Leadership Skills: Qualities of a Great Leader

As mentioned by the musician, the essential task of leadership is â€Å"changing the way work works, so you can improve the work.† In other words, leaders lead their group or team by influencing them to clear their minds about something they are not sure about and persuade the group to move towards the right path by sharing collective knowledge. The good leaders have that vision to see the future to avoid the fear of unknown or unknowable. Gary Yukl defines leadership as â€Å"the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives.† (Rowe & Guerrero, 2011) Moreover, the management tries to perfect the current processes or procedures to fulfill the overall objective of the organization. However, leadership is based on sharing the collective knowledge and influencing a group of people to look at different alternatives to solve a problem. Moreover, the musician describes the five L â€Å"qualities† of good leaders. Following are the five L â€Å"qualities†: Leaders do lead: The first quality is that leaders are accountable for leading their group or team and they lead from front or behind. In other words, leading from the front means that the leaders actually tell their group or team members what to do and they explain them how to accomplish different goals. However, some leaders believe in leading from behind which means they empower their group or team to think what they need to accomplish and how they should accomplish those tasks. Depending on the situation, these leaders decide whether to lead from the front or behind. Leaders listen: The second quality is that leaders must have good listening skills. Without listening to their followers, leaders cannot understand their point of view and it makes it hard for them to lead effectively. After all, the job of a leader is to share the knowledge among all group or team members and without communication effectively, it is impossible to lead. So, leaders must have good listening skills, so they can give proper feedback to their followers. Good leaders not only listen with their ears but they also use their eyes to listen to their followers. Sometime words that are unsaid say a lot and good leaders are aware of this fact. Leaders learn continuously: The third quality is that a good leader understands that the learning never stops and he/she tries to learn from people around. Leaders learn by observing how people behave or how they react to different issues. Leadership is all about making a difference, so if a leader is unable to make a positive change to the group or team he/she is leaders, he or she is not a good leader. So, good leaders always look over the shoulders of their followers to continue learning and it helps them to test their own skills. They need to look ahead, for example, if things are going their way in the present, they don’t rely on that, but they are always keen to improve themselves. Leaders love: The fourth quality is that good leaders always admire the good work of their followers. Leaders make their followers believe that nothing is impossible if the followers are determined enough to achieve their goals. A good leader knows how to take that extra step to make a difference and this skills distinguish a good leader from a great leader. Leaders know how to create that atmosphere in which the followers believe that they are following a good leader. Without believing the principles of their leaders, it is hard for the followers to walk in the same direction and good leaders know how to make their followers believe them. Leaders lose with grace: The fifth quality is that leaders know how to lose with grace. When a team experience failure, a good leaders knows how to step up and take responsibility for that failure. For instance, when Canucks failed to advance to the second round of the Stanley cup playoffs, the captain of Vancouver Canucks took full responsibility by saying, â€Å"we choked.† This is a sign of a good leader who knows how to lose with grace. Good leaders do not believe in pin pointing fingers at different individuals after the team fails to accomplish their objectives. A good leader makes his/her team believes that if they win, they win as a team and if they lose, they lose as a team. I strongly agree that these qualities are individual attributes but this does not mean that an individual who was not born with these qualities cannot adapt them. Any individual who is determined to lead a team can use these qualities to influence his/her followers. For example, I always feel that I can lead our cricket team but I panic when we lose continuously. However, it does not mean that I can’t adapt the quality of losing with grace. I believe that if i work hard enough, I can adapt that quality. Even though I don’t know much about the music industry, but I think we have good leaders in all sectors. In the music industry, people influence lives of many followers without any direct connection with them. For example, Michael Jackson was indirectly leading so many youngsters to follow their dreams. He was an inspiration for many teenagers, but he might not have had all these qualities. He shared love with his followers and he motivated them to take that extra step to achieve success. However, it is tough to say that people from the music industry have all these qualities because more than anything else, it depends on your individual character. In my field of study which is accounting, these five L qualities can play a major role for leaders to lead. For example, the accounting manager of the company I work for use most of these qualities to lead our accounting group. He is a very good listener which helps us to tell him our side of the story because his perspective is different from ours. At Kwantlen, Barbara who was my accounting teacher uses these qualities to influence her students to achieve success. She is always keen to help students by making them think about different accounting issues and she also focuses on learning from the students by listening them carefully. In order to learn these five qualities, it is better to focus on each quality step by step. The first step would be to become a good listener. This can be done by becoming more patient to calm yourself down. Once an individual becomes a good listener, the next step would be to learn how to appreciate good work of your co-workers, friends, followers and even family members. This would help an individual to gain confidence of people around him/her. After that, focus on sharing knowledge because this would allow an individual to believe in continuous learning. Once the individual has all these qualities, the next step would be to lead people or group by using techniques such as leading from front or leading from behind. It all depends on the situation or issues that individual is dealing with. The last step would be to learn to share the success and failure among all group members by sticking together as a group.

The Teacher as a Hero

The teacher as a hero LESSONS PLANNED from the teacher's pen (The Philippine Star) Updated October 01, 2009 T here are heroes and heroes, national and local. Some of them are born, others are made. Many are still living while many others have long been gone. It is to the latter that monuments and museums were built to keep alive their memory in our hearts and mind. Public buildings, parks and plazas, streets and a few provinces have been named after them. Important dates and events are usually marked red in the calendar to remind us of their birth or death anniversary. During the celebration of these events, program speakers take turns extolling to high heavens whatever good they had done for the country. Sad enough the hero who is apparently taken for granted and therefore unsung is the poor teacher. Not having a pedigreed name, she has no influence, no power. She is regarded as belonging to the marginalized sector of society. Tactless people look down on her with contempt saying, â€Å"She’s only a teacher. † After all, unlike OFWs, teachers do not contribute to the national economy. What many do not seem to realize is that a teacher is truly a hero in her own way. For a teacher is not only about her lesson plans, her teaching methods, strategies and techniques. A teacher is also about her personal character, her values and her attitude. And more importantly a teacher is also about her missionary work which entails a great deal of sacrifice on her part and her family. Indeed, the pro-bono services that she renders involve numerous risks to life and limb. We have heard of teachers who were kidnapped for ransom, forced into marriage under pain of bodily harm, physically abused and the unfortunate, even beheaded. I remember a male teacher who reprimanded a student for provoking trouble in class. That afternoon the huffy father with fire in his eyes sought the teacher in school and mercilessly hacked him to death. I had a relative who was summoned to the Comelec office in Manila and made to explain her inadvertence to affix her signature on a pair of election forms. The financially distressed teacher was forced to take a long-term loan which she used to pay for her transportation fare, board and lodging while in Manila. In the meantime her family had to be sparing and frugal in order to tide them over until such period that the loan was fully paid. While other government employees are off after five, the teacher spends long hours of work at home writing lesson plans, checking test papers or preparing visual aids and similar teaching devices. Compared to those who work in the comfort of their office, thousands of our teachers go on long hours of journey to their far-flung stations over hill and dale, many times in harsh weather condition. It is no wonder that many of these teachers become decrepit long before their age or they get pitifully sick before retirement from the service. And yet their take-home pay is a mere pittance. Any increase in their starvation salary comes far apart and in trickles because this is dependent upon the members of Congress who remember the teachers only on election time. Come May of next year teachers will again be called upon to man the electoral ramparts of our democracy. They will be there to help safeguard the sanctity of the ballot, armed only with the nobility and integrity of their profession. Whatever people say to the contrary, the teacher as a hero is ready to lay down her life for the sake of country sans a loud flourish of trumpets. I salute our teachers as heroes, living or dead! ANTONIO A. MORAN of Camalig, Albay is a retired general education supervisor of the Department of Education.

Marketing: Sustaining Competitive Advantage

The major problem which prevented Callaway Golf Company from achieving its goals is lack of application of change management principles by the management. CGC was very successful in the environment of 80s but the management of the company did not realize that the situation changed in the 90s, and failed to react to the changes appropriately. 2. Situation Analysis. When CGC started operating in the market, the environment was very favorable for the company. There were very many people willing to play golf and the management of the company was efficient in targeting its customers. The company established very high prices in comparison with prices of competitors, but customers were willing to pay extra for a better product. Competitors in the market were not able to offer products of the same high quality with CGC. Besides, the number of competitors was very low. CGC constantly came up with innovations which attracted the attention of consumers while competitors were still too weak to compete with CGC’s innovations. The industry had only a few companies which did not create great danger for CGC. CGC’s sales were constantly increasing due to the increased number of new and retained customers. Consumers preferred their brand because it was much better known than any of the competitors. CGC spent large amounts of money on advertising budget in order to attract even more consumers. All of the factors of external environment were very favorable for CGC in the 80s. Even though CGC was very successful during 10 years of its activity in the market and remained in the top of the industry during all that time, it did not guarantee that the company would always get large profits. The situation in the market changed rapidly in the following years, and CGC’s management failed to react to the changes. First, the interest in golf started fading. It became more difficult for CGC to acquire new consumers. Second, the number of competitors also changed, and CGC was one of the reasons of that. Capital always flows in the direction of profitable industries. If in the past companies did not seek to enter the industry of golf equipment, after CGC started making large profits in it, many investors decided to start the companies produce golf equipment. In the beginning, these companies did not have large sales but eventually they started getting more and more powerful. Third, the nature of consumers changed a lot and the same strategy of high pricing was not always efficient. Fourth, CGC’s relationships with retailers were not very successful. CGC did not pay enough attention to establishing warm contacts with its retailers (for example one of the retailers mentioned that CGC’s terms of payment were not as favorable as the ones of other companies). CGC did not consider it necessary to provide special training for salespeople. Fifth, internet shops became very popular among customers but CGC did not want to increase its online sales, and thus was left far behind in e-commerce. CGC’s had to keep track of the changes which occurred in the market, but it failed to. In order to be successful, the company needed to establish a change management team as soon as the environment started changing. The change management team would be responsible for establishing a new structure of the company, training of employees and constantly fine-tuning the marketing mix of the company according to the changes of the environment. 3.Alternatives. Other alternatives to the establishment of change management team include: making minor changes in the marketing policy of the company in order to meet short-term goals; coming up with radical innovations in order to attract new customers. The first alternative could be useful for the company in the short run because it would allow it to temporarily increase sales and stop having losses. However, changes only in the marketing policy of the company would not be enough to keep the sales at a high level in a long run. Eventually, sales would start dropping again. The second alternative could be perfect in case if the industry was characterized by radical innovations, like computer industry. However, it is simply impossible to come up with some golf product which competitors would never be able to make in the industry of golf equipment production. Even if CGC achieved the increase in sales due to the innovations, competitors would soon start producing a similar product. Golf equipment industry is simply unable to come up with a product similar to Microsoft Windows which dominates the market in the computer industry. 4. Recommendation. The creation of change management team in CGC is therefore the most suitable solution for the company. It will enable CGC to achieve not only short-term but also long-term goals. The company needs to be restructured so that its structure better answers the requirements of the new environment. The new vision of the company also needs to be established. The change management team in the project needs to consist of eight people, five of which belong to senior-level management and three to top management. The main factors which the change managers need to weight to implement the change strategy successfully include: the size of the target market which the company will work on after the changes come into force; addressing immediate concerns which are important for the realization of the company’s goals; choosing priorities concerning centralized and de-centralized structure; the possibility of resistance to changes of certain employees; possible complications in adjusting of employees to the new structure. The program includes a deep analysis of factors which prevent the organization from growing, both internal and external. It requires the identification of the main internal and external factors driving change in the organizations. The change management team needs to achieve the following goals: restructure the company; provide balanced training for employees; improve the marketing mix of the company; increase the percentage of online sales of the company from 1% up to at least 40%. The company will be able to acquire new customers with the help of online shopping. It is also very important for CGC to pay attention to the relationships with retailers because in the competitive environment, the retailers determine the success of the producer in many ways. By providing adequate training of salespeople, CGC will also be able to increase its sales. 5. Implementation Plan. The implementation of change management plan in CGC is recommended to be done on the following steps: Creation of change management team; Identification of the major issues and guidelines which have to be addressed during the change process and establishment of management goals; Encouragement of employees to participate in the research of issues subject to change; Applications of various tools to reduce the resistance of employees to changes; Creation of a new vision in the company; Introduction of a new organization structure; Empowerment of employees and their involvement in the decision-making process in the company. Bibliography. Kotter, J.P. â€Å"Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fall.† Harvard Business Review, 73(2): 59.67. 1995. Mercer D. Marketing. Blackwell Business. 1992.

Springdale Health Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Springdale Health - Research Paper Example The apprehension or the uncertainty affects the motivation of each of the employees of both companies. It should be noted that the acquisition is also an opportunity for Springdale to assess its own organization to determine if their current pool of talents is already the best in the industry. It is also an opportunity for Springdale to learn new and better ways of handling operations. The similarity in the operation of the both Springdale and St Mary could be an opportunity for Springdale to learn from the current resources of St. Mary the best possible practice for a more efficient operation. In the same manner that it is also an opportunity to learn new and better ways of resolving issues if not fresh strategies for their operations. However, there are several legal aspects that needs to be resolved first if not legal processes that needs to be adhered to before an actual movement and changes in the roster of personnel can be affected by Springdale. The collective psychological ce nter of all the employees should also be taken into consideration to ensure that any apprehension originating from the employees because of the merger will not affect the operation. A comprehensive plan that will take into consideration the legal aspect and operational imperatives of Springdale will be described in the next couple of pages. Discussion The following solutions will not only tackle the legal aspect of the immersion into Springdale of St. Mary’s staff but its acculturation as well. In merging the operation of two entities that has the same operation it is imperative to maximize the possible benefit that Springdale can get from the deal. In terms of operational strategies it is prudent to know the current efficiency, effectiveness and quality of both the companies for each department. Surveying the processes of each of the departments from each company to come up with the best possible permutation of processes that works to come up with the best possible strategy and process will be the onus of any process improvement targets by Springdale. Evaluating the performance and qualification of the personnel from each company will enable Springdale to determine who amongst the Springdale and St Mary’s roster of employee has been a consistent top performer. To erase any apprehension from the staff especially for the effective staffs that will be retained a good communication strategy will have to be devised to ensure that proper communication of the intent and desire of the management is conducted. The legal aspect of any personnel action will have to abide with the affirmative action (The President of the United States, 1965) executive order of President John F. Kennedy which was later modified by Lyndon B. Johnson. Any action directly affecting the employess will also have to abide by the Labor Laws of the United States that would include the National Labor Relations Act or the Wagner Act (United States Senate, 1935). Other pertinent laws p rotecting the rights of the employees that will be laid off should be protected therfore all pertinent procedures should be adhered to. Diversity Workplace diversity is a personnel integration and management issue that focuses on the differences and similarities that people contribute to the organization (Bormann, Schmidle, & Miller, 2010). It is usually explained broadly to

Christian Dior A Classic Fashion Paradigm of the 21st Century Coursework

Christian Dior A Classic Fashion Paradigm of the 21st Century - Coursework Example The essay "Christian Dior A Classic Fashion Paradigm of the 21st Century" talks about Christian Dior and his role in the context of fashion. Archaeologists have also retrieved garments from tombs along the Nile River valley. A dress from about 3000 BC, excavated in AD 1912, was rediscovered in 1977 among a bunch of dirty linen rags in a museum in London, England. It later went on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, also in London. Perhaps the world's oldest fully preserved garment, this dress consists of a skirt attached to a pleated bodice (fitted upper part) with a V-shaped neckline and long sleeves. Two other ancient Egyptian dresses survive from about 2400 BC. A Greek style in dress became fashionable in France shortly after the French Revolution (1789-1799), because the style was thought to express the democratic ideals for which that revolution was fought. Clothing reformers later in the 19th century admired ancient Grecian dress because they thought it represented timel ess beauty, the opposite of complicated and rapidly changing fashions of their time. Aspects of Roman clothing also have had an enormous appeal to the Western imagination. The modern Western bride has also inherited elements from ancient Roman wedding attire, such as the bridal veil and the wedding ring. Clothing in West Africa shows the influence of Islamic styles imported from North Africa, especially in the extent to which it covers the body. Women usually wear a long wrapped skirt, a loose blouse, and a head wrap. Many of the skirts are made of printed cloth. (Steele, 2007) Asia can be roughly divided into Chinese and Indian spheres of influence. Chinese clothing styles have influenced the clothing of neighboring countries, including Japan and Korea; Indian clothing styles have influenced the clothing of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and Thailand. (Steele, 2007) Although the kimono- a T-shaped garment with wide sleeves that was tied with a sash-remained essentially unchanged as the basic article of clothing for Japanese women for centuries, colors and patterns changed according to the current fashion, as did the way of wearing kimonos. Social conventions also influenced kimono styles. A kimono with a brightly colored flower pattern and long dangling sleeves was, and is still, regarded as suitable only for a young, unmarried woman. (Steele, 2007) In the early 20th century, traditional clothing began to give way to styles that combined elements of Asian and Western dress. For example, in the 1920s Chinese women began wearing the qi pao (or in Cantonese, the cheongsam), a new slim dress with a high collar and a slit skirt that combined Chinese, Manchu, and Western styles. After a Communist government led by Mao Zedong took control in China in 1949, Chinese people increasingly had to wear the so-called Mao suit, a jacket and trousers of heavy, dark blue cotton. The outfit, which resembled a uniform, was worn by Mao. After Mao died in 1976, the Chinese began again to choose their own styles of dress, and interest revived in the traditional clothing of China's many ethnic minorities. (Steele, 2007) The sari, a long piece of fabric, is made of cotton or silk, often elaborately decorated with dyed, woven, or embroidered patterns is worn in India. It is wrapped around the body and worn with a short, fitted bodice. There are many styles of wrapping saris, and various styles are associated with

The Italian Mafia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Italian Mafia - Research Paper Example Additionally, it has vast resources that enable it perform very complex operations while keeping a very low profile. The kind of operation the mafia carries out is highly sSuccession is clearly defined by the family ties and power automatically shifts to the firstborn son once the father dies. However, the members of these mafias protect their wealth and power at all costs even if it means killing anyone who meddles in their business. Additionally, they believe that they have built their empires for a long time and not even the government can take it from them as much as they are committing these crimes. These mafia organizations are not known by anybody; they work mysteriously and one cannot clearly identify who is in the mafia, as most of the people involved run legitimate businesses and are very well respected in the society hence making it very difficult to differentiate them from the other loyal citizens. Furthermore, they have access to government officers and can get any infor mation that they require. Due to this, it makes it very difficult for the government to track these organizations down and bring them to justice. These organizations are so secretive that they even control the marriages of there daughters and closely monitor their husbands. Sometimes the husbands are never introduced into the family business, and they are kept in the dark. One cannot deny the fact that mafia-type organizations are deeply rooted in Italy and have even extended into the government. For instance, the former Prime Minister of Italy Mr. Giulio Andreotti was charged for associating with mafia organizations. ... clearly identify who is in the mafia, as most of the people involved run legitimate businesses and are very well respected in the society hence making it very difficult to differentiate them from the other loyal citizens. Furthermore, they have access to government officers and can get any information that they require. Due to this, it makes it very difficult for the government to track these organizations down and bring them to justice. These organizations are so secretive that they even control the marriages of there daughters and closely monitor their husbands. Sometimes the husbands are never introduced into the family business, and they are kept in the dark. One cannot deny the fact that mafia-type organizations are deeply rooted in Italy and have even extended into the government. For instance, the former Prime Minister of Italy Mr. Giulio Andreotti was charged for associating with mafia organizations. However, he was acquainted when the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to tie him to the mafia organizations. Consequently, the most recent case is that of the Sicily president who was charged and convicted of associating and providing assistance to mafia organizations. He was sentenced to a five-year jail term in 2008. They fact remain that these mafia organizations spread terror and fear among the people trying to gain power and amerce wealth illegally. Moreover, they work with impunity and have no regard for the law. The mafia organizations aim at marking their territories and area of control. However, other features of mafia organizations include their code of honor for instance the Cosa Nostra mafia has ometra which means the duty of silence. They highly uphold this code and respect it hence making them invisible and hard to track down by

Criminal Behavior and the Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Criminal Behavior and the Law - Essay Example Finally, the paper will discuss the differences between index-one and index-two crimes under the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, as well as which of the two is classified under violent crime and the one classified under property crime. To begin with, criminologist and criminalists are terms more than often used interchangeably, according to Williams and McShane (2004). However, the two terms have some distinct differences that are worth noting. Williams and McShane (2004) note that criminologists deal with the study of behaviors of an individual in relation to crime, individuals who commits the crimes being studied, as well as the correctional facilities for criminals such as jails and prisons. This falls under criminology, which covers various fields of criminal justice, with emphasis on social behavior. Criminalists, on the other hand, are professionals charged with the responsibility of analysis criminal evidence at the scenes of crime such as bullets and bloodstains (Williams and McShane, 2004). They are also charged with the responsibility of recreating crimes scenes, work at crime scenes, laboratories, and courtrooms. Criminologists engage mainly in teaching and research, where they apply the knowledge to the administration and policing, study of public policy, drug addictions, correction, juvenile delinquency, correctional administration and policy, and victimology. Other areas of study include criminal ethnography, theoretical criminology and models or criminal behaviors (Williams and McShane, 2004). Criminologists also assist in analyzing psychological, sociological, and biological evidence such as finger and footprints, body fluids, and blood plaster using their skills and knowledge to establish the link between the suspect and the crime. Criminalist, on the other hand, is a professional who employs scientific techniques to identify and separate vital evidence from the scene of a crime (Williams and McShane, 2004). The evidence gathered is analyze d and interpret, establish the truth as regards the crime. Forensic psychologists are professionals who by virtue of their training apply psychology in a criminal investigation and law (Fulero and Wrightsman, 2009). Forensic psychologists play a big role in assisting fact finders or courts in arriving at a just and precise conclusion of a criminal case. They are often involved in insurance claims, custody disputes, and lawsuits, according to Fulero and Wrightsman (2009). Legal justice system uses forensic psychologists in analyzing the mental status of the accused before, during, and after the trial proceedings. For instance, criminal cases whose verdicts may be death penalty always require that before the accused is handed the sentence, a forensic psychologist is called to analyze the defendants mental status before, during and after the crime to establish whether the defendant was insane at the time of the crime or not. The analysis of mental status of the defendant in a case is i mportant since it aids in just and accurate decision making by the jury. White-collar vs. Blue-collar crimes Crimes are committed by different classes of people. In this regard, O'Hear (2001) defines the white-collar crime as a financially motivated crime committed by respected people with high social status in society. This crime is committed by high-class individuals who have inherited or earn a lot of money at the upper level jobs such as corporate bigwigs (O'Hear,

Why might firms with exposure to foreign markets use foreign currency Coursework

Why might firms with exposure to foreign markets use foreign currency derivatives - Coursework Example A derivative is defined as ‘an instrument whose price is derived from, or depends on, the price of another asset’ (Hull 2009:779). When a company receives foreign currency against supply of services or goods to a foreign based importer, it acknowledges some kind of foreign exchange risk, since there is a possibility of fluctuation between currencies of both exporter and importer from the time of entering into the contract and receipt of funds from the foreign importer. Thus, in case of companies with substantial export earnings, it should assess the quantum of its forex exposure, create a road map for how to minimise that risk, to employ hedging strategies to minimise any substantial loss that may be encountered due to future forex fluctuations in the currencies where it is likely to receive from its foreign importers. (Bragg 2010: 207). For instance, if a company has quoted its export values in US$ and during the interval period where a foreign importer is under obligat ion to pay the exporter, if the dollar appreciates against the exporter’s currency, then the importer might be paying with a decreased –value currency, which creates the company to account for a foreign exchange loss at the time of receipt of funds. (Bragg 2010: 208). As per Froot, Scharstein and Stein (1993), if the level of capital investment of a company is high, the chance for employing forex derivatives in its risk management policy is always on the increase. (Froot, Scharstein and Stein 1993:1631). ... ers of the international companies opt these derivatives so as to take the positions in the anticipation of revenues (speculation) or employment of these instruments to minimise the risk inherent with day to day management of their company’s cashflow hedging).( Aswathappa 2010 :543). The probable advantages from employing forex derivatives are reliant on the anticipated exchange rate movements. Thus, it is essential to comprehend why the exchange rate moves over time before employing the forex derivatives for risk coverage. Different Kinds of Forex Derivatives Forex Forwards: Forward is comprised of spot transactions that have been retained for less than 180 days but held over 48 hours when they due for payment and paid at the current prevailing spot price. If you minus the bid price with that of ask price, then you can arrive at the transaction cost. Forex swaps are financial transactions associated with the swapping of two currency amounts on a particular date and a reverse exchange of the analogues' amount at an afterward date. The main objective is to administer currency risks and liquidity by executing forex transactions at the most apt time. In fact, the underlying currency is borrowed and lent concurrently in both currencies, for instance, by selling Euro for US$ for spot value and consenting to reverse the deal at an afterdate. (Brickford& Brickford 2007:7) Forex Futures: A future can be illustrated as a standardised contract to sell or buy a particular asset at a price previously consented to and at a fixed future date. Forex futures are standardised financial instruments that are negotiated in organised markets. Forex futures have many probable benefits but also have many probable risks. Forex futures markets are not only heavily regulated but also

Assignemt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignemt - Essay Example The major challenge affecting prognosis, however, has been on the imaging of partial tears. Oblique imaging planes, including oblique axial, oblique coronal and oblique sagittal, would improve on the accuracy of diagnosis and detection of any partial tears in the ACL. It would also aid in assessing individual bundle tears. This approach has been noted to be more useful than the standard MRI in cases where ACL tear is anticipated. The protocol could also benefit from 3D sequences such as the 3D-DESS, known to be isotropic acquisition having the potential of reducing partial volume averaging through acquisition of thin and continuous slices from the joints. Additionally, this could be used to come up with multiplanar reformat images, MPR, which would make the evaluation of ACL possible from any orientation or oblique planes through a single acquisition. This creation of the MPR could be sourced as part of PACS system or through dependent workstations. The MPR images in this context would be useful for acquisition of the oblique planes, including the oblique axial, coronal and sagittal, to better assess the ACL tears. Finally, the 3D-DEES sequences play a crucial role of enhancing the image’s T2* weighting and also increases synovial fluid and cartilage signal intensities. This 3D-DEES technique is beneficial in the sense that it provides moderate accuracy with regards to early cartilage delineation and high accuracy when detecting advanced cartilage lesions. As such, this sequence can only be employed when dealing with cartilage structures. Replacing this ACL imaging sequence with subtraction-DESS technique would result in its optimisation. The MRI technology has been beneficial in supporting chronic and acute ligament injuries diagnosis and, even more importantly, in assessing problems that arise after the reconstruction of ligament. Even so, the short T2-relaxation time associated with tendon tissue (4), the standard MRI having echo times, TE,

Tribal gaming Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tribal gaming - Assignment Example In the absence of tribal gaming, reservations can still be effective in terms of reducing the rate of poverty, decreasing the rate of unemployment, and increasing the tribal’s income. However, reservations economies are systematically underdeveloped because most of them are located in poor regions of a country. Due to their limited resources, income and ready access to nearby markets, most of the reservations economies remain underdeveloped. Tribal gaming strategies are commonly used to gradually improve their overall socio-economic conditions of each tribe (i.e. improved literacy rate, better access to education, higher employment rates and higher income, etc.). To ensure that tribal communities are able to maintain their cultural values and practices despite the process of economic modernization, most of the tribal governments are creating a framework that aims to strengthen the cultural background, education, and identity of the tribal nations. Through the use of cultural revitalization strategies, it is possible to preserve or maintain the cultural values and practices of the all tribal communities without the need to adversely affect their economic growth. The tribal gaming investments reflected the underlying cultural values of the tribal people because of its â€Å"spillover effects†. Since people living in tribal lands are socially and economically benefiting from tribal gaming investments, there is a strong possibility wherein cultural values and beliefs of tribal people on gaming can be altered accordingly. It means that some people from the tribes could accept gambling as something that is normal.

Inequalities and Incentives in the Nigerian Education System Literature review

Inequalities and Incentives in the Nigerian Education System - Literature review Example From the report it is clear that education promotes equality of opportunity, citizenship, social inclusion and economic development. For this reasons, education equality should be encouraged. Several variables are attributed to the outcomes of unequal educational. Such variables include origin of the family, gender, social class, and earnings, achievements made in life, health status and political participation. An education incentive refers to a program or formal scheme used to promote and encourage teachers and students to produce better results and the best out of education. An incentive program aims at giving or producing better and the best results out of something. Implementation of good education incentive program improves the learning performance and tries to eradicate education inequalities.This research declares that  in third world countries, research methodology is based on the differentiation of initial idea to get to a strong hypothesis and this technique is being use d from decades, although, research in such countries exclusively lack empirical analysis of the basic idea due to lack of practical resources.  Research methodology being followed in developing and developed nations have independent research protocols which mainly include educational infrastructure of a country, employee-employer relationship based on educational standards and least differentiated class structures.

Video-based training programs Essay Example for Free

Video-based training programs Essay Video-based training programs are being implemented at an ever-increasing rate across the country. While this type of training should certainly not be the only method that is used to train your employees, it is very effective and can offer significant advantages over other training methods. ADVANTAGES There are many advantages to video-based training. However, only the most significant ones are discussed here. Save Development Time. You can shorten your training cycle because you will have the ability to deliver â€Å"just-in-time† training where and when you need it. Facilitation materials with activities and discussion points can be used in whole or in part to create training events that run anywhere from one to four hours. Add Variety to the Delivery Mix. Workshops and lectures can become routine and boring. Video provides a change of pace and can add an entertainment factor that is not possible in a live presentation. Videos can also be used to supplement a face-to-face workshop to stimulate discussion, demonstrate concepts that could not otherwise be presented, and provide meaningful examples of the topic at hand. The more the senses are engaged in the content, the more the participants will learn. Build a Resource Library. Building a video and/or DVD library allows you to offer a broader range of training. You will no longer be limited to custom in-house development or scheduled classroom events. Trainees can check out a DVD or access video training online. RECOMMENDATION Video-based training materials save your organization time and money, and they make your business look progressive. Because they help build learning retention, they can also improve the return on your training investment. The next step should be a formal review of your training needs and an evaluation report to be completed by a professional video-based training firm with a proven track record.

Welfare Facilities During Construction Work

Welfare Facilities During Construction Work Hughes and Ferrett, 2008 have defined that health is the protection of people from illness due to the materials, processes of procedures used in the workplace while safety defined as the protection of people from physical injury or in the absence of the danger in simple way. Health and safety often closely related with the physical and material and mental well-being of the individual at the place of work (Hughes and Ferrett, 2008). By referring to Oxford Dictionary, welfare is defined as the health, happiness and fortunes of a person or group. For the purpose of this research, the provision of welfare facilities consist of washing and sanitation arrangements, provision of drinking water, heating, lighting, accommodation for clothing, seating, eating and rest rooms as well as first aid arrangement for the well-being of the employees (Hughes and Ferrett, 2006). CONSTRUCTION HEALTH AND SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES Construction health and safety should be of primary concern to employers, employees, government and project participants (Kheni, 2008). Therefore, the client, main contractor, regulatory agencies and employees are the main parties who responsible for construction health and safety (Laryea S. and Mensah S., 2010). There is several government agencies involved in construction safety and health. Each has the same mission towards the safety and health in construction industry as to reduce the accidents or fatalities and the compensation cost as well as to ensure that the risks to health and safety of workers are properly controlled. The contractors role has been mainly focused by the research and publications on construction worker safety due to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) places the responsibility for safety on the employers shoulders (J. Gambatese, J. Hinze, 1998). The table below explained on the main duties of construction parties. PLANNING OF WELFARE FACILITIES Good health and safety planning helps to ensure that a project is well managed and that unexpected costs and problems are minimised (Laryea S. and Mensah S., 2010). Consideration should be made during planning stage prior to constructing any facilities. Issues here include consideration of a safe and healthy location, application of appropriate construction standards, provision of adequate and sanitary living conditions as well as appropriate leisure and health facilities (IFC and the EBR, 2009). Firstly, it is important to make sure welfare arrangements are clearly addressed in the health and safety plan where the Laws and Legislations apply (HSE, 1998). Make sure the facilities reflect the site size, nature of the work, and numbers of people who will use them. An example of nature of work, where consider the provision of showers if the project involves hazardous substances or very dirty work such as sewer maintenance, dusty demolition activities as well as works with contaminated land or concrete pouring (HSE, 1998). The distance of workers will have to travel to the welfare facilities might have to consider as well. The exact nature of the facilities also depends on the intended duration of work and number of different locations. Lastly, consideration on whether the welfare facilities need to be relocated during the construction phase. MINIMUM STANDARD OF WELFARE FACILITIES Minimum standard of welfare facilities should be provided at construction site complying with the regulation for the particular project. The satisfaction of the safety and health act and regulation can be achieved by providing the optimum facilities through the assessing the maximum and minimum of construction workers (Tan, 2010). The person in charge of the construction site must always make sure that the legal requirements of workers welfare are met (HSE, 2004). However, simply providing and enforcing prescriptive rules and procedures are not sufficient to foster safe behavior in the workplace (Reason, 1998). Most construction employers now have safety policies in place, but they need to be kept up to date. The objective is to reflect what actually happens, and to make sure the policy does not contain a hopeful list of wishes that are never likely to be fulfilled (Hotl, A.S.J, 2001) The provision of welfare facilities at transient construction sites and the provision of welfare facilities at fixed construction sites that supplied by Health and Safety Executive often used as guidance in United Kingdom. It gives guidance on the minimum welfare facilities that must be provided or made available to workers on construction sites. The nature and scale of facilities required will depend on the size, location and type of project. Suitable welfare facilities must be available for all workers during all working hours. As a minimum, these will be access to toilet and washing facilities, a supply of clean drinking water, a place to take a breaks and meals and store clothing, shelter in bad weather, and first aid facilities. Most, if not all of these will be covered by local or national regulatory requirements. TYPES OF WELFARE FACILITIES Good welfare facilities not only improve workers welfare but also enhance efficiency. The facilities may be provided and maintained by one contractor or by individual contractors for all workers (ILO, 1995). General welfare facilities that provided on site include: Living Accommodations Sanitary and toilet facilities Washing facilities Drinking water Changing rooms and lockers Rest Facilities Canteen WELFARE FACILITIES REQUIREMENTS The main health and safety requirements in construction relate to tidy sites and decent welfare, falls from height, manual handling, and transport on site (Laryea S. and Mensah S. ,2010) In Malaysia, the welfare provision refer to the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514), Factory and Machineries Act 1967 (Act 139) and Construction Industry Development Board Act 1994 (Act 520). Whereas In United Kingdom, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulation 2007 covers a wide range of basic health, safety and welfare and applies to the workplaces involving construction on sites. By referring to Health, Safety and Executive, (1997), adequate and appropriate welfare facilities must be provided for employees so far as is reasonably practicable while them are at work even though in short period. This means that facilities must be provided unless it is clearly unreasonable in terms of time, trouble, cost and physical difficulty. There is an important additional duty in this Regulation. The one in control of a site has to ensure that there are reasonable welfare facilities available at readily accessible places. HSE, 2010 has provided the information sheet for those in control of construction sites which describes minimum welfare facilities that should be provided or made available on fixed construction sites. In addition, the guidance note is based on a review of these instruments and legislation, as well as guidelines and best practices produced by a range of different private and public sector actions at national and international level. (IFC and EBRD, 2009). The regulation 22 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulation 2007 has stated few requirements for welfare facilities provided for construction industry. These include provide sanitary and washing facilities and an adequate supply of drinking water; rest facilities; facilities to change and store clothing. Good facilities can positively benefit health and well-being and can help to prevent dermatitis. The requirements of welfare facilities are as below: Living Accommodations The provision of workers accommodation is often related with the importation of an external workforce into an area (IFC and EBRD, 2009). There are several reasons that lead to this occurrence such as the local labour supply or skills base is inadequate, the workers are simply not available due to the remote location of the worksite or the particular skills required. Also it may happen as the labour requirements can only be fulfilled by migrant workers due to the nature of the work or the working conditions (IFC and EBRD, 2009). The accommodation provided either in building type or conventional container for the sleeping and resting purpose. The workers accommodation for construction more relate to a temporary phase of a project (IFC and EBRD, 2009). The accommodation provided shall be appropriate for its location and be clean, safe and at minimum, meet the basic needs of workers because the location of the facilities is important to prevent exposure to wind, fire, flood and other natural hazards (IFC and EBRD, 2009). Therefore, living accommodations are located within a reasonable distance from worksite as possible. The building of living accommodation requires sufficient materials, appreciate maintenance as well as acceptable cleanliness free from nuisance of rubbish and other waste. It shall not be used for the storage of building materials purpose. (ILO, 1992) The conventional container is generally used in Malaysia construction site because it is easily moved to new project (Tan, 2010). It is important to ensure good standards in living facilities. It helps to avoid safety hazards and to protect workers from diseases and illness resulting from humidity, spread of fungus, proliferation of insects or rodents, as well as to maintain a good level of morale (IFC and EBRD, 2009). Sanitary and Toilet Facilities Sanitary and toilet facilities include water closets, portable chemical toilets and urinals. Toilet facilities needed include the flushing toilets and running water which connected to mains water and drainage system if possible. The alternative way is to provide facilities with a built-in water supply and drainage tank (HSE, 2010). An adequate number of toilets should be available at all times for construction workers. Adequate facilities mean by make sure that there are enough toilets for those expected to use, so that the people should not have to queue for long periods to go to the toilet. Toilet arrangements are essential to avoid any contamination and prevent the spread of infectious disease. The following tables show the minimum number of toilets and urinals that should be provided. The number of toilets needed will be depends on the number of construction workers on site. The number of people at work (left column) refers to the maximum number likely to be in the workplace at any one time. Portable chemical toilets are only acceptable instead of making other adequate provision which is not reasonably practicable and it should be maintained and emptied regularly. The number of persons and the frequency of emptying are used to determine the number of portable toilets needed on site by using the ratio 1 toilet to 7 persons where portable toilets are emptied once a week (HSE, 2010). Beside, toilet facilities are conveniently located and easily accessible. Shorter distance for travelling to toilet from worksite means that unnecessary and non-productive times are minimized (Tan, 2010). Standards range from 30 to 60 meters from rooms. Sanitary and toilet facilities are never shared between male and female resident. Otherwise provide lockable doors instead of failing to provide separate facilities for different gender. Moreover, adequate supplies of toilet paper should be always be available. Specific additional sanitary facilities are provided for women where necessary. It is essential for workers to maintain a good standard of personal hygiene but also to prevent contamination and the spread of diseases which result from inadequate sanitary facilities (IFC and EBRD, 2009). Always make sure that the facilities provided are well-lit, have good ventilation, cleaned frequently and kept in fully working condition (HSE, 2010). The number of utilization determines the frequency of cleaning. Basically, daily cleaning may not always be sufficient. Washing Facilities Work in the construction industry is often dusty and dirty as well as involving handling chemicals and other dangerous substances. Therefore, washing facilities provided as a basic hygiene measure, preventing chemical contaminating foods and so being eaten during snacks or meals, being absorbed through the skin or being carried home. Apart from that, it also functions to remove dirt and grime, which also can be ingested and cause sickness and disease. Washing facilities include basins or sinks that allow people to wash their hands, face and forearms (HSE, 2007). Also, it consists of a supply of hot and cold, or warm, water which should be running water and soup or other washing agents for cleaning purpose that are enough for the workers. Washing or shower facilities is provided for particular dirty work or work exposing workers to hazardous substance such as concrete pouring (HSE,2007). An adequate number of washing facilities should be provided to construction workers. Washing facilities should be provided in conjunction with toilets and changing areas. It should be located within reasonable distance from other facilities and from sleeping facilities in particular (HSE, 2010). A clean supply from a tank should be provided instead of main water supply when it is not available (HSE, 2007). Men and women can share basin used for washing hands, face and arms. Provided that a basin large enough to wash face, hands and forearms if necessary and also a means for drying hands such as paper towels or a hot air dryer (HSE, 1998). Unisex shower facilities is available for both gender, provided that is stands alone, is lockable room and can only be used by one person at a time (HSE,2007). These facilities must be kept in good working condition, cleaned frequently, and always ensure that there is sufficient ventilation and lighting (HSE, 2010). Drinking Water Drinking water is essential for workers in the construction industry, irrespective of the type of work they do. To prevent dehydration, workers should always have easy access to a source of clean water. Therefore, a special attention to water quality and quantity is absolutely essential. A supply of wholesome drinking water should be readily available, preferably from the mains. If this is not possible then bottles or tank should be provided for storing water, protected it from possible contamination as well as changeover sufficiently and regularly to prevent it from becoming stale or contaminated (HSE, 2007). Mark clearly on the drinking water supply to distinguish between drinkable and non-drinkable water such as hazardous liquids or water which is not fit to drink. The supplying of drinking water requires cups or other drinking vessels at the outlet, unless the water is supplied in an upward jet, which can be drunk easily such as drinking fountain (HSE, 2007). Drinking-water should not be placed in sanitary facilities, or in places where it can be contaminated by dust, chemicals or other substances. Whatever the source of water supply for drinking, whether at the mess accommodation or elsewhere on the site, it should be clearly marked as drinking-water in words or with a suitable sign. Changing Rooms and Lockers Changing rooms or lockers are particularly important for workers storing personal clothing that not worn on site such as jackets and training shoes and protective clothing that needed for site work such as high visibility jackets and safety boots (HSE, 2007). Changing rooms should be provided with drying and clothes hanging which are easily accessible. Thus, they can separate their wet and dry clothing by hanging on the cupboard. This is essential to where some working clothes are likely to be contaminated by dangerous substances, atmospheric conditions or workplace conditions. Therefore, facilities should be provided to keep working cloths apart from personal clothing (Fon, 2006). For smaller site, the site office may sufficient be a storage area but the separate lockers might be needed too. This is because there is a risk of protective site clothing contaminating everyday clothing, items should be stored separately (HSE, 1998). If electrical heaters are used, ensure the room has well ventilation and fitted with a high temperature cut-out device where possible. Many fires have been caused by placing too much clothing to dry on electrical heaters, making the heater overheat. Rest Facilities Construction workers begin work early. They start their day alert and productive but their activity level decreases as the day passed. Therefore, short breaks taken frequently are much better than infrequent long breaks. Recovery is much faster as having rest before show signs of being really tired (ILO,1995). Rest areas are not to be used to store plant, equipment or materials. It provides shelter from wind and rain. The rest facilities should have an adequate number of tables and chairs, a kettle or urn for boiling water and a means for warming up food such as a gas or electrical heating ring or microwave oven and be adequately heated. Suitable and sufficient, readily accessible rest facilities should be provided. Work areas can be counted as rest areas and as eating facilities, provided they are adequately clean and there is a suitable surface on which to place food. On smaller sites, the site office or hut may suffice as rest area. Canteen Canteen is adequately furnished and protected from the weather, where one can eat in comfort food brought from home or brought from vendors. Canteen may be used as rest facilities provided there is no obligation to purchase food. If canteen is provided, it does not only save the time for construction workers not going out for eating (Tan, 2010). Standards range from providing tables, benches, individual drinking cups and plates to provide special drinking fountains. It should be situated away from workstations to minimize contact with dirt, dust or dangerous substances. Good standards of hygiene in canteen are crucial. Facilities must be kept in a clean and sanitary condition as well as conform to hygiene and safety requirement. EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE WELFARE FACILITIES ISSUES A company was found not to have provided welfare facilities at a construction site and was served with an improvement notice during an inspection section. The company was prosecuted as failed to provide the facilities within the timescale. The company received a  £2000 fine for not complying with the notice, a  £5000 fine for not providing the welfare facilities, and had to pay prosecution costs of  £1272. A construction company in Devon is caught by surprise for not having hot water and accessible toilet facilities on site and was fined 2,500 by HSE. Rod Hepper concluded: Installing proper facilities on site costs far less than the fines that the HSE will impose if inspectors find the law being flouted. (Pickles, 2001). The Elliott Workspace Marketing Manager, Rod Hepper commented that there are still companies across UK that ignores the necessity of providing appropriate welfare facilities on construction sites in line with regulation in force even after warning from Health and Safety Executive (HSE). In reality, it is a legal requirement for the companies to provide proper toilet facilities and warm running water available at all times (How, 2006). News from workplacelaw on date 13 Dec 2010, a builder whose employees had to work in unsanitary conditions, with no toilet or washing facilities, has appeared in court in Rochdale. Michael Connolly, 46, was prosecuted by the HSE after he repeatedly ignored calls to improve conditions at the site in Littleborough where he had employed contractors to convert a house into flats and shops. HSE inspectors who visited the site found that there were no toilets or washing facilities. ( http://www.workplacelaw.net/news/display/id/31712, 2010). CONCLUSION Work in the construction industry is hazardous and dirty; it involves much manual or physical activity. Welfare facilities such as the provision of drinking water, washing, sanitary and changing accommodation, rest rooms and shelter, facilities for preparing and eating meals, temporary housing, all help to reduce fatigue and improve workers health. The facilities may be provided and maintained by one contractor for all workers or by individual contractors. Good facilities can positively benefit health and well-being and can help to prevent dermatitis. Good welfare facilities not only improve workers welfare but also enhance efficiency. References Welfare at work Guidance for employers on welfare provisions IFC and the EBRD , 2009. Workers accommodation: processes and standards.A guidance note by IFC and the EBRD (ILO, 1992). Thesis ILO, 1995 Safety, health and welfare on construction sites: A training manual ILO. 2003. Safety in numbers. Rep. No. 061, International Labor  Organization, Geneva. J. Gambatese, J. Hinze, 1998. Addressing construction worker safety in the design phase Designing for construction worker safety. Automation in Construction 8 (1999): 643-649. (Laryea S. and Mensah S. ,2010) The Construction, Building and Real Estate Research Conference of  the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Held at Dauphine Università ©, Paris, 2-3 September 2010 Kheni, Nongiba Alkanam (2008) Impact of health and safety management on safety performance of small and medium-sized construction businesses in Ghana, Unpublished PhD thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, UK Phil Hughes, Ed Ferrett,2008. Introduction to Health and Safety in Construction: The Handbook for Construction Professionals and Students on NEBOSH and Other Construction Courses Phil Hughes, Ed Ferrett, 2006. Introduction to health and safety in construction HSE, September 2007 CONSTRUCTION HEALTH SAFETY STANDARD No. 20 ,Principle sources of information HSE Construction Information Sheets 18 and 46, HSE, 2010 provision of welfare facilities during construction work. construction information sheet no 59 HSE, 1998 Provision of welfare facilities at fixed construction sites, Construction Information Sheet No 18(rev1) HSE, 2007 workplace health, safety and welfare. A short guide for managers.leafetlet INDG244(rev2) According to the International Labor Organization 1992, the general provisions of welfare are stated under clause 19.there should be adequate supply of wholesome drinking water provided at reasonable access of construction site.

Construction Site Safety in Malaysia

Construction Site Safety in Malaysia The coverage of the construction industry is very wide-ranging; it consists of residential construction, commercial building construction, heavy engineering construction, civil engineering, industrial construction and infrastructure. Construction site is considered to be the most hazardous working place. In the construction site, safety and quality are always concerns by the people. In the recent years, construction industry is facing environmental problem due to the pollution and the hazards mostly establish by the construction activities. In Malaysia, the construction industry is acknowledge generating the country development and also improves the country economic. The frequencies of site accidents and property damage which create a great impact to the construction organization. During construction period, when happening of accidents and injuries or deaths of workers will cause delays to the construction project. The delay of the project directly and indirectly will incur the cost. As a result, all the construction organization must provide a good and safe working environment for the workers. 1.3 Background Working in the construction site is very dangerous. Most of the accidents happen in construction site are caused by lack of training, carelessness, communication problem and not following basic safety rule during working in the site.  The company need to comply with any requirements in addition to any security policy is to create them to meet federal, state and local laws. Safety policy and regulations are use to train the construction worker for safety practices and to warning about hazards on the site during construction period. Nowadays, construction site accidents became serious and known is an important to the organization involved. Most of the construction activity is difficult, dangerous, dirty, and considered as dangerous occupations compared with other type of industries. Most of the construction workers need to work in adverse conditions during rain, heat, dust, noise and at night. Some of the construction site accident happen is obvious work with the heavy machinery and scaffolding high above from the ground level. The most serious accidents happen are resulting in injuries and death. The machinery need to be seriously handle and timely monitoring as it may affect the organization in high cost to repair and maintenance the machinery. Beside that the construction company will become bad reputation and need to pay for medical treatment for the construction workers that involved in accident during construction period. When an accident happens, it should be immediate report to the office of Safety and Health department to ensure that the suitability action could be taken by the relevant organization. For the inspection also need to be taken to identify the factors which cause the accident and the way to prevent it from happen again in the future. Construction worker need to report any injuries or accidents to their supervisors or Safety and Health Department. 1.4 Problem Statement Site accident is one of the significant and key issues that seriously happen in the construction site that control its daily operation using machineries at the construction site. The numbers of site accident occurred each year at the construction site and also increasing from every year resulted in variable cost items of the project. If the construction company no way taken for prevention, it can become more serious and bad reputation to the construction company. 1.5 Aim and Objective To study the site safety in construction site during the construction period In the scope of this research, it contains the following objectives: To analysis of type of accident occurrence and causes of accident in the Malaysia construction site To study safety management and hazard in Malaysia construction site To identify the duties of various party of the site safety in construction site Research Methodology A study on site safety in Malaysia construction site To study safety management and hazard in Malaysia construction site To identify the duties of various party of the site safety in construction site To analysis of type of accident occurrence and causes of accident in the Malaysia construction site Stage 1 Literature Reviews (Secondary source) Stage 2 Technique of Data Collection (Primary source, Questionnaires) Stage 3 The Result of Analysis and Findings A case study about the fire protection system in commercial building A set of question will be distribute to the commercial buildings users to dertermine theier knowledge about fire safety An interview would be carry out to the fire safety professional Stage 4 Conclusion and Recommendation Before conducting this assignment, an appropriate method to get the information is determined. Interview We also carry out interview to achieve our research goal. This is reason because it takes place with interviewees known to have been involved on the previous experience on the site safety in construction site in Malaysia. However, it needed to focus on the interviewers that have experiences regarding the site safety. The interview will be carried out face-to-face with 1-10 consultants who having previous experiences of this site safety in construction site. The data collected of interview will be summary and comprise in appendix of my dissertation. Questionnaires The general research approach is based on questionnaires. This is chosen because it will enhance the knowledge for my research topic. The questionnaires will be given out to 1-15 respondents who are the contractor, supervisor, etc that involve in the site safety in construction site. Besides that, this is an effective alternative to interviews because it is enabling to increase the information in my research. Literature Review A literature review is a critical and in depth evaluation of previous research. The main purposes of applying literature review method in my research are to achieve my goal and to convey the knowledge and ideas have been established with regarding to my topic. The literature review serves to demonstrate and more understanding and knowledge of theoretical and research issues related to my topic. Related literature refers to writing in publication such as books, journals, magazines, articles, newspaper and finding information on the internet. Furthermore, literature review helps and guide me to discovered more knowledge and helpful in my research. Case Study Case study consists of a detailed investigation, often with data collected over a period of time, of phenomena, within the context. This method is useful for trying to test theoretical models by using them in real world situations. Basically, a case study is an in depth study of particular situation rather than a statistical survey. The case study is also useful for testing whether scientific theories and models actually work in the real world. Furthermore, I will plan and design how I am going to address the study and make sure that all collected data is relevant to my research topic which is site safety in construction site. 1.7 Scope limitation of study This study focuses on site safety in a Malaysian construction site. On the primary research, I will focus on the case study of according to my objectives which are review the history of accident and study safety management in construction site, and literature review of types of accident and hazard in construction site, duties of various party of the site safety in construction site. For my secondary research, I will do a questionnaire to TAR college SOT lecturers and Construction Company (related to site safety on construction site) in Kuala Lumpur only. The scope of this study is many types; there is literature review due to the quantity of published journals, article, textbooks and the information on the internet so that can find out the information according to my objectives within the limited time frame. Besides that, the construction company which related to site safety in construction site in Malaysia need to get permission so that can go there to visit and get the information about site safety in construction site. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction The construction site involves a lot of operations which may be dangerous, risky and unhealthy. The number of injuries, accident, and work related illness will contribute to additional costs and delays on projects. Construction site is the most dangerous and hazardous compare with other type of industry. Nowadays, site accident is keep happened in construction site and the accident percentage is kept rising every year. When accident happens in construction site it will cause the project delay and loss of project cost. In this chapter will discuss about the review accident occurrence and safety management in Malaysia construction site. Site safety is very important because when accident happen on construction site not only people injury and also will affect the project in term of cost and time. 2.2 Type of accidents occurrence in Malaysia construction site Site accident is an unplanned, unexpected and uncontrollable occurrence, which results in injury or death to the construction workers damage the equipment. All accidents, regardless of the damage or loss of the nature, should be concerned about. The accidents that not result damage to materials or equipment or injury to worker may presage future of unexpected accidents. Although site accident could not totally prevent from happening but still need to find the way to minimize the rate of accident by providing a safe working conditions and insisting on the use of safe working methods and procedures. In Malaysia, the number of accident occurring at the construction site is keep increasing every year due to the unpredictable reported. So the site accident has captured the attention and concern from the relevant organization. The table 1 show in below is the summary of major accident happen in Malaysia construction site. 2005 2006 2007 2008 1) Tower crane  broke into two  and fell onto  four  Indonesian  construction  workers at a  construction  site building  apartment  located at Batu  14, Puchong. 1) Landslide  occurred at a  construction  site located at  Taman Desa,  Kuala Lumpur  buried; killed a  35 year old  Indonesian  man at about  3.30pm while  he was  working on  some iron steel  beam  foundations  for the five block  609  units  condominium  complexes. 1) Death of two  workers and  severe injuries  on ten workers  at The Pavillion  Kuala Lumpur,  Jalan Bukit  Bintang  construction  site where the  cables of the  workmens lift  at the posh  condominium  and shopping  complex project  snapped and  plummeted 15  metres to the  ground. 1) Two  Malaysian  construction  workers  were buried  alive by  excavated  sand pile in a  3.6m-deep  sewer trench  at Taman  Merbau  phase two  construction  site in  Changlun 2) Iron mould  weighing  almost two  tonnes fell  from 20 storey  condominiums  under  construction  onto Dr. Liew  Boon Horngs  BMW; killed  him and  severely  injured his  wife and the  driver at Plaza  Damas located  along Jalan  Hartamas. 2) Negligence  of three  construction  companies, led  to the death of  another  Indonesian  worker on 15  May 2006  located at Lot  206, Section  63, Lorong  Binjai where a  32-storey of  100 units  apartment was  to be built. 2) Death of two  Malaysian  construction  workers, buried  alive four  meters deep in  a landslide  while working  on the fencing  located at  Taman Merbau  2, Fasa III at  Kubang, Pasu. 2) Twenty  five foreign  workers  escaped  without  major  injuries  when the  structure  they were  standing  gave way in  one of the  construction  sites in  Kuching. 3) Two sides  collapsed of a  bridge that  was under  construction at  3.2 kilometers  of the Klang  Valley  Highway that  caused the  death of two  Bangladesh  workers. 3) One foreign  construction  site worker  died; another  colleague  severely injured  at the  construction  site of the  prestigious KK  Times Square  commercial  complex after  piles of sand  fell on them in  Kota Kinabalu. 4) Three  Indonesian  construction  workers fell  from  scaffolding to  their deaths  when they  slipped from  the top floor of  a 21-storey  condominium  under  construction  and landed on  the fifth floor at  Taman Tampoi  Indah 5) Bricks fell  from the  construction  site in Taman  Bukit Angkasa,  Kerinchi on  several cars  parked at the  nearby flats  during a threehour  downpour 6) Eight huge  concrete beams  with a  measurement of  at least 40m  long and 70  tonnes weight  of an  uncompleted  flyover near  Nilai collapsed,  which narrowly  missed a  motorist and his  aged parents In the construction site, it can be said that there are many different types of accidents occurred at the construction sites everyday during the construction period. The types of accident in construction site, which are scaffolding, fall of people, struck by falling objects and so on. The Department of Occupational Safety and Health Ministry of Human Resources find out the rise of accident occurring almost every month in the year 2007 and 2008. Falling of people Falling of people also is the one of higher percentage happening accidents in the construction site. People working in the construction site has the risk exposed to fall in any place of the site especially at the high level. Most of the worker fall from the higher level mostly resulted in death. The type of accident is always happen in construction which is fall from scaffolding. Causes The people who falling from the higher level because lack of safety measure at the construction site. The workers will not be protected by safety measure when accident occurs. According to the Vincent G. Bush in his Safety in the Construction Industry: OSHA, an incident can result in an accident if fright makes a man take unsafe action. For an example, if one scaffold rope fails, the man may be saved if he just hangs on. The other common causes are: Improper netting for scaffolding cause workers falls from the scaffold. The used of timber ladder is in poor condition. The ladder may broken and cause the worker fall down The ladder is not securely fixed to prevent against slipping and slide movement. Inadequate lighting during construction of basement had caused many falling of construction workers. Cases Cases 1 http://cdn.theborneopost.com/newsimages/A2537.jpg Source: Borneo Post Online December 29,2011, Thursday Construction site Kuching Event The workers body injury after falling down from the scaffolding .The accident happened at around 4pm when his colleague foot support him was standing on suddenly broke, causing him fall to the ground. Consequences: A construction worker was killed. 2.2.3 Prevention For the prevention of fall of people, there are two areas that must be emphasized during construction period. The two areas are: Scaffold protection Every construction worker on a scaffold more than 2 meter above a lower level must be protected from falling to that level; workers on a walkway situated within a scaffold must be protected by the use of a personal fall arrest system or guardrail system. It is important for those workers performing plastering and painting operation for using the scaffold. The guardrail system must be installed along all open sides and end of platforms, and they must be installed completely before the scaffold use by workers. Safety net The safety net must be provided when the workplaces are more than 25 ft above the surface where the use, scaffold, catch platforms, temporary floors and so on. The safety net is required, shall not operate until the net is in place and has been tested. The safety net must extend about 8 ft outside the edge of the work. The employer should provide a safety training program for every worker who might be exposed to fall hazards. The safety training must let every worker to be familiar the hazards of falling order to minimize these hazards. So that employer must assure that every construction worker been trained. Some critical hazard areas at the high-rise building construction like lift shaft and edge of the structure must also provide with a proper guardrail system. 2.3 Struck by falling objects It can be said that the events of struck by falling objects are quite same with the fall of people. The only thing different is falling objects may not necessary cause injured or fatality. Whereas, in fall of people it definitely caused injury or fatal of people. Causes Not proper netting for the scaffolding. Some workers may not hold the tools and equipment properly during superstructure work and cause the tools and equipment fall out from the netting. Falling of scaffolding components during the erection and dismantling. Not carry the work the proper manner. For instance, the workers throw the rubbish directly from the edge of the building at the high level as shown in Appendix. Material fall during handling by the crane due to improper stacking The too heavy load to carry in the handling will cause the broken of rope, where the rope is not able to withstand the loading. Thus falling of material occur. The ropes used in the handling not securely tied are always cause the material fall during the operation. 2.3.5 Causes of Accident Accident dont just happen, they are caused. According to Ridley 99 per cent of the accident are caused by either unsafe acts or unsafe conditions or both (Ridley, 1986). As such, accidents could be prevented. The unsafe act is a violation of an accepted safe procedure which could permit the occurrence of an accident. The unsafe condition is a hazardous physical condition or circumstances which could directly permit the occurrence of an accident. Most accident results from a combination of contributing causes and one or more unsafe acts and unsafe condition. Accident theories and models discussed in the previous section have evolved from merely blaming workers, conditions, machineries into management roles and responsibilities. Nowadays, accident models are being used to better explain the causes of accident so that appropriate actions could be taken to make improvement. However, in order to effect permanent improvement, we must deal with the root causes of accident. A review of the l iterature indicates that finding the factors and causes that influence construction accidents has been the passion of many researchers. Kartam and Bouz (1998) did a study in Kuwaiti construction and noted that the causes of accidents were due to worker turnover and false acts; inadequate safety performance; improper cleaning and unusable materials; destiny; low tool maintenance; supervisory fault; and misplacing objects. Abdelhamid and Everett (2000) conducted a more comprehensive study in the USA and classified the causes into human and physical factors. Human factors were due failed to secure and warn; Failed to wear personal protective equipment (PPE); horseplay; operating equipment without authority; operating at unsafe speed; personal factor; remove safety device; serviced moving and energized equipment; took unsafe position or posture; used defective tool or equipment; and other unsafe action. While, physical factors were due to; unsafe act of another person(s); disregard know n prescribed procedures; defects of accident source; dress or apparel hazard; environmental hazard; fire hazard; hazardous arrangement; hazardous method; housekeeping hazard; improper assignment of personnel; inadequately guarded; public hazard; and other unsafe conditions. Lubega et al (2000) did a study in Uganda and concluded the causes of accidents were mainly due to lack of awareness of safety regulations; lack of enforcement of safety regulations; poor regard for safety by people involved in construction projects; engaging incompetent personnel; non-vibrant professionalism; mechanical failure of construction machinery/equipment; physical and emotional stress; and chemical impairment. Pipitsupaphol and Watanabe (2000) did a study in Thailand construction sites and classified the causes into the most influential factors i.e. unique nature of the industry; job site conditions; unsafe equipment; unsafe methods; human elements; and management factors. They further concluded that major immediate causes were due to failure to use personal protective equipment; improper loading or placement of equipment or supplies; failure to warn co-workers or to secure equipment; and improper use of equipment. Toole (2002) also did a study in the USA and suggested that the causes of accidents were due to lack of proper training; deficient enforcement of safety; safety equipment not provided; unsafe methods or sequencing; unsafe site conditions; not using provided safety equipment; poor attitude toward safety; and isolated and sudden deviation from prescribed behavior. Tam et al (2004) did a study in China and noticed that the causes of accidents were due poor safety awareness from top leaders; lack of training; poor safety awareness of project managers; reluctance to input resources for safety; reckless operation; lack of certified skill labor; poor equipment; lack of first aid measures; lack of rigorous enforcement of safety regulation; lack of organizational commitment; low education level of workers; poor safety conscientiousness of workers; lack of personal protective equipment (PPE); ineffective operation of safety regulation; lack of technical guidance; lack of strict operational pro cedures; lack of experienced project managers; shortfall of safety regulations; lack of protection in material transportation; lack of protection in material storage; lack of teamwork spirits; excessive overtime work for labor; shortage of safety management manual; lack of innovative technology; and poor information flow. 2.3.1 Accident Causation Models The accident causality model is not a new model to determine the root causes of safety problems in the construction and other industries. The accident causation model is a tool that providing better industrial accident prevention program. As described by Heinrich (1980) accident prevention is an integral program, a series of coordinate activities, directed to the control of unsafe personal performance and unsafe mechanical conditions, and based on certain knowledge, attitudes, and abilities. The famous models that were developed that relate to accident causation are namely domino theory that was invented by Heinrich in 1930 and multiple causation theory that was developed by Petersen in 1971. 2.3.4 Human Error Theories The practice of this theory is pointed out that the worker as a major factor in the accident. This theory as mentioned by Abdelhamid (2000) studies the tendency of humans to make mistake in a variety of conditions and circumstances, with the blame mostly fall on human characteristics. This theory does not mean to blame the workers as the main problem for accident, other factors such as workplace design and tasks without considering the limitation of the worker as the reason why accident happened in construction site. The objective of human error theory is to establish a good design of workplace, tasks, and tools that suitable with human limitation. The theory is that it comes to human error theory, which is a model of patterns of behavior and human factors. Most of these theories describe that the human (worker) is the main problem caused an accident happen, which is permanent feature of human and human capacity overload and human conditions that often make mistake. 2.4 Root Causes of Accident The root causes mean the main causes of accident happen in the construction site. There are some roots causes of accident happen in the construction site. The causes of accident can separate in 4 parts, which are: Peoples role Organization and management Nature of construction industry Material and Equipment 2.4.1 Peoples Role 2.4.1.1 Worker Attitude and Behaviour One of the roots causes of an accident is the poor attitude and bad behaviour of the workers which difficult to control (Teo et al., 2005). The original manual workers in the industrialization of agriculture, and reduce the risk of awareness with the construction industry. Furthermore, most of the workers are low educated. Most of them are only concern with the contract wages than importance of personal safety. This negative attitude and behaviour have stimulated most workers not to use the personal protective equipment during working on construction site. The reason of not putting their protective equipments is inconvenient for their operation. Rasmussen (1997) identified that 70%-80% of accidents happened arise from worker attitude and behaviour. 2.4.1.2 Worker Attitude and Behaviour Previous studied have pointed out that the designer play an important role in determined causation of an accident (Gibb, (1999, 2001); McKay et al., 2002; Loughborough University UMIST, 2003; Wright et al., 2003). The accident was mainly due to the widespread use of manual handling. As a result, it introduces a lot of manual handling hazards. For examples, cast in-situ method. Furthermore, the design complexity has dedicated to the causation of accident. The design complexity is referring to the intricate aesthetic qualities. Base on Loughborough University and UMIST (2003) studied, the more complexity of design tend to have a greater potential to influence accident occurrence in workplace. 2.4.2 Organization and Management 2.4.2.1 Poor Management Commitment After the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), (2009b) conducted a survey, the result shown 75% of all fatal accidents in the building and civil engineering industries in the United Kingdom are caused by the ineffective of management. Nowadays, the contractor is more reliance on the insurance, contractor tends to passed most of the damages and liability to insurance company (Lingard H, Rowlinson S, 1997). As a result, contractor may not provide appropriate training and focus on workplace safety and health issues. The workers involved in site activities may not be aware of the danger zone. In some cases, safety and health officers are threatened by their employer no to report an accident to Department Safety and Health (DOSH, 2011). Many accidents do not report because the project manager is trying to cover up their own fault and protect company image. Normally, the safety management process require site supervisor to carry out on-site inspection and prepare a number of safety and health checklist. However, many contractors only put in commitments on paper, act differently in the site (Ding et al., 2000). For examples, the OSHA 1994 personnel protective equipments record in Malaysia. 2.4.2.2 Poor Communication and Coordination In the construction site, the effective communication and information transfer between management and staff are the effective way to reduce the number of accidents. However, there are many site workers came from foreign country. Some of the workforce does not speak and understand native language. As a result, the safety committee need to convey the danger zone and potential accidents may occur on the site. Furthermore, Debrah YA, Ofori G (2001), the large number of involvement of sub-contractor, the possibility of accidents occurrence is increase as well. It is because going to increase the complexity in coordinate and control among the sub-contractor. Besides that, the main contractor may shift the safety responsibility toward sub-contractor without ensure the sub-contractor is capable to provide the safety workplace (Wilson, Kohen E, 2000). 2.4.2.3 Company Size The company size has determined the implementation of safety and health within an organization. The big company has more budget and systematic system in allocation of resources for each department. As a result, the safety and health department have sufficient resources to implement and promote the importance of safety and health at the construction site. Unfortunately, the small company has limited and lack of budgets to implement the effective safety and health approaches within the construction site (Abel Pinto et al., 2001). For examples, a small contractor company cannot afford to provide a set of standard safety equipments for every workforce. A studied by McVittie et al. (1997) indicated that accident rates decrease as the sizes of firms increase. 2.4.2.4 Poor Organization Safety Culture The contractor fails to introduce the culture of safety among the members of the organization. The safety organization chart setup due to the purposes of the law require by the government. However, the safety and health officer does not have mandatory requirement for autonomy in the workplace (Construction Research Institute of Malaysia (CREAM)). It is because some of the safety officer is employee for the contractor and developer. The researchers Diaz and Cabrera (1997) pointed out that an organizational climate is built up through the interaction of organizational factor and individual factors. Many studies had conducted (Coyle, Sleeman, Adams, 1995; Diaz and Cabrera, 1997; Felknor, 1997; Krispin, 1997; Seppala, 1992) the lower the score of a safety climate, the worst the safety performance. It is because the members within an organizational will never pay attention to the safety and health level. Beck Woolfson (1999), emphasize that it is important in control workforce beliefs, attitude and behaviours with regard to safety. As a result, poor organization safety culture is one of the roots causes lead to the occurrence of an accident. 2.4.3 Nature of Construction Industry 2.4.3.1 Economic and Time Pressure Economic and time pressure had come from the high demand in property market (Abel Pinto et al., 2001). The developer required contractor to complete a construction project within a short period of time. In order to complete the project on time, the contractors relax rules and procedure for safety and health. For example, carry out reckless operations. Furthermore, the workforce is required to work overtime. It is easy to cause the accident due to the fatigue of worker (Haslam et al., 2005). 2.4.3.2 Constantly Changing Worksite The construction industry is not same to others type industry. For the manufacture industry, the workers repeat and control the machine every day. However, construction industry involves the movement of manual workers in the workplace (Abel Pinto et al., 2009). The more movement in the site, the possibilities of accident will be keep increasing. 2.4.3.3 Site Restriction A restricted site has implied insufficient space on site. Thus, there is limited space for machine, plant and storage of building material. The restricted site will have been introduced as an unexpected persistent cause of accidents (Gibb, (1999, 2001); McKay et al., 2002; Loughborough University UMIST, 2003; Wright et al., 2003). A congested site condition not only implied of dual processing of work. However, it causes an accident as a result of a worker struck by a moving vehicle (HSE, 2009b). 2.4.3.4 Worker Specialization Every construction project is involved structural, architectural, brick wall, ME and plumbing work. Each kind of

Why Is Monopolies Harmful And How Can Regulation Ameliorate These Harm :: essays research papers

Why Is Monopolies Harmful and How Can Regulation Ameliorate These Harmful Effects? Why is monopoly ‘harmful? How can regulation ameliorate these harmful effects? What problems confront the regulators? In order to deduce that a monopoly is ‘harmful', there must be another market system which is preferable to monopoly so as to offer greater benefits to the public. A monopoly can therefore be compared to perfect competition. If the benefits of perfect competition outweigh the benefits of monopoly then a monopoly can be regarded as ‘harmful' since the consumers are not receiving the maximum possible utility for their purchases. Monopolies are criticised for their high prices, high profits and insensitivity to the public. Some governments therefore, in the light of these protests, advocate policies relating to monopolies, in order to regulate their power in favour of the public's interest. There are several reasons why monopolies may be against the public interest. It is claimed that monopolies produce at a lower level output and charge a higher price than under perfect competition in both the short run and the long run. Consider the diagram above. Assume that this monopolist attempts to maximise profits. Equating MC=MR yields an output of Qm and a price of Pm. If the same industry existed under perfect competition however, the price would be Ppc and output would be Qpc since under perfect competition P=MC=AR. The price in such a situation would thus be lower than under monopoly and output would be greater. Consumers obviously benefit if this is the case since P=MC implies P=Marginal utility so that consumers are maximising their total utility(Under monopoly P>MC and therefore arguably, not the optimum). In the long run under monopoly, supernormal profits persist. Under perfect competition complete freedom of entry leads to the elimination of these profits and forces firms to produce at the bottom of the long run average cost curve. Under monopoly however, there are barriers to entry so as to prevent new firms from entering the industry and reducing the monopolist's profits to the normal level. Higher prices and lower output thus continue to persist in the long run. Due to lack of competition, it is argued, a monopolist has no incentive to develop new techniques in order to survive. A monopolist can therefore make supernormal profits without using the most efficient techniques. Under perfect competition, in order for firms to survive, the most efficient techniques must be adopted or developed whenever possible or else the firm which fails to do so will be forced to shutdown. This argument leads to the conclusion that monopolies have higher cost curves than firms under perfect competition(Assuming