My most prized possesion Essay

My initial thought was how could i possibly narrow that down to just one single item? After fifteen minutes of staring at a blank piece of paper trying to figure out what exactly i cherish most in my life, it hit me. The one thing in my life that plays the biggest and most important role in my everyday story is my health. When people hear the word possession they automatically think of an object belonging to one. However, it is often forgotten that a possession isn’t always just a physical material but can be anything from a trait to a physical attribute. From a very young age you are taught the many steps needed to live a healthy lifestyle and maintain one’s health. These steps have become part of our everyday routine that many people often begin to take their health for granted as good health is viewed as something that’s just expected in life, particularly amongst young people. It often doesn’t cross the minds of people when they’re trying to und ergo a busy schedule everyday however, its our health that keeps us going, it’s our health that enables us to live our lives everyday without having to worry about dropping dead in the middle of the street or having a heart attack whilst doing the groceries. Good health is the real jewel of life. My mother always taught me to eat well. We would often reach a negotiation whereby if I ate all of my vegetables at dinner, In return, I would be allowed out on the green to play. My mother understood the importance of healthy eating whereas I always thought she was forcing me to eat â€Å"green balls of slime† to be malicious. My father enrolled me into my local soccer club and I could never grasp why. However, as the years flew by and I began to grow as a child, I learnt that this was all for my own good as he just wanted what’s best for me which was maintaining a good physical health. As I matured and became more aware of the world around me, I saw that health is apart of my everyday routine and although I may not have understood it at the time, I can see that the role it plays is more vital than anything else in the world. Due to the sheer egotistical and self-centred actions of many people around the world today, people are growing up thinking that money can solve everything. To keep good health, no money is needed. This fact is often abandoned due to common phrase often used- â€Å"money makes the world go round†. Even if you have all the money in the world, health will always swoop in and take first place when it comes to importance. Steve Jobs was one of the world’s richest men, owning one of the  biggest companies in the world and having a total net worth of about 7 billion dollars. However, that did not stop his cancer from heartlessly taking away his life, at the young age of 56. Despite owning a tremendous portion of the world’s money, he could not buy health, proving that wealth is irrelevant if you don’t have the air in your lungs. If health is lost, everything is lost such as the capacity to work which can lead to many catastrophes such as poverty and misery. if good health was abolished, we would simply fade away along with the rest of the world. To conclude, my health will always be my main focus on life- mentally and physically. I believe that if i don’t live life with a good mental outlook, i will achieve nothing.I perfectly agree with the maxim ‘health is wealth’. Unfortunately, very few care about this ‘wealth’. People spend sleepless days and nights, running after material wealth forgetting that the first step to acquire material wealth is to have good health.

Amtrack Case Study

In the given Amtrack case study provided, which involved a train in an accident that caused forty seven deaths can   be perceived as an ethical issue that is based on whom to blame on some situation which arise and uncertain.The ethical issue lie on who to blame among the main stakeholders, where the main stakeholders in this situation include the engineers, the national transportation safety board, conductor and assistant conductor CSX Transportation Inc and also WGN company.The main decision makers in the case include the media, the United States government and also the National Transportation Safety Board.The Amrack company had a cooperate social responsibility of ensuring that it promoted the social welfare of the community in which its operated a part from the benefits that it got from its operations.The company had a cooperate responsibility of following the legal procedures which are set by the relevant authorities in ensuring improved social welfare of the community (Loudon , 1986).For example the company was expected to adhere to the measures which were set by National Transportation Safety Board in improving the passengers safety when on board, but the company otherwise decided not to follow the rules by not   equipping the train with the sensor which was meant to detect the bridge damages.The company may have also perceived the equipping of the train with the sensor as a cost which was meant to make them loose economically, therefore decided to do without the device at the expense of endangering the passengers lives.The company also has a cooperate social responsibility in protecting the human lives on board, which it traded by not fixing the sensor to the train implying that they valued money more than human lives.Philanthropy is another social cooperate responsibility that involves the donating an aid to a charitable cause in improving the welfare of the community that a company is operating in, and this should depend on the wealth level of the donating company.Law provides a basis for an ethical decision on the legal, economic, ethical and philanthropic issues of cooperate social responsibility. Law provide that the companies should adhere to the set standards of operating which are intended to improve the welfare of the community and this include the rules for the protection of humanity and the environment.The companies are expected to observe some safety measure during their operation to ensure that the participates in their operation, both the workers and the users of their products are safe.The law also provide that companies are expected to instill the safety measures despite the cost of implementing the safety measures. Companies are likely to avoid taking some safety measures because of the costs involved in the implementation, therefore law is meant to ensure that the safety measures are in place.Companies are certain to value profits more than the human lives therefore posing an ethical problem (Bentham, 2007). L aw is needed in protecting humanity because it will ensure that companies are protecting humanity despite their much interest in profit maximization.Most cooperation are profit maximizing and for that reason they do not like spending in charitable activities toward the improvement of the community welfare as a cooperate social responsibility, otherwise they perceive the donations as a waste of resources.This situation call for the act of law to ensure that the companies provide for charitable activities aimed at improving the welfare of the community in which they operate in so as so make their operations reflective of the society in which they operate in (Hess and Bales, 2007).Law is therefore meant to make them contribute to charitable activities in proportion to the companies' wealth, hence the promotion of philanthropy.Conclusion and Recommendations.From the Amtrack case study, the main ethical issue is the conflicting interests in society which gave an opportunity for the occur rence of the accident. The Amtrack company is concern with lowering its operating costs at the expense of human safety who use the company train. The National transport safety board is also concerned with the safety of the passengers.Due to the conflicting interests in the society as portrayed in the case, there occurs the need for having set rules which are meant to cater for the interests of all persons in society.The rules which are part of the country of the country's law should be set in a manner in which all the parties' interest are considered and judgement made on   the basis of mutual benefits.The positive implication of the recommendation is that order will be restored in society as everybody will be expected to behave in a manner in which is expected to promote the general good of everybody. The negative implication of the recommendation is that some entities in societies will feel restrained in achieved their interest at the expense of the other entities' welfare.The p ossible criticism over the recommendation is that, it is difficult to exactly draws a balance over interests because the interest of individuals' are varied thus a unattainable.The best possible way to address the criticism is to make a judgement based on the premise that one is expected to behave in manner in which he   or she   may expect to be treated when in a situation like that of his or her neighbor in promoting the general happiness.ReferenceBentham J., 2007, An Introduction to the Principals of Moral and Legislation, Dover Pubns, pp 14 Loudon M., 1986,   Philanthropic Economy, E. Churton, pp 13 Hess A. and Bales J., 2007, Design Professional and Constarctive Manager Law, American Bar   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Association, pp 28   

Personal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal - Essay Example Grandma would always tell me, "Make something of yourself or somebody will make a fool out of you". I struggled in school, but her relentless passion pushed me to heights I never knew I could climb. Today, as I count the blessings of my teenage years, I am also reminded of my long past parents. I try not to think of them, but my mind does not obey my will. It wanders back into the blackened past of my childhood, and the spilled memories of my loving parents. The memories pull at me like a magnate to steel as I think about the years I spent with my parents while they worked as Christian missionaries in nameless Central American villages. I remember sleeping in the stillness of a rainforest or with the cacophony of an ocean pounding the beach. There I could dream all night in a fairyland far away from here and far away from my home, my young mind lost in the stillness of a Guatemalan night. The silence, occasionally broken by a primate's shrill cry, sounded like loneliness looking for a place to hide. At nine years old, I had an uneasy sense of the jungle and even more so since father had begun to lock the door at night. My imagination worked overtime to solve the riddle of the locked door and thought that monsters may come to snatch me away at any time. This night as my mother tucked me in she accidentally dropped a candle and stumbled in the darkness. I could see her hand quivering as she stooped to re-light the wick. Her anxiety boiled over into my pot leaving me shaken. I called for my father but my mother said simply, "Quiet, he's gone out". Afraid of the answer, I could not choke up the words to ask, "Where Why". The noisy crack from the jungle woke me to a crisp wakefulness. Three more explosions echoed through the room and ricocheted for seconds through my vacant head. I was alarmed, yet had only my fantasy of the events that were taking place right outside my window. The closed door loomed like an unsolved puzzle, beckoning me as I struggled across the room. I cracked the door like a gambler checking his hole card and stared into the inky depths. Suddenly, I heard my mother scream from behind a Banyan tree. Panicked, I squeezed between an old crate and a stack of lumber at the side of the house. I could hear my mother choking and struggling, and though I felt the need to go to her rescue, I was frozen in place. Locked in time. My mother's last gasp of fright was followed by the surreal sounds of life making an unscheduled exit. I looked to see my mother's lifeless body lying next to the tree. My father approached and for a moment I had the unrealistic euphoria that he was the hero coming to save the village. He solemnly knelt over her body as the silence returned, broken only by my father's whimpering and the songs of angels. The orange glow of fire flashed from the jungle and my father repulsed in a series of awkward contortions. His body, thrown back from the gunfire, came to rest inches from my mother's hand as if she was reaching for an escort to guide her to heaven. The next few seconds took hours to pass as I stared in a state of horrified shock. I watched three men dressed in black as they examined my parent's bloodied bodies. Their sneering and mumbling fell like water on a sponge, instantly absorbed by the thick undergrowth. I stayed motionless and could hear their voices go faint, seeping back into the night. I cried, never moving, until the safety of the

Internet Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Internet Marketing - Assignment Example 135-152). It emphasis on the use of ICT to facilitate faster transactions that help companies manage the complications of global business environments. It involves improvements in extranets and intranets. Internet marketing, (online marketing) refers to marketing and advertising techniques using the email and web to drive continuous sales through electronic commerce. It includes social media marketing, web marketing and email marketing (CHAFFEY, 2008 pp. 97-121). In addition, Internet marketing (online advertising) becomes effective when combined with other types of advertising like newspapers, television, radio, and magazine. Digital marketing is marketing that uses digital electronic gadgets such as tablets, cell phones, personal computers and smartphones to promote or market goods and services for smooth engagement with shareholders (SIEGEL, 2004 pp. 173-194). Platforms such as e-mail, websites and, and social networks are of importance to digital marketing. E- Commerce only involves the buying and selling of goods using electronic means. It also defines the exchange of properties and amenities or relocation of belongings or information, completed by electrical system, principally the Internet. It fascinates knowledge resembling to automated data interchange, internet promotion, program information assortment systems, catalog administration arrangements and stock series (SIEGEL, 2004 pp. 173-194). E-business involves selling products online while handling other company’s operations offline.It entails the use of informatics and statement mechanisms in the management of trade accomplishments. It prominence on the habit of ICT to enable quicker businesses that assistance companies handle the impediments of international business situations. It encompasses improvements in extranets and intranets. Internet marketing combines the technical and innovative feature of internet plus web-designing,

Why has political participation declined over time What strategies Essay

Why has political participation declined over time What strategies would you recommend for increasing voter turnout - Essay Example The bill signed into law by Bush which tried to ease the voter registration process by allowing the registration to be carried out when people are getting their driver’s license or even joining the military did nothing to ease the declining political participation. This is so because not all people have time to go in and register even though they are going to get their driver’s license as most are nervous enough about the test to even think about registering as a voter. The other reason is that there are a group of ignorant people who are not aware about them being required to register as a voter before being allowed to vote and by the time they do, it is too late for them to register and hence they simply forego the voting process. Others are not patient enough to go register and they also fore go voting in the elections. The non-citizens make up the second largest reason why political participation continues to decline, the number one being the age. USA has over 20 million non-citizens and majority of them are over 18 years of age which is the minimum voting age. This therefore means that there are millions of people who are eligible to vote but are restricted to do so even though they reside in the US and are also governed by the same leaders they wish to vote for. There are many strategies that can be employed to increase the number of voters turning out to vote in any election in the US compared to the number of people who are allowed to vote. Some of these strategies should be based on the two main restrictions discussed above. The first of these strategies is the complete elimination of the voter registration process. During the period of elections, the election officials should use the necessary legal documents to prove the voter is a citizen and is above 18 years. All these information is available in the government database and

Implication of Dicey's Definition on the Rule of Law Essay

Implication of Dicey's Definition on the Rule of Law - Essay Example Implication of Dicey’s definition on the ‘rule of law’; The implication of Dicey definition can be explained in three-fold: to prevent state from harassing citizens by means passing dubious laws, to exude the notion that everyone is equal in the eyes of the law and finally to protect the rights of the common citizen by limiting action of the state2. The role of prerogative powers was to offer flexible remedies where common law failed. This is due the rigidity of the common law3. In today’s world the control of exercise of the prerogative powers is normally exercised by way of judicial review4. Since there is no codification of the prerogative powers, the judicial officers through the judicial review process have become the final arbiters in determining what actually forms the prerogative powers. It is also concerned with checking the extent to which such powers are used (Pollard D et. Al 2007 p 42). In the enjoyment of prerogative powers it is important tha t these powers are actually defined and given a scope that is quite free from discretionary interpretation as this brings about a lot of inconsistency in interpretation of the law (Brayzer R, 1999 p 339). The English courts have given a wide interpretation of prerogative. In a decision in the case R v Secretary of State for the Home Department, ex parte Northumbria Police Authority5 prerogative powers was taken to mean doing whatever was necessary in order to avert what is considered threat to peace. The Dicey construction or rule of law makes every citizen have equal rights in the eyes of the law (Dicey A.V 1959 p 424). Upholding this, Lord Denning in the English case of Gourriet v. HM Attorney General6 stated that â€Å"Be you ever so high, the law is above you. The Attorney General has no prerogative to dispense with or suspend the law of England." This is always the prima facie stand in terms of being equal in the eyes of the law (Pollard D et. Al 2007 p 42). This has raised se veral debates. When we say equality before the law should mean that no one has special treatment yet at the same time the prerogative powers are enjoyed only by the Crown7. The scope and general prerogative powers It is quite difficult to actually and narrowly determine the province of prerogative powers8. Prerogative powers exist by the dint of common law. No new prerogatives can be established (Pollard D et. Al. 2007 p 82) . However, prerogatives can be abolished through enactment of statutes. Prerogative has to be exercised in accordance with the statute. This was shown in R v. Secretary of State for Fire Department ex parte Fire Brigade Union9. This case showed that there was no prerogative to deviate from what the statute clearly stated. Here the secretary of state was precluded from implementing another statutory in lieu of the one that the statute had provided for. The prerogative powers exists in the form of the Crowns powers to appoint the Prime Minister, the power of Royal mercy among others. Historical origin and developments In the history the prerogative were vested on the King or the Crown. The King then delegated the judicial powers to the judicial officers who then who exercised the prerogative on the behalf of the Crown. The constitutional Convention is the rules that are used for determining the mode in Crown exercises its discretionary powers. These discretionary pow

World Wide Web Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

World Wide Web - Essay Example In a distributed system, interconnections between the systems are in a client-server model. The client uses a web browser, which is the tool that provides universal access to the large collection of materials made available in the WWW and internet to connect with a server. The internet, the network of networks, has a network of connections between computers containing hypertext/hypermedia files or documents. Web documents contain information and are also linked to other related sources in the web. Another important reason for the use of WWW Browsers is that they have the capability to handle all other forms of internet protocols (Gopher, WAIS, FTP, Telnet etc.). The transferring of hypertext/hypermedia materials from web server to browser is based on certain network architectures. There are two types of computer network architectures used in Internet - The OSI Reference Model and the TCP/IP Reference Model. Each model has its own protocols. After the implementation of satellite and radio networks TCP/IP Reference Model became popular. The main ability of TCP/IP is to connect networks in a faultless manner. Different layers of TCP/IP Reference Model (Application layer, Transport layer, Network layer etc.) comprise different protocols, to control and coordinate the format of packets and messages that are exchanged among different computers within a layer. These protocols are used by the entities to implement service definitions. The application layer contains various purpose protocols as shown below: The Client or the web browser contacts a server through the establishment of connection to port 80 on the server’s machine. Each request from client consists of one or more lines of ASCII text. The first word on the first line is the method name. GET: The GET method is used to make a request to the server for send a page and this page is suitably encoded by MIME. Majority of requests from web browsers to web

Developing a Quantitative Research Plan Coursework

Developing a Quantitative Research Plan - Coursework Example Foreign direct investment in the host country is made because of many factors which include cheap labor in the country, special facilitation of the government of host country to foreign country such as low tax rate or tax exemption, or the vast business opportunities in the host country. Sometimes FDI is made in a country which is nearby to the sea land or from where foreign companies find near location from its buyer and seller (Atique, Ahmad, and Azhar, 2004). The importance of FDI for host countries is even more than the foreign investors. It makes an improve balance of payment summary for the host countries. Countries that have higher FDI are always in a fruitful position and their economy boost rapidly. It also reduces the trade barriers between the host country and foreign companies. Furthermore, through FDI the host country not only receives the cash inflow but also new technologies, new innovative procedure and products are transferred. Through FDI, host country also receives their management skills and expertise which help for local domestic companies (Li and Liu, 2005). Some researchers argues that the impact of FDI on economy growth of the host country depends on the condition of the country, its political and government stability (Freckleton, Wright & Craigwell 2010). While some studies claimed that FDI does not lead to the growth of the host country where there is a lacking of absorbing it (Borensztein et.al., 1998; Hermes and Lensink, 2003). Some studies argue that the important factor of FDI on the economic growth of host country is the employment generation (Hermes and Lensink, 2003). While some studies claims that technological diffusion is the factor which helps in economic growth (Borensztein, Gregorio, & Lee, 1998). According to (UNCTAD, 1999), FDI helps to increase competition in the local market which makes domestic market more efficient. The study focuses on the impact of foreign direct investment on the economic growth of

Language, Culture and Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Language, Culture and Communication - Essay Example In both paintings, light is important in focusing the attention on central and peripheral matter, bringing them to prominence. The subjects are both well-rounded women with dark hair and eyes, and their positions show the artist intended the viewer to focus on them. They both seem to be of similar age and both compositions are triangular. Their eyes are downcast and mouths are slightly pursed, representing different moods. Differences in technique and intent, with light coming from outside the paintings, bring motion to the pictures, creating light and dark. The complementary light and dark colours show the moods. Both wear white and again light and shadow add texture to the clothing. Both seem to be thinking of making a decision, with Gabrielle's being about what jewel to wear, and how she looks in the mirror, while the Brooding Woman has something more serious on her mind. From the way they are both sitting, the feeling comes across that they both trusted the artists who were paint ing them. The contrasts are more in the style of painting than the main subjects. Looking first at the women, their expressions of thoughtfulness create the mood, but the differences lie in the intention of the painter. Gabrielle is comfortable, almost cosy, with a less important decision to bother her, while the Brooding Woman has something heavy on her mind. She is more sad and lost, her shoulders sag, and their position can also be seen on the dog in the background. She is fully clothed, while Gabrielle is happy to be half-undressed. The Brooding Woman seems to be looking into herself for answers and Gabrielle looks outward towards her mirror. Symbolism is another contrast, because the background in Gaugin's picture seems to have something to do with the woman's state of mind, and her dejected body

H.W Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

H.W - Assignment Example Each employee will strive to meet set goals so that they earn such non-cash rewards. In addition, Gina will find non-cash rewards less costly compared to cash. First, employees may not notice exactly how worthy is the reward. This is contrary to cash rewards in which workers consider the amount to get motivated. For example, Gina should set a program in which successful logging detailed notes about the client call in the online database, the customer care representative earns points used to redeem tangible items of value to them. To maintain customer satisfaction at the end of every call, Gina should make it part of her reward to manage knowledge. Rewards imply after exemplary performance, there should be learning experience that enhances other employees to gain knowledge of serving in the same line. However, Gina should be careful not to overload the trip with learning sessions. Employee should find more than 80 percent of the travel to himself or herself for recreation. In summary, non-cash rewards are guilt-free as opposed to money that employees spend on ordinar y commitments. May Johnson’s performance problems are multi-faceted. First, she lacks management experience. It is her first experience working with a group of employees reporting directly to her. As a result, she believes that everything should go in line with what she understands and strongly holds. Secondly, Johnson lacks knowledge of the current systems used by the company and other employees. She relies on obsolete systems. Johnson’s overreliance on obsolete systems constantly raises conflicts with her junior employees. In addition, Johnson does not understand vital aspects of job specialization. She desires to perform everything and does not believe that any duty accomplished by other individuals can be perfect. Johnson repeats every work her junior staff members present to her. May Johnson’s employee are

Hybrid Cars Essay Example for Free

Hybrid Cars Essay Are hybrid cars the answer? Author Jack R. Nerad explains to us in his book, â€Å"The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hybrid and Alternative Fuel Vehicles† (Nerad, p. 5) that â€Å"With the rising cost in gasoline costs, the hybrid car has exploded into the fastest-growing segment of the American car industry. † With this important information we should all stop to ask ourselves why. Many individuals in our country feel that each person must do their part in protecting our environment. Not only has our population been more educated in recent years on environmental factors that can destroy our planet, but it’s clear that this impact has enlightened us to start making huge efforts in becoming a part of the solution to save our planet. By using hybrid cars for transportation, we are each showing respect and concern for this problem. We learn from Author’s Nick Yost and David Friedman (Yost; Friedman, p.4) in the book â€Å"The Essential Hybrid Car Handbook: A Buyer’s Guide† that hybrid cars were first introduced to Americans in our recent history of transportation. â€Å"When Japanese manufacturer Honda introduced its insight to the American motorists in December of 1999, it also ushered in a radically different concept in modern automotive transportation; the hybrid car. † Since this important date in history, hybrid cars are popping up in more and more places, everyday and are even becoming more popular with movie stars and those who are wealthy. This proves the importance of the utilization of hybrid cars since most of these people can afford luxury vehicles and are using the alternative hybrid cars in their daily lives. Not only are they proving that driving hybrid cars are necessary in changing our ideas about the way we participate in taking care of our environment but they are demonstrating that hybrid cars are attractive and just as useful as other cars on the road. Everyone in our country must take in as much information as possible about hybrid cars and spread the word that these vehicles should replace all other road vehicles. We can start by educating in our schools and communities where people can learn at an early age the incredible importance of changing our ways of thinking. Children will grow up with a better understanding of hybrid cars and be more apt to create and purchase them. With the education being spread and used by everyone in our country, it will be a sure way to express that we do care and our taking every single effort in changing over to hybrid cars. Although, it is virtually impossible to transform every American car over to hybrid in the next year, we can only take useful steps in making changes to better our own future and that of our descendents. Purchasing and driving hybrid cars are a wonderful sign that we are improving our ideas about the way we think about changing transportation and our environment to make things better. Hybrid cars are affordable and will even get cheaper in the future as we learn to manufacture them for higher demands. We will witness a growing number of people buying hybrid cars as we get used to the idea that they are popular and affordable to everyone in our country. Reference Page Nerad, Jack R. 2007. The Complete Idiots Guide to Hybrid and Alternative Fuel Vehicles. Alpha Publishers. P. 15. Yost, Nick; Friedman, David. 2006. The Essential Hybrid Car Handbook: A Buyer’s Guide. 2006. The Lyons Press. Edition 1. P.

Food Processing Technology and Methods for Cereal

Food Processing Technology and Methods for Cereal Most of the principles of making breakfast cereals are similar to all products. Trix cereal is made with corn. The process of converting corn into the delicious product many children as well as adults will be discussed in this section. The corn from the field is dried milled, sifted and cleaned to separate the germ from the bran, oils and debris collected from the field and the milling process. The goal of this separation is to get to the endosperm where most of the starch that will be used for production is located. Most cereals produced are produced as flakes. Prior to flaking the grits are cooked and mixed with sugar, malt syrup, proteins, and salt into a large amount of water to create what is called cooking liquor. This cooking liquor provides the Milliard reaction that occurs during cooking and is what provides most of the flavor to the flakes or in the case of Trix, corn puffs. This mixture is loaded into a cylindrical industrial steam pressure cooker for about two hours at a 15-18 psig steam pressure (Smith Hui, 2004). In the case of Trix the cooking process is done by puffing. Puffing is done either through high temperature ovens, guns or extrusion. The use of any of these three methods is to expose the moist grain to high temperatures where its moisture will be converted to steam. The steam released by the grain expands and puffs the kernel. Prior to placing the grits into any of these three methods, the grains are delumped in lump-breaking machines which incorporate large volumes of air. The air supplied through the machine helps with the cooling of the product. The cooling of the grit in the lump-breaking machine helps with the initial drying step of the process of making ready to eat cereal. Grits usually have a moisture content of 28-34% (Smith Hui, 2004) are dried to about 14-17% through the use of forced air dryers at a temperature of 250 °F (Smith Hui, 2004). Once the grains have gone through this initial drying, the grains are controlled cooled to 100 °F to prevent hardening of the grain and to allow the grain to return to ambient temperature. (Smith Hui, 2004). Once the grain is dried to the moisture levels desired, the grain is tempered. Tempering of the grits takes about 2-3hours, helps reduce the darkening the product that occurs during Milliard reactions, and allow the grit to retrograde. This process uses temperature of 80o F and increases the firmness of the cooked grit (Smith Hui, 2004). From this point the grit is ready for flaking, shredding, or any of the methods of puffing grits. General Mills utilizes puffing guns to make Trix cereals. The science behind the puffing gun utilized by General Mills and some of its competitors, works by introducing the grains to high (500-800  °Ã‚  F) temperatures. This high temperature evaporates the moisture within the granules creating a steam pressure build up (100 to 200 psi) inside the chamber. When this pressure is released the moisture attempting to escape the grain, causes the endosperm to expand and simultaneously puff. Puffing guns have come long ways from when they were first introduced in the cereal business. Today General Mills utilizes a continuous puffing gun systems and extrusion puffing. Continuous puffing guns work the same way as it predecessors. The continuous gun contains a rotating cylinder that is set a specific angle. The cylinder is heated either by gas flames or electrically, and it is fed through a rotary valve. The pressure in the cylinder remains constant via the exit, thus continuously discharging the product. The contents explode into a bin provided with a floor opening leading to a conveyor belt. The product is directed to a rotating heating cylinder to dry, and then cooled. At this point the product is visually inspected for stickiness and color and sent to the packaging line. Direct expansion or extrusion puffing is the other method used by many cereal manufacturers. This type of technology was received with open arms by the cereal industry because it allows the combination of the steps in the process into one. Cereals ingredients are introduced in one batch into long barrels equipped with single or twin screws. The screws mix, shear, and pressurize the barrel and transport the â€Å"dough† to a forming die. As the mixture flows through the extruder, vitamins, flavors and colors are introduced and then the mixture exits through the die. The same principle of the puffing gun is applied to extruders. As the moisture vapor expands and the excess pressure is released, the volume of the mixture increases. The temperature in the barrel increases the mixture to about 300o-350 o F and the pressure to about 350-500 psi at the die head. As the dough exits through the orifices of the die, it is sliced off in to the different shapes and the slices expand immediately. Despite this quick expansion, the pieces still maintain moisture content of about 27% and are further dried on vibrating screens in hot air puffing ovens where the final cooking of the product occurs (Smith Hui, 2004). Pieces are inspected and sent to the packaging line. Although extruded and gun puffed mixtures products are enriched and fortified during the cooking process, the puffs receive a final spray of vitamins, sugar and flavors inside rotating spray drums. Both final sprays assist with the reduction of lipid oxidation and moisture which improve the overal l quality of the product as it relates to its texture and crispiness. One aspect of producing cereal is its quality. The cereal industry uses multiple methods to assess the quality of its product during the production process. The biggest issue for a good cereal product is moisture. Moisture is measured through near infrared analysis (NIR), wet chemistry, and image analysis. During the process the product the raw material is analyzed for moisture to ensure it can be flaked, shredded, shaped, maintained for control of oven temperatures, and to control the sugar content applied to the product. This type of testing can also be done to the final product where the fat, sugar, and moisture are analyzed to ensure the operation is working at optimum conditions. These test is necessary due to any unacceptable moisture content could lead to poor product quality as well as possible bacteria growth. At present, cereal industries are performing little or no analytical testing, and are relying on the vendors to provide them with highest quality level of product for their market. This can present a problem in production process. Despite the fact that the cereal industry does little or no analytical testing, most of the moisture content testing is performed as the product exits the oven using a 16 hour vacuum oven method or a moisture balance method (Unity Scientific, 2014). According to Unity Scientific, â€Å"both methods use loss on drying to measure moisture content.† The main problem with the 16 hr oven method is the time it takes to get results, and when these are received they â€Å"have no impact on real time process control† (Unity Scientific, 2014). When it comes to the moisture balance method Unity Scientific says, although the sample can be â€Å"analyzed in 15 minutes it is â€Å"2-3 times less accurate the vacumm oven method.† The key to cereals i s the control of its moisture and texture. Moisture as mentioned previously, is critical to maintaining a cereal’s integrity, and it is crucial that the moisture of a cereal product is not greater than 3%. Anything less or greater could reduce its crunchiness as well as make it brittle. Therefore, NIR is one of the best methods of testing for moisture as well as fat content in any step of the process. In regards to its crunchiness the cereal industry uses mechanical as well as sensory evaluation methods to ensure the products texture. Nonetheless, sensory evaluations can be subjective. One of the best ways to analyze texture is the use of mechanical instruments as these provide a quantitative measure of texture. Currently instruments used by the cereal industry include Stevens, Instron and Ottawa Texture Analyzer. The purpose of these crunch evaluation methods is to find the bowl life by exposing the product to milk for a small period of time and then performing a shear test. Other equipments used are the multiple crunching probes and the Ottawa Cell shearing test. The final step in the production process is packaging. Different equipment and films are used across the board in the cereal industry. Some of the machinery used include Ishida multi-head weighers, Bosch vertical form fill seal machines and Triangle bag in box packaging. When it comes to films, they either use wax paper or various polymer films (Smith Hui, 2014). However, before selecting a packaging film, cereal manufacturers consider whether the location the product is going to be sold is humid or arid. Based on these conditions the film is selected and used for production. One of most common packaging materials used in the cereal industry is polyethylene films (Smith Hui, 2014). The packaging film must protect from water vapor transmission and flavor loss. As mentioned previously, moisture plays a big role in the process and any sign of moisture gain could lead to potential loss of crispiness and acceptability of the product. Another issue for cereals is the instability of lipid s. Lipid oxidation leads to rancidity thus, creating a bad aroma in the product. To prevent lipid oxidation and moisture gain in the product, the cereal industry utilizes different antioxidants. The antioxidants commonly used are butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydrooxytoluene (BHT) (Smith Hui, 2004). Although their use is limited in the production process, these can be added before cooking. However, after several trials, it was discovered that due to their non polarity and their volatility these would not hold during the manufacturing process. Nonetheless, it was discovered it was better to apply these antioxidants to the packaging material as the antioxidants would transfer to product after packaging (Smith Hui, 2014). Packaging does more than protect from decay, it provides the identification, and it provides consumer attraction and appeal to the product. Producing cereals entails more than what is see in the grocery store shelves or what is consumed at homes. Essentially behind all of this manufacturing process is the effort to make profit, but no matter what idea the manufacturer may have, protecting the product and providing the best quality of product to consumer becomes primordial. Accurate shelf lives, quality of stored cereal, its freshness are what attract and appeal the consumer. References How Products Are Made. Cereal. 2014. Available at: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Cereal.html. Accessed September 03, 2014. Smith, J. (2004).Food processing: Principles and applications. Ames, Iowa: Blackwell Pub. Kulp, K. (2000).Handbook of cereal science and technology(2nd ed., pp. 626- 627). New York: Marcel Dekker. Breakfast Cereal. (2014, January 1). Retrieved October 18, 2014, from http://www.unityscientific.com/industries/food-dairy/cereal.asp

Planning Issues In The Construction Industry Construction Essay

Planning Issues In The Construction Industry Construction Essay Construction is an everlasting activity across the globe. Its profitability like of any other business fluctuates according to the law of demand and supply. In most countries, construction activity constitutes 6-9% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and constitutes more than half of the fixed capital formation as infrastructure and public utilities capital works required for economic development. Construction activity contributes to the economic development of a country. The GDP per capita and the investment in the construction per capita generally follow a straight line relationship, that is construction activity increases with the increase in per capita income. Construction projects are intricate and time-consuming tasks. For the total success of any particular project a wide chain of specialized services is necessary for the timely completion of the project. During the construction process, itself even a project of small or medium proportions requires many attributes, materials a nd involves many different types of operations. The assembly process must follow a natural order of events that, in total combination, constitutes a complicated pattern of individual time requirements and restrictive sequential relationships among the many segments of the structure (Project Quality Management in Construction, K. Lambrou, G.J. Besseris and C. Alafodimos, MSc in Quality Management, TEI of Piraeus and University of Aisley).Mismanagement of resources has become a prevalent problem in many construction firms. This mismanagement of resources contributes to numerous construction firms ineffectiveness and frequent failures each year. Hence, it is necessary to take appropriate steps and follow the process to improvise the output of construction industry by using proper planning methods and techniques. This can be done through adoption of modern and improvised planning techniques in construction industry such as CPM, PERT, Supply Chain Management etc, which will be discussed in detail in main dissertation work. In the literature review of planning issues in construction industry, different aspects of social-cultural-economic importance of planning and modern planning techniques has been highlighted. This dissertation focuses on analyzing the major hindrances caused by the positive and negative issues in planning and execution phase of the project. 2. Background Planning is a key ingredient in the successful completion of any construction project. It provides the road map for the project to follow and the milestones by which its progress is measured. To understand the loopholes in the planning process it is necessary to dismantle the planning objectives, so that all the aspects regarding the project could be thoroughly capitalized. Four planning objectives which characterize the whole of the planning process are execution of work, coordination of all the activities, control over the materials and manpower and forecasting. Safety is a major concern to every successful construction project because of humanitarian concern for the workers and the cost ramifications of a poor safety record. Major construction firms had proposed the usage of network planning techniques, mainly because of owners demand. The relationship between project planning and construction safety is sometimes subtle, and the impact it has on the project is not as readily apparent as the importance of planning and safety as separate entities. A comprehensive planning and scheduling specification system can aid in the planning of job sequence, financial needs, workforce needs, material needs, and equipment needs. It also can aid the scheduling of actual activity start or completion and provide feedback to control the schedule, cost, and use of resources. A critical step in the execution of any construction project is the selection of planning and scheduling specification clauses to be included in the construction contract. Numerous project characteristics should be taken into account when determining which planning and scheduling clauses to be included. Project is a mission, undertaken to create a unique facility, product or services within the specified scope, quality, time and costs. With the emerging global opportunities, projects cross geographical boundaries, corporate channels, traditional systems and cultural diversities. The knowledge areas needed to manage such projects comprise project management techniques, general management practices and technology-related subjects. The project management techniques of planning, scheduling and controlling are the tools and devices that bind the subjects knowledge areas. These techniques can be applied to all types of projects. This research focuses on the application of all these techniques in the construction industry. It is widely recognized that effective planning can play a major role in the success of projects. Whether project success is based on the traditional measure of time, cost and quality or newer measures of critical success factors (Westerveld, 2003), effective planning can also contribute to the prevention of accidents and ill health of site personnel (Duff and Suraji, 2000; HSE, 2003). These objectives become increasingly difficult to achieve, however, in construction projects. Construction sites can be extremely busy places where the working environment is ever changing. Unfortunately, in addition to this, the construction industry tends to be under resourced and under planned in relation to other industries (Egan, 1998), which can lead to a crisis management approach to production risk, a feature of construction culture which can impact heavily on health and safety. Despite this, activities requiring intensive planning as those required in a temporary rail possession, almost invari ably run smoothly. There is little chance of an unsafe incident, due to the heightened risk awareness resulting from the meticulous planning. 3. Aims and Objectives To study various minute details affecting the process of planning. The objective of this research is to assess the modern methods of planning and scheduling a construction contracts which can be applied in todays construction industry and to also discuss the issues involved in the application of those tools. To compare and analyze a planning strategy which has a solution for various issues in the planning process. 4. Research Methodology The research methodology is the approach through which the researcher collects the data useful for the chosen topic and then the analysis is done on the basis of that. In my dissertation, I will be using qualitative research as means to study planning and scheduling in construction contracts. 5. Scope and Limitations of Dissertation The limitations of the dissertation are: This research targets only construction industry, hence the results cannot be implied on the others sectors. This analysis will be done for Indian and UK industry. However, the study done on India and UK is not necessary applicable for other nations as well as because of cultural differences. Planning techniques for different countries is different which adds to more misery. The unavailability of proper planning and management techniques, which could possibly solve the issues of planning even when proper resources are not available. Construction Industry has flourished domestically as well as globally over the years. Economic development of any particular country also largely depends upon the construction projects. Major factors that affect the overall result of any project would be size, complexity, quality, productivity, completion time and cost. These factors would be achieved only when proper planning is done, which forms the base of construction management. A project plan is always formulated during the planning phase. Planning in its broader perspective, involves advance thinking as to what is to be done, what are the activities, how it is to be done, when it is to be done, where it is to be done, what is needed to do it, who is to do it and to ensure that it done. A project plan would be adversely affected if cost overruns and delays take place. The effect of past construction experience, on the quality of management in general and on planning effectiveness in particular, is addressed only rarely in const ruction-management research; the few studies doing so explicitly are in agreement with the findings of the present study. NEDO (Faster 1983) reports the contractors inexperience in similar projects as a major source of difficulty in construction [Faster building for industry (1983). NEDO-Building EDC, National Economic Development Office, London, England.]. All the perseverance put into the invention of new techniques did not gave the satisfying results in the construction planning sector (Choudhury 1981, Mason 1984, Morton 1983). Sometimes people fail to recognize the difference between planning and scheduling. Progress in the usage of new computer techniques has resulted in the misconception of standardization of project scheduling. Projects have been a part of our society for quite a long era. Indication of total efficiency would be seen by completing project on time, but construction process is subjected to too many fluctuations and unforeseeable factors which results from many sources (Sadi. A. Assaf, Sadiq Al-Hejji, (2005)). Construction organization lives in the ever-changing and their effectiveness depends on their ability to adapt to new demands and opportunities. This industry needs to adjust itself to the changes occurring in its working environment in order to become effective. Construction projects are intricate and time-consuming tasks. The total development of a project normally consists of several phases requiring a diverse range of specialized services. In progressing form initial planning to project completion, the typical project passes through successive distinct stages that demand inputs from such disparate groups as financial organizations, government agencies, engineers, architects, lawyers, surety companies, contractors, and building trade-persons. Most challenging part of these modern techniques is implementing these methods to achieve a particular goal or task. Construction Industry faces a lot of problems because of the working patterns and inefficient planning techniques to reach to complete a particular function. Following the modern planning techniques reduces the dilapidation of resources and economically strengthens the company. A constant focus should be given on the improvisation techniques which include mutually collaborating one or more techniques which would lead to a profitable project and reduce the loss due poor performance and cost overruns. The constructions industry in India and UK has realized the importance of the proper usage of modern planning techniques which has improvised the margins of profits and truncate the overall project cost. In India planning is an open process (Planning in India RICHARD S. ECKAUS MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ).If design completion is not done at proper time it would prove to be costly, as it would lead to construction delays. In India a prevalent method to planning is not sufficient as there are many situations which includes Limitation or inexpertness of human beings in there respective fields (Human Errors). Influence of external factors beyond human control (E.g. Natural Hazards: this could have an adverse effect on the planning process). The external components interact with the construction firm from outside of the organizations environment. Such external components are material suppliers, financial institutions, and surety companies, end users of products, owners, and architects. The project is also influenced by external causes due to scarce availability of resources in the market (Techniques and Technology). The project covers important framework of an integral system; therefore considerable economic or technical consequence could result from faulty usage. (An approach to planning and control of advanced projects Giorgio Caroni, Roland0 Matteelli and Alfred0 Berti) In order to have a competitive edge over other construction companies, perfectly planning techniques should be used. Main Body CASE STUDY: Even though India is one of the developing countries the approach towards planning is comparatively more advanced as compared to other developing countries. (Planning in India, RICHARD S. ECKAUS, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY). In India, for small scale project ranging between 1million £-10million £ specific planning techniques cannot be implemented, as a lot of unavoidable problems usually arise due to many reasons. Comprehensive survey of the location of the project clearly marks the project area and its boundaries. Soil investigation is to be done to ascertain the soil strength so as to decide the type and other specific details of the foundation. Depending upon the soil investigation reports, finalize the type of foundation i.e., pile foundation or open foundation up to hard strata strength. Necessary approvals, clearances, no objection for all the concerned government departments, local or self governing authorities should be obtained before starting the project. To ascertain whether any public utility service lines like Water pipe lines, sewage pipe lines, electrical cables or over head lines, telephone line or any other Public/Private items or assets are crossing /passing through the designated project area. Specific measures must be taken to relocate the service lines or public assets before starting the project. Drawings incorporating all the specific details, dimensions and other specifications must be accurate and must be got approved from all the relevant authorities before starting the work If any of the above fundamental issues are neglected at the planning stage, you are steadily heading for a project period over run and project cost overrun. TYPICAL CASE STUDIES FROM INDIA BUILDING PROJECT OF CBI(CENTRAL BEAURAU OF INVESTIGATION) BUILDING 1) Name of Work : Construction of Administrative Building including all infrastructure Amenities for C.I.D Pune. at Pune 2) Client : Maharashtra State Police Housing Welfare Corporation. Limited, Mumbai 3) Tender Work Order No : PHC/TB/CID PUNE/1152/2005 Dated 15.07.2005 from General Manager 4) Contractor : M/s. Deepa Engineers, 42, Welfare Chambers, 1st Floor, Sector-17, Vashi, Navi Mumbai 400 705 5) Architect : M/s. Arc-Aids. Pune 6) P.M.C : M/s PP Ventures, Pune 7) Tendered Amount : 5, 43, 04,161/- 8) Date of Starting : 02.09.2005 9) Stipulated period of completion : 31.05.2007 10) Area as per tender : 5483.57 Sq.Mtr 11) Area as per actual construction : 7217.19 Sq.Mtr. Including Common Facility. 12) Common Facility Area : 109Sq.Mtr 1) Septic Tank = 36 Sq.Mtr 2) Meter Room = 19 Sq.Mtr 3) Pump House = 54 Sq. Mtr 13 Area Constructed : 7108.19 Sq.Mtr (7217.19-109 = 7108.19 Sq.Mtr) 14) Actual date of completion/ : 31.03.2009 Taking over 10.07.2009 15) Difference in Area : 1669.62 Sq.Mtr. 16) R.A. Bill No. 21st (pending) : 30,70,629.00 17) Final Bill yet pending : 26,01,169.00 18) Security Deposit : 13,57,604.00 19) Retention money deducted From 20th R.A. Bill : 1,38,747.00 20) Retention money deducted From 21th R.A. Bill : 1,52,052.00 21) Extra Items Amount : 1,83,210.00 22) Inauguration Expenditure : 3,10,000.00 23) Bank Guarantee En cashed : 13,57,604.00 Total Claims overdue : 91,71,015.00 + Difference in Constructed Area amount Conclusion Departmental interaction between various service agencies of the state, like the police housing Department and PUNE Municipal Corporation must have been initiated at the planning stage of the tender itself. Though the project is commissioned successfully on 10th July-2009 and the C.B.I has occupied the Administrative Building, with all the proposed amenities the Contractor has suffered huge financial losses. Presently the case is under arbitration Justification for the delay of work 1) M/s. Arc-Aids, (Architect) M/s. PP Ventures, Pune (PMC) were new to the department lack of coordination between them with Police Housing and the contractor resulting in bad delay in furnishing the requisite drawings and other relevant details for the timely execution of the work. 2) Delay due to the shifting of approx One Meter Diameter Water pipe line of Pune municipal corporation which was not shown in the layout drawing of the tender, passing through the site feeding water supply to Pune City Delay 10 Months. The work was coordinated by Deepa Engineers and executed by Pune Municipal Corporation without any financial obligations to PHC. Drawings must incorporate all the details accurately, after carrying out proper survey of the project area. 3) Non releasing of the payments in time by holding of Running Bills payment by imposing heavy penalty as given below, which was against the terms conditions of the Tender, since the delay was caused by reasons beyond the responsibility control of the contractor Sr.No. Particulars No. of days Amount to be recovered from Bill in Rs. 1 Rs. 1000/-per day w.e.f. 1/6/07 to 15.01/08 229 2,29,000/- 2 Rs. 5000/-per day w.e.f. 16/01/08 to 15/02/08 31 1,55,000/- 3 Rs. 10000/-per day w.e.f. 16/02/08 to 12/05/08 87 8,70,000/- 4 Rs. 15000/-per day w.e.f. 13/5/08 to 30/06/08 49 7,35,000/- 5 Rs. 65000/-per day w.e.f. 1/7/08 to 10/07/09 375 2,43,75,000/- Total 771 2,63,64,000/- This holding of payment was waived and released by Hon. S.S. Virk after joining as M.D. of Police Housing Corporation and assured that the penalty will be waived and the difference in area constructed will be consider after completing the work. Accordingly the work is restarted and completed on 31.03.2009 and handed over on 10.07.2009. Month wise requirement of funds if predicted during the plannings stage itself, the payment schedule flow of money will not be hampered. B) Name of Project: 1) Construction of three storeyed of 300 seated Post Graduate Hostel including internal Water supply, Sanitary installation, Drainage wok and internal electrification work for Vishweshwarayya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India Name of Contractor : M/s. DEEPA ENGINEERS, 42, WELFARE CHAMBERS, 1ST FLOOR, SECTOR-17, VASHI, NAVI MUMBAI Estimated Cost : 5,33,56,856/- Tendered Amount : 9,34,63,099.00 Time allowed : 16 Months including monsoon Period Commencement Date : 12.07.2007 Stipulated date of completion : 11.11.2008 Security Deposit : 46,73,155.00 (Bank Guarantee) Project Management : Central Public Works Department, Superintending Engineer, Central Circle, Nagpur. Architects : do B) Name of Project: Construction of Additional storey (100 seated) over proposed 300 seated Post Graduate Hostel at Vishweshwarayya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur. Name of Contractor : M/s. DEEPA ENGINEERS, 42, WELFARE CHAMBERS, 1ST FLOOR, SECTOR-17, VASHI, NAVI MUMBAI Estimated Cost : 1,78,70,130.00 Tendered Amount : 2,36,39,902.00 Commencement Date : 28.11.2008 Stipulated date of completion : 27.05.2009 Security Deposit : 11,82,000.00 (Bank Guarantee) Time allowed : 6 Months Project Management : Central Public Works Department, Superintending Engineer, Central Circle, Nagpur. Architects : do Actual date of Completion : 31.03.2010 Parameter adopted for mix design for RCC works Ready Mix Concrete Nominal maximum size of aggregate : 20 mm angular as per C.P.W.D. description Degree of quality control : Good Type of Exposure : Moderate Maximum water cement Ratio : 0.50 Cement Content : 410/Kg/cum of concrete Type of Cement used : OPC 43 grade Conforming to IS: 8112 Sand : Coarse sand as per CPWD Specification Approved Admixtures conforming to I.S. 9103 permitted Fly wash shall not be used in R.C.C The Contractor shall submit the Mix Design Report from Approved Laboratory and get it approved from the Engineer-in-Charge Causes for the delay in completion of the project. Inaccurate Soil Investigation Report. The Original depth of Excavation, for Foundation fixed as 5ft(1.52 m) as per tender. At the time of actual execution the depth upto loft which resulted in huge quantity variation in excavation, quantity of steel and other items necessitating further approvals from all competent authorities. This project cost overrun and period overrun could have been avoided if proper soil investigation was carried out before tendering A Major defect in planning was the decision to have an additional floor with 100 seats after the completion of the hostel building up to 3rd floor by the contractor. The right decision to have a Four storied 400 seated Hostel building initially would have saved the Project period by at least 4 months Also there could have been a saving of the total Project cost by at least 03 % TABLE OF MILESTONE (S) CASE B(1) S. No. Financial Progress Time allowed (from date of start) Amount to be withheld in case of non achievement of milestone 1 All P.C.C. and brick works up to plinth level 120 days In the event of not achieving the necessary progress as assessed 1% of the tendered value of work will be withheld for failure of each milestones 2 Complete R.C.C structure up to terrace level 240 days 3 All brick work , flooring, internal plaster, fixing of door frames and windows etc along with all related items 355 days 4 Water proofing to terrace slab, external plaster and painting, fixing of all electrical and water supply, sanitary fitting etc. complete along with handing over of building including external service connections complete. 16 months TABLE OF MILESTONE (S) CASE B(2) S. No. Physical Progress Time allowed (from date of start) Amount to be withheld in case of non achievement of milestone 1 All R.C.C. Columns 30 days In the event of not achieving the necessary progress as assessed 1% of the tendered value of work will be withheld for failure of each milestones 2 Complete R.C.C and brick work up to terrace level 90 days 3 All brick work , flooring, internal plaster, fixing of door frames and windows etc along with all related items 150 days 4 External plaster and painting, fixing of all water supply, sanitary fitting etc. complete along with handing over of building including external service connections complete. 6 months Results from the Case Study: IN GENERAL VIEWS Table 1 List of causes of delay which may affect the overall planning is categorized below (Causes of delay in large construction projects, Sadi A. Assaf *, Sadiq Al-Hejji) No. of. Causes of delay affecting the planning process Group 1 The Original contract duration is very short Project 2 Disputes between various parts Project 3 Inadequate definition of substantial completion Project 4 Ineffective delay penalties Project 5 Type of construction contract (Lump sum contract, construction only,) Project 6 Type of project bidding and award ( lowest bidder) Project 7 Delay in payments by the owner Owner 8 Delay to furnish the site to the contractor by the owner Owner 9 Revision orders by the owner during construction phase Owner 10 Late in changing and approving the design documents by the owner Owner 11 Delay in approval of drawings and the sample materials Owner 12 Improper communication by owner and other parties Owner 13 Unwillingness to make proper decisions Owner 14 Disagreements occurring between joint-ownership of the project Owner 15 Absence of incentives for contractor for finishing the work ahead of schedule Owner 16 Discontinuation of work by owner Owner 17 Financial problems faced by contractor Contractor 18 Problems in sub-contractors schedule in execution work Contractor 19 Alterations during construction due to some minor errors Contractor 20 Affray between contractor and other parties Contractor 21 Inappropriate site management by the contractor Contractor 22 Inappropriate communication by contractor with other parties Contractor 23 Poor planning of project by the contractor Contractor 24 Improper construction techniques implemented by contractor Contractor 25 Postponement in sub-contractors work Contractor 26 Inadequate standard of work by contractor Contractor 27 Periodic changes of sub-contractors Contractor 28 Poor qualification of technical staff Contractor 29 Mobilization problems at site Contractor 30 Postponement in inspection and testing by consultant Consultant 31 Delays in the approval of major changes in the scope of work by consultant Consultant 32 Inflexibility shown by the consultant Consultant 33 Improper coordination between consultant and other parties Consultant 34 Slow to review and approve the documents by the consultant Consultant 35 Issues between the consultant and the design engineer Consultant 36 Inadequate experience of consultant Consultant 37 Mistakes in the design documents Design 38 Delay in delivering the design documents Design 39 Imperfect details in drawings Design 40 Complications in understanding of the project design Design 41 Incomplete data collection survey before design Design 42 Confusion in owners requirements by design engineer Design 43 Insufficient design-team experience Design 44 Low amount of usage of advanced engineering design software Design 45 Shortage of construction materials in market Materials 46 Alterations in the type of materials and specifications during the construction Materials 47 Immobilization of material Materials 48 Damage of sorted material while they are needed urgently Materials 49 Delay in manufacturing special building materials Materials 50 Late procurement of materials Materials 51 Late in selection of finishing materials due to availability of many types in market Materials 52 Equipment breakdowns Equipment 53 Shortage of equipment Equipment 54 Low level of equipment-operators skill Equipment Equipment 55 Lack of high-technology mechanical equipment Equipment 56 Shortage of labours Labours 57 Unqualified workforces Labours No. Causes of delay Group Labours 58 Nationality of labours Labours 59 Low productivity level of labours Labours 60 Personal conflicts among labours Labours 61 Effects of subsurface conditions (e.g., soil, high water table, etc.) External 62 Delay in obtaining permits from municipality External 63 Hot weather effect on construction activities External 64 Rain effect on construction activities External 65 Unavailability of utilities in site (such as, water, electricity, telephone, etc.) External 66 Effect of social and cultural factors External 67 Traffic control and restriction at job site External 68 Accident during construction External 69 Differing site (ground) conditions External 70 Changes in government regulations and laws External 71 Holding up the work from the important utilities i.e., water, electricity etc External 72 Final inspection has been delayed by a third party External Literature Review: Definitions and Concepts of Planning and Planning issues Planning can be defined as any one of the following: 1. A decision-making process. 2. A process of anticipatory decision-making to decide what and/or how to perform actions due at some point in the future. 3. A process of integrating interdependent decisions into a system of decisions. 4. A hierarchical process evolving from general guidelines to objectives, to the elaboration of means and constraints that lead to a detailed course of action. 5. A process that includes part or all of a chain of activities comprising information search and analysis, development and design of alternatives, analysis and evaluation of alternatives and choice making. 6. The systematic employment of procedures (standardized and formal to varying degrees). 7. Documented presentation, in the form of plans. (Is construction project planning really doing its job? A critical examination of focus, role and process, A. Laufera; R. L. Tucker, Department of Construction Management, Technion IIT, Haifa, Israel b Construction Industry, Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA) Social-Cultural-Economic Importance of Planning(POSTIVE AND NEGATIVE) Cultural Aspects: (International Measurement of the Economic and Social Importance of Culture, Prepared by John C. Gordon and Helen Beilby-Orrin) . The Australian statistical office

Expression is Not Free :: Writing Writers

Expression is Not Free It is said that writer's block is the inability to write because of a loss in creative thought about a given subject. It is entirely possible that this term can be attributed to other aspects of writing and life in general; it is this area I will explore. Virginia Woolf explains the angel in her house as the pure spirit that would come between her and her paper when writing reviews about men. ' You are writing about a book that has been written by a man. Be sympathetic, be tender, flatter, deceive, use all these arts of our sex.'; She was able to slay this angel because of a trust fund left to her by family, which paid her a handsome living. These payments liberated her from the need to use charm and the arts of her sex to provide sustenance and lifestyle maintenance. This mentality was widely held during her career. As society changed, it paved the way for other female writers to be less encumbered by gender, and appreciated for their works. I wonder how the writings of Joan Didion would have been accepted fifty years earlier during the start of Woolf's career. Would she posses the same confidence in her work? Orwell writes 'What I have most wonted to do throughout the last ten years is to make political writing in to an art. One can write nothing readable unless one constantly struggles to efface one's own personality.'; Society dictates what is and is not readable, what is and is not acceptable, what is expected and what are success and or failure. We are all shaped and trapped by the popular opinions of our time. We are not free to indulge in art, literature, or even our daily lives with out the watchful eye of society's scrutiny. It is necessary to test these opinions in order for society to grow up and accept change. From a small child we are sculpted by our experiences. Our opinions are formed by exposure and hard lessons learned. We are dependant upon others and this dependence is paid for with sacrifice in order to for fill the expectations of our benefactors. Many will never be liberated by wealth, fame, or status, and thus even in adulthood we are required to meet standards and expectations or follow the beat of society's drum. Yet others are shackled and restricted by wealth, requiring that they have social responsibilities and requirements of class structure to be met.

Wars Of The Roses :: essays research papers

In the late 1400’s the House of York fought the House of Lancaster for the English crown. Because Lancaster’s heraldic badge was a red rose and the Yorks was a white rose, the long conflict became known as Wars of the Roses. The real lives of the main participants of the Wars of the Roses will be displayed in this paper. In Shakespeare’s Richard III the participants in the Wars of the Roses were not suitably displayed. The participants in Shakespeare’s Richard III were Henry Tudor, Clarence, Edward V, Richard III; Queen Margaret will have their lives displayed in this paper. In the Shakespeare play Richard III was depicted as a malformed mean, ill looking, tyrant. But this was not the case. Richard III was a nice and handsome man. Shakespeare only did this so that Queen Elizabeth would be pleased with what she saw when she went to watch the play. Because Queen Elizabeth was a Lancaster, Shakespeare wanted her family to look noble. Richard III couldn’t have been deformed as Shakespeare said that he was, because in real life Richard III was a knight that fought in battles. He couldn’t have been deformed if he were a knight because he would have to fight with his sword and shield. www.yahoo.com search stated that in the play Clarence was a good guy who loved everybody, but in real life Clarence was jailed and executed for committing treason. www.altavista.com search engine said that in the play, Shakespeare said that Richard had Clarence killed so that he could have an uncontested line to the throne. Shakespeare also said that Richard killed young Edward V and his brother so that he could be next in line for the crown. But that is not true for Richard really didn’t do it. There is a lot of speculation about rather Richard did it or not. There is more evidence supporting Richard. Some scholars believe that Richard didn’t trust the Southern English so he sent young Edward V and his brother up north to be guarded by one of Richard’s consultants by the name of Sheriff Hutton. www.richardIII.com stated that Shakespeare also said that Richard married Lady Anne but later killed her. In real life Clarence, disguised as a guardian, hid her in a London bakery. Richard later found her and brought her to a church sanctuary so that they could have a legal marriage, in which they later did. Shakespeare also said that Richard was always plotting ways that he could become king such as killing his brother Clarence and killing young

Plato And Love -- :: essays research papers

Preservation of Biodiversity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Human beings have inhabited Earth for just a blink of an eye. Almost any ecosystem can provide resources valuable to humans. “However, recent reports show that approximately 40 percent of the earth’s land surface has been altered by humanity'; (Becher). These altered surfaces have provided communities for humans, but the process has destroyed many native species and ecosystems. Global biodiversity is currently in danger. Estimates vary in how fast a species becomes extinct, from “one species per day to one species per hour'; (Howes). In ancient times, geological activities and natural catastrophes would cause the extinction of species. But today, humans cause extinction through the manipulation of land use, pollution and etc. There are many reasons to preserve biodiversity such as medical advances, contributions to their ecosystem and much more. The primary arguments for preserving global biodiversity can be separated into two categories, human m otives and natural existence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “Preserving a diversity of life on Earth has come to be an accepted goal for many people'; (Botkin/Keller). Four distinct categories why humans desire to preserve biodiversity are recreational, religious, aesthetic/emotive, and economic/intellectual reasons.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many reasons for preserving biodiversity because of recreation. Children love the sight of exotic animals and other species. The most accommodating site to view a wide variety of species is a zoo and other similar sites. These sites provide jobs and enjoyment for people of all ages. Recreation also means the poaching of animals whether or not they are rare.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second reason to preserve biodiversity due to human motives is religion. Preserving a species for religious purposes can be taken two ways. An animal, insect or etc. can be worshipped (i.e. scarab beetles and cats in the days of ancient Egypt) or preserved because a higher being created its existence. Human beings are not all- knowing and all-powerful. Decimating a species should not be our choice, but our actions provide this result daily.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next reasons are aesthetic and emotive. These can be described by the positive sensations humans see and feel when viewing a living organism. A dollar amount cannot be placed upon these sensations. Beauty of an organism is not always based upon the same standards. Some people may find trees beautiful to view while others may find them taking up needless space. Current generations of species must be preserved so the future generations of children may enjoy what we enjoy today.

Effective inroduction Essay

This essay will be assessing how this section forms an effective introduction to the play. Firstly Miller sets the scene. He begins with describing ‘the backyard of the Keller home, in the outskirts of an American town. ‘ (pg 3) Automatically from this we gather that the play is an American drama. Evidently if you had read previous playwrights by Miller or know his Nationality you would have all ready established the fact of an American play. If not then with-in the first line you are well informed. Next he states the particular time of year in which the play is set â€Å"august of our era† (pg 3) this suggests the weather would be â€Å"beautiful? Not a cloud† (pg 4). It also even goes into further detail informing you of the date and time â€Å"early Sunday morning† (pg 3) He then progresses into describing the house and garden here we can already begin to guess the state, and class of the family. â€Å"The house is two stories high, and has seven rooms† (pg 3. ) He then describes the arrangement of the garden. â€Å"Garden chairs and a table are scattered around† (pg 3) this is very affective as we can imagine a clear picture of where the main conversations and drama will take place. The atmosphere is very cheerful and friendly and suggests that the Keller’s are a popular family. This contrasts later on in the play, when we find out they dint always used to be a popular family due to Joe’s jail incident, and the fact that the neighbour thought he was a ‘murderer. ‘ Also the biggest contrast would be at the end of the play when the tension wouldn’t be calm anymore, instead it is full of resentment by Chris towards Joe, full of guilt on Joe’s behalf, and finally after Joe’s suicide the mood it is upsetting and dramatic. The characters are then introduced; Joe, Chris, and the neighbours. Joe’s character’s first impression is under educated. â€Å"To see what people want you know? † (pg 4/5), and from the stage directions at the beginning of act one: â€Å".. terrible concentration of the uneducated man†(page 3. ) also He asks Dr Bayliss if Frank is: â€Å"Talking sense†(pg 6) this suggests he don’t understand him, This shows us he doesn’t understand people’s ideas, and has a very narrow view of people’s jobs and lively-hoods â€Å"wanted old dictionaries†¦ what’s a man going to do with an old dictionary? † (pg 5) This links into him being very money motivated and materialistic. He cares about money a great deal and values everything by it’s monetary value: â€Å"You mean he’ll make a living out of that? â€Å"(pg 5.) Also we know Joe is very proud and takes good care of his business, this is proven when Miller sets the scene talks about the house â€Å"cost fifteen thousand in the early twenties when it was built† (introduction pg 2) this suggests the house is only about 28-30 years old, as it was built in the twenties, and this play was written around two years of WWII ending in 1945. Meaning Keller has bought this house, and is able to provide and support his family indicating he is a good at his job, and a wealthy business man this is backed up later in the book when he talks to Kate about how he was â€Å"put out† (pg 72) at ten and made to earn for a living. Overall Joe has come from a poorer background, and has managed to work himself up the social ladder. He is not just a serious business man, he is kind and friendly, popular with Bert a young boy he often plays detective games with. Chris is Joe’s son who is introduced on page 9. Together Joe and Chris have a conversation where Ann (Chris’s wife to be as we find out later on in the play) people describe her as a â€Å"beautiful girl† she is seen as mysterious, which draws in the audience. Also Kate (Joe’s wife and Chris’s mother) who is seen as optimistic and living in hope are referred to, however at the start of Act Three there is a contrast between Kate’s idealism and Jim’s practicality. â€Å"you’re so childish Jim† showing she thinks he nai ve and immature. This starts the build up of tension in Act Three. Miller describes Chris as a â€Å"man capable of immense affection and loyalty† (pg 9 stage directions) Before the character even speaks the audience already gets a feel that Chris is going to be the ‘good-guy’ in the play. The other characters introduced are Dr Jim Bayliss our first impression of Jim is that he cynical and realistic when talking to Keller about the rain he says he doesn’t believe in the papers â€Å"then it cant† (pg 4) Hr is critical and sarcastic of the weather. Jim is very against his son being a doctor â€Å"over my dead body† (pg 6) this shows he doesn’t enjoy his profession and we find out later that he had tried to follow his ambition helping humanity, but he couldn’t afford to provide for his family. â€Å"I would love to help humanity on a Warner Brother’s salary† (pg 7) Again another person who is realistic about money, already we get an impression that one of the themes of the play is money and materialism. This also parallels Joes actions, both men have had to compromise their occupation, and had to do things they regret to earn a living. However there is a huge contrast at the start of Act Three. Jim realizes moneys not everything â€Å"money. Money-money-money-money, you say it long enough it doesn’t’ mean anything† (pg 69) This is a sub-plot in the play. But could this need for money all be down to his wife sue? Sue comes in just as Jim talks about â€Å"not a damn thing to look at in the neighbour hood† (pg 7) an awkward moment to introduce a new character but miller purposely picked this so automatically we can get an idea of Sue and Jim’s uneasy relationship. Sue comes across as jealous â€Å"she enjoys it more when you tell her to lay down† (pg 7) implying one of her husbands clients fancies him. Her jealously is seen more stronger later on in the play when she speaks to Ann about trying to convince Chris in moving away, she can be quite harsh and nasty. She is very money obsessed. This is effectual.

Research Presentation Essay

Materialism – Jhingur judges himself by the value of his property as if this defines his character Quote: â€Å"Whenever Jhingur looked at his cane field a sort of intoxication came over him. He had bighas of land which would earn him an easy 600 rupees. And if God sawto it that therates went up then who could complain? Why should he worry about money? The merchants were already beginning to fawn on him. † From the beginning we seem to focus on the character of Jhingur that seems to value wealth over what may be for himself and his community. Instead of focusing on how his work can positively affect his life, he focuses on the negative. His focus is on his need to make money from his fellow farmers as possible, believing himself to be the better person. Social Issues Explotation Both men are propelled into acts of vengeance that it ultimately destroyed both of their fortunes. This derived from a primitive need for the characters to compete against each other. The material desires at the end have blinded them, and they may never see the true value of life. They brought about their own destruction. The core of this story lies a lesson on how materialism can impair our ability to see what is best for our life. In the period during which India evolved from colonial domination to independence, Tagore and Premchand were pioneers in Modern Indian literature. Their literary works pioneered social issues and the social structure of India that concentrated on the oppressed, human emotions, destruction, oppression of women and life. These authors proved that they can focus on the psychology of the characters instead of social realism. We will explore the context of the stories through the characters journey’s and struggles and unfortunate consequences in the end. â€Å"Punishment† portrayal of the complex relationships among the members of the Rui family and how tragedy can delve into real issues that we have hidden. â€Å"The day on which our story begins was like this†¦.. That day, Dukhiram and Chidam had been working near the zamindar’s office. On a sandbank opposite, paddy had ripened. The paddy needed to be cut before the sanbank was washed away, but the village people were busy either in their own fields or in cutting jute: so a messenger came from the office and forcibly engaged the two brothers. As the office roof was leaking in places, they also had to mend that and make some new wicker wood panels: it had taken them all day. † (p. 893) Two peasant brothers and their wives share a house together. The short-tempered, sloppy wife, Radha, is killed by her husband, Dukhiram, in a fit of anger for failing to prepare the evening meal. The village chief intrudes on the scene immediately following the murder, and the other brother, Chidam, unintentionally identifies the beautiful wife, Chandara, as the killer. Chidam instructs Chandara to lie to protect her brother-in-law. Now, we start to see the divison in the male and female hierarchy. Before this revelation, despite their love for each other, Chandara and Chidam had trouble in the relationship. Chandara suspected her husband of infidelity, and began flirting at the watering hole. Chidam then threatened her stating, â€Å"I’ll break every bone in your body† (p. 896) and locked her in the house. She escaped to a relative’s house, but was persuaded to return only after Chidam â€Å"had to surrender to her. † (p. 896). When we examine this relationship, it great to point out that Tagore states, â€Å"It was as hard to restrain his wife as to hold a handful of mercury. † (p. 896) Chandara has achieved a sort of power by submission; we tend to question where the balance of power lies in this relationship. The chain of events after the murder further explores the complexity in the relationship of Chidam and Chandara. When discussing the murder they agree that Chidam will save Chandara from execution, if she agrees to his lie. Chidam expects Chandara to relate that her sister-in-law attacked her and that Radha was killed in self-defense. After being taken into custody by the police, Chandara defies her husband by telling the police that the attack was unprovoked and puts her own life at risk. She was so angry with him that she refuses to see him before her execution stating, â€Å"To hell with him. †(p. 899). She accepts the punishment for a crime she did not commit in order to punish Chidam. She will not give him the satisfaction of saving her. Chidam gets her to take the blame for the crime but loses in the end by not getting his wife back. The story is unique by telling a story about the complex nature of human behavior and the unjust social set up of how women had no social status and importance in a family. Evidence of how the oppression of women is shown when Chidam states, â€Å"a wife can be replaced but a brother cannot be replaced,† (p. 894) clearly points out women are not valued. Tagore touches on women being oppressed and how social injustice was a common thing issue for women in rural Bangladesh during that time.

Tom Shiftlet Was Happy with the Craters

O’Conner portrays Mr. Shiftlet very vaguely at the beginning of the story, but she tells readers a few facts about him that are vital to understanding who Tom really is. Mr. Shiftlet comes with an open heart to the Crater’s residence. He admires their home and is willing to work if they let him stay. This reveals that Tom is a hard working man. Although he seems to have an overly keen interest in their automobile, which seems suspicious, he makes an effort to make life easier for Lucynell Sr. and Jr. He even takes the time to Teach Lucynell Jr. a word. Up until this point he seems genuinely happy making them happy. Once Mrs. Crater starts trying to force tom to marry her daughter, he starts becoming uncomfortable with the situation. He even tries to go on as if nothing had happened and keep living as they were, but that does not work and Mrs. Crater keeps forcing it upon him. The most important fact that is revealed about Tom is that he is extremely unhappy with his life. Readers know that he ran away from his mother when he was younger and that he now regrets it very much. He also ends up running away from Mrs.  Crater when she started to try to control him. This suggests that Tom is not very fond of people controlling him. And although he continually runs away he is very unhappy with the decisions that he has made over the course of the years but instead of standing his ground and fixing his problems and himself, he runs away. Mr. Shiftlet introduces himself as a carpenter to Mrs. Carter and has a tin box to prove it. He seems, however, very hesitant to tell her anything else about himself since whenever she asked him a question, â€Å"he didn't answer† (977). He promptly proves his worth the next morning when â€Å"he began on the roof of the garden house† (978). â€Å"He had not been around a week before the change he had made was apparent. He had patched the front and back steps, built a new hog pen, and restored a fence† (978-9). The question most readers would ask is why would he go through all the trouble to fix all of these things? The literal answer may seem simple and functional: he wants to create a trusting atmosphere so he could lure Lucynell into somehow giving him the car. That is, after all what he seems to want. His eye are always â€Å"focused on part of the automobile† (978) and he was able to get it in the end, but it is clearly not what he really wants or needs since he still â€Å"became depressed in spite of the car† (982). What Tom really wanted was to feel loved and needed without being controlled. He wanted to be part of a family again, but under his terms. So he tried with all his might, and even went to the extent of teaching the deaf girl to speak, to make the situation work the way he wanted it to. What he quickly realized was that Lucynell Sr. had a plan for him. As the story progresses readers find that Mr. Shiftlet is quite unhappy with his past. He seems upset when Mrs. Crater calls him a â€Å"poor disabled friendless drifting man† (980). Although she is stating exactly who he is and what he presents himself to be, he does not approve and â€Å"the ugly words settled in his head a like a group of buzzards† (980). Later on in the conversation when Mrs. Crater accuses Tom of milking her, he is â€Å"deeply hurt by the word milk† (981). These two examples demonstrate how hard it is for Tom to deal with reality. Lucynell does nothing but state simple facts, yet he is still disturbed by them. This may mean that he wants to change, or it may mean that he wants to start over altogether. After he takes the car and leaves Lucynell Jr. at the Hot Spot â€Å"he was more depressed then ever as he drove on by himself† (982). This is very intriguing because he no longer has to care for Lucynell, he has money and a car, yet he is still unhappy, and maybe even more than before. Again this shows that all Tom wants is to be part of a family, like he once was. He wants another chance since he ruined the one he had with his mother long ago by running away. Taking into consideration Tom’s feelings and actions, readers can now see the real problem. Tom is a very insecure person, and he is not content with the person that he has become. He claims to have never â€Å"rued a day of his life like the one he rued when he left† (983) his mother. The events that take place after this obviously force him to think negatively of himself. He is not able to handle problems so he takes to running away from them. And like an addict, he keeps on running faster and faster, knowing full well that it is not the right thing to do. It seems as if he is unable to wrap his mind around the ides of someone telling him what to do. When he married Lucynell, he was â€Å"morose and bitter as if he had been insulted† (981). Although Tom is portrayed as a very strong character that takes charge of situations and achieves what he wants, it becomes quite clear as the story goes on that he is the complete opposite. Lucynell Sr. quickly takes control of his life and becomes a little greedy with her demands. It is not enough for her that Tom has made her and her daughter’s lives eons better, and that he has every intention of continuing to do so. She forces him to marry her daughter, and this proves to be too much for Tom. The only thing he knows how to do is to run away from anyone who tries to make decisions for him. He is very discontent with himself and is almost disgusted with what he is; a disabled, drifting, and friendless man. To get rid of some of the disgust, he runs away and tries to start over. This substitutes his inability to repair his own problems and the constant need to flee. In the end, it is safe to say that Tom T. Shiftlet has the desire to be good, and conquer his own problems, but has not found the courage or the ability to do so. He has the desire to be part of a family and be a proper man, but is unable to accept the fact that he cannot control everything all the time. For now he is still a carpenter, and that is as far as his ability to repair things will go.

Final Exam Blue Print Essay

Gowns: prevent soiling clothing during contact with patient Masks: should be worn when you anticipate splash or spray of blood or body fluid and satisfy droplet/airborne precautions. Protective eyewear: should be worn for procedures that generate splashes or splatters Gloves: prevent the transmission of pathogens by direct/indirect contact. This equipment protects you from waste materials such as wounds, blood, stool, and urine. Indwelling urinary catheters – causes of risk for infections An indwelling urinary catheter obstructs the normal flushing action of urine flow. The presence of a catheter in the urethra breaches the natural defenses of the body. Reflux of microorganisms up the catheter lumen from the drainage bag or backflow of urine in the tubing increases the risk of infection. Surgical asepsis uses verse medical asepsis Surgical asepsis is used during procedures that require intentional perforation of patient’s skin, when skin’s integrity is broken, or during procedures that involve insertion of catheters. * Sterile objects remains sterile only when touched by another sterile object * Place only sterile objects on sterile field * Sterile object/field out of the range of vision or held below waist is contaminated * Sterile object/field becomes contaminated by prolonged exposure to air. * When sterile surface comes in contact with a wet, contaminated surface, the sterile object/field becomes contaminated by capillary action * Sterile object becomes contaminated if gravity causes contaminated fluid to flow over the objects surface * The edges of sterile field/container are considered to be contaminated. Medical asepsis, or clean technique, includes procedures for reducing the number of organisms present and preventing the transfer of organisms. Hand hygiene, barrier techniques, and routine environmental cleaning are examples of medical asepsis. Nursing intervention when assessing bradycardia radial pulse Can cause pulse deficit. To assess a pulse deficit 2 nurses are needed to assess radial and apical pulse simultaneously and compare rates. The difference between apical and radial pulse is the pulse deficit. Assess the ability of the heart to meet the demands of body tissue for nutrients by palpation a peripheral pulse or using a stethoscope to listen to heart sounds (apical rate) Pulse sites Temporal, carotid, apical, brachial, radial, ulnar, femoral, popliteal, posterior tibial, Dorsalis pedis Critical Thinking- chapter 15 Examples of application of critical thinking (you may have to scan the chapter, no specific section to apply to the question) Know what would be considered critical thinking * Critical thinking involves recognizing that an issue exists, analyzing information about the issue, evaluating information, and making conclusions. * Critical thinking is a continuous process characterized by open-mindedness, continual inquiry, and perseverance. * Diagnostic reasoning: determining a patient’s health status after you have assigned meaning to the behaviors and symptoms presented. * Inference: process of drawing conclusions from related pieces of evidence. * Clinical decision making: careful reasoning so the best options are chosen for the best outcomes. * Nursing process: five-step clinical decision-making approach. Five components of critical thinking. * Knowledge base * Experience * Critical thinking competencies * Attitudes * Standards Professional standard for critical thinking * Intellectual: the intellectual standard is a guideline or principle for rational thought. * Professional: the professional standard refers to evidence-based ethical criteria for nursing judgments used for evaluation and criteria for professional responsibility. Patient Safety- chapter 27 Patient safety during seizures * Seizure precautions encompass all nursing interventions to protect the patient from traumatic injury, position for adequate ventilation and drainage of oral secretions, and provide privacy and support following the seizure. * Seizure precautions are nursing interventions to protect patient from traumatic injury, positioning for adequate ventilation and drainage/oral secretions, and providing privacy and support after event. Fall risk prevention and interventions The plan for a patient who has high risk for falls. 1. Select nursing interventions to promote safety according to patient’s developmental and health care needs. 2. Consult with OT and PT for assistive devices 3. Select interventions that will improve the safety of patients home environment Interventions * Nursing interventions for promoting safety are individualized for patients’ developmental stage, lifestyle, and environment. * Note the safety locks and anti-tip bars on the wheelchair. * Nurses contribute to a safer environment by helping patients meet basic needs related to oxygen, nutrition, and temperature. * Adequate lighting and security measures in and around the home, including the use of nightlights, exterior lighting, and locks on windows and doors, enable patients to reduce the risk of injury from crime. * Modifications in the environment will easily reduce the risk of falls. To reduce the risk of injury in the home, remove all obstacles from halls and other heavily traveled areas. * Prevention of accidental fires and poisons requires awareness of precautions such as not smoking in bed and keeping hazardous substances out of reach of children. * Safety bars provide excellent prevention against falls. Safety risk-Risk at developmental stages * Children younger than 5 years of age are at greatest risk for home accidents that result in severe injury and death. * The school-aged child is at risk for injury at home, at school, and while traveling to and from school. * Adolescents are at risk for injury from automobile accidents, suicide, and substance abuse. * Threats to an adult’s safety are frequently associated with lifestyle habits (smoking, drinking, hazardous work, etc.). * Risks for injury for older patients are directly related to the physiological changes of the aging process. Risk * 16-19 : car accident * 75 and up: falls and car accident * Older adults have decreased vision acuity and hearing loss making them at risk for MVA and hearing sirens or horns. Decrease reflexes occur with aging. * Lead can be in paint, soil, water and can be inhaled or swallowed. * 64 years and older; decreased vision, orthostatic hypotension, gait and balance problems, urinary incontinence, use of walking aids, effects of various medications (sedatives, anticonvulsants, hypnotics, analgesics. * Falls occur due to inadequate lighting, barriers along walk paths and stairways, and lack of safety devices in home. * Patients most at risk of injury are those with bleeding tendencies (disease or medications), and osteoporosis (results in fractures). Every developmental age involves specific safety risks: * Children younger than 5 years of age are at greatest risk for home accidents that result in severe injury and death. * The school-aged child is at risk for injury at home, at school, and while traveling to and from school. * Adolescents are at risk for injury from automobile accidents, suicide, and substance abuse. * Threats to an adult’s safety are frequently associated with lifestyle habits (smoking, drinking, hazardous work, etc.). * Risks for injury for older patients are directly related to the physiological changes of the aging process. Priority planning patient care (this is using your critical thinking skills and wouldn’t be found in a section of the book) * In many situations, patients present with multiple nursing diagnoses. Use a concept map to visualize how nursing diagnoses interrelate. * Establish goals with the patient’s self-care abilities and resources in mind, and focus on maintaining or improving the condition of the skin and oral cavity. * Patient’s skin is clean, dry, and intact without signs of inflammation. * Patient’s skin remains elastic and well hydrated. * Patient’s skin is free from areas of pressure. * Timing is also important in planning hygiene care. * In hospital or extended care settings, work closely with nursing assistive personnel, who often provide hygiene care. * Collaborate with other health team members as indicated (e.g., work with physical therapy and occupational therapy to enhance the patient’s independence with self-care activities). * When a patient needs assistance as a result of a self-care limitation, the family often becomes a valuable resource to the nurse an d helps with hygiene measures.