A Characters View, Drugstore Cowboy Essay

One page essay for Theater 19 acting class Due March 13 2012 By Charles (Chuck) Borges March 13th 5:30am This short essay is about a character in the film â€Å"Drugstore Cowboy† Bob. This is what I think his character is like, and what’s going on in his life before this next scene. Bob is a ringleader or mastermind of an underdeveloped group of drug store robbing addicts who Procure their vices by stealing them from local pharmacies. Bob likes doing drugs. He likes the whole lifestyle. While in the proses of robbing these establishments, Bob gets a euphoric Sense of power. The adrenalin rush is like no other. He risks going to jail, and losing his Freedom to obtain that rush at any expense. As long as it doesn’t come out of pocket. You see, Bob is a poor man†¦ He’s a hype that can shoot up enough dope to kill a horse. But that was then, and this is now. As he sits and ponders his mass confusion that he Called a life, in a small room, in some apartment complex, ran by a person like himself. An X Junkie named Tom. To say the last six months have been easy on Bob would be a lie. Sobriety Is kicking his ass and He’s starting to feel bored and becoming restless at work. Not a good sign. The daily grind was starting to bore into Bob like a drill bit. The addiction was winning its way Back into his life and he knew it. Bob’s life was better now. He has his boring job, boring apartment, boring life. But all in all, a respectable existence, surrounded by regular people with regular, Similar lives. But he’s still feeling alone and thinking of the good times he used to have with a Certain somebody he shared his tawdry past with. He’s feeling melancholy about the way he left her, but knowing that deep in his heart , it was the best solution from a destructive path. But still he is wondering to himself ,† I wonder what ever happened to my buddy who’s girlfriend died, and if they will ever find her body . † I’m thinking , he’s wondering â€Å" Is Diane alright?

Oedipus and Othello

Both Oedipus and Othello were virtuous and brave men that became the victims of two tragic downfalls. Oedipus and Othello are both tragic character. In the play Oedipus the king, Oedipus killed his father and married his mother and have children. However Othello ends up distrusting his wife, so he killed his wife. These two persons have similarities and differences in several characteristics that they are round characters, the vengeance that they experience upon themselves and upon their individual wives whether straight or circuitously, and their tragic. Both Oedipus and Othello are round characters. A round character is completely developed so that the person who read will have a good picture of their appearances and behavior. Oedipus is a character whose fortune cannot be escaped because whatever path he took, seems to take him to get more trouble than what he can deal with anyone before. Therefore, even if his character is well-rounded, he is not realistic. Unlike Oedipus, he would marry a woman who is his mother so he does not need to ask some question about her past marriages or her children. However, there could be some kind of conflict vision in their characters, and there may be question could have risen about the first child that was executed. On the other hand, Othello is a well-rounded character and is a realistic. Othello is a person who is jealous and mistrust that he thinks his wife is cheating on him and sleeping with another man. Othello was in love and he had this feeling that once in a while he thinks that his feeling is fed by the person whom that most trust can lied to them. Until Othello finally kills his wife, Iago constantly know about Othello’s thought that is wounded and distrust grows for his wife. Oedipus is a round character, but cannot be understood due to the ridiculous conditions of his marriage. Othello’s round character can be more understandable, because jealousy occupies all of us at one time. Othello chose to act upon it abundant like those who act in our community today. So far, both Oedipus and Othello worry themselves and their wives. When Oedipus knows the truth about himself that he married his mother and also killing his father. Oedipus’s wife Jocasta kills herself because of embarrassment that she married her son. Oedipus blinds himself in order to impose punishment for him. On the other hand, Othello wrongly blames his wife Desdemona of disloyalty with Cassio and henceforth throttles her to death. Later, Othello realizes that his allegation was wrongly founded; he is overwhelmed with guilt, and stabs himself to death. Therefore, Oedipus does moral obliteration of himself while Othello abolishes himself by death. Lastly, Othello and Oedipus are both tragic hero and their disaster comes from their marriages. Othello is a slave who achieved many goods through the military. Oedipus was born into the upper class and is also a prince and a king. Othello and Oedipus both suffered great loss and shame because of pride. Oedipus’s pride is gone after he killed his father and married his mother. After doing such bad things, Oedipus began to lose all his pride and dignity, such as losing his wife and his kingdom. For Othello, his pride’s also turned to shame because he listens to others more than his wife. So Othello killed his innocent wife and loosed his pride and precious things that belong to him. Othello also loosed his life and he stabs himself to death and said, â€Å"I took by the throat the circumcised dog. And smote him thus. † (V ii 351-352. ) In conclusion, Oedipus and Othello are the two tragic downfalls that can be compared and contrasted. Othello and Oedipus are both a heroic characters in the plays and went through a lot of suffering in their life. Both of them are round characters, the vengeance that they experience upon themselves and upon their individual wives whether straight or circuitously, and their tragic. It was too late for them to turn back n have their pride back because they had lost everything what they got. They deserved to lose everything because of what they did. Othello shouldn’t listen to others and should of listen to his lovely life more, but he decided to listen to others and killed his innocent wife. For Oedipus, killing his father just to married his mother is a very disgusting and disgraceful things that can ever happened. These two characters learned their lesson that pride is something that can destroy their life.

Judicial Precedent

Judicial precedent: A judgment of a court of law cited as an authority for deciding a similar set of facts; a case which serves as authority for the legal principle embodied in its decision. The common law has developed by broadening down from precedent to precedent. A judicial precedent is a decision of the court used as a source for future decision making. This is known as stare decisis (to stand upon decisions) and by which precedents are authoritative and binding and must be followed. In giving judgment in a case, the judge will set out the facts of the case, state the law applicable to the facts and then provide his or her decision. It is only the ratio decidendi (the legal reasoning or ground for the judicial decision) which is binding on later courts under the system of judicial precedent. Any observation made by the judge on a legal question suggested by the case before him or her but not arising in such a manner as requiring a decision is known as obiter dictum (a saying by the way). There may several reasons for a decision provided by the judge in any given judgment and one must not assume that a reason can be regarded as ‘obiter' because some other ‘ratio' has been provided. Thus, it is not always easy to distinguish ratio decidendi from obiter dictum when evaluating the effects of a particular decision. A single decision of a superior court is absolutely binding on subsequent inferior courts. However, certain of the superior courts regard themselves as bound by their own decisions whilst others do not: 1. Decisions of the House of Lords bind all other courts but the House does not regard itself as strictly bound by its previous decisions, for example, in Murphy v Brentwood District Council (1990) the House elected to overrule its earlier decision in Anns v London Borough of Merton (1978) on the issue of a local authority's liability in negligence to future purchasers of property. 2. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, holds itself bound by its previous decisions: Young v Bristol Aeroplane Co Ltd (1944) but in that case also identified three exceptional cases where it would disregard its own previous decision. These are (i) where two Court of Appeal decisions conflict; (ii) if the decision although not expressly overruled conflicts with a later decision of the House of Lords; and (iii) if the earlier decision was given per incuriam (through want of care) however it cannot ignore a decision of the House of Lords on the same basis. . Divisional courts of the High Court have adopted the rule laid down in Young's case although judges sitting at first instance are not bound to follow the decisions of other High Court judges although they tend to do so for the sake of certainty Judicial precedent is an important source of English law as an original precedent is one which creates and applies a new rule. However, the later decisions, especially of the higher courts, can have a number of effects upon precedents.. In particular, they may be: †¢Reversed: where on appeal in the same case the decision is reversed, the initial decision will cease to have any effect †¢Overruled: where in a later case a higher court decides that the first case was wrongly decided †¢A refusal to follow: this arises where a court, not bound by the decision, cannot overrule it but does not wish to follow it so it simply refuses to follow the earlier decision †¢Distinguished: where an earlier case is rejected as authority, either because the material facts differ or because the statement of law in the previous case is too narrow to be properly applied to the new set of facts †¢Explained: a judge may seek to interpret an earlier decision before applying it or distinguishing it, thus the effect of the earlier case is varied in the circumstances of the present ca Judicial Precedent Judicial precedent: A judgment of a court of law cited as an authority for deciding a similar set of facts; a case which serves as authority for the legal principle embodied in its decision. The common law has developed by broadening down from precedent to precedent. A judicial precedent is a decision of the court used as a source for future decision making. This is known as stare decisis (to stand upon decisions) and by which precedents are authoritative and binding and must be followed. In giving judgment in a case, the judge will set out the facts of the case, state the law applicable to the facts and then provide his or her decision. It is only the ratio decidendi (the legal reasoning or ground for the judicial decision) which is binding on later courts under the system of judicial precedent. Any observation made by the judge on a legal question suggested by the case before him or her but not arising in such a manner as requiring a decision is known as obiter dictum (a saying by the way). There may several reasons for a decision provided by the judge in any given judgment and one must not assume that a reason can be regarded as ‘obiter' because some other ‘ratio' has been provided. Thus, it is not always easy to distinguish ratio decidendi from obiter dictum when evaluating the effects of a particular decision. A single decision of a superior court is absolutely binding on subsequent inferior courts. However, certain of the superior courts regard themselves as bound by their own decisions whilst others do not: 1. Decisions of the House of Lords bind all other courts but the House does not regard itself as strictly bound by its previous decisions, for example, in Murphy v Brentwood District Council (1990) the House elected to overrule its earlier decision in Anns v London Borough of Merton (1978) on the issue of a local authority's liability in negligence to future purchasers of property. 2. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, holds itself bound by its previous decisions: Young v Bristol Aeroplane Co Ltd (1944) but in that case also identified three exceptional cases where it would disregard its own previous decision. These are (i) where two Court of Appeal decisions conflict; (ii) if the decision although not expressly overruled conflicts with a later decision of the House of Lords; and (iii) if the earlier decision was given per incuriam (through want of care) however it cannot ignore a decision of the House of Lords on the same basis. . Divisional courts of the High Court have adopted the rule laid down in Young's case although judges sitting at first instance are not bound to follow the decisions of other High Court judges although they tend to do so for the sake of certainty Judicial precedent is an important source of English law as an original precedent is one which creates and applies a new rule. However, the later decisions, especially of the higher courts, can have a number of effects upon precedents.. In particular, they may be: †¢Reversed: where on appeal in the same case the decision is reversed, the initial decision will cease to have any effect †¢Overruled: where in a later case a higher court decides that the first case was wrongly decided †¢A refusal to follow: this arises where a court, not bound by the decision, cannot overrule it but does not wish to follow it so it simply refuses to follow the earlier decision †¢Distinguished: where an earlier case is rejected as authority, either because the material facts differ or because the statement of law in the previous case is too narrow to be properly applied to the new set of facts †¢Explained: a judge may seek to interpret an earlier decision before applying it or distinguishing it, thus the effect of the earlier case is varied in the circumstances of the present ca

Why are non-English Speaking students mistakenly being placed in Assignment

Why are non-English Speaking students mistakenly being placed in special eduction classes - Assignment Example ciation, most linguists now believe that the greatest contributor to second language acquisition is the social environment and pressures this encompasses. As a result, children will experience language acquisition at varying degrees of proficiency according to family circumstances. Things such as use of language in the home environment, access to television and the internet, and the level of outside classroom speaking practice the students partake in are all factors that contribute to their success in school. Perhaps too much emphasis has been placed on sequential acquisition of language, viewing it in the same regards as math or science skills, with the result the student’s second-language deficiencies being mistakenly labeled learning disabilities. Another possible instance is that of the student’s academic ability being obscured by their language ability. As sociolinguistic studies will attest, there is a connection between grammatical usage and the perception of competence and intelligence. What educators are interpreting as incompetence are actually higher forms of cognitive functioning. For instance, a student may display poor grammatical formulations in an essay, but exhibit exceptional analytic, research, or communicative competence. Teacher’s with an untrained eye for these traits are mistakenly labeling these students as learning disabled, because of their language mishaps, when higher level cognitive functioning is taking place. This is a form of linguistic imperialism that should be resisted in

Sensitive mothering is essential to the social and emotional Essay

Sensitive mothering is essential to the social and emotional development of the child discuss this statement in the context of relevant developmental theory - Essay Example With respect to this, mothering is referred to as a mother’s style of interaction with her child. A mother should be available to the child and should overcome all the needs of the child. Generally, it is stated that a mother’s love and sensitivity creates a harmony among the two bodies and due to this mother-infant relationship is formed (Barnes, 1995). A mother should not only cater to the child needs but she must be sensitive, i.e. she must have the capabilities to correctly interpret her child’s signals, respond to them promptly and appropriately, and encounter fully to her child’s needs. Moreover, it is the mother’s early interaction with the child that leads to behavioral issues. A sensitive mother will produce socialized and self regulated children. Moreover, mothers who are more sensitive and responsive to a child will form a secure, adaptive attachment with their child. Whereas an insensitive mother who rejects or is under involved with her child development, will form an unsecured bond with her child. According to the research, it has also been seen that sensitive mothers do not only have more close relation with their child, but their infants are more dependant on their mothers as compared to any other. The child is not only less dependant on the teachers but they are also more competent with their pe ers and have a more cooperative attitude with adults as children. Thus a sensitive mother not only grooms its child but also builds self-confidence. Sensitive mothering also plays an important role in the child’s pro social and anti social behavior. Sensitive mothers have a strong association with a child’s obedience, impulse control, and self assertion. On the other hand, an insensitive mother is responsible for a child’s negative actions, because lack of love and care from mothers develop disobedience, rebellious and noncompliance nature within a child. Due to this it can be stated that sensitive mothering is extremely

Tourism and Indigenous Peoples Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tourism and Indigenous Peoples - Case Study Example The significance and contribution of indigenous communities, thus indicates the value of indigenous culture in promoting the distinct and exotic cultural features which in turn may lead to the revival of the local culture (Ryan and Aicken, 2005 in Page, Connell, 2006). Indigenous tourism affords the indigenous communities to participate and reap the benefits that such tourism offers. The key issues discussed as a part of this study include: the manner in which the participation of local indigenous communities can be increased and encouraged by way of training, management or effective strategies; the manner in which their cultural heritage can be promoted in a way that it helps in contributing in enriching Australias tourism experience; and in what way can the policies and strategies so developed, help the indigenous populations, in establishing safe, secure and sustainable futures in terms of increased business opportunities, activities and a greater understanding of the tourism industry in general. The purpose of this report is to enhance or add to the existing market knowledge with regard to tourism as it pertains to indigenous people; help in establishing a cohesive long-term strategy aimed at developing indigenous tourism in Australia; establish a framework which allows for a greater understanding of the indigenous people, their culture, and lifestyles and in the process add to the knowledge and experience of the tourists. This study will help in understanding the manner in which strategies contribute in building the overall appeal of South Australia as a popular tourist destination, and in the process promoting indigenous tourism and cultural heritage of the region. The Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery (AACG) is a part of the South Australian Museum, which offers its visitors a unique experience of the Aboriginal culture and the rich cultural heritage of South Australia, by way of collections of art and artifacts. It boasts of one of the world’s

Prevention of Medication Errors and Safety Measures Assignment

Prevention of Medication Errors and Safety Measures - Assignment Example Another important requirement is the right storage of medicines and accounting for the stocks at appropriate intervals. In many cases drugs are delivered to the patient by means of certain devices such as tubes and inhalers. In such cases it is necessary to ensure that the equipment is sterile and also monitor the system constantly (Anderson & Townsend, 2010). In addition to the above potential errors, environmental issues such as increased workload of the medical staff, distractions while procuring or administering drugs to the patient and fatigue and ill-health of the caregivers can also lead to grave medication errors. In one hospital setting a â€Å"no interruption zone† has been instituted in places where nurses procure medications from automated dispensing machines. Such actions will facilitate better concentration from the staff and hence fewer error risks (Anderson & Townsend, 2010). One of the main methods by which medication errors can be prevented is through proper and adequate information about drugs which needs to be provided to nurses and other medical staff attending the patient, pharmacists in charge of dispensing medications and to the patient themselves. Nursing staff and others dealing with medications should be constantly updated about new medicines procured by the facility as well on potential medication errors that could occur (Anderson & Townsend, 2010). In addition, physicians should educate every patient on the risks and benefits of the drugs prescribed to them and clarify the doubts of the patient regarding the long-term effects and dosage regimen of the drugs (Patel & Balkrishnan, 2010). Awareness on errors occurring in other... One of the main methods by which medication errors can be prevented is through proper and adequate information about drugs which needs to be provided to nurses and other medical staff attending the patient, pharmacists in charge of dispensing medications and to the patient themselves. Nursing staff and others dealing with medications should be constantly updated about new medicines procured by the facility as well on potential medication errors that could occur (Anderson & Townsend, 2010). In addition, physicians should educate every patient on the risks and benefits of the drugs prescribed to them and clarify the doubts of the patient regarding the long-term effects and dosage regimen of the drugs (Patel & Balkrishnan, 2010). Awareness on errors occurring in other facilities should also be created as it will help to provide a broader picture about the issue. In cases where negligence has been found to be the major cause of the error strict action needs to be ensued against the conce rned staff as they will serve as a caution for other members. Nurses and other caregivers should always bear in mind the five important rights while administering medicines that include identifying the right patient and the drug and administering the same in the correct dosage at the right time and via the right route (Anderson & Townsend, 2010; Patel & Balkrishnan, 2010). The use of information technology has also become a key factor for reducing errors related to medication over the past years.

Police Chief William Bratton and his Transformational police Research Paper

Police Chief William Bratton and his Transformational police leadership style - Research Paper Example job following supposed personal difference with Giuliani and later in 2002; he worked as a private consultant with Kroll associates also known as LAPD’s. In 2007, the Los Angeles commissioner allotted him to a second five-year term (Bratton, 2011). Bratton rose speedily all the way through the ranks of the Boston police department, where he cleaned up the city’s subways and pioneered community policing. He cracked down on slight offenses when he became New York’s transit police, like turnstile jumping on the assumption that the people who commit severe crime subversive also commit minor crimes. When Bratton realized his dream of being the America top cop, he made sure that there was a 10 percent drop in crime rate (Bratton & Knobler, 2011). Bratton and his friends used computer mapping to locate crime hidings and then cleaned up the areas by means of law enforcement. Tools such as ‘quality of life enforcement’ were used to curtail minor crimes like prostitution, panhandling and squeegeeing in order to create the streets less tempting to bad criminals. He made all districts police commander answerable – they were to report problems and progress in their locales during departmental meetings. In 1994 William Bratton took over, disorder and crime were so high such that it appeared a city out of power. In America, the rate of crime was higher than anything else in 1980s was. He recalls that the atmosphere was in disorder, decayed and criminality greeted him when he was appointed as the head city’s transit police. NYPD too was in a state of confusion and inefficiency. So many lazy people, corrupt, ineffective staff who were demotivated and unaccountable, surrounded it. This department was confused due to valiant and unsuccessful hard work of Bratton predecessors to introduce policing into all day functioning practices. What Bratton needed was a huge shake up of attitude, accountabilities, leadership inspirational and direction sense, which he gave all

Comparing The U.S. Health Care System with that of The United Kingdom Essay

Comparing The U.S. Health Care System with that of The United Kingdom - Essay Example (United Nations Development Programme; See Table 1). This means that health care is a luxury that people with more money can buy more of and a better quality of. Choosing to utilize a system of privately funded health care may be a result of the attitude of the United States of being "free," which can be taken to mean free from government control or interference in the free market. While there is public funding available for the elderly and the extremely poor, many people still do not receive the health care they need. This lack of health care for citizens who need it is currently a topic of much debate. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, funds its citizens' health care publicly, through taxes. According to the 2007-2008 Human Development Report, 7% of GDP in the United Kingdom is spent on public health care while just 1.1% must be spent privately. (United Nations Development Programme; See Table 1). This difference in expenditures in the United Kingdom translates to the view of health care as a fundamental human right rather than a money-based privilege. When health care began to be publicly funded, "the idea was that if Britain could work towards full employment and spend huge sums of money during the wartime effort, then in a time of peace equitable measures of social solidarity and financial resources could be redirected towards fostering public goods." (Wikipedia, 2008). Although publicly funded health care provides more health care to a greater number of people, some people believe that the quality of health care provided is lower. In some cases people choose to seek priva te health care, if they can afford it, but they are often upset about having to pay for both private health care and the public health care they are opting out of. Many people do not like the feeling that they are paying for the health care of other people who get sick more frequently or are less healthy. Another concern with the United Kingdom's public health care system is that patients are often waitlisted to see doctors for pressing matters; this has led to unnecessary deaths. (Browne, 2001). Putting the private versus public funding debate aside momentarily, there appears also to be discrepancy in the total amount of combined public and private money spent on health care between the United States and the United Kingdom. Based on the previously discussed statistics, the United States spends 15.4% of GDP on its health care while the United Kingdom spends a considerably lower 8.1% of GDP on health care. In terms of what this means for each individual residing in these countries, while per capita GDP in the United States is $41,890 and $6,096 of that is spent on health care, per capita GDP in the United Kingdom is a slightly lower $36,509 but a significantly lower amount, only $2,560 per capita is spent on health care. (United Nations Development Programme; See Table 1). By having everyone contribute a little bit to the entire society's health care, it appears that health care becomes significantly cheaper for everyone. It is also interesting to note that the United States, with a GDP (in millions) of $12,416.5, as compared to the United Kingdom's $2,198.8, would have a lot of GDP to spend elsewhere if only 8.1% was spent on health care instead of 15.4%. Because there are many mixed feelings

Smart Phone Uses by Health Professionals Presearch Methodology and Essay

Smart Phone Uses by Health Professionals Presearch Methodology and Procedures - Essay Example Due to the limitation of resources, the research will target small health organizations and individual health professionals. For the health organizations, we will target the senior-most manager we can reach and the average healthcare professional from the same organization. This will enable us to compare the feedback given by the parties so that we can analyze/validate the differences found (Creswell 10). For the individuals, we have decided to target as many individual health professionals as possible from the diverse organizations, departments and other institutions. This kind of diversity encourages diverse responses, thus enabling us to make a more solid conclusion as compared to limiting our participants. Procedure Our research question concentrates on the effectiveness of smart phone applications by health professionals. Since we are using the quantitative and the qualitative research methods, we settle to use the questionnaires, which fall under the quantitative method and the interviews, which fall under the qualitative method. We have prepared fifteen questions on the questionnaires. Most of the questions are open-ended questions so that we can allow the participants to be speculative. Such questions encourage personal opinions too. In order to allow comparison, most of the questions appearing in the questionnaires are in the interview form. ... a potential participant that, they were only supposed to answer a questionnaire that was only fifteen questions long, than telling one which is way above that number. Our target is to get at least three health providing organizations and one hundred health professionals. We will incorporate the top management in an organization so that they can convince the employees to take part. By using this approach, we will be able to get more participants as compared to convincing individuals to take part. Questionnaires will be sent to the participants through their emails, mails, text messages, hand deliveries or picking them up in a designated area at the workplace. These methods of issuance will allow the participants to give answers to the various questions, at their convenience. The questionnaires will be distributed one and a half months before the time they are expected to be submitted, to ensure that the participants gain ample time to answer the questions. The submission date will be stated one month before the due date of the research submission. This will give use adequate time to analyze the data collected. It will also give an allowance for late submissions. We are targeting doing as many one-on-one interviews as possible. We want to carry out the interviews to the top management of the organizations. Since most of the managers already asked to take part are not comfortable with recording the interview, we will write down the answers received from the interview questions. However, a lot of keenness will be involved in order to avoid distractions. We will also interview the health professionals. Interviews will either take place face to face or through the use of phones (landline or cell-phone). However, we want to have as many face-to-face interviews as possible

Scientific Method Essay Example for Free

Scientific Method Essay The scientific method has four steps 1. Observation and description of a phenomenon. The observations are made visually or with the aid of scientific equipment. 2. Formulation of a hypothesis to explain the phenomenon in the form of a causal mechanism or a mathematical relation. 3. Test the hypothesis by analyzing the results of observations or by predicting and observing the existence of new phenomena that follow from the hypothesis. If experiments do not confirm the hypothesis, the hypothesis must be rejected or modified (Go back to Step 2). 4. Establish a theory based on repeated verification of the results. The subject of a scientific experiment has to be observable and reproducible. Observations may be made with the unaided eye, a microscope, a telescope, a voltmeter, or any other apparatus suitable for detecting the desired phenomenon. The invention of the telescope in 1608 made it possible for Galileo to discover the moons of Jupiter two years later. Other scientists confirmed Galileos observations and the course of astronomy was changed. However, some observations that were not able to withstand tests of objectivity were the canals of Mars reported by astronomer Percival Lowell. Lowell claimed to be able to see a network of canals in Mars that he attributed to intelligent life in that planet. Bigger telescopes and satellite missions to Mars failed to confirm the existence of canals. This was a case where the observations could not be independently verified or reproduced, and the hypothesis about intelligent life was unjustified by the observations. To Lowells credit, he predicted the existence of the planet Pluto in 1905 based on perturbations in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. This was a good example of deductive logic. The application of the theory of gravitation to the known planets predicted that they should be in a different position from where they were. If the law of gravitation was not wrong, then something else had to account for the variation. Pluto was discovered 25 years later. Limitations of the Scientific Method Science has some well-known limitations. Science works by studying problems in isolation. This is very effective at getting good, approximate solutions. Problems outside these artificial boundaries are generally not addressed. The consistent, formal systems of symbols and mathematics used in science cannot prove all statements, and furthermore, they cannot prove all TRUE statements. Kurt Godel showed this in 1931. The limitations of formal logical systems make it necessary for scientists to discard their old systems of thought and introduce new ones occasionally. Newtons gravitational model works fairly well for everyday physical descriptions, but it is not able to account for many important observations. For this reason, it has been replaced by Einsteins general theory of relativity for most celestial phenomena. Instead of talking about gravity, we now are supposed to talk about the curvature of the four-dimensional time-space continuum. Scientific observations are also subject to physical limits that may prevent us from finding the ultimate truth. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that it is impossible to determine simultaneously the position and momentum of an elementary particle. So, if we know the location of a particle we cannot determine its velocity, and if we know its velocity we cannot determine its location. Jacob Bronowski wrote that nature is not a gigantic formalizable system because to formalize it we would have to make some assumptions that cut some of its parts from consideration, and having done that, we cannot have a system that embraces the whole of nature. The application of the scientific method is limited to independently observable, measurable events that can be reproduced. The scientific method is also applicable to random events that have statistical distributions. In atomic chemistry, for example, it is impossible to predict when one specific atom will decay and emit radiation, but it is possible to devise theories and formulas to predict when half of the atoms of a large sample will decay. Irreproducible results cannot be studied by the scientific method. There was one day when many car owners reported that the alarm systems of their cars were set off at about the same time without any apparent cause. Automotive engineers were not able to discover the reason because the problem could not be reproduced. They hypothesized that it could have been radio interference from a passing airplane, but they could not prove it one way or another. Mental conceptual experiences cannot be studied by the scientific method either. At this time there is no instrumentation that enables someone to monitor what anybody else conceives in their mind, although it is possible to determine which part of the brain is active during any given task. It is not possible to define experiments to determine objectively which works of art are great, or whether Picasso was better than Matisse. So-called miracles are also beyond the scientific method. A person has tumors and faces certain death, and then, the tumors start shrinking and the person becomes healthy. What brought about the remission? A change in diet? A change in mental attitude? It is impossible to go back in time to monitor all variables that could have caused the cure, and it would be unethical to plant new tumors into the person to try to reproduce the results for a more careful study. Critical Thinking The scientific method relies on critical thinking, which is the process of questioning common beliefs and explanations to distinguish those beliefs that are reasonable and logical from those which lack adequate evidence or rational foundation. Arguments consists of one or more premises and one conclusion. A premise is a statement that is offered in support of a claim being made. Premises and claims can be either true or false. In deductive arguments the premises provide complete support for the conclusion. If the premises provide the required degree of support for the conclusion then the argument is valid, and if all its premises are true, then the conclusion must be true. In inductive arguments the premises provide some degree of support for the conclusion. When the premises of inductive arguments are true, their conclusion is likely to be true. Arguments that have one or more false premises are unsound. Fallacies Arguments are subject to a variety of fallacies. A fallacy is an error in reasoning in which the premises given for the conclusion do not provide the needed degree of support. A deductive fallacy is a deductive argument where the premises are all true but reach a false conclusion. An inductive fallacy consist of arguments where the premises do not provide enough support for the conclusion. In such cases, even if the premises are true, the conclusion is not likely to be true. Common fallacies are categorized by their type, such as Ad Hominem (personal attack), and appeals to authority, belief, fear, ridicule, tradition, etc. An example of an Ad Hominem fallacy would be to say You do not understand this because you are American (or Chinese, etc. . The national origin of a person (the premise) has nothing to do with the conclusion that a person can understand something or not, therefore the argument is flawed. Appeals to ridicule are of the form: You would be stupid to believe that the earth goes around the sun. Sometimes, a naive or false justification may be added in appeals to ridicule, such as we can plainly see the sun go around the earth every day. Appe als to authority are of the form The president of the United States said this, therefore it must be true. The fact that a famous person, great person, or authority figure said something is not a valid basis for something being true. Truth is independent of who said it. Types of Evidence Evidence is something that provides proof concerning a matter in question. Direct or Experimental evidence. The scientific methods relies on direct evidence, i. e. , evidence that can be directly observed and tested. Scientific experiments are designed to be repeated by other scientists and to demonstrate unequivocably the point that they are trying to prove by controlling all the factors that could influence the results. A scientist conducts an experiment by varying a single factor and observing the results. When appropriate, double blind experiments are conducted to avoid the possibility of bias. If it is necessary to determine the effectiveness of a drug, an independent scientist will prepare the drug and an inert substance (a placebo), identifying them as A and B. A second scientist selects two groups of patients with similar characteristics (age, sex, etc. ), and not knowing which is the real drug, administers substance A to one group of patients and substance B to the second group of patients. By not knowing whether A or B is the real drug, the second scientist focuses on the results of the experiment and can make objective evaluations. At the end of the experiment, the second scientist should be able to tell whether the group receiving substance A showed improvements over those receiving substance B. If no effect can be shown, the drug being tested is ineffective. Neither the second scientist nor the patients can cheat by favoring one substance over another, because they do not know which is the real drug. Anecdotal, Correlational, or Circumstantial Evidence. Where there is smoke, there is fire is a popular saying. When two things occur together frequently, it is possible to assume that there is a direct or causative relationship between them, but it is also possible that there are other factors. For example, if you get sick every time that you eat fish and drink milk, you could assume that you are allergic to fish. However, you may be allergic to milk, or only to the com bination of fish with milk. Correlational evidence is good for developing hypotheses that can then be tested with the proper experiments, e. g. drink milk only, eat fish only, eat fish and milk together. There is nothing wrong with using representative cases to illustrate an inductive conclusion drawn from a fair sample. The problem arises when a single case or a few selected cases are used to draw a conclusion which would not be supported by a properly conducted study. Argumentative Evidence consists of evaluating facts that are known and formulating a hypothesis about what the facts imply. Argumentative evidence is notoriously unreliable because anybody can postulate a hypothesis about anything. This was illustrated above with the example about the channels of Mars implying intelligent life. The statement I heard a noise in the attic, it must be a ghost also falls in this category. Testimonial Evidence. A famous football player appears on television and says that Drug-XYZ provides relief from pain and works better than anything else. You know that the football player gets paid for making the commercial. How much can you trust this evidence? Not very much. Testimonials are often biased in favor of a particular point of view. In court proceedings, something actually experienced by a witness (eyewitness information) has greater weight than what someone told a witness (hearsay information). Nevertheless, experiments have repeatedly demonstrated that eyewitness accounts are highly unreliable when compared with films of the events. The statement I saw a ghost last night. is an example of testimonial evidence that probably cannot be verified and should not be trusted. On the other hand, the statement I saw a car crash yesterday. can be objectively verified to determine whether it is true or false by checking for debris from the accident, hospital records, and other physical evidence. Make full use of your senses. Making use of your senses is the subjective part of the Methodology. This is the stage where your special sensory skills can be put to use. If you have extraordinary hearing, use it. If you have a photographic memory make sure that it gets used for most of your problem solving. Nobody else has your s pecific impressions of your environment. Your point of view and your observations are unique. Part of using your senses may involve using instrumentation or interaction with others. Lucky charms, divining rods, and other magical devices that do not have reproducible and verifiable functionality do not count as instrumentation. If you dont have perfect eyesight and you need to see something clearly, use your glasses. Make observations from several points of view to get good depth perception and to confirm impressions. Take photographs if you need to remember something in great detail. Use a tape recorder or a notepad to record your observations for later review. Make sure that your senses are at their best by avoiding intoxicants that affect your perceptions. Interaction with others may involve using another being (not necessarily human) to make the observations for you. For example, a blind person may use a seeing-eye dog to get around, a truck driver may use directions from someone else when backing up into a tight spot, a hunter may use a dogs sense of smell for tracking game, or a miner may use a canary to warn him of pockets of unbreathable odorless gases. Whenever you trust someone elses perception more than your own you may find that the conclusions that you reach are unsatisfactory. How many hunters have been led astray by dogs that followed a rabbits trail rather than the foxs? And how many truck drivers have crashed while backing up because they misinterpreted their helpers signals? Reliance on your own senses is the only way to avoid such problems, but you dont always have this choice. The application of logic may be necessary to determine which perceptions you can trust. Let us say that you are not under the influence of any drugs and you see an apparition of a dead person, what should you do? How do you distinguish hallucinations from real perceptions? How do you know if your senses fool you or if your observations are real? One time-honored test is to pinch yourself to make sure that you are not dreaming. If you should tell someone else about your experience and they dont observe the same things, does this mean that you are crazy or that something is wrong with you? Or does this prove that you have more refined perception that enables you to see things that others do not see? What would it be like to live in a world where only you have color vision and everyone else is colorblind? The difference between real perceptions and hallucinations is that you can repeat and reproduce results from real perceptions but not from hallucinations. In a world where you are the only person with color vision, you would eventually be able to prove to everyone else by objective means that colors, or at least different frequencies of light, do exist.

Culture and Communication Essay Example for Free

Culture and Communication Essay The above figures show how different populations are spread in different countries all over the world. It implies that whenever we visit one country, we have to talk in a language that we shall be able to break communication barrier with our hosts. However, it has not been easy to break the cultural barrier between different communities. This is despite the fact that culture has appeared to be dynamic and changing with especially the changing technology. It has thus to be understood that cultural barrier is more than language barrier and if not carefully handled, the cultural barrier can provoke reactions that are negative and cause emotional reactions to the parties involved (Novinger, 2008). We need to understand that whatever that is taken to be of good behavior in one culture might actually be rudeness to others’ culture. You might also get that in one culture, there are issues that are very sensitive, but in actually sense, you don’t see them to be of any consequence in your own culture. This means that we need to understand the culture of the people we are in frequent communication with, so that we can speak the same culture rather than just speaking the same language (Gerry Wilson, n. d). It is important to note that although there are various reservations given about the world of communication, there is need for having some good communication so that we carry on our culture, or else, the chances of such culture surviving might be minimal. Effect of culture on communication It is very difficult to discover the cultural inclination that is involved in communication by one person of a different culture to another. â€Å"The extend to which culture affects communication between people from different cultural groups is a function of the dissimilarity between the cultures, rules, or self concepts,† (Cushman Cahn, 1984 pp 136). Culture is an important socialization aspect that can influence how we relate to other people and objects around us. The different in communication among people from different cultures comes from the uniqueness of the socialization process each has undergone. â€Å"Communication specialists estimate that some two-thirds to three-fourths of our communication take place nonverbally through behavior. Behavior itself is learned from our culture and all behavior communicates,† (Novinger, 2008 para 2). It is not possible to stop one from behaving in a certain way, and yet it is not possible to stop communicating. This means that at all time, we are constantly communicating in a behavior instilled in us by our culture. It is a common phenomenon for us to assume that our culture naturally shows how we are supposed to do things. In this aspect, we tend to look down upon other cultures as being less evolved. One might meet a person from one culture which might make them feel irritated by the fact that such a person might not be cooperative or might appear to be rude. It causes a lot of frustration when you find that a person you are having a conversation with is actually not getting what you are trying to put across. This might appear to you to be very simple, yet to the other partner, it is something that is complicated and new. It mostly depends on how the other party perceives issues altogether which might be completely different from your line of view. In this case, unless you see how the other person is perceiving the same information you are looking at, it will be very difficult to have a meaningful communication (LeBaron, 2003). In most instances, we have also assumed that our actions are governed by the free will. This is however not true since our culture is concerned with imposing certain rules unto us on the way we need to behave immediately we are born. Some common things that are leant at a tender age are when to talk and when not to talk, the gestures that are acceptable and the ones that are not, and we do also learn several table manners. In general, we learn on how to communicate with people in a manner that is totally acceptable to our culture. As Novinger (2008) argues, these communicative behaviors have some consequences, because as this â€Å"behavior is learned so well, it sinks to a subconscious level, so that when we interact with others, we operate on a sort of automatic pilot,† (para 4). While communicating to another person, it is rare to take note of whatever comes up during the communication which we consider to be normal. It is only the behavior that deviates from our cultural way of behaving that usually captures our attention much. In most instances, we take offence when such cases arise. We thus need to understand that the different way we perceive things from one culture does not necessarily mean that the other culture has a defect because of the perception they have on the same issue (Hauben, 1996). For instance, â€Å"Contrary to US culture, silence does not mean acceptance in other cultures,† (Sathyanarayan, n. d para 3). This means that there can appear some communication barrier in a meeting when one party has not understood anything and keeps quite. The other party may assume that by keeping quite, the other has fully understood what they were discussing, only to note that nothing has been put forward. This can be very frustrating especially if it is in a business entity and it might lead to a big loss to the business organization. In some instances, if the business or a project had a set deadline, a person will try to meet the deadline so as it does not appear like a case of disrespectful, yet in essence they are not sure of what is supposed to be done. This is usually common in relations that are still new. Another common cultural issue that can bring about communication barrier is that in some cultures, when in a meeting with high ranking officials, it is not good for members to give any contrary views. This means that despite the fact that a member might be having a certain pressing and important point but it is contrary to what the seniors are saying they might just keep quite. Therefore, a person from a different culture might be in problem understanding what is going on if they are in that kind of a meeting. In conclusions, we can say that it is easy to learn another person’s language to ease communication, but it is not enough, as there are a lot to be told by the culture which is usually portrayed in non verbal communication. Since culture is becoming very much dynamic, we can actually be able to learn the cultures of those we are constantly in touch with so that we can completely break the communication barrier. Reference: Cushman D P Cahn D. D (1984): Communication in Interpersonal Relationships ISBN: 0873959094; SUNY Press Gerry Wilson E (n. d): Communication and Culture, retrieved on 18th June 2008 from http://jmm. aaa. net. au/articles/85. htm Hauben M (1996): Culture and Communication, retrieved on 18th June 2008 from http://www. columbia. edu/~hauben/CS/usenet-culture. txt LeBaron M (2003): Culture and Conflict, retrieved on 18th June 2008 from http://www. beyondintractability. org/essay/culture_conflict/ Sathyanarayan M. M (n. d): Managing Offshore Projects: How Culture Affects Communications and Deliverables, retrieved on 18th June 2008 from http://www. offshoringsuccess. com/offshore_hcacd. html The University of the South Pacific Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (n. d): Sample ELSE Test Questions, retrieved on 18th June 2008 from http://www. usp. ac. fj/fileadmin/files/academic/students/elsa_sample. pdf

A literature review

A literature review Abstract At the beginning, a literature review was conducted to identify the different between implementation of Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC) and Certificate of Fitness for Occupation (CFO). The certification process and conditions for the issuance of both certificate is studied. Besides, the forms used in both systems are studied. The problem of the implementation of CFO is clearly identified in the literature review. The comparison for both systems is based on the simplification of certification process, impact to the corruption level, impact to the foreign investment, integrity of architects, efficiency of public delivery system, attitude of officer in local government, overall duration of the project, duration of the house buyers to occupy their houses, and impact to the quality of works. In order to find out the information to support research title, questionnaire survey was conducted. The result of the analysis showed that the implementation of CCC is better than the implementation of CFO form the architects viewpoints. Therefore, conclusion has been drawn. Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Problem Statement The Government has an intention to create a more efficient public delivery system and reduce bureaucracy or red tape in local government with the implementation of CCC. Besides, implementation of CCC will provide better protection for house buyers. As a person that important role in housing development, what are the opinions and viewpoints of the professional architect after the CCC was implemented for two year and a half years in the industry. Is the implementation of CCC creates positive impacts to the housing industry. Question on Is the CCC system is better than the CFO system? is the main issue that needs to discuss in detail in this research. 1.2 Research Aim The aim of this research is to compare the implementation of CCC and implementation of CFO in housing development projects from Architects viewpoint. 1.3 Research Objective The objectives of this research are: To study the differences between the CFO system and CCC system. To find out the impact of the implementation of the CCC to the housing industry. To study the problem of the CFO system. 1.4 Introduction/ Background Study Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC) came into force on April 12, 2007 in order to replace the Certificate of Fitness for Occupation (CFO). REHDA believes that implementation of the CCC would cause the technical aspects to be separated from the non-technical issues, increase efficiency and expediency in the construction of projects. Delays in construction and compliance costs can be reduced and house buyers will stand to benefit from CCC system. (Ng, 2007) Former Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting clarified that local authorities would not lose their power with the enforcement of the CCC. He said that under existing laws, local authorities would still have the power to stop the principal submitting person from issuing the CCC if they find any non-compliance of the work. Local authorities will still have to power to check buildings and ensure that the developers follow all the rules and regulations, he said. (The Star, 2007) PAM fully supports the governments decision to eradicate the local authorities issued CFO in 2006, when it will be substituted with the CCC to be issued by the professional architects to improve the efficiency and competitiveness in the public delivery system of the building industry. (Lai, 2007) 1.5 Benefit/Importance of Study The government can compare the result from the research with intention to determine the success of the new policy. The Government can know about the problem faced by the architects in the industry. Besides, the architects can realize about the opinion and viewpoint from other Architects about the CCC systems. Apart from that, the house buyer can have a detail comprehend to the CCC system. 1.6 Scope of Study The main focus of this research is to compare the implementation of CCC with the implementation of CFO. The study population will be limited to the professional architect. This is because professional architect is the most important person and act as PSP in most of the housing projects in Malaysia. The research will focus on opinion and viewpoint from the professional architect about the efficiency of the CCC system. The sampling population is the professional architects in the Klang Valley. This is because Klang Valley is one of the rapid developing areas in Malaysia. There are many architect firms in this area. The responds from the Architects selected may not fully represent the all Architects in the Malaysia. 1.7 Research Methodology 1.7.1 Questionnaire Questionnaire is my research methodology in this study. For this section, a set of question to be prepared and the questionnaire will been sent to the Architect firms by e-mail where the e-mail address of the Architect firms can obtain from http://vps.lam.gov.my/lam_ims_member/ index.php. Due to the time constraint, it is expected to receive only thirty sets of questionnaire from the respondents. So, a hundred and twenty sets of questionnaires will be sent to achieve this target. The quantitative analysis method is use to analysis the data collected from the Architects. 1.8.3 Literature Review A comprehensive review of the relevant literature including a computer assisted search will be undertaken in order to develop an understanding of provisions works relating to the Certificate of Completion and Compliance in construction. Materials have been selected based on the objective of the study. The following sources are found to be useful in providing an insight into the research topic: Journal published by professional bodies. Organization website such as PAM, LAM, REHDA, and HBA. All the magazine, pamphlet and articles are obtained from the organizations. Chapter 2: Comparison between Certificate of Fitness for Occupation System (CFO) and Certificate of Completion and Compliance System (CCC) CCC was implemented with intention to cut down on red-tape and ensure that house buyers and building owners get to move in as quickly as possible without compromising their safety (PAM, 2007). This system is consistent with the governments desire to encourage a self regulation approach which was introduced in the new National Economy Growth Planning strategy. This effort reflects the governments commitment to continuously enhance the service delivery system (The Malaysian Bar, 2007). In the past, LA will issue CFO after it has received application form (Form E) submitted by the Submitting Person. Several barriers were found in the process of the submission and receipt of the Form E by the LA. According to the PAM, the issuance of the CFO then poses many problems, such as delay in certification by technical agencies, additional conditions imposed by LA at the time of CFO application and lack of technical officers to process the CFO. CCC will only address technical aspects and so far as these are complied with and there is no apparent threat to safety then it can be issued. 2.1 Certificate of Fitness for Occupation (CFO) System The Certificate of Fitness for Occupation (CFO), an official document issued by the LA to acknowledge that a certain building is safe to be occupied. CFOs are issued to ensure that every house built conforms to the various prerequisites, approved layout and building plans and the by-laws. According to the Uniform Building By-laws 1994 (UBBL), no one can occupy or be allowed to occupy any part of a building unless a CFO or a temporary CFO has been issued. This is to make sure that owners do not move into houses that are unfit for human occupation. At the beginning of the development process, even before the local council approves the building plans, the latter have to be channelled to the following technical departments for scrutiny, such as: Jabatan Kerja Raya (Public Works Department) Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat (Fire and Rescue) Indah Water Konsortium Jabatan Perairan Saliran (Drainage Irrigation) Tenaga Nasional Bhd Jabatan Kesihatan (Health Department) Jabatan Bekalan Air (Water Supply Department) According to the Wang (1987), the local council whilst processing the building plans awaits the approval of the various plans by the various relevant departments. When all such the Acts/By-laws/Regulations, or by way of granting waivers to some specific areas that do not comply to the Acts/By-laws/Regulations due to acceptable reasons, the building plans can thus be approved. Normally one or more correction notices are sent by the Building Department to the applicant for the necessary corrections. The process usually takes a considerable period of time to complete. After the other requirements and formalities have been fulfilled, the developer/contractor then proceeds to build the houses. A registered architect supervises the building process. He also certifies the various stages of construction to the developer. So, the developer can pay the interim payment to the contractor. 2.1.1 Inspection on Completed Project When the construction is completed, meaning that the building, infrastructure and facilities for providing utilities (such as water reticulation and electricity sub-stations) are all in place and commissioned by the relevant authorities, the Practical Completion can be certified by the architect. Letters of support (surat sokongan) should obtain by the architect from the various technical departments, namely Building Department, Planning Department, Road drainage, landscaping, safety health, etc, certifying that the requirements for each respective department are fulfilled. Notice requesting inspection of the buildings for the issuance of the CFO should be lodged with the building authority so that final inspection may be carried out by the relevant authority. The relevant authority will inspect the buildings and the services to make sure they are constructed and installed in accordance with the approved drawings and in compliance with Acts, By-laws, Regulations and other special requirements as endorsed on the Development Order. The inspection by various Departments/ Divisions is a time consuming process, as the various inspections are usually carried out separately. After the inspections are carried out, the various departments will issue the latter of support to the architect. The architect will then submit application form together with all the letters of support, to the local council to apply for the issuance of the CFO. 2.1.2 Issuance of Certificate of Fitness for Occupation (CFO) Upon submission of Form E, the LA will have to reply whether to accept or reject the application of CFO within 14 days. In the event any of the departments do not issue latter of support to the said development, the local authority will reject the application within that 14 days and the developer have to go through the whole process again from submitting a fresh copy of Form E. In summary, the CFO is issued by the local authority after: the local authority receives the form E (UBBL) from the submitting person compliance of all requirements set up by the LA related technical agencies support letter are received LA has visited the site. 2.1.3 Problem of CFO System The objective of Government control on issuance of CFO is to ensure the regulating of standard of building including fire-prevention, provision of services, the standard of roads, drain and lighting. So the construction of building can be carried out in a systematic and orderly method. Yet on the other hand, in the process of issuance of CFO, it has imposed institutional rigidity and created procedural formality and red-tape, thus resulting in delay. On the question of discretionary power provided under the statutes, this can also go to extremities in freely exercising discretion or unwillingness to use discretion. In either case, it is not beneficial to the building process. The CFO system was overly cumbersome, time-consuming and subject to abuse. It was not unusual for inordinate delays to occur due to many factors including: Noncompliance by the developer for the submission of Form E and its enclosures to the LA. Additional conditions imposed by the LA at the time of application of CFO. The involvement of many technical agencies and the lack of technical officers to process the CFO. 2.1.4 Effect of CFO System to the House Buyer As the name implies, the CFO is a document that declares that a house is fit for occupation. Hence, without it, a buyer is not allowed to occupy his newest possession. It would not be unfair to say that most house buyers in Malaysia have been faced with the problem where they obtained the keys to their brand new homes but were unable to move in because there was no CFO. The rule in the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Regulation 1966 allows developers to hand over vacant possession of houses to the house buyers even though the CFOs have not been issued. The distressing fact is that house buyers are forced to accept the keys to their new homes, although the CFO have not been issued. The Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Regulation 1966 stipulates that in the event of buyers failing to take over vacant possession 14 days after being notified by the developer, they are deemed to have taken over vacant possession of the houses. (National House Buyers Association, 2002) The irony is that they are not allowed from moving into their new homes because the CFOs have not been issued. As the result, from the date they take over or are deemed to have taken over their houses, they are full responsibility for the property. (National House Buyers Association, 2002) 2.1.5 Types of Form under CFO System Form A (Certification of Buildings/Structural Plans) to be submitted to the Local Authority for endorsement on plans to be submitted for approval. The submitting person wills certify the details in the plans are in accordance with the requirements on the town planning and building requirements. The submitted person wills accept full responsibility accordingly. Form B (Notice of Commencement/Resumption of Building Operations) to be submitted by the submitting person to the Local Authority to inform the local authority of the intention to commence or resume building operation according to the approval plans. Form C (Notice of Completion of Setting Out) to be submitted to the Local Authority by the submitting person to certify that the setting out of the buildings is according to the approved plans. The submitting person will accepts responsibility of ensuring that the setting of the buildings will be in accordance with all the town planning and building requirements of the Building By-Laws. Form D (Notice of Completion of Foundations) to be submitted to the Local Authority by the submitting person to give a notice to the local authority that the foundations of the buildings have been completed according to the approval plans. The submitting person will responsible that the works are compliance with the Building By-Laws. Form E (Application Form for Issue of CFO) to be submitted to the Local Authority by the submitting person to apply for CFO. The submitting person will certify that the buildings have been completed in accordance with the approval plan. Besides, the submitting person will also certify that supervision of the erection and completion of the buildings had been carried out under his control are in accordance with the approved building and structural plans and generally in accordance with the specifications and sound engineering practice. He will accept responsibility accordingly for those portions with which he respectively concerned. 2.2 Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC) System Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC), a new term introduced by the Street, Drainage and Building (Amendment) Act 2007 (Amendment Act), which enforced by the government on April 12, 2007. The CCC is introduced by the government to replace the CFO. The new CCC is issued by the private sector based on self-regulation. LAs transfer the responsibility to professionals. The professionals that can issue the CCC are architects, engineers and building draftsman. It looks for, cut red tape or bureaucracy in local government, enhance the efficiency of the public delivery system and provide better protection for house buyers. The CCC applies to new projects after the enforcement date while the project commenced before the enforcement date will still be issued with CFOs. Under CCC Issuance System, Development Order approval process and building plan approval process are still required. Development Order must obtain from the LA before the construction of the building is commenced. Besides, the building plan must approved by the all relevant technical agencies before the construction is commenced. 2.2.1 Principal submitting person (PSP) The CCC will be issued by a (PSP), which is a major change in the new system. The PSP is a professional who submits building plans to the LA for approval and registered under the relevant law relating to registration such as Architects Act 1967 or Registration of Engineers Act 1967(Revised 1974). Roles and responsibilities of PSP under implementation of CCC include the following: Present building plans to LA for approval Standardise preparations and presentation of building plan and other necessary plans Inform LA before commencement of construction operations at the site Supervise works at the site and ensure the compliance of the laws and technical requirements of the LA Report building breaches, explain reasons of breach and state recovery actions in the event of breach during constructions Present work resumption notice to LA Ensure non-compliance matters during construction such as rectification in the LA to PSP notice before the CCC is issued Issuing CCC to owners and developers and presenting a copy of the CCC to the LA and the relevant Professional Board Ensure verification of G forms are completed and in order and presenting a copy of the G forms to the LA and relevant Professional Board 2.2.2 Matrix of responsibility Under CFO system, the roles and responsible of the various party is not clearly indentify. To resolve this problem, stage certification is introduced according to the various stage of construction work. The process is based on matrix of responsibility. Ong (2007) notes that the implementation of CCC has introduced a matrix of responsibility to make all parties involved in the construction process accountable and responsible for their respective works. With the introduction of G forms whereby technical personnel are required to certified their respective work, these technical personnel will no longer able to load the responsibility to the architect or engineer who for practical reason cannot be checking every details on site. This has been practiced in Australia as the self regulatory system and it has been effective in producing the quality end product of building works. This process helps to identify and call to attention the various parties responsible in the complex delivery process of buildings. The CIDB registered contractor, licensed specialist contractors and professionals will now be called upon to take responsibility for their portions of the works. For example, the stage certification for internal sanitary plumping is certified by the sub-contractor (licensed plumber), and the professional architect or professional engineer. The professional is depending to the person who prepares the sanitary plumping drawing. There is possible time saved from previously having to the submitting of the application form for apply CFO. If a plumber certified internal sanitary plumping works is found to be defective or using substandard components not according to specification, he can easily be traced under this system for which action can be taken by authority such as suspension or de-registration of the plumbers licence. The same goes to other tradesmen or contractors. The introduction of this matrix of responsibility marks a new milestone in the self regulation of quality building works and hence quality property that should be the culture of the whole construction industry. For the purpose of inspection the non-compliance of work from the local authority, the PSP may inform the LA when the completion of the main construction stage. The three main construction stages are: Sub-structure work (Form G1-G3) Super-structure work (Form G4-G12) Internal and external services (From G13-G21) 2.2.3 Inspection by Local Authority (LA) According to the Street, Drainage and Building Act (Amendment 2007) (Act A1286), the LA is empowered under section 85A to direct inspection to be carried out on the building by the owner 10 years after CCC has been issued for the said building. The LA may inspect the building site at any time on its own initiative or due to complaints. Under section 70(23) of the Street, Drainage and Building Act (Amendment 2007) (Act A1286), in the event of failure to comply with the approved plans, the Act or by-laws in the erection and construction of the building, the LA may issue to the PSP: A written notice requiring compliance within a period in the notice specified by the LA A written directive to withhold the issuance of CCC until the non-compliance has been rectified. 2.2.3.1 PSP Rectify Non-compliance Under section 25(6) of the Uniform Building By-Law (UBBL) (Amendment 2007), after the receipt of the notice issued by the LA, the PSP shall within twenty-one days (21) or period approved by the LA rectify the failure or non-compliance. After the PSP has rectified the failure or non-compliance, he shall issue a notice to the local authority confirming that such rectification works have been satisfactorily completed. The UBBL (Amendment 2007) states that upon receipt of the notice, the LA shall within fourteen days (14) inspect the building to confirm that the failure or non-compliance has been satisfactorily rectified. When the LA is satisfied the rectification of the failure or non-compliance, the LA shall issue a written directive to the PSP to issue the CCC or partial CCC. When the LA does not carry out the inspection of rectification works within the period, the LA is deemed to be satisfied the rectification works of the non-compliance. 2.2.3.2 PSP Does Not Rectify the Non-compliance When the failure or non-compliance is not rectified by the PSP within the specified period, the LA may itself cause any work to be executed or any measure to be taken if it considers such work or measure is necessary to rectify the non-compliance. The cost for executing such work shall be borne by the owner of the building. The CCC or partial CCC shall not be issued by the PSP until all the rectification works of the failures or non-compliances has been satisfactorily completed. The LA is also responsible for approving permission of planning application and building plans, pressing charges against the PSP and professionals and reporting to the relevant professional board, inspection of old buildings and continuing to issue CFOs for projects approved before the CCCs date of enforcement. (Chen, 2007) 2.2.4 Issuance of Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC) After the building is completed, the PSP can issue the CCC to certify the building is safe and comfort for the occupational. Conditions for the issuance of Certificate of Completion and Compliance are: When all the technical conditions required by the LA are complied. PSP certify and accept Form G1-G21. Confirmation of Six essential services for the issuance of CCC: Electrical supply (TNB) are confirmed Water supply are confirmed Connection to sewerage treatment plant or mains are confirmed Clearance from lifts and machinery department, if applicable Clearances for active fire fighting systems except for residential buildings not more than 18m high) (Bomba) Roads Drainage When the non-compliance of work is rectified by the PSP. The PSP certifies that the building is constructed under his supervision and the buildings have been completed according to the approval plans and compliance with the Building By-Laws. UBBL (Amendment 2007) states that the PSP shall accept full responsibility for the issuance of the CCC and he certifies that the building is safe and fit for occupation. 2.2.5 Issuance of Vacant Possession (VP) Together with CCC Housing Development (Control and Licensing) (Amendment) Act 2007 states that the delivery of vacant possession by the Vendor shall be supported by a CCC) certifying that the building is safe and fit for occupation. As the result, the developer shall let the purchaser occupy the house when the CCC has been issued by the developers architect. The purchaser may immediately occupy the property as the CFO is no longer required. (Wong, 2008) 2.2.7 Types of Form under CCC System Under implementation of CCC, the Form A (Certification of Buildings/Structural Plans) and Form B (Notice of Commencement/Resumption of Building Operations) are remained and serve the same function as Form A and Form B under implementation of CFO. The Second Schedule of the UBBL is amended by deleting Forms C, D and E. Form F is substituted with the new Form F and F1. The new forms, Form G1-G21 were introduced with the implementation of CCC. Form Gs are stage certification for twenty-one (21) component of work (refer to table 2.1). The Form C and Form D under CFO issuance system are replaced by the Form G2 and Form G3 respectively. The Form Gs must certified by the parties involved in the each component of work. They will certify that the each component of work is constructed according to the approval plans. Besides, they will also fully responsible for the construction and completion for the work. Under CCC insurance system, the Form E is deleted. The PSP can issue the Form F (Certificate of Completion and Compliance) when he satisfy with the construction of the building. He will certify that the construction of the building is accordance to the approved building and structure plans. He will fully responsible for the construction of the building. UBBL (Amendment 2007) states that the PSP shall deposit a copy of the certificate and the Form G1-G21 with the LA and the Board of Architects Malaysia or Board of Engineers Malaysia within fourteen (14) days from the issuance of the CCC. The PSP may issue a partial CCC in Form F1 as set out in the Second Schedule of UBBL (Amendment 2007) in respect of any part of a building partially completed subject to any condition imposed by the LA which it deems necessary for reasons of public health and safety. A partial CCC once issued shall remain effective until the whole of the building is completed and a CCC is issued. 2.2.8 Acts Amended to Prevent Wrong Certification Under the self-certification system, a heavier responsibility will be placed upon the PSP to uphold trust and integrity. However, as the professional fees are currently being paid by the developers to the consultants, the public may get the perception that PSP may not be independent and can be influenced by their developer client to certify and issue the CCC in advance. (Lai, 2007) As a result, several acts are amended to eliminate this perception and prevent wrong certification. 2.2.8.1 Uniform Building By-Law (Amendment 2007) 2.2.8.2 Street, Drainage and Building Act (Amendment) 2007 2.2.8.3 Architects Act 1967 Chapter 3: Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction There are two types of approaches that commonly used for dissertation, quantitative approach and qualitative approach. Quantitative approach is used for this dissertation. The quantitative approach involves analysis of numerical data. Data is in the form of numbers and statistics. Data collected by using tools, such as questionnaires or equipment to collect numerical data. 3.2 Questionnaire Survey Questionnaire is a written list of questions, the answer to which recorded by respondents. In a questionnaire respondents read the question, interpret what is expected and then write down the answers. The questionnaire for this dissertation consists of 6 questions. The respondents are the Registered Architect around the Klang Valley. The questionnaires are sent to the respondent by post. Due to the time limitation, 30 respondents are selected as sample size for this dissertation. The questions are set with mixture of closed-end question and opened end question. There is only 1 closed-end question asking about the general opinion about the replacement of CFO with CCC. This question is optional for the respondents to give the answer. Most of the questions are set under closed-end question to control the data collected and more favourable to the respondent. The data is controlled to make the analysis of data is more easy. The questionnaires attach with a cover and authorised letter from the College. The primary objective of a cover letter is to tell the respondents the purpose of the questionnaire and to request that they participate. The purpose of the study should be stated clearly and simply. 3.2.1 Follow-up Procedures. Nearly all surveys which are serious in nature follow up the initial questionnaires with two o three additional mailings as well as telephone calls to increase the overall response rate. Generally, the second follow-up occurs two or three weeks after the initial survey was sent out. Telephone call is used for the follow-up procedures. 3.2.2 Advantages of Questionnaire Questionnaires are economical, in the sense that they can supply a considerable amount of research data for a relatively low cost in terms of materials, money and time. Questionnaires supply standardised answer, to the extent that all respondents are posted with exactly the same questions. The data collected are very unlikely to be contaminated with the researcher through variations in the wording of the questions or the manner in which the questions is asked. There is little scope for the data to be affected by interpersonal factors. The questionnaires encourage pre-coded answers. This is not an essential facet of questionnaires, because unstructured answers can be sought. However, the value of the data is likely to be greatest where respondents provide answers that fit into range of options offered by the researcher. 3.2.3 Design for Questions <

Prejudice: We Can Change the World :: social issues

Prejudice: We Can Change the World When a person hears the word prejudice, he or she might think it only refers to the racial prejudice often found between those with light skin and those with dark skin. However, prejudice runs much deeper than a person's color. Prejudice is found between gender, religion, cultural and geographical background, and race. People have discriminated against others based upon these attributes from the beginning of time. Prejudice has become a complex problem in our society today and much of our world's history is based upon such hatred. In the 1600's, white men used Africans as slaves and treated them as if they were not human. "Colored" people were not even allowed to use the same drinking fountains as white people until the mid-1900's. Hitler and his men killed over five million people because they were Jewish or were not their definition of "normal." The Ku Klux Klan exists today and openly professes its hatred towards Jews and colored people. Our society is riddled with such hatred based upon peoples' beliefs and origins and it seems millions are fighting each other for no relevant reason at all. I do believe that we can greatly reduce the amount of prejudice in our world today, yet I do not think that it will ever completely go away. Society has seemingly come to except all races, religions, and genders, and supposedly has achieved "political correctness," yet there will forever be individuals who discriminate based upon these issues. These individuals often form large groups that recruit new members to enforce their hatred of those with a certain religion or skin tone. Obviously, no one can tell these people that they cannot have their own opinions or beliefs, for they have the right to hate whomever they like. However, I believe we need to raise our children to accept all people, no matter what god they do or do not believe in or what color skin they may have. If children are raised around people who are not the same as they are, then they will most likely not think anything different of people who do not look the same as them or believe what they believe. If we raise our children to believe all people are equal from the start, then prejudice will slowly disintegrate over time. We, as the human race, need to focus on not judging people before we know them for who they are.

Does The Void Exist Essay -- essays research papers

Does the void exist? One of the main controversies in Pre-socratic philosophy is the dispute of the existence or non-existence of the void. Two groups of philosophers argue this idea. The first group, namely Parmenides, argues that the void does not exist. This is the opinion of the Monist philosophers. The other group is the atomists who argue this thesis and believe there is a void. This group is primarily represented by the philosophers, Democritus and Leucippus. Parmenides argues against the existence of the void. The plenum fragment states his opinion quite clearly: "Nor is it divisible, since it is all alike; nor is there more here and less there, which would prevent it from holding together, but it is full of what is. So it is all continuous, for what is clings close to what is." This shows the idea, that if there would be a void or an empty space then "what is" would move into it. Hence, there is no void. Because "what is" fills up this space completely. "Since it is all alike" volume or density is continuous everywhere. Since it is not divisible there is no void between "what is". Also "what is" itself has no void in it. If there were void or space in one object, compared to a more denser object these particles would not "...

Water In the Middle East: Prospects for Conflict and Cooperation Essay

Reasons and origins of the conflict for water are dating back in the late 40s and the Arab-Israeli conflict. More precisely, the countries involved that represent potential conflict are Israel and Syria, as well as Israel and Palestine. For example, what can be mentioned here are Israeli aspirations to keep tight control over the economically important areas. This is directly linked to the water issues and diverting the water from one to another region. Other Arab countries are strongly opposing such shift as this will increase Israel’s industrial and agricultural capacities and, consequently, will encourage further Jewish immigration to the country. There have been plans to prevent such discourse, but Israeli`s military strikes have prevented these intentions back in 1965−1966 (Kershner, 2013). Even despite the fact that Israel and Jordan have settled their water disputes in the 1994 peace agreement (ibid), the water remains an important source of tension between Israel and Syria and, by default, between Israel and Lebanon. Water disputes are contributing towards failure of the peace talks between Israel and Syria in the 1990s, as well as those between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) (ibid). Many of the water resources in the peninsula have been under Israeli control and some of the construction works of the other countries have been the first significant attempts to challenge the above mentioned status quo. On the other hand, apart for the prospects for conflict, the role of the international community has been from great importance, as it is trying hard to impose a middle ground between the conflicting countries. It is clear that no final agreement is possible until there are agreed-upon borders betw... ...er. The University of Michigan, 1997. 11. Jordan Times, 1 June 1994. 12. Juusola, H. Water Conflicts in the Middle East. December, 2012. 13. Kershner, E. (2013). A Rare Middle East Agreement, on Water. New York Times, Middle East. 14. Middle East International, â„â€" 458, 10 September 1993. 15. Monday Morning. No. 448, September 2002. 16. Muhammad al-Baba Shaaban, Abdallah Khoury et al al-Dzhugrafiya. 1988, Beirut, page 55; US Army Corps of Engineers, Water in the sand: A survey of Middle East water issues. 17. Palace, Z. (2013) â€Å"Business and Water: New Channels for Breaking the Impasse in the Middle East?†. Business and water, panel summaries and transcripts. Forum 2000 18. PBS Online edition: â€Å"A Struggle for Water Resources in Middle East Conflict†. October, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2010/10/a_struggle_for_water_resources.html

How and Why Does the Relationship Between John and Elizabeth Proctor Change over the Course of the Crucible?

How and why does the relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor change over the course of The Crucible? In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, John and Elizabeth Proctor are introduced as a young, married couple whose relationship had a tense undercurrent. Their actions and reactions towards one another prove that they are at odds with each other. John and Elizabeth seem to be trying to smooth out the bumps in their relationship, but they only seem to succeed in driving themselves further apart. Now at a time when communication is crucial, John and Elizabeth learn the mistake they made is not getting to know each other better. Act two is when Elizabeth is introduced properly in the crucible. Elizabeth and Proctor have what seems to be an awkward conversation with no sentence lasting more than a few words. The short sentences Miller uses to create the conversation between Elizabeth and Proctor such as â€Å"What keeps you so late? It’s almost dark. † And â€Å"Aye, the farm is seeded. The boys asleep? † use lots of questions adding suspicion mainly seen in Elizabeth’s speech. This shows the reader there is a lack of honesty in their relationship because if they had complete honesty in the relationship there would be no need for questions. The questions might be a way of them trying to smooth the bumps out in their relationship, attempting to bring honesty back in but neither of them seem to be opening fully, shown by the short sentences. Any attempt to open up to the other person is quickly stopped by some sort of interruption â€Å"Now look you – † â€Å"I see what I see John. † Elizabeth suspects a lack of honesty â€Å"John, you are not open with me† however Proctor continues to deny it. This all builds up tension and bottles up feelings in the relationship implying that they will burst out later on in the play. This makes the reader feel sympathy for Proctor and Elizabeth because on one hand Elizabeth simply just wants to know the truth so they can get on with their lives and on the other Proctor doesn’t want to hurt Elizabeth’s feelings by telling the truth. Elizabeth is accused of being a witch. It is believed Abigail accused her so as to get to John. Hale is introduced into Proctors house. He has come in search of evidence to back up the accusation. Hale asks a series of questions involving religious references and also asks Proctor to recite the Ten Commandments. Hale being in the Proctor’s house seems to create tension in the house. When faced with the proposition of being questioned about the Christian faith Proctor answers â€Å"Why, we – have no fear of questions sir. † This seems quite a shy answer. It lacks confidence and almost seems as though he is nervous about answering or he may even fear the questions about to come before him. This creates sympathy for Proctor by the reader because he is trying to patch up his relationship and now has to deal with accusations of being a witch on top of everything else. Elizabeth is taken to court due to her accusation and is then taken to jail. After months in jail, Elizabeth Proctor was called into the courtroom to answer a series of questions that could determine the fate of her husband, herself, and Abigail Williams. Elizabeth Proctor was asked to accuse her husband of lechery. The hesitation in Elizabeth's response to this question was not a surprise. She was fighting a battle inside of herself that only she knew the depth of. It was up to her to make a decision that she knows would change her life and the lives of others. To the question of lechery put before her, Elizabeth Proctor chose to answer â€Å"no†. Elizabeth answered â€Å"no† for a number of reasons. The biggest was the respect she had for her husband. She wanted John to reveal his sin on his own. She felt it wasn't her place to reveal the wrong in his life. Elizabeth also believed that she was part of the reason John chose to have an affair with Abigail. Before John was to sign his confession, Elizabeth asked him to forgive her for being a cold wife. Elizabeth truly believed she was the reason behind John's affair with Abigail. This proves that Elizabeth really did love John although there were times hen it wasn't evident in her words and actions. She respected and trusted him to such an extent that she allowed him to decide when he would let the community know of his sin. John Proctor also loves his wife deeply. This is shown through his actions at the end of the play. With the decision he is about to make at hand, he asks Elizabeth â€Å"what would you have me do? † It is her desires that he is concerned about because he realizes this decision will affect her too. After ripping up his confession, John grabs Elizabeth and gives her the last kiss of his life. It was not passion that drove him but pure love. Through this kiss he let Elizabeth know everything that he had been keeping in his heart during his time in jail in more. Through this kiss, Elizabeth knows that John loved her and cherished her more than before. It is evident throughout the play that displays of affection aren't very common in the Proctor household. That is common in many marriages and households today. It is also common that it isn't until something drastic happens that those who love each other find out how much they really mean to each other. This is what happened in the Proctor's situation. John and Elizabeth didn't realize what they meant to each other until they were thrown into jail and John was on the verge of losing his life. John and Elizabeth Proctor realize their love for each other at the end of the play. Although they both realize they won't be able to share it, they are overjoyed with this new discovery. Elizabeth realizes that John loves her and John realizes that Elizabeth loves him and that he does indeed have her forgiveness. This gives him the push he needs to make the right decision. In the time when John and Elizabeth's relationship must be strong, they pull through and come out the victors.

Management and Organisational Behaviour Qantas

Assignment 3 Management and Organisational Behaviour Prepared for Dr Retha Wiesner Faculty of Business & Law University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba, Queensland by Student name: W. Amal Peiris Student number: U1031128 MGT5000 INTRODUCTION Qantas faced the crisis in 2011. However it has commenced in 1990 when it was deregulated the government through privatization. Culture of Qantas remained unchanged and it operated as a government organization. Since Qantas was a government owned organization its cost base was not competitive compared to other Airlines.Qantas responded with low-cost Jetstar and just like Virgin Airways, the latter also moved into international flight paths to provide an alternative to passengers. Since then Qantas set out on a modernization path whilst adapting to the global environment. However its cost base continued to climb. Three unions went on a strike and it resulted in 80,000 passengers being affected, more than 600 flights cancelled and seven aircraft g rounded. The impact has been felt at both domestically and internationally. On 29 November 2011, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce made the decision to ground the airline’s entire fleet.This action stranded 68,000 passengers around the world and locked out Qantas employees in response to the protracted industrial dispute. Since parties have failed to resolve the dispute within 21 days, went through a binding arbitration. As consequences to the Qantas crisis the main challenges are to rebuilding of trust, restoring good working relationships and rescuing Qantas’ reputation with its staff, customers, the government and other stakeholders. CRITICAL DISCUSSION ON THE POWER ISSUES EVIDENT FROM THE CASE Power could be define as, the ability to mobilize resources (human and machine) to get things done. * a resource, not an act. It is an ability, a capacity, a potential; and it does not have to be used. * something which is positive in terms of its output. * conception of powe r which sees it as the means whereby common objectives are achieved. * a resource which can be expanded and shared to the mutual benefit of all parties. Power over refers to the ability of one party to impose its will on another. Power is an essential managerial resource. It is demonstrated by the ability to get someone else to do what you want you to do.However, if power holders manipulate and impose such power on someone else to achieve individual objectives rather than common objective, a power issue is arose. Bases of Power Bases of Power refer to what power-holders control that allows them to manipulate the behavior of others. These are: Position power, including: ? Reward power – power based on the distribution of rewards that others view as valuable. ? Coercive power – power that is based on fear. ? Legitimate power and formal authority – the power a person receives as a result of his or her position in the formal hierarchy of an organization, including p rocess and information power.Personal power including: ? Expert power – influence wielded as a result of expertise, special skill, or knowledge. ? Referent power – identification with a person who has desirable resources or personal traits, the power of being likable. As the CEO of Qantas, Alan Joyce possesses the legitimate power and formal authority. In the given case it’s evident that Alan Joyce has used his power base in several circumstances, those have been critically analyzed bellow; The fleet groundingCEO announced the immediate—and unprecedented grounding of all Australian domestic and international Qantas flights as a result of the proposed lock-out of the airline's staff in response to continued industrial action against the company. This resulted grounding of 108 planes at 22 airports, domestically and internationally. Further it was estimated to cost $20 million a day. This can been seen as a action taken by the CEO based on the his legitimat e power and formal authority, which resulted in addition to the revenue loss a loss of goodwill too.However, one can argue that he made this decision with the best interest of the Qantas and but not anything against the unions. In his words he said that â€Å"All I’m concerned about is Qantas. This was not anti-union, this was pro-Qantas †¦ I’ll make whatever tough decisions are needed in order to ensure the survival of this great company† Actions to minimize cost As further explained in later part of this analysis, due to the deregulation of airline industry, management headed by Alan Joyce had to make following decisions to be competitive in terms of cost. Qantas decided to operate with low-cost Jetstar flights. Jetstar capacity is very limited too. * Qantas announced a restructure which will see 1,000 jobs slashed as part of a new emphasis on Asia; which would help the management to cut cost and be more competitive. However, before making these decisions management did not consult the parties who were going to be impacted. Based on the legitimate power and formal authority management used a top-down approach in terms of these changes. From the side of the employees, they could argue that this approach was not the right approach to change.From the other side one can argue that these decisions anyway had to be taken to the survival of Qantas, hence he had done these in good faith. CRITICAL DISCUSSION ON THE CONFLICT ISSUES EVIDENT FROM THE CASE AND HOW THE RESPECTIVE PARTIES HAVE DEALT WITH THE CONFLICT. The crisis which faced Qantas during 2011 is said to have commenced due to the following changes made by the management in Qantas; As a result of airline industry started going through a deregulation by the Australian government, by end of 1995, Qantas previously being a government owned organization became a public company which is listed in Australian Stock Exchange.However, as a result previously being a government owned organizat ion, Qantas existing cost base wasn’t competitive compared to other global airlines. Hence, management had to take following initiatives. * Qantas decided to operate with low-cost Jetstar flights. Jetstar capacity is very limited too. * Qantas announced a restructure which will see 1,000 jobs slashed as part of a new emphasis on Asia; which would help the management to cut cost and be more competitive. As a result of these changes following conflict issues were arose between management and its employees.Parties| Conflict Issues| Action| Engineers| Engineers felt vulnerable for fear their work would be sent overseas and they wanted only limited outsourcing. | * They went on strike over pay and conditions. * Later moved to arbitration, describing it as the appropriate outcome for the appropriate time. | Baggage and catering Staff| Their Concern was for job security and outsourcing – rather than pay. | * They went on strike over pay and conditions| Long-haul Pilots| To en sure Qantas flights are operated by pilots paid at Qantas rates, not the lower Jetstar rates. The only action Qantas pilots had been taking was inflight announcements about the industrial dispute, as well as the donning of red ties that carry the message †Qantas flight, Qantas pilots†| However, Fair Work Australia â€Å"FWA†; industrial umpire managed to bring the disputing parties to the negotiation table. FWA gave 21 days to disputing parties to resolve the dispute. But, within this period parties failed to reach a solution. Hence, FWA brought the dispute between Qantas and three unions to a close through binding arbitration.On the other hand, Unions argued that Qantas has failed to display good faith in the negotiations and reaction from Alana Joyce was totally out of proportion to the issues. CRITICALLY DISCUSS THE LEADERSHIP STYLE OF QANTAS CEO, ALAN JOYCE AS EVIDENT FROM THE CASE AND THE CHANGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES THAT HE HAS USED IN DEALING WITH THE STRIK E. Leadership style It’s evident from the research made on the â€Å"Crisis leadership† that leaders play a central role in crisis through sense making and the viable mental models. In this regard in depth knowledge on the crisis is very much crucial to a leader.In a crisis situation leaders’ actions are always depends on the leadership style of that particular leader. A leader always makes decisions to cope with the crisis and to change the context in which it occurs in line with his/her leadership style. However, these actions may not always steady and directed towards the given crisis situation. In the given Qantas case, when the industrial dispute occurred, Alan Joyce as the CEO of Qantas decided to grounding of all Australian domestic and international Qantas flights as a result of the proposed lock-out of the airline's staff.Further, he decided to reimburse accommodation costs for those left stranded by the fleet grounding, and refund those who were expect ed to fly with the airline. Afterward, he expressed his opinion on his actions saying that â€Å"All I’m concerned about is Qantas. This was not anti-union, this was pro-Qantas †¦ I’ll make whatever tough decisions are needed in order to ensure the survival of this great company† Hence, in this situation one could argue that the leadership style of Qantas CEO is authoritarian or Autocratic where workers have low bargaining power.In late 1940s, based on the research made by the University of Michigan it was derived two basic forms of leadership behaviors; employee-centered and production-centered. In the employee-centered environment it’s expected that leaders are sensitive to the employee’s feelings and emphasizes more on interpersonal relations. In the production-centered environment it’s expected that leaders are more concerned with spelling out the task requirements and emphasizes more on the technical aspects of the job.When conside ring the above decision and comment made by the CEO on the industrial dispute, it’s evident that CEO is authoritarian or Autocratic and relied more on the production-centered behavior. Change management strategies Typically, change initiatives are met by some resistance. In general, resistance is managed best if it’s recognized early in the change process. This mainly can be done through education, communication, participation and facilitation. In the given case it’s evident that management of Qantas had used Top-down approach to change.In this approach CEO believed that one-way communication backed by the formal authority of their position is enough to implement the change. However, it’s evident from the case that this approach is not effective. Victims argued that Qantas has failed to display good faith in the negotiations and this one-way communication of change process made number of issues in Qantas. E. g. The engineers, felt vulnerable for fear thei r work would be sent overseas. The pilots union wants to ensure Qantas flights are operated by pilots paid at Qantas rates, not the lower Jetstar rates.The Transport Workers Union, which represents baggage handlers and catering staff, wants to restrict work being sent outside Qantas. As a CEO, who plays major role in top management, Alan Joyce does not have a monopoly on expertise, information and inputs. In such situation, two-way communication would have given addition perspective to the change management process. Hence, in general it can be concluded that leadership style and change management strategies used by the Alan Joyce are ineffective. THE SURVIVAL OF QANTAS MAY BE AT STAKE IF THE ISSUES AREN’T RESOLVED IN THE FUTURE.IN YOU VIEW, IS A CULTURE CHANGE REQUIRED IN QANTAS? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWER BY CRITICALLY DISCUSSING THE CURRENT CULTURE OF QANTAS AND EVALUATING WHETHER A CULTURE CHANGE IS NECESSARY. Although the Qantas and Australian Airlines were merged and Qantas was privatized, As a result of previously being a government owned organization the company’s cost base wasn’t competitive compared to other global airlines. The culture of Qantas including organizational structure, strategies, and cost base remained unchanged with the changes in Ownership.With the privatization, Qantas could have changed their culture including strategies, and cost base to be in competitive within the airline industry. Autocratic leadership was applied where workers have low bargaining power and there were no proper processes for performance evaluation, health and safety and benefits (Compensation) of employees. Leadership style should be arranged to enhance problem solving, effective decision taking, where performance evaluation, health and safety and benefits (Compensation) of employees is considered.They have failed in dealing with disputes with employees where dispute has had a profound effect on customers, suppliers and other third parties. Due to l ack of communication Qantas failed to provide adequate notice of anticipated interruptions to normal operations. Also Qantas has failed to display good faith in the negotiations. Therefore it is important to implement proper policies for resolving conflicts. Dividend has not been paid to the shareholders company since early 2009 and according to CEO there won’t be any growth in the short term.Company’s cost base is not supportive for make profits and further adding to the pressure on Qantas is the severe competition from Virgin Australia in the domestic market. In a summary, changing culture of Qantas is very important to achieve objectives of rebuilding of trust, restoring good working relationships and rescuing Qantas’ reputation with its staff, customers, the government and other stakeholders. Existing cultural web – Qantas Myths & Stories: * Lack of job security * Poor Management – employee relation Symbolic Aspects: * Top management remote fro m workers * One way communicationsPower structures: * CEO call the shot * Belligerent union * Complaint work force Organization: * Top down Mgt hierarchy * Still follow Bureaucratic style * Strong union Control systems: * Lack of open honest two way communications & Info sharing The Paradigm: * Focus product not people * Atmosphere of mistrust * Structure, order & stability Rites & Routines: * High Safety RECCOMENDATIONS Power As the CEO of Qantas, Alan Joyce possesses the legitimate power and formal authority. In the given case it’s evident that Alan Joyce has used his power base in several circumstances. E. g. He announced to ground all Australian domestic and international Qantas flights as a result of the proposed lock-out of the airline's staff in response to continued industrial action against the company. * As a result of the deregulation of airline industry, management headed by Alan Joyce took some decisions to be competitive in terms of cost. These decisions resulte d rate reductions and voluntary rate redundancies. However, affecting parties were not consulted before making these decisions. Earlier part of this analysis, it was concluded that a power issue is evident from these actions.Alan Joyce could have used his legitimate power and formal authority more acceptable way as his decisions created conflicts between Qantas and unions. This could have been done by way of; * Using the power to mobilize resources to get things done efficiently and effectively. * Using the power and politics to achieve common goals of all parties. * Creating friendliness use of flattery, creation of goodwill, acting humble, and being friendly prior to making a decision. * Coalition – getting the support of other people in the organization to back up the decision. Bargaining – use of negotiation through the exchange of benefits or favours. * Assertiveness – use of a direct and forceful approach such as demanding compliance with requests, repeati ng reminders, ordering individuals to do what is asked, and pointing out that rules require compliance. Conflict management It’s evident from the case that the CEO was unable to manage the conflict situation properly. Three unions were not happy about the approach used by the management. As conflict in an organization can be dangerous, CEO could have given more attention to the conflicting issues.All conflicting situations cannot be considered to have negative impacts. There are two sides to a conflict. i. e. constructive side and destructive side. CEO could have identified constructive side of the conflict. It could have offered the management to identify otherwise neglected problems and opportunities. Further, it could have helped Qantas to become more innovative in the given issue. Hence, CEO could have understand the issue that causes the disagreement to be in a better position to manage the conflict and use the conflict to the organization’s advantage.This could h ave been done by; * Listening carefully to unions to prevent misunderstanding. * Clearing the air with regular meetings that give unions a chance to discuss their grievances. * Offering as much information as possible about the changes to minimize confusion. * Developing conflict management strategies. Leadership CEOs’ actions against the industrial dispute brought number of conflicts on to the surface. This is mainly because unions were in the opinion that Qantas has failed to display good faith in the negotiations and CEO was totally out of proportion to the issue.However, leaders should play a central role in crisis through sense making and the viable mental models. In this regard CEO could have used an approach like case-based knowledge as it likely to equip a leader with the best basis for problem-solving under crisis conditions. Case-based knowledge appears most applicable in crisis leadership as case-based knowledge is known to be integral to planning and it provides i nformation that is relevant to generating viable responses to the crisis situation.Even though it is impossible to predict a crisis, as a leader CEO could have taken precautionary actions to prepare for such crisis. These may include; * Cataloguing potential crisis situations * Devising policies for their prevention * Formulating strategies and tactics for potential crisis * Identifying who will be most affected by the crisis * Devising effective communication channels to those affected to limit the damage the organization’s reputation. Associated change management strategiesIn the given case it’s evident that management of Qantas had used Top-down approach to change. In this approach CEO believed that one-way communication backed by the formal authority of their position is enough to implement the change. However, it’s evident from the case that this approach is not effective. Instead CEO could have used an approach like shared power and planned change. To mini mize the likelihood of resistance one of the best approaches to change is, put strong emphasis on involving all parties affected by the change. Following steps could have been followed by the CEO. Education and communication – educate the unions about the change before its implemented and help them to understand the logic of the change. * Participation and involvement – Allowing unions to help design and implement the change and allowing them to contribute ideas and advice. * Facilitation and support – Actively listen to the complaints and problems of the different categories of staff and providing training in the new ways, helping to overcome performance pressures. * Negotiation and argument – Offering incentives to actual or potential resistors. Manipulation – Using covert attempts to influence others. E. g. buying off leaders. * Explicit or implicit coercion – At last resort, using force to get people to accept change. Organizational cult ure * Organizational culture should be change to in accordance with structure to achieve its common goals. * Build strategies in accordance with structure, culture, and HR policy. * Implement proper procedures for resolving industry disputes. * Start by changing people’s behavior. * Decide proper plan for voluntary redundancies. Intervene in the cultural communications; that is, those things that communicate culture, and try to get people to adopt the new beliefs and values. * Intervene in the hiring and socialization of members. Hire people who would ‘fit in’ with the desired culture, and teach them the rules, norms and expectations of the organization. * Remove any ‘deviants’ from the organization. LIST OF REFERENCES University of Southern Queensland, Faculty of Business and Law, 2012, MGT5000 Managing organizational behaviour, Study book, University of Southern Queensland, Australia, pp. 20-141. Wood, Zeffane, Fromholtz, Wiesner, Creed, A2010, Org anisational Behaviour core concepts and applications, 2nd Australian edn, , John Wiley ; Sons Australia Ltd, Milton, Qld, Australia. ABC (2011) What is the Qantas dispute all about? http://au. finance. yahoo. com/news/What-Qantas-dispute-abc-2933944078. html? x=0 ABC Updated October 31 Val Gostencnik and John Tuck (2011) Six lessons from Qantas, http://www. corrs. com. au/THINKING/INSIGHTS/SIX-LESSONS-FROM-QANTAS/ http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/2011_Qantas_industrial_disputes; viewed on 31 May 2012.