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Health and Psychology Essay Example

Health and Psychology Essay Example Health and Psychology Paper Health and Psychology Paper Linda Luecken performed a study that considers existing evidence that have a bearing on a model that theorizes that early family adversity has an impact on the cognitive performance of adults (Luecken, 2006). Luecken sought to discover whether there is sufficient evidence to create a link between child abuse or neglect in the home and various psychosocial and behavioral aspects of adult life (Luecken, 2006). She conducted her study because she realized that there is sufficient material to support a conclusion linking family adversity and physical health in adults, but there is no evaluation of whether there is adequate literature to support the proposal made by the examined model (Luecken, 2006). Thus, Luecken looked into evidence that discuss cognitive performance of adults, particularly performance through psychosocial, behavioral, and health-related pathways. She likewise considered the limitations of existing studies and gave suggestions for future research (Luecken, 2006). Method   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lueckens paper proposes a lifespan developmental approach, which concludes that early family experiences characterized by adversity or stress contributes to the rate of cognitive decline in older adulthood. She proposed a global model that consists of several pathways (Luecken, 2006). These pathways provide the means by which experiences of a person creates an impact on his cognitive function. Since the paper consists of studying and evaluating current literature on the subject, the author described the different types and the prevalence of adverse family experiences to which a person could be exposed in early family life. Second, she reviewed literature on the different physiological stress responses of people and the impact of such responses on cognitive function. Later on she tries to make a connection between family adversity and physiological stress responses (Luecken, 2006). Lastly, she outlined the potential pathways that link family adversity and cognitive function in older adults (Luecken, 2006). Discussion and Limitations The author discussed the available evidence supporting the enumerated pathways to cognitive aging in older adulthood, citing many studies conducted in the past (Luecken, 2006). She thus concludes that there is a wealth of evidence that may support a theory that links adverse early family experience with cognitive aging (Luecken, 2006). She likewise discussed suggestions regarding the development of dysregulated physiological stress responses caused by neglect or abuse in early childhood, as supported by various animal and human studies (Luecken, 2006). She concludes that while the evidence may be mounting in this field of study, the same remains inadequate in many respects (Luecken, 2006). For example, researchers have not focused on positive effects and preventive measures that could be derived from the knowledge of the impact of adverse early experiences and psychological stress responses (Luecken, 2006). Instead, studies focused only on the negative impact of such adverse experiences. The author is concerned that several limitations are unavoidable in her attempt to empirically evaluate the theory supporting the link between family adversity and cognitive aging in older adults. She says there might be enough evidence to support the link of each pathway to cognitive aging independently, a complete empirical evaluation would still require further evaluation that tests the links as a whole (Luecken, 2006). A further concern for the author is the lack of adequate procedure for empirical evaluation of the theory (Luecken, 2006). This is because of the nature of the materials, such that evidence of early childhood experiences is difficult to gather (Luecken, 2006). She discussed that a common method used by researchers is retrospective recall or reports, but such method is tainted with doubts as to the objectivity of the information (Luecken, 2006). Thus, she suggests possible ways of improving the current method, such as gathering supporting data from credible sources, such as siblings and other witnesses (Luecken, 2006). She also suggested the gathering of documented data involving adverse early experiences (Luecken, 2006). However, she recognizes the possibility that these proposed methods would also raise various validity problems. Evaluation of Article/Suggestions for further research The article conducted an empirical evaluation of existing evidence to support a theory. While the article may be commended for being innovative in combining various pathways to cognitive aging into one model, one could not say that there is much new knowledge to be gleaned from the study. The author did not conduct a specific or novel method to test her theory, but merely relied on evidence supplied by past research. She merely summarized the methods used and the findings of previous writers on the different aspects of her theory and sought a way to combine them. However, she merely proposed a way of possibly testing the theory as a whole, but never tried it herself, even on a limited sample. The article may have shed light in terms of assessing the adequacy of literature on the matter of cognitive aging and its causes, but such light is not very bright. The author could have pushed herself more and conducted a few actual tests on her own, in order to support the evidence she already gathered. Thus, while she gave tips for improving current methods, such tips could not be taken conclusively because they are not backed by test or application. Trottier, K., Polivy, J., Herman, P. (2007). Effects of Exposure to Thin and   Overweight Peers: Evidence of Social Comparison in Restrained and Unrestrained Eaters. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 26(2), p. 155-172. Background and purpose of the study Trottier, Polivy, Herman conducted a study on the impact of exposure to thin and overweight peers to a person (2007). They were prompted by their perception that there is inadequacy in treatment as to the effect of information about the body weight of a persons peers on that persons perception about himself/herself (Trottier, Polivy, Herman, 2007). They pointed out that current and past studies only dealt with the effect on a persons perception by idealized media messages (Trottier, Polivy, Herman, 2007). They thus proposed and tested the hypothesis that exposure to information about a peers weight also has an effect on a persons perception about himself (Trottier, Polivy, Herman, 2007). However, the authors divided their inquiry into two groups. They investigated and tested the effect of such information on restrained and unrestrained eaters, and decided on a possible difference in effect between the two groups (Trottier, Polivy, Herman, 2007). Method They chose to evaluate the effect of perception of the weight of peers rather than any other category, because they thought peers have increased tendency to influence the perception of a person because peers share surrounding dimensions with such person   (Trottier, Polivy, Herman, 2007). Thus, one would create his self-perception based on what he sees on his peers   (Trottier, Polivy, Herman, 2007). They divided their study to restrained and unrestrained eaters because they expected to see a difference in their propensity to be influenced by their peers. They noted that past research indicated that restrained eaters are more likely to focus on information relating to weight than unrestrained eaters (Trottier, Polivy, Herman, 2007).

Orchestral Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Orchestral Music - Essay Example Stylistically, the prelude is improvisatory in nature. The prelude can also refer to an overture, particularly to those seen in an opera or an oratorio. Prelude can be referring to as a preface. It can stand on its own or introduce another work. Overture in music is the instrumental introduction to a dramatic, choral (1911encyclopedia.org) or, occasionally, instrumental composition. It is used as an opening to a larger dramatic work such as an opera. Overture also referred to collections of movements, known as suites. (wikipedia.com). A sinfonie is a musical composition, the extended and used for orchestra. It does not imply a specific form. There are sinfonies that are tonal works in four movements with the first in sonata form, and it is often described by music theorists as the structure of a classical (reference.com) sinfonie. The very first preludes were lute compositions of the Renaissance era. They were free improvisations and served as brief introductions to larger pieces of music or particular larger and more complex movements; lutenists also used them to test the instrument or the acoustics of the room before performing. In the 17th century in France the keyboard preludes started. During this century the duration of each note is left to the performer. The first composer who embrace the genre is Louis Couperin, and harpsichord preludes were used until the first half of the 18th century by numerous composers including Jean-Henri d'Anglebert (1629-1691), lisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729), Franois Couperin (1668-1733) and Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764), whose very first printed piece (1706) was in this form. The last unmeasured preludes for harpsichord date from the 1710s. Prelude in the 17th century in Germany led to a sectional form similar to keyboard toccatas Johann Jakob Froberger or Girol amo Frescobaldi. Outside Germany, Abraham van den Kerckhoven (c.1618-c.1701), one of the most important Dutch composers of the period, used this model for some of his preludes. Southern and central German composers did not follow the sectional model and their preludes remained improvisational in character with little or no strict counterpoint. In the second half of 17th century prelude are being paired with figures in the same key. Preludes were also used by some 20th century composers when writing Baroque-inspired "suites". Such works include Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin (1914/17) and Schoenberg's Suite for piano, Op. 25 (1921/23), both of which begin with an introductory prelude. Ludwig van Beethoven wrote two preludes, Op. 39; each one cycles through all of the major keys of the piano. Evolution of Overture Overture was formulated during the 17th century. As a musical form overture begins with the works of J-B Lully (1911encyclopedia.org). He devised the scheme that constitutes the typical French overture up to the time (1911encyclopedia.org) of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Friderich Handel. This French ouverture consists of a slow introduction in a marked "dotted rhythm" (1911encyclopedia.org), followed by a lively movement in fugato style. The slow introduction was always repeated, and sometimes the quick movement concluded by returning to the slow tempo, (1911encyclopedia.org) usually with new motivic material but occasionally recapitulating the opening, and this combined fast-slow material was sometimes also repeated. The operatic

The World Wide Web Bubble Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The World Wide Web Bubble - Research Paper Example The essay "The World Wide Web Bubble" describes the reasons and consequences of one of the speculative bubbles, which took place within the time period of 1997 to 2000. The venture capitalists found record-setting growth in the internet sector as the dot-com companies were experiencing a meteoric rise in the stock prices and as a result, moving faster with reduced caution than usual. These companies chose to mitigate the risk by the start-up of many contenders and left it up to the market to decide that which would turn out to be successful. The low rate of interest within the period of 1998-99 has helped in increasing the total startup capital amount. Some of these dot-com companies had their business model built in such manner which relied mostly on harnessing their network effects by means of conducting operations at a sustainable net loss for the purpose of building the market share. These companies provided their services or their end products to the customers without any costs. They did this with expectation of building enough brand awareness that would help them to charge profitable rates in future. In the financial market, the stock market bubble means a self-perpetuating increase or downfall in the share prices of the stocks of any industry. The bubble occurs in the financial market when the speculators find that there is a rapid increase in the stock value and they plan to buy the stock with the perception that it would rise in future as well rather than because of the fact that these shares are undervalued. Because of this fact many companies were becoming overvalued (grossly). It is due to this reason that when bubble bursts and the share prices come down drastically, many companies

Role of Creativity in Enhancing the Competitiveness of Unilever Essay

Role of Creativity in Enhancing the Competitiveness of Unilever Company - Essay Example It is the spirit of creativity that has made the company a consumer giant with billions of customers buying its products globally. Creativity Index The global competitiveness report publishes country-wide index of economic creativity that defines how countries through their firms improve their productive activities. Though the index puts most developed countries high in the list (UK is ranked 8th in the competitive list) but crucial thing is that many developing countries are adopting newer ways and technologies and they are fast catching up with developed economies. The index shows how East Asian countries have become more creative to become competitive in several manufacturing processes. That is why it is important for the developed countries to continue with their creative ways to remain competitive globally (Global Competitiveness, 2012). Competitiveness through Creativity– A Unilever Way Unilever strongly believes that creativity can make a strong impact on the organisati on and the company attempts to bring forth creativity through diversity of minds. Unilever, in one of the study to research on creative teams, conducted 100 creative sessions using a questionnaire. Researchers finally received 78 completed questionnaires that had enough information. For our understanding, the problem fields to which study was initiated can be described as per the following. Field: alternatives for product A or think about ingredients for a particular benefit. Field: thinking about next generation product or a format for a new product called Y. Field: solving technical products such as how to improve dispensing of the cream or thinking for new application using a new ingredient. Field: cultural issues such as having more fun at work. Each creative session... This essay presents one of the best examples of the analysis of creativity role in the process of modern management of a company in the globalized world of today. As shown in the essay, creativity plays an important and crucial role in developing and sustaining economic competitiveness of advanced economies. Igniting creativity across all business activities is certainly a big challenge for the management of any firm and Unilever understood the importance of creativity and that is why the company has been able to expand across most parts of the world. It is the creativity that has made the company a consumer giant with billions of customers buying its products globally. The global competitiveness report publishes country-wide index of economic creativity that defines how countries through their firms improve their productive activities. It shows, that developing countries are adopting newer ways and technologies and they are fast catching up with developed economies Unilever strongly believes that creativity can make a strong impact on the organisation and the company attempts to bring forth creativity through diversity of minds. Unilever, in one of the study to research on creative teams, conducted 100 creative sessions using a questionnaire. Creativity helps the company to enhance its competitiveness. In today’s integrated economic world, companies just cannot survive without an all-round creative approach interwoven as the basic culture in the most aspects of the business activities.

Selection of Procurement Strategy

Selection of Procurement Strategy 1.0 INTRODUCTION A major determinant of project success is the selection of the most appropriate procurement strategy which will be used as a frame work to acquire the services of professionals in the industry (Morledge at al, 2006). This report presents the stages that have to be gone through in other to select the best procurement strategy for Janus Leisure plc. Before a suitable project strategy can be selected, there are many variables that need to be considered. However, Masterman (2002) explains that with regards to procurement, only those sub strategies which will have an impact on the ultimate procurement strategy should be considered. He therefore describes the process as consisting of: understanding the client, assessing client objectives, identifying the project constraints including risks and the method of organising the design and construction. These points will therefore form the framework of this report. 1.1 CLIENT Clients in the construction industry are becoming complex in their requirements which has subsequently led to increased client dissatisfaction levels (Latham, 1994). It is therefore essential to identify the type of clients being dealt with as this will have an influence in the choice of procurement method. Based on the categorization of clients by Masterman (2002), Janus leisure plc can be described as a private organisation who generates its funds from its internally business activities and therefore are concerned with profit maximisation wherever possible. Furthermore, we can also say that, the client is an inexperienced client in terms of construction as their main business focus is horse racing. It does not involve in construction activities often and only owns 6 racecourses. However, it is assumed that, the client is very aware of what infrastructure of its business should look like. Finally, we can also say that Janus leisure is a secondary client who requires the building to enable it them house their business activities. This therefore means that construction represents only a small percentage of their annual turn over. 1.2 PROJECT SCOPE The company intends to improve its flagship racecourse at Melchester which hosts the 5000 guineas stakes every year. The proposals are to be undertaken in two phases: Phase I demolition of the existing grandstand the construction of a new 5-storey grandstand to include an extensive conference and exhibition centre (10,000m2 total) and associated external works (budget  £25M) refurbishment of two existing stands circa 100 years old (budget  £5M) Phase II construction of a new 120-bed hotel facility and casino (budget  £12M) to be operational for the 2013 5000 Guineas Stakes meeting in mid-September 1.3 CLIENT OBJECTIVES Janus leisure plc has to consider a number of factors in other to choose the best procurement strategy for the project. To provide guidance for client on their decision of the most appropriate procurement strategy to adopt, Turner (1997) proposed a list of seven factors to consider. Completion time variation complexity quality price certainty price competition management and accountability These will be discussed in detail in the next sub section. Client requirements The objectives and requirements of the client in this report have been categorised under cost, quality and time expectations of the client. They also represent the criteria used by the client in the assessment of the procurement strategies. The following criteria as adopted from Turner (1997) has been established and discussed. Cost Relevance of cost certainty Janus leisure plc is a company which aims at maximising profit wherever possible. It will therefore not intend to spend more than it has budgeted for each section of the development. This implies that, high on the priority of the client is to have a fair idea of how much the project will cost prior to the start of the actual construction. Since the company desires to constantly invest in all of its venues over the coming years. It will therefore be preferable that any strategy chosen should be able to give an idea of the total commitment to be expected, since the project is phased, it means that, this will be a tougher consideration for the first phase but will be achieved to higher degree of accuracy I the second phase Relevance of price competition Janus leisure has a total budget of  £42M for the entire project. With this commitment in mind and a fair certainty of the cost, the client does not really place so much focus on the competition for phase 1. Though Turner (1997) explains that best market price can only be obtained through competition, the client is of the view that factors such as time requirement are of more concern to him and any bid which was around his budget was alright for the first phase. With regard to the second phase, since there will be more time., it is the intention of the client to use competition in other to attain the best price as such therefore any opportunities for price competition will be preferred more. Organisation and accountability It is assumed that the client is fully aware of the fact that, risks go with premiums. However, Janus leisure plc prefers a single point responsibility for the construction of the hotel and will be prepared to pay a premium for that. Clamp et al (2007) argues that leaving both design and construction within one entity could have compromising effects on the quality; however, Janus leisure will prefer to have to deal with just one company in other to eliminate the hassle of lengthy negotiations with many professionals. The client requires that it retains the control for the management of the first phase because it is of more importance to him as he needs it to be ready by 2012. Time Early completion This is a very high priority for the client because they intend to return the 2012 5000 guineas stakes to Melchester. This clearly states that phase 1 should be competed and ready for commissioning before that time. It is known that the duration of the fist phase is short as such early start in needs to ensure early completion. Similarly, with the second phase, it must be completed be 2013. Though this seem to be a longer, advantage should be taken to obtain more competitive while maintaining acceptable standards of quality. Therefore, time is of a higher priority in phase 1 than in phase two Phased requirements The proposed developments are in two phases and should be carried out as such, the duration of the first phase is 2 years which should be ready by mid-September 2012 while that of the second phase is three years and should be completed and ready to use by mid September 2013. As a private client, completion time is of a high priority. Quality Variations Janus leisure plc has been describes as an in experienced client, as such there is the possibility for the client to want to change his mind as the project progresses. Furthermore, the extent of the refurbishment in the first phase cannot be fully envisaged. This implies that, there is an increased possibility of significant variations. However, variations will be minimal in the second phase because, Janus has built some hotels in the past and therefore know what exactly they will want to have in this hotel. It is important to consider variations because they entail high costs and have effects on the construction period and also each procurement method deals differently with variations. Level of prestige Horse racing is a sport that is patronised by a large cross-section of the public as well as wealthy and rich; however, the proposals by Janus leisure does not call for a prestigious design though the requirements of the conferencing, banqueting as well as the hotel should be good and incorporate state-of-the-art technology. Project complexity In terms of complexity during procurement, functionality of the project is not an essential requirement however; complexity of the construction itself and the environmental services is usually very significant (Turner, 1997). The requirements of the project are fairly straightforward as the major requirements were air conditioning and public address systems therefore; complexity is not a great problem in the first phase. With the second phase, more facilities like escalators, lifts and air conditioning facilities will be provided but that notwithstanding, we can say that both faces require a good quality. Risk It is important that any risks to the project are to be effectively managed by the party that is best able to handle them. And every procurement system distributes the risks between the client and contractor (Masterman 2002). Some procurement methods allocate more of the risks to the client and others more to the contractor. Since the client want to control of the first phase, they accept to have the risk even though they will prefer to share them wherever possible. Because the client is quite inexperienced in construction, will prefer to leave to as much of the speculative risk as possible with a single contracting entity though they are aware this might mean payment of premiums for the second phase because it will need time to organize its business activities. 2.0 PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS With respect to the client requirement, four procurement methods have been selected to be appraised because of the peculiar characteristics they have which may be of interest and suitability to the project. They are Traditional method Design and build Management contracting Construction management 2.1 TRADITIONAL METHOD This method is referred to by some authors and researchers as the separated system and it is the oldest form of procurement (Masterman, 2002). It is characterised by the separation between the design and the construction phases and therefore offers multiple points of responsibility (Oyegoke et al ,2009). The client first appoints consultants who will be responsible for the design, cost control and contract administration. Once the design in complete, the client and his team invites tenders from suitable contractors and eventually appoints one of them who will be responsible for carrying out the works. There is therefore direct contractual relationship between the client and the consultants and also between the client and the contractor. The contractor is responsible for all the workmanship and materials including work by sub-contractors and suppliers (Clamp et al, 2007). In some cases, the client could novate subcontractors or suppliers with whom the main contractor will have legal c ontracts. The figure below shows the contractual relations of this system. Fig 1: Contractual relationship; The Traditional Procurement Method (Morledge et al 2006) Use of Traditional method of procurement According to Murdoch and Hughes (2008), following the criteria developed by the Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT 1988), the following are a proposed a list of instances which traditional method is most suitable. The employer has caused the design to be prepared and for the purposes of the building contract takes responsibility for it. The employers designer is sufficiently experienced to co-ordinate and lead the design team and to manage the interface between design and production. The design is substantially complete when the contractor is selected. An independent quantity surveyor will be used to plan and control the financial aspects of the project The contractor is selected on the basis of the contractors estimate and carries the risk that the estimate may be wrong. The employer reserves the right to select sub-contractors for certain parts of the work. ‘Prime cost sums including employer-selected sub-contracts, do not form the major proportion of the contract sum. The employers agents feel that it is important to use an acceptable negotiated form to ensure a fair and familiar distribution of risk. The employer makes no explicit choice and the advisors do not raise the issue. Suitability With regard to the requirement of the client, the traditional method will be very suitable with regard to price certainty which is high on the priority of the client for the first phase. This is because designs will be completely finished and bills of quantities produced which will be priced by tendering contractors. As such, Janus will know its financial commitment to a high degree of accuracy before the start of the project. However, the problem will be whether there is enough time for full designs to be produced followed by tendering before actual construction starts. This is a concern because completion time is equally of high priority to the client and so the traditional method might not be so suitable in that regard. The traditional methods is also one of the best ways to secure best market price as there is competition between tendering firms, however, since competition is not high on the priority of Janus leisure plc for the fist phase, the second phase will take advantage of that. Since variation is to be expected in the project during the first phase, the traditional method will allow, Janus leisure, a flexibility of mind until when the tender documents are prepared for bidding. After this, changes in specification might be very costly and time wasting. It will be suitable for the second phase as well because variation is expected to be even lower. Janus leisure will not be favoured in terms of his accountability requirements for the second phase because Oyegoke et al (2009) explains that this system introduces multiple points of responsibility. 2.2 DESIGN AND BUILD This system is characterised by the integration of the design and construction phases. Masterman (2002) explains that, the commonly used integrated system is the design and build method however there are other variants such as novated design and build, develop and construct, package deal and turn key projects. Within this report, only the design and build variant is considered. The approach leaves full responsibility of the design and construction with a single organisation: the contractor. Rashid et al (2006) explains that, the selection of the most suitable contractor is based on the brief and the specification given by the client at the time of bidding. In effect, the contractor has the total responsibility for all the works, co-ordination and integration of the whole process as well as appointment of any consultants, specialists or subcontractors (Murdoch and Hughes, 2008). Figure 2.2 shows the contractual relation with this system. Fig 2 Contractual relationship: The Design and Build system (Morledge et al 2006) Use of the design and build method According to Murdoch and Hughes (2008), there are some characteristics of a project which determine whether the design and build method will be suitable for a particular project, theses are listed below: The clients familiarity with construction(experience) The relative importance of client priorities (time, cost, function, quality, value for money etc.) The technical complexity of the project The need to make variations to requirements as work proceeds The patterns of responsibility and communication The need for an early start on site. Suitability With regard to the requirements of Janus leisure plc, this method will be suitable in regard to project completion time because of the integration of the construction and design phases will make the project faster, furthermore, since there is a lump sum fixed price for the bespoke design and construction (Masterman, 2002) the client will equally have high degree of price certainty prior to the start of the project. This method will be suitable because for the client in the second phase in terms of his risk allocation requirement as most to the risk will tend to be with the contractor however, it may not be suitable for the first because the client wants to retain more control. Also, design and build will be suitable for the client because the client will only have one contractual relation with the contractor which will march his responsibility criteria. However many researchers including Masterman (2002) and Turner (1997) have argued that since both design and construction are left w ith the contracting firm, there could be possible compromises in the quality expectation in terms of both design and more importantly workmanship and materials, I will also argue that since the client will give a comprehensive brief with little variation for the second phase, this should not be a big problem. It is again worthy to note that the system will not particularly be suited to the variation requirement of Janus leisure plc for the first phase. The criteria established the possibilities of variations as the project progresses, especially in the first phase but the design and build system freezes excessive variation at an early stage when the contract is signed and any changes after that will tend to cost the client lots of money and time. Fortunately, Janus is already aware of this. Again, leaving both the design and construction on the contractor means leaving more risks with him and this will involve payment of premiums as such. 2.3 MANAGEMENT CONTRACTING This is a method of procurement in which the management contractor is paid a fee by the client to manage the whole building process and therefore has direct contractual relations with all the works contractors (Morledge at al, 2006). The management contractor advices on the buildability of the designs as well as value management during the design. The construction works are let out in packages therefore there is early start with this method. The management contractor does not take part in the actual construction but provide preliminaries for the project. The figure below shows the contractual relation with the management contracting form of procurement. Fig 3.Contractual relationship: Management contracting (Morledge et al 2006) Use of Management contracting Murdoch and Hughes propose a list developed by the Joint Contract Tribunal (JCT, 1987a) which indicates suitable circumstances in which to use Management contracting. The list is as follows: The employer wishes the design to be carried out by an independent architect and design team There is a need for early completion The project is fairly large The project requirements are complex The project entails, or might entail, changing the employers requirements during the building period The employer requiring early completion wants the maximum possible competition in respect of the price for the building works. Suitability This system of procurement is desirable in respect of the client priorities of completion time because of the overlap between design and construction, furthermore, as the work will be let out in packages, competition, though not of a high priority to the client, can be used to attain best price. Under this procurement method, the client will also be able to have a fair certainty of the price before the start of the project. The system will also be suitable in terms of the variation requirements of the client for the first phase because the full design is co-ordinated and developed by the client and his team, as such there is much room for flexibility until that package has been let out on contract. With this procurement system, much of the speculative risk is with the client while works contractors take just a little (Clamp et al, 2007) as such this will be acceptable for the first phase but not quite meet the expectation of Janus leisure for the second phase as they prefer to leave much of the speculative risks with the contracting firm. 2.4 CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT With this procurement system, the client appoints the construction manager on the basis of a fee to manage, prepare and co-ordinate the design and construction as well as advising the design team on the buildability of the design (Morledge et al, 2006) as such the client does not allocate risk and responsibility to a single firm because the works are subsequently let out to packages contractors who are in direct contractual relation with the client. The contractual relation with this procurement type is shown below. Fig 4 Contractual relationship: Construction management (Morledge et al 2006) Use of Construction management According to Murdoch and Hughes (2000) Construction management is suitable when the characteristics of the project fulfils in part or whole of the following: The employer is familiar with construction, and knows some or all of the professional team. The risks associated with the project are dominated by timeliness and cost (e.g. the employer may be a private sector employer requiring a commercial building). The project is technologically complex involving diverse technologies and sub-systems. The employer wants to make minor variations to requirements, as the project proceeds. There is scope for separating responsibility for design from responsibility for management of the project. The employer requires an early start on site. The price needs to be competitive, but ‘value for money is more important than simply securing the least possible cost. Suitability This procurement method similar characteristics with the management contract variant, however, there are some differences. The completion time requirements, variation requirement and quality requirements is the same as in the management contracting. However, this system leaves virtually on all the risk on the contractor: a trait which will not suit the requirement of Janus leisure plc. Furthermore, the is no certainty of price as the system works with target sum but advantage can be taken of price competition as the packages are let out to package contractors. Another point worthy on mentioning is that, this method will not particularly suit the responsibility requirement of Janus leisure, who prefer to have to deal with just one contractor. 2.5 RISK SHARING This determines the apportionment of the risks that occur to the party that is able to handle it more adequately than the other. Some procurement methods allocate more of the risks to the client and others more to the contractor, Janus leisure plc is willing to accept some of the risk provided they will be able to foresee it before it occurs for the first phase but will prefer to leave much risk on the contracting firm fro the second phase. The different procurement methods have limits to which the client can tranfer risk. A speculative risk chart according to the different procurement methods can be seen below table 1 : Speculative risk (Clamp et al., 2007) 3.0 SELECTION PROCESS The aim of the selection process is to accurately identify the best procurement route which meets and satisfies the client requirements best (Masterman, 2002). The tables below shows the results of the assessment criteria for the two phases of the project Table 2 priority checklist for phase 1 Table 3priority checklist for phase 2 3.2 PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS FOR PHASE 1 Based on the rating on table 2 and the clients success criteria, the management contracting procurement system has been recommended to be used in the execution of phase 1 Reasons for recommendation It has been established already that time is crucial to the first phase of the developments, as such, this procurement system is suitable because it allows construction to start early once a work section has been completely designed, for example, immediately the foundation are fully designed, the client and his team can give that part out on contract as the designed is continued. The client still retains full control of responsibility of the design as the construction goes on, so since Janus indicates the possibility of variations this will be very much accommodated while the management contractor contributes to the buildability of the designs. The client and his team will also have the chance to select materials and techniques in other to achieve the standard it requires which still reduces maintenance costs. 3.3 PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS FOR PHASE 2 Based on the critical analysis of the critical factors of success for the project as well as the adoption of the table 3 above, the competitive design and build system of procurement has been chosen for the construction of phase 2. Reasons for recommendation The client rates time as important as such, since the contractor is in charge of both the design and construction, there will be an early start of the project on site which will guarantee completion to schedule. However, since the responsibility of the design will be that of the contractor, the client will have to provide a good brief to the contractor in other to eliminate any confusion. This will be required to a great extent so that variations will be reduced to the barest minimum. The design and build procurement method is also best for the phase because the entire of design and construction has been shifted to the client and this suit Janus as a client thought the implication is the likelihood for an increased cost. The client is satisfied with this option because he will have enough time for his own business activities Also, since Janus does not require direct professional accountability for the design and consultants for the second phase, this system proves to be very suitable because the design and build system leaves the entire accountability between the contractor and his team and Janus only has a single contract with the main contractor Janus requires a high degree of price certainty before the start of the construction and the design and build system offers this. Moreover since the requirements indicated that the project is not so complex in terms of technical advancement, the system will be adequate and certain to deliver a product of good quality and workmanship. Finally, the adoption of the competitive variant of the design and build procurement system will give the client and his team the chance to select the best bid from the contractors as a result of the tenders that will be submitted based on the client brief. 3.3 ORGANIZATIONS TO BE COMMISSIONED The consultants to be commissioned for the first phase are as follows: Management Contractor: Engaged very early in the project to provide expert knowledge to other consultants on the constructability of the designs. Architect: Prepares all the necessary architectural designs in accordance with the clients brief and with the management contractor Quantity Surveyor: Carry out feasibility studies, prepare cost estimates and cost plans in conjunction with the designs. Also carry out interim valuations for payment to works contractors, in conjunction with the management contractor. Engineers: Prepare the structural, mechanical and electrical engineering drawings to be priced by the quantity surveyor and form part of the contract documents for executing the works. For the second phase, the client needs to contract a design and build contractor who will be in charge of both design and construction of the facility 4.0 CONCLUSION The proposals by Janus leisure plc have been thoroughly examined and discussed, going through the range of procurement methods and applying the table by CRT, it has been recommended that for a successful execution of the clients developmental proposals, management contracting should be adopted for the first phase while design and build is adopted for the construction of the hotel in the second phase. However, it must be stated that, the success of the project does not only depend on the procurement method used but also on the efficiency of the consultants and the contractors used. Therefore the client should be methodical in the approach for selecting the professionals for the execution of the work.

The Apology and the Republic Essay -- Philosophy Socrates Plato

Socrates was a renowned philosopher in the ancient Grecian times. His peak was around the Peloponnesian War, when the Spartans defeated the Athenians and ended the Golden Age. The reason Socrates is one of histories most famous philosophers is largely due to Plato's writings. Two of Plato's famous works include The Apology and The Republic, both written about Socrates' views about the so called "wise philosophers" of his time. The two works hold unique views about government, as well as opening the eyes of the Grecian people to the world as they knew it. In the Apology, Socrates was told by the Delphic Oracle that there was nobody wiser than him. With ancient Greece having been a prominent home of philosophy and art since before Socrates' time, the Athenian court found his proclamation both insulting and hard to believe. Socrates goes through great lengths to find the wisest of men and seeing if their reputations are in fact true. He hoped to find a man wiser than him to prove the oracles prediction was false, even Socrates failed to believe he was the wisest man. He first went to a man that seemed wise. After he spoke with him Plato quotes "I came to see that, though many persons, and chiefly himself, thought that he was wise, yet he was not wise."(77) With his certainty that Socrates was wiser, the man was insulted and hated Socrates for derailing his intelligence. Socrates then goes to another wise man, but is again let down. He still believes he is wiser. Convinced that he would not find a more intelligent man amongst wise m en, he then questioned the more "educated people", such as poets and artisans. According to Plato, Socrates says "I imagine, they find a great abundance of men who think that they know a great... ...litical figure came close to challenging Socrates' unique philosophical plan. In the Republic, Socrates' ideas of how ignorant a democracy is, is portrayed in the Apology when Socrates' proclamation resulted in death. A democracy is supposed to be about individuality and freedom, however it was contradicted when Socrates was put to death because he had ideas for a better system of ruling. He wanted a ruler to be somebody who would see truth, not shunning certain ideas and keeping others solely because it is not understood. These ideas are portrayed in both excerpts. Plato opened the eyes of many up and coming philosophers and shaped governments around the world with his teachings. The Apology and the Republic succeeded in that they spread his teachings, releasing a more truthful way of coping with societies problems rather than shunning ideas as a whole. The Apology and the Republic Essay -- Philosophy Socrates Plato Socrates was a renowned philosopher in the ancient Grecian times. His peak was around the Peloponnesian War, when the Spartans defeated the Athenians and ended the Golden Age. The reason Socrates is one of histories most famous philosophers is largely due to Plato's writings. Two of Plato's famous works include The Apology and The Republic, both written about Socrates' views about the so called "wise philosophers" of his time. The two works hold unique views about government, as well as opening the eyes of the Grecian people to the world as they knew it. In the Apology, Socrates was told by the Delphic Oracle that there was nobody wiser than him. With ancient Greece having been a prominent home of philosophy and art since before Socrates' time, the Athenian court found his proclamation both insulting and hard to believe. Socrates goes through great lengths to find the wisest of men and seeing if their reputations are in fact true. He hoped to find a man wiser than him to prove the oracles prediction was false, even Socrates failed to believe he was the wisest man. He first went to a man that seemed wise. After he spoke with him Plato quotes "I came to see that, though many persons, and chiefly himself, thought that he was wise, yet he was not wise."(77) With his certainty that Socrates was wiser, the man was insulted and hated Socrates for derailing his intelligence. Socrates then goes to another wise man, but is again let down. He still believes he is wiser. Convinced that he would not find a more intelligent man amongst wise m en, he then questioned the more "educated people", such as poets and artisans. According to Plato, Socrates says "I imagine, they find a great abundance of men who think that they know a great... ...litical figure came close to challenging Socrates' unique philosophical plan. In the Republic, Socrates' ideas of how ignorant a democracy is, is portrayed in the Apology when Socrates' proclamation resulted in death. A democracy is supposed to be about individuality and freedom, however it was contradicted when Socrates was put to death because he had ideas for a better system of ruling. He wanted a ruler to be somebody who would see truth, not shunning certain ideas and keeping others solely because it is not understood. These ideas are portrayed in both excerpts. Plato opened the eyes of many up and coming philosophers and shaped governments around the world with his teachings. The Apology and the Republic succeeded in that they spread his teachings, releasing a more truthful way of coping with societies problems rather than shunning ideas as a whole.

Differences Between Austria and India

My chosen countries are India and Austria. In this paper I will try to find the similar and dissimilar things of these countries. These two countries are very different. Austria is located in Europe, when India’s location is Asia. First of all I would like to present Austria’s and India’s nature. Austria is terrestrial land. This country has no access to the sea but with India everything is in different way. India has access not to the sea, but to the ocean. These two countries have one similar thing – the mountains. In Austria the mountains are called Alps and in India – Himalays. The climate in Austria is continental, the same as in other countries of Europe. In this country there are four seasons in the year. India’s climate is tropical, and it has only three seasons per year. Austria’s landscape is full of hills, woods and rivers. India’s landscape contains of deserts, jungles and flatlands. So here we can see big differences between my chosen countries. Secondly I would like to present the culture of these countries. Austria is famous by compositors, writers and painters which are known in whole world. In this country there are many theaters, cinemas, shopping centers, museums, galleries and other cultural objects. People in Austria are very businesslike. Many of them most time in the week wears formal clothes. Most of the Austria's population is registered as Roman Catholic by religion. India is very religious country. Everything in India is based on religion. Indian people are very hospitable. Even if they don’t have anything to eat, their guests will never be left hungry. The respect for elders is a major fact in Indian culture. The traditional dress of India is called sari. This dress can be worn by all local festivals. India's diversity is visible in its languages, religions, dance, music, architecture and customs. By the culture India and Austria are very dissimilar, because their history and all traditions came from different ancestries. The third comparisons object is food. Austrian cooking is one of the most varied in Europe and includes German, Hungarian, Czech, and northern Italian dishes. A typical breakfast is coffee or milk with bread and butter or jam. Also they usually eat sausage served with mustard on a hard roll. Lunch is usually the main meal of the day and consists of soup and a main course of meat-sausage, chicken, beef, pork or fish. The best known traditional Austrian foods include Wiener Schnitzel and various elaborate cakes. Indian food is different from rest of the world not only in taste but also in cooking methods. Every single spice used in Indian dishes has purpose not for the taste but also in medicine range. All Indian food is dealt to four categories: East Indian, West Indian, South Indian and North Indian. Indians are always using rice, vegetables, garlic, milk and lots of spices in food preparation. It is not common for Indians to keep leftover food, if it is bought or made in one day it is consumed that same day. In Austria many people make food for at least two days, because they are to busy to make it everyday. Austria and India are very different; including climate, culture and food they have nothing in common.

The Little Prince Quote Analysis Essay Example

The Little Prince Quote Analysis Essay Example The Little Prince Quote Analysis Paper The Little Prince Quote Analysis Paper Essay Topic: The Prince Quote 1: â€Å"When you’re finished washing and dressing each morning, you must tend to your planet. † The Little Prince’s planet could be a metaphor for a number of things. My interpretation is that the Little Prince living on his own little planet is equal to a person that lives in their mind, or in â€Å"their own little world†. So really I view the little planet as a smaller simpler view of the world. And when I apply that perspective to this quote, it takes on a whole new meaning. The Little Prince spends a few minutes each day tearing up the baobabs that grow on his planet. As a metaphor, this seems to me to be akin to meditation, or something similar. At least a few minutes each day, I suppose, should be spent in the mind, sorting out one’s thoughts and pulling up the baobabs. If you spend too much time outside your little world in the adult world, there is a good chance that the baobabs will grow too large and outgrow your little world. Quote 2: â€Å"Only children know what they’re looking for†¦ They spend their time on a rag doll and it becomes very important, and if it’s taken away from them, they cry†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Children possess a certain view of things that most adults don’t understand. A child’s focus is very narrow. The child only sees the here and the now, and throws all of his focus upon it. When the child is given the rag doll, he focuses on the rag doll, and begins to understand it. The rag doll becomes meaningful to him. That is why the child cries when the rag doll is taken away. For that moment the rag doll was his entire world, and his entire world was taken away in an instant. As the child matures and becomes an adult, he learns new things and his point of view broadens. If an adult is given a rag doll, he won’t understand it as the child does. He has a job and a car and a girlfriend, so a rag doll does not matter to him. It’s silly for him to be given a rag doll. The adult does not focus on just one thing at a time as the child does. He looks at the broader picture and decides that the here and now is not so important. Furthermore, when the child cries after the rag doll is taken away, the adult cannot understand why. He does not understand the child’s point of view because he does not understand the child. And perhaps he doesn’t understand the child because he compares the child to other things. The adults always try to look at the big picture, but maybe the big picture would be easier to look at if they only look at one part at a time. Quote 3: â€Å"When I was a little boy, the Christmas-tree lights, the music of midnight mass, the tenderness of people’s smiles made up†¦ the whole radiance of the Christmas present I received. † A point repeated by the author and portrayed nicely in this quote is that tangible things are valueless. It is the experiences surrounding them that make them important. An example is the narrator and the Little Prince’s journey to the well. Had the well been closer to his crash site, it would not have tasted as sweet because the experience surrounding it would not have existed. In fact, by the well being in such close proximity, the narrator’s entire experience would have held much less meaning. But because he had to work and struggle for the well and the repair of his plane, it made the water, and his survival, all the sweeter. Many adults want money and power, but many will not accept the fact that money and power must be earned, and that the money and power does not seem worth it without having worked to achieve it.

Introduction to German Prepositions

Introduction to German Prepositions A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of a noun or a pronoun to some other word in the sentence. Some examples of such words in German are mit (with), durch (through), fà ¼r (for), seit (since). The key points to remember when using a preposition (Prposition) in a German sentence are: Key Takeaways: German Prepositions The noun/pronoun that the preposition modifies will always be in the accusative, dative or genitive case.Prepositions are unchangeable other than prepositional contractions in which prepositions are combined with definite articles to form a single word (for example, auf das becomes aufs and vor dem becomes vorm.)Most prepositions are placed before the noun/pronoun they modify. Learning prepositions may seem like entering a battlefield. True, prepositions are one of the trickier elements of German grammar, but once youve mastered the cases that go with each preposition, your battle is half won. The other half of the battle is knowing which preposition to use. For instance, the English preposition to can be translated into at least six different ways in German. Prepositional Cases There are three prepositional cases: the accusative, the dative, and the genitive. There is also a group of prepositions that can take on either the accusative or dative case, depending on the meaning of the sentence. Commonly used prepositions such as durch, fà ¼r, um always take on the accusative, whereas other common prepositions such as bei, mit, von, zu will always take the dative case. On the other hand, prepositions in the dual-prepositions group (also called two-way prepositions) such as an, auf, in will take on the accusative case if they can answer the question where to an action or object is going, whereas these same prepositions will take on the dative case, if they describe where the action is taking place.

Any artist from 1940-1970 and write about it Essay

Any artist from 1940-1970 and write about it - Essay Example This essay looks into some of the famous works of John Lennon and how they impacted on society in his time. In spite of the fact that he was a rich, influential and famous celebrity, he got out of his cocoon to become a peace activist who used his music to preach about peace and love. Most celebrities during this period failed to use music to spread peace that was much required during this time. John Lennon used his celebrity status to share his ideas on how he felt the world ought to have been (Hayden 7). All that he aspired to do was to spread the peace campaign across the globe and that is all that he dedicated his time to. His passion and talent appealed to numerous peace activists during this time to support his course. One of his notable songs ‘Imagine’ became the anthem for the socialist movement during this time. This song reached the highest number of people and appealed to activists world over. The song topped popular music charts during this period (Smith and Timothy 17). The song was catchy and contained a powerful message of peace. The lyrics stated â€Å"Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say that Im a dreamer, but Im not the only one. I hope someday youll join us and the world will be as one† (Hayden 43).This song meant that if it all peace could be achieved, it had to start with our imagination. The artist was confident of the fact that he was not alone in his peace campaign and if others joined in, his imagination would eventually become a reality. The song was calling upon all people around the globe to come together and establish a world that if fit for everyone to live in, one that does not focus on religious and racial differences. He envisioned world without war or ownership of private property (Hayden 33). The song emphasized on the fact that we should share the world in the spirit of brotherhood. In fact, some people wondered

End of World War Two and Collapse of Soviet Communism Essay

End of World War Two and Collapse of Soviet Communism - Essay Example It is said or believed that world war two came to an end due to the surrender of the axis powers of which consisted of Germany and other countries that also fell on that bracket. The allies used all the possible means of ensuring that the war came to an end. The allies managed to outthink the Axis power because they were many and received support from other countries that were economically stable and powerful. Though the Axis power was very much power, the allies managed to out through their power due to the large masses or number of people that they could not manage to control. They also found support from other states that managed to support them by giving them the superior Weapons. There are those powerful countries that had been dormant for several years due to certain restrictions such as the doctrine that governed their states. It is therefore through the broken silence of these countries that the allies got privileged because all these countries turned against the Axis powers and gave the necessary support to the allies. The end of communism dint happen abruptly, it is something that happened slowly and gradually .it took some time and slowly but surely more people in East Europe started hating it and its oppressive nature.The very first cases of the rejection of communism begun in east-central Europe and one by one all those countries from that said region came out of the soviet union. More countries looked at the new set up that Gorbachev had put in place and they didn't like it.Gorbachev didn't want to use force anymore lest people criticized him and looked down at what he had achieved.No attempts of bringing back sanity among those countries of central and Eastern Europe happened since they were in charge of their own countries.Gorbachev had no power nor moral authority.