Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 27

Case Study - Essay Example The company has identified the prom from the statistics that it has collected, it will be therefore prudent to seek solution to this problem. The major objective of using AI is that it accentuates the positive, rather than seeking for a problem to fix it. Is main objective is to pursue and pinpoint the distinctive qualities and exceptional strengths of an organization, which members can build on to improve performance. The AI process consists of four steps, discovery, dreaming, design and destiny. In regard to Discovery the Parkway Nursing Care leaders should seek to identify what they think are the organizations strength. The employees of Parkway Nursing Care will give the occasions of when they felt that they are satisfied in their jobs. In the dreaming stage is supposed to make employees to use the information from discovery phase to speculate on possible futures. The design will be aimed to make the employees of Parkway Nursing Care to find a common vision on how the organization will look like in the future and agree on the unique qualities. On the fourth phase the employees will aim to fulfill their dream by typically writing actions plan and implementing their strategies. Parkway Nursing Care will face some resistance when they are implementing this phases of AI, the most common form of resistance to change will be because of fear of unknown. Resistance to change will also appear to be very selective since each employee would want a change that benefits them. There employees are not engaging in their respective jobs as required, this implies that the board of directors have to re-energize the workforce. The employees have to make believe that it is very meaningful for them to engage in their job. To reenergize the work force the employees’ job characteristics has to be enhanced as well as the make sure that the resources at Parkway Nursing Care are sufficient. This will ensure that the workers are reenergized and the work is done

Monday, October 28, 2019

Star Tv Case Study Essay Example for Free

Star Tv Case Study Essay STAR TV was using asiasat-1 satellite to beam their channel to Asian country. The grand strategy that has been using during this time was growth. The fact is most of the 2. 7 billion people living in the 38 countries extending from Egypt through India to Japan and from the Russian Far east to Indonesia do not have television sets and satellite dishes. Yet STAR TV has debuted 24-hour all sports television program, beaming the U. S Open Tennis tournament via satellite to these potential audiences in Asia. The five channels being offered were Sports, News, Music TV, Entertainment and special channel to learn mandarin. The subcategories of the grand strategy during this time that had been using by STAR TV were intensive/concentration. As we know, the intensive strategy is divided into three things which are Market penetration, Market Development and Product Development. As for market penetration, previously STAR TV was initially targeted to a select 5 percent of the population in major markets in Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia and India. These are the countries that they chose to being penetrated and to increase the market share. This segment of the potential audience is made up of English-speaking, well-educated, well-travelled and wealthy Asian. All channels were in English without subtitle/translation that made most of the targeted countries’ residences were not interested to subscribe it. Plus the Television was very difficult to get due to the price was considered expensive. Japan was not in targeted country due to Japan already had its own well-developed satellite TV network. On the other hand, Japanese were not interested in English because they didn’t speak/understand English at that moment. With the $300 million initial capital, some observers predicted that STAR TV would lose massive amount of money in getting the audiences. As for the market development of the subcategories, STAR TV introduced the satellite dishes which were new to audience. Customers were scared to buy because that was new to them. They didn’t really understand of its functions. STAR TV had come out with many campaigns and advertisements to audiences to make they know the functions well. However, when STAR TV sports channel offered world cup cricket championship in 1992, sales of satellite dishes were skyrocketed, particularly in areas that had once been British colonies. Everybody was interested in watching those channels in Asia. The subscribers were increased from time to time and they enjoyed not only sports but they also were getting music television (MTV), News channel, Entertainment (movies, drama, etc) and Mandarin learning channel. Initially STAR TV was making its money solely from advertising. They found that the profit unable to bear all the cost in order to maintain the good service level and product enhancement. They were start thinking and they found an idea on how to increase the income. They implemented pay channel concept as for the product development. They courageous to implement this concept were because their audiences were reaching a total number of 3. 75 million households in eight countries just after a year it began operating. The porter five forces involved during this previous time were suppliers, customers, and substitute product. The suppliers were not so many which had given less choice to Star TV to choose from. The price fight was almost zero. Most of them were providing the service in equal price quotation. Star TV had to follow whatever price that had been setup by suppliers. The suppliers were including production house, raw material, labor or manpower, components and other supply. Most of the customers were not a native English speaker. As for the target market, no more than educated people subscribed this Star TV at first when it was launched. However, Star TV found that sports can be watched without understand the English when the customers subscribing rating were increasing during world cup Cricket being beamed by Star TV. Star TV provided 24-hour sports channel and it had been a strong point for customer to chose compared to other channels. The threat of substitute product was typically impacting the industry through price competition. The competitors were such as NBC, ABN (Jow Dones), CNN,Nine Network Australia and local station. The local station could provide the live sports game for free while Star TV needs to pay to watch. Definitely customers chose local station because it is free. For a reason, the rating had been decreased due to this threat. Nevertheless, Star TV had it own advantage where the channel is beamed clearly without dotted screen like an aerial TV. Compared to other satellite TV, Star TV needed to lower the price to get more customers. In other words, Star TV could not run from price competition. GENERIC GRAND STRATEGY AND ITS SUBCATEGORIES CURRENTLY PURSUING AND THE PORTER 5 FORCES INVOLVED In 1993, News Corp, headed by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, purchased 64 percent of STAR TV and later bought the remaining shares for total cost of $825 million. The acquisition was undertaken because of supply-side as well as demand side impetus for standardization. The generic grand strategy used once Rupert Murdoch bought START is also growth. Murdoch was looking to have very big shares in the Asian market. He is the owner of News Corp seeing that with the purchase of STAR TV, he can beam his channels all over the Asia with the very efficient cost. For the subcategories we can say that STAR TV was using intensive/concentration as well. It is the same with subcategories earlier but now the method is different. It still involved Market Penetration, Market Development and Product Development. However, other than intensive/concentration, during this time STAR also using integration for its subcategories. STAR was using rearward method. It was considered as rearward because STAR has been in the same company with one of its suppliers which is News Corp once bought by Rupert Murdoch. News Corp hoped to use STAR TV to arbitrage its existing program sources including the 20th century Fox movies and television program library. FOX broadcasting hits were such as â€Å"The Simpsons†, BSkyB sports and news programming in the Asian market and vice versa. If successful, this strategy would cut the cost of programming for STAR TV to bear minimum associated with copying tapes and broadcasting them. As for Market Development and Market penetration, Murdoch reversed the mainly English strategy aimed at a select audience in favor of supplying regionally oriented languages, including Chinese and Hindi in less than a year. Rupert Murdoch came out with good initiative such as English movie with India subtitle for India region. For some movies he did the direct translation which was accepted by most of the customers. This initiative was made the star TV became more popular and the sales was increasingly rapidly. Rupert Murdoch saw that the resistance of English in Asian region as an advantage to created this initiative successfully. Murdoch first began to customize the satellite network’s music programs. The company found that in Taiwan, the audience prefers saccharine, Chinese love ballads, while Indian viewers are more drawn to dynamic music videos. Murdoch did the segmentation and research to get best result before he did any decision making for particular region. Therefore the northern beam of star’s satellite, which broadcast to Taiwan, Hong Kong and an estimated 30 million viewer in mainland China, carries mainly Chinese pop music. The southern beam aimed at India and Southeast Asia, focuses on Hindi and English Music. The customization has carried over to other types of programming as well. For example, Star has split the signal on its sports channel to provide more Crickets to Indians and more soccer, gymnastic and tracks to the Chinese. Movies channel are being geared up to broadcast in seven languages which are Mandarin, Hindi, English, Bahasa Indonesia, Tagalog, Cantonese and Japanese. Murdoch says his plan is to dominate four key program categories in sports, music, movie and general entertainment. By mid 1990s Star TV was reaching an estimated 54 million households. Even with this coverage the satellite network was experiencing major losses. Murdoch has determined that Star TV cannot bring sufficient revenues from advertising alone to make a significant profit. Instead it will be necessary to have viewers pay to watch some programs on the network. News Corp is attempting to develop systems that will allow company to collect viewer payments at a reasonable cost. This is what they called pay per view (PPV). This was one of the brilliant idea of Murdoch since it could increase the company profit. Viewers were willing to pay at a reasonable price for their favorite channel. Star TV now has access to the sophisticated AsiaSat-2 satellite as for the product developement, which is positioned to cover two third of the world population. This shows that Star TV has the biggest asset to be a strong pint to penetrate world market. Star TV is considered to be a large organization as it employs approximately 700 workers in Hong Kong Headquarter alone and further 2000 workers in other Asian regions. Size is quite directly related to structure. Robbins (1990) summarizes that complexity and formalization are positively related to size. Even that STAR operates in various locations and as organization, it is expected to grow, both the opportunity and need for work division and coordination (Pugh and Hickson, 1976). STAR is in elaboration-of-structure stage. The organization has reach large size and its two (2) revenue streams of subscriber fees and advertising had to be more balanced in order for STAR’s business to attain maturity. Nearly half of the world’s population resides within STAR’s footprint in Asia. In order to connect with these billions of potential viewers to maintain the momentum of expansion, STAR has made several strategic investments in pay-TV platforms throughout the region. These pay-TV platforms have become invaluable assets to STAR, strengthening our ability to deliver our content to consumers. In addition, organization has established a close working relationship with thousands of other platforms operators in Asia and beyond. STAR has also been expanding its reach beyond television broadcasting, by setting up some departments to offer its content via wireless and online-based services. Whether in front of the TV, surfing the web, or on the go with a mobile phone, viewers connect with STAR. Considering the recent innovations on STAR and its service programming, technology plays a definite role in the whole operations and competitiveness. Since bureaucratic organizations like STAR have strict rules, standards, hierarchy and legitimate authority, where the markets are characterized by prices, competition and exchange relationship, affecting traditions, shared values and beliefs, and trust, technology functions as determinant of pace and timing of tasks, providing information to managers on performance, and dictates standards. Looking on Woodward’s ideas, technology and structure of STAR fall on the Group II, which is the large batch and mass production. Considering the various regions in which they operate, large batch and mass production is the most practical way to manage technology. The structural characteristics of Woodward are the following: number of management levels (4), supervisor span of control (48), direct/indirect labor ration (4:1), manager/total personnel ratio (medium), worker’s skill level (low), formalized procedures (high), centralization (high), amount of verbal communication (low), amount of written communication (high), and overall structure (mechanistic). However, it is also recognized that STAR may invest on the process of maneuvering into Group III or continuous process production due to the emerging trends of service television industry and its clients. In application, the most important thing to think about in production and technology is the basic value of making good TV shows and marketing them to the targeted consumers – viewers across Asia, advertisers, and cable distributors. This is the most important consideration as far as technology and structure is considered. STAR can talk on new kinds of services, new technologies, and cable versus DSL versus satellite, but everything is futile not unless integrated in producing quality programming for viewers and advertisers alike. STAR acknowledges the need to take steps to move the whole industry forward and start shaping it to be the kind of industry where they will continue to be a player if not the leader in the next five or ten years. STAR is a bureaucratic organization involving Weber’s main characteristics of bureaucracy such as Rules and procedures, Specialization and division of labor, Hierarchy of authority, technically qualified personnel, Separate position and incumbent and written communications and records. Rational-legal authority is practiced in STAR where authority legitimated by virtue of supremacy of law and formal rules is used in conducting the organization. Basing on French and Raven power types, STAR uses legitimate power where formal standards, rules and laws are exercised. With the leadership and managerial expertise of Richard Li, the execution of STAR strategies is bounded on formal and legitimate source of power. Li’s power supported by clear corporate governance initiatives possesses outstanding ability to cope with uncertainty, position in information network, and control over physical and financial resources. Furthermore, modern control theories are â€Å"the mechanisms through which an organization can be managed so that it moves toward its objectives† (Ouchi 1979, p. 833). STAR reflected News Corp. s culture of taking risks and swift decision-making with minimal formal structure. It is bureaucratic because it emphasizes on achieving consistency and stability by following procedures and practices, high level of conformity and collaboration among employees, and focused efficiency and consistency are the key objectives. Arguably, this type of control may also affect employee motivation, working relationships with the management and p roductivity as there are other aspects of the organization that are overlooked when a legitimate source of power and control is operating all alone. Consideration of other power and control types or perhaps the integration of some of their inherent attributes is recommended. Culturally speaking, STAR projects the organizational culture of News Corp. by serving as powerful source of control and achieves Behavioral Consistency through a system of Shared Values and Meaning both in internal and external perspectives including the needs of the environment and strategic focus. A dominant level of culture is exemplified by a significant number of members of the organization. Core values are similarly expressed y the dominant culture, which is providing quality service programming to viewers while maintaining market leadership and organizational productivity. It could also be assumed that subcultures occur in local or regional offices due to national, cultural, and individual diversity. Adaptability culture is seen on STAR. STAR has penetrated deeply into key markets with mass appeal general entertainment channels, produced locally in lo cal languages, by local talent. These channels help organization achieve a genuine resonance with audiences, and uniquely position STAR as the leading media company in Asia. For example, Murdoch could hardly have been happier with the successes of â€Å"Correlate† in India and Xing Kong in China, STAR’s two most important markets. Asian companies that were setting up satellite broadcast channels aroused fewer political and cultural concerns in their target markets and often had closer connections with local governments. Foreign broadcasters valued them as partners for this reason as well as because of the access that they often afforded to local programming. Further, STAR is also uses mission culture type as noted on its organization’s purpose and on the attainment of goals, managers share organization’s goals and future direction, rewards on high performance, and environmental relativity. As Asias largest television network watched by approximately 100 million viewers every day, STARs reach is unmatched. The breadth and scale of operations across Asia position STAR uniquely as a powerful communication vehicle that can be leveraged for the good of the communities it reaches. Inherently bureaucratic, there is a need for STAR’s management to consider creativity and individual initiative as well as behaviorally-based mechanisms in creating standardized corporate laws and policies. The satellite provides STAR TV with 30 or more new channels of digital television. Moreover the digitalization process allows STAR TV to simultaneously offer the same program in several different languages, thus supporting the network’s regional focus. With the increased technology, STAR has successfully entered the Japan Market and offering a 24-hours Japanese language channel. The company plans to offer six more channels in the near future. STAR TV faces growing competition from others attempting to launch various satellite networks in the area such as NBC, ABN (Dow Jones), CNN and Nine Network Australia. As STAR TV attempts to target its program more regionally it will be competing with regional broadcasters. Murdoch views the situations as an investment. So far STAR TV has the highest market penetration of any satellite network. To be successful it will need to gain additional share in various market. These are certain porter 5 forces that involved: Risk of New Competitors One of the primary advantages of the company is their strong relationship with their customers. As of January 1993, the company reached its 4. 5 million people out of 11. 3 million households in Asia (Ghemawat 2005). The company is using the specialized input by using different important and new technologies that will help them to improve their services. In Hong Kong, the government requires any companies that are interested in doing their broadcasting or news program in Asia, must be controlled locally (Ghemawat 2005). This is due to the fact that they are going to handle the different information about the current events of the country (Ghemawat 2005). In terms of the socio-cultural aspect, in China, Chinese people prefer to watch local films and TV programs because they are not that good in understanding as well as speaking English language. Rivalry among Established Firms The company had been able to catch the attention of their customers as well as gain their loyalty by implementing their strategies of thinking local and acting global. It enables the company to create different programs that are suitable for the taste of their local viewers. Bargaining Powers of Suppliers In general, the products of the company have few substitutes. In addition to that, those products are considered as significant to the buyers such as the process of purchasing exclusive TV programs and movies. Above all, the suppliers of the company have the ability to vertically incorporate forward for them to compete with the buyers of the company. On the other hand, the buyers don’t have ability to integrate backward for them to supply their own demand. Bargaining Power of Buyers The buyers, end-users or distributor and the buyers of the company can switch suppliers at low cost. The buyers can easily and vertically integrate for them to compete with the suppliers. Threat of Substitute Products In the industry of entertainment and media, the competitive threat of the substitute product increases as it comes closer to fulfill a similar function or feature towards the original product. The availability of a substitute product can create a price limits on the original product. But it doesn’t directly hit the company due to the fact that it has its own production of their TV programs that help them to control the features and functions of their media products, in order to meet the demands of the customers. FACTORS SHOULD MURDOCH CONSIDER IN MAKING AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSEMENT AND TYPES OF STRATEGY FOR USE AT BEGINNING OF TWENTY FIRST CENTURY Identifying the environmental factors inherent to the operations of STAR regardless of geographic locations or specified regions is done through PESTLE analysis: Political Asia was not an easy neighborhood where anyone can do business. On the case of STAR, new government regulations restricting foreign ownership of news channels were passed in India, and more work was needed in order to make STAR’s China venture profitable. In all its markets, STAR maintained close relationships with government officials and understood local operating requirements, both explicit and unwritten. Media, particularly TV broadcasting, were salient politically because of their potential influence on public opinion and their importance to local artists. They therefore remained subject, around the world, to extensive state control – a reality that STAR managed carefully. Economic The risk of the occurrence global economic downturn brought about by dynamic competition among companies that lead to closing down and the loss of jobs may have a direct impact on STAR strategy of dominating the world’s television entertainment market. Also, there are huge differences in terms of the GDP per capita earnings among the countries. This situation should make STAR consider about its positioning strategies in certain countries (Barlett and Ghoshal, 1989). Social The varying demands of audiences in relation to culture is a primary determinant of organizational performance provided that environment is being considered. Not only must the cultural differences be recognized, but there is also skill in knowing how to organize the programming; for example, when to insert the commercial breaks. Television ventures can be killed by managers who do not know programming, especially if they believe ‘good programming’ is what they like personally. As case provided, India, with its British colonial legacy, was somewhat easier in programming perspective in contrast to Taiwan where STAR experienced resistance to English content. As it was still in an embryonic stage, India’s television market was largely unregulated, at least compared with other Asian markets. India had only two television channels in 1991, both operated by government broadcaster Doordashan. STAR later formed a joint venture with native Indian media conglomerate Zee Telefilms. Under the agreement STAR was precluded from developing Hindi programming, and instead was limited to broadcasting exclusively English-language content. For example, a quiz show would be successful because India is a nation of very intelligent quizzers. In general, the rising middle to upper-middle class households in certain countries requires a strategy formulation that will not mismatch to the potential for consumer market. Technological The innovations in terms of STAR’s technology are contributory seeing that technological advancements are among the primary features of competitive advantage of STAR. Investing on new state-of-the-art programming facilities and equipment is essential in the business strategy to be aligned to any revolutionary technological changes affecting the television entertainment industry. Legal STAR’s awareness of any changes in terms of government policies and legislations within the operating countries is vital. Constant large-scale legal evaluation facilitates opportunity for expansion and minimizes legal difficulties. Environmental By Duncan theory, an unstable environment combined with low levels of complexity leads to moderate to high uncertainty. In this environment, there are only few elements, but each element changes in an unpredictable manner. As there is a heightened need to process information and respond to it, management is decentralized. Teamwork is emphasized in order to facilitate communication. There is extensive use of boundary spanners and intensive coordination devices to enable the organization to respond to environment pressures. However, production processes are more stable and tend towards being mechanistic. The PESTLE analysis conducted above identifies the environmental factors affecting STAR’s operations in all the regions in which they do business. The identified factors certainly create influences and at the same time relevant to its functions. STAR’s niche market is technologically motivated, thus, the role of technological factors in the environment (e. g. innovations) is important while considering the varying needs of their diversified clientele. Indeed, not all environments are the same as they vary in various degrees of uncertainty. On the case of STAR, it is a complex one. The following indicates the degree of environmental uncertainty. Decentralized with an emphasis on teamwork Constant environment monitoring by boundary spanners High levels of coordination and integration in order to promote imitation and innovation Production facilities often mechanistic Burns and Stalker (1961) distinguished organic and mechanistic organizations. They believed that the most effective structure is one that adjusts to the requirements of the environment, which means using a mechanistic design in a stable, certain environment and an organic form in a turbulent environment. Large firms may even have some parts which are organic and others which are mechanistic. For instance, Operations Engineering department may apply largely mechanistic practice in terms of job functions. The mechanical system design as evident on the structure of STAR is stable and efficiently performs as seen on its double-digit performance and growth in revenue and operating income for four (4) consecutive years. Furthermore, STAR’s departmental differentiation adopted by regional managers and staff explicitly addresses the needs of the diverse environment. There is a lesser degree of call for change not on its structural level but on the ability of the management to effectively manage and response on the growing needs of clients and international competition in the niche market. To do such, STAR should establish international linkages and control environmental domain as prime strategies for controlling external environments. STAR also needs to consider on SWOT analysis in future planning. The SWOT of STAR TV that can be concluded as per below: Strength Worldwide presence Strong in the prime time slot Association with big names Good contents Effective packaging Weaknesses Not much strong in non prime time slot, need concentrate on this Excessively dependant on K series soaps. This may harm in long term. Opportunities Lack of strong challengers Strong network channels for promotion. Threats Popular series on maturity phase and about to expire New emerging channels like NDTV imagine New technology HDTV, 3D TV The grand strategy that STAR TV needs to use in planning the best for the beginning of the 21st century is growth. STAR must concentrate on R D which is fall under product development (concentration). The offering channels should be updated based on the current technology. STAR should come out with interactive channel in the future. The Interactive Channel delivered shopping and games as well as regularly updated news, weather, and sports. Viewers were able to make airline reservations, sample music CDs, and even hear an update for their favorite soap opera. Through the Interactive Channels Teachers Assistance Program, viewers had access to information such as school lunches, homework assignments, and student projects. This channel has many benefits and makes life easier. As for now, people definitely will choose SPEED product where customer can do things in short period of time. On the other hand, STAR should come out with more channels in non prime time. So the subscribers are stick to the STAR channels without change to another channel which is impacting the rating. Plus, the box office movies should be from worldwide not focuses only from Europe countries. Other than concentration on channel enhancement, Since STAR owned the big satellite; STAR should come out with the great GPS system device like PAPAGO, GARMIN and etc. STAR also needs to come out with application for android and iphone so that people can watch STAR TV anytime and anywhere. People are now having phone with them 24-hour a day with internet. These are my two cents thought that might increase the profitability of the company. The conclusion, STAR and technology must move simultaneously as a strategy to growth. Last but not least, I was thinking recently that life revolves around making plans, whether we are conscious of it or not Good plans shape good decisions. That is why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Pricing Strategies :: Business Market Marketing Price

Pricing Strategies (graphics not included) One of the four major elements of the marketing mix is price. Pricing is an important strategic issue because it is related to product positioning. Pricing also affects other marketing mix elements as well, such as product features, channel decisions, and promotion. A pricing strategy is a course of action designed to achieve pricing objectives. This strategy helps marketers set prices. There are many ways to price a product. The following, figure 1.1, shows a list of five major types of pricing strategies. (Business, 8th Ed., pg 421) Figure 1.1 New-Product Pricing There are two primary types of new product pricing strategies, price skimming and penetration pricing. An organization can use one or both of them over a calculated period of time. Price Skimming involves charging the highest price possible for a short time where a new, innovative, or much-improved product is launched onto a market. The objective with skimming is to â€Å"skim the cream† off customers who are willing to pay more to have the product sooner. Prices are lowered once demand falls. (Business, 8th Ed., pg 422) Penetration Pricing is the opposite extreme; it involves the setting of lower, rather than higher price for a new product. The main purpose is to build market share quickly. The seller wants to discourage competitors from entering the market by building a large market share quickly. (Business, 8th Ed., pg 422) Differential Pricing Differential pricing occurs when a company attempts to charge different prices to two different customers for what is essentially the same product. For this to be effective, the market must have multiple segments with different price sensitivities. Differential pricing can happen in several ways: negotiated pricing, secondary-market pricing, periodic discounting, and random discounting. The following describes two of the ways. Negotiated Pricing happens when the final price is established through bargaining between the seller and the buyer. This occurs in various industries and at all levels of distribution. Prices are normally negotiated for houses, cars and used merchandise. (Business, 8th Ed., pg 423) Periodic Discounting is the temporary reduction of prices. This normally happens when retailers have holiday sales or seasonal sales. The downside of this is that customers can predict when the price reductions will occur and hold off on buying until the sales take place. (Business, 8th Ed., pg 423) Psychological Pricing Psychological pricing is a marketing practice based on the theory that certain prices have a psychological impact.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Factors That Affects the Behavior of Students

CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING INTRODUCTION This research paper is all about the factors that affect the behavior of high school students in dealing with other people. The researcher chose this kind of problem to be aware of the distinctive behavior of her fellow schoolmates, classmates, batch mates, etc. The researcher conducted this study to know the effective implications for the behaviors. Behaviorism,  a  movement  in  psychology that advocates the use of strict experimental procedures to study observable behavior n relation to the environment.The behavioristic view of psychology has its roots in the writings of the British associationist philosophers as well as in the American functionalist school of psychology and the Darwinian theory of evolution, both of which emphasize the way that individuals adapt and adjust to the environment. These problems disrupt relations with peers and adults and interfere with schooling. Children  and  adolescents who have behavi or disorders typically experience problems that are markedly different from the behavior of students of similar age and cultural background.Students  with  behavior disorders may exhibit any of a wide variety of problems. Behavior  disorders  result from many causes, including biological, familial, and environmental factors. Treatment  of  emotional or behavioral disorders has provoked controversy. Statement of the Problem This study probed on investigate the factors that affect the behavior of high school students in dealing with other people in Maryhill College as perceived by the selected third year students during the school year 2012-2013.Specifically, the study attempted to answer the following questions: 1. Which factor affects the behavior of teenagers most? 2. What are the ways of interacting with other people by the students with behavioral disorders? 3. What are the implications that may prevent this behavior to become worst? 4. What are the effects of being b ullied on the teenager’s behavior? Significance of the Study The study about factors that affect the behavior of high school students in dealing with other people is considered important for the students, teachers, parents, and administrators.In this study, we will be able to discover distinct reasons or causes of the unusual behavior of a student. If we will be able to discover the causes of this behavior or some possible treatments and implications, we can prevent it from being worse. This study will benefit the parents by knowing the proper way of parenting and raising their children with this kind of problem behavior and the teachers by being aware on how to properly educate their students who have been dealing with this kind of problem behavior. This study will also benefit the researcher and the subject teacher in the fund of knowledge.Scope and Delimitation This investigation is conducted to determine the factors that affect the behavior of high school students in deal ing with other people. The respondents will be from the selected high school students of Maryhill Collge. It may also be from other fields if needed. This study will be conducted for the school year 2012-2013. Definition of Terms Behaviorism-a movement in psychology that advocates the use of strict experiment procedures to study observable behavior in relation to the environment.Behavior-the way in which a person, organism, or group responds to a specific set of conditions Radical Behaviorism -basic behaviorism Peers-somebody who is the equal of somebody else in age or social class Nurture-people are influenced by genes Genes-the basic unit capable of transmitting characteristics from one generation to the next Chapter II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES This Chapter will present studies and literature that will give light to the researcher’s problem and will help her arrive in the analysis and interpretation of the findings. Related LiteratureThe social behavior and attitudes of a child, even as he grows older and comes in contact with more and more people outside the home, are reflections of patterns prevalent in the child’s home. Habit is a lasting readiness and facility, born of frequently repeated acts for acting in a certain manner. Habits are acquiring inclinations towards something to be done. The word â€Å"habit-forming† that we use to refer to certain experiences shows how easy to overcome or alter. It acquires a strong willed person to correct a habit successfully within a limited period of time.Habits are acquired. Once acquired, they become very difficult to alter. They are therefore relatively permanent. Acquiring a habit is like starting a pathway across a lawn. Habits are not formed in an instant. They result from constantly repeated actions. After they are formed, they do not vanish instantly. It would acquire a tremendous effort to change a habit. Once family background characteristics were controlled, classroom effects such as children's overall behavior were analyzed, as were cross-level interactions between classroom and family effects.The results revealed that good behavior in the classroom and adequacy of classroom supplies were the most consistent predictors of improvement in children's self-control and behavior. Furthermore, cross-level interactions suggested that good behavior in the classroom and supplies can boost resiliency by allowing children to overcome certain deficits at home. Implications for further research and educational policy are discussed. These two forms of behavior are related to quarreling. This may consist of calling others nicknames that arouse their anger or putting emphasis on their physical or mental weaknesses.In bullying, the attacker attempts to inflict physical pain on others because of the pleasure he derives from watching their discomfort and their attempts to retaliate. Older children usually engage in these two forms of behavior. Peer pressure is asso ciated in adolescents of all ethnic and racial backgrounds with at-risk behaviors such as cigarette smoking, truancy, drug use, sexual activity, fighting, shoplifting, and daredevil stunts. Again, peer group values and attitudes influence more strongly than do family values the level of teenage alcohol use.The more accepting peers are of risky behavior, and the more they participate in that behavior, the more likely a person is to do the same thing. Culture and lifestyle strongly affect behavior for the outstandingly obvious reason that they are behavior. One's lifestyle is a collection of behaviors and habits that one perpetuates. One's culture is the setting in which one enacts those behaviors and habits which make up one's lifestyle and, due to the nature of setting, culture will, of necessity, affect one's lifestyle and, by connection, behavior.All children engage in bad behavior every now and then but some children exhibit highly challenging behavior that are consistently inapp ropriate for their age. Often those children do not simply exhibit a behavioral problem, but have an underlying behavior disorder. While there are many behavioral disorders that may e diagnosed in children, three of the most common include Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder (CD) & Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Social Development means the attaining of maturity in the social relationships.It is the process of learning to conform to group standards, mores and traditions and becoming imbued with a sense of oneness, intercommunications, and cooperation. It was applied to a grouping within the social sciences generally understood to encompass anthropology, sociology, and psychology, except for certain nonbehavioral or nonscientific aspects of other social and biological sciences, such as biology, economics, history, geography, law, psychiatry and political science. The aim of behavioral science is to establish generalizations about human behavior tha t can be supported by empirical evidence.The study of group behavior has a long tradition among social scientists in various disciplines; it does not confine itself to any one of the recognized social sciences alone. The management field has been among those very interested in studying group behavior, particularly in the Philippines where people even in the work setting have displayed strong groupy tendencies as shown in their practices of â€Å"tayo-tayo†(we syndrome), smooth interpersonal relationships and â€Å"pagsasamahan†(togetherness). Distinction is made between human acts and acts of man. The human acts are those actions which man performs knowingly, freely and voluntarily.These actions are the result of conscious knowledge and are subject to the control of the will. We will refer to those action as deliberate, intentional, or voluntarily. The acts of man are those actions which happen in man. They are instinctive and are not within the control of the will. Su ch actions are the biological and physiological movements in man such as, metabolism, respiration, fear, anger, love & jealousy. Human behavior consists of any act of an individual person that reflects his thoughts feeling, emotions, and sentiments and in general, his state or condition.These may be conscious or unconscious activities that are predicted on his needs, values, motivations and aspirations. The art of human behavior is an old as the relationship between and among individuals and groups. Behavior modification is based on the premise that behavior is controlled by the nature of its consequences. The likehood that behaviors will be repeated increases when it is accompanied by favorable consequences. Absence of any significant consequences leads to instinction of behavior.Thus, in order to obtain the desired behaviors over the long term, these must be accompanied. Related Studies According to Watson’s theory, all complex forms of behavior – emotions, habits, a nd such – are seen as composed of simple muscular and glandular elements that can be observed and measured. He claimed that emotional reactions are learned in much the same way as other skills. Based on Skinner’s theory, known as radical behaviorism, is similar to Watson’s view that psychology is the study of observable behavior of individuals interacting with their environment.Skinner, however, disagrees with Watson’s position that inner processes, such as feelings, should be excluded from the study. He maintains that these inner processes should be studied by the usual scientific methods, with particular emphasis on controlled experiments using individual animals and humans. His research with animals focusing on the kind of learning – known as operant conditioning – that occurs as a consequence of stimuli, demonstrates that complex behavior such as language and problem solving can be studied scientifically.He postulated a type of psycholog ical conditioning known as reinforcement. According to Dr. Leticia Penano-Ho, â€Å"The Bullies have a strong need to dominate; impulsive and easily angered; defiant and aggressive toward adults; prefer TV shows, music, music and reading materials with violent themes; may be involved in gangs or anti-social group on the fringe of peer acceptance; have had negative parenting and have failed to bond with their caregivers leading to feeling of alienation; have little or no supervision and often victims of abuse in home.The Bullied are cautious, sensitive, quiet, withdrawn, and shy, anxious, insecure, unhappy and have low self esteem; are depressed and engage in suicidal ideation; do not have a single good friend and can relate better to adults than to peers; and very often have real or perceived disabilities. Chapter III METHODOLOGY Research Design The research study used the descriptive method of research. This was said to be descriptive because it described the factors that affects the behavior of the teenagers. Through the kind of method, the researcher would be able to describe the factors that affect the behavior of teenager. Sources of DataThe respondents of this research were the 10 selected high school students of Maryhill College Lucena City. The said respondents were chosen because they were the one who experienced the changes that were happening around them that usually affect their behavior. Instrumentation The researcher used the questionnaire as the source of information for the study. Though the questionnaire, the researcher would be able to determine the factor that affects the behavior of teenagers at the recent time. The questionnaires were distributed to after it was explained to them that the said questionnaire would be retrieved after two days.Data Gathering Procedure The researcher gathered data through the use of the questionnaire. These questionnaires were distributed to the 40 selected high school students of Maryhill College. And aside from the questionnaire, book and internet website were also used by the researcher as a supplementary for this research study. Through this questionnaire and the reference used, the researcher was able to determine the problem which is the factors that affects the behavior of the teenagers. This research study would also serve as a reference for those people who are curious about the factors that affect the behavior of an individual.Data Analysis Plan To ensure systematic and objective presentation, analysis, and interpretation of research data, the following statistical tools and techniques will be applied: frequency count, percentage and weighted mean. Frequency Count and Percentage. These descriptive measures will be used in presenting the profile of the respondents. Percentage will be computed by the following formula: P=FN100 Where: P=percentage F=frequency N=total number of cases Weighted Mean. This descriptive measure will be employed in determining the responses of the respo ndents. The formula to be applied is: WM=sumofWFNWhere: WM=weighted mean W=weight of a response F=frequency of a response N=total number of cases Chapter 4 ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA Gender of the respondents Age of the respondents Figure 1 Parent's Status of the Respondents Figure 1 shows that 28 or 70% have answered together as their parent's status, 6 or 15% have answered that their parents is an Overseas Filipino Worker, 3 or 7. 5% answered that their parents were separated. Figure 2 Figure 2 shows that 33 or 82. 5% of the respondents answered that they are not a bully while 7 or 17. 5% of the respondents answered that they are a bully.Figure 3 Figure 3 shows that 22 or 55% of the respondents are experiencing being bullied while 18 or 45% answered that they haven't experienced being bullied. Figure 4 Problem Behavior occur in when needed to perform a task Figure 4 shows that 33 or 82. 5% of them answered that the problem behavior only occur sometimes when needed to perform a task, 4 or 10% of the 40 respondents answered never, and 3 or 7. 5% answered always. Figure 5 Do their friends leave them alone? Figure 5 shows that 23 or 57. 5% of the respondents answered never in the question of â€Å"Do their friends leave them alone? 12 or 30% answered sometimes while 5 or 12. 5% answered always. Figure 6 Do their classmates verbally respond or laugh at them? Figure 6 shows that 21 or 52. 5% of the 40 respondents answered sometimes in a given question: â€Å"do their classmates verbally respond or laugh at them? â€Å", 14 or 35% answered never, and 5 or 12. 5% answered always. Figure 7 Problem behavior more likely occur following a conflict outside the classroom. Figure 7 shows that 27 or 67. 5% answered that the problem behavior occur in a conflict outside the classroom only sometimes, 8 or 20% answered never, 5 or 12. % answered always. Figure 8 Problem behavior occur to get others attention? Figure 8 shows that 20 or 50% answered som etimes, 18 or 45% answered never, and 2 or 5% answered always in the question that their problem behavior occur to get others attention. Figure 9 Problem behavior occurs in the presence of specific peers. Figure 9 shows how often the problem behavior occurs in the presence of specific peers. 26 or 65% answered sometimes, 10 or 25% answered never, and 4 or 10% answered always. Figure 10 Problem behavior stops when peers stop interacting with the student.Figure 10 shows how often the problem behavior stops when peers stop interacting with the student. 27 or 67. 5% answered sometimes, 11 or 27. 5% answered never, and 2 or 5% answered always. Figure 11 Problem behavior occurs during specific academic activities. Figure 11 shows how often the problem behavior occurs during specific academic activities. Of the 40 respondents, 22 or 55. 5% answered sometimes, 13 or 32. 5% answered never, and 12. 5% answered always. Figure 12 Factors that affects the behavior| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| Over-all Rankin g| | F %| F %| F %| F %| F %| | School Influences| 5 12. | 7 17. 5| 10 25| 14 35| 4 10| 4| Community| 2 5| 6 15 | 4 10| 12 30| 16 40| 5| Peers| 16 40| 10 25| 5 12. 5| 5 12. 5| 4 10| 1| Family| 9 22. 5| 14 35| 7 17. 5| 4 10| 6 15| 2| Attitude| 7 17. 5| 7 17. 5| 14 30| 5 12. 5| 7 17. 5| 3| Figure 12 shows that 16 or 40% of the respondents answered peers as the number 1 in the factors the affects the behavior most, second is the family, third is the attitude, fourth is the school influences, and lastly, community influences. Chapter 5SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS This chapter deals with the summary, findings, conclusions and recommendations of the study. The data gathered were summarized and presented in this chapter. Summary This study was conducted for the purpose of determining the factors that affects the behavior of the high school students in Maryhill College. The descriptive method of research was utilized and the normative survey technique was used for gathering data . The questionnaire served as the instrument for collecting data. Selected high school students were the respondents. The inquiry was conducted during the school year 2012-2013. 1.Which factor affects the behavior of teenagers most? 2. How do the students with behavioral disorders interact with other people? 3. What are the implications that may prevent this behavior to become worst? 4. Does being bullied affects the behavior of the teenager? Findings After gathering the data and applying the necessary methods and statistical treatment, the following findings were revealed: 1. Based on the findings, among the five factors, peers ranks number 1, second is the family, third is the attitude, fourth is the school influences, and lastly, community influences. 2. They interact with other people in their own distinct ways.Some interacts just like anybody and some interacts just to get somebody's attention. 3. Based on the findings, most of the teenagers are very much affected with their pe ers. Thus, the disciplinarian, the parents, or the student itself must help themselves by preventing this problem behavior and to be motivated to become a better person. 4. Yes. Being bullied affects the behavior teenager. Being tolerated, facing in different criticisms, negative vibes, and being bullied affect the behavior of the teenagers a lot because most of them are losing their self-esteem and confidence. Thus, the teenager is affected by this.Conclusions The researcher concluded that: 1. Peers affect the behavior of teenagers most. 2. The teenager who has this problem behavior interacts with other people defiantly. 3. Proper parenthood is the best implementations to prevent this behavior to become worst. 4. Being bullied by a bully affects the behavior of the teenager a lot. Recommendations The researcher would like to recommend the following: To the parents 1. Proper parenthood is advised. 2. Parent-children communication is a must. To the teachers, 1. Have the proper way of educating students by trying to understand its deficiency.To the students, 1. Be aware of your peers. They may affect your behavior. 2. Don’t let anybody to let you down. 3. Build your own confidence. BIBLIOGRAPHY Book Custodia A. Sanchez, Paz F. Abad, and Loreto U. Jao, General Psychology Fourth Edition. (Manila:Rex Bookstore, Inc. , 2002)p. 33 RufinaSiruno and Edgardo Siruno. Child Growth and Development. (Manila: Rex Book Store, 1988),p. 94 Ramon Agapay, Ethnics and the Filipino (Mandaluyong, Manila: National Book Store, Inc. ,1991) p. 25-26 Rufina Siruno and Edgardo Siruno. Child Growth and Development. (Manila: Rex Book Store, 1988),p. 4 Encyclopedia Americana, (USA: Grolier Incorporated) vol. 25, p. 131 Conception RodilMartines and Galileo Fule, Management of Human Behavior in Organizations. (Diliman Quezon City: National Book Store, 1993), p. 67 Ramon B. Agapay, Ethics and the Filipino (Mandaluyong Manila: National Book Store, Inc. , 1991) p. 11 Conception R. Martines , Management of Human Behavior in Organizations. (Diliman Quezon City: National Book Store, 1993), p. 17 Electronic Devices Bijou, Sidney W. â€Å"Behaviorism. â€Å"Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008. Lloyd, John Wills. Education of Students with Behavior Disorders. â€Å"Microsoft Encarta ® 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008. http://www. eric. ed. gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini. jsp? _nfpb=tr Personal author, compiler, or editor name(s); click on any author to run a new search on that name. Thomson Gale. World of Health. http://www. bookrags. com/research/peer-pressure-woh/. 2005 Lyman Stone. How much does culture and lifestyle affect behavior?. http://www. helium. com/items/493732-how-much-does-culture-and-lifestyle-affect-behavior, 2002-2009 http://www. kidsdevelopment. co. k/BehaviouralDisordersChildren. html,2000-2009 Leticia Penano-Ho, â€Å"The Bully and the Bullied†, Manila Bulletin, 17 March 2008. APPENDICES APPENDIX A Letter of Transmittal for Gathering Data Maryhill College Basic Education Department Lucena City SY 2012-2013 March 8, 2013 Dear Respondents, The undersigned is conducting a study on â€Å"Factors Affecting the Behavior of Students in Dealing with Other People†. I have constructed questionnaire to gather information that will help to answer the problems. You have to answer truthfully the given questions so that I will have reliable data to prove my research.Your anonymity and the information you will give will be treated with confidentiality. Thank you very much for kind response to my request. Sincerely yours, Christian KING Z. Dimaculangan Researcher APPENDIX B Questionnaire GENERAL DIRECTIONS: Please accomplish this questionnaire very carefully and honestly. Please rest assured that any information that you supply will be treated with the greatest confidentiality. AGE____ GENDER ____ DIRECTIONS: Please check the best answer. 1) Parent’s Status ___ Together ___ Separated ___ OFW father or mother ___ Both OFW ___ Others please specify ) Do you have friends? ___ Yes ___ None 3) Are you a Bully? ___ Yes ___ No 4) Have you experienced being bullied? ___ Yes ___ No DIRECTIONS: Keep in mind a typical episode of the problem behavior, check the best answer. 1) Does your problem in behavior occur and persist when it is needed to perform a task? ____ Always ____ Sometimes ____ Never 2) During a conflict with peers or if you are engaged in the problem behavior do your friends leave you alone? ____ Always ____ Sometimes ____ Never 3) When the problem in behavior occurs, do your classmates verbally respond or laugh at you? ___ Always ____ Sometimes ____ Never 4) Is your problem in behavior more likely to occur following a conflict outside the classroom? ____ Always ____ Sometimes ____ Never 5) Does your problem in behavior occur to get others attention? ____ Always ____ Sometimes ____ Never 6) Does your proble m in behavior occur in the presence of specific peers? ____ Always ____ Sometimes ____ Never 7) Does the problem in behavior stop when peers stop interacting with the student? ____ Always ____ Sometimes ____ Never 8) Does your problem in behavior occur during specific academic activities? ____ Always ___ Sometimes ____ Never Rate the following factors from 1-5 that affect your behavior most. Write the number at left side of the word. And use 1 as the factor that affect your behavior most and 5 as the factors which affects your behavior less _____School _____ Community influences _____ Peers _____ Family _____ Attitudes THANK YOU! APPENDIX C Talligram PARENT’S STATUS| Together| Separated| OFW| Others| | IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-III| III| IIIII-I| III| Total| 28| 3| 6| 3| ARE YOU A BULLY? | Yes| No| | IIIII-II| IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-III| Total| 7| 33| EXPERIENCED BEING BULLIED? Yes| No| | IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-II| IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-III| Total| 22| 18| Probl em Behavior occur in when needed to perform a task| Always| Sometimes| Never| | III| IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-III| IIII| Total| 3| 33| 4| Do their friends leave them alone? | Always| Sometimes| Never| | IIIII-| IIIII-IIIII-II| IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-III| Total| 5| 12| 23| Do their classmates verbally respond or laugh at them? | Always| Sometimes| Never| | IIIII-| IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-I| IIIII-IIIII-IIII| Total| 5| 21| 14| Problem behavior more likely occur following a conflict outside the classroom? Always| Sometimes| Never| | IIIII-| IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-II| IIIII-III| Total| 5| 27| 8| Problem behavior occur to get others attention? | Always| Sometimes| Never| | II| IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-| IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-III| Total| 2| 20| 18| Problem behavior occurs in the presence of specific peers. | Always| Sometimes| Never| | IIII| IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-I| IIIII-IIIII-| Total| 4| 26| 10| Problem behavior stops when peers stop interacting with the student. | Always| Sometimes| Never| | II| IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-IIIII-II| IIIII-IIIII-I| Total| 2| 27| 11|Problem behavior occurs during specific academic activities. | Always| Sometimes| Never| | IIIII-| IIIII-IIIII- IIIII-IIIII-II| IIIII-IIIII-III| Total| 5| 22| 13| Factors that affects the behavior| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| Over-all Ranking| School Influences| IIIII-| IIIII-II| IIIII- IIIII-| IIIII- IIIII- IIII| IIII| 4| | 5| 7| 10| 14| 4| | Community| II| IIIII-I| IIII| IIIII- IIIII-II| IIIII- IIIII- IIIII-I| 5| | 2| 6| 4| 12| 16| | Peers| IIIII- IIIII- IIIII-I| IIIII- IIIII-| IIIII-| IIIII-| IIII| 1| | 16| 10| 5| 5| 4| | Family| IIIII- IIII| IIIII- IIIII- IIII| IIIII-II| IIII| IIIII-I| 2| | 9| 14| 7| 4| 6| |Attitude| IIIII-II| IIIII-II| IIIII- IIIII- IIII| IIIII-| IIIII-II| 3| | 7| 7| 14| 5| 7| | CURICULUM VITAE Name: Christian King Z. Dimaculangan Nickname: King Birth date: November 17, 1997 Age: 15 years old Birthplace: Lucena City Address: #10 Bolovia St. Better Living Subd. ,Isabang, Lucena City Contact Number: 0933-214-5217 Father:Dennis Dimaculangan Occupation: Store Manager Mother: ChonaDimaculangan Occupation: Medical Secretary Educational Background: St. Gerard Inc. (Preparatory) Maryhill College (Elementary-Present) [2004-Present] Organizations: Youth for Christ Habitat for Humanity

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Is evil really the nature of mankind Essay

Is evil really the nature of mankind? Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Man is assumed to have morals. Morality can be defined as the ability to come up with ruled and adhere to them to the letter coupled with the ability to discern right from wrong. This raises the question whether man does wrong on purpose. Is man born evil in nature? People will go to great lengths just to fulfill their personal desires even if it goes against all morality. This essay seeks to show the depravity of man as epitomized in the allegory Young Goodman Brown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The allegorical tale was set in the Puritan setting of the early 17th century. The writer sought to expose human depravity through the main character. Human beings hide behind masks to cover up their tracks. In modern day society people engage in all sorts of activities and use their positions, family legacy and upbringing as cover up. Goodman is a symbolic representation of this. He embarks on a journey to the witches’ meeting while he proclaims an upbringing that condemns such acts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The choice of diction, characters and colloquial expressions such as Faith and Young Goodman explicitly exemplify the paradoxical nature of man. During the setting of the novel, the Salem trials in which witches were executed were taking place. Man engages in practices that are biblically and morally evil. The minister, Deacon Gooking and Goody Cloyse are all involved in the cult. This exposes man’s folly evil nature since even those who are perceived as the righteous in society engage in questionable practices.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story explicitly exposes follies in society. It is also a means in which the writer sympathizes with the beliefs and society in the Puritan religion. The church elders in the community take part in witchcraft. The story is arguably one of the best since it ridicules as well as exposes the evil nature of man. References Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown. Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Library, 1996. Source document

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

constitutionalism essays

constitutionalism essays The seventeenth century, which witnessed the development of absolute monarchy, also saw the appearance of the constitutional state. While France solved the question of sovereignty with the absolutist state, England evolved toward the constitutional state. If we could assign a very simple definition of the term of the term constitutionalism, it would be the limitation of government by law. Constitutionalism implies a very delicate balance between the authority and power of government, on the one hand, and the rights and liberties of the subjects, on the other. In essence, the law is embodied by a set of precepts and principles a constitution. A nations constitution may be written or unwritten. It may be embodied in one basic document, occasionally revised by amendment or judicial decision, like the Constitution of the United States. It also may be partly written and partly unwritten and include parliamentary statutes, judicial decisions, and a body of traditional procedures and practices (like the English constitution). Regardless of whether it is written or unwritten, a constitution gets its binding force from the governments acknowledgment that it must respect that constitution that is, that the state must govern according to the laws. Likewise, in this state, the people look on the laws and the constitution as the protector of their rights, liberty, and property. Modern constitutional governments may take either a republican or a monarchical form. In a constitutional republic, the sovereign power resides in the electorate and is exercised by the electorates representatives. In a constitutional monarchy, a king or queen serves as the head of state and possesses some residual political authority, but again the ultimate, or sovereign, power rests in the electorate. The constitutional government at this time period has sometimes been perceived to be the same as the democratic form. However, su...

Monday, October 21, 2019

The eNotes Blog Top Ten Love Lines From Literature for YourValentine

Top Ten Love Lines From Literature for YourValentine When it comes to Valentines Day, do you find yourself mulling over the remaining dozen or so cards left at the drugstore, trying to decide whether the kitten with the googly-eyes exclaiming Youre purrrrrrrrrrrrrrfect! is any better or worse than the over-sized card with a creepily happy train chugging out the words, I chooo-choo-choose YOU! ? Well, dont despair. Here are ten relationship-saving sentiments for you to borrow. Find a nice, blank card, write one of these lines inside, and buy the book that it came from. Wrap it up, and, using your best toe-in-the-sand look, say, Honey, I thought of you the second I read this. Hey, come on its sort of true 1. â€Å"I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.† ― Pablo Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets 2. â€Å"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.† ― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves 3. â€Å"Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.† ― Rainer Maria Rilke 4. â€Å"I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)I am never without it (anywhere I go you go,my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling) I fear no fate (for you are my fate,my sweet)I want no world (for beautiful you are my world,my true) and its you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder thats keeping the stars apart I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)† ― E.E. Cummings 5. â€Å"If there is no love in the world, we will make a new world, and we will give it walls, and we will furnish it with soft, red interiors, from the inside out, and give it a knocker that resonates like a diamond falling to a jewellers felt so that we should never hear it. ― Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything is Illuminated 6.   â€Å"The power of a glance has been so much abused in love stories, that it has come to be disbelieved in. Few people dare now to say that two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. Yet it is in this way that love begins, and in this way only.† ― Victor Hugo,   Les Misà ©rables 7. â€Å"Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just wont adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honor and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words make and stay become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free.† ― Tom Robbins, Still Life With Woodpecker 8. â€Å"I love you, Buttercup said. I know this must come as something of a surprise to you, since all Ive ever done is scorn you and degrade you and taunt you, but I have loved you for several hours now, and every second, more. I thought an hour ago that I loved you more than any woman has ever loved a man, but a half hour after that I knew that what I felt before was nothing compared to what I felt then. But ten minutes after that, I understood that my previous love was a puddle compared to the high seas before a storm. Your eyes are like that, did you know? Well they are. How many minutes ago was I? Twenty? Had I brought my feelings up to then? It doesnt matter. ― William Goldman, The Princess Bride 9.   â€Å"I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity, and her flaming self respect. And its these things Id believe in, even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasnt all she should be. I love her and it is the beginning of everything.† ― F. Scott Fitzgerald 10.   â€Å"Maybeyoull fall in love with me all over again. Hell, I said, I love you enough now. What do you want to do? Ruin me? Yes. I want to ruin you. Good, I said. Thats what I want too.† ― Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

Sunday, October 20, 2019

How US Foreign Aid is Used in Foreign Policy

How US Foreign Aid is Used in Foreign Policy US foreign aid is an essential part of American foreign policy. The U.S. extends it to developing nations and for military or disaster assistance. The United States has used foreign aid since 1946. With annual expenditures in the billions of dollars, it is also one of the most controversial elements of American foreign policy. Background of American Foreign Aid Western allies learned the lesson of foreign aid after World War I. Defeated Germany received no help restructuring its government and economy after the war. In an unstable political climate, Nazism grew in the 1920s to challenge the Weimar Republic, Germanys legitimate government, and ultimately replace it. Of course, World War II was the result. After World War II, America feared Soviet communism would creep into destabilized, war-torn regions as Nazism had done earlier. To counter that, the United States immediately pumped $12 billion dollars into Europe. Congress then passed the European Recovery Plan (ERP), more commonly known as the Marshall Plan, named after Secretary of State George C. Marshall. The plan, which would distribute another $13 billion over the next five years, was the economic arm of President Harry Trumans plan to combat the spread of communism. The United States continued to use foreign aid throughout the Cold War as a way to keep nations out of the communist Soviet Unions sphere of influence. It has also regularly disbursed humanitarian foreign aid in the wake of disasters. Types of Foreign Aid The United States divides foreign aid into three categories: military and security assistance (25 percent of yearly expenditures), disaster and humanitarian relief (15 percent), and economic development assistance (60 percent). The United States Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC) manages military and security elements of foreign aid. Such aid includes military instruction and training. USASAC also manages the sales of military equipment to eligible foreign nations. According to the USASAC, it now manages 4,000 foreign military sales cases worth an estimated $69 billion. The Office of Foreign Disaster Administration handles disaster and humanitarian aid cases. Disbursements vary annually with the number and nature of global crises. In 2003, United States disaster aid reached a 30-year peak with $3.83 billion in aid. That amount included relief resulting from Americas March 2003 invasion of Iraq. USAID administers economic development aid. Assistance includes infrastructure construction, small-enterprise loans, technical assistance, and budget support for developing nations. Top Foreign Aid Recipients U.S. Census reports for 2008 indicate the top five recipients of American foreign aid that year were: Afghanistan, $8.8 billion ($2.8 billion economic, $6 billion military)Iraq, $7.4 billion ($3.1 billion economic, $4.3 billion military)Israel, $2.4 billion ($44 million economic, $2.3 billion military)Egypt, $1.4 billion ($201 million economic, $1.2 billion military)Russia, $1.2 billion (all of it economic aid) Israel and Egypt have usually topped the recipient list. Americas wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and its efforts to rebuild those areas while countering terrorism have put those countries at the top of the list. Criticism of American Foreign Aid Critics of American foreign aid programs claim that they do little good. They are quick to note that while economic aid is intended for developing countries, Egypt and Israel certainly do not fit that category. Opponents also argue that American foreign aid is not about development, but rather propping up leaders who comply with Americas wishes, regardless of their leadership abilities. They charge that American foreign aid, especially military aid, simply props up third-rate leaders who are willing to follow Americas wishes. Hosni Mubarak, ousted from the Egyptian presidency in February 2011, is an example. He followed through on his predecessor Anwar Sadats normalization of relations with Israel, but he did little good for Egypt. Recipients of foreign military aid have also turned against the United States in the past. Osama bin Laden, who used American aid to fight Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s, is a prime example. Other critics maintain that American foreign aid merely ties truly developing nations to the United States and does not enable them to stand on their own. Rather, they argue, promoting free enterprise within and free trade with those countries would serve them better.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Ancient and MEdieval Political Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ancient and MEdieval Political Theory - Essay Example If only ISIS knew Nicomachean Ethics, it may have reexamined its ideological approach and realize that extremism is not the right way to go about in life. Aristotle’s discourse on Nicomachean Ethics prescribes moderation and balance on everything. It posits that anything taken to the extreme, including ideology is never good. According to Nicomachean ethics, nature teaches us that excess can destroy us (Kraut). For example, the basic of function of nutrition must be in moderation that we will only eat according to what our body needs that overeating can make us obese while under eating can make us malnourish. This law of nature also applies to morals – that is, we should exercise temperance and endeavor to achieve and preserve the mean which in plain language meant balance or moderation. Applying this to ideology, it meant that we should exercise moderation in what we believe. If are too extreme or bent or become hardliner, we could commit atrocious acts such as what ISIS is now doing to people. Extremism can also make us intolerant and blind to the perspective of others. This is a very evident in the error of reasoning of ISIS to impose their own brand of Islam of which Islamic scholars themselves dismiss as un-Islamic for nowhere in the Quran does it preach violence, rape and destruction. In their effort to impose their disagreeable perspective, they will terrorize anyone who would not heed them evident with the hundreds of Iraqis they executed when they refused to convert to their brand of Islam. Moderation must also be practiced at all times according to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Using the same example of nutrition, one has to nourish the body in moderation all the time to keep it healthy and make it strong. Obviously ISIS does not do moderation in constancy. What they are consistent about is on their ideology of hate which was borne out of extremism. This explains why terrorism will not just stop easily because the realization that

Friday, October 18, 2019

Naomi Barkos perspective of the wage gap due to gender differences Essay

Naomi Barkos perspective of the wage gap due to gender differences - Essay Example Research has been done on the present situation of the wage gap in US in the last decade and the improvements made in the last 30 to 40 after the enforcement of equal wages act and the women’s movement in mid 20th century. Naomi Barko’s perspective of the wage gap due to gender differences Women are still considered as second grade custody workers in various job sectors. A decade ago in the US, women were still being paid low as compared to the men for the same job that they were doing. Women care takers and cleaners has a salary widely disparate form that of men and all because of gender difference. A salary gap of 8000 US dollars separated the women’s yearly income (22000 US Dollars) form the men’s yearly income (30000 US Dollars). (Barko 1) Even after 5 decades since the enforcement of the Equal Payment Act of 1963, American women earned 74 cents for every dollar earned by men, according to the study published jointly by the AFL-CIO and The Institute fo r Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), Washington (Barko 1). An increase in the wages of women task force employed across different industry sectors and in different categories would bring more than 50 % of low income dual-earner and single-mother households above the poverty line. Recent study has challenged the age-old argument of lesser industry experience, child bearing time off and child rearing time off supporting low income of women stating that 43 % of wage gap remains unexplained. Secondary Research After the industrial revolution in the late 19th and early 20th century many new fields of work emerged and the professional world witnessed a boom. New posts were created, new organisations came into existence and new business lines became viable profit-making options. Niche became main-stream and options multiplied. Even in this abundance of organisation, roles and opportunities women generally were granted lower posts, lower income and less challenging roles. It’s on ly been a recent development that women are now being considered and granted equal professional status as their male counterparts. The change in perception of the job industry only changed in the last three decades with the industry stepping into the Silicon Age and the IT boom. IT industry, Media and Entertainment Industry, staffing and HR industry and even government service has matured to not only include women in their task force but grant them equal career levels as compared to men, challenging roles and better pay than earlier. Even after the women’s right movement worldwide and HR concept of inclusion, gender diversity and equality the gap hasn’t reduced significantly and statistics still remain the same â€Å"Women's earnings were  77.0 percent of men's in 2011, compared to 77.4 percent in 2010, according to  Census statistics released September 12, 2012 based on the median earnings of all full-time, year-round workers.  Men's earning in 2011 were $48,20 2 and women's were $37,118, a difference of $11,084.† (National Committee on Pay Equity 2012) Top employers in the Multi-national Corporation category in the software, manufacturing, consultancy and engineering industry have included women in almost all departments,

Federal Reserve System, Interest Rates and Money Supply (SLP) Essay

Federal Reserve System, Interest Rates and Money Supply (SLP) - Essay Example By increasing the interest rates Federal Reserve attempts to condense the supply of money by making it more expensive to obtain. There is no immediate effect on market with the increase in interest rate. However what happens immediately is that it suddenly becomes more costly for banks to borrow money from the central banks pushing the banks to increase the interest rates for lending money to their customers. (Siddhartha Jha, 2011) Expenses necessary for the survival are called committed expenses. As these expenses are mandatory, there purchasing decisions are not affected by fluctuations within the interest rate environment. Further, such expenses are met against cash so interest expenses are not applicable. Committed expenses include rent, transportation, groceries, and health insurance, telephone and electricity bills. Expenses associated with consumer goods, which depreciate quickly and rarely add value to one’s bottom line are called discretionary expenses. Expenses on designer clothes, vacation packages, high-end electronics and memberships to exclusive clubs are discretionary expenses. With the rise in interest rates discretionary spending reduces sharply because higher interest rates increase financing costs and lower disposable income. (John Bates, 2011) Spending on big ticket items expenses like purchasing a car or financing a home is encouraged with stable incomes and low interest rates. The spending decisions for big-ticket items are more so affected by the overall economy because despite a low-interest rate environment, one would be unlikely to take on a mortgage to buy a new home, if one’s job is in jeopardy. On the contrary, a strong economy and impressive stock market returns encourage raising cash to purchase a luxury car. Lower interest rates on real estate loans are better for the real estate market in general because it

Thursday, October 17, 2019

IT Evolution in Global Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

IT Evolution in Global Banking - Essay Example The customers can also access their bank accounts, withdraw cash, pay bills, get bank statements, deposit cash and even buy products without having to visit their bank branches. Indeed, what technology has facilitated is the reduction of physical conduct between the customer and the banker bringing in a new phenomenon known as virtual banking. Information technology can offer a bank a competitive edge over other banks (Singer, Ross & Avery 2005) The internet invention was the greatest breakthrough for banks in carrying out their transactions with customers (Wanderi 2012). As internet access is enhanced, more and more banks are turning to online banking services. Such services are more convenient to customers and the banker, they also save time and costs and increase efficiency. Banks that do not adopt technology are likely to be unpopular among the customer base. Automated teller machines, television banking, virtual banking, internet banking, mobile banking, online pay bill, mobile commerce, social media payments, credit cards and debit cards are some of the examples of how technology is changing the banking industry (Kendrick 2011). This paper will discuss the evolution of information technology in the banking industry with emphasis on internet banking, growth of e-commerce and virtual banking and new delivery channels such as PC banking, mobile banking and TV banking. Discussion The most important concept is the internet. In early years of internet, banks normally used the internet for internal purposes such as publishing of corporate data and offerings. At this time, internet was mainly used in banking as a tool of information dissemination to customers and the general public. This was then followed by banking internet services such as checking account balances online, paying utility bills online and online transfer of funds. Many banks feared transacting over the internet because of the security threats. However, with the growth in software and information technology infrastructure many banks have embraced this technology (Vaidya 2009). Internet has enabled banks to open up websites where customers can now access their products and services. The banks do not need to put up advertisements in the media or do customers have to go to the banks in order to learn about the products and services of banks. All they need to do is just access the website and learn about the banks products and services. These calls on banks to embrace information technology because not doing so might make their products and services unpopular. Internet has facilitated a new concept called virtual banking in the banking industry. In this case, the banks offer their products and services only through electronic means without any physical contact with their customers. This is gaining popularity as the global economy grows and access to the information technology is enhanced throughout the world. This model normally operates without many branches because they do no t need to physically interact with customers. Given that they do not require many personnel and the maintenance costs are low, they normally offer competitive prices for their products and services. The people around the world are getting busier and have no time to spend on bank transactions and hence there is a shift from traditional banking to virtual banking.

Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Review - Article Example For all those abroad and at home made uncomfortable by the far-reaching assertions of American power, it was a time of predictable aggravation (Brennan 1). Without shock, they heard an overconfident Republican president swearing to make his nation’s attackers pay, and appearing to pay no more attention to legal facts instead of a cowboy bent on an execution. Behind all these endeavors lie two solid questions left answered by Mr. Bush’s rallying call of 2001: whether the United States can lay claim to the lawful powers of a country waging war, or whether it is more just, wiser or more useful to murder or capture terrorists and militants bent on causing harm to the country. Such an article, if gone through by business leaders, would persuade them to invest in the United States since the article informs people how the nation has improved technologically (Brennan 1). The article supports Obama’s use of technology to bring prosperity to the United States, which is a good way of attracting investors to the

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

IT Evolution in Global Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

IT Evolution in Global Banking - Essay Example The customers can also access their bank accounts, withdraw cash, pay bills, get bank statements, deposit cash and even buy products without having to visit their bank branches. Indeed, what technology has facilitated is the reduction of physical conduct between the customer and the banker bringing in a new phenomenon known as virtual banking. Information technology can offer a bank a competitive edge over other banks (Singer, Ross & Avery 2005) The internet invention was the greatest breakthrough for banks in carrying out their transactions with customers (Wanderi 2012). As internet access is enhanced, more and more banks are turning to online banking services. Such services are more convenient to customers and the banker, they also save time and costs and increase efficiency. Banks that do not adopt technology are likely to be unpopular among the customer base. Automated teller machines, television banking, virtual banking, internet banking, mobile banking, online pay bill, mobile commerce, social media payments, credit cards and debit cards are some of the examples of how technology is changing the banking industry (Kendrick 2011). This paper will discuss the evolution of information technology in the banking industry with emphasis on internet banking, growth of e-commerce and virtual banking and new delivery channels such as PC banking, mobile banking and TV banking. Discussion The most important concept is the internet. In early years of internet, banks normally used the internet for internal purposes such as publishing of corporate data and offerings. At this time, internet was mainly used in banking as a tool of information dissemination to customers and the general public. This was then followed by banking internet services such as checking account balances online, paying utility bills online and online transfer of funds. Many banks feared transacting over the internet because of the security threats. However, with the growth in software and information technology infrastructure many banks have embraced this technology (Vaidya 2009). Internet has enabled banks to open up websites where customers can now access their products and services. The banks do not need to put up advertisements in the media or do customers have to go to the banks in order to learn about the products and services of banks. All they need to do is just access the website and learn about the banks products and services. These calls on banks to embrace information technology because not doing so might make their products and services unpopular. Internet has facilitated a new concept called virtual banking in the banking industry. In this case, the banks offer their products and services only through electronic means without any physical contact with their customers. This is gaining popularity as the global economy grows and access to the information technology is enhanced throughout the world. This model normally operates without many branches because they do no t need to physically interact with customers. Given that they do not require many personnel and the maintenance costs are low, they normally offer competitive prices for their products and services. The people around the world are getting busier and have no time to spend on bank transactions and hence there is a shift from traditional banking to virtual banking.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Compare and contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 15

Compare and contrast - Essay Example These policies try to block expansion of the Soviet Power and expose falsities of it and to induce a retraction of Kremlins control and foster seeds of destruction in the Soviet System. These policies give power to US where it has military strength. Containment policy maintains strong military power that guarantees the national security and conduct of the policy of containment.2 The link suggests that the policies of containment is not implemented properly It has made the country to be in diplomatic impasse with the Soviet Union. The US states that they have the capabilities in economic and military fields and the political and psychological fields. The citizens of US believe that with the principle of freedom, importance of the individual and tolerance and are more vital than the ideology of the Soviet dynamism.3 It analyzes that the American democracy has a degree of unity where the society is cohesive than the Soviet system that is created through force, favor and fear. This means that chances of revolution are less than in the Soviet system. This creates potential for force in international relations where the tolerance for a world outlook has enormous influence. The second link The Charge in the Soviet Union (Kennan) to the Secretary of State talk about that how the Cold War disrupted the global affairs and divided the 20th-century history.4 It states that Soviet Socialist Realism is disconnected from dominant narratives and discredited by Soviet systems. It is deemed to have represented the cultural context at the place of time. It therefore functioned as a state apparatus that responded to political and historical realities that guide military and economic initiatives in the Soviet Union. Kennan’s long-term article written in 1946 gave an incisive annalistic of the Soviet outlooks where it gave the convictions of the Soviet Union ideology of its policy. The Soviet Socialist Realism related first, with

Monday, October 14, 2019

Performance Measurements Essay Example for Free

Performance Measurements Essay Performance measurements are used to characterize and define performance in a project. They are used to track and manage progress toward achieving specific project goals. Performance measurements help determine how decision-making processes of a project led to its success or failure, understanding these can help organizations make future improvements. It is a project managers responsibility to measure performance based on the triple constraints of time, budget, and quality of a project. There are many performance measurements a project manager can use based on the type of project at hand, this paper compares and contrasts the following measurements * Earned Value * Customer Satisfaction * Requirements Performance Earned Value Earned Value measures work performed in terms of schedule and budget of a project. It helps identify schedule and budget mishaps in all areas of a project. Earned Value is an approach where you monitor the project plan, actual work, and work-completed value to see if a project is on track. Earned Value shows how much of the budget and time should have been spent, with regard to the amount of work done so far (Haughey, 2013). It measures current performance in a project, which helps project managers determine what the future performance will be. Using earned value, project managers can determine how much work is completed vs. , how much was expected to be completed at a certain point in a project. Based on the earned value, project managers can make changes to the way the project is progressing in terms of specific tasks, schedule, and budget to bring it back on track for successful completion. Earned Value provides the project manager with an objective way of measuring performance and predicting future outcomes. This can enable him or her to report progress with greater confidence and highlight any overrun earlier. This in turn, enables the management team to make cost and time allocation decisions earlier than would otherwise be the case (Haughey, 2013). Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is a performance measure that determines if customer expectations are being met. At the end of a project, customer satisfaction is what determines if a project was a success or a failure. Project-driven organizations must consider customer satisfaction as a critical success factor. Organizations that deliver projects that disregard customer needs create negative experiences and ultimately cause huge problems for the organization (Karim, 2012). Project managers must make sure customer expectations and requirements are in line with the project continually during the life of a project. Following are some of the steps he or she can take to ensure customer satisfaction * Balance customer needs with companys customer service needs. Make sure customer requirements are deliverable and clearly communicate those that arent. * Gather continual feedback from customers to measure their satisfaction and improve current processes. * Customer satisfaction should be given as much importance as time, budget, and quality in project. * Include and inform customers when any changes are made in a project. * Effective communication between the customer and Project manager, and between the project manager and project team is very important. Requirements performance Meeting requirements is a key factor in measuring project performance. It is important to make sure that the right requirements have been gathered, and they are detailed as clearly as possible. Requirements in a project can be both functional and non-functional. If a project is meeting all of its requirements, it can be a key factor that indicates if it will be a successful one. To measure this factor you need to develop measures of fit, which means the solution completely satisfies the requirement. A requirements performance index can measure the degree to which project results meet requirements Fit criteria are usually derived some time after the requirement description is first written (Pennypacker, n. d. ). In conclusion, there are many ways to measure project performance and each project has its unique set of performance measurements. Performance measurements are important to track the progress of a project and to make sure the project is on target. Performance measurements are used to monitor and control a project to ensure its successful completion.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Quality Assessment System in Construction

Quality Assessment System in Construction 1.0 Introduction Quality assessment system in construction industry is a system or method to measure and evaluate the quality of workmanship of a construction work based on the relevant approved standard. This assessment sets out the standard on quality of workmanship for various construction elements of building and infrastructure construction work. The quality of workmanship of a construction work is assessed according to the requirement of the relevant standard, and marks are awarded if the workmanship complies with the standard, (CIDB, 2011). According to Wong, (2007), one of the hallmarks of a developed construction industry is in the output of quality buildings and structures. It is therefore critical to inculcate among professionals, contractors and end-users the awareness of quality products and good designs, not only to raise the standard of the industrys products, but also to reduce wastage arising from rework. The Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC) developed by CIDB is an independent method to measure and evaluate the quality of workmanship and finishes of construction works based on objective comparison through a sampling and statistical approach. The Malaysian construction industry stakeholders are looking forward to action plans by CIDB in implementing QLASSIC with incentives as has been the case for the Construction Quality Assessment System (CONQUAS) in Singapore. Mahmood. et al. (2010) stated the quality management system is being increasingly applied to the construction company to solve quality problem. The implementation of this system required a culture change and change in management behaviour. The organization need to shift from their current culture to a quality management system culture that focuses on quality as a key strategy. A review of literature identifies ten important culture elements that contribute to successful implementation of quality management system, which include leadership and top management commitment, customer management, training and education, teamwork, people management and empowerment, supplier partnership, quality planning and strategic, process management, rewards and recognition and effective communication. 2.0 Problem Statements Nowadays, the quality of the building becomes an issue when many accidents occurred related to the building failure such as building collapse. Many criticisms received from public about this quality of the building. This has proven when Mahmood et al. (2010) stated that construction industry in Malaysia has been viewed as one of the sectors that have a poor quality compared to other sectors such as agriculture or automotive sector. This is supported by Said et. al. (2009) when he claims that there were misunderstandings among the organization player on Quality Management System (QMS) concepts has become a stumbling block for its successful implementation. Said et. al (2010, c.f SIRIM 2005) also found that QMS could be implemented either at the organization level or at the project level itself. Looking at the construction industry scenario in Malaysia, there are approximately 4000 ISO 9001:2000 QMS certified organizations in the Malaysian construction related industry. However, the number is still relatively small when compared to the total number of 63,204 organizations in this industry. Looking at the current scenario in the Malaysian construction industry, QMS compliance is a required factor to improve the quality of the Malaysian Construction Industry. Keng and Hamzah (2011, c.f Haupt et al. 2004) also found several problems found in implementing the quality assessment system on construction site such as too much paperwork, transient nature of workforce, field employees regard quality management as irrelevant, difficulty in measuring results, and subcontractors and suppliers not interested in assessment 3.0 Aim and Objectives of the Study The aim of this research is to study the impacts of implementation of quality assessment system in construction projects. Objectives: To identify the advantages from implementation of Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC) system in construction project. To determine the challenges in implementing quality assessment system in construction project. 4.0 Scope and Limitation Among the parties involved in construction, the contractors are the one who know the real situation in the construction compared to others. Beside that, the contractors also know the whole process in construction starting site possession until the projects is completed. Therefore, this research will be conducted with focusing: Only to contractor G6 or G7 (CIDB) that already engaged with high cost construction project that focus on quality of the building and clients satisfaction as a main priority. The limitation of the research survey only focus on Klang Valley area because this area was highly developed with new buildings design. 5.0 Research Methodology Primary Data A set of questionnaire will distribute to collect valuable data for this research. This interview may conduct to the targeted group in construction projects or organization. Secondary Data The researcher found literature review as his secondary resources with aim to investigate the previous research and body of knowledge about the quality assessment system in Malaysian construction industry. Problem statement Objective 2 To determine the challenges in implementing quality assessment system in construction project. Objective 1 To identify the advantages from implementation of Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC) system in construction project. Literature review Questionnaire Case study Comments and conclusion Impacts of implementation of quality assessment system in construction projects. Figure 1.1: flow chart of research process CHAPTER II:Â  LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Quality Assessment in Construction (QLASSIC) 2.1.1 Introduction According to CIDB (2006), Quality Assessment System for Building Construction Work (QLASSIC) is an independent method to assess and evaluate the quality of workmanship of building projects based on the standard stated as a guideline. Yin (2012), added that Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC) is a system to measure and evaluate the quality of workmanship of a construction work based on the relevant approved standard. QLASSIC enables the quality of workmanship between construction projects to be objectively compared through a scoring system. The purpose of this scheme is to enable a construction project to be undergone in standard of procedure in order to ensure the quality of workmanship in the works The construction industry and the private sector plays an important role in creating wealth and improving the quality of life of Malaysians through interpretation of socio-economic policy of the governments social and economic infrastructure and buildings. In addition, the construction industry creates multiplier effects to other industries, including manufacturing, financial services, and professional services. The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) (2006), has published a special guideline for measuring the quality of construction and become As a parameter for the level of quality achieved in a construction project in Malaysia. Rating of the workmanship will be made through site inspections. Assessments will be conducted by a qualified evaluator of QLASSIC registered, trained and have passed the training conducted by the CIDB 2.1.2 Objectives of QLASSIC Masters Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM) (2006), stated that CIDB list down objectives of the QLASSIC system: To elevate the level of quality in the construction industry. To have a standard quality assessment system as a benchmark for quality of construction works. To assist contractors to achieve defect-free when carrying out construction work. To be used as criteria to evaluate the performance of contractors based on quality of workmanship. To be used for data compilation for statistical analysis in estimating the level of quality and productivity of the construction industry. 2.1.3 Scopes of QLASSIC CIDB (2006), stated that this assessment is set out for the quality of workmanship for the various aspects of the construction elements for the general building works. It will cover four main components which is, Structural works, Architectural works, Mechanical and Electrical (M E) works and External works. Assessments on the workmanship are carried out based on this standard and marks are awarded if the workmanship complies with the standards. These marks are then summed up to give a total quality score (%) for the building project. However, the assessment excludes works such as piling, foundation and sub-structure works which are heavily equipment-based and called under separate contracts or sub contracts. The building is assessed primarily on workmanship standards achieved through site inspection and field testing. The assessment is done throughout the construction process for structural and M E works. For completed building projects the assessment is done for architectural, M E fittings and external works. Apart from site inspection, the assessment also includes field tests, test results on the material and the functional performance of selected services and installations. These tests help to safeguard the interest of building occupants in relation to safety, comfort and aesthetic; these defects may surface only after sometime. In addition, MBAM (2006), stated that QLASSIC sets out the standards for various construction elements in building work and other infrastructure work. The quality assessment on the workmanship and finishes of the construction work is based on these standards and points are awarded if the workmanship and finishes comply with the standards. These points are then summed up to give a total quality score called the QLASSIC Score (%) for a project. The assessment is conducted at the construction site through inspection and field testing. The score will be done on construction works that are inspected for the first time. Construction works that are rectified and corrected after the assessment will not be rescored. The objective of this practice is to encourage contractors to do things right the first time and every time 2.1.4 Components to be assessed According to QLASSIC (2006), the quality standards for building construction work are divided into four main components:- a) Structural works The structural integrity of the building is of paramount importance as the cost of failure and repairs are very significant. The assessment of structural works comprises: Site inspection of formwork, steel reinforcement, prefabricated or pre-cast elements, etc. during construction. Laboratory testing of compressive strength of concrete and tensile strength of steel reinforcement. Non-destructive testing of the uniformity and the cover of hardened concrete. b) Architectural works Architectural works deal mainly with the finishes. This is the part where the quality and standards of workmanship are most visible. Architectural works are works such as floors, internal walls, ceiling, door and window, fixtures and fittings, external wall, roofs, driveway, porch and apron. c) Mechanical and Electrical (M E) works The quality of M E works is important in view of its increasingly high cost proportion and its impact on the performance of a building. The assessment covers electrical works, air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation works (ACMV), fire protection works, sanitary and plumbing works, lifts, escalator and other basic M E fittings. d) External works External works cover the general external work elements in building construction such as the linkways/ shelters, drains, road works, car parks, footpaths, turfings, playgrounds, gates and fences, swimming pools, hardscapes and electrical substation. 2.1.5 Assessment approach In general, the assessor determines the samples or elements to be assessed to each assessment. The samples are selected from drawings and plans. The selected samples shall be distributed as uniformly as possible throughout the project and construction stages. All locations are to be offered for the assessment. The scoring will be done on the works that are inspected for the first time. When an assessed item does not comply with the corresponding QLASSIC standards, it is considered failed and an X will be noted in the assessment form. Likewise a v is given for an item meeting the standards. A - will be given to indicate that the item is not applicable. The score is computed based on the number of v over the total number of items assessed. (CIDB, 2006) MBAM (2006) stated that, it is impractical to assess all elements in a construction project, QLASSIC assessment uses a sampling process to carry out the assessment. The samples are selected from drawings and plans of the relevant construction project. a) Structural Works The assessment is carried out throughout the various construction stages. The numbers of samples are determined based on the gross floor area (GFA) of the building with a minimum and maximum number of samples. b) Architectural works The assessment is carried out upon completion of the building project and before handing over of the project. The samples are determined based on the gross floor area (GFA) of the building with a minimum and maximum number of samples. c) Mechanical and Electrical (M E) works The samples are determined based on the gross floor area (GFA) of the building with a minimum and maximum number of samples. For completed projects the assessment is carried out upon completion of the building project and before handing over of the project. For projects in progress the assessment is carried out throughout the various construction stages. d) External works The assessment is carried out upon completion of the building and before handing over of the project. The numbers of samples are determined based on (10m length section/ location) with a minimum number of samples. 2.1.6 Evaluation process of QLASSIC START Architectural work Structural work ME work External work Developers / contractors shall made application APPLY TO CIDB SCOPE OF EVALUATION Numbers of sample is based on guideline in CIS7 Samples are identified before assessors make an evaluation SAMPLING FROM ASSESSOR Qualified assessors will assess the samples. The quality standard based on CIS7. SAMPLING ON SITE QLASSIC SCORE (%) Report from CIDB based on the evaluation by assessors. FINISH 2.1.7 QLASSIC assessor To be an assessor, the persons must attend the QLASSIC training course before being qualified to carry out the actual assessment at the construction sites. The QLASSIC assessors are continuously updated to ensure consistency and effective implementation of the assessment. Requirements of QLASSIC assessor; Malaysian citizen Age: 25-60 years Possesses an academic qualification in construction related fields such as architectural/civil/mechanical/electrical engineering/quantity surveyor or other fields Successfully completed the QLASSIC Assessor Certification Programme. Posses minimum working experience in the construction industry according to academic qualification as follows. 2.2 Quality philosophy 2.2.1 Quality concept Many definitions had been made in order to explain the terms of quality. Hoyle (1998), defined quality as a degree of excellence, conformance with requirements, the totally of characteristic of an entity that bear its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs, fitness for use. In addition, he also stated quality as freedom from defects, imperfections or contamination. In other words, quality is focus on satisfaction needs and costumers demand as a first priority. In construction industry, the offer from clients to contractor to do projects with a terms and conditions need to be followed by contractors and if the projects is completed according the requirements given is a quality products. According to Besterfield (1998), quality cannot be measured by with number or it intangible and it only can be measure by personnel perception. Quality only can be quantified as follows: Q = P/E Where, Q=Quality P=Performance E=Expectations According to the formula, if quality is greater, the costumer has a good feeling about the products deliver. 2.2.2 Quality parameter According to Hoyle (1998), difference in design can be classified or group into different class and the results can be good or poor. It is not enough to produce product only conform to the specification or supply services that meet managements requirement. Quality can be classified in three parameters which is: Quality of design is the extent to which the design reflects a product or services that satisfies costumer needs. All the necessary characteristics need to be designed into the product or service at the outset. Quality of conformance is the extent to which the product or service conform to the design standard. The design has faithfully translating the clients need and it depends on the processes to realize the design into an actual end products. Quality of use is the extent which the user able to secure continuity of use from the product or service. Products need to have a low cost of ownership be safe and reliable and maintainable in use. 2.2.3 Quality management According to Juran (1989), basic purpose of quality management is to eliminate failure in services or products. Failure not only that products, process or services but it would be fail in their function or their function not satisfy to customer demand. Hence, the quality management consist of planning, organizing, controlling and preventing the products or services from failure. All the methods and technique that use in quality management must be useful to improve and increase the quality of the products or services. This quality management include inspection process. Inspection is a process where quality is measured before deliver the products or services to the costumer. However, inspection alone is not enough to deliver quality products or services, it must adopt with the other practice to prevent failure. Quality management is both technical and behavioural subject. Therefore, the management of quality involves many aspects of an organization and the organization must make sure all its function inter-related and work efficiently and effectively because whenever any function fail to perform, they will effect to another. 2.2.4 Quality control Quality control is the operational activities or techniques used to fulfil the requirement for quality. In other words, it is a process to maintain standards and prevent from failure. Standard can be control by process of selection, measurement and correction of work. Quality control can be applied in the processes that produce products by measuring the overall quality performance of the organization.(Juran, 1989) There are steps to control the quality; Determine what elements need to be controlled. Determine whether it needs to be control before, during or after the result. Establish details for the parameter to be controlled. Establish plans for control which specify the means by which the characteristics will be achieved and variation detected and removed. Organize resource to implement the quality control. Install sensor at an appropriate point in the process. Collect the data. Analyze the results. Propose solutions and decide the technique to overcome the problems. Take the action and check again whether it has been corrected or not. 2.2.5 Quality improvement Quality improvement can be defined as an action taken by the organization to increase and improve the effectiveness of activities or processes to provide satisfaction to the costumer. (ISO,2000). In other words, process of changing the quality for the products or services that can improve the level of satisfaction to the costumer. This can be done by control or increase the standard. Control approach can be done by improving the rate at which an agreed standard is achieved. The second approach is by increase the standard and setting new level. New standard can be created by making research and development to a products and services. 2.2.6 Quality assurance ISO (2000), defined the quality assurance as a planned and systematic action necessary to provide adequate confidence that an entity will fulfil the requirements for quality. Costumers and managers need a quality assurance, as they cannot oversee the operation for themselves. The assurance of quality can be gained by testing a products or services against prescribed standards to establish in capability to meet them. This approach can give confidence only to the tested products. Quality assurance not controls the quality, it establish the extent to which quality will be, is being or has been controlled. 2.2.7 Quality system Hoyle (1998), stated that system is a set of function or activities that operate together to achieve the aim. A success quality system will lead the organization to achieve, sustain and improve the quality. It is a planning, well evaluates and organized to produce a required quality performance. A quality system is the approach to achieve all desire quality goals. Quality system focus on the quality of the organization produces, the factors which will cause the organization to achieve its goals, the factors influencing the customer satisfaction and identify nonconforming product. Quality system needs to possess certain characteristics for them to be fit for their purpose. Robustness ability to withstand variation in the way operation are carried out without failure Complexity the number of interconnections, routings, pathways, variations, options, etc, which give rise multiple procedure. Maintainability the ease and economy with which system changes can be made. Flexibility ability of the system can handle the changes in circumstances. Consistency the ability of the documented system unifies communication both within itself and the organizations. 2.3 Challenges faced by construction project team in implementation of QLASSIC 2.3.1 Introduction CIDB (2008) stated that like any other countries around the world, Malaysian construction industries face the problems that affect the development of construction sector. If these problems not managed and addressed effectively it become worst. The construction sector will continue play an important role as a main contributor to the Malaysia economy. To make sure the construction sector become stronger, Malaysia introduced many ways and one of the ways by introducing the QLASSIC system by CIDB. Although it was introduced several years ago, the implementations of this system still not achieve the target. Only few projects were applied this system. This because there are few problems and challenges regarding implementing this system faced by construction team. 2.3.2 Fragmentation and Disintegration of the Construction Industry The construction industry has remained a very fragmented industry where different activities in the entire value chain of the construction processes are being undertaken by different parties, often undertaken in isolation, thus resulting in inefficiencies. In particular, the segregation of design and construction activities which is widely practiced does not encourage consideration for factors like savings in labour utilisation, ease of maintenance, construction safety and the practicality of construction methods.(CIDB,2008) As a result of the lack of such integration considerations in the industry, the process to implement the QLASSIC system to the construction projects is difficult. The different players are also become conflict and the implementation of this system become unsuccessful. This because there are many parties involved in construction projects. Thus, some of the parties will implement the system and some are not. So, the systems are not applied on the overall parts or elements that need to be assess in the construction projects. 2.3.3 Foreign labour Labour-intensive conventional methods of construction that are still prevalent in Malaysia. The adoption of such methods are encouraged by the cheaper cost of employment of foreign workers with lower wages and the availability of such workers for short-term periods of work.. Another reason for the heavy dependency on foreign labour involves the fact that the local workforce is reluctant to be employed as construction workers in the wet trades, where the image of the construction industry has always been one that is Dirty, Dangerous and Difficult. (CIDB, 2008) As a result, the implementation of QLASSIC system in construction projects becomes a problem because foreign workers do not understand this system. They are not expose about this system by the authorities. Thus, it become challenges for construction team to make sure the construction projects meet the standard that need in the QLASSIC system. 2.3.4 Lack of RD CIDB (2008) mentioned, the local construction industry is characterised as one that is labour-intensive, which has resulted in numerous challenges as highlighted previously. There is a need for the construction industry to progress towards one that is more focused on innovation and automation. However, the pace of innovation through RD and automation through the adoption of new construction methods are relatively low due to the abundance of cheap foreign labour. Despite the lack of RD initiatives in the Malaysian construction industry, there has been progress on the local front to encourage and stimulate RD activities in the construction industry. As a result, one of the factor this system did not get attention from construction team is because lack of RD. Before this system introduced to the construction sector, the responsible authorities that doing this research must make sure that the information gather from the research is enough and the opinion from all the parties involved in construction project is taking into consideration. This is because the construction parties are the main target as they will use this system. So, opinion from construction parties is the first priority to suite with construction projects when implementation this system. 2.4 Effective strategies in implementing QLASSIC 2.4.1 Stepping up research and development Wong (2007), stated that Research and Development (RD) is critical to productivity and quality. Improvements in the construction industry such as better materials, more cost-effective design and construction methods and labour-saving equipment are often introduced by way of RD initiative. However, for RD to be useful there is a need to ensure that new technologies and capabilities are efficiently shared and adopted by players in the industry to enhance the quality of the building. At the present moment, the amount of Malaysian construction RD ranges from negligible to non-existent. On the other hand, RD conducted by local institution of higher learning is often perceived as not been able to meet industry needs. Hence, there is a need for stronger collaboration between academia and the industry in stimulating RD efforts in order to produce quality of the building. 2.4.2 Raising the Skills Level According to Wong (2007), the reality is that so long as the industry has a ready access to a large number of foreign workers, there is very little incentive for the industry to upgrade itself. While recognizing that the industry will continue to rely on foreign workers in the near and medium term, there is a need to reduce the number of unskilled foreign workers. CIDB, in collaboration with the National Vocational Training Council of Malaysia (MLVKM) ha s developed the National Occupational Skill Standards (NOSS) for the construction industry, for the purpose of developing skilled manpower in the industry by development of training module for the various trades as well as for skill accreditation for career development of construction personnel. The Malaysian construction industry at present is largely dependent on low skilled foreign workers. As introduce new technologies and push for higher quality the demand for manpower especially foreign workers should be reduced. 2.4.3 Enhancing professionalism Enhancing professionalism of the industry can be achieved at three levels, namely the individual, trade association or professional institution, and the industry. At the individual level, the curriculum of institution of higher learning should be enhanced to include common modules and soft skills. At trade association or professional institution level, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programme should be made mandatory for the renewal of professional membership as is currently practised by the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM), Board of Architect Malaysia (BAM) and Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia (BQSM). To synchronize professional practice and thinking, it is also necessary for each profession to draw up its own set of code of conduct. (Wong, 2007) This will help to lay the foundation for constructional skills needed for construction players. Hence it must constantly promote, recognise and reward creativity, quality work, and innovation to integrate the various processes in the industry, but also to project a more progressive image. 2.4.4 Training and Education Firms that establish workplace education programmes report noticeable improvements in their workers abilities and the quality of their products (Cebeci and Beskese, 2002). The importance of training is to ensure that the skills of the workforce do not become obsolete in an environment of change and an understanding and attitude of quality is developed and maintained. Training should be directed at all levels of the organization to understand the QLASSIC process. 2.4.5 Integrated approach to construction According to Wong (2007), the construction industry is highly fragmented due to the sequential nature of the construction process. One of the major causes of low productivity and quality is the lack of integration of activities across the construction value chain. Consequently, mistakes in the construction stage resulting low quality of the building. So, through integration focus on effective interpersonal relationships, jointly planned work, identifying and solving problems will produce better quality. QLASSIC is one of the methods that need the integration by all the construction players to implement it. 2.4.6 Rewards and recognition An important feature of any quality improvement programme is showing due recognition for improved performance by any individual, section, and department or division within the company considers recognition as one of the most important steps of the quality improvement proce