organise staff and resources to achieve a long-term goal.

Have you ever organised a fundraising marathon or the introduction of fair-trade coffee into your department? Were you responsible for setting up the Secret Santa or the office trip to Brighton?

If so, then you have worked as a Project Manager. The more experience you can demonstrate, the greater your chances of securing a high-level Project Management position.

Key skills required by Project Managers

•    Communication

You must be able to present your Business Case, write progress reports and maintain clear communication with project staff and stakeholders at every level. If the Project Manager fails to communicate, then everybody will have different expectations and understanding of the project’s goals and status.

•    Organisation

Are you obsessively self-organised? Do you write lists for everything, even lists of your lists? Do you schedule your Saturday mornings so that not a minute is wasted?

If so, Project Management and you could be a perfect match. Only with solid organisational skills can a Project Manager keep a tight rein on project planning and progress.

•    Analytical Thinking

Things will go wrong on your project. As the Project Manager, it is up to you to sort them out. Can you come up with the solution that nobody else could quite reach? Are you up for the challenge of dealing with every obstacle and risk before it arises, without even a blip in your project progress report?

What opportunities are there for you?

Moving into a Project Management role could mean leaving your current industry and developing your project management skills as an independent specialisation. To succeed in this, you need to have demonstrable project management experience and abilities.

Alternatively, you might be seeking a project management role within your current industry. Advanced specialist knowledge of your subject off-sets a lack of project management experience, although awareness of formal project management methods is essential for getting that first job offer.

What should you do?

A Project Management qualification is essential. PRINCE2TM is currently the most popular project management method used by organisations in Europe, and is government standard in the UK.

The Foundation level qualification demonstrates awareness of the PRINCE2 project management method, and it is vital for anybody wishing to work on a project team.

Becoming a certified Registered Practitioner is an excellent move for anybody seeking a Project Manager position. The qualification demonstrates analytical skills and Project Management capabilities.

You might also consider getting some work experience, either with a voluntary organisation or through a secondment opportunity within your current organisation.

Remember: the more experience, qualification and dedication that you show, the more valuable you will on a Project Manangement team.

PRINCE2™ is a Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce. “PMI” is a service and trademark of the Project Management Institute, Inc. which is registered in the United States and other nations.

projectmanuk

http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/all-change-getting-into-project-management-681164.html

006, Dr. Sandi M. Smith, Director of Institutional Relations, Global Learning Semesters, Inc.

Legal liability is often used as a weapon to guard off the timid or defend the brave. However, many staff and faculty involved in study abroad programs do not have a notion of what legal liability is and how it should guide the design and maintenance of every study abroad program.

The following article is a layman’s introduction to complicated legal principles and precedence related to the administration of study abroad programs. Clearly, it is necessary to deliver a disclaimer… the information herein is not intended to substitute for competent legal representation. The following description of legal liability is for informational purposes only. The concepts discussed here can be helpful in guiding questions for your institutional and personal legal counsel.

Liability as a legal doctrine makes a person responsible for the damage and loss caused by his/her acts and omissions regardless of culpability (culpability is a measure of the degree to which a person can be held morally or legally responsible). However, for breach of contract or a tort, culpability may increase the measure of damages payable to compensate the plaintiff.

Sources of Liability

It does not matter our legal vocabulary and understanding, liability is something in which we are all obligated. Based on various established legal theories and precedence, duties and responsibilities are imposed on us and can carry an obligation of compliance.

The four main categories of legal liability relevant to the administration of study abroad are:

• tort law
• contract law
• criminal law
• federal law
• immunities
• professional regulation

Tort Law

Strict liability often applies to those engaged in hazardous or inherently dangerous ventures. The law imputes strict liability to situations it considers to be inherently dangerous. It discourages reckless behavior and needless loss by forcing potential defendants to take every possible precaution. It also has the effect of simplifying litigation and allowing the victim to become whole more quickly. According to strict liability, the plaintiff needs to prove only that the tort happened and that the defendant was responsible. Neither good faith, nor the fact that the defendant took all possible precautions are, valid defenses.

Tort law is focused on negligence for which damages may be awarded. Common tort liability is commonly measured by this question:

“Would a reasonable person have known or should have foreseen the risk or harm?”

To prove negligence, the injured party must prove,

1) the existence of a duty which the offender did not meet, and

2) that the effect of that specific failure resulted in injury to the plaintiff.

A few of the “duties” relevant to study abroad administration are:

Special relationship

In loco parentis is practiced to different levels at different types of campuses. For example, a church-related institution with strict behavioral codes invokes a higher standard of in loco parentis than a state-funded university. Yet, most institutions do not assume the responsibility of in loco parentis. However, it is commonly accepted among international educators that we are held to the expectations of “special relationship”, in which a duty of care is imposed because of special circumstances. Because there are more unknown factors involved in an international experience, there is a relative dependence of the student on the sponsoring institution. Thus, educators and administrators familiar with the expectation of treating college students as adults, must re-evaluate so me responsibilities when related to international programs.

Landlord relationship

Legal duties may be assumed of the property on which international programs are conducted. Although the program sponsor may not be the owner of the facilities, and it is not reasonable to expect that foreign landlords have the same standards as we do for students in the U.S., the sponsor assumes the duty to ensure reasonable standards. This includes duty to maintain the premises, provide adequate security, and warn of potential hazards.

Reasonable person standard

It is fair to assume that the courts will look to impose liability where sponsors/institutions, have not been prudent or demonstrated good faith in the care of those with whom they serve. However, the fundamental precept of negligence that the law will look to determine is “what a reasonable person under the circumstances would have done.”

Contract liability

Contractual understandings that may be written or oral. Unlike tort liability, contract liability is not imposed according to a duty, nor on the basis of what a reasonable person would do. Rather it is clearly an issue of “what does the contract say?” Thus, parties can control liability according to the agreement they come to. Obviously a written contract can be proven more substantially than a verbal contract. And reliance on a verbal promises outside of a written contract are not usually admissible.

Printed/media informational materials

Contracts can be created outside of a signed document. Colleges and universities have been found to be liable for representations in catalogues and other printed materials. Thus, pamphlets, flyers, brochures, letters and even websites are enforceable.

Signed agreements and contracts

Obvious reliance is placed on signed contracts and agreements. Weather it be pre-approval of transfer of credit or contracts for bus transportation, these contracts are meant to protect both parties. The more precise the terms of a contract, the m ore common understanding exists between parties. Most institutions have rules about who has the authority to sign contracts. Thus, when developing forms related to international study, it is important to have legal counsel and senior administration decide who has authority over specific types of signed agreements. Similarly, many institutions have policies and procedures about procurement contracts and thus, if an international program needs to sign contracts for transportation, housing, insurance, etc. there should be institutional policies for vetting and authorizing these contracts.

Federal Law

Federal law, in most cases, does not reach outside the U.S. Thus, returning to the special relationship precept,, international programs may technically be liable for maintaining standards of U.S. Federal Law as much as is reasonable. Furthermore, international programs will be under jurisdiction of the Laws of the host country. Some of the federal laws that have relevance to international programs are:

- civil rights

- FERPA

- Campus Security Act

- Drug Free Schools Act

Criminal Law

Obviously, those participating in and administering study abroad programs are subject to criminal law. The most important factor to realize with criminal law is that participants and administrators are subject to local and national law in the U.S. and ALSO subject to criminal laws of the host country and any country visited along the way. The U.S. Embassy in foreign countries is a good source or information for understanding relevant host country laws. OSAC, Overseas Security Advisory Council provides relevant information at: http://www.osac.gov/. Legal protections in the U.S. are not applicable to foreign countries. And the “I did not know” defense will not protect you. Some of the criminal laws relevant to study abroad are:

- vandalism

- assault and battery

- murder

- robbery

- drugs and alcohol

- political speech

- vehicle operations

Immunities

Immunity from prosecution is offered to those employed by a public institution and may apply to certain circumstances within the responsibilities of an international program. Sovereign Immunity established by the Eleventh Amendment of the U.S. Constitution basically bars suit in federal court against entries or agents acting in an official state capacity. However, this does not absolve institutions and employees of prosecution for negligence.

Program Sponsorship

It is commonly referred to as “deferred risk” when turning over students to a third-party program provider. Many institutions, realizing that they do not have the staff and resources to provide the best standard of care and expertise to study abroad programs have wisely deferred the risk of liability to a program sponsor. A deferred program sponsor may be another U.S. college or university operating international programs or an independent study abroad organization. Entering into an exchange agreement or direct enrollment agreement with a host institution does no defer risk of liability.

Legal principles for managing study abroad programs are similar to the standards used at home. Institutions are expected to “understand the nature of the program activity so that the educational benefits can be measured against the risk of harm.” (Weeks, pg. 3) Program sponsorship should be reserved for those with expertise to provide the expected duty of care, including:

• faculty and administrators should possess adequate expertise in the site location (language, culture, laws, social standards, political status, geographic and climatic issues, crime and safety, emergency resources),
• the distinct components of a program should be clearly articulated and assigned to responsible staff (faculty may be experts on the language or academic content, but not adequately trained to respond to student conduct issues, or housing safety, or emergency response),
• responsible staff are sufficiently trained and accountable for the performance of their assigned duties,
• adherence to safety standards when structuring the program, negotiating contracts, and facilitating student interactions,
• responsiveness to incidents and emergencies

Another function of program sponsorship is eminent domain. What laws and jurisdiction apply to any prosecution that might occur?

Program Structure/Risk Management

Offering a course at an international location does not inherently create a higher risk. However, there are risks inherent to some international locations, and obviously to inexperienced travelers. Studying in a classroom or library in London is not inherently more risky than in the U.S., and filed experiences in archeology will inherently have more risk in the U.S. or abroad than studying in the library. Program structure and risk management should take into consideration some of the factors that do make study in another country more risky including:

• language
• laws and cultural customs related to alcohol consumption
• traffic patterns and laws
• social customs and interactions
• safety standards of buildings, walkways, vehicles
• public health and safety
• travel-related and site-specific high risk activities

Resources:

Association of Safe International Road Travel: http://www.asirt.org.

Consular Information Sheets: http://trave.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1765.html

NAFSA Responsible Study Abroad:

http://www.nafsa.org/knowledge_community_network.sec/education_abroad_1/education_abroad2/practice_resources_12/health_safety/guidlines_for_health

SAFETI Clearinghouse: http://www.globaled.us/safeti/

IES Map: http://www.iesabroad.org/iesMap.do

U.S. State Dept. Travel Resources: http://www.state.gov/travelandbusiness/

Worldworx Travel Safety: http://wwww.worldworx.tv/safety/

Duty to Advise

A serious responsibility of any college or university is the function of academic advisement. More resources are being assigned to student advisement whether through faculty advisors and/or professionally trained advisors. With this increased recognition of a duty to advise, it is expected that colleges must provide the same level of informed and thorough advisement and orientation for students selecting international programs. The duty to advise encompasses choosing a program, academic structure, host country, eligibility requirements, cost, application procedures and deadlines, pre-departure orientation, conduct expectations, waiver of rights, credit transfer, financial aid, transition adjustment, and more.

Disclosure of known risks is expected. A duty of care includes:

• known or expected political, social, terrorist risk
• assessment of crime
• road, traffic and vehicle conditions
• health risks
• cultural and legal differences
• independent travel
• past incidents of students and staff
• local informants
• encourage questions and provide responses

Student Misconduct

The duty to advise must clearly cover behavior and conduct expectations of students. Depending on program sponsorship, a student should know if he/she is accountable to home-campus conduct and disciplinary standards, or does the sponsoring agency supplant home-campus policies?

Furthermore, it must be clear as to the expectations for “off-campus” conduct while participating on an international program. What is considered “off-campus” while on a program abroad: is the program housing off-campus, are group meals considered off-campus, and is weekend travel considered off-campus? An example of a U.S. campus issue is alcohol consumption in the students’ residence. Some campus residences may have rules prohibiting alcohol consumption, yet public institutions would not expect to prohibit alcohol consumption in off-campus apartments (some private institutions do have general alcohol consumption policies and attempt to prohibit it at any time on and off campus). Thus, is sponsor-provided housing on an international program considered on or off-campus?

Due process is another issue that is sometimes blurred on a Study Abroad program. It is fairly uncommon to have qualified staff to investigate student misconduct allegations, and provide due process that is expected on the home campus. Thus, it must be clearly stated that students will either waive due process or experience an abbreviated version of due process in academic and/or conduct issues while abroad.

Students should also be informed if they will face home-campus disciplinary sanctions for conduct infractions while aboard. If there are exceptions to home-campus conduct (particularly drinking age), students should understand the policies as they apply to study abroad.

Students should be informed that they are subject to local and host country laws and should not assume that those laws are the same as U.S. laws (especially regarding public intoxication, traffic offenses, drug possession, use and sales, and sexual misconduct).

Federal Statues

The following federal statues can be applies to education abroad:

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it unlawful to discriminate in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it unlawful for programs that receive federal funding to discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972 make it unlawful for programs that receive federal funding to discriminate on the basis of sex.

Age discrimination in Employment Act of 1984 makes it unlawful to discriminate in employment based on age.

Campus Security Act of 1990 (Clery Act) does not contain any clear indication that it is intended to apply outside the U.S. boundaries, unless specifically a branch campus. However, in the duty to advise, it is expected that institution swill maintain data on incidents and disclose as appropriate.

Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989 are tied to federal funding. So the argument can be made that if any federal financial aid might be used for a program, it is required that the same requirements apply.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA or Buckley Amendment) It is not possible to dictate the policies and procedures of foreign institutions, however, it is necessary to understand the foreign institution’s policies and procedures. FERPA standards of care in confidentiality management should be taken by U.S. representatives.

Rehabilitation Act and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is not intended for overseas institutions, however, most colleges continue to serve students where reasonable accommodations can be made. And some foreign host institutions now apply a similar standard of care in making reasonable accommodations for students and employees with disabilities.

Crisis Management

Every campus is expected to have a crisis response plan, and thus has an outline and structure that can be translated to overseas programs. It is reasonable to expect that any institution sponsoring international activities will make proactive efforts in crisis management and response planning.

Summary

Legal liability is created by the violation of duties imposed by the 1) common law, 2) statutory law (state and federal), and 3) contract law. And despite the complexities of the law there are some fundamental precepts that can protect an institution involved in study abroad:

1. assume there is a duty to act reasonably and foresee and limit the exposure to risks which are known or should be known, and act accordingly.

2. make certain that all substantive aspects of programs are fully described in writing and that program participants receive, and understand all of the materials.

3. prepare and use an assumption of risk document appropriately.

4. ensure that all participants possess adequate insurance for every reasonable contingency.

(Weeks, pg 67)

This document is a summary of legal liability related to study abroad programming. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Sources

Kaplan, William A. 1990. The Law of Higher Education. Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Weeks, Kent M. 1999. Managing Liability and Overseas Programs. College Legal Information, Inc. Nashville, TN.

Dr. Sandi M. Smith
http://www.articlesbase.com/international-studies-articles/legal-liability-relevant-to-study-abroad-736032.html

A Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) plan can be created for anything. Natural disasters, business plans, infrastructure projects, daily operations of a business, sports teams, really anything that has the possibility of not running right can have a plan. For this article the term will be project, which is open to your interpretation on what a project actually is.

Who takes the kids to schools when the primary driver has the flu? That is the most basic BC plan.

What do we do when we get a flat tire? That is the most basic DR plan.

These 2 examples may not be written out, but they are just as valid as any other plan, and there is usually a plan in place. And yes, you can have one half without the other or call the plan DRBC if recovering from the disaster is a higher priority than continuing business.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans are developed for certain circumstances that have the probability of occurring. Spending years of work and millions of dollars to secure a data center in the Atacama mountains desert region against flooding is useless. Equally useless is spending years of work and millions of dollars to prevent a New York snow in the winter.

There are 4 primary categories that are considered important in BCDR; avoidance, mitigation, transference and acceptance. Acceptance is contested as an option because there are not many people want to build a plan that says we accept a risk and a failure and can not mitigate, transfer or avoid it. There are cases when there is no real option other than accepting that there may be failure.

A sample project is to install a new telephone system in my office.

In a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plan, avoidance is building steps into your project to eliminate the risk or to protect the project from anything negative by means that you will determine.

My project may be late because it takes place from 15 December to 15 January, a time when many of my staff will take vacation. I can avoid an impact on my project by requesting an extension on the project, requiring additional resources, requesting extra money or many other options – you are limited by your imagination.

The idea behind transference is that the possibility of financial impact to the project is limited by contracting out some aspect of the work. I transfer the responsibility for part of the project to someone else. Transferring responsibility does not transfer accountability. The person in charge still has to accept that a failure is related to improper planning.

My December project may be late so I have hired a company to accomplish 3 critical tasks. If these tasks are not finished on time and in sequence, the project will not finish on time. I have signed a service level agreement with the vendor and the company will put all the resources required to deliver on time. If they fail to deliver on time they will not be paid, it the overall project is late because they fail to deliver on time they will pay me $1000 per day for a maximum of 15 days.

Mitigation is the part of the plan that takes the most thought. If mitigation is done properly then avoidance, transference and acceptance are clear. Mitigation is something you do to reduce the probability or consequences of a risk impacting your project. You may also define an acceptable level of impact that does not threaten the completion of your project Mitigation is very often costly and time consuming.

My December project requires new telephones for each of the 500 desks in our office. My regular supplier can guarantee 400 telephones at an $262.50 per phone, a 25% discount. The supplier is also reasonably sure to deliver the 500 on time and at the same price. To mitigate the risk of having 100 people without phones I agree that the supplier contract with a third party and buy 100 phones at the standard $350 price

1. Total cost of 500 phones from one supplier 500*262.50=$131,250.
2. Total cost of my phones from two suppliers (400*262.50)+(100*350)= $140,000
3. Mitigation cost $8750
4. Solution, pay the slight increase.

Second scenario for a larger company:

My December project requires new telephones for each of the 5000 desks in our office. My regular supplier can guarantee 2500 telephones at an $262.50 per phone, a 25% discount. The supplier is unable deliver the 5000 on time and at the same price. To mitigate the risk of having 2500 people without phones discuss with senior management to contract with a third party and buy 2500 phones at the standard $350 price, plus 10% for shipping

1. Cost of 2500 phones from one supplier 2500*262.50=$656,250.
   
2. Cost of 2500 phones from second supplier 2500*385=$ 962,500.
   
3. Total budget for phones $ 1,312,500
   
4. Total cost of phones $1,618,750
   
5. Mitigation cost $ -306,250
   
6. Solution – do you have $306,250 spare, or do you delay project completion?

Acceptance is the decision to accept certain risks and live with them. This means you do not change the project plan to deal with a risk or identify any response strategy other than agreeing to accept the risk if it is too costly or time consuming. A decision must be made to accept the risk, and the consequences. This decision must be made by a person with the highest level of authority. If the risk comes to pass and something fails the decision may mean late delivery of a project or failure as a team.

Second scenario similar to the one above:

My December project requires new telephones for each of the 5000 desks in our office. My regular supplier can guarantee 2500 telephones at a $262.50 per phone, our standard 25% discount. The supplier is unable deliver the 5000 on time and at the same price. To mitigate the risk of having 2500 people without phones discuss with senior management to contract with a third party and buy 2500 phones at the standard $350 price, plus 10% for shipping

1. Cost of 2500 phones from one supplier 2500*262.50=$656,250.
2. Cost of 2500 phones from second supplier 2500*385=$ 962,500.
3. Total budget for phones $ 1,312,500
4. Total cost of phones $1,618,750
5. Mitigation cost $ 306,250
6. Management does not have $306,250 to spend on the project and accepts that there may be a late delivery on some phones.
7. A mitigation plan will be put in place to make sure that the problem is handled the best way possible.

As stated above, a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) plan can be created for anything. The coach of a team has a replacement in mind when players are injured, Floridians board up windows when a storm comes. The most important part of your BCDR is realizing that you need one and start defining the actions that people will take when things go wrong, and at one time or another – they will.

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Cindy King
http://www.articlesbase.com/project-management-articles/business-continuity-and-disaster-recovery-categories-718828.html

Web design industry expand its working area day by day thus nowadays only a good looking website can’t proficient for your business. Suppose you have a creative web design for your business and quality drop down features are there to show all of your web pages. Fine, then who will set the navigation system for your enormous numbers of pages to run the website properly?

Web programmers have the perfect knack to handle dynamic websites. With the help of freelance contract programmers you can easily represent your vast product list in front of the entire web audience. To dandle a dynamic website you particularly need two major things, the first one is a strong admin panel and the second one is superb database connectivity. These two exclusive can’t be done by professional web designers.

Through an effective admin panel you can easily decorate your website such as effortless placing the content in every page, inserting product category, inserting new products, managing the order list, member management etc and others. That means as a layman you need not to take further assistance of any programmers with the help of that admin panel. Database handling is known as the foremost knack of any web programmer. Creating the database, maintaining it properly and connecting that database with the website are not an easy task to do. This can be done by only professional programmers.

Thus a complete swing in web industry is detected towards professional programmers because of their server side programming capability. These freelance programmers are eventually capable in different kind of server side framework development such as PHP programming, java programming, asp dot net programming etc. These contract programmers create server side components over your web template to increase the features of your website.

Various kinds of form handling are known as the major ability of professional programmers. They are enabling several types of forms at your website for your visitors that they can easily express their interest through those forms and connected proper destination with those forms. Sometimes visitor are asking few parameters in different websites about their required product (such as product quality, price, shipping charges etc.) and these kinds of online forms can give you the edge over your competitors.

Professional programmers are the master in various types of error handling. There are two types of errors found in web programming such as logical and physical errors and the capability of any web programmer can be judge superbly through error handling ability. Normally errors are generated at the time of web designing or invoked for running some special scripts in coding section. Contract programmer can easily sorted out those points and solve them with their natural capability.

Contract programmers are keener to produce sharp, to the point presentation through their programming potential. All types of rotating images, large presentation small graphical image, properly handling all drop down facilities is effortlessly maintained by resourceful freelance programmers. They always keen to provide their 100 percent for an effective web presentation of your web site.

Cristina Gomes
http://www.articlesbase.com/programming-articles/use-of-freelance-contract-programmers-in-web-programming-700440.html