Russell,Andrea Observation paper 1 1 Andrea Russell Field Observation paper 1 SOC1213 American Public University The Social setting I have chosen is my place of work the Brew Supply Store. On my day off last week I came in and sat down in an area where I knew I would not be bothered and made sure to wear clothes that would allow me to blend in. This way no one would ask me work questions in case I ran into someone I knew, like a regular customer. The Brew Supply store is on Main Street, in a small town called Enterprise. The brick building it is in dates back to the 1930’s. When you walk into the store you are going to immediately smell this earthy wood smell and then it kind of goes more robust. Inside the store has a rustic almost industrial look. The ceiling is open and you can see fixtures, the fans and immediate lighting fixtures. Since the ceilings look so high the building looks really big. The lights are a brass color with candle looking bulbs. A long the ceiling there are two bicycles that are double riders painted in a rustic green color. Decorated with fun stickers some with peace signs, and beer labels, and some politically geared. I remember coming in the first time and thinking to myself, am I really still in Alabama? Honestly, the ambiance inside the room transported you to a much more industrial part of the country. Because the city we are in is the picture perfect small town United States city. Smack dab in the middle of all the rural feel there is a piece of property that is a little different than the typical buildings. Around the initial room you can see a million different kind of gadgets that all have to do with brewing. It is honestly a little overwhelming at first. Alongside all of this there are grains for making beer this is where the robust smell comes into play. There are many different kinds of malts and oats. Some are dark and smoky flavored, these are our chocolate malts. Others smells are lighter like wheat oats. These are kept in special buckets that have been carefully mounted onto a stand made just for them. The wine section is full of different kinds of kits, with cans full of fruits juices, and extracts. Local canned produce harvested in mason jars made specifically for brewing gives the room a huge burst of color. Recycling is a huge message the store wants to address, here we will find “the donate” a wine bottle rack. It is a huge piece of art that has been constructed to hold many wine bottles. Every beverage has its own huge amount of gadgets so it is a huge assortment of different things. On the walls there is local art from many different kinds of people. Fort Rucker is the local military installation the city of Enterprise exists mainly because of it. Famous for being the aviation school of the Army. Many of the groups that come into the shop are pilots here for helicopter school the owner of the store is a retired Pilot, a long side his wife and a few employees they run th.

1. Russell,Andrea Observation paper 1 1
Andrea Russell
Field Observation paper 1
SOC1213
American Public University
The Social setting I have chosen is my place of work the Brew
Supply Store. On my day off last week I came in and sat down
in an area where I knew I would not be bothered and made sure
to wear clothes that would allow me to blend in. This way no
one would ask me work questions in case I ran into someone I
knew, like a regular customer.
The Brew Supply store is on Main Street, in a small town called
Enterprise. The brick building it is in dates back to the 1930’s.
When you walk into the store you are going to immediately
smell this earthy wood smell and then it kind of goes more
robust. Inside the store has a rustic almost industrial look. The

2. ceiling is open and you can see fixtures, the fans and immediate
lighting fixtures. Since the ceilings look so high the building
looks really big. The lights are a brass color with candle
looking bulbs. A long the ceiling there are two bicycles that are
double riders painted in a rustic green color. Decorated with fun
stickers some with peace signs, and beer labels, and some
politically geared.
I remember coming in the first time and thinking to myself, am
I really still in Alabama? Honestly, the ambiance inside the
room transported you to a much more industrial part of the
country. Because the city we are in is the picture perfect small
town United States city. Smack dab in the middle of all the rural
feel there is a piece of property that is a little different than the
typical buildings. Around the initial room you can see a million
different kind of gadgets that all have to do with brewing. It is
honestly a little overwhelming at first. Alongside all of this
there are grains for making beer this is where the robust smell
comes into play. There are many different kinds of malts and
oats. Some are dark and smoky flavored, these are our chocolate
malts. Others smells are lighter like wheat oats. These are kept
in special buckets that have been carefully mounted onto a stand
made just for them.
The wine section is full of different kinds of kits, with cans full
of fruits juices, and extracts. Local canned produce harvested in
mason jars made specifically for brewing gives the room a huge
burst of color. Recycling is a huge message the store wants to
address, here we will find “the donate” a wine bottle rack. It is
a huge piece of art that has been constructed to hold many wine
bottles. Every beverage has its own huge amount of gadgets so
it is a huge assortment of different things.
On the walls there is local art from many different kinds of
people. Fort Rucker is the local military installation the city of
Enterprise exists mainly because of it. Famous for being the

3. aviation school of the Army. Many of the groups that come into
the shop are pilots here for helicopter school the owner of the
store is a retired Pilot, a long side his wife and a few employees
they run the store. The art represents a great military theme but
there is art of every kind hanging on the walls. The copper brick
interior gives the whole area a very bohemian feel.
The best time to people watch is in the late afternoon once
every one is getting off work. A lot of the single girls love
working this shift. They are usually in their early twenties,
eager to learn, and often physically attractive as an initial
impression. Usually these shifts are full of young pilots coming
in to do an ice breaker event or simply learning to brew
something as a hobby during their stay here. The rotations last
around two years. So often, new faces are always coming in.
These guys and gals are commonly stereotyped as the kind of
American who is the alpha, the leader type of categorization.
Their social category is high up. By being an excellent
specimen of human for lack of better words. Physically fit, and
often college educated. Add being a member to a discrete group,
like the Army which is a social institution. Their behavior and
demeanor will automatically let you know if they are part of it
even without the obvious which is, that most of the male
population shares the same haircut, use the same kind of
language, and often share similar styles in dress when not
wearing their uniform. It is an exciting opportunity to meet
worldly people in a not so worldly place.
Earlier in the hour there was a young married couple in the
store, the young wife seems to still be staring at her husband as
if he were the last man on earth, or better yet the only man on
earth. A shiny diamond on her left hand glared with the lighting
of the store. She was probably in her mid-twenties. Her dress
suggested she must have been raised somewhere in the mid-
west. She had long brown honey hair and wore jean shorts that
looked like they could be from Abercrombie and Fitch. With a

4. pinch of boho vibe her purse was a bright colored over the
shoulder bag that had squares of indigenous patterns. Her
husband has the typical glare of a budding pilot. A nice crew
cut, a polo shirt, usually a polo or Izod brand. Khaki shorts, and
boat shoes to follow. His hair was a dusty blonde and he
sounded like one of those people who could talk for hours and
you could get over his cocky ego because he has that Mr.
Interesting attitude just oozing from him. This was the kind of
guy the single employees hoped to find.
However later in the hour something interesting occurred; a part
from the young crowd that is reserved for later in the day our
Thursday rush of regulars seem to have come in much later than
they normally do. This was my early afternoon scene. Usually
older men who are often prior military, they too share their own
unique commonalities. These men are often in their mid-fifties
to seventies. They work on the military installation as
contractors. Our Social perception of these men is one of hard
working. Their hands show signs of years of manual labor. Less
attractive for the younger girls. It is often a struggle for the
girls to keep up with the subtyping. This crowd is rough on
them. Women in brewing is still a new thing. It is hard to be
taken seriously. You can often catch these guys ignoring these
employees almost completely until it comes to check out time.
It is most certainly a difficult atmosphere to maneuver. The
intimidation is there.
Today, one of these employees decided that she was going to
jump in. I sat here with my head staring like a dear in the head
lights hiding in the back. I could hear and see what was going
on but for all intents and purposes I was supposed to be
invisible. There would be no rescuing here. The older gentlemen
in a worn bright orange and green work vest cocked his head
somewhat. His thick southern accent, as I have come to learn
throughout my time in the south is a Georgian accent. In a
condemning tone started his sentence with the word “missy”;

5. yet without a missed beat she continued the conversation and
broke the ice by then saying “my name isn’t missy it’s Jeane”. I
realized here that trait centrality has taken place. By kind of
brushing off the blatant sexism here the first impression she’s
given has made an abrasive impact. Sadly, it is a tactic used
often because, women especially young pretty women are still
something odd in this particular group. They have an
established set of rules. Their influence is felt in the
community. Acceptance into the old boys club is not always
open.
This building buzzes between two age groups the young and the
old. As well as, it constantly takes on stratification within
society. By challenging gender roles in a place where some
roles are expected. Class structure plays an immense role as
well. In most places throughout the country brewing is seen as
an elitist hobby. Yet in the good ole’ American south it is seen
as the poor man’s pass time. We time warp daily between
generations.
My hour is drawing to a close, but during this time an immense
amount of interaction went down. The big question here is one
of theoretical perspectives. Why? Why do these customers act
the way they do. The melting pot of a military town is always
one that is unique to observe. There is so much going on, with
people from absolutely every corner of the globe. The diversity
felt is all over. Here we observer prejudice, and sexism, along
with the ability to see how established norms and barriers are
broken. Even in the middle of Alabama can we observe the
study of human behavior at its most prime.

6. References:
DeLamater, J. D., Collett, J. L., & Myers, D. J. (2014). Social
Psychology. New York: Routledge.
MBA 6951, Managing Complex Projects 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Examine the roles and responsibilities of a project manager.
1.1 Analyze the topic of project management through the eyes
of a project manager and a
company.
2. Analyze the elements of measures of performance in the
context of the triple constraints.
2.1 Explain how constraints within the business could lead to
performance issues with respect to
successful implementation of project management concepts.
3. Determine the scope of a project.
3.1 Describe how a project is completed within a business
setting using project management
concepts.

7. Course/Unit
Learning Outcomes
Learning Activity
1.1
Unit Lesson
Chapter 1: Overview
Unit I Article Review
2.1
Unit Lesson
Chapter 1: Overview
Unit I Article Review
3.1
Unit Lesson
Chapter 1: Overview
Unit I Article Review
Reading Assignment
Chapter 1: Overview
Unit Lesson
Project management is clearly a skill that can be implemented
in not only every phase of business
development, but also within every functional area within the
business. As a family unit, you probably exercise
some level of project management skills within your family

8. structure, ensuring that activities are achieved and
family goals are met. Examples of family project management
projects could include planning a wedding,
converting a basement to a family room, hosting a dinner for 25
relatives, or holding a class reunion. All of
these events need organization, communication, and a plan by
which to successfully orchestrate the event.
The benefits of implementing project management techniques
are significant as the project is completed with
a high level of quality in the appropriate timeframe with a
predetermined budget. From a familial sense, this
leads to great satisfaction in achieving the family goal. In a
business setting, this will lead to happy customers
that could provide repeat business and additional referrals. The
underlying premise of project management is
productivity and efficiency in methods leading to subsequent
cost savings through time and dollars.
Beginning with the basics, Kerzner (2017) defines a project as
any series of activities and tasks having a
specific objective that creates value for the business within a
specified period. As there is never an unlimited
amount of available dollars, these projects will typically have
budgetary restraints as they consume resources.
Taking this a step further, Kerzner (2017) suggests that project
management applies knowledge, skills, and
tools in order to achieve the project’s requirements. These are
grouped into five process groups, including
UNIT I STUDY GUIDE
Introduction to Project Management

9. MBA 6951, Managing Complex Projects 2
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
project initiation, project planning, project execution, project
monitoring/control, and finally project closure.
Through this process, there are typically identified deliverables
or outputs that are measurable and tangible.
This might include hardware, software, and/or interim
deliverables. In determining the measurement tool, the
stakeholders must be considered. These could include
organizational stakeholders such as executive officers,
line managers, employees, and unions. It might also include
product/market stakeholders such as customers,
suppliers, local committees, governments, and/or the public.
Finally, the stakeholder group might include
capital market stakeholders such as shareholders, creditors, and
banks. While each of these stakeholders do
not necessarily have an equal level of influence, each may exert
some level of direction with respect to the
scope of the project.
Through this process, a project manager must balance a
significant amount of constraints as he or she works
toward project completion. These constraints manifest through
the processes of measurement, control, and
evaluation. Kerzner (2017) defines seven parameters that are
tied to identifying the project as being
successful:

10. As a project manager navigates through the project toward
achieving these parameters, considerable
tradeoffs are usually identified because several of these
parameters provide competing constraints. For
instance, budgetary parameters may trump hiring certain
suppliers that will add a higher quality to the project.
Another is that the project may be designed and directed,
necessitating significant organizational change that
could disrupt the corporate culture.
Another area of concern is that of the overall resistance to
change. It is human nature to resist change as
people and businesses become comfortable and content with
consistency. Within the scope of a business,
the sales team may resist project management change with the
perception that the project management
group may take credit for corporate profits, which could reduce
year-end bonuses for the sales group. The
finance and accounting team might resist project management
change because the results may produce
additional work in the accounting system. If change is the
objective, the rationale for the change must be
communicated to the individuals within the organization. The
net benefit of the changes on the overall
operation of the organization, and ultimately, on each individual
within the organization must be presented.
Additionally, upper management must be supportive of the
changes and communicate its support and
dedication to the changes.
The project also takes on somewhat of a life of its own as it
progresses through the four phases of its life
cycle. Each one of these phases requires a certain amount of
time and resources to complete that phase. The

11. interactive slide below demonstrates these phases.
The seven parameters for project success
MBA 6951, Managing Complex Projects 3
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Click here to access the interactive slide.
Click here to access the interactive slide transcript.
Understanding these phases will enable project managers to sort
through and organize the project
management process. Gido, Clements, and Baker (2018) define
project management as the planning,
coordinating, leading, and controlling of resources to
accomplish the overall project objective. The idea is to
establish the plan and communicate that plan to all
stakeholders. Once all stakeholders have signed off on
the project, execution and measurement/evaluation finish the
project management process.
Look at the video below, which presents a solid overview of
terms that the project management field regularly
uses. Click the link below to view the video.
Project Management Videos. (2012, April 25). Top 10 terms
project managers use [Video file]. Retrieved from

12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c8xP1gRIWs
Click here to access the video transcript.
The video provides a good overview of project management
from a holistic standpoint. One of the references
in the video is that of the Project Management Institute (PMI).
This is a premier worldwide association for
practitioners in the project management discipline. With
approximately 500,000 members in more than 200
countries, this organization provides significant insight and
networking opportunities in this field. Additionally,
there is a highly acclaimed PMI certification program, which
allows project managers the ability to earn
additional credentials within their field.
Within the context of the project management process, the
organizational workflow must be established. The
idea of a workflow is to maximize communication to create
efficiencies for everyone on the team. Authority,
responsibility, and accountability of each individual is key to
understanding how to develop these efficiencies.
Look at how these relate to each other on the interactive slide
below.
Click here to access the interactive slide.
Click here to access the interactive slide transcript.
Each of these efficiencies must be clearly understood by each
member of the team!
The staffing of the project management team will only be
successful if everyone on the team is passionate
about the goals and objectives of the project and dedicated to
the completion of the project. The team leader

13. is better prepared to lead and motivate the team if he or she has
the skills listed in the chart below.
Team Members Description
Team builder Ability to rally the troops and provide an
atmosphere that is conducive to
teamwork
Solid leader Ability to lead the team with clear direction,
problem-solving assistance,
and effective communication
Conflict solver Ability to handle both interpersonal and
organizational conflict that may
arise
Technical expertise Has educational and practical experience
demonstrating technological,
product, and/or engineering expertise.
Planner Ability to think forward with a methodical approach
Organizer Has an understanding of the organization and how to
accomplish things
within the organization
Entrepreneurial Ability to manifest the entrepreneurial mindset
when implementing the
project
Administrative Ability to handle administrative tasks such as
staffing, scheduling, and other
administrative functions

14. Management support Ability to build support with upper
management
At the end of the day, selection of the right project manager is a
key component to the successful completion
of the project.
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-
77177341_1
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-
77175390_1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c8xP1gRIWs
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-
77175394_1
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-
77177345_1
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-
77175392_1
MBA 6951, Managing Complex Projects 4
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Global project management is another important aspect of
project management. This suggests incorporating
a project with an international perspective. While many of the
basic concepts of project management are
similar, there are several additional challenges associated when

15. dealing with team members in other
countries. These could include language barriers, time-zone
constraints, differences in risk aversion, cost
control with different currencies, work ethic differences, and
simple cultural differences. The important thing is
to look at these challenges as opportunities that will enhance
the overall scope of the project.
Multicultural teams can actually enhance the innovativeness of
the project. Including diverse opinions in
brainstorming sessions will increase the possibilities. Team
members from different countries can provide
unique and more accurate perspectives on the social, economic,
political/legal, and technological
environments within each of their countries. Their knowledge of
the culture and the suppliers and customers
within each of those countries will be much more developed
than those in other countries. Some projects can
even benefit from working around the clock with different time
zones. Certainly, the widespread use of the
Internet has increased the amount of global teams.
Communication barriers are relaxed when using the
Internet and other technologies. These advancements in
technology help facilitate cross-cultural collaboration
and instill trust through strong communication.
References
Gido, J., Clements, J., & Baker, R. (2018). Successful project
management (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.
Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management: A systems approach to
planning, scheduling, and controlling (12th

16. ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Suggested Reading
The chapter below, although not required, provides a refresher
on some concepts that you may already be
familiar with such as resistance, change, and project life cycles.
Chapter 2: Project Management Growth: Concepts and
Definitions
The following chapter provides explanations on different
organizational structures.
Chapter 3: Organizational Structures
The chapter below provides tips for selecting the best project
manager and staff.
Chapter 4: Organization and Staffing the Project Office and
Team