Should Parents Be Responsible If Their Children Behave Badly?

Many crimes and social problems are caused by children. Despite the damage these teenage criminals cause, parents are not held responsible in most countries. This essay will discuss whether parents should be forced to pay for their children's crimes. There are many reasons why parents should not be responsible for crimes committed by teenage children. First of all, teenagers today are independent. They often move out of the parent's house at 18 years of age or younger. They are expected to learn to take care of themselves and make their own decisions, and not stay like small children attached to their parents. Secondly, parents are working. They cannot watch their adolescent children all the time. Parents have done their job A third point is that even children from good families can sometimes commit crimes. Parents should not be responsible if they have worked hard to raise their children properly. However, because of the many problems young troublemakers cause, I feel we should make parents responsible. Firstly, most juvenile crimes are committed by adolescents whose parents do not care or make any effort to control their children. If parents had to pay fines, they might make more effort. Another point is that even though the children may seem mature, they are not really able to make good decisions. Parents should be responsible for raising and teaching their children until they are fully grown. Furthermore, if children know that their parents will have to pay, they will think carefully before doing getting into trouble In summary, there are good reasons both for and against making parents pay for acts committed by their children. However, I feel strongly that if we want to reduce the number of such crimes, we need to make parents take more responsibility.

Poverty in Africa Essay

Poverty is an unfortunate condition that exists throughout Africa. It is a widespread condition that affects the entire populace, resulting in Africa being the poorest continent. Poverty in Africa is derived from the many existing problems, and continues to cause devastating effects. However, a number of reforms are being implemented to resolve the problem of poverty. There are a number of existing issues in Africa, which leads to the derivation of poverty. Whether there is a civil war or a quarrel among its countries, Africa constantly remains one of the top locations for conflicts (â€Å"Poverty in Africa†). The effects of warfare, including the shifting of the population, the destruction of fields, crops and infrastructures, and the immigration of people from their homelands contribute to the rise of poverty. The destruction of fields and crops weakens the economy, which results in poor agriculture. With poor lands and agriculture, the availability of food and resources are greatly reduced. The infrastructures are crucial to the prospering of a nation. The lack of infrastructure in Africa results to the low availability of potable, clean water. Also, Africa does not have railways and roads that connect in a significant way, hence any transportation to and within Africa is very difficult (â€Å"Poverty in Africa†). Warfare can also result to refugees, which increases the number of people who are living in destitution. A weak government is also a root of poverty, thus an inefficient government will eventually lead the fall of the economy. It is difficult for a corrupt and an unproductive government to obtain the supplies and provide the people with the basic necessities, such as a providing the people with a proper education, building required infrastructures, and providing the people with enough food and water. Without a productive government, the country will not thrive and as a result, more people in the country will live in poverty.

Difference Between Backing Up and Archiving of Data Essay

Explain the difference between ‘backing up’ and ‘archiving’ of data, state the process taken for both and give reasons why they are necessary. It is important to know the basic differences between backup and archiving information, in order to prevent loss of important files on a computer. There is a big difference between the two and it comes down to variables between short term and long term storage. Backing up important data files on a computer should be done often, sometimes once a day or more. Thinking of it like a short term insurance policy, backups can be done using USG keys, disks, even to tape. Sometimes this information is overwritten each time it is saved, as new tiles are being added. Backups are primarily used for operational recovery, to quickly recover an overwritten file or corrupted database. The focus is on speed, both to back up and recover, and on data integrity. Archives, on the other hand, typically store a version of a file that no longer changing, or should not be changing. For example, an accountant for a small business that uses QuickBooks will back up his files regularly in order to prevent a disastrous loss of inform. He will entrust that information to an online backup system that is updated at the end of each business day. This way, if a problem occurs with the individual computer or network, then there is a way to resurrect the book without having to enter a month of work. Archiving, on the other hand, is the equivalent of a long term insurance policy for files that are rarely accessed or never changed. This type of storage creates a history of the files in an authentic form that can be accessed weeks from now or years from now. The storage media for archiving requires that it have a long, stable life. If the owner of the company died tomorrow, where would you begin to look for important documents? Or what if an audit of 2003 came up? Creating an archive is essential to traching down vital information to a company or individual. Typically, archives have been stored on magnetic tapes in the past, but with cost of online data archiving solutions becoming more practical and inexpensive, you will see more use of them. Offsite data archiving is highly recommended in the even t of a disaster. Another way of looking at the differences is that backup contains multiple restore points, allowing you to go back in time in case of a virus, accidental deletion or accidentally saving over a file. Archived information will only store a singly version of a file and this is rarely changing, if ever at all. Often archived data will also span decades of files. Archiving may require certain policies or rules that approve who have access, how long the records need to be stored etc.

McKinsey 7-S applied on Qatar Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

McKinsey 7-S applied on Qatar Cinema - Essay Example the employees and managers to ensure high satisfaction rate and meet objectives of the company and employees is evident in the analysis of Qatar Cinema. However, Qatar Cinema is more focussed at meeting the needs of the general public through offering low pricing for its products showing that despite the lack of a clear-cut strategy, focus on producing for the average to low income earners is evident. The human resource system at Qatar Cinema is not living up to its billing owing to the low motivation, dissatisfaction with their environment, and the lack of task rewards at the company assessed through the respondents by the employees. Qatar Cinema comprises of male and female employees, but the management and administrative positions are predominantly men reducing the gender diversity in leadership that could negatively hamper decision-making and access to diverse ideas. From the primary research, 60% of the employees are not satisfied with the environment in which they work with 65% not satisfied with the salaries they receive at Qatar Cinema pointing to human resource inefficiency. Further, 50% of the employees answered to disagree with receiving any motivation with 20% strongly agreeing, and 30% agree on the receipt of motivation at the company. The data revealed that 55% of the employees disagreed on the presence of task rewards with 45% of them strongly disagreeing employee handling by supervisors showing the lack of enough measures for employee welfare at Qatar Cinema. Centralized decision-making is used in running the daily operations of Qatar Cinema with little to no involvement of the staff in the decision-making process (Lewis et al., 2006). A strong leadership has however allowed Qatar Cinema to access a high market share and cement its place as an affordable cinema for the consumers in Qatar. Qatar Cinema make use of skilled and semi-skilled personnel with the skilled personnel undertaking management and administrative positions at the company while

WK2_mketing_VALS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

WK2_mketing_VALS - Essay Example The survey results will show the main features of a customer: conservative or liberal, intellectual or a working man, prefer innovation or stick to old products. Translating marketing information into intelligence requires three related general functions: surveillance, assessment, and prediction. This activity consists of observing the reports of marketing occurrences, discerning patterns and deviations from standards, and trying to make sense out of them. Surveillance serves two ends: it indicates likely trends and changes in the marketplace and then suggests what must be known and done to meet the changes. Assessment attempts to evaluate more specific knowledge of particular opportunities, or competitors capabilities and vulnerabilities. Knowledge of strengths and weaknesses of specific competitors supplies the basis for developing ones own marketing strategies and programs. Predictions provide a dimension of futurity that makes intelligence relevant for planned decisions. The surv ey shows that the company has area intelligence, which is concerned more with localized details and shorter-run aspects of the marketing-activities programs. It is of particular value to marketing personnel in specialized or functional areas, since they deal directly with operations but lack policymaking responsibility. For example, area intelligence guides the actual recruitment, selection, training, and direction of salesmen; the determination of specific prices and advertising programs; and the specification of product qualities (Paley, 87). The survey results will show a need in new products and designs and ability of customers to perceive innovations. The survey will determine the character of a consumer and his life style. Both the quality of the raw data and the effectiveness of the primary analysis determine the kind of marketing information that will be derived. Data must be sorted, classified,

Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Resources - Essay Example It is an established fact that humans need certain basic things to survive in this world, which include food, clothing and shelter. Rapid population growth and increased urbanization have made shelter one of the most critical problems around the world. The earth’s carrying capacity or the amount of inhabitants it can sustain in terms of food, water and housing is limited and specific (Ehrlich, 1990). The increasing population does not commensurate with the resources as there is no change in resources. Resultantly, there is going to be an extreme shortage of resources with every passing day. Besides the reduced availability of land for accommodation, there are a number of other devastating effects of over population. All other resources like food, clean water are inter linked with the land; at present more than 99% of food supply comes from land and only 1% is obtained from oceans and other water habitats (Pimentel et al., 1994). The other implication of rapid growth and less land availability is the issue of human and factories’ waste, which if not disposed off properly, can cause a number of health problems like typhoid and cholera (United Nation, 1991, p. 219). The world is becoming a place where the human population is becoming more and more crowded thereby increasing the needs of life. The challenges for the engineers in provision of basic needs to humans like water, sanitation, nutrition, health care, safety are also increasing with every passing day. In next 20 years, expected increase in population is two billion, out of which 95% in developing and 5% in under developed countries. Such huge growth is going to increase the extraordinary requirement for energy, food, waste disposals, health care, ecological onslaught, telecommunication and transportation networks. The role of engineers in providing matching response to these requirements will be very critical and vital (Amadei,

Nepotism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nepotism - Essay Example There are several concepts that should be engaged in the analysis while considering the nature of nepotism. To begin with, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that the notion of integrity is something that is heavily damaged by the issue in question (McNamee, 2004, p. 87). Indeed, granting positions or preferences to family member can hardly be compatible with integrity of an organization. The next concept that is of great important when it comes to a fair examination of it is the idea of competition. As it has already been noted, people have to fight for their success and should be rewarded accordingly. The practice of nepotism grants a person an advantage that ruins the entire system of competition in the society and does not allow people to advance. Finally, the concept of meritocracy is something that should also be engaged while considering the impact that nepotism has on the society. It certainly would be an ideal situation when people are rewarded according to their mer its, but it is something that the social environment should be moving forward to; however, the practice of nepotism just makes this state of affairs unrealistic and reinforces the inequality among the people. In other words, the very existence of it does not allow the society evolve properly. That is why nepotism might be seen as a direct result of the inertia that has been guiding the process of development of the society for a considerable time. Nevertheless, it is quite obvious that is this practice is not taken care of, it will lead to a dead end. Keeping in mind that people will never want to stop evolution of their civilization, there is no other way but to deal with nepotism. That is why nepotism might be seen as a direct result of the inertia that has been guiding the process of development of the society for a considerable time. Nevertheless, it is quite

Newsletter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Newsletter - Assignment Example nding and unique abilities, understanding their natural inquisitiveness, managing and monitoring their learning, and designing their instruction to address children’s learning are all skills that must be part of an effective professional development program†. It is acknowledged that the family is a crucial factor in enhancing learning skills through engaging in activities perceived as virtually enjoying and informative, at the same time. â€Å"For Grades 1 – 3: Money’s Worth: Coin clues. Ask your child to gather some change in his or her hand without showing what it is. Start with amounts of 25 cents or less (for first-graders, you can start with pennies and nickels). Ask your child to tell you how much money and how many coins there are. Guess which coins are being held. For example, "I have 17 cents and 5 coins. What coins do I have?" (3 nickels and 2 pennies). For Grades K-2: Newspaper numbers. Help your child look for numbers 1 to 100 in the newspaper. Cut the numbers out and glue them in numerical order onto a large piece of paper. For children who cannot count to 100 or recognize numbers that large, only collect up to the number they do know. Have your child say the numbers to you and practice counting up to that number. Grades 3 – 5: Shop around. Have your child search for advertisements in the newspaper for an item they have been wanting, such as a piece of clothing or tennis shoes, in order to find the lowest price for the item. After your child finds the best buy, have him or her compare the best buy to the rest of the advertised prices. Are this stores prices lower for everything or just items in demand? Value of Learning: This activity helps children see how much math is used in everyday life. It also helps in the variety of ways in which math is used to tell a story, read a timetable or schedule, plan a shopping list, or study the weather† (Helping Your Child Learn Math,

Marketing Plan for Robotic Systems to assist in heart surgeries and Research Paper

Marketing Plan for Robotic Systems to assist in heart surgeries and other invasive surgeries - Research Paper Example For instance, there are more than 41 million people who are above 65 years and the figure will be considerably higher if we include people who are 55 years and above. Indeed, the probability that a patient (in later years of his / her life) would have a bypass, heart and cancer surgery increases; therefore, the surgeons and health professionals have suggested the use of Da Vinci, ZEUS, AESOP and SAR robotic systems as they facilitate during surgery and enhance the performance. Nevertheless, patients that have robotic surgery are quickly recovered as well as have lesser pain during trauma. The distribution firm has planned that it would open 2 new offices in Washington during June and September 2011 – one each at Union Station and Verizon Center. The expected annual sales are $4 – 5 million with net margin of at least 8%. In case the operations remain successful, the distribution firm will expand its operations to New York by opening 2 new offices during January and June 2010 – one each at Manhattan Mall and Trump Tower. 2. Business Description The Robot Systems Suppliers (hypothetical firm) was inaugurated in 2009 and it is proficient in distribution and maintenance of robotic systems that could be used in heart surgeries and others. Indeed, the technological developments have also facilitated doctors, physicians and surgeons to use modern equipments and robots for heart surgeries, for Prostate Cancer, Gastric Bypass and fatal injuries etc. The company not only focuses on the marketing and distribution on the da Vinci systems initially offered in early 21st century, but also it has been offering ZEUS Surgical System for invasive surgeries. It is worthwhile to mention the fact that use of robot systems has been increasing in US healthcare industry because they help saving time and effort during surgery as well as reduce pain and trauma for patients. For instance, the robotic systems also facilitate in faster recovery that, in turn, reduce fi nancial burden on patients since they have to spend fewer amount on medicines and checkups after surgeries. The Robot Systems Suppliers initially commenced its business operations in Los Angeles City in 2009, and today it has already become an established firm in LA, a city of more than 4 million people. The company enjoys annual revenue of $4.5 million and its net profit (15%) was recorded to be under $0.7 million approximately. The major reason behind success of Robot System Suppliers is the constant focus on differentiation and innovation coupled with top quality after-sales-services. The company also provides useful suggestions to robot producers so that they could innovate their existing robotic systems (that are widely used) and create new systems to achieve cost leadership and efficiency. It should be pointed out that there is immense business potential for suppliers of robotic systems in US healthcare industry because of rising population and number of elderly / senior citiz ens (aged 55 years and above). The Robot Systems Suppliers is in strong financial position because its gross profit margin is in range of 25 – 35%, whereas the net profit margin remains in the range of 12 – 20% because the producers tend to offer high commissions to robot distributors. In addition, the profitability increases primarily due to offering of after-sales-servi

The factors affecting the deflection Essay Example for Free

The factors affecting the deflection Essay The factors affecting the deflection of a cantilever when weights are added onto the end. What I think will happen: I think that as the weights are added to the cantilever, the deflection will increase. I think this will happen because: I think the deflection will increase because gravity will push down on the cantilever and weights while the atoms in the cantilever will be resisting this force: I know that MOMENT = FORCE(N) X DISTANCE This means that the moment of the weights is the distance from the bench (or pivot) multiplied by the number of Newtons attached to the hook. As I know that the moment increases as more weight is added, I can use this to back-up my prediction by stating that more weight (or moment) causes more deflection e. g. I predict that weight is directly proportional to deflection. This could also be likened to a bimetallic strip, which will bend more as it is increasingly heated or cooled. The atoms in a solid are rather like a spring in that if they are stretched, they will try to return to their original position when released (unless stretched beyond their elastic limit). An example is a cube (see next page): When one atom is pulled, any atoms connected to this atom will try to pull each other back into their original shape. The atoms in the cantilever are being stretched so that the beam deflects downwards. The top of the cantilever gets stretched (called tension) and the bottom of the cantilever gets squashed (called compression). A cantilever that has a high cross-section will bend less than one with a low cross-section. This means that as more weight is added to the cantilever, the more tension and compression there will be. I think the atoms at the middle of the cantilever will look like this at first To this when weight is added PLAN To do this experiment, I will need: 1. A wooden meter rule 2. A G-Clamp + small block of wood 3. A Hook 4. 7, 1 Newton weights 5. A small coil of string First fit this equipment up like so: The string is used to attach the hook to the ruler. String is useful for this, as it is thin and can be placed at a measured position with fairly good accuracy. The block of wood goes in-between the G-Clamp and the ruler to stop the pressure damaging the wood. If I were to set-up the ruler without the G-Clamp I could not call it a cantilever, as a cantilever is defined as a projecting structure, fixed in position and direction at one end, and free at the other. In my preliminary experiment I found that there was no way to hook the weights onto the ruler and that using too many weight would snap or split the ruler. I used this information in my primary experiment by using string a certain distance from the bench and also adding no more than 7 Newtons onto my ruler. I have also decided to measure the deflection from the top corner of the ruler, as the bottom corner is 1/2cm away from 0 deflection. I have decided to keep it fair and accurate by changing only one variable. This is mainly due to the time constraint on the practical. I will always use the same ruler, weights and hook. I will take at least 2 readings and use the average in my results. After each reading I will verify it to see if it is near my prediction. If not, I will test it again to check if it was correct. EXPERIMENT 1 As my variable is length, for this experiment I will position my hook at the end to the meter rule: I am leaving 20mm at the end of the ruler so that I can avoid the wear on the ruler that may cause the string to slip. EXPERIMENT 2 Instead of attaching my hook to the end, this time I will position my string 450mm from the bench. Half of what it was before: EXPERIMENT 3 Putting my hook at 225mm would not be a good position as the small results would be harder and less accurate to measure. To stop this I will put the hook at 675mm. This is halfway between my previous positions. RESULTS: My results show that The results show that the bigger the surface area, the greater the amount of oxygen produced in the reaction. As the surface area increased, so to did the oxygen readings e. g. surface area = 4, average = 1. 3, surface area 12 (4+8), average = 2. 5. The 3rd and 4th results increase the surface area less that the 1st to 2nd and so do the averages of them. Also, the oxygen readings fluctuated so taking three recordings and averaging them out was a beneficial idea. My prediction was correct. EVALUATION: The test could have been more reliable if the concentration of acid was kept the same each lesson as this caused higher or lower results depending on which concentration was used. The pieces of potato were overlapping on top of each other in the test tube, which detracted from the accuracy of the result as the experiment was trying to make a correlation between surface area and oxygen produced. A conical flask with a thin mesh just above the bottom would have helped keep as much area exposed as possible. The odd/fluctuating results were mostly due to the acid concentration problem as the overlapping happened every time. I am more certain that my conclusions are correct because I have checked and recorded my results and found no unexplainable anomalies. I could do more research into enzymes and how fast they convert their substrate into the components to enable me to work out the experiment using maths and practical experience.

Participants in Construction Projects

Participants in Construction Projects A construction project is a task undertaken in the production of construction products. The term project in this context is being used for the total activity from inception to commissioning and occupation, involving an agreed and planned objective and total input of specialist participants and their interrelationships. It is a temporary non-recurrent activity that is started, implemented, evaluated and terminated. This activity is undertaken in response to demand (direct, derived, individual or collective) for construction activity. Moreover, the activity is complex and, hence, necessitates the input of large numbers of participants with different disciplines to carry out the separate but interrelated functions of design, engineering, costing, pricing, and production. The participants who are engaged to work on the project are mainly unaccustomed to working with each other and, hence, projects activity imposes a special demand on team building and motivation. In addition, every parti cipant should be made aware of all the governing conditions, objectives, responsibilities, relationship and basic parameters of the construction project. Construction projects vary considerably in size and complexity. Moreover, generally complex projects tend to be large amount of service element. This complexity poses major problems of bounded rationality, risks and uncertainty. Project Participants The participants to construction project procurement are the client (who is the initiator), the multi-disciplinary construction consultants (who act as the clients professional advisers) and the building contractor (who constructs the building). Together, this group of participants takes on and manages sequence of distinct but unrelated activities of the construction process from beginning to the end. A construction project, to all intents and purposes, is the production of capital goods and, like any other capital investment, involves careful planning and decision making. Construction projects generally are complex and composed of many activities. It is this complexity that calls for the input proposals of designers, contractors, suppliers and statutory authorities for their production. Although thee procurement method adopted may vary the relationship of the participants, there will always be a proposer (client), designer (architect/engineer), construction team (builder), statutory authorities (gas, electricity, fire and water) and area local authority. A. The Client The client is the key to the whole construction production process from inception to completion and at times to post-occupancy maintenance. Without the client there would be no construction project. Construction industry clients either identify user potential or create the need for the facilities and raise the necessary financial resources for their creation. They initiate the construction process by commissioning various construction professional to build to specific requirement. During the design and construction phases, the client directly or indirectly monitors progress, time, cost, and quality objectives and sanctions any necessary major variations to the design. Finally, on completion, it is the client who either disposes of the product at the marketplace or takes occupation and bears the repairs and maintenance cost of his/her investment. Therefore, the construction industry looks to many clients for work and, generally, these may be classified as public sector clients or clients from the private sector. A1. Public sector client These are public authorities whose operations are governed generally by Acts of Parliament. They act as agents for the central government who exercise control over their capital building programmes and expenditure. The key public sector clients for the UK construction industry are: Central government department, who are responsible for their own programme of construction on projects. Local authorities, who are responsible for the provision of housing, school, libraries, swimming pool, halls, sports centers and the like. Some health authorities, which are responsible for hospital buildings. Public corporations (e.g. British Rail and Air Transport boards), who are responsible for the provision of buildings and other construction products for their own use. A2. Private sector client These are private companies that build for leasing, renting, sale or own occupation. The central government only exercises a limited amount of control over their operations (e.g. planning controls for proposed development). The private sector clients for the construction industry are many and may be classified as follows: Multi-national companies (e.g. Ford, Cadburys. ICI and Esso) who construct factories, production plants, offices and distribution depots for their own use. National companies (e.g. Tesco, Sainsburys and Woolworths) who construct buildings for their own use in warehousing and retail. Local property development companies, who construct offices, factories, shops and houses speculatively for hire, lease or sale. Private clients, who construct new buildings, or extent, refurbish or repair the existing building for own occupation, letting, leasing or sale. B. Consultant office (The Design Team) All the developing design stage it is imperative that architectural design and details are well integrated with those of structural, mechanical and electrical engineers. The architect as the design team leader is responsible for design integration. And all the design team members are playing the important role during the design stage. B1.The Architect Traditionally, the design function in the construction process is the responsibility of an architect who is a professionally qualified person whose role is to interpret the clients project requirements into a specific design or scheme. Design is taken to include appearance composition, proportion, structure, function and economy of product, but in addition the architect performs the function of obtaining planning permission for the scheme. In most times, too, the architect supervises and organizes the entire construction process, starting with consulting with the client and ending with commissioning. As an established practice, the architect plays the leading role in the construction process. He or she collects, coordinates, controls and disseminates project information to all project participants. As a project team leader, the architect performs various functions in all stages of construction process, which includes: Ascertaining, interpreting and formulating the clients requirement into an understandable project brief. Designing a building to meet the clients requirement and constraints imposed by such factors as statutory obligations, technical feasibility, environmental standards, site conditions and cost. Bringing together a team of construction professionals such as the quantity surveyor, structural engineer and service engineer to give expert guidance on specific points of the clients construction project. Assessing clients cost limit and timescale, and specifying the type and grade of materials/components for use on the construction project. Preparing production information for pricing and construction and inviting tenders from building contractors. Supervising the construction on sire, constantly keeping client informed of the projects progress and issuing production instructions as and when required. Keeping the client informed of the status of the projects cost and advising ion when payment should be made or withheld. Advising on the conduct of the project generally and resolving all contractual disputes between client and the building contractor. Issuing the certificate of completion, the certificate of making good defects and the final certificate for payment. Generally, the architect acts as an agent for all purposes relating to designing, obtaining tenders for and superintending the construction work for whish he or she has been commissioned. To be able to perform above function efficiently, the architect must process, among other things, the attributes of foresight, an understanding of construction materials, communicating and coordinating abilities, essential design skills and an ability to design within a set budget. B2. Engineers B2a. The Structural Engineer The structural engineer acts as an advisor to the architect on all structural problems such as stability of the structure, suitability of materials proposed, structural feasibility of the proposed design and sizes of structural members for a construction project. Normally, the structural design engineer submits his/her various structural calculations to the area local authority for approval at the same time as the architect submits his/her drawings for building regulations approval. In addition, the structural engineer performs structural design and supervises his or her specialist area of the construction project during production on site. B2b. The Services Engineers Like the structural engineer, the services engineers (plumbing, electrical, heating and ventilating, air conditioning, sanitation, lifts and escalators and so on) contribute to the building design process to ensure that thermal and visual comfort are achieved effectively. For this reason, they analyze the clients requirement and priorities and advise the architect on the most appropriate design solution. They prepare diagrams of their proposals or services layout of the proposed construction project on the separate drawings and the architect includes these in the tender drawings sent out to contractors for competitive bidding. Once the services engineers have made their contributions to the design, they ensure that their contributions have been correctly interpreted, installed and commissioned. Where services engineers design layout causes any structural problems, the advice of the structural engineer is sought. There is also a need for the architect to coordinate the route of pipes, cables and ducts for various services on the project. The duties and responsibilities of the structural and services engineer include the following: Providing specialist advice and assisting in the design of the construction project within the scope of their respective specialist field. Producing calculations or other relevant data to assist in the design, cost planning, and the assessment of suitability of materials/components and the like. Supervising their respective specialist fields of the project and modifying or redesigning work whenever required. B3. The Quantity Surveyor The quantity surveyor is responsible for the study of the economies and financial implications of a construction project and, hence, he or she would be the appropriate construction professional to advise client/architect on matters relating to the economies and cost of a proposed construction project. Traditionally, quantity surveyors organize themselves into small practices; however, many are now to be found in contracting and client organizations. Those in private practice are mostly chosen and appointed by clients on the recommendation of an architect. As cost is one of the deciding factors in most construction projects, the quantity surveyor is brought in at the earliest opportunity to advise the client or architect on the cost of various schemes proposed. The quantity surveyor is also able to perform several functions on construction projects, and these may be summarized as follows: Preparation of preliminary cost advice and approximate estimating. Preparation of cost plan and carrying out cost studies (investment appraisal, life cycle costing and the like). Preparation of contract documentation for contractor selection and construction project administration. Evaluation of contractors tenders received with documentations for acceptance or rejection. Preparation of cash flow forecasts and institution of post-contract cost monitoring/reporting mechanisms. Valuation of variations that arise as the works proceed and preparation of interim valuations at regular intervals. Preparation of periodic cost report for the architect or client. Preparation and agreement of final account with the contractor. Evaluation and settlement of contractors claim for direct loss and/or expenses. Settlement of contractual disputes. C. The contractor The production aspects of construction projects are undertaken by building contractors who are essentially commercial companies that contract to construct development projects. Although many major contracting establishments are able to undertake both design and production work, their primary function is to build and to organize their considerable resources basically as a manufacturing organization. Duties and responsibilities of the contractor commence upon invitation to tender and include the following: Carrying out a full site investigation prior to submission of tender to ensure that the bid includes all the cost of contractual risks and problems. Submitting priced bills of quantities for examination and/or correction of any errors when required by the architect. Planning and programming the works and reprogramming thereafter whenever unforeseen events frustrate the program. Controlling directly employed operatives, sub-contractors, suppliers, materials and plant for the execution of the project to programme and cost. Coordinating efforts of all operatives and ensuring that the completed works comply with the contract specification and are also to the satisfaction of the architect. Notifying the architect of information requirements, delays to the construction programme, discrepancy between contract documents, direct loss and/or expense sustained and so on. Paying the wages of directly employed operatives, sub-contractors and suppliers in time to avoid conflicts over payment. Supplying all the information required by the clients professional advisers for the proper administration of the works. Taking steps to carry out the contractors obligations to rectify all defects on completion of the works. Providing post-occupancy repair and maintenance service if so required by the client.

Reshaping Care For Older People In Scotland Social Work Essay

Reshaping Care For Older People In Scotland Social Work Essay This project centres on the response from a group of service users who have been diagnosed with dementia and attend a day care service in the Perth and Kinross area to a consultation regarding the future delivery of care for older people in Scotland. Clearly, the Scottish government has stated that with the population of people aged 65 and over in Scotland expected to increase by up to 21 per cent by 2016 and 62 per cent bigger by 2031, as well as the increasing cost of funding health and social care hospital and care homes particularly, there is an urgent need to do things differently in order to be able to continue to provide sustainable and affordable and high quality care for older people in Scotland (Scottish Executive 2010). With the projected growth in the number of older people expected to create additional significant demand on care and support services; the question thus arise; what is to be done to reshape the delivery of care services in the future given these projectio ns? The consultation exercise focused on two main areas; responsibility for paying for the personal care of older people and the type of care that service users prefer. Free personal care for older people (aged 65 and above) was introduced in Scotland in 2002 after the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002 (hereafter referred to as CCHSA 2002) received royal assent. The background for the introduction of the policy is in the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Long Term Care (1999) which states that personal care should be available after assessment, according to need and paid for from general taxation. Scotland alone as Bowes and Bell (2007) noted, of the jurisdictions of the United Kingdom implemented the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Long Term Care (as above). In respect of the CCHSA 2002 which is the legislation that implements the policy of free personal care, personal care is defined under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 as including help with continence management, personal hygiene, mobility, assistance with eating, support and counselling services, personal assistance such as help getting up and out of be d, as well as help with medication. Many social policy commentators and researchers as well as various stakeholders have described Scotlands free personal care policy in various ways. Blair (2002) for instance views the free personal care policy as representing the very least that could be offered to older people with enduring ill-health, while Age Concern Scotland (2009) described the policy as successful in helping older people remain living independently in their own home instead of moving into residential care. While Dickenson et al. (2007) viewed the advent of the policy as a defining moment in the development of political devolution in the United Kingdom, Bowes and Bell (2007) described it as a flagship policy of the Scottish Parliament and representing a considerable investment by the administration. In a much less enthusiastic tone however, Ferguson (2005) noted that the recommendation made by the Royal Commission on Long Term Care (stated earlier) was initially rejected by the Scottish Executive as being too c ostly and that it was later accepted by the Scottish Executive in order to avoid parliamentary defeat. However, despite the success of the policy thus far and its political impact as briefly highlighted above, there is a growing concern in relation to its long term sustainability especially with the projected growth in the population of older people in Scotland (mentioned earlier) and the concomitant pressure on the public purse. For example Sutherland (2008) and Bowes and Bell (2007) both highlight the inadequate consideration of the cost of the policy, as well as the report of the Scottish Parliament Audit Committee (2005) which was very critical of the Scottish Executives failure to fully understand the cost of the policy. Bell et al. (2006) noted that there had been an apparent shift in the balance of care towards increased provision of care at home in Scotland before the introduction of the policy of free personal care and has remained the case since the policy was introduced, and remains one of the strongest points in relation to the aims of the policy. Bell et al (2006) further posit that the free personal care policy may have served as a logical solution to what the Royal Commission on Long Term Care (1999) termed the particularly problematic boundaries between health and social care in relation to people with chronic conditions such as dementia whose social and personal care needs result from a medical condition. If we agree with Bell et al here, we can see implications of the policy of free personal care within the integrated services and processes such as single shared assessments designed to encourage and support flexibility in services thus providing better choice for service users, while al so promoting equity through standardisation (Alaszewski et al 2004). The main aims of the policy of free personal care according to Scottish Executive (2005) include; encourage and help older people to remain and stay in their own homes for as long as is practicably possible and reasonable to do so, as well as provide personal care services on an equitable basis based on an assessment of peoples needs. Only one of the service users (out of a group of twelve) who participated in the focus group consultation for this project said she would prefer to go into residential care rather than to receive care at home. This further highlights the already well documented preference of older service users for care in their own home rather than move into residential care a major aim of the policy. Why the Policy is important: The policy of free personal care has been shaped by, and since its inception has shaped other policies in a number of ways both expected and un-anticipated. This interaction with other policies has been mainly in community care and spans social care and health, pensions and benefits, housing, rights and citizenship settings. One of the policy aims pursued by government in the United Kingdom has been the de-institutionalisation of social care; whereby social care is moved away from institutional settings to the community which according to Godfrey et al. (2004) reflects the general preference of older people to receive care at home and within their own communities (also expressed by the focus group participants for this project). The free personal care policy can be seen as a very important policy therefore as it supports care at home (a view shared by the focus group participants for this project) by providing older people with a lot more choice; for exa mple, they can choose when and if they will move from home care into residential care. According to the John Rowntree foundation (2006) the policy of free personal care for older people in Scotland has created a fairer system of care as well as well as reduced means-testing and money worries for those families with modest or limited means. This is also one of the important issues raised by some of the service users who participated in the focus group I facilitated for this project. Some of the participants revealed that things would definitely have been very difficult for them if they did not get assistance with personal care. To further buttress the above point, some of the service users who participated in the focus group were not in support of the government being responsible for the provision of personal care but did however support the provision of free personal care for those with limited means or who do not have a family to support them. One of the points also highlighted by service users during consultation was that the free personal care policy has helped thei r carers (informal carers) as well because it allowed them more time to carry out other less hands-on support and tasks such as social outings. Some of the issues the policy aims to address include; a greater understanding of the role of the family, the provision of informal care and the mechanisms which can be further developed to provide support for the provision and recognition of the important contribution s of informal care. The overall design of the future social care makes looking at the policy of free personal care very important because of its direct and indirect interaction with other policies and areas of social care mad health, as well as housing, benefits and pensions, citizenship and rights. Some of the interactions of the policy with the wider objective of shifting the balance of care away from institutional settings towards care at home have already been mentioned. The policy of free personal care has implications for housing, for instance if more and more people are going to be receiving care at home, to be able to live independently with support therefore, perhaps a good number of houses would require adapt ations especially for those service users with mobility problems whose own houses may not have been built to barrier free standards. If also look at pension credits, for example, according to the Help the Aged (2005) one implication of the introduction of the policy of free personal care is that local authorities have directed increased efforts towards service users income maximisation meaning local authorities will want to make sure service users claim pension credit if they are eligible for it because it will local authorities will be paying less in fees and thus saving money. Erskine (1998) argues that the point of departure for thinking about social policy includes the consideration of social issues (for example, the changing demographic structure of society) and the experience of social groups (for example older people) and thus leads to social action (Alcock 2008) aimed at addressing the issues identified. One of the reasons I selected the free personal care policy for my project apart from the fact that it directly affects the service user group with whom I worked during my practice learning period, there is a wealth of evidence from research which suggests that the current system of adult social care is not sustainable in the longer term especially with the projected growth in the number of older people who will be needing care as well as the severe squeeze on public spending. Clearly, an increase in longevity would be regarded as a sign of success in the improvement of healthcare it also presents a huge challenge. Consequently, the provision of high quality care services and support for older people, given the demographic changes and reduced public finances is regarded as one of the three biggest challenges facing Scotland alongside economic recovery and climate change (Scottish Executive 2010). The policy of free personal care is part of the overall vision of the Scottish government to modernise adult care services, make it fit for purpose, a systems that gives choice and control to service users, is responsive to the needs of a 21st century Scotland and shifts the focus away from crisis response towards a more preventative approach (Scottish Executive (2010). The provision of high quality care and support for older people is a fundamental principle of social justice and is an important hallmark of a society that is both compassionate and caring, Scottish Executive (2010). This is one of the very reasons why the policy was selected for this project; to gather evidence from service users in relation to their views and opinions on the future of care services and support for older people in Scotland. The value of user involvement and participation in the planning and development of the services they receive cannot be over-emphasised as will be discussed in the next section of this paper. This project focuses on service users who have been diagnosed with dementia or a cognitive impairment and attend a day centre service in Perth. Part Two: Reflective Account Service users selection and involvement: One of the reasons I facilitated a response from the service users in my placement agency for the consultation and policy used in this project was because the service users themselves are important stakeholders and are at the receiving end of implementation they experience it on a daily basis. Service users can be viewed as experts by experience and as such their views and opinions are invaluable assets in the planning and delivery of adult social care services. All the service users who participated in the consultation live in their own homes and are in receipt of free personal care and thus have firsthand experience of the impact of the policy and are also in a good position as (service users) to share their perspectives on how adult care and support services can be further developed to meet future needs. After initial meetings with my Link Worker and the other members of staff during which the purpose of the consultation was discussed and ethical issues looked at, I spoke with service users individually (with the assistance of three members of staff) in the day centre. I discussed the purpose of the consultation, took the names of those who indicated their willingness to participate, and informed them about the consent form to be made available before the focus group, as well as negotiated a suitable time and date. My placement agency being a day care centre which the service users attend on a daily basis, what I did was to put up informa tion about the time, aims and date of the consultation on the notice board in the dining room as well as the one in the activity room from about two weeks before the date of the focus group. One of the reasons I did this was so that service users are constantly reminded of the date and details of the consultation. In relation to user involvement, as Ross et al. (2005) points out, there is no single blue print for user involvement as it calls for working with a diversity of perspectives. Importantly, as an emerging social worker who firmly believes in the principles of anti-oppressive practice or what Thompson and Thompson (2001) termed empowering practice I wanted an approach that would foster service user participation, and support their engagement as much as possible in the consultation. I decided to use Beresfords (2002) democratic model of user involvement as against the consumerist model because it is much more in line with the purpose of the consultation itself bringing about change through collective action as well as to give service users more say and control in decisions that affect their lives. In applying the democratic model of user involvement for instance, I encouraged open participation in the focus group. I did not select a particular service user to participate in the focus g roup discussion, rather what I did was to encourage everyone to participate and the response was very positive as twelve out of thirteen service users participated in the focus group discussion. Two of the participants in the focus group had special needs visual and hearing impairment respectively. I arranged with one of the three members of staff who co-facilitated the focus group to work the two service users using individual work sheets to record their views and opinions. I provided each participant with a copy of the aims of the consultation, as well as a copy of the agenda for the focus group discussion. I also used one of the pre-focus group meetings that I had with the service users to encourage their involvement; for instance one of the service users asked me if I would like them to tell me only what I wanted to hear during the focus group discussion and I told the service user that I was not looking for them to tell me only what I would like to hear, rather they should exp ress their opinions and perspectives on the issues we were going to discuss. I believe such an approach to user involvement is important for increasing the confidence of participants in the focus group. Data collection: I used a qualitative rather than a quantitative method of data collection for the project and this was mainly informed by a consideration of what Becker and Bryman (2004) termed the main concerns and preoccupations of the qualitative method actors (for example service users), meanings and descriptions, as well as an emphasis on flexibility, process and context. The main qualitative method I used was the facilitation of a focus group with the service users in my placement agency as participants. I used a focus group approach to gather data from the service users because it generates data in a narrative rather numerical form. It was also very important for the data collection method to be flexible and take account of the circumstances of the data subjects in this case the service users are elderly people with dementia or a cognitive impairment and it was very important to put this into consideration. The focus group approach was the most suitable method because it pr ovided a forum within which the service users could discuss important aspects of a policy which directly affects them, and their views on the future of adult social care services is very useful because they are important stakeholders. If we also look at it from the point of view of service user empowerment and anti-oppressive practice, the focus group approach also gives the service users control as they are able to share and discuss their experiences and the interaction amongst the different participants would generate a lot of data as well as being useful and enjoyable. Other sources of data used in the project include; government policy and legislative documents, literature review, as well as publications/evidence reviews from voluntary groups/organisations such as Age Concern Scotland and the John Rowntree Foundation. Ethical and effective practice: As part of the consideration of the ethical aspects of my work with the service users who participated in the focus group which I facilitated in the course of carrying out this project, some of the things I did include; encouraging participation was voluntary and that consent was obtained from all the service users who agreed to participate in the focus group. I provided each service user with a consent form which they signed as evidence that they consented voluntarily and that they had the right to withdraw their participation at anytime. I also made sure none of the service users was intentionally or indirectly excluded from participating in the focus group (as mentioned earlier), or disadvantaged. As mentioned earlier, I two of the participants in the focus group had special needs one was visually impaired but not blind while the other was hearing impaired and used hearing aids. Some of the things I did to enable their participation in the focus group for instance includes; providing written information in large print format as well as making arrangements for one of the co-facilitators to work with them. I also ensured that they were able to take part in the discussion; for example, asking them politely for their opinions while also making sure (given group dynamics) that the discussion was not being dominated by only those who could actively discuss. Part Three: Assessing the Impact on Users and other Key Stakeholders Several participants in the focus group revealed that the free personal care policy has been of help to them and has enabled them to remain at home rather than moving into residential care. Nearly all the participants agreed that personal care should remain free. However, there were strong responses from some of the participants in relation to responsibility for paying for personal care; one participant was very strong on his position that the family should be responsible for paying for personal care, another argued that while he was not against the idea of the family taking responsibility for paying for personal care, he was being considerate of those who did not have a family or who simply could not afford it because they had very limited or no means at all. The participant with the latter argument suggested that older people should be means tested for the receipt of free personal care. Another participant also argued that older people should continue to receive free personal care because they had spent their working years paying taxes and national insurance and should therefore be taken care of by the state. All participants in the focus group emphasized the important role of informal care and the support they receive from their family members, only one of the participants revealed that she would prefer to go into residential care her reason being that she lives alone in her home and would feel safer in residential care. Several participants said they would prefer to remain in their own homes for as long as possible and free personal care has been contributory to making this possible. There is a strong suggestion from the government documents consulted for this project and publications from key organisations such as the John Rowntree Foundation, that the free personal care policy has been very successful as confirmed also by the participants in the focus group for this project. However, there is also a strong tone of concern (in most of the government publications and evidence reviews) vis-a-vis the financial implications of the policy given the projected growth in the number of older people by the year 2032. For example, if we look at housing, a greater proportion of older people receiving care at home would perhaps increase the demand for housing and housing related services (Scottish Executive 2010). Age Concern Scotland (2009) noted with concern that much of Scotlands housing stock is not easily adapted for someone with mobility problems, and with the balance of care increasingly shifting towards care at home (with free personal care and personalisation as pot ent drivers) there are implications for local services and the design of communities in the future. Most of the participants in the focus group were diagnosed with an early onset of dementia meaning their dementia has not reached an advanced stage and so do not lack capacity. One impact of free personal care for this group of service users is that it has given them choice; they can choose to receive care at home or take up residential care. Nearly all the participants expressed preference for care at home, increased support, choice and flexibility for their family and informal carers, as well as support to keep them (person with dementia) in their own home for as long as possible even during advanced stages of dementia. Participants also said they would like to see more choice and control; some of the participants expressed disappointment in the fact that while they are often consulted with about their opinions, some of the important things they need are not provided. The service users would like to be more involved in decision making as one of the participants in the focus group said; I can tell you a problem that is niggling me and close to my heart and you can go away and promise to do something about it without doing it. Generally, the participants in the focus group appeared to be more concerned about the quality of the services they receive than the cost or who pays for it. The participants all said they wanted services that are reliable as well as responsive to their individual and changing needs. Two of the participants with other disabilities visual and hearing impairment respectively, also agreed that while the free personal care policy has added to the financial resources at their disposal, they still feel they have a number of unmet needs. For example, they mentioned transportation and being able to go on social outings, cleaning their homes as well as taking care of their garden as some of their needs which remain unmet. They also appear to have a holistic view of what free personal care entails; they believe it covers all aspects of care for older people. These two participants also noted that while the free personal care policy has enabled them to receive care at home, it is likely that as their conditions deteriorate they may still have to go into residential care and this may perhaps be the case for the larger proportion of older people with disabilities. In terms of the wider implications of the free personal care policy, one of main objectives of the reshaping care programme (Scottish Executive 2010) for which this project is based overall, as I mentioned earlier is a shift in focus from crisis response to preventative approaches, Scottish Executive (2010). This renewed emphasis on preventative and early intervention approaches by the Scottish government Dickinson et al. (2007) believe would be helped as free personal care may make older people more willing to contact their respective local authorities and thus provide some scope for early intervention and preventative work. As we can infer from the findings and evidence from research presented in this report thus far, the provision of free personal care is just one aspect of the overall picture of services and support for older people in Scotland. There are (as discussed earlier) significant implications for other key areas of public policy including housing, transport, pensions as well as employment. Part Four: Critical Analysis The introduction of the policy of free personal care in Scotland as Ferguson (2005) puts it, marks the beginning of policy divergence between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. Fergusons assertion also echoes Mooney and Wrights (2009) account of the difference in the way the four nations which constitute the United Kingdom view, experience and organise policy responses to their social problems. The policy has been largely welcomed and viewed by various stakeholders as part of a Scottish solution to Scottish problems. Drakes (2001) assertion that social policies are not created in a vacuum but are guided by values, principles and objectives is perhaps useful here when we look at the overarching principles and values which underlie the policy of free personal care. For example, Scoot and Mooney (2009) posit that the promotion of shared citizenship and social justice, as well as the alleviation of the effects of economic inequality are some of the essential principles of the p olicy. While these principles and values were never quite in doubt in relation to what the policy stands for, one of the points raised during consultation (in the focus group with participants from my placement agency) and as stated by the Care Development Group (2001) is the issue of equity of access for different user groups in this case for example, service users with dementia. According to the Care Development Group, free personal care is right in principle because it removes the discrimination previously encountered by older people with chronic or degenerative conditions such as dementia who require personal care. The findings in this project are critically analysed (in this section of the paper) in relation to the specific topics covered in the focus group. The three topics are; responsibility for paying for care, the preferred type of care, and planning for the future. Responsibility for paying for care: As I mentioned in previous sections of this paper, participants in the focus group expressed mixed views concerning responsibility for paying for personal care. Although most participants agreed that personal care should be provided for older people and paid for by the government, there were some participants who held very strong opposing views and argued that the family should either pay for personal care or at least make some financial contribution (co-payment) towards it. Another participant also suggested the introduction of means-testing to the policy so that only older people with limited means receive free personal care. Overall, participants in the focus group discussion did not appear to be too concerned about the cost or who pays for personal care. The participants revealed that they were more concerned about the quality of the services they receive, ensuring that such services meet their individual needs and are able to remain in their o wn homes for as long as possible and spend time with their families. Sutherland (2008) reminds us that while free personal care is currently available to older people at the point of delivery, someone still had to pay for it presently the taxpayer. On the question of who should be responsible for paying for personal care, findings from the focus group fall under two broad categories; selective access and universal provision. Both categories perhaps raise a number of interrelated issues including; rights, citizenship, choice, empowerment, as well as the redistribution of welfare resources which according to Hills (2008) is central to the appraisal of social policy. If we apply Drakes (2001) conception of the function of rights to the above findings from the focus group, most participants view free personal care as something they have a right to (as older Scots who had spent their working lives serving the country in different ways) receive and it confers certain benefits on them; choice and empowerment particularly as they can now choose whether to receive care at home or move into residential care as one participant even revealed at least I will not have to sell my house to pay for my personal care. While it was evident from th e focus group as I mentioned earlier, that service users had a holistic view of what free personal care entails, some of them were also not aware of or perhaps considered the wider implications of the cost of the policy for example the implications for housing as I also discussed earlier. The cost of the policy in the longer term has been highlighted in worrying terms by many writers and commentators on social policy, as well as the by Scottish government. Considered against the backdrop of Scotlands changing demographics, evidence from the literature consulted for this project suggests that the policy may not be sustainable in the long term. For example, in an independent report on the free personal care policy by Lord Sutherland (2008) it was argues that a more holistic view of public funding arrangement would be required because the policy is only sustainable (under the current arrangement) over the next five years after which the impact of a rapid increase in the number of olde r people and demographic change will begin to set in. The question then arises; why was the financial implication of the policy not strongly considered before the machinery of implementation was set in motion? There are a number of arguments emanating from several of the literature consulted for this project in relation to the financial cost of the policy and there are suggestions as I highlighted earlier, that costing the policy has been inadequate and that the policy had more of a political aim (Sutherland 2001; Eccles 2001). Blair (2002) posits that social policy plays a pivotal role in the construction of later life itself. Blairs argument that older people are often discussed and defined in reports through the psychological distance of demography, deficit and economics (Blair 2002) is evident in most of the reports and evidence reviews consulted for this project thus beclouding the reality that many older people are already doing well for themselves without or with very little state support as one of the participants in the focus group discussion said we are already doing enough to take care of ourselves but what is wrong with receiving free personal care, have we not worked for it? The preferred type of care: As I reported in previous sections of this paper, only one of the participants in the focus group said she would prefer to move into a residential home. She cited fear and insecurity when her health deteriorates as the main reason for her choice of residential care. As is already well documented in research (Dickinson et al. 2007) older service users would prefer to stay out of the formal system of care for as long as possible given the choice. Although participants in t

The Diversity of Characters, Attitudes, and Messages through Different

The different translations of The Oedipus Cycle emphasize and suggest different aspects of the presented scene. There are multiple examples of this in the comparison of The Fitts and Fitzgerald’s Translation and the Luci Berkowitz and Theodore F. Brunner’s Translation. Such as the differences in format, sentence structure, and diction imply different characteristics. Also, similarities in the two translations reinforce the importance of the concepts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most noticeable difference in the two translations is the format of writing. The Fitts and Fitzgerald’s Translation was in a formal poem format whereas the Luci Berkowitz and Theodore F. Brunner’s Translation was in a more informal paragraph. The diction of the two paragraphs reflects the formal versus informal aspect as well. For example, in comparing the first lines of both translations, it was noticed that the Fitts and Fitzgerald’s Translation referred to the public as, â€Å"generations of the living in the line of Kadmos, nursed at his ancient hearth† (F & F,) while the translators of Luci Berkowitz and Theodore F. Brunner’s Translation referred to the public as simply, â€Å"the sons of the ancient house of Cadmus† (LB & TB.) The first translation offered much more information and description of the population of Thebes. Also, the phrase â€Å"nursed at his†¦ hearth† requires the reader to be of a hi gher education because â€Å"hearth† is not in the everyday vocabulary of just anyone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On of the most dominant similarities between the two translations is the Oedipus’s arrogance. The first part of the sentence, if it were viewed separately, sounded like Oedipus genuinely cared for the people when he said, â€Å"I choose not to hear it from my messengers, but came myself† (LB & TB.) This quote showed how Oedipus was putting out the effort of coming out to the general public to see how bad things were. He did not wish to just sit back and find out the news through hearsay. He wished to see it for himself. All of his sensitivity was then void with the rest of the sentence when he said, â€Å"I have come myself to hear you – I, Oedipus, who bear the famous name† (F & F.) The rest of the sentence gave off the impression that Oedipus was telling his own people that they were lucky that he even came out to see them. A man as important and famous as he should not n... ...tz and Theodore F. Brunner’s Translation, Oedipus addressed the citizens as, â€Å"children, sons of the ancient house of Cadmus† (LB & TB,) and in the Fitts and Fitzgerald’s Translation, Oedipus addressed the populace as, â€Å"my children, generations of the living in the line of Kadmos† (F & F.) Although they may not seem to be very different at all, they are in fact extremely different. By addressing the people as â€Å"children† versus â€Å"my children,† Oedipus switched the relationship from a ruler and the ruled to a father and his children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To an unaided eye, it may appear as if there is no significant difference between one translation and another, but in reality there are several differences. The same core message is there, but in this case, Oedipus came out to be a much better leader in the Fitts and Fitzgerald’s Translation due to his ability to stay calm in calamitous situations and his strong connection with the people. It must be kept in mind, though, that the similarities are just as important as the differences. With the presence of similarities, the message is amplified greatly, as in the instances of Oedipus’s arrogance and his goal to help.

Graphics Packages :: Computers Technology

Graphics Packages Graphics is a word used for all the different types of artwork, such as photographs, graphs, charts etc. Graphics packages Graphics packages may not be as detailed as you think. It can be a simple paint package, which has features of shading, drawing line diagrams and many other simple but effective features. These packages can be an alternative to complicated DTP packages. As it is very difficult to draw with the mouse, many people scan the drawings on the computer and now there are software packages, which do not use a mouse. New equipment used by professionals so that they can get pictures from a variety of places. A video grabber lets you get pictures from the television or a video camera and you then can alter it on your computer. A digital camera is also very popular as you can take pictures and then put them on your PC and alter then. This also means that you do not have to pay for the developing cost. You can also use clip art for pictures. Bit map vector graphics When using a graphics package the graphics file can have the image represented as a: 1.Bit map 2.Vector image A bit map files makes every dot or pixel on the screen has a single bit of information in a file. If it is in colour, you then need to store additional bits. The disadvantage to this is that if you want to alter anything you have to change it at a pixel at a time. When you enlarge an image, the number of pixels stays the same. In vector graphics, the lines are stored as equations on the computer. They are stored in vectors. The advantage of vector graphics over bit map files is that it is easy to alter things without any loss in resolution. When you enlarge an image, the number of pixels increases to the proportion of the image. CAD packages use vector images. Clip Art Clip Art is a collection of copyright-free drawings which you can place on your drawings. The drawings on clip-art look very professional, as they have been drawn in detail. Presentation software Pictures let you give ideas and concepts a better understanding than only words. Good presentations use things such as slides and transparencies to express views. A projector could be used for a large audience or a rolling slide show could be produced on a computer for smaller audiences.

Pda Connector Case Essay

An additional feature of ConneCtor is its ability to establish wireless links to other ConneCtors for voice and data transfer or to cell phones for voice transfer. For direct data transfer, the product includes an infrared port and also ships with a USB synchronization cradle. In summary, the key features of ConneCtor are: †¢ Instant communication for voice and data †¢ Cell phone, pager, fax and e-mail, and instant messaging †¢ PIM functions †¢ Digital voice recorder †¢ Enabled voice commands †¢ PalmOS application base. The History of the PDA The Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) is basically a hand-held computer. In 1984, the first PDA, the Psion1, was introduced. It could store addresses and phone numbers, keep a calendar, and included a clock and calculator. In 1993, Apple introduced the Newton PDA, which was too bulky, too expensive and had handwriting recognition too inaccurate to be successful. However, the excitement surrounding the Newton hinted that there could be a market for such devices. The broad acceptance of PDA technology then materialized in 1996, when Palm Inc. ame out with the Palm Pilot that featured an elegant user interface and a reliable character-recognition system. By 2001, PDAs had evolved to offer many applications including wireless Internet capabilities, games and music playback. PDAs are designed for very specific tasks and environments: there are custom-built PDAs for amateur astronomers, truck drivers and teachers. In addition, there is specialized software available to fit specific needs; f or example, people in the medical fields can obtain software that lists thousands of drugs with their dosages and interactions. PDA Types The 2001 palm-sized PDA market was mainly composed of two types, each with its own philosophy: (1) the PDA/Palm devices run PalmOS, whose developers sought to make PDAs simple but functional products focusing on Personal Information Management (PIM) tasks; (2) the PDA/Pocket PCs run the more complex operating system, Microsoft Windows CE, which allows these PDAs to offer 1 Source: Marketing Engineering – Lilien and Rangaswamy extensive features. In addition, â€Å"smart† phones are breaking into the PDA world. These wireless application protocol phones extend traditional cell phones with PDA functions such as email and Web access. The original Palm Pilot embodied the PDA/Palm design mission. It provided a simple organizational device, composed of a calendar, an address book and a to-do list with e-mail and Internet access. It also had a character-recognition system that worked for most people. Handspring, Palm’s biggest competitor, introduced snap-on modules to expand the Handspring Visor and allow many applications, including an MP3 player, a web cam and digital camera. These features appealed to the youth market and enabled Handspring to gain considerable market share. In 2001, Palm also offered this same degree of expandability and was able to maintain a market share of more than two thirds; in addition, all of Palm’s close competitors licensed its operating system, PalmOS. Several electronic manufacturers have developed similar devices; for example, Sony introduced Clie as a direct competitor to Palm and Handspring. PocketPCs make up the other group of PDAs, whose manufacturers include Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Psion and Casio. These hand-held computers come with a large application suite of pocket Windows applications, e. g. , a scaled down version of MS Office. They usually come with more memory than PDA/Palms and with a range of accessories to be added to the devices (e. g. , digital cameras, web ams). However, they are bulkier, heavier and more expensive. In contrast, PDA/Palms perform basic tasks very well and, unlike the PocketPCs, synchronize with non-Windows systems. A new technological thrust in 2001 involved the adoption of wireless technology for the PDA with manufacturers trying to assess if and how to add wireless capabilities. Wireless technology would make synchronization possible without docking, making PDAs true communication tools. AT&T, Nokia and other cellular phone companies have started developing wireless phones with some PDA functions. The PDA Customer As PDA designs have evolved, manufacturers have targeted different segments based on differing lifestyle and business needs. Palm initially captured innovators – people eager to adopt a new gadget. A typical early PDA user was a professional, high-income male. He was over 30 and probably worked in a technology field. Even as of September 2000, 93 percent of PDA users were male, according to IDC, a Massachusetts technology consulting firm. Another major group of users is the mobile professional. Since this group frequently needs access to e-mail and the Internet while away from the office, it is also driving progress on the wireless front. A recent study by the University of California at Berkeley indicated that nearly half of the users had a technical job dealing with computers, and the overwhelming majority of the respondents rated hemselves as technically sophisticated. To attract more mainstream buyers in 2001, companies were working on increasing the usability of the PDA and its general appeal to non business users. For example, the new Claudia Schiffer Palm (sold via her Web site) is supposed to give Palm a sexier image, and Handspring’s Visor line comes in many colors. Palm’s affordable M series ($150) targets college students and other nonprofessional consumers. It is expected that such efforts will eventually open up the largely untapped young consumer and female markets. However in 2001, it appeared unlikely that the bulk of the mainstream population would enthusiastically embrace the PDA. A PDA was still relatively pricey and fairly limited. Handwriting recognition was slow and lacked quality, and keyboard facilities were either non-existent, too big to carry or too small to use. The display screen was too small for most applications other than text display. Internet connections were generally both slow and expensive. In addition, the mainstream market appeared to have little need for many of the more sophisticated features the PDAs were able to offer. PDA Features Given all the available design options, new product entries must make tradeoffs between features. Customers want easy portability, but with more functions the PDA becomes heavier and bulkier. PDA users’ needs are heterogeneous. Those who are looking for a high-tech way to store contact and appointment data may be satisfied with the basic models that cost $200 or less. They also are likely to prefer to keep a PC and cell phone separately rather than having an integrated PDA system that could do both. Users who plan to use the PDA as an extension of a PC by creating and accessing documents, sending e-mail, and doing basic Web surfing, might consider a Pocket-PC in the range of $350–$600. The appendix provides more details on PDA features. Facts about the PDA Market In 2001, many companies participated in the PDA market, bringing in a variety of new products designed to appeal to new audiences. The market was changing and growing rapidly. PDA unit sales totaled 1. 3 million in 1999 and more than doubled, totaling 3. 5 million in 2000 (Source: NPD INTELECT in Business 2. 0).

Application of Computer Essay

Computers play a great role in the society. Whether at home, in school, at the mall or in the office, computers significantly help in the accomplishment of various tasks. Be it at work or at play, computers have undeniably been utilized to perform general or specific activities that enable life to be more convenient and worry-free. Computers in Business In the field of business, computers are very useful. They are used in keeping records of daily sales and profits. Computers are also used to prepare materials to promote the products of the business establishments. Computers in Engineering Engineers use computers to create the design of a complex object using a computer program for Computer-Aided Drafting. Computers in the Government Computers are used to keep records of the people that the government serves. Several government agencies use computers to facilitate the task they are required to give to the people. Computers at Home Computers are used at home for recreational purposes. You can listen to music, watch movies and play games. Children use their computers at home to do their schoolwork. Parents use computers to assist them in doing their daily tasks. If your computer at home has internet access, then you can explore the amazing features of the Internet in the comfort of your home. Computers in Manufacturing Computers are used in manufacturing to manipulate machine that perform dangerous tasks or tasks that are repeatedly done. Computers in School Computer Education is one subject taught in schools today. Teachers use computers in classroom instruction, in computing grades and in preparing visual aids. Students use computers to study various computer applications. Libraries are connected to the Internet and students access the internet to do research.

The BSC tells the technical story of its formulation Essay

It begins from the initiation of the strategy, to the high level business executives who would sponsor the program, to actual scheduling of it, and then to the allocation of resources to it, and finally to actual budget. The BSC has an inbuilt feature to enhance general strategic goals, and competition in the private industries, or a clear declaration of mission and better efficiency in the public sector. So it has beneficial features no matter what the individual sector. It enhances  financial goals in the private sector by helping the company capture bigger market share and therefore increases profit margin. It enhances productivity, and efficiency. It is equipped to achieve desired outcome by increasing customer satisfaction. The benefits from BSC is enormous, it allows the entire organization to put itself in a continuous learning process. By aligning all the strategy in one framework, it strengthens itself in time, even with resource allocation. It helps organizations to make better budgetary decisions, it improves performance, and communication, and enable the company to have  important data for its bench marking. It helps the company to develop management system that is based on facts. It can anticipate the future, and can help organizations reach beneficial cause and effect predictions. It supports accountability and makes it easier to implement necessary innovations. The BSC system makes it simple for organizations to follow, because the steps are clearly outlined. First the company would make an initial organizational assessment, to ensure itself that it truly is ready to embark on the BSC system, because even though the system  could be highly profitable, it is not cheap. The next important step would be the definition of the company’s strategic themes, or the area it needs to focus on. Then it would develop its objectives, and the strategic maps, and performance measures. The system would then be cascaded to the essential business units. The final step is usually the evaluation and then important adjustments. A decision by a company to undertake the BSC cannot be made lightly, it is a big business venture. So the company must ask itself what its missions are, if it is ready to embark in such huge application. The company must know what it wants to provide in terms of services or programs. It must be sure that those needs are required needs, service or program that would sustain the implementation of the BSC, the balance scorecard would not help a poor business idea. The company must ask itself how it could be more beneficial to its customers and to its stakeholders. And does it have the capacity to change and improve as the business environment would eventually demand. Would the organization be able to provide required satisfaction to both the customers and the stakeholders. On the implementation steps the process is also clear. Because it would not make sense to place team leaders into position of leadership without adequate training, BSC demands workshops and both leadership training and team training. And that would be followed by the assessment of the corporate objectives, and strategy developments, then a draft of those important strategies. It would be essential to have the corporate executives involved in these processes as much as possible. In the BSC the essential training are supported by computerization or automation of the strategies that were developed in  order to provide access to all concerned. There are some barriers that could adversely affect the implementation of the process if left unresolved. If the company is unable to clearly define its mission and vision, the BSC would not be able to effectively implement such poor visions. So to make the visions and missions actionable it ought to be very well defined. Also the corporate strategies, the budget planning process and the entire goals should be linked to the performance drivers. Employees involvement with reasonably positioned performance expectation must be  appropriate. It would not make sense to set them to high at the onset. The entire story ultimately returns to the fact that balance scorecard has the ability to give corporations a solid framework, i. e a good sketch in which to design its strategies and align them with excellent chances to pursue such critical elements as efficient customer service and better learning atmosphere for the employees. All indications are that this system has been effective for organizations that have applied it accurately, and Pepsi Saudi should benefit from the implementation as well.

Human Resources Management Team

Exhibits: Use of professionally prepared exhibits (such as charts and tables) may be necessary, not only to comply with the length requirement, but also to enhance the succinct presentation of your team's response. An exhibit must be â€Å"labeled† and briefly explained in the body of your team's response – what is its relevance? An exhibit is typically one (1) page. 3. References: Your team must include four (4) credible references (not including the textbook) err assignment to add validity to your answers. Your textbook does not count as a reference.You should avoid Internet sources, except certain government or association sites (e. G. , OSHA). Use the Troy library online to conduct your research. Identify references based on PAP Style. Endnotes and Web sites are included in your textbook. Supplementary Readings are posted in the Assignments area of Blackboard. Attachment 2: Preparation of TAB (continued) 4. Evaluation: TAB assignments will be evaluated based on the following criteria. Content (65%): Integration of appropriate, relevant course concepts; quality of analysis; focusing on specifics, not generalities; and thoroughness (pertains to scope and depth of coverage).Organization (20%): Use of these guidelines, applicable section headings, and relevant exhibits; inclusion of relevant research; and flow. Professionalism (1 5%): Demonstrated evidence of the 3 AS: Adequate preparation, pride of workmanship, and proficiency in the use of good communication skills – writing style and comprehensibility (grammar and punctuation). Reposes must be concise, incisive, and literate. Rubric: A Rubric, based on the above criteria, will be utilized to grade the TAB assignments. Attach

How to maintain effective accountability in project management Essay

How to maintain effective accountability in project management - Essay Example Hence, since most projects are implemented by teams whose heart is performance delivery, project managers need to be accountable to their teams and other project shareholders by ensuring they are empowered and dynamic. Accountability is undoubtedly one of the most important factors involved in the critical path of ensuring project managers account for the efforts of his or her team. The need for accountability in project management is to make sure that all finances and project resources are well utilized throughout a project life cycle (Barron & Barron, 2011). Hence, the ability of project managers to easily avail project data to the clients is important for ensuring good client relationships are maintained as well as establishing trust in the used methodologies. Therefore, accountability is very important to the involved teams because it ensures accountability is kept amongst project team members, a situation which prevents resentment in the project as well as helping to maintain mo rale (Gunlach, 2009). However, in order to make sure that accountability is maintained in project management there are issues which must be focused on throughout the project period. Firstly, one of such things involves maintaining effective communication within the project team and other stakeholders such as the sponsors or clients (Barron & Barron, 2011). Thus, since project management is usually a team effort, emphasis should always be placed on collaboration and communication in order to make sure everyone involved in the project can appropriately account for the allocated resources such as funds, labour, time, and so on. The significance of communication on maintaining effective accountability in management of projects is because it allows fast and easy process of making enquiries where some issues are not well understood. In addition, it also facilitates easy way of responding to concerns raised by colleagues in the project team as well as sponsors of the project or clients. Th erefore, in order to ensure accountability throughout the life cycle of a project, effective communication should be emphasized on because it is the only most important tool for the manager of the project and his or her team members (Gunlach, 2009). This is due to the fact that apart from helping in addressing concerns by team members and clients it also facilitates an easy way of addressing other obstacles to the project such as overlapping responsibilities, changes in project scope, complex integration as well as decentralization of the decision-making processes all of which pose potential conflicts in the project (Ten Step, n.d.). Secondly, maintaining effective accountability in management of any project requires establishment of the necessary project controls whereby planning plays the most significant role (Barron & Barron, 2011). This is mainly because it has been ascertained through experience, that planning for a project long before it commences lays the groundwork for acco untability from the project managers and project team as well as ensuring successful completion of the project. Thus, maintaining effective accountability in management of any project and its successful implementation and performance are highly depended on appropriate planning (Gunlach, 2009). In addition, execution of a project is

Heinekens Internal Processes,Mission and Vision Research Paper

Heinekens Internal Processes,Mission and Vision - Research Paper Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that despite its origin in Dutch, Heineken has made a significant presence in the two Americas, owing to the massive business opportunities in the region. The company entered the American market and Latin America in the early 20th century following the slackening of regulations in the region. And in 2010, Heineken entered into strategic acquisitions of beer companies in the United States, Brazil, and Mexico. In the latter two countries, Heineken settled for FEMSA. The organization’s internal processes revolve around managing risks through effective control systems. These measures, according to the company, ease its identification of the risks for better interventions in order to realize its operational and pecuniary goals. In addition, these internal mechanisms enable the company’s operations to be in line with relevant laws and policies in the countries within the two Americas. The company relies on a system of control for prop er processing and release of financial statements. In light of these, Heineken’s internal control mechanisms form the central part of their internal management processes. Heineken is renowned for its push for quality of goods and financial restraint. The company encourages an entrepreneurial culture across organizational levels so as to obtain opportunities that foster continuity in terms of business development and creativity, whilst absorbing controlled risks. Heineken International argues that the carefully structured customized portfolio per country and the rigorous balance sheet depict the brewer’s risk appetite. Regardless, in competitive markets like North America’s and emerging South America’s, achieving financial restraint where proper marketing expenditure pays out has been relatively counterproductive to Heineken.

Marketing Analysis for Acer Hi-Fi System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Analysis for Acer Hi-Fi System - Essay Example Acer has been known for a long time as electronic producing company especially computer products. Recently, the company has entered the music product industry where its asserting is presence in the market by introducing unique and superior products in the market, hi-fi clear system being one of such products. To assert its presence in the music industry, Acer has embarked on market analysis mission for its hi-fi music system for business growth and increase in its market share. 2.0 Situational Analysis/ Opportunity Identification Situational analysis and opportunity analysis involves a clear definition of opportunities available to an organization’s operating environment both internally and externally and the challenges thereof (Stevens, Sherwood and Dunn, 1993, 7). This helps the managers to make appropriate strategic decisions to tap into the opportunities and overcome the challenges present. 2.1 Market Analysis Given that Acer group of companies has a global presence, it ha s a market potential to market its Acer hi-fi system to over 300 million middle and upper income class who forms its target market. This market segment has a higher purchasing power and superior tastes for high quality products. In addition, this market segment comprises technology literate individuals who are quick to adopt and use the product. Buyer behaviour shows a strong peer influence and appeal for quality features. Acer’s market intelligence shows that majority of the target customers have had experience with other Acer products in the past a factor the company seeks to utilize to capture a sizeable market share. Initial sales figures show that the company has the potential to grow its market share in this market segment given the unique and superior quality of its product. 2.2 SWOT Analysis The analysis process involves a critical review of the strengths and weaknesses focusing on internal factors on one hand and opportunities and threats addressing the external fact ors (Cheverton, 2004, 84). Detailed SWOT analysis is presented in the table below; Internal Factors Strengths Weaknesses Product offerings Capable of connecting to all of the devices on your home network and devices Unique sound quality and affordable Largely unknown compared to competitor brands Somehow sophisticated to some customers Acer brand Known for its quality Producer of affordable goods Not ranked among the top electronic companies Positioning problem Management Experienced in new product development and marketing strategies Understands the target market’s purchase behaviour patterns Slow to react to changes in customer demand Organizational structural challenges Market Huge global market of over 300 mn customers Better product adoption among target customers Strong tastes and preferences Rapid changes in demand Low adoption rates in some markets Human Resources Skilled manpower with strong product development, financial and marketing skills High turnover Financial considerations Revenue estimates are good given the margin/product Low cost of production ROI very promising Rising cost of raw materials and energy R&D Competent R&D teams Rapid dynamism in the music industry Capital and time intensive External Factors Opportunities Threats Consumer market High purchasing power Technologically savvy Rapid changes in tastes and