Casablanca :: essays research papers

Casablanca was a very interesting film. The first time that I watched it, I really had no idea what was going on. I found it a little hard to follow. But, after the second time around, a good portion of the movie became very clear to me. The setting takes place in Casablanca, Morocco and in Paris, France. At first the movie takes place in December 1941 at Rick Blaine's saloon in Casablanca. Rick has to deal with some illegal visa papers that he was given, and he hides them in the piano. Rick's former lover Ilsa comes with her husband Victor Laslo to the saloon. She is friends with the piano player Sam, and tells him to play the song As Time Goes By; Rick and Ilsa's "song." Rick comes in and yells at Sam to stop, and then he sees Ilsa. Then next scenes Rick is having a flashback to all the good times he had with Ilsa when they were in Paris, France. Rick and Ilsa are in love and plan to leave on a train to get married. Ilsa is really married to Victor, but she believes that he's dead. She finds out that he's alive and in a concentration camp right before she plans to leave with Rick. She doesn't go with Rick on the train and leaves him heartbroken. Then back in Casablanca Rick discovers that he's still in love with Ilsa. Rick tells his friend Louie, the police chief, about the illegal papers and plans to have him set up Victor to go to jail for having the papers so Ilsa and Rick can go to America. Rick decides that he can't go to America with Ilsa, because she'll regret it. Victor and Ilsa end up going to America on an airplane together. The most memorable scene of the film for me was when Ilsa comes back into Rick's life. She begs Sam to play As Time Goes By. He won't so she keeps saying, "Play it Sam..." When Sam does play the song Rick storms in and says, "I thought I told you to never play that again!" Then he looks up and sees Ilsa. They make eye contact and they remember all of their old feelings for each other. This scene is very emotional and you can tell exactly what they're both feeling. I think a filmmaker wanted to make this film to show what war can do to two people.

The Five Essential Characteristics of Project Managers

Week 7– Case Study Tiantian Shi Keiser University Dr. Salas-Amaro Project Management February 23, 2013 Introduction In the case 4-1, Pureswing Golf prefers to promote voluntary and promising engineers to project managers because they are familiar with the company’s philosophy of competitive success and they can run new product projects well. However, because project managers are volunteers, the failure rate of projects is high to 40%. Pureswing Golf has realized this issue and wants to search high-performance managers in more scientific way.This paper focus on the positive personality traits of project managers which can contribute to project success and negative personality traits of project managers which would hamper the effective management of projects. The Five Essential Characteristics of Project Managers 1, Good interpersonal and communication skills The ability of communication is always one of the most important skill for effective management. Project managers need to know how to clearly and accurately present the right information to the right people in the appropriate manner (Rosenhead, 2012).For the external environment, project managers need to be able to explain the needs and decisions to a wide variety of stakeholders (Pinto, 2010). It is also necessary to convince stakeholders to keep focus on project benefits to get more supports. For the internal environment, project managers need to have a good interaction with team members throughout the project implementation process which include talking and listening concerns and potential problems of the project, giving the feedback and coach to team members, motiving team members keeping high-performances (Pinto, 2010).It is good to create an openness and directness communication environment for the project team. Obviously, a bad communicator cannot be a project manager. 2, Team-Building skills Because the team member come from different department of the organization, it is hard to make t hem from a group strangers to a single cohesive unit. Project managers must understand this progress and relevant requirements for the transformation (Rosenhead, 2012).In order to build a motivated team, project managers need to take time to understand each team member’s personality, strengths, and weaknesses (Barry, 2013). Meanwhile, project managers also need to have the ability to handle the conflicts. It is also necessary to provide the substance to hold team members together toward the project goals, such as to praise outstanding team members (Brown, 2012). 3, Leadership abilities Good leadership is commitment to ethical practices (Barry, 2013). Project managers create standards of ethical behavior for themselves and team members.The team living by these standards are responsibilities of project leaders. For example, project leaders should reward team member who exemplify these practices. Leadership based on integrity and a set of values, behavior consistent with values (Brown, 2012). In other words, the project leader earns trust from to do what he/she say. Good leadership requires appropriate reaction to changes (Barry, 2013). There are a lot of uncontrolled factors could affect project implementation. Under any of situation, project managers cannot be panic.A leader should show a positive image to the world and let everyone to see that he/she are not flustered by any sudden changes to the plan. â€Å"Being able to react in the right way and show everyone else that you are still in control is a tremendous attribute for any project manager (Rosenhead, 2012). † 4, Ability to Delegate Tasks Project leaders need have the ability to delegate tasks to team members, especially, there is a huge amount of work that need be done in a limited time (Barry, 2013).Trust is an essential element in the relationship of project leader and team members (Rosenhead, 2012). To delegate tasks to others is an action to prove the trust to team members. Some of pro ject leaders do not want to risk to let somebody else to do a poor-performances job, they almost do everything. However, this is a wrong perspective. The project leader often fail who are unable to trust his/her team members (Barry, 2013). It is important to allow team members to participate project tasks.Project managers have to delegate tasks to right people which depends on the understanding of each individuals’ level of skill or limitations (Brown, 2012). 5, Understanding and appreciation of differences As the word is becoming more global, the workplace is becoming more diverse, project leaders have to learn how to manage projects globally. Sensitively to deal project personnel who are from various ethnic, cultural, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds is critical to build an effective project team (Barry, 2013).Conclusion The characteristics of project managers have a great influence to the success of a project. How to choose right people to lead a project is critica l or the company. Basically, an effective project managers should have good interpersonal and communication skills, team-Building skills, leadership abilities, tasks distribution ability, and the understanding of multi-culture. References Pinto, K. J. (2010). Project management: Achieving competitive advantage, 2nd ed. Pearson Education Rosenhead, R. (2012).Can the personality traits of a project manager contribute to project success? Retrieved from http://www. ronrosenhead. co. uk/4630/can-the-personality-traits-of-a-project-manager-contribute-to-project-success/ Brown, S. (2012). Factors most critical to the success of a project manage. Retrieved from http://www. brighthubpm. com/resource-management/63002-factors-most-critical-to-the-success-of-a-project-manager/ Barry, R. T. (2013). Top 10 qualities of a project manager. Retrieved from http://www. projectsmart. co. uk/top-10-qualities-project-manager. html

The Pros and Cons of Reptiles as Pets - 943 Words

How many people can say that they have a pet that has been around, in some form or other, for 300 million years? Reptiles are fascinating animals that have been around since the Carboniferous Period, 300 million years ago. Many different species of reptiles have come and gone over the course of time and there are five main groups. Turtles and tortoises are distinguished by the presence of their carapace, or shells, which is also their main defense against predators. Lizards are the most diverse and varied among the reptiles with many different types from chameleons, to iguanas, to geckos, to monitor lizards which includes the largest of all lizards; the Komodo dragon. Tuataras are the most ancient of reptiles and can be found exclusively†¦show more content†¦There are many interesting things people can learn about reptile behavior from their pet like how their reptile eats, how it moves, how it hunts, how it reproduces, how it mates, how it defends itself, and how it’ s born. One fact that can be learned is that not all reptiles are born from eggs some, like boas, are born live.There are many benefits to keeping a reptile. For example, people who are allergic to pet dander from furry animals like cats and dogs can keep a reptile as a pet. Reptiles arent furry, so there aren’t any allergy problems to consider. Reptiles also don’t really require the intense care that is needed for many other pets as their cold-blooded metabolism makes them less active. Many reptiles also don’t need to be fed daily as a good meal will often keep them for days or even months in the case of many snakes. Reptiles are also good for people who like quiet pets as many are relatively silent.(PetLife) When choosing a pet reptile people also need to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of keeping a reptile to be sure it is suitable for them. For example, the experts at Reptile Expert.com recommend that â€Å"Corn snakes make a good snake pet for beginners. They are docile and respond well to human handling.† (Hsin-Yi) The owners have to be aware that some pet reptiles have killed people and take into consideration the fact they will be solely responsible for anything thatShow MoreRelatedWhat Type Of Pet Adopt First Time Owners1288 Words   |  6 Pages When deciding on what type of pet to adopt first time owners have plenty of choices, each one presenting owners with their own unique set of pros and cons to consider along with personal needs. For example, if training and frequent walks aren’t ideal for the first time owners, then they might want to explore options other than dogs, such as cats, reptiles, or fish. Due to lack of research, some owners end up with the wrong type of animal for them, which can lead to increased levels of stress andRead MoreShould Exotic Animals Be Kept As Pets?1330 Words   |  6 Pages Should exotic animals be allowed to be kept as pets The wild, cruel animal is not behind the bars of a cage. 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They are, not only that it is widely understood, but also that it is the only accent that can be generally understood at all; that it is more universally accepted and less offensive to the majority of people than any otherRead MoreProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 PagesSecurity Bank of Cleveland Jackson Industries 583 580 16 TIME MANAGEMENT 587 Time Management Exercise 589 17 INDUSTRY SPECIFIC: CONSTRUCTION 613 Robert L. Frank Construction Company The Lyle Construction Project 652 615 Con tents ix Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited: Hongkong Bank Headquarters (A) 635 Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited: Hongkong Bank Headquarters (B) (see handout provided by instructor) Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking