Ethics in Public Administration Essay

The national bicentennial in 1976 marked two important birthdays for public administration. It was the ninetieth anniversary of the appearance of the first fully developed essay on what was considered a â€Å"new† or at least a separately identified field — public administration. In that essay, the young political scientist Woodrow Wilson (1941) wrote the now famous words, â€Å"administration lies outside the proper sphere of politics. Administrative questions are not political questions; although politics sets the tasks for administration, it should not be suffered to manipulate its offices. â€Å" And it was exactly fifty years since the publication of Leonard White (1926) text, Introduction to the Study of Public Administration, the first in the field. White’s book was, for his time, an advanced and sophisticated attempt to marry the science of government and the science of administration. Whereas Wilson had argued that public administration is â€Å"a field of business† and should be separate from â€Å"politics,† White forty years later countered that public administration can be effective only if it constitutes an integration of the theory of government and the theory of administration. As fields or professions go, public administration is young. Its early impetus was very much connected with civil service reform, the city manager movement, the â€Å"good government† movement, and the professionalization of the administrative apparatus of government. It was in this era that â€Å"principles of administration† were developed and the first academic programs in the field were established at American universities. This was a heady era, during which the United States civil service was developed, an innovation adopted in many American states and municipalities. Formal systems of budgeting and purchasing were adopted, and other aspects of the science of management were applied to government affairs. Many of the early leaders in this reform movement also played out important political roles, most notably Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Public administration was new, a response to a rapidly changing government. The second â€Å"era† in public administration could be said to have begun with the Depression and the New Deal, followed by World War II. This era was characterized by the remarkably rapid growth of the government, particularly at the national level, the development of major American social programs, and ultimately the development of a huge defense program. At this time it became apparent that a large and centralized government can accomplish heroic tasks. Patterns were being developed and attitudes framed for the conduct of American government and the practices of public administration for the coming twenty years. This era also produced most of the major American scholars in public administration who were to dominate the scene from the 1940s into the 1970s. The period that followed was characterized by rapid growth in the public service and by extensive suburbanization and urbanization. But it was also a period of great questioning of the purposes and premises of public administration. A broad variety of social programs and services were developed, a cold war machine was maintained, and the public service continued both to grow and to professionalize. It seemed as if such expansion could go on endlessly. But by the mid-1960s several crises were developing simultaneously. In many ways, these crises seemed in part to result from the excesses of an earlier time. In other ways, they seemed to be an expression of old and unanswered problems built into our society and our system of government. The urban crisis resulted from relentless suburbanization — governmentally supported. The racial crisis is closely connected, resulting in part from the serious ghettoization of American minorities in the central sections of our great cities. As the central cities have deteriorated, so have their public services. We continue to have unacceptable levels of unemployment, especially among minorities. And our welfare system is badly overloaded. The rapid depletion of our fuel resources results in an energy crisis, which comes hard on the heels of the environmental crisis. And, of course, there is health care, transportation, and on and on. All of these crises have affected public administration. Three particular events or activities occurred between the mid-1960s and 1970s that indelibly marked the society and the government and, hence, public administration: the war in Vietnam, the urban riots and continued racial strife, and Watergate. These crises and events resulted in new government programs and changed ways of thinking about and practicing public administration. Frederick C. Mosher and John C. Honey studied the characteristics and composition of the public service in the mid-1960s. 3 Their basic finding was that most public servants feel little or no identity with the field of public administration. Few have ever had a course and fewer still hold a degree in the subject. Public administration at the time seemed to have a rather narrow definition of its purposes, centering primarily on budgeting, personnel, and organization and management problems. Most public servants, it was found, identify with some or another professional field, such as education, community planning, law, public health, or engineering. Even many of those who would be expected to identify with public administration are more particularly interested in some subset of the field, such as finance, personnel, policy analysis, and the like. There was very little policy emphasis in public administration — very little discussion of defense policy, environmental policy, economic policy, urban policy. There was, at the time, much talk of public administration as everyone’s â€Å"second profession. † Education for public administration in the mid-1960s hardly sparkled. The early furor of the reformers had died. The American Society for Public Administration was beginning to struggle. By the late 1970s, public administration had changed, both in its practice and its teaching. There are many indicators: the Intergovernmental Personnel Act; Title IX of the Higher Education Act; the Federal Executive Institute and the Federal Executive Seminars; the remarkable growth and vigor of education for public service; the President’s Management Intern Program; the Harry S. Truman Foundation; the size and quality of ASPA; the development of the Consortium on Education for the Public Service; several HUD grants to public administration-related activities; a much heavier policy emphasis; a renewed concern for ethics and morality in government service; and the continued professionalization of the public service coupled with refinement of management methods at all levels of government. To affix the label â€Å"new† to anything is risky business. The risk is doubled when newness is attributed to ideas, thoughts, concepts, paradigms, theories. Those who claim new thinking tend to regard previous thought as old or jejune or both. In response, the authors of previous thought are defensive and inclined to suggest that aside from having packaged earlier thinking in a new vocabulary there is little that is really new in so-called new thinking. Accept, therefore, this caveat: Parts of new public administration would be recognized by Plato, Hobbes, Machiavelli, Hamilton, and Jefferson as well as by many modern behavioral theorists. The newness is in the way the fabric is woven, not necessarily in the threads that are used. And the newness is in arguments as to the proper use of the fabric — however threadbare. The threads of the public administration fabric are well known. Herbert Kaufman describes them simply as the pursuit of these basic values: representativeness, politically neutral competence, and executive leadership (Kaufman, 1969). In different times, one or the other of these values receives the greatest emphasis. Representativeness was preeminent in the Jacksonian era. The eventual reaction was the reform movement emphasizing neutral competence and executive leadership. Now we are witnessing a revolt against these values accompanied by a search for new modes of representativeness. Others have argued that changes in public administration resemble a zero-sum game between administrative efficiency and political responsiveness. Any increase in efficiency results a priori in a decrease in responsiveness. We are simply entering a period during which political responsiveness is to be purchased at a cost in administrative efficiency. Clearly, the most interesting developments in modern public administration are not empirical but are philosophical, normative, and speculative. In public administration, the phrase â€Å"social equity† has emerged as a shorthand way of referring to the concerns and opinions of those who are challenging contemporary theory and practice. As yet, the phrase social equity, however, has little substance or precision. The problem of equity is as old as government. Dwight Waldo (1972) points out that â€Å"much governmental action in the United States has not been simply discriminatory but massively and harshly so. Much governmental action has also, however, been directed toward achieving equality; paradoxically, action to assure assimilation and uniformity also has sometimes been insensitive and coercive. â€Å"Equality,† he concludes, â€Å"is central to the understanding of much recent and contemporary public administration. † It has been seriously suggested that social equity be a standard by which public administrators, both in the bureau and the academy, assess and evaluate their behavior and decisions. Social equity, then, would be a criterion for effectiveness in public administration in the same way that efficiency, economy, productivity, and other criteria are used. Whenever an ethic or standard for behavior is described, it is essential to provide an accompanying caveat. In the present case, the social equity point of view will need to be buffered by recognition first that there is a high ethical content in most significant public decisions; public problems do not succumb simply to factual analysis. This being the case, if the public servant is to be an interpreter of events and an influencer, if not a maker of decisions, what, then, should be included in the standards of ethical behavior that guide the public servant? Surely the standards of ethics and morality that are applicable and sufficient to a citizen in private or in social relationships are not adequate for the public decisions of an administrator. And it is now increasingly clear that the decision problems faced by these administrators are seldom black or white in relation to their ethical content and consequences. There often is really no â€Å"one best way,† but rather a decision should be made that maximizes such results as are attainable given the resources available and minimizes negative side effects. And finally, one must accept the proposition that politics and administrative organizations are themselves the best protectors of administrative morality provided that they are open, public, and participatory. Within this context, then, we pursue the development of a social equity ethic for public administration. Modern public administration cannot assume these conditions away. Certainly pluralistic governments (practicing majority rule, coupled with powerful minorities with special forms of access) systematically discriminate in favor of established, stable bureaucracies and their specialized clientele — and against those minorities who lack political and economic resources. Thus widespread and deep inequity are perpetuated. The long-range continuation of widespread and deep inequities poses a threat to the continued existence of this or any political system. Continued deprivation amid plenty breeds hopelessness and her companions, anger and militancy. A public administration that fails to work for changes that try to address this deprivation will likely eventually be used to oppress the deprived. What new public administration is striving for, then, is equity. Black’s Law Dictionary (1957) defines equity in its broadest and most general signification: [Equity] denotes the spirit and the habit of fairness and justness and right dealing which would regulate the intercourse of men with men, — the rule of doing to all others, as we desire them to do to us; or, as it is expressed by Justinian, â€Å"to live honestly, to harm nobody, to render every man his due. † †¦ It is therefore, the synonym of natural right or justice. But in this sense its obligation is ethical rather than jural, and its discussion belongs to the sphere of morals. It is grounded in the precepts of the conscience not in any sanction of positive law. Equity, then, is an issue that we will find to be a question of ethics. We will also find it to be a question of law. The foremost theorist presently supporting a concept of equity in government is John Rawls (1971). In his book A Theory of Justice, he sets out a splendid framework for a fundamental equity ethic. When speaking of our government institutions, Rawls states: â€Å"For us the primary subject of justice is the basic structure of society, or more exactly, the way in which the major social institutions distribute fundamental rights and duties and determine the division of advantages from social cooperation. By major institutions I understand the political constitution and the principal economic and social arrangements. † Justice, then, is the basic principle and is dominant over other principles in Rawls’s form of ethics. Rawls begins his theory with a definition of the individual or citizen and states: Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override. For this reason justice denies that the loss of freedom for some is made right by the greater good shared by others. It does not allow that the sacrifices imposed on a few are outweighed by the larger sum of advantages enjoyed by many. Therefore, in a just society the liberties of equal citizenship are taken as settled; the rights secured by justice are not subject to political bargaining or to the calculus of social interest. In developing his theory, Rawls suggests an intellectual device or technique by which the principles of equity can be set forth. The first and most important intellectual technique is the notion of original position. The original position constitutes an agreement upon the most basic principles of justice upon which all of the basic structures of society (social, economic, and political) will be predicated. The principles of justice that emerge are both final and binding on all: â€Å"Since the original agreement is final and made in perpetuity, there is no second chance. † To make this theory operative, Rawls then proposes two principles of justice: â€Å"The first principle is to have an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar system of liberty for all. The second principle is that social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both: (a) to the greatest benefit to the least advantaged, consistent with the just savings principle, and (b) attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality and opportunity. † 11 These two principles, then, are to be a right of the same significance or order as the present rights as we understand them in government. Hart further states: According to Rawls, acceptance of the two principles of justice means that the collective efforts of society would be concentrated in behalf of its less advantaged members. This does not mean that all inequalities would disappear and all good will be equally distributed to achieve parity throughout the society. There would still be disparities in income and status. But there is an irreducible minimum of primary goods (such as self-respect, rights and liberties, power and opportunities, income and wealth) that are due every man, and the minimum must be met. 12 Rawls states that this is â€Å"a strongly egalitarian conception in the sense that unless there is a distribution that makes both persons better off (limiting ourselves to the two-person case for simplicity), an equal distribution is to be preferred. † 13 It is obvious that Rawls theory of justice is vastly different from other contemporary patterns of moral reasoning. Rawls does not argue it because it is good or right but rather because there is an increasing importance to the interdependence of persons that makes notions of advantages and disadvantages less and less acceptable. It is a pervasive sense of noblesse oblige or a sense of eternity among people. Rawls states that â€Å"in justice as fairness men agree to share one another’s fate. In designing institutions they undertake to avail themselves of the accidents of nature and social circumstances only when doing so is for the common benefit. † Because not all persons are genetically â€Å"equal,† the more advantaged have a moral duty to serve all others including the disadvantaged, not for altruistic reasons but because of the significance of human interdependence. As Hart (1974) says, â€Å"One serves because justice requires it and the result is the continuous enhancement of self-respect. Just actions, then, not only create the optimal condition for human life, they also are a major element in the rationalization of self. â€Å" Although all of this theory and definition is interesting, we live in a world of large and very complex organizations where the application of such concepts is difficult. This is also a world in which organizations tend to elevate their own needs over individual needs and goals. The problem is one of making complex organizations responsible to the needs of the individual. This requires rising above the rules and routines of organization to some concern for the self-respect and dignity of the individual citizen. Rawls’s theory is designed to instruct those who administer organizations that the rights of individuals would be everywhere protected. Hart summarizes this approach to social equity with the following: (1) The theory of justice would provide social equity with an ethical content. Acceptance of the theory of justice would provide the equitable public administrator with clear, well-developed ethical guidelines which would give social equity the force that it now lacks. (2) The theory of justice could provide the necessary ethical consensus -that the equitable public administrator has both the duty and the obligation to deploy his efforts on behalf of the less advantaged. (3) The theory of justice would impose constraints upon all complex public organizations since no organization would be allowed to infringe upon the basic liberties of individuals. (4) The theory of justice would provide a means to resolve ethical impasses (the original position). (5) The theory of justice would provide a professional code for public administration that would require a commitment to social equity (Hart, 1974).

Bloodlines Chapter Eight

â€Å"ARE YOU GOING TO EAT THAT?† asked Eddie. Eddie might not have known about all the shenanigans that went down with Jill on the first day of school, but not seeing her all day had unnerved him. So, when she and I came downstairs for the second day, we found him waiting in our dorm lobby, ready to go with us to breakfast. I pushed my plate and its half a bagel across the table. He'd already polished off a bagel of his own, as well as pancakes and bacon, but was quick to accept my offering. Maybe he was an unnatural hybrid creature, but from what I could tell, his appetite was the same as any human teenage guy. â€Å"How are you feeling?† he asked Jill, once he'd swallowed a mouthful of bagel. Since he'd eventually hear she hadn't been in class, we'd simply told Eddie that Jill had been sick from nerves yesterday. The hangover allegations still infuriated me, but Jill insisted on letting them go. â€Å"Fine,† she said. â€Å"A lot better.† I didn't comment on that but secretly had my doubts. Jill did look better this morning, but she'd hardly had a solid night's sleep. In fact, she'd woken in the middle of the night, screaming. I'd leapt out of my bed, expecting no less than a hundred Strigoi or Moroi assassins to come bursting through our window. But when I'd looked over, there'd only been Jill, thrashing and screaming in her sleep. I'd hurried over and finally woken her up with some difficulty. She'd sat up gasping, drenched in sweat, and clutching her chest. Once she'd calmed down, she'd told me it was only a nightmare, but there'd been something in her eyes†¦ the echo of something real. I knew because it reminded me of the many times I'd woken up thinking the Alchemists were coming to take me to the re-education centers. She'd insisted she was fine, and when morning came, the only acknowledgment she gave of her nightmare was to insist that we not mention it to Eddie. â€Å"It's only going to worry him,† she said. â€Å"And besides, it's not a big deal.† I conceded that point, but when I tried to ask what had happened, she brushed me off and wouldn't talk about it. Now, at breakfast, there was a definite edge to her, but for all I knew, it had more to do with finally facing her first day in a human school. â€Å"I still can't get over how different I am from everyone,† she said in a low voice. â€Å"I mean, for one thing, I'm taller than almost every girl here!† It was true. It wasn't uncommon for Moroi women to push six feet in height. Jill wasn't quite there, but her long, slim build gave the illusion of being taller than she was. â€Å"And I'm really bony.† â€Å"You are not,† I said. â€Å"I'm too skinny – compared to them,† Jill argued. â€Å"Everyone's got something,† countered Eddie. â€Å"That girl over there has a ton of freckles. That guy shaved his head. There's no such thing as ‘normal.'† Jill still looked dubious but doggedly went off to class when the first warning bell rang, promising to meet Eddie for lunch and me in PE. I made it to my history class a few minutes early. Ms. Terwilliger stood at her desk, shuffling some papers around, and I hesitantly approached. â€Å"Ma'am?† She glanced up at me, pushing her glasses up her nose as she did. â€Å"Hmm? Oh, I remember you. Miss Melbourne.† â€Å"Melrose,† I corrected. â€Å"Are you sure? I could've sworn you were named after someplace in Australia.† â€Å"Well, my first name is Sydney,† I said, not sure if I should be encouraging her. â€Å"Ah. Then I'm not crazy. Not yet, at least. What can I do for you, Miss Melrose?† â€Å"I wanted to ask you†¦ well, you see, I have a gap in my schedule because I passed out of the language requirement. I wondered if maybe you needed another teacher aide†¦ like Trey.† The aforementioned Trey was already there, sitting at a desk allotted to him and collating papers. He glanced up at the mention of his name and eyed me warily. â€Å"It's last period, ma'am. So, if there was any extra work you needed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her eyes studied me for several moments before she answered. I'd made sure to cover up my tattoo today, but it felt like she was staring right through to it. â€Å"I don't need another teacher aide,† she said bluntly. Trey smirked. â€Å"Mr. Juarez, despite his many limitations, is more than capable of sorting all my stacks of paper.† His smirk disappeared at the backhanded compliment. I nodded and started to turn away, disappointed. â€Å"Okay. I understand.† â€Å"No, no. I don't think you do. You see, I'm writing a book.† She paused, and I realized she was waiting for me to look impressed. â€Å"On heretical religion and magic in the Greco-Roman world. I've lectured on it at Carlton College before. Fascinating subject.† Trey stifled a cough. â€Å"Now, I could really use a research assistant to help me track down certain information, run errands for me, that sort of thing. Would you be interested in that?† I gaped. â€Å"Yes, ma'am. I would be.† â€Å"For you to get credit for an independent study, you'd have to do some project alongside it†¦ research and a paper of your own. Not nearly the length of my book, of course. Is there anything from that era that interests you?† â€Å"Er, yes.† I could hardly believe it. â€Å"Classical art and architecture. I'd love to study it more.† Now she looked impressed. â€Å"Really? Then it seems we're a perfect match. Or, well, nearly. Pity you don't know Latin.† â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I averted my eyes. â€Å"I, um, actually†¦ I can read Latin.† I dared a glance back at her. Rather than impressed, she mostly looked stunned. â€Å"Well, then. How about that.† She gave a rueful head shake. â€Å"I'm afraid to ask about Greek.† The bell rang. â€Å"Go ahead and take your seat, then come find me at the end of the day. Last period is also my planning period, so we'll have plenty of time to talk and fill out the appropriate paperwork.† I returned to my desk and received an approving fist bump from Eddie. â€Å"Nice work. You don't have to take a real class. Of course, if she's got you reading Latin, maybe it'll be worse than a real class.† â€Å"I like Latin,† I said with absolute seriousness. â€Å"It's fun.† Eddie shook his head and said in a very, very low voice: â€Å"I can't believe you think we're the strange ones.† Trey's comments for me in my next class were less complimentary. â€Å"Wow, you sure have Terwilliger wrapped around your finger.† He nodded toward our chemistry instructor. â€Å"Are you going to go tell her that you split atoms in your free time? Do you have a reactor back in your room?† â€Å"There's nothing wrong with – † I cut myself off, unsure what to say. I'd nearly said â€Å"being smart,† but that sounded egotistical. â€Å"There's nothing wrong with knowing things,† I said at last. â€Å"Sure,† he agreed. â€Å"When it's legitimate knowledge.† I remembered the crazy conversation with Kristin and Julia yesterday. Because I'd had to take Jill to Adrian, I'd missed the study session and couldn't follow up on my tattoo questions. Still, I at least now knew where Trey's disdain was coming from – even though it seemed absurd. No one else at school had specifically mentioned my tattoo being special, but a number of people had approached me already, asking where I'd gotten it. They'd been disappointed when I said South Dakota. â€Å"Look, I don't know where this idea's coming from about my tattoo making me smart, but if that's what you think, well†¦ don't. It's just a tattoo.† â€Å"It's gold,† he argued. â€Å"So?† I asked. â€Å"It's just special ink. I don't get why people would believe it has some mystical properties. Who believes in that stuff?† He snorted. â€Å"Half this school does. How are you so smart, then?† Was I really that much of a freak when it came to academics that people had to turn to supernatural explanations? I went with my stock answer. â€Å"I was homeschooled.† â€Å"Oh,† said Trey thoughtfully. â€Å"That would explain it.† I sighed. â€Å"I bet your homeschooling didn't do much in the way of PE, though,† he added. â€Å"What are you going to do about your sport requirement?† â€Å"I don't know; I hadn't thought about it,† I said, feeling a little uneasy. I could handle Amberwood's academics in my sleep. But its athletics? Unclear. â€Å"Well, you better decide soon; the deadline's coming up. Don't look so worried,† he added. â€Å"Maybe they'll let you start a Latin club instead.† â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† I asked, not liking the tone. â€Å"I've played sports.† He shrugged. â€Å"If you say so. You don't seem like the athletic type. You seem too†¦ neat.† I wasn't entirely sure if that was a compliment or not. â€Å"What's your sport?† Trey held his chin up, looking very pleased with himself. â€Å"Football. A real man's sport.† A guy sitting nearby overheard him and glanced back. â€Å"Too bad you won't make quarterback, Juarez. You came so close last year. Looks like you're going to graduate without fulfilling yet another dream.† I'd thought Trey didn't like me – but as he turned his attention to the other guy, it was like the temperature dropped ten degrees. I realized in that moment that Trey just liked giving me a hard time. But this other guy? Trey completely despised him. â€Å"I don't remember you even being in the running, Slade,† returned Trey, eyes hard. â€Å"What makes you think you're going to take it this year?† Slade – it wasn't clear to me if that was his first or last name – exchanged knowing glances with a couple friends. â€Å"Just a feeling.† They turned away, and Trey scowled. â€Å"Great,† he muttered. â€Å"Slade finally got the money for one. You want to know about tattoos? Go talk to him.† My thirty-second impression told me Slade was no one I wanted to talk to, but Trey provided no additional explanation. Class soon started, but as I tried to focus on the lesson, all I could think about was Amberwood's apparent obsession with tattoos. What did it mean? When PE came, I was relieved to see Jill in the locker room. The Moroi girl gave me a weary smile as we walked outside. â€Å"How's your day been?† I asked. â€Å"Fine,† Jill said. â€Å"Not great. Not terrible. I haven't really gotten to know many people.† She didn't say it, but Jill's tone implied, â€Å"See? I told you I would stand out.† Yet as the class started, I realized that the problem was that Jill didn't stand out. She avoided eye contact, letting her nerves get the best of her, and made no effort to talk to people. No one openly shunned her, but with the vibes she gave off, no one went out of their way to talk to her either. I certainly wasn't the most social person in the world, but I still smiled and tried to chat with my classmates as we did more volleyball drills. It was enough to foster the sparks of friendship. I also soon noticed another problem. The class had been divided into four teams, playing two concurrent matches. Jill was in the other game, but I still occasionally caught sight of her. She looked miserable and tired within ten minutes, without even having done much in the game. Her reaction time was bad too. A number of balls went past her, and those she did notice were met with clumsy maneuvers. Some of her teammates exchanged frustrated looks behind her back. I returned to my own game, worried for her, just as the opposing team spiked the ball into a zone that wasn't well guarded by my team. I didn't have the reaction time that, say, a dhampir had, but in that split second, my brain knew I could block the ball if I made a hard and fast move. Doing so went against my natural instincts, the ones that said, Don't do anything that will hurt or get you dirty. I'd always carefully reasoned through my actions, never acting on impulse. Not this time. I was going to stop that ball. I dove for it, hitting it into range of another teammate who was able to then spike it back over the net and out of danger. The volley pushed me to a hard landing on my knees. It was ungraceful and jarred my teeth, but I'd stopped the opposition from scoring. My teammates cheered, and I was surprised to find myself laughing. I'd always been trained that everything I did had to have a greater, practical purpose. Sports were sort of antithetical to the Alchemist way of li fe, because they were just for fun. But maybe fun wasn't so bad once in a while. â€Å"Nice, Melrose,† said Miss Carson, strolling by. â€Å"If you want to defer your sport until winter and be on the volleyball team, come talk to me later.† â€Å"Well done,† said Micah, and offered me his hand. I shook my head and stood up on my own. I was dismayed to see a scrape on one of my legs but was still grinning from ear to ear. If anyone had told me two weeks ago that I'd be so happy about rolling around in the dirt, I wouldn't have believed it. â€Å"She doesn't give out compliments very often.† It was true. Miss Carson had already been on Jill a number of times and was now halting our game to correct a teammate's sloppy form. I took advantage of the break to watch Jill, whose game was still in action. Micah followed my gaze. â€Å"Doesn't run in the family, huh?† he asked sympathetically. â€Å"No,† I murmured. My smile faded. I felt a pang of guilt in my chest over exalting so much in my own triumph when Jill was obviously struggling. It didn't seem fair. Jill still looked exhausted, and her curly hair was drenched in sweat. Pink spots had appeared on her cheeks, giving her a feverish look, and it seemed to take all her effort to remain upright. It was strange that Jill would have so much difficulty. I'd overheard a brief conversation in which she and Eddie had discussed combat and defensive moves, giving me the impression that Jill was fairly athletic. She and Eddie had even talked about practicing later that night and – â€Å"The sun,† I groaned. â€Å"Huh?† asked Micah. I'd mentioned my concerns about the sun to Stanton, but she'd dismissed them. She'd just advised that Jill be careful to stay inside – which Jill did. Except, of course, when school requirements made her take a class that kept her outside. Forcing her to play sports out in the full blaze of the Palm Springs sun was cruel. It was a wonder she was still standing. I sighed, making a mental note to call the Alchemists later. â€Å"We're going to have to get her a doctor's note.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† asked Micah. The game was back on, and he shifted into position beside me. â€Å"Oh. Jill. She's†¦ she's sensitive to the sun. Kind of like an allergic thing.† As though on cue, we heard Miss Carson exclaim from the other court: â€Å"Melrose Junior! Are you blind? Did you not see that coming right toward you?† Jill swayed on her feet but took the criticism meekly. Micah watched them with a frown, and as soon as Miss Carson was off picking on someone else, he darted out of formation and ran over to Jill's game. I hastily tried to cover both his and my own positions. Micah ran up to a guy beside Jill, whispered something, and pointed back at me. A moment later, the guy ran over to my team and Micah took the spot beside Jill. As class continued, I realized what was happening. Micah was good at volleyball – very good. So much so that he was able to defend his spot and Jill's. Without seeing any blatant blunders, Miss Carson kept her attention elsewhere, and Jill's team grew a little less hostile toward her. When the game ended, Micah caught hold of Jill's arm and quickly walked her over to a shaded spot. From the way she staggered, he seemed to be all that was holding her upright. I was about to join them when I heard loud voices beside me. â€Å"I'm getting it tonight. The guy I talked to swears it's gonna be badass.† It was Slade, the guy who'd sparred with Trey earlier. I hadn't realized it out in the sun in the middle of the game, but he was the player Micah had swapped places with. â€Å"It better be,† continued Slade, â€Å"for how much he's charging me.† Two of Slade's friends joined him as they began heading toward the locker room. â€Å"When are tryouts, Slade?† one of his friends asked. In chemistry, I'd learned Slade's first name was Greg, but everyone seemed to refer to him by his last name, even teachers. â€Å"Friday,† Slade said. â€Å"I'm going to kill. Like totally destroy them. I'm gonna rip Juarez's spine out and make him eat it.† Charming, I thought, watching them go. My initial assessment of Slade had been correct. I turned toward Jill and Micah and saw that he'd gotten ahold of a water bottle for her. They seemed okay for the moment, so I caught Miss Carson's attention as she walked by. â€Å"My sister gets sick in the sun,† I said. â€Å"This is really hard on her.† â€Å"Lots of kids have trouble in the heat at first,† said Miss Carson knowingly. â€Å"They just need to toughen up. You handled yourself okay.† â€Å"Yeah, well, she and I are pretty different,† I said dryly. If only she knew. â€Å"I don't think she's going to ‘toughen up.'† â€Å"Nothing I can do,† said Miss Carson. â€Å"If I let her sit out, do you have any idea how many other kids would suddenly ‘feel tired in the sun'? Unless she's got a doctor's note, she's got to stick it out.† I thanked her and went to join Jill and Micah. As I approached, I heard Micah saying, â€Å"Get cleaned up, and I'll walk you to your next class. We can't have you fainting in the halls.† He paused and considered. â€Å"Of course, I'm totally happy to catch you if you do faint.† Jill was understandably dazed but was with it enough to thank him. She told him she'd meet him soon and walked to the girls' locker room with me. I eyed the grin on Micah's face, and a troubling thought occurred to me. Jill seemed stressed enough so I decided not to say anything, but my concern grew when we left for last period. Micah walked with Jill, as promised, and told her that later, when evening came, he'd tutor her in volleyball if she wanted. As we stood outside the classroom, a girl with long red hair and a haughty attitude walked by, trailed by an entourage of other girls. She paused when she saw Micah and tossed her hair over one shoulder, flashing him a big smile. â€Å"Hey, Micah.† Micah was engrossed with Jill and barely glanced in the other girl's direction. â€Å"Oh, hey, Laurel.† He walked away, and Laurel watched him go, her expression turning dark. She shot a dangerous look at Jill, whipped her long hair over her shoulder, and stormed off. Uh-oh, I thought as I watched her stalk down the hall. Is that going to come back and haunt us? It was one of those moments when I could have used a lesson in social cues. I went to Ms. Terwilliger's classroom afterward and spent most of that initial meeting setting up the semester's goals and outlining what I'd be doing for her. I was in store for a lot of reading and translation, which suited me just fine. It also appeared as though half of my job would be keeping her organized – something else I excelled at. The time flew by, and as soon as I was free, I hurried off to find Eddie. He was waiting with a group of other boys at the shuttle stop to go back to their dorm. When he saw me, his response was the usual: â€Å"Is Jill okay?† â€Å"Fine†¦ well, kind of. Can we talk somewhere?† Eddie's face darkened, no doubt thinking there was a legion of Strigoi on their way to hunt Jill. We stepped back inside one of the academic buildings, finding chairs in a private corner that enjoyed the full force of air conditioning. I gave him a quick update on Jill and her sunny PE misadventures. â€Å"I didn't think it would be this bad,† said Eddie grimly, echoing my thoughts. â€Å"Thank God Micah was there. Is there anything you can do?† â€Å"Yeah, we should be able to get something from our ‘parents' or a doctor.† As much as I hated to, I added, â€Å"Keith might be able to expedite it.† â€Å"Good,† said Eddie fiercely. â€Å"We can't have her getting beat up out there. I'll go talk to that teacher myself, if that's what it takes.† I hid a smile. â€Å"Well, hopefully it won't come to that. But there is something else†¦ nothing dangerous,† I amended quickly, seeing that warrior look cross his face again. â€Å"Just something†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I tried not to say the words that were popping into my mind. Horrifying. Wrong. â€Å"Concerning. I think†¦ I think Micah likes Jill.† Eddie's face went very still. â€Å"Of course he likes her. She's nice. He's nice. He likes everyone.† â€Å"That's not what I mean, and you know it. He likes her. In the more-than-friends way. What are we going to do about that?† Eddie stared off across the hall for a few moments before turning back to me. â€Å"Why do we have to do anything?† â€Å"How can you ask that?† I exclaimed, shocked by the response. â€Å"You know why. Humans and vampires can't be together! It's disgusting and wrong.† The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. â€Å"Even a dhampir like you should know that.† He smiled ruefully. ‘†Even a dhampir like me?'† I supposed I'd been a little insulting, but it couldn't be helped. Alchemists – myself included – never believed dhampirs and Moroi worried enough about the same problems we did. They might acknowledge a taboo like this, but years of training said that only we humans really took it seriously. That was why the Alchemist job was so important. If we didn't look after these matters, who would? â€Å"I mean it,† I told him. â€Å"This is something all of us agree on.† His smile faded. â€Å"Yeah, it is.† Even Rose and Dimitri, who had a high tolerance for craziness, had been shocked at meeting the Keepers, rogue Moroi who intermingled freely with dhampirs and humans. It was a taboo the three of us shared, and we'd worked hard to tolerate the custom while with the Keepers. They lived hidden in the Appalachian Mountains and had provided excellent refuge when Rose was on the run. Ignoring their savage ways had been an acceptable price for the security they'd offered us. â€Å"Can you talk to him?† I asked. â€Å"I don't think Jill has any strong feelings. She's got too many other things going on. She probably knows better anyway†¦ but it'd still be best if you could discourage him. We can stop this before she gets involved.† â€Å"What do you expect me to say?† Eddie asked. He sounded at a loss, which struck me as funny, considering he'd been ready to go make all sorts of demands to Miss Carson on Jill's behalf. â€Å"I don't know. Play the big brother card. Act protective. Say she's too young.† I expected Eddie to agree, but he once more averted his eyes. â€Å"I don't know if we should say anything.† â€Å"What? Are you insane? Do you think it's okay to – â€Å" â€Å"No, no.† He sighed. â€Å"I'm not advocating it. But look at it this way. Jill's stuck in a school full of humans. It's not fair that she be banned from hanging out with any guys.† â€Å"I think Micah wants to do more than hang out.† â€Å"Well, why shouldn't she get to go on a date now and then? Or go to a dance? She should get to do all the normal things a girl her age does. She's already had her life radically changed. We shouldn't make it any harder.† I eyed him in disbelief, trying to figure out why he was so laid back about this. Admittedly, he didn't face the same consequences I did. If my superiors found out I was â€Å"encouraging† human and vampire dating, it'd be more evidence against me and my alleged bias. After all, my reputation wasn't yet restored with the Alchemists. Still, I knew Eddie's people didn't like the idea of dating, either. So what was the problem? A strange answer suddenly came to me. â€Å"I feel like you just don't want to confront Micah.† Eddie looked right at me. â€Å"It's complicated,† he said. Something in his face told me I'd hit the mark. â€Å"Why don't you talk to Jill? She knows the rules. She'll understand that she can be with him without getting serious.† â€Å"I think it's a bad idea,† I said, still unable to believe he was taking this stance. â€Å"We're creating a gray area here that's eventually going to cause confusion. We should keep it black and white and ban her from dating while she's here.† That wry smile returned. â€Å"Everything's black and white with you Alchemists, isn't it? Do you think you can really stop her from doing anything? You should know better. Even your childhood couldn't have been that abnormal.† With that slap in the face, Eddie stalked off, leaving me aghast. What had just happened? How could Eddie – who was so adamant about doing the right thing for Jill – be okay with her casually dating Micah? There was something weird going on here, something connected to Micah, though I couldn't figure out what. Well, I refused to let this matter go. It was too important. I'd talk to Jill and make sure she knew right from wrong. If necessary, I'd also talk to Micah – though I still felt that conversation would be better coming from Eddie. And, I realized, thinking of how I had to go hunt down a doctor's note, there was one more source I could appeal to, one that had a lot of influence over Jill.Adrian. Looked like I'd be paying him another visit.

Effects of Social Problems Symptoms Essay

The symptoms of social problems among teenagers in this day will give you an impression of the enormous impact and in the individual, society and the State. Teens on this day is the main asset and it is essential in the development of the country at the time to come. Effect of long term and short term will surely apply if teenagers and society on this day does not know how to menanganani problems that exacerbated the tapered, this makes the formation of identity and the glory of the morals of our society’s eyes fragile self.Morals is mirrored themselves for personal and individual. If the individual has a bad character, then that personal individual will also be bad. Teens who have bad attitudes, and may give the impression to oneself, family, community, and country. One employee who was born this mortal circle like a white cloth sesuci no kotoranya, it is it is up on the individual it how he wants to mencorakkan his life. Individuals who mencorakkan himself with a good character will be seen noble and high, as opposed to the individual who mencorakkan himself with negative things will be perceived by the public and angle dicemuh round. For someone who had the title of Muslims are predominantly teens, good morals should be decorated with the things of faith and devotion to God. Instead, the muslim teenager kebanyankkan on today is not in accordance with the teachings of islam, by contrast, Nations and religions humiliating the country. Cannot be disclaimed warranties are also symptoms of social impression this gives a deep impression on a person’s teens. Families play a role that is very important because of the happiness and harmony of the institution of kekeluargaanlah something that society was formed. The collapse of the family institution will cause a loss of happiness and harmony experienced something of the community. The morals of an individual good and noble juveniles comes from a family institution that harmony and happy. Therefore, the collapse of morals in the family institution will give a great impression upon the happiness and harmony of the family institution. something As a result of his careless harmonian in family a family no doubt will be the enactment of penceraian. This will make the future children will be left unattended and not well maintained, beyond missing site dependent and bermanja. The effect the enactment of social problems such as drugs, addictive lepak cultures, prostitution, gambling, same-sex relationships and other issues. Falls and ups something the State, religion and the nation at present is to see morals and moral thing for society. The disclaimed warranties not the morals of adolescents in today’s highly membimbangkan society. If this is not dammed by the party – the party that, chiefly by the Empire, then it is not surprising, someday will come our society will crumble and collapse the morals of adolescents – Malay teen will chiefly rosak and perish. However there is the sharpest impression that will be seen on teen attitudes, and presumably today is not dammed quickly. People in this country will be porak-peranda, were divided and not United-ECE. As a result the bad feelings and prejudices will exist within the community. The nature of each curiga-mencurigai will be enthroned in the hearts of the people. This impression when menberi goes pergaduhan in the community. The incoherent issues will exist if pergaduhan this involves between two clans. As for the crime levels in the community will also increase to which this is due to the levels of moral collapse among teenagers has increased. The main implications against the State if the symptoms are not social ditengani soon will lead the country will lose the leadership generation upholstery in the future. This will make the country’s development will be terbantut kerancakan and State socioeconomic data into humid country because his social and moral collapse of the symptoms is high among the public. This makes the case for the crime levels in the country will also increase in line with increased social symptoms he while enhancing the perbelajaan of kos to reduce rates for the crime. Beyond the evils outside evils will seep into the country if the young generation today don’t know keep their morals. And, the main impression is that teens today are predominantly of Islamic morals teenagers crushed and then view rosak Gentiles against religion that we anuti on this day surely gone Askew and bad.

ACCOR STRATEGY OF EXPANSION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ACCOR STRATEGY OF EXPANSION - Essay Example The corporate strategies of various organizations. In addition to this, a few corporate strategies structured by well organizations around the world. The focus then shifted towards, the element of information technology and its significance along with the impact that it has over the corporation. The strategic impact of information technology, the actual strategy development, the importance of information technology all were topics mainly discussed within the literature review. Our findings within the literature review helped us deduce the facts that the SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) is a well recognized technique of thinking perilously with reference to a business. Business, its assets, with its situation. Carrying out an investigation of this kind is a fine way to evaluate a business along with its marketplaces; it can besides this support the prospective investors choose on the fact, whether their investment dollars are well invested or not. SWOT analysis is basically concerning the extrapolation of what the corporation does best , how can the corporation be sure that it progresses , whether you are availing the prospects surrounding the corporation or identifying if there are any threats , weaknesses or opportunities that they have around them . Once they are aware they can put together their corporate policy and its provisions. Thus it would not be wrong to deduce the fact that a SWOT analysis helps organizations id entify technological advances, union of corporations, or else the fickleness of the suppliers that call for analogous variation within the industry. This literature review has further directed our focus on the basic rationales behind a behind SWOT analysis, and has also opened the discussions to avenues discussing how this Analysis can be successfully carried out. SWOT Analysis is deemed by experts as being one of the most efficient diagnostic tools to guess a

The Effects of the 2008 Financial Crisis on the Investment in the Gulf Essay

The Effects of the 2008 Financial Crisis on the Investment in the Gulf Area - Essay Example The 2008 financial crisis brought in its wake the reduced inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) with a measure reduction observed in 2009. As per the Kuwait newspaper, Al-Qabas, as many as 675 real estate projects were cancelled in Gulf countries with almost 75 percent of them belonged to UAE – a large portion being in Dubai. Dubai's real estate market has been highly buoyant since last couple of years and almost 25 percent of its GDP comes through its real estate industry. It is imperative that property market in Dubai has seen its worst fall during the crisis period. In the aftermath of 2008 financial crisis, Oil prices plummeted significantly to reach $40 per barrel by December 2008. The countries under discussion heavily depend upon the income from exports of crude oil and their 50% of GDP, baring UAE, is generated from the oil economy. It is not surprising that fall in oil prices affected significantly the business of oil exporting countries such as Kuwait, Qatar, Oma n, Bahrain, UAE causing impact on investment scenarios in these countries. Impact of 2008 Financial Crisis on Investments in Qatar It is pertinent to note that the impact of financial crisis on Qatar has not been substantial. During the 2008 financial crisis, the establishment continued to protect the local banking sector through direct investments in them. Ongoing financial Crisis did affect the GDP and investments in 2009 but it made a smart recovery in 2010 due to upward movement in oil prices. Qatar made substantial investments in its gas sector in 2011. The policy makers focused on country's non-associated natural gas reserves and began developing them that provided huge boost to foreign investment in non-energy sectors too. Oil and gas still accounts for over 50% of the nation’s GDP generating 85% of export earnings. It will be most appropriate to note that Qatar's per capita income is highest in the world and the country boasts of one of the lowest unemployment rate. GDP real growth rates in Qatar have been 16.7%, 13% and 6.6% during the years 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively that amply proves that the impact of 2008 financial crisis on Qatar has not been significant. As per the 2012 estimate, the gross fixed investment in the Qatar economy has been to the tune of 30.6% of GDP that is certainly laudable in the ongoing financial crisis. Direct foreign investment in Qatar has been registered at $31.84 billion and $32.17 billion during the years 2011 and 2012 respectively and Qatari Rials (QAR) exchange at a fairly constant rate of 3.64 per US dollar all from 2008 through 2012 (Qatar Economy Profile, 2013). Doha Subsea Tunnel with an investment outlay of US $1 billion, Doha Metro with total investment of US $2 billion, and New Doha Port with the projected investment outlay of USD 6.84 billion are some of the projects conceptualized after 2008 financial crisis are in the fast mode of implementation and likely to be completed in the next 2-3 years. The impact of 2008 financial crisis is nonexistent in Qatar and that can also be gauged from the fact that the foreign direct investme nt (FDI) in Qatar in 2009 was USD 8.7 billion; it was higher by USD 2 billion when compared with the investment figure of 2008. It is important to note that between 1990 and 2000, the average FDI investment in Qatar has been only USD 169 million (Rise with Qatar, 2012). Impact of 2008 Financial Crisis in Investments in Kuwait Kuwait is also an oil economy and petroleum products contribute almost half of its GDP and earn almost 95% of its export revenues.

A Job Well Done Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Job Well Done - Essay Example A Job Well Done She did not tell me to do this or that; she just let me do things on my own. One of the toughest things to do was getting out of bed early to prepare breakfast. My younger siblings had to make do with cereals and milk for breakfast because I am not so comfortable working at the kitchen. I brought my mother something to eat in her room, a sandwich and some warm milk, went back to the kitchen because I also had to clean the table afterwards and put everything in the dishwasher. That time I felt like it was the longest morning in my life. I got used to going out of my room when breakfast is ready then go back to my room after eating. After doing the morning chores, I checked our refrigerator to see what I can prepare for lunch. I had no idea what to cook so I just stared blankly on the vegetables and meat that was in the refrigerator. I kept thinking I have to prepare a decent meal for my mom so she can gain back her strength and get better right away. It’s a good thing that we are so equipped with technology that the internet can give you all the small details in cooking – just like a guide for dummies. I ended up making some pasta for me and my siblings and a soup for my mother. It was my first time to cook pasta just by myself. Even if I had the convenience of canned spaghetti sauce and ready to cook pasta, it was still a tough job to do because I had to make sure that I will be able to cook something worth eating.

International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

International Relations - Essay Example Similarly IGOs strive to enhance international relations and cooperation while NGOs try to deliver developmental aids to their beneficiaries. The ultimate goal of an NGO is to enhance sustainable development whereas an IGO’s mission is to promote human rights and to support socio-economic development. The fundamental point of distinction is that IGOs may include governments when NGOs may not2. 2. ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’ is an economic theory developed by Garrett Hardin. The theory states that individuals who act independently according to their self interests normally behave contrary to the long term interests of the whole group by depleting common resources whose demand is overwhelming the supply3. More simply, ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’ can be simply referred to an economic problem where every individual tries to best exploit a given resource. When the demand for this particular resource overwhelms the supply, individuals who consume an extra unit directly act against the interests of other people who have no longer access to the benefits. This economic problem occurs when individuals ignore the wellbeing of the whole society in an attempt to entertain their personal interests. This economic theory is often linked to sustainable development and global warming as they are related to the exploitation of resources by humans in pursuit of th eir personal gains. Oceans, atmosphere, national parks, and fish stocks are some of the examples of ‘commons’. 3. According to some experts, human rights represent moral principles that define specific standards of human behavior despite cultural or national differences4. Human rights are considered as legal rights across the globe and particularly protected under national and international law. These rights belong to all people simply because they are humans. It is possible to

Industrial Law Assignment ( Contract Law ) Essay

Industrial Law Assignment ( Contract Law ) - Essay Example The Company A has accepted the contract with Company B with all the clauses. Company B, in effect offered to provide the equipment by a particular date. It agreed to do so for a particular amount, which is the consideration. Company B accepted the offer and communicated to Company A that they would complete the order. The letter issued by Company B stated that it was â€Å"accepting the order subject to our standard terms of business.† Clause 10 of the standard terms of business of Company B in effect stated that Company B would be liable to any defect in the equipment only if claim to that effect is lodged within seven days of supply of the equipment. The standard terms of Company B also provided that it would not be liable for any loss caused due to delay in supply of equipment. The Contract Manager of Company A communicated to Company B the details of the equipment it needed, and by implication agreed to the standard terms of business of Company B in their entirety. The first three terms were acted upon. The equipment was supplied to Company A well within time. Company B was paid for the same. The other two terms are not applicable to the problem at hand. Company A did not communicate to Company B the defect within time, and the liability of Company B as regards the defects ended on 8th July 2009. So the complaint communicated to Company B by letter Dt. 15th July 2009 can not be legally enforceable. The contract entered in to by the parties was fully acted upon, and no clause of the contract would be open for interpretation other than what was given to it in express terms. The contract was of the executed consideration type and ended in fulfillment when the Company B was paid by the Company B. Though the Contract Manager of Company A was unaware about the particular Clause 10 which ended the liability of Company B on expiry of period of seven days of the supply, it does not in any way alter the lack of the contractual obligation on

Energy and Metabolism, Nutrition, and the Digestive System (Synopsis) Essay

Energy and Metabolism, Nutrition, and the Digestive System (Synopsis) - Essay Example These compounds are further subdivided into many classes such as Carbohydrates into monosaccharides and polysaccharides, Proteins into amino acids and lipids into triglycerides and fatty acids (Saturated and Unsaturated). All these compounds which form the basic requirements of our body and food contribute in the process of formation of ATP, the basic energy providing compound of our body. These biochemical compounds when enter our digestive system are further broken down into their very basic compound or particle which then undergoes the process of metabolism (either anabolism or catabolism) to form ATP. Our digestive system consists of oral cavity where food is chewed, esophagus for the transfer of chewed food, stomach for the breaking down and absorption of some of the food specially Vitamin B12 and proteins and intestines (small and large) for the further absorption and digestion of remaining undigested food and removal of left over undigested food through the anal canal. All the se systems form the basis of body’s energy providing system along with liver where most of the absorbed compounds are taken and there they undergo the process of metabolism to form the basic energy providing compound of the body. An abnormality in any of them e.g. hepatitis, peptic ulcers could lead to less nutrition supplied to the body ( malnutrition) and even

Literature critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Literature critique - Essay Example authors get across that the failure to communicate has been shown to be at the root of 60% of events reported to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization. Reports from coroners also suggest that error in communication tends to lead to the death of a patient. The title gets straight to the point, informing the audience of the importance of the study. There are ten authors, three as observers, three as analysts, and the other four had roles that were not obvious. The abstract provides the reader with the background, methods, and results of the study. They state a clear objective, nevertheless a rationale is not given at this stage. Also supplied is an overview and summary of the results. The authors have provided a short informative and understandable background of the topic supported by evidences and statistics, including literature and ethnographic findings suggest that the current weaknesses in communication in the operating room may derive form a lack of standardization and team integration. The writers anticipate that a carefully adapted checklist system could promote safer, more effective communication in the operation room team. The literature review was merely a summary, not a review. The aim of the study was to define common communication failures. Some details of participating in the study were included along with an explanation of the data collected, the methods used to record data as well as the procedures for data analysis. According to Taylor and Bodgan (1998) the research design in this study was clearly appropriate to address the research aims. The researchers provide enough details regarding ethical issues. They made it clear that they had taken the necessary approval from the ethical board of the hospital. According to Silverman (2001), ethical issues come first before many other factors in studying subjects on humans. The researchers have explained that 94 team members participated from anesthesia, surgery, and nursing

The different and similarities the ideological position by the main Essay

The different and similarities the ideological position by the main candidates in the city of Toronto election for Mayor (2014) - Essay Example He proposed that they shall be kept below the rate of inflation to reduce the cost of owning residential property. On the other hand, he proposes a steeper increase of commercial taxes as compared to residential property so as to reduce the ratio between commercial taxes and residential taxes (Peat 2014). Olivia chow another favorite contestant intended to keep the tax rates of residential property pegged on the rate of inflation such that they are either slightly higher, lower or in line as compared to the increases or decreases in the inflation rates. Her policies on property tax favor small businessmen as she intended to decrease the rates of taxes for these businesses by a total of 2.5% by the year 2020 (Peat 2014). This she believed would service as an incentive for more people to join the market. Just like his fellow contestants for the seat John, Doug Ford promised to ensure that the residential property taxes are maintained at a level below the comparative fluctuations of the rate of inflation (Peat 2014). All the three main candidates aimed to reduce the amount of taxes that residential property pay to make them more affordable to home owners and tenants. John Tory and Doug Ford planed to adopt the exact same policy of keeping the rates lower than the comparative rate of inflation at any given time. The Policies of Olivia chow are almost similar in that she also intended to use the inflation rate at the yardstick to determine the rate of tax for residential property (Peat 2014). The only difference is that she did not promise to keep increases in the rates strictly below the relative increases in inflation rates. She said the changes in the rate could be above or below the changes on the rate of inflation but by a very small margin (Peat 2014). Another difference in Olivia`s policies manifested in her plans for boosting small businesses by progressively decreasing the taxes required from them (toronto mayoral election promise tracker

Nature of Communities Essay Example for Free

Nature of Communities Essay At the beginning of the 20th century there was much debate about the nature of communities. The driving question was whether the community was a self-organized system of co-occurring species or simply a haphazard collection of populations with minimal functional integration (Verhoef, 2010). Krebs (1972) described a community as an assemblage of populations of living organisms in a prescribed area or habitat. However, according to Wright (1984), the working definitions of community can be divided into two basic categories: organismic or individualistic. The organismic approach contends that communities have discrete boundaries and that the sum of the species in an area behaves as organism with both structure and function. In contrast, the individualistic concept regards communities as collections of species requiring similar environmental conditions (Wright, 1984). A)Organismic versus individualistic distribution Solomon (2005) stated that the nature of communities is discussed based on two traditional views which are Clements’s organismic model and Gleason’s individualistic model. The organismic model views community as a superorganism that goes through certain stages of development (succession) toward adulthood (climax). In this view, biological interactions are primarily responsible for species composition, and organisms are highly interdependent. In contrast, according to individualistic model, abiotic environmental factors are the primary determinants of species composition in a community, and organisms are largely interdependent on each other. According to organismic concept it is expected that an entire community or biome will respond as a unit and to relocate as climatic conditions change. Pleistocene biome migration in response to multiple glaciations, the accordian effect, is a classic example of this model (Wright, 1984). In contrast, Wright (1984) further explained that the individualist expects each species experiencing similar climatic changes to respond independently and thus, the community composition of an area to change via both immigration and emigration of some individual taxa while others remain in the area. Communities are not stable under this model but recognize in response to changing local conditions. According to Clements’ organismic hypothesis, species that typically occupy the same communities should always occur together. Thus, their distributions along the gradient would be clustered in discrete groups with sharp boundaries between groups (Russell et al., 2011). In the 1920s, ecologists; Frederic Clements and Henry A. Gleason developed two extreme hypotheses about the nature of ecological communities (Russell et al., 2011). Clements championed an interactive (organismic) view describing communities as â€Å"superorganism† assemblages of species bound together by complex population interactions. According to this view, each species in a community requires interactions with a set of ecologically different species, just as every cell in an organism requires services that other types of cells provide. In contrast, Gleason proposed an alternative, individualistic view of ecological communities. He believed that population interactions do not always determine species composition. Instead, a community is just an assemblage of species that are individually adapted to similar environmental conditions.According to Gleason’s hypothesis, communities do not achieve equilibrium; rather, they constantly change in response to disturbance and environmental variation. According to Gleason’s individualistic hypothesis, each species is distributed over the section of an environmental gradient to which it is adapted. Different species would have unique distributions, and species composition would change continuously along the gradient. In other words, communities would not be separated by sharp boundaries. B)Stochastic Versus Equilibrium Schools The stochastic school believes that most communities exist in a state of equilibrium, where competitive exclusion principle is prevented by periodic population reductions and environmental fluctuations (Crawley, 1997). More generally, stochastic effects can cause a population to shift from one type of dynamic behavior to another (Turchin, 2003). In addition, stochastic school maintains that physical and temporal factors are dominant influences of community composition. This view argues that species abundance varies and is largely determined by differential responses to unpredictable environmental changes (Levin, 2009). In contrast, the equilibrium explanations assume that community composition represents the stable outcome of interspecific interactions (set of species abundances reached when the rates of change in population is zero) and also assume that the community will return to an equilibrium after those populations are perturbed (Verhoef, 2010). For instance, the traditional equilibrium model assumes that the probability of an individual fish larva surviving to reproduce is limited in a density-dependent manner by the abundance of the adult fish. Alternatively, stochastic model predicts that recruitment to the adult phase is independent of the density of the adults (Chapman et al., 1999). Equilibrium model states that species richness is entirely determined by ongoing immigration and extinction (Kricher, 2011). Therefore, equilibrium model can be said to be deterministic process which is important in shaping community structure through competition and predation on native species over short temporal scales (Thorp et al., 2008). For example, Chapman et al., (1999), stated that coral reefs communities are at equilibrium showing precise resource partitioning in response to the competition between the various fish species. However, in contrast, the community may also be more susceptible to stochastic processes. For example, the number of fish species on coral reefs is kept high largely by stochastic processes. According to Naiman et al., (2001), stochastic processes are unpredictable and operate in a relatively density-independent fashion. This is the opposite of the traditional, equilibrium hypothesis which emphasizes density dependent competition between species.

Communication Within Unilever Plc

Communication Within Unilever Plc 1.1 Introduction and background of research This research is based on the topic How the channels of communication with employees might be improved in a multinational organization. Unilever PLC is a leading multinational in Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector and it operates over hundred of countries worldwide. Unilever maintains its leading edge by establishing superior standards, latest managerial systems and state of art technology. Most importantly the main focus of Unilever business is to run in profitable manner while complying with statutory and legal requirements in to the maximum extent, in each and every place it operates. Unilever is therefore highly concerns about implementation of latest and successful managerial systems in its production plants in very first time it is possible. Moreover Unilever contributes for developing these systems to match with company requirements and hence most of managerial systems that Unilever implemented are quite superior to others and can easily be differentiated from managerial systems of its competitors. Product Range of Unilever PLC is Home and personnel care, Margarines, fat spreads, Tea and supplementary food products. There are 400 brands and 14 categories of home, personal care and foods products, no other company touches so many peoples lives in so many different ways. Unilevers brand portfolio has made them leaders in every field in which they work. Knorr, Lipton, Dove Omo are some examples for trusted brands. In the Sri Lankan context Unilever could pass by all its competitors and to make its all brands to be the flag ships. At the moment Unilever Sri Lanka Limited owns twenty two global brands which are very much familiar to Sri Lankans as things touching their hearts. Lux, Sunsilk, Signal, Astra and Lifebuoy are some of those popular brands. Brand communication can be a powerful force for behavior change. They have the opportunity to promote healthy lifestyles among our millions of consumers. At the same time they have a duty to market their products responsibly and provide their consumers with clear and simple information about the products they make and how they can fit into a healthy and balanced diet. This depends on effective communication. As a multinational company that has been created a very good brand loyalty in consumers mind they will have to satisfy their customer requirements to the maximum level. In order to do this Unilever will have to adopt according to the changes in customer requirements. As the market grows rapidly new products from competitors are coming to the market frequently. For their survival they will have to produce new ranges of products and to do modifications for their existing products as customer requirements are changing rapidly. To do these kinds of Modifications Companys communication process and communication channels should be of high quality. Quick decisions will have to be made; for that employees will have to send their messages and information faster and get feedback very quickly. For this purpose the company uses many methods (channels). Since this is a global company their companies are scattered all over the world. Therefore there should be a strong communication network within each and every company. Unilever PLC uses strategies and guidelines to give directions for employees. As a result the employees would have a clear idea of what the company is expected from them; they would know what their duties and responsibilities are. Then they will be motivated as their duties are being simplified and specified. This will create efficient employees and would be resulted in productivity increase. Through strategies and guidelines more detailed information can be provided to employees. More and specific information gives subordinates a feeling of confidence and security; lack of information promotes insecurity and a feeling of not being trusted. By doing this they are able to get maximum out of employees. This organization gets ideas and views of employees about the policies and procedures being applied by the company. It would help the top management to identify their weaknesses and take necessary actions to revise their policies and procedures. Unilever has put a great effort to engage wit employees to find out whether they understand the companys vision and role that is being expected from them. The company gets ideas from employees to know what their perception on the changes the company has to do to achieve their ambitions. In 2009 Unilever began an employee engagement programme that will ensure employees are involved in Unilevers vision and plans for the future. Uniliver gather feedback from employees through regular employee engagement surveys. A Global People Survey (GPS) of all Unilever employees is conducted every two to three years. Unilevers management population is also invited to participate in a refined version of the survey GPS-Pulse, which is conducted at six-monthly intervals in the years when GPS is not taking place. The GPS-Pulse conducted in September 200 highlighted that people are proud to work for Unilever and feel good about the culture and business. Results also showed increased confidence in leader ship and the direction that the company is taking. Feedback also has pointed to areas where the company needed to do better and these were actioned by the Unilever Executive and their senior leaders. Through these kinds of strategies employees will feel that theyre being valued and recognized by the company and they will be motivated to work hard to achieve objectives of the company. Being a multinational organization Unilever PLC uses telephones to communicate with their peers. They have the ability to exchange their ideas over the phone and to get the feedback of the other party. Exchanging messages over the phone would fasten the decision making process and it will affect their smooth operation positively. Letters, memos and e-mails are anther methods of communication used by Unilever PLC. Since these are written communication channels they will help employees to get clear idea by reading them. If there is a long list of directions to be given to employees these channels would be more effective as they are in writing. Since everything is in writing it will be easy for them to comply with these requirements. Research Objectives and Hypothesis The completion of this research intends to achieve the following objectives in relation to Unilever PLC. To identify the channels of communication used by the Organization To study how to improve the channels of communication with employees of the organization. To find possible strengths and weaknesses in communication channels currently being used by the company. To suggest methods to avoid current weaknesses in communication channels. Hypothesis Finding how the channels of communication with employees might be improved in a multinational organization is the objective of this research. Accordingly, hypothesis of the research is defined as below, H0: The channels of communication with employees in existence within the organization are adequate. H1: The channels of communication with employees in existence within the organization are not adequate. Research Scope For this research qualitative research techniques have to be used. Since this is a qualitative one it is difficult to set standard guidelines to identify whether the organizations current communication channels are suitable or not. This should be done compared to another organization. It would be difficult to select a suitable benchmark. When carrying out a research feedback should be taken from employees at different levels such as managers and lower level employees in a way that covers the entire organization. Since their ideas are different the results cannot be generalized. LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction to Literature Review The research literature review is based the theories and researches previously done by scholars. These should be applied in the research. Clearly defined research problem and research methods have to be included. Review of Relevant Theories and Literature A typical day for a manager includes doing desk work attending scheduled meetings , placing and receiving telephone calls, reading and answering correspondence , attending unscheduled meetings and tours. Most of these activities involves communication. In fact, managers usually spend more than half of their time communicating in some way. Communication always involves two or more persons , so other behavioral process such as motivation, leadership and group and team processes all come into play. Top executives must handle communication effectively if they are to be true leader. Communication is concerned with the making of meaning and the exchange of understanding. One model of communication considers it from the perspective of transmitting information from one person to another. Communication is very important for all kinds of business organization. According to researches carried out by many authors, communication and communication channels play a very important role in any business organization. Different people have carried out researches relating to communication and efficiency of communication channels. Few examples are as follows; A web article defines a communication channel as, Medium through which a message is transmitted to its intended audience, such as print media or broadcast (electronic) media. As per Quincy Wright, Communication channels can be understood simply as the modes or pathways through which two parties might communicate. As population grows and technology evolves accordingly, these channels of communication change as well. (A Study of War, 1967) According to a web article, In the basic communication process, a sender puts a message in words and transmits it to a receiver who interprets the message. The medium the sender chooses to transmit the message is called the communication channel. There are many communication channels being used by different organizations. Some of these are universally familiar methods where as some of them are specific to certain organizations. Listed below are few methods among them. Letters/ memos/ reports Although there is an increase in the usage of electronic communication, most people seem to receive their messages on paper. This may be because there is no e-mail link between the parties, because a hard copy is required to meet audit or legal requirements or because the recipient feels more comfortable to read from paper than from a screen. Manuals This is also a paper document and the main purpose of this is reference. Fax This method uses public telephones to deliver documents from one place to another. In this method original hard copy is not sent to the receiver. E-mail This is a very efficient method of communicating where whole documents can be sent through internet. This provides many cost advantages when compared to telephones and other paper based communication methods. Intranet This method is also same as the internet method, but this used to deliver documents, images and so on within an organization. In this method also information is much less expensive to distribute and maintain when compared to paper based communication methods. Meetings Two or more people get together and carryout discussions related to different areas to take decisions or to solve problems. This is a verbal communication method where the feedback will be received at the same time. Telephone This is a two way communication method. It is now possible to reach people practically anytime, anywhere over the phone. Video conferencing Under video conferencing system phone lines are used to transmit video and sound between two or more parties. Real time video conferences can be conducted when parties participated to the meeting are in remote locations. Communication is the process of transmitting information from one person to another. Effective communication is the process of sending a message in such a way that the message received is as close in meaning as possible to the message intended. Effective communication is based on the ideas of meaning and consistency of meaning. Meaning is the idea that the individual who initiates the communication exchange wishes to convey. Communication also relates directly to the basic management functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Environmental scanning, integrating planning-time horizons, and decision making for example, all necessitate communication. Delegation, coordination, and organization change and development also entail communication. Communication is essential to establishing standards, monitoring performance and taking corrective actions as a part of control. Clearly, then, communication is a pervasive part of virtually all managerial activities. The Communication Process As figure shows, noise can disrupt the communication process at any step. Managers must therefore understand that a conversation in the next office, a fax machine out of paper and the receivers worries may all thwart the managers best attempts to communicate. Sender Firm that sends the message. Message What is being transmitted from sender to receiver. Encoding Message translated into appropriate meaning. This is the process through which the message is symbolized. Channel The medium through which the message is being sent. Decoding Process that translate the message and generating the meaning out of it. Receiver Firm that receives the message. Feedback Process by which the receiver sends his responds to the sender. Interpersonal communication focuses on communication among people at work. Two important forms of interpersonal communication, oral and written, both offer unique advantages and disadvantages. Thus the manager should weigh the pros and cons of each when choosing a medium for communication. Communication channels play a vital role in communication. Messages are conveyed through channels. Telephone, videoconferencing, face-to-face meetings are some examples for verbal communication, where as letters, memos, e-mails, reports are some examples for written communication. Channel should be selected based on the nature of the message or the information that is being transmitted or exchanged. Different channels have their respective strengths and weaknesses. For example, it would be ineffective to give a long list of directions verbally. There are a variety of forms of organizational communication. Vertical communication between superiors and subordinates may flow upwards or downwards. Horizontal communication involves peers and colleagues at the same level in the organization. Organizations also use information systems to manage communication. Electronic communication is likely to have a profound effect on managerial and organizational communicational in the years to come. A great deal of informal communication also occurs in organizations. Communication networks are recurring patterns of communication among members of a group. The grapevine is the informal communication network among people in an organization. Management by wandering around is also a popular informal method of communication. Nonverbal communication includes facial expressions, body movements, physical contact, gestures and inflection and tone. Managing the communication process necessitates recognizing the barriers to effective communication and understanding how to overcome them. Barriers can be identified at both the individual and organizational levels. Likewise, both individual and organizational skills can be developed to overcome these barriers. Barriers to effective Communication, Individual barriers Conflicting or inconsistent cues Credibility about the subject Reluctance to communicate Poor listening skills Predispositions about the subject Organizational Barriers Semantics Status or power differences Different perceptions Noise Overload Overcoming barriers to communication Individual skills Develop good listening skill Encourage two way communication Be aware of language and meaning Maintain creditability Be sensitive to receivers perspective Be sensitive to senders perspective Organizational skills Follow up Regulate information flows Understand the richness of media (R.W.Griffin, 1997) CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY Research Methods Servey reserch methods to collectting data as investigate the employees and organization need. Research Approach There are few steps to be followed. They are as follows; Problem Identification /Hypothesis Identify the existing channels and channels to be introduced. Research Design and planning This is a Prepare Queries, Prepare the project plan, Prepare the research team work plan, Prepare the Physical resource and conduct with the service providers in communication channel providers wise. Data collection and Data Review and analysis theory After having identified the variables to be studied and operationally defined them a researcher is expected to adopt a suitable method of data collection to measure the variables and their relationships. Following are the methodologies that are used to this research, Questionnaire survey Interviews Observation Case study In the case of a questionnaire based survey or interviews, the unit of analysis is the individual as the individuals included in a sample are expected to provide information by responding to the survey questionnaire or the questions posed to them at the interview. In the observation method there is no single unit of analysis as the researcher is expected to observe real life situations , a process , an event or a series of event over a period of time. The unit of analysis in the case study method could cover a community, an organization, a group or a selected individuals . For instance, one can study the performance of one or more organizations and arrive at meaningful conclusions about the practice of the management. Similarly can study in depth the leadership style of several CEOs and arrive at meaningful conclusions about organizational leaderships. The Questionnaire Survey In this research questionnaire based survey ahs become one of the most widely used techniques of data collection for reasons such as economy , ability to reach a larger sample of the population, saving of time , feasibility to collect data within a predetermined framework and feasibility to process the data using a coding system that could be easily used on computers. Although the questionnaire method has its inherent limitations this method has been adopted to study qualitative aspects such as attitudes and values as well as quantitative aspects of behaviour. The forms of questions included in a questionnaire depends on the kind of information required . Although the forms of the questions may differ in a variety of ways,questions are presented in two basic types; Open ended Structured Open ended questions There are several advantages of open ended questions if the researcher is interested in probing deep into a particular issue such as motivation, job satisfaction, etc. There are some limitations inherent in open ended questions. These include, Difficulty in recording lengthy answers, particularly when the respondents interest is aroused by the researcher through probing, difficulty in asking more than two questions as the answer may take both time as well as space in the questionnaire , and relatively high degree of reliance on the researchers own judgment as to what he thinks is the meaning of the answers given to open ended questions. Despite these limitations open ended questions are used by researcher when the questionnaire based interview method is adopted because an experienced researcher can always exploit the advantages associated with open ended questions. Structured questions This presents the respondent with fixed response alternatives. That is question is worded in such a manner as to induce the respondent to answer by making a choice between two or more alternatives. Advantage-easy to administer in the field because they are pre-coded. Interviews Is a method of collecting data by speaking to someone who is often not known to the researcher previously. Thus it would involve a considerable amount of interpersonal skills on the part of the researcher to establish a relationship with the person being interviewed and elicit the required information within a limited period of time. There are two basic types of interviews, Structured and unstructured. Observation Method Is a technique adopted highly in qualitative research to study natural behaviour. Thus observation involves making judgments about the occurrence of behaviour , its frequency, its duration or its latency. These measures are the basic data used to describe the naturally occurring behaviour or to assess the effects of such behaviour. Therefore the collection of the data through observation has to be done carefully in order to ensure accuracy ,reliability and objectively. There are two broad methods of observing behaviour: participant and non participant. Case study Method This involves studding individual cases in their natural environment over a period of time. One who uses a case study method may adopt different methods of data collection and analysis. These methods may be either qualitative or quantitative or a combination of both. Research Strategy Selecting the most suitable channels to the company. For this purpose number of channels should be investigated. Sampling Techniques Select a sample size based on the company size that covers all areas and all levels of employees. Data Collection Tools High quality data should be collected.. Data Analysis Methods Methods such as pie charts, tables, decision trees, scatter diagrams and so on can be used to analyze data. Presentation of Data Data should be presented using a report and a multimedia presentation. Research Limitations This research is focusing only on the communication channels. Communication process and their reliability is being ignored. Ethical implications of this research If the employees provide wrong information the whole research is misleading. Research Schedule Depending on the nature and activities of the research a time schedule should to be prepared. Conclusions This research is based on the topic How the channels of communication with employees might be improved in a multinational organization. Existing channels and new channels to be introduced should be addressed. For this purpose research topic should be defined and background to the research has to be explained. Theories relevant to the research should be applied under literature review. Finally ethical issues that can be raised during the research should be addressed and the decision is taken based on employees perceptions. The study covers a wide area on the communication channels and based on the evaluation of how to improve the communication of the employees, new communication channels to be introduced must be taken into consideration, the necessary channels that should be improved according to improve the methods of communication in the organization. Under this research based on the multi national company we can learn and can get more knowledge as managers, how to manage effective communication in a multi national company, can feel the employees communication and how to control the whole communication process in a successful and effective manner in the organization.

Measurement Software in Construction

Measurement Software in Construction 3.1 Introduction The use of measurement software in construction industry has focused on measurement and BQ since these two have been the predominant core activities of work. However, as we are aware today, the use of computers can be applied to many different situations. This chapter will review the application and features of measurement software in local construction companies. The common application functions of measurement software such as measurement, cost estimation, tender document preparation, BQ preparation and the like will briefly described in the first sub-chapter. In addition, case studies of measurement software currently available in market whether local or foreign will be conducted in this chapter. This chapter will also provide the key features or modules of the Microsoft Office Excel 2007, CATO Suite, BinaLink, Buildsoft, WinQS, PriMus-DCF and PriMus REVOLUTION in more details. The positive or negative impacts of measurement software on local construction industry will be explained and carried out by few survey analyses additionally. A summary of this chapter will be presented in the last section. Questionnaire will be drafted based on this chapter to meet the last two objectives of the research which are the extent of measurement software application and the resulted impacts from it in local construction companies. 3.2 Application and Features of Measurement Software in Local Construction Companies Measurement software were created and developed to serves the roles and responsibilities of QS profession in a construction companies with lesser time and higher accuracy. Application functions of measurement software enable to perform the following: Measurement Measurement is the main activity that any quantity surveyor engages in during the stage of tender preparation. Curren (1987) advocates that computer can measure quantities automatically and is more accurate compared to measurement done manually (cited by Lim and Ong, 2008). This goes to show the use of computers is vital to the quantity surveyor as it helps in reducing the time needed for taking-off quantities. Cost Estimation Ahuja and Campbell (1988) defined that cost estimation is prediction of probable cost incurred for a proposed construction project. It is a technical process and has been described as both an art and also science. Estimating is usually carried out by quantity surveyor or estimator on behalf of contractor with the attempt to forecast the tender sum to be included in the BQ before submitting the tender. The purpose of the cost estimation is to obtain the expected cost of a project in varying degrees of accuracy at different phases of project. Cost estimating software will enhance the accuracy while estimating the building cost and examine the implication of initial cost design. BQ Preparation Computer systems are used to facilitate this process by automatically reducing double keying work and thus saving a huge amount of time. In term of BQ production, Microsoft Excel is widely used for doing taking off and preparation of BQ. Traditional spreadsheet measurement sheet have the ability to reduce the burden of timesing and squaring as well as checking of this two steps (Hamid and Chong, n.d.). BQ production involves a long and tedious process. Nigel (1978) has listed out eight major steps in producing a BQ as below: Measurement of Quantities Timesing and Squaring Checking of Timesing and Squaring Abstracting Checking of Abstracting Preparation and Checking of Draft BQ Preparation of BQ and Checking Final BQ Tender Documents Preparation The phase of preparation of the tender documents is extremely important, as it determines the terms of the tender procedure as well as the terms for execution of the contract. Kovari (n.d.) noted that seven documents will be provided in tender documents preparation and the format of it can be saved into the memory of the computers as shown below: Advertisement for Bids (Notice to Contractors or Invitation to Bid) Draft Contract which included type of contract, general provisions or general conditions and special provisions or special provisions. Statements of Work, Services and Technical Specifications BQ Schedule of Execution Bidding Schedule Approved Drawings Project Cost Control Cost control starts at inception, when guide prices or indicative costs will be required through the stage when an early price estimate is prepared and the tender process undertaken by the contractors through the final completion and agreements of the final account for the project. The architect or engineer will want to consider alternative solutions that meet the clients overall aims and objectives during the various stages of design. The quantity surveyor will offer cost advice for the comparative design solutions of the alternative materials to be used and also advice on the cost implications of the design morphology and procurement. Cost control does not stop at tender stage but continues up to the agreement of the final account and the issue of the final certificate for the works. Hence, cash flow estimating software enables quantity surveyor record and calculates the date driven accurately and faster. It is also providing a better monitoring on the building process (Ashworth an d Hogg, eds, 2007). Valuation In practice, the contract normally is to be paid by employed a sum on account as the construction work proceeds. Before the Architect issuing a certificate, quantity surveyor has to prepare an interim valuation (Lian, 2009). Interim valuation can be carried out by using the BQ programme as database usually. The main items to be considered when valuing the words area as following: Preliminaries Main Contractors Works Variation Unfixed Materials and Goods Statutory Fees and Charges Nominated Sub-Contractors Works Nominated Suppliers Goods Fluctuation in Costs of Labour, Materials Retention Final Account Preparation According to Ashworth and Hogg (eds, 2007), the majority of construction projects result in a final cost that is different to that agreed by the client and contractor at commencement of the construction works. The calculation and agreement of this final construction cost, the final account is usually of the utmost importance to both the employer and contractor. Therefore, parties to the contract need to ensure that the final account incorporates a fair valuation of the works carried out. Within lump sum contract arrangements the price agreed by the client at commencement will normally require adjustment for several matters including variations, provisional measurements, provisional sums, fluctuations, and claims. Thus, quantity application software will sort, store and analyse the capability and score the goal of time saving. 3.3 Case Studies of Measurement Software Available in Market Anything and everything can be computerised nowadays. It is inevitable that the complex task of measuring quantities off drawings or taking-off has now progressed into the digital realm. ICT is becoming a strategic asset for any organisation to deliver business improvement in the AEC industry. Hence, QS firms are encouraged to use the computer to perform traditional tasks. The following are some measurement software currently used in the market. 3.3.1 Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Microsoft Corporation is a software company based in Redmond, Washington. Microsoft is ranked 15th in the worlds top 500 companies and its operating software has driven 93% of the worlds desktop computers since 1991. Microsoft Office software encompassing a suite of e-mail, word-processing, spreadsheet and presentation tools dominates 90% of the market and brings in $9 billion annually as a third of the companys revenue (Corporate Watch UK, 2004). Graduate School (2010) stated that Microsoft Office Excel is a software application that offers three distinct processes for managing data such as spreadsheet, database or graphing. The primary feature, spreadsheet is a number crunching tool allowing for sophisticated calculations such as budgets, finances, inventories or any task that is numerically oriented. The database and graphing functions allow for selecting, retrieving, viewing and charting data that is contained within the spreadsheet mode. According Microsoft Corporation (2010), Microsoft Office Excel 2007 is a powerful and widely used tool that helps people analyses information to make more informed decisions. There are the top 10 ways in which Office Excel 2007 can help users create spreadsheets and analyse, share and manage information more effectively as shown below: Office Excel 2007 features the Microsoft Office Fluent user interface to help users find powerful tools when users need them. Import, organise and explore massive data sets within significantly expanded spreadsheets. Use the completely redesigned charting engine in Office Excel 2007 to communicate users analysis in professional-looking charts. Enjoy improve and powerful support for working with tables. Create and work with interactive PivotTable views with ease. See important trends and find exceptions in users data. Use office Excel 2007 and Excel Services to help share spreadsheets more securely with others. Help ensure users or users organisation work with the most current business information. Reduce the size of spreadsheets and improve damaged file recovery at the same time. Extend users business intelligence investments because Office Excel 2007 provides full support for Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services. 3.3.2 CATO Suite Causeway Technologies was established in 1998 to provide its customers throughout the United Kingdom with a range of competitive software products and services. It is a fast growing organisation currently employing in the region of 200 people and is the leading software developer for the construction industry. From feasibility through to final account, cost management professionals are faced with ever tighter deadlines in which to deliver accurate cost information (Causeway Technologies Ltd., 2008). The CATO Suite has been developed with the close participation of the profession and provides powerful support to the QS professional. The introduction of CATO Enterprise is an opportunity to implement a step change in their business processes effectively to provide their staff with a QS desktop. The creation of BQ and cost plans in a controlled environment providing information can be relied upon and used to build a database for future projects and importantly reports produced in a consistent manor for clients (Causeway Technologies Ltd., 2008). 14 types of modules of the CATO Suite provide an affordable solution that can be managed and adapted to company requirements are (Brochure of CATO Suite): CATO Full Contract CATO Management Contracts CATO Quickest CATO CADMeasure CATO Earthworks CATO Cost Planning CATO Cashflow CATO Document Register CATO Procurement CATO E-Tendering CATP Project Controls CATO Cost Management CATO Whole Life Costing CATO Rates CADMeasure is a multi-purpose measurement tool that enables users to measure from electronic drawings with unprecedented accuracy. It provides an easy to use CAD based on-screen professional measurement facility, ideal for all types of measurement from the most sophisticated 3-dimensional building object model to the simplest sketch (Brochure of CADMeasure). The features of CADMeasure are: Easy to use through familiar pull down menus, toolbars and dialogues. Local or network versions available with concurrent licensing. Access to all non-editing AutoCAD commands during measurement session. Comprehensive on-line help system. Full Audit trail with automatically annotated drawing record. Suitable for a range of different users including those involved with property, construction, manufacturing, medical and retail sectors. Ability to store and record complete measurement history in line with design changes. Dynamic link between measurement and drawing content. Available both as a standalone solution and for use with existing installations of AutoDesk products including AutoCAD, MAP 3D and Architectural Desktop. Drawing integrity retained. Improved measurement integrity via new XML file format. Supports remote software development for effective multi-user implementation and updates. 3.3.3 BinaLink Bina Link Solutions Sdn. Bhd. is a company formed by Malaysians who are familiar with local standards and procedures with the objective of providing IT solutions to the construction industry. The company founded by experienced personnel of the construction of the construction and IT industry. The company staffs have vast experience working in consultants and contractors environments. They involved themselves in the rapid advancement of computer development and usage in the construction industry in the last two decades. The development of the companys programme is carried out by dynamic and knowledgeable staffs that are conversant with the latest in IT (Bina Link Solutions Sdn. Bhd., 2006). According to brochure of BinaLink, there are 9 types of modules are: BinaLink BQ Module Binalink Tender Module Binalink CAD Measure Binalink Tender Comparison Module Binalink E-Tender Binalink Preliminaries Binalink Worksheets Binalink Progress Payment Module Binalink Final Account Module The BinaLink BQ Module is an exciting innovative system especially developed for use as a superior tool for the preparation of BQ and construction costing. It is developed by Malaysian experts on a familiar Microsoft Windows platform to suit a standalone or networking environment. In addition, it will be unique local working methods and cost effective system (Brochure of BinaLink). The key features of BinaLink BQ Module are: Standard BQ Libraries Mutiple Column BQ up to 3 columns Lump Sum Bills Project Summary Reports Direct Measurement Method 2 Dimensional Worksheet Measurement Formula Worksheet Measurement Rebar Worksheet Measurement Flagging Reports for Sub-total Quantities Resource Reports Built-up Rates with resources, price and resource databases Mark-up Reports Gross Floor Area Measurement for Elemental Cost Analysis CAD Measurement Facilities with Direct Linking to Worksheet (Optional) 3.3.4 Buildsoft Buildsoft is an Australian company with its head office in Sydney. Buildsoft was established in 1985 to develop and market computer software for the building and construction industry. The company staffed by an enthusiastic team with many years of practical experience in the building industry. In Australia, its products became the industry standard and now exported to 20 countries. The company have a select network of accredited overseas distributors and over 5000 worldwide users. Because of this, Universities and TAFE colleges in Australia as well as selected Universities throughout Asia and the United Kingdom are teaching its products as the accepted standard (Builsoft, 2009). Products available are: Offsider Estimating Global Estimating Subbies Comparison On-Screen/Digitizer Take-off Digitizer Board Scale-Link USB Maths Mate Buildsoft Global Estimating is an estimating programme that has been tailored for commercial use in the building and construction industry. BQ or detailed Estimates and Cost Plans will be produced. It designed primarily for use by commercial building contractors and professional quantity surveyors. It is also including features which allow it to be used in other industries where estimating is required. The main features of Buildsoft Global Estimating System are: BQ Composite Rates Libraries for Description Rates Tendering Function Multi-level Mark-up Function Estimating Functions Job Analysis Cost Analysis Quality Analysis Measurement Calculation Sheet Interim Valuation/Progress Claim Tender Comparison System SCP Module Buildsoft Take Off System (BTOS) CAD Measurement Module Buildsoft Online Tendering System (BOLTS) 3.3.5 WinQS Advanced Cost Engineering (AEC) Solutions cc was formed in June 1996. It is involved in the system design, the marketing and the support of the WinQS system which, over ten years has grown to be the most widely used QS system and had more than 3000 licensed systems installed in Southern Africa as well as internationally nowadays. The WinQS software is constantly being upgraded and new modules written to provide solutions for quantity surveyors and contractors. WinQS provides a complete QS system with on-screen take-off dimension, It provides an ease on pricing due to multiple sets of price may be stored for each project and be copied, multiplied and select for use in Bills production, estimating, valuation and others. The system features of WinQS will be shown in Table 3 (WinQS, n.d.). WinQS is a complete QS system for: The Production of BQ Documents The Production of Estimates Documents The Calculation of Monthly Valuations The Cost Analysis of a Project Joint Building Contracts Committee (JBCC) 2000 Certificate Module Contract Price Adjustment Calculations Tender Analysis Financial Review Costs Reports Table 3: The system features of WinQS (WinQS, n.d.) 3.3.6 PriMus-DCF and PriMus REVOLUTION ACCA is the Italian leader in the Building Industry Software. ACCA is a reference point in the field now to covering an unparalleled range of solutions and distributing the programs which are the standard for the industry. Founded in 1989, ACCA grew rapidly thanks to its products, well-known for their usability and their strongly innovative inspiration. This company is ISO 9001:2008 quality management system certified. Therefore, the company structure will ensure to improve constantly the processes and activities meeting customers needs and satisfaction (ACCA software, n.d.). PriMus-DCF is the BQ software for working directly with Internet Explorer. It is more transparent, closer to your natural and ordinary way of working and thinking, and therefore easy to manage with the What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) philosophy. The Document Computation Format (DCF) standard introduces a revolution in the building software world undertaking the basic data sharing concept. Users can easily transmit BQ and estimates documents and everything in users document will be contained in one unique file, no heavier database structures but just a small size compressed file. With PriMus-DCF, everybody can open a DCF document and work on it freely (ACCA software, n.d.). According to ACCA software (n.d.), PriMus REVOLUTION allows integrated development and processing of all estimating or project management documents, updated with the latest regulatory guidelines with the automatic generation of: BQ (forecasts, resulting costs, work variation surveys, final accounting, quantity estimates, requests for proposal, labour incidence estimate, etc.) Measurement Book Accounting Register Cost Summary Work Progress Statement Payment Certificate Steel Reinforcement Bars Requirements Book Price Lists Comparison Table (for work variation surveys, comparison of work progress statements, comparison of multiple design assumptions or proposals, etc.) Weekly Lists of Workers, Equipment and Costs Forms (completion of works, beginning of works, suspensions, resumptions, execution, etc.) History Management 3.4 Impacts of Measurement Software on Local Construction Industry According to the conducted survey of Lim and Ong (2008), the measurement software is still not widely use or fully utilised in measuring quantities for preparation of BQ or other extent usages in local construction industry although most of the companies have it. Based on the feedback from the survey, the common problems associated with measurement software are: The use of such software requires learning and remembering many procedures Lack of flexibility Need to train new staff to use the software Using measurement software to take-off quantity requires the taker-off to perform transferring of raw quantities from one software into another either digitally or manually to produce the quantities in the BQ format as compared to the manual method. Newer technology is being developed that allows seamless transfer of quantities from measurement software to the customised software for the preparation of BQ. However, not all measurement software has the complete package of measuring and BQ production software. Most of the companies which using the measurement software would need to spend money and time to train existing and new staff to use the software before it can be utilised efficiently. The need of training also indicates that the education of quantity surveyors has not focus on this skill, as it has never been required. Nevertheless, a change to the education curriculum is necessary to produce QS graduates that are skilled in using measurement software now. The survey also noted that it is difficult to check the measured quantities if the measurement is done by using measurement software if compared with the manual method. In fact, only staffs that are skilled in using it would be able to check the quantities easily. Besides, the survey also attempted to find out the advantages of measurement software as the following: Higher accuracy Ease in editing the measurement Increase speed of measurement Easy to measure Reduction of Workforce Most of the companies agreed that utilising measurement software in measurement of quantities produces high accuracy. Measurement of quantities directly from digital format drawings removes the need to reproduce drawings on paper. Wheeler (1992) stated that reproduction of drawing on paper will reduce the accuracy of the drawings and measurement scaled from paper will further erode the accuracy (cited by Lim and Ong, 2008). There is also eliminated to mistakes due to human error in reading the dimension off scale rule and recording the dimension on paper or spreadsheet file. Measurement software allows for easy digital editing of quantities measured. This is because it contained function such as block, entity area, copy, paste, delete and undo as any other software that facilitate the editing process. In addition, application of measurement software will increases the speed in measuring quantities as compared to manual method. This is due to the ability of the software to generate quantities. Memory of computer also enables a program of instruction saved and turns it into fully automatic, it then simplifying the works. Finally, workforce required to measure quantities could be reduced with the use of measurement software. Most QS firms have reduced the number of technical assistants specialising only in measurement of quantities in common practice. With the use of technology, the measurement work is now easier and faster but the skill needed has also evolved to a higher level consequently. 3.5 Summary This chapter is about the current application and features of measurement software and its impact on the construction industry. Due to many business processes are now almost completely computerised and the tendency is toward a greater computerisation of the remaining processes, there might be a market in the use of measurement software for QS to carry out the works such as measurement, taking-off, BQ production, etc. more efficiently and speedily. This research also found that Microsoft Office Excel 2007, CATO Suite, BinaLink, and Buildsoft are the common and popular measurement software have been used in local market. Although there are vary measurement software provided in the market and adopted in construction companies, this research found that QS appears to be one of the few professions that have not been profoundly transformed by the application of the technological advancement offered by digital revolution especially in a developing economy like Malaysia. The biggest impact of measuring software on QS practice had been on improving the speed and efficiency of professional services. Information flows in construction would increasingly be made electronically and a wide range of measurement, estimating and costing procedures also would be done through the use of software packages.