7 Workplace Tips For Getting a Promotion

7 Workplace Tips For Getting a Promotion Getting a promotion is often a matter of taking the right strategy. Here are a few workplace tips that will make sure you stay at the top of your game at the office and beyond.Dont flaunt your latenessOkay, so you’re running a few minutes late. No big deal. But if you’re running a few minutes late because you wanted to stop at Starbucks and there was a huge line? Problem. Whatever your reason for swanning in tardy, don’t come in with a cup of freshly purchased coffee in your hand.Watch your email toneYou think you’re being professional, but your client is persnickety. Or even if they aren’t- you just want to double check. Reread your email to yourself out loud in the snarkiest, most sarcastic tone possible. Still pass muster? Send away. But if you noticed any red flags where even you would see yourself getting offended, it might be prudent to rephrase.Coworkers stealing your pens?Be super devious and buy a bunch of red (refillable) pens and a bunch of blue ink cartridge refills. (This only works with a brand that has the same model pen in both colors, but it’s a great cheat.) Then put the blue cartridges in the red pens. No one ever â€Å"borrows† a red pen. You’ll never find yourself at your desk without a pen again!Coworkers asking for money for their kids?You know the drill. â€Å"My kid is selling ____ for ______.† Or worse! â€Å"My kid is raising money for the ________.† Instead of coughing up money to your coworker, give them your phone number and ask that their kids call you themselves, any time after 6pm. You won’t get many phone calls. And the kids that do call will have learned to put in the extra work.Coworkers stealing your milk?Put your milk in a jar or other container you’ve brought from home. No one is going to open up the fridge and take your milk if it isn’t in a recognizable milk container. They won’t know how long it’s been in there, for one, and for two? It could come from a sheep or a human or something- hardly worth the risk. You’ll drink your milk in peace.Pay your  job search forwardAs soon as you get hired at one job, copy and save the job description to a running file you store on your personal computer. When it comes time to update your resume and job search, you’ll be very glad you have it.Strike a poseBefore that big presentation, meeting, or interview, take two minutes in the privacy of the restroom or your car and strike a power pose. Hold that power in your body and your face and then walk in with your head held high. Even if you get nervous, your body will remember how you felt going in.flair:Careers Work

Compare, contrast and evaluate two theories of the distribution of power in modern states. The WritePass Journal

Compare, contrast and evaluate two theories of the distribution of power in modern states. Abstract Compare, contrast and evaluate two theories of the distribution of power in modern states. AbstractIntroduction Ideology in theory and practice.Power DistributionConclusionBibliographyRelated Abstract Power distribution in modern states can come in many forms, from democracies designed to satisfy the entire population to dictatorships where civilians are repressed. The ideologies and theories behind methods of distribution are numerous and vary significantly. This essay will compare the theory of socialist communism to the more totalitarian regime of fascism. Introduction There are many theories relating to power distribution among sovereign states. For the purpose of this investigation we will define a ‘sovereign state’ as a contained geographical area which has a legal supremacy and regarding the governance of its own power. This definition closely matches that given by D.D. Raphael in his work Problems of Political Philosophy (1970) in which he discusses the role of power within a state. Raphael argues that power is the right to act, meaning that distribution of power is shifted depending on what rights are given, or withheld, from the citizens of a state. Although there are several theories of methods used to distribute power this essay will concentrate on only two: the communist theory and theory of fascism. In the past century communism has been particularly prevalent in modern states. Karl Marx, arguably the father of communist theory, defined communism as the â€Å"Abolition of private property† in his Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848), although many other definitions have existed over the years (Heywood, 1992). In cases when communism has been used in practice rather than theory, such as in the Soviet Union, Cuba and China, it appears to be a democracy with a disregard for social class, where power is ideologically shared equally under a centralised administration. Fascism, in theory, is almost the complete opposite of this. It first became prevalent under the rule of Mussolini in Italy, when it was taken to describe the practice of using paramilitary armed squads in order to establish and maintain a rigorous method of control of the population (Heywood, 1992). Fascism refers to the repression of civilians and their rights, centralising power under one particular politic al party, or even one particular person. Fascism is often associated with a dictatorship, such as General Francisco Franco who ruled in Spain from 1939 to 1975 after the Spanish Civil War. It is one of the most modern theories of power distribution to emerge, having only developed as a theory within the twentieth century In order to successfully compare these two methods of power distribution we must highlight common linear factors which will appear in both ideologies. This essay will examine where power is distributed, the origins of the theory, the implementation of such governments, the ideologies behind such regimes and the effects on the rights of state citizens. Ideology in theory and practice. Communism is arguably a visionary ideology. It is an extreme branch of socialism, where equality prevails over individual collectivism and the economic materialistic qualities of capitalism. Socialism is not necessarily defined by state ownership, but by a centralised management of state production and commodity distribution (Held, 1987). The communist theories developed by Marx took this principle and expanded it, concluding that a democratic government would be unable to administer such a system because of the inherent class divisions in society. Communism essentially strips away class values, by valuing personal labour above profit and commodities (McLennan, 1989). This theory is aiming for towards a total equality between individuals in which no one profits at the expense of others, reducing the suffering of the people. The ideology behind fascism contrasts significantly to that of communism. Whereas communism strives to look after the welfare of individuals within the state, fascism historically tends to view the state as one whole. Individuality and personal rights are regarded as commodities which must be sacrificed in order to benefit the larger community (Finer, 1970). This is essentially a branch of totalitarianism, where the happiness of the greater number of people is given precedent over individual happiness. Hitler’s Third Reich was designed to promote the German volksgemeinschaft, or ‘people’s community’, but the individual rights of the citizens were largely ignored. Individuals were seen to be temporary, whereas the community would live on through generations. The difference between these theories of governance is substantial. Communism seeks to implement a system where individuality is promoted and happiness is maintained through forced equality. Fascism cares little for the rights of individuals in order to develop the community as a whole. The different level of care is also reflected in how these methods of power distribution are implemented. The way in which a civilisation comes to accept a certain method of state control and power distribution can say a lot about each theory. Most democratic states rely on elections and natural evolutions of government, whereas dictatorships tend to be forced on unsuspecting civilians. Due to its nature as a people-friendly ideology, communism has often been the result of a revolution. People in political power within a democracy are usually unwilling to implement a socialist society as it reduces their own power and wealth, so an uprising of the people and a seizure of power is the most likely way for a communist party to gain control. In the case of the Bolshevik revolution in the Soviet Union in 1917 an uprising against the Tsar was timed to coincide with the development of the political party, and once power was seized opposition was easily eliminated. Alternatively, fascist governments are often voted into power under false pretences. As in most dictatorships or one-party states the party in question originally appealed to the people and won their confidence, before removing their rights in favour of their own brand of autocracy (Bobbio, 1989). Power Distribution Power distribution takes into account how political representation and personal rights are implemented. As power rests with those who have the ability to influence change within the state then it is possible for power to be in the hands of the people, even in a state where administration is centralised. However, when power itself is centralised then only those in political power have any authority over making changes within policy. Communism may be a centralised democracy, but the intention behind it is that all citizens have an equal share of power. Irrespective of class, people have equal rights and shares of the profits and commodities within the community. The existence of the right to vote, the right to run for public office, the right of free speech and other such civil liberties shows that the people are given the change to determine and change the fate of the state. Fascism, on the other hand, withdraws power from the individual and focuses it in a concentrated area. Opposition is discouraged if not abolished, and the individual people are highly repressed. One supreme political party will administer power as they see fit without democracy or any challenge from alternate thinkers. Communism and fascism in theory take opposing methods of power distribution in order to achieve their objectives. Conclusion In conclusion, the theories of communism and fascism are two extremely different methods of distributing power within modern states. Communism centralises control but spreads power throughout the full state, allowing all citizens to have access to the same rights and privileges. Fascism completely centralises power, removing individual freedom in order to benefit the state as a whole. Both theories have been put into practice in recent years and have even been successful for a time under rigorous implementation, yet both often fail in favour of the more democratic methods of power distribution. Bibliography Birch, A. H. (2007) The Concepts and Theories of Modern Democracy, Third edition Routledge. Bobbio, N. (1989) Democracy and Dictatorship, Polity. Finer, S E. (1983) Comparative Government, Penguin. Held, D. (2006) Models of Democracy 3rd Edition. Polity. Heywood, A. (1992) Political Ideologies: An Introduction, Macmillan. Jessop, B. (1990) State Theory: Putting Capitalist States in their Place, Polity. McLennan, G. (1989) Marxism, Pluralism and Beyond, Polity. Raphael, D.D. (1976) Problems in Political Philosophy, Macmillan.

How Has Tourism Changed Hawkshead Essays

How Has Tourism Changed Hawkshead Essays How Has Tourism Changed Hawkshead Essay How Has Tourism Changed Hawkshead Essay Essay Topic: Our Countrys Good Hawkshead is located in the Lake District, in the North West of England. It is a small village, home to many retired or second homeowners. The village receives its main source of income through tourism. This becomes evident after spending even a short while in Hawkshead, as there are numerous amounts of Bed and Breakfasts located in and around the village. Tourists come to Hawkshead to admire the scenery, to take long walks or more generally they come to escape from their busy lives and relax for a weekend. Hawkshead is located on a rural hilly landscape (much of which is used for farming) and is an extremely beautiful part of England.Here are some maps to show the location of Hawkshead, all maps are obtained from the website www.multimap.com.The first map shows the location of Hawkshead in the Lake District.The second map shows the location of Hawkshead in the NorthwestThe last map shows the location of Hawkshead in the United KingdomThere are many forms of transport to reach Hawksh ead, the most accessible are by car or ferry. To drive to Hawkshead from Southport it takes on average an hour and forty minutes, but depending on traffic it can differ. To drive from major cities such as Liverpool it takes around two hours and from Manchester it takes about one hour forty-five minutes. These times were obtained from the website http://rp.rac.co.uk/routeplannerTourists visit Hawkshead for its beautiful scenery, quaint stone cottages and its general relaxed atmosphere. Most of the cottages were built in the 15th century, but have been updated and have received lots of necessary maintenance work since then.One of the biggest changes that have affected Hawkshead is that it has become a national park. Hawkshead and the surrounding area of Hawkshead (the Lake District) is all part of a national park. The Lake District became a national park in 1951. This is because it was seen as a beautiful part of the countryside, and therefore needed to be protected to ensure that it would stay in the same condition, and would not be ruined as many other parts of the Britain have been. The Lake District has been put under the protection of the national park, so that the community and tourists alike can all visit the Lake District and enjoy the peace and quite along with the preserved natural beauty.In recent years Hawkshead has been visited more often than ever, this is mainly due to the fact that more people have better jobs and a higher salary, which therefore means they can afford to go on more holidays, and better day trips. Also tourism has increased throughout the world as it has become easier and quicker to travel, think of the Euro Tunnel, which can get us to France in half an hour. This makes it much easier for tourists to get around and to visit places further away.MethodologyI have used five different methods to investigate how tourism has changed Hawkshead. The first method I used was in the form of a questionnaire. This is a primary data collection technique. I used this method to find out what the residents of Hawkshead and the tourists that visited Hawkshead a number of times thought about the question How Has Tourism Changed Hawkshead? I also used my questionnaire to see out of the twenty people I asked how many of them were tourists, by doing this we could then compare the amount of tourists with the amount of residents and see whether we asked more of one than the other. We used our questionnaire to obtain some primary data as it was an easy clear way of collecting detailed information about peoples views of Hawkshead.Before going to Hawkshead, my group made up our own original question to ask in our questionnaire, it was; do you feel Hawkshead has changed since your last visit? We chose this question to find out about tourists opinions, but most of the tourists we asked had not been to Hawkshead before and therefore could not answer this specific question, if we were to repeat this investigation we would choose a questio n that could be answered by everyone and would therefore give us more data to work from. We also tried to survey different age groups but most of the people walking around seemed to be around the same age.When we were in Hawkshead carrying out our questionnaire we stood by a fairly busy street so we would have enough people to ask our questions to. Some people in my group suggested standing outside the tourist information centre, but we realised this would make are results bias as we would questionnaire more tourists than homeowners and as a results not obtain a good range of data. We spoke to 4 residents, 2 second home owners and 14 tourists and asked them our questions. We asked anyone as we wanted to obtain fair data and instead of asking all the residents or all the tourists we ended up asking a mixture of different people.For a tiny quiet village experiencing some very wet weather it was surprising how many people were actually out walking along the streets, the rain was not pu tting people off going out, as proof, you could witness the many tourists clad in brightly coloured plastic anoraks walking along in the rain seeming to quite enjoy being outside in the bad weather. We completed are questionnaire around 11:30, as people were making there way out to eat lunch, and for that reason it was quite busy when are questionnaires were completed.These are the questions I asked in my questionnaire, for each question I will explain why we used them and what the possible answers obtained could tell us:1. Are you a tourist, resident or second home owner? I asked this question so I would be able to see out of the 20 people I questioned how many of them were tourists, if there were a lot of tourists compared to residents and second home owners this would tell us that generally more tourists visit the village than people that have homes near it.(Questions 2, 3, 4 and 5 only apply to tourists.)2. Please name your home town. By asking the tourists to name there home to wn we are able to see the range of places people have travelled from and how far people are willing to travel.3. How long is your stay in Hawkshead? I asked this so we would be able to find out what the how long people usually stayed for.4. How did you travel to Hawkshead today? By asking this we could find the most popular mode of transport used to get to Hawkshead. From this we would be able to investigate further things such as do tourists pollute Hawkshead by travelling by car rather than on public transport.5. What do you find attractive about Hawkshead? I asked this to find out what Hawksheads best assets are, and to understand more what people travel to Hawkshead for.(Questions 7 and 8 only apply to home owners)6. How long have you lived in Hawkshead? By asking this question we can discover whether most residents are new to Hawkshead or have lived there all there lives. This would show whether Hawkshead has become more popular over the years.7. In your opinion what effect do tourists have on Hawkshead? This question was asked so we could receive residents views on the positive or negative things the tourists bring to Hawkshead, this would show us whether the residents were in favour of tourists visiting Hawkshead.(Lastly are group created our own question which was ;)8. Do you feel that Hawkshead has changed since your first visit? We asked this to see whether people could recognise the changes that tourism may have created.My second technique was to carry out a landscape evaluation this shows whether certain characteristics of the village can benefit Hawkshead or not and it shows us whether the fact that tourists visit Hawkshead effects the overall look of the village. This technique is also primary as we are collecting the data first hand. For this landscape evaluation we surveyed three different places; the car park, the centre of the village, and the bypass road that goes around the village. We looked at the different factors below and gave them a s core from + 4 to -4.1. The attractiveness of the buildings2. The car park facilities available3. Toilet availability4. The pedestrianised village centre5. The well kept gardens and hanging baskets6. The shops for tourists7. The shops for locals8. The narrow pavements9. The coach parking facilities10. The cost of parking11. The bypass around the village12. Whether the modern buildings fit in with the rest of the villageThe advantage of using this method is we are evaluating each part of the village, using a scoring system makes it easy for people to understand and shows the results clearly. The disadvantage is the information is based on my opinion and therefore is subjective to other peoples views and opinions. The information we collected from this enquiry is useful as we can clearly see the things that have been affected more than others as a result of tourism.The third technique I used was a land use survey. We were provided with a map of Hawkshead and had to shade in the differe nt functions of the buildings, we used a colour key to do this. This technique is a primary data collection. The main advantage of this technique is it is really clear to see what the functions of each buildings are. The disadvantage is it doesnt give much information other than what the functions are. It would be better if we had an old land use survey from say 50 years ago so we could compare the amount of holiday homes and bed and breakfasts found on each map. This would show us whether tourism had increased or not.My fourth technique was a building transect, although this was a time consuming enquiry I think this is a good way to collect evidence that houses in the village have changed or been restored. We walked from south to north through the village noting down whether the houses were modern (after 1945) or old (before 1945) and what the obvious changes on each houses were. We did this for 25 houses. We only chose to do a transect of the village rather than the all of it as w e wanted to concentrate on the main street were most of the tourists where, and were the main shops could be found, also we wouldnt of had enough time to evaluate the whole village. This again is a primary data collection as we collected the information ourselves. This information is not subjective as it is based on facts, if the house is newer than 1945 it is therefore modern, this is a fact.At first it was difficult in some cases to know whether the houses were old or modern but as we surveyed more and more it became easier to know what to look for, e.g. if the guttering was U.P.V.C it would tell us the house was modern or had been updated, if the lintels on the windows were stone it would mean the house was old, we also looked at the changes that had occurred on purpose to increase the look of the property such as hanging baskets and outdoor lights this could be to make the village look better for tourists.This tells us the specific things that have changed about Hawkshead, and f rom this we can decide whether some of these changes have been an effect of tourism such as some of the new buildings were public toilets, they were most likely built to cater for the tourists needs, also in the village there is a tourist information centre, this was built specifically for the tourists. We can also understand whether the changes have damaged or benefited Hawkshead, by looking at what the changes are, e.g. if the function of the buildings have changed. One of the buildings we looked at had been changed into a bed and breakfast, the outside of the building was still in keeping with the theme of the village, but instead of staying as a house, the person running the bed and breakfast was taking advantage of the growth of tourism and was earning money from it without damaging the look of the building in any way. This is a good example of why Hawkshead benefits from tourism; as it keeps the local economy going.The fifth technique I used was my own original idea; I decided to look at how many bed and breakfasts, hotels etc. could be found in Hawkshead. By doing this I am able to see how important tourists are to Hawksheads local economy then compare the amount of places that tourist can stay in Hawkshead with the amount of places there are to stay in Formby, a village slightly smaller that Hawkshead but with tourist attraction such as the beach and the red squirrel reserve. By doing this it would be evident whether Hawkshead was a good attraction for tourists by the amount of places there are to stay and if there were more places for people to stay in Hawkshead than Formby we would know that Hawkshead is a tourist town. I have made a table to show my results. As I obtained my results from a website the data is secondary. It is not subjective as the data I acquired is factual.HawksheadFormbyHotel60B;B31Guest houses30Self-catering cottages32Caravan sites22These results were obtained from www.information-britain.co.uk and www.touristnetuk.comFrom these results it is evident that Hawkshead is a tourist town and they obviously have the need for so many places for tourists to stay, therefore you would say Hawkshead is a tourist town. Obviously the hotels and B;Bs etc. were never always used for this function. I would guess that most of these hotels etc. have been built purposefully for tourists or the buildings have changed there functions, to suit the needs of the tourists. As a result this shows me that tourism has changed Hawkshead, and therefore I can use this data to back up my enquiry.Data InterpretationIn Hawkshead a lot of things have changed over the years. We are carrying out this investigation to find out whether most of these changes are due to tourists. This is what I found out from the information we collected.We carried out a building transect, from this building transect I could see that only 4 of the 25 buildings we looked at were new (after 1945.) I also found out that the 24 buildings that were old (before 1945) ha d been changed a lot. Here are examples of some of the changes that were made; plastic guttering, satellite dish, velux windows, repainted brick walls, new slate on the roof and one of the main changes that were obvious in the buildings we looked at was that most of their functions had been changed e.g. a large house had been changed into a hotel.There were also things in the village that made it obvious to see that things had been changed and updated. There were double yellow lines along the busy streets, which we know are put there to stop any parking along the designated areas. I think these are a new feature to the village and were probably put in place as more and more tourists started parking their cars along the streets. Also a car park has been created to compensate for the fact you are not allowed to park in the village, and to make a place for coaches to park.The village also has public toilets located right next to the car park; again I think this is mainly for tourists a s these would be unnecessary if Hawkshead didnt receive many visitors or tourists.We also carried out a land use survey, we labelled the pubs and restaurants, the buildings mainly for tourists, the shops, the hotels and B;Bs and the houses. We found that there were around 100 houses 2 shops and 2 pubs and restaurants, we also found that there were 6 buildings mainly for tourist plus the hotels and BBs which there were 18 of. So this means there were a round 1010 buildings that tourists probably wouldnt use, and 24 buildings that tourists probably would use. 24 buildings for tourists in one small village is a big amount and shows us that tourists play a key part in Hawksheads economy.Hawkshead is a slowly growing village with its population increasing steadily. More houses are being constructed on the edge of the village as the demand to live there is high. When we were in Hawkshead we didnt see any houses for sale.I think the reasons things are changing in Hawkshead is its increasin g popularity with tourists. Also it is getting more popular for elderly retired couples to move to Hawkshead or to buy a second home there. People have more money then ever before and so travelling or buying second homes is becoming more popular as people have more money to spend and a wider choice of places to go as transport has also improved. As Hawkshead relies on tourists to feed the local economy the village has to change to suit their needs and to keep the flow of tourists coming.This photo shows a Beatrix potter gallery located in the centre of Hawkshead. This is where Beatrix potter used to live, and now it is a gallery showing all of her original drawings and selling small ornaments based upon her drawings. This shop is purely for tourists and is one of Hawksheads biggest attractions.Most of the people we interviewed were tourists but there were 3 second home owners and 4 residents that we also interviewed. This tells us that on the day we visited there were more tourists out, which is unusual as it was raining and it was on a week day. This just shows how popular Hawkshead is if people are willing to visit in the rain!In Hawkshead there is a tourist information centre right next to the car park, which is good because as soon as tourists enter Hawkshead they can go straight to the tourist information centre and see what they can do in Hawkshead. This is only really useful to tourists as residents already know the activities available.As the car park is so large in Hawkshead this suggests that they receive huge numbers of tourists in one day. This is probably most likely in summer on a bank holiday. All the evidence suggests that tourists benefit Hawkshead but there probably are damages such as paths being worn away and excess litter and traffic pollution but overall tourists dont affect Hawkshead in a bad way.All my interviewees were from the U.K but some came from as far as London so it is obvious that Hawkshead has a good reputation and people are willing to travel a long distance to visit it. This is good evidence to say that Hawkshead is a worth while place to visit. If you compare question 4 (how far did you travel to Hawkshead today?) with question 5 (what do you find most attractive about Hawkshead?) we can see that most people travel a long distance to find village charm and peace and quite.In my landscape evaluation survey I gave the edge of the village and the centre of the village either 4 marks (greatly improves Hawkshead) 2 marks (improves Hawkshead) or 0 (does not affect Hawkshead) I did however say that the narrow effected Hawkshead little, as people had to walk on the road or squeeze past each other on the pavement, but if there were bigger pavements this would look odd and put of place so am I not sure about that one.I completed my own original piece of work which was to compare the amount of lodgings in Hawkshead with the amount of lodgings in Formby. From this data I could see that Hawkshead was a much more p opular tourist village than Formby as the amount of lodgings in Hawkshead was much greater than the amount in Formby. So my own original idea supports the other evaluations I produced in Hawkshead.I think the aims of the Lake District national park have definitely been met. Hawkshead is a well managed and controlled part of the countryside. There are places that you can walk about with freedom and places that are being reserved for future generations to share the beauty of.Data evaluationI think my method was quite well thought out as all the results seemed to be accurate for the day we visited Hawkshead. I think that perhaps it would have been better to questionnaire more people as then the results would be more fair or maybe consider questioning the same amount of tourists as residents to compare their thoughts on Hawkshead, as then are results would be less bias. The results were probably affected quite a lot by the weather as it was raining at the time we carried out our investi gation which means there would have been less people around and the village would have been less congested than usual.To improve my experiment I think you would have to visit Hawkshead on a number of days such as a bank holiday as then you could find the average results, which would ensure that the experiment wasnt bias. If I went to Hawkshead in the middle of winter there would perhaps not be as many people visiting as there would be in the middle of summer. To help us carry out the land use survey map we could have obtained one from the local library which would have been more accurate. We also could have got one from 50 years ago to compare whether the amount of buildings for tourists had increased.I think the land use survey was the most useful data we collected as it shows the amount of buildings for tourists and this could easily be compared with past land use survey maps which would support our investigation even more as we could present a past map with our recent map and sho w that the amount of tourist buildings had increased.We investigated how the land had changed in Hawkshead and discussed reasons it has changed and in conclusion our investigation has shown that tourists do not damage Hawkshead much but are a great benefit to its economy.

Learn About Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Learn About Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro is the capital city of the state of Rio de Janeiro and is the  second largest city in the South American country of Brazil. Rio as the city is commonly abbreviated is also the third largest metropolitan area in Brazil. It is considered one of the main tourist destinations in the Southern Hemisphere and is famous for its beaches, Carnaval celebration and various landmarks such as the statue of Christ the Redeemer.The City of Rio de Janeiro is nicknamed the Marvelous City and has been named a Global City. For reference, a Global City is one that is considered to be a significant node in the global economy.The following is a list of the ten most important things to know about Rio de Janeiro:1) Europeans first landed on present-day Rio de Janeiro in 1502 when a Portuguese expedition headed by Pedro lvares Cabral reached Guanabara Bay. Sixty-three years later, on March 1, 1565, the city of Rio de Janeiro was officially founded by the Portuguese.2) Rio de Janeiro served as the capital city of Brazil from 1763-1815 during the Portuguese Colonial Era, from 1815-1821 as the capital of the United Kingdom of Portugal and from 1822-1960 as an independent nation. 3) The City of Rio de Janeiro is located on Brazils Atlantic coast near the Tropic of Capricorn. The city itself is built on an inlet in the western portion of Guanabara Bay. The entrance to the bay is distinct because of a 1,299 foot (396 m) mountain called Sugarloaf.4) Rio de Janeiros climate is considered tropical savanna and has a rainy season from December to March. Along the coast, temperatures are moderated by sea breezes from the Atlantic Ocean but inland temperatures can reach 100 °F (37 °C) during summer. In the fall, Rio de Janeiro is also affected by cold fronts advancing north from the Antarctic region which can often cause sudden weather changes.5) As of 2008, Rio de Janeiro had a population of 6,093,472 which makes it the second largest city on Brazil behind So Paulo. The population density of the city is 12,382 persons per square mile (4,557 people per sq km) and the metropolitan area has a total population of around 14,387,000.6) The City of Rio de Janeiro is bro ken down into four districts. The first of these is downtown which consists of the historic downtown center, has various historic landmarks and is the financial center of the city. The south zone is Rio de Janeiros tourist and commercial zone and it is home to the citys most famous beaches such as Ipanema and Copacabana. The north zone has many residential areas but it is also home to the Maracan Stadium, which was once the worlds largest soccer stadium. Finally, the west zone is the farthest from the city center and is thus more industrial than the rest of the city.7) Rio de Janeiro is Brazils second largest city in terms of industrial production as well as its financial and service industries behind So Paulo. The citys main industries include chemicals, petroleum, processed foods, pharmaceuticals, textiles, clothing and furniture.8) Tourism is also a large industry in Rio de Janeiro. The city is Brazils main tourist attraction and it also receives more international visits per year than any other city in South America with around 2.82 million. 9) Rio de Janeiro is considered the cultural capital of Brazil because of its combination of historic and modern architecture, its more than 50 museums, popularity of music and literature, and its yearly Carnaval celebration.10) On October 2, 2009, the International Olympic Committee selected Rio de Janeiro as the location for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. It will be the first South American city to host the Olympic Games. Reference Wikipedia. (2010, March 27). Rio de Janiero. Wikipedia- the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_de_Janeiro

Analyze 4 real cases of directors liability and lessons learned Essay

Analyze 4 real cases of directors liability and lessons learned - Essay Example Here, the director was liable for failing to act as stated in the company’s statutes. He, therefore, was responsible for breach of duty of diligence. The second case is about Limited v. Burns. The director was found guilty of running the company recklessly. The guilty verdict came as a result of finding the director guilty of the offense. The judge decided that the duty of care was clearly violated by the director. He was, therefore, liable for failing to act in the company’s statutes. He did not put into consideration the act of good faith while dealing with the company’s affairs (Webster 46). There were certain risks that were apparent but the director knew this, but still went ahead and did these transactions. In the third case, the director was found liable for acting under fraudulent means. Fraud can lead to serving a jail term (Webster 58). This was in the case of Lexi Holdings v. Said Luqman and Others1. Luqman used fraudulent means to acquire money from the company that had entrusted him with the task of paying in receipts to one bank account. He, however, transacted money to some other bank accounts that belonged to him, and some of his associates. He was liable for breaching the trust bestowed on him by the company. After being caught, he failed to disclose all his assets for fear of being arrested and jailed for fraud. This led the court to find him in contempt of court. He was jailed for eighteen months since he had acted outside the duty of obedience. The fourth case is identified as a breach of duty of care or diligence. This is in the case of Cellar House Limited. The director was fully responsible for reckless trading. He was found to be guilty of other breaches as well, for example, breach of loyalty. He was responsible for having the company in debt, and was forced by the court to pay over 1.7 million dollars. The activities that he conducted for the company were illegitimate. He did these transactions

Our Town The play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Our Town The play - Essay Example Although many of them may not realize this in particular, yet it is a fact that a vast majority of people living in the town of Grover’s Corners necessarily find time from their everyday schedule to get together, interact with one another. This is a means of promoting social relations and networking. An in-depth analysis of the play suggests that the most obvious interpersonal association exists in the form of romance in which is engrossed the courtship of Emily and George. Wilder is of the view that love symbolizes the innovation and achievement of humans. Although the plot of Our Town fundamentally revolves around romance, yet the range and variety of bonds that humans can build between each other as talked about in the play is quite vast. The range developed by Wild constitutes both platonic and significant kinds of relationships between individual characters of the play. In the very first scene that comes right at the conception of the play, the Stage Manager introduces hi mself to the audience as the story’s narrator and tends to build a rapport with the audience. This is essentially the narrator’s attempt to develop ties between the audience sitting offstage and the various characters that form part of the play and perform onstage.

Economics developments in Developing country Essay

Economics developments in Developing country - Essay Example The question that whether the students from developing countries should be sent back to their countries after they graduate need to be analyzed from different perspectives. It is often believed that those students, who have graduated from the universities of the developed world, when return to their countries, often find themselves at odds with the society at large. Since these countries are still on the path to economic development, the environment often fails to support the technological skills acquired by these students. Their potential can be hardly realized and the result is frustration both on the part of the employer and the employed. This is the main cause of the ensuing brain drain that will also damage the economic progress of the country whose students had gone abroad in quest of knowledge. There is another concern that needs addressing and that is the payback of the investment made by the country that has educated the students and raised their educational and vocational level. Philanthropy apart, some benefit should accrue to them as well. There are two sides to knowledge acquisition. One is to raise the level of understanding by giving an impetus to intelligence through knowledge. The other is using the product of this effort in building careers as well as contributing to economic progress and prosperity. The obvious answer is that these students ought to be retained by the developed nation and absorbed in its workforce as contributors to its economy. This serves both purposes of offering better career options to those who were educated and payback to the country which had been gracious to offer them this opportunity. No doubt that these students can become the pillars of the economic future of the host country. However one reality that must be stated here is that the global economy depends equally on both the developed and the developing countries. They cannot survive

Government College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Government College - Essay Example The Legislature is the prime law-making body and it is called the Congress in the United States. It is divided into two houses---The Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress passes bills and transforms them into acts and laws, approves or disproves of the appointments made by the President, it declares wars and also gives its consent on treaties. The Executive branch is the one that ensures the execution of laws passed by the Legislature. In the United States, the President is the head of the Executive organ of the Government and performs numerous functions. The most important ones among those functions are, that he is the Commander-in-Chief, he makes appointments in association with the recommendations of the Legislature, he can veto bills and laws; besides ensuring the proper implementations and execution of laws. The Judiciary is the body of the government that undertakes the job of administering justice and taking charge of the criminal and civil offences in the country. In the United States, the Supreme Court is the apex court, which also serves as the highest court of appeal. The other federal courts exercise their functions in accordance with their position in the hierarchal set-up. The Judiciary also interprets laws for the country. In addition to this, it also performs the functions of Judicial Review, which means, it undertakes the task of declaring a bill/act or law unconstitutional, if it goes against the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution of the United States also has a system of Checks and Balances, wherein each organ of the Government is granted autonomy, as well as, responsibility. In other words, one organ of the government can check the other organ, in case it goes beyond its sphere of activity or conducts proceedings in a manner that is outside its power. This way, none of the organs can attain supremacy over the other, in spite of maintaining their exclusiveness in their own realm. It, thus, checks and balances the functioning of all the three organs of the Government. In this process of working together and taking charge of the whole Governmental machinery and functioning, the three organs could sometimes overlap each other in their functioning and cause chaotic situations. The most common possibility of this occurrence is between the Legislature and the Judiciary! Sometimes, it so happens that in the process of interpreting laws that have been made by the Legislature, the Judiciary not only interprets it but also adds its own interpretations and thus, leads to the framing of new laws. This can prove to be quite confusing and

Psychoanalytic Film Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Psychoanalytic Film Theory - Essay Example Using Lacanian and Freudian psychoanalytic terms, Mulvey examined how women are portrayed in cinema, as she analyzes the â€Å"male gaze† and its aspects of pleasure and nonpleasure (309). Mulvey's essay can be asserted as a historical document, due to her examinations of the pleasurable and controlling dimensions of â€Å"vision† that several disciplines studied before her and extended after her work. She argued that the â€Å"unconscious† of the patriarchal system has projected itself unto the film narrative. The male gaze had perilously affected the discourse between the dominant and dominated sectors of society, where political binaries of man/woman and active/passive are present. This paper will discuss the reasons why feminist film scholars adopted psychoanalytic film theory. It will also use feminist psychoanalytic spectatorship theory in studying Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1959). Feminist scholars adopted the psychoanalytic film theory, because the l atter aims to examine and depict gender identity using cultural, instead of biological, concepts that are present in films, so that the exclusion of women in dominant film discourses can be identified and dismantled for purposes of political empowerment by breaking the domination of the male gaze and reversing spectatorship from male to female gazing. Rear Window (1959) depicts scopophilia through sexual stimulations of visual pleasures and narcissism, and its pervasive use of the sexual objectification of women, where the film sees them as sources of both pleasure and nonpleasure. Psychoanalytic film theory Feminist film scholars, during the 1970s, were interested in analyzing the diverse forms of gender oppressions that relegated them to a â€Å"secondary† social and political status (Kaplan 1238). Their takeoff was the â€Å"cultural,† and not the biological, aspect of negative female experiences, where cultural semiotic systems present relationships in how women ar e seen and consumed in films and in societies where they live in. These scholars noted that the â€Å"objectification† of women, which limited their desires and objectives, could be the root cause of their oppressed conditions in real and reel life. Spectatorship theory asserts that the spectator generally refers to the male spectator, who wants to see and â€Å"control† women, because of the visual pleasures that the feminine form can provide (Sherwin 174). Psychoanalysis broadens spectatorship theory by unlocking the unconscious impulses that drive the male gaze (Mulvey 305). Thus, it could be seen that ideological feminism has strongly driven psychoanalytic film theory (Kaplan 1238). The primary appeal of psychoanalysis is that it presented a concrete framework for understanding preexisting conventions of women from the patriarchal perspective (Mulvey 305). It is a fitting theoretical framework for the budding feminist film theory, which still needs conceptual found ations. Freud and Lacan, in particular, provided terms and processes that can help explain how the male unconscious embeds itself unto society through its dominating gaze (Mulvey 305). The â€Å"erotic† processes of â€Å"seeing† have a direct impact on consuming the female form, and they also have implications on how women are portrayed in narrative films (Mulvey 305). Lacanian theory argues that films present a â€Å"mirror image† that underlies symbolic infrastructures (McGowan 28). The â€Å"gaze† represents the male â€Å"imaginary† and this imaginary builds the illusions of pleasures and nonpleasures (McGowan 28).

Cost Club Scenario Essay Example for Free

Cost Club Scenario Essay Introduction Every employee has fundamental rights in the workplace that include their right to privacy, fair compensation and free from discrimination. Even applicants have rights before they are hired as an employee. Some of those rights include discrimination that is based solely on a person’s race, gender, age, religion, national origin, or during the hiring process (FindLaw, 2014). Employee Privacy * Employees have the right to privacy with regards to their personal possessions * This includes their purses, handbags. Briefcases, lockers.* Employees have limited rights with respect to e-mail messages and internet usage while using Cost Clubs computer system * Employers do not have the right to conduct a credit checks or background checks on an employee or perspective employee without the express written permission of the employee (FindLaw, 2014). Employee Unions Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), employers are forbidden from interfering in an employee’s right to organize, or to join or assist in a labor organization for collective bargaining purposes, or prohibit working together to improve terms and conditions of their place of employment. Union employer’s may not coerce their employees in exercising any of their rights such as (National Labor Relations Board, 2014): * It is illegal for an employer to threaten their employees with the loss of their jobs or benefits if they choose to join or vote for a union or participate in protected concerted activity. * Threaten employees with plant closure should their employees choose to have union representation. * Employers are not to question employees about their union activities or sympathies * Promise employees benefits in order to discourage union support * Punishing  employees for engaging in union or protected concerted activity * Retaliating against an employee by transferring, laying off, terminating, assigning employees to more difficult work task or for filing an unfair labor practice charges or participating in an NLRB investigation (National Labor Relations Board, 2014). Occupational Safety and Health Administration Under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (,OSHA) employers have a responsibility to their employees to provide a safe environment for their employees. Employers are responsible for providing their employees with a workplace free of serious hazards and must follow all OSHA safety and health standards as well as identify and correct any safety or health problems found. It is also the employer’s responsibility to (United States Department of Labor, 2014). * Keep employees informed about hazards through the offering of training, labeling, alarms, systems that are color coded, material safety data sheets that pertain to chemicals and other methods. * Employees are to be trained in a manner in which they can fully understand * Employers are to maintain accurate and complete records of any work-related injuries or illnesses that may occur in the workplace. * Employers are to post any citations, injuries and illness data where is it easily viewed by employees. * OSHA is to be notified by the employer within eight hours should there be a workplace fatality or when three or more workers have been injured or hospitalized due to an accident. * Display the official OSHA poster that describes the rights and responsibilities in plain view for employees to read per the OSHA Act (United States Department of Labor, 2014). Employee Retirement Income Security Act Compliance assistance under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) sets the minimum standards for retirement and health benefit plans in private industry. Although ERISA does not require an employer to provide a retirement plan or to provide benefits it only requires those who have established plans meet and follow a level of standards. ERISA covers retirement, health, and other welfare benefit plans. (United States Department of Labor, 2014): * Meet ERISA standards of conduct * Employers are to assure that the funds of the plan are protected and that  participants who qualify will receive their benefits. * Employers are to include new health laws * Employers are to provide a continuation of health care coverage for an employee that due to certain events would result in a reduction ,in their benefits. * The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) amended ERISA to make health care coverage available for employees that have either been terminated or have quit (United States Department of Labor, 2014). Fair Labor Standards Act The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is responsible for setting and establishing a minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and youth employment standards that affect employees in the private sector andFederal, State and local governments (United States Department of Labor, 2014). * The wage for covered nonexempt workers is $ 7.25 per hours * Overtime pay to be at the rate of one-half times their regular pay after a 40 hour workweek. * There is no limit to anyone 16 years or older to the amount of hours they may work. * FLSA does not require Cost Club to pay overtime for weekends, holidays for an employees, regular days off, unless overtime is typically worked on those days. * Employers are required to display the official poster of the FLSA. (United States Department of Labor, 2014). Conclusion In order to ensure and maintain a high moral level of employee behavior. Employees of Cost Club must fully understand the ethical and legal implications of their decisions. As they relate to their employees personal and professional values. This should be reflected at every level upper, and lower management included. Cost Club needs to develop and implement a Business Code of Ethics that can be reviewed with all employees at all Cost Club locations. By implementing a Business Code of Ethics, Cost Club will weave together not only the legal principles of employment, but the moral issues that commonly arise in employment issues. These ethical behaviors are vital to Cost Clubs overall success. The stakeholders of Cost Club are able to take direction from Cost Clubs, Business Code of Conduct. And when an ethical dilemma occurs the code will become one of the employee’s best tools for dealing with the dilemma. When Cost Club chooses to engage in employee monitoring, this practice will be posted and announced to all employees.  Employees need to understand the laws and Cost Clubs corporations, policies along with the Business Code of Conduct. Cost Club also needs to exercise restraint in looking over their employees shoulders when it comes to use of the internet and email. (Mujtaba, 2014). When everyone understands all the ground rules then the workplace environment at Cost Club will be fair. If Cost Clubs employees are being ethical and following the policies he or she should not be concerned with monitoring and at the same time Cost Club should conduct their monitoring of employees within the guidelines of the law (Mujtaba, 2014). References FindLaw. (2014). Employee rights 101. Retrieved April 13, 2014, from http://employment.findlaw.com/employment-discrimination/employees-rights-101.html. Mujtaba, B. G. (2014). Ethical implications of employee monitoring: What leaders should consider. Retrieved April 13, 2014, from http://www.huizenga.nova.edu/Jame/articles/employee-monitoring.cfm. National Labor Relations Board. (2014). Employer/union rights and obligations. Retrieved April 13, 2014, from http://www.nlrb.gov/rights-we-protect/employerunion-rights-and-obligations. United States Department of Labor. (2014). Employee retirement income security act ERISA. Retrieved April 13, 2014, from http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/health-plans/erisa.htm. United Stated Department of Labor. (2014). Employer rights and responsibilities following an OSHA inspection. Retrieved April 13, 2014, from https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3000.html#12. United States Department of Labor. (2014). Wage and hour division. Retrieved April 13, 2014, fro m http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/.

Importance Of Cost Control In Construction Projects

Importance Of Cost Control In Construction Projects The purpose of this report is to explain the importance of cost control in construction projects and its function. The Cost Control is an important process in construction project. It is widely practiced by contractors and needs to carry out throughout the life of project. The main objective of cost control of a project is to gain the maximum profit within the designated period within the budget. To monitor and control actual expenditure against the estimated project budget. The project budget is represented by the tender price / contract sum. According to Nunnally (1998), cost control of a project involves the measuring and collecting the cost record of a project and the work progress. It also involves the comparison of actual progress with the planning. The main objective of cost control of a project is to gain the maximum profit within the designated period and satisfactory quality of work. A systematic procedure of cost control will give a good result in collecting important data in estimating and controlling of the cost of the coming projects in future. After preparing the reports based on the actual costs, it is important to distribute the remaining budget for the future periods and estimate or re-estimate the cost of the work yet to be completed. Any new information must take into account since the commencement of contracts. It is important to ensure that there should not be any under claim or over claim of the work done. This is required to maintain a steady cash flow. Also it helps the client and the contractor to manage their expenditure and income. The cost control techniques generally used in construction projects are: Cost Value Reconciliation, Control of Project Cash flow, Break  ¿Ã‚ ½ Even Analysis, Budgetary Control, and Contractors cost Control, Cost Comparison, Schedule Control and Asset Register 2. INTRODUCTION The cost control is a process that should be continued through the construction period to ensure that the cost of the building is kept within the agreed cost limits. The cost control can be divided into major areas: the control of cost during design stages and the control of cost by the contractors once the construction project has started. According to Nunnaly (1998), cost control of projects involves the measuring and collecting the cost record of a project and the work progress. It involves the comparison of actual progress with the planning. The main aims of the cost control: a) To gain the maximum profit within the designated period within the budget. b) To keep the total expenditure within the amount agreed by client, frequently based on approximate estimate of cost prepared by the quantity surveyor in the early stages of the design process. There is a need for strict cost discipline thought all stages of design and execution to ensure that the initial estimate, tender figure and final account sum all are closely related. c) To give the building client good value for money  ¿Ã‚ ½ a building which is soundly constructed, of satisfactory appearance and well suited to perform the functions for which it is required, combined with economical construction and layout. d) To achieve a balanced and logical distribution of the available funds between the various parts of the building. The cost controlling system we can use as a tool for estimating the new projects based on previous experience. To win a new project As a quantity surveyor for a construction company to research this project, I have started with reading text books to get theoretical understanding of the subject. Thereafter I have discussed the technique of cost control with my colleague and managers to get practical knowledge of this application. 3. WHAT IS COST CONTROL? Controlling how much is spent on a certain item on project. Anything above a certain amount needs approval of higher authority The process of controlling the expenses of cost in a project, from the starting of client ¿Ã‚ ½s idea to the completion and final payment on site An active process to control the causes of the cost changes, to document those cost changes, and to monitor cost fluctuations within the project 4. STATEMENT OF FACTS IN COST CONTROL According to Nunnally (1998), cost control of a project involves the measuring and collecting the cost record of a project and the work progress. It also involves the comparison of actual progress with the planning. The main objective of cost control of a project is to gain the maximum profit within the designated period and satisfactory quality of work. A systematic procedure of cost control will give a good result in collecting important data in estimating and controlling of the cost of the coming projects in future. 5. THE PURPOSE OF COST CONTROL To monitor and control actual expenditure against the estimated project budget The project budget is represented by the tender price / contract sum. 6. THE IMPORTANCE OF COST CONTROL There has in recent years been great need for an understanding of construction economics and cost control, particularly during the design stage of projects. The importance of this due largely to the following:- * The increased pace of development in general has resulted in clients being less likely to tolerate delays caused by redesigning buildings when tenders are too high. * The clients ¿Ã‚ ½ requirements today are more complex than those of their Victorian counterparts. A more effective system of control is therefore desirable from inception up to the completion of the final account, and thereafter during cost-in-use. * The clients of the industry often represent large organizations and financial institutions. This is a result of takeovers, mergers and some public ownership. De-nationalization has often meant that these large organizations remain intact as a single entity. There has thus been an increased emphasis on accountability in both the public and the private sectors of industry. The efficiency of these organizations at construction work is only as good as their advisers. * Contractor ¿Ã‚ ½s profit margins have in real terms been reduced considerably during the past decade. This resulted in their greater cost-consciousness in an attempt to redress possible losses and remain competitive. * There has, in general, been move towards the elimination of waste, and a greater emphasis on the efficient use of the world ¿Ã‚ ½s scarce resources. This has necessitated a desire for improved methods of forecasting and control of costs. * There is a general trend towards greater cost-effectiveness, and thus a need to examine construction cost, not solely in the context of initial costs, but in terms of whole-life costs. * World recession has generally produced a shortage of funds for capital purposes and construction in general. This has been coupled with high inflation and interest charges, resulting in an increase in the cost of construction. Although the relative costs compared with other commodities may be similar, the apparent high costs have resulted in greater caution, particularly on the part of clients. 7. POST  ¿Ã‚ ½ CONTRACT COST CONTROL Project cost control commences at project inception stage by the client. Thereafter costs are controlled continuously and at every stage of the project up to finalization of the construction contract. 8. THE PROJECT BUDGET For cost control on a project, the construction plan and the associated cash flow estimates can provide the baseline reference for subsequent project monitoring and control. For schedules, progress on individual activities and the achievement of milestone completions can be compared with the project schedule to monitor the progress of activities. The final detailed cost estimate provides a baseline for the assessment of financial performance during the project. To the extent that costs are within the detailed cost estimate, the project is considered to be under financial control. Overruns in particular cost categories signal the possibility of problems and give an indication of exactly what problems are being encountered. Expenses oriented construction planning and control focus upon the categories included in the final detailed cost estimation/cost plan prepared by the contractors. For cost control monitoring purpose, the original detail cost estimate is typically converted to a project budget, and the project budget is used subsequently as a guide for management. Specific items in the detailed cost estimate become job cost elements. Expenses incurred during the course of the project are recorded in specific job cost accounts to be compared with the original cost estimate in each category. In addition to costs, information on material utilization and labor inputs and productivities within each cost code is also typically monitored in the project budget. With this information, actual materials usage and labor employed can be compared to the expected requirements. As a result, cost overruns or savings on particular items can be identified as due to changes in unit price, labor productivity or in the amount of material consumed. The number of cost code associated with a particular project can vary considerably. For contractors, on the order of four hundred separate cost accounts might be used on a project. In developing or implementing a system of cost accounts / cost codes an appropriate numbering or coding system is essential to facilitate communication of information and proper aggregation of cost information. Particular cost accounts are used to indicate the expenditures associated with the specific projects and to indicate the expenditures on particular item throughout an organization. Cost coding is also used for comparing the budget with actual expenditure, which is typically referred to as cost/value reconciliation. Sample of material requisition form showing the cost code with the allowance and remaining allowanceSample of project budget summary 9. TECHNIQUES AND WAYS FOR CONTROLLING COSTS The most important of all the cost control techniques is to appoint a small team of qualified and experienced people well versed in the financial management team to manage the daily finances of the company in a very professional and systematic manner. The cost control software can be helpful in doing the work in comparatively less time and with more accuracy. A. COST VALUE RECONCILATION The cost and value of the project must be reconciled and monitored regularly. This allows a contractor to manage and control actual against estimated expenditure. This will also allow the contractor to monitor costs and value movement and importantly also monitor profit levels. For the purpose of cost control, it is not sufficient to consider only the past records of costs and revenues incurred in a project. Good project commercial managers should focus upon future revenues, future costs and technical problems. For this purpose, traditional financial accounting schemes are not adequate to reflect the dynamic nature of building project. Accounts typically focus on recording routine costs and past expenditures associated with activities. W.H.Lucas and T.L.Morrison,  ¿Ã‚ ½Management Accounting for construction Contracts, Management Accounting, 1981, PP- 59  ¿Ã‚ ½ 65. Sample of a typical cost/value Reconciliation B. CONTROL OF PROJECT CASH FLOW A positive cash flow is critical to any business. On building projects cash flow is typically generated from the periodic payment for works completed, i.e. interim payments. Cash flow forecasts are unusually prepared and based on the program of works for internal purposes and for use by the client. Sample cash flow forecast C. BREAK _- EVEN ANALYSIS A break even analysis determines the point at which one method becomes superior to another method of accomplishing some task or objective. Break even analysis is a common and important part of cost control. Example:- One illustration of break even analysis would be compare two methods of road construction for a road that involves a limited amount of cut-and-fill earth work. It would be possible earthwork by hand or by bulldozer. If the manual method were adopted, the fixed costs would be low or nonexistent. Payment would be done on a daily basis and would call for direct supervision by a foreman. The cost would be calculated by estimating the time required and multiplying this time by the average wages of the men employed. The men could also be paid on a piece-work basis. Alternatively, this work could be done by a bulldozer which would have to be moved in from another site. Let us assume that the cost of the hand labor would be $0.60 per cubic meter and the bulldozer would cost $0.40 per cubic meter and would require $100 to move in from another site. The move-in cost for the bulldozer is a fixed cost, and is independent of the quantity of the earthwork handled. If the bulldozer is used, no econ omy will result unless the amount of earthwork is sufficient to carry the fixed cost plus the direct cost of the bulldozer operation. Breakeven Example for Earthwork Excavation If, on a set of co-ordinates, cost in dollars is plotted on the vertical axis and units of production on the horizontal line parallel to the x  ¿Ã‚ ½ axis. If variable cost per unit output is constant, then the total cost for any number of unit production will be the sum of the fixed cost and the variable cost multiplied by the number of units of production, or F+NV. If the cost data two processes or methods, one of which has higher variable cost, but lower fixed cost than the other are plotted on the same graph, the total cost lines will intersect at some point. At this point the levels of production and total cost are the same. This point known as the  ¿Ã‚ ½breakeven ¿Ã‚ ½ point, since at this level one method is as economical other. Referring the above Figure the breakeven point at which quantity the bulldozer alternative and the manual labor alternative become equal is at 500 cubic meters. We could have found this same result algebraically by writing F+NV = F ¿Ã‚ ½+NV ¿  ½, where F and V are the fixed and variable costs for the manual method and, F ¿Ã‚ ½ and V ¿Ã‚ ½ are the corresponding values for the bulldozer method. Since we all values are known except N, we can solve for N using the formula N = (F ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½ F) / (V-V ¿Ã‚ ½) D. BUDGETARY CONTROL Budgets are used for planning and controlling the income and expenditure in many different organizations. It is through the budget that a company ¿Ã‚ ½s plans and objectives can be converted into quantitative and monetary terms. Without these a company has little control. The budget may represent a total sum divided among a number of subheadings or work packages. It is important that the various sub headings include a timescale, since the expenditure by both the contractor and the client needs to be matched against income or the availability of funds. While the contractor will have a work program for the project and this can be costed, the procedure may be disrupted by delays on the part of all those involved and through changes (variations) to the original scheme. This information will give a rate of expenditure and a rate of income throughout the project, and by deducting income from expenditure the amount of capital required at the different times can then be calculated. The contractor will need to aggregate this information from all projects in order company position the company position. For budgeting purpose these data are prepared in advance of work being carried out on site. The information will also be collected after the execution of the works in order to establish the  ¿Ã‚ ½as done ¿Ã‚ ½ position and to facilitate a comparison with the budget. This known as budgetary control. In common with other control techniques, budgetary control is a continuous process undertaken throughout the contract duration. When variances from the budget occur, the contractor will need to assess the reason for them. E. CONTRACTORS COST CONTROL The contractor, having priced successfully enough to win the contract through tendering, must now ensure that the work can be completed for the estimated costs. One of the duties of the contractor ¿Ã‚ ½s quantity surveyors is to monitor the expenditure and advice site management of action that should be taken. This process also includes the costs of subcontractors, since these forms a part of the main contractor ¿Ã‚ ½s total expenditure. The contractor ¿Ã‚ ½s surveyors also comment on the profitability of different site operations. Where loss-making situations are encountered, decisions need to be taken to reverse this position if at all possible. The fact that estimators can be wide of the mark when estimating, even with common items, the contractor would seek reason for such a wide variation between costs and prices. This will be done for two reasons; first, in an attempt to recoup some of the loss; second, to avert such errors in future work. This situation may have arisen for one of the following reasons. * The character of the work is different from that envisaged at the time of tender. * The conditions for executing the work have changed. * Adverse weather conditions severely disrupted the work * There was inefficient use of resources. * There was excessive wastage of materials. * Plant had to stand idle for long periods of time. * Delays had occurred because of a lack of accurate design information F. COST COMPARISION In practice it is always difficult make to comparison between costs and valuations, since either the full items of expenditure are unavailable or the valuation has only been approximately prepared. However, the contractor does need to determine which contracts are profitable and which are not, and also to determine which operations gain or lose money. The information which is the generated may be used to form the basis of contractual claims or to assist in future tendering and the contractor ¿Ã‚ ½s selection of projects for which to tender. Both the actual profit and percentage on cost can be calculated from the given table. This offers the contractor an indication of the financial Trent, although in order to measure this realistically these figures need to be compared with their respective budgets. It is unclear from these data alone whether the contract was successful. By inference it can be suggested that the project reached its most successful stage in terms of profit alone at month 7. The profit  ¿Ã‚ ½expenditure ratio, however, had been decreasing since the commencement of the contract. This is also typical feature of fixed price contracts if the anticipated profit has been disturbed evenly throughout the project. Towards the end of the contract the project was probably losing money. For example compare the expenditure with the valuation for the month 9. This may suggest that work has been deliberately overvalued during this early stage. Month (Valuation  ¿Ã‚ ½ expenditure) G. SCHEDULE CONTROL In addition to cost control, commercial managers must also give considerable attention to monitoring schedules. (E.g. variation schedules) Construction typically involves a deadline for work completion, so contractual agreements will force attention to schedules. More generally, delays in construction represent additional costs to the client due to late facility occupancy or other factors. Just as costs incurred are compared to budgeted costs, actual activity durations may be compared to expected durations. In this process, forecasting the time to complete particular activities may be required. The methods used for forecasting completion times of activities are directly analogous to those used for forecasting. For example, a typical estimating formula might be : Df = Wht Where Df is the forecast duration, W is the amount of work, and ht is the observed productivity to time t. As with cost control, it is important to devise efficient and cost effective methods for gathering information on actual project accomplishment. Planned Vs Actual Expenditures H. ASSET REGISTER A part of Cost control techniques maintain and updating the register of the company ¿Ã‚ ½s inventory of assets, e.g. plant and equipment. The inventory should list all of the items that have been purchased by the company, their date of acquisition, initial value, current value (approximate), and/or depreciation, age and expected renewal date. The location of the asset and, if appropriate, the manufacturer ¿Ã‚ ½s serial number should be included. This register will remain an active document and be constantly updated. The inventory provides an accurate checklist for insurance purpose and to substantiate claims should these be necessary. The asset register can also be employed for taxation purposes in respect of depreciation and replacement funding. It acts as a financial register for the company ¿Ã‚ ½s assets. 10. ILLUSTRATIONS (TABLES AND GRAPHS) A. PROPORTION COMPLETION Vs EXPENDITURE FOR AN ACTIVITY B. PLANNED VS ACTUAL PROGRESS OVER TIME ON A PROJECT C. COST CODE SAMPLE D. VARIATION SCHEDULE SAMPLE E. LIGHT FITTINGS TRACKING SCHEDULE 11. CONCLUSION The main objective of cost control is to minimize and reduce the project costs. Cost control is necessary for all types of project disregarding its sizes. Most of the contractors have their own cost control system. The amount of detail and time interval between cost control reports must be considered, which is different according to level of management for which they have prepared mostly, it will be on monthly basis. After preparing the reports based on the actual costs, it is important to distribute the remaining budget for the future periods and estimate or re-estimate the cost of the work yet to be completed. Any new information must take into account since the commencement of contracts. It is important to ensure that there should not be any under claim or over claim of the work done. This is required to maintain a steady cash flow. Also, it helps the client and the contractor to manage their expenditure and income. The cost control techniques generally used in construction projects are: Cost Value Reconciliation, Control of Project Cash flow, Break  ¿Ã‚ ½ Even Analysis, Budgetary Control, and Contractors cost Control, Cost Comparison, Schedule Control and Asset Register.

the origins of language Essays -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Knowing a language means one can speak, be understood and understand others who know the language. Although I have taken three years of Spanish, I would not say that I definitively know Spanish. I would not feel comfortable going to Spain alone and trying to survive merely with the three years training that I received. I would inevitably make mistakes, conjugating verbs improperly or stringing nonsensical sentences together. Knowing a language means knowing the things that you aren?t taught. I could spend five more years in a Spanish class, learning all the rules and vocabulary, but I still would not feel I knew the language. Knowing the language means understanding the unspoken rules behind that language. It is in understanding what is possible and, conversely, what is impossible in a language that one can truly know that language.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Logically it follows then to ask; if this unspoken knowledge is not taught, how is it learned? Prior to the lecture on language competence I would have said, purely from an observational standpoint, that those rules of language are learned chiefly through imitation. A child hears what his or her parents say and mimics them. Through correction and over time, these rules are then conditioned into that child. When asked, however, how do you explain the fact that children do not make random mistakes, but rather predictable ones, this theory begins to break down. Allotting sole propriety to ... the origins of language Essays -- essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Knowing a language means one can speak, be understood and understand others who know the language. Although I have taken three years of Spanish, I would not say that I definitively know Spanish. I would not feel comfortable going to Spain alone and trying to survive merely with the three years training that I received. I would inevitably make mistakes, conjugating verbs improperly or stringing nonsensical sentences together. Knowing a language means knowing the things that you aren?t taught. I could spend five more years in a Spanish class, learning all the rules and vocabulary, but I still would not feel I knew the language. Knowing the language means understanding the unspoken rules behind that language. It is in understanding what is possible and, conversely, what is impossible in a language that one can truly know that language.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Logically it follows then to ask; if this unspoken knowledge is not taught, how is it learned? Prior to the lecture on language competence I would have said, purely from an observational standpoint, that those rules of language are learned chiefly through imitation. A child hears what his or her parents say and mimics them. Through correction and over time, these rules are then conditioned into that child. When asked, however, how do you explain the fact that children do not make random mistakes, but rather predictable ones, this theory begins to break down. Allotting sole propriety to ...

North Korea Famine Essay -- North Korean Famine World Essays

North Korea Famine Abstract Famine is the one of the biggest problems in the world. More than 800 million people are suffering from hunger. The people of North Korea suffer from hunger on the level of the notorious Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia famines. They just suffer in silence behind the world media. There are several facts about the North Korea famine. One of the main factors for the North Korea famine is political problems: The North Korean government ignores s people’s everyday lives and only does things for preparing war. Moreover, the North Korean government, North Korea dose not like allow relief agencies to personally deliver the grain to those who need it most, causes some general problems for getting contribution from other countries. My research paper reports fact about the North Korean famine. For example, how serious the North Korea famine is, what problems North Korea have. This paper suggests before considering a lot of problems; everybody in the world should help North Korea hungry peop le for economical, political, and national reasons. There are a lot of innocent people, especially children. Introduction Famine is the one of the biggest problems in the world. A lot of children die from hunger. What is famine? The problem of famine is manifold. Famine is not only a condition of a lack of food but of inadequate planning, inadequate notification, slow responds, government pride, misdirected aid, politics, ignorance, and incompetence. North Korea is a current example of all of these facts. In North Korea, many people are suffering in silence without attention of the world’s media. The tragic Ethiopian famine of 198... ...e.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/koreafood108/index.html (Mar1999). 2. The campaign to stop Famine in North Korea. "Things Korea" Auguest 1997. http://soback.koornet.nm.kr/~pixeline/heeyun/korea/factsht.htr (February 12 1999). 3. Agency France-Presse (AFP). "Starving Nkorean Children Filmed Searching Rubbish for Food" 21 Dec 1998. http://www.reliefweb.int ( April 10 1999). 4. Relief Web "World Food Program" 31 May 1996. http://www.reliefweb.int ( April 21 1999). 5. Mennonite Central "Famine in North Korea" 1997. http://www.reliefweb.int (February 5 1999). 6. The Brawn Daily Herald, Inc "Silent Disaster" 1997. http://www.pbs.org/newsshour/forum/august97/korea4.htm (2 April 1999). 7. Online Newshow "The North Korea Famine" August 26 1998. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/forum/august97/korea4.htm (6 February 1999)

Communication IA Preface

The following reflective piece will take the form of a Monologue, and the purpose of this is to understand fully what goes on in the mind of a psychopath. It exhibits his thoughts, ideas, plots and emotions, so you can relate to him. This piece will demonstrate effects of psychopaths on their relatives and society. This monologue is intended for audiences above the age of thirteen. As it contains violent and abusive scenes it may not be suitable for children under the required age limit. It is targeted towards the general public to educate and warn them about the dangers and traits of psychopaths.This can be placed in local newspapers so it can be available for all citizens to view it. Social Studies SBA Method of Investigation I have decided to do a questionnaire in order to collect date for my survey. A questionnaire will help me to know whether the view I have on Juvenile Delinquency are true or not and if there are the same as the residents of my community. The results are quickl y obtained, it is easy to analyse data and it is cost effective. One of the main advantages of a questionnaire is that it guarantees of the anonymity of the personAnalysis & Interpretation The information given is based on the response received from the residents of Palmiste. Of the respondents interviewed an overwhelming majority that is 90% stated that males were the ones responsible for the juvenile delinquency in their communities, possibly because males are more likely to respond to situations with more violence and aggression than females due to certain factors related to their gender. †The greater aggressiveness of the male is one of the best established, and most pervasive, of all psychological sex differences,† wrote Dr.Eleanor E. Maccoby and Dr. Carol Nagy Jacklin, Stanford University psychologists. Women rarely display aggression therefore, aggressive behaviour was viewed as a practise that was found to be more common among males. While females tend to control their emotions, males are more easily angered. In certain families males tend to be the main abusers to their children, spouses or siblings. More than half of the respondents, that is 60% stated that these delinquents are quite often from single parent families.One can suggest that this usually causes children to â€Å"act out† as they are dealing with their parents separating or the fact that they may only have the attention of one parent. Single parenting affects children mentally, emotionally as well as psychologically. According to research done by Anika Doggett the least amount of communication and structure the family provides, the more likely the child will engage in delinquent activities. Peer pressure was stated to be the major cause of delinquency as 40% of the respondents stated as such.This is a proven fact by the residents of Palmiste, San Fernando. Friends tend to have a great degree of influence in the lives of teenagers. If a teenager has no friends they are isolated and are made fun of. There is therefore a need among teenagers to be closely linked to their peers, even though the influence may be negative and one they know to be wrong. This proves that most of these juveniles were influenced by their friends to engage in these negative activities. Delinquent friends cause law-abiding youths to get into trouble. Children who fall into a bad crowd are at risk for delinquency.Youths who maintain friendships with delinquent peers are more likely to become delinquent regardless of their own personality or the type of supervision they receive at home. Forty percent (40%) of the residents see Juvenile Delinquency as an act of engaging in criminal acts such as fighting, stealing etc. Similarly 40%of the respondents indicate that gang activities, stealing, defacing property and selling and buying drugs are all happening in their communities. They see these activities as acts of juvenile delinquency occurring in their communities and for them it is a great source of concern.Juvenile Delinquency can have a great effect on the academic performance of the youths. In fact 40% of the respondents interviewed attest to this fact. A great deal of scientific research examines the relationship between poor school performance and delinquency. The direction of the causal link between education and juvenile delinquency is fundamentally complex. Early aggressive behaviour may lead to difficulties in the classroom. Such difficulties, in turn, may result in a child’s receiving unfavourable evaluations from teachers or peers. These, in turn, might result in  delinquency.Equally, the fact that the child turned to delinquent activities could be an indication of whatever factors got the child into trouble with school authorities in the first place. The child may be reacting to whatever situations that may be disturbing them. The evidence is clear that poor school performance, truancy, leaving school at a young age and problems at hom e are connected to juvenile delinquency Thirty (30%) of the residents stated that the involvement of the school would be a great solution to help eradicate this problem of Juvenile Delinquency.

Final Act of the play Essay

Secondly Elizabeth made a sacrifice, and really showed by doing this how much she respects John Proctor as her husband. When it came to the question itself, whether John was a lecher, she waited a while before she came to a final decision as she had no idea what to say, not knowing what her husband had stated before her. Constantly looking for a sign from john across the court having no clue what he had said before her. She was nervous, but was forced to answer the question and make that final decision: She replied faintly ‘No, sir’. This answer really shows the audience how strong her love is for proctor, lying for him to save his life, doing this against her religion, condemning herself to hell however this was a choice between either her husband or her religion and chosen her husband shows how strongly she feels about him. From what she believed he had lied to but they were both court out.  Act Four is considered to be a very emotional scene and is really shown by Miller himself. The events which occur in this scene are considered gruesome and drastic and have various reactions from different characters, but mainly Elizabeth and John’s relationship and how it dramatically changes and gradually pulls together in the final Act of the play. The day in which act four starts Elizabeth is aware John is going to be hanged, and clearly states that no emotion is shown towards him, especially when talking to Dan forth about it before speaking to proctor himself. She shows this coldness, relating back to the first two scenes and makes it seem as though she’s not going to let them win against her, making it very hard for her as really underneath she knows in fact her husband is about to die before her very own eyes and there’s nothing she can do to save him, and she wants to follow what she think john would have wanted her to do for him or if he were in her shoes. Having Elizabeth and Proctor apart from each other for a period of time whilst she was taken to Salem must be hard for them as they both haven’t as of yet spoken at all to each other about what has happened. This proves to the audience there a large amount of emotion between them both which a real change from Act two were emotion between them was very low and Elizabeth’s thoughts toward Proctor weren’t anything to what they are now. Miller really uses this scene to stun the audience when seeing the couple starring into each others eyes with such needed love and emotion really showing how there relationship is some what different to before. The first thing that is stated when the conversation begins with john is ‘the child’ which straight away takes us back to the first conversation they had in act two were the general talk was about there children. The conversation continues but sentences and phrases are very short, showing a real awkward atmosphere between them which is acceptable seeing as though they haven’t spoken or even seen each other in so long. The conversation carries on and they begin to open up to each other, there speech becoming longer and idea’s coming out, such as whether john should now confess or not? Finally there reaches a point were they are coming to terms with the truth and Elizabeth and john except the fact they have ‘known each other’ deeply and that fact he can end his life knowing she was always there to support him. This is were Act four is drawing to an end, were john lifts Elizabeth and kisses her with great passion which clearly states there relationship has come together, and changed so much from act two were john kissing Elizabeth was seen as such disappointment to her but no such a romantic and emotional moment. However its not just Elizabeth feeling this passion, they both share such moment together, letting the audience really no what they both want. After this passionate moment takes place, john is taken off the scene to be hanged, and Elizabeth is there to say her last few words to support her husband’s tragic death. Elizabeth seems glad he can finally be at peace as before his life seemed always troubled and never settled. He only really had one fault that he had made in his life and that was the affair with Abigail, and from she believed was that it was because of her, this shows her true feelings for there relationship and faulting herself makes her feel that little bit better. Throughout the whole play Author Miller presents the couple in many different ways, changing the way there relationship occurs in each scene, taking both different personalities into perspective. From act two were the relationship between them both was extremely tense and uncomfortable at times around each other, but progressively throughout the play, even when times got really tough there relationship seemed to get stronger and closer, showing that when times got tough they were actually there when they needed somebody to be with them and help the through it, this really shows how all along the couple have never fallen out of love and have always had such deep feelings for each other and meant for each other and this can especially be seen in act four when there relationship had to end due to the death of john Proctor.

American Beauty: Of Adulthood and Life Transitions

American Beauty is one of the most well-received movies of our time. As the screen debut of screenwriter Alan Ball and director Sam Mendes, the movie has won numerous Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It was a good demonstration of different psychological and social themes such as deviancy, romantic and paternal love, sexuality, and beauty.The movie’s focus is Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey). In fact, as the narrator, Lester is the revolving point of most of the movie. American Beauty paints how he was a year before he died and how he’s changed through the year that eventually led to his death.But the movie also focused on other interesting characters – most notable of which are his wife Carolyn (Annette Bening), daughter Jane (Thora Birch), Janes’ friend Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari), and the neighbor Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley). Almost all of these characters undergo a specific ‘deviant’ nature and are almost on either poles of the social sph ere.Watching Lester, Carolyn, Jane, Angela, and Ricky, one realizes that people really do change behavior based on previous experiences. Although Berk (2004), in her book Development Through the Life Span, talked mainly about the change of relationship between parent and child through operant conditioning, this discussion is useful in explaining the hostile relationship between Jane and her parents.As Jane has come to learn from previous experiences, any attempt at trying to bond the family falls into deaf ears; hence, she’s taken to keeping her mouth shut and maintaining a distant stance from her father and mother.Perhaps, this type of learning can also aid in understanding Angela. She is naturally insecure and afraid of being thought ‘ordinary’. But she’s learned that putting up a front and projecting a brazen image elicits a positive response from men; since this eliminates her fears of being just a common person, she has maintained the said image.Leste r and Carolyn also demonstrate how adults react differently when on the brink of transitioning from their prime to old age. Lester copes with his shift to old age in a different manner than Carolyn in the sense that he’s preferred to be â€Å"sedated†, to use his own terms.He felt that everything in his life was going downhill: he was losing his job, he hasn’t had sex with his wife in a long time, and he just doesn’t find any aspects of his life exciting. Yet given the right stimuli (in the person of Angela, whom he is obviously attracted to), he realizes that aging should not be the end of his life.He starts working out and bettering himself. He shows – through his decision to quit his job, resume his teenage job as a fast food employee, and buy his dream car – that sometimes, people regress while moving towards old age.Carolyn, however, has an opposite reaction. Knowing that she now only has limited time, she goes down the serious route. S he became more focused on her career and had little time left for personal pleasure.Jane and Angela on the other hand, show teenagers metamorphosing into adults. Jane, realizing that most teenagers her age are already forming well-developed breasts, reacts to her maturation by desiring breast augmentation.Angela, though, who projects a confident stance, does not do – or wish to do – anything as drastic. In fact, it seems that she is unmindful of the possible biological changes that adulthood might bring to her current ‘good looks’.Lester’s obsession with Angela has given him an energy boost. Suddenly, he finds the guts to stand up to his wife and demand for what he wants. Then he gets involved in a fitness regimen and dives into the use of marijuana (which he purchases from Ricky).This has eventually led to drastic changes in his family life: Carolyn and he find themselves quarreling in front of Jane, who naturally forms greater hatred for her paren ts.Early in the film and towards the middle part, we get a glimpse at how Ricky feels about death. He thinks that death is nothing to worry about and is something interesting to watch. This was apparent in the scene where he was filming a dead bird and describes it as â€Å"beautiful†.And the death of Lester reinforces this: examining Lester’s bloody body, Ricky utters, â€Å"Wow.† Lester also portrays a way of coping with death. Through his narration, he describes death as a sort of freedom and a culmination of everything that is happy.Using Lester as a narrator, Ball speaks of how â€Å"the after life† does exist and how it is something that we all have to go through at one point in our lives.American Beauty is not just another pretty, award-winning movie. It is an effective demonstration of how people react differently towards changes in life, specifically adulthood and life transitions.ReferencesMendes, Sam. (Director). (1999, October 1). American Bea uty   [Motion picture]. USA: DreamWorks.Berk, Laura E. (2004). Development Through the Life Span. Boston,