Evaluating a statement with reference to the traditional concept of Essay

Evaluating a statement with reference to the traditional concept of Domicile in accordance with the English Law - Essay Example Usually, the criteria used for the identification of domicile are differentiated in countries around the world – in most cases the system of law adopted by a specific country is used to decide on the characteristics of domicile in the above country. It should be noted that misunderstanding is often caused because of the co-existence of other terms, like residence, that also refer to the relation of a person to a specific geographical place. Because of the value of domicile in determining the rights and the obligations of people in different social and political activities, a series of rules has been introduced describing the criteria under which a person’s domicile is identified; however, the effectiveness of these rules has been strongly criticized. The specific problem – the level of accuracy and effectiveness of the rules used for identifying a person’s domicile – is examined in this paper; it has been proved that the rules adopted for the identi fication of domicile had to be analytical and detailed – in order to respond to the needs of all related human activities but also to ensure the protection of social and political rights; however, in the long term the above characteristic of these rules had become a major disadvantage leading to the decrease of their effectiveness. At a next level, the limitation of the effectiveness of rules of domicile has been a phenomenon irrelevant with the characteristics of the system of law developed in a particular country; however, current paper refers especially to the rules of domicile developed in the English law emphasizing on the lack of effectiveness of these rules as a result of the use of complex and technical terms – used primarily for ensuring the adaptability of these rules to current social conditions, a target that was never achieved as explained below. In English law,

Identify the role of risk management in a business operation Assignment

Identify the role of risk management in a business operation - Assignment Example Roles and responsibilities that may be mandated during federally declared disasters may not apply in an event like the shooting at Sandy Hook† (par. 1). If a disaster plan was in place, it would have significantly averted or prevented the fatal shooting. In the first place, the entry point should have been made more secure. As noted from news report and cited by Governor Malloy: â€Å"the gunman used "an assault weapon" to ‘literally (shoot) an entrance into the building’† (Sandy Hook shooting: What happened?, 2012, p. 1). From here on, no emergency plans were evidently applied since the perpetuator was able to enter freely and had inflicted fatal shots successively, prior to taking his own life. Although reporting to the authorities have also been revealed, it was apparent that despite the immediate and urgent response, the casualties had already be made. In just a matter of less than five minutes, a lot of lives have been lost. A plan could have made the children and adults more protected and secured; and would have enabled the exercise of appropriate response that prevented the entry, and prevented the loss of lives of these unsuspectingly young and helpless

Cuisine Iran Cultural

Cuisine Iran Cultural The cuisine of Iran is diverse, with each province featuring dishes, as well as culinary traditions and styles, distinct to their regions. It includes a wide variety of foods ranging from chelow kabab (barg, koobideh, joojeh, shishleek, soltani, chenjeh), khoresht (stew that is served with white Basmati or Persian rice: ghormeh sabzi, gheimeh, and others), aash (a thick soup), kookoo (vegetable omellettes), pollo (white rice alone or with addition of meat and/or vegetables and herbs, including loobia pollo, albaloo pollo, zereshk pollo, and others), and a diverse variety of salads, pastries, and drinks specific to different parts of Iran. The list of Persian recipes, appetizers and desserts is extensive. Herbs are used a lot, as is fruit from plums and pomegranates to quince, prunes, apricots, and raisins. The main Persian cuisines are combinations of rice with meat, chicken or fish and some onion, vegetables, nuts, and herbs. To achieve a balanced taste, characteristic Persian spices such as saffron, diced limes, cinnamon, and parsley are mixed delicately and used in some special dishes. Rice It is believed that rice (berenj in Persian) was brought to Iran from southeast Asia or the Indian subcontinent in ancient times. Varieties of rice in Iran include champa, rasmi, anbarbu, mowlai, sadri, khanjari, shekari, doodi, and others. Basmati rice from India is very similar to these Persian varieties and is also readily available in Iran. Traditionally, rice was most prevalent as a major staple item in northern Iran, while in the rest of the country bread was the dominant staple. Methods of cooking rice There are four primary methods of cooking rice in Iran: Chelow: rice that is carefully prepared through soaking and parboiling, at which point the water is drained and the rice is steamed. This method results in an exceptionally fluffy rice with the grains separated, and not sticky, and also results in a golden rice crust at the bottom of the pot called tah-deeg (literally bottom of the pot). Pollo: rice that is cooked exactly the same as chelow, with the exception that after draining the rice, other ingredients are added in layers or sections of the rice, and then steamed together. Kateh: rice that is cooked until the water is absorbed. This is also the traditional dish of Gilan (described in detail below). Damy: cooked almost the same as kateh, except that the heat is reduced just before boiling and a towel is placed between the lid and the pot to prevent steam from escaping. Damy literally means simmered. Lunch and dinner (naahaar or shaam) Traditional Persian cooking is done in stages, at times needing hours of preparation and attention. The outcome is a well-balanced mixture of herbs, meat, beans, dairy products, and vegetables. Major staples of Iranian food that are usually eaten with every meal include rice, various herbs (mint, basil, dill, parsley), cheese (feta or Persian panir, derived from goat or sheeps milk, and sometimes cows milk), a variety of flat breads, and some type of meat (usually poultry, beef, lamb, or fish). Stew over rice is by far the most popular dish, and the constitution of these vary by region. Tea (chai) is the drink of choice on nearly every occasion, and is usually served with dried fruit, pastries, or sweets. You can usually find tea brewing throughout the day in most Iranian homes. Doogh, a yogurt drink, is also quite popular. One of the oldest recipes, which can trace its existence back to the time of Persian empire, is khoresht-e-fesenjan, consisting of duck or sometimes chicken in a rich pomegranate-and-walnut sauce that yields a distinctive brown color, most often served with white rice. Chelow kabab (Persian: چلوÚ ©Ã˜ ¨Ã˜ §Ã˜ ¨) is a national dish of Iran. The meal is simple, consisting of steamed, saffroned basmati or Persian rice (chelow) and kabab, of which there are several distinct Persian varieties. This dish is served everywhere throughout Iran today, but traditionally was most closely associated with the northern part of the country. It is served with the basic Iranian meal accompaniments, in addition to grilled tomatoes on the side of the rice, and butter on top of the rice. It is an old northern tradition (probably originating in Tehran) that a raw egg yolk should be placed on top of the rice as well, though this is strictly optional, and most restaurants will not serve the rice this way unless it is specifically requested. Somogh (powdered sumac) is also made available, and if desired, only a dash should be sprinkled upon the rice. In the old bazaar tradition, the rice (which is covered with a tin lid) and accompaniments are served first, immediately followed by the kababs, which are brought to the table by the waiter, who holds several skewers in his left hand, and a piece of flat bread (typically nan-e lavash) in his right. A skewer is placed directly on the rice and while holding the kabab down on the rice with the bread, the skewer is quickly pulled out. With the two most common kababs, barg and koobideh, two skewers are always served. In general, bazaar kabab restaurants only serve these two varieties, though there are exceptions. The traditional beverage of choice to accompany chelow kabab is doogh, a Persian sour yogurt drink, flavored with salt and mint, and sometimes made with carbonated mineral water. KabÄ b-e Barg (Persian: Ú ©Ã˜ ¨Ã˜ §Ã˜ ¨ Ø ¨Ã˜ ±Ãš ¯) is a Persian style barbecued lamb or beef kebab. The main ingredients of Kabab Barg are fillets of beef tenderloin, onion and olive oil. KÃ… «bide (Persian: Ú ©Ã™Ë†Ã˜ ¨Ã›Å'Ø ¯Ã™â€¡) is an Iranian minced lamb kebab/kabab which is made from ground beef (usually sirloin), often mixed with parsley and chopped onions. To cook Koobideh, first the meat is minced finely, then onion, salt, and pepper is added. These ingredients should be mixed well together for 15 minutes until the mixture become smooth and sticky. By keeping hands wet, indentations all the way down the skewer are made. At both ends should be pressed firmly to the skewer. The kebabs should be 20 cm (7-8 in) long Khoresht (Persian: Ø ®Ã™Ë†Ã˜ ±Ã˜ ´Ã˜ ª), also called Khoresh (Persian: Ø ®Ã™Ë†Ã˜ ±Ã˜ ´), is the common name of different stews in Persian cuisine which is typically served beside Polow (rice dish). In Persian cuisines there are lots of different Khoreshs based on the different ingredients which are used. In comparison with Kebabs, typically it takes more time to prepare one of these Khoreshs and for most of them, the key components are their vegetables and not their meat, therefore they can be cooked for the vegetarian people also. Persian Khoreshs have some similarities with typical Indian curries, in terms of prepartion. Iranian stews are different in that they use liberal amounts of saffron to give a very unique and fragrant taste. The most popular Khoreshs are Khoresh Gheymeh, Khoresh Ghormeh Sabzi and Khoresh Fesenjaan.

Essay --

The basis of this paper examines the impacts of the social, political, and religious movements through a multi-layer study of the Dancing Plague in Strasbourg from the early 1200s through the early 1500s. By analyzing this historic, but rather odd dancing hysteria, these movements created severe forms of depression, stress, and anxiety that ultimately led to high levels of psychosis within the community. The time period studied includes the Bundschuh uprisings and peasantry gains to Strasbourg citizenship, the religious justifications for diseases and the emergence of powerful saints, and the severe hunger strikes which resulted from years of failed crops and abnormal climate changes. This analysis uses several major sermons from Lutheran theologians such as Matthà ¤us Zell and Martin Bucer, eyewitness reports of those present in Strasbourg before, during, and after the Dancing Plague, and medical reports from Strasbourg physician, Johann Widmann. Likewise, this study challenges the pre-Reformation argument that the Dancing Plague was a form of punishment sent from God, but rather induced by biological and psychological means. The various Strasbourg movements challenged the inequalities and injustices of the Church towards the peasantry, which created severe and impossible living conditions for the peasantry. This in turn, resulted in approximately four hundred citizens dancing feverishly in the streets of Strasbourg in the summer of 1518. Located on the southeastern border of the Holy Roman Empire, Strasbourg, flourished as a major agricultural market and transportation center. The region’s landscape provided equilibrium between the two most important natural resources: grain and wine. The plains abundantly provided the city wi... ...areas designated specifically within the city and were barred from wearing luxurious accessories. Likewise, gamblers were forced to entertain themselves with card and dice players in gambling dens. The crops for the following year improved dramatically, which reinforced the belief that the city was divinely rewarded for purifying the city. However, the excitement was short-lived as Europe became introduced to syphilis. The first acknowledged record of the reported disease was on February 22, 1495 during King Charles VIII invasion of Naples. Syphilis crept into Strasbourg through mercenary pike men, or Landsknechts, on return from the Italian wars and came in contact with Spanish troops who had sexual relations with prostitutes. In the spring of the same year the executive head of the city, or the Ammsister, reported of having a â€Å"bad pox† unseen before in the city.

Nucor Steel Case Study Essay

Percentage use of Production Capacity Nucor steel has the largest production capacity capability in North America. However, they have some deficiencies in this area in that in 2010 they utilized just 70 percent of capacity, though it increased in 2011 it was still just 74 percent. Gaining greater production efficiency will reduce costs and in turn increase the profitability of the company. Issue #2 Rising Scrap Metal Prices Nucor maintains its competitive advantage through its low cost production, and their use of electric arc furnaces and recycled scrap metals to produce steel. Prices for scrap steel was not higher than $137 until 2004, and reached a peak of $438 in 2008 before the economic recession hit. In 2009 and 2010 prices were $303 and $351 respectively, and then in 2011 hit an all-time high of $439. With their per unit cost structure relying heavily on these scrap steel prices, their ability to achieve greater profitability is reduced. Nucor needs to find a way to off-set these rising prices in order to maintain its low cost strategy. Issue #3 International Competition and Foreign Subsidies US producers of steel and steel products have fallen victim to aggressively competitive pricing from international firms. In 1999 the US government determined that six countries were indeed dumping stainless steel into the US market. Half of those countries governments were facilitating this process by providing unfair subsidies to offset the firm’s losses from selling at below market prices. In 2001, the Bush administration installed a 30 percent tariff on those countries found guilty of illegal dumping. This same issue is still prevalent today as China has been accused of doing the same thing. They have significantly lower prices than American firms due to the fact that China has been devaluing their currency in order to make exports unfairly cheaper. The US government must intervene and install another tariff on Chinese steel products in order to protect its domestic producers from unfair foreign competition. Recommendation Nucor Corporation should install an aggressive international expansion strategy to achieve several goals. It should be aimed at regaining its premier profitability that it had in 2007 and 2008 mainly by reducing costs. It should strive for gaining an increased market share in developing international markets that were not as effected by the recession in regions of Asia and the Middle East. With that increased demand for steel and steel products, Nucor should not acquire additional capacity, instead they should make more efficient use of its current capacity with the goal of reaching 90 percent usage of capacity. In an effort to reduce costs, Nucor should increase its efforts of reverse-integration in order to provide itself with cheaper raw materials and lower it’s per unit production costs. International market expansion, increased raw material production, and increasing plant capacity efficiency should be the main focus moving forward as Nucor attempts to create a more cost efficient production process, increase revenues, grow its profitability, and continue to provide its stockholders with quarterly dividends and increased yearly dividends as it has for the past 40 years. Appendix A: Dominant Economic Characteristics Market Size and Growth Rate How large is the industry and how fast is it growing? The worldwide industry of crude steel production reached all-time highs with total production equaling 1,559 million tons in 2010 and 1,680 million tons in 2011. Worldwide production capacity was approximately 2,090 million tons in 2011, which resulted in a utilization rate of 80 percent in 2011. The worldwide production of crude steel has grown consistently since 2000 despite two significant periods of economic downturn and decreased demand. According to the World Steel Association, the crude steel production growth rates were 6.2 percent from 2000-2005, 4.4 percent from 2005-2010, and 4.4 percent from 2010-2011. Scope of Competitive Rivalry Is the geographic region over which most companies compete local, regional,  national, multinational, or global? A combination of both national and global Primary National Competitors US Steel ArcelorMittal USA Top Worldwide Competitors ArcelorMittal Worldwide (Luxembourg) Baosteel (China) POSCO (South Korea) Nippon Steel (Japan) JFE (Japan) Jiangsu Shagang (China) Tata Steel (India) Ansteel (China) Gerdau (Brazil) Severstal (Russia) Wuhan (China) ThyssenKrupp (Germany) Evraz (Russia) Is having a presence in foreign markets becoming more important to a company’s long-term competitive success? Yes, especially in times of domestic economic downturn. In the recession of 2009-2011, steel demand in developed countries such as the US and Japan was greatly diminished. However, demand for steel in developing regions such as India, China and the Middle East was exceeding local producer’s capacities. Thus, there is significant opportunity to expand internationally and better utilize current production capacities. Specifically for Nucor, in 2007 they decided that international growth was a necessity, and their strategy hinged on two elements: Opening foreign sales offices: 60 percent of Nucor’s current steel plants were located on deep water access areas which allowed for easy access to international shipping areas without a significant increase in cost. Joint Ventures: Nucor began developing partnerships with reputable and successful foreign firms in an attempt to greater utilize their mutual competencies as well as allow Nucor to establish itself in international markets. Product Innovation Is the industry categorized by rapid product innovation and short product life cycles? Not for the steel industry Innovation is important but with the typical size of projects, it is in no way rapid The steel industry is categorized by long product life cycles, only methods of manufacturing have been changed in the lengthy history of the industry How important is R&D and product innovation? R&D and innovation are extremely important Most major advancements in the past 60 years have resulted in industry breakthroughs that have cut costs and environmental impact dramatically Are there any opportunities to overtake key rivals by being first-to-market with next generation products? Yes, any new technology that will reduce costs and/or increase productivity will almost certainly add to a company’s competitive advantage Being first-to-market with new innovative production methods will absolutely provide an opportunity to overtake rivals This is evident in Nucor’s rise to being one of the top steel producers in North America, their use of electric arc furnaces, thin slab casting process, and strip casting technology gave them a significant boost when attempting to catch US Steel and the US’s largest steel producer Economies of Scale Is the industry characterized by economies of scale in purchasing, manufacturing, advertising, shipping, or other activities? Yes, especially in manufacturing as a company can reduce its per unit fixed costs with greater production capacity Do companies with large†scale operations have an important cost advantage over small†scale firms Yes, smaller firms are few and far between and during the 2000’s many were bought by larger firms in an attempt to increase their total plant capacity, gain market share, and gain a stronger position in specific geographic areas Learning/Experience Curve Effects Are certain industry activities characterized by strong learning and experience effects (â€Å"learning by doing†) such that unit costs decline as a company’s experience in performing the activity builds? Yes, as the firm’s plants operate, their line workers become more and more capable of executing the job, fixing potential problems, and generating ideas to improve  production As the workers become more knowledgeable and experienced, they become more efficient and productive which in turn lowers labor costs and increases total product available for sale and revenues Do any companies have significant cost advantages because of their learning/experience in performing particular activities? Nucor has an advantage in this particular area because of their egalitarian company culture where managers and hourly employees discuss potential improvements and changes on a regular basis They are also very decentralized and are open to new ideas, Nucor truly believes that t heir best source of knowledge for potential improvements in manufacturing is from the employees that are on the front line of the manufacturing process Appendix B: PESTEL Analysis Political Factors The main political factor that is affecting the steel industry pertains to the US market and foreign competition Nucor and many other American steel companies have appealed to the US government that they have been facing unfair competition from foreign firms, they believed that several foreign steel producers were practicing illegal dumping of steel and steel products into the US market In March of 1999, the US Department of Commerce concluded that steel companies in six countries had illegally dumped stainless steel in the US: Canada South Korea Taiwan Italy Belgium South Africa The governments in Belgium, Italy, and South Africa further facilitated this practice by providing subsidies that would cover revenue losses for firms selling steel at below market prices This is still an issue today as US steel producers are facing similar competition from China, where most steel companies are government owned and operated, China has also devalued its own currency in order to provide significantly lower prices Economic Conditions The steel industry is relatively affected by economic conditions Since prices and percentage use of capacity are determined by market supply and demand forces, when the economy is healthy, then demand is strong and steel companies can be profitable. On the other hand, when the economy enters a recession, then demand is reduced greatly and most firms cannot be profitable This is evident with the economic downturns that occurred in the early 2000’s as well as in 2009-2011 when most firms saw revenues and profits decrease dramatically Nucor saw sales drop from 25,187,000 tons in 2008 to 17,576,000 tons in 2009; and accordingly saw net profits drop from $1.8 billion in 2008 to a loss of $293 million in 2009 Sociocultural Forces There is a limited effect of sociocultural forces with respect to the steel industry There will be minor influence based on the growth rate of the population, as with a faster growing population, the need for schools, hospitals, roads, and other public buildings will increase which will in turn increase demand for steel and steel products Technological Factors The technological advances in the steel industry have been revolutionary over the years and have provided other industries with valuable information on how to improve their own production facilities and capabilities However, in recent years it hasn’t provided for the emergence of many new industries stemming from those innovations, nor has it provided significant value to society Environmental Forces Rising fuel prices are hurting steel companies bottom line in that they cannot generate the same amount of power as they could in previous years without increasing expenditures and raising their per unit costs each quarter Plant emission requirements are strictly enforced by the EPA and the US government In the past 50 years, the steel production industry has made great strides in becoming more environmentally conscious and efficient Nucor has developed new techniques and technologies that allow for a more environmentally responsible production process Especially their steel production efforts in Brazil where they use a eucalyptus farm for the fuel in their blast furnace rather than coal, and the eucalyptus farm absorbs more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than the plant emits and completely  neutralizes the effect of global warming Legal and Regulatory Factors Labor laws greatly affect the steel industry, Nucor has few issues with these as they compensate their employees well over federal requirements and industry averages Safety regulations are also a major factor as compliance with OSHA and other safety organizations in a requirement Appendix C: Five Forces Analysis Threat of New Entrants Weak The costs associated with entering the steel industry are excessive and the threat of a company doing so is very limited Competition from Substitutes Weak Companies in industries that require steel and steel products, can only use steel and steel products, as other metals don’t possess the same metallurgical qualities like strength and durability required There is some potential that other metals like aluminum, titanium, tungsten and many others could pose a threat, but the majority of Nucor’s customers need steel Buyer Power Moderate Customers have the availability to shop different companies as price is the main determining factor in the industry Since prices and competitive advantage is mainly determined by cost and market supply and demand forces, then customers have a moderate ability to leverage another company’s, or even another country’s, price against a particular supplier Supplier Power Moderate In previous years, Nucor had been at the mercy of rising raw materials prices But in recent years they have begun an aggressive backward-integration strategy to begin producing 6 million to 7 million tons of steel for use in its steel product manufacturing plants Their move to provide their own raw materials has greatly reduced their reliance on raw steel suppliers in the midst of ever-increasing prices Rivalry Strong Domestic competition from US Steel and ArcelorMittal USA is extremely fierce Foreign competition from both European and Asian firms is incredibly stout as well Since advantage is determined mostly by low costs and low prices, competition is a constant price war Appendix D: Drivers of Change in the Industry Innovation of new production techniques Production efficiency Efficiency of capacity usage Ability to reduce costs and therefore lower prices Globalization New marketing strategies Resiliency to changing economic and market conditions Diffusion of technological know-how across companies and countries Consolidation of companies Regulatory influences and government policy changes Appendix E: Current Strategy In 2000, Nucor began a five-part growth strategy that involved: New acquisitions New plant construction Continued plant upgrades and cost reduction efforts International growth through joint ventures Greater control over raw materials Their overall strategy includes all of the above as well as being a low-cost producer and low-price market leader in the steel industry Appendix F: Competitor Analysis Competitor Analysis Framework Current Strategy US Steel Positioned as the long-time industry leader Its competitive advantage, if any is based in brand strength ArcelorMittal USA Positioned alongside US Steel and Nucor in production capacity and serves many of the same industries Competitive Advantage lies in its sales volume and earnings Objectives US Steel Due to significant losses both domestically and in Serbia, strategic financial changes should be expected ArcelorMittal USA Currently experiencing profitable operations, only minor changes should take place in the future Capabilities US Steel Strengths: Brand awareness Years of experience Weaknesses: Unionized workforce Net losses in recent years ArcelorMittal USA Strengths: International subsidiary of ArcelorMittal, thus have knowledge beyond US market Production capacity, sales revenues, and profits Weaknesses: Lack of brand awareness Assumptions US Steel As the old guard, have operated in the red in several years, and assume that they aren’t going anywhere and that the market will turn in their favor ArcelorMittal USA With their overwhelming knowledge from international operations, and being a subsidiary of the largest single steel producer in the world, they assume that their market share and drive for low costs will eventually prevail Strategic Group Map The above chart displays the market positioning of the main three competitors in the US steel production industry. The size of each circle is determined by the volume of steel products shipped. All statistical data used is from 2011. Volume of steel products shipped is very comparable, and the total  number of production plants in the US is also very similar between the three. The largest disparity is on the net profit axis where ArcelorMittal USA led with $2.3 billion in profit, Nucor earned $778 million, and US Steel shows losses of $53 million. Weighted Competitor Strength Analysis and Key Success Factors This chart details the strengths and weaknesses of each of the major three companies in the US steel market based on four key success factors Appendix G: SWOT Analysis Appendix H: Financial Analysis Net Profit Margin Net profit margin shows the percentage of after-tax profit of sales, the chart above shows the true effects of the economic recession that hit in the fourth quarter of 2008, and the slow recovery of the market since then. The market is expected to gain strength in 2012 and Nucor and its stockholders are hoping that forecast is true as they strive to reach their peak performance levels that they obtained in 2007-2008. Return on Invested Capital Return on invested capital is a measure of the return that shareholders are earning on long-term invested monetary capital. This particular measure shows how the economic recession effected Nucor’s shareholders and their overall return on invested capital. 2011 provided a significant rebound in ROIC and Nucor will need to continue to trend this measure upward to meet investor expectations. Internal Cash Flow Internal cash flow is a rough estimate of how much cash a company’s business is producing and would have for potential dividend payments or capital expenditures. The internal cash flow measure is yet another representation of how much the global recession of 2009 and 2010 effected Nucor and its ability to continue its operations as it had in previous years. Despite the drastic reduction in its internal cash flow, Nucor still managed to pay its  shareholders a dividend as it had for 156 consecutive quarters while also increasing the dividend payment paid to stockholders every year since 1973.

The Gods Must Be Crazy

The funny film showed that the contrasting worlds of the civilized area and the primitive yet calm society of the bushmen manifest an also contrasting example of worlds in terms of the equation I = P x A x T, an equation formulated to describe the impact of human activity on the environment. [where Human Impact (I) on the environment equals the product of population (P), affluence (A: consumption per capita) and technology (T: environmental impact per unit of consumption)]. In the primitive population of the Bushmen, it would be believed and manifested in the film that their human impact on the environment of the Kalahari Desert is apparently less than that of the civilized world found on the city since the living Bushmen are not too many in number, they are just about twenty or so. Being primitive, they also had a very low level of technology. They are just using soft raw materials provided by their environment, thus, they cannot produce more products, putting their affluence also on a low level. In the civilized world somewhere in South Africa, the city, which is densely populated by busy civilized individuals (since the rise of the industrial societies equates to an exponentially increasing human population), greatly developed their technology which in return enormously aid in developing their affluence, has indeed a greater human impact on the environment of the area they are residing in South Africa relative to the primitive population of the bushmen living in the Kalahari Desert, as seen with the tall buildings, long roadways and road bridges and other landscapes that could attest to this great impact. The Gods Must Be Crazy â€Å"The Gods Must Be Crazy† This film tries to send a message on how globalization can negatively affect a culture such as the Sho tribe of the Kalahari Desert. The people of a technologically advance and â€Å"civilized† culture decide to casually discard an empty â€Å"Coca Cola† bottle from the window of an airplane. A member of the â€Å"primitive† Sho tribe witnesses this object falling from the skies and considers it a â€Å"gift from the gods†. In his mind this is an object to be worshiped and must have been sent by the Gods to benefit his tribe, therefore he gave it to his people.Prior to the introduction of the â€Å"Coca Cola† bottle the people of the tribe were peaceful, satisfied, and shared with each other. There was no sense of possession or greed, no jealousy, nor did they physically harm one another physically or purposefully. The tribe found many beneficial uses for this â€Å"gift†, such as making music, pounding on dough, and grinding flour. All of these things were accomplished before the appearance of the bottle, however now the task seemed to have been made easier.Since all of the members of the tribe had different uses and needs for the bottle, it became a commodity, a desired possession of value; it was no longer a worshipped object. This created discourse among the people and led to the physical injury of a child, due to a malicious act that resulted in hitting the child with the bottle. The tribe now felt shame at their behavior and questioned the â€Å"Gods† for sending them this â€Å"evil thing†, which the tribe removed from their presence and returned to their peaceful cultural ways.A current example of the above situation would be the introduction of cell phones and laptops to a culture based on home phones and office computers. One would consider the technological advances of cell phones and laptops as a gift, that will simplify their life, free up more personal tim e and save them money. Instead what has occurred is that you spend more time on learning how to use these items, you are now more easily available and thus more occupied, and you spend more money on the attachments and upgrades needed to keep these items current and functional.Now your life is more complicated and busier than ever, however unlike the Sho tribe most people in our culture cannot or more importantly will not go to the end of the earth (or their trash can) and toss them away. Another important point that this films illustrates is the differences in communications and personal views in different cultures. Such as how in most civilized cultures shaking your head from side to side indicates â€Å"No† or negative, however to the Sho tribe this gesture means â€Å"Yes† or positive.This causes a lot of confusion when communicating between the two cultures. There is a scene in the movie when the man from the Sho tribe sees a white woman for the first time, which accurately portrays the cultural differences in personal views and taste. He contemplates her appearance, her actions and physical build. Though the woman in her own culture would be considered quite pretty, normal and physically fit, to this man of the Sho tribe she was ugly, crazy and too fat.In his view the woman’s skin is too white, it was a very hot day yet she is fully covered in clothing, she has a large body shape and must require too much food to sustain her. This can be seen as a difference in opinion, if it were not for the extremity of the opposite points of view. The two cultures considered the woman in different ways because of what they are accustomed to as well as where and how they were raised. When thinking in terms of Globalization a person generally feels that their culture is the best.That their culture should be universal and those that follow other cultures are primitive, difficult, and wrong. Consider how some cultures attempt to change others through political, business, and religious means. For example the United States tries to influence other countries to change to a democratic system of government because it is the â€Å"best†, however they do this mostly to promote or facilitate the political agendas of the United States. Coca Cola uses the popularity of its products to influence other countries to buy more by inundating them with advertisements and business opportunities.As for religion, look at how many cultures within the United States now celebrate Christmas along with or in place of their cultural holidays that occur during the same time period. The movie for the most part points out the differences between a â€Å"modern civilized society† and â€Å"an old world civilization† and how they view life, religion, and politics in totally different ways. However there were also some similarities in the cultures which assist in the processes of communication, in business transactions, and political deali ngs with each other.

CHECKLIST Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers

LLAB 5 STUDY GUIDE/ CHECKLIST Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers LLAB 5 STUDY GUIDE/ CHECKLIST LLAB 1 Air Force Mission To fly, fight, and __ _____ _... in air, space, and _ _________ _______. Det 130 Motto __ ______ _ _____ a _______ ______, __ ____ ______ through Diversity Air Force Core Values - I- ________________ S- ________________ E- ________________ 7 Basic Responses (remember when you address higher ranks) Fill in the blank- Do you place the sir or ma'am before after the statement or question? _____________Yes_____________ _____________No_____________ _____________May I Ask a Question?_____________ _____________May I Make a Statement?_____________ _____________No excuse_____________ _____________I do not know_____________ _____________I do not understand_____________ LLAB 2 Air Force ROTC Mission - To _____ quality ________ for the Air Force. Air Force Honor Code - We will not lie , steal , or_____, nor ______ anyone _______ ____ ____ does. Air Force Birthday - ( day month year) _____ _____________ ________ Air Force Vision 20/20 - Global __________, Reach and ________ Holm Center Mission - To _______ the best Air Force _______ and ______ of ________, dedicated to serving the __________. Levels of Warfare S- ______________ _____________ O- ______________ _____________ T- ______________ _____________ Phonetic Alphabet - F- K- P- U- Z- B - G- L- Q- V- C - H- M- R- W- D- I- N- S- X- E- J- O- T- Y- Air Force Core Capabilities : Air ________ __ G_ ________ ______ A_____ ____ ____ Rapid G____ _______ ___ M____ _______ ____ P________ _____ __ E_____ ____ _______ I_______ _____ ___ S__________ ____ __ A_______ _____ ____ C_ ____ _________ S_____ ____ ____ Air Force Core Competencies D____________ Airmen T_____ ___ ____-to-W_____________ I___________ O__________ Oath of Office I, (______________), having been appointed a _ ___ ___ _______________ in the United States _____ ________, do solemnly __________ that I will support and defend the __________ of the United States against all enemies, __________ and domestic; that I will bear true __________ and __________ to the same; that I take this __________ freely, without any mental __________ or purpose of __________ ; and that I will well and faithfully __________ the duties of the __________ upon which I am about to __________ , so __________ me God. Principles of War O- O- M- E- M- U- S- S- Tenets of Air and Space Power Centralized _______ ______ __ / Decentralized ______ _____ ____ Flexibility/_____________ P______ ________ _ S_______ ________ B_______ ________ C ________ _ ______ P __________ _____ LLAB 3 Code of Conduct Code of Conduct: Article 1 I am an American Airman, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense. Code of Conduct: Article 2 I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have means to resist. Code of Conduct Article 3 If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy. Code of Conduct Article 4 If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information nor take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades, If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and back them up in every way. Code of Conduct Article 5 When questioned should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give my name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause. Code of Conduct Article 6 I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which make my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America. Common AF Acronyms (What does each acronym stand for?) AAR ABU WILCO AEF TDY AOR SITREP AWOL SBI BELPs RTB CGO SIE COB

Accelerated Science Program Helps Adult Students Find Healthcare Jobs Faster

Accelerated Science Program Helps Adult Students Find Healthcare Jobs Faster The older we get, the more aware we become of time remaining. We tend to become more efficient because there is less time to waste, less time to spend doing something we either a) dont want to do, or b) are capable of doing faster. If youre in the medical field, or want to be, and the above sounds like you, the Integrated Science Program (ISP) from Lifelong Learning Institute might be right for you. In a nutshell, the program focuses on one science for a full month, and then moves on to the next subject. So rather than taking four subjects at the same time for a full semester, you immerse yourself in just one subjectfocused attention on one topic. At Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU), for example, the ISP format involves face-to-face, full-day classroom time on Saturdays and Sundays, web-based learning from home during the week, and weekly tests. Its designed especially for adult students who work. With this format, theyre able to attend classes on weekends and fit the self-study portion of the class, which includes online discussion forums, into their lives whenever they can on weekdays. At SCU, the following courses are available in the ISP format: Biochemistry LabChemistry for Allied Health Professionals (Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry combined) Lab)General Chemistry 1 2 LabHuman Anatomy and Physiology 1 2 LabHuman Biology 1 2 LabMicrobiology LabOrganic Chemistry 1 2 LabPhysics 1 2 Lab Most ISP students at SCU are working toward completing science prerequisites for health science degrees for use in the following careers: ChiropracticDentistry and Dental HygieneMedicineNursing (LPN, LVN, CNA, ADN, RN, BSN, MS, PhD)OptometryOsteopathic MedicinePharmacyPhysician AssistantPhysical TherapyPodiatric MedicineVeterinary Medicine The ISP brochure from SCU states: Immersion learning enables ISP students to easily remember the earliest lessons of the curriculum throughout the entire duration of the course. ISP students report that never before have they grasped and retained the concepts of basic sciences so completely. The accelerated format is equal to the same credit hours as traditional semester-long programs, providing nontraditional students with one more option for fitting school into their already busy lives. If youre unsure about whether or not this kind of program is right for you, plan to attend one of the monthly open houses held on Saturdays in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Youll also find the FAQ page helpful in answering questions you have, and theres a webinar you can take that explains everything about the Integrated Science Program, including how to apply. Testimonials are also helpful when youre trying to decide on an unconventional form of study. Be sure to read what other students have said about their success with the program. Allen Grove, Abouts Expert on College Admissions, has a nice profile on Southern California University, including info about the test scores youll need to get in, the number of applicants generally accepted, enrollment numbers, costs, financial aid available, most popular majors, transfer, graduation, and retention rates, and the schools mission statement. Thats a whole lot of info in one spot. Related science topics at About.com: BiologyChemistryHealthMathematicsPhysics

Cargills Quality

It is a public listed subsidiary company under Cargills Quality foods which is fully owned subsidiary of Cargills PLC since 2010. Kotmale is a leading brand in the dairy sector in Sri Lanka. Under the â€Å"Kotmale† brand milk packets, chees, curd, yogurt and milk powder are produced. Kotmale Holdings PLC is named as Cargills Quality Dairies (Pvt) Ltd since 2010. In this report, Cargills Food City Retail Supply Chain is discussed by considering the product brand Kotmale Milk Packets. ? Retail Supply chain Above figure shows the retail supply chain of Cargills Food City regarding product â€Å"Kotmale UHT milk packets†. Stakeholders of this retail supply chain Milk Farmers who live in Upper country Sri Lanka Flavors suppliers Packaging supplier – Tetra Pak, Colombo Cargills Quality Dairies(Pvt)Ltd Cargills warehouse Cargills Food City Marketing and distribution operator – Millers Customers Final Consumer Milk Farmers When consider about this retail supply chain, milk farmers are the 2ndtier supplier. Mostly Cargills buy fresh milks from upper country milk farmers. This retail supply chain has about 15000 small scale milk farmers. For the better link with these milk farmers, Cargills has introduced HNB farmer insurance schemes free of charge. Cargills directly connect with these suppliers without having intermediaries. It is an advantage of this retail supply chain. Tetra Pak Another 1sttier supplier is Tetra Pak branch which is situated in Colombo. Tetra Pak is a multinational food packaging company. Cargills Quality Dairies The second tier supplier of the retail supply chain is Cargills Quality Dairies (Pvt) Ltd. It is the manufacturing and processing plant of Kotmale UHT milk packets. In this report we consider about manufacturing plant which is situated in upper Kotmale. Cargills Warehouse Cargills warehouse is the distribution center. It keeps the stock of milk packets and distributes one delivery per one week per each retail outlets. This is the largest warehouse in Sri Lanka. It handles over 50000 items. Cargills Food City The retailer of this retail supply chain is Cargills Food City. It is the most valuable retail brand in Sri Lanka. The largest retail chain consist the Cargills food cities all over the country. It has the motto â€Å"On your way home†. Mostly Cargills Food City focuses everyday busy customers. Cargills food city outlets have the mass customization strategy. There are around 232 outlets which a spreader in 23 districts. Millers The distribution and marketing operator of this retail supply chain is Millers. It is also a subsidiary company of Cargills Ceylon. â€Å"Millers† is the national distributor for all the Cargills manufactured and branded products. â€Å"Millers† links the raw material suppliers with manufacturing plant, manufacturing plant with warehouse and warehouse with Cargills food city outlets. †Millers† makes the Cargills retail supply chain unique by being the one and only distributor. Customer Customer may or may not be the final consumer. He is the person who purchases the product from retailer. In this supply chain, father who buys the Kotmale milk packet will be the customer. Retailer also is a customer of Cargills warehouse. Cargills warehouse is a customer of Cargills Quality Diaries and that manufacturing plant is a supplier of raw material suppliers. Customer buys these milk packets because of the influence of final consumer. Final Consumer Final consumer is the person who uses the products. In this supply chain, a small kid who drinks that milk packet will be the final consumer. ? Key Performance Measures Key Performance Indicators measures the organizational performance which is most critical for the success of the business. They should measure frequently. KPIs significantly affect the behavior of an organization. And also KPIs show the capabilities of managers, staff and the individuals. Let’s consider following framework to analyze the key performance of Cargills Food City retail supply chain. Business Strategy Supply chain strategy Supply chain objectives Operational Metrics Customer service Metrics Financial Metrics Current, Cargills use a competitive strategy of business strategy alignment in supply chain. It has aligned the supply chain strategy to the core business strategy. And Cargills has a strategy of lower retail price for customers. â€Å"On your way home† is the slogan of Cargills food city for everyday customers who live busy lives. Cargills Food city has a unique backward integration with suppliers. Operational metrics In operational metrics Cargills Food city, measures the internal performance of the supply chain and the business. Operational metrics are derived from processes, decisions and actions taken internally to meet or exceed the customer expectations. The goals of Cargills to measure operational metrics are waste reduction, inventory management, evaluate supplier performance, unit cost reduction and time compression. Interface: Cargills Food City Cargills has a Made to Stock order fulfillment strategy regarding Kotmale UHT milk packets. Cargiils food city keep a finished products inventory of Kotmale milk packets. So, it is vital to measure following key performance indicators under operational metrics. Invrntory turn over= (Cost of goods sold)/(Inventory investments) Inventory Holding days= 365/(Inventory turnover) Cargills food city has about 9. 125 inventory turnover value and the Inventory holding days is about 40 days. Interface: Cargills Warehouse/Cargills Food city interface Key performance indicator of this interface is stock holding day. Minimum stock holding days of Cargills warehouse is 15days. Interface: Suppliers Cargills retail supply chain regarding Kotmale has vertical integrated supply chain. Further it is a backward integration. In supplier interface, Cargills measures daily volume of collected milks from milk farmers in upper country. Present daily milk collection is about 60000-70000 liters. And also under waste reduction, Cargills measure KPIs regarding water consumption and energy consumption of manufacturing plant, Cargills Quality Dairies (pvt) Ltd. It measures in terms of cost per kilo. Interface: Distributor Rather than having third party distributor, Cargills retail supply chain has own distributor, Millers. In this interface, Cargills measure the delivery time of products and the transportation cost as key performance measures. Customer service metrics Customer service metrics are indications of a company’s ability to satisfy the needs of customers by meeting customer needs on timely basis and creating exceptional value to the customers. The ultimate output of this sector is satisfied customer. Through this performance measures, Cargills ensures about customer satisfaction, response time and delivery performance whether that the right product is available at right time in right place to the right customer. Cargills retail supply chain measures case fill rate, customer profitability, delivery time for customer and average response time. Interface: Cargills food city and manufacturing plant/customer interface In these interfaces, case fill rate is measured as a key performance indicator. Case fill rate=((No of cases customer received)/(No of cases in the customer order))*100 When consider about the responsive time, Cargills Food city has higher responsiveness. Another key performance indicator of Cargills Food city is time period of handling customer complaints. They handle those complaints within minimum time periods. They have a customer relation officer to handle those complaints within the premises. Cargills Food City measures four specific key performance measurements. They are customer retention, average purchase value, sales per square foot and sales increment. Customer retention rate gives the idea about customer loyalty towards the Cargills food city regarding product Kotmale Milk packet. And also it is a good indicator to evaluate the customer service level of the retail outlets. Customer Retention Rate=(((No of customers at the end of the period)-(No of new customers within that period))/((No of customers at the start of the period) ))*100 Besides customer retention rate, Cargills use Customer satisfaction metric to identify the customer perception towards the company. According to customer satisfaction rate, Cargills can decide whether the customers spread the good name or the bad name of the company. According to survey done by Cargills at the point of purchases, they have identified that a customer share the positive experience within Cargill outlets with another 2 or 3 people. But the negative experience is shared with the 8 to 10 people. So it is very important to measure this key performance indicator. The average purchase amount measures the value that gets per purchase order. Average purchase amount= (Total Revenue in a given period)/((No of purchase orders in that period)) Interface: Distribution- Millers When consider about product Kotmale UHT milk packets, Cargills supply chain has customers all over the country. They have divided country into regions and assign a day to deliver products. They have a schedule for it. That schedule goes with a route plan. In this interface Cargills’ key performance indicator is â€Å"Adherence to the route plan†. Millers do one delivery per one week per one branch with full loaded truck. Financial Metrics Financial metrics indicate whether the company’s strategy, implementation and execution are creating value for the shareholder by contributing bottom line improvements. Cargills measures the economic value as a key performance indicator. It describes about generation of wealth and the distribution within stakeholders. The direct economic value generated by Cargills group in 2013 is Rs. 10. 3 Bn. Besides that Cargills measure the return on assets, return on equity and profit margins to measure profitability of the business and the wealth generated from assets. Return On Assets=(Profit/(Total Assets))*100 Return On Equity=(Profit/(Shareholders equity))*100 Cargills measure PE ratio to identify the share value. PE Ratio= price/Earnings This PE ratio gives an image about the company portion towards the share. Higher PE ratio attracts more and more investors to the Cargills retail supply chain. Current PE ratio of the Cargills is about 50. SWOT Analysis and Recommendations SWOT analysis The competitive strategy of Cargills is business strategy alignment. Strengths Vertical integrated supply chain. The stakeholders of this supply chain, Cargills quality dairies (pvt) Ltd, Cargills warehouse and Cargills Food city are owned by one owner. That is Cargills Ceylon PLC. So it integrates supply chain partners properly. And also it reduces the transaction costs and uncertainty of the supply chain. Because of this vertical integrated supply chain, Cargills can keep a strong position in the market against international market partners. Low retail price for Kotmale UHT milk packets and high volume of sales. Cargills Food City’s slogan is â€Å"On your way home†. It mostly focuses the busy everyday consuming customers. Cargills Food city is the ease of one stop shop that gives the shopper convenience of purchasing groceries. So, customers attract to these retail outlets and buy more. Only one distributor along the whole retail supply chain. Cargills retail supply chain has only one distributor, Millers. So, the transportation cost is low. Has the largest retail outlets chain Most valuable retail brand in Sri Lanka This attracts more and more customers to the retail outlets. And Kotmale milk packet’s brand name also is more popular. Clear direction and coordination of top management It is strength of having a good coordination within supply chain. Coordination in collaborative manner improves the performance of supply chain. High technical advanced communication system Cargills has the largest IPVPN wide area network in Sri Lanka. It consist hundreds of router and network links. Through this communication tunnels, Cargills provide lot of value added services to the customers. Belongs the largest warehouse in the Sri Lanka Strong relationship with suppliers Direct link to milk farmers and rural areas Direct link with milk farmers improve the trust within suppliers and manufacturing plant. This trust is vital for long term success of the supply chain. Foe get quality raw milk, the trust is important. Long successful history Cargills retail supply chain has a long history. With an experience, they can clearly identify the obstacles in the supply chain and take action for them. Weaknesses Poor leadership in store level and operation level Storage issues at outlets, Cargills food cities Delay of payments for small scale milk suppliers Inadequate maintenance response time Manpower shortage Opportunities Capability of expanding supermarket chain After the war, market opportunities have been increased. Every successful business tends to start a business branch in Northern part of the country. So as a leading retail company, Cargills has a huge opportunity to start retail out lets and milk manufacturing plants in those areas. High demand for UHT milk packets. Rapid development in the supporting infrastructure and information technology in the world. Today the technology regarding supply chain increases without stopping. Adopting those technologies without delaying will be a competitive strategy for the retail supply chain. Adding more and more value added services Developing closer rural network and emerging markets to rural areas. Now the rural areas are also developing with high accessibility towards the market. There are better road network too. So, starting retail out lets in those areas will improve the quality of life of people and also will increase the market share. Highways. The development of road network reduces the transportation cost and travel time. Higher increase of population. The current trend of people is consuming products like Kotmale milk packets. Increase of population leads to increase of demand for these kinds of products. It is an opportunity for Cargills retail supply chain. Threats Force of competitors like keels super and Lak Sathosa. Keels super compete with Cargills Food city in terms of quality, price and customization. And also Lak Sathosa provides products at low prices. It attracts middle class and poor people highly because they concern about price rather than quality. Highly increasing inflation rate Pressure of international markets Recommendations for the improvement of supply chain The ultimate goal of any supply chain is satisfied customer. So it is important to keep existing customers while attracting new customers. When consider about profit, 80% of profits comes from the existing customers. So, Cargills should take action to retain the existing customers. For that except for having gift cards and senior citizens card systems, customer loyalty card system is highly recommended. Now, there is an increase of customer complaints towards the Cargills Food city. To handle those customer complaints efficiently and effectively, a better customer relationship management system is recommended. Cargills retail supply chain has the largest warehouse in the Sri Lanka. To improve the performance of this warehouse, RFID tracking system will be very useful. For better replenishment process, a good vendor management system is vital. For better coordination in collaborative manner within the retail supply chain of Cargills regarding Kotmale milk packets, starting a call center is vital. If Cargills can expand this retail supply chain out of the country, new markets can be achieved. Online shopping system which gives real time information will be a great an opportunity increase the market share. Today, customers’ lives are complex. They have busy schedules. So they like to do online shopping mostly. Rather than having supplier centered supply chain, it is good to have customer centered supply chain. Although it has a huge inventory in Cargills warehouse, it is a cost for the supply chain. It does not gain any revenue. So if the supply chain makes more visible to the supply chain partners, it will reduce the bullwhip effect while reducing inventory cost.

The United Kingdom's Nuclear Weapons Program Research Paper

The United Kingdom's Nuclear Weapons Program - Research Paper Example 0s, the research conducted is still relevant today because of its impact on the scientific community, how other states perceive this information and the impact it has on the rest of the world (Ritchie 133). Apart from UK having the perception that its nuclear weapons acted as contributions to NATO, the state also believed that the weapons were a guarantee for both internal and external security (Milne et al. 8). Although the UK participated in the nuclear program, studies show that it is among nations that have moved further towards the establishment of minimal nuclear deterrent (Kristensen & Norris). This has been made possible due to the nation’s plans of reducing the total stockpile to not more than 200 warheads in the next 15 years (Stocker 10). To achieve this, UK has gradually declined in its former role of a super power state, which in turn has resulted to an improved economy due to the reduction of the defense expenditure (Simpson 10). The involvement of UK in nuclear weapons is not a recent incidence because this programmes were still in existence from 1940. Although the UK participated in the nuclear program, the nation is among states that have moved further towards the establishment of minimal nuclear deterrent. This is evident due to UK’s plans in ensuring that the total stockpile is minimized to less than 200 warheads within a period of 15 years. Cirincione, Joseph, Jon B. Wolfsthal, and Miriam Rajkumar. Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Threats. Washington, D.C: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2005. Internet resource Milne, Tom, Beach, Hugh, Finney, John, Pease, Sebastian & Roblat, Joseph. An End to UK Nuclear Weapons. 2008. Web. 9th April 2014

Criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Criminology - Essay Example This essay is a critical evaluation of the various reasons which contribute to this disparity, laying emphasis on the two different perspectives. As mentioned earlier, the rate of crime perpetrated by males is perceived to be higher as opposed to that of the females. In the US for example, it is estimated that women offenders and arrests constitute approximately 20% whereas the higher majority of offenses are perpetrated by males (Flavin & Barrack 15). In addition, research indicates that these women mostly commit crimes that are of less masculinity such as fraud, prostitution, embezzlement among others, which does not involve much physical confrontation. It is also pointed out that where they commit more serious offenses such as murder and homicide, there is always a high possibility that the victims are well known to them, either by the virtue of being their friends or ex lovers (Flavin & Barrack 25). Male criminals on the other hand are stated to be more likely to commit armed and violent crimes, to people who are strange to them. The gap between the prevalence of crime in the two sexes can be explained in various terms. To begin with, the society has always defined and perceived women as inferior to men. For this purpose, women have always been denied the right and equal opportunity to establish themselves as leaders and managers in the corporate world and the political arena. Instead, they are groomed throughout their childhood and adolescence to become loyal wives and family managers, with the role of domestic work and child rearing being stressed as most significant (Hester 26). As a result, most of them end up becoming solely dependent on their male partners for economical, physical and social protection. The male child on the other hand is exposed to hardships at early stages of growth due to the notion that they are more superior and responsible and therefore, should take the role of establishing themselves as so,

Samsung Final Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Samsung Final Report - Coursework Example In today’s global electronic market, Samsung is widely recognised for its innovations and also for the quality of the products and services that it offers to its global customers (Samsung, 2012). During the recent decade Samsung has developed its vision as â€Å"Inspire the World, Create the Future.† This vision of the company apparently reflects its commitment towards inspiring the communities within which it has been operating and also wishes to operate in future. The company, in order to follow its vision, has identified three significant strengths, i.e. â€Å"New Technology,† â€Å"Innovative Products† and â€Å"Creative Solutions† (Samsung, 2012). 1.2 Sustainable Innovation of Samsung Samsung has identified it as a responsibility to carry out the business operations in a way that would facilitate in conserving the natural environment. In relation with this, the company has been noticed to carry out a wide array of activities all around the glob e. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that Samsung is often categorised to be among the leaders in offering eco-friendly goods to the consumers worldwide. With this concern, the company has introduced a monitoring system known as the Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) management system to enhance the level of safety at the work place. This system also assists in minimising the industrial wastes which are hazardous to the environment as it acts significantly for the company in terms of pollution management (Samsung, 2012). In response to the growing interest of sustainable development in the business environment, Samsung has been recuperating the methods of collecting information from the stakeholders about their perspectives and ideas concerning sustainable development in the long-run. This aided the company to develop policies and strategies related to sustainable development by taking into account the modern managerial perspective (Samsung, 2012). 1.3 Objective of the Paper The objective of this paper is to critically evaluate the innovation management of Samsung by utilising the Sustainable Innovative Results (SIR). The SIRs selected in this paper are the solar netbooks and transparent LCD panels introduced by Samsung. The SIRs are evaluated by considering the following points into consideration: determined objectives, needs, resources engaged, influencing factors, success, challenges, leadership and long-term consequences. 2.0 Critical Evaluation: SIR Approaches of Samsung SIRs are quite important for the organizations to develop and also to sustain in the long run. Being sustainable, in the corporate culture, essentially means to satisfy the present without causing much threat to the future. This meaning of sustainability can be directly linked with the innovative results of Samsung’s SIRs as both the products perform effectively in meeting the present needs without causing many hazards to the future. Moreover, SIRs serve the stakeholders concer n to a considerable extent which is an important pre-requisite for the companies to sustain in the long-run. Furthermore, sustainable innovations determine the responsibility of the organizations towards the environment as well as the society. This acts significantly for the company to become widely accepted by the people increasing its brand value.

Stock Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Stock Market - Essay Example Disclosure is called for to be simultaneously carried out to all investors and therefore, nobody should profit from usage of such information before it reaches the public domain. Information cannot be said to be price-sensitive if it’s not factual or specific. Examples may include: Financial information about profits and losses, figures of sales of a company, take over bids information, big buys or disposals of shares by large shareholders, among others. The rules governing the London stock exchange stipulate that any price-sensitive information should this be made publicly available in the reasonable time so as to have a similar influence on the investors’ decision. (Graeme Pietersz, 2009) This is going to be a study related to price-sensitive information and its set out to answer, comprehensively, the question, â€Å"How has price-sensitive information evolved and how has it influenced the stock markets in U.K and U.S?† Use of price-sensitive information was legal, but before 1980. It could be applied by employees and people with close connections to a company. This resulted to insider trading because there was asymmetric information usage. Banning of insider dealings is seen as a later issue. Until 1980, insider trading was not a criminal offence. (Chadwick et al, 2002 p152) People convicted for breaking the insider trading rule are required under IDA 1985, to be sentenced for up to six months imprisonment of be fined an amount not more than the statutory maximum or in other cases both. If convicted under the crown court the person may be sentenced for up to seven years or affine that’s not limited or in other cases both. Since the 1985’s IDA Act, however, the record of enforcement is dismal. Conviction rate is said to be at low levels where about 50% have been convicted on this rules breaking. Low levels of conviction have been blamed to the so strictly set

Statment of purpuse for MBA school Personal Statement

Statment of purpuse for MBA school - Personal Statement Example The MBA prepares a student in the field by motivating one to use and develop analytical decision-makings which are very useful for employers because such preparation demand less assistance from other employees. Creative skills are also developed while one analyses a situation and develop solutions to the problem posed and the ingenuity of how it is resolved can measure an individual’s ability to look into strategies that are commendable. Consequently, the person is now trained to be self-reliant and would not always need other people’s attention to himself rather could be trusted to be able to complete a task without much assistance. As the title of the course suggests, entrepreneurship is one of the paths that one is developed, being given information that would be virtually important to this endeavor, not to mention being updated with the latest business trends. Effective communication, presentation and negotiation skills are also deemed important in the current compe titive business world and the MBA prepares a student to such through intensive training not only in theory but especially through immersion to the tasks and business people through ‘on the job’ training programs.

Paper2 1500 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Paper2 1500 - Essay Example s concerning the depths of both crises, with close attention to ways in which stock prices, GDP, employment, manufacturing production and overall economic policy reacted in both cases. Before making the comparison between the Great Depression and the financial crisis of 2008, it is prudent to perform and analysis of the pivotal differences in the nature of the capitalist system now and in 1929. It is noteworthy that the rise of neo-liberal capitalism in the 1970s, and the post-war shift to Keynesian economics that followed it precipitated the era of capitalist development. This was fundamentally different from the previous economic regimes, including the period after the Great Depression. Several arguments have been made regarding the main causes of the recent global financial crisis, and even though it may be hard to discern the exact causality. There are a number of factors that remain clear. Firstly, in a similar manner to the Great Depression before it, before the onset of the financial crisis, the world economy experienced a boom period with a rapid growth rate between 2001 and 2007. The rate of growth during this period was higher than any other period in the preceding thirty years (Wade, 2008). In this regard, most analysts concur that the financial crisis was initiated by the collapse of the subprime mortgage bubble in the United States. However, this fact was not the primary cause of the crisis. Secondly, even though the emerging financial crisis first appeared in early 2007. It was not until the year 2008 when major banks such as the Lehman Brothers began going to the wall, and financial assets started crashing that the full extent of the crisis became appa rent. As a result, credit flows dried up, and the global financial situation became dire with each passing day. One clear example of this situation is the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States. For instance, there was $130 billion of subprime lending in the country in the year 2000, but this

Statment of purpuse for MBA school Personal Statement

Statment of purpuse for MBA school - Personal Statement Example The MBA prepares a student in the field by motivating one to use and develop analytical decision-makings which are very useful for employers because such preparation demand less assistance from other employees. Creative skills are also developed while one analyses a situation and develop solutions to the problem posed and the ingenuity of how it is resolved can measure an individual’s ability to look into strategies that are commendable. Consequently, the person is now trained to be self-reliant and would not always need other people’s attention to himself rather could be trusted to be able to complete a task without much assistance. As the title of the course suggests, entrepreneurship is one of the paths that one is developed, being given information that would be virtually important to this endeavor, not to mention being updated with the latest business trends. Effective communication, presentation and negotiation skills are also deemed important in the current compe titive business world and the MBA prepares a student to such through intensive training not only in theory but especially through immersion to the tasks and business people through ‘on the job’ training programs.

Aviation, Aerospace or Airport Industry Essay Example for Free

Aviation, Aerospace or Airport Industry Essay In order to assess aviation, aerospace or airport industry practice to the field of Marketing I have chosen to focus on the aviation industry and the marketing practices they have adopted in order to deal compete effectively in the current recessional environment.   This document focuses on the 4 P’s of Marketing (Kotler, 2008) and discusses how airlines have altered their approach to Product, Price, Place and Promotion in order to continue to successfully compete and respond to the changing needs of their customer base.    One company in particular, Southwest Airlines, will be explored in more detail with the marketing practices forming the basis for further exploration of the key themes. The Aviation Industry The events of September the 11th coupled with a growing economic recession have created an extremely challenging environment for the airline industry.   Forecasts produced by the Civil Aviation Authority indicate that the situation may not improve for quite some time with passenger traffic not expected to fully recover in the next five years (Figure 1). Figure One:   Actual and Forecast Traffic (m) 2007-2012 Fiscal Year No. Passengers Domestic (US) No. Passengers International (US) No. Passengers Total (US) 2007 577.8 53.6 631.4 2008 (F) 590.4 54.2 644.7 2009 (F) 610.9 54.9 665.8 2010 (F) 639.8 56.4 696.3 2011 (F) 626.7 56.7 683.4 2012 (F) 576.8 50.8 627.6 In order to deal with this airlines are significantly altering their marketing practices and methods of distribution in order to operate more efficiently and competitively.   Major changes have been observed over the past couple of years with some of these constituting complete overhauls of the traditional operation of the industry.   Southwest Airlines is an airline which has strongly positioned itself on â€Å"being different† through all elements of its service and product. At its core is its mission, which specifies that the airline is dedicated to â€Å"the highest quality of customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit†.   At first glance the concept of â€Å"high quality† and â€Å"low cost† appear to contradict one another.   However, Southwest airlines maintain that this is not the case and they have not compromised on quality or safety.   Awards such as â€Å"Triple Crown† which is awarded for low customer complaints, flight timeliness and baggage turnaround times, indicates that this may indeed be true. In order to better understand the key industry trends and how airlines have attempted to use these to their advantage, it is worth considering the marketing mixes of aviation companies such as Southwest Airlines and assessing how these have been altered in order to attract and retain a diminishing customer base. Marketing Practices Product The product element of the marketing mix concerns offering the right product to the right target market.   The products on offer through the airline industry have changed significantly over the past twenty-five years. Flying, which at one point was exclusively for the wealthy, has become more accessible and today there are a large numbers of airlines that cater for even larger numbers of customers.   In order to compete in this environment airlines have invested significant amounts of money in distinguishing their products and services from their competitors. For Southwest Airlines, this has entailed differentiating their product through redesigning the service their provide to customers.   Although, on the surface, their â€Å"no frills† concept appears very simple, delivering it in a way that doesn’t negatively impact customer experience is somewhat of an art.   In order to successfully implement this business model Southwest airlines have invested significant amounts of money in understanding their customer needs and motivations and used this as the basis for their value proposition. Through researching their customer base they have been able to identify which services were not valued above price by the customer and have eradicated them, thus lowering their operating costs and passing these savings directly onto the customer.   In addition to that, the involvement and support of their staff is paramount.   This is achieved through the company culture, a family orientated set up which promotes teamwork and values employee’s opinions and suggestions for improvement.   Southwest Airlines have recognized that employee participation and support is critical to the achievement of their aspirations and have successfully build a team of 29,000 with the lowest turnover rate in the industry. Price Since the deregulation of the airline industry in 1978, the airline industry has become highly price sensitive and many customers will generally purchase from the most competitively priced airline, viewing separate company’s offerings as perfect substitutes.   In order to maximize the profit from each flight, many airlines operate a variable pricing approach that is based on the needs of individual customers.   This approach attempts to identify and separate those customers who are concerned about price from those who are willing to pay more in order to attain a seat on the flight. As well as partitioning flights into first, business and economy classes, airlines attempt to maximize their revenue by offering a mixture of full price and discounted tickets within these segments.   Using detailed information related to market trends, forecasts and seasonal variations the major airlines implement inventory management approaches that help to define the demand and subsequent price for each seat on the flight. More than 90 percent of the tickets sold by U.S. airlines are now discounted (Costello 2001) and in the last twenty years flight prices have dropped by approximately 75% (Miller, 2007). According to a renowned marketing strategist, David Aaker (2001), one of the ways in which companies can successfully compete in a price sensitive marketplace is to offer higher value to their customers.   This view is supported by many theorists, many of whom believe that the industry is currently â€Å"giving away† flights (Marketing Week, 2003, p.35).   This view however, is challenged by the success of low cost airlines such as Southwest (US), JetBlue and Ryanair (UK) who have redefined their value propositions by stripping down their services in order to offer rock bottom prices. In order to competitively price their offering Southwest Airlines focused on streamlining their operations.   The idea behind this was simple, by lowering their costs, Southwest could offer reduced prices to their customer base.   This was achieved by removing services that were not valued in the eyes of the customer, such as physical ticketing, amenity kits, onboard snacks and seat reservations.   The customers get what they pay for and pay for what they want. Place Airlines predominantly operate through two distribution systems; the ticket and the flight. The Ticket Historically ticket sales were conducted through travel agents and brokers who liaised with the customer on an airline’s behalf.   However, in recent years the growth in popularity of the internet as a medium through which flights can be booked has led to increased levels of direct relationships between the airline and the customer base during the ticketing stage.   Through interfacing directly with the customer many airlines have reduced their distribution costs by as much as 10% (Miller 2004) and have subsequently been better placed to compete on a price basis in the marketplace. The Flight Marketing practices relating to the flight itself have also seen changes in recent years.  Ã‚   Historically, the flight represented a direct relationship between the customer and the airline but the increasing trend towards inter-airline alliances such as Star (United Airlines, Virgin, BMI, Thai etc.) Oneworld (American Airlines, British Airways, Quantas etc.) and SkyTeam (Delta Air Lines, Air France, and AeroMexico) has transformed the distribution channel from direct to indirect with airlines placing trust in their competitors to service the customers appropriately. Although this may be perceived as a risky approach, the benefits gained from such agreements are of significance.   Through forming partnerships airlines can gain additional routes, marketing power and global presence.   Southwest Airlines have gone one step further in the design of their place strategy.  Ã‚   Through focussing of the short-haul domestic market in the US they have ensured that the average duration of their flights is less than one hour.   This increases their probability of meeting desired time schedules and subsequently directly improves customer satisfaction. Promotion One of the most popular marketing tools within the airline industry is the frequent flyer program.   Airlines reward loyal customers by giving them extras such as upgrades, additional luggage allowance, priority booking and access to business lounges.   Such programs are clearly very popular with approximately 25% of Americas belonging to at least one loyalty program. (Costello, 2001, p.B9). The customer experience itself represents another key area in which aviation companies strive to successfully promote their offerings.   Areas of the operation such as baggage turnaround, timeliness of flights and numbers of customer complaints are measured through Key Performance Indicators and communicated openly to customers and employees. The understanding here is that high service quality will lead to happier customers, higher sales and higher profits. (Czaplewski, Ferguson, Milliman, 2001, p.14-17). Southwest Airline’s latest promotional program is Ding, a real time notification system that informs their customers of the latest offers and developments.   The messages communicated to customers are carefully targeted and segmented and utilize SMS and email systems to deliver the communication directly to the right customer. Conclusion In order to be successful in the current market, airlines need to develop a deep understanding of their customer base.   Through understanding their customer’s motivations, hot buttons and unmet needs (Aaker, 2001) they can develop marketing practices which allow them to compete in this demanding environment. The market is seeing significant changes as companies develop different approaches to increasing their sales or lowering their costs and a carefully designed and implemented marketing mix is critical to success in this environment. References Czaplewski, A.; Ferguson, J.; Milliman, J. Southwest Airlines: How Internal Marketing Pilots. Success, Marketing Management,   2001, p. 14-17 Costello, J. (2001, November 6). Gounded: Airlines Attempt to Win Back Former Frequent Flyers International Civil Aviation Authority, Airline Traffic Forecasts and Financial Trends — 2006 to 2008, I, January 2007. Miller, W. (2004, August 16). Airlines take to the internet. Industry Week, 248(15),   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   130-133. Retrieved March 23, 2008 from ProQuest database. Newsweek. (2003, September 18). Good times in the skies. p. 58. AAker, D, 6th Ed, 2001, Strategic Market Management Kotler et al, 13th Ed, 2008, Marketing Management www.Southwest airlines.com

Project Time Management Of Burj Khalifa Economics Essay

Project Time Management Of Burj Khalifa Economics Essay Burj Khalifa, a single place where tourism, hospitality, professionalism and leisure come together. Home to more than 1000 residences, Burj Khalifa accommodates a hotel, an observation deck, a restaurant, fitness and recreation club and also 37 floors of corporate offices. It brings in a concept of a vertical city with all the luxurious amenities made available on the top of the world. For the tourists and visitors coming to see this marvel, it is a long and a memorable journey of a lifetime (www.burjkhalifa.ae). Burj in Arabic means Tower and Khalifa stands for the name of the President of the UAE and the ruler of Abu Dhabi, his highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al- Nahyan. The initial name given to this tower was Burj Dubai but was changed to Burj Khalifa in the honour of the President for bailing out $10 billion during Dubais financial crisis. The completion of this tower has broken numerous world records. At over 828 meters (2716.5 feet) and more than 160 stories, Burj Khalifa ho lds the following records: Tallest Building in the world Tallest free standing structure in the world Highest number of stories in the world Highest occupied floor in the world Highest outdoor observation deck in the world Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world Tallest service elevator in the world (www.burjkhalifa.ae) Fig 4.2 and 4.3 showing Burj Khalifa from different angles and shades of natural day light. Emaar Properties have developed this project of Burj Khalifa. Skidmore, Owings and Merril (SOM) have designed this beautiful structure and Samsung Engineering and Construction along with BeSix and Arabtec gave out the final product by constructing this tower. Turner Construction of the United States of America was responsible for the project management of this whole undertaking. This project estimated a cost of $1.5 billion for completion. At the staggering height of 2717 feet (easily more than two Empire State Buildings), this shimmering, spiralling mixed- use tower inevitably raises the question: When is big too big? (Kamin, 2010 p.78). The design of this building has been adapted from the Islamic architecture and has been inspired from a regional desert flower, the Hymenocallis. Adrian Smith was the sculptor for this design heading this project on behalf of SOM. Constructing the Burj Khalifa required more than 22 million man hours from about 12,000 professionals and skilled workers, and more than 60 consultants and contracting companies from around the world (Skidmore, Owings Merrill, 2011 p.23). In a true sense this project was a global venture to showcase the feat of ultimate engineering and the technological advancement which the human beings have achieved through dedication and hard work all these years. Burj Khalifa was truly an international collaboration between more than 30 on- site- contracting companies from nations around the world. At the peak of construction, over 12,000 workers and contractors were on site every day, representing more than 100 nationalities (www.burjkhalifa.ae). Project time Management of Burj Khalifa: There is no doubt that the time management of this project might have been one of the most challenging tasks that the team must have faced during its construction. The size and scope of this project was on such a large scale that some problems were inevitable, irrespective of any measures taken. First we shall have a look at the construction timeline which will be analysed further. Also we will discuss the problems that the project management team had to go through and how well they were able to deal with it controlling the schedule of this project with minimum delays. Fig 4.3 Burj Khalifa Construction Timeline: January 2004 Excavation started February 2004 Piling started March 2005 Superstructure started June 2006 Level 50 reached January 2007 Level 100 reached March 2007 Level 110 reached April 2007 Level 120 reached May 2007 Level 130 reached July 2007 Level 141 reached worlds tallest building September 2007 Level 150 reached worlds tallest free standing structure April 2008 Level 160 reached worlds tallest man-made structure January 2009 Completion of Spire Burj Khalifa tops out September 2009 Exterior cladding completed January 2010 Official launch ceremony Source: www.burjkhalifa.ae The total time taken for the construction of this building was 2,192 days with the average height built per day was 37 centimetres or 1 feet and 2.88 inches (www.theatlanticcities.com). If we carefully interpret the construction timeline as shown in figure 4.3, we can understand that the work was speeding up when the project started. There was a steady growth during 2005-06 till level 50 was reached. Since then it took a long time to construct another 50 levels as the building was rising higher and the crew might be dealing with challenges arising due to it. From January 07 to July 07 the construction again picked up some speed as they were nearly building 10 floors every month. This was remarkable as the construction was reaching the heights where any construction worker might not have gotten. The construction was again slowed down in September 07 when level 150 was reached. After that it took 7 months to complete the top most floor of the building. The average height built per day might look small but considering the construction at 838 meters above ground is an achievement. Let us now move on to the actual problems faced by the project management while erecting the worlds highest structure. Issues affecting the Project Time Management of Burj Khalifa: Listed below are some of the complications that had an adverse effect on the Project Time Management of Burj Khalifa. Emaar properties had plans to throw open this building in December 2008. Chairman of the Emaar Group Mohammed Alabbar announced the delay of about nine months scheduling the opening ceremony in August or September 2009 (www.arabianbusiness.com, 2008). However the opening was further delayed and this mega structure was finally released on 4th of January 2010. The project took 5 years and 4 months for completion. There were several problems during the course of construction of this building which lead to a delay of more than a year in delivering the project. Some of them were Pumping the concrete: According to the officials pumping the concrete to the record height of 828 meters was the toughest part of constructing this tower. Two of the worlds largest pumps manufactured by Putzmeister, were used to supply concrete for the construction of this building. These pumps unified with 150 mm pipeline could supply a massive 350 bars of concrete pressure. Above level 127 of the tower, a modified mix of concrete was used to account for changing pressure requirements due to height (Skidmore, Owings Merrill, 2011). In addition to that the climatic condition of Dubai was also a factor that delayed the construction process. Work at Burj Dubai is carried out in three shifts. Due to high day time temperatures up to 50 ° Celsius the concrete works are usually carried out during the slightly cooler night time hours(www.pmw.co.in, 2007). The effects of Dubais fluctuating seasonal temperatures made it a challenge to properly pump, pour and set concrete (Skidmore, Owings Merrill, 2011). This could cause considerable delays as no concrete work was carried out during the day time. Fig. 4.4 showing the massive pipelines of the concrete pump and Fig 4.5 showing the councrete pouring process. Fig 4.4 Fig 4.5 Source: www.pmw.co.in Labour Strikes: Workers constructing the Burj Khalifa went twice on strike during the whole span of its construction. In March 2006, 2500 workers rioted at the Burj Khalifa site, demanding a raise in their pay (www.migrant-rights.org, 2010). The labourers complained of being paid as low as $4 per day and were asked to work 12 hours a day and for 6 days a week. Riots broke out and the workers vandalized various offices, cars, construction several machineries and equipment. Construction of what is expected to be the worlds tallest building was halted after 2500 workers in Dubai rioted over pay and conditions, causing damage estimated to  £ 500,000 (www.guardian.co.uk, 2006). The protest was also sympathised by the workers at the construction site of Dubais New International Airport laying aside their tools. The second protest was held in November of 2007. This protest was for their demands of pay rise as well as to provide better living conditions for the workers. The latrines are so filthy we canno t use them, we are so disgusted. The roads are full of garbage and waterlogged. Living and moving around is a great problem, an occupant reported (www.migrant-rights.org, 2010). At both the instances the government threatened the workers to return back to work or face the consequences of mass deportations. This lead to unrest and the labourers were not satisfied which directly or indirectly have affected the construction. Yet the sources claimed that this protest had no effect on the construction of Burj Khalifa. This can be considered as one of the biggest issue which might have contributed to the delays in the construction. Fig 4.6 showing the riots in 2006 and Fig 4.7 where labourers are on strike in 2007 Source: www.bbc.co.uk Dubai Economic Crisis: In the year 2009, Dubai saw a downturn in its ever booming economy. People lost massive amounts of money as they saw the economy and the glittering real estate market go down. No doubt it was a tough situation for everyone. But it was even tougher for the building projects going on at that time. One of them was the all famous and glamorous dream project of Burj Khalifa. Half of the UAEs construction projects, totalling $582bn ( £400bn), either have been put on hold or cancelled, leaving a trail of half-built towers on the outskirts of the city stretching into the desert(www.guardian.co.uk, 2009). Not just in the case of investors and developers, the credit crunch had affected the construction workers lives too. As the projects were postponed or delayed, the workers were sacked leaving them no choice but to return back to their countries. Many of these workers were from South Asia belonging to countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc. Burj Khalifa was one of the mo st expensive projects in the history of the UAE. Undoubtedly it had a lot to do with this financial crisis. The worlds tallest building, the Burj Dubai, officially opens its doors, leaving a colossal reminder of the hubris that brought the emirate crashing in November (www.guardian.co.uk, 2010). Analysis: The project of constructing Burj Khalifa was awarded to a team of experienced construction companies. The principal developer of this project Emaar Properties is a very popular Joint Stock Company developing projects all across the world in countries like United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, China, Canada, etc. and also some joint ventures in North America, Europe, Pan-Asia, North Africa and the Middle East (www.emaar.com). Giving shape to many projects in UAE, Emaar has a major contribution in Dubais Infrastructure development. It has developed much of downtown Dubai. Construction of the world biggest mall (Dubai Mall) and the worlds tallest tower (Burj Khalifa) is associated with this company. The company is led by its president Mohamed Ali Alabbar who was also in-charge of the decision making process of the Burj Khalifa. The company follows a decentralised structure of its organisation resulting to which the decisions were made customer oriented a nd quicker. The authority was delegated to the managers of each department which made it easier to save time. This project was directly under the supervision of the ruler of Dubai, his highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Rashid Al Makhtoum and had a lot of expectations of the people across the world. Turner Constructions was responsible for the project management of the Burj Khalifa. This company is also a renowned name in the industry based in the United States of America. This organisation was constantly monitoring the progress of this project to ensure practice of good standards of project management to deliver efficient and satisfactory project outcome. Skidmore, Owing and Merrill were designing and Samsung Engineering and Construction and BeSix were constructing the project. Arabtec was involved in supplying man power to this project. The assignment was in the hands of well-known experienced professionals as they strived to achieve a dream to build the highest building in the world. In spite of having a team of best people at work, there were some problems which were hard to prevent. Some of the issues related to the delay in the construction of this project are discussed above. Unfortunately it was found that all these problems were unavoidable. The time consumption of pumping the concrete high above the ground was very much anticipated and accounted for. But in the end it took a bit more time than it was expected to finish. The fluctuating temperatures in Dubai made it much more difficult for the workers to finish the task. The problems of Labour Strikes and the Economy prices came as a surprise to the initial planning of this project. But indeed the matter was way much serious than what was just reported. There have been speculations of workers dying during the construction of this building but the whole issue was suppressed and there have been no confirmed reports for the same. In a country like UAE, which is a kingdom ruled by the kings, there is very much little of what is known as democracy. Human Rights Watch reported numerous exploitations that construction workers suffer in the UAE, including unpaid or very low wages, many years of monetary obligations to the recruitment agencies for fees, seizing of employees passport and dangerous working conditions that result in apparently high mortality rates and injuries (www.migrant-rights.org, 2010). As a result of these conditions, strikes and protests were obvious. Formation of Labour unions is also prohibited in UAE but the labour ministry promised to set a minimum wage rate on the basis of which the strikes were withdrawn and work resumed. Fig 4.8 Dangerous Work being done at the Burj Khalifa Source: www.gulfnews.com The construction was getting back to normal and shortly after couple of years of this incident, Dubai experienced major financial crisis. Once again the smooth going construction was affected and delayed the project in return. The consolidated efforts of the companies involved tried their level best to continue the work and not let the schedule be affected but it was not possible until the President of UAE and the ruler of Abu Dhabi helped them bail out the indebt city of Dubai. The whole process of constructing this tower was complex and painstaking. But Emaar properties and all other companies did a very good job in the end to complete this unique project in mere less than five and a half years time and setting many world records. Undoubtedly it was a great effort from each and every individual involved which made it possible to fulfil this dream and deliver a marvel of its kind. Fig 4.9 a picture of some of the team members involved in the construction of this project put up in the building as an appreciation for their contribution. Source: Self 4.2 Delhi Metro: Delhi, a capital city of a country ranked second in the worlds total population. Along with its population, the country is also going through a lot of economic, social, political and technological developments. Various plans and projects are been chalked out for the future to meet the needs of the ever growing population of this country and compete with other nations of the world to provide exquisite facilities. Work is in progress in few metropolitan cities which have been undergoing through a pressure of urbanisation. Delhi is one of them. According to the census of 2011, Delhi has a registered population of 16.7 million people and a growth rate of 20.96% as compared to the previous decade (www.cencus2011.co.in). With a remarkable growth in population and with limited space to accommodate, it is necessary to provide an equally capable infrastructure system which can ease the problems of its citizens. These infrastructure developments include convenient transportation facilities. Fig4.10 displaying phase I and II of Delhi Metro Project National Capital Territory of Delhi covers an area of 1486 square kilometres and is a Union Territory with all powers of State Government (www.delhimetrorail.com). The city limits are extending to fit in the size of population. It necessitates a robust transit system to transfer people from one place to another.The need to travel is a consequent need i.e. people do not travel just for the sake of it but do so only when the necessity to transfer exists. The necessity to move is dictated by peoples requirements like work, study, leisure, medical, etc. In the background of inadequate urban capacity, global warming, increasing salaries and resulting motorization, it is commonly agreed among urban planners and city building professionals that safe and efficient public transport is the best way for the future to make cities more sustainable. With these intentions in mind, the Delhi Metro was foreseen in the city of New Delhi and started its operations in 2002. Fig. 4.11 Representation of the Traffic Congestion in Delhi (Source: www.ndtv.com) Fig. 4.12 Funny but true, a crowded bus in Delhi (Source: www.ibnlive.com) The original planning for a rail based transport system in Delhi started in 1970s when the government projected that a similar system would be required for mass public transportation in the future. Since then government appointed various committees to study the scope of development of mass rapid transport system (MRTS). At that time Delhi was perhaps the only city in the world, with such a huge size of its population depended on the over-crowded and insufficient bus services as the only public transport alternative. This situation has led to the proliferation of personalised vehicles, so much so that Delhi has more registered vehicles than total number of vehicles in Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai put together (www.delhigovt.nic.in). Similar to the present situation in Mumbai, Delhi was also tackling with problems like traffic congestion, environmental pollution, rising number of road accidents, fuel wastage, etc. Kolkata introduced a Metro railway system in the 1980s but the project e xceeded its budget and completion schedule, seriously undermining the confidence of the Government and the people in Metro systems (Sreedharan, 2008 p.57). During that period when the countrys development was sluggish, it was a gamble to once again trust a system that had failed miserably in the last attempt. Calcutta (now renamed to Kolkata) was a 17 kilometre long metro line which took 22 years for completion and the budget was overrun 14 times than what was initially planned (Sreedharan, 2008 p.3). It was a tough decision to make especially when the available technology was inadequate and the time was running out. In such circumstances, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was established in the year 1995 which was a joint venture of Government of India and Government of Delhi. Soon after its formation, the team began planning for one of the biggest projects in India. They had a tough task ahead. The DMRC received majority of its funding from Japan Bank for International Co-operation. Th e rest of the funds were raised by the State Government of Delhi and the Central Government of India. Fig 4.13 DMRCs Profile Picture (Source: www.dmrc.com) One name that is prominently associated with DMRC and Delhi Metro is Dr. Elattuvalapil Sreedharan. Famous for his contribution as a CMD of Konkan Railway project along the western coast of India, this 760 kilometre long railway line joins three states of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka through criss-crossing rivers, plunging valleys and mountains that soar in to the clouds (www.konkanrailway.com). This challenging project marked the beginning of infrastructure development in India from 1990 onwards. Dr. E. Sreedharan took over as a Managing Director of DMRC in 1997. DMRC is responsible to develop and maintain Metros in Delhi. The Delhi Metro Project is designed to cover 400 kilometres across the city in four phases by the year 2021 (Sreedharan, 2008). The time plan of the project is as follows: Fig. 4.14 Table showing the project outline of Delhi Metro Phase Initiation Date Length covered (in kms) Expected End Date Actual End Date Status Phase I 1998 65 2008 2006 Fully Operational Phase II 2007 128 2012 2011 Fully Operational Phase III 2011 112 2015 On-going Phase IV 108 2021 Queued Source: adapted from DMRC website and Sreedharan, 2008 The table itself is enough to tell a tale of successful project management and an impeccable feat of construction carried out by the entire team of DMRC. Dr. Sreedharan shot to fame overnight, being the first Indian to carry out such a difficult task with ease. Various Management Institutes and professionals wanted to know the secrets of his flawless management techniques which enabled him to deliver the project proficiently. Certainly this journey would not have been easy, but Dr. Sreedharan has set up a model of an efficient mass rapid transit system and at the age of 72 years and is wanted by every transportation authority board. The Delhi Metro Project instigated similar metro railway projects in different metropolitan cities across the country. His time and cost management skills grab everyones attention. Further in the study we shall focus on time management aspects and try to analyse two main questions: What were the problems in getting this project done on time? What did he do that no one else could? Issues that could have affected Project Time Management of Delhi Metro: The Delhi Metro project was efficiently delivered on time. We look in to some of the problems which the project management team had to overcome to give out the best results. The below mentioned problems are commonly seen in Mumbai Metro Project too. There are not many differences in context of factors as both are government projects undertaken by the authorities to build an advanced commuting system. The only difference is that of the organisations building it and their management skills and structures. This single difference makes them stand apart. Following are some of the problems which the Project Management team at DMRC had to go through during the course of construction of Delhi Metro: Technology: During the early years of 1990s, India had just begun taking steps towards technological advancements. After its economic reforms in 1991, India adopted three main policies of Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation. In effect of these policies, trade regime and the regulatory framework was liberalised. Some of the industries were privatised and the country also hailed foreign investment in its economy (Sarvanakumar Kim, 2012). India has been an agro-based country and during these economic reforms there was not much technological advancement happening. India had to import all the technical know-how needed for the Metro Project. In such circumstances, building such a big project was a huge risk. All credit to Dr. Sreedharan and his team for acquiring quality engineers and building such a magnificent project. The engineering team brought in many new technologies to this project like better telecommunication, automatic fare collection, advanced signalling, etc. Initially the ma terials were imported from foreign countries as per requirement but are now assembled in the country itself and have encouraged many local vendors to absorb these new technologies. A showcase of the latest in railway technology, the Delhi Metro trains run on ballast less tracks on the elevated viaduct and the underground corridor, thus minimising the need of tract maintenance and also reducing the running dimensions on the structure (Sreedharan, 2008 p.59). Moreover, these tracks have proven to be safer and provide a smooth ride to its commuters. Tunnelling: This procedure was necessary to construct the underground passage of the Delhi Metro. Tunnelling below the historic old Delhi area posed a major challenge, as the buildings there have weak foundations. It was therefore, decided to construct a tunnel at a depth of more than 20 meters (Sreedharan, 2008 p.58). With the available technology it was a big challenge to build a tunnel this deep. Vehicle and Pedestrian traffic also posed as an obstacle in the tunnelling process. It was also a risk factor for the management team as mishaps could easily occur at a place with an extensive public access. There were also difficulties in tunnelling at some sections because of hard rock. For this purpose the project had obtained special cutter heads for their tunnel boring machines (Sreedharan, 2008). The team put in tremendous efforts to resolve the oncoming problems by finding and implementing solutions without any delays. Fig. 4.15 4.16 Pictures of Tunnelling for Delhi Metro Source: www.hindu.com Substandard quality of work/ materials: This is one of the most shocking revelations of the Delhi Metro Project. Poor quality of work, no regulations for standards of safety and substandard material used to build one of the finest projects which is going to be useful in the future for at least a century. What is more shocking is that these were not just one or two incidents which happened unfortunately. These are series of accidents which were taking place one after the other in recent past. Following table shows the accidents in detail: Fig. 4.17 List of Incidents occurred at the construction site of Delhi Metro Date Incident No. of people killed/ injured 28.08.2007 A crane driver died as a concrete block fell on him due to technical failure 1 killed 21.01.2008 A construction worker died while carrying out burrowing work 1 killed 18.07.2008 A malfunctioning crane dropped 4 tonne iron beam on a passing car 2 injured 19.10.2008 An under construction flyover collapsed due to mechanical failure 2 killed and 30 injured 12.07.2009 Portion of under construction bridge collapsed as its launching girder lost balance while being erected 6 killed and 15 injured 13.07.2009 Three cranes toppled while lifting the entangled launcher under the debris of the collapsed bridge 4 injured (Source: Mid-day, 2009 The Times of India, 2009) After all these mishaps which killed 10 people in all and injured around 50, the chief project manager and managing director of DMRC, Dr. Sreedharan sent his resignation from the post which shuddered all the concerned authorities related to this project. He said, I take full moral responsibility for the accident. As head of the organisation, I have to take the responsibility (www.ndtv.com, 2009). The investigation revealed that the accident occurred on 12th of July 2009 was a design flaw in the pillar holding the structure (www.indianexpress.com, 2009). The honourable chief minister of Delhi, Mrs. Sheila Dixit inspected the site after the accident and immediately rejected Dr. E. Sreedharans resignation. She said We respect his sentiments. But we also know that the Delhi Metro and the country need him. Not only has he done good work for Delhi but also for the country (www.ndtv.com, 2009). Following this incident there has not been any other such incidents which exhibit the influence a nd power Dr. Sreedharan has on his team of members involved in the project. Mumbai is nothing different in comparison with Delhi in context of quality of work carried out. In fact the organisation, MMRDA carrying out the work on Mumbai Metro was not wise enough to learn from the mistakes of Delhi Metro. Recently, a 50 feet long concrete slab collapsed from the Metro Railways under construction fly over. This incident killed 1 person and injured 16 more (The Times of India, 2012). This cannot be considered a mistake as it was a matter of sheer negligence by the authorities. Such incidents not only cost financial losses but also result in loss of valuable time. Considering the importance of time management factor it is necessary to deploy personnel to ensure that all the safety standards are maintained at the construction site so as to prevent mishaps happening and also save a lot of time. Moving ahead we analyse the decision making of Dr. Sreedharan and its impact it had on the construction of Delhi Metro. Fig. 4.18 4.19 showing the disaster of 12th of July. Source: www.indianexpress.com Fig 4.20 toppled cranes amongst the tangled debris was the scene on 13th of July Source: www.zeenews.india.com Analysis: Every major project has to through a series of difficulties. No one has a plan of how to deal with them. Because no one knows what kind of problem they might be dealing with. But an effective project manager has the capability of solving the problems with ease and importantly, he delivers the project within its scope. Delhi Metro too had to go through numerous obstacles in each phase of its construction. Some of them are mentioned above. But it was for the project management team who took up the initiative to keep the project within its planned time and cost. In the case of Delhi Metro, it was not just a single factor that led to a certain problem. There were events which summed up to become a bigger problem. For example tunnelling was not a big issue as many transport systems these days use this method. But adding to the outdated technology present in the country it became difficult to get the process done. Similarly the amount of population in Delhi is so much in excess that restri cting public access was not possible. Therefore it became even more difficult to excavate during tunnelling and also maintain safety which resulted into many unfortunate mishaps. Undoubtedly this was the first massive project of its kind in India. Therefore this can provide a lot of valuable learning both positive and negative, to the project managers of the future. Fig. 4.21 The Metro Man of India in action. Source: www.ibnlive.in.com By the end of Phase I of this project Dr. Sreedharan was an idol and inspirational leader to many management professionals and students. Everyone wanted to know what his secret behind his flawless management techniques was. He discusses the corporate values of Delhi Metro during one of his speeches at a management institute to the aspiring management professionals. Punctuality, Integrity, Transpar