To What Extent Does Oedipus Cause His Own Downfall free essay sample

Oedipus’ fate was determined by the Oracle, the cause for his demise was himself. One aspect of Oedipus personality that leads to his downfall is his constant search for truth. We will write a custom essay sample on To What Extent Does Oedipus Cause His Own Downfall or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Throughout the play, Oedipus is always trying to discover something whether it be about himself or an attempt at uncovering someone else as an enemy. If he hadn’t been in that mindset, he may have been able to keep himself oblivious from his mistakes. Another aspect of Oedipus personality that causes his misfortune is his hubris. Oedipus hubris causes him to act impulsively and disregard the advice of others which in the end, doesn’t pay off. At the start of the play Oedipus announces to the Thebans â€Å"I shall shrink from nothing in my search to find the murderer of Laius† (pg. 16). Although this is the plan of action that most Thebans would want, in reality, the city and Oedipus have nothing to gain from finding the murderer of Laius but a sense of justice, this highlights Oedipus unnecessary search for truth. Had Oedipus not even begun an in depth search for Laius’ killer, the tragedy would not have taken place. It was a selfish search for an invaluable piece of information to begin with, that is why his search for the truth is not beneficial. Also, part way through his journey towards his downfall he decides to investigate his own identity. Jocasta advises against it strongly but he ignores her. Him of all people, assuming he recognizes that he has killed people in the past, has a wife old enough to be his mother and has a prophecy foretold about him that is beyond horrifying, chooses to point out his own faults by pursuing his own identity. He should have taken in to account that he isn’t perfect, and perhaps shedding light on his past for any reason wouldn’t have a positive outcome because no matter how you slice it, Oedipus is a murderer regardless of whom he thought he killed. But he still chooses to follow through with his search. Had he not found out that he was his wife’s son, Jocasta would have no reason to kill herself and he would have no reason to take out his eyes. He could have lived happily even though his wife was also his mother as long as he kept himself from finding out. This is why his personal choice to expose his identity leads to his demise. In terms of how the play could have ended, Oedipus chooses to search for himself, therefore choosing tragedy. Throughout the play, Oedipus has an overwhelming sense of confidence (his hubris) that isn’t humble in the least; his tragic flaw. With every choice and accusation he makes he has a passionate knowledge that he is doing the right thing, which is untrue. It is his choice to be this cocky though, which is why any consequences resulting from his hubris are no one’s fault but his own. At the start of the play, Tiresius says to Oedipus â€Å"Dismiss me, send me home. That will be the easiest way for both of us to bear our burden. † (pg. 19) advising Oedipus to end his search, and return to being king of Thebes. But instead of piecing the information together that not only is Tiresius an excellent giver of advice because of his wisdom, and it is possible that the man he killed on his way from Corinth may have been Laius, he selfishly draws to the conclusion that Tiresius is trying to attack him; when Tiresius announces that Oedipus’ is the murderer, Oedipus reacts defensively instead of apologetically, which highlights the fact that Oedipus doesn’t see himself as someone that can do wrong. His hubris causes him to not only ignore Tiresius’ advice but also to anger and offend him long before Tiresius had revealed anything. Later on in the play, Oedipus says to Creon â€Å"that fact shows what a disloyal friend you are† (p. 33) criticizing the fact that Creon must be plotting against him even though he has nothing to gain. This is a mistake, and although there are no direct consequences of his accusation, Creon was on Oedipus side from the beginning, and did all he could to help; by introducing Tiresius to Oedipus. When we meet Creon again later, after it’s revealed that Oedipus killed Laius, he is aggressive and very cold. Had Oedipus not offended Creon, Creon may have been there with him for the long haul, but instead Oedipus chose to offend his friend through his hubris, choosing to solve the mystery without help, leading to his tragic discovery. Towards the end of the play Jocasta says to Oedipus â€Å"In God’s name, if you place any value on your life, don’t pursue the search. It is enough that I am sick to death. † (pg. 60) regarding Oedipus’ search for identity. Once again, Oedipus is given very explicit advice that is guaranteed to benefit him, but he wanted to figure out the puzzle, and his hubris leads him to believe he always makes the right decision. So once again, Oedipus not only ignores the advice but he also insults his wife, which is a slap in the face when she is trying her best to save him. Oedipus made the choice to follow through with his search and ignore Jocasta, when if he had been humble and listened, he would have been happy. That is why Oedipus hubris leads to his demise. The extent of which Oedipus’s failure results from his own flaws is difficult to define, because although the Oracle foretold his misfortune, the series of events had to go hand in hand with his flaws for the tragedy to play out. The same goes for the events, because if his hubris and search for identity were present but the prophecy hadn’t been revealed, Oedipus may not have even ever come to Thebes, and there would be no tragedy. Oedipus was haunted with a dark prophecy, but it is through his flaws that the prophecy did come true†¦

Dissertation Paper

Dissertation Paper Dissertation Paper Dissertation Paper University students sometimes feel lost and frustrated when they face the necessity of writing a dissertation paper. Really, this task is a complicated one; it takes a lot of time and effort to write a dissertation. Anyway, you have no other way out except of start work. Do not give up, as you are well prepared to take the challenge. In this paper you will find some useful tips on how to start work. Choose your topic According to the Asian saying, the first step is half of the way. For you this first step, choosing your topic, is genuinely important. It depends on your choice whether your work will be interesting for you or boring, whether it will be easy or difficult to find data for your dissertation paper, and, finally, whether the staff will be willing to help you. You will perhaps need to have some preliminary reading around your topic before you make your choice. But do not waste your time, it is no use skipping from one topic to another. When you think th at you have found what you need, consult the staff. It is very important to find a supervisor, having a deep knowledge of the subject, who will be willing to help you. Make a rough timetable of your work It might be not very easy to plan the work on your dissertation paper, which will last for months. Students sometimes rush to start their work, but they do not know where to go. That is why they may, for example, spend lots of time gathering evidence, but they will be extremely short of time when it comes to bibliography. Still, it is better to prepare your timetable at the very beginning of your work, as it will protect you from sleepless nights before the final deadline. Consult your supervisor You know that your dissertation paper is assigned to you to provide you with the opportunity to develop your intellectual skills. Some students think that they can work absolutely independently. Others just do not know how to cope with this task and do not do anything. Both of them ar e wrong, as avoiding the supervisor is a very big mistake. If you want your dissertation paper to bring you the highest possible mark, consult your supervisor whenever you need professional help. Well, we hope that creating a dissertation paper will be the most interesting and fruitful experience in your studies.

Largemouth Bass Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Largemouth Bass - Essay Example The blotches give it a beautiful look. The anterior part of the fish has 9-11 spines and a clearly divided fin; while, the posterior part consists of 12-14 soft rays (â€Å"Largemouth Bass†, para.1). They are given the name largemouth because their upper jaw is so big that it reaches the rear end of the eyes at either side. In the first year of its life, this fish grows 5-6 inches. In two years, it is about 8-12 inches; and a three year old fish is nearly 16 inches long. â€Å"The Alabama state angling record (16 lb, 8 oz) was caught in Mountain View Lake, Shelby County, in 1987† (â€Å"Largemouth Bass†, para.2). Largemouth Bass are said to be the biggest predators of the aquatic environment. They become active predators right in the first year of their lives. They feed on zooplankton, smaller sunfish, crayfish, smaller amphibians, and other little insects (Oster 10). Adult Bass feeds on smaller Bass and other fish of the aquatic ecosystem. Since this fish has a large mouth, it has the advantage of fewer predators. However, young largemouth bass is preyed upon by many predators like herons and larger fish. They can survive in a wide variety of aquatic habitats; however, they are most commonly found in quieter watery regions, such as manmade ponds, submerged logs, and rock ledges. They are able to tolerate turbidity and loose current in these waters. They are largely found in rivers and lakes in Texas, where they begin their spawning in spring season. It is when the temperature of the waters reaches 60? F. In winters, they move deep into the sea to find warmth; and in spring, they come up on bays that have become warmer (Bridges and Bester, para.6). They come in shallow waters when they are looking for food, in the mornings and evenings. The male bass makes nest under the water where the female bass lays eggs. Then she goes away, and the male bass protects the eggs that hatch in 5-10 days. The newborns are called fry, and they stay in groups called schools. Their schools are under direct supervision of the male bass. The lifespan of a largemouth bass is nearly 16 years (Texas Parks and Wildlife, para. 4). The Official Web site of Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (â€Å"Largemouth Bass†, para.3) states that: Native populations of Micropterus salmoides occur throughout the eastern United States. Extensive stockings of the Florida subspecies, M. s. floridanus, and the mainland subspecies, M. s. salmoides, have expanded the range of this species from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast and from southern Canada into Mexico. The Florida subspecies of largemouth bass has been selectively stocked in Alabama since 1971 and continues to be stocked by state and private fisheries biologists. Subspecies of largemouth bass have been introduced into Texas, and thus, largemouth bass becomes a specialty of this state. Texas has a great number of bass angling clubs where largemouth bass fishing is done. This fishing is very important for Texas’ economy as fish anglers prefer largemouth bass over any other fish for fishing. The trend of catch and release is growing, especially when the anglers catch adult largemouth bass. This is because most of these are female breeders, and it becomes important for the anglers to release them in the same water after catching, so that the breeding of fish is not disturbed. Texas is also popular for largemouth fish as delicious seafood, due to

The four agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The four agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz - Essay Example They proposed that the environment we live in is in fact a very sophisticated dream, and that each person is a reflection of another. Thus, we are all connected. That everything we do and say is a standard regime that we are each gradually programmed with as we grow. This pantheistic picture is what the Toltecs preserved through the centuries. It elevates man to a divine level, and it all depends with how we see ourselves. Although there are many pacts, or agreements, we make with society, God, and our fellow man, the most important agreements are those we make with ourselves, which will ultimately determine who we become. Don Miguel clearly outlines four of these agreements that, if reached, will transform and elevate the person’s life into a whole new aspect of the dream. The drama of hell that life brings will disappear, and the person will be creating his own personal dream of heaven. The first agreement is the most important, but most challenging to keep. It is to be impe ccable with your word. Because the word is very powerful, having the capability to either build or destroy. Don Miguel writes that, â€Å"The word is the most powerful tool you have as a human; it is the tool of magic. But like a sword with two edges, your word can create the most beautiful dream or your word can destroy everything around you.† He says that when your word becomes impeccable, or flawless, you grow seeds of love. You are released from fear and are free to live a life of happiness even though everyone around you is not. With this one agreement alone, you can transcend to the level of existence called heaven on earth. The second agreement is don’t take anything personally. For example, if a random person on the street, who does not know you, calls you stupid, and you accept it, then you will believe you are stupid, and you alone will be affected. The author writes that, â€Å"you take it personally because you agree with what was said, and as soon as you do, the poison goes through you, and you are trapped in the dream of hell.† But if you don’t, then no one can hurt you and you will break many negative habits and routines. The third agreement is don’t make assumptions. Because when we do so believing they are real, then we act on them and make life miserable. If we never assumed at the beginning, we would avoid much trouble. A lot of emotional poison is created and people are hurt or deceived. The fourth agreement is always do your best. This one sets the other three in a firm platform. Although it may vary due to conditions, as time goes by, it will become better than it used to be. Life will become more lively and fulfilling. Everything else will fall into place, and you will attain happiness. These are the four agreements of Don Miguel. They can be inculcated into many societies and professions. One such profession is the field of nursing. Because it deals with individual people in a benevolent way, these fou r agreements achieve a lot of success in such an environment. BODY The nursing field is defined by challenging, tough tasks. Compared with other professions, the nurse is the most indispensable. It is a matter of life and death, so it is very important that he not only knows what’s being done, but he should also be aware of himself. The way he sees and carries himself will influence the results of his actions greatly. The nurse who learns to instill within himself these four agreem

Evaluate the impact Line Managers have on organisational performance' Assignment

Evaluate the impact Line Managers have on organisational performance' - Assignment Example As they are responsible for ensuring the operation of employees and monitor their performance on a day-to-day basis, their role in influencing staff performance is crucial. Researchers have highlighted the role played by line managers in producing an integrated culture of managing employees via line management while others have demonstrated the role that line managers play in increasing employee commitment, thereby leading to rise in productivity. The psychological contract between the employee and line manager is claimed to be the lens through which workers view the entire workplace. Organizational Culture and the line manager Organizational culture is said to have a significant impact on the way in which the organization, including line managers function. It includes beliefs values and behavioral patterns that form the foundations of organizations. The power of organizational culture in influencing line managers’ communication and leadership style cannot be negated. If the c ulture is open and encourages freedom of speech, the line managers will be inclined towards adopting a participative management style whereby employees’ views are incorporated during decision making. Under such an environment, tasks are delegated and the worker has the flexibility to accomplish tasks without being closely monitored. On the other hand, cultures where deference to authority and bureaucracy prevail tend to produce line managers which do not favor employee participation, are wary of employees’ intention to work and lack the trust necessary for successful delegation. An extreme form of such management prevails in the form of micromanagers which are typically found at lower levels of organizational hierarchy. Such managers often fall into the trap of over-scrutinizing employees’ work and adopting the â€Å"my way or the highway† philosophy (Chambers, 2005). It is no surprise that under such organizations communication is often top-down and line managers expect submissive behavior from employees who, in turn, seek to â€Å"please the boss† in every way possible (Chambers, 2005). The impact of both these styles on employee motivation and commitment is profound and shall be explored in depth later. However, it is important to note that a two-way relationship exists between line managers and organizational culture. The role of line managers is crucial in order to make any organizational culture functional. If the culture is directed towards the achievement of incorrect objectives then it can become largely dysfunctional. The management’s role is critical in that it determines whether the cultural orientation needs to be adapted to internal policies or individuals in the organization. This, in turn, determines and develops a dominant leadership style which results in a mutual relationship between the organization’s culture, efficiency and leadership styles. For instance, in a study conducted on over 32 lar ge corporations in Croatia (from the manufacturing, service and financial sector), the organizational culture was resistant to change and preferred the status quo which resulted in slow development of an entrepreneurial leadership orientation amongst managers (Buble, 2012). Complementing this

Causes of Construction Delays

Causes of Construction Delays This chapter gives an idea of what construction delays are, how are they defined and what are their types and comparison of them. Delays can be seen differently from different point of views. Causes of delays and categorization of them in various international contexts are also discussed. 2.2 DEFINING CONSTRUCTION DELAY A lot of work has been done before on construction delays and every author came up with his/her own definition. Assaf and Hejji defined delay as Time overrun either beyond completion date specified in a contract, or beyond the date that the parties agreed upon for delivery of a project slipping over its planned schedule. (Assaf, Hejji, 2006) Stumpf defined delay as Act or event that extends the time required to perform a task under a contract. It usually shows up as additional days of work or as delayed start of an activity. (Stumpf, 2000). And many similar definitions were given. Therefore construction delays can be considered as time lag in completion of activities from a fixed time as per contract or they can be defined as late completion or late start of activities to the planned schedule or contract schedule. When project delay occurs it means project cannot be completed within stated time, which means there will be extensions of time required which will further result in fine, increased cost due to inflation, termination of contract, court cases etc. or combinations of above stated factors. Delay can be seen as risk for the project and could be handled at inception stage or at least one can try to mitigate or minimize it. Risk is an integral part of a construction project; it is well known that no project is risk free. If risk is analysed at inception or planning stage it could be managed, minimized, shared, mitigated or accepted to give some good results. Delay can be considered similar to risk or a type of risk; as no construction project is free from delays, delay is also integrated part of construction projects. It depends on size of project as well. Therefore it is expected to analyse and manage delay in same fashion as risk. Delays are often result of a mismanaged event which must have been managed in a systematic process so as to analyse the effect of that event on the project and how to minimize chances of further delay. (Keane, Caletka, 2008). 2.3 CATEGORIZATION AND TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION DELAYS Before getting on types of various construction delays there is a major categorisation which is required to be understood. Construction delays can be delayed in some major groups as listed below. El-Saadi (1998) categorized delay in four major groups. Critical or Non critical Excusable or Non Excusable Compensable or Non Compensable Concurrent or Non concurrent Alkaas S., Mazerolle M. and Harris F. (1996) and Ahmed S.M. et al gave following categorizations: Excusable Delays Excusable compensable delays Excusable noncompensable delays Nonexcusable delays Concurrent delays Fig. 2.1 Classification of delay based on their various attributes. Nuhu Braimah (2008) To achieve objectives of this dissertation and to consider delay as risk it is necessary to know about these types of delays and as per categorization in what category they lie. This basic knowledge helps in moving forward and determining strategies to mitigate these risks. Now in this part we will discuss these types of delay in detail: 2.3.1 CRITICAL AND NON CRITICAL In simple words Critical delays are those which cause delay to entire project completion date while Non critical delays not necessarily affect the project completion date but affects progress. In all the projects delays are considered at the project completion date. Delays can be combination of small and big delays that occurred during the whole project. Therefore critical delays are taken more into consideration then noncritical delays. 2.3.2 EXCUSABLE DELAYS Excusable Delays occurs due to events which are outside the control of contractor like heavy rains, storms, strikes, fire, client suggested changes, differing site conditions, change of government policy or their intervention, stakeholder intervention etc. Alkass S. et al (1996) says that when there are excusable delays, contractor is entitled to time extension in case date of completion is extended. Such delays can also affect non critical activities which must be considered with more detailed analysis or adjustment of float time. Excusable delays can be further classified in compensable and noncompensable delays. 2.3.2.1 EXCUSABLE COMPENSABLE DELAYS As name suggests excusable compensable delays are those in which contractor is entitled for extra payment (compensation) i.e. monetary compensation and time extension as well. But decision that a delay is compensable or noncompensable is taken as per contract between client and contractor. Natural disasters or some reasons which are out of control are not considered. Example of such delay could be that client doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t allow access to site even after notice to proceed is given; other such delays which are due to client are compensable. 2.3.2.2 EXCUSABLE NONCOMPENSABLE DELAYS Such delays are such where both contractor and client are not responsible for delay. Under such circumstances only time extensions are granted and no monetary compensation is provided. Such delays include act of God. 2.3.3 NON EXCUSABLE DELAYS As name suggests these delays are such that they donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have any excuse or no excuse can be given for them. They arise due to carelessness or actions and inactions of contractors and subcontractors. For such delays no time extensions and monetary compensation is given to contractor if it has affected whole duration of project. In such cases client is liable to get liquidated damages. Example of such delay could be constructing something wrong which is not given in drawings, not completing work on time, improper resource allocation etc. 2.3.4 CONCURRENT DELAYS This is the most complex categorization of delay as it consists of two or more kind of delays regardless of their type which occurs at same time or overlaps some duration together. It is necessary to find out what type has caused overall delay in project completion. Therefore different factors like time of occurrence of delay, duration of delay, impact of them, float ownership etc. have to be considered carefully. Alkass et al (1996) said that; Concurrent delays which contains two or more excusable delays results in time extension. When compensable and nonexcusable delays are concurrent a time extension can be given or delay can be distributed between client and contractor. 2.4 CAUSES OF CONSTRUCTION DELAYS In section 2.3, categorisation of delays was discussed. Now in this section will deal with causes of delays. Lot of work has been done on understanding causes of delays. The two major categorization of delay causes one is Internal Cause another is External Cause. Internal cause includes delays caused by parties involved in construction project like Client, Contractor, Designer, Consultant these are four major parties then Subcontractors, material suppliers etc. comes. From external factors it includes act of God, strikes, stakeholderà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s dissatisfaction etc. Assaf and Hejji (2006) reflected various causes of delays which occur in large construction projects. They had a field survey of 23 contractors, 19 consultants, and 15 owners and found out and reflected on 73 causes of delays under eight different groups. All those 73 factors are given in table below. NO. CAUSES OF DELAY GROUP 1 Original contract duration is too short. Project 2 Legal disputes b/w various parties. Project 3 Inadequate definition of substantial completion. Project 4 In effective delay penalties. Project 5 Type of construction contracts. Project 6 Type of project bidding and award Project 7 Delay in progress payment by owner. Owner 8 Delay to furnish and deliver the site to contractor by the owner. Owner 9 Change orders by owner during construction. Owner 10 Late in revising and approving design documents by owner Owner 11 Delay in approving shop drawings and sample materials Owner 12 Poor communication and co-ordination by owner and other parties Owner 13 Slowness is decision making process by owner Owner 14 Conflicts between joint ownership of the project Owner 15 Unavailability of incentives for contractors for finishing ahead of schedule Owner 16 Suspension of work by owner Owner 17 Difficulties in financing project by contractor. Contractor 18 Conflicts in subcontractors schedule in execution of project Contractor 19 Rework due to errors during construction. Contractor 20 Poor site management and supervision by contractor Contractor 21 Poor communication and co-ordination by contractor with other parties Contractor 22 Ineffective planning and scheduling of project by contractor Contractor 23 Improper construction methods implemented by contractor. Contractor 24 Delays in subcontractors work Contractor 25 Conflicts between contractor and other parties Contractor 26 Inadequate contractors work. Contractor 27 Frequent change of subcontractors due to their insufficient work. Contractor 28 Poor qualification of the contractors technical staff Contractor 29 Delay in site mobilization. Contractor 30 Delay in performing inspection and testing by consultant Consultant 31 Delay in approving major changes in the scope of work by consultant Consultant 32 Inflexibility (rigidity) of consultant Consultant 33 Poor communication and co-ordination by consultant with other parties Consultant 34 Late in reviewing and approving design documents by consultants Consultant 35 Conflicts between consultant and design engineer. Consultant 36 Inadequate experience of dsigner. Consultant 37 Mistakes and discrepancies in design documents Design 38 Delays in producing design documents Design 39 Unclear and inadequate details in drawings Design 40 Complexity of project design Design 41 Insufficient data collection and survey before design Design 42 Misunderstanding of ownerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s requirement by design engineer. Design 43 Inadequate design team experience Design 44 Un-use of advanced engineering design software. Design 45 Shortage of construction materials in market Material 46 Changes in material types and specification during construction Material 47 Detail in material delivery. Material 48 Damage of sorted material while they are needed urgently. Material 49 Delay in manufacturing special building material Material 50 Late procurement of materials Material 51 Late in selection of finishing materials due to availability of many types in market Material 52 Equipment breakdowns Equipment 53 Shortage of equipment Equipment 54 Low level of equipment-operatorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s skill Equipment 55 Low productivity and efficiency of equipment Equipment 56 Lack of high technology mechanical equipment Equipment 57 Shortage of labours Labours 58 Unqualified workforce Labours 59 Nationality of labours Labours 60 Low productivity level of labours Labours 61 Personal conflict among labours Labours 62 Effects of subsurface conditions External 63 Delay in obtaining permit from government External 64 Hot weather effects on construction activities External 65 Rain effect on construction activities External 66 Unavailability of utilities in site External 67 Effect of social and cultural factors External 68 Traffic control and restriction at job site External 69 Accident during construction External 70 Differing site conditions External 71 Changes in government regulations and laws External 72 Delay in providing services from utilities External 73 Delay in performing final inspection and certification by a third party External Table 2.1 Causes of delays as per group Assaf and Hejji (2006) Their work gave a broad view over construction delays and their causes. Though their classification is quite broad, but it gives a more insight to various causes. Odeh AM and Battaineh HT (2002) presented following 8 major groups of construction delay. Client related factors which include finance, payment of billed work, interference in work, slow decision making etc. Contractor related factors include site management, improper planning, insufficient experience, improper construction methods, insufficient and unskilled work force etc. Consultant related factors include contract management, improper drawings, approval of drawings, tests at site etc. Material related factors include availability, quality and shortage. Labor and equipment factors include supply, productivity, equipment availability, failure etc. Contract factors include changed orders and mistakes and disagreements in document. Contractual relationship factors includes, disputes, negotiation, improper management of information system, improper work breakdown structure and task responsibility matrix. External factors like act of god, strikes, accidents etc. Most of the work done in field of causes of delays reflects similar causes of delays and 8 major groups. They all gave recommendations related to these factors but very few scholars suggested to forecast delay in planning stage. Khalil and Ghaftly (1999) said delay is important issue. In order to manage it more properly and to mitigate them deep investigation to this area is needed. Having idea of frequency, extent and responsibility of delay can provide insights of early planning to control these factors and improve project performance. 2.5 PERSPECTIVE FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES Work from Chan and Kumaraswamy (2002) from Hong Kong industry gives four major causes of delay in Hong Kong industry which are as follows: Project scope Project complexity Project Environment Management related attributes The above four factors were studied with their constituent casual factors to gain more insight and understanding of their significance. They were summarized in following figure: Figure 2.3 Summary of principal factors affecting construction durations of projects He gave another table comparing factors causing delay in construction projects in various economies. It gives an overview of common factors in these economies. It gives a clear understanding of various countries at once. Factors Causing Delay Countries where survey was conducted US UK DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TURKEY NIGERIA SAUDI ARABIA HONG KONG INDONESIA Inclement weather * * * * * Labour shortage/ Low labour productivity * * * Poor subcontractorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performance * * * * Variations (design change/ extra work) * * * * * Unforeseen ground conditions * * Materials shortage/ late material delivery * * * Inadequate construction planning * * * Financial difficulties * * * Delays in design work/Lack of design information * Poor site management * * * * Impractical design * Poor communication * * Inappropriate type of contract used * Lack of designerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s experience * Inaccurate estimating * * * Table 2.2 Source: Chan and Kumarswamy (2001) Ogunlana and Promkuntong studied and compared construction industry of Thailand and other economies. Study involved delays experienced in the High Rise Building construction projects in Bangkok, Thailand. According to them Resource supply problem were most acute problems of the construction industry in boom years. Project suffered delays due to inadequate supply of cement, technical personnel were overstretched, and demands from owners to do frequent changes etc. are the major causes for delay in developing economy. Sabasivan and Soon (2007) conducted study of causes of delay in Malaysian construction industry. They conducted a survey and 150 participants were involved. They came up with 10 most important causes of delay which are as follows: Improper planning of contractor. Poor site management from contractor Inadequate experience of contractor Improper payments and finance from client Subcontractors problem Material shortage Labour supply Failure and availability of equipment Improper management information system Mistakes during construction stage. COUNTRY RESEARCHERS MAJOR CAUSES OF DELAYS Saudi Arabia Assaf et al Slow preparation and approval of shop drawings Delays in payments to contractors Changes in design/design error Shortages of labour supply Poor workmanship Lebanon Mezher et al Owner had more concerns with regard to financial issues Contractors regarded contractual relationships the most important Consultants considered project management issues to be the most important causes of delay Saudi Arabia Al-khal and Al-Ghafly Cash flow problems/financial difficulties Difficulties in obtaining permits à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“lowest bid win firstà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? system Jordan Al-Moumani Poor design Changes in orders/design Weather Unforeseen site condition Late deliveries Kuwait Koushki et al Changing orders Owners financial constraints Ownerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s lack of experience in the construction business UAE Faridi and El-Sayegh Slow preparation and approval of drawings Inadequate early planning of project Slow decision making of owners Shortage of manpower Poor site management and supervision Low productivity of manpower Saudi Arabia Assaf and Al-Hejji Change in orders by the owner during construction Delay in progress payment Ineffective planning and scheduling Shortage of labour Difficulties in financing on the part of contractor. Hong Kong Chan and Kumaraswamy Project scope Project complexity Project environment Management related attributes Florida Ahmed and Azhar Design related Construction related Financial/economical Management/ Administrative Code related Acts of God Table 2.3 Summary of previous studies of the causes of delay in construction project some data from above table is taken from Sweis et al (2008) 2.6 SUMMARY: A total of 73 factors and 8 major groups of causes of construction delays were identified through intensive literature reviews in order to consider maximum factors. These factors will be helpful in data analysis so as to forecast delay at planning stage and treat it as risk so that risk management methodologies can be implemented to delay so as to mitigate and minimizing it. These eight major categories can be brought down as shown in figure. Fig 2.4 Classification of delay groups. All major 8 groups can be brought down to 2 major groups which are Internal and external causes. Internal is further subdivided in owner, consultant, contractor and resources. Resources are further subdivided in Material, equipment and labour. Overall if we need to classify groups for the causes of delay 5 major groups covers all 73 factors they are Owner, Contractor, Consultant, Resources and External. These causes and classification will help us to rank and treat delay as a risk at planning stage so as remedial measures can be applied. Though in spite of all studies and delay causes know till now it is hard to forecast delay because its very unpredictable, we cant analyse frequency of delay due to some reason in a project. Sometimes external causes are so dominating that co-ordination of internal groups get disturbed and project faces delay.

Domino’s Pizza Analysis Essay

Introduction: This report is going to be based upon Domino’s Pizza, a franchised organisation derived in Michigan, USA. This report will firstly give a brief overview of the history of Domino’s; it will then establish and explain the micro and macro factors that affect Domino’s and their effects on the business. It will also contain a strategy which would allow Domino’s to adapt and thrive in its ever changing environment; the report will give details explaining which external opportunities Domino’s should take advantage of, and which external threats it should combat. This report will include a PEST analysis, examining the political, economical, social and technological factors that Domino’s is affected by, a SWOT analysis which will observe the strengths and weakness Domino’s has, and also external aspects that will threaten the business or provide opportunities. In 1960 Tom Monaghan and his brother created ‘DomiNick’s’ Pizza shop, in 1961 Tom bought his brother out of the company and renamed it to the ‘Domino’s’ that we know today. Domino’s is now one of the largest pizza franchises in the world with 9,350 stores in over 70 countries. It employs 175,000 people worldwide and delivers over a million pizzas per day. Tom developed his company using franchising, allowing people to set up their own Domino’s pizza shops, in doing so he eventually made over 1 billion dollars before retiring in 1998. Domino’s is a LLC (limited liability company), merging the characteristics of sole proprietorship and a corporation, meaning that business owners still have control of their business but have limited liability against debt. Part A: This section is going to focus on the macro (external) factors that affect the business using a PEST analysis and the micro (internal) factors such as strengths and weaknesses. Politically, Domino’s is affected by a number of things References: http://www.dominos.uk.com/pdf/information_pack.pdf

Management Theorists Summaries

Chandler: The Enduring Logic of Industrial Success Main claim: Successful companies exploit economies of scale and scope in capital-intensive industries by investing in: †¢ Production capacity: technology, research & development †¢ Strong management hierarchies †¢ National and international marketing and distribution networks Secondary claims: †¢ The ? st companies to make these investments dominate their market and are First Movers; they have the upper hand on the Experience Curve and thus a competitive advantage, and they maintain their position through constant innovation and strategy. †¢ Growth through unrelated diversi? cation is a poor business strategy; the right idea is moving into related product markets or to expand geographically †¢ Companies in an oligopoly become stronger through intense competition. Companies grow horizontally by combining with competitors, and vertically by moving backward to control materials and forward to control outlet s. Greiner: Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow Main claim: Organizational growth is characterized by ? ve successive developmental phases, each with a management focus and style, and each followed by a predictable crisis; management practices that work in one phase are unsuitable for the next and precipitate the crisis.Secondary claims: †¢ Organizations should not skip phases; some go quickly through them, some regress †¢ Top managers whose style is no longer appropriate should remove themselves †¢ Growth is avoidable †¢ The future of an organization is determined predominantly by its history (behavior is determined more by past events/experiences than by what lies ahead) Phases of evolution (CDDCC): †¢ Creativity: informal, long hours, market feedback †¢ Direction: hierarchy, specialization, formal communication, managers, supervisors †¢ Delegation: decentralized organizational structure, empowering of lower-level managers †¢ Coor dination: formal planning, top executives initiate and administrate new systems †¢ Collaboration: teamwork, problem-solving, open-door matrix structure Phases of revolution (LACRPs): †¢ Leadership: necessary skills to introduce new techniques †¢ Autonomy: ? eld managers’ experience knowledge is restricted by the hierarchy †¢ Control: top managers seek to regain control of the company †¢ Red tape: excess restrictions and regulations, bureaucracy, ineffectiveness in problem-solving †¢ Psychological saturation Barney Main claim: Internal and External Analysis provides a balanced view of a ? rm’s competitive advantage, which is a moving target. External environment analysis (opportunities and threats) cannot explain a ? rm’s success by itself; strategists must analyze its internal strengths and weaknesses. VRIO Framework: †¢ Value: does a ? m’s resources and capabilities enable it to exploit an opportunity or neutralize thre ats? (high status and quality, low cost and practical) †¢ Rarity: is a resource or capability controlled by a small number of ? rms? †¢ Imitability: is there dif? culty and cost disadvantage in imitating what a ? rm is doing? (history, numerous small decisions, socially complex resources, embedded cultures) †¢ Organization: are a ? rm’s policies and procedures organized to exploit its valuable, rare and costly-to-imitate resources? (reporting structure, management system, compensation policies) SWOT Framework: Composed by Internal and External Environment analysis; aims to identify the key issues facing a company. Strengths: internal resources and capabilities †¢ Opportunities: external trends, industry conditions and competitive environment †¢ Weaknesses and Threats: issues that must be addressed to improve a company’s situation Tangible Resources: †¢ Financial: cash or cash equivalents, borrowing capacity †¢ Physical: plants, facili ties, manufacturing locations, machinery and equipment †¢ Technological: trade secrets, patents, copyrights, trademarks, innovative production processes †¢ Organizational: strategic planning, evaluation and control systems Intangible Resources: †¢ Human: experience, capability, trust, managerial skills, speci? c practices and procedures †¢ Innovation/Creativity: technical and scienti? c skills, innovation capacity †¢ Reputation: brand name, quality, reliability, fairness Organizational Capabilities: †¢ Competencies or skills ? ms use to turn inputs into outputs †¢ Capacity to combine tangible and intangible resources to achieve a desired goal Collins & Porras Main Claim: Successful companies have a clear vision made up from a core ideology and an envisioned future that motivate employees and guide decision-making. Core Ideology: guides, inspires and makes work meaningful for employees. †¢ Purpose: soul of and reason why an organization exists; idealistic motivations †¢ Values: strong beliefs about what is most important Envisioned Future: †¢ BHAGs: clear, compelling goals to engage and energize; they should contain a measurable objective, be dif? cult but not impossible, and achievable in a long-term period (10-30 years) †¢ Vivid description: paints an exciting picture of the future (what’s it going to be like? BHAG types: †¢ Qualitative and quantitative for attainable targets †¢ David vs Goliath for a common enemy goal †¢ Emulation of role models for up-and-coming organizations †¢ Internal transformations for large, established organizations Other Stuff Underlying Assumptions: they form the basis of our beliefs and reasoning; they are the link between the claim and the evidence (they explain the relevancy of evidence to the claim). †¢ Reality: beliefs about how things and events work †¢ Value: ideals, standards of right and wrong and how things ought to be PACCEs: alwa ys put an article through these ? ve concepts. †¢ Persuasive language †¢ Assumptions and values (beliefs that affect how the author sees the world) †¢ Claim (the broader issue, the thesis the author wants you to accept) †¢ Causal logic (claims regarding cause and effect) †¢ Evidence (SCRAAP: is it suf? cient, clear, authoritative, accurate, precise, representative? )

The Best AP US History Quizzes You Should Be Taking

The Best AP US History Quizzes You Should Be Taking SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Looking for AP US History quizzes? You're in luck. We have a long list of quizzes you can use throughout the year, or in the spring when you’re studying for the APUSH test. Read on to get an AP US History workout! How to Use These Quizzes We chose the most comprehensive, detailed quizzes we could find online – some from teachers’ websites, others from general study resources, and many from textbook websites. All of these quizzes test specific eras of American history, for example the Gilded Age or the Cold War. By using quizzes that test certain time periods, you can figure out which eras of US history you know well, and which ones you need to do extra work on. If you want a mix of questions from different eras, hang tight for our post on AP US history practice tests – these contain multiple-choice sections with a mix of questions about each era of US History. So how should you use the quizzes? We recommend the following two strategies for studying for AP US History. Quiz As You Go Throughout the year, as your class covers certain time periods, find quizzes that match up and take them. For example, as your class wraps up a unit about the Revolutionary War, go through some of the quizzes that test the same time period. This will help you retain the information better and learn throughout the year. (Not to mention this will help you study for in-class tests and get better grades in your AP US History class!) Furthermore, learning the material well the first time will reduce the need for frantic spring cramming. Yeah, you'll still probably need to brush up on some dates and names before the AP test (when was the French and Indian War again?), but having a solid understanding of the different major eras and events in US History, like the events that led to the Revolutionary War, will save you a lot of study time. If you work to retain information throughout the year, you won't have to cram so hard in the spring. Use the Quizzes for Targeted Spring Studying You'll probably do your most intense studying in the spring, in the run-up to the AP exam in May. You can use the quizzes to review material you learned earlier in the year, like information on the colonies or the War of 1812. It can be hard to remember details you learned in September before the AP test in May, so definitely take advantage of these quizzes to jog your memory and review material from early in the year. You can also use the quizzes to target time periods you didn’t learn very well or are having a hard time remembering. Civil War not your thing? Hit the Civil War quizzes. Can’t get the Cold War years straight in your head? Quiz them! Taking the Quizzes There may be some highly-specific questions that you’ll have trouble with since many of these questions come from textbooks. However, if you know the era well enough you should be able to work through most of the questions using process of elimination. In fact, it’s actually quite helpful to go through these quizzes since the APUSH test is written by a different team of writers than your textbook was, so you need to be prepared to think about questions from a slightly different point of view. If you can do well on quizzes written by multiple authors, you will be well-prepared to tackle multiple choice on the real AP US history test. One final word of caution: note that if your class’s textbook website is linked here, chances are your teacher will use these quizzes in class. So don’t use the quizzes from your own book unless your teacher doesn’t use them! You wouldn’t want to duplicate work doing in class, or worse, get accused of cheating. Use quizzes from the other sources instead. AP US History Quizzes Here are the quizzes, organized by website. Click on each one to explore quiz format. The majority are multiple choice, though there are some true/false quizzes sprinkled in as well. Since each site has about 30 quizzes, there are more than 400 quizzes here! So don't attempt them all in one sitting! Many of the textbook web pages are for editions of the books that are a few years old. For example, the American Pageant website below is from the 12th edition, even though that book is now up to the 16th edition. However, the changes between editions aren't dramatic, since history textbooks mainly add information or in some cases change the focus or point of view when they're revised. You can still get excellent quizzes on the main events of each era using these quizzes. For some of the textbook web pages, you'll have to do a bit of navigating to get to the quizzes. While most websites list all of their chapter quizzes all on one page, others separate them out. For example, the first website, American Passages, put their quizzes in separate chapter pages. It's a bit cumbersome, but a few clicks can lead to hundreds of free quiz questions. First, select the relevant chapter to get to the quiz questions. For the ones that are just numbered, not named, that will take some guess work, but you can find them. To take an example, in the pictures below, I'm trying to find a quiz on the Civil War. In the "Navigate By Chapter" drop-down menu, I select "Chapter 15." Success! Chapter 15 is about the Civil War years (as well as the immediate aftermath). Next I click on the "ACE the Test" link in the blue sidebar. I click on "ACE Practice Tests," which opens up a new window with the quiz. Voila! The quiz. Note that most of the websites are more straightforward than this one. Check them out below and start studying! American Passages Making America The Enduring Vision The American Pageant American History: Connecting with the Past The Unfinished Nation Experience America Give Me Liberty! The American Experiment A People and a Nation America: A Narrative History Other Quiz Sites AP US History Quizzesat Albert.io APUSH Quizzes at Raleigh Charter High School US History Quizzes at HistoryTeacher.net What’s Next? Did you know many colleges require SAT Subject Tests in addition to AP tests? Get a complete list of schools that require SAT Subject Tests, and learn the best time to fit Subject Tests into your schedule (hint: if you’re taking AP US History, you should strongly consider the US History subject test). Have you taken the SAT or ACT yet? Thinking about a retake? Learn if your score will improve on a retake, and start studying with the best SAT prep books around (ACT version here). Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Dress reflects class essays

Dress reflects class essays Chaucers The Canterbury Tales were organized diversity of occupation, character and dress. The way in which stock characters are used to attempt to defeat family difficulties can be explored in She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith. The pair of young lovers CO-OPERATE together toward this end. In old days and nowadays we dress nicely to impress others. In old days like Chaucerian and Restoration period, dress used to reflect their class. Better dress meant higher class, usually. So dress had meanings more than showing off the wealth of people. Of course, rich people had better dress as in these days, and they were usually in a higher class. In The Canterbury Tales, the color of clothes is mostly dark colors including Monks, but Restoration period uses brighter colors which remind me enlighten and party peoples. There are some similarities as well. In The Canterbury tales and She Stoops to Conquer, people like to show off how much rich they are. The women, they had to wear nice fancy clothes, and they had to wear recent stylish clothes to show their beauty and wealth. They had to wear these fancy clothes, because it also represented their social status. In these periods class was noticeable by their clothes. Maybe wearing a good cloth is influenced by their culture. Ive seen some history books and I saw some Old Europeans wearing really nice clothes. No matter how old they are, people wore really nice clothes. Mrs. Hardcastle she was an old lady but she dressed richly to show her wealth. The Wife of Bath from The Canterbury Tales is similar to Mrs. Hardcastle. They like to wear fancy clothes and it seems like they likes to show off their wealth. The women desired these clothes very much. In line 50 from the She Stoops to Conquer, yearns for the latest fashion and London Society, but yearns in vain spoken by Mrs. Hardcastle. So I can tell Restoration period, people really wanted fan ...

Assess the impact of Edward Snowden's revelations on the public image Essay

Assess the impact of Edward Snowden's revelations on the public image of GCHQ and the wider intelligence community - Essay Example ons have made efforts directed towards improving the level of their national security intelligence with an aim of ensuring that proper investigations, surveillance as well as supervision of security issues is undertaken to prevent terrorism attacks. In addition, some countries have resorted to the use of spy and other intelligence agencies that basically monitor groups that might have been suspected of terrorism activities. The issue of military strength between countries has also compelled governments and concerned stakeholders to undertake certain sensitive measures that would ensure that they monitor the military strength of rival countries and their level of security intelligence. These measures have included the use of spies and intelligence agencies that are usually sent to the rival countries to perform such missions. However, the major challenge that has been identified with regard to the use of spies emanates from the tension that occurs in the case that the rival country becomes aware of the spying activities within their military operations. In some cases, intelligence organizations have also undertaken roles geared towards ensuring that the level of security within internet is kept under proper surveillance by monitoring the activities that are performed in the internet by their respective populations. However, this has raised the question regarding the privacy of information of the populat ion owing to the fact that national intelligence organizations are usually provided with the authority to access any activity performed in the internet and other sources of media by a specific population. Many people have complained that by accessing personal information of the activities that are performed by individuals within the internet is a violation or a sense of intruding personal privacy. A case of revelations of an employee of an intelligence agency occurred when Edward Joseph Snowden revealed the activities the United States National Intelligence Agency

Corporate governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Corporate governance - Essay Example Many efforts were made to facilitate governance mechanisms. These are introduced by the law â€Å"relating to directors’ duties, supervision via non-executive directors, executive compensation agreements, managerial labour markets that respond to past performance, the market for corporate control, discipline exercised by creditors, and competitive product markets†. (Armour, Deakin & Konzelmann, 2003) The mutual result of the Report of Cadbury Committee (1992), the Greenbury Committee (1995) and the Hampel Committee (1997) was the Combined Code. The Code is voluntary. However companies are required to report compliance with the code or explain the reason why this compliance is not possible. The Code includes a number of principles which serve the ground for the measurement of governance practices of companies. The principles highlight the importance of non-executive directors and independent directors for supervision of executives. Other principle recommendations are separation of chairman and CEO positions with the board chairman monitoring the performance of management; functioning of audit committee with each board. (Black et.al., 1994) Along with these principles the code highlighted the importance of automatic re-election of directors at least every three years, remuneration and audit with a major role in each case for non-executive and independent directors and the disclosure to shareholders of policy concerning remuneration and of service contracts. (Armour, Deakin & Konzelmann, 2003) Committees recommendations are supported by key institutions - the Bank of England, the Confederation of British Industry, and the London Stock Exchange. That’s why the Combined Code proved to be effective in provision of high level of compliance. For example, in 1999 PIRC found that 87% of their sample of listed UK companies had separated the roles of Chairman and CEO, and 93% had