Communications in Emergency Planning

With the emerging threat of a bioterrorist attack on communities in the United States, there has been much discussion by leaders in emergency management as to whether or not the model taught for preparing for emergencies needs to be changed. Some EM leaders argue that the model does not require any fundamental changes while others disagree.

One suggestion put forth is that the most important element of an emergency management and operations plan is communications. The logic is that it is of utmost importance to communicate quickly and effectively across all levels to coordinate and manage the response. The argument also presents the point that we already know our hazards and that a vulnerability analysis will not yield the benefits of first establishing a strong communication system. Perhaps the strongest point is that “all we really have to use initially to respond to a bioterrorist attack is communication.”

Find and summarize a brief example of a disaster or emergency where poor communications significantly hampered operations, and highlight the actual costs of the poor communication: money, deaths, equipment lost, etc.
What single action could have prevented the problems?
Was implementing the fix feasible?
Please post your response and critique the response of at least one other student before the end of this module.

Following are descriptions of what should be included in the Multicultural Autobiography. This assignment will focus on the development of your racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, social class, and religious identities. The narrative is a way of providing your critical analysis, thinking, and personal reflections regarding the aforementioned aspects of your identities. In completing this assignment, please make note of specific incidents and experiences (i.e., early childhood to the present) that may have contributed to this awareness. Identify and differentiate between those aspects of your awareness that came from personal experiences, media, experts, group experiences, or family interactions as you write about your group identities.

In instances where you have no clear history to report, you should discuss and speculate about your lack of awareness. For example, what does it mean not to be consciously aware of race or social class? Is it as significant to your development if you were raised in a homogenous social class, race, religious setting, community, family? You should thoroughly explore the stated (or obvious) and unstated issues, even if you have not thought about these areas before.

The narrative should demonstrate thoughtful reflection and introspection in relation to the overall quality, content, organization/development, and grammar/syntax. You should begin writing this assignment during the first week of class and revise it based on your involvement in the course. It is assumed that the course readings, lectures, and discussions will provide a context for your understanding of the areas that are discussed in this paper. Each area should follow the above specifications and represent thorough, high quality of work.
For this assignment, you are required to address a total of six Identity Categories:
1. Racial Identity
2. Ethnic Identity
3. Gender Identity
4. Sexual Orientation Identity
5. Social Class Identity
6. Religious Identity.

Be aware of the meanings & differences between these political systems: democracy (government by the people), autocracy ( government by a single individual), and oligarchy (government by the few).

I ask that you include the definition of democracy in your essay.

The following is not a subject that students discuss. Students do not write about whether Texas operates within a democratic republic, representative democracy, or indirect or direct democracy: all of these are democracies. That is not the point of this video assignment.

Rather, a student may frame her/his thesis in this way: if a student believes that Texas does operate as a democracy, then focus on a single idea and use primary and secondary research that supports your viewpoint that Texas does operate as a democracy.

On the other hand, a student may frame her/his thesis in this way: if a student believes that Texas does not operate as a democracy, then focus on a single idea and use primary and secondary research that supports your viewpoint that Texas does not operate as a democracy.
Structure your essay within four paragraphs: the 1st paragraph includes a hook and a strong thesis statement; 2nd and 3rd paragraphs are your arguments and they support your thesis; while the 4th paragraph provides a strong conclusion.
A student must use both primary and secondary research to support the thesis. Do not use popular magazines, Wikipedia, or other online encyclopedias.

Paragraph 1 includes a Thesis Statement: make sure that your thesis is placed into the first or second sentence of your first paragraph (points are deducted if not placed where required). A thesis provides your viewpoint and a mini-outline.

Paragraphs 2 and 3 Provide “The Arguments Which Are Supported By Research.” A student must use both primary and secondary research to support the thesis. If both primary and secondary research are not included, points are lost. To understand what are primary and secondary research, see the links below

Paragraph 4 Provides The Conclusion: the thesis viewpoint is tied to the primary & secondary research.

Balanced Scorecard for Ford Motor Corporation

This is a research project that will require the use of the library and/or the Internet. The research project should be in the form of a term paper intended to objectively report on the considered use of Balanced Scorecards on their projects for a well-established, fictitious, medium-sized Tier 1 supplier for Ford Motor Corporation who has recently established a Project Management Office.

The paper should be no more than 5 pages in length, including references – which are required when referencing your sources of information. A minimum of 5 different sources of information (magazines, periodicals, books, etc…) must be used and referenced to support your statements.

The paper should at a minimum include the following (with clearly marked bold headers for each section below):
1. Overview of Balanced Scorecards (what is it)
2. Advantages from a business and project management perspective – why should this supplier to Ford Motor Company implement Balanced Scorecards on all of their projects?
3. Concerns/Issues from a business and project management perspective – what problems might occur if this supplier to Ford Motor Company implements Balanced Scorecards on all of their projects?
4. Your recommendation for the supplier – should they implement Balanced Scorecards? Why or why not?

Considering this assignment requires you to demonstrate your knowledge of a social justice issue (which covers course material for last weeks of class) AND to demonstrate your knowledge of course content through engagement and critical analysis with course material. This assignment is worth 30% of your final grade. For this assignment, you are asked to research an example of how people have engaged in the world to challenge injustice, to transform social relations and to create social change, while demonstrating the knowledge, understanding and critical skills you have gained in this course. You are asked to research your example of “feminism” in practice, to describe the issue and activism involved, and how this example relates to key terms/your learning in this course. This is an opportunity to apply course materials by engaging with concepts, vocabulary, theories and themes of the course that help you describe and understand a social issue and the movement, person, or example of individuals working collectively to bring about social change. Conduct research to learn about your assigned topic, and then to write a report that demonstrates what you have learned while engaging in critical analysis on why the issue exists, its history, who is impacted, what social relations give rise to this issue, and the ways people have worked together to address it and create change. Questions that should be directly addressed in your research project: 1.What is the issue, person and/or movement you were assigned?2.What is the social justice issue here? Can you make sense of it/explain why it exists through use of course materials and reference to larger social relations?
3.What form(s) of social activism do you see being engaged in here?4.Which voices are speaking, from what perspective, who are they speaking to and what are they saying/trying to do?
5.What has this example taught you about social activism and social change? Has it inspired you in some way? How might you incorporate these lessons this example has to teach you into your daily life and relationships? You are also expected to incorporate two assigned readings in your textbook to make sense of the social issue and activism you are describing (cite in MLA format, author and page number). A reading can be chosen because it tells you something about your topic/issue, the historical background knowledge required to understand why this issue exists, or one that helps you develop a critical analysis or understanding of the social relations involved. You will be assessed on the research you do to demonstrate knowledge on your issue/topic and to what extent to critically analyzed this topic through engagement with course materials (two scholarly sources from your textbook). Be sure to answer all the questions posed above, succinctly.