Module 3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Module 3 - Assignment Example The last part of the paper will try to compare and contrast Tesco’s approach to inclusion and diversity with the key conclusions drawn by Bendick, Egan, & Lanier (2011) in their study. In the above mentioned study, Bendick, Egan, and Lanier (2011) mainly focus on investigating the claim that that employee diversity equips businesses to deal with diverse customers. Basically, Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 granted broad, enforceable rights to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, religion, sex or national origin in a bid to end workplace discrimination. This move heralded the new dispensation in the practice of human resources management called diversity. Whilst all workplace inequities have not been completely removed, major strides have been made in this particular section to address issues related to employment discrimination on the basis of race, colour, creed and belief. Thus, the authors of the above mentioned research argue that empl oyers should provide equal employment opportunity in a bid to create a â€Å"business case for diversity.† The authors argue that workforce diversity can advance business objectives that are mainly related to issues of productivity and profitability in the organization. Which are basic tenets of any business. This brings us to the claim by the authors that employee diversity equips businesses to deal with diverse customers. According to the study, a diverse workforce offers access to a broader pool of potential employees, enables the organization to relate to diverse customers and it helps in creating a more productive work force. The authors make some of the key conclusions in their study and some of them are discussed below. They suggest that inclusion is the basic tenet that can lead to success of workplace diversity. This entails that the needs and interests of the employees are taken into account in as far as the operations of the organization is concerned. This helps to create share and mutual understanding among all the stakeholders involved in the operations of a particular organization. This can also significantly help to appeal to the interests of many customers who may be attracted to buy the products offered by the organization. The other key conclusion made by the authors of the above mentioned study posits to the effect that many companies often hire employees from different backgrounds due to the fact that they represent the tastes, sensibilities and interests of a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds. This is very important since it helps to attract sales from the operations of the organization which in turn translates into profitability. However, contrary to the key findings of a study by Syed & Kramar (2010) entitled ‘What is the Australian model for managing cultural diversity?’ it can be observed that the â€Å"legal framework in Australia places only limited obligations on organisations to manage cultural dive rsity.† As such, many organizations often lag behind in as far as diversity and inclusivity in the operations of the organization are concerned. According to this study, it can be observed that unless cultural diversity is tackled at multiple levels, managing diversity in the workplace may prove unrealistic unless concerted efforts are put by the government and organizations that specialise in different

Efficient Pricing of Geomarketing Internet Services Essay Example for Free

Efficient Pricing of Geomarketing Internet Services Essay Abstract Geomarketing information is information which enables the user to take better and faster decisions about marketing and sales activities. The main source of information are geographic, demographic, and statistic data. These data are usually collected and maintained by several institutions and come in a variety of forms and formats. The final integrators acquire datasets, sort, filter and organize them, and offer in advance defined analyses. In this paper we focus on geomarketing services offered on the Internet where usually no physical good is exchanged. The subject of trade is geomarketing information the user is able to extract from the datasets. The main issue is how to set a Pareto efficient price for geomarketing information. The situation is Pareto efficient when the sum of user’s and service provider’s surplus is maximized. We investigate nonlinear pricing strategies and their efficiency to serve mass markets and attract users with different willingness to pay. Nonlinear pricing is used in a broader sense to include the practice of selling the same information product on various vertical markets at prices that are not in proportion to the differences in marginal cost. The market research for the GISMO project (Krek et al. 2000) showed that the US market differs substantially from the European. It has characteristics of a commodity market, where providers offer very similar or equal products at similar prices. This is feasible only if the prices for raw datasets, which represent the main barrier to enter the market, are low or zero. Competition among service providers drives prices down and enables them to successfully serve a mass market. The European approach is mostly determined by the high prices of datasets and restrictions on the copyright forced by the National Mapping Agencies. This prevents further production and creation of information products and serves only a narrow group of users with high willingness to pay. We list the most i mportant conditions for Pareto efficient nonlinear pricing of geoinformation services. 1 Introduction Price is a very important element of trade. It can only be discussed in relation to what is offered, how much value the potential user attaches to the product and how much he is willing to pay for it. A geomarketing service in this paper serves as an example for a geoinformation service in general where a Geoinformation product is traded. A Geoinformation product is defined as a specific piece of geoinformation which provides an answer to a particular user’s question. The provider of a geoinformation service has to select the medium of delivery and the price for the service. We concentrate on geomarketing services provided online through the Internet. The service is mostly done automatically, and not by a human. Usually no physical good is exchanged. Gathering information about the product, placing the order, and payment is done over electronic network. In the sections 5 and 6 we analyze different pricing strategies for geographic information and their Pareto efficiency. The s ituation is called to be Pareto efficient when the user’s and service provider’s surplus is maximized. We review marginal cost and nonlinear pricing and explain in which cases they conform to the Pareto efficiency. Setting a price equal to marginal cost is not economically viable since such a price does not cover fixed cost. Some examples of nonlinear pricing, such as quantity discounts, term-volume commitments, and list of price options satisfy the Pareto efficiency requirement if certain conditions are satisfied. We conclude with the list of the most important conditions for the Pareto efficient pricing of geomarketing service. They can be applied to geoinformation services in general. 2 Geomarketing Services A geomarketing service is a service of providing geomarketing information to the user. Geomarketing information is information which enables the user to take better and faster decisions about marketing and sales activities. This information can be delivered to the user in a different form, format and through different media. Geomarketing information is gathered from internal company’s data, which are combined with external demographic, statistic and geographic data. A geoinformation that satisfies a particular information need in a specific decision making situation is called a Geoinformation product. 2.1 Geomarketing Data Geomarketing data consists of internal company’s data and external data. Internal data (the rate of sale, current customers profiles, etc.) is collected and maintained by the company itself. External data comes in a variety of formats and forms, as a collection of numbers, reports, maps, etc., and is gathered by different institutions. Demographic and statistic data is collected and maintained by Statistical Offices and aggregated to a certain extent. Geographic data is provided in Europe mostly by National Mapping Agencies, in USA by the US Geological Survey (USGS). Because of this broad variety of data, their structure, content and formats, they cannot be easily integrated and are not straightforward usable by a non-technical user. 2.2. Geomarketing Information: a Product The source of geomarketing information is geomarketing data. Specialized companies collect the data from different sources, combine them, sort and filter them. For example, the statistical and demographic data have spatial dimension, which is usually given by the street name and house number. This data has to be geocoded in order to link the attributes (purchasing power, age, educational structure, etc.) with geographic data. The providers identify dimensions of data that are valuable for a certain group of users, package them and offer them as a Geoinformation product. A Geoinformation product is a specific piece of geoinformation which provides an answer to a particular user’s question. The answer to the question can come in many different forms; as a selected dataset, combination of datasets, a report, a map, etc. To make the geomarketing service feasible, some in advance designed steps and analyses are offered to the user. The most common are customer profile, site selection, and market penetration. 3 Internet as a Medium of Delivery The Internet changes the way transactions are done. User and seller can enter an electronic relationship without personal contact. The buyer can place an order any time (from the seat at home, late in the evening) and can take as much time as he wants or needs to take the decision about the purchase. Searching for the right product over e-network, he can get comparable information about similar products from other companies, their characteristics and prices. Cooperation with potential and current users of geoinformation services is important. In the Internet world, the gap between service-consumers and services-providers blurs. â€Å"Consumers become involved in the actual production process, their ideas, knowledge, information become part of the product specification process† (Tapscott 1996). In a geomarketing service, usually no physical good is exchanged. The user gets o the result of nly the analysis, the answer to his question. Even more advanced geomarketing services offer the possibility of uploading the data of the user on the provider’s server and combining these data with the collection of the data on the server. A service offered via Internet involves less administration, paper work, and less human resources, which reduces transaction costs. Direct connection to the computer accounting system can provide systematic and efficient registration of the transactions. Security and protection mechanisms enable the service provider to follow and control transactions. Selecting a proper pricing policy in order to attract widespread use of the service is of great importance. In the next sections, we review marginal cost and nonlinear pricing, and analyze their Pareto efficiency. 4 Pareto Efficiency The situation is Pareto efficient if there is no way to make both the user and the service provider better off. The sum of the user’s and provider’s surplus is maximized. It can be a understood lso as maximizing the difference between economic benefits and costs which appear on the user’s as well as on the provider’s side. The economic benefits are the benefits of using the product on the product has to him with his willingness to pay for the marginal unit of the product. If he expects high benefits, he will be willing to pay a high price for the product. Cost incurred on the provider side is mostly high fixed cost of designing and creating the Geoinformation product and enabling the service, and low marginal cost of providing an incremental unit of the product. The user’s cost is the price he pays for the product, the transaction cost and the cost associated with acquiring the information about the product. 5 Marginal Cost Pricing and Pareto Efficiency Marginal cost pricing is pricing where the price equals the marginal cost. The cost of an economic good is an important determinant of how much the producer will be willing to produce. The concept of â€Å"marginal† or â€Å"extra† cost is crucial for the situation on the market of economic goods. It has an important role in appraising how efficient or inefficient any particular price and production pattern is (Samuelson 1967). This observation is valuable for the standard economic good where the total cost of producing the product depends on the quantity produced. The cost structure a Geoinformation product substantially differs from the cost structure of the standard economic good. The total cost of producing the product is mostly a high fixed cost of collecting the data and designing the product, and is not recoverable if the production is halted (sunk cost). The marginal cost of producing t e second and each additional copy of the product is h very low or zero, mostly the cost of disseminating the product. The share of the marginal cost in the total cost of production is negligible. Marginal cost pricing of a Geoinformation product would according to the marginal cost pricing scheme imply very low or zero price. â€Å"Pricing at marginal cost may or may not be efficient: it depends on how the consumers’ total willingness to pay relates to the total cost of providing the good† (Varian 1999). At the first stage of the production, the datasets have low value to most users and they have low willingness to pay for them. The high cost of producing the datasets cannot be recovered. M arginal cost pricing does not imply efficiency because it does not cover the total costs of producing a Geoinformation product. 6 Nonlinear Pricing and Pareto Efficiency Pricing is nonlinear when it is not strictly proportional to the quantity purchas ed. Different prices are charged to different groups of buyers or the same product. Nonlinear pricing is also used in a f broader sense to include the practice of selling the same product on different markets at prices that are not in proportion to the differences in marginal cost. Good examples are phone rates, frequent flyer programs, and electricity (Wilson 1993). The first notion about charging different users differently for the same product was called price discrimination (Pigou 1920) and distinguished among three different forms of discrimination. 6.1 Price Discrimination Pigou (Pigou 1920) first used the term price discrimination and he described the following forms of nonlinear pricing: †¢ First-degree price discrimination The first-degree price discrimination is sometimes known as perfect price discrimination. The producer sells different units of output at different prices and these prices may differ from buyer to buyer. The buyer pays the maximum price that he is willing to pay, irrespective of the cost of production and supply. Usually it is difficult to determine what is the maximum price someone is willing to pay for the product. †¢ Second-degree price discrimination The producer sells different units of output at different prices, but every individual who buys t e h same amount of the good pays the same price. Second-degree price discrimination is much more common in practice. Good examples of this discrimination are volume discounts and coupons. †¢ Third-degree price discrimination The producer sells the output to different people at different prices, but every unit of output sold to a given person sells at the same price. Customers are divided into more groups, which have different demand curves and different price elasticity. The highest price is charged to the groups with the lowest elasticity. Examples of this discrimination are student discounts. 6.2 Two-part Tariff Two-part tariff is an example of a nonlinear pricing and consists of two parts. The first part of the tariff usually comes in the form of a membership, an annual or monthly license and is supposed to cover fixed cost. The second part of the tariff is related to the usage (number of reports transferred, number of bits, layers, etc.) and covers the incremental cost. This pricing scheme is often used in telecommunication. Users are charged for the connection to the network and additionally for the usage. Two-part tariff pricing scheme can be very naturally applied to a geomarketing service. The first part of the tariff represents a membership fee, an annual or monthly licence for access to the data, reports and maps; the second part is a n additional fee usually based on the volume transferred. Price P for a geoinformation service is then P = p0 + p v.q where p0 pv q fixed fee (annual, monthly, membership, etc.) price set for a volume transferred quantity transferred. The revenue collected from the first part of the tariff (p0 ) is supposed to cover the fixed cost of producing the first copy of the Geoinformation product. The price of u sage (pv ) should cover the incremental cost and the cost of transaction. The combination of the membership and usage constructed for the predicted demand is set so that the company’s total cost is recovered. How high the fixed fee and the price of usage s hould be is an important question. Availability of the raw data at low price will change the nature of the market. The price for both parts of the tariff (p0 and pv ) will form according to the equilibrium rules of supply and demand. 6.3 Pareto Efficiency of the Two-part Tariff Two-part tariff can disadvantage a certain segment of the users. Imagine a geomarketing service company offering geographic data over the Internet. For the simplicity of reasoning, imagine there exist two segments of users; those who use data on a regular basis and have a high willingness to pay (governmental institutions, ministries, utilities, etc.), and those who seldom need data (students, individuals, small and medium companies, etc.) and have low willingness to pay. In this case, a high fixed fee excludes the users with low willingness to pay, occasional users who need only a small volume of the data and are not willing to pay an annual membership fee or a license. The necessary condition for Pareto efficiency is not satisfied. 6.4 Quantity Discounts Quantity discounts are a form of a nonlinear price where the provider charges a lower price for a higher volume purchased. The opportunity of selling high volumes at a low price is often neglected in geoinformation business. Increased revenue from the higher volume at lower price enables the provider to improve the service and reduce prices for all users. The quantity discounts are usually designed in order to stimulate sales, but can complicate the billing and accounting system. Pareto efficiency of quantity discounts depends on the volume-price categories offered by the service provider. This pricing strategy might disadvantage users with low willingness to pay, not being able to pay nor interested in purchasing higher volumes. 6.5 Term-Volume Commitments According to this strategy the user agrees with the service provider to pay a certain amount of money for the service in advance. The payment is set according to the predicted demand for the service. This kind of agreement usually involves some discounts, because the whole payment is done at once and at the beginning of the period. Short-term contracts involve lower reduction in price than longer contracts. This strategy reduces billing and accounting cost and is often used by Internet providers. For example, â€Å"a one-year-term commitment to spend $2000/month obtains a discount of 18%â€Å" (Gong and Srinagesh 1998), for the 5 -year contracts the Internet providers use up to 60% discount. Term-volume commitments satisfy the Pareto efficiency requirement if the user can choose among different schemes and are designed indiscriminately. 6.6 List of Price Options Different pricing options can be combined and offered as a list of price options. In geomarketing services, the two-part tariff is often combined with an additional pricing option, the uniform pricing scheme. Under the uniform pricing scheme, the user pays the price (p2 ), which is proportional to the data transferred. Usually the tariff per volume purchased (p2 ) is higher in the uniform pricing scheme than the price (p1 ) proposed in the two-part tariff scheme, but the user need not pay an annual membership fee or license. The user profits if he is an occasional user, who needs a small volume of data. The sum he is willing to pay in this case is lower than the annual membership or license fee plus the cost of the data transferred.

Serendipity and Great Expectations :: Movies Films Love Fate Essays

Serendipity and Great Expectations Directed by Alfonso Cuarà ³n and written by Mitch Glazer, Great Expectations is a movie about the love of a man for an unreachable woman, and how fate ultimately brings them together. Serendipity directed by Peter Chelsom, is a more predictable romantic comedy that relies on destiny to bring a couple together, after the many coincidences that linked them to one another. Serendipity and Great Expectations both revolve around life’s great coincidences due to fate, and how their characters indulge in the direction fate leads them. Loosely based on the Charles Dickens’ classic novel, Great Expectations is a tale of a young man's unforgettable passage into manhood, and the three individuals who undeniably changed his life forever. Through the surprising interactions of these vivid characters, Great Expectations takes a unique and contemporary look at life's great coincidences. In a small Florida town on the Gulf Coast, eight-year-old Finn Bell lives with his sister Maggie and his "Uncle" Joe. They barely scrape by, but aspiring artist Finn enjoys his simple life, drawing pictures in the colorful Gulf waters. Finn's journey to adulthood begins suddenly with the shocking appearance of a dangerous convict who forces the boy to aid in his escape from prison. With this experience still freshly etched in his mind, Finn is summoned to the decaying mansion of Ms. Nora Dinsmoor, the richest woman in the gulf, who had lost her mind thirty years earlier when her fiancà © left her standing at the altar. There, Finn meets Dinsmoor's niece Estella, who, even at age 11, displays an upper class iciness toward the young, impoverished boy who instantly and hopelessly falls in love with her. Finn's meetings with Estella and her crazed, wealthy aunt fuel new dreams: to paint for the rich, to enjoy their freedom, and to love Estella. Once Ms. Dinsmoor realizes Finn is there for his love for Estella, she warns him that Estella will break his heart. The crazed woman's warnings become Finn's harshest reality when Estella abrupt ly leaves without saying goodbye. A hopeless Finn stops painting, stops dreaming ... until a mysterious benefactor sends the now grown young man to New York. Pursuing his dreams in the glamorous world of the New York art scene, the once-poor artist seems to finally have it all; wealth, status, fame and a reunion with the newly engaged Estella. Serendipity and Great Expectations :: Movies Films Love Fate Essays Serendipity and Great Expectations Directed by Alfonso Cuarà ³n and written by Mitch Glazer, Great Expectations is a movie about the love of a man for an unreachable woman, and how fate ultimately brings them together. Serendipity directed by Peter Chelsom, is a more predictable romantic comedy that relies on destiny to bring a couple together, after the many coincidences that linked them to one another. Serendipity and Great Expectations both revolve around life’s great coincidences due to fate, and how their characters indulge in the direction fate leads them. Loosely based on the Charles Dickens’ classic novel, Great Expectations is a tale of a young man's unforgettable passage into manhood, and the three individuals who undeniably changed his life forever. Through the surprising interactions of these vivid characters, Great Expectations takes a unique and contemporary look at life's great coincidences. In a small Florida town on the Gulf Coast, eight-year-old Finn Bell lives with his sister Maggie and his "Uncle" Joe. They barely scrape by, but aspiring artist Finn enjoys his simple life, drawing pictures in the colorful Gulf waters. Finn's journey to adulthood begins suddenly with the shocking appearance of a dangerous convict who forces the boy to aid in his escape from prison. With this experience still freshly etched in his mind, Finn is summoned to the decaying mansion of Ms. Nora Dinsmoor, the richest woman in the gulf, who had lost her mind thirty years earlier when her fiancà © left her standing at the altar. There, Finn meets Dinsmoor's niece Estella, who, even at age 11, displays an upper class iciness toward the young, impoverished boy who instantly and hopelessly falls in love with her. Finn's meetings with Estella and her crazed, wealthy aunt fuel new dreams: to paint for the rich, to enjoy their freedom, and to love Estella. Once Ms. Dinsmoor realizes Finn is there for his love for Estella, she warns him that Estella will break his heart. The crazed woman's warnings become Finn's harshest reality when Estella abrupt ly leaves without saying goodbye. A hopeless Finn stops painting, stops dreaming ... until a mysterious benefactor sends the now grown young man to New York. Pursuing his dreams in the glamorous world of the New York art scene, the once-poor artist seems to finally have it all; wealth, status, fame and a reunion with the newly engaged Estella.

Attachment Report Bsc Hon Comp Science (Afrosoft Holdings Limited) Essay

This report serves to provide the reader with a summary of the third year industrial attachment showing the work and research done in the field of software engineering whilst at Afrosoft Holdings (Ltd. ). It also highlights the experience gained during this same time. This is a report on the one-year industrial attachment program held in the third -year of study as part of the 4-year Bachelor Of Science Honors degree in Computer Science program at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), starting 2nd of July 2012 at Afrosoft Corporation. In the first chapter of this report, an introduction to Afrosoft as a corporation is made, giving the organizational structure of the company, and the company’s product brand. The services provided by the company are also noted in this chapter. The second chapter focuses upon the methodologies settled upon by Afrosoft, and focus is made on the Microsoft Solutions framework which the company uses extensively. The following chapter then gives an insight on the three-tier software architecture that Afrosoft has concentrated upon. A brief discussion of other types of architectures is also given. Technologies used most at the company are discussed next in the fourth chapter. These include technologies used in the past, and technologies being used in newer projects. Following this chapter is one on data access components and Microsoft SQL server, which are used by Afrosoft in almost all of its products. After this is a chapter on the projects that the author participated in at the company, detailing the responsibilities assigned and the technologies learnt from each of them. Beyond that, the remaining chapters discuss what was learnt during the attachment period and an overall outlook on the experience gained. Acknowledgements Great thanks go to all the staff at Afrosoft Corporation, and especially to the Software Development Department. I wish to extend my sincerest gratitude to the noted persons, the Software Development immediate manager Mr. Movement Musasiwa, for your motivation, support, patience and mentoring. Software Developers in the department, Tanyaradzwa Chamarime, Brighton Chaparadza, Gerry Vhera, Edson Jengwa, Joseph Bodzo and Kurai Mombeshora. My learning from you will surely be a cornerstone for my success and achievement in the IT field and in all facets of life, your support and team spirit remains a debt to me . Indeed I owe you my heartfelt gratitude. Thank you team!!! .Also special thanks to my family who always showed their love and support through-out this period. Many thanks are also extended to all fellow students on attachment. I also express gratitude to Mr. K. Sibanda and Mrs. S. S. Dube, my industrial attachment co-ordinaters. Last but not least of all praise and thanks be to God the Almighty for his protection and loving guidance. Thank you all. List of Tables Table 2. 1:Models under Microsoft solutions Framework21 List of Figures Figure 1. 1: Organizational structure5 Figure 1. 2: Product Brand9 Figure 1. 3: Older AfroPACK Products11 Figure 1.

Evaluating HRM’s contribution to Organisational Effectiveness Essay

Human Resource Management is a key component in the maintenance and utilization of an effective workforce. HRM includes myriad activities ranging from recruitment to training and even the development of compensation systems. HRM has evolved significantly since the early 1900s. The need to deal with labor unions and the human relations movement has increased the need for competent human resource professionals (Dessler, 2002). 3. Reasons for Measuring Human resource managers are required to balance the requirements of management against those of the organization to ensure staffing requirements are consistent with the overall organizational objectives. There is always a focus on results and measurement, the benefits from such analyses are numerous. Some of the key reasons for measuring HRM are (Phillips, 1996) 1. To identify HRM’s contribution to organizational effectiveness 2. To determine whether HRM is accomplishing its objectives 3. To identify the strengths and weaknesses of HRM processes 4. To calculate the return on investment in an HRM program 5. To determine if an HRM program or policy justifies investment of resources 6. To establish a database that can assist management in making decisions about HRM 4. Indicators of HRM The main impacts of HRM to the organisation can be gauged from the following key indicators (Frost et al, 2001) Figure 1: 4 Quadrants of HRM Indicators 5. Measuring HRM The influences and impacts mentioned previously provide an indication of the relative success of HRM within the organisation. As is evident, there are a number of indicators and their measurements and applications are quite varied. Some of the more common ways of measuring HRM are Surveys There are myriad proforma surveys that are available to HRM Managers to review and measure the feedback from employees and customers. OPM’s (Office of Personnel Management) Organizational Assessment Survey was created to assist organisations in the assessment and improvement of their performance and has since become an industry standard. The survey contributes to organizational performance improvement by: 1. â€Å"assessing organizational strengths and weaknesses; 2. providing a basis for effective action-planning to determine training and organizational change strategies; and 3. establishing measures for benchmarking and evaluating change in organizational performance over time.† (Fitz-Enz, 2000) Financial Analysis Cost- Benefit and ROI Analyses Return on Investment (ROI) is a cost-benefit analysis that offers HR managers a way to explain, in financial terms, how HR contributes to the bottom line. This helps in boosting HR’s credibility in management circles. To date, a major obstacle HR professionals have had in becoming full partners with senior agency management teams is proving its value to business discussions. Historically HR has not had the statistical data or business cost benefit analysis to prove its influence and impact on the organisation. However, using ROI to show that human resources management is an investment, rather than an expense, helps move HR further in the direction of becoming a strategic partner. Activity Based Costing (ABC) ABC is a process of estimating the costs associated with each step of a process. It has been used to identify the costs of HRM programs and processes. â€Å"It is an accounting system that assigns costs to products based on the resources they consume. The costs of all activities are traced to the product for which they are performed. Overhead costs are also traced to a particular product rather than spread arbitrarily across all product lines† (Albrecht, 2000). The breakdown of costs increases the visibility and transparency and proves how effectively resources are being used, which in  turn can help improve strategic decision-making. Several organisations have successfully used ABC to reveal the true cost of HRM, either to inform the overall budgeting process or to help benchmark HRM costs against other key industry players. Benchmarking â€Å"Benchmarking is a systematic process of measuring an organization’s products, services, and practices against those of a like organization that is a recognized leader in the studied area† (Phillips et al, 2001). Organisations across industries and geographical boundaries are using this practice to discover ways of improving service and increasing business efficiency and profitability. Strategic Analysis Balanced Scorecard/Balanced Measures The Balanced Scorecard is a strategic measurement approach that provides a method of aligning business activities with the organization’s strategic plan and monitoring performance of strategic goals over time. A set of balanced measures is used, rather than focusing on the single, traditional bottom line. The original scorecard developed by Kaplan and Norton (2004) was divided into five perspectives (or measurement areas): 1. Financial: Demonstrates how our initiatives, activities, and actions contribute to the organization’s bottom line, or how they provide value for the money spent. Cost and revenue are the main measures for this perspective. Labour costs expressed as a fraction of revenues is a common financial measure. 2. Customer: Tells us what we must do to meet the needs of our internal and external customers. Time, quality, performance and cost are the main areas in which customers are interested. Good government is accountable to the customer. 3. Internal Business: Shows where we must excel internally to succeed in accomplishing our mission. Cycle time, quality, employee skills, and productivity are examples of internal measures. 4. Learning and growth: Illustrates how the organization can continue to improve and create value. This includes how we sustain the growth of our people. The ability to innovate, improve, and learn are key characteristics of this perspective. 5. Human Resources Employee Empowerment: Tracks how leadership and working environment enhance HR employee’s job performance. The Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence The Malcolm Baldrige Criteria are a framework based on a set of core values and concepts that any organization can use to improve overall performance. â€Å"They integrate key business requirements into a results-oriented framework and reflect validated, leading-edge management practices against which an organization can measure itself† (Becker et al, 2001). Organizations are assessed, using a scored point system, on approach, deployment, and results. The Criteria are recognized nationally and internationally as a model for performance excellence and therefore represents â€Å"a common language for communication among organizations for sharing best practices† (Kaplan & Norton, 2004). 6. Conclusion The history of HRM has been characterized by a continues attempt in justifying its impact and influence within an organization. The rise of unions along with the expansion of companies into foreign markets has made efficient HRM critical. HRM has moved from the position of justifying its position in an organization to adding to the organizations profits by â€Å"managing its most important asset – its people† (Dessler, 2002). 7. Bibliography Kaplan, R. S. & Norton, D. P. (2004) Strategy Maps: Converting Intangible Assets into Tangible Outcomes, Harvard Business School Press. Becker, E. B., Huselid, M. A. & Ulrich, D. (2001), The HR Scorecard: Linking People, Strategy and Performance, 1st Edition, Harvard Business School Press. Phillips, J. J., Stone, R. D. & Phillips, P. P. (2001) The Human Resources Scorecard, Butterworth-Heinemann. Albrecht, M. H. (2000) International HRM: Managing Diversity in the Workplace, Blackwell Publishers. Fitz-Enz, J, (2000) The ROI of Human Capital: Measuring the Economic Value of Employee Performance, American Management Association. Frost, P. J., Nord, W. R. & Krefting, L. A, (2001) HRM Reality, 2nd Edition, Pearson Education. Phillips, J. P. (1996), Accountability in Human Resource Management – Improving Human Performance Series, Gulf Professional Publishing. Dessler, G. (2002) Human Resource Management, 9th ed., Prentice Hall.

Economic Changes in Medieval Times essays

Economic Changes in Medieval Times essays Until fairly recently, the middle ages have been recognized as a period of social and economic stagnation. The humanists of the Renaissance, whose ideal was inspired by the antique civilization, considered the medieval world as a period of darkness and influenced greatly the biased perception of future generations. Even though it is true that the middle ages were characterized by political and social instability, the institutions which emerged in Western Europe, were to be the foundations of the greatest social and economic revolution mankind has ever encountered. Indeed, the industrial revolution which followed the so-called dark ages, affected society in such a way that in a lifetime, a man could have seen more changes than all his ancestors combined. Throughout this essay, I will analyze the changes that began to change the medieval world into an early modern one. As I describe these changes, I will comment on their effect on future societies and whether, on balance, futures societies have gained or lost from these transformations. The economy of the medieval world was to a great extent agricultural. Even though the urban population grew steadily, especially in Italy and Nederland, it is the rural institutions which shaped the social, political, and economic landscape of the medieval world. After the fall of the Roman Empire, many barbarian tribes tried to established kingdoms in Europe but very few succeeded. The Francs did established somewhat of a comprehensive kingdom in France and later in other parts of Europe but lacked effective administrative organisation or financial means, and was only a pale reflect of the old Roman Empire . It is therefore in a context where no strong political power was able to dominate the majority of Europe that the seigniorial system emerged as the major social institution of the medieval world. In its simplest form, the seigniorial system had three very distinctive social classes: the ...

The concept map for teaching spoken English

The concept map for teaching spoken English Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on The concept map for teaching spoken English specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Differences between the two concept maps The first map is a simple representation of what the teacher would involve in teaching spoken English. On the other hand, the second map is a detailed map with explicit contents of all elements of teaching spoken English, implementation, and evaluation. The first map provides an overview of the lesson and its fundamental concepts. After the teacher had reviewed materials for teaching the spoken English to ESL class, he developed the second map based on new knowledge gained. Thus, the second map provides all features that the teacher requires to implement the lesson effectively. The first map only presents various features of the spoken English. The second map gives different details of what the teacher should teach in the spoken English lesson. For instance, sp eaking skills, pronunciation, and listening skills are core aspects of spoken English, which are in the second map. They also extend to highlight specific levels of teaching i.e., word and sound levels.Advertising Looking for coursework on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Under pronunciation, we can see that drilling is the best approach for vowels and consonants as highlighted in the first map. However, the second map breaks it down to aspects like voicing, place, and manner. Moreover, there are other elements of pronunciation, which one can identify, such as communication, sounds, variations in sound production, and other non-fluency features like repetition. It is also important to note that the second map has clearly identified specific roles of the teacher and students. One can also identify different levels of students’ capabilities like beginner or elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels . The second map has introduced detailed elements of teaching. For instance, we have the whole lesson, the distinct phase, and the integrated phase. In the second map, the teacher can also identify assessment details of the spoken English lesson. The second map has included planning details so that the teacher can have a logical way of teaching lesson contents. Therefore, the teacher can implement the lesson effectively without challenges. These features are not in the first map. The second map has unique features, which interlinks the entire lesson and planning processes to all other activities of the lesson. For instance, there is a direct arrow from the whole lesson to lesson planning. Such arrows are also present in stages of lesson planning and the role of the teacher and students. In addition, there are also curves, which show the direction of movement between activities. They show that the lesson is unified whole, and the teacher must follow sequences for effective implementa tion. This shows that knowledge acquisition in the spoken English lesson requires an integrated approach. The first map lacks pictures. In the second map, there are pictures embedded within the lesson. For instance, effective teaching of spoken English requires the teacher and learners to interact.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on The concept map for teaching spoken English specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The picture identifies interaction between the teacher and the learner in the learning processes. In addition, there is also a picture of learners engaged in role-playing (student-student interaction) and playing in order to learner voicing, place, and others. Overall, the second map is a detailed presentation of how a teacher can implement a lesson plan of the spoken English in the ESL class. It shows logical sequences of learning and integration methods of teaching the second language and knowledge acquisiti ons. An approach of teaching English I would use in the future The initial approach would be to let students to understand the importance of spoken English in their lives. It is necessary for students to understand that the need to learn and apply spoken English has increased significantly among people from different parts of the world. Students must understand that such needs arise due to international activities like trade, job opportunities, tourism, further education, and travelling or tourism. Thus, people of different ages and nationalities want to learn spoken English to meet such needs. Learning spoken English will ensure that students can communicate clearly with self-confidence and effectively deliver their messages. They must also understand that English is a global language. At this study level, (our study level is intermediate) the teacher knows that students will not be able to learn English as children do because it is a foreign language. Given the complexity of teach ing spoken English (see the concept maps), it would be important to emphasise the role of practice in order to reduce effects of the first language on English. I will let the student know that they need an extra effort to speak fluent and accurate English. I would also be interested in understanding what factors may hinder or motivate my students to learn spoken English. As a result, my future approach of teaching spoken English would be a comprehensive approach based on needs and motivation of students.Advertising Looking for coursework on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More My students are Saudi Arabia intermediate English students. They have learned English in the previous years. However, I do not expect them to exhibit high-levels of confidence, accuracy, fluency, and vocabulary usages when speaking English. Thus, my approach of teaching spoken English will also motivate learners to overcome their difficulties. My lesson would reflect the importance of teaching skills in listening, pronunciation, and speaking. These are important elements of effective communications. On this note, I would strive to understand general abilities and weaknesses of students in these aspects of spoken English. Herbert asserts that teachers should identify challenges, which students have in order to focus on such challenges when teaching (Herbert, 2002, p. 188-200). I will recognise that teaching pronunciation goes beyond sounds. As a result, I will incorporate word stress, intonation, and stress in sentences as parts of pronunciation for ESL learners. There are also linka ges in words, which my lesson would explain. During my lesson, students would note the role of their mother tongues and their influences on pronunciation of English words. However, an effective practice would ensure that students gain confidence and improve their communication skills (Hewings, 2007, p. 30). It will also be important to let students to know that it would be unrealistic to achieve the level of a native speaker in English pronunciation. It would also be important to encourage students to practice pronunciation whenever they find an opportunity to allow them lessen the effect of their native language on English. Students will also learn speaking and listening skills. However, the choice of these skills would depend on the level of students’ abilities (intermediate). Initially, I shall encourage my student to master discrete skills in learning spoken English (Rost, 1990, p. 99-177). They will recognise various forms of words, cohesive text elements, and key words in spoken English. These may form the basis of the lesson. However, I will introduce students to interpretive processes of listening in which we will engage in understanding conversation and discourse. Students shall engage in reading written texts loudly. During this process, I will emphasise the role of students whenever they are reading texts aloud. For instance, contemporary approaches of teaching listening skills require students to be active participants in the process of learning. In this regard, I would encourage my students to develop their listening skills by using various strategies to enhance, monitor, and assess such skills. Thus, my class would emphasise the role of students as active listeners. Doff observes that students must acquire both listening and speaking skills in order to realise successful conversations (Doff, 1988, p. 78-90). Traditionally, students would repeat what the teacher has said, memorise a conversation or a story and provide answer to drills. Thes e were sentence-based approaches to achieve proficiency in repetition or drill approaches. However, I would apply a communicative-based approach to teach spoken English (Richards, 2008, p. 1-2). In this context, I would encourage my students to develop speaking skills through generating ideas and solving tasks with the aim of developing fluency, accuracy, and vocabulary. Thus, I would apply information-gap and encourage students to use spoken English in real communications based on knowledge acquired previously. This strategy would allow students to acquire skills in communication and engage in meaningful negotiations, which would help them to develop effective oral skills. I shall encourage clarity and observation of grammar rules as Hedge notes (Hedge, 2000, p. 259). Teaching requires effective planning of the lesson plan. According to Butt, good planning, classroom management, and sustained performance are the best ways of ensuring effective learning (Butt, 2006, p. 65-80). As a teacher, I would make sure that I carefully plan my lessons by organising them in terms of introduction or warmer, pre-task activities, during tasks, and post-tasks activities. Warmer activities would be useful for preparing students for active participation in the spoken English lesson. At the intermediate level, students will engage in discussions, peer-to-peer activities, self-tests, and evaluation. Every stage of the lesson would indicate the role of the teacher and students. The aim of planning my lesson is to ensure that students remain active throughout the lesson. Baker and Westrup pointed out that engaging students in a lesson usually makes them active and apply acquired skills in learning (Baker and Westrup, 2003, p. 21-30). Engaging students in the lesson would ensure that they concentrate on learning activities. Besides, I would be able to encourage slow learners to participate in various activities. Activities in teaching spoken English would be able to motivate student s to contribute in learning and developing self-confidence for effective communication in English. Hedge encourages teachers to balance their lesson plans in spoken English so that students can develop both accuracy and fluency (Hedge, 2000, p. 259). At the intermediate level, I would focus on both accuracy and fluency as we develop fluency because my student would not have mastered accuracy in spoken English. In my class, I shall encourage the use of information gap, restricted conversation, storytelling, role-play, jokes, discussions, and use of games. I have also learned the importance of a good learning environment for learners. I shall ensure that the class has a favourable environment, which will encourage all students to take part in oral presentations. This would ensure that we do not leave slow learners as others progress. Collie and Slater note that a favourable classroom environment can promote learning of fluency (Collie and Slater, 1993, p. 8). In this context, I would focus on effective topic presentation, classroom management and student participation. Student errors and feedback will form the basis of developing an evaluation plan. I shall provide feedback and encourage students to generate correct answers. No feedback shall upset any student. I shall pay special attention to student assessment. Validity, reliability, and practicality of students’ assessment tools are critical for evaluation of the teacher’s lesson outcomes. It would be important to ensure that tests have a suitable scoring and grading rubric in order to enhance reliability of assessment tools. Burgess and Head note the importance of knowing test criteria among students (Burgess and Head, 2005, p. 99-120). I would use different methods to test students learning outcomes. These may include information gap, interviews, and controlled interviews. I shall expect to see some levels of improvement among slow learners while fast learners will display improved fluency and accuracy. Overall, my teaching approach would encourage students to master English speech sounds like vowels and constants, stress, intonation, and rhythm as they also recognise manner and place. It will encourage a reasonable level of accuracy, use of vocabulary, and fluency among students. Thus, students would know what to say, and how to say it in any given context. References Baker, J., and Westrup, H. (2003). Essential Speaking Skills. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. Burgess, S., and Head, Katie. (2005). How to Teach for Exams. New Jersey: Pearson Education. Butt, G. (2006). Lesson Planning. London : Continuum International Publishing Group. Collie, J., and Slater, S. (1993). Speaking 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Doff, A. (1988). Teach English: A Training Course for Teachers-Tachers Workbook. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Herbert, J. (2002 ). PracTESOL: Its not what you say, but how you say it. In J. C. Richards and W. A. Renandya (Eds.), Methodology in Language Teaching (pp. 188-200). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hewings, M. (2007). Pronunciation Practice Activities: A resource book for teaching English pronunciation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Richards, J. C. (2008). Teaching Listening and Speaking: From Theory to Practice. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Rost, M. (1990). Listening in Language Learning. London: Longman.

Probability of Randomly Choosing a Prime Number

Probability of Randomly Choosing a Prime Number Number theory is a branch of mathematics  that concerns itself with the set of integers. We restrict ourselves somewhat by doing this as we do not directly study other numbers, such as irrationals. However, other types of real numbers are used. In addition to this, the subject of probability has many connections and intersections with number theory. One of these connections has to do with the distribution of prime numbers. More specifically we may ask, what is the probability that a randomly chosen integer from 1 to x is a prime number? Assumptions and Definitions As with any mathematics problem, it is important to understand not only what assumptions are being made, but also the definitions of all of the key terms in the problem. For this problem we are considering the positive integers, meaning the whole numbers 1, 2, 3, . . . up to some number x. We are randomly choosing one of these numbers, meaning that all x of them are equally likely to be chosen. We are trying to determine the probability that a prime number is chosen. Thus we need to understand the definition of a prime number. A prime number is a positive integer that has exactly two factors. This means that the only divisors of prime numbers are one and the number itself. So 2,3 and 5 are primes, but 4, 8 and 12 are not prime. We note that because there must be two factors in a prime number, the number 1 is not prime. Solution  for Low Numbers The solution to this problem is straightforward for low numbers x. All that we need to do is simply count the numbers of primes that are less than or equal to x. We divide the number of primes less than or equal to x by the number x. For example, to find the probability that a prime is selected from 1 to 10 requires us to divide the number of primes from 1 to 10 by 10. The numbers 2, 3, 5, 7 are prime, so the probability that a prime is selected is 4/10 40%. The probability that a prime is selected from 1 to 50 can be found in a similar way. The primes that are less than 50 are: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43 and 47. There are 15 primes less than or equal to 50. Thus the probability that a prime is selected at random is 15/50 30%. This process can be carried out by simply counting primes as long as we have a list of primes. For example, there are 25 primes less than or equal to 100. (Thus the probability that a randomly chosen number from 1 to 100 is prime is 25/100 25%.) However, if we do not have a list of primes, it could be computationally daunting to determine the set of prime numbers that are less than or equal to a given number x. The Prime Number Theorem If you do not have a count of the number of primes that are less than or equal to x, then there is an alternate way to solve this problem. The solution involves a mathematical result known as the prime number theorem. This is a statement about the overall distribution of the primes and can be used to approximate the probability that we are trying to determine. The prime number theorem states that there are approximately x / ln(x) prime numbers that are less than or equal to x. Here ln(x) denotes the natural logarithm of x, or in other words the logarithm with a base of the number e. As the value of x increases the approximation improves, in the sense that we see a decrease in the relative error between the number of primes less than x and the expression x / ln(x). Application of the Prime Number Theorem We can use the result of the prime number theorem to solve the problem we are trying to address. We know by the prime number theorem that there are approximately x / ln(x) prime numbers that are less than or equal to x. Furthermore, there are a total of x positive integers less than or equal to x. Therefore the probability that a randomly selected number in this range is prime is (x / ln(x) ) /x 1 / ln(x). Example We can now use this result to approximate the probability of randomly selecting a prime number out of the first billion integers. We calculate the natural logarithm of a billion and see that ln(1,000,000,000) is approximately 20.7 and 1/ln(1,000,000,000) is approximately 0.0483. Thus we have about a 4.83% probability of randomly choosing a prime number out of the first billion integers.

Social Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Social Engineering - Essay Example The term â€Å"social engineering† was coined by Kevin Mitnick, a hacker who spent many years in federal prison for nefarious activities, then became a highly sought-after computer expert, writing books and other journals. (Mitnick, 2002, p. x). The basics of social engineering are simple – a criminal will use psychological and other low-tech techniques to get what he wants, and what he wants is to hack into the secure databases of these companies to steal trade secrets to give to competitors, or other valuable and confidential information. Some of these techniques include â€Å"dumpster diving† to get information about a company that he wants to exploit; impersonating colleagues, management or IT professionals on the telephone to get information that he needs, such as passwords and passcodes; befriending employees; and getting a job a the corporation to get all the information he needs. Social engineers are a huge threat to all corporations, because what they do seems so innocuous. They also are able to exploit very basic mistakes, such as the fact that employees do not always shred sensitive documents, and think nothing of throwing away calendars, employee handbooks, and corporate phone books, all of which are gold-mines to the social engineers who are looking for information to get their foot in the door of a large corporation. And they do a lot of damage. In one study, people using social engineering techniques were able to steal $1 billion of information in one day! One of the new scams involves live â€Å"support† personnel. (Claburn, 2010, p. 1). In this scam, an individual gets a pop-up or other advertisement stating that their computer has been infected with a virus, and that they need to purchase a certain program called Live PC Care to remedy this problem. If the individual is reluctant to buy this Live PC Care program, then they can click on a box to talk with live personnel. What this

Sles Orienttion nd Production Orienttion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Sles Orienttion nd Production Orienttion - Essay Example MÐ °jor concern wÐ °s with mÐ °nufÐ °cturing—not mÐ °rketing. Ð ccording to Ð ° compÐ °ny executive, compÐ °ny philosophy in the erÐ ° of mÐ °nufÐ °cturing dominÐ °nce might be stÐ °ted Ð °s follows: "We Ð °re professionÐ °l flour millers. Blessed with Ð ° supply of the finest North Ð mericÐ °n wheÐ °t, plenty of wÐ °ter power, Ð °nd excellent milling mÐ °chinery, we produce flour of the highest quÐ °lity. Our bÐ °sic function is to mill high-quÐ °lity flour, Ð °nd of course (Ð °nd Ð °lmost incidentÐ °lly), we must hire sÐ °lesmen to sell it, just Ð °s we hire Ð °ccountÐ °nts to keep our books." The second erÐ ° wÐ °s one of sÐ °les orientÐ °tion. In the 1930s, competition hÐ °d become more significÐ °nt Ð °nd the problems of reÐ °ching the mÐ °rket hÐ °d grown much more complex. CompÐ °ny officiÐ °ls becÐ °me somewhÐ °t Ð °wÐ °re of consumer wÐ °nts Ð °nd needs, Ð °nd formed Ð ° commerciÐ °l reseÐ °rch depÐ °rtment to develop fÐ °cts Ð °bout mÐ °rkets. More Ð °ttention wÐ °s given to strengthening the distributing orgÐ °nizÐ °tion, consisting of wholesÐ °le Ð °nd retÐ °il grocers. CompÐ °ny philosophy in this erÐ ° is described Ð °s follows: "We Ð °re Ð ° flour milling compÐ °ny, mÐ °nufÐ °cturing Ð ° number of products for the consumer mÐ °rket. We must hÐ °ve Ð ° first-rÐ °te sÐ °les orgÐ °nizÐ °tion which cÐ °n dispose of Ð °ll the products we cÐ °n mÐ °ke Ð °t Ð ° fÐ °vorÐ °ble price. We must bÐ °ck up this sÐ °les force with consumer Ð °dvertising Ð °nd mÐ °rket intelligence. We wÐ °nt our sÐ °lesmen Ð ° nd our deÐ °lers to hÐ °ve Ð °ll the tools they need for moving the output of our plÐ °nts to the consumer." Ð  third erÐ ° of mÐ °rketing orientÐ °tion did not begin until the eÐ °rly 1950s.  

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR (EXAM PREPARATION) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR (EXAM PREPARATION) - Essay Example It generates a complete consumption experience that makes customers engrossed in their shopping endeavor. There are various experiential retailing environments determining consumer behavior; however, in this paper, selected environment is a flagship brand store, specifically, Abercrombie & Fitch corporations. The paper illustrates how a flagship brand store like Abercrombie fit in an experiential environment. As economy and innovation increases, retailers are changing the flagship brand store into innovative criteria like the themed retail brand environments (Kozinets et al. 2002). The paper analyzes Abercrombie & Fitch Corporation as one of the experiential retailing environment. The analysis concerns the approaches the corporation uses to influence consumer behavior. Abercrombie & Fitch Corporation is a themed retail Brand Corporation that creates sexiness as the symbolic dress code for young adults. The young adult customers are lured into Abercrombie & Fitch stores because of the store’s sex attraction (Pahler 2009). It has created a body symbol that promotes and implies erotic and sexual lifestyles. The symbolic meaning of the store coincides with the targeted consumers, young adults’ population, who are attracted by sexy attires. It is a store competent of sustaining the highly challenging fashion customs. However, the store’s implied lifestyle has its ramifica tions. It is seen as too offensive and even unpleasant. However, the store-targeted consumers identify with store’s objective. The store’s culture is shown through the seductive and enticing exhibitions of models in their clothing (Pahler 2009). Because young adults are considerably more suggestible than the older population, the store targets this consumer group with their sexual promotions. The symbolic meaning of Abercrombie and Fitch clothing store is an attraction option for young adults with sex affiliations and great

Reflection papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflection papers - Essay Example Many local musicians continually win international fame in the music arena owing to their sensational music that hits the global audience. For instance, the up-tempo Arabic tune of Princess Diana remains acclaimed piece of art that has influenced the nature of the Western music especially in San Francisco (Tomasino 2005). Music pervades the limits of the artistes region and receives global attention depending on the ability of the singer to coin the message of the songs in a manner that suits the diverse audience. Recent progress in the music industry however gives the impression that music artistry has become more audience-demand motivated than self-manipulative. Despite the remarkable progress made in the music industry, music piracy remains a public concern for the American music (Tomasino, 2005). Piracy takes the form of sales of illegally recorded music and general illegal acquisition of music segments without the consent of the songwriter. Furthermore, reception of global music threatens to scuttle the dominance of local music in various regions, though music domination has to be responsive to the changing audience base that has the access to a variety of international music. It is undeniable that piracy threatens the progress in the music industry yet its progress is dependent on the rewards that the artistes gain from their music. The music industry is obliged to remain manipulative and more responsive to changes in the global audience expectations in order to retain

North East Referendum of November 2004 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

North East Referendum of November 2004 - Essay Example Moreover the conservative thinking of most of the English people with their reluctance to accept any changes may be another reason for the refusal to consider the development of regional governments. However the Labour government of England had a different view altogether. With disregard to the public opinion the government wanted to push the conservative policies of regionalization of the government. This, the labour government wanted to do as a measure to strengthen the operating mechanisms of the central government in the different regions. With this intention the Government held a referendum in the North East Region of England on the 4th of November 2004, for assessing the public opinion on the regionalization of the government. For whatever reasons, the referendum was rejected overwhelmingly by the voters showing their intention clearly against the formation of any regional assemblies. This paper attempts to discuss in detail among other things, the possible reasons for holding such a referendum, the campaigns made in support and against such referendum, the turnout of the voters and the details of the final results of the referendum. North East region in one of the eight regions of England, that stretches from Scotland to Yorkshire. "The region was created in 1994 and was originally defined as Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Cleveland As part of a reform of local government Cleveland has since been abolished and several unitary districts created." (All Experts) A rich natural heritage makes the region one of the unique locale with its long stretches of coast and extensive upland tracts. The capital of the region is Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The Cathedral city of Durham in this region is the city's political centre and was tipped to get the assembly housed there. Sunderland and Middlesbrough are the other cities of the North East region of England. Basically these cities were industrialized ones. "As such, wages and the standards of living in the region are the lowest in England, with high unemployment the norm" (Andrew Stevens 2004) The region has also returned to the Parliament political bigwigs like Prime Minister Tony Blair himself among others. With this background the government put forth the referendum to the people of North East England to decide on the introduction of a regional government body in the North East region of England. The voters in the region of North East England rejected the proposal for forming a regional assembly in a decisive manner, making the other two planned referenda for different regions shelved by the government at least temporarily. The referendum had a turnout of 47.8 percent, out of which 22.1 percent voted in favour of the regional assembly, while 77.9 percent voted against making their opinion explicit without doubt. 1.2 Government's Views on the Need for a Directly-Elected Regional Assembly: The government of UK had expressed its views on the necessity to have an elected regional assembly for the North East England and with these views only the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister had directed the base work far carrying out a referendum in the region as to assess the public opinion for the creation of the elected regional assembly. The North East Constitutional Convention had identified the following reasons for the North

Reflection papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflection papers - Essay Example Many local musicians continually win international fame in the music arena owing to their sensational music that hits the global audience. For instance, the up-tempo Arabic tune of Princess Diana remains acclaimed piece of art that has influenced the nature of the Western music especially in San Francisco (Tomasino 2005). Music pervades the limits of the artistes region and receives global attention depending on the ability of the singer to coin the message of the songs in a manner that suits the diverse audience. Recent progress in the music industry however gives the impression that music artistry has become more audience-demand motivated than self-manipulative. Despite the remarkable progress made in the music industry, music piracy remains a public concern for the American music (Tomasino, 2005). Piracy takes the form of sales of illegally recorded music and general illegal acquisition of music segments without the consent of the songwriter. Furthermore, reception of global music threatens to scuttle the dominance of local music in various regions, though music domination has to be responsive to the changing audience base that has the access to a variety of international music. It is undeniable that piracy threatens the progress in the music industry yet its progress is dependent on the rewards that the artistes gain from their music. The music industry is obliged to remain manipulative and more responsive to changes in the global audience expectations in order to retain

ELECTRIC CART PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ELECTRIC CART PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS - Assignment Example These motors are powered with the help of battery packs, which are rechargeable. Electric motor offers several benefits compared to the use of internal engine combustion to power vehicles. These include zero emissions of air pollutants, fuel economy among several other benefits. Electric motors enhance the performance and greater efficiency of energy. The general costs used in maintaining and operating electric motor powered vehicles are low compared to the conventional fuel driven vehicles. Selecting as well as calculating the correct motor for the electric cart vehicle depends largely on the total weight of the vehicle, the area where the Cart will be used and the terrain of the area. If the Cart is to be used in a hilly or an area with mountains, the individual will require more engine horsepower than in a flat terrain. The speed of the motor is also dictated by the aerodynamics profile of the Cart before and after the conversion and its use. A simple cart used for commuting in a normal city traffic definitely requires a cheaper motor with less horsepower compared to the one to be used in winning races or have the fastest acceleration. Several other variables can be used in calculating the speed of an electric motor depending with its use (Chi-lan et al. 2011). The speed of an electric motor and vehicle largely depends on the battery pack voltage. Using a Direct Current (DC) motor, one hundred and forty-four (144) volts will be enough to drive the vehicle at a speed of seventy miles per hour. The available power that is stored in the batteries determines the total distance that the cart is able to go before recharging it. Power measured by calculating the voltage in the battery multiplied by the battery amperage multiplied again by the useful power that is available in the battery without damaging the cells. The chemistry of the battery is the one determining this figure. This does not indicate

Personal and Social Uses of ICT Essay Example for Free

Personal and Social Uses of ICT Essay I use ICT personally as well as socially and at home which is sometimes very helpful for me as I can do my work faster and in a better quality. Here are some examples of technologies I use: * Mobile Phone * DVD Player * Digital TV * Calculator * MP3 Player * Digital Camera * Digital Video Camera * Printer * Game Consoles * Email * Projector * Cds, DVDs * Telephone Personal Use of ICT: DVD Player and DVDs:: I use the DVD player personally and socially to watch films or even listen to music. I use the DVD player personally to watch films with my friends and family or listen to music personally. I use the DVD Player at school to present my projects on it or watch educational Movies on it. There are sometimes faults in DVD Players such as the CD sometimes gets stuck in there and the drive doesnt opens. There are many types of DVD cds used in the DVD Player, one of the latest type of Cds is a Flexplay DVD that takes care of the rental period itself it hits a chemical stopwatch when you open the package, and when your time is up (in 48 hours, say), the disc stops working. Now you can return it or give it to get recycled. The idea of using these type of Cds is that even snack bars are able to sell these DVDs in a rental price and once they are soled no one needs to worry because as I mentioned it will get deleted by itself. Once I used a DVD player to present a Movie clip during my project at school which was very helpful as I didnt had much to explain. Evaluation: Currently use a DVD Player with an unknown brand, the reason for this is as I got it as a gift with my m mobile phone from the mobile phone provider, but according to my research the more quality a DVD Player has the more likely it reads discs with special formats, but the disadvantage is that it mostly blocks DVDs which are pirated or copyright protected. Internet: I sometimes use the internet socially to chat to my friends as well as cousins. I sometimes also use the internet to download games as well as music or DVDs. I also use internet for online shopping which is very helpful as I am able to find products cheaper then anywhere else. Such as games which are a lot cheaper on the internet then in any shops. The disadvantage of online shopping is that there is a bit of chance of getting hacked. Evaluation: I currently have TalkTalk Broadband at home which meets my needs fully and is very helpful to me as researches can be done very quickly, as well as online shopping or communication can take place socially. Calculator: I use the calculator to calculate the price of any products I want to buy or I use it. Personannly, for example at school to calculate answers. I have used the calculator a few times during my maths lessons to help me to find the answers of questions which were to hard to work out by my own. There are a few types of calculator the most known are simple and scientific calculators. The main difference between simple and scientific calculators are that scientific calculator have got more functions and can work out difficult questions where as the simple calculator can mostly only add, subtract, multiply or divide. Evaluation: In this case a Calculator is the most efficient way to calculate difficult equations as working the answer out with the mind an a pen and pencil consumes a lot of time whereas a calculator is the most time efficient and accurate way. Printer: I use my Inject printer personally; I use it personally to print out any research or receipts of any items I have bought. I also use it to print out pictures by connecting my digital camera directly to my printer. I sometimes use the printer to print out interesting researches or any coursework personally for the school. As I have chosen applied science I have to print out a lot of courseworks so I believe that the printer helps me a lot in my daily life. Once I had printed out my coursework but I lost it by mistake so I just printed it out again which saved me time and was very helpful as I didnt had to do all the hard work again. I also use the printer for home use to print out pictures or interesting researches which may be shared amongst other house members or shown to someone at home. Evaluation: The reason I have decided use the Inject Printer is as the ink Cartridges can be bought very cheaply and have a long lasting duration. Also the printing speed is reasonable and if someone does not print a lot just like me that printer can be made to a perfect use. MP3 Player: I use my Mp3 player only personally to listen to music when I am on my way to my friends or even school. I can listen to my favourite sound tracks at any time I want to and anywhere I am without disturbing other people. The MP3 player is connected to the computer using the USB connection and then tracks can be downloaded and stored on the MP3 player. The main advantage of a MP3 player is that it has got a smaller size then a CD player and a smarter look. It also has got a bigger internal size and you can save your favourite tracks on it. If you use a CD player you always have to swap the CD if you want to listen to any different track which is a disadvantage as it wastes time and sometimes you dont even are in the mood to do it. I personally use the MP3 player not to get bored and it keeps me active and awake. Evaluation: Currently I use a Phillips A260 MP3 Player as it provides me with brilliant sound quality and is not to expensive to purchase. Also he purpose of an MP3 Player originally is to provide music in as good quality as possible. Game consoles: I use Game consoles for my personal life to have a bit of fun after doing hard work. Game consoles are not really helpful but it is fun to use them as you are able to play games such as football which would be hard to play outside if it would be bad weather. The advantage of Game consoles is that you can play multiplayer with your friends or family members. The best thing about game consoles is that the latest game consoles have got special function which make it even more fun for example the Xbox 360 is one of the latest game consoles which has got a Xbox live function, this is used to connect to the internet and play with someone you dont know if he has go the same game. Secondly it has got wireless pads which help you as normally a lot of people step over cables which may get annoying. You can also store music or DVDs on the Xbox 360 or even watch it. With the use of XBOX Live, Xbox can be used socially to play and communicate with other people using XBOX Live. Evaluation: Currently I have a XBOX Console; the reason for me buying this system was as I used to have a playstation 1 and as I got bored I decided to try something new, for this reason I bought the XBOX Console. Digital still and video camera: I use Digital cameras in my personal life which are helpful as I am able to take pictures or videos of the things I have enjoyed with my friends or family. There are many digital cameras available these days which are very helpful as most of the latest once have got a LCD screen at the back which helps you to view the picture during the time you are taking it or after you have taken it and show it to someone directly without giving them to photo shops so that they can create them for you. So basically you can retake the picture if you dont like it with out doing a lot of work. Of course there are some disadvantages such as that if your memory card is full you cant store any pictures any more and you have to delete some but now days you can get memory card with a very great size which make it able to take more then 200 pictures until it is full. The other disadvantage is that digital cameras take a lot of battery however there are special batteries called Nimah batteries which make it able for me to use the battery a lot longer until it is finished. I use the digital camera at home to take pictures of my family or cousins and then I can remind me using them or I just connect them to the printer and I got the pictures without even doing a lot of work. Evaluation: At the moment I have a Panasonic Digital Camera, the reason for this is as it has an external display as well as a night view system and a brilliant quality. Also it is not to expensive to purchase but provides full performance. The battery life is also not too bad for home use but can be upgraded if required. Social Use of ICT: Mobile Phone: There are many new mobile phone models out these days which have got a lot of functions and mobile phones get improved daily as more softwares and also hardwares are added to it. Examples of hardwares are: Bluetooth, Infrared, Camera, 262000 colour display etc. I use my Mobile Phone Socially to contact any companies for information about any products I dont know how to use. I also use a mobile phone personally to talk to my friends as well as my parents if I am not at home. I sometimes use my Mobile Phone personally to listen to music or play games on it. For example once I used my Mobile to contact my parents to inform them that I am going to come home later as I have got work to do. In these cases mobile phones are very helpful as you can talk to people anywhere the net is available. There are sometimes faults in mobiles such as sometimes if your Bluetooth is turned on viruses are able to attack your mobile and destroy the software so that the mobile can sometimes not work again. Evaluation: I currently use the Motorola L7 as it is reasonable cheap to purchase and does not weight a lot, also it is very thin so is able to fit into a pocket very easily, also it Is able to serve me with the requirements I have, these include: sending text messages, camera, phone Email: I use the Email software personally and socially to help me as it has got many advantages as well as some disadvantages. I use the Email software socially to contact my friends or sometimes remind them about anything such as the homework. I use it socially to email to companies for any inquiries I have or I use it to send emails regarding eBay to people to ask them about any information such as delivery time. The main advantage of the Email is that it is much faster then sending a letter and can be send to many people at the same time. Where as a letter has to be packed in separate envelopes and then the address has to be written on it before it can get send. The disadvantage of email software is that it may get hacked or sometimes even can contain a virus. Evaluation: Currently I have a Hotmail Email address, the reason for this is as Hotmail have a website very easy to use and new softwares are being developed by hotmail very quickly which may be a great help to me. Another reason for me using hotmail is as at the time I created my email address only hotmail email addresses worked in MSN Messenger and MSN Messenger was the only software to be able to provide webcam for free. Telephone: I use the telephone socially to talk to friends or even my cousins. I use it socially to make phone calls to company to contact them for any inquiries or for any help. Nowadays there are wireless telephones which have got a range of meters but are very helpful as you are able to use it and mover around with out any problems so they dont stop you from doing work and talking to mated or someone at the same time. The telephone is a very simple technology as the phone only has three parts named microphone, hook switch and a speaker. The latest phones however have got more technology in them so that in older phones you could hear your own voice which people found very annoying but in new phones it is not like that. I believe that the telephone will remain as one of the simplest devices. Evaluation: Currently I have a Phillips phone which was expensive but has an external loud and good quality speaker, is wireless and also has a function to send and receive SMS. The reason for me buying this phone was as it had the longest warranty and seemed to be the one with the functions I required and functions which were required at home. School Related Use: Projector: I use the projector socially at school to present my presentations. It is very helpful as it can make a computer screen or anything else look bigger then it really is. So basically you dont need to have a big screen TV to show it in a way so that the whole class can see it. Because of the projector I can present my work in a way that everyone can see it. The main advantage is that it doesnt weights a lot so that you are able to move it easily without any problem. You can not move a big TV easily. I once had produced my project on a projector which was very helpful as everyone was able to see what I was trying to say. The main disadvantage is that some projectors dont display the picture very clearly. Evaluation: Currently we have Epson Projectors at School which are very helpful and are truly the best way to meet the schools standards as Presentations or explanations can be presented to everyone very clearly. Microsoft office: I use Microsoft office socially at school and at home. I use it at school to write reports or produce risk assessments. Also sometimes I use Microsoft office at school to do my courseworks or save my research results. Microsoft office is very helpful and is used in many offices or even businesses. Microsoft office has a lot of functions and can be used for many purposes such as creating database. Microsoft office is also secure as you can password protect your documents so that even if someone steals it he will be unable to use it. The main advantage is that you can update your documents without rewriting it again and again. It also saves a lot of space and you can find your documents quickly. As normally you would use paper which will get together and it will be hard for me to store them somewhere so that they are safe and I can find them whenever I need them. I use Microsoft office a lot at school and it helped me a lot of times when there was a need to write letters I was able to write it quickly and in a descent layout , also a copy was saved which can be very helpful In case the letter needs to be resend etc. Internet: I use Internet at school to do researches. Also I use the Internet to find pictures and put them into my coursework. Internet is very helpful as it helps me in a lot of ways and if there would be no internet there would even be no email. I use the Internet at school to do my homework as well as find pictures for any courseworks needed any shops. The disadvantage of online shopping is that there is a bit of chance of getting hacked. Evaluation: I currently have TalkTalk Broadband at home which meets my needs fully and is very helpful to me as researches can be done very quickly as well as courseworks can be improved at a great speed and efficiently, this saves me a lot of time. Overall Evaluation: For my personal use of ICT as I have mentioned above I use a lot of technologies as they enable me to work more efficiently, save time, save paper work. I also personally and socially use technologies just to enjoy or have fun with such as the Game Consoles. I also use technology Socially at School such as Projectors, Computers but in this case they do not meet my needs up to the full limit as the Computers mostly seem to have a problem at School as well as the Personal Space Limit on the Computers does not meet my requirement. I personally believe this can be improved by making the computers much more stable and by improving the Space limits for each user. Also the Network Cards and Cables have some problems as the network crashes a lot of times which again does not meet my full requirement. At Home ICT is able to meet my needs as I use a Phone, Speakers, Computers, Modem and other technologies as mentioned above, but all of them work up there full capability and meet my needs. For this reason I do not truly require any more technology for home use, but for social use technology has still not met its full capability at every place such as at my school, as technology makes problems in some cases or could be set up more efficiently at my school. E.G As Network Cables are available and all the computers are networked the school should be able to set up the network in such a way that if one computer is updated with a new windows or software, the other computers should be updated automatically at the same time Conclusion: Finally I believe that the Technology will have along way to go and I am looking forward to see more interesting pieces of technology. I dont really know what I would like to get produced but I know that if something new and interesting product will get produced I will be looking forward to it. I hope that a new technology gets produced which will help us and the community.

Literature review construction project costs

Literature review construction project costs This chapter comprises of literature review, quotes of the various related works done in this area of studies. The duration of construction projects right from inception to completion is assuming great importance in the construction industry. The author of this project work believes that, this shift in attention on constructioin delays is taking it rightful place of importance in the global construction sector. Clients or consumers are no longer content merely with minimal cost and adequate functional performance for their projects; increasing interest rates, inflation and other commercial pressures, among other factors, mean that it is in many instances most cost-effective to complete a project within the shortest possible time.The the current hursh financial climate does not allow for subcontractors not to be prudent with project planning and delivery , hence the reason for chosing to write on this subject. The most significant unbudgeted costs on many construction projects are the financial impacts associated with delay and disruption to the works. Owners and Subcontrcators have one common objective; to complete the project in time and within budget. It is the failure of this objective of time which leads to failure of budget and ultimately gives rise to disputes. There is no consensus in the literature on the identification of factors which affect stipulated, planned or achieved construction times of buildings. One reason for this is that researchers have largely viewed the subject from diverse prospective. Such viewpoints include identification of discrete factors which affect productivity on site and taking a systems view of the construction process and end product (Nkado R.N, 1995) The inherent and often unanticipated risks on construction projects present key challenges to subcontracting firms. For example, if a project is delayed or disrupted, significant resources are engaged and management time consumed. The outcome can have serious consequences on corporate value. One loss-making project can wipe out the profit on 50 successful ones and significantly damage a companys reputation. In the current economic climate, claims and disputes are increasingly more likely. Construction delays are not a modern phenomena.The delays on some of the UKs most famous landmarks, such as St Pauls Cathederal, the Houses of Parliament and the Clifton Suspension Bridge would make the delays on more recent high profile construction projects look distinctly trifling (Lowsley et al, 2006) Delay Ñ-ц¢ generally acknowledged à Ã‚ °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ thà Ã‚ µ mà Ã‚ ¾Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢t common, costly, complex à Ã‚ °nd riц¢ky problem encountered Ñ-n construction projectц¢. Becauц¢e à Ã‚ ¾f thà Ã‚ µ overriding ц¢ignificance à Ã‚ ¾f tÑ-me fà Ã‚ ¾r both thà Ã‚ µ proprietor (Ñ-n termц¢ à Ã‚ ¾f performance) à Ã‚ °nd thà Ã‚ µ ц¢upplier (Ñ-n termц¢ à Ã‚ ¾f money), it Ñ-ц¢ thà Ã‚ µ ц¢ource à Ã‚ ¾f frequent diц¢puteц¢ à Ã‚ °nd claimц¢ leading tà Ã‚ ¾ lawц¢uitц¢. Delayц¢ occur Ñ-n almost every construction project à Ã‚ °nd thà Ã‚ µ magnitude à Ã‚ ¾f theц¢e delayц¢ varieц¢ conц¢iderably frà Ã‚ ¾m project tà Ã‚ ¾ project. à Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ome projectц¢ à Ã‚ °re only à Ã‚ ° few dayц¢ behind ц¢chedule; ц¢ome à Ã‚ °re delayed bу over à Ã‚ ° year. à Ã¢â‚¬ ¦o it Ñ-ц¢ eц¢Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ential tà Ã‚ ¾ define thà Ã‚ µ actual cauц¢eц¢ à Ã‚ ¾f delay Ñ-n order tà Ã‚ ¾ minimize à Ã‚ °nd avoid delay Ñ-n any construction project (Ahmed et al., 2003). Chan et al (2004) Concluded in a research conducted to measure the success of construction projects that, cost, time and quality are the three basic and most important performance indicators in consruction projects.Other measures such as safety, functionality and satisfaction etc. are also currently attracting increasing attention. Chan et al, (2004) accentuated that accurate construction planning is a key factor in ensuring the delivery of a project on schedule and within budget. As almost all projects comprise a large number of interdependent items of work and involve many participants, reliable plans and accurate progress-recording mechanisms become essential to project success. Mbachu, et al(2005) discover the sources of strategies for minimising risks in the construction projects and categorised the results into internal and external sources.The internal sources of risks, which fall under the control of clients ,consultants and Subcontractors , include those risk elements emanationg from their acts or omissions in the project development process. They noted that, the most frequently mentioned risk elements under client sources include frequent and late changes at critical stages of the design and construction process, poor leadership and inadequate supervisions on the part of Contractors and subcontractors, low productivity, re-work and lossess, delays in supplying equipment, materials and components. For the consultants, incomplete design information and delay in supplying information required by contractors on site.The external risk sources, which are not within the control of the client and the project team, could be segregated into economic and globalisation dynamics, unforeseen circumstances/force majeue, government, statutory, political controls, health and safety risk elements and socio-cultural issue.smia12010-07-21T16:29:00 Who says this is so? If it5s you then you nned to say what leads you to this concluswionyou Typeц¢ of delay A delay to a construction project generally means delay to the planned completion date or a delay to a particular activity or sequence of activities (Lowsley et al, 2006) Delays can be grouped in the following four broad categories according to how they operate contractually: non-excusable delays; excusable non-compensable delays; excusable compensable delays; and concurrent delayц¢ The Bureau of Engineering Project Delivery Manual version 2 released in October 2006 smia12010-07-21T16:30:00 You need to give a proper reference for this. Who are the Bureau of Engineering Project Delivery?categorised construction delays in three basic types of delays, namely; Excusable-Non-Compensatory (Concurrent), Non-Excusable and Excusable-Compensatory. Non Excusable Delay Non-Excusable delays are events that are within the Subcontractors control or that are foreseeable. These delays might be the results of late performance of Subcontractors, untimely performance by suppliers, faulty workmanship by the subcontractor, underestimate of productivity, inadequate scheduling or mamanagement, equipment breakdowns, staffing problems, a project specific labour strikes caused by either the Subcontractors with the labour representative or by unfair labour practices(Trauner et al,2009) Excusable Non Compensable Delay An excusable delay is caused by factors that are not foreseeable, beyond the Subcontractors control .The implication of the term means that, neither party is at fault under the terms and conditions of the contract and has agreed to share the risk and consequences when excusable events occur. The Subcontractor will not receive compensation for the cost of delay, but he will be entitled for an additional time to smia12010-07-21T16:31:00 Always? Dosent this depend on the terms of his sub-contract? complete his work and is also relieved from any contractually imposed liquidated damages for the period of delay (Ahmed et al, 2003) 2.5 Excusable Compensable Delay (Ahmed et al, 2003) acknowledged that, compensable delays are those that are generally caused by the owner or its agents. If the delay is compensable, then the contractor is entitled not only to an extension of time but also to an adjustment for any increase in costs caused by the delay. Owner-issued contracts specifically address some potential compensable delays and provide equitable adjustments. The usual equitable adjustable clauses in owner issued contracts that apply are: Changes, Dithering Site Conditionsmia12010-07-21T16:32:00 What does this mean?, and Suspension 2.6 Concurrent delays The concept of concurrent delay has become a very common presentation as part of some analysis of construction delays. The concurrency argument is not just from the standpoint of determining the projects critical delays but from the standpoint of assigning responsibility for damages associated with delays to the critical path. Owners will often cite concurrent delays by the contractor as a reason for issuing a time extension without additional compensation.Contractors will often cite concurrent delays by the owners as a reason why liquilidated damages should not be assessed for its delays. Concurrent delays are separate delays to the critical path that occur at the same time. (Lowsley et al, 2006) Rubin et al. (1983) defined concurrent delays as the situation in which two or more delays occur at the same time either of which had it occurred alone, would have affected the ultimate completion date. It means each of the delays must independently affect the critical path. Reynolds et al (2001) argue that to be considered concurrent delays, the delays need not commence precisely at the same time. Arditi et al (1995) had a view that, the delays need not occur in the same activity on the same critical path but may exist in different activities on parallel critical path as well. The SCL Protocol (SCL, 2002) describe a true concurrent delay as the occurrences of the delays, one an employer risk event and the other a contractor risk event, at the same time, and their effects felt at the same time. This occurrence is, however, extremely rare in practice since time is infinitely divisible. For instance, two delay events occurring on the same day would not necessarily be true concurrent delays because one may have occurred in the morning while the other in the afternoon. Concurrent delay is also rather misleadingly used to refer to the occurrence of two or more delay events at different times but their effect are felt (in whole or in part) at the same time. As a summary, Figure 1 classifies the different types of delays based on their various attributes. Figure 1: Delay Classifications (Nuhu Braimah 2008) 2.7 Primary Causes of Delay There are two kinds of reason for delay in construction project: external causes; and internal cauц¢eц¢.Internal causes of delay include the causes arising from four partià Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ involved in the project. These partià Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ include the proprietor, designers, contractorц¢, and conц¢ultantц¢. Other delays, which do not arise from these four partià Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢, are based on external factors for example from the government, material suppliers, or the weather (Ahmed et al., 2003). Semple et al. (1994) found that making provisions in a construction programme for events such as weather delays reduces disputes. Cost and time claims, especially those which are difficult to quantify, regularly result in disputes between the contractual parties. Weather contingencies are very seldom adequate, in terms of progress and cost, due to the use of varied methods used in the industry for weather contingency calculations. This results in adverse client-contractor relationships. Caenell.N.J, C2005) Cited the appropriateness to look at the matters which actually cause delay during the works themselves. The Contractor/Subcontractors responsibly for delays arise due to a failure on the part of the contractor to carry out the planning stages of the works properly, others will be due to an inability to perform in the manner agreed in the contract.This is in line with the authors believes that, most delays are caused by inefficiencies on the part of the Subcontractors. Employers responsibility or neutral events are caused through an act or omission of the employer or his team or by a matter which does not arise through the fault of the contractor. These are governed by the contract conditions. A useful list according to Carnell N.J (2005) is listed in Clause 25.4 of JCT 98 and includes: Force majeure,Exceptionally adverse weather conditions,Clause 22 perils(flood and the like),Civil commotion, strike or lock out,Compliance with architects instructions,Non-receipt of essential information,Delays by nominated suppliers or sub-contractors, artisans and tradesmen,Government action,Restrictions on the availability of labour or materials,Delays by,statutory undertakers,Delays in giving access to the works Ahmed et al, (2003) also mentioned the following as some possible causes of delays in construction project in nowadays: Possessive decision-making mechanism, highly bureaucratic organization, insufficient data collection and survey before design Site topography is changed after design,Lack of coordination at design phase,Inadequate review,Improper inspection approach,Different attitude between the consultant and contractors/subcontractors,Financial difficulties,Inexperience personnel,Insufficient number of staffs,Deficiency in project coordination,time spent to find sub contractors,company who is appropriate for each task,Often changing Sub -contracting company,Inadequate and old equipment,Lack of high-technology equipment and Harvest time. Ahmed et al (2003) cited Ogunlana et all (2001) as having studied the delays in Thailand, as an example of developing economies.They concluded that the problems of the construction industry in developing economies could be nested in three layers:(1) Problem of shortages or inadequacies on industry infrastructure, mainly supply of resources, (2) Problems caused by clients and consultants and (3) Problems caused by incompetence of Contractors. Assaf et al (1995) Listed 56 extensive causes of disputes over delay and identified them as : shortage of construction material, changes in types and specifications during construction, slow delivery of material, damage of material in storage, delay in the special manufacture of the building material, shortage of labour, labour skills, nationality of labourers, equipment failure, equipment shortage, unskilled operators, slow delivery of equipment, equipment productivity, financing by Contractor during construction, delays in Contractors progress payment by Owner, cash problems during construction, design changes by Owner or his agent during construction, design errors made by designers, foundation conditions smia12010-07-21T16:35:00 These would be far better rpesented as a bullet pointed listencountered in the field, mistake in soil investigation, water table conditions on site, geological problems on site, obtaining permits from municipality, obtaining permits for labourers, excessive bureaucracy in project Owner operation, building code used in the design of the project, preparation and approval of shop drawings, waiting for sample material approval, preparation of scheduling networks and revisions, lack of training personnel and management support, lack of database in estimating activity duration and resources, judgement of experience in estimating time and resources, project delivery systems used, hot weather effect on construction activities, insufficient available utilities on site, the relationship between different subcontractors schedule, the conflict between the consultant and the Contractor, uncooperative Owners, slowness of the Owner decision making process, the joint ownership of the project, poor o rganization, insufficient communication between Owner and designer at the design phase, unavailability of professional construction management, inadequate early planning of the project, inspection and testing procedures used in the projects, errors committed during field, application of quality control based on foreign specification, controlling subcontractors by general Contractors in the execution of the works, the unavailability of financial incentives for Contractor to finish ahead of schedule, negotiations and obtaining of contracts, legal disputes between various parties, social and cultural factors, accidents during construction . Ahmed et al. (2003) maintained that the iц¢Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ue of responsibility for delay Ñ-ц¢ related to whether the supplier Ñ-ц¢ awarded or Ñ-ц¢ liable for costs and additional time to complete the project. The categories of reц¢ponц¢ibilitieц¢ are: proprietor (or agent) responsible supplier will be granted à Ã‚ ° time extension and additional costs (indirect), where warranted; supplier (or subcontractor) responsible supplier will not be granted time or costs and may have to pay damages/penalties; neither party (e.g. act of God) responsible supplier will receive additional time to complete the project but no costs will be granted and no damages/penalties aц¢Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢eц¢Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ed; and both partià Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ responsible supplier will receive additional time to complete the project but no costs will be granted and any damages/penalties aц¢Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢eц¢Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ed. smia12010-07-21T16:36:00 Always? Dosent this depend on the risk allocation in the contract? Ying et al (2005) acknowledged five factors that influence time performance as; Long project scope identification, low speed of decision making, inadequate managerial skills during the planning phase, insuffiecient contractor completion and Lack of a strong organasational culture. Okumbe et al (2008) researched on Construction Industry perpestive on causes and effects of delays in South Africa and highlighted causes of dealy in payment as consultants inefficiency,lack of professionalism by the government employees,incompetence caused by insufficient staff,bureaucratic procedures experienced by government/client,late processing by project quantity surveyors ,late prepartion of payment certificate,claiming problems,late approval of work by architect and engineers,continous formulation of new policies by The Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB),poor budgeting by the client,late submission of cost reports by projects quantity surveyors,lack of understanding of contractual obligations and lack of funding,late project delivery,delays, in materials supply,labour stoppage as employess may go on strike if not paid on time,cash flow problems faced by contractors,contractors claiming extension of time with costs,risk of poor workmanship,poor contract deli very and default in paying suppliesrs and employers. In addition to causes of delays and who is responsible for them, there are other delay-related effects that may occur. High on the list is a decrease in the Contractors efficiency caused by the delays. The delays may directly cause the inefficiency or be caused by the inefficiency. Gorse (2004) Suggested that a well-evidenced claim, supported by an appropraite documentation, that properly establishes cause and effect and reasonably quantities the losses for each event will probably succeeds. Frimpong et al (2003)Conducted a survey on the causes of delay and cost overruns in construction of groundwater projects in a developing countries;Ghana as a case study and the main conclusions of the survey were;monthly payments difficulties from agencies,matarial procurement,poor technical performance,escalation of matarial prices accordinging to their degree of influence and theses were considered as major factors.The other factors that emerged as not very important ,but of interest were,bad weather,unfavorable geological conditions. Ahmed et al (2003) carried out a research which revealed the ranking of design related key delays.The most general design related caused delay was found to be taking place during the inspection phase followed by material/fabrication period, poor subcontract performance, material procurement and construction mistake as shown on figure 2. Source: Ahmed et al. ;( 2003) Figure 2: Ranking of design related key delays Effects of Delay on Construction Cost A brief review of text books and reports smia12010-07-21T16:38:00 What books and reports? You should at least give some example referencesreveal that construction excellence has not only become an option but a necessity, if the UK construction industry is to survive economics dynamics and changing social needs. Considering the industry is one of the pillars of the domestic economy making approximately 10 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing considerable number of workers, it is important to note that construction excellence is critical for the UK economy and its future. When a project is delayed, the owner, Contractor, or both may incur added costs. The determination of the amount of these costs is based on the results from the delay analysis and the determination of liability once the critical delays have been identified. (Trauner et al, 2009) More importantly, the construction industry needs to improve itself in order to increase profitability, quality of deliverables and client needs before it can contribute to the economy. There are many possible factors that can cause actual labour costs to exceed estimated costs such as engineering errors and omissions, excessive changes, delay and acceleration and weather. These factors may require contractors to work out of sequence, hire more manpower than planned, work scheduled overtime and utilize more costly methods of construction. (Borcherding et al, 2006). Trauner et al (2009) listed the following as examples of how delays can lead to inefficiencies. Shifts in construction sections-A delay to a project can shift work originally scheduled for one season into a different season. Availability of resources-Delays can affect the availability or resources in the areas of manpower, subcontracts or equipment. Manpower levels and distribution-Changes may be needed in terms of additions manpower, erratic staffing or variations in preferred/optimum gang size. Lowe et al (2006) described disputes as being the source of possible time and cost overrun and possible adversarial relationships between the different parties. This is not welcome to either the Owner or the Contractor. Cost overrun might lead to the project being unsuccessful, unfeasible or invalidate any benefits. Although avoiding disputes has been suggested, this is not usually possible and where disputes cannot be avoided efforts should be made to manage and contain the consequences. It is to the benefit of both the Employer and the Subcontractor to manage disputes towards a resolution as this will safeguard the success of the project. Cormican (1985) observed that the construction industry in UK is always at the top of the bankruptcy league and the most dangerous of all sectors. These unhealthy developments underpin the prevailing abandonment of projects and undermine the viability and sustainability of the construction industry. Akinci et al (1998) categorised risk factors affecting cost performance into organisation specific, global and acts of God. The organisation specific risks are internal risks related to the organisations resources and management including labour skills and availability, material delivery and quality, equipment reliability and availability, and managerial efficiency. Global risks are those that transcend the boundaries of the contracting organisation yet having large impact on it. These include estimating related, design related, level of competition, fraudulent practices, construction related, economic related and political relatedsmia12010-07-21T16:40:00 This is OK as far as it goes, but the literature revierw is supposed to be a CRITICAL review yours is really just a list of someone said thisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. You really need to summariuse at the end what the key issues are from your literature review, and how they relate to your particular problem..