International management and change Essay

When Pascal made this statement, globalization had yet to take place. People lived in different societies remaining cut-off from each other. Each society had its own perception of truth and reality. Then came along the advancement in technology bringing along inventions such as computer, internet and telecommunications making the world a global village. Perceptions started changing as information flow across the globe happened at the speed of light. People from all across the globe started sharing their experiences with each other thus reducing the differences in various cultures. However, the act of globalization has yet to reach its peak. Cultural differences still exist within different societies and the level of information and technology is still heterogeneous around the globe. I would now highlight some distinguishing features of the management styles of various regions. We observe that the beliefs and values of people vary across various cultures. The Japanese work as a group and organizational system is based on community work. The reward system is based on the level of seniority and is also group based. The organizational structure is cooperation based whereas American organizations often are based on competitive style where individuals are rewarded based on their performance levels. Similarly the management style of French is also very different from that of US. French follow a more creative thinking pattern and do not like to adhere to strict rules and regulations. The European management style has some key points that distinguish it from the American management style. The European management style even differs within the European countries and two countries deserve a special focus — France and Germany — because, among other reasons, the bureaucrats in those countries have long been regarded as â€Å"mandarins† by the field of public administration (Dogan 1976). European management style can be classified into different clusters based upon Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s cultural variables (Goliath, 2004) according to which European management style can be sub-divided into: Anglo-Saxon culture (Ireland, UK, and USA), Nordic culture (Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, and Finland), Germanic culture (Austria, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland), Frankophile culture (France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain) and Italian culture. These cultures also differ greatly from the US and Japanese styles of management thus requiring different management practices. The pay for performance system can work with the European management style as employees in Europe are mostly achievement oriented and perform good work for better rewards. The cultural beliefs and values of Europeans are pretty much different from the people of US and hence the marketing techniques used in Europe should be different from those applied in US. For example, Europeans are very much reluctant to providing personal information as compared to US customers; also the credit card usage in Europe is considerably lower than in US (Heilbrunn, 1998). The introduction of new logo and implementation of matrix structure allowing a flatter organizational structure can work relatively better in the European business environment The company operations in South America demand a completely different approach as Latin American culture significantly differs from US culture in terms of communication process. The US culture emphasizes on completion of task and sentences are interpreted in their direct meaning. However Latin American society focuses on relationships and context of the communication may involve more than just the spoken words (Wederspahn, 2001). So the marketing and sales efforts in South American cannot be standardized with the US practices since the Latin American customers tend to perceive communication messages in a very different way from their US counterparts. The new logo can be introduced, however introduction of a flatter organization with matrix structure may not be feasible in South America as the type of culture prevalent in this society is not conducive to the working of non-hierarchical organizations. If we study the culture of Middle Eastern countries, it is found that the business practices again differ significantly from those of US. The business is mostly chaotic and based upon word of mouth rather than written agreements, the cultural values are mostly Islamic and respect for relationships is held supreme; also the marketing regulations in Middle Eastern countries are very strict as compared to US or rest of the world (Kwintessential Ltd). The middle eastern management style is mostly authoritarian and based upon Douglas McGregor’s Theory X motivational leadership style (Daniel Workman , 2008). Thus employees have little or no motivation to work on their own and will perform only when directed by the superiors. Thus bright managers from US and other Western states often try to avoid working in Middle East and so they must first be provided proper cultural training in authoritative styles thus enabling them to adapt to the management practices of the Middle East. The Australian business is more similar to that of US as compared to the rest of regions as described above. The language and dress code is pretty much similar. However, Australian society is strictly based upon egalitarian principle where nobody like being bossed around. People don’t like to consider others as superiors and there is almost no hierarchical system (Slideshare, 2009). So authoritarian style of management will not be welcomed in the Australian business. The meeting and negotiation styles as well as the general beliefs of the Australian society are pretty close to the American beliefs. However according to a study on behavior of 35,000 managers from Australia and New Zealand, the Australian managers consistently try to avoid responsibilities and do not take initiatives (Gettler, 2002). Thus FES should provide cultural and leadership training to Australian manager before implementing any kind of central strategy. Discrimination issues also prevail in Australia that can make life for foreign managers very difficult. However, recently steps have been taken to strongly implement anti-discrimination laws. The roles of front line managers are also changing in Australia as they are provided more and more freedom and responsibility (James Saville, & Mark Higgins, 1994). The sales and marketing strategy in Australia can be aligned with the US strategies relatively easily because of the similarity in both societies. So the dilemma of FES is choosing between centralized and decentralized approach. Centralization can be defined as, â€Å"the degree to which decision-making authority is kept at top levels of management. † while Decentralization can be defined as, â€Å"the degree to which decision making authority is pushed down to lower levels of the firm† (Schilling 2008). Both approaches have their own pros and cons. FES has seen tremendous growth over the years and has been expanding into new regions at a very quick rate. Thus the organization requires a large amount of flexibility in its decision making that can be provided by a decentralized approach. However, due to rapid expansion, the organization requires tighter control of finances and close monitoring of all its operations to reduce costs and maintain quality. These measures can be achieved through a more centralized approach. So what approach suits FES bests can be determined by a cost benefit analysis where each advantage and disadvantage of delegation authority has to be carefully analyzed in light of the company objectives. Thus aligning the decision making process with the vision of the organization. A centralized approach can benefit the organization by significantly reducing the administrative cost related to employee management. Infrastructure handling will also be more efficient and it will be easier for the headquarter to align organizational goals with the functional and departmental goals ( Dezaree Seeds, & Alan S. Khade , 2008). Centralized approach will also make reporting procedure simple resulting in standardized organizational policies. Thus in this way it will further help the organizational objective of flattening the organizational structure and in creation of a matrix organizational setup. A decentralized approach on the other hand can benefit the organization by providing flexibility and empowering employees at the divisional and functional level. As explained above, different regions in which FES is operating have different working environments and the condition of energy industry in Europe, Australia, Middle East, US and South East Asian regions are very different from each other. Thus decentralization of HR and marketing policies will allow the organization to cater to the customer needs in the ways most suited to specific regions. It will also allow greater local control and the ability to act quickly to gain local resources ( Dezaree Seeds, & Alan S. Khade , 2008). Decentralization will also allow the organization to better deal with the cultural diversity and provide training to the employees as and when the need arises. â€Å"One thing that business, institutions, governments and key individuals will have to realize is spiders and starfish may look alike, but starfish have a miraculous quality to them. Cut off the leg of a spider, and you have a seven-legged creature on your hands; cut off its head and you have a dead spider. But cut off the arm of a starfish and it will grow a new one. Not only that, but the severed arm can grow an entirely new body. Starfish can achieve this feat because, unlike spiders, they are decentralized; every major organ is replicated across each arm† (Beckstrom and Brafman 2008). The type of approach taken by FES depends upon the nature and present condition of the global energy industry. The energy industry around the world is in a continuous state of flux. As more and more energy companies around the world become private and become free from the control of state, the nature of competition is changing (ExxonMobil, 2004). Demand for power is increasing at an exponential rate and the competition from private as well as government owned companies is fierce. In the power generation sector, each country has established different laws and tariff rates for multinational organizations. Thus on a whole it seems wiser to maintain a decentralized organizational setup which is flexible enough to quickly respond to the changing conditions of the industry. FES should maintain its present functional structure by keeping the finance, production and HR departments centralized. However using the same marketing and sales techniques all across the globe has a lot of negative implications. Thus allowing the regional marketing departments to work according to their specific environment is the best possible option. So in order to maintain decentralization in the marketing and sales department, the top management has to establish strong ties with all of its regional departments. A strong organizational culture based upon a clear vision and mission of the company should be communicated to all of its employees. Perhaps FES can create a hybrid model which allows centralization of decision making with respect to financial and important managerial decisions and at the same time, the marketing campaign is allowed flexibility according to the specific needs of the region. A key concern for FES is to harmonize its rapid global growth. Power and gas generation has to be taken in new countries and new plants need to be setup. The international operations have expanded a lot and efforts must be made to consolidate the existing business while growing in new regions of the world. As part of the consolidation effort FES must conduct extensive employee training program instilling in each employee the vision and objective of the organization. The company should consolidate its major decision making power in the Headquarter thereby allowing Headquarter to maintain a close monitory system on all of its subsidiaries. By centralizing its finance and management activities, the company can also approve marketing budgets for different regions from its Headquarter, thus building coherence in the finance and marketing goals. However the marketing and sales strategies for each region should be decentralized thus instilling greater flexibility and freedom among marketing departments to cater to their local markets. The pay for performance system can work smoothly in few of the regions but as explained earlier, some regions such as Middle East and some parts of South East Asian cultures demonstrate a more hierarchical structure and it will be extremely difficult to introduce pay for performance system in these regions. Also the parameters should be clearly defined before introducing the pay for performance system in different regions. Because same results usually do not show same amount of performance in different regions. What kind of performance and what kind of pay should be decided and communicated to all regional offices. The parameters for monitoring performance should be based upon different standards for different regions. Similarly some of the major HR policies should be centralized but mostly HR of each region should be independent in choosing the who, what, when and where about its employees. For example, Middle Eastern region is very warm in summers as compared to the European region and the work habits and optimum level of work during different seasons is different for both these regions. Thus separate working policies should be established for each of the region. The R&D department should remain centralized at the American Head Office. As a centralized R&D approach is more beneficial for a company like FES which has not expanded business into a variety of categories (AB, 2001). However taking technological inputs from all across the globe may help the R&D department in improving its efficiency and effectiveness. Thus technological integration should be built where all global units of FES are directly integrated with its Head Office and the information flow between Head Office and different regions should be quick and efficient. The production department should carry out its role from the center, managing the manufacturing process across the globe from the Head Office. So it can be seen that different aspects of FES operations require different level of centralization and decentralization. Also different regions require different level of authority delegation based upon their internal environment and national cultures. It is relatively easier to introduce standard policies in Europe and Australia as both of these cultures are very similar to that of US. However, standardizing procedures across Middle East and South America is not a feasible option. The regional business units should remain decentralized as there should be some form of flexibility to make the decision making process quicker. The regional heads should be sent directly from the Head Office, however if some regions in Middle East are not being managed effectively by American managers, then leadership services of local managers should be availed after providing them extensive cultural training programs at the Head Office. The regional units should be linked to the Head Office through the fastest technology available so that there is no or little information gap between the center and regional units. Thus in light of the cultural differences prevailing in various regions of the world, the best suited approach should be to take a hybrid approach while showing some restrain in application of a centralized approach and making some variations in the standards for implementation in different regions. The integration of overall business can be achieved by proper use of technology and defining proper hierarchical system for flow of information between Head Office and various regional units.

Chapter 2 The Scar

Harry lay flat on his back, breathing hard as though he had been running. He had awoken from a vivid dream with his hands pressed over his face. The old scar on his forehead, which was shaped like a bolt of lightning, was burning beneath his fingers as though someone had just pressed a white-hot wire to his skin. He sat up, one hand still on his scar, the other hand reaching out in the darkness for his glasses, which were on the bedside table. He put them on and his bedroom came into clearer focus, lit by a faint, misty orange light that was filtering through the curtains from the street lamp outside the window. Harry ran his fingers over the scar again. It was still painful. He turned on the lamp beside him, scrambled out of bed, crossed the room, opened his wardrobe, and peered into the mirror on the inside of the door. A skinny boy of fourteen looked back at him, his bright green eyes puzzled under his untidy black hair. He examined the lightning-bolt scar of his reflection more closely. It looked normal, but it was still stinging. Harry tried to recall what he had been dreaming about before he had awoken. It had seemed so real†¦There had been two people he knew and one he didn't†¦He concentrated hard, frowning, trying to remember†¦ The dim picture of a darkened room came to him†¦There had been a snake on a hearth rug†¦a small man called Peter, nicknamed Wormtail†¦and a cold, high voice†¦the voice of Lord Voldemort. Harry felt as though an ice cube had slipped down into his stomach at the very thought†¦ He closed his eyes tightly and tried to remember what Voldemort had looked like, but it was impossible†¦All Harry knew was that at the moment when Voldemort's chair had swung around, and he, Harry, had seen what was sitting in it, he had felt a spasm of horror, which had awoken him†¦or had that been the pain in his scar? And who had the old man been? For there had definitely been an old man; Harry had watched him fall to the ground. It was all becoming confused. Harry put his face into his hands, blocking out his bedroom, trying to hold on to the picture of that dimly lit room, but it was like trying to keep water in his cupped hands; the details were now trickling away as fast as he tried to hold on to them†¦Voldemort and Wormtail had been talking about someone they had killed, though Harry could not remember the name†¦and they had been plotting to kill someone else†¦him! Harry took his face out of his hands, opened his eyes, and stared around his bedroom as though expecting to see something unusual there. As it happened, there was an extraordinary number of unusual things in this room. A large wooden trunk stood open at the foot of his bed, revealing a cauldron, broomstick, black robes, and assorted spellbooks. Rolls of parchment littered that part of his desk that was not taken up by the large, empty cage in which his snowy owl, Hedwig, usually perched. On the floor beside his bed a book lay open; Harry had been reading it before he fell asleep last night. The pictures in this book were all moving. Men in bright orange robes were zooming in and out of sight on broomsticks, throwing a red ball to one another. Harry walked over to the book, picked it up, and watched one of the wizards score a spectacular goal by putting the ball through a fifty-foot-high hoop. Then he snapped the book shut. Even Quidditch – in Harry's opinion, the best sport in the world – couldn't distract him at the moment. He placed Flying with the Cannons on his bedside table, crossed to the window, and drew back the curtains to survey the street below. Privet Drive looked exactly as a respectable suburban street would be expected to look in the early hours of Saturday morning. All the curtains were closed. As far as Harry could see through the darkness, there wasn't a living creature in sight, not even a cat. And yet†¦and yet†¦Harry went restlessly back to the bed and sat down on it, running a finger over his scar again. It wasn't the pain that bothered him; Harry was no stranger to pain and injury. He had lost all the bones from his right arm once and had them painfully regrown in a night. The same arm had been pierced by a venomous foot-long fang not long afterward. Only last year Harry had fallen fifty feet from an airborne broomstick. He was used to bizarre accidents and injuries; they were unavoidable if you attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and had a knack for attracting a lot of trouble. No, the thing that was bothering Harry was the last time his scar had hurt him, it had been because Voldemort had been close by†¦But Voldemort couldn't be here, now†¦The idea of Voldemort lurking in Privet Drive was absurd, impossible†¦ Harry listened closely to the silence around him. Was he half expecting to hear the creak of a stair or the swish of a cloak? And then he jumped slightly as he heard his cousin Dudley give a tremendous grunting snore from the next room. Harry shook himself mentally; he was being stupid. There was no one in the house with him except Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley, and they were plainly still asleep, their dreams untroubled and painless. Asleep was the way Harry liked the Dursleys best; it wasn't as though they were ever any help to him awake. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were Harry's only living relatives. They were Muggles who hated and despised magic in any form, which meant that Harry was about as welcome in their house as dry rot. They had explained away Harry's long absences at Hogwarts over the last three years by telling everyone that he went to St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys. They knew perfectly well that, as an underage wizard, Harry wasn't allowed to use magic outside Hogwarts, but they were still apt to blame him for anything that went wrong about the house. Harry had never been able to confide in them or tell them anything about his life in the wizarding world. The very idea of going to them when they awoke, and telling them about his scar hurting him, and about his worries about Voldemort, was laughable. And yet it was because of Voldemort that Harry had come to live with the Dursleys in the first place. If it hadn't been for Voldemort, Harry would not have had the lightning scar on his forehead. If it hadn't been for Voldemort, Harry would still have had parents†¦. Harry had been a year old the night that Voldemort – the most powerful Dark wizard for a century, a wizard who had been gaining power steadily for eleven years – arrived at his house and killed his father and mother. Voldemort had then turned his wand on Harry; he had performed the curse that had disposed of many full-grown witches and wizards in his steady rise to power – and, incredibly, it had not worked. Instead of killing the small boy, the curse had rebounded upon Voldemort. Harry had survived with nothing but a lightning-shaped cut on his forehead, and Voldemort had been reduced to something barely alive. His powers gone, his life almost extinguished, Voldemort had fled; the terror in which the secret community of witches and wizards had lived for so long had lifted, Voldemort's followers had disbanded, and Harry Potter had become famous. It had been enough of a shock for Harry to discover, on his eleventh birthday, that he was a wizard; it had been even more disconcerting to find out that everyone in the hidden wizarding world knew his name. Harry had arrived at Hogwarts to find that heads turned and whispers followed him wherever he went. But he was used to it now: At the end of this summer, he would be starting his fourth year at Hogwarts, and Harry was already counting the days until he would be back at the castle again. But there was still a fortnight to go before he went back to school. He looked hopelessly around his room again, and his eye paused on the birthday cards his two best friends had sent him at the end of July. What would they say if Harry wrote to them and told them about his scar hurting? At once, Hermione Granger's voice seemed to fill his head, shrill and panicky. â€Å"Your scar hurt? Harry, that's really serious†¦Write to Professor Dumbledore! nd I'll go and check Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions†¦Maybe there's something in there about curse scars†¦.† Yes, that would be Hermione's advice: Go straight to the headmaster of Hogwarts, and in the meantime, consult a book. Harry stared out of the window at the inky blue-black sky. He doubted very much whether a book could help him now. As far as he knew, he was the only living person to have survived a curse like Voldemort's; it was highly unlikely, therefore, that he would find his symptoms listed in Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions. As for informing the headmaster, Harry had no idea where Dumbledore went during the summer holidays. He amused himself for a moment, picturing Dumbledore, with his long silver beard, full length wizard's robes, and pointed hat, stretched out on a beach somewhere, rubbing suntan lotion onto his long crooked nose. Wherever Dumbledore was, though, Harry was sure that Hedwig would be able to find him; Harry's owl had never yet failed to deliver a letter to anyone, even without an address. But what would he write? Dear Professor Dumbledore, Sorry to bother you, but my scar hurt this morning. Yours sincerely, Harry Potter. Even inside his head the words sounded stupid. And so he tried to imagine his other best friend, Ron Weasley's, reaction, and in a moment, Ron's red hair and long-nosed, freckled face seemed to swim before Harry, wearing a bemused expression. â€Å"Your scar hurt? But†¦but You-Know-Who can't be near you now, can he? I mean†¦you'd know, wouldn't you? He'd be trying to do you in again, wouldn't be? I dunno, Harry, maybe curse scars always twinge a bit†¦I'll ask Dad†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mr. Weasley was a fully qualified wizard who worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, but he didn't have any particular expertise in the matter of curses, as far as Harry knew. In any case, Harry didn't like the idea of the whole Weasley family knowing that he, Harry, was getting jumpy about a few moments' pain. Mrs. Weasley would fuss worse than Hermione, and Fred and George, Ron's sixteen year old twin brothers, might think Harry was losing his nerve. The Weasleys were Harry's favorite family in the world; he was hoping that they might invite him to stay any time now (Ron had mentioned something about the Quidditch World Cup), and he somehow didn't want his visit punctuated with anxious inquiries about his scar. Harry kneaded his forehead with his knuckles. What he really wanted (and it felt almost shameful to admit it to himself) was someone like – someone like a parent: an adult wizard whose advice he could ask without feeling stupid, someone who cared about him, who had had experience with Dark Magic†¦. And then the solution came to him. It was so simple, and so obvious, that he couldn't believe it had taken so long – Sirius. Harry leapt up from the bed, hurried across the room, and sat down at his desk; he pulled a piece of parchment toward him, loaded his eagle-feather quill with ink, wrote Dear Sirius, then paused, wondering how best to phrase his problem, still marveling at the fact that he hadn't thought of Sirius straight away. But then, perhaps it wasn't so surprising – after all, he had only found out that Sirius was his godfather two months ago. There was a simple reason for Sirius's complete absence from Harry's life until then – Sirius had been in Azkaban, the terrifying wizard jail guarded by creatures called dementors, sightless, soul-sucking fiends who had come to search for Sirius at Hogwarts when he had escaped. Yet Sirius had been innocent – the murders for which he had been convicted had been committed by Wormtail, Voldemort's supporter, whom nearly everybody now believed dead. Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew otherwise, however; they had come face-to-face with Wormtail only the previous year, though only Professor Dumbledore had believed their story. For one glorious hour, Harry had believed that he was leaving the Dursleys at last, because Sirius had offered him a home once his name had been cleared. But the chance had been snatched away from him – Wormtail had escaped before they could take him to the Ministry of Magic, and Sirius had had to flee for his life. Harry had helped him escape on the back of a hippogriff called Buckbeak, and since then, Sirius had been on the run. The home Harry might have had if Wormtail had not escaped had been haunting him all summer. It had been doubly hard to return to the Dursleys knowing that he had so nearly escaped them forever. Nevertheless, Sirius had been of some help to Harry, even if he couldn't be with him. It was due to Sirius that Harry now had all his school things in his bedroom with him. The Dursleys had never allowed this before; their general wish of keeping Harry as miserable as possible, coupled with their fear of his powers, had led them to lock his school trunk in the cupboard under the stairs every summer prior to this. But their attitude had changed since they had found out that Harry had a dangerous murderer for a godfather – for Harry had conveniently forgotten to tell them that Sirius was innocent. Harry had received two letters from Sirius since he had been back at Privet Drive. Both had been delivered, not by owls (as was usual with wizards), but by large, brightly colored tropical birds. Hedwig had not approved of these flashy intruders; she had been most reluctant to allow them to drink from her water tray before flying off again. Harry, on the other hand, had liked them; they put him in mind of palm trees and white sand, and he hoped that, wherever Sirius was (Sirius never said, in case the letters were intercepted), he was enjoying himself. Somehow, Harry found it hard to imaging dementors surviving for long in bright sunlight, perhaps that was why Sirius had gone South. Sirius's letters, which were now hidden beneath the highly useful loose floorboards under Harry's bed, sounded cheerful, and in both of them he had reminded Harry to call on him if ever Harry needed to. Well, he needed to right now, all right†¦. Harry's lamp seemed to grow dimmer as the cold gray light that precedes sunrise slowly crept into the room. Finally, when the sun had risen, when his bedroom walls had turned gold, and when sounds of movement could be heard from Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia's room, Harry cleared his desk of crumpled pieces of parchment and reread his finished letter. Dear Sirius, Thanks for your last letter. That bird was enormous; it could hardly get through my window. Things are the same as usual here. Dudley's diet isn't going too well. My aunt found him smuggling doughnuts into his room yesterday. They told him they'd have to cut his pocket money if he keeps doing it, so he got really angry and chucked his PlayStation out of the window. That's a sort of computer thing you can play games on. Bit stupid really, now he hasn't even got Mega-Mutilation Part Three to take his mind off things. I'm okay, mainly because the Dursleys are terrified you might turn up and turn them all into bats if I ask you to. A weird thing happened this morning, though. My scar hurt again. Last time that happened it was because Voldemort was at Hogwarts. But I don't reckon he can be anywhere near me now, can he? Do you know if curse scars sometimes hurt years afterward? I'll send this with Hedwig when she gets back; she's off hunting at the moment. Say hello to Buckbea k for me. Harry Yes, thought Harry, that looked all right. There was no point putting in the dream; he didn't want it to look as though he was too worried. He folded up the parchment and laid it aside on his desk, ready for when Hedwig returned. Then he got to his feet, stretched, and opened his wardrobe once more. Without glancing at his reflection he started to get dressed before going down to breakfast.

All that glitters isnt gold

We be a nation of immigrants. in-migration has evermore been a fundamental part of the Statesn account statement because immigrants substantiate been coming in to America ever since it was discovered. This counter became unfeignedly big generator in the twentieth ascorbic acid when a huge influx of immigrants came from Ireland , Italy , Germany , and many other European countries at the same time. Fleeing cut down failure, land and job shortages, go up taxes, and famine, they came to the join States because they believed it was the land of economical opportunity. Others came seeking somebodyal liberty or relief from semipolitical and religious persecution. My own family migrated from Germany approximately flipper generations ago on 1844. Recently I plant a letter scripted by my great-great grandfather closely 4 generations ago, dated revered 20th, 1882, during the first big swing of immigration. His letter was addressed to family in Ohio and detailed his voyage to America and explained what he experiences  is a professional essay writing service at which you can buy essays on any topics and disciplines! All custom essays are written by professional writers! His letter was alter with details about his jobs and culture practices in Minnesota where he settled. Times were hard and he had to pop off during the daytime at a brand name mill and self-employed person as a work whenever he could. Life was unreactive for every immigrant looking for success, exhausting to settle down in areas where their previous countrymen had settled. Many go about discrimination because they were different and employers didnt pay them as oft as the native innate(p) in America hitherto though immigrants were looked down upon, they machinate significant contributions to the development of America . Many have let the cat out of the bag that thanks to the immigrants, our economy has self-aggrandising tremendously, U. S. demographics have changed, and a new increase in ball-shaped development and international communication theory has made earth.

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Five management functions - Essay Example The term O indicates organizing by the establishment of a formal structure of authority and responsibility and creation of various divisions and subdivisions of work which are properly co-ordinated and arranged. S refers to staffing which includes selection, recruitment and training of staff. D stands for directing where decisions are taken by superiors and authority and responsibility is passed on to the subordinates. Co refers to coordination and R for reporting which involves keeping the executives aware of the activities taking place within an organisation. Finally, B stands for Budgeting by carrying out the process of Fiscal planning, accounting and other such financial activities. The essay highlights information about all these functions of management in the light of a company. It will analyze the application of these management concepts in Tesco Plc. It is the British merchandise retailer and multinational grocery headquartered in Chestnut. The stores of the company are headq uartered in United Kingdom (UK), Europe, Asia and North America. Tesco has the highest market share in UK. The management of the company is robust in some branches and few of them have failed irrecoverably (Rowley & Cooke, 2014). The in depth analysis of the management functions is carried out thoroughly in this essay (Wong & Hua-Tan, 2014). The article consists of detailed analysis of the functions of management and the way it is carried out by the British multinational merchandise retailer Tesco Plc. The analysis can provide a comprehensive view of the leadership framework and the functions of management carried on in this company. The execution of few functions of management in Tesco Plc can be explained as follows (Wong & Hua-Tan, 2014). Tesco has a number of branches in UK, Europe, Asia and North America (Rowley & Cooke, 2014). Through proper idea generation and implementation of the

Terrorism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Terrorism - Research Paper Example for protection rackets or to enforce a code of silence is usually not labeled terrorism though these same actions may be labeled terrorism when done by a politically motivated group (Beatriz, 2011). Terrorism has been practiced by a broad array of political organizations for furthering their objectives. It has been practiced by right-wing and left-wing political parties, nationalistic groups, religious groups, revolutionaries, and ruling governments. An abiding characteristic is the indiscriminate use of violence against noncombatants for the purpose of gaining publicity for a group, cause, or individual. The symbolism of terrorism can leverage human fear to help achieve these goals (San, 2011). The only general characteristic of terrorism generally agreed upon is that it involves violence and the threat of violence. The terms "terrorism" and "terrorist" (someone who engages in terrorism) carry strong negative connotations. These terms are often used as political labels, to condemn violence or the threat of violence by certain actors as immoral, indiscriminate, and unjustified or to condemn an entire segment of a population. Those labeled "terrorists" by their opponents rarely identify themselves as such, and typically use other terms or terms specific to their situation, such as separatist, freedom fighter, liberator, revolutionary, vigilante, militant, paramilitary, guerrilla, rebel, patriot, or any similar-meaning word in other languages and cultures. Jihad, mujahidin, and fedayeen are similar Arabic words which have entered the English lexicon. It is common for both parties in a conflict to describe each other as terrorists. Terrorist attacks are usually carried out in such a way as to maximize the severity and length of the psychological impact. Each act of terrorism is a â€Å"performance† devised to have an impact on many large audiences. Terrorists also attack national symbols, to show power and to attempt to shake the foundation of the country or society

Making Provision for the Inclusion of Disabled Pupils in Mainstream Essay

Making Provision for the Inclusion of Disabled Pupils in Mainstream Schools - Essay Example Inclusion program for disabled children bestow substantial representation for both mental and physical disabilities of students in public schools and current education system in England requires innovative researches and strategies in this field. In general, the term disability is used to point toward a physical or mental circumstance that limits person’s movements, senses or both physiological and psychological activities (Sport and Persons with Disabilities, n.d, p.3). Children with disabilities find it as really hard to practice various physical activities and sports programs. In mainstream education, teachers and education professionals have often failed to ensure the participation of disabled children in physical education program. Different disabilities such as, physical disability, mental disability, developmental disability, chronic illness and external injuries cause both mental and physical pain among the children with disabilities. In general education, implementati on of various inclusion programs provides innovative ideas for teachers as well the children to overcome the problems in doing physical education. It is significant to notice that disability is not a personal misdemeanor or mistake. For that reason, disabled children need active representation in physical education as well the mainstream students.... It is obvious that a collaborative effort from the part of government and non-government agencies is essential in the field of promoting physical education in disabled children. Enrichment of inclusion programs gives numerous opportunities for pupils as well teachers. Innovative teaching strategies and sufficient inclusion programs permit a teacher of physical education in mainstream school for making provision of a disabled pupil. Different types of disabilities which could affect a pupil from doing physical education and why that specific disability could affect the child in Physical education Various kinds of disabilities such as developmental, mental, physical disabilities, chronic illnesses, external injuries and mobility impairment become the barriers in doing physical education among the children with disabilities. Mental and developmental disabilities prevent the children from understanding particular physical activities or games, while physical and disability in motor develo pment prevent their participation in particular physical activities and games. Generally, disabled children show their unwillingness to do physical education or games because of physical pain and fear. Even though disability is considered as not a crime or individual mistake, majority of disabled children in mainstream classrooms suffer from severe inferiority complex and they avoid the chances to cop up with other children. Developmental problems affect both physical and mental growth of a person. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is considered as a major developmental disorder which affects the children. Children having autism often fail to communicate with

An appeal letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

An appeal letter - Essay Example Each essay would be further discussed in the following paragraphs. Moreover, this appeal shall justify how the three essays achieved the goals set for this portfolio. â€Å"A Response† The â€Å"A Response† essay discussed the comic â€Å"AD: New Orleans After The Deluge† which was written by Josh Neufeld. This essay focused on summarizing and identifying the writer’s strategies and analyzing the work specifically its format, topic, context, distinctions and questions. In addition, the response essay elaborated on how the arrangement of pictures and texts affected the understanding of the readers. The following paragraphs shall prove how the essay was able to critically analyze the work by Neufeld. In a scene from the comic, the writer was able to clearly portray the significant difference between the policemen and the ordinary people. On page 135, two images show how well the policemen were dressed, which indicated their high status in the society (Neufel d 135). However, the ordinary people appear unwell, hungry and thirsty. An outstanding theme is shown in the comic as shown by the writing attitude and layout of the author. It appears that the government was not giving much attention to providing its citizens with the basic needs for mere survival (Neufeld 135). In fact, thugs were the ones helping the people after the deluge rather than the government’s operatives. The people affected by the deluge appeared to have an overall mood of sadness and hopelessness. Men were not even able to shave their beards or clean up the trash. Towards the scene where the people realized they were meant to be left to die, their sweaty appearance indicated how nervous and uneasy the people were. Moreover, the sweaty lady who was smoking also indicated anxiety and showed how uncomfortable the situation is, both physically and psychologically (Neufeld 143). Even worse, the same lady was a well-educated guidance counselor. However, her actions, s pecifically cursing and smoking, showed how intolerable the situation is for her. As the story ends, it appears that nothing was actually accomplished for the welfare of the people (Neufeld 153). The people were left to die, which in itself raises the question â€Å"Why would the government leave the people to die?† It appears that the story aims to show that the government only cares for the rich and not the poor who are in greater need of help. The rich were able to help themselves escape the deluge through cars and planes, while the poor were left in the scene to suffer and cope up with the situation and environment. Furthermore, the government did not really do anything to aid the poor; instead, they were left to die. Clearly, this essay was able to analyze the work by Josh Neufeld in detail. First, a brief summary was provided in the opening paragraph. The developing paragraphs were able to discuss indirect meanings that were hidden in the way the author wrote and arrang ed the texts. In addition, the essay also elaborated on the format, context, strategies, and questions. â€Å"The Solution† â€Å"The Solution† essay elaborated on the article written by Peter Singer entitled â€Å"What Should a Billionaire Give - and What Should You†. Similar to the earlier essay, a brief summary was also provided in the opening paragraph of â€Å"

Food and migration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Food and migration - Essay Example This dish is however incomplete without the addition of the chief ingredient – gochujang. Gochujang is a spicy fermented Korean seasoning, which when translated means ‘hot pepper paste’ or ‘red pepper paste’. It is the main ingredient in most spicy Korean food. It has the consistency of a thick jelly and the flavor is a unique mix of savory, spicy and sweet. In fact, gochujang is one ingredient you will find in any Korean family’s pantry. Gochujang was first made in Korea, in the latter part of the 18th century (Annie Chun’s). The preparation of gochujang followed the introduction of chili in the country from Japan, which began to be popularly cultivated during the 16th century (Annie Chun’s). According to folk tales, the Korean king of Joseon Dynasty once stopped for a meal at a farmer’s house. There he was served barley and rice mixed with gochujang. The king liked the food so much that he ordered the farmer to supply gochujang to his royal court frequently. It is from this point onwards that Traditionally, Koreans have been known to make gochujang at home by adding powdered red chili peppers and a grain (typically rice, sweet rice or barley) to a fermented soybean paste (Kracklauer). This mixture is then placed in large earthen jars and kept in the sun to be naturally fermented for months. During this process, the proteins break down into amino acids and the starch hydrolyses into sugars. However, in recent years, most families prefer buying it from the Korean grocery store because of the time it takes to make it. Over the years, the popularity of gochujang has increased so much, that there is a definite market for ‘Americanized’ gochujang. One can even see it served with a course of bibimbap on KLM, Air Canada and Cathay Pacific flights (Huster). In fact Annie Chun’s distribution market in collaboration with the South Korean CJ Cheiljedang Corporation, the number one gochujang supplier

Proposed HR Program for CompuLearn Essay Example for Free

Proposed HR Program for CompuLearn Essay CompuLearn is a private sector provider of IT-based teaching and learning programmes in business and management based in the UK, with corporate headquarters in Preston, Lancashire and with trading centers in Mumbai, Nairobia and Dubai. Its current global market is focused in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, with 200 education centers in 30 countries. CompuLearn partners with UK universities which validates its programs so that   students are able to qualify in the University programs leading to academic degrees. Its current manpower complement numbers 50 employees mostly based in the corporate office in Preston, Lancashire doing the following functions: Program Development, Customer Service, HR, Marketing, Finance, Sales, IT, Quality Assurance. CompuLearn has embarked on a mission to be market leader in e-learning delivery of University validated programs and foremost learning company in the world. It is on an expanded growth program and it adopted a new strategy to extend to 500 education centers in 60 countries over a span of 3 years. The role of HR is very critical in this new strategy, which is to attract top IT experts. It could be a relatively easy task if not for the following: 1. There is a high turn over in the IT industry in UK and new employees leave after only one month for a new job that offers better pay. 2. CompuLearn has a limited training system in place. Its strategy is to recruit highly trained staff instead of training them in house. The allocated budget for training is almost used up and was used to train the Sales team. 3. Employees have limited management skills as they are mostly technical staff whose training is not in the soft skills development. 4. The company does not have a Performance Appraisal System in place. 5. The staff at the corporate headquarters do not have a comfortable relationship with the staff of the UK universities largely due to complaints of attitude. 6. The HR Director’s strength is in micro-managing and does not have expertise in long-term management plans for the company employees. The Limitations and Constraints Faced by the Company The HR Department will play a very strategic role in supporting the growth of CompuLearn. Among other things, it needs to address the following limitations and constraints faced by the company, whether internally caused or faced by the industry in general: 1. The high turn over rate in the IT industry in UK 2. The lack of a professional or well-developed training and development program for employees 3. The employees’ limited skills in management, customer service and other soft skills 4. The lack of a well-placed Performance Appraisal System 5. The not-so-friendly attitude of the academic staff of the Universities towards the company employees at the corporate headquarters 6. The limited knowledge and skills of the HR Director in long-term planning for the management of the employees Recommendations The HR strategies recommended are based on the following assumptions: 1. Budget The company is working on a limited budget, which is just around 30% of the  annual budget of 25,000 Euros. 2. Lead Department The HR Department will take the lead in implementing the strategies. The HR Director shall formally appoint the section heads to serve as lead persons in implementing the strategies in their respective sections. The HR Director has the free hand in creating working committees to participate in the entire process from planning to implementation. The process will be participatory and with some amount of consultation from the employees. 3. Timetable The strategies are proposed for implementation on a focused basis within the first year (Year 1 Month 1 to Month 12). Beginning Year 2 (Month 13) the focus of the activities will be on monitoring, evaluation, and implementation of improvements. 4. HR Management Perspective/Model Available literature identify different HR Management models that attempt to explain the various strategies adopted by different companies. General classifications fall under the â€Å"soft† and â€Å"hard† models, based on the definitions of employees considered as either â€Å"human† or â€Å"resource†. The hard versions consider employees as resource and adopt a rational approach to managing them, aligning their HR strategies with the strategies of the business. The soft version, on the other hand, considers employees as human and adopts strategies to train and develop them (Bratton and Gold, p. 5). The recommendations adopted in this case will be based more on the soft version of human resource management. Focus will be more on training and development as well as in developing commitment from employees. A limited form of the hard version will however allow the HR to link the strategies with the overall corporate strategy of the company. In analyzing the challenge faced by CompuLearn, a simplistic framework was designed around the following questions, based on the limitations/constraints faced by the company and to become the basis for the strategies: 1. On the high turn-over rate in the IT industry How can CompuLearn keep its employees from leaving the company after short- term engagement only? Or how can the company motivate its employees to stay longer? 2. On the lack of a professional training and development program Should the company train in-house or continue to hire experts from outside? 3. On the employees’ limited skills in management, customer service, and other soft skills. How can the employees learn the soft skills and apply them at work? 4. On the lack of a well-placed Performance Appraisal System Is there a need to formulate or adopt a Performance Appraisal System? 5. On the not-so-friendly attitude of the academic staff of the Universities towards the company employees at the corporate headquarters How can there be a more cordial relationship between the two parties? How can the company make the employees appreciate the importance of having good relations with the University staff? Can this be done through training or should the company replace those who transact with the University staff with other company employees, either through job rotation or job enrichment? 7. On the limited knowledge and skills of the HR Director in long-term planning for the management of the employees. Should the HR Director undertake refresher courses in management? Or should the company hire a new HR person who has the skills in long term planning to assist the HR Director? Below is a presentation of the proposed HR strategies and programs, in matrix form,   that can be implemented under the leadership of the HR Director. They are composed of both short term and long term strategies. The short-term strategies are those that can be immediately implemented, within the first six months from the time the recommendations will be adopted. The long term strategies are those that can be adopted over a longer period and on a continuing basis like the periodic reviews of policies and developing a system whereby improvements can take place every so often whenever warranted. It will be observed that most of the strategies will be newly introduced to the company and it can be expected that certain difficulties will be met. This will include among other things, resistance to the changes to be introduced, the difficulty of the HR Department to implement them for lack of the appropriate knowledge and skills, and with some â€Å"difficult† employees. This is all part of the process of the HR accepting the initial resistance  to the changes. The HR should be firm and consistent but at the same time adopting an attitude of openness and willingness to see through the improvements. Education and training are two important components of an empowered workforce. The saying that a company is only as good as its weakest employee is very much applicable here. Each employee is responsible for knowing about his company and performing according to the expectations set at the time of his engagement. However, it is the job of HR to find the employees who have the potential to learn more and continuously give them the opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills.

Design Stage in Construction

Design Stage in Construction Here I will explain all the relevant stages and factors which need to be taken into account in the design stage of construction in relation to the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) plan of work. RIBA Plan of Work A Inception Client establishes basic requirements, cost ranges, timetables, etc. He appoints architect and principle consultants. Basic project organization is established. Firstly the client will establish the basic requirements, cost ranges, timetables, etc and an architect will be appointed and they will be consulted for his help and professional opinion. The architect will be required to carry out the following jobs. 01 Obtain information about the site from the Client 02 Visit the site and carry out an initial appraisal 03 Assist the Client in preparation of Clients requirements 04 Advise the Client on methods of procuring construction 05 Advise on the need for specialist contractors, sub-contractors and suppliers to design and execute parts of the Works. 06 Prepare proposals and make application for outline planning approval. The architect will need at least one meeting client and will aim to establish the main parts and general outline of his requirements. It is important for the architect to plan his work so that it matches the fees he is receiving. These fees are charged at a percentage of the overall cost of the project depending on the job type. At this stage the main financial concern is limitations. This is where money must not be overspent and prices for materials must stay acceptable. It is important that acceptable methods of communication are discussed during the early stages of the job. B Feasibility The following processes will be carried out at this stage. 01 Carry out such studies as may be necessary to determine the feasibility of Clients requirements 02 Review the Clients alternative design and construction approaches and the cost implications 03 Advise on the need to obtain planning permission, approvals under Building Acts and or other regulations or other statutory requirements. 04 Develop the Clients requirements. 05 Advise on environmental impact and prepare a report In this stage the architect will work out whether it is technically possible to construct the motel on our given site. In order to do this the architect will have to obtain information on costs, detailed information on the site and information on the clients requirements provided at the inception stage. The local authority will be asked to supply us with there standard briefing checklist that will be used to record information. The highway authority will be consulted to carry out checks to determine that there are no problems with access relating to the site. These are all discussed in meetings. Drawings and models will be produced to help determine feasibility. These will be purely visual aids only and will not consist of construction information or details. After the results of the investigations are gathered, the architect will report to the client and say whether or not it is a feasible proposition to meet the client requirements. Brief The brief is the means of communicating the clients requirements to the professionals who will be responsible for implementing the Clients instructions. The instructions may be to a lawyer, an architect, an interior designer, etc. Although there are many forms of brief, the brief for a construction project will be dealt with, in particular, in these notes, but the process and approach is applicable to any brief. The brief should be based on a systematic appraisal of the Clients requirements. The brief should not be based on preconceived ideas or assumptions. The brief may be developed through discussion and negotiation, which are used to clarify and define the Clients needs. The brief will form the terms of reference for the work to be undertaken by the Professional. As a set of instructions, the clearer and the more detailed the information supplied, the greater the probability that the service being provided will fulfil the Clients requirements. Thus it is important that a brief gives very detailed information describing precisely the requirements of the Client. The brief, as well as communicating factual information, it should also define the constraints and criteria within which the professional must work. Such constraints and criteria may be the budget, the time scale, etc. C Outline Proposals The brief is further developed in line with the general approach to layout, design, construction and services. A cost plan is established. The client is asked for his authoritative approval on how to proceed. 0.1 Analyze the Clients requirements; prepare outline proposals. 0.2 Provide information to discuss proposals with and incorporate input of other consultants 0.3 Provide information to other consultants for the preparation of an approximation of construction costs 0.3 A Provide an approximation of construction costs 04 Submit outline proposals and approximation of construction cost for the Clients approval 05 Propose a procedure for cost planning and control 06 Provide information to others for cost planning and control throughout the project 06 A Operate the procedure for cost planning and control throughout the project 07 Prepare and keep updated a Clients running expenditure plan for the project 08 Carry out negotiations with tenants or others identified by the Client Here the architect will relate the clients requirements to the information given in stage B. expert advice from structural and building engineers will be sort. The relevant parties will then discuss the various different options given to us This will help us to determine what type of construction would be best for the site on plot j. now the outline scheme drawings can be prepared. Cost limits of the project will be taken into account by the quantity surveyor, where the architect will help him. Within the cost limits the quantity surveyor and architect will discuss the building standard, which can be provided with these limits. Indication as to when the building work will start on site and when it is to finish, an outline pre-contract programme will be prepared. D Scheme Design The brief is completed and architectural, engineering and services designs are integrated. The cost plan, overall programme and outline specification are developed and planning and other approvals applied for. A report is submitted to the client for his approval. 01 Develop scheme design from approved outline proposals 02 Provide the information to discuss proposals with and incorporate input of other consultant into scheme design 03 Provide information to other consultants for their preparation of cost estimate 03 A Prepare cost estimate 04 Prepare preliminary timetable for construction 05 Consult with planning authorities 06 Consult with Building Control Authorities 07 Consult with Fire Authorities 08 Consult with environmental authorities 09 Consult with licensing authorities 10 Consult with statutory undertakers 11 Prepare application for full planning approval 12 Submit scheme design showing spatial arrangements, materials and appearance together with cost estimate for the Clients approval 13 Consult with tenants and others identified 14 Conduct exceptional negotiations with planning authorities 15 Submit an application for full planning approval 16 Prepare multiple applications for full planning approval 17 Submit multiple planning applications 18 Make revisions to scheme design to deal with requirements of planning authorities 19 Revise planning application 20 Resubmit planning application 21 Carry out special construction research for the project including design of prototypes. Mock ups or models. 22 Monitor testing of prototypes, mock-ups or models. Now the Design Team will prepare a scheme to show parts of the building as to where they go and what they look like. It will also give a brief description of the materials being used. To do this the architect will have to complete his studies to get the ‘user requirements. Specialist firms and the design team will decide materials, finishes and services etc. We will now sort full planning permission and building regulations approval and all effected parties, which will be involved in the site such as highways and drainage, will be notified of our intentions by the local authority. The architect will now require a cost plan, this will be drafted up with the aid of the quantity surveyor. This will consist of an approximate cost of the project and a separate cost for building 3 and 4. this will then be submitted to the client for his approval. The client will be notified that the scheme cannot change once he has given his approval, and if he does so then this will result in the payment of additional fees. E Detailed Design The team designs, co-ordinates and specifies all parts and components, completes cost checks and obtains clients approval of significant details and costs. Specialist tenders may be sought. 01 Develop the detailed design from the approved scheme design 02 Provide information to discuss proposals with and incorporate input of other consultants into detailed design 03 Provide information to other consultants for their revision of cost estimate 03 A Revise cost estimate 04 Prepare Building Notice under building Act and/or Regulations 05 Agree form of building contract and explain the Clients obligations thereunder 06 Obtain Clients approval of the type of construction, quality of materials and standard of workmanship 07 Apply for approvals under Building Acts and /or Regulations and other statutory requirements 08 Negotiate if necessary over Building Acts and/or regulations and other statutory requirements 09 Conduct exceptional negotiations for approval by statutory authorities 10 Negotiate waivers or relaxations under Building Acts and/or regulations and other statutory requirements. In this stage of the process the final drawing will be completed and the specification of the building will be completed. The specification will be done by the architectural technologist. The plan of work will be put together. The bill of quantities will be put together by the quantity surveyor from the specification. Information will be provided for the revision of cost estimation also the authorities will be consulted on developed design proposals. The client will approve to the type of construction, the quality of the materials, the standard of workmanship and revised cost estimation. The client will be advised on the consequences of any subsequent changes on cost and programming. F Production Information The team prepares working drawings, schedules and specifications and agrees with the client how the work is to be carried out. Specialist tenders may be sought. 01 Prepare production drawings 02 Prepare specifications 03 Provide information to discuss proposals with and incorporate input of other consultants into production information 04 Co-ordinate production information 05 Prepare other production information 06 Submit plans for proposed building works for approval of landlords, funders, freeholders, tenants or others as requested by the Client. The Architectural Technologist will put together a specification so a tender document can be produced. The production information will be prepared for tender purposes; also schedules will be prepared for rates and quantities. The architectural technologist must prepare and submit under building acts and regulation for the statutory requirements. Building notice must be prepared and given however this is not so in Scotland. Roles of the Design Team (Task 1B) Everyone on the design team has specific roles that need to be carried out with care. If a role is not carried out to a specific degree of quality then the offender may be liable for any accidents or damages as this is classed as negligence. The client; These are the clients duties however the client may decide to appoint a clients agent. Then the clients agent would carry these tasks out however it is still the ‘client responsibility to appoint a ‘competent agent to do the job. †¢ Appoint a planning supervisor; †¢ Provide information on health and safety to the planning supervisor; †¢ Appoint a principal contractor; †¢ Ensure those you appoint are competent and adequately resourced to carry out their health and safety responsibilities; †¢ Ensure that a suitable health and safety plan has been prepared by the principal contractor before construction work starts; and †¢ Ensure the health and safety file given to you at the end of the project is kept available for use. If you arrange for someone to prepare a design or for a contractor to carry out construction work on the project, you also have duties to ensure they are competent and are adequately resourced to carry out their health and safety responsibilities. The Architect; The architect is responsible for defining and maintaining the structure of the solution, and ensuring that it will meet the requirements. An architect must also help the team to work together in an agile fashion, to jointly own the solution, and to interface well with other parts of the organization. There are five main parts to this: Understanding the requirements identifying the stakeholders, helping to analyze the requirements and extracting those of architectural significance Formulating the design creating a solution structure which will meet the various requirements, balancing the goals and constraints on the solution, Communicating the architecture making sure that everyone understands the architecture. Different people have different viewpoints, so the architect has to present various views of the system appropriate to different audiences, Supporting the developers making sure that the developers are able to realize the architecture, by a combination of mentoring and direct involvement, Verifying the implementation ensuring the delivered system is consistent with the agreed architecture, and will meet the requirements. The Architectural Technologist; Architectural technologists work in building design and construction management teams, working especially closely with architects. They form the link between the architects concept and the completed construction, bridging the gap between the idea of an attractive functional building and the reality of that building performing successfully. They ensure that the right materials are used and that the building meets building regulations and other legal requirements. They also monitor quality assurance, cost and the meeting of deadlines throughout the lifetime of a construction project. Fully qualified members of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) can take total responsibility for the management of a project. The balance of different activities varies according to the kind of projects and the size of the organisation. However, typical work activities usually include: †¢ Meeting with clients and other involved professionals at an early stage to agree the project brief; †¢ Understanding how the design aspects of a construction project influence and relate to performance and functional issues, so that practical questions can be addressed at an early stage; †¢ Evaluating environmental, legal and regulatory issues and advising on these; †¢ Contributing to planning applications and other regulatory application procedures; †¢ Assessing what surveys (e.g. land surveys) are required before work can commence and ensuring such surveys is undertaken and their results fed into the project; †¢ Developing project briefs and working on these as the project progresses; †¢ Preparing and presenting design proposals using computer-aided design (CAD) and traditional drawing methods; †¢ Leading the detailed design process and co-ordinating design information; †¢ Advising clients on procuring the best and most appropriate contracts for the work they are undertaking; †¢ Liaising with appropriate authorities (e.g. planning enquiries and building inspectors) when producing documentation for statutory approval; †¢ Producing, analysing and advising on detailed specifications for suitable materials or processes to be used in construction; †¢ Carrying out design-stage risk assessments; †¢ Administering contracts and project certifications; †¢ Obtaining feedback on work in progress and finished results from clients; †¢ Appraising the performance of buildings which are in use and producing maintenance management information; †¢ Evaluating and advising on refurbishment, re-use, recycling and deconstruction; †¢ Managing the work of trainee technologists; †¢ Contributing to the overall running of business. Landscape Architect; Landscape architects/designers are essentially designers of outdoor spaces, of any land open to the sky, including land lying around and between buildings. They work to ensure that any changes made to the natural environment are appropriate and sensitive, as well as innovative and aesthetically pleasing. Projects can be both urban and rural and range from designing the layout of parks, gardens and housing estates to improving land affected by mineral extraction or motorway construction. The work involves collaborating closely with landscape contractors, as well as other professionals, especially architects, and those working in surveying and engineering functions. Structural Engineer; A structural engineer designs structures that will withstand the pressures they have to endure. These may be buildings, aerials, bridges, oil rigs, aircraft; anything from a playground climbing frames to the tallest building. They develop initial designs, using mathematics to calculate the stress that could arise at each point in the structure, and simulate and model possible situations, such as high winds and earth movements. When construction has commenced, they are often involved in inspecting the work and advising contractors. These engineers often work in partnership with architects. They also examine buildings, bridges and other structures to discover whether or not they are structurally sound. Services Engineer; A building services engineer is responsible for ensuring the cost-effective and environmentally sound design and maintenance of energy-using elements in buildings. They have an important role in developing and maintaining buildings, and their components, to make the most effective use of natural resources and protect public safety. This includes all equipment and materials involved with heating, lighting, ventilation, air-conditioning, electrical distribution, water supply, fire protection, safety systems, lifts and escalators, and even acoustics. Whilst the role increasingly demands a multidisciplinary approach, building services engineers tend to specialise in one of the following areas: Electrical engineering; Mechanical engineering; Public health. Stages of Project Planning Process (Task 1C) Planning Team The project team can be very important and it is essential to show that the team have the relevant experience, skills or training. It is often necessary to employ people who have been associated with similar projects previously. The experts may be expensive or may have limited availability, in which case the expert can be appointed as an advisor and may not have a great input. It is important not to mislead the Client by indicating a greater input than there will be in reality. G Tender Documentation This is the first part of the planning stage. Here, the contract documents have been signed and any matters that have not been signed will be discussed between the architect, the client and the contractor. Both the client and the architect have rights and responsibilities where they must understand their own roles in the project. The client will be the employer and the architect will be the employers agent. Really this meeting will sort out the roles and responsibilities of everyone and a checklist may be used so that nothing is forgotten. H Tender Action Main contract tenders are obtained by negotiation or competitive tendering procedures. The client is asked to agree that suitable tenders are accepted. 01 Advise on and obtain the Clients approval to list of tenderers for the building contract 02 Invite tenders 03 Appraise and report on tenders with other consultants 03 A Appraise and report on tenders 04 Assist other consultants in negotiating with tenderer 04 A Negotiate with a tenderer 05 Assist other consultants in negotiating a price with a contractor 05 A Negotiate a price with a contractor 06 Select a contractor by other means 07 Revise production information to adjust tender sum 08 Arrange for other contracts to be let prior to the main building contract The contractor will be given a list of firms that the architect is considering using including the ones named at the tender stage. The architect must ensure that the contractor has no objections with any of the firms involved. The subcontractors and suppliers will receive letters telling them that they have been successful or unsuccessful. The contractor will then be informed to accept the sub-contractors quotation. When the architect has the meeting with the contractor he must make sure the agreement has been completed the clauses have been deleted from the conditions as appropriate. The signing of the contract includes many operations such as checking the contractors insurance and sending the contractor a copy of the contract. J Project Planning Contract documents are processed. The contractor receives information needed to plan the work. The site inspector is briefed and all roles are defined. The site is made available for work to start. 01 Advise Client on the appointment of the contractor and on the responsibilities of the parties and the Architect under the Building Contract 02 Prepare the building contract and arrange for it to be signed 03 Provide production information as required by the building contract 04 Provide services in connection with demolition 05 Arrange for other contractors to be let subsequent to the commencement of the building contract Production information must be ready for the project meeting. This is the meeting that takes place before any work starts on site. The project information will be made up of two copies of the drawings, schedules and specifications. Copies of statutory approvals and the architect and contractor programme will be needed. K Operations on Site Contract is administered and contractual obligations fulfilled with progress and quality control monitored. Financial control, with regular reports to the client, is maintained. 01 Administer the terms of the building contract 02 Conduct meetings with the contractor to review progress 03 Provide information to other consultants for the preparation of financial reports of the Client 03 A Prepare financial reports for the Client 04 Generally inspect materials delivered to site 05 As appropriate instruct the taking of samples, carrying out of tests of materials, components, techniques and workmanship and examine the conduct and results of such tests whether on or off site 06 As appropriate instruct the opening up of completed works to determine that it is generally in accordance with the Contract Documents 07 As appropriate visit the sites of the extraction and fabrication and assembly of materials and components to inspect such materials and workmanship before delivery to site. 08 At intervals appropriate to the stage of construction visit the Works to inspect the progress and quality of the Works and to determine that they are being executed generally in accordance with the Contract Documents 09 Direct and control the activities of site staff 10 Administer the terms of other contracts 11 Monitor the progress of the Works against the contractors programme and report to the Client 12 Prepare valuations of the work carried out and completed During the early stages of project planning, it is important to identify the resources and schedule for development of the Maintenance Operations Plan. The roles and responsibilities of the various resources must be determined and an overall approach developed. Most project processes will have maintenance and operations equivalents, including change management, governance processes, testing and communications. Employers need to review Project planning elements to determine those needed on an ongoing basis and include them in the Maintenance Operations Plan. A risk assessment will have to be carried out for each operation that will occur on site. This determines what PPE the person will have to wear and how big the risk is of carrying out this operation. A check list will have to be made so that all equipment can be checked over once and a while. For example, the oil level in generators must be checked weekly so that they are able to run smoothly on site. A checklist can be ticked off once the generator has been checked and is in good working order. L Completion Project is handed over for occupation. Defects are corrected, claims are resolved and final account is agreed. Final Certificate is issued. 01 Provide drawings showing the building and main lines of drainage 02 Arrange the drawings of building services installations to be provided 03 Generally give advice on maintenance 04 Prepare drawings for convincing purposes 05 Compile maintenance and operational manuals 06 Incorporate information prepared by others in the maintenance manuals 07 Arrange maintenance contracts This is the stage where the building is handed over to the client so that it can be occupied, rented etc. All remediation is done to any thing thats is wrong within the project. The final account should be signed by the client to say that he is happy and that there is nothing else to be done. The architect also needs to sign it. It also means that everything has been done according to the contract. M Feedback The performance of the building and the design and construction teams are analysed and recorded for future reference. This stage also mentions that after the building has been finished, the architect and the contractor are responsible for any failures that may occur to the building in the near future. However, it is obvious that if the failure occurs in the far future then this not their responsibility. At the end of this stage there are many questions asked. These include things such as, Did the contractor work well? Does the building function properly? Did the design process work smoothly? What does the client think of the building? Factors that effect planning decisions (Task 1C) There are many things that need to be taken into consideration when making planning decisions, all projects produce different factors to be considered such as the following; Budget Availability of materials Availability of workers (Hiring sub contactors) Weather The Planning (conservation areas listed building areas) act 1990 The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 Restrictions on the land/local area Usage of development Surrounding infrastructure Existing Access Who will be using the facility e.g. old people or disabled Demands of the client Building regulations How to overcome these factors 1) Analysis of the Problem Breakdown the problem into simple components which may be easily managed. Create a flowchart in the form of a decision tree. Each stage of a project and all possible options are shown so as to produce a series of outcomes. 2) Assessment of Outcomes. This is based on utility (the relative desirability) which is assessed for each possible outcome. The criteria are listed and their relative importance is evaluated. Each outcome is assessed against each criteria and then is evaluated by summing its utility score against each criteria weighted by the relative importance of each criteria. 3) Assessment of Probabilities. The alternative outcomes of each decision stage are allocated probability of the likelihood of their occurrence. These are subjective assessments, but experience is used to lend some objectivity. 4) Determining Optimum Path The optimum path through the decision tree is determined by working backwards from the final outcome and calculating the expected (weighted average) utility of each event node. Where several activities enter an activity event node, the path with the highest utility is elected and the others are eliminated. The best path through the decision tree is found. 5) Sensitivity Analysis Important elements of the decision tree should be assessed by applying a range of values to determine the effect. Decisions to be made for this project (Plot J) Budget The budget for the project and the program for implementation will be very difficult to ascertain at this early stage, but if some indication can be given and an approximate cash flow, it could be very useful to the Client and would indicate our understanding of the project. In order to ensure my project comes in on budget I will be employing a skilled and experienced quantity surveyor. This is because there is a big difference between estimated costs and true costs, which would be calculated to a degree of accuracy by the quantity surveyor. Budgets for the professional fees and programs for the professional services would also be useful. Green Field site As our site is situated on a â€Å"green field site† then there will be certain implications which may hamper the development. Once land has been converted to development, it is unlikely to ever be converted back to Greenfield use Destruction of the natural habitat of some animal and plant species Loss of agricultural land results in loss of production and loss of employment Reduction of or complete loss of amenity or recreation value Negative effect upon transport and energy use Loss of the gr