Valuing cultural diversityfeeling respected as a way of managing Essay

Valuing cultural diversityfeeling respected as a way of managing diversity is tapping diversitys true benefits and HRM role to support managing cultural dive - Essay Example ept of integration-and-learning perspective, cultural diversity in terms of the access-and-legitimacy perspective and discrimination-and-fairness perspective, and integration-and-learning perspective will be identified and analysed. There are many ways in which cultural diversity at work can be strengthened. One of the major factors that causes problem in managing diversity is the behaviours of people within the working environment. (Henderson 1994, p. 133) Therefore, making employees feel respected has been considered as one of the best ways in promoting cultural diversity within the working environment. In the process of examining the truth behind this statement, the student will conduct a literature review on how the application of integration-and-learning perspective could enhance organizational learning, growth, and renewal. Prior to conclusion, the role of HRM in support of cultural diversity (under the integration-and-learning perspective) in the workplace will be thoroughly discussed. Organizational culture is actually referring to a set of norms, beliefs, principles and behaviour that gives the organization a unique character. (Naylor 1997, p. 1; Brown, 1995) In the case of David (1999, p. 143), the author defines organizational culture as â€Å"a pattern of behaviour developed by an organization to cope with problems related to external adaptation and internal integration aside from enabling the employees to feel and think positively.† The word ‘diversity’ means as â€Å"to include a variety of racial or ethical backgrounds and characteristics of humankind.† (College of the Mainland 2008) Considering the definition of diversity, the study of cultural diversity is focused on acknowledging one or more socio-demograhic traits like gender, race, ethnicity, and age (Janssens & Zanoni 2005). In other words, cultural diversity at work – also known as multiculturalism is about integrating culture in terms of employees’ age, gender, mental or physical

British Airways Essay Example for Free

British Airways Essay In 1987, British Airways was privatised, and over the next decade turned from a loss-making nationalised company into The Worlds Favourite Airline a market-leading and very profitable plc. The strategy that transformed the company into a marketing-led and efficient operation was conceived and implemented by Lord King as Chairman, aided by Sir Colin (subsequently Lord) Marshall: two tough businessmen who confronted staff inefficiencies and so improved service effectiveness that BA was rated international business travellers favourite airline for several years in the 1990s. Lord King having retired, Lord Marshall became Chairman and was succeeded as Chief Executive by Bob Ayling, a long-time BA manager. Ayling set in train a strategy to turn BA into a global airline transcending the flag-carrier status (the role of a nations leading airline) it shared with Air France, Lufthansa, Swissair, Alitalia, Iberia into an airline with no national home operating throughout the world. The dropping of the overtly British heritage and associations was reflected in a changed brand strategy. Away went aeroplane liveries featuring the Union flag, to be replaced by tailfins bearing themed designs from around the world. This was to address the global traveller a savvy (mainly business) customer whose criteria for purchase were service levels, range of destinations, promptness not price. But the re-branding became a debacle. Customers, staff, alliance partners, shareholders and retailers (travel agents) all liked the British heritage and imagery and rebelled against the turn to an anonymous, characterless new style. Ayling also focused on cost-reduction programmes which antagonised and demotivated BAs staff and customers noticed the deterioration in behaviour of staff whose commitment to customer service suddenly plummeted. The upshot was that Ayling was ousted in a boardroom coup in March 2000. During his reign, a loss of 244m in the year to March 31 2000 the first since privatisation was recorded and the groups market value had fallen  by half. A New Face. In May 2000, Rod Eddington joined BA as Chief Executive. He was previously Managing Directory of Cathay Pacific and Executive Chairman of Ansett, an Australian airline. Eddingtons immediate actions were designed to restore profitability to BAs operations and to restore the Union Flag to BAs planes! He set about reducing the fleet, moving to smaller aircraft, cutting clearly unprofitable routes. He also targeted high-yield customers, the traditional mainstay segment for BA. Matching supply with demand was the overall concern, to restore positive cash flow. Strategically, BAs longtime search for a merger partner was resumed. A link with American Airlines, the first choice partner, was out of the question after US regulatory authorities squashed the idea. A proposed merger with KLM, the Dutch flag carrier, was discussed in some depth, but that foundered on doubts over the long-term financial benefits, and arguments over the relative shares each airline would have in the merged company. Low-Cost Airlines. Meanwhile, the airline industry was undergoing a seismic shift with the rise of low-cost no frills airlines. Ryanair and easyJet had, at first, demonstrated the existence of a new market for cheap airline travel which had not been tapped by traditional airlines. But then they began to expand and to compete for passengers that normally would have gone to BA even business class customers couldnt see the reason to pay  £100 for breakfast (the difference in price between BA and easyJet between London and Edinburgh.) BAs response (under Bob Ayling) was to form GO as a direct response to the no-frills competitor. Operating out of Stansted airport, GO was operated entirely separately from BA, so none of the high-cost culture was inherited. Launched in the face of vociferous opposition from easyJet, GO nevertheless established itself in the market though at what cost, no-one could guess. Rod Eddington soon decided that his focus on premium customers made GOs operations inconsistent with that of BA as a whole. GO was sold in May 2001 for  £100m to 3i, a UK venture capital and private equity group. GO was subsequently sold on to easy Jet for 375m. However, the driving of aggressive strategies from budget airlines is still forcing flag-carriers to re-assess their business models. The Outcome. For the year ended March 2001, Eddingtons steps had yielded a quadrupling of operating profits. Market share on key routes had been lost as cuts in fleet and routes bit, but BA believed it had lost customers who paid deeply-discounted fares. BA continued its vigorous pursuit of high-yield passengers. September 11th. So, all seemed to be going well. The brand was being restored, financial performance was improving and the only real problem was lack of progress on forming a partnership with a US carrier, prevented by the regulators. Then came September 11th, and the airline market fell apart. The consequences were swift passenger numbers fell 28%, US airports were closed for a week, Swissair, Sabena, US Airlines and nearly, Aer Lingus, went bust. Alitalia lost 570m, Lufthansa 400m. Altogether the industry lost 7bn and shed 120,000 jobs 13,000 at BA and passenger numbers are still running at 13% below normal on transatlantic routes. In contrast, passenger numbers and financial results at low-cost carriers easyJet and Ryanair were rising impressively. Then came Sars, the Iraq war and the continuing sluggishness of the world economy, all deeply damaging to passenger numbers. Strategy at BA was thrown into disarray. Current Strategy. With the travel market is still subject to global economic and political uncertainty, BA has repeated its forecasts for lower revenues. However, the fundamentals of this business are stronger than they have been for four or five years John Rishton, Finance Director, says BA is generating cash, and is conserving that cash. (FT and D.Tel. 6.11.02). The operational imperatives to cope with the turbulent environment are expressed in BAs Future Size and Shape initiative which is intended to: Achieve significant cost reductions. Originally targeted at 650m, the cost savings are now expected to save an annualised  £1.1bn over 3 years (FT 19.3.03). Simplified operations and minimal overheads is the aim. Cut capacity, to match supply of aircraft and flights to the reduced demand. Cut staffing levels. A further 3,000 job cuts planned for March 2004 have been brought forward to September 2003. Change BAs business model. Aware that no-frills competition is not going to go away, but that BA possesses a positive service heritage, BA wants to create an offering that combines the best bits of BA and the no-frills model. Martin George, BAs director of marketing and commercial development, explains our customers like the BA product convenient airports, high frequency, good level of service but want it at the right price, and thats what well give them. Its about changing our business model to allow us to compete profitably (Management Today, September 2000). Rationalise BAs internal UK and short-haul business CitiExpress has been formed from the activities of subsidiaries Brymon, BRAL, Manx and BA Regional. To stem heavy losses on this short-haul network, some rationalisation has been done it has pulled out of Cardiff and Leeds-Bradford airports, and will cut its current fleet from 82 to 50 all-jet planes by end-2005. However, it is expanding operations from Manchester, and from London City airport to Paris and Frankfurt. (FT 18.12.02). It is recognised that BA started to take the bitter medicine of cost cuts and restructuring earlier and in bigger doses than rivals in Europe and North America, and that Rod Eddington has pushed through changes that were long overdue. But is this enough? can BA wrest back the short haul market from easyJet and Ryanair, while maintaining its position in the longhaul market Strike! In July 2003, just at the start of the busy holiday season, BA was hit by an unofficial strike by Heathrow check-in and sales staff who were objecting to a hasty introduction of a swipe-card automatic clocking system. 500 flights were cancelled, affecting 100,000 passengers. The damage to BAs service reputation was enormous. Both management and union leaders were taken by surprise, and it brought to a head the existence of restrictive practices going back 40 or 50 years which both sides have to confront. Performance. Results for the year ending 31st March 2003 showed a pretax profit of 135 on turnover down 7.8% to  £7.69bn, up from a loss of 335 in the year to March 2002. The results included a charge of 84m for the planned ending of Concorde flights in October, and a fourth-quarter loss (January to March) of 200m. These positive results were entirely down to cost reduction. No  dividend was paid a consequence of the need to conserve cash. Operating margin at 3.8% is way below Eddingtons target of 10%. (D.Tel, 20.5.03, FT, 21.5.03). In the first quarter of the 2003-04 year, a pretax loss of  £45m was incurred the effect of the Heathrow strike was put at 30-40m. The business environment. However, Rod Eddington sees the furure business environment as very hard to read, but expects it to get tougher. 2003-04 was meant, according to analysts, to be BAs year of recovery, but it is not now expected to happen. (DTel, 11.2.03) A critical development is the start of talks between the EU and the USA to dismantle the web of regulations that have controlled the development of international aviation since the mid-1940s. Eddington, as chairman of the Association of European Airlines, insists that truly global airlines are impossible in the current regulatory environment. If it were left to the market, international airlines would undoubtedly follow in the footsteps of other industries and would seek the benefits of scale and scope that are currently denied them. A truly global airline..would be free to operate wherever its customers demanded, free to grow organically or through acquisition and free to charge whatever the market would bear. These talks are likely to be very long. However, it potentially offers the opportunity for an opening of the two biggest airline markets and lead to substantial consolidation of participants. (FT, 29.9.03). The takeover of KLM, the Dutch flag carrier, by Air France, may be the precursor to the consolidation expected. BA sees no threat from what is now Europes largest airline. D.Tel, 1.01.03).

Outlaw by Scott McGough :: essays research papers

Outlaw, by Scott McGough tells 2 people’s stories and their adventures through the plane of Kamigawa and how they are tied with the war against the kami (spirits). Toshiro Umezama, a rogue mage-ochimusha (dishonored warrior), has been traveling with his fellow oath-brother Kobo, an ogre, through the forest, when they accidentally found themselves in a party of kistune (foxfolk) and humans. Michiko Konda, daughter of the daimyo (powerful feudal lord), left the walls of her kingdom and traveled to a great library in the wizard school, Minamo. When she was separated from her friends, she found herself lead by a foxfire to a kistune city where her sensei, Pearl-Ear was visiting. Sharp-Ear, Pearl-Ear’s brother, Pearl-Ear, 3 kistune samurai, Michiko, and her 2 friends traveled into the forest to search for the secluded orochi (snakefolk), known for their distrust of anything of the outside world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Toshi and Kobo ran into Michiko’s party, they talked for a short while, and they were attacked by the orochi. The parties fought well, but were defeated and captured. Toshi escaped and found Kobo dead tied to a tree. He rescues Michiko and flies away on a battle moth. West of the forest in a cave, Toshi holds Michiko for ransom, but he is met by the little Mochi, the Kami of the Cresent Moon. He showed the two the reason for the kami war: Daimyo Konda took a powerful kami from the spirit world and used Michiko’s birth to power the ritual to bring it into the material world. When the two learned this, Toshi decided to be employed to Michiko and promise to help her (with correct pay of course). The rest of Michiko’s party escaped the orochi territory, and tracked the ochimusha to the cave and were followed by the snakes. While the kistune were trying to get Toshi out, Mochi brought out the patron spirit of darkness: Myojin of Night’s Reach to get Toshi to accept its blessings. As he did, he went out of the cave, killed the snakes and their patron spirit, Myojin of Life’s Web, on his own, with the help of the blessing of the patron of darkness. Outlaw by Scott McGough :: essays research papers Outlaw, by Scott McGough tells 2 people’s stories and their adventures through the plane of Kamigawa and how they are tied with the war against the kami (spirits). Toshiro Umezama, a rogue mage-ochimusha (dishonored warrior), has been traveling with his fellow oath-brother Kobo, an ogre, through the forest, when they accidentally found themselves in a party of kistune (foxfolk) and humans. Michiko Konda, daughter of the daimyo (powerful feudal lord), left the walls of her kingdom and traveled to a great library in the wizard school, Minamo. When she was separated from her friends, she found herself lead by a foxfire to a kistune city where her sensei, Pearl-Ear was visiting. Sharp-Ear, Pearl-Ear’s brother, Pearl-Ear, 3 kistune samurai, Michiko, and her 2 friends traveled into the forest to search for the secluded orochi (snakefolk), known for their distrust of anything of the outside world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Toshi and Kobo ran into Michiko’s party, they talked for a short while, and they were attacked by the orochi. The parties fought well, but were defeated and captured. Toshi escaped and found Kobo dead tied to a tree. He rescues Michiko and flies away on a battle moth. West of the forest in a cave, Toshi holds Michiko for ransom, but he is met by the little Mochi, the Kami of the Cresent Moon. He showed the two the reason for the kami war: Daimyo Konda took a powerful kami from the spirit world and used Michiko’s birth to power the ritual to bring it into the material world. When the two learned this, Toshi decided to be employed to Michiko and promise to help her (with correct pay of course). The rest of Michiko’s party escaped the orochi territory, and tracked the ochimusha to the cave and were followed by the snakes. While the kistune were trying to get Toshi out, Mochi brought out the patron spirit of darkness: Myojin of Night’s Reach to get Toshi to accept its blessings. As he did, he went out of the cave, killed the snakes and their patron spirit, Myojin of Life’s Web, on his own, with the help of the blessing of the patron of darkness.

Project management success factors Essay

Housing is the critical issue in global urbanization which have a tremendous impact on the environment – both during construction and through out their. As the key element in urban development, housing plays a vital role in attaining the goal of sustainable development. Effective of project management is becoming increasingly important for sustainable housing to remain competitive in today‟s dynamic business environment. This paper attempt to establish a theoretical framework for project management success factors in sustainable housing development. Review on past literature on the subject were carried out to build the existing research works on the area and to establish critical success factors of project management best practices. At the end of this paper, a new area of managing sustainable housing for future direction of this research was identified. A list of critical success factors for project management practices for sustainable housing development was established. Keywords: Sustainable Housing, Sustainable Development Project Management, Critical Success Factors. 1.0 INTRODUCTION Housing, as human basic need, is a very important issue of people‟s everyday life. In 1948, the United Nations, in its Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stated that â€Å"everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services†¦Ã¢â‚¬  . Housing provision is one of the major challenges facing developing countries. Under the Seventh Malaysia Plan (1999-2000) and Eight Malaysia Plan (2001-2005), Malaysian governments are committed to provide adequate, affordable and quality housing for all Malaysian, particularly the low income group. This is in line with Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlement and Habitat Agenda (1996) to ensure adequate shelter for all. In order to be sustainable, housing initiatives must be economically viable, socially acceptable, technically feasible and environmentally compatible (Choguill, 2007). In the other hand, housing encompasses the immediate environment, sanitation, drainage, recreational facilities, and all other economic and social activities that make life worthwhile (Olejado, 2003). The World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED, 1987) report, Our Common Future has led to a world-wide notion of the concept of sustainable development (Meldon, 1998). However, it has been argued that the history of the concept of sustainability can be traced back to the terms â€Å"stationery† or â€Å"steady state economy† used by the nineteenth century political economist (European Environment agency, 1997). Today there are over 300 published definitions of sustainable development, the products of diverse world views and competing vested interests (Moles and Kelly, 2000). Fundamentally, sustainable development addresses three major areas; I. People living today are entitled to justice and equal rights; II. Environmental degeneration must be alleviated or eliminated; and III. Future generations must not be impoverished as a result of current actions (Redclift,1987). Our Common Future explores how sustainable development â€Å"is not a fixed state of harmony but rather a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are made consistent with future as well as present needs† (Moles and Kelly, 2000). In other words, (WCED, 1987, 8) it‟s defined as â€Å"development which meets the needs of the present without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs†. The Commission not only observed that environmental problems need to be addressed, but also socials problem, such as inequity, property, non-prosperity and the violation of human rights, that are related to explosive population growth and the enormous expansion of environmental harms caused by human activities. According to the Commission, solving these problems requires global economic growth whilst respecting ecological constraints (Klunder, 2004). Other studies, (Ding, 2008) defined sustainable development is as a concern of attitudes and judgment to help insure long-term ecological, social and economic growth in society. While the term of sustainable development is well known and widely used, there is no common understanding and approach for it. The perception of sustainability especially when it comes to what â€Å"needs† is regarded as important varies much by different nation and even different people with different points in time, economic, social and cultural backgrounds (Zinkernagel, 2001). The detail of what comprises sustainable development is very context – specific and the same condition and practice cannot apply everywhere. Therefore, sustainability has its diverse implications in every corner of the world and in every sector of a society (Bell and Morse, 2003). For construction sector, the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (1990) explains sustainable as directed towards the reduction of the environmental and health impacts consequent to construction, buildings and the built environment. Such construction processes would bring environmental responsibility, social awareness, and economic profitability objectives to the fore in built environment related projects (Langston and Ding, 2001). There are various definitions of sustainable housing; The European Union defined sustainable housing in the following perspective: construction (e.g. Quality of construction), social and economic factors (e.g. Affordability and psychological impacts) and ecoefficiency (e.g. Efficient use of non-renewable resources) (VROM, 2005). Previously, IHBC (1998) definitions  present the general factor of a sustainable housing practice that is applicable under various circumstances, depending on the conditions where it‟s implemented (Larasati, 2006). Basically, all these definitions were carry out the idea of Principle 15 of the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on The Human Environment: â€Å"Planning must be applied to human settlements and urbanization with a view to avoiding adverse effects on the environment and obtaining maximum social, economic and environmental benefits for all† (UNEP, 1972). A sustainable house is cost-efficient over time, comfortable, cheap to maintain and complements our unique environment (Queensland Government, 2004). â€Å"Sustainable Housing† is a new concept in developing countries and unearthing projects covering all aspects of sustainability proved to be difficult (Ebsen, 2000). For housing that make up a great proportion of building, sustainable housing could be defined as housing practices, which strive for integral quality (including economic, social, and environmental performance) in a broad way (John, Croome & Jeronimidis, 2005). The focus on sustainable housing implies a perspective of flows (Klunder, 2004). From this viewpoint, a sustainable  housing is characterized by the minimization of the environmental impacts of material use, energy consumption and water consumption during the whole service life of the building. 2.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT Malaysia is a developing country heading towards industrialization. The growths of industries bid rapid housing expansion due to the high demand from the customer. A good housing area has to fulfill the health aspect from the building, drainage, clean water supply, domestic waste management and suitable ventilation. The quality of housing and it‟s social, economic and environmental performance is critically important to sustainable development. However, the lacks of practices of project success factors in housing development activities may often bring about water, air and land pollutions thus affecting the natural environment, health and quality of  life. These issues are often raised today as problems of uncontrolled development of housing growth as concern for the environment is not considered. With this concern in mind, housing and other social services become priority in today‟s development programmes which aimed at improving the quality of life and contributing towards the formation of a caring society. However, the issue of sustainable housing are still new and not that familiar in our country. With referring back the house being built in the past decade, those houses were not meeting the essential criteria of sustainability and unfortunately, there are little to none; in depth studies for this matter. Although the homes that create may look good and be cheap to build, they are poor value if they weather poorly, have high energy and other running costs, are expensive to maintain and cannot adapt to changes in use. According to Maylor (1999) those organizations that are most resourceful in seeking out best practices and making those aspects work for them will be the most successful. Although project management has proved its success in many construction projects, there is however some problems associated with the manner in which the system has been selected and/or implemented (Noum S. et al., 2004). Here, critical factors of successful project management were establish to develop a new area of managing sustainable housing for further studies of this research to ensure its potential for future sustainability. 2.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS Based on the problems stated above, two main questions are formed as below: 1) What are the critical factors that are required for the successful implementation of sustainable housing practices? 2) What are the critical factors project management best practices in sustainable housing development? 2.2 OBJECTIVES There are two objectives for this paper: 1) To identify factor that are required for the successful implementation of sustainable housing practice. 2) To establish the success factors that determines the best practices for project management in sustainable housing. 3) To establish guideline for project management best practices for sustainable housing. 3.0 FACTORS EFFECTING PROJECT SUCCESS Nowadays, companies are increasingly using projects in their daily work to achieve company goals. The only way organizations can be driven to achieve excellence is by keeping an eye on competition and world best practice in all aspects of the business (Bendell et. all, 1998). Recently more and more organizations are recognizing that translating corporate strategies into actions requires project management. Consequently, it is vital that projects are successful (Baccarini, 2003). Critical success factors are important influences that contribute to project success. So, critical success factors are the set of circumstances, facts or influences which contribute to the project outcomes. According to Mobey and Parker (2002), to increase the chances of a project succeeding it is necessary for the organisation to have an understanding of what are the success factors, to systematically and quantitatively assess these factors, anticipating possible causes and effects, and then choose appropriate methods of dealing with them. Once identified, the success of the project can be achieved. Generally, the success of a construction project depends on a number of factors, such as project complexity, contractual arrangements, and relationships between project participants, the competency of project managers, and the abilities of key project members (Chua et al., 1999). Bayliss, (2002) in his report said that successful project delivery requires the concerted effort of the project team to carry out the various project activities, but it is the project manager who, at the center of the project network, is responsible for orchestrating the whole construction process. Possessing the core project management competence would help to define the ability of project managers to deliver good performance towards the attainment of project success. The search for factors that influence project success has been growing interest over the past decade. Among researchers that have tried to a certain extent to identify success factors for project management are Pinto and Slevin (1987,1989), Cooke-Davis (2002), Muller and Turner (2003), Belassi and Tukel (1996) and etc. Success factors are those input to the project management system that lead directly or indirectly to the success of the project or business. Belassi and Tukel, 1996, categorized success factors into four main group. These are factors relating to the project, project managers, organization, and external environment. Others researcher, Chan et al., 2002 identify a set of project success factors; project team commitment, contractor‟s competencies, risk and liability assessment, client‟s competencies, end-users needs and constraints imposed by end user. As referred to the ten critical success factors developed by Pinto and Slevin (1986), Pinto and Mantel (1990) suggest that â€Å"these critical success factors were found to be generalisable to a wide variety of project types and organizations†. Their model is one of the most widely quoted lists of critical success factors (Muller and Turner, 2007). However a single set of project success factors may not be suitable for all industries (Lim et al, 1999; Hartman et al, 1996). Liu and Walker 1998 suggest that as industries operate differently, â€Å"a set of critical success factors may not be transferable from one project to another project†¦only generic areas can be identified and used as broad guidelines.† A comprehensive review of the literature research on success factors of project management was conducted. Table 1 gives lists of the critical success factors developed in the various literatures. Several researchers have identified the factors that significantly determine project management success. Based on the frequency analysis, the critical success factors are prioritised as shown in Table 2. Table 1. Summary of literature reviews from various author‟s for project success Author‟s Pinto & Critical Success Factors Belassi Cooke- Baccarini Andersen Hyvari Turner & Khang Slevin & Davies (1999, et al., Muller & (2002) 2003) (2006) (2005,07) Moe (1987,89) Tukel (2006) (1996) (2008) Project Understanding √ √ Top Management Support √ √ Information/Communication √ √ √ √ Client Involvement √ √ √ √ Competent Project Team √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ Authority of the Project Manager/Leader Realistic Cost and Time Estimates √ Adequate Project Control √ √ √ √ √ √ Planning/Controlling Project mission /common goal √ √ Project Ownership √ √ √ √ √ √ √ feedback √ √ √ √ √ √ √ or empirical basis. Table 2: Prioritisation of CSFs Critical Success Factors Prioritised Occurrence No. Frequency of Rank 1 Competent Project Team 8 1 2 Authority of the Project Manager/Leader 6 2 3 Project Understanding 5 3 4 Top Management Support 5 3 √ √ Remark: â€Å"√ † critical success factors that is determined by the authors either on a conceptual Sr. √ √ √ Monitor performance and √ √ √ Adequate Resources √ √ √ Risk Management √ √ √ Problem Solving Abilities √ √ 5 Client Involvement 5 3 6 Project mission /common goal 5 3 7 Adequate Resources 4 4 8 Realistic Cost and Time Estimates 4 4 9 Information/Communication 4 4 10 Project Ownership 3 5 11 Monitor performance and feedback 3 5 12 Planning/Controlling 3 5 13 Risk Management 3 5 14 Adequate Project Control 2 6 15 Problem Solving Abilities 2 6 The frequency analysis in Tables 1 and 2 revealed that there are only one critical success factors in all frameworks in common which is competent project team. The analysis also showed that authority of the project manager/leader is prioritised in rank 2. The analysis further revealed that 5 out of the 8 frameworks have four critical success factors in common: Project Understanding, Top Management Support, Client Involvement and Project Mission/common goal. The Adequate Resources, Realistic Cost and Time Estimates and information/Communication success factors have their presence in forth frameworks respectively. The other critical success factors (namely, Project ownership, Monitor performance and feedback, Planning/Controlling and Risk Management) are presented in very few frameworks (Table 1 and 2). Meanwhile, the other two factors were not commonly found in the literature which is adequate project control and problem solving abilities. 4.0 FACTORS OF PROJECT SUCCESS FOR SUSTAINABLE HOUSING The subject of project management is vast and numerous authors continuously add to the body of literature on the subject. According to the Project Management Institute (2004), the discipline of project management can be defined as follows: Project management is the art of directing and coordinating human and material resources throughout the life of a project by using modern management techniques to achieve predetermined objectives of scope, cost, time, quality and participation satisfaction. Project management best practices may be described as optimum way of performing work to achieve high performance (Ramabadron et all., 1997). According to Dey (2002), current project management practices of organizations in the industry sector do not always ensure success. The main problems with projects planning and implementation have been cost and time overruns and quality non-achievement. Dey (2002) stated that the main contributing factors are: ï‚ · Expansion of the scope and subsequent quality increases of input resources; ï‚ · Engineering and design changes; ï‚ · Underestimation and incorrect estimation and ï‚ · Unforeseen inflation ï‚ · Project size and complexity and etc. Dey, (2002) illustrates projects management growing popularity has stimulated interest in how companies compare in their application of project management process, tools and techniques. Successful project management can contribute towards project success but is unlikely to be able to prevent project failure (de Wit, 1988). The various variables affecting the success factors are identified in the  previous section. There are Project Understanding, Top Management, Support Communication, Client Involvement, Competent Project Team, Authority of Top Level, Realistic Cost and Time Estimates, Adequate Project Control, Problem Solving Abilities, Risk Management, Adequate Resources, Planning/Controlling, Monitor performance and feedback, Project mission /Common goal, and Project Ownership. Furthermore, a new conceptual framework that includes the indentified variables of project success is shown in Fig. 1. Its show that variables project success can influence a variable of criteria measuring sustainable housing. Figure 1: Framework of Project Management Success Factors in Sustainable Housing. Project Management Success Factor Criteria Measuring Sustainable Housing: Competent Project Team Authority of the Project Manager/Leader Project Understanding Top Management Support Client Involvement Project mission /common goal Adequate Resources Realistic Cost and Time Estimates Information/Communication Project Ownership Monitor performance and feedback Planning/Controlling Risk Management Adequate Project Control Problem Solving Abilities ï‚ · Energy Efficiency ï‚ · Use of Materials ï‚ · Water Efficiency ï‚ · Disposal ï‚ · Site Issues ï‚ · Green ï‚ · Traffic ï‚ · Outdoor environment and Indoor environment Project Management Success Factors in Sustainable Housing – Economically ; are cost-efficient over the lifespan of the dwelling – Environmental/Ecology ; are resource efficient in terms of materials, waste, water and energy – Social/Community ; are safe, flexible and comfortable for people with varying abilities * Critical success factor of project management were establish to come out the best practices in new area in Sustainable Housing. An extensive literature survey on sustainable housing also has been carried out to select criteria measurement frameworks for this study. The relevant literature has revealed that different researchers have adopted similar sustainability criteria‟s framework that consider on three basic themes of the sustainable construction; social, environmental, and economic. Below, there are a few literatures findings in term of criteria of measuring sustainable housing: 1. Winston (2007) have carried out some important characteristics of sustainable housing include: sustainable land-use planning; resisting scattered settlements; housing close to employment and public transport; higher residential densities; sustainable construction; high standards of energy efficiency in use of dwellings; housing availability, affordability and quality; access to green space, and a high quality residential environment. Many sustainable building indicator sets are derived from conceptual models (Winston and Pareja, 2008). 2. Blaauw (1997), the following environmental theme are derived from a workbook for sustainable building and housing: Energy, Use of Materials, Water, Disposal, Site, Green, Traffic, Outdoor environment and Indoor environment. 3. Building Environmental Science & Technology (B.E.S.T), formulated residential green building guidelines: Emphasize the reduce, recycle, re-use, renewable; use energy, water and resource efficiently; healthy indoor air quality; building has affordable community; development creates a sense of well-being; the home remains reasonably affordable and cost effective. 4. (Bennett and James, 1999) Effective sustainability measurement should consider the complete triple bottom line of economic, environmental, and societal performance which is: a) Social Sustainability ï‚ · Healthy internal environment ï‚ · Safety (personal, household and environmental) ï‚ · Provision of social amenity ï‚ · Provision of recreation amenity ï‚ · Accessibility to jobs and amenities b) Economic Sustainability ï‚ · Cost efficient over time ï‚ · Adaptability with min. cost ï‚ · Affordability ï‚ · Job creations and local economy c) Environmental Sustainability ï‚ · Energy efficiency ï‚ · Water efficiency/Conservation ï‚ · Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions ï‚ · Waste management / recycling ï‚ · Material efficiency ï‚ · Pollution prevention– noise, water, air ï‚ · Optimization & conservation of land ï‚ · Protect and enhance biodiversity ï‚ · Reduction of car dependency 5. Green Building Manual from the US Department of Energy (DOE) & Public Technology, Inc. (PTI) include the following points: ï‚ · Site Issues: selection of building sites, landscaping, watershed, site materials and equipment ï‚ · Building Design: building systems (heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, electrical and plumbing systems) and indoor environmental quality ï‚ · Construction Process ï‚ · Operations & Maintenance ï‚ · Economics & Environment: energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, construction costs, building maintenance & management savings. For the purpose of this research, eight aspects of criteria sustainability that can be used to analyze sustainable housing , were derived from the six environmental themes that are distinguished The National Measures for Sustainable Building (Hendriks, 2001): ï‚ · Energy: reducing the demand for energy, promoting the use of sustainable energy resources and using energy efficiently ï‚ · Materials: more efficient use of materials, reducing waste and removing it responsibly ï‚ · Water: reducing water usage, preventing land drying up, and protecting water quality ï‚ · Indoor Environment: improving air quality, improving thermal comfort, and reducing noise levels. ï‚ · Surrounding Environment: supporting bio-diversity, strengthening the perception of the environment (including maintaining old townscapes) and reducing nuisance (noise, wind, odor) ï‚ · Miscellaneous: improving the flexibility of the home with regard to accommodating new functions and improving safety It is expected that study of project management best practices in the extent of project success could lead toward meeting criteria of sustainable housing. This approach in sustainable housing area will provide much needed information to local authorities to take more effective control of housing issues. 5.0 CONCLUSION The implementation of success factors for project management in sustainable housing is important in other to ensure project success. Apparently, the sustainable housing is one of the major contributors to the development of any country. Unfortunately, in our country Malaysia, the issue of sustainable housing development is still new and not yet the proactive action had been taken to develop the housing sector in sustainable way. Thus, this research is proposed to identify success factors for project management in sustainable housing area. At the end of this paper, a new area of managing sustainable housing for future direction of this research will identified. A list of critical success factors from various authors for project management success for sustainable housing development in Malaysia was established. Further work is needed to explore in more detail which factors are important and to understand how the factors interact with each other in sustainable housing area. 6.0 REFERENCES Andersen, E.S., Jessen, S.A. (2000), â€Å"Project evaluation scheme†, Project Management, Vol. 6 No.1, pp.61-9. Baccarini D. (2003), Critical Success Factors for Projects. Faculty of The Built Environment, Art and Design Curtin University of Technology, Australia. Belassi W, Tukel OI (1996), A new framework for determining critical success/failure factors in projects. International Journal of Project Management. 14(3): 141-151. Bell, S and Morse, S (2003), Measuring Sustainability: Learning from Doing. Earthscan: London, UK. Bendell, T., Boulter, L. and Kelly, J. (1998), Benchmarking for Competitive Advantage, Pitman, London. Bennett M., James P. (1999). Sustainable Measures: Evaluation and Reporting of Environmental and Social Performance. Greenleaf, Sheffield, UK. Blaauw, drs. F.J. (1997), Werkboek Duurzaam Bouwen en Wonen. Alphen aan de Rijn: Samsam HD Tjeenk Willink bv. Building Environmental Science & Technology (B.E.S.T.). „Green Building‟ – http://www.energybuilder.com/greenbld.htm#top Chan, A.P.C., Scott, D. and Lam, E.W.M. (2002) Framework of Success Criteria for Design/Build Projects. Journal of Management in Engineering Vol. 18 (3), pp. 122128. Choguill, C. L. (2007), The search for policies to support sustainable housing. Habitat International, pp 143-149. Chua DKH, Kog YC, Loh PK (1999), â€Å"Critical success factors for different project objectives.† Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, pp. 142-150 Cooke-Davis, T. (2002). „The â€Å"real† success factors on projects‟, International Journal of Management, 20 (3), pp. 185-190 de Wit, (1988), â€Å"Measurement of project management success†, International Journal of Project Management, Vol.6 (3), pp. 164-170. Dey, P.K. (2002), â€Å"Benchmarking project management practices of Caribbean organizations using analytic hierarchy process†, Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol.9 No.3, pp. 326-356. Ding, G.K.C (2008), Sustainable Construction-The role of environmental assessment tools. Journal of environmental management, 86, 451-464. Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and The Environment (1990), Nationaal milieubeleidsplan-plus; notitie instrumentarium + duurzaam bauwen, Sdu. Den Haag. Ebsen C., Ramboll B. (2000). International Review Of Sustainable Low-Cost Housing Projects Proceedings: Strategies for a Sustainable Built Environment, Pretoria, 23-25 August 2000 Green Building Manual from the US Department of Energy (DOE) & Public Technology, Inc. (PTI) Hartman F, Ashrafi R. (1996). Failed successes and failures. PMI Annual Seminar/Symposium, Boston, PD 35, 1-5, Hendriks, (2001). Sustainable Construction. Boxtel, The Netherlands : AEnas technical publishers. John. G., Croome D.C and Jeronimidis G. (2005), Sustainable building solutions: a review of lessons from the natural world. Building and Environment, 40(3): 317-326. Khang D.B and Moe T.L, (2008). Success Criteria and Factors for International Development Projects: A Life Cycle-based Framework, Project Management Journal, Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 72-84. Klunder G. (2004), The Search for The Most Eco-efficient Strategies for Sustainable Construction; Dutch lessons, Journal of Housing and The Built Environment pp 111126. Langston, C. A. & Ding, G. K. C. (2001) (Eds.), Sustainable practices in the built environment, Langston, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Larasati D. (2006).Towards An Integral Approach Of Sustainable Housing In Indonesia With An Analysis Of Current Practices In Java. Delft University Of Technology – The Netherlands Lim, C.S. and Mohamed, M.Z (1999), â€Å"Criteria of project success: an exploratory reexamination†, International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 243-8. Liu, A.M.M. and Walker A. (1998), Evaluation of project outcomes. Construction Management and Economics; Vol. 16 No.2, pp. 209-219. Malaysian Government (1999), Seventh Malaysia Plan, Percetakan Nasional Berhad, Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian Government (2001), Eight Malaysia Plan, Percetakan Nasional Berhad, Kuala Lumpur Mylor H. (1999), Project Management, 2nd ed. London: Financial Times. Meldon, J. (1998), Learning Sustainability by Doing – Regional Integration by the Social Partners, European Commission and the Department of Environment and Local Goverment, Dublin. Mobey A, Parker D (2002). Risk evaluation and its importance to project implementation. Int. J. Productivity and Performance Manage., 51(4): 202 – 208. Moles R. Kelly R., (2000), Towards Sustainable Development in The Mid-West Region of Ireland. Environmental Management and Health, Vol. 11 No.5 pp 422-432. Muller R, Turner JR (2003). On the nature of the project as a temporary organization. Int. J. Project Manage, 21(1): 1 Muller R, Turner JR (2005). The project manager‟s leadership style as a success factor on projects: A literature review. Project Management Journal,36(2): 49 – 61 Muller R., Turner R. (2007), â€Å"The influence of project managers on project success criteria and project success by type of project.† European Management Journal Vol. 25 (4), pp. 298-307 OECD. (1998) Towards Sustainable Development – Environmental Indicators. OECD Code 971998031P1. Olejado, E.O. (2003), Implication of Designs and Material Specifications on Housing Development. Proceedings: Housing Development in Nigeria – Which Way Forward, Lagos State of Nigeria. 1st & 2nd April, 2003. Pinto JK, Slevin DP (1989). Critical success factors in R & D projects. 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VROM (Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning, and the Environment); The Netherlands. 2005. Sustainable Refurbishment of High-Rise Residential Buildings and Restructuring of Surrounding Areas in Europe. Report for EuropeanHousing Ministers‟ Conference held in Prague, Czech Republic, 14 -15 March 2005. Winston N., Pareja M., (2008). Sustainable Housing in the Urban Context: International Sustainable Development Indicator Sets and Housing, Social Indicators Research; Vol. 87 Issue 2, p211-221 World Commission on Environment and Development (1987), Our Common Future, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Zinkernagel.R (2001), Indicators to measure sustainable development in urban residental areas. Thesis for the fulfillment of the Master of Science in Environmental Management and Policy. Lund University : Lund, Sweden.

Chorographic Fusion between Contemporary Dance and Indigenous Movement in Bangarra Dance Theatre Essay

Chorographic Fusion between Contemporary Dance and Indigenous Movement in Bangarra Dance Theatre Stephen Page has been the Artistic director of Bangarra Dance Theatre since 1991. During this time he has choreographed many works, including his two major pieces Ochres and Fish. Ochres was first performed in Sydney in 1995 playing an essential part in traditional life and it explored the significance of ochres. Fish is also about the earth and the power of the elements, Fish focused on the waters of the earth and the wealth of life. Bangarra gets its inspiration from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditions and deals with the contemporary issues the Indigenous population face. Ochres is a work with four parts to it, Yellow, Black, Red and White,(colours representing Aboriginal culture and heritage) with each section representing the following: Yellow showing the female spirit, Black displaying the male energy, Red being about contemporary social issues and White takes inspiration from what has come and using it to create a new world. Using the ochres is a traditional ritual done before dancing on the earth, it welcomes the story to the earth and this is done at the start of Ochres. Djakapurra Munyarryun is Bangarras cultural consultant and is featured in Ochres to display the traditional paint up and preparation of cleansing the earth. This traditional element in Indigenous dance and is much more detailed than what is performed in Ochres. In the section Yellow, Page has used choreographic fusion between contemporary dance and indigenous movement. The dancers are imitating animal movement which is taken from traditional Indigenous dance. However most of the movement in Yellow is presented in an abstract contemporary way. Black starts with Munyarryun wiping the ochre across his forehead, this is a traditional element that is repeated in Black. The stick dance in Black is about men competing for hunting grounds and has a traditional meaning. Most of Ochres has traditional meanings that are displayed though contemporary dance. The fusion between the contemporary dance and the indigenous movement is clear in Black with a lot of animal imitation. Fish also has four sections to it, Fish, Swamp, Traps and Reef. They are all about the waters of the earth and the mysteries they contain. Both traditional movement and contemporary dance is shown in Fish and each section displays this in its own way. The contemporary expression of traditional parts of Indigenous culture in Fish is shown when the men are hunting for fish in the section  Traps. They have spears and are demonstrating how they traditionally caught fish. The choreographic intent of the hunting movement achieved the message of their traditional ways but told a whole story through the abstract contemporary outlook. Fish has many traditional elements that are expressed through contemporary dance; this includes things such as movement, music and costumes. The Music in Fish changes from their traditional music with instruments like the didgeridoo into a more techno and modern upbeat sound. Throughout Ochres the music has a combination of the traditional and contemporary music. Indigenous chanting in both pieces displays the relevance of the Indigenous culture in Ochres and Fish. The costumes in Fish look like creatures of the ocean, they have a scaly effect but are kept simple. Jeans are also used in Fish as costumes other than the traditional body paint that is still shown in other sections. In Ochres there is a section that has the woman dancing topless, this is done in low light and is very traditional and acceptable in this form of dancing. Page has also incorporated costumes that are very modern in contemporary dance in Ochres, in the section Red a lot of the items of clothing are beautiful and modern but still contain that Indigenous feel. Bangarra Dance Theatre is important to Australia because it has so much history behind every single dance that Page creates. It celebrates the communities and cultures of the indigenous people in a unique way. It’s living traditions go back at least 40,000 years with the Indigenous people of Australia and reflects the lives of Indigenous people today. Contemporary dance embraces traditional stories that admire the histories and identity of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. The culture, values and traditions of Indigenous Australians inspires movement in Bangarra Dance Theatre. This company tells a story about the history of the indigenous people to Australia to the world. It is important that the Indigenous culture is never forgotten and Bangarras artistically creative works make sure that they aren’t. Ochres and Fish have many parts that are traditional to Indigenous culture with animal imitation, the paint up and preparation with ochre and the representation of what the earth means to their culture. Bangarra Dance Theatre is important to Australia and to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Stephen Page has created many works with a fusion of contemporary dance and traditional movement. This is important because it’s apart of Australian heritage and our history. Bangarras distinctive choreography portrays stories and highlights important traditions through contemporary dance.

Database Management Systems in Charities

Database Management Systems in Charities Introduction Background information The modern world has become smaller and people are becoming more responsible. This trend is manifested through appearance of numerous non-profit organisations that help underprivileged people or simply people in need. At the same time, not-for-profit organisations often fail to achieve their goals and operate ineffectively due to the use of inefficient database management systems.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Database Management Systems in Charities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Modern organisations have to handle significant amount of information including data on operations, accounting, human resources, customer support and so on. It is noteworthy that churches are now seen as organisations that also need proper information management (Carlson Lueken 2013; Hegstad 2013). Clearly, numerous database management systems have been utilised by for-profit companies and there a re quite many efficient systems. However, not all of them can be used by charities. For instance, these organisations need specific software for such operations as donation management. Notably, IT companies provide numerous products to meet these organisations’ needs (Kensington Temple manages donations n.d.; Church management software 2014). IT companies are developing database management systems for nonprofit organisations that address other issues as well. It is possible to identify most widespread systems employed by charities. Top three systems are Blackbaud, Network for Good and FirstGiving (Top non-profit software 2014). It is noteworthy that 81% of reporting non-profit organisations accept online donations and this increases the need in a comprehensive and reliable data management system (2014 state of the not-for-profit industry 2014). UK nonprofit organisations as well as churches have already acknowledged benefits of the use of efficient database management systems and utilisation of such a system is seen as an advantage and a sign of effectiveness as well as transparency of the organisation (The Methodist Church in Britain 2014).Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There are numerous guidelines on the use of these systems for charities and churches (Kuschewsky 2014; Protecting data, protecting people 2013; Keep or bin? 2009). This also suggests that increased attention towards the issue exists in the society and among non-profit organisations. Purpose of the Study This research aims at identifying major issues not-for-profit organisations and churches in UK face when using database management systems and effective solutions to handle the problems. The research will cover such major areas as donations management, volunteer management, HR management, safety, transparency and compliance with standards. Such issue as employee tr aining will also be touched upon. The present study will explore latest advances in this field through analysis of resources available on the matter. It is also important to understand how charities’ employees see database management systems. It is necessary to learn whether they find these systems helpful, efficient and easy to use. Furthermore, it is important to understand whether employees can utilise the systems and whether there is sufficient training. Finally, the study will also cover strategies used by employees to handle issues they face while using data management systems. All this information will provide insights into advantages and shortcomings of database management systems used and will help outline areas of improvement. Literature Review Researchers stress that effective information management enables companies to remain competitive (Botten 2007; Light 2004). When it comes to charities, these organisations often face more issues as some of tools employed by f or-profit companies is inapplicable. Hackler and Saxton (2007) explore issues non-profit organisations face by analysing literature existing on the matter and they conclude that charities have to enhance their capacities in such spheres of IT planning as budgeting, support, staffing, Internet capabilities, training and so on. Researchers stress that charities have to invest into efficient database management systems to be able to manage information effectively (Campbell 2009; Dutton 2013). Poister (2008) believes that performance of non-profit organisations depends on the choice of the database management system (which also has to be assessed in terms of its performance).Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Database Management Systems in Charities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Not-for-profit organisations tend to utilise systems employed by other (for-profit) companies as well as systems developed for charities. C alabrese (2011) provides a brief account of existing database management systems that are often used in not-for-profit organisations. It has been acknowledged that some database systems are not appropriate for charities (The non-profit marketplace 2008). Thus, Voida, Harmon and Al-Ani (2011) focus on challenges non-profit organisations face when it comes to volunteer management and coordination. It has been acknowledged that churches are also organisations that need effective information management and specific needs of these organisations have been addressed (Cappel 2002; Wrenn 2013). Pynes (2009) reveals peculiarities of human resources management in organisations (including charities) and provides helpful insights into the use of database management systems addressing this part of any organisation’s operations. It is noteworthy that there is significant bulk of literature on different types of database management system. For instance, Buttle (2008) provides a detailed acco unt of different types of database management systems that can be used in numerous settings. It is noteworthy that researchers focus on flexibility that is important for charities. For instance, Kumar et al. (2012) develop a system that is flexible and able to address the needs of a charity organisation. DeBrabant et al. (2013) introduce a new approach to database management systems and a new architecture. Clearly, data safety is another concern of any organisation and charities are no exception. Thus, all stakeholders (non-profits’ employees, donators, and so on) have to be protected and this is one of central factors to pay attention to when choosing the right database management system (Parsons Oja 2008; Hingarh Ahmed 2013; Stair Reynolds 2013). Hasan (2009) reveals effective solutions for protecting data in regulatory-compliant and provenance databases.Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Apart from this, researchers note that there is need in transparency and efficient database management systems can enable charities and churches address this need (Study on recent public and self-regulatory initiative 2009; Chasteen Lampkin 2012). Hence, Behn, DeVries and Lin (2010) research determinants of transparency in charities and note that the organisation’s size, contribution ratio and compensation expense ratio are factors that affect charities’ readiness to share information. Brody (2012) stresses that donators, officials, volunteers and the rest of the society expect more transparency on the part of non-profit organisations. Another important issue addressed by researchers is these organisations’ compliance with certain standards. Sloan (2008) stresses that these organisations’ compliance with standards is meaningful for donators and it may shape the way donators see nonprofits. Moutchnik (2008) analyses the recent trend associated with the us e of ISO standards by churches and argues that it enhances these organisations’ accountability. Methodology Qualitative Method As has been mentioned above, the purpose of this research is to identify issues related to the use of database management systems non-profit organisations face and ways they try to handle the problems. Therefore, it is important to identify systems used, problems that occur, strategies employed to handle the issues and success stories. Neergaard and Ulhoi (2007) note that it is beneficial to use combined research methods in entrepreneurship. The present paper will be based on qualitative research method. Alvesson and Skoldberg (2009) note that phenomenological approach can be used to determine existing knowledge on a phenomenon. Since the present study aims at identifying certain phenomenon, it is possible to use this approach. The phenomenological research implies analysis of existing literature on certain phenomenon and developing ties between the e xisting literature and particular processes taking place in the society. Data collection and analysis: literature analysis Therefore, the present study will involve analysis of literature available on the matter and a survey including a number of interviews. Literature review will include analysis of articles from peer reviewed journals, books, newspaper articles. Websites and reports of certain charities will also be examined. These reports will help determine attention paid by the organisation to the data management system (The church of Scotland 2013; Charitylog 2013). Forty resources will be included in the analysis. Grounded theory will be used to analyse the literature available. Maxwell (2012) stresses that this is the most appropriate approach for literature analysis as it enables to explain and extend the scope of the field. Major areas of concern will be identified. As has been mentioned above specific attention will be paid to donations, human resources, volunteer managem ent, data protection and transparency. This analysis will affect development of questionnaires for the survey and interviews. Major concerns revealed in the literature will be included in the questionnaires. Data collection and analysis: survey and interviews The survey will be held with the help of the Internet. Questionnaires developed on the basis of the literature analysis will be sent via emails to employees of noprofit organisations (including local churches). Participants will be managers (of different levels) working in charity organisations for more than a month. They will be selected randomly. Prior to this heads of non-profit organisations will be addressed to obtain their consent. Since this is a qualitative research, major attention will be paid to participants answers though the questionnaires will include participants’ personal data (which can be used for further research) It is planned to process around forty questionnaires containing questions on database man agement systems used, issues occurring and approaches to handle problems. The questionnaires will include close as well as open questions and participants will be able to provide detailed answers. Grounded theory will be employed to analyse questionnaires as well as data obtained during the interviews. Again, major attention will be paid to areas mentioned above. At that, specific attention will be paid to strategies employees exploit to handle issues that occur. The questionnaire will include 25 questions and participants will be given sufficient time to complete them. They will send completed questionnaires via email. The final stage of the research will include interviews with ten managers. The interviewees will be chosen based on the answers in their questionnaires. Apart from revealing issues employees face, the research aims at identifying effective solutions used to address these issues. Therefore, the most effective (or unusual strategies) reported by employees in their ques tionnaires will get most attention. Participants generating such solutions will be invited to the interview. The interviews will be held in quasi-relaxed setting: either in the workplace (for example, meeting room) or in the park. The interviews will be recorded. The questions asked at the interview will be developed on the basis of the survey results. The major aim of the interviews is to elicit interviewees’ attitude towards database management system and the way they handle issues. Grounded theory will be used to analyse the data collected during the interviews. Clearly, written consent will be obtained from all participants who will be notified about the purpose of the research. Conclusion In conclusion, the research will identify issues associated with the use of database management systems in charities as well as churches and effective ways to handle these problems. The study is based on qualitative research method and the data obtained will help elicit employeesâ€℠¢ attitude towards the use of a data management system. Apart from qualitative analysis of data, some recommendations to managers of not-for-profit organisations will be provided. This study will expand the scope of knowledge on the matter. It will also reveal issues existing in the field. Admittedly, the present research has a number of limitations. For instance, the number of participants is quite limited. More so, organisations and churches located in the UK are researched. Hence, the study will be limited geographically. Though the research may be statistically insignificant, it will unveil major issues existing in the field. 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Kuschewsky, M 2014, Big data analysis is possible without infringing key privacy principles, says international working group, The National Law Review, natlawreview.com/article/big-data-analysis-possible-without-infringing-key-privacy-principles-says-internatio. Light, PC 2004, Sustaining non-profit performance: the case for capacity building and the evidence to support it, Brookings Institution Press, Washington, DC. Maxwell, JA 2012, Qualitative research design: an interactive approach, SAGE, London. Moutchnik, A 2008, Churches embrace ISO management system standards, ISO Management Systems, pp. 1-19. Neergaard, H Ulhoi, JP 2 007, Handbook of qualitative research methods in entrepreneurship, Edward Elgar Publishing, Northampton, MA. Parsons, JJ Oja, D 2008, New perspectives on computer concepts 2010: comprehensive, Cengage Learning, Boston, MA. Poister, TH 2008, Measuring performance in public and non-profit organisations, John Wiley Sons, San Francisco, CA. Protecting data, protecting people: a guide for charities 2013, cfg.org.uk/resources/Publications/~/media/Files/Resources/CFDG%20Publications/Data_Protection2013.ashx. Pynes, JE 2009, Human resources management: for public and non-profit organisations, John Wiley Sons, San Francisco, CA. Sloan, MF 2008, The effects of non-profit accountability ratings on donor behaviour, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, vol. 20, no. 10, pp. 1-17. Stair, R Reynolds, G 2013, Principles of information systems, Cengage Learning, Boston, MA. Study on recent public and self-regulatory initiatives improving transparency and accountability of non-profit organis ations in the European Union 2009, http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/doc_centre/terrorism/docs/initiatives_improving_transparency_accountability_npos_avr09.pdf. The church of Scotland 2013, churchofscotland.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/14419/unincorporated_report_and_accounts.pdf. The Methodist Church in Britain 2014, theaccessgroup.com/media/2166838/methodistcs.pdf. The non-profit marketplace bridging the information gap 2008, hewlett.org/uploads/files/whitepaper.pdf. Top non-profit software 2014, capterra.com/fundraising-software/#infographic. Voida, A, Harmon, E Al-Ani, B 2011, Homebrew databases: complexities of everyday information management in non-profit organisations, CHI, http://ellieharmon.com/docs/VoidaHarmonAlAni-Homebrew-CHI2011.pdf. Wrenn, T 2013, Innovative planning: your church in 4-D, Chalice Press, Danvers, MA.

Free Essays on Good Country People

Flannery O’Connor’s Use of Irony in â€Å"Good Country People† â€Å"Good Country People† by Flannery O’Connor is an excellent example of irony in literature. From beginning to end it has a steady demonstration of irony, much of it implied in the title of the story, â€Å"Good Country People.† As the story opens, we meet Mrs. Freeman, wife of the hired hand. She and her husband have been working for Mrs. Hopewell for four years. â€Å"The reason for her keeping them so long was that they were not trash. They were ‘Good Country People,’† according to Mrs. Hopewell (396). Ironically one of the first things we learn about Mrs. Freeman is that her previous employer has called her the nosiest woman ever to walk the earth. Then, as the story progresses, we learn she has a special fondness for the details of secret infections, hidden deformities, assaults upon children. It seems that for a good country person she has a vicious curiosity in the macabre. She particularly enjoys hearing all the details of how Hulga had her leg literally blasted off in a hunting accident. In affect, O’Connor exposes a cynical and ironic outlook of Hulga in â€Å"Good Country People† that is told throughout the story. As the story moves on we can see the conflict between Mrs. Hopewell and her daughter Hulga. Hulga treats her mother with disdain, and does everything she can to emphasize her own individuality. She professes to believe in nothing. â€Å"My daughter is an atheist and won’t let me keep the Bible in the parlor† exclaims Mrs. Hopewell (400). Hulga is a proud intellectual and has little doubt of her belief in â€Å"nothingness.† However, ironically in the end she is proven to be very much like her mother in that she falls prey to the same naà ¯ve stereotypes as her mother. Hulga believes Manley Pointer to be â€Å"Good Country People,† and is shocked to find out that he is not the good Christian bible salesman she thought him to be. As we fir... Free Essays on Good Country People Free Essays on Good Country People Flannery O’Connor’s Use of Irony in â€Å"Good Country People† â€Å"Good Country People† by Flannery O’Connor is an excellent example of irony in literature. From beginning to end it has a steady demonstration of irony, much of it implied in the title of the story, â€Å"Good Country People.† As the story opens, we meet Mrs. Freeman, wife of the hired hand. She and her husband have been working for Mrs. Hopewell for four years. â€Å"The reason for her keeping them so long was that they were not trash. They were ‘Good Country People,’† according to Mrs. Hopewell (396). Ironically one of the first things we learn about Mrs. Freeman is that her previous employer has called her the nosiest woman ever to walk the earth. Then, as the story progresses, we learn she has a special fondness for the details of secret infections, hidden deformities, assaults upon children. It seems that for a good country person she has a vicious curiosity in the macabre. She particularly enjoys hearing all the details of how Hulga had her leg literally blasted off in a hunting accident. In affect, O’Connor exposes a cynical and ironic outlook of Hulga in â€Å"Good Country People† that is told throughout the story. As the story moves on we can see the conflict between Mrs. Hopewell and her daughter Hulga. Hulga treats her mother with disdain, and does everything she can to emphasize her own individuality. She professes to believe in nothing. â€Å"My daughter is an atheist and won’t let me keep the Bible in the parlor† exclaims Mrs. Hopewell (400). Hulga is a proud intellectual and has little doubt of her belief in â€Å"nothingness.† However, ironically in the end she is proven to be very much like her mother in that she falls prey to the same naà ¯ve stereotypes as her mother. Hulga believes Manley Pointer to be â€Å"Good Country People,† and is shocked to find out that he is not the good Christian bible salesman she thought him to be. As we fir...

Path to Legalization for Illegal Immigrants in the US

Path to Legalization for Illegal Immigrants in the US Should the United States provide a path to legalization for illegal immigrants? The issue has been at the forefront of American politics for years, and the debate shows no signs of abating. What does a nation do with the millions of people residing in its country illegally? History of Immigrating to the US Illegal immigrants, often referred to as illegal aliens, are defined by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 as people who are not citizens or nationals of the United States. They are foreign nationals who come to the United States without following the legal immigration process to enter and remain in the country; in other words, anyone born in a country other than the United States to parents who are not United States citizens. The reasons for immigrating vary, but generally, people are looking for better opportunities and a higher quality of life than they would have in their native countries. Illegal immigrants do not have the proper legal documentation to be in the country, or they have overstayed their time allotted, perhaps on a tourist or student visa. They  cannot vote, and they cannot receive social services from federally funded programs or social security benefits; they cannot hold United States passports. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 provided amnesty to 2.7 illegal immigrants already in the United States and established sanctions for employers who knowingly hired illegal aliens. Additional laws were passed in the 1990s to help curb the growing number of illegal aliens, but they were largely ineffective. Another bill for immigration reform was introduced in 2007 but ultimately failed. It would have provided legal status to approximately 12 million illegal immigrants. President Donald Trump has gone back and forth on the immigration issue, going so far as to offer a merit-based legal immigration system. Nevertheless, Trump says he is intent on restoring integrity and the rule of law to our borders, and prompted the longest government shutdown to date (34 days) with his demand of funding for a southern border wall. A Path Toward Legalization The path toward becoming a legal US citizen is called naturalization; this process is overseen by the US Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service (BCIS). There are four paths to legal status for undocumented, or illegal, immigrants. Path 1: Green Card The first path to becoming a legal citizen is to obtain a Green Card by marrying a US  citizen or a lawful permanent resident. But, according to Citizenpath, if the foreign spouse and children or stepchildren entered the United States without inspection and remained in the United States, they must leave the country and conclude their immigration process through US consulates abroad to obtain the green card. More importantly, says Citizenpath, If the immigrating spouse and/or children over 18 years of age resided in the United States unlawfully for at least 180 days (6 months) but less than one year, or they remained more than one year, they could then be automatically barred from re-entry to the United States for 3-10 years respectively once they leave the United States. In some cases, these immigrants can apply for a waiver if they can prove extreme and unusual hardship.   Path 2: DREAMers The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is a program established in 2012 to protect illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children. Donald Trumps administration in 2017 threatened to undo the act but has yet to do so. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act was first introduced in 2001 as bipartisan legislation, and its main provision was to provide permanent resident status upon completion of two years of college or service in the military. The American Immigration Council states that with the country currently gripped by political polarization, bipartisan support for the DREAM Act has waned. In turn, more narrow proposals have circulated that either restrict eligibility for permanent residency to a smaller group of young people or offer no dedicated path to permanent residency (and, eventually, US citizenship). Path 3: Asylum Citizenpath says that asylum is available to illegal immigrants who have suffered persecution in his or her home country or who has a well-founded fear of persecution if he or she were to return to that country.  Persecution  must be based on one of the following five groups: race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. Also according to Citizenpath, requirements for eligibility include the following: You must be present in the United States (by legal or illegally entry); you are unable or unwilling to return to your home country due to past persecution or have a well-founded fear of future persecution if you return; the reason for persecution is related to one of five things: race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and you are not involved with an activity that would bar you from asylum. Path 4: U Visas The U Visa - a non-immigrant visa - is reserved for crime victims who have assisted law enforcement. Citizenpath says U Visa holders have legal status in the United States, receive employment authorization (work permit) and even a possible path to citizenship.   The U Visa was created by the US Congress in October 2000  by the passage of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. To qualify, an illegal immigrant must have suffered substantial physical or mental abuse as a result of having been a victim of a qualifying criminal activity; must have information concerning that criminal activity; must have been helpful, is being helpful or is likely to be helpful in the investigation or prosecution of the crime; and the criminal activity must have violated US laws.

The Turning Point of World War II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Turning Point of World War II - Essay Example Even though the United States was a world power with enormous resources - therefore earning the wariness of the Axis powers - it sat all the way on a different continent. The problem for the Allies was how to leverage these resources to win the war (ibid). The shipping lanes were already rank with the danger of German Uboats making the delivery of supplies and materiel dangerous. The Japanese owned the Pacific waters having built up their naval forces to include a dizzying armada or carriers, battleships, cruisers and destroyers. The pre-emptive strike at Pearl Harbor was meant to totally destroy the American naval force, which was seen by the Japanese as a threat to their Pacific dominance. In the face of the Axis momentum and advantage, America was faced with battle at two fronts, the European and Pacific. They believe that to win the war, victory in Europe against Hitler and Mussolini was imperative before tackling the Japanese(ibid). Therefore it was with this strategy that the Allied forces decided to halt the Axis onslaught. The tide turned in the favor of the Allies inexorably on both fronts during the Russian victory at Stalingrad and the British victory at el-Alamein. In the Pacific, it was the battle of Midway that capped a change of momentum to the Allied forces' favor. The battle at El Alamein - w... If the Germans were successful in broaching those lines, it would have spelled disaster for the Allies, particularly so because it was perilously close to the Suez Canal, a vital shipping link. (Kennedy, et al., 436). The Germans Afrikaa Corps were led by Field Marshall Irwin Rommel, nicknamed the Desert Fox for his daring and cunning in battle. Rommel caught the admiration and esteem of even his Allied foes, and was well-respected as a battle commander. The British forces, led by General Bernard Montgomery, and supplemented by several hundred Sherman tanks pushed back the German forces to Tunisia, 1000 miles away. (ibid) Another major setback for the Germans was their surprising defeat at Stalingrad. Hitler had hoped to sweep through the Russian motherland in a quick and timely fashion. However, Hitler underestimated the Russian winter and the determined resistance by the Russian Red Army. This led to many strategic errors. The German army subsequently had to tie up much resources and time towards conquering Russia. Their defeat was costly, not only in terms of men, supplies, and war materiel, but also strategically. El Alamein was costly because it signified the loss of one of Germany's best generals. Rommel was called back to Germany, and following his implication in an attempted assassination of Hitler, was forced to commit suicide. The Russian and African setbacks pushed back the forces of Hitler at with great casualties. From this point onwards, the Germans were on the defensive, suffering from the effects of having too many objectives and spreading their forces out too thin in the face of a greater opponent (Bailin et al., 762). Midway and the Pacific The Pacific Theater was different from the European theater in the sense that it was

Contract law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Contract law - Essay Example Since a breach of contract implies that one of the parties to a contract has suffered a loss or injuries, the law requires that the other party pay for damages to the injured party. Award of damages to the injured party is the major remedy which is available at common law for breach of contract. In general terms, damages refer to the monetary sum that is determined by the court in order to compensate the injured party. Damages intend to restore the injured party to his previous financial position (Beatson and Burrows and Cartwright, 2010, p. 39). In the scenario presented, Megatractors plc has suffered loss as a result of the crashing of the vehicle which was carrying its equipment. Megatractors plc had contracted the services of the Ace Transport Ltd to transport an expensive harvester to a customer, Home Farms (Flempton) Ltd. Since Ace Transport Ltd had provided similar services to Megatractors for a number of years, the latter was convinced that the former will perform its duty as per the contract. However, this did not happen as the driver’s error caused the vehicle carrying the equipment to crush and badly damaging the equipment thereby causing loss to Megatractors. After the incident, Ace Transport Ltd advised Megatractors that it intends to rely on the following clause: â€Å"Ace Transport Ltd will not accept any liability for loss or damage caused to customers’ property during transportation, no matter how the loss or damage was caused. Customers are advised to take out their own insurance.† Ace Transport further points out that the clause had been prominently displayed outside the entrance to their main offices, and is also reproduced on the back of all i9nvoices, confirmation of order notices and the receipts of the company as required under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 (Stone, 2009, p. 71). In the light of the facts relating to Megatractors scenario and the laws regarding the contract, the Managing Director of Megatractors plc should first be aware of the situation’s legal position. Megatractors plc has indeed suffered a substantial loss considering that the equipment which was damaged was described as expensive. As such, the company is ideally supposed to sue in order to recover substantial damages. Inherently, Megatractors plc can sue for special damages because it has suffered a quantifiable monetary loss; in this case damaged equipment. In addition, the company has suffered direct losses in the form of economic or consequential losses as a result of lost profits. Since it has been identified that; the crushing of the vehicle carrying the equipment was due to driver’s error, Megatractors has a right to sue for both punitive and compensatory damages for the tort that was committed resulting to the loss it has suffered (Fafinski and Finch, 2009, p. 20). The damages sought will intend to restore Megatractors plc to the position that it was at before the crushing had taken place. It is pa ramount for Megatractors plc’s Managing Director to know that in order to recover the substantial damages that it has suffered; it has to show that it had actually suffered the loss it is claiming. In this case it has suffered two types of losses: incidental loss due to the damaged equipment caused by driver’

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

Rights - Essay Example He was against the concept of looking elsewhere for powers or remedies that know no concrete existence in the world. He believed in the power of the self, and advocated the views that man was ultimately powerful within his own domains. Marx believed, "Man makes religion, religion does not make man" (1844). And subsequently followed his concepts wherein he concluded that man is not an abstract entity, but the purpose of creation himself. All answers are only to be found within the visible means available, which are predominantly all available within the society. Hence he came to the notion that society was the one thing that empowered man, as it entailed all its norms, ideals and resolutions. With the infamous saying, "[Religion] is the opium of the people" (Marx, 1844), he generated the idea that collective goals and solutions are within the reach of man and society themselves; they should be accessed at any other level. Intangibles, and subjective reality were a hoax in his perception, and he declared that a thinking collective force was the ideal way out. Marx searched relentlessly for the truth, and put the responsibility upon the shoulders of history to come up with a plausible answer.

Carbon footprint estimate Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Carbon footprint estimate - Research Paper Example All these average to 8kwh per day in reference to the monthly bill of 240kwh. This translates to 2,880kwh per year, which is generated from coal. According to the Wright, Kemp and Williams (2011), coal, which is the source of electricity in this case, produces about 0.91 Kg of Carbon Dioxide per kWh. Home electricity use therefore contributes 2.62 tons of Carbon per year. Travelling is also a critical contributor to carbon emissions. I commute to and fro a total of 10 Km per day with a public bus that according to Reggiani and Schintler (2005) generates 60g of CO2 for one passenger per Kilometre. From this, perspective, I contribute 0.219tons of CO2 per year through daily commuting. Daily beef consumption is also an important indirect contributor of CO2 among other greenhouse gases emitted by the animals in to the atmosphere. The CO2 is mainly as a result of cultivation, processing and transportation of animal feeds. For example, Rohrer (2007) estimates the CO2 generated to produce 1kg of beef to be 13.3 kg and 0.95 kg for 1 litre of milk. Fruits and vegetables are estimated to contribute 0.7kg of CO2 per kg of food. The daily consumption of 0.5 kg of meat therefore adds up to 2.43 tons of CO2 per year while 0.5 litres per day will contribute 0.173tons of CO2 per year while consumption of 0.5 kg fruits and vegetables per day contributes 0.13 tons of CO2 annually. According to Goodall (2007), natural gas such as methane has been found to contribute 0.23 kg of CO2 per kWh of gas used. Gas has to be used daily for cooking and warming food and I use approximately 8 kWh per day. This translates to 2,928 kWh per year, meaning that 0.67 tons of CO2 are generated through culinary activities in my house, yet some foods such as bread are ready for consumption. Water usage in the house could have been a major contributor to CO2 if measures were not put in place to minimize the number of units used per day.

Walt Disney Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Walt Disney Company - Research Paper Example The fact that Walt Disney had already gained popularity during this period benefitted the government of United States in projecting a favorable American image for the world. Walt Disney, during the period of World War, produced propaganda content for every area of the U.S government. Walt Disney was used as a means of promoting the brand image of U.S.A in every conceivable way. The company’s films were used to enhance the morale of the American supporters as well as to train the fighters. The animated content used in Disney’s films was used to achieve this purpose. According to an estimate, approximately 90% of the company’s workers were engaged in this propaganda business, directly or indirectly (Andrew 2009). Furthermore, it is estimated that the company produced more than 68 hours worth of expensive war-related films during the period (Andrew 2009). Apart from promoting the U.S and its allies in its own movies, the company was also requested to animate certain content that was developed by a Colonel of the U.S Army. Films produced under this banner include â€Å"Prelude to War† and â€Å"America goes to War† (Watts 1997). However, this is not the first time that the company was used as a tool for propaganda. In World War 1 also the company was used to promote American interest. For instance, an animated film, whose content was designed by a Colonel, was used to train the workers in U.S Army (Andrew 2009). It was believed that these animated filmstrips were a more effective tool than mere lectures or live demonstrations, simply because it engaged the audience (armed workers) more effectively (Watts 1997). Also it has been argued that these animations were used to create settings that were otherwise difficult to achieve with the camera. One of the most critical components of Disney’s success was perhaps the incorporation of humor in its film content (Gabler 2006). Furthermore, the company’s artists are accredite d with the art of capturing customer’s imagination and producing content that enabled effective learning. Because of the fact that the company was able to fabricate the factual, lackluster information into a more entertaining and color manner, Disney benefitted from enhanced viewers attention who not only involved their minds but also their hearts into the movies. The company itself admitted that it had produced movies containing half truths and anti-Nazi element. The propaganda conducted by Disney can perhaps be divided into three main categories of propaganda for the Navy, Air Force as well as specifically targeted propaganda content in its cartoons (Uelmen 1991). As far as the propaganda content for Navy was concerned, the company produced content whose primary purpose was to teach various tactics to sailors through the movies. As far as the content for the Treasury department were concerned, the company was asked to promote the payment of income taxes by the U.S nationals . This was promoted through the cartoon Donald Duck, where the lead character demonstrates the contribution of income taxes to the war effort in the book named â€Å"The New Spirit† which was considered a significant part of the American heritage (Uelmen 1991). The film of this book received enormous media attention which yet again demonstrated the yields to Disney of promoting nationalist interests. This film also

Anything But Lazy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Anything But Lazy - Essay Example In order to examine the effects of these factors, the author undertook a study which examined how middle school students undertake the "reading task demands of his or her classroom" and how each teacher contributed to the students' reading task / challenge. Using a descriptive case study approach, the author conducted periodic visits, administered questionnaires and conducted comprehension assessments in order to gather primary data. Identifying themes and patterns from an analysis of this data, the author identified "the ways in which each student transacted in the classroom and how the teachers worked with / responded to students around issues of reading and comprehension". The study revealed that as far as students were concerned, their reading / comprehension was influenced by own ability, desire to learn, and more importantly, how the student wanted to be perceived [by his or her peers] as a reader.