Social Media Paper Essay Essay Example for Free

Social Media Paper Essay Essay The advantage of obtaining information easily is to have the information fast and without a hassle. Before the Internet people had to request information from other sources by mail. In return the information would take up to a month before they could receive a response. A different method would be to research. Students would visit a nearby library to research for a school project. The disadvantage with obtaining information easily is that not all information will be creditable. People need to put in practice a basic skill to think critically. This way the information been request over the Internet will be narrow down to your needs. Thinking critically will help to find reliable sources and the sources will be creditable. The advantage of social media is no News and Media the world will not work properly for so long. The news provides a real life image of the world around us. The media helps us to know and grow with our knowledge. We learn to think critically to search for information in Internet, newspapers, and all sources of media. If media would disappear no one will know what is happening in their country and the world. People will be surprise if a natural disaster would happen in their community or city. The disadvantage of social media is people lose interest in the real world because of social networking. Another disadvantage is that people’s attention span shortens due to the lack of thinking critically. People now a day does prefer to stay in doors to do social networking like Face book, Twitter, and YouTube. They lose interest in knowing about their daily activities. Knowing these advantages and disadvantages can alter the way people can use social media because they would use this source to hack computers and have access to sensible information. Other people use social media like Face book with cyber bullying. A few people will use this social media to find old high school friends, and college friends. This source also helps reunite family friends and find friends and family. The credibility issues that can rise from information found on the Internet are trustworthy, bias and conflict of  interest. People need to check for trustworthy information. Is the source reliabl e? How many reviews has this source received? People will need to learn how to avoid having a bias mentality in regards to their reading. They need to read and learn from both sides of stories to maintain a neutral side and make the appropriate decisions.

Management of Risk in an Organisation

Management of Risk in an Organisation As the central point of contact, and as the individual with both responsibility and accountability for the successful delivery of a project, it is the job of the project manager to put into place the necessary safeguards for the management of risk; safeguards which will help to uphold the anticipated value of the project. Before all of this, however, a project manager must grasp the notion that projects exist only to promote and benefit an organisation and that, by this logic, the value of a project is defined by the way in which the project accomplishes the business objectives. The value of projects can also be highlighted by the way in which they themselves extract value from opportunity by the carefully managed application of resources.[1] Academics argue that current performance is the best predictor of future performance and that using the trends in data it is possible to forecast risks such as budget variance or scheduling issues at an early stage in any project. Earned Value is one of the most comprehensive trend analysis techniques and is one way in which project managers can monitor a project. Basically, EV requires the manager to monitor the project plan, the actual work completed and the work completed value to check whether the project is on track. The EV trend analysis helps to indicate how much of budget/time should have been spent at any given stage and allows a comparison with actual work done to date. EV is different to the usual budget v actual cost incurred model because it requires the cost of work in progress to be quantified. This allows for a comparison of actual v expected in terms of work completion.[2] Where an organisation has failed to prepare to receive and apply the project deliverables the project manager must take control and formally verify all the information needed to fully understand the project and its expected deliverables. This requires a specific type of input and the project manager must determine the key players within the organisation. It is vital to the success of the project that the project sponsor is known to the project manager, and that the project sponsor takes on the role of ‘champion’ for the project. The project manager must also identify the stakeholders in order that each stakeholder’s precise expectations can be identified and managed. It is advisable for the project manager to establish a project repository: a place where all important documentation can be gathered together – this can be done manually, or can be an online document management system. In any EV system, there is a need for a benefits manager, too – and t his is usually the PS. The benefits manager ensures, through the process of KPI measurement and investment recovery to measure the attainment of the project. A project which attains its projected value is a project which delivers operationally against the business case.[3] In order to ensure that the project sponsor and manager understand the purpose of the project and its linkage to strategy, other projects and operations within the organisation, a project charter, or S.O.W., should be created. The charter formally recognises the existence of the project within the organisation and identifies the sponsor, manager and stakeholders and their respective responsibilities. The project objectives are clearly laid down, as is the scope of the project. In order to ensure the success of any project, the project manager must ensure that the objectives are SMART, and that the objectives are accompanied by a list of specific deliverables as well as any explicit exclusions.[4] The charter must provide a completion date as well as the completion project budget. The project sponsor must sign the charter as this indicates that s/he will provide the necessary funds and support to complete the project.[5] It is then vital for the project manager to identify the core team who will work on the project and to hold a kick-off meeting, at which the project sponsor should be in attendance: this will help demonstrate their support for the project as well as provide them with an opportunity to contextualise the project with regards the mission and strategies of the organisation. It is important for the organisation that the project manager identifies other team commitments that may exist within the core team, and that commitment is obtained from the resource providers.[6] The first stage in managing risk in any project is to ensure that, once the project manager has been appointed, regardless of whether the organisation has prepared itself to receive and apply deliverables, a WBS is undertaken. The WBS allows the project leader to work with the core team to identity the key stages of the project and once identified to task board these stages into a logical sequence. Generally the key stage id entification is undertaken at around level 2, in terms of detail, however, with an EV system the project manager must assign a budget to each work package. It is then essential to chart the dependencies that can be identified and at this stage this is generally done using a logic diagram.[7] The WBS, then, is simply a convenient way to present this work in a graphical manner but it is important to note that the WBS itself does not show dependencies other than at key stages and that it is not time based. It is also a dynamic tool which can be updated depending upon need. It may even be useful to add tasks for the project manager into the WBS since if the project managers’ time is being charged against the project this enables the manager to track their activities against the plan. Under the EV system, the WBS allows the project manager to monitor the earning of each work package against planned value and accord variance to plan, where necessary, in the case of creep.[8] Resources must then be assigned to the project and it is important for the project manager to consider who and what might be needed in order to make the project a success and to meet the value anticipated by the sponsor; the actual availability of staff; the manner in which any deficit in resources may be covered if they are not readily available when required; and whether any unresolved constraints with resources may cause creep.[9] When all of this has been identified and resources assigned the project manager must draw up a project task worksheet and people this. If it is thought to be too early in the project to produce a detailed allocation of tasks, it is equally feasible to allocate responsibilities for key stages and to identify a key stage owner who takes ownership over all the responsibilities of that stage. The benefit of the EV system is that the project manager can report to the PS with more confidence and can generally spot creep early on.[10] It is then the role of the project manager to create a realistic project plan or schedule and the manager must bear the following considerations in mind: the WBS to the task level; the specification of people to tasks; the dependencies between and amongst tasks, successor activities and potential slippage and the completion date for each task (in consultation with individuals).[11] The problem with much of the above is that is requires a great deal of estimation in terms of the duration of each activity and this can make the TPT projection difficult. It is important to build in contingencies to quantify the extent of uncertainty in the estimation process. The major portion of all project costs is frequently the time expended so it is important to schedule full team members at 3.5-4.0 productive working days per week; to include management time, where appropriate, as an additional 10%; avoid splitting tasks between individuals when planning; allow time for cross-functional data transfer and response and include contingencies at all levels of planning. It is possible to take an alternative method when planning estimations, particularly if the project is to take place over more than a couple of months. Rather than prepare estimates on the basis of individuals and seeking advanced agreement of commitments; the plan can be developed on the basis of some resources wo rking full time on the project. This is usually done on the basis of what is known as single person dependencies (SPD) so that each piece of work is given a duration based on how long it will take if one person carries out the work, assigned full-time to the job and with no other commitments. This helps to create a common baseline. So for example, a part of a project with an SPD estimate of 8 days can be completed with: one person full-time; two people at 50% capacity; four people at 35% capacity. In practice, however, the more people who get involved the less effective the capacity becomes, so 2 people will need 55% capacity and 4 people around 35% capacity and so on.[12] In order to deliver the value of any project, it is necessary to go much further than the above, in the planning stages. Thus far we have discussed simply the basics of the planning process, but to try and fully manage risk, a project manager must implement advanced planning techniques. There are two popular methods of indicating and tracking task completions: the Gantt chart and the PERT chart. The PERT method allows for the planning of critical paths and is based on representing project activities by nodes which contain essential information calculated to show the flow of data through its various paths in the logic diagram. The PERT method allows for an indication of the earliest start time and the latest start time, and conversely for such finish times. The advantage of this method is that it shows predecessor and successor activities and allows for the imposing of constraints with the start-to-start or finish-to-finish relationships between activities. Forced delay can be imposed using a lag between the start and finish of predecessor activity and the start or finish of one or more successor activities. The forced start or lead is used to start a successor activity before the predecessor activity is completed.[13] The Gantt chart allows the project manager to take all of the information derived from the above steps and display it so that the core team can understand it! The chart allows the project manager to show a listing of key stages of the project, their duration and the key stage owner. The Gantt chart also allows the project manager to build in float time, the limit of which is the limit of the work if the schedule is not to be threatened and possibly extend the project. Any critical activities will have zero float. Dependency links can also be shown on the Gantt chart as should milestones, project meetings and project reviews. The total float which the project manager can calculate from the analysis of the PERT diagram etc. provides the Gantt chart a range of capabilities as a decision-processing tool. It allows the project manager to decide when a piece of work should start or whether it can be broken up into smaller sections. As the project manager knows the float time available they are able to take a decision as to the feasibility of delaying the start slightly or delaying as late as possible. The real value of this is that it allows the project manager to establish ‘what if’ scenarios. High risk areas can be identified easily and can be examined for the impact of any serious slippage. This allows the project manager to make the necessary contingency plans. The logic of such processes allow the project manager to enter into neutral dialogue when organisational, market or political pressure for a ‘pushback’ receives a negative response from the project sponsor. At this planning stage it is also necessary to estimate the cost of each activity and this usually includes people’s time, overheads and materials used. This provides the project manager with a total project cost which becomes the project operating budget (plus an allowance for contingencies). To be effective, the budget has to be time-phrased for each level of the project plan with accurate estimates of costs. In practice, the project manager will achieve this through the WBS. To manage risk, it is vital that any operating budget contains a contingency to cover unknowns: this is nominally a 10% variance. Once the budget has been established it is the job of the project manager to undertake const control which requires the manager to pay constant attention to the cost consciousness of all those involved in the project; company standards and the change control system. Cost control usually focuses on the value of the work completed (ACWP) at any time and compares it to the actua l cost of the work in terms of the originally predicted costs in the operating budget (BCWS/BCWP).[14] It is vital that the project manager accepts that not everything will go to plan so it is prudent to ensure that due consideration is given to an assessment of all possible risks to the project and the necessary contingencies that may be required. Risk can be defined as a function of three variables: an event that could disturb the project, the probability that such an event will happen and the impact of such an event happening. When a risk becomes a reality it is known as an issue. Once the risks have been assessed the project manager must constantly monitor risk to ensure that when it arises it is controlled. Controlling risks means that the successful project manager should be able to allocate responsibility for action; monitor and report actions and monitor valid risks for change. This is continuous phase throughout the PLC, and because it involves a significant amount of analysis should be documented through a risk status log. This should be reviewed at intervals (generally mont hly) and risks must be reviewed and updated. Using the Gantt chart and the WBS ensures that if things do start to go wrong it is possible to undertake an impact analysis of the consequences of issues arising, and provides the project manager with the necessary information to take informed decisions regarding the action needed to mitigate slippage. [15] The project manager should also ensure that they undertake a certain amount of communication planning. Poor communication can hinder the progress of projects and can result in unnecessary risks. The project manager must work out the number of communication channels, especially in large projects, for example with 7 core members in a team there are 21 channels. The project plan should, therefore, detail who needs information; why they need it; what information they need; when they need it; the way it should presented; and when the core team should meet to discuss project status etc. Routine status reports can take the form of simple memo.[16] Another very important part of managing risk is having an effective change control process. Scope creep can drive a project schedule and budget over an approved baseline and so it is important for project managers to have the appropriate mindset when dealing with the possibility of change. The most basic change control process ought to include: the submission of change requests to the project manager via a change request form; the logging of change request; an assessment by the core team of the impact of the change – when this has been done the impact of the change is then discussed with the individual who requested the change, as often, when the impact is known the request is withdrawn. If the change request is not withdrawn, the proposed change is discussed with the PS and the customer, and is either approved or disapproved and the requester is notified, as are stakeholders. The change is then incorporated into the project plan and the deliverables.[17] This then is the basic methodology which allows project managers to deliver value through all stages of a project life cycle, and to carry out the project in accordance with both the objectives and strategies laid down by the organisation[18]. The success of the project manager is directly measured through the perceived results in each dimension of the project, and in order to achieve this attainment, the project manager needs to achieve these results with and through others.[19] Bibliography Augustine, N. Managing Projects and Programs. Boston. Harvard. 1989 Cleland. D, King, W. Systems Analysis and Project Management. New York. McGraw-Hill. 1983 Cleland, D., Ireland L. Project Management: Strategic Design and Implementation. New York. McGraw-Hill. 2002. Collins, J. Good to Great. New York. Harper Collins. 2001 Cook, C.R, Just Enough Project Management. McGraw Hill. New York. 2005 Frame, Davidson. Managing Projects in Organizations. San Fransisco. Jossey-Bass. 2002 Goodpasture, J.C., Managing Projects for Value. Vienna. VA. 2002 Harvard Business Review. Project Management: A Harvard Business Review Paperback. Boston. HBSP. 1991 Haughey, Duncan. What is Earned Value? Project Smart. 2007 Katzenbach, J., Smith, Douglas. The Discipline of Teams. New York. Wiley Sons. 200 Kerzner, H. Project Management: A Systems Approach to planning, scheduling and controlling. New York. Wiley Sons. 2001 Leech, D. Turner B.T. Project Management for Profit. Chicester. Ellis Horwood. 1990 Lewis, J. Project Leadership. New York. Mc-Graw Hill. 2003 Lewis, J. Project Planning, Scheduling and Control. New York. McGraw-Hill. 2001 Project Management Institute Standards Committee. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge/ 2001, p205 Smith, Steve (ed.). Make Things Happen: Readymade Tools for Project Management. London. Kogan Page Limited. 1997 1 Footnotes [1] Goodpasture, J.C., Managing Projects for Value. Vienna. VA. 2002 [2] Haughey, Duncan. What is Earned Value. Project Smart. 2007 [3] Goodpasture, J.C., Managing Projects for Value. Vienna. VA. 2002 [4] Cook, C.R, Just Enough Project Management. McGraw Hill. New York. 2005 [5] Project Management Institute Standards Committee. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge/ 2001, p205 [6] Augustine, N. Managing Projects and Programs. Boston. Harvard. 1989 [7] Cleland, D., Ireland L. Project Management: Strategic Design and Implementation. New York. McGraw-Hill. 2002. [8] Cleland. D, King, W. Systems Analysis and Project Management. New York. McGraw-Hill. 1983 [9] Harvard Business Review. Project Management: A Harvard Business Review Paperback. Boston. HBSP. 1991 [10] Frame, Davidson. Managing Projects in Organizations. San Fransisco. Jossey-Bass. 2002 [11] Smith, Steve (ed.). Make Things Happen: Readymade Tools for Project Management. London. Kogan Page Limited. 1997 [12] Katzenbach, J., Smith, Douglas. The Discipline of Teams. New York. Wiley Sons. 2001 [13] Lewis, J. Project Planning, Scheduling and Control. New York. McGraw-Hill. 2001 [14] Lewis, J. Project Planning, Scheduling and Control. New York. McGraw-Hill. 2001 [15] Kerzner, H. Project Management: A Systems Approach to planning, scheduling and controlling. New York. Wiley Sons. 2001 [16] Lewis, J. Project Leadership. New York. Mc-Graw Hill. 2003 [17] Lewis, J. Project Planning, Scheduling and Control. New York. McGraw-Hill. 2001 [18] Leech, D. Turner B.T. Project Management for Profit. Chicester. Ellis Horwood. 1990 [19] Collins, J. Good to Great. New York. Harper Collins. 2001

The Building Defects Of Construction Construction Essay

The Building Defects Of Construction Construction Essay Introduction Building defects are always under the spotlight and the grave concern of the construction industry. Different buildings or structures produce different types of defects and require numerous levels and types of quality, which rely on the building functions, the construction or maintenance systems and also materials adopted. According to Watt (1999), a defect may be considered to be a failing or shortcoming in the function, performance, statutory or user requirements of a building and it might manifest itself within the structure, fabric, services or other facilities of the affected building. Josephson and Hammarlund (1998) quoted from Svensk Standard, SS 020104 (1987) states that defect is defined as the non-fulfilment of intended usage requirements in which requirements are determined by law, regulations, building standards as well as in contract documents, site meeting records and other project documentation. However, not all requirements can be specified as there are many details which are difficult to specify such as non-expressed basic needs of each individual. Therefore, these demands are referred as usage requirements. Opinions and responses from project participants are needed whenever specified requirements are wrong and defects will likely occur if those opinions are not complied. There is a clear difference between failure and defects. Failure is defined as deviation from original specifications which can or cannot be corrected prior to the handing over of the building. On the other hand, defect is termed as deficiency of the performance which becomes apparent once the building is operational. Failing to differentiate the two terms may lead to inaccurate and incomplete measurements, cost determination and perhaps inappropriate methods to reduce its occurrence (Atkinson, 1987). Georgiou et al (1999) suggest that defects can be classified as major defect or minor defect. Major defect is considered as those which cause the building to become unsafe, unsuitable for living in and not suitable to be used for the purposes for which the building was designed. On the other hand, minor defects is considered as those originate from poor workmanship or deficient materials used in the construction of the building but do not cause the building to become unsafe, unsuitable for living in and not suitable to be used for the purposes for which the building was designed. Defects which require less than Australian $500 to repair are considered as minor defects. In the meantime, major defects are defects exist after 12 months which need more than Australian $500 to repair and most of them are structural deficiencies (Georgiou et al, 1999). Georgiou (2010) and, Andi and Minato (2003) state that defects occur if a component has a shortcoming and does not comply its intended functions and acceptable level of quality as required by owners, contractors or regulations. Causes of defects Some of the defects are caused by natural consequences that developed over the period of time such as aging and typical uses. However, many premature defects occur due to the fact that improper skills and care are assigned on the building. The study by Building Research Establishment concludes that over 90 per cent of the building defects are caused by the promptly diagnosable faults in design or construction which could be foreseen beforehand and prevented. Generally the causes of defects are stated as the followings: (Lee, 1987) Insufficient brief Defects are often interpreted as originated from the strokes of designer or on the drawing board in many instances but in some cases they can be attributed as occurring at an even earlier stage. For instance, client may lay down unrealistic cost limits or fail to give clear indication about the functional requirement of the building. Normally, there is no clear information about the intended building life-cycle or maintenance requirements. Inaccurate design decisions The most common faults can be sorted as follows: Failure to follow well established design criteria in the choice of structural system and selection of materials Ignorance of the basic properties of material. For example, failing to make allowance for the differing thermal and moisture movements of materials used in combination. Usage of new materials or technologies which have not been thoroughly examined its effectiveness. This is often the result of uncritical reliance on manufacturers literature quoting stimulated laboratory tests. Misjudgement of user and climatic conditions under the material will have to perform. Complex details which have low probability of successful execution on an open building site. Poor communications between different parties such as design and construction teams. Construction method The construction projects normally take place in less ideal conditions and always emphasize on speedy completion due to time constraint which often resulted in careless delivery. Some manufacturers of so-called high technology components have little awareness of the strictness of a building site or the standards of accuracy achievable under such conditions although only a small proportion of defects were attributable to faulty materials. Materials may easily be damaged during transportation, loading and unloading, inappropriate condition of storage on site and placing in position even though the materials may be flawless upon leaving the factory. The defects can be prevented with by taking greater care during all the stages during construction project, providing appropriate training to all the workers and staffs, and ensuring closer supervision. User Activities Defects may be caused by unintended misuse due to the lack of knowledge on the correct method of usage or intentional acts of vandalism. This problem can be solved by providing more information such as the degree of severity of use and condition of use to the designer so that a better output can be yield. Besides, some defects may be correlated to the users financial conditions and also social attitudes. For instance, condensation is affected by the amount of money spent on heating and ventilating, and occupancy pattern. Maintenance Incorrect identification of root of the defects may lead to inappropriate remedial work. It wont rectify the original defects but may deteriorate the condition of the building further. Furthermore, negligence during inspection and repair works may lead to defects in previously satisfactory structures or elements. For example, stepping on unprotected felted roof can drive the gravel into the felt which can cause splits and cut and eventually lead to roof leaking. On the other hand, defects often occur due to the designers decisions. Designers often do not take into consideration how the materials will behave and react toward other adjoining materials during construction and during the life of the building. For instance, the application of green, rotting or damaged timber for floor joists will result in floor in the floor after completion. It is obvious that a material is often wrongly used even though the material itself is in perfect condition. Effective communication between designers and construction workers aids in solving problems. Sometimes, construction workers readily implement their own ideas of how to construct rather than discussing with designers when they encounter with messy construction drawings produced by inexperience designers. This is quite common in design-and-build form of contracts as the contractor stands to gain contractual advantage from drawing attention to design defects (Evans, 2005). Building defects are a matter of concern for a various reasons: The employer is eligible for what he or she is investing for. The presence of defects means that he or she doesnt get anything proportional of the amount paid for. Defects might delay the completion of the project and thus affecting the handover of the building. This is because it will take some time to inspect and rectify the defects. Lot of time and money may also be used up in identifying possible causes of defects, especially to attach blame. There may be significant disruption and consequential loss if defects are to be corrected in occupied buildings. Resources spent on defect rectification are not available for use elsewhere. Defects represent inefficiencies in construction procurement processes. Design defects affecting maintenance Civil Inadequate provision for movement Ignoring aggressive environment and weather condition effects Ignoring biological effects Inadequate structural design such as foundation Ignoring variations in soil conditions Ignoring load impact on structural stability Exceeding allowable deflection limits Ignoring wind effect on the structure Inadequate concrete cover on the reinforcement Improper locating conduits and pipe openings at critical structural locations Architecture Narrow stairs, passages doors Incompatible finishes with climate Specifying finishes which need complete replacement Ignoring climatic effects on exterior shapes Inadequate joints between faces Maintenance practically Ignoring access for maintenance equipment Designing permanent fixing which should be removable for maintenance Ignoring maintenance equipment availability Ignoring maintenance requirements in the design Civil Inaccurate measurement Damaged form work Excavation too close to the building Painting in unsuitable condition Inadequate water proofing and drainage Insufficient reinforcement concrete cover Cold joints Loss in adhesion between materials Early form work removal Poor soil compaction Inadequate curing Materials Different thermal movement in dissimilar material Selection of material which is unsuitable for the existing climatic condition Use of non-durable material Use of expired material Poor material handling storage Inadequate provision for movement This happens when designers ignore the spacing needed for contraction and expansion movements. Such movements will cause cracking of the structures which will result in corrosion of the structural elements such as beams, columns and slabs. It will also cause cracking on the wall which will affect the aesthetic value of the building. The most severe case attributed to inadequate provision for movement will be the structural collapse. Ignoring aggressive environment and weather condition effects The designers should always select and specify the suitable materials which are capable of withstand the existing weather condition during building design. This will result in less maintenance during the post-occupancy stage. Problems occur when a designer is used to certain weather condition in a region and then moves to another region which has different weather without giving consideration to the weather changes. It will cause material to deteriorate in a shorter time and might affect the other parts of the building. Ignoring biological effects Designers should be familiar with the building location and type of plants and insects existing in that area or in the vicinity. Designers should also determine whether any special treatments are needed to prevent these biological attacks. These preventions should be specified in the design drawings with certain degrees of clarity. Failing to deal with biological factors might require continuous maintenance which can be avoided during the design and construction stage. Inadequate structural design such as foundation Inadequate structural design happens when designers didnt design or under-design the structural elements of the building. This will lead to buildings settlement or failures. Besides, it will also cause cracking of the wall finishing. Settlement is movement within a structure due to the distribution or re-distribution of loading and stresses within the various elements of construction. Foundation failures may be caused by the changes in ground conditions affecting early footings, failure of foundation arches, and decay of timber piles or chemical attack on concrete foundation (Watt, 1999). Ignoring variations in soil conditions Soil conditions are almost the same in most places. But, soil structure may vary in certain places or conditions. Hence, designers should always determine whether buildings are able to be built on it by determining the soil condition and structure. This can be done by carry out proper soil investigation and surveyor geo-technical test. Poor soil condition might cause cracking of the structural elements or exterior and interior walls of the building. Ignoring load impact on structural stability The impact of movement resulted from physical or mechanical activities such as elevators, lifts, the vibrations of central air-conditioning systems or wind load in high rise building might causes cracking on the wall surface. Besides, vibrations from heavy traffic, machinery and piling operations will more or less produce the same impact of movement. The problem cannot be solved until the impact of the movement is isolated. Inadequate concrete cover on the reinforcement Insufficient concrete cover may result in the corrosion of the steel bars and cracking of the concrete. This is because the corrodents might reach the concrete reinforcement faster if there is inadequate cover or protection to the steel bars. The failing of the steel reinforcement will cause the failure in the structure. Improper locating conduits and pipe openings at critical structural locations Some designers do not amend the layout of the mechanical and electrical design which installs the conduits and pipes at a very critical location which might cause defects or cracking of the structural elements and damage to the electrical and mechanical system of the building. Incompatible finishes with climate Designers should always consider the climate, weather and environmental condition that the buildings will exposed to before choosing suitable buildings exterior finishes. Suitable colour and type of exterior building finishes should be selected carefully in order to prevent environmental effects on the finishes. For example, building with dark colours painting might not resist heat during hot weather. Specifying finishes which require complete replacement Designers should always prevent the usage of finishes which require complete replacement after failure. On the other hand, finishes which are easily available and require minimum maintenance should be adopted. The usage of wallpaper as wall finishes is not encourage as it requires total replacement if any part if it is damaged in order to match the colour. Ignoring climatic effects on exterior shapes Designers should make sure that the collection of moisture, water and dust can be prevented after the buildings are ready to be occupied. Proper designs which consider the climatic effects on exterior shapes might result in less maintenance need on cleaning and repairing damages due to climatic effects such as moisture, water and dust. Improper exterior designs might cause water collection at the building roof which in turn might constitute to moisture penetration into the building. Inadequate joints between surfaces Designers should specify appropriate joints between structures such as floor slabs and walls to accommodate the expansion and contraction caused by thermal. This is because insufficient joints will cause overlapping of the floor tiles and cracking of the surfaces such as walls and tiles due to thermal expansion. Ignoring access for maintenance equipment Buildings should be designed to allow for the maintenance access. The maintenance access factor should consider the clearance of the maintenance staffs and equipment. Failure to provide necessary access for the maintenance to be carried out will obstruct the maintenance work and deteriorate the specific part further which will cause the raise in maintenance cost. Designing permanent fixing which should be removed for maintenance Designers should avoid the usage of permanent fixations which require continuous maintenance and complete removal during maintenance works. All these will increase the maintenance frequency and also the maintenance time needed to be carried out. Permanent fixations that should be avoided are lamps, carpets and external windows. Ignoring maintenance equipment availability Building designs should be designed according to the current and existing maintenance equipment on the market. Designers should aware of the maintenance equipment on the market in designing a certain building. For example, problem may occur when cleaning a building exterior or window in a high-rise building and also changing light bulbs in a very high location. Maintenance cost may be accelerated if maintenance equipment is not available. Inaccurate measurement Inaccurate measurement happens when the construction contractor wrongly measure the building element size and the material mixture ratio such as concrete ratio. For example, the changes or alteration of the gap between door and door frame or window and window frame will causes water and moisture penetration. Besides, the construction contractor wrongly increases the water content to the concrete mixture will yield porous concrete which in turn will causes corrosion to the steel reinforcements and then, collapse of the structure. Damaged formwork Damaged formwork will produce a honeycomb or porous concrete surface which decreases the quality of the formwork. The porous concrete surface will enable moisture penetration which can cause corrosion of the steel bars and cracking of the structure. Inadequate water proofing and drainage Water proofing and drainage of building are normally being carried out wrongly and inadequately. Inadequate water proofing or water proof membrane may result in water seepage or leakage through slab, wall, balcony or deck. The building will be exposed to erosion, mold, decomposition, and construction damage if there is no proper waterproof membrane to prevent water penetration. For example, the building will expose to serious construction defect if there is no water proof membrane under the ground slab which helps to prevent ground water from penetrate into the foundation. Cold joints Cold joints normally happen between old and new concrete as the concrete is poured in part and left to dry before the rest of the concrete is poured. The dried concrete will not totally combine or fix together and lines will appear on the concrete. The cold joints will decrease the aesthetic value of the building. The severe case of cold joints will allow the water penetrate into the concrete gap which might cause damage to the steel bars inside the concrete. Cold joints can be overcome by inserting reinforcement bars into the fresh concrete which will bind the new concrete effectively. Construction materials Defects can be caused by the wrong selection or specification of materials by the designers. Selection of non-durable or low quality materials that is available at cheaper price may require plenty of maintenance during post-occupancy period. The climatic factors must be considered during selection of materials as materials quality will be affected and require replacement in a short time. For example, specifying indoor materials to be used at outdoor will cause the materials to perform irregularly. In addition, some materials which is highly adopted in overseas, might not perform effectively in Malaysia due to its hot climatic condition. On the other hand, the properties of materials should be considered when combining two or more materials together. This is due to the chemical reactions that might occur between them. For instance, tile glue and cement will separate from each other when used together as thermal expansion of cement is higher than the tile glue. The selection of the materials needs to be done carefully as it will affect the building quality and maintenance needs. Unqualified designers

Pearl Harbor: Accidental or Political :: essays research papers

Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, Japanese bombers, fighter planes, and torpedo planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. This sneak attack plunged the United States into World War II. The first wave, consisting of 183 planes, arrived at approximately 7:50AM. They had taken off from aircraft carriers about 200 miles to the northwest, a fleet commanded by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo (Thomas 3). The Japanese goal was to destroy the ships on Battleship Row and the airplanes on the ground at the Naval Air Station, Wheeler, and Hickam Airfields. Because it was a Sunday morning, most of the 780 antiaircraft guns were not manned. Many military personnel were on shore for the weekend and hundreds of others were still asleep on their ships. Did the U.S. Government know about the attack beforehand? Why were the warning signs not more deeply investigated? The Naval Air Station, Wheeler, and Hickam Airfields were the first to be hit by the Japanese to ensure the US had no ability to fight back. 212 of the fleets grounded airplanes were hit, and the 53 that were able to take off were shot down in the attack. The U.S.S. Oklahoma, West Virginia, Arizona, California, and Nevada were five of the 19 sunken or damaged U.S. ships. In the midst of the attack, 2,403 American military personnel were killed; including the 1,177 forever entombed in the Arizona. Another 1,178 were wounded. The U.S. did not inflict much damage to the Japanese during the attack. The Japanese only lost one midget submarine and 29 planes; 20 were kamikaze missions, 2 were mechanical malfunctions, and only 7 were shot down. December 8, the president of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, addressed Congress and the American people. "Yesterday, December 7, a date which will live in infamy-the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan†¦" Congress declared war on Japan, and the US was dragged into World War II (Thomas 5). The warning signs of the attack were there, but weren't investigated. The 3 major warning signs that the Japanese were going to attack were the "East Wind Rain" message, the unidentified submarine, and the radar signals. On the morning of Dec 4, 1941 Naval Officer Ralph T. Briggs was on watch at the Cheltenham, MD, intercept station, when he received the startling and unexpected "East Wind Rain" message.

Euripides was accused by his contempories of being a woman hater. Why E

Euripides was accused by his contempories of being a woman hater. Why do you think this was so, and how justified do you think the accusation was? Question -------- Euripides was accused by his contempories of being a woman hater. Why do you think this was so, and how justified do you think the accusation was? In your answer you should consider not only how Euripides portrays his female characters, but also the sentiments expressed in the plays and the contempory view of women. Answer ------ Euripides definitely had an opinion on woman that was not shared by many other play writes. Whether it is hatred or not, women play a major role in a Euripian play. Their role in society of that time was a great contrast to that of the men. Compared to today, women were miles apart from men; they were not even considered citizens of their region. This is obvious in the chorus where in the Electra, Medea and Hippolytus there is a chorus of women. This was unheard of in the time when the plays were written. A chorus is typically made up of wise men of Athens, therefore making it up of women would in that age, be very controversial. In Medea the chorus side with her and Medea makes the chorus swear to silence. Therefore she can confide in them without having to put a face on. The image put across here is that the woman team up against the man. The chorus being women, side with the feminist Medea. "I heard her sobbing and wailing," the chorus talk about the true Medea that is hidden under her facade. The same is true in the Electra. The chorus is made up of country-women of Mycenae, who also side with Electra. When Electra moans about not having a gown or riches to go out and enjoy herself, the chorus offer a way out. "Borrow from me a lovely gown, closely woven, and a gold necklace." The women are on her side, they try to persuade her to be like all the other women and go out partying. Electra wants none of this and aims to gain more self-pity by forcing herself to stay at home, doing all the work. Euripides writes her to be an attention seeking noble woman, who has married the peasant to make a statement. Not the most likeable of characters. In the Hippolytus, there are two choruses. One made up of huntsmen who follow Hippolytus and the other of women from Trozen. They support what they represent. This shows a contrast ... ...My boy, the oath you gave me, you'll never break that?" The Nurse whines to Hippolytus hoping to get her own way. "Oh, I clasp your knees and beg you," The Nurse's stubbornness to try and please ends up leading to Phaedra dying without honour. Euripides begins his plays often with erratic women, ie Electra, Medea and Phaedra. They have serious issues and seek vengeance, with the exception of Phaedra who is the cause of a vengeful attack; Theseus killing his son, Hippolytus. There are never any heroic women or women that we feel sympathy for. The only woman who is in the slightest way victimised is Clytemnestra. Electra murders her in revenge for killing her father Agamemnon. This is made obvious in the play and Clytemnestra's bad relationship with her daughter Electra does not show her in a good light. We feel sympathy for the self-inflicted widow, when she describes what she has gone through. "Then her father cut her soft white throat-My Iphigenia." Out of all of Euripides' female characters, she contains the most sentiment and emotion. In summary, apart from Clytemnestra, the lady characters are mad psychopathic women, with hidden depths, morals and loyalties.

Thrives on Misunderstanding: Analysis of “A Doll House”

Of all the struggles of the oppressed, perhaps the most daunting has been the most silently tyrannical. Women have spent ages proving their obvious intellectual, cognitive, and social equality to the male population, especially to the men in their lives. In â€Å"A Doll House† and â€Å"Trifles,† Henrik Ibsen and Susan Glaspell illustrate how men not only underestimate their wives, but also drive them to hide their true thoughts, act in secrecy, and ultimately take formidable, yet understandable measures of overcompensation. They do so while simultaneously imposing unique male and female perspectives on the relationships they create.Through the men’s shallow view of the women around them and their inability to properly analyze their interactions, the male characters in â€Å"Trifles† and â€Å"A Doll House† create a culture of tension and resentment in their households that lead their wives to rebel against their oppression. In A â€Å"Doll House,à ¢â‚¬  Ibsen uses Torvald’s character to highlight the patronizing quality of the 19th century husband. Torvald addresses his wife, Nora, almost always by pet names, such as â€Å"Is that my little lark twittering out there?†¦ Is that my squirrel rummaging around?†¦When did my squirrel get in? † (859) For the better part of three acts, Nora internalizes the condescension and relishes the adoration—or at least she pretends to. The comments, which serve to reduce her humanity, lead Nora to realize that Torvald is ill-equipped to be a husband or a father, as he can only seem to sustain the relationships he dominates. As she comes to this realization, she tells her husband â€Å"There’s another job I have to do first. I have to try to educate myself. You can’t help me with that. I’ve got to do it alone. And that’s why I’m leaving you now. (907) Although removing herself from the hold of her husband’s patriarchy se ems logical, it is uncertain whether Nora will adapt to the realities of an independent lifestyle. The transition from her father’s patronization to the binds of Torvald’s expectations left Nora no opportunity to explore her interests or learn practical skills, like money management. Furthermore, had Nora pursued either, her husband would have forbidden her from duties associated with the male realm. The lack of these experiences forced Nora into venturing into the male world of business, taking out the loan which â€Å"saved† Torvald.When he reads Krogstad’s letter, his true sentiments about Nora come out: â€Å"I should have suspected something of the kind. I should have known†¦ All of your father’s flimsy values have come out in you. No religion, no morals, no sense of duty. † (904) Torvald’s lack of faith in Nora’s intellectual and business abilities also become clear through the outburst. The tension and shallowness i n the household become apparent when he uses pet names superficially, but when genuinely expressing emotion, he uses no names of the sort.He restricts their interactions to shallow conversation, which Nora picks up on when she announces her departure: â€Å"In eight whole years—longer even—right from our first acquaintance, we’ve never exchanged a serious word on any serious thing. † (906) Certainly, their interactions are more of a father-child dynamic than that of a married couple. Only when faced with her departure does Torvald make any concessions to the relationship, after attempting to subdue her defiance. Likewise, the women in â€Å"Trifles† are oppressed, though less subtly.Though Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale make significant discoveries at the Wrights’ home, their husbands treat them as children brought along to work. For instance, these women live their day to day lives pursuing the popular cultural interests deemed appropriate for w omen, and as such, are prone to discuss them in conversation. When Mrs. Hale points out Mrs. Wright’s quilt, the sheriff is quick to tease her: â€Å"They wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it! (The men laugh, the woman look abashed. † (917) The blatant disrespect makes the women disinclined to tell the men investigating the crime scene any of their real findings, almost out of spite and to protect their fellow woman, Mrs. Wright. The women take note of the quilt, the broken preserves, and the dead canary, which likely triggered Mrs. Wright’s rage. While the men begin their search with the preconceptions that Mrs. Wright committed the crime and attempt to find evidence to prove it, the women assume her innocence; either they choose to because of their kind nature, or perhaps because doing so is a silent form of retaliation. Such rebellion is obvious when Mrs.Hale hides the bird from the sheriff and recalls Mr. Wright’s injustice to his wife: â€Å"I wish you’d seen Minnie Foster when she wore a white dress with blue ribbons and stood up there in the choir and sang. Oh, I wish I’d come over here once in a while! That was a crime! That was a crime! Who’s going to punish that? † (921) The men do not account for the woman Mrs. Wright had once been, and are therefore blind to the motive they search for. Mrs. Wright parallels Nora in that their men drive them to acts of desperation. Whereas Nora merely leaves her oppressive husband, Mrs. Wright finishes hers off herself.The difference in sex between the authors and how they have the women deal with their husbands is especially significant. Ibsen, a man, concludes with the oppressed woman becoming aware of her situation in spite of her lack of education, summoning the courage to leave her husband and family never having experienced independence. Almost suddenly, Nora realizes the lifelong hold of patriarchy her father and husband have imposed on he r when she complains â€Å"Our home’s been nothing but a playpen. I’ve been your doll-wife here, just as at home I was Papa’s doll-child. And in turn, the children have been my dolls.I thought it fun when you played with me, just as they thought it fun when I played with them. That’s been our marriage, Torvald. † (906) Glaspell, on the other hand, brings a female perspective and ended her characters’ marriage in murder—a fit of passion and rage from a woman who had lost her identity and zeal. The female author’s conclusion of overcompensation seems more realistic than the male author’s of miraculous clarity. For example, the male author’s version of the married couple is surely one of blatant shallowness, while the female author indirectly illustrates a dynamic void of respect and love.The more subtle, sinister nuances of the relationship that Glaspell hints at are more characteristic of real relationships; the on es that deteriorate often lose civility gradually. Contrasting, the Helmers were seemingly cordial, though paternalistic, until the end. Through their oppressive behavior, intentional or not, the men in these works contribute to their wives’ emotional deaths and to the deaths of their relationships. By treating them more like pawns in their quest for superficial happiness than equals, these men fail to recognize the frailty of their marriages.In addition, by underestimating their wives’ capabilities, they are blind-sighted when the women assert their humanity. The male-dominant dynamic incites the conflicts that lead the women to rebel; had there been any depth to the husband-wife connections, the contentions of â€Å"A Doll House† and â€Å"Trifles† may have been eschewed all together. Instead, the despotism in these relationships forges irreversible consequences: for the men, the harsh reality of a broken life; for the women, resentment for their oppres sion and a future of uncertainty.

Case Analysis Callaway Golf Company Essay

When it comes to the factors contributed to Callaway Golf Company’s success, the tremendous effort it made on updating technology was one thing. With Senior Executive Vice President like Richard Helmstetter, who is the Chief of New Products as well, Research and Development has always been the lifeblood of Callaway Golf Company (CGC). Helmstetter believes that â€Å"If you can make something sufficiently good, what it costs doesn’t matter.† CGC was consistently be on the leading position of technology, which differentiated their products from others and led to the results that CGC sold more units of equipment at the higher price than any other of its competitors in the market. The consumer behavior in golf equipment industry was another factor that led to CGC’s success. First, golf was unlike almost any other sport, the equipment played a significant role in golfer’s performance. Therefore, golfers always seeking for an edge that would help improve their plays. Average golfers, who were the segment CGC targeted, were able to tell the noticeable differences when they used premium equipment. The advanced technologies CGC had with their products perfectly fitted the behavior. Second, when making a purchase, most golfers accepted word-of-mouth recommendations. The form of advertising worked for CGC since golf was played in groups of people who spent hours together, and whenever one player had a good shot with a new club, it impressed others. The last factor that contributed to CGC’s success was the support mechanisms it provided to its retailers. As CGC achieved product differentiation with continuously updated technology, it was important for retail salespeople to understand the product and technology well. To accomplish the goal, CGC supplied its retailers with brochures, informational videos, pocket-sized product guides, and training. CGC also provided product advertising, endorsements, warranty programs and most importantly, the closeouts to help its retail channels. Closeouts occurred when a new-product introduction or when CGC would like to get rid of its inventory and it helped the retailers to bring down the average cost of the remaining inventory as well. As a result of these support mechanisms, CGC was placed in top three for excellence in customer service.