Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Homodyne receivers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homodyne receivers - Essay Example The architecture of homodyne receiver comprises the basic RF circuits which ensure the work flow of the equipment namely Band Select Filter (BSF), Low-noise amplifier (LNA), active mixer, oscillator and a Channel Select Filter (HFS, 2008). LNA is an amplifier which converts the received signal to acceptable levels while minimizing the noise. (Varma,Kunder,Daruwalla,2003). The active mixers are responsible for frequency up conversion and down conversion functions  (Beckwith, Schiltz, 2003) where as Oscillator generates a series of waves which is mixed with the RF signals (Fukatsu, 2005). Channel Select Filter converts preferred low power RF signal into significantly powerful ones. The primary principle of operation of a direct conversion receiver, is the down-conversion of incoming RF signal to base-band in one step by mixing with an oscillator output of the same frequency and hence the name ‘homodyne receiver’. The resulting zero frequency signal is then filtered with a low-pass filter to select the desired channel. (Ma,2001). This process of operation has been illustrated in the following diagram. The simplicity in its constitution and function is the prime advantage of this type of receivers. With relevance to the changing performance and functionality requirement for the emerging technologies, the homodyne model becomes more practical to implement. The major disadvantage of homodyne receiver is that the down-converted signal is extremely sensitive to DC voltage offsets due to current leakage from the local oscillator entering into the LNA and mixer. This demands high requirements on reverse isolation and low substrate coupling. Moreover because of the down-conversion of the RF signal to zero IF, the noise in the oscillator must be minimized and the distortion or linearity must be kept very low for the LNA and mixer. This causes power dissipation as well. (HFS,

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Analyzing an Artist''''''''s Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analyzing an Artist''''''''s Process - Essay Example She re-sculpted her image through licking the chocolate and drew it from the mold. She licked the front up to the nose through the mouth, on the eye and back over the ears to the bun as well as around the neck and down the back. The creative process focuses on the scope of conceptual structure Antoni made. Licking the artistic piece covered in chocolate meant something. Further, washing herself in soap also has a meaning to art. She feels comfortable with the rigor engaged in developing the conceptual structure. In creating ‘Touch’, Antoni hooked up a wire onto a tractor’s backhoes. The goal was to use the shovel in motion to have the wire settle onto the horizon. She dug a positioning hole where the cameraperson would capture the shot in the camera line-up (Antoni, 2013). When she walked, Antoni could appear as though to touch the horizon. Antoni insists that the idea was developed from the thought about impacts of the horizon to the human

Monday, October 14, 2019

Tim hortons Essay Example for Free

Tim hortons Essay Mr. Jake Zablocki, Miss Harjinder Sandhu , Mr Roysten Fernandes and Miss Maria Klepikova will together comprise the board of directors and will be involved in day to day activity . Board Of directors * ( we can exclude this )* Mr. Jake Zablocki as the Chairman Miss Harjinder Sandhu as the Chief Operating officer Mr Roysten Fernandes as the President Miss Maria Klepikova as the Vice-president The key advisors are: Miss Harjinder Sandhu Legal Consultant Miss Sandhu is an in house legal advisor and voluntarily offers her services as part of the management team. Mr Jake Zablocki  ± Account Manager Mr Zablocki will assume all the accounting responsibilities and will manage the business joint account separately Royal Bank of Canada. Infrastructure Who are key outside advisors, such as accountants, lawyers, or co nsultants, and what is their compensation package? Enter text here. NA Contracts and Franchise Agreements What are the company ¶s management contracts, non -compete agreements, franchise, or other contractual agreements? Enter text here. We( Name to be decided ) have entered into an Franchise Agreement with Tim Horton ¶s for a period of 10 years with an option to renew for further 10 years at the discretion of the management team Business Plan Non Compete agreement exists between the four entrepreneurs for a period of 5 years of restricting to enter into food beverages in Ontario for the smooth function of the business. Insurance If you have a buy-sell agreement, who will be insured in terms of life insurance policies on key personnel for which the company is the beneficiary? Enter text here. We have a buy and sell agreement in place , a type of insurance where all the four partners are assure for life. The Insurance policy will be placed under a trust. All the four member will be the trustee. Buy and Sell: means the legal representa  tives of the deceased are obliged to sell the share to the remaining partners who are in turn obliged to buy it. The remaining partners are able to buy the share from the proceeds of a life insurance policy taken out by the deceased on their own life and placed in trust for the remaining partners. Employee Stock Option Plan and Other Incentives What employee stock option or other incentive plans will be in effect? Enter text here. We do not have any employee stock option plan or incentive plan other than the one run by Tim Horton ¶s time to time. Organization Charts How is the company organized? Enter text here. The management team contributes equally to the success of the business. 8 ? Business an Mr Jake Za ck Miss ar inder Sandhu Bussiness Mr ysten Fernandes Miss Maria Kle ik va 9 Business Plan PRODUCT/SERVICE Purpose of the Product/Service What is the purpose of the product/service? How does the product/service benefit the customer? Does it solve a problem or address an opportunity; is it a luxury item or a needed item? Enter text here. Unique Features What are the unique features of the product/service, such as cost, design, quality, capabilities? Enter text here. Stage of Development What is the history of product/service life cycle, and which stage of development is the product/service currently in? Enter text here. Future Research and Development What, if any, future research and development efforts will be required? Enter text here. Trademarks, Patents, Copyrights, Licenses, Royalties What patents, trademarks, service marks, or copyrights have been obtained? W hat license or royalty agreements are associated with the product/service, and what plans are there for future agreements? Enter text here. Government Approvals What governmental approvals are necessary, and what is the status of such approvals? Enter text here. Product/Service Limitations What are the limitations of the product/service, if any? Enter text here. Product/Service Liability What are the liabilities this product/service may pose? What are the insurance requirements and costs? Enter text here. Related Products/Services and Spin-Offs What are the related services that will be provided, and how will they increase or enhance the profitability of the venture? What new product or service spin -offs could be developed to meet changing market needs in this industry or others? Enter text here. 10 Business Plan Production How much will be produced internally, and how much of the production will be subcontracted out? What are the costs and services involved with subcontracting? Who are the backup subcontractors; what are their costs, and who supplies the services? Enter text here. Facilities What are the plans for facilities (manufacturing, office, retail)? What are the manufacturing plans, that is, the manufacturing facility, production capacity, and future capita l-equipment needs? Enter text here. Suppliers Who are the major raw material suppliers, and what are the significant purchasing contracts with them? Are there backup suppliers? Enter text here. Environmental Factors What is the potential environmental impact of the product or service? What steps will the company take to protect the environment? What environmental agencies regulate the product or service? Enter text here. 11 Business Plan MARKETING PLAN Industry Profile Current Size What is the current size of your industry? Enter text here. Growth Potential Is this a growth, stable, or declining industry? Enter text here. Geographic Locations Is your industry located in a specific area of the country? Enter text here. Industry Trends What are the trends in the industry? What effect does technology have on the business? Enter text here. Seasonality Factors What are the special seasons in your industry? Enter text here. Profit Characteristics What are the profit characteristics for your industry? Enter text here. Distribution Channels What distribution channels currently exist to support the sale of your product or service? Enter text here. Basis of Competition What is the basis of competition for your industry? Enter text here. Competition Profile What is the profile of the competition? What is your competitive advantage? Enter text here. Customer Profile What is the profile of the intended customer? What are the reactions to the product/service from prospective customers? Enter text here. Target Market Profile What is the target market, size, and cost of market penetration? 12 Business Plan Enter text here. Pricing Profile What is the pricing structure? What are your policies on negotiating a price for large orders or on special price deals for penetrating the market? How is the pricing structure sensitive to the customer ¶s buying points? Enter text here. Gross Margin on Products/Services What is the gross margin potential? What are the industry ¶s pricing policies? Do you differ? Enter text here. Break-Even Analysis What is the break-even point for your product/service? Enter text here. Market Penetration Distribution Channels What distribution channels will be used for selling the product or service to the end user? Enter text here. Sales Representatives How will sales representatives be used as an approach for selling the product or service to the end user? Enter text here. Direct-Sales Force How will a direct-sales force be used for selling the product or service to the end user? Enter text here. Direct Mail/Telemarketing How will direct mail or telemarketing be used as an approach for selling the product/service to the end user? Enter text here. Advertising and Promotion What advertising and promotion media will be used for the distribution system and end users? Enter text here. Packaging and Labeling What kind of packaging and labeling will be used? Enter text here. Service and Warranties What warranties and guarantees will be offered? Enter text here. 13 Business Plan Trade Shows What trade shows do you plan to use to exhibit your product/service? Enter text here. Future Markets What opportunities could occur in future markets? Enter text here. 14 Business Plan OPERATING AND CONTROL SYSTEMS Administrative Policies, Procedures and Controls Receiving Orders What administrative policies, procedures, and controls will be used for receiving orders? Enter text here. Billing the Customers What administrative policies, procedures, and controls will be used for billing the customers? Enter text here. Paying the Suppliers What administrative policies, procedures, and controls will be used for paying the suppliers? Enter text here. Collecting the Accounts Receivable What administrative policies, procedures, and controls will be used for collecting the accounts receivable? Will you have a separate collection department? Use a collection agency? Use factoring?

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Native American Healing And Dance :: essays research papers

Native American Dance and Healing Native Americans in Contemporary Society: The population in the United States has increased steadily in the 20th century. In 1990 the number of Native Americans was almost two million, 8 percent of the total population. Slightly more than one third live on a reservation; about half live in urban areas. Indian reservations function as independent governments within the federal framework. Among many of the Native Americans, there are many musical styles, singing is the dominant form of musical expression, with instrumental music serving primarily as rhythmic accompaniment. Throughout the Americas the principal instruments have been drums, flutes, and whistles. The American Indian lived life in love with nature. Their wisdom showed in everything, their capacity for harmony with the environment, what they wore, what they created, what they ate and how it was prepared, in their philosophies and beliefs. Music and dance were confined to the native world or offered in tourist attractions as an illustration of a lifestyle unknown to many people. Over the past few years there has been a heightened interest in all Indian things, such as in their art. Expression in the art and dance among North American people this part of life in the form of function and ceremony as it is decoration or performance. Today the Indian Arts have been â€Å"discovered†, and a large cross section of humanity is enjoying its intrinsic excellence, vitality, originality and tradition they offer to the heart and head. Men’s Traditional Dance: They danced with exaggerated movement above the waist to simulate hunting, tracking, or fighting, but heavy grounded, flat footed loser body. This dance originated with members of warrior societies on the Great Plains. Costumes includes an eagle feather bustle and hair roach made of porcupine quills. Women’s Traditional Dance: This dance is extremely reversed in nature, simply a single or double step done in a circle. Sometimes as a up and down movement is done while standing in place. Costumes for women’s traditional dance also remains tribal specific, and sometimes with elaborate beadwork on a long buckskin or trade cloth dresses. Stomp Dances: This dance they get into nature by way of rhythm and it can make your body healthier and relieve stress. Native Americans believe then and still believe now that when the body works in harmony with nature, the natural rhythms of the body and spirit work together. It is that energy that makes one whole. In the Native stomp dances, in the habitats of the native homelands, when they get into rhythm with nature then your body becomes healthier, your mental stress is relieved and you become a whole person

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Japan Caught Between US and China :: essays research papers

Japan caught up in U.S.-China spat Japan came under criticism in the fallout of a heated exchange between the United States and China over Taiwan at the Asia Security Conference here. In fact, some participants said Japan-not China-is the country creating the most fears in Asia. The three-day conference, hosted by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, ended Sunday. A key topic of debate was a Japan-U.S. agreement reached in February on common strategic objectives-including how to deal with Taiwan. The joint statement said the objective was to "encourage the peaceful resolution of issues concerning the Taiwan Strait through dialogue." In his speech in Singapore on Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld questioned the validity of China's increased military spending when the country faced no threats, as well as its heightened deployment of ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan. Cui Tiankai, director-general of the Asian Affairs Department at China's Foreign Ministry, retorted by asking Rumsfeld if the United States felt threatened by the stronger presence of China. Rumsfeld had to diplomatically admit there was no such threat. However, in a subsequent question-and-answer session, both Rumsfeld and Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono were asked about the common strategic objective pertaining to Taiwan. Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum, which is affiliated with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, asked Rumsfeld for his interpretation of reports in many Asian nations that the common strategic objective meant Japan and the United States would act together to defend Taiwan. Rumsfeld only said that the contents of the joint statement were in the public domain. Cossa then asked Ono about the growing perception in Asia that Japan and the United States would contain China as a means of defending Taiwan. Ono simply responded that the joint statement should be read carefully. In response to questions from The Asahi Shimbun, one of the sponsors of the conference, Cossa said many nations in East Asia were concerned about Japan's defense policy. "With the issue of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine also coming into the picture, the view is emerging among Asian countries that the nation truly to be afraid of is not China, but Japan," said a Singapore-based researcher. The latest Asia Security Conference saw the first participation of a delegation of Chinese government officials.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Abraham Lincoln †Symbol of the unlimited possibilities Essay

There are few men whose characters are so extraordinary that they can be credited with saving a nation. The 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln was one such man. More than one hundred years after his assassination, ‘Honest Abe’ as he has become known, shows no signs of losing his touch. He sits enshrined in his own monument with his famous words etched in stone around him. He commands respect, honour and the everlasting thanks of the American people. More than a thousand books have been published on his life and deeds. This is the man who not only freed the slaves but who held the nation together through the terror of the Civil War. His bloody assassination has become the nightmare scenario of legend. The myths that make up the story of Abraham Lincoln have been re-told many times. At their root is the story about the boy born into the Kentucky wilderness, who had less than a year in total of formal schooling. That same boy went on to become America’s most famous President. Lincoln’s rise from a poor pioneer family who taught himself to become a lawyer is the story of the American dream. From state legislator to his nomination as Presidential candidate that dream is the stuff of legends. He has become a symbol of the unlimited possibilities of American life. To appreciate the bravery and the courage that Lincoln undoubtedly showed, it is not enough to say that he saved the Union. Neither is it enough to say that he braved his critics to bring in emancipation and to end the appalling slave trade. To fully understand Lincoln’s achievements, is to try and gain an insight into American society of that time. The republic was only a matter of a few decades old. In this melting pot of nationhood and states, political feelings ran high. Lincoln, above all, saw himself and his countrymen as inheritors of a sacred trust. He believed that democracy was entrusted into his hands an d those of his countrymen. He was prepared to stand up and fight for those beliefs. The fact is as laudable as these sentiments were, there could not possibly have been a more difficult time to try and put them into practice. The issue of slavery above all others dominated the day. It would split both politics and the country as a whole. Abraham Lincoln was not in two minds about slavery. He found it abhorrent. The fact is that many states, primarily in the North, stood against slavery. Many in the South did not. They were afraid that a Republican President effectively from the North would try and abolish slavery throughout the nation. Lincoln was elected President for his first term in 1860 at the point when a huge part of the Union, threatened to break away over the issue of slavery. The situation was for Lincoln neither a reason for secession nor Civil War. In his inaugural address he spoke about the need to find a peaceful way forwards. In spite of Lincoln’s plea, the Confederacy broke away and on March 4 1861 and the country erupted into the Civil War he had feared above all else. That scenario was a nightmare of complications and strategies that had to be won inside a cauldron of dissent. There was no road map. There were no precedents for dealing with states that had succeeded. Lincoln was at heart and by trade, a lawyer. He was not a soldier. However he did not flinch from his duty, or from the task in front of him. Where lesser men might have lost heart, Lincoln began the long struggle towards unity and reunification. When he judged that the time was right, he announced the abolition of the slave trade, issuing the emancipation proclamation on January 1st 1863. The war took a heavy toll. Lincoln mourned the tragedy of lives lost on the battlefield. His speech after the battle of Gettysburg on November 19th 1863 is one of the most moving and famous of all elegies for fallen soldiers. In spite of high casualties and falling morale, when Atlanta finally fell to the Union, Lincoln was re-elected for a second term. Lincoln’s second inaugural address is according to some, one of the greatest of all his speeches. In it, he looks forwards not only to the coming end of the war but also towards the future. His plea should never be forgotten, ‘Malice towards none: Charity towards all’. Part of Abraham Lincoln’s legacy is the fact that he was very much a human figure. We know many details of his life including that of his courtship and quiet marriage to Mary Todd. Theirs was tender and loving relationship scarred by loss and tragedy. Of the four sons born to them, only one grew into adulthood. The quiet and loving home life the president enjoyed was in stark contrast to the violence and hatred that was tearing the nation apart. After the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomatox on April 9 1865, a weary nation waited to see what Lincoln’s res ponse would be. An expectant crowd gathered outside the White House. Lincoln addressed them for the last time. In his speech he tackled the thorny issues of reuniting a country split by war. In that same speech he talked about the rights of freed slaves. He now talked openly about black suffrage. Listening in that crowd was one John Wilkes Booth, a racist and a Confederate who vowed that this would be Lincoln’s last speech. Indeed it was. Booth assassinated the President on April 14th 1865. Mary his wife was sitting beside her husband as they watched a play. She was holding his hand as he was shot. She never recovered fully from his death. It was a death that Lincoln himself had reportedly foreseen in a dream some three days earlier. The assassination of Lincoln stunned the nation. His body was mourned for three weeks at it was toured through the cities of the North. Public grief was immense for perhaps the most extraordinary figure in political history. Today the image of the gaunt tall and severe man is as familiar to us as our own father’s. Indeed to many, Abraham is the Father figure of America. We can only hope, like so many before us that we too can live up to the vision and the dreams that he left for us. Behind his statue lie the famous words of the Gettysburg address, in which the president extolled, That this nation, under God shall have a new birth of freedom – and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people shall never perish from the earth.’ They are words that are as relevant to us today as the day on which they were first spoken. How ironic then that in the same speech the President said that the words spoken there would not long be remembered. Fortunately, for every US citizen, he was wrong! His words, his deeds and his hopes, like those of any father, are his legacy to all his children. Sources used in this speech and related information Abraham Lincoln Birthplace http://lincoln.hodgenville.net/lincoln/ Abraham Lincoln On-line http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/last.htm CV for Abraham Lincoln http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~sldavis/firstsite/index.htm

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Critical Path Analysis: Its Use and Limitations Essay

Introduction As firms begin to realize the need to improve on their project management capabilities, many companies and software developers have charged to fill this need by offering tools and techniques for a variety of projects. Some are tools for portfolio management, and some focus on particular disciplines within the project management field. Tools for resource planning, task and time management, communications management, resource allocation, or other project needs abound. Being a mature academic and practical course, Project Management has developed many tools and methodologies to assist in the planning, execution, evaluation and closeout of various types of projects. Varied tools can be used throughout many categories of project needs, while some tools are specific to certain types of projects. Some of the benefits of using project management tools and techniques as opposed to general management procedures, as mentioned in this week’s lecture, are that they have been proven to work particularly in a project environment and the uniformity of terms and approaches allows for better understanding and communication between members of the project team and the stakeholders. Tools such as Decision Trees, Cost-Benefit Analysis and programs such as Agile and Prince2 have proven to be particularly useful in producing best practice and expert results for projects that have employed them. CPA Utility and Limitations Critical Path Method (CPM) or Critical Path Analysis (CPA), as a project management tool, operates as the basis for a project work schedule, and likewise of resource planning illustrating shortest possible time to complete a project. The tool outlines critical events noting their sequencing, precedence relations, and strict timing requirements (Shtub, Bard and Globerson, 2005:395). The authors further note that PERT and CPA approaches treat ‘Finish to Start’ precedence relations using ‘zero’ as lag time between finish of last activity to start of next task along the critical path. The CPA map shows what activities cannot begin without accomplishing the preceding task, it is dependent on and also defines parallel tasks or ‘non-dependent’ tasks which can be performed simultaneously. By plotting activities using circles to represent activities noting earliest start (EST) and end times (LFT), and arrows showing sequencing of tasks, CPA clearly defines the flow of tasks, timings and therefore resources that must be allocated to accomplish activities and timelines. CPA has similarities to a GANTT chart as both tools show tasks that need to be done and the corresponding time to accomplish each. However, unlike a GANTT chart, CPA activity timings are not drawn to scale in that arrows represented with the same length may correspond to differing measures of time (e. g. same size arrows may represent 1, 2 or 4 weeks). A GANTT chart will have the tasks on a vertical axis while the time required for each task is easily identified along its horizontal axis. For both GANTT and CPA, the plan’s ‘critical path’ is the longest and has no spare time or ‘slack’/’float’ in any of the tasks. If any delays between dependent tasks in the critical path are encountered, the whole project will be delayed unless the manager makes changes to bring the plan back on track. Bringing a project back on track may be done by possibly adding resources to cut delivery time of tasks (‘crashing’) affected by the delay. Obviously, adding or re-allocating resources usually mean additional costs to the project. A sample for a 10-week computer project using a CPA map is as below. Upper left numbers within nodes represent the EST and lower left numbers on nodes represent LFT. Number on the right is the activity number and task description and duration is along the arrow lines: Source: www. mindtools. com In managing a project, a CPA map allows the project team to monitor attainment of goals and assists the project manager to see where corrective action is required to get the project back on course. Shtub, Bard and Globerson (2005:381) reiterate preparation and use of the tool requires a complete understanding of the project’s goals and structures. As most projects will have a number of stakeholders with different requirements, it must be assumed that a thorough knowledge and understanding of all these requirements are known and considered by the project manager in order to utilize a CPA approach. Moreover, considerable expertise is required in order to estimate the duration of each project task as performance and resource allocation are dependent on the accuracy of the ame. While CPA is recognized as an important part of project management, projects which may not benefit from use of this tool are those where there is a requirement for high flexibility in project tasks and schedules. ‘Project Flexibility’ is described by Maylor, (2010:86) as the capability of a project to adjust to changes. As CPA assumes that activity times are ‘deterministic’ – having a predictable outcome as all of its causes are clear and rigid, it is unlikely that the CPA tool can easily take in many adjustments during the execution stage without jeopardizing the project. Since only parallel tasks are afforded time slack within the plan, a project may experience detrimental delays and spiralling costs should situations arise where the schedules are not met, or resources cannot be re-allocated to a later or earlier timeline. In particular, R&D projects, where results of new technology or a new drug cannot be easily predicted, or may need further testing and numerous changes, may suffer from a very rigid CPA map. Moreover, project work on innovations will not have the benefit of historical basis for correctly estimating time requirements of many tasks involved which is ssential in using the CPA. The United States Food and Drug Administration (2004) comments, â€Å"A new product development toolkit — containing powerful new scientific and technical methods such as animal or computer-based predictive models, biomarkers for safety and effectiveness, and new clinical evaluation techniques — is urgently needed to improve predictability and efficiency along the critical path from laboratory concept to commercial product†. This lack of knowledge and systems in drug research and development negatively affects the proper implementation of a CPA as a project management tool. Conversely, Construction industry projects benefit widely from the use of CPA maps as there is a considerable body of knowledge, experience, and repetition in many of the tasks performed in such projects. Another weakness in the utilisation of the CPA tool highlighted by Woolf (2008) is the observation that there is as yet no â€Å"universally accepted definition of the term ‘critical path’†. He argues that this lack of consensus poses a problem in determining what is critical, nearcritical, or non-critical in nature when preparing a CPA map. Since parallel tasks falling outside of the critical path can still have grave effects on the total project should they fall behind in schedule, Woolf argues there is nothing ‘non-critical’ about a parallel activity which has -17weeks as float. It is suggested ‘criticality’ must be measurable and objective, free from comparisons which will make it subjective. Moreover, as a completed project is one unit, it is contended all tasks within the project are important/critical and contributes to its completion. This agreement in understanding and measure of terms is an important issue as one of the advantages of utilising tools and methods is its universality of understanding. In the case of R&D and highly innovative tasks in projects, this question poses an issue as unknown tasks at the start of the project which may arise and have significant implications on the project would not have been accounted for in the ‘critical path’. Shtub, Bard and Globerson (2005:382) cite overdependence on the CPA as a potential threat to project success. When pressure in sequential schedules is the primary focus, a team may cut short or totally exclude certain tasks in order to stay within timelines. This negative manner of management can be harmful to the project’s final outcome. This last observation though is not a weakness of the tool itself but is a case of weak project management. Conclusion and Recommendation: As with any tool, the user’s skill is key to its effective employment and management. CPA has been proven to be a valuable tool in project management for determining: Activities which must be performed, sequencing, prioritising, and timing Tasks which can be performed parallel to save time. The shortest time a project can be successfully delivered What and when resource will be required Remedial measures will be required and when during the performance of the project. As such, it is an integral part of the project management toolbox which can be harnessed efficiently in a variety of complex projects with proper inputs derived from experience, research, modelling and sound judgement.