Print Media Industry Worksheet 1

Axia College Material Appendix B Print Media Industry Worksheet 1 Part A: Historical and contemporary role of the print media industry. Choose one of the following topics: the feminist movement (women’s liberation), public education, anti-war protestors, fur and leather products, pollution, or wildlife and environment conservation. Answer the following questions about the relationship between your chosen topic, the print media industry, and American society. Each response must be written using complete sentences in a paragraph of at least 75 words each.Provide specific examples and cite at least three professional publications or articles. 1. How has the print media industry historically treated your selected topic? How does the print media industry treat this topic today? 2. How has the print media industry helped drive improvements and public awareness of your selected topic? Has the media perpetuated any drawbacks, controversies, or scandals surrounding this topic? 3. What role has the print media industry played throughout the history of this topic? Do you think the current role of the print media is the same as it was in the 19th and 20th centuries?Why or why not? Part B: Major publications in the print media industry. Respond to each of the statements with a specific example or an explanation using complete sentences as needed. BooksNewspapersMagazines How many total publications are sold annually in each print media industry? According to the U. S. Census 2000, 2,254,000,000 books were sold in 1998. http://www. allcountries. org/uscensus/421_quantity_of_books_sold_and_value. html11,205. 5 million 19,410,335 million newspapers http://www. mediainfocenter. org/newspaper/data/top_news_volume. sp What are the major ownership chains in each print media industry? List three major publications in each print media industry. For each of the three major publications listed in this table, identify the target audience. For each of the three major publications listed in this table, describe the unique writing style. What makes each publication stand out in the marketplace? For each of the three major publications listed above, describe the publishing trends. How is each publication changing in response to today’s cultural, political, or technological climate?

The Personality of Luxury Fashion Brands Essay

Charles and Keith is a multinational company that is fashion industry dealing with brand from Singapore. It offers both men’s and women’s fashion collections. Their products include ties, shoes, belts, wallets, sunglasses among others. The company is owned by Charles Wong and his brother Keith Wong. It was founded in 1996 in a place called Amara Shopping Centre in Singapore. The purpose of this report is to highlight the progress made by Charles and Keith since the day it was founded and its future plans. The report includes analysis of the company, their customers’ profile and the products offered. A comprehensive analysis has been carried out on customers demand using SWOT analysis method. It has revealed strengths such as strong brand name, uniqueness and affordability of the product, weaknesses, and opportunities available to Charles and Keith such as online market and threats. Further, porter’s five forces have also been carried out. Other analysis carried out include STEEPLED and VIRO. It will also provide background information about the company. Subsequently, the report will mention business strategies of Charles and Keith, its financial planning as well as its management considerations. At the end, the report contains conclusion and recommendations made after carrying out the analysis. The future of the Charles and Keith looks bright. This is because our estimates highlights that new market will emerge in China whose economy has grown with over 10% in the last five years and Russia. Expenditure on fashion in the word is also expected to increase in the next one year Charles and Keith is a fashionable brand that deals with women’s bags, belts, shoes and sunglasses. It was started in1996 by two brothers; Keith Wong and Charles Wong. The fist store was opened in Amara Shopping centre in Singapore. Charles and Keith is a multinational chain that has more than one hundred and seventy outlets all over the world. The company boast of getting awards like The Enterprise Award for Singapore Business Award in 2008 and Excellent Service Award in 2002. At a tender age, the two brothers acquired the skills of running business from helping their parents in their shoe store in a place called Ang Mo Kio. Charles opened a shoe store in Amara at the age of twenty two and two years later his brother Keith joined him in 1998. Keith was in charge of designing shoes while brother dealt with sales. To enable them deal with competition, they started buying their stock from China instead of Singapore. They proceeded to open twelve more outlets in major suburban malls and shopping centres in Singapore. It was not until 2000, that they began opening outlets overseas. Product of Charles and Keith appealed to both local and international customers due to their low prices and uniqueness because they have an in house design. Charles and Keith became a brand for selling women’s and men’s collection in 2007. Their products increased to include bags, ties, wallets, sunglasses and belts for both men and women. Charles and Keith aims to increase their stores from current 170 to 500 in the next five years. In order to cater for changing taste and preferences of customers, they formed a team of seventy designers. These designers are led by Keith and they come up with new designs and trends every month. Charles and Keith have established themselves as the most preferred brand in fashion industry. Industry  Business Description                  Charles and Keith is in fashion industry. In 2010, the industry was worth over $ 2, 560 trillions. In US alone, over $ 20 billion are spent on fashion every year and it generates revenue of $ 250 billion annually. Men wear is expected to exceed $ 402 billion in 2015 while women wear is expected to exceed $ 621 billion by the same year. Fashion industry continues to grow and new market continues t emerge. An example is China. The economy of China grew by more than 10% in the last five years; this has led to Chinese citizen become interested in luxury goods as symbol of status. This presents a wide market for companies like Charles and Keith. Charles and Keith produce fashion accessories and footwear. It serves a retain market sector and its three brand names are Charles and Keith, Charles and Keith signature label and Pedro Group Pte Ltd. Two of its products are not sold through wholesale or distribution. Franchisees are used to sell Charles and Keith and Charles and Keith signature label as sales operators all over the world where they have outlets. Their products are stilettos, exotic pumps, fashionable bags, sunglasses, heels and wallets. The organization of the company is democratic and they have a culture of taking the opinion of all stakeholders on board whenever they make decision. The future plans of Charles and Keith is to expand networks and increase the number of outlets from the current 170 to 500 in five years time. Conclusion                  From the analysis above, it is clear that the company has a strong name. This gives the company the strength to charge very high prices because their clients put additional value on brand name. The statement â€Å"Charles and Keith† has a very positive effect on the success of the company. SWOT analysis shows that Charles and Keith reap high profits because of having cost advantage. It is observed from the analysis that Charles and Keith has strong management. This helps it unleash its potential and utilize it strength while at the same time eliminating weaknesses. The product of Charles and Keith are unique and as such they are easily distinguished from their competitors. This makes it possible for the company to charge high prices because their products are differentiated. It is also observed that Charles and Keith lack a scale. This causes the company to have high cost per unit of output. This ends up having a long lasting impact on the company which reduces the value of the company. Lack of scale makes the company have low profit than it should. Five porter’s forces have revealed that the suppliers are less powerful because the company requires a large number of inputs from different suppliers. It is further discovered that their customers are very powerful they decide the future of the company. Though their products are cherished by many people, the customers’ switching cost is very low which increases their power. Further, Charles and Keith are not threatened by new entrants into the industry because they have unique products and their customers are loyal to them. Charles and Keith has a good business strategy that helps them penetrate the highly competitive industry. Their strategy involves marching ideal employees to the right job. This gives them an opportunity to realize full potential and to be innovative. It makes them to be highly organized. Their human resources management is competent and hires people from different backgrounds, skills set, ideas and nationality. This makes them have strong job responsibility and serve their customers better. They also have a strong combination of design and affordability. This means that even in the period of recession the company will continue making huge sales. It has helped the company a great deal by employing multiple strategies in carrying out business. They signed regional distributors and gave franchises licenses. They also signed manufacturing firms. It has young and passionate employees in the teams. Their creativity, passion and their learning spirits make the brand strong. The companies motivating factor is said to be new business goals that bring change. The company has social responsibility which encourages their staff to have ethical behaviors. The company is backed by DBS, a large bank in Singapore, which give gives the finances to expand their operations. They have an effective finance teams that give them advice on how to carry out their operations in most productive and profitable ways. The management of Charles and Keith has been seen to be democratic. They take views of everyone whenever they are making decisions. When they are developing business, they identify new segments and markets and come up with good strategies to enter while positioning and strengthening their brand. Recommendations                  Charles and Keith should take full advantage of online markets. They can expand and increase their business at very little expenses. This would bring a positive impact on the company in the long run. It would increase their value and give them a competitive edge over their competitors because online market is defendable easily. The company should continue to support innovation because taste and preferences of their customers keep on changing at a faster rate than the rate at which they bring new products in the market. Innovation and new product would increase their customer base and at the same time increase their business. This brings short term as well as long run positive impact into the company. With only 170 outlets in the world, Charles and Keith are missing out on large market in the world. They should increase their operations in the international market. This will not only increase revenue but also give them a competitive advantage. This is because once they enter a certain international market before their competitors. They will dominate it and build customer loyalty. They can also use revenue generated in some of their outlets overseas to drive out competitors elsewhere where competition is stiff. They should also consider transferring their factories to areas where cost of production is low. This can be in terms of cheap labor or cheap raw materials. This will increase their profits and be able to lower prices in order to fight competition. Since they only deal with franchises and distributors, they should form partnerships with other companies. This will create synergy which benefits them. This would also make them enjoy other benefits that they could not have achieved on their own. The company is facing stiff completion in the industry. I therefore recommend they start acquiring their competitors especially the ones that are in deep financial crises. They can also deal with competition by merging with other companies. Through this Charles and Keith will make huge profits because they will change from being price taker to price setter. Introduction of scales will make the company. The management of Charles and Keith has failed in addressing the issues of availability of threats. This makes the company unable to increase prices because customers will switch to their close substitutes. This is a real threat that if not addressed could bring short term and long term negative effects. This threat can be overcome through aggressive marketing strategies, differentiating products and building strong customer loyalty. Charles and Keith should have a scale that measures the cost per unit of output. This will enable them to increase the volume of production while at the same time reducing cost. Introducing scale means that the company will start realizing short term positive impacts through value addition otherwise the company will continue operating without maximizing on their resources ad making low profit. The company should increase their advertisement campaign and capitalize on their brand name as we have seen through the above analysis that it is their major strength. Currently the company has three brand names,, it should come up with other brands to tap on other unexploited sectors. This will help them diversify their operations and increase revenue. They should also put their strength in getting new customers since current customers are loyal to their product. References Carrara, G. (2009). Exhibition Review: 4 Linesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ A Fashion Exhibition + Installationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ Diverse Takes On Fashion. Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, 13(3), 379-386. GonzÃÆ' ¡lez, A. M. (2010). On fashion and fashion discourses. Critical Studies in Fashion and Beauty, 1(1), 65-85. Kim, J. E., Kim, H. S., Choi, H. S., & Lee, K. M. (2013). Fashion Market Analysis and Consumer Research for Expansion of Korean Wave Fashion into the Singapore Market. Fashion & Textile Research Journal, 15(5), 797-807. Melchior, M. R. (2010). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Doingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Danish Fashion: On National Identity and Design Practices of a Small Danish Fashion Company. Fashion Practice The Journal of Design Creative Process & the Fashion Industr, 2(1), 13-40. Wu, J. (2009). Internationalizing and Industrializing Fashion: Shanghai International Fashion Culture Festival (SIFCF) Review. Fashion Practice The Journal of Design Creative Process & the Fashion Industr, 1(2), 259-266. CHARLES & KEITH Online Store. (n.d.). CHARLES & KEITH Online Store. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.charleskeith.com/SGStore/CK/home Charles & Keith | Flats | Covered – Ballerina – For Sale Philippines- 13230033. (n.d.). Charles & Keith | Flats | Covered – Ballerina – For Sale Philippines- 13230033. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.sulit.com.ph/index.php/view+classifieds/id/13230033/Charles+%26+Keith+%7C+Flats+%7C+Covered+-+Ballerina Heine, K. (2010). The Personality of Luxury Fashion Brands. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing , 1(3), 154-163. Ross, J., & Harradine, R. (2011). Fashion value brands: the relationship between identity and image. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 15(3), 306-325. Surchi, M. (2011). The temporary store: a new marketing tool for fashion brands. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 15(2), 257-270. Source document

1984 Essays (1274 words) - Nineteen Eighty-Four, Julia, Telescreen

1984 It has always been man?s dream to see and understand the future in an attempt to prepare himself for events which will eventually unfold. This hope is the premise for futuristic novels like George Orwell?s 1984, which, step by step, moves through the life of a rebellious citizen trapped in a world of deceit and propaganda. Very few people have been exposed to such a treacherous environment as Oceania, where Winston, the main character, resides. Therefore, it was necessary for the author to interject certain literary devices to allow for the ability to better relate to a character in Winston?s situation. To accomplish this, Orwell utilizes the theme of individuality versus tyranny, foreshadowing, and irony, in order to fully extract all possible motives behind Winston?s actions. Many countries, such as the United States, are founded on principles of individuality reigning over tyranny, more specifically, the freedom of choice. However, in the futuristic Oceania, run by ?Big Brother?, such freedom and individuality is, for the most part, completely suspended. To act impulsively, or choose to oppose Big Brother, is a ?thoughtcrime? of dire consequence. This is the basis behind the Inner Party?s control of Oceania. Winston however, from the commencement of the novel, showed that he was not willing to conform to such a tyrannical society. From his writing ?DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER? in his diary as the novel opened, to his relationship with Julia, which was considered sexcrime in Oceania, Winston proved his thoughts were antiparallel to those of the Inner Party. The fact that Winston was so ready to rebel was quite courageous in that he knew people who opposed The Party, or were to educated, like Syme, were vaporized. The members of the Inner Party recognized the ab ilities of an educated man to see through the propaganda of Oceania, and would therefore tolerate nothing but ignorance. Winston, however, continued to oppose the state, and commited, in many ways, both thoughtcrime and sexcrime. He joined the Brotherhood, run by Oceania?s first public enemy, Goldstein, and even reads a book published by the man. This action follows Winston?s open attempt to befriend O?Brien in a society which would not condone such outward behavior. The reasoning behind the condemnation of friendship was that it was believed that friendship could lead to alliances that would threaten the reign of the Inner Party. Winston?s barrage of individualistic actions lead The Party to arrest him, as they witnessed his actions from a hidden telescreen behind a picture. Mr. Charrington, the local store manager, who appeared rather genuine, led the arrest, for he was a member of the unknown thoughtpolice. Julia is killed, and Winston is taken by the thoughtpolice to the ministr y of love, where he is to be held for his crimes. As is the basis for futuristic novels such as 1984, Orwell foreshadows much of the events that occur, through vague or inanimate objects. The most noticeable device for foreshadowing was Winston?s dream of the Golden place with fields and rays of light, a basic human paradise. Such a place foreshadows Winston?s capture and incarceration in the Ministry of Love which is a large white building with strong lights continuously beating down upon its inmates. One of the largest symbols in the novel was the breaking of the globe, which can be interpreted in many fashions. One of which is the foreshadowing of the destruction of Winston?s world, as portrayed through the murder of Julia and his capture by the thoughtpolice. Goldstein?s book also is a mechanism by which Orwell foreshadows eventual occurrences in the novel. Such an object, absolutely illegal in Oceania, foreshadows the Winston?s final steps before his capture, authorized by the Inner Party. Other instances, separate from the sec ond book, are also applied for foreshadowing. Winston?s relationship with the prostitute, portraying his search for human companionship, form a preconceived notion of his relationship with Julia and his befriending of O?Brien. These two actions are perhaps, Winston?s two greatest violations against the laws set forth by the Inner Party. Though the theme of individuality versus tyranny and the use of foreshadowing are essential literary devices, it is the application of irony that truly makes the novel a masterpiece. Many ironic events occur during the

Global Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Global Strategy - Essay Example The formation of strategy has to be done very carefully keeping various factors in mind so that the strategy becomes successful and the company gets advantage from it in many ways. In 1980, market guru Michel Porter formulated the five forces focused on the formation of strategy based on the internal and external factors which influences a huge role in the business operation. These five forces are been set up based on the competitors that the company has in the market and these has limited the effectiveness of the strategic management to a great extent. Teece in 2007 defined the strategy formulation as the strategy being the essence of strategy which involves the selection and developing of technologies and the business models that are been built to provide the competitive advantage to the company through by removing the difficulties and thereby providing a competitive edge over the other competitors. For implementing an effective strategy the company needs to follow 6 major steps. These steps are been listed below. Define the organization- The company should know what the company is all about, who are its customers, how the company’s products can create value for the customers and also have a clear idea about the needs and wants of the customers. Define the strategic mission- Based on the knowledge about the company, the customers the company needs to define the mission for the strategy which will include the specific objectives and the goals that the company needs to achieve. Define the strategic objectives- Based on the mission statements the company needs to set up the clear objectives for the employees, these objectives will help them to focus and work towards a particular direction. The strategies implemented by the company are made either deliberately or by the emergence of a strategy from a particular situation. For a particular strategy to be

Negotations for a home Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Negotations for a home - Research Paper Example Different criticisms have emerged on different participants in the allowing of such risky trading, but a nearly unanimous indictment of the authorities and commercial interests raises concerns on the safety of the industry into the future. These historic factors alongside other economic considerations that the majority of Americans continue to experience in the housing sector expose home ownership negotiations to a unique and challenging setting. According to economic times in the US and around the world today, households increasingly find it difficult to support capital expenditure that was the case slightly before the mortgage-precipitated volatility. Levels of employment continue to hit record month-to-month lows since the origin of economic crisis. Disposable income among the young generations in need of housing seems to fluctuate with the developments in the market and economic performance figures. Austerity measures embarked by the government illustrate the levels of economic volatility, which raises fears of the future of the economy and the implications that huge expenditures would have on economic stability at the household level. The low rate of economic recovery makes it unpredictable for jobholders to estimate how long they can remain in a job. Fears of mass layoffs within the austerity provisions therefore make it difficult for house buyers to make the correct timing when they are most stable in such expenditure . World economy performance as analyzed by observers still remain unpredictable, with reliable data sighting further recovery difficulty in the months ahead (Hirshleifer and Siew, 2009). With the developments of the economic struggles in Europe, world economy remains an issue of consideration by important expenditure decisions. When such domestic and international economic profiles indicate troublesome business environment, it implies that the real estate and the housing

Google Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Prevalence of Asthma and its associated factors in two different areas Essay

Prevalence of Asthma and its associated factors in two different areas of Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The narrowing or obstruction of the airways is caused by airway inflammation and broncho-constriction. Its prevalence has been reported to be increasing everywhere in the world. Asthma is a considerable burden, not only in terms of health care costs but also of decreased productivity and diminished participation in family life. While for children who were asthmatic, the condition attributed significantly in causing absenteeism of these children as compared to those who were not asthmatic; asthmatic children showed higher mean period of school absenteeism (1) During the past two decades, we have witnessed many scientific advances that have improved our understanding of asthma and our ability to manage it effectively. Still, the variation of national health care systems and of asthma therapies necessitates that recommendations for asthma care should be adapted to local conditions throughout the global community. Saudi Arabia has been one of the nations that had seen an increase in the prevalence of asthma. The country is located in the Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen; the terrain is mostly uninhabited sandy desert. Generally the climate is harsh with a dry desert and with great temperature extremes. Saudi Arabia's 2005 population is estimated to be about 26.5 million; including about 5.5 million resident foreigners. Until the 1960s, most of the population was nomadic or semi nomadic; due to rapid economic and urban growth, more than 95% of the population now is settled. Some cities and oases have densities of more than 1,000 people per square kilometer (2,600/mile) (2). The estimated birth and death rates for 2005 were .29.56-births/1,000 population 2.62 deaths/1,000 population. The age structure of the population for the same year for age group 0-14 years: 38.2% (male 5,149,960/female 4,952,138), 15-64 years: 59.4% (male 8,992,348/female 6,698,633), and 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 334,694/female 289,826) (3). Asthma has been rising in prevalence for the past two to three decades in the country and even in different parts of the globe. A survey conducted for the number of asthma cases among children between the ages of 8 and 16 for a 9-year period revealed that there was a significant increase in the prevalence of bronchial asthma from 8% in 1986 to 23% in 1995 (4). Moreover, another study comparing the symptoms of asthma in urban and rural Saudi Arabia in 1998 showed that a greater number of allergic symptoms were found in urban than in rural children and in Saudi than non-Saudi Arab children (5). Likewise, a survey of the socioclinical profile of children with asthma in Al-Majmaah province showed that male children represented 69% of the sample and children under one year of age manifested significantly severe degree of asthma (6). In the United Kingdom, a number of studies have shown a rising incidence of asthma up to 32.2% (7). Similarly, in the United States of America the prevalence of self-reported asthma has increased by 42% (8). Literature Review Factors associated with asthma are countless. They have been categorized in many groups based on some common characteristics. In the following paragraphs the matter is discussed under specific topics as it is concerned with asthma. Genetic Factors Role of genetics in this regard has been universal and it attributes to a

International Political Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Evaluation and Critique Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Evaluation and Critique - Research Paper Example The Montana edges an unidentified foreign object (UFO), which causes the submarine to stall as it malfunctions and sinks (The Abyss). In the meantime, media reports attribute the sinking of the Montana to a Soviet attack. The US military arrives at the location above the sinking, which happens to be near communist Cuba. Other vessels arriving in the area are believed to be Soviet spies. The US military dispatches group of SEAL officers to occupy an underwater exploration site with the intention of rescuing nuclear warheads carried by the Montana and to ensure that the ship is out of the Soviets’ reach. Tensions are building throughout, highlighting US-Soviet Cold War tensions, the dangers of environmental and nuclear damages as it becomes clear that a hurricane is fast approaching and could heighten the risk of a catastrophe. All the while SEAL officers dispatched below are showing signs of the ill-effects of the pressure associated with being under water (The Abyss). The alie n encounter is perhaps more telling as it brings the preceding themes of political tensions to a head and underscores the dangers of capitalism, both of which are the hallmarks of postmodernism thought. The aliens come into contact with SEAL lieutenant and shows him video images depicting past, present and future damages caused by mankind. The underlying message is man’s greed and mismanagement have led to self-destructive behaviour. Images of tsunamis, nuclear explosions and even the Vietnam War (The Abyss). As Simpson explains, Cameron’s approach in The Abyss distinguishes it from other futuristic science fiction film. A majority of this genre predicts disaster at some time in the future or presents a disaster and focuses on who will come out alive. The Abyss however, draws attention to past disasters, disasters in the present and predicts disaster in the future and in doing so attributes this to man’s own behaviour (Simpson). In line with postmodern thought, The Abyss focuses on post-war behaviour which has set up a series of bad and destructive behaviour fuelled by political tensions and capitalist greed (Forsyth). The narrative in The Abyss does not directly comment on capitalism, but it is inferred from the underlying political tensions and the technological progression that is a part of the destruction of the environment. The film’s narrative is more direct in its political commentary. The alien encounter represents a confrontation in which the SEAL lieutenant is able to see the damages caused by post-war political tensions from the perspective of an outsider. The underlying message is that this behaviour is counterproductive and will only grow worse with time and the results will be catastrophic. Postmodernism is about commandeering positive change, by highlighting flawed ideology and its corresponding behaviour (Forsyth). In this regard, the alien encounter in The Abyss serves as a soul searching exercise and a moment of re cognition. The underlying question for the viewer is whether or not the capitalist ideology is more sophisticated than the Communist ideology. After all, the capitalist structure shares equal responsibility for the stockpiling of nuclear weapons, and is arguably more responsible for environmental damages that contribute to and heighten the risk of natural disasters such as tsunamis and hurricanes. The postmodern message in The Abyss is therefore that the world is divided into two factions: man against nature as opposed

Financial market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Financial market - Essay Example In many economic set-ups or regional corporations that have a central bank, the main task of the bank is to ensure that each member’s rate has a considerable level of stability in the pricing of basic commodities by reducing interest rates. Other tasks include the ability of the central bank to act as a central reserve for the currency of the jurisdiction or country and to produce the legal tender used by the same country. Central banks perform several functions. They provide settlement services to large-value payments, act as lenders for the last resort, play a role to oversee banks for the sake of financial stability and monetary policy implementation. These jobs and their operations mode have repeatedly been redefined in order to decide on one specific financial and monetary crisis. In fact, all main stages in central bank functions shaping have been responses to financial and monetary crises. The Composition interpretation and the analysis of these crises are necessary to understand the functions that central banks need to implement and incarnate for a monetary economy to flourish. The origin of central banks as bankers’ banks was in 19th century England. Two conflicting theoretical conceptions of money, the banking principle and the currency principle, implied totally different roles of central banks. The central banks function is to put into effect convertibility of its bills into gold and to be flexible. Such flexibility is more consistent with the principle of banking, whereby money is a debt that financial intermediaries issue as the counterpart to their credit operations. Thus, it is the way of payments of debts issued by competing banks, payment between banks call for a superior bank to settle interbank transactions. This is mainly the role of the money given out by the central bank, money that is designed as legal tender for all debts. Nevertheless, the law cannot impose the trust of the economic agents in central bank money. It is

Language & Gender Essay Example for Free

Language Gender Essay

China Returns to Africa Essay Example for Free

China Returns to Africa Essay The book â€Å"China Returns to Africa: A Superpower and a Continent Embrace† provides in-depth account of Chinese-African relations. The central claim of the book is that geopolitical relations between Africa and China has provoked international interests as China remains one of the most promising and powerful states in the world. The editors have assembled 24 essays by academics that possess exceptional knowledge with the purpose to shed light on the unexpected Chinese-African operations. The chapters address diverse subjects as, for example, social influence of Chinese Diaspora in Africa, the history of Tanzanian railway, the history of Chinese medicine, the progress of Beijing in buying oil and natural resources, the breadth of African continent, etc. The book presents a balanced impressive study of the most important developments in the modern worlds, as Chinese-African relations will affect economics and politics of all countries. In 2006 China celebrated a new strategic partnership. The interest of China in African continent has raised a number of debates as researches found it interesting to reveal what China expects from Africa. However, academic and development policy circles neglect country’s re-engagement with the African continent. In contrast to Europe and America, China treats Africa equally, not as inferior country. With the help of China Africa is viewed to be able to establish business deal with Western countries. In the late 1960s China made a decisive ideological thrust into the African continent and was humiliated for that by the rest of the world’s powerful countries and Africa itself. The painful experience of Mao’s men prevented further relations with Africa for about 40 years. The economic wreck was contributed to China’s disastrous experiments with socialism. A new invasion of Africa began in the past 15 years. New effort appeared to be more pragmatic and was driven mainly by a quest for new energy sources and new raw materials. Economic invasion was backed up by country’s huge wealth and, therefore, its implication was more likely to be far-reaching than the last Maoist adventure. Western powers were prompted to corresponding alarm as they were unaware what to expect from Chinese-African relations. The book notes that more than 800 Chinese companies have invested more than ? 5 billion in economic development of African countries and there is more to come. The editors admit in introduction that â€Å"China’s expanding relations with Africa are the most important dynamic in the foreign relations and politics of the continent since the end of the cold war†. (Alden et al. , 2008, ii) In particular, China offers African continent three things – money, long-term commitment and assurance of non-inference. Money offered accounted for larger sums that offered by western competitors and assurance of non-inference means that human rights won’t be troubled by Chinese lifestyle in contrast to European and American countries to impose their beliefs and policies within the continent. Thus, local dignitaries of African continent will remain original. Further, one of the chapters addresses the important of media in Chinese-African relations as media is the fourth power in the world. It is noted that Chinese media presents future of Chinese-African relations in different way from that of western reports and prophesies. Chinese partnership has expanded in Senegal, Mauritius and Cape Verde. Chinese traders are restoring the infrastructure in Angola. China buys cobalt from Congo and South Africa; feed from Ethiopia, Tanzania and Sudan; copper from South Africa and Zambia; chemicals from Nigeria; ferrous metals from Zimbabwe; and oil from everywhere. Angola has become China’s biggest supplier. The authors assess the costs and benefits of China’s re-engagement into African continent. On the one side, the prices are boosted by the increased competition for commodities. The West seems to be troubled about the Chinese imperialism because many of the trade practices have been commonplace among the European and American companies. Many countries simply tended to get out of Africa without investing in it. In contrast, China offers new scope of economic relations through equal treatment. Nevertheless, the poorest people in Africa would hardly benefit from Chinese-African relations as reliance on capital-intensive commodity industries is not effective way to fight poverty. The problem is that Chinese money goes into the pockets of Africa’s elites and into Swiss banks. The editors cite a spokesman of the Kenyan government who argues: â€Å"You never hear the Chinese saying that they will not finish a project because the government has not done enough to tackle corruption. If they are going to build a road, it will be built†. (Alden et al. , 2008, 23) Some authors are more skeptic about the future of the Chinese-African relations. They argue that with years the issue of ‘governance’ can’t be escaped as governance is the pre-condition of stable economic relationships and economic development. China is argued to suffer from lack of spiritual dimension in the countries practicing Christianity, Islam and other indigenous systems of beliefs. Overall, the book is very informative presenting multiple perspectives on development of Chinese-African relations. The authors offer far-reaching surveys of China’s return to the African continent. The new relations are assumed to hold for diplomacy, trade and further development. The authors are surely correct in their efforts to refuse taking high morale line about what China is willing to get from Africa. The positive is that China tends to treat Africa as equal partner, whereas Europe treated Africa as inferior state. Africa should be provided with more respect, the country should be provided with opportunity to decide what it wants and what it doesn’t want. With China, Africa may be able to strengthen its economic and political position in the world. Nevertheless, the negative is that China may tend to impose its own beliefs and governance similar to European countries. Development of Chinese-African relations depends fully on country’s abilities to cooperate. BIBLIOGRAPHY Alden, Chr. , Large, D. , de Oliviera, R. , ed. China Returns to Africa: A Superpower and a Continent Embrace. USA: Hurst Co Publishers LTD, 2008.

Construction of Pekeliling Flats, Kuala Lumpur

Construction of Pekeliling Flats, Kuala Lumpur Introduction to Case Study Pekeliling Flats is situated on the Lebuhraya Mahameru-bound Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur. The flats are also known as Tunku Abdul Rahman public flats. Pekeliling flats are one of Kuala Lumpurs earliest public housing projects and were built in 1967. There were 11 residential blocks comprising 2,969 units. For the construction of the first pilot project, the Government held a negotiation with a joint venture company Citra/Boon Cheah which intended to use the French Tracoba System of construction. But the negotiation was unsuccessful and the project was subsequently opened to public tender. The tender was eventually awarded to Gammon/Larsen Nielsen using the Danish System of large panel industrialised prefabricated system. The construction was then launched in 1968. The scheme at Jalan Pekeliling comprises 4 blocks of 4-storey flats and shops, 7 blocks of 17-storey flats, totaling 3009 units and was completed within 27 month, including the time taken in the construction of the RM 2.5 million casting yard for the prefabricated elements at 10 ½ miles Jalan Damansara. The whole construction of the flat is constructed using the prefabrication of concrete box method which is similar to the British Truscon System whereby a standard through-shaped concrete boxes, which incorporate facade walls made from lightweight materials, ceilings consisting of plaster boarding stapled and as well as internal fittings. Assembling Method The boxes are made by precasting the walls panels with ribs downwards and smoothing down the concrete as it has semi-set. Once the walls have hardened, they are then removed from the moulds by means of an overhead gantry and placed into a jig. Foundations pads are cast and on top of these precast concrete beams, inverted T cross section are then laid. The boxes are now unloaded directly from the lorry and are placed in position upon these inverted T beams. Once the boxes, which form one course from facade to faà §ade have been bolted together along the wall. After the boxes are connected together at the structural floor level of two connector plates, which are bolted with bolts to threaded inserts on either side of the joint. Once the boxes, which form one course from facade to faà §ade have been bolted together along the wall, where again the cast-in sockets which joined by steel plates and bolts, there only thin vertical joints visible. The vertical channels between the adjoining ribs of the end-to-end boxes make rigid cross-walls of remarkable sound insulation. Horizontal reinforcement rods are lowered and concrete is cast-in, resulting in the formation of a party wall. Evaluation and Comparison Cost Industrialised prefabricated construction of the Pekeliling project was more expensive than the conventional system. Its cost was 8.1% higher than a conventional housing project completed around that time. There are many advantages you can get if you are using precast construction method instead of using in-situ construction method. One of the advantages is the cost implication. Using precast construction method can save money or reduce the cost of construction because: Time Mass production as well as off-site production shortens project timeline, gives earlier return on investment, allowing earlier occupancy and keep in schedule. It is estimated that a precast structure takes up to 20% less time to construct than a similar cast in situ structure. For example, the walls of a building can be manufactured while on-site foundations are being built. If the time is over the schedule or due date, the company needs to pay the damages. Durability Provides long service for high use applications and does not require regular maintenance; save cost in long term. Waste Minimization Fewer materials are required because precise mixture proportions and tighter tolerances are achievable. Less concrete waste is created due to tight control of quantities of constituent materials. Waste materials are more readily recycled because concrete production is in one location. Sand and acids for finishing surfaces are reused. Steel forms and other materials are reused. Reduced requirements for formwork, access scaffolding and less reliance on wet trades. The reduced requirement for site supervision by the main contractor also saves money. Compared to cast in-situ concrete, the following percentages of savings can be expected: 75 per cent in terms of formwork and scaffolding and 90% for wet concrete. Recyclable precast concrete structures in urban areas can be recycled into fill and road base material at the end of their useful life. Fewer trucks and less time are required for construction because concrete is made offsite; particularly beneficial in urban areas where minimal traffic disruption is critical. When fewer trucks are required means lesser the cost needed to rent vehicles. The reduction in site labour which partly offsets a shortage of skilled site workers. Priced in the $55 $65 range per linear foot of wall, precast systems are competitive with other foundation walls, particularly when costs are examined as an assembly that includes footings and sub-slab drainage. Precast walls can be installed quickly in any weather. Because the concrete is cured in the factory, precast foundations can be backfilled as soon as the slab is placed and first floor bracing is in place, enhancing jobsite safety and site accessibility. Door and window openings, steel beam pockets, and brick ledges must be cast into the panels, so orders must be customized. The wall sub-base must be compacted and leveled, similar to precision required of footings. In making cost comparisons between alternative systems, it is imperative that total like for like costs are considered. There are substantial savings to be made using precast construction which are not evident when a direct elemental cost comparison is made with alternative construction methods. To get an accurate like for like cost, whole building costs must be estimated. To accurately assess whole building cost, each of the advantages of precast must be accurately costed. Savings through factors such as earlier completion dates, inbuilt fireproofing, reduced formwork, scaffolding, reduced wet trades and increased budget control can be significant. Also, fast-track procurement and construction may minimise capital costs by reducing financing costs and securing earlier rental income. The precast frame package typically includes columns, beams, floors, wall panels, stairs, landings, balconies etc., all of which have an inbuilt minimum one-hour fire protection. Specialist precast frame producers will assist design teams in evaluating the scope for standardised precast components for a particular project. Budget costings and erection programmes can be prepared by the precaster on receipt of outline drawings and a list of performance criteria. For contractors and specifiers, there is a big difference between price and cost. While price is but one element of cost, it is the initial, most visible and the easier of the two to understand. Focusing on price is not a preferred strategy in any business, especially where high-quality, reliable manufactured goods are concerned. Instead, for precast concrete products, the focus should be on the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). How is TCO calculated? The Total Cost of Ownership is equal to the sum of the four cost components: quality, service, delivery and price. In terms of cost elements, a distinct advantage of precast concrete over cast-in-place (CIP) is speed of delivery and ease of installation, or service. Both contribute directly to lower Total Cost of Ownership. Precast concrete, especially when produced in certified plants, boasts the additional benefit of higher quality. Controlled batch proportions placed under uniform conditions consistently creates a better product than can be cast in place. For illustration purposes, we will use an ordinary precast underground structure. On the construction site, scheduling is an important, unpredictable and expensive risk. Nature stacks the cost odds against CIP concrete. It is a much quicker and less risky choice to have the precast delivered and installed the same day rather than excavate, form, pour and strip the CIP concrete, cure, damp proof and backfill. Given the cost matrix in Example 1, it could save six days in construction scheduling. For illustration purposes, consider a typical below-grade structure. For the inside dimensions of a 4-by-8-by-4-foot structure of either precast (6 inches thick) or CIP (8 inches thick), assume these facts: CIP requires three separate days to pour the base, walls and top. Curing and stripping adds one day to each step, requiring six days to cast on site. Damp proofing adds one day to the CIP process, totaling seven working days of open-hole time. Allowing an average $350 per cubic yard for small jobs (ready mix, rebar, mastic, labor and equipment), the 4 cubic yards of CIP required prices out at $1,400. Precast takes only one day to deliver and install, including backfill of the pre-damp proofed unit. The precast alternative to produce and truck to the job site prices out at $2,000. Installing the precast requires a four-hour minimum charge of $400 for a 20-ton crane. Hardware costs for fittings, embedded items, etc., are identical for precast and CIP. The TCO of precast is fixed at $2,400. However, the TCO of CIP is just beginning at $1,400. That raises the question among doubters as to why a contractor would spend more for precast. But many savvy contractors and specifiers recognize that their costs are actually less with precast. The six days of additional scheduling are required by the mechanics of pouring and curing concrete on site. The work could be done off site in a quality controlled precast plant while other work on site progresses. Even if a contractor has a concrete crew doing multiple projects on site, the efficiency gained by substituting as much precast as possible cannot be ignored. A contractor saves money for every minute he or she is ahead of schedule. If a $1 million contract yields a 10 percent profit margin and can be completed in 10 months that equates to $10,000 per month, or $333 per day in profit. Saving six days means an additional profit of 6 x $333 or $2,000. Furthermore, that savings is compounded by the elimination of general conditions costs of about $500 per day for the burden of supervision, insurance, fixed and variable job site costs, etc. And these are just actual costs. Add to this the avoidance of liquidated damages, and the cost advantage of precast concrete becomes the overwhelming choice. The cost advantages are summarized in Example 2. Speed The project took 27 months to complete, inclusive of the time taken in setting up the precasting factories. The construction period was comparable to the fastest conventional construction. Thus industrialised building has the following advantages in terms of time saving. Saving of time and materials involved in the erection of scaffoldings Shorter construction time as a result of well planned and co-ordinated sequence of construction Not affected by weather condition as building components are manufactured in the factory, and there is no on-site concreting. Labour Requirement Industrialised prefabricated system enable labour saving of 30%-40% mainly of skilled labour such as brick layers, plasterers and carpenters. In Malaysia, skilled labour in the building industry is scarce so it is expensive. The introduction of industrialised building system can obviously improve the situation. As we all know, labour can divided into three types. There are unskilled labour, semi-skilled labour and skill labour. Labour productivity is defined as the manhours required to complete the structural element of one unit house. A total of 499 data points were obtained from seven residential projects constructed between January 2003 and April 2004. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated that the labour productivity was significantly different between four structural building systems for example. The mean labour productivity for conventional building system was 4.20 manhours followed by cast in-situ table form manhours, cast in-situ half tunnel form 1.88 manhours and precast concrete system 1.33 manhours. Furthermore, the analysis of crew size indicated that the mean crew size for conventional building system of 24 workers was significantly different from the IBS of 22 workers. However, the crew size within the IBS was found to be insignificant. The cycle time measured in days per hou se was found to be significantly different between structural building systems with the conventional building system of 4.9 days, cast in-situ table form of 3.9 days, cast in-situ half tunnel form of 2.9 days and precast concrete system of 2.3 days. The labour productivity obtained from this study could be used as a preliminary guideline for client or consultant to identify the most appropriate building system for carrying out a construction project and determining the labour requirement in the construction industry. Further, the comparison of crew size indicated that the conventional building system of 22 workers was significantly different from the IBS of 18 workers. Similarly, the cycle time of 17 days per house for conventional building system was found to be significantly different from the IBS of four days. As a conclusion, using conventional method require more labour to be done on site compare to the pre cast construction or Industrialised Buildiing System (IBS). When using precast, the requirement of labour will reduce because there is less work to be done site. The number of labour also will small compare to the in- situ construction method. Quality The finished appearance of the building was of a much higher quality than that achieved in conventionally built low cost housing units. In particular, the finish of interior walls was much better to that achieved using cement-sand hollow blocks. There were serious environmental problems and some stresses were caused as a direct result of the detailing of the system. These problems can be overcome by changes in the detailing. Productivity There are many essential elements in construction industry. One of them is construction labour productivity. Its principal applications include construction planning, scheduling, cost estimating, accounting and cost control. As a matter of fact, international labour factors and also suggested ways in which they could subsequently be applied to determine comparative international construction cost and labour requirement are generated by labour productivity rates. The study on labour productivity for construction industry has been conducted by many researchers. However, the majority of them put their concentration on labour intensive conventional in-situ construction system. Only a fat lot of attention is devoted to perplexing question such as productivity measurement for industrialised building systems (IBS) in despite of the proliferation of the systems in Malaysia. The precast construction system can be termed as industrialised building systems (IBS) also. During the Eighth Malaysia Plan (2001-2005) whereby 600,000 to 800,000 houses are expected to be built, the need for huge demand for housing industry results in the development of these IBSs. The conventional in-situ construction system which is currently being used by the construction industry is incapable to cope with the demand in a stipulated period. The method is labour intensive. Since this method requires a lot of manpower, so it relies heavily on foreign workers. Thus, productivity research attention shall be swerved toward IBS which utilizes the philosophy of assembly activity. For productivity improvement in building industry from craft activity to assembly activity, there is a tremendous potential as depicted in Table 1. Objectives Large number of studies focused on labour productivity for single operation such reinforcement bar productivity, productivity of concrete and formwork productivity, whereas, only small effort is devoted towards the combined labour productivity for combination of all the single operation that form the structural element of one unit house. Therefore, this conducted study introduces a standardised data collection methodology for measuring and comparing the conventional and industrialised building systems in aspects of labour productivity and cycle time. Description of Data The data for this study were acquired from seven on-going residential projects constructed between January 2003 and April 2004. A sum of 499 data points were observed during that period. The data of projects gross floor area per unit house vary in size in interval between 60m ² to 84m ². Turnkey contractors were in charged in four projects while the remaining projects were built by a general contractor. In table 2, the project characteristics are presented. (Refer to the Appendix for data) Carpenter, barbender, concretor and crane operator were in charged in installation and erection of these structural elements. Therefore, the labour productivity of one unit house is calculated as below. Labour productivity for structural element of one unit houses = Crew Size carpentry, barbender, concretor and crane operator x work timeBuilding gross floor area (m2) = Total manhoursBuilding gross floor area (m2) All data were collected via a standardised data collection form as shown in Table 3. Every day, data collectors were designated to on-going construction sites and 30 minutes were spent per site for observation and record of the crew size, work time and location of work place. Daily observation is recommended because all workers were paid daily. Since workers absenteeism might occur during the construction period and weekly or monthly data variability are too large to enable reliable analyses, weekly or monthly observation is not favorable. Daily observation can also show high degree of variability due to various disturbance project related factors but not as much as other observation. Observation on every hour is also not suggested because it is very expensive and spends a lot of time. Some confidential information was obtained through direct interview with the project managers. Workers daily wage is one of the confidential information. Besides that, regular interviews to identify an d understand any peculiarities delay and interruption to the projects were essential to carried out. Rationale for Combining Data Points The size of the data points has a great effect on the appropriateness, accuracy and reliability of statistical analysis. When a single independent variable is used, small sample with 20 data points is ideal. And yet, a large sample of 1000 data points or more will cause the statistical analysis sensitive and unreliable. Moreover, peculiarities in observations or unusual conditions will bring some inexact data points that cause a baneful effect on the analysis. The rationale for combining the data points from different projects into four structural building systems are as follows: All projects are residential projects. They consist of repetitive structural designs. No special formwork system is needed because they do not have any peculiarities architectural features. Workers in charged in all operations are semi-skilled and skilled workers. The manual dexterity is about the same. The effects of weather and temperature are minimized since all projects are located within 30 km distance. Result and Discussion The data analysis and results focus on two specific subjects as described below: Labour productivity comparison between structural building systems using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Cycle time comparison between structural building systems using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Comparison of Labour Productivity between Structural Building Systems This section evaluates the labour productivity comparison between structural building systems. Table 4 presents the descriptive statistic for labour productivity comparison between projects while Table 5 presents the labour productivity comparison between building systems using the average data from the seven projects. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) results of labour productivity between the four building systems was found to be statistically significant different [ANOVA output, F(3,498) = 319.526, P-value = 0.000] as shown in Table 6. The precast concrete system was the most productive building system with labour productivity of 1.33 manhours/m ² followed by cast in-situ half tunnel (1.88 manhours/m ²), cast in-situ table form (2.70 manhours/m ²) and conventional building system (4.20 manhours/m ²). Taking the conventional building system as the benchmark of 100%, the cast in-situ table form system achieved a construction speed of 135% followed by the cast in-situ half tunnel form system of 155% and precast concrete system of 168%. The result was in tandem with the number of trades for each building system. For example, the conventional building system consisted of four major operations, namely the erection of scaffolding and formwork, installation of reinforcement bars, casting of concrete and dismantling of scaffolding and formwork; hence, it was highly labour intensive. However, only a few construction operations are needed for industrialized building system. For instance, the precast concrete system was pre-assembly in factory, hence reducing on-site labour input. Besides that, no scaffolding is required for cast in-situ tunnel form system to support the slab. Cycle Time Comparison between Structural Building Systems This section examines the cycle time measured in days required to complete the structural element of one unit house. Table 7 shows the cycle time for each project while Table 8 shows the average cycle time for four structural building systems. In Table 9, analysis of variance (ANOVA) results indicated that there was significant different between the four building systems in term of cycle time per house, [F(3,498)=161.416, P-value = 0.000]. The mean cycle times were 4.9 days for conventional building system, 3.9 days for cast in-situ table form, 2.9 days for cast in-situ half tunnel form and 2.3 days for precast concrete system. In term of percentage, the conventional building system required 26% more cycle time than cast in-situ table form system, 41% of cast in-situ half tunnel form system, and 53% of precast concrete system. Summmary This study has introduced the standardised data collection methodology for measuring and comparing the building structural element of conventional and industrialised building system. Researchers are enabled to combine data points from various projects to produce a larger database if they adopt this methodology. The rational for combining the data point is that the majority of residential projects has a simple structural layout plan and do not have any peculiarities architectural features. A total of 499 labour productivity data points were obtained from seven on-going residential projects. The results and discussion evolves on comparison between structural building systems in terms of labour productivity and cycle time per structural element of one house. In aspect of labour productivity comparison, the precast concrete system was the most productive building system with labour productivity of 1.33 manhours/m ² compare to the conventional building system with labour productivity of 4.20 manhours/m ². Besides that, assuming the conventional building system as the benchmark of 100%, precast concrete system achieved a construction speed of 168%. For instance, when the first house constructed using conventional building system is just done, whereas the first house constructed using precast concrete system was done and the second house is constructed about 68% completed. The comparison of cycle time per house indicated that the two building systems were significantly different. The mean cycle times were 4.9 days for conventional building system and 2.3 days for precast concrete system. In term of percentage, the conventional building system required 53% more cycle time than precast concrete system. Finally, the precast concrete system is preferable compare with conventional building system because the building works can be done faster since it requires less time to construct completely. Wastage In the field of structural concrete construction, two basic concepts are generally applied in practice which is precast concrete construction and conventional cast in-situ construction. Wastage can be defined as goods that are damaged, out of date, reduced, or generally unsaleable, which are destined to be thrown away and which are written off as a loss. Construction waste can be divided into three principal categories namely material, labour, and machinery waste. However, material wastage is given more concern because most of the raw materials used in construction industry come from non-renewable resources. The construction industry is a major generator of waste material. Traditionally, construction waste is defined as any material, apart from earth materials, which need to be transported elsewhere from the construction site or used within the construction site itself for the purpose of land filling, incineration, recycling, reusing or composting, other than the intended specific pu rpose of the project due to material damage, excess, non-use, or non-compliance with the specifications or being a by-product of the construction process. Material construction waste can be classify as natural waste (unavoidable waste allowed for in the tender), indirect waste (material used for purposes other than that for which it was ordered), and direct waste (material which is encountered for). It is generally known that there is a relatively large portion of the materials being wasted because of poor material control on building sites. The problem of material wastage is not an isolated issue on construction sites. It is also an environmental concern. When construction waste is viewed from an environmental perspective a different type of categorization must be considered. The environmental criteria include the consideration of solid waste. This is divided into four categories: hazardous waste production, non-hazardous waste production, inert waste production, and radioactive waste production. The construction industry consumes a significant amount of building materials and produces large quantities of building waste. Construction and demolition (C D) material is a mixture of inert and non-inert materials arising from construction, excavation, renovation, demolition and roadwork. The composition of construction waste is divided into two major categories: inert materials (soft and hard inert materials) and non-inert waste. The soft inert materials (such as soil, earth and slurry) can be reused as fill materials in reclamation and earth filling works. The hard materials (such as rocks and broken concrete) can be reused in reclamation works and/or recycled for construction work as granular materials, drainage bedding layers and concrete application. The non-inert waste (such as metal, timber and packaging waste) can be recycled or disposed of in landfills. Further, it was shown that there is a noticeable difference in the generation of material waste between pre-cast and in situ.In general, any reduction in on-site concreting leads to waste reduction. Precasting and prefabrication therefore offers significant opportunities for the reduction of waste. In comparison, the wastage in utilizing precast concrete construction method has smaller amount than conventional cast in-situ construction method.The main reason behind this may be due to the negligible wastes arisen during transportation and installation at the site. The pre-cast concrete elements transported to the site were stored unit wise by manufacturers themselves to avoid damage to the elements. Hence the waste arising during transportation had been minimized and identified as zero. Since pre-cast elements were supplied according to the required length, waste arising during installation of elements was at a minimum level and waste occurring due to over ordering of materials was also eliminated. Further, the pre-cast elements were produced at factories under proper supervision using steel moulds which can be formed of different sizes. Therefore, the wastage of materials during manufacturing also reduced to a considerable amount. On the other hand, there have larger amount of wastage due to conventional in-situ construction than precast concrete construction. This large quantity of wastage for conventional in-situ construction was identified due to the lack of supervision, inaccurate mixing methods, inappropriate type of equipment used, poor storage of materials and poor quality workmanship and this led to higher waste of materials in the following ways: excess cement being used to accelerate the curing process excess concrete being used due to the breaking of form work higher waste in transit and handling of metal and sand and excess concrete being used in uneven surfaces The objective of an in-situ method is to eliminate and reduce the traditional site-based trades like traditional timber formwork, brickwork, plastering and to reduce labour content. Conventional cast in situ construction method utilise lightweight prefabricated formwork made of steel, fibre glass or aluminum in order to replace the existing conventional timber formwork. The method is suitable for large numbers of housing units that require repetitive utilisation of formwork. The formwork can be reused as many times as possible with minimal wastage. There is a noticeable difference between the waste of pre-cast construction and in situ construction. However, because of the significant differences in other material wastes, it can be said that there is a significant reduction of material wastages of pre-cast concrete compared to the material wastages of conventional in-situ concrete. Therefore it can be concluded that there is a significant waste reduction when pre-cast concrete is used. Conclusion From the studies that have been done, it can be concluded that the precast method is better than the conventional Cast-In-Situ method in terms of cost, speed, labour, quality, wastage and productivity.

Discourse Analysis Essay -- Communication, Identity Work

Analysing discourse is often used by social scientist as an interpretive study of real-life situations, because of its ecological validity (Byford, 2009, p. 198). An article, (which will be referred to as text) taken from the Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council website (cited in Open University, 2010, pp. 25-26), will be analysed in this essay. Firstly, by establishing some of the discourses and then summarising areas of ‘identity work’, which is ‘the performance of identity in (the details of) talk, including how the speaker positions her or himself’ (Taylor, 2009, p. 186). ‘Discourse is a set of ideas that are shared by (some) members of society, creates identity positions and gives a certain view of how the society functions and practices are positively or negatively valued’ (Taylor, 2009, p. 185). The views and identity positions that people hold can be formed in many ways and urbanisation is a good example of how values are connected between people and place in the countryside and in cities. Steve Hinchliffe (2009, p. 224) explains how people are seduced by an ‘imaginary’ of rural life and that people’s opinions of city life are often disconnected. They can associate higher crime, pollution and violence, in cities, opposed to, rolling hills, clean air and a relaxed way of living in the countryside. Yet, during urbanisation, in the 1830s, many moved from rural areas, to take up residence in cities. And although the attraction to move to urban areas was complex, Hinchliffe (2009, p. 210) points out, cities seemed attr active, they gave opportunities to earn a living wage and increase prosperity even if it was mainly through manufacturing. The text from Blaenau Gwent plays on the myth (discourse) of the idyllic countryside,... ... to these facts. Firstly, it allows visitors to buy into the rural life as it states there are ‘a number of great places to visit, stay and enjoy’ giving the opportunity to act out a personal identity and gain pleasure from the area. Secondly, the constant use of adjectives throughout the text, helps to construct a positive image of the area ‘impression management’ as Goffman suggests. Overall, we can see how the text uses discourses and the photograph also confirms this, by showing a rural and scenic view of the area. Identities are complex and are made up of more than one thing at a given time, they are not mutually exclusive. The performance of identity in the text is aimed at those who have limited knowledge of Blaenau Gwent. It is a ‘snap shot’ trying to persuade and convince the reader, which aims to attract tourists rather than merely present the facts.

Biometrics are New Technological Tools in Computer Security :: essays research papers

As a result of the evolution in the field of biometric computer security tools, a new class of techniques and methods for user identification has erupted. Fingerprint and hand patterns, voice recognition, iris and facial scans, as well as skin patterns and smart cards, have all been used in justifying individuals on who they claim to be based on their unique characteristics. Although still relatively new, these innovative technologies are already being demanded by not only consumers but as well as the government to help find new methods of passport usage, border control, and mere security matters (Kooser, 2006, p.74). Fortunately, biometric technology has already reached a level of development that allows its potential acceptance into this current day and age. So far in the development of biometrics, fingerprint scanning has taken main control of the market. Ink fingerprints have been used for years by police in investigations to identify criminals. Now with technological advances, the use of small digital imaging devices has replaced old ways of capturing fingertips. Portable or built into keyboards, fingerprint scanners have the ability to capture the print, digitalize it and convert it into mathematical characters. Additionally, when used for password recognition it is clear that the main reason for the biometric is simply because individuals can not remember their usernames or even passwords. The efficiency of this technology is so precise that it is faster and easier to login, impossible to forget because it is and individuals own finger, and nearly unreasonable to lose because in most cases the digital scanner is built into the computer (Kok, 2006, p. 576). In fact fingerprint biometrics is being highly considered by the governme nt to be placed on boarders as well as passports. With today’s war on terror many official feel that it is necessary to take in all precautions and heighten the United States security (Mocny, 2005 p.38). Biometrics can absolutely help move forward in government security. Although hand biometrics is not nearly as popular as fingerprint recognition within computers, this expressive body part can be used to identify individuals on a wider basis. Capture units, which are the devices that can receive the biometric hand print, have the capability to withstand temperature and weather damages. And most devices can still recognize the hand even when it is dirty, something a detailed fingerprint scanner can not (Kooser, 2006, p.74). Speech is so common to our everyday lives that it is often forgotten that voices are distinct and unique to every individual. Biometrics are New Technological Tools in Computer Security :: essays research papers As a result of the evolution in the field of biometric computer security tools, a new class of techniques and methods for user identification has erupted. Fingerprint and hand patterns, voice recognition, iris and facial scans, as well as skin patterns and smart cards, have all been used in justifying individuals on who they claim to be based on their unique characteristics. Although still relatively new, these innovative technologies are already being demanded by not only consumers but as well as the government to help find new methods of passport usage, border control, and mere security matters (Kooser, 2006, p.74). Fortunately, biometric technology has already reached a level of development that allows its potential acceptance into this current day and age. So far in the development of biometrics, fingerprint scanning has taken main control of the market. Ink fingerprints have been used for years by police in investigations to identify criminals. Now with technological advances, the use of small digital imaging devices has replaced old ways of capturing fingertips. Portable or built into keyboards, fingerprint scanners have the ability to capture the print, digitalize it and convert it into mathematical characters. Additionally, when used for password recognition it is clear that the main reason for the biometric is simply because individuals can not remember their usernames or even passwords. The efficiency of this technology is so precise that it is faster and easier to login, impossible to forget because it is and individuals own finger, and nearly unreasonable to lose because in most cases the digital scanner is built into the computer (Kok, 2006, p. 576). In fact fingerprint biometrics is being highly considered by the governme nt to be placed on boarders as well as passports. With today’s war on terror many official feel that it is necessary to take in all precautions and heighten the United States security (Mocny, 2005 p.38). Biometrics can absolutely help move forward in government security. Although hand biometrics is not nearly as popular as fingerprint recognition within computers, this expressive body part can be used to identify individuals on a wider basis. Capture units, which are the devices that can receive the biometric hand print, have the capability to withstand temperature and weather damages. And most devices can still recognize the hand even when it is dirty, something a detailed fingerprint scanner can not (Kooser, 2006, p.74). Speech is so common to our everyday lives that it is often forgotten that voices are distinct and unique to every individual.

The Significance of System Cybernetics for Contemporary Philosophy- Post-Modernity in System Cybernetics :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

The Significance of System Cybernetics for Contemporary Philosophy- Post-Modernity in System Cybernetics ABSTRACT: I call the union of cybernetics and systems theory 'Systems Cybernetics.' Cybernetics and systems theory might be thought of a major source of today's striking development in cyber-technology, the science of complex adaptive systems, and so on. Since their genesis about the middle of this century, these two have gradually come to be connected with each other such that they have now formed an integrative theory which can be called Systems Cybernetics. This article pays attention to its aspects which are often overlooked, but which have profound significance for contemporary philosophy and our handling of various problems posed by modern societies. I insist that the dominant factors of European modernization are primarily economic and technological, though modernity has often been characterized by philosophical and scientific rationalism. I also insist that there are several problems which deserve particular attention but are made invisible by the economic and technological i nclination of the modern mind. In such a context, the problem of reductionism in modern science and the concept of subject detached from its surroundings are discussed. In order to cope with these problems, main theories of System Cybernetics are applied. Post-modern System Cybernetics — which will be illustrated — is also expected to play an active part. Foreword I am Japanese, and now feel keenly that Japan has been under an accelerating modernization. For example, we are now facing to so-called cyber-revolution, financial Big Ban and so on. On the other hand, the international conference for preventing the temperature rising of the earth caused by carbon dioxide was held in Kyoto just in December, 1997. These situations have made me convinced more and more firmly that system cybernetics has a particular significance for our consideration of the problems in modernization. I specialize in philosophy of science ('theory of science' in a more exact expression), and have long been interested in N. Wiener's cybernetics as well as General System Theory founded by L. von Bertalanffy, while proposing for a decade or so to call the union of these two 'system cybernetics'. In this paper, the significance of system cybernetics in dealing with the problems related to modernization, and its post-modernity as well, will be discussed, together with its relation to philosophy. I am very grateful for the opportunity of submitting this article which may be published just in 1998, the fiftieth memorial year since the publication of Wiener's book, Cybernetics.

Advertising-Critical Appraisal Essay

Abstract: The paper traces the journey of television in India which started for promoting development and serving the cause of the poor and the underprivileged. While some efforts were made to fulfil these brave goals, television also earned the unholy reputation of being a vehicle for government propaganda. Doordarshan – the public service broadcaster was the only available terrestrial network till 1991 when transnational satellite television channels began to make forays into the country. Soon Indian players entered the television industry thereby leading to enormous expansion. Since then, the very nature of Indian broadcasting has changed. Television has transformed from a medium devoted to development communication and the cause of the marginalised, to a true middle-class medium. Contemporary Indian television is divorced from the realities of the ‘other half of India that lives in abject poverty and deprivation, thus presenting a distorted view of social reality. This paper seeks to examine these and other related issues, and make some suggestions for policy initiatives to put the development agenda back on television. See more: The Issues Concerning Identity Theft Essay Keywords: Indian television, Doordarshan, television and development communication, public service broadcasting, commercialisation of Indian television, broadcast regulation 1 Introduction Out of the different mass media such as newspapers, radio, television, internet among others, the one introduced in the country with the aim of promoting development was television. Television began in India in 1959 as an educational project supported by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Ford Foundation. Television was based on the model of a public broadcasting system prevalent in many countries of Europe. In independent India, the political leaders recognised the value of information and its use for accelerating the process of development. Thus was started a model of public broadcasting committed to inform, educate and entertain the people. The then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru decided to have full government control over broadcasting for the time being. In retrospect, many observers feel that it was the hangover of the colonial legacy of controlling the media and fears about the power of the mass media to inflame social conflicts that prevented Indian policy makers from thinking creatively about radio and television in the country (Agrawal and Raghaviah, 2006; Jeffrey, 2006). In the decades since 1959, vast changes took place in the television landscape of India. In its early years, apart from being used as an educational tool, television was also misused as a mouthpiece for the central government and the party in power. Programming was primarily in Hindi and much of the news and current affairs focussed on Delhi – the seat of political power (Johnson, 2000; Singhal and Rogers, 2001). Thus, while television was entrusted with the brave goal of promoting national integration, the same medium was found to reinforce a sense of alienation in many parts of the country particularly in the north-eastern states (Joshi, 1985; Ninan, 1995; Page and Crawley, 2001). Despite being the world leader in experimenting with television and satellite technology, India failed to capitalise on the lessons learnt from early development communication projects such as the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) and the much acclaimed Kheda Communication Project (Singhal and Rogers, 2001). Contemporary Indian television is criticised by many for having shifted from its humanitarian goals and becoming a medium for the urban middle class. It is this class which owns and operate most of the television industry in India. It is the same class which is transmitting its own values, principles, and opinions to the rest of India (Johnson, 2000). Consequently, the cause of the poor, underprivileged people for whose development the medium was brought to the country has suffered a setback. Changes in the television system did not occur in India alone. There was a worldwide trend during the 1980s towards the commercialisation of television. Herman and Mc Chesney (2001) argue that during this decade the policies of deregulation and privatisation were applied to national broadcasting and telecommunication systems that were traditionally regulated and often publicly owned and operated. This had a detrimental impact on public service programs which were replaced with more and more entertainment programming. The subsequent sections in the paper examine the divergence between the rhetoric of television for development and actual practice. Some of the ground-breaking initiatives in development communication using television are also captured. Before that, it becomes essential to dwell on the concept of development communication and the role of media is social change. Role of Media in Development It is important at this point to clarify the meaning of „development communication‟ for the term has a wide variety of connotations. Development communication is more than agricultural extension or rural communication. It doesn‟t restrict itself merely to the development of rural areas, nor is it concerned with agricultural development alone. It is oriented towards development whether it be in rural or urban areas, or in areas such as agriculture, family planning, or nutrition (Gupta, 1995). Theory and research suggests that mass communication can act as a positive agent of social change for some people while impeding and obstructing change for others (Johnson, 2000). There are many who dispute the role played by the mass media in bringing about social change (Gupta, 1995; Rodrigues, 2010; Vilanilam, 2005). Gupta (1995) asserts that radio and television are the best sources for creating awareness and interest among the audience regarding a new message or idea â€Å"but when it comes to adoption of the idea, interpersonal sources such as extension agents, friends, neighbours, family members are the most effective† (Gupta, 1995, p.72). In the 1960s, communication scholars and media experts were quite sure that television and the other media of mass communication would help national development. The media were considered the prime motivators of development. Eminent communication scholars such as Daniel Lerner, Wilbur Schramm and Everett M. Rogers, who based their theories of development and media efficacy on the important work of Walter Rostow, namely, The Stages of Economic Growth, stressed that the economic and technological development achieved by the Western nations were the result of increased media use (Vilanilam, 2005). However, since the 1970s the dominant paradigms of development have been challenged by different disciplines (Gupta, 1995; Vilanilam, 2005). It has been realised that distribution of goods and services along with economic and political opportunities among the majority is a pre-requisite for development. An information revolution ushered into a largely private society without appropriate changes in the social structure will not benefit the large majority of the people (Vilanilam, 2005). Everett M. Rogers and many other theorists criticised the dominant paradigm of development (as cited in Rodrigues, 2010) and broadened its definition from one that centred on materialistic economic growth to other social values such as social advancement. The concept of development in the 1970s was expanded as a widely participatory process of social change in a society, intended to bring about both social and material advancement, including greater equality, freedom, and other valued qualities, for the majority of the people by giving them greater control over their environment. Similarly, the new concept of development communication that began to emerge dealt with the promotion of social change leading to improvement in people‟s quality of living, by encouraging better health, higher literacy and higher production of goods through more effective communication (Rodrigues, 2010). There was also a tendency in communication theory and practice to regard the television audience as passive beings moulded and manipulated by those who create the media messages (Johnson, 2000). Many development communication campaigns suffered on this count. However, it is increasingly being realised that for such messages to be effective, people must be involved at all stages – planning, production, and presentation. The need for localisation of development communication has been emphasised by many researchers and commentators (Joshi, 1985; Page and Crawley, 2001; Singhal and Rogers, 2001; Verghese, 1978). The Beginning of Television in India: In the name of Development When television was introduced in the country in 1959, it started as an experiment in social communication for which small teleclubs were organised in Delhi and provided with community television sets. Educational television began in 1961 to support middle and higher secondary school education. Its experiments in teaching of science, mathematics, and language proved successful and received appreciation from many UNESCO experts (Kumar, 2000). A few years later telecasts for farmers began in the form of Krishi Darshan. It was telecast on Wednesdays and Fridays for 20 minutes each day and served 80 villages (around Delhi) provided with community television sets. This pilot project was initiated by the Department of Atomic Energy in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, All India Radio, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and the Delhi Administration (Kumar, 2000). Vikram Sarabhai, the architect of India‟s satellite communication experiments, in 1969 presented a paper entitled â€Å"Television for Development† at the Society for International Development Conference in New Delhi. The idea that the backward countries can and should tap the most advanced communication technologies including television for leapfrogging into rapid economic growth and social transformation was first presented here (Joshi, 1985). Indian television in its infancy was managed by All India Radio. In 1976, television was separated from radio and given a new name – Doordarshan. This adjunct arrangement is seen by some commentators as an impediment to the natural development of television in its initial years (Page and Crawley, 2001). The public service broadcaster – Doordarshan has been used over the years to deliver a number of useful messages. These include messages on family planning, immunization, nutrition of the mother and the child, the need to stem bias against the girl child, among others. Experience suggests that some communication campaigns have worked better than others. A key reason for the failure of many development communication campaigns was the lack of co-ordination with field level agencies (Ninan, 1995; Singhal and Rogers, 2001). Ninan (1995) explains just why the family planning message, the mainstay of development communication messages on television, failed to work. She attributes the failure to the inability of state agencies to provide back-up facilities in rural areas that were required to make the campaign successful. On the other hand, certain messages conveyed through television have worked well. Notable in this category are the health, hygiene, sanitation, and oral rehydration messages which people have adopted to a large extent (Ninan, 1995). Educational Television is another area in which Doordarshan has made significant contribution. Ever since the inception of television in India in 1959, one major responsibility entrusted to it is to provide support for the education system in the country. School television (STV) was launched in October 1961 as an organised, systematic and sequential support to formal school instruction. Teachers appreciated STV as a tool for teaching and presentation of content (Kumar, 2000). The country-wide classroom initiative of the University Grants Commission dedicated to higher education started its telecast on Doordarshan in 1984 with one-hour educational programmes. Though the urban youth may not even be aware of such programmes, these were found to be very useful in the small towns and remote areas of the country where people had less access to other sources of information (Ninan, 1995). In order to boost educational telecasts, a satellite channel devoted exclusively to education Gyandarshan was launched in 2000 in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Indira Gandhi National Open University. Gyandarshan offers interesting and informative programmes of relevance to special categories – pre-school kids, primary and secondary school children, college and university students, youth seeking career opportunities, housewives, adults, and many others. In addition to educational fare, programmes from abroad are also broadcast to offer viewers a window to the world (Agrawal and Raghaviah, 2006). For three decades ever since the inception of television, the dominant theme was communication for development so as to improve the quality of life for the vast rural majority. The logic was that in an underdeveloped, largely rural country; television could be used to convey messages on agricultural improvement, health care, and family planning to millions of people without depending on the extension infrastructure such a task would normally require. But the irony was that none of this was done imaginatively or consistently (Ninan, 1995). Commenting on the weaknesses of India‟s educational and instructional broadcasts, the Verghese Committee set up in 1977 to suggest an autonomous framework for broadcasting, noted that in the absence of co-ordination with concerned government departments and educational institutions; the health, farm and educational broadcasts have not been very effective. Another area where it felt the broadcast media was found inadequate was in promoting social justice and educating the underprivileged about their rights (Verghese, 1978). Despite some such shortcomings, Indian television also has to its credit significant initiatives of promoting social change in rural areas. Notable among them are SITE, the educational telecasts and the Kheda Communication Project. One of the most extensive educational and social research projects, perhaps the largest national television experiment in the world, has been SITE (Vilanilam, 2005). Some of these landmark initiatives are discussed in the next section. Landmark Initiatives in Development Communication using Television The journey of television in India took a new turn with the launch of the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment in 1975-76. It was a one year pilot-project using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration‟s ATS-6 satellite to broadcast educational messages through satellite to 2400 villages in the six states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Orissa, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Its objectives were to improve rural primary education, provide teacher training, improve agriculture, health and hygiene, and nutritional practices and contribute to family planning and national integration (Singhal and Rogers, 2001). SITE was â€Å"an unqualified success in terms of hardware but the software wasn‟t specific enough to the area and audience in content or language, and therefore was not so useful and comprehensible† (Joshi, 1985, p.32). The important lesson learnt was that the software has to be area-specific, relevant to the needs and aspirations of the audience, and has to be in the local language (Page and Crawley, 2001; Singhal and Rogers, 2001). The Kheda Communication Project (KCP) launched in 1976 remains to-date the most innovative experiment in using television for empowerment and participatory rural development. Initially known as Pij TV, it used a one-kilowatt transmitter. The Pij transmitter could be received in a radius of about 30 km from Pij village (Agrawal and Raghaviah, 2006). It was India‟s first effort at decentralised community television broadcasting and received the prestigious UNESCO-IPDC prize for rural communication effectiveness. Some 650 community television sets were provided to 400 villages and installed in public places. One of the reasons for the success of the KCP was due to its ability to tap into the existing development infrastructure of Kheda district. It collaborated with extension agencies working in dairying, agriculture and health services, with local banks, cooperatives and employment exchanges (Singhal and Rogers, 2001). The accent was on participatory programme making, the themes were often local, dared to deal with controversial subjects such as caste discrimination, alcoholism etc., and for the first time systemic audience research was carried out (Thomas, 2010). Recognising it contribution, UNESCO noted, â€Å"Kheda was an exceptional example of the combining of modern technologies with a participatory approach to communication. The project employed traditional cultural expressions of a rural community in the creation of its audiovisual programmes, while using modern evaluation techniques for its programme planning. Overall, this project proved to be a good example of the applications of 9 communication for the promotion of human development, particularly of the rural poor, women and children† (UNESCO website, 2011, para. 14). Despite being such a success, the Kheda Project was carried out in splendid isolation from the mainstream and its lessons were not allowed to influence the development and programme trajectory adopted by Doordarshan (Thomas, 2010).