The efficency of suppliers prequaification Essay Example

The efficency of suppliers prequaification Essay The public owners for instance award contracts o the lowest responsible bidder in order to fulfill the requirements of the law that protect public interest and funds, prevent fraud, collusion, and favoritism, and obtain quality construction at reasonable and fair prices. Determination of the lowest bidder is easy and direct, while on the other hand determining whether the contractor is responsible or not is not as easy. Selection of contractors based on the lowest bid price has been criticized by a section of the construction industry itself. It has long been a source of frustration to those involved with competitive-bid construction projects that owners often treat low- laity construction work no differently from high-quality construction work. Both owners and contractors have acknowledged this problem. In a study carried out for SHASTA by Minch Jar. And Smith, 2001 , it was observed that contractors who were confident in their ability to produce high-quality work expressed their perceptions that public owners actually reward poor workmanship, at least indirectly. According to the contractors, they do this by not penalizing poor workmanship, thus giving a bidding edge to those contractors who take advantage of the owners reluctance to penalize them. The contractors performing high quality work are discouraged about the prospect of continuing to bid for construction work against contractors who consistently submit low bids and produce low quality products. In many cases, it was expressed that these same low bidding contractors consistently submit change orders for extras even when the claimed work was part of the original design. We will write a custom essay sample on The efficency of suppliers prequaification specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The efficency of suppliers prequaification specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The efficency of suppliers prequaification specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer No evidence was provided, however, to support these claims. Contractor prettification is one of the processes among many others that are used to ensure that the right contractor is chosen for the right Job. Briefly, contractor prettification can be defined as a decision making process by which an owner evaluates the competence of a candidate contractor to perform the requirements associated with a given project even before the final bidding process is set in motion. Contractor prettification will be described in greater detail in the subsequent chapter. One or any combination of the following may be considered for prettification: Contractors. Subcontractors. Suppliers. Products. Services, including professional services. Prettification of contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, products and services for publicly funded projects is problematic and the potential for criticism by the private sector, particularly by those parties who are not qualified, is always present. Thus making it obvious for everyone that the prettification process is not be taken lightly and also that its application is a function of a projects complexity and magnitude. Several multi criteria decision making models for contractor prettification are available for use in the industry and research field. These decision making models encompass a wide range of methodologies beginning with the simple Point Allocation PA) methodology and ending up with complex models such as models based on genetic algorithms, neural networks and stochastic probabilities. Each method has its own unique group of users. Users have based their choice of prettification models on varying factors such as user sophistication, cost of application of method, appropriateness of application of method to the particular project etc. This proliferation of prettification models is both a boon and a bane for an educated owner since it gives the owner a wide range of models to choose from while at the AMA time it creates doubt in the owners mind regarding the best possible method or model for prevailing contractors for a particular project. The models that are on the high end level of the methodology ladder are too sophisticated to be easily understood and appreciated by an average owner thus leaving the owner with no choice but to choose a model from the existing simpler ones being used in the industry. The advantage of using models implemented in industry is that they are simpler and easily understandable by everyone in the construction industry. This type of models can be labeled as Practical prettification models. Within the Practical models the level of sophistication varies from the simple to the highly complex. The issue of concern is to determine how efficient these contractor prettification models really are. Which contractor prettification model gives the best result when each prettification model is supplied with the same set of contractor information? This issue can be best addressed by a comparative analysis of prettification models. This analysis would include both quantitative as well as qualitative analysis in order to arrive at a proper conclusion regarding the efficacy of he prettification models.

Free Essays on Colonial America

Assignment 2 – â€Å"Colonial America† The colonization of America started around 1520, when the Spanish entered North America after the fall of Mexico. St. Augustine in Florida became the first European settlement, based on North American soil. Today these areas are American, but many of them still bare Spanish names such as Albuquerque and San Antonio. In 1608 the French founded the city Quà ©bec, in what is now called Canada. They colonized land along the St Lawrence by the 1630s and in 1663 they were in possession of their own colony named New France. Expeditions along the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico discovered lands now known as Louisiana. More examples of colonized areas in the name of France were Detroit in Michigan and Mobile in Alabama. England founded their first colony in 1607 at Jamestown, Virginia. The period from 1607 to about 1624 was characterized by sickness and hunger, and many colonists died. However, by 1934 Virginia’s population was increasing, reaching 40000 in the 1670s. The inhabitants tried to grow sugar canes, lemons, oranges and more without success, before tobacco was discovered in 1612. This was the beginning of something the South has become well known for: its plantations. When we speak of colonial America, we divide it into three areas; the South, the Middle Atlantic and New England. The Middle Atlantic was a tolerant colony, and had a broad variety of nationalities; English, Dutch, Irish, Norwegian, Swedish, Italian, German and more. This became the home of the radical Quakers. Other groups like Baptists, German Methodists and Lutherans and various sects also thrived here. In 1620 the Mayflower containing a hundred pilgrims arrived in Plymouth. Boston was soon inhabited, and became the capital of the colony New England, which is normally associated with puritans. These hard working people with strong religious beliefs made use of the harbour and the sea to become a prosper... Free Essays on Colonial America Free Essays on Colonial America Assignment 2 – â€Å"Colonial America† The colonization of America started around 1520, when the Spanish entered North America after the fall of Mexico. St. Augustine in Florida became the first European settlement, based on North American soil. Today these areas are American, but many of them still bare Spanish names such as Albuquerque and San Antonio. In 1608 the French founded the city Quà ©bec, in what is now called Canada. They colonized land along the St Lawrence by the 1630s and in 1663 they were in possession of their own colony named New France. Expeditions along the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico discovered lands now known as Louisiana. More examples of colonized areas in the name of France were Detroit in Michigan and Mobile in Alabama. England founded their first colony in 1607 at Jamestown, Virginia. The period from 1607 to about 1624 was characterized by sickness and hunger, and many colonists died. However, by 1934 Virginia’s population was increasing, reaching 40000 in the 1670s. The inhabitants tried to grow sugar canes, lemons, oranges and more without success, before tobacco was discovered in 1612. This was the beginning of something the South has become well known for: its plantations. When we speak of colonial America, we divide it into three areas; the South, the Middle Atlantic and New England. The Middle Atlantic was a tolerant colony, and had a broad variety of nationalities; English, Dutch, Irish, Norwegian, Swedish, Italian, German and more. This became the home of the radical Quakers. Other groups like Baptists, German Methodists and Lutherans and various sects also thrived here. In 1620 the Mayflower containing a hundred pilgrims arrived in Plymouth. Boston was soon inhabited, and became the capital of the colony New England, which is normally associated with puritans. These hard working people with strong religious beliefs made use of the harbour and the sea to become a prosper...

Department of Maritime and Logistics Management-Voyage Planning Essay

Department of Maritime and Logistics Management-Voyage Planning Assignment - Essay Example It is not specified whether or not the ship will be able to carry a cargo on its way to either Manila or Shanghai in order to take either of the two jobs available. Conventional logic dictates that whenever a ship makes an oceanic voyage, it is more efficient for the ship to contain a cargo rather than simply travel empty. If at all possible, any cargo vessel should attempt to carry cargo of some sort even if its ultimate objective is to arrive at a different port city to undertake a more valuable cargo. Without knowledge of whether or not the vessel can undertake a cargo on its way to either of the major ports, then this analysis will presume that there is no cargo known it to be available for this ship when it arrives in Hong Kong. Therefore, if a situation arises where the cargo vessel must travel empty then the links of an empty voyage should be minimized. Therefore, it is more logical in this instance to travel from Hong Kong to Manilla due to the simple fact that the distance t he ship will have to travel without a cargo will be minimized, as opposed to a trip from Hong Kong to Shanghai, a greater overall distance in nautical miles. Moreover, a shorter journey would enable the ship to undertake the paying job faster. What this analysis must determine is whether or not the expense and profit potential of option one would outweigh the benefits of option two in the long run. If there is a potential for greater profit at the end of the final voyage, it must be great enough to outweigh the potential for lost time and the expense of traveling to either destination without cargo. The amount of the respective cargoes the ship can hold must also be considered based upon the available price. For steel, each unit will be packaged as .91 m? per tonne as opposed to 1.20 for the timber. So for the same amount of weight, a greater volume of steel can be loaded onto the ship. In addition to the weight over volume difference between the two commodities, the price for steel is also higher. By calculating cubic meters, it has been found that the same weight of steel will take up just slightly more than three fourths the volume of the same weight in timber. Under these circumstances, it is necessary to make determinations concerning the most useful cargo carrying strategy for the ship in question. Additional information that would aid in this determination is whether or not the Nunki is specialized for one cargo or the other. All ships have weight and volume limitations, the ship specialized for a particular cargo but loaded up with a different commodity with an unusual stowage factor may find itself in the situation of being unable to fully utilize its entire volume by carrying the cargo in question. The same weight in steel represents just over 75% of the same volume in timber, and this must be factored into price calculations. With the net tonnage of 18,800, we must still subtract from that 400 tons of dead weight (including freshwater and constants) leaving 18,400 tonnes remaining. Under ideal conditions, and traveling an identical distance it would be more logical to carry the steel cargo, unless specialized factors in ship construction would further reduce the available volume if steel were not the originally intended cargo of the vessel. But in this case, the different destinations will represent differences in the time and route of the two possible voyages. Calculations: Net Tonnage 18,800 0.91 / 1.2 = 0.75 Steel 24.50 per

Undue Influnce in law of Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Undue Influnce in law of Contract - Essay Example e banks agents for the purpose of advising Mrs Etridge and the bank was entitled to rely on the solicitors assurances, even though those were false† (United Settlement n.d.). Under English law, undue influence is a reason for rescinding a contract if it can be proved by the victim. There are many relationships where one party can hold influence over another due to its inherent nature. An employer can have influence over an employee or a husband can have influence over his wife. But it need be undue influence or through duress for a contract to be set aside. According to Lord Nicholls, one of the judges in this case, â€Å"The law has set limits to the means properly employable for this purpose. To this end the common law developed a principle of duress† (United Kingdom House of Lords 2001). Under English law there is no precise definition as to what constitutes undue influence and will depend upon the circumstances of each case. But what should be proved is that a relati onship with influence has been to abused or exploited to claim undue influence (e-lawresources.co.uk n.d.).In this particular case, since there was no evidence of undue influence by Mrs Etrdige’s husband, the fact that she had sought independent advice is not relevant. So it can be said that unless undue influence existed and the same is proved by the wronged party, there is no recourse and a contract is valid. In any relationship, either of the parties can be in a position to receive information that should not be made public. It can be between a lawyer and client, between a doctor and patient, or a banker and customer (O’Neill 2007). So if a relationship has this feature, then it is a confidential relationship. Here again there is no formal definition, and the fact whether a relationship is confidential will depend on the facts of each case. In that sense, the relation between husband and wife can be deemed to be confidential in nature since they may share information which should not be

New Doha International Airport Design and Construction Research Paper

New Doha International Airport Design and Construction - Research Paper Example Area 3 includes airport terminal facilities, while Area 4 includes landscaping and support buildings for the airport. The New Doha International Airport is designed to cover more than 22 square kilometers of land, which amounts to about one quarter the size of the old city of Doha, and about 3 times the size of the existing airport in Doha. The airport is designed to cater to as many as 50 million people, 2 million tones of luggage, and also handle as many as 320,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings per year. â€Å"By opening day, as many as 8,700 passengers can go through the terminal complex in a single hour. The airport’s eastern runway will be 4,850 meters long, only150 meters shorter than the longest commercial runway in the world at Ulyanovsk-Vostochny International Airport in Russia. By opening day, the 350,000+ square meter passenger terminal facility will be the largest building in Doha, covering an area equivalent to 50 full size football pitches. As such, it will be bigger than Doha’s City Center Plaza which has an internal area of 290,000 m2. Flights and passenger processin g facilities will be organized in a way to minimize walking distances for various travelers. Moving walkways will also help to shorten the distances to the contact gates. The new airport check-in and retail areas alone will be big enough to squeeze in ten wide body aircraft. When completed, this area will be about 12 times bigger than the retail and check-in areas at the existing facility, making the journey through check-in much quicker, and the shopping experience more varied.† (Airport Technology - New Doha International Airport, Qatar). The New Doha International Airport is designed to be one of the most advanced airports in the world, and will serve as home to Qatar Airways, which is a leading airline worldwide. The airport is designed to be able to handle operations of some of the biggest passenger planes in the

Methods used in conducting social research

Methods used in conducting social research Historically, it was perceived that social research could be performed objectively using positivistic techniques related to the natural sciences. Despite their ideological variations, Comte, Durkheim and Marx all perceived that natural scientific methodologies could be applied to social studies thus providing objective value free research. Yet the social sciences are divided as the objectivity of social research has been a highly contested issue within ontological schools of thought claiming that the social world cannot be explored wholly objectively. This debate was brought to the forefront when Becker who takes an interactionist perspective, claimed that it is impossible for social researchers to make values free judgements and that sociologists take sides namely that of the underdog, the oppressed and the powerless. This essay will explore the concept of objectivity within social research by giving a historical account of social theory before critically analysing the claim that th e objectivity of the social researcher is fatally compromised when he or she takes sides. The Becker/Gouldner debate will be critically addressed before analysing the notion of public sociology. Before addressing the debate, the historical significance of social theory must be addressed as there is a long history regarding issues of objectivity, and value free research. Prior to World War Two, social research was dominated by the paradigm of positivism. Philosophers such as Comte (1798-1857) strongly affirmed that methods applied to the natural sciences such as physics should be applied to the study of social behaviour (Benton Craib, 2001). The positivist perspective placed great emphasis on the objectivity of social research, accepting Science as the only general form of knowledge that produces reliable social scientific knowledge that can be generated into theory applicable to social behaviour within society (Benton Craib, 2001: 23). Moreover, like the natural sciences it requires both logical and empirical support. Causal relationships can be identified and truths can be falsified thus, positivist sociology assumes that law-like generalisations can be derived from socia l research Pedraza (2002: 75). Postivism was widely accepted throughout the nineteenth centuary as science was assumed to be the highest form of knowledge, thus by applying the methodologies of the natural science to the newborn social sciences allowed for some level of acceptance. As far as objectivity is concerned, positivist methodological approaches claim that objectivity is an ideal that is attainable, as the social realtiy of society can be observed it without any antecedents. As a result, the aim of the social scientist is to be exogenously detached from the research subject. Although not positivists,both Durkeim and Marx both ascertained that social research could be studied using natural science techniques therefore obtaining objectivity. Although not a positivist himself, Durkheim drew upon positivistic methods in his study of suicide using statistical data to identify patterns of causal relationships. (REF) Turning to Weber (WEBERREF) changed the direction of social research claiming that although social research should be value free, obtaining completely objective research was impossible. This is simply because researchers are subjective humans. Weber coined the term value free sociology and urged that sociologists need to be unconfined by personal values if it was to make a positive contribution towards society. Weber recognised that personal values would to some extent influence research topics but encouraged objectivity in exploring a topic once chosen. For Weber, value freedom is then a non-judgemental analysis of society in its own terms. Although Weber advocated this approach to social research, it must be acknowledged that values can enter research in a variety of ways ranging from the choice of research area, formulation of the research question; methodology including data collection, analysis of data; interpretation of data and overall conclusions (Bryman, 2008). Following from Weber the epistemological position of positivism has been overtly critiqued by various theorists, particularly those who take an ontological, interpretivist stance. For example, Becker (1964: 245) argues that, there is no position from which sociological research can be done that is not biased in one way or another. Therefore, social research cannot be completely objective as researchers can unknowingly contaminate their exploration of an issue with values developed throughout their own biography. Furthermore, Becker (1964) claims that, sociologists must either write from the position of a superordinate or from that of a subordinate (Lawson, 1991: 591). In addressing this claim, Becker (1964) discusses the credibility of hierarchy which explores the notion that social groups whom are perceived to be superior within a given society are in a position of power that can define the rules of society. The exclusivity of the natural sciences within society is an example of thi s. Becker (1964: 242) goes on to surmise that sociologists challenge this rule by refusing to acknowledge the established status order in which it is surmised that the truth of knowledge is unequally distributed. Therein, Becker suggests that social research should focus on the underdog in order to reform knowledge distribution. This is similar to the view that has been taken up by feminists such has Hartstock (2004: 7) who place emphasis on relativist standpoint theories whereby knowledge is shaped by power relations, that it is socially situated. Therefore those oppressed can give the best account fo the internal workings of their group. Hartstock (2004) attains that prior to feminist sociology, research disciplines and public policy did not account for women as group with their own knowledge. For Hartsock (2004), any social research that does not address the unequal distribution of knowledge, is therefore, potentially skewed. Thus drawing upon the Marxist notion of historic materialism standpoint theorists such as Hartstock (2004) and Harding (DATE) chose to address this with the aim of exercising social research from the position or standpoint of women. It can be surmised from this perspective that it is therefore it is impossible for a social researcher to extract themselves from power relations in thei r own situation. Therefore the feminist approach strongly advocates that objectivity should not be the primary aim of a social investigation. Rather, it is important for researchers to adopt a stance and consider how their values will influence their research. In addition, it should be recognised that feminist researchers shape the results of their analyses no less than do those of sexist and androcentric researchers. The objectivist stance should be avoided as it attempts to make the researchers cultural beliefs and practices invisible, while simultaneously skewering the research objects, beliefs and practices to the display board (Harding, 1987:9). What are the arguments against this? GOULDNER Gouldner is in consensus with Becker that social research cannot be value free yet he openly criticises Beckers claiming that Becker does not address the reasons why sociologists are more inclined to take the side of the underdog. Furthermore Gouldner asserts that is not always the case, the manner which some sociologists conceive the value-free doctrine disposes them to ignore current human problems and to huddle together like old men seeking mutual warmth. This is not our job, they say, and if it were we would now know enough to do it. (Gouldner, 1973: 13) It is clear that subjectivity poses a severe limitation for the positivist objective approach to social research. For Gouldner, however, the positivist approach posed another extensive problem, it was useful to those young, or not so young, men who live off sociology rather than for it, and who think of sociology as a way of getting ahead in the world by providing them with neutral techniques that may be sold on the open market to any buyer (Gouldner, 1973: 12). In others word Gouldner saw self interest as a powerful motivator the outcome of research being affected by the context in what it is undertaken. Thus the social researcher is not necessarily on the side of the underdog. In laymen terms Lawson (1991) suggests that the crux of this debate is the question of whether sociologists are allied with the state, accepting the state as the overall authority or should they adapt a more ethical, moral role in addressing social problems of society. Ultimately social researchers are divided by this dilemma that as Gouldner suggests, depends on the social context of the researcher. What Gouldner recognises is that the attempt of sociologists to draw upon the natural sciences to obtain an objective approach does not entirely fit with social studies and that the institutions in which professional sociologists consult such as government, academia and business can have a profound effect on a researchers values. Parsonian sociologists such as Haak (1994) and Hammersely (2000) are critical on views promoted by Becker and Gouldner arguing that that the politicisation of social research is not only misguided, but inherently dangerous, and that an intelligent and sceptical commitment to the principles of objectivity and value neutrality must remain an essential feature of social research (back cover). Hamersley (2000) promotes the idea of value-free, objective social research placing emphasis on academia as the key institution to producing knowledge. Yet the University as a place for producing knowledge itself is under threat. This can be demonstrated by addressing the tragedy of the anticommons. ANTICOMMONS 300 In response to Hardings Tragedy of the Commons whereby a resource is exploited by overuse, (HellerRosenburg1998)) address the notion of the anticommons where upstream and downstream technologies are compatible for the development of a new product yet the technology is patentable and ownership is fragmented thus the price of the new product becomes high and its consumption ends up being small or there is a gridlock in the development of the products EXAMPLE OF ANTICOMMONS This is not objective research if the notion is to make profit 250 This situation can be directly perceived by examining changes within university systems. For example, in Japan, national universities that conduct public research have transitioned to University Corporations by which there is an emphasis in profiteering from any innovations it may develop (Nishijima, 2004). According to Nishijima (2004) the Japanese ministry of education has advocated universities to acquire patents of innovations and to partake in research activities with private organisations such as corporations. through establishing Technology License Office for the past few years. The transition of National University to University Corporation implies that results of basic research will suddenly change from public goods to private goods and that the anticommons problem will emerge in the product innovation where basic research and development of new products are complementary. In the case of National University, there seems no consensus (no argument so far) on how economists should formulate the objective function of national university.10 Even if we assume that national university behaves as if it maximized a particular objective function such as probability of research success subject to budget and other constraints, equilibrium variables of national university will not be far from those arbitrarily given, as long as the particular objective function is not convincing. Therefore we have no choice but to exogenously give particular values to variables Thus as Oliver (1992) ascribes, social research are sometimes forced to take sides as funding bodies are not willing to take risks and support user-controlled research. The point that Gouldner (1973) puts across is that sociology should focus on social change therefore it must take sides. Essentially, Marx emphasised the need for social research to contribute to social change, The Standpoint of the old materialism is civil society; the stand point of the new is human society, or social humanity. The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it. (Eastman, 1935) like Marx, Gouldner (1973) believed that sociology should count towards human emancipation thus Gouldner became a strong believer in public sociology. REFLEXIVITY 300 The notion of reflexivity. Researchers must give an indication of the purpose of their research and how they have come to partake in such research This illustrates some of the factors that can affect social research. Namely, the need for profit. PARSONIAN SOCIOLOGY ARGUES FOR EPISTIMOLICAL RESEARCH DISCUSS!! BURAWOY PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY DISTINCTION BETWEEN THOSE THAT ACT AND THOSE WHO DONT As Burawoy (2005: 324) asserts the possibility for public sociology comes from sociologys spontaneous connection to its reflexive relation with civil society. Burawoy clearly recognises that sociology in itself is a reflexive paradigm and suggests that it clearly needs to move from ideological theory to commitment to action. In a sense Burawoy (2005: 325) advocates that social research must take sides claiming like Marx and Gouldner that society should place human society or social humanity at its organising centre. 200 words Whilst this debate continues, a few conclusions can be drawn from this essay. Firstly, it is near impossible for social researchers to complete value free research. There are several factors that account for this. Namely as Gouldner asserts, the social context in which research is conducted. Secondly, It would seem that social research is clearly divided by professional and public sociology. Thus it is not a case of whether or not to take sides but more a case of which side our values empower us to choose. Those inclined towards professional sociology may attain that objectivity is not compromised whereas those inclined towards public sociology may recognise that it can be and even more so, that it is necessary to evoke humanitarian changes.

Importance of Slavery to the Caribbean Essay -- History Slave Slavery

Importance of Slavery to the Caribbean The significance of the role played by slaves in the history of the Caribbean cannot be overemphasized. Nearly everything that defines the Caribbean today can be traced back to the advent of Africans to the sugar plantations several centuries ago. For this reason it is impossible to ignore the issue of slavery when studying the history of the Caribbean, as we are doing in this class. Through our numerous readings on the status of slaves and their treatment by the societies in which they lived, we have learned much about the sufferings and ordeals of these people. The following is an attempt to organize my own particular feelings and reactions, which I have previously posted on-line throughout the course of the semester, to the readings on this subject and to the reactions of other students as well. Imperialism, Plantation Slavery and the Slave Trade: 16th-18th Centuries It is interesting to note the ever-increasing reliance on slaves as the transition to sugar plantations not only occurred but also proceeded to become the main form of economic activity in the Caribbean in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. When the main crop out of the Caribbean was tobacco products in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, the slave trade was non-existent. But when this crop failed, in addition to ginger, coffee and others, the inhabitants began to try sugar. This, of course, took off immediately, and the need for slaves became imperative. Thus began the true slave trade from Africa, which would forever alter the demography of the Americas. Also interesting to see are the two forms of non-exploitation society that thrived (contrary to European desire) in the Caribbean: the Maroons ... ...e, no present-day obstacle could stand in their way. The religion, skin color, music and culture of the Caribbean are all based on the difficult past of its people. Despite the rampant poverty that still plagues the region today, many of the people seem strangely content and remain optimistic. This alone speaks volumes about the strength of character these people project. It is a lesson for the rest of the world to learn from. Happiness is far more important than any material goods or trivial pursuits that we will ever pursue. It is certainly something that I will take away from this class, and I hope others do as well. Sources Beckles, Hilary and Shepherd, Verene. Caribbean Slave Society and Economy; The New Press (New York, 1991). Knight, Franklin W. The Caribbean: The Genesis of a Fragmented Nationalism (2nd ed.); Oxford University Press (New York, 1990).

Did School Helped in Covering Up the Crime

In my assessment of the facts, I believe that Eastern Michigan University did not intentionally covered-up the death of Laura Dickinson. Though the Clery Act requires schools to report any crimes and other threats to safety to students, it ignores such law because it lacked clear decision as to what to do with the incident (Goldman). Aside from that, it is beyond doubt that the school failed in initiating investigation on the incident. The tragic incident may also have distracted the school administrator as to what really happened to Laura until the body cannot be revealed to the students. Apart from that, the school may have feared that announcing the death of Laura may disturb their investigation and may create fear among students that they cannot control. The incident may have been perceived by the school as a threat to the peace within the school. Furthermore, the incident may have happened the first time and it is not prepared and lacked the proper guidelines in responding to such incident. It would also be unfair to conclude that the incident was covered- up because the school did not hid the body. If it was the school’s intention to cover-up the incident, it could have done anything that would disallow anyone from discovering it. Besides, the school made a statement after ten days. Thereafter, informed Laura’s parents after ten weeks. Ten weeks may be considered to be unreasonable for the school to finally decide in revealing the truth but it may be considered only as a negligence and indecisiveness on their part. The school may have feared losing its reputation once the incident is fully made known in public and may have been confused about the privacy of the people concerned. Aside from failing to report the incident, there are no other circumstances that would strongly determine that the school tried to hide the incident from the students and the public as well. Furthermore, the school may have been ignorant about the consequences of its act. Hence, the school did not intentionally covered-up the incident.

Malay Chinese and Internet Banking. Essays

Malay Chinese and Internet Banking. Essays Malay Chinese and Internet Banking. Essay Malay Chinese and Internet Banking. Essay The trend is not isolated in developed countries but also is taking place in developing and less developed countries. The widespread of Internet Banking is probably due to its benefits. In Malaysia internet banking was officially allowed by the Malaysian Central Bank on June 1, 2000. Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank) was the first bank to offer internet banking in Malaysia so called Maybank2U. Currently, most major banks in Malaysia offer internet banking services. Researchers have applied many theories to predict factors that influence individuals to use Internet Banking. The technology acceptance model (Davis, 1989), the theory of reasoned action (FishbeinAJzen, 1975), the theory of planned behavior (AJzen, 1991), the innovation diffusion theory (Rogers, 1995), and the decomposed theory of planned behavior (Taylor Todd, 1995) have been successfully forecast the factors that influence individuals to use Internet banking. The theories have contributed significantly in providing strategic guides to respective institutions to enhance the adoption of Internet banking. 2. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this paper is to looks at factors that influence banking customers ntention to use Internet banking. The emphasis is on the impact of cultural trait against the intention to use the technology. Using Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and trust literature, the study investigates the influence of perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and trust on the intention to use Internet banking among the Malay and Chinese Malaysian ethnic groups. The respondents of the study were sstudents. They were divided into two groups based on their ethnic background to see whether is there any salient different in the factors that influence the intention to use he internet banking between the groups. It was assumed that individual differences which are connected with the ethnic group may influence factors that affect the intention to use the technology. Further testing of the regression coefficients reveal important cultural traits that may explain the differences in the level of influence of each attribute on the intention to use. It is suggested that different cultures may have been sole factor in influencing the use of internet banking. uan tatlve ana The choice of using qualitative, quantitative or both methods should depend upon hat the research aims to find out. Therefore, the researchs questions, aims and objectives determine which method should be used. 3. 1. 1 Quantitative Method Being value-free is also another attribute of the quantitative approach. This enables the research to analyze the findings objectively as the quantitative method objectively reports reality, whereas the qualitative method can be influenced. This research uses the quantitative approach through statistical analysis as a measuring instrument to scale the magnitude of variables. By using this, the study is able to iscover not only the variables that participants are concerned about, but also can find to What extent participants are concerned about particular variables. Moreover, the quantitative approach is a suitable method for gathering demographic information as well. 3. 1. 2 Qualitative Method Qualitative research is a process of enquiry that draws data from the context in which events occur. The key issue here is that the meaning of events, occurrences and interaction can be understood only through the eyes of actual participants in a specific situation. This study uses the qualitative approach in order to explore the ationale behind the quantitative findings. The flexibility of the qualitative approach assists the study in providing a meaning, relation, and logic for each numerical figure. 3. 2 Type Of Theories That Use For This Research This Journal is made based on three major theories that influence the two major ethnic Malay and Chinese in using internet banking. The theories are:- Technology Acceptance Model (Davis,1989) Trust (McKnight and Chervany,2001) Culture (Hofstede,1980) 3. 2. Technology Acceptance Model (Davis,1989) TAM describes those two major important things that determine customers to use nternet banking are based on:- 1 . i. Perceived Usefulness: The extent to which a person believes that using a particular system will enhance his or her Job performance. This behavior is significant and influential with the attitude of the user. 1 . ii. Perceived Ease of Use: The extent to which a person believes that using a par ticular system will be a free of effort Significant with the use of the web usage 1 . iii. External Variable: otner Tactors tnat Innuence percelvea useTulness ana percelvea ease 0T use. IA also mentioned that the intention to use internet banking is adversely affected by the ecurity enhancement and privacy risk ppolicy, as well as financial risk. Those factors are positively affected by the perceived benefit, attitude, and perceived usefulness. 3. 2. 2 Trust (McKnight and Chervany,2001) Trust is complicated due to the wide spectrum of approaches that define and describe it. Beside that, trust enables different parties to interact spontaneously and help the economy to operate smoothly. When an individual trusts a person, he or she expects that the other person will behave in a responsible manner and will not take advantage of a dependence upon him or her (Gefen et al. 2003). Trust is one of the major obstacles that allure the customers from using the internet banking or adopting the new technology. The criteria which may influence trust are: Data and transaction security, which focuses on privacy and confidentiality such as authentication of remote users using online transaction. Threats can be made through either data transaction or network attack, or unauthorized access by mearns of fake or defective authentication. Focuses on authorization methods in accessing information, mechanisms such as password protection and data inscription. Hackers aactivity. Mass media roll that always highlights about the unsafe nature of internet. 3. 2. 3 culture (Hofstede,1980) The individual decisions on whether to adopt internet banking or new technology are depending on their perception. This perception shaped by the culture of certain ethnic and it can be in many different ways. The cultural values of different ethnics affect the way they see things. Hofstede (1980) found that the differences in work related values can be explained by the national culture. Cultural dimension can be divided in five segments (Hofstede, 1980): a. Power distance b. Uncertainty avoidance . Individualism vs Collectivism d. Masculinity vs Femininity e. Time orientation Individual tend to adopt or accept new technology when they are influenced by the people that very closed with themselves. The industry condition also is taking part in influencing the customer decision to adopt or accept new technology. 3. 3 Methodology Student sampling has become a tool in this research table 1, because sstudents are generally younger, more educated, and more open minded when dealing with World Wide Web. As a result, these samples tend to represent future adoption patterns in the population at large. Factor analysls was perTormea to assess tne va1101ty 0T tne construct ana multiple regressions were employed to analyze the data. Figure 1. Research Model 3. 4 Result Of Research (Qualitative Quantitative) The result of the Journal is that all trust, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness have overwhelmingly positive effect on internet banking intentions for both ethnics. Thus, the banks need to enhance all its features such as bankings security to gain peoples trust and ease of use. In addition, the ssimilarity of the interface with automated teller machines (ATM) will ease the use of internet banking nd may allure customers to use internet banking exclusively. Security enhancements need to put as number one priority for banks in order to ensure the confidence level of users using the internet banking systems. The result from standardized coefficient examination showed that Chinese have higher rate of intentions to use internet banking compare to Malays. Chinese are more pragmatic (Abdullah, 2001) meaning that they are more practical, calculative and less emotional in making choices. Malays are more culture-valued people whom value composed ualities such as sincerity, generosity, discretion and feeling of shame at collective level as well as individual level.

Seven Steps to a Better Logo

Seven Steps to a Better Logo Whether youre a novice designer or a branding veteran, logo design remains a deceptively difficult practice. What looks like a simple icon to the general public took a designer or team hours of concepting and revising to execute. The most effective logos take the heart and soul of an organization and summarize that essence in a distinct, easily-recognizable visual. Its easier said than done, and it takes a lot of practice to successfully develop great logos, even under tight deadlines or limited budgets.In my experiences as a freelance designer, Ive discovered that the best tool for developing logos, whether for a huge corporation or a small local business, is devising your own process. This process can be used as a guideline to help steer you in the right direction for the logo youre designing. However, dont be too worried about rigidly sticking to the process as flexibility can allow for more creative concepts to arise.Below is my own personal process for logo design which Ive deve loped through my freelance practice along with some agency experience. Ive discovered that utilizing this process as a guideline has been extremely helpful no matter what kind of organization Im working with or what deadline I have. Spending time on each step has helped me to focus on creating a logo that my client will be thrilled to use.My basic process for designing a logo.Step 1 - Do your homeworkBefore you start picking typefaces, sketching, or looking for inspiration, you need to know for whom youre designing. This first step seems obvious, but its a crucial step that many designers forget. To make a logo truly represent an organization, you need to understand what the organization does and who it does it for.For example, lets say youre designing a logo for a restaurant. When did the restaurant first open? What type of food do they serve? How many people do they employ? What kind of people generally eat there? What are the restaurant owners goals for the business? Directly as k clients these types of questions if you can, and scour their website or promotional materials to get to know their current brand. You just may learn something during your research that will completely change the visual choices you make. If you find out that the restaurant is popular among young people but the owner wants to start appealing to families, then youll want to design a logo that is more appropriate for a family-friendly place rather than for a hip new cafe. This will not only help you create a more effective logo, but it will also make clients happier because you took their goals and needs into consideration.Step 2 - Complete a wide visual auditAfter researching the organization, look at the competition. Start with a narrow focus and widen as you go - this will help you have context for what already exists. In our restaurant scenario, first look at the branding of restaurants in the neighborhood, the city, and surrounding areas. If the restaurant serves Japanese food, what do other nearby Japanese restaurant logos look like? What local restaurants are the most popular - and what does their branding look like?After you look locally, explore relevant branding on a wider scale - this is the ideal time to look for restaurant branding or logos in general that inspire you. By collecting these logo ideas, youll not only have a visual bank of inspiration, but youll also avoid designing anything too similar to what already exists. You may notice that many logos you find in your audit are very similar or employ the same overused clichà ©s - a quick Google search for Japanese restaurant logo reveals pages of logos with red circles, chopsticks, and brushed calligraphy. Being aware of common visual tropes can help you develop a logo that stands out among the competition while still feeling appropriate for its context.A Google search is a quick way to reveal what designs have been overdone.Step 3 - Mood boardsAfter youve researched the company and the co mpetition, its important to sum up everything youve learned into something you can build on visually. I like to do this by choosing a handful of specific words or phrases that describe the brand to create a foundation for the rest of the process. If your client has given you any style requests for the logo, be sure to include those words here too. If youre a literal thinker, then doing an image search can help you find pictures of things that connect with your words - these can be abstract or literal. For example, if you find that one key aspect of the restaurant is fresh, then searching this word results in numerous pictures of water, organic forms, and the color green. You may not use these images in a literal sense for your logo, but theyll give you a starting point to start sketching from.A snapshot of an example mood board which uses words and images that describe the brand.Step 4 - Turn off your computerWhen youre on a tight timeline, it can be tempting to open Illustrator a nd start working digitally right away. Taking the time to sketch with a real pen and paper, however, helps you to produce ideas quicker and gives you more immediate freedom to explore. When sketching, think about the visuals you found in Step 3 and use them to generate ideas. At this stage, dont worry too much about making the most perfect mark or finding the solution right away–the point is to make various marks that you can refine later.Step 5 - The fun partNow that you have a few pages of sketches, pick a couple of your favorite ideas to build digitally. Some designers find it helpful to scan in their sketches, but I prefer to eyeball them and tweak as I go. Just like sketching on paper, dont be afraid to make lots of digital iterations. You may end up with something completely different than your original sketch, but thats okay! Stay open to the process, and try doing something new. If you get stuck, print out your digital logos and view them on paper. Cut them out, draw on them, or fold them. Refer back to your mood board. At this point in the process, theres no right or wrong way to develop ideas.As you start to refine your logomarks, here are a few tips to keep in mind:Remember that your logo needs to look good at all sizes and dimensions, so try enlarging and shrinking the marks to see what happens to their visibility.Avoid using very thin strokes or fine details, as these might get lost if the logo is printed from low-quality printers.Your client will most likely be using the logo both printed and on-screen, so make sure it plays nicely in both realms.Generally, the simpler the logo, the better - if you can draw the mark from memory, youre on the right track.Step 6 - Add color and typeOnce you have developed a few marks, move on to type and color. These two aspects are their own disciplines, but a few rules of thumb can help you find what works best for your logo and the brand it represents. For color, keep it simple - use as few colors as possible in the logo. You might be tempted to use a plethora of bright hues, but this can result in a logo thats hard to use across different applications. Lots of color can also distract from the effective mark youve already developed, and since the logo has to work in a single color, dont make color the backbone of your concept.For type, Ive found that picking typefaces that contrast with your mark can create a nice balance. For example, if your mark is built with organic shapes, try a sharper, more rigid typeface. If the mark is intricate and complicated, choose a simple sans serif. Make sure that the type and logo look harmonious together, and give each enough breathing room by sizing each element so neither feels too overwhelming. Choose colors and typefaces that feel relevant to current design trends without being too trendy - think about how your logo might look in five or ten years. A good logo is an investment for an organization, and if a logo is timeless enough to stick around, its going to create a lot of equity for the brand it represents. This process will take a bit of trial and error, so give yourself enough time to refine each concept before you present it to the client.Step 7 - Be boldDeciding on how many concepts to present to a client can be difficult. Ive found that this depends on the client, the timeframe, and the budget. Presenting too many options can overwhelm a client, while presenting only one or two may result in many revisions if the client doesnt see what he or she wants. However many concepts you choose, make sure that each one looks distinct and independent. Presenting a diverse array of concepts can help you to get a better feel for what a client likes and doesnt like, and in this situation its usually easier for a client to have strong feelings towards a single concept. And, dont be afraid to present an option thats a little bit more out there - while a safe, expected logo may initially satisfy a client, presenting a bolde r approach can inspire the client to envision something bigger and better for his or her organization, and it can foster a more comprehensive understanding of the importance of good branding.Finally, letting clients see a little bit of your process and explaining the thoughts behind each concept can create more meaningful interaction with them and spark real interest in the work. Speak to how each concept relates to the goals of the organization and how it fits into the context of the research you conducted in the first two steps. And, be enthusiastic! Show the client that you care enough about your work to put some thought behind it. Regardless of what concept they choose, carefully considered work goes a long way in an industry where careless design is all too common.Its easy to get overwhelmed by the mere idea of creating a brand-new logo from scratch, but following a few guidelines can be a huge help in designing a great idea. And lastly, dont put too much pressure on yourself t o create the best, most clever logo the world has ever seen. After all, as the legendary Paul Rand once said, Dont try to be original. Just try to be good.

Information Systems Able To Support and Improve Transportation Systems Essay

Information Systems Able To Support and Improve Transportation Systems Before, During and After the Olympic Games in London This Summer - Essay Example The situation gets tricky whenever huge numbers of people are expected to move around the city at the same time. The summer Olympics presents one of the many transport challenges that London faces every so often. The fact that London started coming up a city long before cars were invented implies that its streets are suited for foot rather than the millions of cars that are likely to fill its streets during the Olympics. In fact, it has been predicted that the summer Olympics will see the largest ever crowd to fill the streets of London. Because of the expected visitors, the government and private organisations have embraced for hitherto unseen transport conditions and problems such as congestion. For London to deliver a great Olympics, the city and the country must be kept moving, prompting the government to urge businesses and the public to consider their travel options ahead of and during the games. Fortunately, advances in information technologies and information systems such as cloud technology will ensure that unnecessary movements are not only restricted during the games but also controlled by encouraging people such as journalists to use other technologies to capture events rather than be present at the venues (Emmelmann et al., 2010). That is, in addition to keeping commuters in their homes, journalists’ likelihood to stay at one area for long will be high as information systems will ensure they capture through live-streams, most of the events from one location while they remain at the venue of the events that interest them most. This paper explores the support that information systems will give to the transport system before, during and after the London Olympic games. Intelligent Transport Technologies A range of information technologies could prove useful in the management of the transport system during the London Olympics. From simple and basic information systems such as traffic control systems, car navigation, message signs, speed cameras a nd automatic number plate recognition to more complex technologies such as CCTV systems and other IT applications, which monitor data and feedbacks, information systems will be quite useful to the transport system during the Olympics in London. Among the more sophisticated information technologies that monitor data and feedbacks include parking guidance systems, bridge deicing systems and weather information and technologies that enable comparison with historical data (Chowdhury & Sadek, 2003). Computational technologies such as floating car data or floating cellular data are relatively cheap data collection techniques that the Transport for London (TfL) could use to support transport systems during the Olympics. The data collected by these technologies relate to travel time and speeds of vehicles on streets, highways, freeways, and other transportation routes (IanVisits, 2012). There are three major methods by which information technologies may be used to gather transport data. The se techniques include the triangulation, the vehicle re-identification and the GPS-based methods. In modern times, most car users travel with their phones in their cars. Information on the presence of these phones is always transmitted to mobile networks whenever there are no voice connections. That is, as a vehicle moves, the signals on the mobile phones therein also move. Through the analysis of these mobile phone signals using triangulation, the obtained data could be used determine and control traffic flow (Chowdhury & Sadek, 2003). The triangulation method is thus quite an effective approach to supporting the transport system in London during the Olympics. The second technique, the vehicle re-i

Factors affecting mortgage interest rates Essay

Factors affecting mortgage interest rates - Essay Example As far as the business world is concerned, people have ventured into many different ways of acquiring capital as well as property. They have gone as far as borrowing money from financing institutions as loans which they commit their real property as security. Mortgage financing institutions as a capital market has since.Mortgage is money borrowed as loan from mortgage institutions to finance real property acquisition. It is usually paid back in specified periods, installments and interest rates. There are several factors that affect these mortgage interest rates in any given transaction and they vary from one financial institution to another. Us government debt is whereby the government raises funds from the public through issuing of debt instruments to finance its projects and debts. Treasury bill rates are defined as a short-term debt instrument of one year or less issued by the government to raise money from the public. After the maturity period, the government will pay back to th e bill holder by selling him or her at a discount as matter of fact when the treasury bill interest rate increase, the mortgage interest also increases because the debt instrument encourages buying more security for the benefit of the prevailing rates. Money in circulation will hence reduce due to its demand and so fewer funds are available to facilitate property acquisition, this therefore forces the financial institution to raise mortgage interest as they are in high demand.... reases the public will invest more on the debt instrument and consequentially the mortgage interest rates increases since there will be high demand for funds for property purchasing Treasury bonds are long term debt instrument issued by the government to the public. They are issued to a period of 30 years with interest being paid quarterly to the bondholder. If the interest rate is low the public will be mean to invest on them and hence mortgage interest rate due to the fact that demand for money to finance mortgage is low. Factors arising from Federal Reserve board. Federal reserve board is a government run board to oversee the banking system in US. Federal fund rates affect the mortgage interest rate. These are rate charged on loans that are given by depository institutions overnight These interest rates lead to increase in mortgage interest rates in that for example if a depository institution lends money to another, it has to charge a certain interest. Then the receiving institution has to raise its interest rates when lending money to the public so as to offset the interest charged by the other financial institution. To effect this, the New York foundation development governs all these transactions. Federal discount rates are interest rates charged to commercial banks as well as other depository institutions for money they receive from other financial institutions operating within the Federal Reserve. These rates are usually above the prevailing market interest rates. The mortgage financial institutions, which in this case are the commercia banks, and the depository institutions will have to increase the interest rates to their clients due to the fact that they have to recover the Federal