Competition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Competition - Essay Example Market leaders possess the biggest market segment; they lead in price determination, constantly avail new product and services and immensely occupy distribution channels and promotions. In an effort to capture and expand their entire market share, prevailing organization must put, in place attack techniques, to protect their current business. Kotler & Keller (2012) demonstrates that due to varying marketing circumstances, long-term market leaders, have to redesign continuously and restructure their marketing strategies depending on market conditions and levels of their product life cycle. The best way to attack a category leader is to avoid a head-on assault and adopt a flanking movement; this is when the challenger attacks point of weakness in the leaders’ defense. According to Kotler & Keller (2012), flank attack strategy is appropriate and best suitable to a competitor who lacks depth in resources; the marketer has to recognize areas where category leader shows weaknesses and fails to perform with a view of capitalizing on the gaps. A good example is the â€Å"Independent News & Media Company†, which exceedingly sells newspapers and magazines titles in thriving economic regions while overpowering the internet, its main competitor that boost vast numbers of newspaper readers and advertisers. Further, marketers can employ the front attack strategy in dealing with category leaders by discovering uncovered market demands. For instance, Ariat’s Cowboy Boots has faced challenges presented to its target market as a result of key category leaders such as Justin boots by designing boots, which are not only comfortable, but also used for sporting. Moreover, Groucutt, Leadley & Forsyth (2006) elucidates that, market leaders can identify u nattended market needs that originate from market shifts by creating market openings in the category leaders. The authors cite an example

For one more day by Mitch Albom Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

For one more day by Mitch Albom - Research Paper Example Charley’s mother Posey had died some years ago though he wished to spend additional time with his mother. According to the book, the love between a child and his mother is strong because it can save a child. The major theme of the story is family because it reflects occurrences in many families today as evident in themes, viewpoints, and characters. Character The main characters of the book are Charley’s family members. Charley is the storyteller and the major character of the story. The story reveals pertinent concerns focusing on the relationships between children and their parents in the current society (Albon 2). Most male children like to be associated with their fathers though they have difficult relationships with them. Charley always sided with his father. He always wanted his father’s approval though he was always hard on him. He made Charley believe that he was never good enough. This made him try hard with the intent of affirming his worth. This happen ed in his childhood and adulthood when he was at the Old Timers baseball team. Charley’s father in the novel represents the fathers who live their dreams through their children. It is true that parents like to achieve their targets through their children by forcing them to do what they do not like. Charlie’s father wanted him to realize his vision of playing baseball. He bullied his son though he was growing up. This is shown when the father ordered him to leave his mother’s birthday party for a baseball game. He told Charley that he should choose either his mother or him. The father told him that he could not choose both. Charley discovered later that his father was a hypocrite who led a double life. This is because his father has a second alcohol store, a second wife, and another child (Albom 17). Charley’s relationship with his mother in the novel shows that mothers support their children though they tend to make serious mistakes. His mother always mad e him realize that he should return to his life. Charlie discovered that his mother was considerate compared to his father. This was evident when Charlie told his mother that he made a wrong mistake when they visited the Italian wife. He told his mother that he loved and admired her. Charlie thought that he should have chosen his mother over his father. However, his mother opposed by indicating that it was not his culpable because he never had a chance to choose. She knew that his son was confused throughout his life because he failed to acknowledge whether to support his mother or to please his father. She also knew that his son was pressured by his father to choose him as his role model (Albom 43). Charlie’s relationship with his daughter was also poor because he felt guilty for neglecting his mother making him an alcoholic. His wife left him because of this habit. This shows that a child’s life is immensely affected by his parents’ behaviors. Charlie had prob lems with his wife and daughter because of the effects of his relationship with his parents. He never saw his daughter after his wife left him. His daughter got married but he was not invited to the wedding. This made Charlie to feel so lonely that he wanted to kill himself. During their meeting, Charlie’s mother helped him realize that he should reclaim his relationship with his daughter (O’Hara 1). Setting The novel is set in a fictitious village where Charlie had created good and bad

Principal characteristics of the weberian ideal type bureaucracy- roles of power and authority.

Principal characteristics of the weberian ideal type bureaucracy- roles of power and authority. INTRODUCTION Bureaucracy has been studied for a long time now and many organizations have adopted this model in the day to day running of their organization. The aim of this essay is to explore the â€Å"Ideal type† bureaucracy developed by Max Weber, its characteristics, the role of power and authority on it and its strengths and weaknesses. Firstly we would look at various definitions of bureaucracy drawn from other writers. Bureaucracy in its ideal form is a â€Å"rationalized moral alternative to the common practices of nepotism and other abuses of power that were rampant in the feudal preindustrial world from which the modern industrial organization emerged† (Hatch, 2006, p. 105). Bureaucracies rely on combination of rules, procedures, documentation and behavioral monitoring to achieve control and seek to place a standard on behavior and the reward for compliance with established rules and regulation (Hatch, 2006, p. 117).   Bureaucracy can be seen as a primary drive through which rationality is used as an instrument within the modern society so as to exclude alternative criteria for action. (Du Gay, 2000, p. 38). Bureaucracy as a concept has come a long way, beginning from France in the eighteenth century. It originates from the French word for an office â€Å"bureau† rule of the bureau. In the 19th century, Germany experienced great success in its use; it was used in both its armed forces and civil administration (Clegg, Kornberger, Tyrone, 2008). Weber discovered that the modernity of Germany was made possible mainly because of the discipline of bureaucracy .It was used in the military to exhibit discipline, using acts such as â€Å"goose stepping†, it assured the generals of the complete obedience of their recruits to order, and for civilians it meant that the men were drilled like machines to eliminate insubordination and individualism (Clegg, Kornberger, Tyrone, 2008, p. 46) . As modern industrial organizations emerged in Germany they incorporated some of this form of ruling and it was a success, by the 20th century it became popular, the United States increasingly starte d adopting it for modern management, especially after the World War 1 when they noticed that the German economy had significantly improved. Bureaucratic forms were also developed internationally as a superstructure on a rationalized basis produced by systems such as that of Fredrick Taylor; these rational superstructures triggered Webers productive research inquiries into the nature of rationality, rules and bureaucracy (Clegg, Kornberger, Tyrone, 2008, p. 46). Webers view of bureaucracy was as an instrument of unrivaled technical superiority, he wrote that precision, speed and clarity, knowledge of files, continuity, discretion, unity, strict subordination, reduction of friction and material and personal cost are raised to the optimum point in the strictly bureaucratic administration; Bureaucracy was a rational machine and was based on how peoples in an organization use the rules of an organization as an everyday guide to management (Clegg, Kornberger, Tyrone, 2008, p. 46). Bureaucracy is supposed to be a system of administration continuously executed by trained professionals following set rules; according to Weber, system administration has to meet all the characteristics of a bureaucracy before it can be called one (Beetham, 1996, p. 10). Examples of everyday bureaucracies include the Armed forces and Corporations such as General motors and NASA. Weber explained that the closer a company is to his model, the more efficient it was likely to become. Bureaucratic control depends upon the existence of a legitimized hierarchy of authority to administer the bureaucratic mechanisms and closely supervise and direct subordinates (Beetham, 1996, p. 13).   It is argued that â€Å"Weber failed to recognize the ambivalent character of bureaucracy, partly because studies of organization were in their infancy in the early decades of the century and also because his ideas were unduly influenced by Prussian army and the Taylorian system† (Beetham, 1996, p. 13 ). It can also be argued that bureaucracy is gradually being replaced due to requirements of entrepreneurial development which gives room for individual innovations (Casey 2004, p.59). Bureaucracy as an important aspect of rationalizing modernity still endures because some certain characteristics of bureaucracy cannot be avoided in order for an efficient and effective running of an organization. Its aim is to prevent forces of unreason, disorder and disorganization (Casey 2004, p.60) Webers theory of bureaucracy developed out of a general theory of power domination which is explained later on in the essay. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WEBERIAN â€Å"IDEAL TYPE† BUREAUCRACY Weber used the term â€Å"Ideal† in the sense of a pure idea, something that can only be imagined rather than in a perfect situation ,it   provides a foundation for theorizing because they are abstract they cannot be expected to exist in the world around us (Hatch, 2006, p. 102) .The ideal bureaucracy that Weber imagined was a means for turning employees of average ability into rational decision makers, serving their   customers with impartiality and efficiency; This bureaucratic form promised reliable decision making, merit based selection , promotion, impersonality and impartiality and therefore fair application of rules (Hatch, 2006, p. 102). Webers ‘ideal type theory offered the following characteristics outlined below: A fixed division of labour: The central feature of bureaucracy is division of labour coordinated under a centralized hierarchy of command. It creates interdependencies in an organization which is managed mainly through hierarchy of authority and standardizing rules and procedures and supported by documenting procedures, regulations, rules and other prescriptions (Walton, 2005, p. 573) A clearly defined hierarchy: Each office has its own clearly defined responsibility and competence. Hierarchical structures improve coordination by restricting free-flowing communications within components (Walton, 2005, p. 573). The hierarchy that workers are subject to at the workplace, Weber argued was required by the organization with complex technical and production processes, it is therefore required to coordinate division of labour (Beetham, 1996, p. 56). Bureaucracy is characterized by expertise because candidates for office are selected on the basis of merit and qualification, and Promotion is guaranteed according to seniority of achievement, and rewarded by fixed salaries paid in money (Hatch, 2006, p. 102).On employment, the office is the primary occupation of the employee and the employee looks forward to a long life career in the organization, and this promotes continuity in an organization (Hatch, 2006, p. 102). Official work is to be separate from ownership of the means of administration; this implies impersonality and Impartiality (Hatch, 2006, p. 102). Work is conducted according to set rules without â€Å"arbitrariness and favoritism† (Beetham, 1996, p. 9) everybody would be treated equally by the books. A set of general rules governing the performance of offices, strict discipline and control in the conduct of the office is expected. Rules, documents and filing is the order of the day as they govern official decision making and action. When we think of bureaucracy, we often think of ‘red tape the strict adherence to formalities (Hatch, 2006, p. 102). Therefore bureaucracy is characterized by high formalization ROLES OF POWER AND AUTHORITY IN THE WEBERIAN IDEAL TYPE BUREAUCRACY Weber sees the rule of man over man in the society as an inevitable historical phenomenon; he distinguished between power and rule stating that the former hinges on having ones way in a social relationship and the latter as getting things done through specific channels persons (Warner, 2007, p. 1024). Authority is a source of power; other sources of power include personal character, expertise, coercion, control; one main difference between authority and other sources of power is that the exercise of authority is directed downward in organizations while the exercise of other forms of power may work in all directions (Hatch, 2006, p. 254). Authority particularly stands out because it is associated with hierarchy, part of the social structure of organizations (Hatch, 2006, p. 254). Weber believed that in a bureaucratic organization members adhere to the rules of that organization, he contrasted three types of authority namely (Clegg, Kornberger, Tyrone, 2008, pp. 46-48): Charismatic authority: when respect and obedience will be given because of the extraordinary attractiveness, popularity and power of a person. The person is owed homage because of his or her capacity to project personal qualities; people follow them because of what they believe to be the special nature of their personalities and the success they have achieved. E.g. Princess Diana, Mother Theresa and Nelson Mandela Traditional authority: occurs where respect and obedience are owed because the person who holds it by birthright. Prince Charles, for instance is not so much an authority because of his charisma, but because of tradition. Rational-legal authority signifies that respect and obedience are owed not to the person or the title they hold but to the role they fill. It is the office respected and not the officer because it is a part of a rational and recognized disposition of relationships in a structure of offices. For instance, a   police officer is respected because of the office he represents and individuals would act rationally by obeying the rules of this office because of the consequences of not obeying .Webers view of bureaucracy was a   tool for unequaled technical advantage. He wrote that â€Å"†¦precision, speed and unambiguity, knowledge of files , continuity , discretion, unity , strict subordination, reduction of friction and material and personal cost are raised to an optimum point in the strictly bureaucratic administration†. Bureaucracy was a rational machine. The outcome of this process of rationalization, Weber suggests is the production of a new type of person: the speciali st (Clegg, Kornberger, Tyrone, 2008). Things may be done in formally and substantive rational ways, the difference between the two is that the former involves precise techniques of calculation such as those developed to measure technical efficiency or to track costs while the latter refers to the reason for rational action, that is, its meaning and value (Hatch, 2006); He warned that formal rationalization without substantive rationalization would lead to ‘iron cage† which Weber described as the dark side of bureaucracy. The drive for rationality, calculation and control may increase efficiency but also trap an individual in an iron cage that chokes creativity and free will. The charismatic and legal forms of authority may coexist in an organization for example an employee may respect his immediate supervisor because of his charisma and the way he does his work and may decide to make him his mentor, even though they both are subordinates in the same organization(Hunt M icheal, 1983). Rational-legal precepts, is exactly what Weber identified as the heart of bureaucratic organizations. People obey orders rationally because they believe that the person giving the order is acting in accordance with a code of legal rules and regulations.For Weber, the modern organization differed from other forms of organization because of its rationalization of authority and legality; The rational-legal bureaucrat was similarly characterized by technical and professional expertise (Casey,2004 p.65). WEAKNESSES OF THE BUREAUCRATIC FORM OF ORGANIZATION Bureaucracy has to a large extent contributed immensely to the growth of modern organization and in its contributions lays some weaknesses that result from the application of its features in the following paragraphs. Bureaucracy is characterized by high formalization which is defined as the degree to which rules procedures, regulations and communications are written and filed (Walton, 2005, p. 570) .Everything should be done by the book and this leads to the feeling of impersonality often associated with bureaucratic organizations that does not allow employees to be committed emotionally to the pursuit of economic efficiency, which is the overall goal of the organization; it restricts them because of culture of impersonality and detachment (Stokes Clegg, 2002, p. 227). Employees must share a managerial vision of their organizations culture and be prepared to go an extra mile to achieve it, not just to following rules, rules should be bent sometimes to ensure that a desired outcome is achieved, there is a limit to how much of your work you can rely on policy and guideline (Clegg, Kornberger, Tyrone, 2008, p. 88). Therefore, Bureaucracy strangles individualism because everything has to be done in a machine-like manner. Webers model of organization efficiency assumes that aspects of individual personality which are not relevant to the strict performance of employees duties would be removed as they enter the organization (Beetham, 1996, p. 13). In practice, people come into an organization with personal needs and expect to seek satisfaction to an extent through social interaction at workplace, the manner this interactions are dealt with at work can be crucial to the performance of the employee. Authority which ignores these factors is likely to meet resistance because people cannot be compelled to work efficiently or with commitment (Beetham, 1996, p. 14). When this resistance surfaces, there is likely to be conflict in the organization which may disrupt organizational goals. Promotion is based on merit ; unqualified personnel may keep getting promoted on seniority bases because the organization may think they merit the promotion because of how long they have stayed (Casey, 2009).In this case, they may not be actually qualified for the promotion given that division of labour encourages specialization because of the standardization of production process. They may have deep knowledge for a particular skill, but not other skills that they may require for higher level.   Division of labor can then lead to a situation where an employee cannot do anything than other than what he is trained to do and finds it impossible to operate in a different situation, because of inflexibility. This impedes self development of employees (Casey, 2009) and limits creativity. Communication comes in one direction because of the hierarchical structure; some information may need to be passed from grassroots upwards sometimes so that employers can get from employees feedback vital for growth of an organization, a hierarchy may suffer from too much information as well as little information (Beetham, 1996, p. 14).A less hierarchical structure may be more flexible. Goals may become displaced in bureaucracy because of strict adherence to rules, because the aims of the organization become identified with following the rules that are only intended as means to achieving goals (Clegg, Kornberger, Tyrone, 2008, p. 89).When this happens it also disrupts the overall aim and objectives of the organization. For example, if a schools departments aim is to ensure that the students in class understand the lectures and graduate with good grades. In order to achieve that, the students attendance in class would be very necessary but if a lecturer uses half an hour to count the students in class and write attendance, it becomes a displaced goal because the time used in counting the number of students in class can be used to teach them more effectively. Therefore, these weaknesses discussed have a tendency to become vast, cumbersome, slow and rigid, reduced efficiency because of following usual protocol, not enough freedom of movement, over compliance etc (Casey 2009). STRENGTHS OF THE BUREAUCRATIC FORM OF ORGANIZATION Strength of bureaucracy becomes more evident in stable environments with compliant employees (Morgan, 1995, p. 29). Authority and responsibility are clearly defined due to hierarchy and division of labour (Casey 2009) and when it is defined there is unity of command which leads to efficiency because employees know who instructs and what to do because there is free flowing communication in the sense that information is not muddled up and there is no confusion because information is centralized and comes from one source, flows from upward downward. Bureaucracy is a wall for civil freedom. (Clegg, Kornberger, Tyrone, 2008, p. 67). There is fairness and impartiality in bureaucracy (Casey 2009), all employees are treated in the same way, and they do not have to worry about impartiality, unless of course if politics arises in the organization and it starts to affect the rules of the book. You have the right to appeal in bureaucracy if the rules applied are illegitimate; no one is above the law, none could escape rules, and every officer was accountable for what they do because they have specialized tasks, work done is easily traced to who did it. Technical and formal efficiency i.e. expertise of office holders (Casey 2009), standardization of processes brings about efficiency, in that every process is done at the time it is supposed to be done, just as efficiently as machines. Personnel selection and promotion based on expertise and merit, rational-legal authority does not go through the rigorous process of finding another leader in case one is lost, there are endless supplies of people to whom it can give authority because it can make rational choices on the basis of superior leadership and merit (Casey 2009), specialization promotes this expertise which retains knowledge and deep understanding of a particular field. (Casey 2009). CONCLUSION This essay explores the Weberian ideal type bureaucracy, we look at different definitions of it, characteristics, the role power and authority has to play, by focusing on the rational-legal type of authority which is the heart of bureaucracy. We also analyzed the strengths and weaknesses that can be encountered in the use of this model. Webers work made a significant impact on the development in the study of organizations and management. Bureaucracy has been socially institutionalized and used globally. It is considered by some to be stuffy and regimented for example employees taking their breaks at assigned times, dress code specified etc (Daft, 2004, p. 239). However an organization may end up with a term called â€Å"mock bureaucracy â€Å"where the rules are seen as an external regulation that can be ignored on purpose, neither managements nor workers values are aligned with the rules so they are widely regarded as lacking legitimacy; everyone knows the rules and yet decides not to take it seriously, implementing tighter controls may result in resistance and employees become rebels† (Clegg, Kornberger, Tyrone, 2008, p. 90). The interpretations of the rules have to change in this case and managing organization is less about knowing what the rules are, and more about managing the meaning. In recent times where the world is taking a more entrepreneurial approach in organization, the Weberian Ideal form of Bureaucracy may not exist in absolute form, because of the changing environment. The need for innovation is very key; an organization may set up a different department for innovation and the other tasks are shared accordingly (Clegg, Kornberger, Tyrone, 2008, p. 93). Red tape and rigidities, we may say we now live in partly post bureaucratic times where a concern with efficiency predominates over issues of equity and justice. Organizations have become more modern equipments, machines and computers now replace files, a database can be drawn up and important records can also be kept there. In essence bureaucracy cannot be absolutely eliminated in as much as some people detest this model; it exists in organizations in different ways of different units for example in a university it may exist in the admissions department, Exams and records departments and so on. It would be hard to imagine a university without the consistent application of rules. There are no organizations that do not have some sort of rules after all, and all organizations are (at least partly) bureaucratic.

Urban Legend of the Kidney Thieves Essay -- Urban Legends

The Kidney Thieves Urban legends are apocryphal stories involving incidents of the recent past, often including elements of humor and horror that spread quickly and are popularly believed to be true (1). They reflect society's deepest fears and anxieties. One urban legend can be retold with different settings and people, but the central theme or idea remains constant. The appeal of these legends is the possibility they can be true and that they bring out the listeners' deepest fears. The storyteller in the following urban legend is a nineteen-year old man from Annapolis, Maryland. He is currently a freshman at the University, majoring in mechanical engineering. His mother is a nurse and his father, a dentist. One dark Thursday night, he sits me down in his dorm and tells me a chilling story in a hushed tone: A couple years ago a friend of one of my best friends traveled to L.A. on a business trip. One night he went to a bar that reminded him of one back in Annapolis. He went in and played a round of pool and won--the guy he beat offered him a round of drinks and they got to talking. They talked about home and after a few more drinks, Bob lost track of time. The last thing he remembers is deciding to call it a night before everything went black. The next thing he knew he woke up in a strange hotel room with a pain in his lower back. He went to see a doctor who told him that he had had major surgery, and one of his kidneys had been removed cleanly and professionally. HISTORY While seemingly not a tale of the supernatural or of ghosts, this story definitely includes elements of the uncanny. Many versions of this story are circulated, and one potential source for the story dates to 1988. In 1989, ... ...nce to decide exactly who these menacing â€Å"kidney thieves† are. Works Cited (1) Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English, Preview Edition. Lexico Publishing Group, 2004. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=urban%20legend. (2) Mikkelson, Barbara and David P. You’ve Got to be Kidneying. Urban Legends Reference Pages, 2004. http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/kidney.htm. (3) Emery, David. The Kidney Snatchers. About Inc, 2005. http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/weekly/aa062997b.htm. (4) Mikkelson, Barbara and David P. Organ Nicked: Vegetable. Urban Legends Reference Pages, 2004. http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/kidney2.htm. (5) NIH Publication No. 03–4241. Your Kidneys and How They Work. National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, 2003. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/yourkidneys/

My Son, My Executioner

â€Å"My Son, My Executioner† In the Donald Hall poem,† My Son, My Executioner, â€Å"Hall depicted a father who has grown old, holding their young child in their arms. Hall portrayed strong imagery of a fatherly figure giving up everything to care for his young child. The tone of the poem is both happy and dark. Hall’s theme showed that once a person has a child, the parent’s life is completely changed. â€Å"My Son, My Executioner† is a very well written poem with a deep, true meaning that readers could relate to. The imagery helps Hall depict a father caring for their young child.Hall is first telling the reader that the father is with his child. The child seems to be very young because the father takes the child in his arms. â€Å"I take you in my arms/quiet and small and just astir. † This shows that the father cares a lot about his child. The father could be taking out time from his day to share this moment with his child. The son, who is in his arms or lying on his lap, shares the father’s warmth. â€Å"And whom my body warms. † The father expresses how he has to give up himself in order for the son to be happy and healthy. â€Å"Your cries and hungers document/out bodily decay. Hall is saying when the child is hungry then he must get fed. As time goes on, the father gets older and the roles of father and son are reversed. The dedication has to be there for the parents to raise a happy and healthy child. The tone of this poem is a combination of happiness and darkness. The poem can be seen to have a happy tone that Halls shows well. He writes about the father acknowledging his child as his own. â€Å"My son. † Hall portrays happy images like a father wrapping his arms around his young child. â€Å"I take you in my arms. † The father also makes it known that his presence will live forever in his child.This means the father will always be with the child spiritually. On the other hand, t his poem can be taken in a direful tone. Right from the title, Hall throws a dreary feeling toward the reader. â€Å"My son, my executioner. † There are words that Hall uses in his poem that show a darker side. â€Å"And start to die together. † The reader could interpret these lines as some sort of sick meaning. This poem could either be taken in a happy tone or a dark tone. The main theme Hall is trying to express is that once a person has a child, their lives are changed forever.In the first line, â€Å"My son, my executioner,† is saying that once a child comes into the world, in a sense the parent’s life is taken away. Yet as morbid as that sounds, the parent’s life is made eternal through their child forever. The father knows his time is now focused on his son. There is a reversal of roles, as the child gets bigger and stronger, the father gets weaker and will die. â€Å"Sweet death, small son, our instrument/of immortality. † Another p roblem was that the parents had their child young. That day the child was born, their lives were changed and it will never be the same again. We twenty-five and twenty-two. † In conclusion, Donald Hall portrays a father who has grown old, holding their young child in their arms. . The way Hall used imagery, showed the reader a fatherly figure that gives up everything to care for his son. The tone of the poem was important because it let the reader know that the poem could be seen as happy or dark. The theme showed the readers that once they have a child, their lives are changed forever. â€Å"My Son, My Executioner† is a very well written poem with a deep, true meaning that readers, along with parents, could relate to.

Supporting children and young people’s positive behaviour

Supporting Children and Young People's positive behaviour. 1. 2. Describe with examples the importance of all staff consistently and fairly applying boundaries and rules for children and young people's behaviour in accordance with the policies and procedures of the setting. Boundaries: These are the limits within which behaviour is acceptable or what may, and may not be done. Boundaries are there to guide children and young people's behaviour in the setting and it is very important for all staffs to consistently apply these boundaries fairly.Behaviour is learnt from what we see others do or say, so, it s very important for the staff to watch children closely and make sure that they apply the boundaries at all times. The importance of staffs applying the rules and boundaries are: It helps children and people to know what is right from wrong. For example, when a child knows what is right from wrong, or what is acceptable and what is not, then they will be able to do the right thing mos t of the time.If they know jumping is not allowed in the setting then they are going to behave accordingly. If all staff applies the boundaries and rules of their settings, then children will not feel hey are being misled. For example, one staff says they can bring snacks to school and another staff says they are not allowed to bring snacks. If this happens, a child will get confused and feel misled by one of the staff. It enables all the staff to be consistent in their approach in dealing with behaviour issues.For example, if there is no consistency in staff applying the boundaries and rules then there will be chaos in the setting, and this will not help positive behaviour in children. But if there is consistency then every child in the setting will know that no matter whom they go to n the setting, they will always get one answer. The importance of all staff being fair, and consistent are: It helps children to develop a sense of responsibility for their own actions and encourages them to think about the consequences of their behaviour.For example, the rule says no running in the corridor and staff keep reminding children about it all the time then, when a child runs in the corridor the others will tell him or her no running, and he or she will know that if they run, they will fall and when they fall, they will hurt themselves. So, they know what will happen when they disobey. It ensures that the school rules are enforced and children behave in a responsible manner.For instance, when staffs are consistent in applying the rules then there will be order in the settings and the promotion of good behaviour. Children will also know what the rules and boundaries are and therefore behave accordingly. It ensures that all children are treated fairly by staff applying the equal opportunity procedures. For example, when two children behave inappropriately, they both must receive the same sanction, one should not be favoured over the other. When two hildren fght, you hav e to listen to both sides and be fair in your Judgement.Some children behave inappropriately all the time but they must not be victimized in situations but rather listened to and treated tairly as other children It helps children with unwanted behaviour to improve and behave positively. For instance, if a child likes to pinch other children and all the staffs apply the rules consistently, that child is bound to change from that unwanted behaviour to positive behaviour. How to set fair rules and boundaries: Setting realistic rules for the setting; For example, ensuring the set rules are ppropriate for age and stage of development.For instance, setting a rule for one to two years that says, â€Å"No crying for toys or You must share,† that is not realistic based on their age and level of understanding. By involving the children in setting the rules and boundaries. If the children are involved in the rule setting then they will apply it because they will always remember and obey it. If everybody agrees on the set rules and boundaries. This means they understand what they are agreeing to so therefore, they can live by it and when others are behaving inappropriately, they will let them know it is unacceptable behaviour.

How to Conjugate the French Verb Servir

How to Conjugate the French Verb Servir Servir (to serve, to be useful) is an irregular French -ir  verb. Below are the simple conjugations of the verb  servir; they do not include the compound tenses, which consist of  a form of the auxiliary verb with the past participle. Within irregular  -ir  verb conjugations, there are some  patterns. Two groups exhibit similar characteristics and conjugation patterns. Then there is a final, large category of extremely irregular  -ir  verbs that follow no pattern. Servir is an Irregular -ir- Verb Servir  lies in the first group of irregular  -ir  verbs that display a pattern. It includes dormir, mentir, partir, sentir, servir, sortir, and all of their derivatives, such as repartir. All of these verbs share this characteristic: They all drop the last letter of the stem in the singular conjugations. For instance, first person singular of  servir  is  je sers  (no v) and first person plural is  nous servons  (retains the v  from the stem). The more you recognize these patterns, the easier it will be to remember conjugations. Servir is Conjugated Like  French Verbs Ending in -mir, -tir, -vir   Generally speaking, most French verbs ending in  -mir,  -tir, or  -vir  are conjugated this way. Such verbs include: dormir   to sleependormir  Ã‚  to put/send to sleepredormir  Ã‚  to sleep some morerendormir  Ã‚  to put back to sleepdà ©partir  Ã‚  to accordpartir  Ã‚  to leaverepartir  Ã‚  to restart, set off againconsentir   to consentpressentir     to have a premonitionressentir  Ã‚  to feel, sensesentir  Ã‚  to feel, to smellmentir  Ã‚  to liese repentir  Ã‚  to repentsortir  Ã‚  to go outservir  Ã‚  to serve, to be useful Expressions and Usage servir quelquun de / en quelque chose to serve somebody with something / to serve something to somebodyCest difficile de se faire servir ici. /  Ã‚  Its difficult to get served here.Sers le cafà ©.  Ã‚  Pour the coffee.Puis-je te servir du poulet  ?  Ã‚  Can I serve you some chicken ?Le dà ®ner est servi  !  Ã‚  Dinner  is  ready / served !Sers-moi boire.   Give  / pour me a drink.Ils nous servent toujours les mà ªmes histoires aux informations. They always dish out the same old stories on the newsServir la patrie / une cause   to serve country/ a causeOn nest jamais si bien servi que par soi-mà ªme.  (proverb)   If you want something done right, do it yourself.Servir les intà ©rà ªts dune dette  Ã‚  to service a debtservir la messe   to say / hold massIl a servi, ce manteau.   I got a lot of use out of this coat !Ça na jamais servi.   Its never been used toi de servir.  (tennis) Your serve.servir to be used forÇa ne sert rien de lui en parler. Its useless to talk to him / Its no use talking to him about it. Crier ne sert rien. Theres no point in shouting.servir de to act as, to beJe lui ai servi dinterprà ¨te.   I acted as his interpreter.se servir [pronominal reflexive] to help oneselfServez-vous de  / en là ©gumes. Help yourself to vegetables.Je me suis servi un verre de lait.   I poured myself a glass of milk.se servir [pronominal passive] to be servedLe vin rouge se sert chambrà ©. Red wine should be served at room temperature.se servir de quelque chose to use somethingIl ne peut plus se servir de son bras droit. He cant use his right arm anymore.Cest une arme dont on ne se sert plus.   Its a weapon that is no longer used  / in use.se servir de quelque chose comme  Ã‚  to use something asse servir de quelquun  Ã‚  to make use of  / to use somebody Simple Conjugations of the Irregular French -ir Verb Servir Present Future Imperfect Present participle je sers servirai servais servant tu sers serviras servais il sert servira servait nous servons servirons servions vous servez servirez serviez ils servent serviront servaient Pass compos Auxiliary verb avoir Past participle servi   Ã‚  SubjunctiveConditionalPassà © simpleImperfect subjunctivejeserveserviraisservisservissetuservesserviraisservisservissesilserveserviraitservitservà ®tnousservionsservirionsservà ®messervissionsvousserviezserviriezservà ®tesservissiezilsserventserviraientservirentservissent Imperative (tu) sers (nous) servons (vous) servez

Profile of Pierre de Coubertin, Modern Olympics Founder

Profile of Pierre de Coubertin, Modern Olympics Founder Pierre de Coubertin (January 1, 1863–September 2, 1937) was the founder of the modern Olympics. His campaign to promote athletic activities began as a lonely crusade, but it slowly gained support and he was able to organize the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. He was a founding member of the International Olympic Committee  and served as its president from 1896 to 1925. Fast Facts: Pierre de Courbertin Known For: Founding of the modern Olympics in 1896Also Known As: Pierre de Frà ©dy, Baron de CoubertinBorn: January 1, 1863 in Paris, FranceParents: Baron Charles Louis de Frà ©dy, Baron de Coubertin and Marie–Marcelle Gigault de CrisenoyDied: September 2, 1937 in Geneva, SwitzerlandEducation: Externat de la rue de ViennePublished Works:  Olympism: Selected Writings, Università ©s Transatlantiques, Ode to Sport (a poem)Awards and Honors:  Gold medal for Literature, 1912 Olympics, nominated for Nobel Peace Prize, 1935Spouse: Marie RothanChildren: Jacques, Renà ©eNotable Quote: â€Å"When I restored the Olympiads, I did not look to what was nearby; I looked to the far-off future. I wanted to give the world, in an enduring way, an ancient institution whose guiding principle was becoming necessary for its health.† Early Life Born on January 1, 1863, in Paris, Pierre Fredy, Baron de  Coubertin was 8 years old when he witnessed the defeat of his homeland in the Franco-Prussian War. He came to believe that his nation’s lack of physical education for the masses contributed to the defeat at the hands of Prussians led by Otto von Bismarck. In his youth, Coubertin was also fond of reading British novels for boys that stressed the importance of physical strength. The idea formed in Coubertin’s mind early on that the French educational system was too intellectual. What was  desperately needed in France, Coubertin believed, was a strong component of physical education. Historical Context for His Lifework Athletics were becoming increasingly popular through the 1800s, after a long prior period when Coubertins society was essentially indifferent to sports- or even considered sports to be a frivolous diversion. Scientists in the 19th century began touting athletics as a way of improving health. Organized athletic endeavors, such as baseball leagues in the United States, were celebrated. In France, the upper classes indulged in sports, and young Pierre de Coubertin participated in rowing, boxing, ​and fencing. Coubertin became fixated on physical education in the 1880s as he became convinced that athletic prowess could save his nation from military humiliation. Travels and Study of Athletics In the 1880s and early 1890s, Coubertin made several trips to America and a dozen trips to England to study the administration of athletics. The French government was impressed with his work and commissioned him to hold athletic congresses, which featured events such as horseback riding, fencing, and track and field. A small item in the New York Times in December 1889 mentioned Coubertin visiting the campus of Yale University: His object in coming to this country is to make himself thoroughly acquainted with the management of athletics at American colleges and thereby to devise some means of interesting the students at the French University in athletics. The Founder of the Modern Olympics The ambitious plans of Coubertin to revitalize the educational system of France never really materialized, but his travels began to inspire him with a far more ambitious plan. He began thinking about having countries compete in athletic events based on the Olympic festivals of ancient Greece. In 1892, at a jubilee of the French Union of Athletic Sports Societies, Coubertin introduced the idea of a modern Olympics. His idea was fairly vague, and it seems that even Coubertin himself did not have a clear idea of the form such games would take. Two years later, Coubertin organized a meeting that brought together 79 delegates from 12 countries to discuss how to revive the Olympic Games. The meeting established the first International Olympic Committee. The committee decided on the basic framework of having the Games every four years, with the first one to take place in Greece. The First Modern Olympics The decision to hold the first modern Olympics in Athens, at the site of the ancient Games, was symbolic. It also proved to be  problematic, as Greece was embroiled in political turmoil. However, Coubertin visited Greece and became convinced the Greek people would be happy to host the Games. Funds were raised to mount the Games, and the first modern Olympics began in Athens on April 5, 1896. The festival continued for 10 days and included events such as foot races, lawn tennis, swimming, diving, fencing, bicycle races, rowing, and a yacht race. A dispatch in The New York Times on April 16, 1896, described the closing ceremonies the previous day under the headline, Americans Won Most Crowns. The King [of Greece] handed to each winner of a first prize a wreath fashioned of wild olive plucked from the trees at Olympia, and laurel wreaths were given to the winners of second prizes. All of the prize winners then received diplomas and medals... .[T]he total number of athletes who received crowns was forty-four, of whom eleven were Americans, ten Greeks, seven Germans, five French, three English, two Hungarians, two Australians, two Austrians, one Dane and one Swiss. Subsequent Games held in Paris and St. Louis were overshadowed by Worlds Fairs, but the Stockholm Games in 1912 returned to the ideals expressed by Coubertin. Death During World War I, Coubertins family suffered hardships and fled to Switzerland. He was involved in organizing the 1924 Olympics  but retired after that. The final years of his life were greatly troubled, and he faced severe financial hardships. He died in Geneva on September 2, 1937. Legacy Baron de Coubertin gained recognition for his work promoting the Olympics. In 1910, former President Theodore Roosevelt, visiting France after a safari in Africa, made a point of visiting Coubertin, whom he admired for his love of athletics. His influence on the institution he founded endures. The idea of the Olympics as an event filled not merely with athletics but great pageantry came from Pierre de Coubertin. So while the Games are, of course, held on a scale far more grand than anything he could have imagined, the opening ceremonies, parades, and fireworks are very much ​a  part of his legacy. Finally, it was also Coubertin who originated the idea that while the Olympics can instill national pride, the cooperation of the worlds nations may promote peace and prevent conflict. Resources and Further Reading â€Å"Americans Won Most Crowns: Olympian Games Closed with the Distribution of Wreaths and Medals.† New York Times, 16 April 1896, p. 1. archive.nytimes.com.de Coubertin, Pierre, and Norbert Mà ¼ller. Olympism: Selected Writings. Comità © International Olympique, 2000.

Amore Pacific International Business Strategy Marketing Essay

Amore Pacific International Business Strategy Marketing Essay With low-barriers to entry, the competitive business environment of the cosmetics industry requires companies to secure stable sales channels, and make great marketing efforts to differentiate its products. However, the cosmetics industry is closely related to the fashion industry which is constantly changing and offer potential growth opportunities. Consequently, cosmetic products typically have short product life-cycles because which require mass-customization capabilities and production agility. Personal Care On the other hand, personal care products business is a relatively a mature industry. Also with a low-barrier to entry, the domestic market is currently saturated with competition. In addition, the emergence of large-scale discount stores and new sales networks has called for rapidly changing marketing and distribution channels. Consequently, the domestic personal care products industry is focusing on developing niche markets by differentiating its product as offering higher quality and value. 1.2. Overview of AMOREPACIFIC AMOREPACIFIC Corporation (â€Å"AMOREPACIFIC† or â€Å"the Company†) aims to become a global beauty company with its core businesses in cosmetics and personal care and health products. Founded in 1945 as a Pacific Chemical Company, AMOREPACIFIC Corporation has been involved in beauty products. With the corporate vision of â€Å"The World will know us as the ‘Asian Beauty Creator’,† AMOREPACIFIC seeks to push the boundaries of traditional beauty with innovative solutions drawn from its rich Asian heritage.   [ 1 ]   The Company also stresses the five values: Openness, Innovation, Proximity, Sincerity, and Challenge to openly communicate with its customers and employees, pursue innovative ideas and new concepts, maintain physically and psychologically close to customers, fulfill obligations to society, and be passionate about overcoming challenges.   [ 2 ]    The Company first began its export sales via OEM and also began to sell cosmetics products under its own brand â€Å"AMORE† in 1964. In 1990, the Company turned to international markets by establishing its first overseas subsidiary in France, followed by establishing its Shanghai and Chartres plants in 2002 and 2004, respectively. In 2010, AMOREPACIFIC’s sales reached KRW 2 trillion, with operating profit of KRW 340 billion and net earnings of KRW 285 billion. The Company maintains its number one player in the domestic market with a 34.9% cosmetics market share in 2010. In terms of its overseas operations, the Company has enhanced its sales in 2010 by approximately 11% to KRW 335.8 billion.   [ 3 ]    With its strong domestic position, the Company is targeting sales and operating profit growth of 10% in 2011 by creation of growth markets. For each business segment, the Company’s Cosmetics Division is focusing on securing competitiveness in the Asian markets through reinforcement of R&D activi ties to provide differentiated products and services. For the personal care products business or â€Å"Mass Cosmetics & Sulloc Division,† the Company is intent on strengthening domestic market competency by expansion into high-functional products in major personal care categories. 2. International Business Strategy of AMOREPACIFIC’s Cosmetic Products AMOREPACIFIC aims to be a Global Top 10 cosmetics company.   [ 4 ]   While tapping on matured and developed markets such as North America and Western Europe, AMOREPACIFIC is more focusing on developing countries such as China and other Southeast Asian countries. To overcome the limitations of the market size and increasing level of competition in the domestic market and accomplish economies of scale through market expansion with its own line of competitive products, AMOREPACIFIC, utilizing its number one position in the domestic market, has been looking to develop overseas market with in its efforts to gain presence an d become a successful international player in a very competitive global cosmetics industry environment.

Efficiency and Collaboration Proposal Coursework

Efficiency and Collaboration Proposal - Coursework Example However, it is not denied that Microsoft Excel can be used in various others ways like inventory, financial worksheets, etc. But Microsoft Access is a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) application which is primarily meant for maintaining records whereas Microsoft Excel’s primary function is to act as a tool for data analysis. As it is necessary to maintain records of personnel working in the organization, an application is essential which can be used to enter the records and provide reports based on various parameters, Microsoft Access is flexible and useful when compared to Microsoft Excel. Microsoft Office is a easiest tool for documentation, tables, analysis, making presentation, maintaining records and getting reports. All the applications in MS Office package are flexible with each other that the data can be imported and exported to different applications. Similarly, all the data existing in MS Excel can be imported in MS Access through Import Option available in MS Access. This not allow the data to imported but it actually imports the data head-wise as it was entered in Excel thus eliminating the problem of entering the data again in Excel. The main benefit of MS Access is that value can be given to the parameters and based on these values data can be entered and reports can generated. Additionally, it offers the flexibility to design report based on our conditions. Such reports can help the organizations in decision making process. Party Plates can use MS Access to its fullest extent as possible to derive data as per its requirement and generate reports to make necessary changes in its strategy. Information pertaining to personnel’s can be obtained category wise to determine the payment policies, costs, products, sales data, etc. Such detailed data will help the sales department in taking decisions regarding the strategy formulation in times of crisis. As the competition is intense in the

(The Budget)Funding and sourcing of London Olympic Games 2012 current Essay

(The Budget)Funding and sourcing of London Olympic Games 2012 current challenges and issues - Essay Example The budget funding and the capital sourcing for the 1948 London Olympic Games was more straightforward than now, as everything was paid for directly by the British taxpayer.1 Besides at that stage less extensive sporting facilities were required as there were fewer sporting events and there were also participants and spectators than expected for the London Olympic Games of 2012. Put simply to be ready for the London Olympic Games of 2012 the British capital has to build new sporting facilities as well as updating its available accommodation, and travel infrastructure. In 2012 it would not be acceptable to house either athletes or spectators in old army barracks to keep costs down as happened in 1948.2 The organisers of the London Olympic Games of 2012 also have to think about extensive security measures as the 7 / 7 attacks demonstrated London’s vulnerability to terrorist attacks.3 Modern Olympic Games have actually needed a great deal of direct capital investment from both the private sector and also the private sector organisations and sectors in order to construct world class sporting facilities alongside suitable accommodation for athletes and spectators as well as effective travel infrastructures. Most of the modern Olympic Games have gone over budgets, even if the majority of construction work was done before the games started. The British government has also had a past record of building projects and various venues that have gone over budget and being late, for instance the Millennium Dome and the Scottish Parliament building.4 Recent Olympic Games such as those in Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, and the latest in Beijing 2008 all managed to boost great sporting facilities besides suitability impressive accommodation and travel infrastructures. These Olympic Games were all very expensive to host and required significant amounts of budget funding and sourcing to be staged effectively.

Project Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Project Management - Research Paper Example In this, they prepare the initial timeline of the project and determine the preliminary costs of the project. Either in the conception phase, the management can establish the project user participation and the possible sources of funds. Finally, the management may decide if to continue with the project or alter (Lewis, 2007). Therefore, the initiation phase forms the most crucial stage of the project than all the other stages. It is the foundation stone laying stage that without it the progress of the project is futile. The second phase is the project-planning phase. Here, the management commences setting out the project plan. This involves reviewing of objectives and goals of the project. Besides, the management considers the strategies needed to achieve these goals and objectives (Lewis, 2007). In this, they think each activity is leading to the sequencing of activities that will open up to be the required project. In the planning phase, the management allocates time to sequencing activities and develop a risk management plan (Lewis, 2007). Either, they evaluate on the resources needed and their cost. Finally, in planning, they allocate budget to individual resources to ensure that the project will run efficiently. The third phase is the project launch or execution phase. This stage involves Performance of activities and tasks as planned. Management evaluates the overall performance to ensure that the project meets the set quality standards (Lewis, 2007). Besides, there is development individual and team skills aimed to enhance project performance. In addition, the information about the project is distributed to the stakeholders to attract the needed investors (Lewis, 2007). In this phase, also the management may select potential partners and outsource vendors. Then there is the project performance control. This is responsible for coordination of the change control across the entire project. It involves verification of the scope of the

FUNDATEMENT OF E-BUSINESS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

FUNDATEMENT OF E-BUSINESS - Essay Example This paper is divided in six main sections. The first section briefly explores the literature on the e-business and use of internet in the businesses. This is followed by the corporate information of the company. This section provides information on various aspects of the hotel in brief. The E-business evaluation section elaborates analysis on the three parameters of branding, social networking and mass customisation. The webpage section consists of general looks and feeling of the webpage and its graphical features. Recommendation section is an effort to bridge the gap identified in the current website. The last section consists of concluding remarks. 2. Business Literature on E-Business According to Boardman (2004) the origin of websites has been for different purpose altogether and it got evolved with the growth in the information need of the consumer and society. Boardman (2004) explains that initially Web was considered as a medium for handling different kinds of information. Ho wever the huge potential of the information need generated more possibilities of use of this medium. â€Å"It was not much more than rich text with the ability to turn selected portions of text into hyperlinks. It was possible to include images and to make these into hyperlinks, but because of the relatively slow download speeds of modems in the mid-1990s, web developers had to be careful about images. It was common for browsers to be configured only to load the text from a web page.  (Boardman, 2004, p. 13) There are various e-business models which companies use. These e-business models are based on internal and external data. Companies use this platform to maintain their value chain, generate business and communicate with the stakeholders. The significance of web presence in businesses has increased in many folds. "E-commerce usually refers to an online shop where customers can order, and normally pay for, products or services via the website. The customers need not be consumer s, but could be other businesses" (Collin, 2000, p. 99) This led in classification of the e-business models based on the type of stakeholders like business (B2B), consumers (B2C), employee (B2E), government (B2G) or from government to business (G2B), government (G2G), citizen (G2C), or consumer based business models like consumer to consumer (C2C) or business (C2B). E-business models allow integration of internal and external business processes. However it is very challenging to acquire consumer trust online. This trust is difficult to gain from any marketing campaign or promotions. Positive consumer experiences are the key of gaining consumer trust. Derong, Zongqing & Xiaolin (2009) focuses on the need of understanding the user requirements for a successful online application. The poor websites usually fail in understanding their target audience and their information needs. Website is convenient and provides opportunity for the fast services to the consumer. This helps in saving ti me, energy and resources of consumers by providing round the clock service and information. This provides electronic means for the companies to reach to the customers in easy and cost effective manner. â€Å"The Net is very good at bringing together large, dispersed groups of users who can meet in one place and discuss just about anything. There are three basic types of place on the Net where you can meet up and chat: ?' Web forums or discussion areas St mailing

Legal Profession in Private Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Legal Profession in Private Practice - Essay Example If such private practice is unregulated and left to the vagaries of the market, it leaves it susceptible to abuse. Unlike other commodities and services where the harmful effects of deregulation are minimal, and in some cases deregulation is actually better, the legal profession has to contend with the fact that ultimately, its aim is the dispensation of justice. It seeks to correct redresses committed against individuals and seek accountability from the wrongdoers. It plays an integral and important part in our justice system, and the justice system in turn plays an important part in the maintenance of social order and the promotion of human rights. Hence, the legal profession can in no wise be treated as simply a commodity or a service to be provided to those who can pay, without regulation or State intervention. In July 2003, Sir David Clementi was tasked to carry out a review of the regulatory framework of the legal services in England and Wales. The terms of reference were:†¢Ã‚  To consider what regulatory framework would best promote competition, innovation and the public and consumer interest in an efficient, effective and independent legal sector.†¢Ã‚  To recommend a framework which will be independent in representing the public and consumer interest, comprehensive, accountable, consistent, flexible, transparent, and no more restrictive or burdensome than is clearly justified. Among his recommendations were the setting up of a Legal Services Board that has oversight powers. to regulate front-line bodies like the Law Society and the Bar Council, the creation of an Office for Legal Complaints that will be tasked to handle all forms of complaints lodged by the public against members of the front-line bodies, and opening up the system to alternative structures that will allow lawyers and non-lawyers to work together and provide legal internvention. The summary of all this is that the underlying reason behind the initiatives of Parliament is to introduce a Legal Services Bill that aims, in essence, to provide an oversight of the legal profession so that the greater public could best be served with legal services that are effective and accessible. To quote from the Written Ministerial Statement of Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The draft Bill sets out our detailed plans for the creation of a strong independent oversight regulator the Legal Services Board which will ensure that front line regulators discharge their duties effectively. In addition, legislation will provide the LSB with a wide range of powers including those to authorise

Project Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Project Management - Research Paper Example In this, they prepare the initial timeline of the project and determine the preliminary costs of the project. Either in the conception phase, the management can establish the project user participation and the possible sources of funds. Finally, the management may decide if to continue with the project or alter (Lewis, 2007). Therefore, the initiation phase forms the most crucial stage of the project than all the other stages. It is the foundation stone laying stage that without it the progress of the project is futile. The second phase is the project-planning phase. Here, the management commences setting out the project plan. This involves reviewing of objectives and goals of the project. Besides, the management considers the strategies needed to achieve these goals and objectives (Lewis, 2007). In this, they think each activity is leading to the sequencing of activities that will open up to be the required project. In the planning phase, the management allocates time to sequencing activities and develop a risk management plan (Lewis, 2007). Either, they evaluate on the resources needed and their cost. Finally, in planning, they allocate budget to individual resources to ensure that the project will run efficiently. The third phase is the project launch or execution phase. This stage involves Performance of activities and tasks as planned. Management evaluates the overall performance to ensure that the project meets the set quality standards (Lewis, 2007). Besides, there is development individual and team skills aimed to enhance project performance. In addition, the information about the project is distributed to the stakeholders to attract the needed investors (Lewis, 2007). In this phase, also the management may select potential partners and outsource vendors. Then there is the project performance control. This is responsible for coordination of the change control across the entire project. It involves verification of the scope of the

Legal Profession in Private Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Legal Profession in Private Practice - Essay Example If such private practice is unregulated and left to the vagaries of the market, it leaves it susceptible to abuse. Unlike other commodities and services where the harmful effects of deregulation are minimal, and in some cases deregulation is actually better, the legal profession has to contend with the fact that ultimately, its aim is the dispensation of justice. It seeks to correct redresses committed against individuals and seek accountability from the wrongdoers. It plays an integral and important part in our justice system, and the justice system in turn plays an important part in the maintenance of social order and the promotion of human rights. Hence, the legal profession can in no wise be treated as simply a commodity or a service to be provided to those who can pay, without regulation or State intervention. In July 2003, Sir David Clementi was tasked to carry out a review of the regulatory framework of the legal services in England and Wales. The terms of reference were:†¢Ã‚  To consider what regulatory framework would best promote competition, innovation and the public and consumer interest in an efficient, effective and independent legal sector.†¢Ã‚  To recommend a framework which will be independent in representing the public and consumer interest, comprehensive, accountable, consistent, flexible, transparent, and no more restrictive or burdensome than is clearly justified. Among his recommendations were the setting up of a Legal Services Board that has oversight powers. to regulate front-line bodies like the Law Society and the Bar Council, the creation of an Office for Legal Complaints that will be tasked to handle all forms of complaints lodged by the public against members of the front-line bodies, and opening up the system to alternative structures that will allow lawyers and non-lawyers to work together and provide legal internvention. The summary of all this is that the underlying reason behind the initiatives of Parliament is to introduce a Legal Services Bill that aims, in essence, to provide an oversight of the legal profession so that the greater public could best be served with legal services that are effective and accessible. To quote from the Written Ministerial Statement of Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The draft Bill sets out our detailed plans for the creation of a strong independent oversight regulator the Legal Services Board which will ensure that front line regulators discharge their duties effectively. In addition, legislation will provide the LSB with a wide range of powers including those to authorise

Conceptualization of Culture and Language in Post Colonial Literature Essay Example for Free

Conceptualization of Culture and Language in Post Colonial Literature Essay Culture and Language are the major issues in the post colonial theory. My assignment will deal with these three factors in terms of colonial perspectives. The post colonialism mainly explores the ideas such as cultural diversity, geographical dimensions, Diasporas, race, ethnicity, marginality, hybridity, national identities, cultural transformation, changes and politics in language etc†¦ Considerations of hybridity run the range from existential to material, political to economic, yet this discussion will not be able to tease out the extensive implications of each consideration. Rather, this discussion aims to explore the notion of hybridity theoretically, synthesizing the vast body of literature to critique essentialist notions of identity as fixed and constant. According to my understanding of Hybridity, there are three ways in which hybridity might serve as a tool for deconstructing the rigid labels that maintain social inequities through exclusion in race, language and nation. By exploring how the hybrid rejects claims of bonds within race, language, and nation, I understood that cultural studies like these are imperative in considering the politics of representation. For the purposes of this discussion, the cultural hybridity refers to the integration of cultural bodies, signs, and practices from the colonizing and the colonized cultures. The contemporary cultural landscape is an amalgam of cross-cultural influences, blended, patch-worked, and layered upon one another. Unbound and fluid, culture is hybrid and interstitial, moving between spaces of meaning. The notion of cultural hybridity has existed far before it was popularized in postcolonial theory as culture arising out of interactions between â€Å"colonizers† and â€Å"the colonized†. However, in this time after imperialism, globalization has both expanded the reach of Western culture, as well as allowed a process by which the West constantly interacts with the East, appropriating cultures for its own means and continually shifting its own signifiers of dominant culture. This hybridity is woven into every corner of society, from trendy fusion cuisine to Caribbean rhythms in pop music to the hyphenated identities that signify ethnic Americans, illuminating the lived experience of ties to a dominant culture blending with the cultural codes of a Third World culture. Framing Cultural Hybridity in post colonial context; Among postcolonial theorists, there is a wide consensus that hybridity arose out of the culturally internalized interactions between â€Å"colonizers† and â€Å"the colonized† and the dichotomous formation of these identities. Considered by some the father of hybrid theory, Homi Bhabha argued that colonizers and the colonized are mutually dependent in constructing a shared culture. His text The Location of Culture (1994) suggested that there is a â€Å"Third Space of Enunciation† in which cultural systems are constructed. In this claim, he aimed to create a new language and mode of describing the identity of Selves and Others. Bhabha says: It becomes crucial to distinguish between the semblance and similitude of the symbols across diverse cultural experiences such as literature, art, music, Ritual, life, death and the social specificity of each of these productions of meaning as they circulate as signs within specific contextual locations and social systems of value. The transnational dimension of cultural transformation migration, diaspora, displacement, relocation makes the process of cultural translation a complex form of signification. The naturalized, unifying discourse of nation, peoples, or authentic folk tradition, those embedded myths of cultures particularity, cannot be readily referenced. The great, though unsettling, advantage of this position is that it makes you increasingly aware of the construction of culture and the invention of tradition. In using words like â€Å"diaspora, displacement, relocation,† Bhabha illustrates the dynamic nature of culture, and the flimsy consistency of the historical narratives that cultures rely upon to draw boundaries and define themselves. As a result, culture cannot be defined in and of it, but rather must be seen within the context of its construction. More significantly, Bhabha draws attention to the reliance of cultural narratives upon the other. In illuminating this mutual construction of culture, studies of hybridity can offer the opportunity for a counter-narrative, a means by which the dominated can reclaim shared ownership of a culture that relies upon them for meaning. This theoretical erspective will serve as the foundation for the considerations explored in this paper, employing hybridity as a powerful tool for liberation from the domination imposed by bounded definitions of race, language, and nation. RACE: Racial hybridity, or the integration of two races which are assumed to be distinct and separate entities, can be considered first in terms of the physical body. Historically, the corporeal hybrid was birthed from two symbolic poles, a bodily representation of colonizer and colonized. These mixed births, mestizo, mulatto, muwallad, were stigmatized as a physical representation of impure blood, and this racism long served as a tool of power that maintained that even in this blending of two bodies, just â€Å"one drop† of black blood would deem the body impure and alien, an abomination. Institutionalized racism created a perpetual state of ambiguity and placelessness for the hybrid body and prevented cultural inclusion via race. However, the expanse of immigration since colonialism and the spectrum of shades of visible difference point to an increasingly hybrid populace in which these classifications of black and white no longer carry the same power of representation, yet the old labels persist. This labeling is significant as it elucidates the continuing power of racial labels in a society set on fixing bodies in racial space by binding them to labels, which are understood to contain fixed truths. I argue that utilizing the conceptual tool of hybridity to deconstruct these labels allows a means by which hybrid individuals can come together in powerful solidarity, rather than allowing their ambiguous place in racial space to render them invisible. Harnessing racial hybridity to project the simultaneously unique but common experience of hybridity can be a means by which the individual subject can join to a marginal community through stories and partial memories. Furthermore, racial hybridity must harness the dualistic experience of passing, or being mistaken for a race other than one’s own. All identities involve passing to some extent, in that a subject’s self can never truly match its image, but racial passing implicitly deconstructs the boundaries of Black and White. In passing, hybridity might function not as a conflict or struggle between two racial identities, but instead as constant movement between spaces, passing through and between identity itself without origin or arrival. The freedom to move between identities carries its own power in defying the claims of essentialized racial identity. Furthermore, the bounded labels of race do not account for the historical and geographic narratives that lie behind each body and inform their identity. In â€Å"Black Africans and Native Americans†, Jack Forbes explores the disconnect between racial labels and the consciousness of the bodies behind them using Native Americans and Africans as examples by which â€Å"groups are forced into arbitrary categories render their ethnic heritage simple rather than complex†. As a result, hybridity calls into question the boundaries of racial consciousness as a hybrid consciousness defies the imposed limits of race. The management of these identities becomes its own sort of performance, as the body negotiates each consciousness in different spaces. Again, the ability to play multiple roles, to â€Å"pass† in different arenas, carries significant power. In embodying the inability to bind identities to race, racial hybridity both in the physical body and in consciousness offers a means of deconstructing the boundaries of dichotomous racial identities. In addition to race, language has long been bound in definitions as a symbol of nation and a mode of exclusion. As a means to connect with other social beings, communicating with language is a meaningful performance in that speaking requires two parties, one to perform language and an audience to observe and absorb language. During colonialism, as the colonizer’s language dominated national institutions, the sense of being outside and â€Å"othered† was instilled in the colonized as their language and means of communication was stripped away. Now in a time after colonialism, can the colonized ever reclaim a language long lost, or has the colonizer’s language become their own? Has ownership of the colonizer’s language expanded over time? Fanon’s theorizing addresses the power of language in the formation of identity as he says, â€Å"To speak . . . means above all to assume a culture, to support the weight of a civilization,†. He suggests that speaking the language of the colonizer stands in as acceptance or coercion into accepting a role in culture. Yet in accepting a role, whether by choice or force, the meaning of the culture shifts and evolves. No longer does it â€Å"belong† to the colonizer, as it relies upon the colonized to give it shape. Similarly, with the introduction of a new set of users performing a language, the language no longer exists as it was; it has shifted in meaning. Beyond the thematic implications of language, hybridity has inspired an immense movement in literary discourse and understandings of the very way language is managed and owned. Herskovits developed the notion of syncretism, a theory attempting to explain why certain cultural forms are carried and others lost. Similarly, Claude Levi-Strauss developed the term bricolage to describe mixed forms within narratives. Creolization describes the linguistic blending of dominant and subdominant cultures. These examples illustrate the broad realm of studies that have developed simply around the use of hybridized language. In an analysis of the rise of the â€Å"hybrid genre† in postmodern literature, Kapchan and Strong say, â€Å"Hybridization has become one such analytic allegory, defining lines of interest and affiliation among scholars of popular and literary culture, perhaps quite unintentionally. The extent to which these authors use the metaphor of hybridity consciously and concisely differs. That they use it, however, qualifies hybridity as one of several tropes, or forms of metaphoric predication, that most epitomize the scholarship of the last decade,† . Not only does this observation imply that the body of hybridized literature is growing, harkening to the rising voices and representations of the hybrid, but that hybridity is becoming normalized as an accepted form of literature and the purist notion of genre is diminishing. Furthermore, the use of a colonizer’s language by the colonized to speak of the crimes of colonialism is its own transgression and act of resistance. In taking ownership of the language, changing the way that it is used, the boundaries of language as belonging to a specific place or race are dissolved. Jahan Ramazani’s Hybrid Muse is an analytical review of the poetry that has arisen from the hybridization of the English muse with the long-resident muses of Africa, India, the Caribbean, and other decolonizing territories of the British Empire (2001). A hybrid himself, Ramazani suggests that the use of indigenous metaphors, rhythms, creoles, and genres has allowed a new form of poetry that not only speaks of the violence and displacement of colonialism, but embodies it in its very form. These hybrid poetries can be viewed as a gateway to understanding those once deemed unfamiliar, and hybridity of language becomes a way by which to deconstruct borders and relate to collectives across cultural boundaries. Further, hybridity must interrogate the notion that nationality is essential zed in a distinct culture that geographic borders somehow embody inherent knowledge or truth about the people they contain. Mamdani asks, â€Å"How do you tell who is indigenous to the country and who is not? Given a history of migration, what is the dividing line between the indigenous and the nonindigenous? . He addresses the nationalist concern over entitlement to nation, and the indigenous wish to lay claim to culture. I understood that theories of hybridity, in clarifying the shifting and indefinite nature of culture, can serve as a tool that complicate the nationalist exclusionary practice of determining who does and does not have claim to a nation. From health care to immigration, h is arguments resonate loudly with current events. Similarly, we must consider the ways in which the â€Å"things† that give culture meaning are unfixed and variable, negating essentialist arguments about inherent meanings of culture. In The Predicament of Culture, James Clifford (1988) analyzes sites including anthropology, museums, and travel writing to take a critical ethnography of the West and its shifting relationships with other societies. He demonstrates how â€Å"other† national cultures are in fact fictions and mythical narratives, and we must ask the question of representation and who has the authority to speak for a group’s identity. In his article â€Å"Diasporas†, he suggests that â€Å"The old localizing strategies by bounded community, by organic culture, by region, by center and periphery may obscure as much as they reveal†. Diaspora is defined as a history of dispersal, myths/memories of the homeland, alienation in the host country, desire for eventual return, ongoing support of the homeland, and a collective identity importantly defined by this relationship. In this consideration of culture, we understand the vast connotations of displacement, from asking which history the diasporic should identify with to asking if it is even possible to return to a homeland one never knew or left long ago. Second, in the representation of culture, be it by petrifying culture in a museum or nailing it to an anthropological account, the risk lies in taking these subjective moments as truths or knowledge. Furthermore, the far-reaching diasporic symbols and narratives that snowball into this thing we call national culture suggest that culture is itself a traveler collecting artifacts from various locations along the way, and its walls are too insubstantial to be used as a means of exclusion. Third and perhaps most significant, hybridity in a postcolonial world muddles the very definitions of culture by which nations define themselves. Given that nationalism is founded upon a collective consciousness from shared loyalty to a culture, one would assume this culture is well-defined. Yet the â€Å"solid† roots of historical and cultural narratives that nations rely upon are diasporic, with mottled points of entry at various points in time. An investigation of the roots of cultural symbols like folk stories, religion, and music would reveal sources varied and wide-ranging. Furthermore, culture is defined in relationship to other cultures. Edward Said’s Orientalism (1979) offers a strong description of the system by which nations appropriate from others to define themselves. He suggests Orientalism â€Å"has helped to define Europe as its contrasting image, idea, personality, experience†. Using a theoretical framework influenced by Gramsci’s notion of hegemonic culture and Foucault’s notion of discourse, Said draws significant attention to the intricate and complex process by which the West must use the East to construct itself, its culture, its meaning. In an illuminating excerpt describing the process of Orientalism, he writes: To formulate the Orient, to give it shape, identity, definition with full recognition of its place in memory, its importance to imperial strategy, and its ‘natural’ role as an appendage to Europe; to dignify all the knowledge collected during colonial occupation with the title ‘contribution to modern learning; when the natives had neither been consulted nor treated as anything except as pretexts for a text whose usefulness was not to the natives; to feel oneself as a European in command, almost at will, of Oriental history, time, and geography to make out of every observable detail a generalization and out of every generalization an immutable law about the Oriental nature, temperament, mentality, custom, or type; and, above all, to transmute living reality into the stuff of texts, to possess actuality mainly because nothing in the Orient seems to resist one’s powers. † In a st ream of fragments, Said shows the diverse processes by which dominant cultures are formed at the service of Others. Using words like â€Å"shape,† â€Å"definition,† and â€Å"transmute,† he describes the act of defining nation and the artificial nature of these boundaries. Said offers a theoretical means by which to reject nationalist divisions between an us and Them, a West and Other. This conceptualization of the ways in which nations determine not only their own national identities, but the identities of Other is powerful in revealing the inherently hybrid roots of national culture. Studies of national identity are thus essential in deconstructing xenophobic nationalist claims to nation and the resulting miscegenation of immigrant Others. CONCLUSION This discussion draws from the body of postcolonial literature to suggest that studies of cultural hybridity are powerful in probing the bounded labels of race, language, and nation that maintain social inequalities. By examining how the hybrid can deconstruct boundaries within race, language, and nation, I understood that hybridity has the ability to empower marginalized collectives and deconstruct bounded labels, which are used in the service of subordination. In essence, hybridity has the potential to allow once subjugated collectivities to reclaim a part of the cultural space in which they move. Hybridity can be seen not as a means of division or sorting out the various histories and diverse narratives to individualize identities, but rather a means of reimagining an interconnected collective. Like the skin on a living body, the collective body has a surface that also feels and â€Å"Borders materialize as an effect on intensifications of feeling and individual and collective bodies surface through the very orientations we take to objects and others,† In the description that Formations our orientations can be shifted, our feelings towards Others transformed, there is a possibility of redefining our exclusionary systems of labeling. Furthermore, breaking down immaterial borders through explorations of hybridity offers the possibility of more effective public policy, one that refers to the broad expanse of its diverse population. Frenkel and Shenhav did an illuminating study on the ways in which studies of hybridity have allowed management and organization studies to manage their longstanding western hegemonic practices and to incorporate postcolonial insights into the organizational literature revolving around the relationships between Orientalism and organizations. The willingness of institutions to reform their long held ideologies in light of a changing world, as well as to consider their work through alternative lenses, is an essential practice in deconstructing the bindings of narratives-as-knowledge. In the boundary-shifting process, there is power in the notion of deconstruction in the service of reconstruction, breaking down boundaries in order to form a more inclusive sense of the collectivity. Furthermore, hybridity asserts the notion that representations of collective identity must be analyzed contextually. When we examine a representation of culture, be it in a film, poem, or speech, we should ask: Who is doing the representing? What are the implications of the representation? Why are they engaging in the process of representation? What is the historical moment that informs the representation? How are they being represented? In addition to the questions explored in this paper, I would recommend applying theories of hybridity to a realm beyond race and nation, in order to consider alternative boundaries such as gender and sexuality. The work of hybrid theorists from Bhabha to Said suggests that there is a vast intellectual landscape for cultural inquiries like these. Our mission must be to continue this work and to delve deeper. Cultural studies have great potential to liberate us from the socially-given boundaries that so stubbornly limit our capacity for thought and discussion, but we must take time to join in a collective critique of the knowledge we ingest and disperse. After all, the greatest power lies in the heart of the collective.

Comparison Of Building Vulnerability Assessment Methods Engineering Essay

Comparison Of Building Vulnerability Assessment Methods Engineering Essay A review of vulnerability assessment methods for buildings is conducted out with a view to evaluate their appropriateness for use in seismic risk assessment. A ranking scheme has been developed to score each vulnerability assessment method. The ranking considers general description of vulnerability, building response factors, variance in output, applicability and ease of use, which are the major characteristics for vulnerability assessment tools used in seismic risk assessment. A case study in the older portion of Dhaka city, Bangladesh has been conducted to investigate the efficiency of some state-of-the- art vulnerability assessment methods. The hybrid vulnerability scale, which uses a FEMA 310 and IITK GSDMA approaches score high in the ranking, whilst the other scales based on the Rapid Visual Screening FEMA 154, Euro Code 8, New Zealand Guidelines, Modified Turkish Method and NRCC perform differently in various weighting scenarios. However, it is found that none but the hybrid ( which includes the local site specific issues as well as the results from non destructive testing and experimental data) method effectively suits all the criteria essential for their use in seismic risk assessment, especially emphasis on physical vulnerability factors, applicability and variances in output. Keywords vulnerability assessments, physical vulnerable parameters, seismic risk assessment 1. Introduction Seismic risk assessment is a vital tool to manage the growing risk in the face of the ever-increasing exposure in highly seismic regions. Due to the changes in the built environment and continuously evolving seismic sciences, it is essential to refine the risk assessment modeling continuously. In particular, vulnerability of buildings to ground shaking is recognized as a key element in any seismic risk model (Spence et al. 2008). Therefore, seismic vulnerability assessment is an essential tool for governments and individuals to mitigate the consequences of earthquakes. Existing vulnerability assessment methodologies vary with various postulations proposed for the characterization and prediction of earthquake hazard and the methodology used to evaluate building regarding the hazard (FEMA 1999; Bertogg et al. 2002). The development of a region-wide seismic vulnerability assessment framework, such as FEMA 310 for the US (FEMA 1999), requires a unique vulnerability assessment tool to acc ommodate all the above mentioned issues. Within this paper, a comparison and critical review of existing vulnerability assessment methodologies for buildings is conducted out, with a view to their utilization in a region-wide seismic risk assessment. A hybrid method consisting of FEMA 310 (FEMA 1999) and IITK GSDMA (Durgesh 2005) has been set up to evaluate vulnerability, combining an analysis of building typologies with expert judgment. Background information on the most significant vulnerability assessment methods are provided in the paper together with their advantages and disadvantages for use in seismic risk assessment. Moreover, the seismic vulnerability for contemporary and historical 93 buildings in old Dhaka City, Bangladesh has been assessed as a case study to show the spatially distributed qualitative risk within the area with the help of different vulnerability assessment tools. Finally, a scoring method is proposed to qualitatively represent the relative rankings of the selected vulnerability assessment tools t o find out a suitable uniform approach to be used for seismic risk assessment. 2. Selection of suitable building classification system Vulnerability can be defined as the susceptibility of buildings to damage in presence of seismic ground motion (Hill and Rossetto 2008). The evaluation of building vulnerability is a basic part of any risk assessment methodology. An accurate, transparent and conceptually sound algorithm for assessing the seismic vulnerability of the building stock is one of the main ingredients in a seismic risk model and indeed over the past 30 years many tools and methodologies have been proposed for this purpose. This study takes an overview on some of the most noteworthy contributions in the field of vulnerability assessment and the key advantages and disadvantages of these procedures have been identified in order to distinguish the main characteristics of an ideal methodology (Calvi et al. 2006). In vulnerability studies, it is essential to differentiate various building types, since, different types of buildings tend to respond in a different way under similar ground motions (Tesfamariam and Sa atcioglu 2008). Hence, the buildings should be classified according to their similar dynamic properties, before the conducting a vulnerability assessment of an urban area. The parameters that influence the dynamic response of a structure to ground motion are well recognized, for example, in Euro code 8 (BSSC 2003; CEN 2004), and embrace the structures geometrical and material properties. A building classification system that considers a high-degree of segregation in vulnerability studies and an enhanced estimate of the financial losses, has been expressed elsewhere (Carvalho et al. 2002). This study focuses on the dominant building types of the Indian region (Alam et el. 2010), which comprises mainly of reinforced concrete buildings and masonry buildings. 3. Existing seismic vulnerability assessment methodologies: an overview Table 1 in Appendix A briefly describes each vulnerability assessment tool selected and the rationale for their selection. It is obvious that the review is not extensive; however, the tools have been selected for the predominant building classes as well as to the contemporary practices in seismic vulnerability assessment of buildings. From the literature, it is evident that, there is a lack of unified vulnerability assessment technique, which covers the entire local as well as the global parameters. To cover the location-specific physical components present in both the developed and the developing countries, a hybrid method has been formulated for the vulnerability assessment of existing structures incorporating FEMA 310 (FEMA 1998, 2003, ASCE 1998) and IITK GSDMA (Durgesh 2005) methods. Other vulnerability assessment tools are chosen from a wide range of published and peer reviewed papers in seismology, structural vulnerability, and earthquake engineering fields. Since, most of the tools have been developed for some particular circumstances, such as vulnerability assessment in the field, for structural analysis etc. they may not contain some of the uniqueness specified in the scoring structure. However, they are included in this study, as either elements of these guidelines or tools have been used in past seismic vulnerability assessment of buildings or they illustrate a distinctive characteristic, which is essential in a tool for the seismic vulnerability assessment. 4. Investigation of the suitability of different vulnerability assessment tools: a case study A case study of 93 buildings of older portion of Dhaka city-the capital of Bangladesh (Alam et al. 2010) has been selected to evaluate the suitability of various vulnerability assessment tools for seismic risk assessment. The predominant structural types, specially associated with medium to high seismicity, present in South Asian countries have been presented in the building classification system. After considering building inventories of different countries of South Asian region, it was found that South Asian building inventory is primarily composed of reinforced concrete buildings and masonry buildings. The study includes Bangladesh (CDMP 2009), Nepal (AUDMP 2007), and India (Durgesh 2005) for classifying major building classes for the area. There exist some other types, such as adobe (mud house), tin-shed housing, timber and steel structures etc, which contribute a very small proportion of the existing inventory with moderate to high seismicity. The premier resolutions of relevant building type sub-categories for the vulnerability assessment are the reinforced concrete frames with and without masonry infill as well as the unreinforced masonry buildings for the study area. The seismic vulnerability of buildings in the stock varies widely with different vulnerable factors (Hugo 2002). The principal vulnerability factors used in the categorization of buildings in the study area are structure type (the main lateral force resisting system of buildings), number of story, and code level (seismic design standard applied in the design of buildings). Moreover, architectural features which are the parameters for defining geometry of buildings such as story height, span length, presence of open first-storey etc. act as factors for the vulnerability assessment. Several structural features may be considered as the factor affecting vulnerability of buildings. These factors include soft story, heavy overhang, short column, pounding possibility between adjacent buildings, and visible ground settlement. During this study a number of vulnerable factors were identified that are comprehensively discussed here. According to Turkish method (Bommer et al. 2002, Tesfamariam a nd Saatcioglu 2010), the level of building damage during earthquakes depends on the apparent building quality which is, in turn, related to the quality of construction materials, workmanships and building maintenance. Well-trained observers can classify a buildings quality roughly as good, moderate, or poor. Many building collapses during seismic events may be ascribed to the absence of the bracing elements (e.g. available walls in the upper floors) in the ground floor, and hence develop a ground floor soft in the horizontal direction. The plastic deformations at the plastic hinge points of the columns can develop an undesirable sway mechanism with a large concentration of the plastic deformations at the column ends (Hugo 2002). Hence, the soft story buildings exhibit a less safe behavior than the similar regular structures during moderate and severe earthquake. Normally, this situation can be resulted from the building that locates along the side of the main street as the first sto ry is being used for a commercial space that has opening between the frame members for customer circulation. Figure 1 shows some of the examples of soft story (ground floors being used as shop) in Shakhari Bazar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. In addition to soft stories, another vulnerable factor, termed as heavy overhanging floors in multistory buildings lead to irregularity in stiffness and mass distributions (Hugo 2002). From the earthquake engineering view point, these irregular plan shapes are undesirable as they cause inappropriate dynamic behaviors when subjected to horizontal earthquake ground motion. Typical heavy overhangs found in the old part of Dhaka City are shown in figure 2. Moreover, the shear failure of short columns is another major cause of building collapse during a seismic event (Hugo 2002). It is also termed as squat columns, i.e. columns having relatively high thickness compared to their height, and most of the cases are fixed in strong beams or slabs. By unintentional addition of parapet infill in frame structures, slender columns can also be converted into short columns. In case of short columns with significant bending capacity, enormous moment gradient can develop a large shear force under horizontal actions of a seismic event, which generally leads to a shear failure before the plastic moment capacity is being reached (Hugo 2002). It was observed after the August 17th, 1999 earthquake in Turkey (Mw=7.4) that a large number of buildings were damaged due to the presence of short columns (Saatcioglu et al. 2001). Damage due to pounding can also be observed after almost every earthquake events. Different vibration periods and non-synchronized vibration amplitudes cause the close buildings to knock together. Buildings subjected to pounding receive heavier damage on higher stories (NZSEE 2000, 2003). Topographic amplification may also increase ground motion intensity on hilltops during earthquake; hence, this factor should be taken into account in the seismic risk assessment. In the last not the least, building shape and elevation are major factors affecting buildings during an earthquake. It was evident from the experience of different seismic events, that the buildings with irregular shape are more damaging than the buildings of regular shape (Hugo 2002). Similarly elevation of building is also another important factor responsible for structural/building damage during an earthquake. Narrow tall buildings are more vulnerable during an earthquake (Hugo 2002). Figure 3 shows vertical irregularity of an existing building in the study area. There exists a numerous numbers of vulnerability assessment techniques, that utilize various types of vulnerability factors. Table 2 summarizes different vulnerability factors, which are frequently, used in different seismic vulnerability assessment techniques utilized in the study. From this study, it can easily be identified that some of the seismic vulnerability assessment techniques are very robust, e.g. FEMA 310, FEMA 154 etc, whereas in case of some other methods, (e.g. Euro Code 8) some of the major vulnerability parameters are not clearly defined. The results from the assessment of 93 buildings in the study area are depicted in the figure 4. For risk evaluation, it is required to collect, analyze and properly match a huge quantity of data. Geographic information system (GIS) can effectively be utilized to manage and overlay the information levels and graphical output of the results (Codermatz 2003). Therefore, a geographical information system (GIS) database has been developed to represent the spatial distribution of the vulnerable buildings for different assessment techniques within the study area. Figure 5 shows the distribution of vulnerable buildings in GIS environment, resulted with the use of FEMA 154 method, which shows that most of the buildings fall under very high risk group. Whereas, the distribution of risk classes within the buildings are in a wide range in case of hybrid method, depicted in figure 6. The distribution of vulnerable buildings assessed by Euro Code 8 and NRCC are also presented in figure 7 and figur e 8 respectively, which show comparatively lower risk variances. 5. Vulnerability assessment methodology scoring system The general description of vulnerability assessment methods which include the input variables, are very useful for the people involved in the field directly, where as the information about physical measurable parameters are necessary for the detailed analysis of a structure and the decision makers utilize the description of output for generating an effective decision (Hill and Tizina 2008). A reliability or performance scoring system has been developed to rank the vulnerability assessment methodologies according to the criteria mentioned above. The proposed scoring system consisting of 3 main sections with 17 sub-categories is depicted in Table 2 of Appendix A. The score obtained in each of the 3 sections is given equal weighting in the computation of the total reliability score for vulnerability assessment. The system tries to reduce most of the subjectivity implicated in the ranking of different vulnerability assessment methods. Since, some subjectivity has been utilized to assign the categories, the resultant scores can be utilized only as a qualitative representation of performance or reliability. To provide a clear indication of each methodologys performance or reliability, an affirmative score is given as 3 points, a moderate score is given as 2, a negative score 0 point, whereas the method partially fulfills the requirement is given 1 point. Since, experimental value provides data based on real-life experiences, it is more preferred in the scoring system. Analytical and judgment-based values are considered as second and third best respectively. For the sub-categories, the scoring is based on the Table 3 of Appendix A. This scoring for reliability or performance has been applied to the vulnerability assessment methods applicable for mainly reinforced concrete buildings as well as unreinforced masonry building types. Category A of the scoring system in Table 2 deals with the basic input description of vulnerability assessment tools, i.e. ease of measurement (Saatcioglu, et al. 2001), range of buildings types covered (FEMA 2002, ASCE 2003, UNDRO 1980), site specific factors, including local and global aspects regard (ASCE 2003, ASCE 1988, NRCC 1993, Durgesh 2005) .This is important for the people working in the field measurement. In category B mostly physical measurable vulnerability factors have been considered, which is very useful for analyzing the structural behavior. It deals with the scope of vulnerable parameters (ASCE 2003), quantity of database (ATC 2004), applicability of tools as non-structural components of the structures (NRCC 1993). Finally category C of the proposed scoring system utilizes the involvement of the output factors, which encompasses the well defined vulnerability scales (FEMA 2002) (ASCE 2003), risk variances (ASCE 2003, Durgesh 2005), impact of non-structural components as well as the adoptability (NRCC 1993). This category mainly focuses on the preferences for the decision makers. For different specific needs, risk assessment specialists may prefer different weightings on the scoring categories. The categories are weighted according to four different scenarios (I-IV) as depicted in Table 4 of Appendix A. These weightings give a maximum score of 51 points in each case which are only for illustrative indication. An example of use of the proposed scoring method is given in Table 5 of Appendix A. The final ranking for the vulnerability assessment tools considered is shown in Table 6 of Appendix A. The individual scores are given in Table 7 of Appendix A 6. Discussion on vulnerability assessment method scoring This section discusses about the performance of different vulnerability assessment tools in different scoring categories in wider aspect for all the weighting scenarios proposed. At this point it is essential to re-state that the vulnerability assessment ranking reflects how appropriate the method is for use in seismic risk assessment. To rank the techniques, several weighting scenarios have been utilized with the calculated scores. For weighting scenario I, equal weighting for each category was adopted which provides an overall view of the vulnerability assessment methods performances. The authors believe that each of the identified features is equally important and it is suggested that proposed scoring system utilizes this weighting scenario. Hybrid method, NRCC (NRCC 1993) guidelines and FEMA 154 (FEMA 2002, ATC 1998) rank the top three positions for the weighting scenario I. The Hybrid method contains detailed descriptions for different classes of buildings and has a well defined methodology for calculating physical vulnerability factors. The ASCE 31 standard (FEMA 310) is not a building code.  Ã‚  It is a method of evaluating existing buildings to determine if they meet seismic performance objectives such as Life Safety or Immediate Occupancy.   NRCC guideline follows the similar principles as the hybrid one; however, the calibration for building typology for NRC guidelines considers the Canadian construction practice. Fundamentally, the score ( seismic priority index) in NRCC is related to the seismic risk for a particular building, given the occurrence of an earthquake equivalent to that specified in the National Building Code of Canada (NRCC 1993). It is to be used as an initial assessment for deciding which building should have more detailed evaluation in order of priority. Moreover, the effect of torsional irregularities has not been taken in to account. In FEMA 154, the score was affected by the lack of sufficiently detailed analysis; rather it e ncompasses a rapid visual screening method (FEMA 2002). The use of seismicity regions, rather than site-specific seismic hazard data, for the Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) procedure substantially reduces the accuracy of results because the calculations use levels of ground motion which differ from the levels of ground motion at all sites except those where ground motions are at the median value for a seismicity region. Thus, RVS final scores are systematically shifted and overestimate the level of risk for locations with below-median ground motions and underestimate risk for locations with above median ground motions. In case of weighting scenario II, more weighting is given to general description of vulnerability to highlight the methods suited for in-field measurements. For weighting scenario II, again the same results happened, i.e. Hybrid one out ranked all other approaches. For weighting scenario III, more weighting values have been given to the physical vulnerable parameters. And in case of scenario IV, weighting has been given to the variance in output. For this purpose, a case study of 93 buildings of old Dhaka city of Bangladesh has been conducted. In this case study, different types of buildings have been assessed with various methodologies. Here, Hybrid and NRCC Guidelines ranked the 1st where as FEMA 154 (FEMA 2002, ATC 1998) and NZ Code ranked 2nd and 3rd. The variation and the results of the assessment have been depicted in Figure 5 through Figure 8. In weighting scenario V, more conscious was given to Canadian present construction practices (Cook 1999, Onur et al. 2004). Here, the Hybrid as well as the NRCC method outranked the other methods. 7. Scoring Summary with Different Multi Criteria Decision Making Tools The proposed scoring system is a wide-ranging tool to compare different vulnerability assessment methods in the context of ease of use and applicability. It cannot catch all the parameters, but qualitatively gives a better indication of the suitable seismic vulnerability assessment method for buildings. First of all, it can be remarked that, the positions of the methods in the ranking change markedly between the different weighting scenarios. Of the considered seismic vulnerability assessment methods, it is seen that the Hybrid method composed of FEMA 310 (FEMA 1998, 2003, ASCE 1998) and IITK-GSDMA outperforms other vulnerability assessment in all respects. However, NRCC (NRCC 1993) method also performs adequately, where the guideline was developed specifically with Canadian buildings in mind, though certain features are lacking within the description of detailed analysis. Nonetheless, for all the weighting scenarios, the proposed hybrid method performs well and should be considered as the preferred alternative. Moreover, the presence of FEMA 154, Euro Code 8(Milutinovic and Trendafiloski 2003, CEN 2004) and New Zealand Guidelines (NZSEE 2000, 2003) in the ranking system are notable. However, it is clear that the methods do not capture a sufficient quantity of characteristics that are required of such a guideline for the particular weighting scenarios. In this study different multi criteria decision making tools (e.g. AHP. Elctre I Is, and TOPSIS) have been utilized to find out the suitable most alternative. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a decision-aiding method developed by Saaty (Saaty 1980). The main goal of AHP is to quantify the relative priorities for a given set of alternatives on a ratio scale, based on the judgment of the decision-maker, and stresses the significance of the perceptive judgments of a decision- maker as well as the consistency of the comparison of alternatives in the decision-making process (Saaty 1990). Whereas ELECTRE I (Benayoun et al, 1966; Roy 1971) is an overall method of ranking alternative systems in the presence of qualitative criteria. The idea in this algorithm is to choose those nodes (i.e. alternative systems) which are preferred for most of the criteria and yet do not cause an unacceptable level of discontent for any one criterion. Moreover in case of TOPSIS (Technique for Order pre ference by Similarity to Ideal Situation) method, the selected alternative should be as close to the ideal solution as possible and as far from the negative-ideal solution as possible. The ideal solution is formed as a combination of the best performance values revealed in the decision matrix by any option for each attribute. The negative-ideal solution is the combination of the worst performance values. Propinquity to each of these performance poles is measured in the Euclidean sense (e.g., square root of the sum of the squared distances along each axis in the attribute space), with elective weighting of each attribute (Olson 2004). By utilizing Electre I Is (Hwang and Yoon 1981) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (Yang and Lee 1997); it was found that the proposed hybrid method outranks all the methods in all cases (Figure 10 and Figure 11). Finally TOPSIS method (Chu 2002) has validated the same decision about the proposed hybrid method to be the preferred one. In the context of decision making and field measurement, hybrid method consisting of FEMA 310 (FEMA 1998, 2003, ASCE 1998) and IITK-GSDMA is recommended. Whereas, if the rapid assessment of buildings is the major concern, vulnerability assessment through FEMA 154 (FEMA 2002, ATC 1998) and NRCC (NRCC 1993) guidelines should also be considered as the preferred options. 8. Conclusion This study has identified significant characteristics that should be included for an appropriate seismic vulnerability assessment method of buildings. A scoring system has been proposed for the qualitative review of various vulnerability assessment techniques and a particular attention was given to potential use in Canada. It is found that a vulnerability assessment technique termed as hybrid method i.e. combination of FEMA 310 (FEMA 1998, 2003, ASCE 1998) IITK GSDMA (Durgesh 2005) captures characteristics to a wider degree that a suitable vulnerability assessment method should posses. However, the proposed hybrid method is calibrated with the data from US and Bangladesh, which can be applied to other regions with slight modifications. In seismic risk assessment, the building vulnerability assessment depends on data from many sources, amongst which, the past earthquake damage survey data are of major concern. Existence of various vulnerability assessment approaches, raises concern over worldwide to have a simplistic effective vulnerability assessment tool, to be useful world-wide. The authors believe that the proposed hybrid method provides a robust basis for vulnerability interpretation and recommended future studies of vulnerability assessment method to combine more consistent and wider descriptions of the parameters for use in seismic risk assessment. Reference: Alam M.J., M. Abdur Rahman Bhuiyan, and M.Roqibul Islam(2006) Seismic Structural Assessment of Damaged Chittagong Public Library Building During 27 July 2003 Earthquake 4th International Conference on Earthquake Engineering Taipei, Taiwan Alam M. N., K. Mashfiq, A. Rahman, and S. M. 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