Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Financial Management Individual Work 1 Week 8 Essay

Financial Management Individual Work 1 Week 8 - Essay Example Adding 200 safety units we get 392units. Expected delivery time is 2 weeks hence (392/2) 196 units per week. If the usage remains constant, then the Webster could operate at 4 weeks (392/4) when waiting for delivery of each order. It should be noted the discount has reduced the unit price. The TIC IS $24800 so if the Webster now orders 1000 units at a time, the incremental annual cost become $(24800-20000) = $4800. The 1 per cent on each unit of chip will amount to savings of 0.01$(200)*(5000) = 10000 dollars (Tajbakhsh, 2007). The effective savings is $(10000-4800) = $5200 if the firm accepts the discount which is advised to take. i. The EOQ model can be used at different short constant kind of situations taking into account that the assumptions made in the derivation of the model calls for constant variables. It can therefore be used using the annual rates of each period. 4. The manufacturing trend is skewed to flexibility of designed plants, which give a go ahead in production without incurring high costs of setting up. This immensely reduce inventory holding of final

Monday, October 28, 2019

Flexibility And Stretching | Essay

Flexibility And Stretching | Essay Mans interest in flexibility is by no means a modern development. The importance of flexibility and its practice is evident from Roman times in the training of Gladiators, and in more recent times World War I injuries spurred the study of orthopedics. Specifically, as injured soldiers returned from war many were compromised in basic daily function because of loss of flexibility that occurred from war injuries. It was observed how this limited ones activities and the practice of restoring function began. The interest in flexibility was heightened again in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s when standardized fitness tests were developed and children were performing poorly on flexibility and strength measures. Fast forwarding to today restoration of range of motion is a primary goal of therapists when rehabilitating musculoskeletal injuries and it is often the most limiting factor in recovery from a musculoskeletal injury. Beyond that, we now have science to demonstrate the loss of flexibility and muscle function with age which leads to loss of independence and thus the primary goal of many exercise programs is to maintain muscular strength and flexibility.(Kraus, H., Hirschland, R. P. 1954). But have you ever wondered why some people are more flexible than others? Is it because they stretch more, or is it a genetic trait? You probably know someone who is quite flexible but who rarely stretches. Are females more flexible than males? How do you become more flexible? These are all important questions regarding muscle flexibility. We can accurately answer some of these questions but other answers are less clear. This chapter will provide some insights into the numerous factors that influence flexibility. Flexibility is basically described as the total range of motion (ROM) around a joint (or group of joints such as the spine). Thus the terms flexibility and ROM are often used interchangeably. One problem in the literature is the inconsistent use of terms such as flexibility, stretching, range of motion, and so on. Many other terms are also related to overall flexibility and these terms along with definitions are presented below in Table 8.1. In more scientific term, flexibility is defined as the intrinsic property of body tissues. However, while both intrinsic and extrinsic factors relate to flexibility, the intrinsic component is clearly more important. ROM is highly variable from joint to joint and from person to person. Flexibility as a term is used by many practitioners, including strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers, physical therapists, doctors, and chiropractors, etc. For this reason there are often differences in what each practitioner means when they refer to flexibility. Thus, we must consider the setting in which the term flexibility is being used, such as a clinic, running track, or training room. Flexibility is advocated as promoting multiple healthy outcomes. In general, flexibility declines with age and injury. The benefits of stretching include: Decreased risk of low back pain Reduced muscle soreness post exercise Reduced risk of musculoskeletal injury Increased functional range of motion Increased comfort in activities of daily living Improved muscular efficiency Faster recovery from injury Improved postural alignment Improved mobility Improved self perception with movement Adapted from Mc Hugh Gleim (1998) Alkylosis: Pathologically low flexibility (may be whole body or joint specific). Compliance: How easy the muscle lengthens or stretches. Deformation: The ability of the muscle to change shape (stretch) and then return to normal. Elasticity: The ability of a material to resist deformation from force and then return to normal state. Flexibility: The intrinsic property of body tissues that determine ROM without injury. Hypermobility: Excessive joint (or group of joints) ROM. Stiffness: A measure of a materials elasticity, often defined as the ration of force to elongation. Viscoelastic: Complex mechanical behavior of a material because the resistive force in the material is dependant on elongation (elastic) and the rate (viscous) at which the force is applied. Yield Point: the point beyond which deformation becomes permanent (or muscle is torn). Stretch Tip number 1(see illustrations). Your father is interested in improving his range of motion in his shoulders. Can you suggest 3 basic exercises? a. Large arm circles. Stand up tall and swing both arms in large circles forward and backwards for 10 rotations each. b. Full arm wall press: Stand against a wall with your arm straight back and against the wall. Keep your arm against the wall and gently turn your body away from the wall slightly and hold fro 20 seconds. Repeat on each side. c. Lie on your back, put your arms out straight, hands overlapping, and place on the floor behind your head. Hold for 20 seconds (1)Anatomy and Physiology of Stretching Flexibility The anatomy and physiology of stretching involves multiple components: the design of the musculoskeletal system, muscle composition and connective tissue. Additionally, we must consider other co-contracting and synergistic muscle groups, the types of muscle actions and the forces produced. Lets look at the role of these components in stretching. Design of the Musculoskeletal System: The muscles and bones naturally comprise the musculoskeletal system. The muscles are often viewed as cords attached to levers to facilitate movement and posture. The muscles pull on the bones generating tension and consequently movement. Bones are connected to bones via ligaments which are not very flexible. The muscles are attached to the bone via tendons which are more flexible than ligaments, as is the muscle itself. Muscles vary in shape and size depending upon their role. Generally longer muscles are more flexible with a greater range of motion. Muscle Composition: While the body contains several types of muscle, such as skeletal, heart, and digestive, their basic structure is the same. That is, the muscle composition is similar in that they all contain fascicles, fiber, myofibrils, sarcomeres, and contractile proteins. In skeletal muscle, a fibrous connective tissue called the epimysium covers the bodys more than 430 skeletal muscles. Inside the epimysium the muscle fibers are bound in bundles called fascicles which often contain 100-150 fibers. Within fascicles, muscle fibers are separated by the endomysium. Outside of the fascicles lies the perimysium which separates the fascicles wrapped in the epimysium. The muscle fiber itself is made up of proteins called actin and myosin (contractile proteins) and these proteins are arranged longitudinally within the smallest component of the muscle fiber, the sarcomere. It is the sarcomere that actually shortens and lengthens when we perform a contraction. Fascicles: Bundles of muscle fibers. Fiber: Cylindrical cells that sometimes run the length of the muscle. Myofibril: The inside of a muscle fiber that contain the contractile proteins, actin and myosin. Sarcomere: The smallest contractile unit of skeletal muscle. Connective Tissue: A main factor affecting ROM is connective tissue. Connective tissue can be found all around muscles. Connective tissue contains two types of fiber called collagenous connective tissue and elastic connective tissue. Collagenous tissue comprises mainly collagen, which are extracellular, related proteins that provide tensile strength. Elastic tissue comprises mostly elastin, a yellow scleroprotein that provides elasticity. In general, the greater the amount of elastic connective tissue surrounding a joint; the greater the elasticity or ROM will be around that joint. Muscle Groups: The way in which a muscle group interacts with the other co-contracting muscles in its group can also influence ROM. For example, with knee flexion we have hamstring contractions, gastrocnemius lengthening (or shortening), gluteal shortening, and so on. At the same time the quadriceps relax so as not to impede the flexibility. This is referred to as reciprocal inhibition (more about this later). It is also referred to as the agonist/antagonist relationship. Thus the degree of resistance or compliance of an opposing or synergistic muscle can increase or decrease ones ROM. Insert Illustration showing agonist-antagonist relationship Research Box Effects of Stretching on Passive Muscle Tension and Response to Eccentric Exercise. La Roche DA and Connolly DA. 2006 (vol 34, 6, 1000-1007). American Journal of Sports Medicine. The purpose of this study was to assess if 4 weeks of stretching could reduce the risk of muscle injury following eccentric exercise. 29 subjects were assigned to a static stretching, ballistic stretching, or control group. Baseline measurements for dynamic range of motion, stiffness, peak torque, and soreness were recorded. Subjects then performed a stretching program for s total of 3600 seconds over 4 weeks in their assigned group. Baseline tested was then repeated with an eccentric task designed to cause muscle damage added after day 1. Both stretching groups increased their range of motion and stretch tolerance following the 4 weeks of stretching. After eccentric exercise both stretching groups had greater range of motion and less pain than the control group. The authors concluded that 4 weeks of stretching maintains range of motion following eccentric exercise. The Action of Stretching When you stretch your muscle the origin of the stretch is in the sarcomere. As the sarcomere contracts, the area of overlap between thick and thin filaments increases and this facilitates increased forced production. Consequently, as the muscle stretches this area of overlap decreases allowing muscle elongation. This is often referred to as Sarcomeres in series. When the muscle reaches its maximum resting length the stretch tension transfers to the connective tissue. Because connective tissue is less pliable than muscle tissue, the relative stretch is considerably decreased. When we stretch, not all fibers are stretched and the length of the muscle actually depends upon the number of stretched fibers. As we increase the length of the muscle more fibers are stretched. The ultimate length of the stretch is also influenced by other feedback from proprioceptors, the stretch reflex and lengthening reaction. Lets look at what these are! (3)Proprioceptors Anytime we move our limbs around we receive feedback information about the position and length of our muscles and limbs. This information about the musculoskeletal system is relayed back to the central nervous system via proprioceptors. Proprioception is a spatial awareness of ones body movement and position. Proprioceptors are sometimes referred to as mechanoreceptors and they specifically detect changes in position, force and tension of muscles. When we stretch a muscle the proprioceptors provide feedback about the length of the muscle, especially pain and discomfort when the muscle is stretched too far. The primary proprioceptors involved in stretching are called muscle spindles or stretch receptors. Also involved are golgi tendon organs which are found in the tendon at the end of muscle. They provide information specifically on positional changes and pressure or tension. Golgi tendon organs provide information about the change in muscle tension and also the rate of change in tens ion (sometimes called rate of force development). Thus, together they provide feedback about when our muscles are lengthening or are experiencing too much force. (3)Stretch Reflex Naturally, when the muscle lengthens so too do the muscle spindles. The information provided by the spindles triggers what is called the stretch reflex or myotatic reflex. This causes the muscle to try and shorten (it basically resists lengthening). This stretch reflex contains both a static and a dynamic component that relate to the initial increase in length and the duration of the stretch. These are called the lengthening reaction and the reciprocal inhibition. (3)The Lengthening Reaction When we stretch and induce the stretch reflexes causing the muscle to contract, tension is produced at the musculotendonous junction (this is where the GTO is located). As the tension increases it reaches a threshold which causes a lengthening reaction which prevents the muscle from contracting and actually causes them to relax. (This is often referred to as the inverse myotatic reflex or autogenic inhibition.) This action is part of the reason that exercise prescription for stretching advocates holding a stretch for at least 15-20 seconds. (3)Reciprocal Inhibition A final consideration in this section is the action called reciprocal inhibition. In reciprocal inhibition the antagonists are essentially neutralized and prevented from contracting thereby not impeding the stretch of the agonist. Practicing how to voluntarily relax your antagonist can increase your stretch response in the agonists. (1)Types of Stretching Stretching can take many forms, last for various durations, and have both negative and positive effects on athletic performance. Stretching can be performed statically or dynamically. If a stretch is performed dynamically, it directly affects dynamic flexibility. If it is done statically, it will directly affect static flexibility. There is also some crossover effect between the types of stretching. There are numerous ways to stretch. The following is a list of stretching techniques. Static Type Stretching Static stretching basically involves a form of stretching whereby the muscle is lengthened and then held in that lengthened position for a pre-determined period of time. The following are types of dynamic stretching. Static Holding Stretching involves stretching ones own muscle as far as comfortable and then holding the stretch for 10-30 seconds. Passive Stretching involves someone else stretching your muscle and applying the 10-30 second hold. This method usually results in a further stretch than individual static stretching. Sometimes this technique is used without someone else when you use another body part to stretch a particular muscle group. A simple example is stretching your quadriceps by holding onto your foot and pulling up towards your back. Sometimes you will see passive stretching called relaxed stretching or static-passive stretching. Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Stretching (PNF) is a popular and effective method of rapidly increasing ROM. PNF combines both static and dynamic components by having isometric agonist contraction, relaxation and contraction again. It normally requires a partner and is sometimes call partner assisted stretching. In basic PNF the individual stretches an agonist muscle as far as possible (a partner can help stretch further.) This initial stretch is held for about 10 seconds and then an antagonist contraction follows for 5-10 seconds. Following this the original agonist is then stretched again and the cycle repeated. This cycle should be repeated about 3-5 times on each muscle, with the muscle being stretched a little farther each time. Isometric stretching is somewhat of a combination of PNF and static stretching. This method requires the muscle to contract at the end of the range of motion and so the muscle being stretched is also the agonist. A common example is a calf stretch where one pushes against the wall creating both force and stretch in the calf at the same time. An additional advantage of isometric stretching is that it can also increase strength. Dynamic Type Stretching Dynamic stretching basically involves a form of stretching whereby the muscle is lengthened and shortened at various speeds without the muscle being held in the lengthened position for any period of time. The following are types of dynamic stretching. Ballistic stretching uses a limbs momentum to push it beyond its normal ROM. Sometimes added weight can be held to increase the stretch. This stretching involves limbs swinging through their ROM back and forth for about 10 repetitions. This stretching has traditionally been viewed as unsafe. However, it is effective if progress is done slowly and few injuries have actually been reported. One concern with this stretch is that the muscles do not have enough time in the lengthened position to adapt to the stretch and may in fact invoke the stretch reflex causing greater tightness. Dynamic stretching is a progressive stretching technique involving slow increases in ROM and speed. In contrast to ballistic stretching, dynamic stretching is more controlled and progressive. Dynamic stretching does not contain bouncing or ballistic movement. Dynamic stretches are commonly used in team sport settings or where speed movements are important. Active stretching is not commonly practiced as it is difficult and uncomfortable to a degree. In this technique a muscle is held only by the antagonist muscle in a certain position at the limit of motion for about 10 seconds. For example, lifting your leg straight up and holding it. Yoga uses many of these types of stretching. Application Question: Can you improve your flexibility if you are fifty or sixty years old? Answer: Even elderly men and women over seventy years old can increase their flexibility (Brown et al. 2000; Lazowski et al. 1999). With strength training the elderly, even in their 90s, can increase their strength and muscle mass although not as fast and as much as young people, but they can (Fiatarone et al. 1990; Lexell et al. 1995), and the responsiveness to strength training determines the effectiveness of isometric stretches (the most intense stretches) as long as the structure of the persons joints is not an obstacle. Exercise Prescription for Stretching The main reason advocated for the development of flexibility and its assessment is the reduction of injury. Interestingly, the literature does not support increased levels of static or dynamic flexibility reducing injury. It actually appears that people at both extremes of static flexibility may be at higher risk for musculoskeletal injuries and we dont have mush information on the relationship between dynamic flexibility and injury. In general, it is agreed that flexibility is healthy and although most experts agree on the benefits of flexibility and stretching, precise guidelines for stretching do not clearly exist. There is wide variation in the type of stretching, duration of stretches and intensity. Many individuals stretch for only a few seconds whereas others may stretch for 50 minutes as in a yoga class. General guidelines by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend three days of stretching per week, holding stretches for 10-30 seconds and 3-5 stretches for ea ch major muscle group. ACSM recommends static stretching for the majority of the population. When is it best to stretch? In general, muscle is more receptive to stretch when it is warmer. Therefore, it makes more sense to stretch your muscles following exercise. We must be careful and distinguish between stretching to improve ROM and warming up for performance. Human muscle stretches better at about 38.5Â ° c. which is higher than normal body temperature. For this reason, post exercise is perhaps the best time to stretch. Factors Influencing Flexibility Many factors contribute to joint flexibility. Sometimes the factors influencing flexibility can be classified as intrinsic or extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors apply to those musculoskeletal factors within the body such as ligaments and tendons, whereas extrinsic factors generally apply to factors such as age, gender, body build and so on. Generally, extrinsic factors are those that we cannot change. Intrinsic Factors for Flexibility While factors such as age and gender clearly play a role, the structure of the joint itself plays a major role in its own flexibility. Joints comprise various types of tissue and bone and these components differ in how they contribute to joint flexibility. Table 2 provides information on the relative contributions of soft tissue to joint ROM. Intrinsic factors specifically relate to the mechanical properties of the musculoskeletal variable. This varies between individuals and is affected by injury, race, muscle types and amount and others. In general, when we practice stretching we are seeking to make change to these intrinsic factors. Extrinsic Factors for Flexibility We can assume the intrinsic factors to be fairly consistent within individuals leaving a lot of room for the many extrinsic factors to influence joint flexibility. However, extrinsic factors usually explain variability between joints within individuals and overall flexibility between individuals and not all of them are changeable. Gender: In general, females are more flexible than males across the lifespan. Several factors contribute to this increased flexibility such as lower muscle mass, different hormone concentration and anatomical variations in joint structure. Age: flexibility tends to decrease with age usually beginning in the teenage years. With increasing age there is a decrease in elasticity of connective tissue surrounding both joints and muscles. For the most part this is attributed to decreased activity levels. Temperature: Muscle and connective tissue are like most other materials, i.e. they are more pliable/flexible at warmer temperatures. Increasing body temperature through an appropriate warm-up increases the flexibility of the muscle and joint. Consequently, a decrease in body or muscle temperature decreases flexibility and may increase the risk of injury. Habitual/Exercise Activity: Individuals normally preserve the required flexibility to perform tasks they perform on a daily or regular basis. Some scientists refer to this as form follows function. Therefore, individuals who exercise regularly and exercise their limbs through a full ROM tend to preserve flexibility better with age. A sedentary lifestyle is associated with decreased flexibility. Injury: Injury is a common cause of loss of flexibility especially in the upper extremities. Joint injuries typically result in the deposition of collagen or scar tissue. Scar tissue in particular restricts the mobility of the joint. Joint injuries also result in inflammation that also restricts mobility. Following injury rehabilitation to specifically restore and increase ROM is extremely important to allow the joint to return to normal function. Joint Structure/Type of Joint: Flexibility is specific to each joint and to the way in which the joint is designed. Ball and socket joints (triaxial) are much more mobile than glinglymus joints (uni-axial). Joints fall into one of four categories based on ROM, no movement (non-axial), uni-axial, bi-axial or triaxial. The structure of the joint is therefore a major determinant in a joint ROM. Muscle Mass/Body Build: The role of muscle mass in flexibility while important is often over-emphasized. In general, well hypertrophied muscles of the upper body, e.g. chest and arms, can restrict movement. However, if muscles are developed through the entire ROM of the muscle, flexibility is often preserved. Male gymnasts are a good example of well hypertrophied muscle and high flexibility. Therefore, while muscle mass can play a role in diminishing flexibility, the negative effects can be minimized by ensuring full ROM during muscle contraction. Pregnancy: Women generally increase their flexibility during pregnancy. The basic reason for this is to prepare for childbirth but also to allow greater ROM in the hip region. Specifically, the pelvic and hip joints increase in flexibility due to increased production levels of the hormone relaxin. This can also help alleviate discomfort with pregnancy associated Lordosis. Relaxin levels decrease following pregnancy. Stretch tip number 2 (see illustrations) Your friend complains of tight calf muscles following running, what can you recommend? Stand with feet together, legs straight, on a step and let the heels hang over the edge. Hold this position for 20 seconds. Repeat several times. Stand with feet together about 3 feet away from a wall. Place your hands on the wall and slowly bring your chest into the wall. Keep both heels on the floor. Hold this position for 20 seconds. Stand with feet together about 3 feet away from the wall. With hands on the wall, bring one leg forward and push with the back leg keeping the heel on the ground. Repeat on each leg. Flexibility and Athletic Performance It is a widely held conception that flexibility improves athletic performance. However, the scientific literature does not consistently support this belief. There is great variation in the amount of flexibility required for successful performance between activities and even within activities, such as team sports, there is wide individual variation. Furthermore, decreased flexibility has been shown to improve running economy and thus decreased flexibility can in some cases improve performance. Some studies have shown that less stiff muscles are more effective in using the stored elastic energy that is developed during a stretch. However, we must be careful about when these stretches are initiated as recent evidence suggests that static stretching prior to activities requiring maximal contraction tends to cause a decrease in performance. Overall, the ability of increased flexibility to improve athletic performance is most likely restricted to those activities that actually require extr eme ranges of flexibility such as gymnastics, figure skating etc. and a universal approach of requiring infinite flexibility in all athletes is not warranted. Research Box Dynamic versus Static Stretching Warm-up: The Effect on Power and Agility Performance. Mc Millian et al. 2006 (vol20, 3, 492-499). Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 30 subjects participated in a study to determine the effects of a dynamic warm-up (DWU), a static stretch warm-up (SWU), or no warm-up (NWU) on a T-shuttle agility test, an underhand medicine ball throw, and a 5-step jump. Testing took place over three consecutive days and the order of all tests and warm-ups was randomized. Each warm-up lasted for 10 minutes. The DWU comprised a series of exercise such as bend and reach, push-ups, squats, and skipping. The SWU comprised of exercises such as the overhead pull, quadriceps stretch, trunk flexion and extension. All stretches were performed once and held for 20-30 seconds. The NWU group did no exercises. Results showed significantly greater performances for all tests following a DWU. The performances did not differ between the SWU and NWU. The authors conclude that the use of SWU should be reassessed when preceding athletic performance. Measurement of Flexibility Several basic flexibility tests exist such as sit and reach for hamstrings and low back and shoulder rotation test for shoulders. Since flexibility varies between joints, comprehensive flexibility assessment would have to assess many joints. This is not really possible and so one typically selects a few major joints and muscles such as low back and hamstrings, calf and Achilles, and shoulders. Simple tests for these assessments as well as more detailed laboratory practices are described at the end of the chapter. Any measurement of flexibility should be based on sound and accepted testing procedures. For the most part static flexibility tests are the most widely used and these are based on linear and angular measurements of the motion of the joint. All flexibility assessments should follow a standardized procedure whereby warm-up, and practice trials are all controlled. Summary After you read this chapter, you should be able to do the following: Define flexibility and other relevant terms related to flexibility Flexibility is basically the range of motion around a joint. It is influenced by many factors. Flexibility is an important for overall health. It is important for basic daily function and comfort. Flexibility varies between joints within individuals and between individuals. List the factors affecting flexibility Factors that influence flexibility are numerous and varied and can be classified as intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic factors include variables such as the tendon and muscle, whereas extrinsic factors include variables such as age, gender and activity levels. Explain the techniques for improving and measuring flexibility. There are many ways to stretch and improve flexibility. The most commonly prescribed method is static stretching for 10-30 seconds per muscle group. Including safe and full ROM exercises into our daily routine is an excellent way to improve and preserve flexibility. Flexibility should be measured at multiple sites and can be assessed using basic goniometry or a more simple test such as a sit and reach teat. Summary Flexibility is an important component in overall health and generally declines with age. There are many benefits including reduced risk of low back pain and increased functional range of motion. Flexibility varies between people and is affected by many variables. These factors are usually classified as intrinsic or extrinsic. When we stretch we are usually trying to change intrinsic factors. Flexibility usually takes two forms, static and dynamic, and we can stretch a muscle using either form. Most exercise prescription for flexibility advocates static stretching and involves holding a stretch for 10-30 seconds per muscle group. When we stretch or measure flexibility, it should be performed at multiple sites as flexibility tends to be site specific. The major joints to consider are the lower back, shoulders, and hamstrings. Chapter Review Flexibility Discussion Questions Identify and describe 5 extrinsic factors that are known to influence flexibility! What are the best approaches to improve flexibility? What are the various musculoskeletal components that provide regulatory feedback to muscle stretch? Can you differentiate between the roles of golgi tendon organs and muscle spindles? Provide a short description for each of the following terms: Sarcomeres in series. Stretch reflex. Lengthening reaction. Proprioceptors. Autogenic inhibition. Reciprocal inhibition.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Parasite Called Man Essay -- essays research papers

Erza Pound says that, â€Å"man is the superior animal†. Superior or not, we all have the same basic habits. When humans are scared they seek shelter, when we are hungry we eat, and when is right, we wish to pass on our genes. So how is it that man is so superior when all our instincts and urges are so primitive? Erza Pound is puzzled by why humans are superior. I think the only reason why humans are superior is because of ignorance. Humans are the only animals that don’t come to equilibrium with the environment they live in. If humans had to be compared to a certain type of living thing, they would be most like simple parasitic bacteria.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The earth, however large it may be, has it limits when it comes to natural resources. Of all animals human are the only ones that make non-biodegradable waste. When humans run out of resources in one area they go on to the next destroying the area in their path and until a new site is reached with more resources to abuse. This is much like the life history of flesh eating bacteria. About two years ago, I saw a special on 20/20 about the disease. They say that is moves at about an inch per hour and that they don’t stop feeding on the host until the host is dead. The bacteria multiply at a high rate and can migrate to other parts of the body by the blood stream. Try to look as the host body as the earth, the bacteria as the humans, and the blood stream as the oceans and river; now, anyone can see that this is no diffe...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Reality of Business and HR Strategy Essay

â€Å"Strategic HRM is an approach that defines how the organisation’s goals will be achieved through people by means of HR strategies and integrated HR policies and practices† (Armstrong, 2009). The overall aim of strategic HRM is to maximise the firms’ performance by making sure all employees are of high calibre and committed to achieving the organisations competitive advantage. Within HRM it is not clear how to best link strategic HRM to the organisations strategy. The main argument involves two different approaches; best fit and best practice. The best fit strategy involves organisations tailoring their HR strategies around the organisations strategies and needs. Whereas the latter suggests that organisations will be more successful if they adopt best practices within the work place (Boxall and Purcell, 2008). ‘Best practice’, a form of universalism, is based around the theory that high commitment will reflect the organisations high performance l evel regardless of the firm’s competitive strategy (Torrington et al, 2011). This is demonstrated in Guest’s model (1989) Theory of HRM. The model is built around four main HR goals; commitment, flexibility, quality and strategic integration, the theory being if all goals are achieved then the organisation’s performance will be enhanced. Pfeffer (1998), also a supporter, progresses the said theory by claiming policies such as; high spending on training, high wages directly linked to performance will determine a high level of commitment and performance. Another criticism of best practice theory is that it is difficult to accept that there is an overall best practice for every organisation . One practice may have been successful and effective for an organisation does not mean that it will work for every organisation (Armstrong, 2006). This factor helps show that when analysing business and hr within all organisations best practice is impossible to achieve as every organisations situations are different. Torrington et al (2011), dispute the validity of the theory by arguing that a simple model cannot realistically meet the complexity that comes with managing staff. As well as universalist the approach is also unitarist, as it presumes that all management have to do is follow a set of policies and it will automatically a chieve high performance, and that workers will obey  this without question. In reality this is a lot more complicated to re-enact. Hofstede (1980), as cited by Boxall and Purcell, also argues that it would be extremely difficult to design a set of practices due to extreme differences between countries and cultures. Furthermore, best practice may benefit executives but on shareholders and waged employee’s expense. An example being, it may put in place a generous redundancy package for executives and typically employees lose out. It can be argued that the most sustainable HRM practices are those which benefit the organisation as a whole such as best fit (Boxall and Purcell, 2008). In a addition to these arguments, Boxall and Purcell (2011) cite studies by MacDuffie (1995) and Ichniowski and Snow (1999) which suggest that best practice is impossible to achieve when comparing two industrial firms. Although many theorists would argue that best fit is the most applicable for most organisations, best practice should not be completely overlooked as Becker and Gerhart (1996) state that it may be more †appropriate for identifying the principles underlying the choice of practices, as opposed to the practices themselves† References Armstrong (2009) Armstrong’s Handook of Human Resource Management Practice London: Koogan Boxall, P & Purcell, J (2011) Strategy and Human Resource Management 3rd Edition Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan Becker, B E and Gerhart, S (1996) The Impact of Human Resource Management on Organisational Performance: Progress and Prospects Academy of Management Journal 39 (4), Page 779-801 Hall, L, Taylor L. & Torrington, D. (2008) Human Resource Management 7th Edition London: Prentice Hall

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Digital Learning Environment Essay

In the statement â€Å"Recently, there were two recent cover stories in Time Magazine: Their conclusion was that children today are different. In fact, based on what we now know from the neurosciences and psychological sciences, what we’re now beginning to understand is that children today are FUNDAMENTALLY different than we are in the way they think, in the way they access, absorb, interpret, process and use information, and in the way they view, interact, and communicate in the modern world because of their experiences with digital technologies. If this is the case, it holds profound implications for all of us personally and professionally.† I truly believe it’s true. I feel that we are surrounded by digital devices that were not there when I was young. There is new technology that comes out every day and eventually I believe that will be on only way of life in everything we do. I do feel that today’s learners have a different way of learning than we did in the past. I feel there are so many different factors that have changed how today children learns, thinking, etc. I believe the main factor is all the new technology that comes out daily. I feel that technology has been taken for granted for many different ways especially in the learning environment. For example, when I was in high school I had to go to the library to check out books to complete a research paper but in today’s world students just type what they are looking for on the computer and the web provides the answer. I feel it has taken away the experience of how to research something. People can learn so much more when they actually have to do the leg work on researching than just sitting on the couch and typing up the question and the computer does the work. I believe that it can show some laziness on the student’s part because it is others that have done the work and not them. The whole digital world has taken away a person’s creativity, personality (their own work), etc. I feel that having hands on and thinking skills expands their thought process and creative process where they utilizing their own thoughts and not anyone else’s. I feel at times that I would utilize the physical act of learning something instead of them researching on computers websites, etc. I also would have them use their own thoughts and try to learn to have an open mind to take in suggestions from other people. I will ensure that I give them the opportunity to learn from their own experiences with the help and guidance from myself and other adults. I feel this will get to use their own knowledge in cases where they don’t have the digital resources due to batteries going dead or don’t have the access.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The eNotes Blog 5 Contemporary Poets to Teach in the High SchoolClassroom

5 Contemporary Poets to Teach in the High SchoolClassroom Poetry selections in high school are too often limited to a hallowed few- Shakespeare and Petrarch, Whitman and Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath, and perhaps Billy Collins- if poetry is included at all. While these canonized favorites can enhance any unit of study, they can leave students feeling like poetry is a thing of the past, which couldn’t be further from the truth! A chorus of poets working, writing, and publishing today are taking on the specifics of racial and gender equality and addressing the universal questions poetry is particularly well suited for: How do we preserve and share the sweetness of life? How do we make meaning of its bitterness? Let’s take a look at five contemporary poets who can enrich and diversify your curriculum: 1. Tracy K. Smith Who she is: Tracy K. Smith is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, who was named Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry by the Librarian of Congress in 2017 and 2018. Born in Massachusetts in 1972 and raised in California, Smith also hosts a popular podcast, The Slowdown, which delivers poetry to listeners daily. Why she’s a great fit for students: While some modern poetry can seem abstract and intimidating, Smith relies on familiar language and simple syntax elevated by elegant line breaks and insightful musings to convey her themes. Her work pairs well with classics from Shakespearean sonnets to American transcendentalism, and her sequential poems provide an excellent opportunity to study how themes develop across distinct pieces of writing. Poems to check out: â€Å"An Old Story,† â€Å"My God, It’s Full of Stars,† and â€Å"The Good Life† 2. Mary Karr Who she is: Born in Texas in the mid 1950s, Karr is a poet, essayist, and memoirist. She is known for her blunt and honest view of her life as well as her lyrical, captivating use of language. Karr has published five collections of poetry, made it to the top of The New York Times bestseller list multiple times, and received numerous awards, including grants from the NEA and the Guggenheim Foundation. Why she’s a great fit for students: Much of Karr’s work considers her coming-of-age experiences as a bookish girl finding herself in the midst of a hardscrabble family in a rural, industrial town. With their expert blend of imagery, metaphor, and personal details, Karr’s poetry pairs well with any bildungsroman such as The Catcher in the Rye or To Kill a Mockingbird. Poems to check out: â€Å"Hard Knocks,† â€Å"Final Position,† â€Å"Lipstick,† and â€Å"The Burning Girl† 3. Thomas Sayers Ellis Who he is: Ellis is a poet born and raised in Washington, DC, whose work has been celebrated and anthologized since the publication of his first chapbook, The Genuine Negro Hero, in 2001. In 2015, Ellis was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship for Poetry. Why he’s a great fit for students: Ellis’s work addresses identity politics, race, and popular culture in America. (The printing of his 2010 collection, Skin, Inc: Identity Repair Poems was delayed so he could include a sequence that considers Michael Jackson’s legacy.)   Meanwhile, Ellis’s attention to sound, rhythm, and diction illustrates how poetry can generate meaning beyond the words written on the page. Poems to check out: â€Å"All Their Stanzas Look Alike,† â€Å"Or,† â€Å"My Meter is Percussive,† and â€Å"The Identity Repairman† 4. Patricia Lockwood Who she is: Born in 1982, Lockwood has been heralded as the â€Å"Poet Laureate of Twitter† by Rolling Stone Magazine. Lockwood came to fame when her 2013 poem â€Å"Rape Joke† went viral. Since then, Lockwood has published two critically acclaimed collections of poetry and a memoir, Priestdaddy. Why she’s a great fit for students: Lockwood’s style combines the gritty, bitter aspects of adolescence and young adulthood with her distinctive wit and humor. Her combination of formal poetic elements- rhyme, metered lines, odes- with slang and low humor is sure to keep students engaged. Poems to check out: â€Å"Government Spending,† â€Å"Rape Joke,† â€Å"The Ode on a Grecian Urn,† and â€Å"The Father and Mother of American Tit-Pics† (which is about Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson) 5. Ocean Vuong Who he is: Born in Saigon, Vuong immigrated to the US at the age of two and has been living, teaching, and writing on the East Coast ever since. A critically acclaimed poet and novelist, Vuong’s 2016 collection, Night Sky with Exit Wounds, was ranked a Top 10 Book of 2016 by the New York Times. Why he’s a great fit for students: Vuong’s work transcends place and time, drawing from classical literature, popular culture, and his own immigration experiences. At the same time, it is grounded in the particulars of coming of age, rebirth, and finding one’s self within one’s family. Poems to check out: â€Å"DetoNation,† â€Å"Telemachus,† â€Å"Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong,† and â€Å"Aubade with Burning City†

Monday, October 21, 2019

Essentials of Biodiversity

Essentials of Biodiversity Introduction The study of biodiversity stems from the subjects of ecology and evolution, from where it derives its two main objectives. The first objective is to understand how the natural systems operate and are ordered (Bernhardt 2). The second objective is to understand how the systems were derived.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Essentials of Biodiversity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The study of biodiversity entails various important practical applications primarily focused on conservation. The knowledge of biodiversity enables us to determine the species that are threaten by extinction under given circumstances and the best way forward to avoid their extinction. At the same time, the knowledge and a more informed understanding of the whole concept of biodiversity gives us the power to intervene in the event that we are faced by the loss of biodiversity, and to restore the lost diversity. Does th e current trend in biodiversity help in its conservation? Wilson (2) purports that a majority of the species that ever roamed the surface of the earth have been faced with extinction at an average rate 1-2 species over the past 200 million years. In addition, incidences of mass extinction have occurred in which many taxa (a wide range of life forms) have disappeared within the same geological era. According to the July 8th 2010 edition of the UN news center, Edward Norton assumed his role as United Nation Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity. The new goodwill ambassador is credited for his active involvement in mobilizing support for conservation endeavors in his position as a board affiliate of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust and in partaking in the official launching of the Crowdrise networking policy to improve engagement in charitable activity. In his new position as the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Diversity, Edward Norton is charged with the responsibility o f collaborating with the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in a bid to highlight on the disaster of biodiversity and mobilize world leaders to take appropriate measures to preserve the ecosystem. According to the executive secretary of the CBD, Ahmed Djoghhlaf, in the same New York City press conference, the rate of disappearance of certain species surpasses the natural rate a 1000 times. Do humans contribute greatly to loss of biodiversity? Humans play a pivotal role in as far as the issue of disrupting biodiversity is concerned. Human practices which adversely affect biodiversity include unregulated hunting, road construction, over fishing, gathering, deforestation, agricultural progression coastal encroachment, and urban development, among a host of other practices.Advertising Looking for critical writing on biology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These practices are an attribute of six fundamental huma n factors including; (a) high rate of population growth, (b) over engagement in trade for agricultural, fisheries and forest commodities, (c) economic scheme and policies which disregards the importance of ecosystem (d) bias in ownership and utility of the ecosystem (e) insufficient knowledge, and improper utility of knowledge, (f) legislature that allows unsustainable utilization (Lamb and Coffman 8). Ways of Biodiversity and disaster management According to the reports by the secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) (cited in Srinivas #. 1), a total of 478,100 people have been killed. In addition, more than 2.5 million people have been affected by the changing biodiversity with an estimated 690 billion US dollars economic loss being incurred over the past 10 years. Furthermore, the losses suffered from some of the disasters could have been avoided, or reduced significantly if at all the necessary measures had been put in place in the first place. For this reason, the occurrences of such disasters and the ensuing losses both in the form of property and human or animal life, is largely regarded as a result of human carelessness. For instance, logging has been implicated for landslides and flooding events. This has recently augmented the importance of decisive environmental management in curbing disaster incidence (2) How marine reserve conserves biodiversity The key factor in conservation of marine live is human activities, particularly fishing. Fishing has lowered the stock of fish in the Ocean, Sea, lakes and rivers by 50% (The Canadian Biodiversity n.d.). Naturally, every fish caught by man is normally replaced. At this juncture, to get a better understanding of this concept, the research paper shall endeavor to explore the three common habitat of marine life. To start with, the research paper intends to examine the open sea habitat of marine life. The open sea extends from near the shore outwards to the center covering both t he rich and the poor waters, from the top to the deepest trough. The habitats of this region include pelagic fish which feed on the planktons growing near the surface. These fish are constantly being relocated in and out of their reserves by the water currents. Secondly, we have the sea bottom habitat comprising of soft sand and mud that covers the beach outwards to the continental shelves and deep beyond the reach of sunlight on the continental slope. The inhabitants of this zone are not subject to the sea currents and as result the fish population is uniform.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Essentials of Biodiversity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The third habitat comprise of the hard rocky shore which covers between 5-20 meters from the coast and the outer islands in the ocean. The inhabitants of this zone comprise the sea weed and sessile creatures which are attach to the rocks. The fish in this re gion adapt a sedentary life, they do not move from one place to another. This allows them to enjoy protection from the marine reserve, and would only be caught if they stray from the marine reserves. It is worth noting that marine reserves protection is focused more on the few rocky shore inhabitants, thereby leaving out the other two habitats which need protection from threats of commercial fishing. Where fisheries facilities are to be found, the fish species are not extensively exposed and therefore, does not pose a major threat to fishing. Marine reserves are inadequate when it comes to offering protection to the commercial fish species, and subsequently they have very minimal benefit. What are the causes of declining biodiversity? According to Coffman (3), growth of cities, highways, large scale agriculture, logging, and other activities have contributed in the loss of biodiversity. Borrowing from an environmental theology, the earth’s network of life is facing destructio n leading to extinction of the species by thousands, alongside the disappearance of biodiversity. Can politics impact positively on biodiversity? The year 2010 has been designated by the UN the international year of biodiversity (IYB). During the year numerous schemes will be established to mobilize organizations, companies, individuals, and institutions to engage directly in alleviating global loss of biodiversity. The celebration for the IYB is headed by the secretariat of Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in collaboration with Countdown 2010. Within a span of few years, countdown 2010 has achieved mobilization of growing number of participants including civil society associations, industries and the local government. Countdown 2010 take the center stage for IYB in Europe and worldwide via its well-developed network. The objectives for the IYB include; To create awareness of the socioeconomic values for conserving biodiversity. To improve the civic understanding of the pre ssure on biodiversity and methods of conservation. To motivate organization to take an active or passive role in biodiversity conservation. To commemorate the accomplishment of Countdown 2010 associates and other participants. To report on possible failures that lead to unattained goal. To arrange the platform for highlighting the post-2010 goals. Is the role of economics vital in curbing biodiversity? Ever since the 2006 CBD conference in Curitiba, the CBD has been diligently searching for business associates in executing their objectives. In 2009 â€Å"LIFE certification† project was launched in Brazil with the aim of quantifying and acknowledging organizational efforts towards conserving biodiversity. Another economical participation was triggered following the 2008 conference in Bonn. This new organization was called the economics of the ecosystem and biodiversity (TEEB) and its goal was to develop an economic structure centered on biological resources (Djoghlaf 6).Adver tising Looking for critical writing on biology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, the Japanese commercial alliance, Nippon Keidanren, launched a business biodiversity initiative while the Ministry of the Environment organized plan on the subject, for the preparation of the Nagoya Biodiversity Summit (7). Does culture play significant role in conserving biodiversity? Various cultures have diverse view points of utility and preservation of the natural resources (Toledo culture by Choc, in Halffter 134). Different communities may utilize the natural resources respectfully while others may exploit them to gain immediate and maximum benefits regardless of the harm they can inflict on the environment. Utility of mechanical tools and agrochemicals have greatly eroded the harmonious relationship that existed between humans and the environment in the ancient times. Presently success is measured in term of capital, agrochemicals, machinery and, and market share. The extent of deterioration is prominent in the urban setting. Halffter (136) argues that the conce pt of culture have been overlooked in pursuit of the elements which shape the relationship between people and nature, and in turn between people and biodiversity. Further, he asserts that the interaction with the ecosystem forms the essence of culture. Literary, culture entails our visions and principles of the ecosystem in relation to self. Does involvement of corporation, government and individuals have positive impact on biodiversity conservation? Our natural environment is transforming at an unpredictable rate. At the current time the world is in the initial stages of mass extinction coupled with global warming. It is believed that these adverse events are the result of human activities; and that their severity and their persistence will depend on the actions we take to combat them (The Canadian Biodiversity 2). Every person is accountable for the conservation of his/her immediate biodiversity. Nevertheless, conservation of biodiversity at the national level is a prerogative of the government. The duty of the government towards the citizen is not only to preserve diversity but also to do it in a manner which benefits the population (3). According to Devall (69) corporations are the key players in biodiversity conservation projects. For example ChevronMobil serve over a hundred countries, because such corporations are ranked in the fortune 500 chart and thus have more money compared to most of the national governments members of the UN. These corporations actively engage in petroleum, coal or gas mining in unprotected wild lands in various geographical locations. According to evidence some of these corporations take up the disguise of green belt movement, and may engage in public relations promotion to express their active participation in conservation, the move referred by environmentalist as ‘green washing.’ Other critics believe that corporation other stakeholders must negotiate with them regarding conservation issues (Devall 70). Does Fores t contribute to biodiversity? Ferraro and Simpson (2) claim that many biodiversity including major forest are situated in poorly developed countries which profit less from their ecosystem. With regard to biodiversity tropical forest forms the richest terrestrial ecological unit. Forests have been utilized by humans from the prehistoric time a source of a wide range of commodities including fuel, medicine, foods, and wood (Topfer para. 4). In the contemporary times, the utility and perception of forests has increasingly changed. Numerous institutions, associations and individuals have expressed interest in forest and their biodiversity, for cooperate profits, for sustaining livelihood, preservation of spiritual and cultural morals and conserving biodiversity. To realize these diverse objectives as well as organize and forest biodiversity, various activities have been executed by the stakeholders including, individuals, communities, NGOs, intergovernmental organization and national go vernments (FAO 2). Choc, Gregory. Land, value and economic development in Toledo. June 1996. 05 November, 2010. hartford-hwp.com/archives/47/008.html Coffman, Michael. Biodiversity treaty more than senate willing to pay: white man’s cities. 2000. 04 November, 2010. discerningtoday.org/members/Analyses/biodiversity.htm Devall, Bill. Conservation of biodiversity: opportunities and challenges. Human ecology  Review, 13.6(2006). FAO. Forest biodiversity. 2010. November 3, 2010 www.fao.org/forestry/Forestry.asp, Online. Ferraro, Paul, and Simpson, David. Protecting forest and biodiversity: are investments  In eco-friendly production activities the best way to protect endangered  Ecosystems and enhance rural livelihoods? Topic 4: improving livelihoods and protecting biodiversity. Paper presented at the international conference on rural  livelihoods, forest and biodiversity 19-23 may 2003, Bonn, Germany. Print. Halffter, Gregory. Towards a culture of biodiversity conservati on. 2005. Print . Lamb, Henry and Coffman, Michael. â€Å"Global biodiversity assessment: section 10.† Eco.logic special report. ISBN#0 521 56481 6. Environmental Conservation  Organization, 2006. Print. Srinivas, Hari. Environmental management and disaster reduction- an introduction.  n.d. 04 November, 2010. gdrc.org/uem/disasters/disenvi/intro.html The Canadian Biodiversity. What is biodiversity? n.d. o5 November, 2010. http://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/intro/page2.htm Topfer, Klaus. Environmental management and disaster reduction. 2010. 03 November, 2010. grida.no/publications/et/ep3/page.aspx UN News Center. â€Å"Actor Edward Norton is celebrity advocate for biodiversity.†Ã‚  UN chronicle, July 2010. 05 November, 2010. un.org/wcm/content/site/chronicle/home/archive/webarticles2010/edwardnortonungoodwillambassadorforbiodiversity Wilson, Edward. The Diversity of Life. New York: W.W. Norton Co., 1992. Print.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

How To Preserve Homemade Crystals

How To Preserve Homemade Crystals Once you have grown a crystal, you probably want to keep it and possibly display it. Homemade crystals are usually grown in an aqueous or water-based solution, so you need to protect the crystal from moisture and humidity. Types of Crystals to Grow Alum CrystalsBlue Copper Sulfate CrystalsAmmonium PhosphatePurple Chrome Alum CrystalsBismuth Crystals Once your crystals are grown, there are steps you can take to preserve them: Preserve the Crystal in Plastic Polish You can coat your crystal in plastic to protect it from humidity. For example, you can buy a kit that allows you to embed your crystal in lucite or other forms of acrylic. A simple, yet effective method of preserving many crystals is to coat them with a few layers of clear nail polish or floor polish. Be careful using nail polish or floor wax because these products may dissolve the top layer of your crystals. Be gentle when applying the coatings and allow each coating to dry completely before adding another layer. Preserving a crystal by coating it with acrylic or another plastic also helps to protect the crystal from being scratched or shattered. Many crystals that are grown in water may be either brittle or else soft. Plastic helps to stabilize the structure, protecting the crystal from mechanical damage. Set Crystals in Jewelry Remember, polishing your gem doesnt turn your crystal into a diamond! Its still a good idea to protect your crystal from direct contact with water (e.g., treat is as water-resistant and not water-proof) or rough handling. In some cases, you may be able to set a protected crystal as a gem for jewelry, but I advise against using these crystals in rings or bracelets because the crystal will get knocked around more than if it was set into a pendant or earrings. Your best bet is to either place your crystal in a bezel (metal setting) or even grow it in the setting and then seal it afterward. Dont set toxic crystals for use as jewelry, just in case a child gets hold of the crystal and places it in her mouth. Crystal Storage Tips Whether or not you apply a treatment to your crystal, youll want to store it away from common sources of damage. Light:Â  Many crystals react to heat and light. Keep your crystals away from direct sunlight. If you can, avoid exposure to other sources of high energy synthetic light, such as fluorescent bulbs. If you must light your crystal, try to use indirect, cool lighting. Temperature: While you might guess that heat could damage your crystal, did you know cold is dangerous, too? Many homegrown crystals are water-based, so if the temperature dips below freezing the water in the crystals could freeze. Because water expands when it freezes, this can crack a crystal. Cycles of heating and cooling are especially bad ​since they cause the crystal to expand and contract. Dust:Â  Its easy to keep dust off of a crystal than to try to remove it, especially if the crystal is fragile. Keep your crystal in a sealed container or else wrap it in tissue or store it in sawdust. All of these options will help keep your crystal from accumulating dust and grime. If you do need to dust a crystal, try to use a dry or very slightly damp cloth. Too much moisture could cause you to wipe away the top layer of your crystal along with the dust.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Business ethics individual written report Essay

Business ethics individual written report - Essay Example Without revenues, the companies, especially Nestle Company, will be forced to close shop. Closing up equates to filing a bankruptcy proceeding in the courts of law. The company complies with all health ethics and other community ethics standards. Likewise, Nestle Company does not reduce its current zeal to propagate the importance of implementing the ethical standard with the company’s territorial boundaries. The company sells products that will aid in the enhancement of the current and future customers’ health. The company also accepts and adheres to the current and future customers’ rights to receive valid and relevant information that will lead to the increased safety of all parties concerned. The parties include all stakeholders of the Nestle Company. The stakeholders include the customers of Nestle Company. The stakeholders include the managers of Nestle Company. The stakeholders include the company’s investors. The stakeholders include the Nestle Com pany’s creditors. The stakeholders should also include the current and future customers. Without the customers, the Nestle Company may not be able to generate as much sales as when there was an abundance of current and future customers (Stevens, 2009). In one situation, the customers were disheartened by the unfavourable side effects of patronising the Nestle products. Consequently, the company must not prioritise increasing revenues alone, at the expense of the customers’ sufferings. Nestle Company complies with the ethical standards of the community. The company’s milk and other food products contribute significantly to healthy individuals. The main goal of the company is to produce product that meet the current and future customers’ desire to become healthy (Stevens, 2009). By taking the Nestle products, the current and future customers will have better health conditions. With the Nestle products being distributed to the public, more people are able to buy the hard to find Nestle food products. Consequently, the Nestle Company’s 2008 financial reports indicate that the company was able to generate an estimated three percent growth rate. Further, the favourable growth rate occurred when the company sold products in the global health market segment. The same favourable growth rate arose when the company sold its popular branded products in the global wellness market segment. Likewise, the Nestle Company created an innovation of the marketing activities within the factory production process in order to maximize net profits. The company’s capacity to effectively respond to any external and internal factors of business threats can be easily rehabilitated. The Nestle Company’s marketing strategy includes the ethical selling of added value Nestle products (Stevens, 2009). Further, Nestle places primary importance on incorporation of business ethics. For example, Nestle was instrumental in the implementation of ethic al standards. During the 1970s, Nestle introduced business ethics in the marketing and distribution of infant formula. The Nestle’s implementation of ethical standards was done during the selling of the infant milk formula in the third world market segments (Boyd, 2012). During the same time period, the Nestle Company spearheaded the boycott of milk food and other related products branded as established violating business ethics policies. During the Nestle boycott of ethically wanting food products, Nestle recommended the filing of charges

Friday, October 18, 2019

HR Practice in A.J. Robinsons and Sons Ltd Essay

HR Practice in A.J. Robinsons and Sons Ltd - Essay Example There is also need for reorientation of the employees through training and it has also been recommended that there should be effective communication in order to create understanding among the workmates. It has been recommended that there is need to clearly outline the structure of the organization for it to be effective as well as improve its performance which is internally based at the expense of the customers. Â  In the given case scenario, the key issues affecting performance levels at A.J. Robinsons and Sons Ltd particularly in the Sales Office (Jackie) scenario, the Bought Ledger (Karen) department and The Transport (Melvin) department can be attributed to overriding of the functions of the First Line Managers (FLM) by John Jones who is the Customer Services and Administrative Manager. In order to gain a clear understanding of the concept of FLM, it is imperative to begin by outlining some of the basic functions of First Line management. Basically, first line managers are directly responsible for the production of goods and services. The employees who directly report to them do the organization’s basic production work (Jackson et al 2001). For instance, a sales manager like Jackie should be responsible for supervising the people who sell different chemical things in the organization. It can be noted that this level of management is the link between the operations of each departm ent and the rest of the organization. Â  

The Judgment Seat of Christ Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Judgment Seat of Christ - Research Paper Example Introduction Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, death, suffering and sin have lost its power over humanity. It has opened to humanity the reality of life to come after this life on earth. This hope, which the redemptive act of Christ gives, brings men and women to the reality that life here on earth is the beginning of persons’ journey towards God. In this way, life’s journey starts from, begins with, and ends with God. However, as the images of eschatology fortifies hope for things to come, it also poses a challenge, for Christians, to take constantly a re-look into their inner lives as well as in their actions because in the â€Å"Second Advent and in the final overthrow of Death† , â€Å"we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad† (2 Cor 5:10). In light of this, research will seek to understand St. Paul’s the judgment seat of Christ. This is significant, as people perceive the judgment seat of Christ with dread. Since, it is commonly ,believed that it is in the judgment seat of Christ that people will account to God what they have done in this life, whether good or bad, and God’s justice will prevail. ... The third segment will be dealing with the ethical challenge pose to the Christian by St. Paul’s the judgment seat of Christ. Finally, the fourth part will be the conclusion. Furthermore, the study will not be providing an exegetical analysis of the text. It will also not provide a discussion pertaining to the debate between Premillennialist, who holds that the judgment is one of the various eschatological judgments and the Amelliennialist who claims that there is only one judgment event. Instead, the research will focus on the relationship between God and man and man between men in the context of Pauline eschatology. Jesus The Son of Man Scholarly works abounds pertaining to the ‘mystery of Jesus’. Acknowledging this fact, the focus of the discussion will be the title Jesus used to refer to himself – The Son of Man.4 It has been observed that the writers of the New Testament have referred to Jesus as the â€Å"Messiah† (Christ), â€Å"Kyrios† (Lord) and Son of God. In this regard, the meaning and content of the Son of Man, which is drawn from Jesus’ own words, are transferred to these other titles.5 In light of this, there are three different interpretations pertinent to the Son of Man. The first interpretation holds that the Son of Man refers to the One who is to come. This differentiates Jesus from the Son of Man and supports the notion that Jesus does not refer to himself as the Son of Man. As such, the first interpretation speaks of the immanence of Jesus and the forthcoming eschatology. On the other hand, the second interpretation, views the Son of MAN as referring to the earthly activities of Jesus. As such, Jesus claims Lordship over the Sabbath, the power to forgive sins and about him neither possessions nor home.6 Finally, the third

Black Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Black Market - Essay Example When foreign currency is set below the market rate, an excess demand is created for acquiring foreign currency. A government usually responds by devaluing the currency or setting quotas on purchase of foreign goods. A parallel underground economy emerges by manipulating the forces of supply and demand. A black market can also emerge if trade creates an artificial scarcity of goods which in the process causes high returns on their investments by profiteering. The black market generates unreported wealth and income. Officially allocated foreign exchange is resold in the underground market (Atkins, 609). Black market transactions are disruptive to society. They undermine the ban on goods and services which have been banned by the government. Legitimate businesses are at a disadvantage because goods and services are sold in the black market to avoid taxes. The underground market can also affect public revenues and delimit national productivity. It can also drain the balance of payments and distort equity concepts of economics (Atkins, 609). Black market transactions usually involve cash which is easy to evade detection by governments. It also bypasses complex financial operations. There is some dispute about the size of the black market. Economists look at the volume of cash which is circulated in a black market economy. The internet has emerged as the major indicator of the extent of the underground economy. eBay has 40 million users. Sellers are responsible to pay taxes but there is no study which details if the sellers pay taxes and whether governments have intervened to ensure they do (Atkins, 609). Goods sold in the black market can either be cheap or more expensive than normal prices. If goods are stolen than they can be cheaper than normal prices. However illegally supplied goods may be more expensive because of difficulties in production and dangers associated with trying to smuggle such goods in countries. Black markets thrive if consumer demands for goods which are not available through legal channels are unavailable (Bagnasco, 157). Underground markets can be reduced by removing the legal barriers for goods. Some people advocate that products like drugs should be legalized and government should focus on more dangerous elements of society. This has been countered by critics as legalizing crime. Removal of legal restrictions reduces the prices of goods. If products like drugs are legalized their prices would drop and most people would access trustworthy legal sources. Black market also consists of legal activities which are not reported to government tax authorities. Many corrupt officials in developing countries avoid paying taxes. Black money is the outcome of this practice. The black market has some important functions. It is a cash economy which is liquid and fast. It increases the flow of money. It injects foreign exchange into the economy and increases the money supply. It can also provide employment, create economic activity and encourage labor mobility. It is important for countries which face economic hardship. Developing countries have backward economies. Their technological expertise is primitive. Unemployment, dilapidated machines, dysfunctional infrastructure are rampant in such economies. Trade deficits, crime and budget deficits rise sharply in such economies

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Reflective Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Reflective Paper - Essay Example Workers were given directives by their bosses and, therefore, creativity was limited. Workers climbed up the seniority ladder with time. If there were layoffs, the seniors were affected less than the juniors since lay- offs were based on the principle of ‘last in, first out. There was no close tie between the pay that one got and their performance, and there were no significant differences among the workers (Michael, 23). In the 1820s, twenty percent of the population worked for wages and salaries but by the year 2000, 90 % worked for organizations, half of them working for big companies. ‘In the 1950s, the relationship between the employees and the companies involved commitment and reciprocity; workers were dedicated to the job in return for wages and promotion, and the company was committed to its workers in return for their hard work and loyalty’ (Michaels,21). Firms invested in their employees by training them, developing their skills and promoting them. This encouraged loyalty by enabling the employees plan on owning their homes and sending their children to schools. For this reason, people stuck with the same company for years. In the case of occasional long working hours, the impact was relatively easy to absorb, since women, not in the workforce assisted them with domestic duties. However, this story changed. There was a stable relationship between companies and the employees. B y regularly promoting their employees, the companies were able to maintain the stability of this relationship (Michaels 27). With time, the state of business changed and the priorities of the companies, as well as the employees, changed. In a global economy, corporations are always competing. Investors are always on the run to get new opportunities that have higher rates of return, to invest their funds. This makes investors keep moving their funds in and out of countries, companies (Michael’s Countries and businesses, therefore, are

Project Review Report about the Sonic Pathfinder a microprocessor Assignment

Project Review Report about the Sonic Pathfinder a microprocessor based Travel Aid for the Blind - Assignment Example These are achievable through effective utilization of ultrasonic navigation and sonar or laser signals to distinguish the region for objects in one’s path way. 1.2. Methodological study, evaluation and analysis of the effectiveness of Sonic Pathfinder SP as were subjected under different environmental conditions and placements. A methodological study carried out consisted of two participants (One and Two), and behavior analysts who observed movements of these two participants. Given different environmental placements, as described in the Journal of Rehabilitation Research development, varied responses were obtained. These test environments were as follows: 1.2.1. Shopping Mall The conditions of the shopping mall chosen were that it was indoor, single level, with the irregularly shaped passageways lined with a number of retail outlets which are ever open to the passageways during business operation hours. Things that were in the Mall included signs, planters, product shows/displays and sitting benches that were located along walking paths. Pedestrian traffic concentration was determined as relatively high. As had been realized by Analyst One, a particular path from the main entrance towards the West entrance was a problem for the participant. This participant thought that acquiring SP would be a permanent solution to the problems experienced especially along the identified path. This study considered a Z-shaped path of travel within the shopping mall (from Northern to Eastern direction Entrance). The Participant initialized the experiment by facing south with their backs facing to the doors; they turned to their left and moved east, then south, then east ag ain to the Eastern direction Entrance. Along their path ways there existed open storefronts on either sides of the walkway, and the counter and display area of a florist to the right side of the southern leg extended beyond the waking path. The southern leg of the route also ended at the entrance to a boutique shop. Frequently, there were a string of people at an ATM on the east wall before the end of this path. The East entrance was at the extreme end of a corridor to the left of the boutique shop while the central point of the Shopping Mall (which is an open region serving as the hub or the various paths) was at the right. Remarkably, this was a region known for its heavy pedestrian traffic. For affectivity, the two participants were first familiarized with the route

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Reflective Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Reflective Paper - Essay Example Workers were given directives by their bosses and, therefore, creativity was limited. Workers climbed up the seniority ladder with time. If there were layoffs, the seniors were affected less than the juniors since lay- offs were based on the principle of ‘last in, first out. There was no close tie between the pay that one got and their performance, and there were no significant differences among the workers (Michael, 23). In the 1820s, twenty percent of the population worked for wages and salaries but by the year 2000, 90 % worked for organizations, half of them working for big companies. ‘In the 1950s, the relationship between the employees and the companies involved commitment and reciprocity; workers were dedicated to the job in return for wages and promotion, and the company was committed to its workers in return for their hard work and loyalty’ (Michaels,21). Firms invested in their employees by training them, developing their skills and promoting them. This encouraged loyalty by enabling the employees plan on owning their homes and sending their children to schools. For this reason, people stuck with the same company for years. In the case of occasional long working hours, the impact was relatively easy to absorb, since women, not in the workforce assisted them with domestic duties. However, this story changed. There was a stable relationship between companies and the employees. B y regularly promoting their employees, the companies were able to maintain the stability of this relationship (Michaels 27). With time, the state of business changed and the priorities of the companies, as well as the employees, changed. In a global economy, corporations are always competing. Investors are always on the run to get new opportunities that have higher rates of return, to invest their funds. This makes investors keep moving their funds in and out of countries, companies (Michael’s Countries and businesses, therefore, are

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Strong vs Weak Matrix Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strong vs Weak Matrix Structure - Essay Example The study indicates that weak matrix organizations are no less than a nightmare for project managers. This is true because although, they have the authority and power to make plans, divide the project strategy and even closely monitor the execution as well, project managers do not have any real authority over the project team members, most of whom remain reliant on their functional managers for provision and use of resources. Therefore, in these organizations, technically the project managers do not remain â€Å"managers† in the truest sense but their role is reduced to that of project â€Å"facilitators†. Project managers within a weak matrix organization often fail to motivate their employees to the utmost degree because of the fact that they have little loyalty to the project managers and little motivation to work on the project. They are well aware of the fact that they the chain of command indicates that they report to their functional managers who decide their pro motions, achievements and write their annual reviews. Project managers might have to report and discuss the issue of non-performing employees with the functional managers and then hope that the functional managers will help. Some project managers, despite all difficulties, successfully complete their projects in weak matrix organizations but it becomes nearly impossible to attain any kind of success for the project manager when the functional managers decide to obstruct the work and oppose the approaches of project managers. In this case, they might not allow project managers to use resources and prevent their employees from working with full productivity on projects, thus making the life of the project managers miserable. Figure 1 Weak Matrix Structure with project team members scattered in many functional departments and working under primary authority of their respective functional managers Strong matrix organizations provide a better framework and structure for project managers to operate. In fact, it appears that strong matrix organizations emerged on to the scene primarily in order to satisfy the needs of project managers. Rather than leaving the project managers at the mercy of different functional managers, the organization empowers the project managers so that they could exercise their authority over budgets, resources, expenses and even employee appraisals (Lewis, p. 106). Employees are more likely to report to two bosses at the same time, one their functional managers and the second their project manager but they see the incentive in being equally loyal to both of them. Project managers remain concerned with the project related issues of the employees whereas all the human resource and operational issues and responsibilities remain with the functional managers who overlook them. In these types of organizations, there is even a different department of project managers, which reports to a head project manager holding tremendous authority within the au thority (Daft & Willmott, p. 36). In strong matrix organisations, project managers would usually draw up plans about the projects and then contact the functional managers about their needs and demands in terms of employees. Important here to note is that when functional managers and project manager negotiate, it is highly likely that project manager would have an upper hand (Cameron & Quinn, p. 309). A potential pitfall in these types of organizations is that with extreme power of project managers, functional managers might find it troublesome to perform the necessary functions for keeping the organization afloat and running. Furthermore, a great deal of training is required to ensure that employees do not confuse the dual chain of command where they have to report to two bosses and maintain between their functional and project duties. In addition, constantly and quickly changing projects and new team members may also

Monday, October 14, 2019

Design Liability under National Engineering Contract (NEC)

Design Liability under National Engineering Contract (NEC) Design Liability under NEC Problem Every construction or engineering project is generally designed and occasionally defects occur as a result of defective design. These defects if possible then have to be rectified and this has associated costs. Where interested parties cannot agree on which of them is responsible for the defect they often seek a legal remedy to allocate costs. To avoid this legal entanglement the majority of construction projects are carried out under the relative control of a contract that identifies the party that is responsible for the design. The degree of liability depends on how the design responsibility has been allocated under the contract. However, the complicated interaction of various legal elements with contractual provisions can consequently make this difficult to determine. For practical use a contract should allow for the incorporation of clear acceptable levels of liability to both parties. Research by Gaafar and Perry (1998) suggests using a contract that allows for a spectrum of liability such as the NEC/ECC. This allows the level of responsibility to be tailored to the individual project by the inclusion of secondary clauses. Another consideration that must be investigated is that even if the design responsibility is not allocated under the contract, or no written contract exists, a level of responsibility under tort almost always exists. This responsibility is often forgotten and is rarely referenced in the contracts text. The level of design liability differs depending on what type of organisation the designer works for. For example, the level of design liability is the same in tort for a consultancys designer and a contractors designer, however, under a contract the level of liability may be different. In tort, the nature of the designers obligation is to exercise reasonable skill and care irrespective of the designers organisation. In contract, a consultancys designers liability is to exercise reasonable skill and care unless they know the purpose for which they are designing in which case a fitness for purpose liability is implied. Because of this risk of suffering an implied liability terms of engagement for a consultancys designer usually contract out fitness for purpose requirement. This is useful as no level of Professional Indemnity insurance exists to cover a consultancys designer for fitness for purpose liability and it is unlikely the consultancy would be able to independently cover the ris k. Even if a fitness for purpose liability is excluded, a consultancys designer could still be liable for not delivering the end result, if it can be proved that they did not use reasonable skill and care and has ultimately committed professional negligence under tort as well as being in breach of contract. As the tort of negligence is implied into both written and none written contracts, wherever a situation arises where one party owes another a duty of care, it is essential to look at its meaning. The Institution of Civil Engineers (2006) defines negligence as being based on the inflicting of injury or loss upon another person by failure to take such care as the law requires. A contractors designer suffers risk by reference to the statutory implied terms, under the Sales of Goods Act 1972 and the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, which will impose certain contractual warranties relating to merchantable quality and fitness for purpose, irrespective of what the contract says. The statutory implied terms give rise to risk for the designers contractor in that a contract which is silent on the point will impose on him a strict liability for all the obligations he has undertaken, including his design obligation. It is also worth noting that because of this, if a contractor chooses to appoint a consultancy designer under a subcontract, even if he is using the relevant standard subcontract form of the main contract, they may open themselves up to considerable risk. This is because they still have an obligation to deliver the end result that is fit for purpose, unless there are express provisions to limit liability. This why most Design and Build standard for m contracts limit the liability of the contractor for design to that of an architect under a traditional build contract. However, if there are express provisions in the contract to impose an explicit fitness for purpose liability on the contractor these provisions will then be subject to the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977. As already stated, there are two levels of design reasonable skill and care and fitness for purpose. These two terms are the most commonly used and even though they are an over simplification it is important to define them in more detail. Fitness for purpose is just that, it should satisfy and/or deliver the clients requirements whereas reasonable skill and care can be further split into professional skill and duty of care. As well as carrying out their specialist skill competently the construction professionals have to exercise a defined level of care. This duty of care is based on foreseeability, where one must take reasonable care to avoid acts, omissions or statements, which could reasonably be foreseen to be likely to result in injury or loss to other people. The standard of care to be exercised is that of the ordinary, prudent person and will depend on the particular circumstances of each individual case. In the context of this proposal it would be the construction professionals, working for the contractor who must exercise due care to highlight errors when reading and implementing the clients design, or the contractors own designer who must exercise due care when creating and developing a design (Institution of Civil Engineers, 2006). The element of skill required by a construction professional, whether they are an engineer, designer, quantity surveyor or project manager is to carry out their own specialist skill competently. The courts have defined the specialist skill and competence on many occasions and the following direction to the jury in Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957], has been adopted by the House of Lords and is frequently cited:- Where you get a situation which involves some special skill or competence the test is the standard of the ordinary skilled man exercising and professing to have that special skill. A man need not possess the highest expert skill it is sufficient if he exercises the ordinary skill of the ordinary competent man exercising that particular art (Institution of Civil Engineers, 2006). As previous research by Gaafar and Perry (1998) suggests, the NEC/ECC contract is an acceptable document that can be tailored to individual projects and remain workable and acceptable to both client and contractor. These advantages could explain why it has rapidly become the contract of choice for public sector work. Due to the economic situation that exists in the construction and engineering industry at present the majority of work is in the public sector and as a result is under NEC3 the most recent version of NEC/ECC form of contract. According to the Bank of England the current economic situation is going to continue for at least the next 6 months before signs of recovery start to filter through to the construction industry in the form of private investment. Because of this, more disagreements over design defects carried out under the NEC3 form of contract are probably going to go before the courts. It would be useful then for contractors construction professionals to know what design liabilities the contractor could be exposed to so that they can take steps to avoid any legal entanglement. This is especially prudent as the NEC3 contract does not include the term fitness for purpose in its text and instead relies on the works information given by the client to specify the performance requirements and secondary clauses to limit a contractors liability. When this information is incomplete or missing it creates a situation where the responsibilities and the end requirements are unclear and the contract reverts back to a silent position as discussed earlier and imposes a strict liability upon the contractor, unless secondary clauses to expressly limit liability are included within the contract document. Even where these clauses are included contractual warranties implied by the Sales of Goods Act 1972 and the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 may take precedence. It is important to note that in this silent position a contractor would not be liable for desi gn works carried out by subcontractors even if appointed by them under the relevant NEC3 subcontract form. The aim of the dissertation then, is to carry out primary and secondary research to determine whether, and if so, how, a contractors design liability can be limited to reasonable skill and care under the NEC3 suite of contracts. Your problem specification specifies the problem alright, but it does not indicate what can be done to resolve the problem or what issues need to be addressed in resolving this problem. These issues would form the basis of the ensuing chapters of the dissertation. There is a decided lack (although not a total absence) of appropriate citation to substantiate your many authoritative statements in the problem spec. Literature Review Current literature on the National Engineering Contract 3 (NEC3) includes legal cases, commentary or how to use guides and finally but not exhaustively research by construction and engineering academics and/or professionals. This literature individually covers the different aspects of design liability and the NEC3. Need to make more substantial to provide a structured overview. The NEC3 is endorsed and recommended by the UK Governmental Office of Government Commerce for use on all public sector construction projects. And because the majority of current construction and engineering work is in the public sector at present it is getting a lot of use and therefore it is important that those using it fully understand it. To that end Eggleston (2006) has written a comprehensive commentary on the NEC3. His commentary explains how each NEC3 contract is uniquely put together to meet the employers needs by assembling clauses from the option structure and by particularisation in accompanying documents. This commentary is particularly useful in that it helps the reader use the contract by providing step by step instructions to ensure the basic building blocks of the contract are set up correctly. A good example of this is the five steps that an employer must follow in order to create a set of NEC3 conditions for a particular contract. Egglestons (2006) commentary is an overview of the entire suite of NEC3 contract documents and gives a brief definition of the clauses. It does not give instruction of which combination of options and clauses to use but instead informs the user how to incorporate their chosen selection into a working document. On the down side the book does not give you enough legal analysis and only refers to a handful of cases and to this end does not highlight sufficiently what the repercussions of not getting it right are. This means unless the professional using it is fully versed or doesnt follow a commentary such as Egglestons to the letter they could end up in hot water regardless of what secondary clauses they think are in place to limit liability. Using Egglestons (2006) definitions of clauses and with cross reference to an NEC3 contract it is apparent that it is the secondary options X15 limitation of contractors liability for design and X18 limitation of liability are the most relevant to this proposal. This is because they are the clauses that can be included if agreed between the client and contractor to pre-determine the level of liability. Need to insert what Eggleston says Difference between two clauses and what they limitContradiction with works information Express catch all sentences added under Option Z or included in works info Egglestons thoughts on silent position Gaafar and Perry (1998) have written an insightful paper that is relevant to the proposed aim of this proposal. They based some of their findings on communication with an unnamed author involved in the development of the NEC. From this they discovered that these optional clauses came about due to legal advice that was given to avoid the term fitness for purpose and to the eventual adoption of the notion that the employer would either define the extent of his requirements for performance through the works information or would limit the liability through the choice of an optional clause. The term fit for purpose is very open to interpretation and could be a reason why it was left for the employer to fully define their requirements. Gaafar and Perry (1998) were unable to find a precise definition for the term fitness for purpose and concluded from comparing correspondence and discussion with unnamed legal academics and professionals that no such definition exists. This is hard to accept as regardless how many legal academics and professionals were contacted it is precedence set in the courts that establishes a meaning for the term not the legal academics and professionals opinion. It may be the case that these legal academics and professionals are unaware of any relevant case law and it is unlikely that they exhausted all published volumes. In addition Gaafar and Perry (1998) may have narrowed the question posed to the legal academics and professionals too much and a definition may exist in a non construction and engineering context that could be applied if the princi ples are the same. In addition to correspondence and discussion Gaafar and Perry (1998) also carried out a survey to determine the desirability to be able to adjust the level of liability. They highlight that 30% of clients questioned in the survey said that a fitness for purpose liability is not desirable as they recognise the practical and commercial problems it can cause. Gaafar and Perry (1998) expand on the description of these problems reiterating that professional designers do not have to carry a professional liability higher than reasonable skill and care and therefore no higher level of insurance cover exists. This means that the contractor can not obtain cover either and because of this if a fitness for purpose obligation exists and the design is carried out by a professional designer under a subcontract, the contractor can not pass this liability down to them. This leaves the contractor carrying a large uninsured risk. This unexpected result in their findings gives strong support to their re commendation of using a contract that allows liability to be tailored to an individual contractual situation. The theory and supporting research is comprehensive, however, the raw data is not given and it undermines their reasoning, as it is impossible to determine the significance of the results without knowing the sample size, methods used, the context and appropriateness of the questions. Gaafar and Perry (1998) was published in the International Journal of Project Management and looks at a number of problems associated with the interaction of legal elements and contractual provisions. They look at, but do not directly compare, a number of standard forms of contract and their individual advantages and disadvantages when the limitation of design liability is the key issue. The paper concludes by recommending the use of the NEC contract as they suggest it provides a spectrum of liability. Despite their suggestion of using a contract that allows a spectrum of liability they importantly acknowledge that a strict liability and obligations under the Sales of Goods Act 1972 and the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 exists and is difficult to sign away. This difficulty in signing away rights is also made reference to when they discuss liability under tort and the inclusion of express clauses to limit liability. These important points included by Gaafar and Perry (1998) are relevant to this proposal as they have a bearing on how effectively liability can be limited. Professor J. Perry and Dr H. K. Gaafar are academics at the School of Civil Engineering, the University of Birmingham and for this reason their assumptions on NEC3 in practice are likely to be based on 3rd part information and not their own practical experience within the construction and engineering environment. It is also worth noting that The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (HGCRA) states that parties cannot sign away certain rights under UK law and current precedence will determine what obligations exist regardless of whether a clause was included to limit liability. The HGCRA forms the basis of the current UK law and as such must be treated seriously and acknowledged as the presiding authority on set aspects of construction projects. It is also important to note that the HGCRA is 13 years old and largely based on the report by Latham (1994), as such developments have happened in the way contracts are worded to either incorporate it or find ways around it. Egan (1998) suggests that a move to partnering and mutual cooperation will do away with a need for contracts. In this situation a strict liability will be implied by current UK law and legislation and as discussed a fit for purpose obligation will be the default situation. If clauses intended to limit design liability are not effective then Eagans (1998) view that; designers should work in close collaboration with other participants in the project will protect the contractors and reduce the risk as they will be fully aware of the requirements and ultimately able to deliver the end product that is fit for purpose. This work by Egan (1998) is a very theoretical academic view and 11 years on has not fully been adopted despite moves to create more trust through partnering, however, it does provide an alternative view to the confrontational and aggressive stand many contractors and clients are adopting in the economic down turn. Wallace (1995) states his opinion that the obligation to construct a work capable of carrying out its intended use overrides the obligations to comply with specification given in the works information. If this is the case even though a contractor may have produced a design that complied with all the works information, if the end result is not fit for purpose they are then responsible. This goes back to the implied obligation discussed earlier and responsibility of the contractor to request more information and highlight lack of clarity in the works information. They may have done everything including reasonable skill and care to produce a design that complies with the works information but if the works information was inadequate they were liable for not correcting this fault and therefore liable for not producing a design that could deliver. Wallace (1995) published this work a year after Latham (1994) and in a climate where a more progressive approach to construction was the new way of thinking, however, it ignores this work and focuses on fact and the law as it stood at the time. This is not a bad thing but when applying Wallaces work to contracts such as the NEC3 it does not always directly apply and extrapolation of the legal principles is necessary, however most are still the same and the book is still widely accepted and used. Jackson and Powel (1992) conclude that the particular obligations of a contractor to his client are generally of a different nature from those owed by a professional man to his client. They make the point that this does not expressly state that the contractors obligations amount to a fitness for purpose requirement. However they imply in the passage, my complaint against him is not that he has failed to exercise reasonable skill and care in carrying out the work but that he has failed to supply what was contracted for, that a higher level of liability than reasonable skill and care exists and that the precise level of liability is governed by what is stated in the totality of the contract. Jackson and Powel (1992) is considered to be an accepted legal text and the authors experts in their field. This opinion is supported by the fact that the book has been quoted in the courts. A good example being; Lady Justice Butler-Sloss in the Court of Appeal regarding the case of Sansom and Mona ghan v. Metcalf Hambleton Co (1997) (Was it a construction law case? Was the case to do with design liability?) EGCS 185 who quoted the book as being a helpful summary. This use in 1997 is important as it is post HGCRA and although it is 17 years old has many useful interpretations that are still relevant. For example, the concept mentioned above regarding totality of the contract is very similar to the commentary detailed in Eggleston (2006) 14 years later regarding liabilities imposed by the entire contract. In relevance to this proposal then, if the book and the authors are deemed to be an authority on the subject of negligence their implications above regarding totality of the contract carry significant weight. This would suggest that secondary clauses under NEC3 are not necessarily going to limit a contractors liability to reasonable skill and care. In addition to the above works, NEC itself provides literature in both on its website and in published form, and despite the inherent bias it may carries is worth reviewing. The bias is there because the NEC has an invested interested in portraying the NEC3 in a positive light to increase sales, however, it is useful for reference to clarify technical points and attain original copies of contract wording. What is clear is that each of these commentaries focuses on a particular area of a contract or takes a view from one particular party and at present there is nothing comprehensive to show all the interrelationships of NEC3 contractual clauses and UK law and legislation. As a result unless the employer compiling the contract or contractor entering into an NEC3 contract fully understands the full ramifications of the options and clauses chosen they should seek professional legal advice. As described by Gaafar and Perry (1998) these interrelationships are very complicated especially to the non legal professional. Gaafar and Perry (1998) try to bypass the need to understand all these complicated interrelationships by developing and suggesting the use of a Spectrum of Liability, however, as acknowledged by them no contract currently exists that fully allows for this. As stressed by Latham (1996) though and indeed acknowledged by Gaafar and Perry (1998) there are certain obligations and im plied responsibilities that cannot be signed away and a strict liability is imposed unless express clauses are used to support this flexible spectrum. Only the NEC3 contract comes close, however, the effectiveness of secondary clauses to control levels of liability is difficult to determine due to the complex legal interrelationships mentioned above. To establish whether liability can be controlled in an NEC3 contract this dissertation will use arguably the main aspect that has most bearing design liability and seek to demonstrate the following conjecture: A contractors design liability can be limited to reasonable skill and care under NEC3 by use of secondary clauses. Can expand to 2500 or 3000 words In final submission should include a statement in the summary to the literature review as to where the dissertation sits in relation to the main authors outlined in the introduction to the literature review. Methodology To manage the presentation of this dissertation it has been split into a number of chapters. The overall dissertation will form a piece of work that can be useful to all construction and engineering professionals who are considering entering into an NEC3 form of contract. Chapter 1 will be derived from the problem specification, literature review and methodology that form this dissertation proposal. Chapter 2 involves carrying out extensive secondary research. This will take the form of investigation into legal precedence that exists for cases with relevance to a contractors design responsibility and associated liability under NEC3. In addition to this, investigation into accepted academic views, professional interpretation of NEC3 clauses and commentary on UK statute and legislation is necessary. Combined this will form a theoretical perfect world view of design liability and act as the control for this research. Chapter 3 will explore construction professionals understanding of design liability under an NEC3 form of contract. To do this a statistically sufficient number of construction professionals will be interviewed. The questions are designed to be comprehensive enough to generate the desired responses but have been deliberately left open ended to ensure they do not lead the interviewees in a certain direction or stifle responses. The benefit of this is that a greater insight into the interviewees experience and knowledge is gained and helps determine how much weight to assign the responses. The results will then be summarised and initial statistical processing carried out to allow them to be analysed. The open ended nature of the interview questions also gives the opportunity for contractors problems that are not covered by the interview questions to be picked up and acknowledged and be compiled into the summary conclusions. Chapter 4 will seek to substantiate or disprove the conjecture made in Chapter 1 by comparing the differences between the control in Chapter 2 and the summary conclusions made from the interview results in Chapter 3. Depending on the outcome of this comparison will determine the recommendations made in this dissertation that aim to benefit construction professionals thinking of entering into an NEC3 form of contract. Chapter 5, the final chapter seeks to bring together all the conclusions made in the above chapters into a final summary. The outcome of the comparison in Chapter 4 should identify how effective the NEC3 form of contracts intentions are in regards creating a contract that is able to limit design liability by the inclusion of secondary clauses or whether other factors come into play and greater care and legal advice is needed before a contractor signs up to an NEC3 form of contract. The comparison will also determine whether any of the additional problems or negative experiences identified by the construction professionals in the interviews is real or merely perceived due to lack of understanding of UK law and of the NEC3 contract in general. If they are merely perceived, the recommendations made in this work should allow them more confidence when deciding whether or not to sign up to a given NEC3 contract. They would then be able to make an informed decision as to whether an included clauses attempt to limit liability under NEC3 would safeguard them or whether they would be exposed and need to adjust their price to suit the increased risk of what is effectively an imposed fit for purpose design liability. Need to justify research method. This justification is done by reference to established research methods authors. You make only one reference to Blaxter et al but it does not really get to the bottom of what you are doing and why. You do not eliminate other methodologies. Do other authors agree? A good methodology will compare the recommendations of three or four research methods texts. You might like to look at some of the following: 1) Dissertation Research and Writing for Construction Students Dr S.G. Naoum Butterworth Heinneman 808.066624 NAO 2) Research Methods in Construction Fellows Lui 3) Hart, C. 2005, Doing Your Masters Dissertation, SAGE Publications Ltd., London 4) Preece, R. 1994, Starting Research: An Introduction to Academic Research and Dissertation Writing, A Cassell Imprint, London 5) Blaxter, Hughes Tight 2006, How to Research, Open University 6) Questionnaire Design, Interview and Attitude Measurement A.N.Oppenheim Continuum 300.723 OPP The methodology should be introduced by a statement about the theoretical perspectives being employed, e.g. you are approaching this dissertation from a legal and contractual perspective by way of offering appropriate practical advice to the industry Need to justify structure. Justification for the structure requires cerebral argument and includes some linking text between your discussion on the content and format of each chapter. Remember the chapters should be based on the issues to be addressed as identified in the problem specification, so your justification of the structure could be based upon the logic of dealing with those issues. References Blaxter, L., Hughes, C. and Tight, M. (2006). How to Research 3rd Ed. Open University Press. Maidenhead. Eagan (1998). Rethinking Construction. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. London. Eggleston, B. (2006). The NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract 2nd Ed. A Commentary. Blackwell Publishing. [Online] Available from: http://books.google.co.uk/books Accessed 07.07.09 Gaafar, H, K. and Perry, J, G. (1998). Limitation of design liability for contractors. International Journal of Project Management Vol. 17, No. 5, pp. 301-308. Elsevier Science Ltd. Institution of Civil Engineers (2006). ICE Legal Note Liability for Latent Defects. Institution of Civil Engineers. London. Jackson and Powell (1992). Professional Negligence 3rd Ed. Sweet and Maxwell. London. Latham (1996). Housing Grants and Regeneration Act 1996. London. Available from: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ Accessed 22.08.09 Murdoch, J. and Hughes, W. (2005). Construction Contracts 3rd Ed. Law and Management. Spon Press. Oxon. Wallace, D. (1995). Hudsons Building and Engineering Contracts, Volume 1, 11th Ed. Sweet and Maxwell. London. Uff, J. (2005). Construction Law 9th Ed. Sweet and Maxwell. London. Bibliography Blaxter, L., Hughes, C. and Tight, M. (2006). How to Research 3rd Ed. Open University Press. Maidenhead. Dissertation Creation. Dissertation Help How to Write and Structure a Dissertation Proposal [Online] Available from: http://www.ukdissertations.com Accessed 07.07.09 Eagan (1998). Rethinking Construction. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. London. Eggleston, B. (2006). The NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract 2nd Ed. A Commentary. Blackwell Publishing. [Online] Available from: http://books.google.co.uk/books Accessed 07.07.09 Gaafar, H, K. and Perry, J, G. (1998). Limitation of design liability for contractors. International Journal of Project Management Vol. 17, No. 5, pp. 301-308. Elsevier Science Ltd. Institution of Civil Engineers (2006). ICE Legal Note Liability for Latent Defects. Institution of Civil Engineers. London. Latham (1996). Housing Grants and Regeneration Act 1996. London. Available from: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ Accessed 22.08.09 Murdoch, J. and Hughes, W. (2005). Construction Contracts 3rd Ed. Law and Management. Spon Press. Oxon. The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (2004). Commercial and Contract Law. Uff, J. (2005). Construction Law 9th Ed. Sweet and Maxwell. London. Additional useful paragraphs; If the NEC3 contract is set up for the contractor to have design responsibility, then the contractors design must comply with the works information. Even if the optional clause to limit liability is used, the performance specification given in the works information will override it and therefore the contractors liability may or may not be interpreted as fitness for purpose depending on how the works information has been drafted with a strict liability imposed. Results Ques