Janmar Coatings Case Analysis

Janmar Coatings, Inc. | To:| Ronald Burns| Subject:| Janmar Coatings, Inc. Suggestions| Comments:| The problem facing Janmar Coatings, Inc. is deciding where and how to execute corporate marketing efforts in the southwestern United States. Janmar Coatings is currently marketing to 50 counties, their main focus area so far has been the 11 counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The main issue Ronald Burns, the president of Janmar Coatings, is having is trying to come up with a solution to market his company in the most cost effective way during 2005.After 2 long meetings with his executive team he still has no clear direction. He has gathered an approach from each of his team members, including: VP of Advertising, VP of Sales, VP of Operations, and VP of Finance, and now has four solutions to consider. The VP of Advertising has proposed to increase corporate advertising with an large emphasis on television. The VP of Sales proposed hiring a new field representative to help generate ne w accounts. The VP of Operations has proposed a 20% price cut on all Janmar product sales.The VP of Finance proposed that nothing be done; that the company continue with their current efforts and keep a 35% contribution margin. After looking at the company’s overall goals and finances, I would agree with the VP of Sales. Based on his suggestion, I believe it would be a smart time to hire a new sales representative for Janmar. The cost attributed to company for hiring a new sales representative would be $60,000 per year. And the amount of sales revenue needed to cover this expense is $170,000.However, if this sales representative position is correctly used, they will be able to make this margin back rapidly. Because by concentrating on only developing new retail accounts in the non-DFW area, the company could generate lots of sales to a brand new buyer market. Janmar has realized that they need to focus more energy on the ‘Do-it-yourselfers’ as they say, or DIY po pulation, and the non-DFW area seems to be where most of these consumers are located. It was mentioned that product prices would need to be lowered 40% in order to attract contractors, but that is not an immediate worry.Janmar needs to focus all their current energies on the DIY consumers and professional painters. Hiring a new sales representative would be the smartest decision right now because they will know every detail of the products and have the ability to market that properly to each of those consumer segments. However, I have also considered the Vice President of Advertising’s suggestion that they should increase advertising expense by $350,000. While initially, increasing advertising expenses sounds like a good thing to do, this decision would almost double the current advertising expenditure.Janmar is spending around 3% of revene on advertising and sales promotions efforts; which comes out to nearly $360,000. And while it may By increasing advertising expenses by $ 350,000, an additional $1,000,000 in sales will need to be recovered to make up for this expenditure. Mr. Burns makes a valid point by saying that 75% of the audience advertised too is not buying paint. With 25% of your audience only looking to buy paint, it would not be worth the risk of not increasing sales by $1,000,000, to implement the extra advertising expense.Also, I considered the Vice President of Operations proposal for a 20% price cut on all Janmar Coatings, Inc products. Price cuts are always something that needs to be entered into with extreme caution. Even the slightest 1-2% drop in price can lead to a huge drop in margin. In Janmar’s situation, if they choose to implement a 20% price cut, they decrease their overall sales dollars by $2. 4 mm. And their variable cost will not be effected by this price cut to their cost of goods sold will be held constant.In the end reducing their gross profit by 50%, which is extremely high. By implementing this price cut too, t hey would be lowering their contribution margin by almost 60%. While initially, a price cut may seem very appealing to the consumers, the overall toll it will take on the contribution margin and sales dollars generated by Janmar, it would not be a smart decision to move forward in making that a reality. Now, the Vice President of Finance suggested pursuing the current approach. His idea is that Janmar Coatings has always, and will continue, to be successful.The contribution is high, just because an increase in costs doesn’t mean there will be an increase in sales, so why do anything different? Although the VP of Finance has valid points, there is obviously something that needs to be done, or else 22 meetings would not have been necessary. Yes there is a great contribution now, but if things stayed the same, other companies may become more popular and generate more sales than we do and push us out. Based on information from 2004, Janmar currently has a 15% market share in the 50-county service area. If Janmar just stays where they are, they could ose market share as well. It is true that with any expenditure, sales have to increase to compensate for those expenditures, but a company cannot merely stay â€Å"neutral† when something absolutely has to be done. There is a way to introduce a plan that will generate sales to compensate for the expenditure. In this case, simply adding a new sales representative seems to be the best, lowest risk, most probable solution in this case. Lastly, to do a more in depth review the Vice President of Sales suggestion to bring on a new field representative to the sales force.The focus for this new representative would be to focus on developing retail account leads and calling on professional painters to gain new business through dealers. In the overall non-Dallas Fort Worth area, the penetration of Janmar is only 16%, so this representative would only concentrate in this area. Over the last 5 years, Janmar has focus ed most all of the actions toward the DFW area, while the non-DFW area has started to grow. The non-DFW area sales have grown 23% over those 5 years. DIY customers represent a higher percentage of sales than professionals in both areas.However, DIY customers represent 90% of sales in non-DFW areas. Because our contribution margin is 35%, with the addition of a new representative costing $60,000, about $171,429 additional in sales would be needed to recover the expense. With the addition of a sales representative, though, this sales rep could be focused on the non-DFW area and create account leads with more professional painters. The company would need a price cut of about 40% to attract contractors, but if the company could also just create awareness among more professionals in the non-DFW area, more sales could be generated there.Let’s not focus on contractors right now, and get the professional sales in the non-DFW area up, and create more accounts with them. Sales in the D FW area and non-DFW area in the last 5 years:Increase Advertising Spending (emphasis on television): Current advertising spending| 3% of sales=. 03*12mm=$360,000| Sales needed to recover advertising expenditure| $350,000/. 35(CM)=$1,000,000| 20% Price Cut on all Janmar products: Current: Sales Gross Profit CM| Sales: $12mmGross Profit: $4. mmCM: 40%| Sales, Gross Profit, and CM changes after 20% price cut| Sales: $9. 6mm ($2. 4mm change)Gross Profit: $2. 4 mm ($2. 4mm/50% change)CM: 25% (60% decrease)| | | | Adding another Sales Representative to the work force: Current Sales Reps| 8 field reps that cast about $480,000 +commission (assuming they receive the $60,000 salary the new rep would receive)| Sales needed to recover new rep expenditure| $60,000/. 35 (CM) = $171,428. 57| Janmar Market Share of architectural paint and allied products| 15% |

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 16

As I walked into my building after dropping Seth off, I was surprised to see the guy who staffed the front desk still working. He usually went home at dinnertime. A sheaf of papers in his hands indicated some sort of mandatory overtime. He brightened when he saw me. â€Å"Miss Kincaid! I have something for you.† I blanked for a moment, then remembered the daily Post-it reminders on my door. There'd been a total of three now. â€Å"Oh, yeah,† I said. â€Å"Sorry I haven't had a chance to pick it up yet. I keep forgetting.† He was already rustling around for something behind him on the other side of the window. I strolled over, just as he heaved a huge box up onto the counter. The printing on the side was upside down, but I could still make it out: Christmas Tree – Austrian Fir. â€Å"Oh, man,† I grumbled. â€Å"This is somebody's idea of a – â€Å" But the guy was busy hauling another box up to the counter, a smaller one with pictures on the side depicting the ‘pre-decorated fiber optic tree' inside. It was followed by another box, a bit smaller than the Austrian Fir, and a smaller one still that was about two-by-two feet. These last two boxes were wrapped in glittery green paper, with a wrapping job so perfect that only one being on earth could have managed it: Peter. The desk guy surveyed the boxes. â€Å"You must really like Christmas.† â€Å"I thought each of those notes was a reminder for the same package.† â€Å"Nope. New one each day. Want some help?† We hauled the trees up to my apartment and deposited them on the living room floor. I thanked him, and as soon as he left, Aubrey emerged and began stalking the boxes. â€Å"That's a lot of tannenbaum,† a voice behind me suddenly said. I jumped and turned around. Yasmine. â€Å"Don't do that. Carter does exactly the same thing.† â€Å"Sorry,† she said, looking sheepish. â€Å"Wasn't intentional. I just got here.† She walked over to the boxes, tilting her head to read them. She wore jeans and an LSU sweatshirt, her black hair pulled into the trademark ponytail that made her look seventeen. â€Å"What's up with all these?† I took off my coat and flounced onto the couch with a sigh. â€Å"My friend Peter started this whole buzz that I needed a Christmas tree after Carter burned mine down. So I guess everyone made good on it.† â€Å"Wait,† she said. â€Å"Did you say Carter burned down your Christmas tree?† â€Å"Yeah, it's a long story.† â€Å"He must feel bad.† She pointed to the little fiber optic tree, the one that was already decorated. Words were scrawled on the side of the box in spidery, nearly illegible writing: G – Figured you could handle this one. Ready and decorated! – C P.S. – And flame retardant. â€Å"Hmm,† I mused. â€Å"‘C' could be Cody too.† â€Å"Nah. I recognize the poor attempt at penmanship. It's Carter.† â€Å"Okay, so the angel repents. But who are the rest from?† We soon found out. The wrapping job on the two matching boxes had already given Peter away. The larger box contained a very beautiful, very expensive tree with ‘winter moss green' needles that were lightly dusted with silver glitter. The smaller box contained a matched set of lights and ornaments all done in purple and fuchsia. Peter apparently hadn't trusted me to decorate his gift myself. The Austrian Fir turned out to be from the bookstore staff. A card from Maddie read: Surprise! We all pitched in for it. Now you can't be a Scrooge. It was signed by other store workers, as well as Seth. I looked back and forth between the boxes. â€Å"It's a Christmas miracle. I had no tree. Now I have a forest.† â€Å"C'mon,† said Yasmine. â€Å"I'll help you set them up.† I looked at her in surprise. â€Å"Aren't you here to meet up with Vince or something?† She shook her head. â€Å"I'm here to talk to you.† Uh-oh. I didn't really want to set up the Christmas trees, but a being vastly more powerful than me did, so I set to it. Carter's tree was the easiest since all I had to do was plug it in. I placed it in a window sill, one with an outlet right underneath. The tree's fiber optic needles lit up to pale pink, then purple, then teal, then white. â€Å"Good God,† I said. â€Å"It's the Christmas tree equivalent of a lava lamp.† â€Å"I like it,† declared Yasmine. â€Å"It's got moxie.† She looked really excited. She could have been a kid on Christmas morning. You'd think after seeing so many Christmases (and trees) in her existence, they'd get kind of old. She pointed at Peter's tree. â€Å"Let's do the prissy one now.† We were stringing purple lights on the ‘winter moss green' tree when she finally started The Talk. â€Å"So. Vincent told me what happened.† She paused as she looped the lights over a branch. â€Å"I'm glad your guy is okay.† â€Å"Me too. He was lucky†¦if Vincent hadn't been there†¦Ã¢â‚¬  More silence. I didn't entirely know where Yasmine was going with this. My guess was that she was concerned I'd tell someone about Vincent. I felt absolutely certain, however, that she wasn't going to threaten to break my kneecaps or anything to keep me silent. In fact, I realized then that what she wanted was reassurance. It was a crazy and startling idea. She was an angel, after all. A being of hope and peace, a being that others prayed to for comfort. Yet, here she was, seeking it from me – a creature of Hell. â€Å"I meant it,† I told her. â€Å"What I said to him. I'm not going to tell anyone.† â€Å"I believe you,† she said, confusion all over her face. Angels knew when others were telling the truth. â€Å"But I don't understand it. Why? Why wouldn't you? You could get into big trouble if your superiors – if Jerome – found out you knew and weren't telling.† Vincent had said the same thing. It was true. â€Å"Your people tend to get pissed off over stuff like that.† â€Å"What, and yours don't? Would they be forgiving if they found out?† She looked away from me, diverting her attention to hanging a pink glass dove. â€Å"Look,† I said. â€Å"I work for Hell, but I don't, like, delight in others' suffering. Especially since I like both of you. I don't want to see you get into trouble. I don't even think what you're doing is wrong. Dangerous, maybe, but not wrong.† â€Å"Which part? The loving part or the nephilim part?† I shrugged. â€Å"It's all risky.† She smiled at me. â€Å"You talk about nephilim pretty calmly. Most people – in our circles – go running for the hills.† â€Å"I met one once. Dated him.† I hung a bejeweled purple orb on the tree. â€Å"He was scary as hell, yeah. Had this whole homicidal revenge thing going on, which kind of negated his sexiness a little. But at the end of the day†¦I don't know. He wasn't much of a monster. He couldn't help being born what he was.† I was glad to be free of Roman, glad he was somewhere far away from me. He'd posed too much of a threat to both me and those I loved. Still, there had been something in him I found appealing. It was why we'd connected before things literally blew up. I understood his weariness with the games Heaven and Hell played. He'd offered to take me away and free me from it all, and there were days I would still wake up and long for that. â€Å"No,† Yasmine agreed. â€Å"They can't help what they are. And it's not their fault. But their existence is a reminder of our faults†¦of our weaknesses.† She held her hands open in front of her, studying them as though they held answers. â€Å"None of us higher immortals want to be shown that we're weak. That's our hubris, I guess. Especially the angels. No one's perfect, but we like to play that we are.† She sighed and let her hands drop. â€Å"I should walk away from this. I should have a long time ago.† I jerked my head up. â€Å"But you love him.† â€Å"Sometimes loving someone means you have to do what's ultimately good. What you need instead of what you want.† â€Å"I suppose. But ending it seems so extreme. There must be a way to†¦I don't know, have it all.† The door opened, and Vincent walked in. He didn't look surprised to see either of us, but then, he would have sensed our auras. His eyes met Yasmine's, and it was like lightning crackling through the room. Both of them lit up, shining in a way that I doubted my succubus glamour could even begin to compete with. He expressed surprise over my Yuletide Forest but jumped in to help us, appearing just as excited as Yasmine over the activity. The two of them never touched, but I noticed the same thing that I had at breakfast: an intimacy in the way they interacted with each other. They didn't need to touch. Their relationship was obvious, and I wondered how it was possible none of the other angels had ever noticed this. Maybe it was like what Yasmine had mentioned about angels and hubris. Maybe angels always assumed they were perfect and were too blind to see flaws in each other, whereas someone like me – who exploited weakness – knew what to look for. We finished Peter's tree, and then I found my ornaments from last year – the ones that hadn't been destroyed in the fire – and used them on the bookstore's tree. When my woodland paradise was finally complete, Yasmine and Vincent made their farewells and left. I still had no idea what their divine mission in Seattle was, but I assumed it had universal consequences. I felt a little weird that it had been put on hold to decorate my home. As I cleaned up the boxes, I kept thinking about what Yasmine had said about needing versus wanting. In some ways, that was what Seth and I did. We wanted to have sex. We needed to avoid it. I also found myself recalling Andrew again, that annoyingly good priest who'd caused me so many headaches. I hadn't thought much about his story since last week, but as my body mindlessly completed chores, the images began replaying in my mind. Despite my best efforts, he'd remained a bastion of purity and willpower. While frustrating, it nonetheless continued to make the game fun. And although I didn't appreciate it as much back then as I did now, I sort of took pleasure in just hanging around him. He was good company, and he came to mean more to me than just a sexual conquest. It was obvious he cared about me too. It would figure that things went bad between us on a beautiful, sunny day. I remembered it distinctly. I had wandered over to the church he ministered out of and sat with him in the vegetable garden. I stayed clear of the dirt, conscious of the yellow silk dress my bishop had just had made for me. Andrew, less concerned, worked on his knees, unhesitatingly digging in – literally – and cultivating the church's small crop. â€Å"Don't you have other people who could do this for you?† Squinting up at me in the bright light, he smiled. â€Å"Nothing compares to the satisfaction of doing something yourself.† â€Å"If you say so.† He returned to his work, and I continued to sit quietly, watching him and the lazy vista of that golden afternoon. Not far away, the sounds of daily hustle and bustle carried over. I liked this town – it was a nice break from the large, busy cities I'd spent most of my succubus time in. Eventually, though, I knew I'd grow restless and move onto some place with a little more excitement. I turned back to Andrew. â€Å"Thomas Brewer just got back from Cadwell. He says they're all getting sick there.† Andrew nodded. â€Å"People are getting sick everywhere. There have been outbreaks in a lot of the western towns.† â€Å"Are you worried?† He shrugged. â€Å"What comes will come. None of us can change God's will.† I grimaced. I'd heard about this illness, what later generations would call the Black Death. The rapid onset. The blackened skin. The swollen lumps. Even if it couldn't technically hurt me, I didn't want to see it spread here. â€Å"I don't think God can be as merciful as you say in mass if He's inflicting something like that on his people.† â€Å"It's a test, Cecily. God is always testing us. It makes us stronger.† â€Å"Or dead.† He didn't respond. â€Å"What will you do if it comes?† I pushed. â€Å"Geoffrey says he'll leave. Will you go with him?† His dark eyebrows rose in surprise, like I'd asked if the sun would take tomorrow off. â€Å"Of course not. I mean, as bishop, I'm sure Geoffrey must†¦do what is necessary to continue fulfilling his duties, but me? I serve the people. I will continue to serve the people. If they're sick, I'll tend them.† My sarcasm gave way to shock, and I leapt to my feet, striding toward him. â€Å"You can't do that! Haven't you heard about this? People don't come back from it. The only thing to do is get out and let it run its course.† It was true. Call it cruel, but as I'd told Liam on our post-auction date, that was the way the world had dealt with epidemics for a lot of human history. Certainly, some people cared and ministered unto others, but when disease grew really terrible, with no clear answer in sight, ignorance and fear reigned supreme. Most people of that era saw the simplest solution as putting as much distance as possible between them and the illness. Andrew stood up as well, wearing an expression so annoyingly wise and serene as he faced me. â€Å"If that's what you must do, then you must do it. My place is here.† I didn't even have seduction on my mind when I reached out and grabbed his hands. He flinched with surprise but didn't let go. â€Å"It's stupid,† I told him earnestly. â€Å"You can't stop it. You'll die, and I – I can't watch that.† â€Å"Then go. Go with Geoffrey. Or go†¦out to the convent. It's isolated. You'd be safe there.† I scowled. â€Å"Not that again.† â€Å"I just want what's best for you, that's all.† One of his hands reached up and cupped my chin. â€Å"I don't want to see you suffer either.† It occurred to me then how close we stood. The heat building between our bodies rivaled that of the sunshine pounding down on us from above. Andrew, realizing this too, started and tried to pull away. I held on to his hand, anger flaring up in my chest. â€Å"So that's how you'll let it end then? You spend your whole life living in poverty and chastity, only to die in a pile of stinking corpses with oozing sores and rotting skin?† â€Å"If that's what God – â€Å" â€Å"Stop it,† I said, leaning forward. â€Å"Just stop it. Don't you get it? God doesn't care. He's not even paying attention.† â€Å"Cecily – â€Å" I didn't let him finish. Instead, I pressed my mouth against his mouth, molding my body to his. I don't know if he'd ever kissed anyone else before, but if not, he was a quick study. He didn't break from me. In fact I would have sworn there was an eagerness to his lips as they explored mine, willingly letting my tongue stroke and dance with his. And oh, God help me, he was so very good and noble that I tasted a sunburst of energy just from that kiss alone. It poured into me like honey, glorious and sweet. And surprisingly, it was me who finally broke the kiss, though I still stayed pressed against his body, my arms encircling him. â€Å"Don't you see how stupid it is?† I whispered, our lips so close we shared each other's breath. â€Å"Are you going to die without having lived? Without having tasted everything that's out there? Are you really just going to rush into death like that?† His eyes weighed me, his own hands resting on my waist. â€Å"I don't need fleshly pleasures to complete my life.† â€Å"You're lying,† I told him. â€Å"You want to.† â€Å"Wanting and needing are two different things.† He stepped away from me, and I suddenly felt incomplete without his body against mine. I had a fleeting flash of some connection bigger than both of us, and then it was gone. â€Å"A long life means nothing if it's empty and has no purpose. Better to live a short one filled with the things that are important to you.† â€Å"You're a fool,† I snapped. â€Å"I'm not going to stay and watch you die.† â€Å"Then go.† And I did.

Fast Food Essay Essay

Life is developing more and more, people are getting busier and busier. The modern people do not have enough time to cook meal themselves so the advent of fast food helps them so much. Most of people people – especially students – prefer to eat fast food, such as hamburgers, pizza, fried food†¦ Fast food is becoming popular recently all over the world because of its benefits. It is quite cheap, quick and convenience to those who have a busy life. The busy life is one of the top reasons of eating fast food the modern. Students who have a busy schedule usually do not have time to cook at home, as a result, they prefer to eat at restaurants or cafes, because it is a simple option. Nowadays time is one of the most important things in a person’s life, and fast food is served very quickly. For example, McDonalds, Burger King, KFC and others fast food restaurants, have drive through windows, so people do not even have to get out of their bikes to get food. Beside that efforts of fast food restaurant companies to improve their delivery service also make more convenience for students who live away from their family and very lazy to make a traditional home-cook meal. Equally important is the economy. One of the primary reasons students frequent fast food restaurants is the price. Finding inexpensive places to eat is important to many students, which make up a large percentage of fast food customers. Many chains offer value meals or items for less than a home-cook meal, counting on customers with budget sensitivity to be attracted to these options. And with the students, who still not have a job to earn money and depend on their family, the cheaper choice when eating fast food is one of best way for they can save money. In conclusion, fast food attracts students more than home-made food does. It is known as the food that they do not have to prepare. Fast food is more common because students are always busy, and in a hurry, so they head towards fast food restaurants to save their time and also because of cheaper than home-made food is making fast food more popular with students.

Measuring crime SC2E36C Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Measuring crime SC2E36C - Essay Example 1999). According to him, the population from which the data is to be collected from should be studied well and all the traits of the various members should be considered before getting the sample. Traits like; social welfare of the parents, the environment of one’s upbringing, community perceptions among many other aspects should be considered before the sample is determined. In this case, the sample should be unbiased in that, each and every trait as said above should be included in the final sample. In this case, for the sample to be unbiased, all social groups should be included. The social welfare of the parents should be considered so as to have a sample with professionals, unskilled workers, skilled workers etc. Male and female representation should almost be the same and should be directed by availability (Judith, G and Nicki, T 2004). To get a good sample which is representative, then the following sampling techniques should be used according to the importance of the study. The first is random sampling where all the elements of the population have an equal chance of being selected. To Tronchim, W. (2008), this is applied in case the population is homogenous; the population is not spread. In this research study, this cannot be used since the population is not homogenous. Another technique is stratified sampling. In stratified sampling, the entire population is sub-divided into stratus each consisting of members which have the same traits (Tronchim, W. 2008). For example in this case, parents who are professionals should be counted as strata. Again, unskilled parents should form other strata. It is from the stratus that a sample is drawn where the sample size depends on the error of estimation and the size of the population. However, statistically, the larger the sample size the effective the findings as well the generalization of the same. This is the right technique to use in

Weekly Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Weekly Journal - Essay Example After reviewing our procedures, I became increasingly impressed by their effectiveness. I became more conscious of the means we use make our parents and clients comfortable, and the necessity for incorporating that into the educational environment. I considered how it’s necessary to establish a friendly environment by staging the initial meeting in a comfortable library room with a fire place. This removes the issue of being over authoritarian. In my own experience with language learning I remember "No hacer gestos obscenos", and how I figured out "gestos" means gestures and "obsenos" is obscene, intuitively using cognates. The articles motivated me to begin web searches to obtain lists of cognates and to look for additional methods for implementing them while working with ELL learners. I’d like to develop a lesson plan that would appeal to Junior and High School language-learners, rather than just primary students. My theory is that within the lesson on cognates the actual nature of grammatical differences between the languages could be addressed. For instance, pointing out to students that English allows consonant endings where in Spanish you will consistently see cognates ending in vowels. This is a key distinction in the Helman article and I believe consistently addressing this in lessons, as a supplement to the lesson on cognates, would be of great effectiveness to older students. As I compiled a list of words that will be helpful to students, I developed a new understanding and empathy for ELL learners. I realized first-hand the effort it takes to complete work in a language that isnt my own, and how it is very easy to discredit the home language. Attempting to do class work in a foreign language, acquire vocabulary and develop proper syntax in a foreign tongue is intensely challenging and all methods of sheltering should be used to promote cultural

Discuss the agency problem relating to multinational companies, and in Essay

Discuss the agency problem relating to multinational companies, and in particular multinational banks, and how, they differ from - Essay Example The situation of agency problem is such in many of the organizations that the agents or the management of the organization makes use of their authority for deriving personal benefits rather than benefits of the principals or the shareholders. In other words, agency problem arises due to the conflicting interests among the management, creditors and shareholders’ regarding the goals of the organization as well as that of the concerned parties (Investopedia, 2011). The agency problem in multinational companies can be appropriately discussed by focusing on the ways as to how the supervision and regulation affects the risk-taking measures of the banks in the host-country (Ongena & Et. Al., 2011). This research paper is aimed to present the discussion on agency problem in multinational companies, particularly banks, through review of various aspects related to the evolution of the problems. The research also aims to present a comparative study of the agency problems faced by the mul tinational organizations and domestic organizations. Two Most Common Agency Problems in Banks In the non-financial corporations, an incentive is provided to the shareholders through limited liability that allows them to seize bondholders’ wealth by increasing the level of risk. The government is indulged in protecting the bond holders from the outcome of risk taking activities of the banks. Thus, the shareholders’ incentive to supervise and restrain risk taking is low. In the banking literature, such situation of absence of discipline is known as the â€Å"moral hazard problem associated with deposit insurance†. A second very common situation of agency problem arises due to the limits on the wealth of managers that forces a separation of control and ownership. This forces the managers to consider their own objectives to be more important than that of the shareholders (Demsetz, 1997). Agency Problems and Risk Taking at Multinational Banks The root cause of agency problems in multinational companies, particularly banks is related to the structuring of regulations for multinational banking units. The host country is more interested in structuring the regulations in such a way that would provide disadvantage to the foreign firms to compete with the domestic firms. But this notion would result in inconsistency with the objective of a single market (Baum, 2002). The consequence of leaving the supervision and regulation in the home country, as evident from the case of the European Union, is that the member countries adopted different structures of regulation and supervision for the financial institutions. Thus, if the multinational banks are faced with similar regulatory issues, they would either split according to functions or would consolidate regulation into one agency. In that case, in certain situations the Central Bank will be involved, whereas in other cases, it would not. Hence, it is evident that considering these regulatory issues, the multinational banks would select policy trade-offs on the basis of their degrees of responsibilities and

1) Voter Burnout & 2) Republicans and Democrats Essay

1) Voter Burnout & 2) Republicans and Democrats - Essay Example Voter turnout has great significance because higher turnout gives greater legitimacy to the upcoming government. Even dictatorial regime maneuvers to attain higher turnouts for claiming legitimacy. American democracy, a role model for the world, is suffering from this serious flaw of character. Factors responsible for low turnout are a matter of controversy among political scholars. The problem has the following psychological, cultural, and institutional dimensions, among others. Psychological factors: The voter loses interest in election when his confidence is shaken by leadership going back on the election promises. During elections, when he is given â€Å"the audacity of hope†, promise of â€Å"change† and â€Å"agenda of peace†, he naturally pins great hopes on the next government. At the end of the day when he gets nothing of what he was promised, he develops a mindset that leadership has betrayed him and is not sincere to the nation. Government policies not reflective of his wishes make him lose confidence in the system. Corruption scandals may dishearten him and create a sense that voting is nothing less than wastage of time, especially in the younger generation. Cultural factors: â€Å"U.S is the world’s oldest democracy and a pioneer in extension of the vote to the entire population† (Ladd, p417). Despite this democratic culture and attaining the target of universal suffrage, still there are problems that obstruct higher turnout. In a multicultural and multilingual country like US it is difficult for political parties to engage all sections of population. Negative campaigning and attacks on character of opponents is more common in US than elsewhere which potentially suppress turnout. Strong party affiliation is important to boost up turnout which is non existent in US. Countries where parties have strong roots in public and enjoy public confidence have higher turnout. Confidence in election process and voting are cultural habits

Stalin and Hitler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stalin and Hitler - Essay Example However the research defines that they were triumphant within their countries for an extensive period of time and gives the comparable ways in which they acquired the power that they did. Historians have claimed that their successes could be attributed to the facts that they laid claim to new ideas and political approaches which in fact gave them approval from the citizens of the countries they ruled over for many years. Through the many detailed reports that have been compiled over time it is easily seen that Hitler and Stalin despised each other immensely but this did not change the fact both had common characteristics (Nolte 1999). Because Stalin became focused on building what was seemingly an industrialized empire with little regard for the people, the time period he ruled under was known as "Stalinism" (Nolte 1999). For Hitler, it has been common knowledge for decades now, and even during the time of his ruling that he was focused on communism and developing the world into a communist one, carrying out genocides on cultures that refuted his rule. Therefore, the time of his leadership and power over others was depicted as, "Nazism" (Nolte 1999). Although these are two different types of mental philosophies they hold key elements that are strikingly similar, the main being the thirst for power that both held, again with little acknowledgement for those people that they each considered beneath th em. The each rose to the highest possible position of power attainable in both their countries, ruling with what could only be termed as an iron thumb. For awhile both brainwashed the citizens into believing what was nothing other than false lies and hopes for a better world to live in, and again for a period of time the people followed both of these leaders willingly. The three main reasons they both were able to gain power over people such as this was due to their utilization of propaganda, their amoral views, and the ambition they both had to gain power in the world (Nolte 1999). However, it was also what led to their defeat as well, as history clearly shows. Because they were both known to be quite skilled in the utilization of propaganda, they had the ability of using their words to brainwash and manipulate others into believing that everything that they stated was true. It was undoubtedly through this form of power that they gained the ability to get people to do anything they wanted, which is a fact that points out the characteristic of amorality they both shared as a common trait (Kreis 2006). It could also be said that due to the fact that both Germany and Russia were attempting to recover from WWI, it gave the opportune chance for these dictators to have the opening to rise to a seat of power in their countries because the citizens were searching for hope and wanted to believe that a change in the right direction was going to be possible. However, instead of positivism coming out of the people giving approval for these two leaders to rule over their geographical areas, what happened instead was a nightmare in which the world that they thought was bad worsened due to both of these men demeaning human individuality under the

Achieving Effective Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Achieving Effective Communication - Essay Example I have a 53% score for judging, which translates to a high preference for judging to perceiving. I prefer careful planning activities to the belief of improving on a situation or going by the feelings that are current. The urge for adventure is an outstanding factor evident from my profile. I prefer finding a solution to problems through new and innovative approaches to applying familiar means. When making considerations in any situation, I deliberate on the possibilities of the sequence of events rather than on apparent circumstances. I prefer to explore a variety of options, through which the course of events may assume to following the normality in the development of events. In making judgment, I am interested in the details leading to the realization of ideas, contrary to basing them on mere generalization of thoughts. I give room for the avoidance of strict observance of set regulations to come up with independent and rational results. In taking actions, as a response to occurre nces, I speculate about a number of options that can bring the best outcome, instead of acting instantly. I put trust in reason and independence of thought as compared to actions taken based on feelings. I admit no ambiguity when acting on situations and any step geared towards success should be unequivocal, in my opinion and beliefs. I undertake clearly defined plans, with explicit instructions, well formulated for the best possible outcome. My profile can be helpful in amicable conflict management at the workplace. The belief in the exploration of a number of options to find the best possible solution is a massive boost to nurturing conflict management skills. My profile also allows me to take instructions with utmost intensity and devotion towards them. Tolerance to a number of personality traits is a key factor that my profile allows me to integrate. This enables me to have dedicated interest and cooperation in team works, at the work place. Perfected negotiation skills, given t he high tolerance to diversity of personality traits, are a boost towards desirable relations with colleagues at the work place. My preference for clearly defined plans to undertake activities helps in improving the quality of outcomes at the workplace. I, therefore, would prefer working with high potential and trained personnel to colleagues who tend to be unprincipled at executing their roles. Intolerance to ambiguity and vagueness in the execution of duty at the work place is a compliment to desirable supervisory traits. I, therefore, can effectively undertake supervisory roles at the work place. Innovativeness to finding solutions to problems, as opposed to normal solutions, makes an impressive and enormous contribution towards having a desirable peer-to-peer relationship at the work place. I am able to conduct an employee assessment and personality improvement at the workplace, given my deep instinct in making rational, informed and sane judgments. In the overall sense, my prof ile enables me to have an enviable behavior at the work place given the close relations with colleagues and senior personnel. A complete contrast to my profile would be the introverted sensing feeling perceiving. Contrary to my profile, such a person is quick to make decisions based on premises that are not well thought-out. These premises lead to irrational conclusions that cannot serve the purpose for their formulation to the fullness of satisfaction.

Art Blog Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art Blog - Assignment Example That is probably one of the inner concept of the totality of the exhibit --- how everything is connected. The art works in this exhibit are connections to our past --- in fact, a very important past in the history of L.A. 2. Crosscurrents: A Day in the Life This is a very interesting post you wrote, Hailey, and the word tradition really caught my attention. Yes, the â€Å"Crosscurrents† exhibit is really about our culture and tradition --- much like a history of how everything came to be as they are now. Valentine's exhibit, which you mentioned is somewhat a miniature of what is at work here in the exhibit. You mentioned â€Å"What I enjoyed most about this exhibit was that it showed the process taken to make the Gray Column with photos, text and video, and told the story of how it was created.† For me, I see every piece of art work here as the step-by-step process of how it evolved to the modern art we know today. I also agree with you on your view of Henry Takemoto's â€Å"Untitled† piece of â€Å"circular shape with blue brushwork.† It's like an heirloom piece --- a piece of heritage. 3. Crosscurrents: Solid Light Grace, it is so true when you said â€Å"Computer images and pictures don’t do this artwork any justice at all.† I also love how you pointed out that the art piece looks different from different angles. The way you compared this piece of art to a sculpture and a painting at the same time is also a brilliant way of looking into this. I have always liked it to find someone who may not be truly able to understand a piece of art work, yet is able to find himself or herself communicating with it. The way you did your research makes me think that this art work really captured your interest. If I may say too, that the strategic placement of the art pieces also helped a lot in showcasing the maximum potential of each piece. It seems to me now that were some pieces placed at a different position, it probably would n ot have evoked the same experience for us. 4. Under the Big Black Sun: They All Woke Up Jaime, I do like the boldness of the posters too. They were brave and daring. We all know history and we do know too that that courage is what brought about the political and cultural movement in L.A. for the better. Thank goodness now we're celebrating diversity --- at least! Things such as these make me realize that there is beauty in the midst of even a horrible part of history. I am not an expert in graphic design, but I do know that the art here is not merely in the designs and the colors or the imagery at work. I feel there is also art in the way these people then responded to political and cultural issues through creative protests. The old adage â€Å"a picture paints a thousands words† seems to simple to even use to grasp the total idea of this whole exhibit. 5. Under the Big Black Sun: Rewind Hey there, Hailey. No one can really expect everybody to experience the same thing with e very exhibit. But what I appreciate in your post is your directness. You know what you were expecting and you know when you're not getting it. And despite how things seem to let you down, you still kept looking for something that will appeal to your senses. I also agree with your comment about Chris Burden's â€Å"The Reason for the Neutron Bomb† (1979). Meticulous and precise even seem like understatements at one angle, but since you mentioned â€Å"angles,† have you tried looking at that art work from different

Assignment 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Assignment 3 - Essay Example Since working on hypermedia systems requires taking action and regular evaluation, it enables the development of critical faculties in students. It also helps in cultivation of written skills as students learn to modify information for a hypermedia project. In case of teachers, the use of these systems helps them track the methods employed by students for projects. Hypermedia authoring tools comprise instructional software, presentation software video production and editing, virtual reality systems and other immersion tools. Using hypermedia sources like audio, video, photographs graphic, text and even the latest feature – hyperlinks, students and teachers can display information in a professional and an effective manner. These systems also help teachers design evaluation packages, which will enable self-assessment and help students perform better and expand their level of understanding. However, research studies have clearly stated that learner style determines the impact of hypermedia. Students with low learning levels find the cues offered by hypermedia useful whereas students with higher learning must have the learner control (Dillon and Gabbard, 1998) to help them learn better. Thus with easy-to-use authoring systems and online formats, hypermedia has found widespread acceptance among teachers and students. One of the most famous and widely used multimedia software is the PowerPoint presentation software. The presentation tool has come a long way from being en electronic slide show and has evolved into multimedia authoring tool that incorporates audios, videos, graphics and also Internet links (Roblyer, 2006). This software, which is extensively used in classrooms, has come under criticism especially after Tufte’s (2003) remarks. His remarks accuse the software of heavily compromising on content more emphasis on a glamorized look. The presentation does not allow any interaction between the audience and the presenter. It’s clipped

Progressive Movement Era Essay Example for Free

Progressive Movement Era Essay Progressive Movement is defined as an effort to cure and prevent many of the ills of American society after significant industrial growth took place in the end of the 19th century. This movement promoted the idea that all people are equally capable of improving ills of society. Progressivism strongly rejected Social Darwinism. Moreover, the Movement strongly opposed corruption in all its displays and supported trends to make the country defend worker’s rights. Progressivisms tended to protect ordinary citizens, though it rejected the church stressing that it shouldn’t be the driving force for changes. Speaking about beliefs of Progressive Movement it is necessary to underline that its leaders promoted urban-industrial society. Moreover, they believed in human abilities to make our society better by improving living conditions. Further, they believed in necessity to intervene in social, political and economic affairs of the country. Speaking about views of trusts, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890 appeared to be effective federal measure aiming at limiting the power of companies to control the highest percentage of the market share. In other words, Progressivism promoted the idea of intervention into all spheres of government. Progressive leaders argued that effective means should be implemented to deal with the ills produced by trusts. They referred to trust-busting and regulatory approaches. In foreign policy Progressive leaders practiced more imperialistic and active approach in contrast to the Founding Fathers. For example, Roosevelt claimed that global imperialism was the best policy, whereas Wilson sent American troops for inevitable death to make the world ‘safer for democracy’. In conclusion it is necessary to admit that the sites used for writing the paper are very effective at enhancing my understanding of Progressive Movement as they offer detailed overview of beliefs, motivations, foreign and domestic policies, trust and anti-trust views, etc. Moreover, they offer different perspectives on the matter of interest. References Ideas and Movements: The Progressive Movement of 19th Century. (2002). Retrieved February 27, 2008, from http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1061.html Progressive Era. (2004). Retrieved February 27, 2008, from http://www.eagleton.rutgers.edu/e-gov/e-politicalarchive-Progressive.htm

The research process: Beginning to end

The research process: Beginning to end THE RESEARCH PROCESS Introduction The research process is the steps included or needed to conduct a research from the beginning to the end. Research that have been identify should be carried out in a deliberate and systematic manner in order to produce a substantive besides useful outcomes (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). The specific way in each of these stages and their attendant sub-stages is operationalized will wary from project to project (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). Furthermore, research also is an extremely cyclic process, where the review of earlier work might be necessitate for the later stages (Leedy and Ormrod, 2001). Therefore, it can be difficult to determine on where to begin or where to end the research due to its cyclic (Leedy and Ormrod, 2001). According Weaver and Lawton 2006, there are basically seven steps in the research as shown below. Step 1: Problem Recognitions According to Leedy and Ormrod, 2001, a research begins with a problem. Therefore, the first step in any research process or before conducting a research is to recognize the problem or issues that interest the investigator (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). In tourism-based corporation, the core issues that require research are reduced patronage and declining market share (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). From a destination perspective, additional concerns may be harbored about negative community reactions to tourism or declining environmental conditions that will affect the industry (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). However, methodological bias of the researcher might dictate the problems As we know, before starting to conduct a research, at first we should come out with a question because all of the research that begins with a question. Besides that, curiosity of a researcher is often used as a foundation for scholarly inquiry. Before start to conduct a research, the researcher should know the problems a nd broad issues that interest them to conduct a research. Researcher should clearly understand and clarify what they want to know to conduct the research. After problem has been recognized and the researcher understand what they want to know to conduct the research, it will makes them easier. Researcher can ask themselves question on what they want to know actually based on the research that will be conduct. By this, it can help them to conduct a better research because they have the purpose for conducting the research. After problem has been recognizing, the researcher can plan or create a useful framework for clarifying or contextualizing the broad problem. For example: if you are interested in finding out about how many students will take the opportunity to involve themselves in the sports events in school? You might need to pose out a question that what is the advantages of taking part in sports event in school? Researcher should understand what they really want to find out by t his topic. They should indentify what problem, concepts or keywords in this question on what they want to know by doing this research and then plan their framework well before start to do their research. Step 2: Question formulation After all the problem and topic that researcher identify or broad problems that have been selected, research questions must be focused to prevent that time and resources are not wasted on tangential avenues of investigation(Weaver and Lawton, 2006). Furthermore, hypothesis may be expressed when question formulation. As a basis for question formulation, it is helpful to clarify that the level of investigation that is warranted by the problem and the resources of the company or destination that are available. There are four levels of investigations which are description, explanation, prediction and prescription. All of this level will be using based on the research that will be conducted by the researcher. The first level if the investigation is description (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). Description it is the most basic level of inquiry. For example, the managers of a particular destination are concerned that the local people appear to be increasingly hostile toward visiting tourists. The logical first step in addressing this issue is to describe the actual situation, by asking questions such as what are the attitudes of local residents towards visiting tourists. Next level for the investigation is explanation (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). Explanation is the decision whether to or not to proceed to this level of investigation, which is to explain the resultant patterns is often constrained by the availability of resources. However, the decision should be based on whether one or more serious problems have been revealed after the research process has been completed at the descriptive level. For example, the perceived hostility of residents involves only a few isolated incidents instigated by known troublemakers, and then there is probably no compelling reason to precede any further investigation. But, if the suspicious of emerging hostility have been confirmed, and the parameters of the hostility are identified as being broad-based, then the explanation is necessary towards its resolution. Level three for the investigation level according to Weaver and Lawton, 2006 is prediction. Prediction means once a plausible explanation for a problem is found out, the further investigation is to predict the problems consequences if no remedial measures are taken. As with any prediction involving humans, this stage of inquiry will be speculative, but it is possible to engage in intelligent and well-considered speculation that will inform the final stage of prescription. Example would be like asking what will happen to the local tourism industry if no steps are being carried to address the hostility of young adults towards tourism. Lastly, the final stage of the level of investigation according to Weaver and Lawton (2006) is prescription. Prescription is the culmination of research process, involving the consideration of various solutions to the problems. If the predictive phase reveals that the above situation is highly volatile, and that the community will endure great suffering if no correction action was taken, then it is essential to proceed with prescriptive phase. To summarize, the intervention or the actions that should be taken to ensure optimum outcomes for the company or destination, is a core component of the process in management and in applied research. Appropriate solutions or prescriptions will only emerge as a result of the knowledge that is obtained through preliminary research at the levels of description, explanation and prediction (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). Step 3: Identification of research methodology and/ or methods Next step of the research process is to identify the methodologies that will be use to conduct the research that the researcher already selected (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). In the other words means identify the specific research methods that will be best allow the project or research to be proceed, and normally all this probably will based on the problem that have been identified and the question set for the research. For example, in the descriptive phase, the investigators may undertake quantitative surveying in which resources, time; cultural and social context will be taken into account. Whereas in the explanatory phase, the researcher will engage in qualitative, in-depth interviews to identify the reasons for revealed attitudes and behavior. While for prediction level, the interviewer has a number of options that can be pursued in conjunction with each other to see whether the different methods yield the same results. As shown in the above example, the usage of all the techniques in the same research process also can be known as methodological triangulation. Furthermore, If all of this four methods for the research reveal the similar outcomes, it will gives the researcher high degree of confidence that the real situation of their research that they want to be conduct has been identified. Moreover, it is likely that each of the method will yield its own unique insights into this situation, thereby strengthening the knowledge base that is obtained from the research. Step 4: Data collection After the most appropriate have been identified, the next step of the research process can be proceeded (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). In a former case, a sample of data collection mostly is randomly drawn from the population and each of the members of the population has the equal probability to be selected as the sample for the data (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). Researchers will simple drawn out all the names of those will be involves in the research by using the random number tables to prevent biases when collecting the data. However, researcher also will select a large enough sample so that inferences can be made about the entire population. According to Neuman 1997, it is advisable that the sample should be at least of 30 per cent of the entire population to make sure that it will achieve the same effect. In the data collection, researcher commonly will practiced the non-probability or convenience sampling in the qualitative research and deliberate selection of certain cases to build th e sample for the research that will be conducting. (Weaver and Lawton, 2006) Besides that, for the data collection, once the sample size and procedure of selection for the research have been decided, the actual or the process of the data collection can be started and there is few factors that need to be considered at this stage such as consistency for the result in as short a time period as possible, timing of the interviewing or observation for the research (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). The reason is that it can save the cost and resources for the research without wasted and the collection of the data will be more accurately as well. Theory will be developed from the data gathered and analyzed by the researcher (Neuman, 2000). Furthermore, each research that will be conducted must use an appropriate data collection technique based on the research methodology that has been chosen. The researcher might also involve in pilot study or test, in which the researcher will conduct a trial test of the data collection tools and analysis by using the same sample of the po pulation used in the final study (Jennings, 2001). Besides that, once the sample size and selection procedure have been decided, the actual data collection can be started (Weaver and Lawton, 2006).   The main goals of both quantitative and qualitative studies are to maximize the responses and the accuracy of the research (Walonick, 1993). The researchers will also validate the data collection process When others data collection service are being used, by contacting a percentage of the respondents to verify that they were actually being interviewed ( David S. Walonick 1993). Not only that, the checking process for inadvertent errors in the data also involves data editing and this process normally required a computer to check for the out of boundaries data. Step 5: Data analysis The data analysis is the next stage after data collection, which is a stage that attempts to answer the related research questions by examining and assessing the collected information to identify patterns and meanings (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). At this stage, filtering and organizing the database to eliminate the invalid responses usually will be involves to get a better result for the research. Next (at least in quantitative research), it is follow by the coding and entering of the data that already been collected into a computer software system such as SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science) facilities which have the further classification and analysis (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). Actual analysis of the research can be undertaken after all the data already been cleaned to eliminate error in the coding procedure. According to Weaver and Lawton, 2006, the most basic analysis in a qualitative research is to record a simple descriptive statistics such as means, frequencies and standard deviation besides test also can be use when in a more sophisticated level. Researcher need to be open to the data to ensure that the data that they collected do not force the data (Glaser 1992). According to Neuman 1997, qualitative data analysis includes organization of the same categories as well as the relationship development and process models based on a constant comparison of the text-based data. There are 3 aspects of data analysis which is data reduction, data displaying and drawing conclusion (Miles and Huberman 1994). The relationship between different variables and groups can be examined or determined simultaneously by using multivariate technique, such as analyzing the factor and the multidimensional scaling. Level of sophistication depends on the nature of the research question and the datas characteristic collected by the researcher (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). In a qualitative research, the sorting, comparing, classifying and synthesis of the collected informat ion can be involves in analysis for qualitative research (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). Step 6: Data presentation In data presentation, the results of the analysis should be presented in the way that can be easily understood by the target audience. When preparing data for presentation, make sure that you are choosing the key points of the research (Gayle Jennings 2001). The most common devices that use to presenting data is by using tables and graphs but great care also should be always be taken to avoid complexity and clutter particularly if the intended audience is non-academic (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). The reason is that to prevent that audience did not understand what are being present. Furthermore, researcher also can use maps for their presentation because maps are extremely efficient means of presenting spatial information if being constructed properly (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). According to Jennings 2001 Power point presentation also can be use to present the data but there is some consideration when using it to presenting data such as slides should not overwhelmed with text, text is ea sy to read, try not to use colors that are hard to focus on or gaudy, not to over use different font and different style such as italics, bold, use an infra-red or timber pointer if need to indicate something, do not turn your back to audience and check out the slide is in the correct order.   Step 7: Data interpretation The final stage of the research process is data interpretation, in which the meaning from the research results will be extracted (Weaver and Lawton, 2006). This is the stage where important implication of the research result are considered from theoretical and/or practical perspective besides in this stage, researcher also will consider higher levels of investigation which means the researcher will revisit the previous stages(Weaver and Lawton, 2006). Data that been interpret maybe will be influence by the methodological and other biases of the researcher.   The important of the effective interpretation at the specific or broad level cannot be overstated since leads to translation of research results into policy decision and other outcomes that are important to the target audience (Weaver and Lawton, 2006).   

Factors Affecting Buildability of Building Designs

Factors Affecting Buildability of Building Designs Buildability is increasingly become a major requirement in building construction practice. The aim of buildability is use to improve the efficiency of overall building process by developing construction sensitive designs. Nowadays, in Malaysia construction industry, there have facing a lot of problem that will impede the project to process smoothly. In this research, it will highlight what buildability is. Through this we can deeply understand what buildability is and how important it was in the construction industry. Moreover, in this research, we wish to find out and identify the buildability attributes in building design in Malaysia construction industry. There are many buildability attributes have affecting in the building design. If the constructions proceed without a good buildability management, it will bring many problems to the project. So in this research, besides that identifying the buildability attributes, we also wish to find out the importance level for each of these attributes. AIM This report are aim to find out the factors that affect buildability of building design in the Malaysian construction industry. OBJECTIVE In order to achieve the aim of the report, the following are the objectives of this research To study what is buildability and factors may affect it in building design To find out and identify the buildability attributes in building design in the Malaysian construction industry To measure the level of importance of different buildability attributes Research Methodology Literature Review The purpose of the literature review is given us to understanding what buildability in the construction industry is and how important it was. This research methodology may include definitions, ideas and practices of related topics. Besides that, we can study and review to the relevant books, journals, internet and etc., as known as secondary data, that related to the topic buildability. Through those review sources, the important point will be noted down and convenience for us to writing the literature review. The below are showing that the literature search that will be carried out:- Define the definition of buildability/ constructability Define the principle and concept of buildability/ constructability Determine the factor affecting buildability in building design in construction Determine the building attributes and the level of importance for each attribute Questionnaire Questionnaire is recommended as one of the research method, because it is easier for analyzing the data, economical and the hypothesis can be tested. Questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and/or in difference grouping for the purpose of gathering the information from respondents. To gain more information of this research, copies of questionnaire will be sent out to the construction companies and they are needed to express their opinions based on their experience. In this questionnaire, there are empty spaces provide for the respondents to giving their comment or suggest other building attributes which are not included. This questionnaire will target to the professionals such as architect, engineer, project manager, quantity surveyor and others in the contractor industry firm in Malaysia. From the research title, to determine the level of importance of buildability attributes in this research, the classification of the rating scales is used. The questionnaire is based on LIKERT SCALE format. It is a widely used instrument in measuring opinions. A likert item is simply a statement which the respondent is asked to evaluate according to any kind of subjective or objective criteria and generally the level of agreement or disagreement is measured. 5 point likert scale being used as it may produce slightly higher mean scores relative to the highest attainable score. This will be carried out in the final stage of research methodology. The results/ comments get from the respondents will be analyze and present in table or graph in order to provide a clearer view of overall research with writing up the contents of the dissertation. Besides this, analysis and interpretation would be done to gather all the information and data. DISSERTATION ORGANIZATION Chapter 1- Introduction Chapter 1 provides an introduction of the chapter that giving a brief about our proposal. In this chapter it includes introduction/ background, problem statement, aim, objectives, research methodology and working program for the dissertation. Chapter 2 Literature Review Through the review of literature/ articles related to our research topic the important point will be written in this chapter. Journals, books and information from the internet will be the source of the information or data to doing this buildability title dissertation. This chapter are aim to provide a main picture of the knowledge to us before the research is carried out. Chapter 3 Research Design and Methodology Questionnaire will be designed based on the objective and information that we want to find out. These questionnaires will be sent to different construction industry companies in Malaysia to collect data to conduct next step of dissertation. Chapter 4 Data Analysis and Results Discussions The collected information from the respondents will be evaluated and analyzed in table or graph with explanation. Chapter 5 Conclusions This chapter will conclude and recommend the overall results of the survey for further research. REFERENCES Crowther,.P. Design For Buildability and The Deconstruction Consequences, Design for Deconstruction and Materials Reuse, CIB Publication 272. Lam, P.T.I., Wong, F.K.W., Wong, F.W.H. 2007. Building features and site-specific factors affecting buildability in Hong Kong, Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Vol 5, No 2. Mydin S.H., Zin R.M., Majid M.Z.A, Zahidi M. and Memon A.H. 2011. Buildability Attributes at Design Phase In Malaysian Building Construction, International Journal of Sustainable Construction Engineering Technology, Vol. 2, Issue 1. Wong, F.W.H, Lam, P.T.I, Chan, E.H.W. and Wong F.K.W. 2006. Factors Affecting Buildability of Building Design, Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 33.7, pg 79 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW INTRODUCTION Buildability or constructability has a huge area of study and it was very important in a construction industry. The aim of these literature reviews are to study and highlight the area that the buildability attributes that may affect the building design in Malaysia construction industry. The first reviews that will focus in this chapter are definition of buildability, then coming up with the principles and concepts of buildability which have defined by different countries. Moreover, this review also focuses on the factors that may affect the buildability by identify the buildability attributes in building design. BUILDABILITY/CONSTRUCTABILITY DEFINITION OF BUILDABILITY Since the buildability is important in the construction industry, so there are many researchers from different countries has identified and defined buildability based on their studies. Based on the several articles study and resources, it found that the one of the widely definition that can be accepted which is define by the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA), 1983, it stated that the buildability is the extent to which the design of a building facilitates ease of construction, subject to the overall requirements for the completed building (Wong, Lam, Chan and Wong, 2006B.p. 796). Besides the definition defined by CIRIA, there also have another definition which was founded with specific aim of improving the construction total quality management and the overall cost effectiveness and defined as constructability is the effective and timely integration of construction knowledge into the conceptual planning, design, construction and field operation of a project to achieve the overall project objectives in the best possible time and accuracy at the most cost-effective level by Construction Industry Institute (as known as CII) in year 1986 (Wong, et.al, 2006B.p. 796). According to The Construction Industry in Australia (CIIA), Griffith and Sidwell (1997), has defined constructability as a system to integrate if construction knowledge in the project delivery process and balancing the various project and environmental constraints to achieve the project goals and building performance at the optimal level.(Wong, et.al, 2006B.p. 796) Buildability Performance Research Group (BPRG), Chen and McGeorge (1994), defined buildability as the extent to which decisions, made during the whole building procurement process, ultimately facilitate the ease of construction and the quality of the completed project which buildability as a management to goals the project by recognize the factors affected the project (Eng, 2002.p. 117). In the other hand, there are other researchers have derived their own definitions based on their studying in buildability, such as:- Ferguson (1989); buildability was defined as the ability to construct a building efficiently economically and to agreed quality levels from its constituent materials, components and sub-assemblies (Wong, et.al, 2006B.p. 796.) Williams (1982); buildability was defined as the most economic and efficient way of putting a building together.(Yang, 2004) Illingworth (1984); buildability was defined as a design and details which recognize the assembly process in achieving the desired result safety and at least cost to the client.(Yang, 2004) In year 1996, Moore has modified the definition defined by Illingworth as a design philosophy, which is recognizes and addresses the problems of the assembly process in achieving the construction of the design product, both safety and without resort to standardization or project level simplification.(Yang, 2004) Lueprasert (1996), constructability has defined as an important characteristic of structural design and site conditions of construction project which determines the level of complexity of executing the correlative structural assembly tasks.(Yang, 2004) Moreover, there are few researchers believed that constructability are significantly different with buildability. The differences between buildability and constructability are that buildability is a design-oriented concept but constructability is concern the whole project processing. But also have some researchers thought that there are no difference between buildability and constructability, the only is buildability is usually used in UK and constructability is often used in USA. (Yang, 2004) PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS OF BUILDABILITY According to Eng, (2002, p. 112), Buildability or Constructability has been used and evolved in the construction management in the late 1970s in United Kingdom, but its potential was not been fully exploited in construction industry at the time. Nowadays, buildability is increasingly become an integral part of the construction industry in many countries because it was a technique used to manage the construction process during the pre-construction stage. According to Low et.al, (2008), buildability aim is to ensure the impacts of design details are recognized and considered in the earlier stage to reduce and/or prevent errors, delays and allows a cost control to the overall project others. Together with this, it will enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the industry. Moreover, Low study also stated the summarized of buildability principles that defined by some researchers such as Adams (1989), Ferguson (1989), Gray (1984), Griffith and Sidwell (1995), Tatum (1987) and other s as shown as below:- Efficiency and economical building production; to ensure efficient and economical production of a building, a logical organization of the sequence of assembly is necessary. The building organization must ensure continuity of construction work by having food management due to labors, machineries and materials delivery to achieve this principle (OConnor, 1985). Simplicity; this principles saying that the designers of the project must try to produce the simplest possible details compatible with the overall requirement for the building especially for the buildings group of elements (Ferguson, 1989; Bishop, 1985). Tolerance Level; the building design should recognize its tolerances which are normally attainable under site conditions. Different the materials and components used on site have its different composition and different jointing methods required. Therefore, practical level of tolerance adopted is necessary for the materials and components (Ferguson, 1989). Innovation; use any innovative ideas that can enhance the buildability of a project. The contractor should try to bring in new machineries or methods of working that can improve the productivity and allow construction process more efficiency. Before bring in the ideas, consideration of the level of skills available in industry is required. (Tatum, 1987). Proper scheduling; a good scheduling of works may allow construction proceed smoothly and right on track. The construction sequence should be practical to allow for a continuous flow of work to minimize delays of works (Gugel and Russell, 1994). Repetition and standardization; to reduce time consuming for constructions, the building elements should be design that encourages appropriate repetition and standardization, it may help to reduce cost, risk and error by using readily and standard items in construction (Adams, 1989; Ferguson, 1989). Participation and communication; project team members with relevant knowledge should be encourage to participate all level of construction. They can give their opinion and suggestion during early planning stage to reduce problem in future. Clear project information should be planned and coordinated to suit the construction process and facilitate the best possible communication and understanding on site (Fischer and Tatum, 1997). Avoid damage by subsequent works; the design should enable the works that carried out will not have risk of damage due to adjacent finished elements and with minimum requirements for special protection. This would reduce the need for return visits to site to repair damage. By doing few times checking to the completed works is better to reduce the project completion period (OConnor and Tucker, 1986). (Source: Low et.al, 2008) McGeorge and Palmer (1997) have identified that buildability and constructability is the only management concept to have been designed and developed by the construction industry (Eng, 2002). This is because they think that the separation of designs and construction processes is unique to the construction industry. Eng also mentioned that the report in early 1960s, division between the process of design and construction was recognized as contributing to inefficiencies throughout the construction industry. (Eng, 2002).Emmerson (1962) has identified that insufficient documentation before tender, inefficient pre-contract design procedures and lacks of communication among the architects, consultants and contractors appointed are the factors that cause the problem occurred (Eng, 2002). Moreover, Banwell, (1964) suggested that the contractor who is too far from the design stage for his specialized knowledge can be participate in traditional contracting situation. (Eng, 2002.p. 111).In the o ther hand, Banwell report also highlighted that the complexities of modern construction and its requirement for specialized techniques demand that the design process and the construction stage should not be regarded as separate fields of activity. (Eng, 2002.p. 111) EVOLUTION OF BUILDABILITY/CONSTRUCTABILITY CONCEPT Through different groups of researchers, a number of stages in the evolution of the buildability or constructability concept are been identified and related to research efforts in different parts (Eng, 2002). According to Eng (2002) study, it shows the groups of researchers from different countries that have evaluated the evolution of buildability/constructability, which are: Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA); UK Construction Industry Institute (CII); USA Construction Industry Institute of Australia (CIIA) Building Performance Research Group (BPRG); University of Newcastle in Australia In the early research taken by CIRIA and UK researches, they regarded that buildability is problem that arose from the division between builders and designers; led researchers to focus on technical issue and site and construction planning (Gray, 1983; Adam, 1989; Ferguson, 1989). (Eng, 2002.p. 112) Besides that, Eng stated that most industry researchers and commentators are tended to see buildability as a function that is within the influence or control of the designer. Illingworth (1984) has suggested that the problem of buildability was become deteriorate because the designers and professional team are resented contractors involve and giving their opinions during the design stage.(Eng, 2002.p. 112) In addition, CII had used industry case studies to investigate the constructability problem in construction industry to allow the researchers to understanding the issues. This carried out the understanding of different stages of project life cycle which would relate to different issues in constructability (Eng, 2002). Furthermore, CIIA also used the case studies to enable a holistic perspective to be maintained. CIIA have proposed 12 principles would be relevant with different emphases due to the different project life cycle. For BPRG at University of Newcastle in Australia, they started with conceptualize the buildability problem as one that derived from a complex system and they proposed that the concepts of buildability is needed to recognize the factors in a project environment which may affected in the design process, construction process and the link between them (Eng, 2002). CIRIA RESEARCH IN BUILDABILITY The definition of buildability defined by CIRIA has shown at the above. Though that we know that CIRIA definition is focused between designs and construction; the factors has been implied which are solely within the influence or control of the design team those have a significant impact on the ease if construction of a project (Eng, 2002). The concept was recognized as an issue within an integrated design management context. A good buildability are formed based on a building design, structure or other which had been consider in the construction phase with emphasis on the method of construction, activities, sequence of works and way incorporated into the overall design (Eng, 2002). In additional, Eng study had showing the 16 guiding principles for achieving buildability which was identified and developed by Adams (1989), CIRIA, as below:- Investigate thoroughly Consider accessibility at the design stage Consider storage at design stage Design for early enclosure Design for minimum time below ground work Suitable materials use Consider for the local skill available Design for simple assembly Plan for maximize repetition and standardization Maximize the use of plant Allow for sensible tolerances Allow for a practical sequence of operations Plan to avoid change to work Avoid return visits on site; do it right in first time Safe construction design Clearly communication (Source: Adam, (Eng, 2002)) CONSTRUCTABILITY DEVELOPTMENT BY CII According to Eng (2002), has mentioned that CII used case studies to identify different of requirements for the planning stage (Tatum et.al, 1986), engineering and procurement phases of a project (OConnor et.al., 1986) and improvement of constructability that able to make during field operations (OConnor and Davis, 1988). In additional, they had identified and presented 6 concepts for the planning stage, 7 concepts for the design and procurement phase and 1 for field operations phase which showing below:- Conceptual Planning Stage Basic design approaches consider major construction methods Constructability programs are an integral part of project of project implementation plans Project planning requires construction knowledge and experience Early construction involvement in the development of contracting strategy Project schedules are construction sensitive Site layouts show efficient of construction Design and Procurement Stage Design for accessibility, materials and equipment Design for construction in adverse weather and remotes locations Design and procurement schedules are construction sensitive Design to enable efficient construction Design elements are standardize Construction and procurement efficiency are specifications developed Design for modularization to facilitate fabrication/transportation Field Operation Contractors use innovative methods (Source: Tatum et.al; OConnor et.al; OConnor and Davis; (Eng, 2002)) CONSTRUCTABILITY PRINCIPLES BY CIIA For CIIA, they have review to the work of CII, and some developed construction information within the Australian context (Eng, 2002). At the beginning, they are 17 principles are being identified and tested. In the other hand, more than twenty of the personnel who experienced in construction are given feedback due to this tested. Through the test, Constructability Principles File (CIIA, 1992) has shown 12 concepts of constructability to represent current best practice applicable over five projects life cycle stages, which are feasibility studies stage, conceptual design stage, details design stage, construction stage and post construction stage (Eng, 2002). The twelve principles espoused were:- PRINCIPLESÂ  DESCRIPTION Integration Constructability must be made an integral part of project plan. Construction Knowledge Project planning must actively involve construction knowledge and experience. Team Skills Project team must be appropriate for the project based on their experience, skills and etc. Corporate Objectives Project team understanding against clients corporate and project objective to improve constructability. Available Resources Technology use in design solution must be matched with the skills and resources available. External factors External factors might affect the cost and program of the project. Program of project Overall project program must be realistic and have the commitment of the project team. Construction Methodology Construction methodology must be considered in project design. Accessibility Constructability will be improved if accessibility is considered good in the design stage of project. Specifications Constructability improved when efficiency considered in specification development. Construction innovation Constructability improved when innovation techniques is used Feedback Post construction analysis is undertaken to allow constructability can be enhanced on future projects Table Principles by CIIA (Francis and Sidwell (Eng, 2002)) CONSTRUCTABILITY CONCEPTS BY MALAYSIAN RESEARCHER According to Nawi, Kamar, Lee, Hamid, Abdullah, Haron and Ariff (2009), stated that in Malaysia, the constructability and buildability concepts established by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) and other relevant literature by CIRIA, (1983); Tatum, (1987); Adams, (1989); CII, (1993) and etc, there are 23 constructability concepts were formulated and presented by Nima, (2001) which use them to utilize a study in relation to the engineered construction phases. There are 7 concepts for conceptual planning phase, 8 concepts for design and procurement phase and 8 concepts for field operation phases which as follows:- C1-C7 (Project constructability enhancement during conceptual planning phase) Concept C1 the project constructability program should be discussed and documented within the project execution plan, through the participation of all project team members. Concept C2 a project team that includes representatives of the owner, engineer and contractor should be formulated and maintained to take the constructability issue into consideration from the outset of the project and through all of its phases. Concept C3 individuals with current construction knowledge and experience should achieve the early project planning so that interference between design and construction can be avoided. Concept C4 the construction methods should be taken into consideration when choosing the type and the number of contracts required for executing the project. Concept C5 the master project schedule and the construction completion date should be construction-sensitive and should be assigned as early as possible. Concept C6 in order to accomplish the field operations easily and efficiently, major construction methods should be discussed and analyses in-depth as early as possible to direct the design according to these methods. Concept C7 site layout should be studies carefully so that construction, operation and maintenance proceed efficiently and avoid any interference between the operations performed during these phases. C8-C15 (Project constructability enhancement during design and procurement phases) Concept C8 design and procurement schedules should be dictated by construction sequence. Thus, the construction schedule must be discussed and developed prior to the design development and procurement schedule. Concept C9 advanced information technologies are important to any field including field of construction industry. The usage of those technologies could overcome the problem of fragmentation into specialized roles in this field, hence enhancing constructability. Concept C10 designs, with design simplification by designers and design review by qualified construction personnel must be configured to enable efficient construction. Concept C11 project elements should be standardized to an extent that will never affect the project cost negatively. Concept C12 the project technical specifications should be simplified and configured to achieve efficient construction without sacrificing the level or the efficiency of the project performance. Concept C13 the implementation of modularization and preassembly for project elements should be taken into consideration and studied carefully. Modularization and preassembly design should be prepared to facilitate fabrication, transportation and installation. Concept C14 project design should take into consideration the construction personnel, materials and equipment accessibility to the required position on-site. Concept C15 design should facilitate construction during adverse weather conditions. Great emphasis should be made to planning for the construction of the project under suitable weather conditions, but the designer must plan and take into consideration the project elements that could be prefabricated in workshops. C16-C23 (Project constructability enhancement during field operation phases) Concept C16 field task sequencing should be configured in order to minimize damages or rework of some project elements, minimize scaffolding needs, formwork used or congestion of construction personnel, material and equipment. Concept C17 innovation in temporary construction materials/systems, or implementing innovative ways of using available temporary construction materials/systems that have not been defined or limited by the design drawings and technical specifications will contribute positively to the enhancement of constructability. Concept C18 incorporating innovation of new methods in using off-the-shelf hand tools or modification of the available tools or introduction of a new hand tools that may reduce labour intensity, increase mobility, safety or accessibility will enhance constructability at the construction phase. Concept C19 introduction of innovative methods for using the available equipment or modification of the available equipment to increase their productivity will lead to a better constructability. Concept C20 in order to increase the productivity, reduce the need of scaffolding or improve the project constructability under adverse weather conditions, constructors should be encouraged to use any optional preassembly. Concept C21 constructability will be enhanced by encouraging the constructor to carry out innovation of temporary facilities. Concept C22 good contractors, based on quality and time, should be documented, so that contracts for future construction works would not be awarded based on low bits only, but by considering other project attributes. Concept C23 evaluation, documentation and feedback of the issues of the constructability concepts should be maintained throughout the project to be used in later projects as lessons learned. (Source: Nima el al, (Nawi, et.al, 2009)) Although there are many researchers from different countries have identified and presented their own principles and concepts, but the points they covered are almost the same. Through those principles and concepts, it showing the ways to help the construction to reduce its project time, error, cost by having a good buildability on manage overall project. ASSESSMENT OF DESIGNS FOR BUILDABILITY According to CIRC and Chiang et.al, has stated that the construction industries are continues to search out the ways to improve buildability, such as the use of prefabricated, standardized and modular components, as well as the adoption of alternative procurement methods (cited by Wong, Lam, Chan P.C. and Chan H.W., 2006), the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) in Singapore had introduced and published a Code of Practice on Buildabl

Style in Writing :: Teaching Writing

Style in Writing Do the styles around us influence the way we think and the way we speak and write? From the time of elementary school to the present, people learn different styles. We learn how to use different styles at different times. People take these different styles and apply them into writing and conversations. Society has made certain styles more appropriate at times then other styles. For example we speak differently at church then we speak at a bar. Society sets standards on where we use a certain style. Imagine if somebody at church was swearing consistently in a conversation. Everybody would think he was rude and would talk about him after he left. But if this guy was in a bar and had a few beers, no one would think much about it. Style in writing has been set in many ways by the official style. Who set this official style and why do we need to follow it? It is expected in many of our college classes that we need to use the official style when we write papers. This English class was the first time I have looked at different styles of writing besides the official style. All the other English classes that I have taken in the past like to focus on how to write in the official style. The writer needs a theme and the whole paper needs to be in a certain format. The paper has rules to follow and if we donÕt use them, are grade will suffer. When I try and write in the official style, I write in phrases that I would normally never say when I am talking to another person. But by using the official style we are suppose to sound educated and it makes us sound like we know what we are talking about. If two papers are written and one is in the official style and the other is not and someone reads them both; which one would they consider was written by someone with a higher education? ThatÕs an easy one. Then there is the hard working construction worker who doesnÕt give a crap about the official style. Certain people have set up the official style as the correct way to write. Would not people rather read things that are easily understood and can comprehend what the writer is saying; or would they rather read some paper that is long winded and full of information, but they can not comprehend what they read unless they look over it a few times. Style in Writing :: Teaching Writing Style in Writing Do the styles around us influence the way we think and the way we speak and write? From the time of elementary school to the present, people learn different styles. We learn how to use different styles at different times. People take these different styles and apply them into writing and conversations. Society has made certain styles more appropriate at times then other styles. For example we speak differently at church then we speak at a bar. Society sets standards on where we use a certain style. Imagine if somebody at church was swearing consistently in a conversation. Everybody would think he was rude and would talk about him after he left. But if this guy was in a bar and had a few beers, no one would think much about it. Style in writing has been set in many ways by the official style. Who set this official style and why do we need to follow it? It is expected in many of our college classes that we need to use the official style when we write papers. This English class was the first time I have looked at different styles of writing besides the official style. All the other English classes that I have taken in the past like to focus on how to write in the official style. The writer needs a theme and the whole paper needs to be in a certain format. The paper has rules to follow and if we donÕt use them, are grade will suffer. When I try and write in the official style, I write in phrases that I would normally never say when I am talking to another person. But by using the official style we are suppose to sound educated and it makes us sound like we know what we are talking about. If two papers are written and one is in the official style and the other is not and someone reads them both; which one would they consider was written by someone with a higher education? ThatÕs an easy one. Then there is the hard working construction worker who doesnÕt give a crap about the official style. Certain people have set up the official style as the correct way to write. Would not people rather read things that are easily understood and can comprehend what the writer is saying; or would they rather read some paper that is long winded and full of information, but they can not comprehend what they read unless they look over it a few times.