Educational Organization Evaluation Process Research Paper

Educational Organization Evaluation Process - Research Paper Example Evaluation should be considered as an important part of the development process for an educational organization. Primarily, educational institutions use evaluation data to exhibit effectiveness and secondly, to present performance measure, which would be a very good marketing tool. Such evaluation is a specialized activity that educators must undertake in order to assess and develop the learning experience that they are offering (Stronge & Helm, 1990). An outline is presented showing the required processes for the educational organization evaluation. The process provides guidelines for designing, implementing, assessing and improving the identified form of evaluation. Each of the steps aims to promote evaluations that are proper, useful, feasible, and accurate. The following steps could be undertaken in order to evaluate and analyze the Educational organization (Stufflebeam, 1999). The process could also be used to research and assess the effectiveness of the educational system which is used in an educational institution vital in the formulation of educational policies geared towards the realization of an empowered and globally competitive citizen. Goals for undertaking the evaluation should be clearly defined because these goals will significantly impact the shape of the organization’s efforts. Before the purpose could be fully identified, it is important to use information that is already available. Valuable information of a student can be obtained from the student’s classroom teacher, the cumulative file, and the parent regarding the learning problem.

Art Review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Art Review - Assignment Example The painting has drawn much debate down the centuries because of the facial expression displayed on the painting. The Mona Lisa now is on display in Paris at the Louvre. In my opinion, the Mona Lisa is the greatest work of art of all time because of the skillfulness and difficulty of the piece. Da Vinci was an artist who often spent many years on one painting, so it is no surprise that he took so long with this one. The best works of art of those that force the viewer to think about what the painting represents; in this case, Da Vinci paints the facial expression that could be interpreted in one of two ways. In my opinion, the smile of the woman in the painting is not a real smile but a forced one; she may even be hiding something beneath that smile. Rembrandt, full name Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, is considered to be the most famous painter and artist in Dutch history. Many of Rembrandt’s pieces of art contributed to what some experts refer to as the â€Å"Dutch Golden Age.† Early on in his life, Rembrandt was a successful portrait painter but his career did not flourish as much as his early promise showed. Later in life, Rembrandt taught many young Dutch painters how to cultivate works of art. The Night Watch is recognized as one of Rembrandt’s most famous works of art. However, it has also provided much controversy and debate around the militiamen in the painting. This painting was crafted right in the middle of the Dutch Revolt against the Spanish. What may be considered unusual about this painting is that a captain of a Dutch militia group commissioned the painting and paid Rembrandt a large amount of money to do so. However, during this volatile time, it was not uncommon for militia groups to pay for their portraits to be painted. While there are many people in the painting, the light focuses only on two main figures at the front and a

Outsourcing Contract Flaws Essay Example for Free

Outsourcing Contract Flaws Essay In any legal undertaking, contracts play a vital role in ensuring that the interests of both parties are served. Contracts serve as a binding agreement that the signatories should adhere to. In most cases, any violation of the provisions encompassed in a contract holds the erring party liable for breach of contract. When a contract is drafted, the lawyer or whoever is in charge of crafting it has the job of ensuring that both parties understand its provisions and making sure that the contents of the agreement are acceptable to both parties prior to signing the outsourcing agreement.   Ã‚   Consultation with the signatories is a vital requisite in developing a good contract. Outsourcing is one of the newest methods that firms utilize in order to hire personnel. Nowadays, one can easily find firms that specialize in outsourcing services. In this kind of business, an organization employs a service provider to handle various functions such as data entry, programming jobs, and others. Usually located in a foreign country, the outsourcing firm performs jobs that could otherwise be done by the employees of the organization. In a recent survey conducted internationally by the IT Governance Institute (ITGI), it was revealed that clients of outsourcing firms showed a great deal of dissatisfaction with the service provided by these firms. Because of this, the contracting organization made the crucial decision of prematurely severing their ties with the outsourcing firm (Simmonds Gilmour, 2005). In the study, it was further discovered that among the 76 percent of the survey participants providing at least one outsourcing service, only 25 percent have an established method in managing their contracts (Simmonds Gilmour, 2005). The Importance of Contracts in the Outsourcing Business Contracts play an important role in providing outsourcing services. It lays down the duties, roles, goals, and controls needed in anticipating change as well as in handling the development, maintenance, execution, pricing, and regulation of outsourced services(Simmonds Gilmour, 2005). In addition, outsourcing contracts contains provisions that the service provider must follow in order to ensure a general, consistent, and efficient means of handling the outsourcing agreement. Contracts ensure the proper governance of outsourcing (Simmonds Gilmour, 2005). Crafting a contract is by no means an easy job. In order to properly manage outsourcing services, the book entitled Governance of Outsourcing has laid down the following requisites of a good contract:   Outsourcing contracts should indicate what activities are exempted from outsourcing. It should clearly identify the type of service offered. Complicated and permanent outsourcing requirements may require a more integrated approach (Simmonds Gilmour, 2005). Once the outsourcing strategy has been determined, service provider contracts must clearly point out the methods and structures of the outsourcing agreement. It should clearly establish the responsibilities, goals, and roles of the parties involved. This can be formalized through the creation of a governance schedule. Defective approaches should be taken out of the picture. If management is unable to handle such processes, it is unlikely for the outsourcing provider to handle these processes as well (Simmonds Gilmour, 2005). Good outsourcing contracts must have provisions that will clearly evaluate the competence of the people who will be involved in providing outsourcing. Likewise, there should be provisions for checking the credibility and reliability of the chosen service provider (Simmonds Gilmour, 2005). After a year of offering outsourcing, the service provider should work out a re-negotiation of the contract. If the terms of agreement has a global scope and the service is provided to several components of an organization, there should be supporting contracts for every country involved. Contract re-negotiation should be included in the standard operating procedure of the outsourcing firm (Simmonds Gilmour, 2005). Proper channelling of information should be established as this will ensure improved control instead of drawing reactions. Every communication resource should be utilized in order to guarantee that any human resource personnel involved is properly informed (Simmonds Gilmour, 2005). Any transfer of service connected to the agreement must be accompanied by a formal plan and should be acknowledged by the two parties involved in the process. Benchmarking and measurement should likewise be provided in order to properly manage project costing. This is an important aspect in the total conduct of negotiating for a contract (Simmonds Gilmour, 2005). Aside from daily monitoring, the contract should likewise provide for regular benchmarking. Stable governance should be dynamic. Through periodic benchmarking, the service provider will remain valuable and will become the foundation of decisions whether to proceed with contract re-negotiations or abolish the contract (Simmonds Gilmour, 2005). The ITGI survey further revealed that among the organizations included in the study, the main reason why clients outsource is because there are not many people within the organization who have the expertise to perform such service. Forty eight percent of the surveyed organizations support this reason while the remaining 42 percent resort to outsourcing as a cost-reduction measure. However, minimizing costs is not as crucial as improving the value of the organization (Simmonds Gilmour, 2005). There are various benefits that can be derived from outsourcing service. One of the major benefits of this kind of process is better quality of service. Since the organization paid the service provider who specializes in such kind of roles, the firm would have an assurance that the finished product would not be haphazardly done. Another advantage of outsourcing is improved handling of risks. Since the service provider is trained and experienced with the line of work they are paid to do, the risks involved will be much lesser. The outsourcing firm are more equipped to handle possible risks than an employee of the organization who might not have the time to troubleshoot risks. Likewise, there is no need for the organization to select and utilize its own personnel. Instead, the staff of the organization can focus their energy on performing more important and worthwhile activities. The last advantage of outsourcing is scalability. If the organization is satisfied with the performance of the outsourcing firm, it could require its services to perform other needs. For example, a service provider providing data entry functions for a certain organization may be expanded to perform database management duties as well. More and more organizations are realizing the importance of outsourcing as an effective means of strengthening the quality of their business. In order to completely maximize the many advantages of this process, there is a need to ensure the proper governance of these processes.   By drafting stable outsourcing contracts, service providers would be able to address and remedy any possible loopholes that may arise from the outsourcing agreement.  Ã‚   Thus, assuring that their customers are satisfied with the service they provide lies on how effective the outsourcing agreement is crafted by the service provider.   Otherwise, it could lead to a short-term and dissatisfied client.

Sustainable Public Procurement vs Green Public Procurement

Sustainable Public Procurement vs Green Public Procurement This section provides the background to the research and overview or outlines the overall framework of the dissertation. It describe the research process that include research problem, problem statement, aim, and objectives of the research, the scope of research being investigated, methodology adopted and finally the summary of the overall research structure undertaken. 1.0.2 Background Sustainability have become a widespread issue in developing countries as the effort to develop the country and conserving the Mother Nature at the same time increased. This effort is also due to the commitment agreed after United Nation Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 established Agenda 21. The Agenda 21 which contains blueprints on sustainability in 21st century was agreed by most of the governments to incorporate the sustainability concept in developments and economic area but still preserving the environment and natural resources. The construction industry is in no exception. Construction industry contributes 3.5 per cent to the countrys gross domestic product in 2011 (Jabatan Statistik Malaysia,2011) . These consist mainly of public sector projects under governments development programme. This indicates that the government have a big role to encourage the sustainability concept since they are the client with the biggest purchasing power. The sustainability developments by the Malaysian Green Technology Policy 2009 are the development of products, equipment and systems used to conserve the natural environment and resources, which minimizes and reduces the negative impact of human activities. While procurement is defined as a process that produces, manages and fulfils contract relating to various works such as construction, leasing properties, discarding properties or give permission for a project (Watermeyer,2004). The local government have the power to incorporate sustainability in its project through sustainable procurement. Sustainable procurement ensures that the project tendered by contractor have the element of sustainability incorporated inside the documents. By using their leverage to opt for goods and services that also respects the environment they can influence the contractor to include more energy efficient building system (Walker H., Brammer, 2009). This give a clear signal to the procurement parties to use environmental efficient technologies in the buildings as stated in the contract. Among the local government in other country that used sustainable procurement system is the Dutch Ministry for Economic Affairs. Their agency, Senter Novem defined sustainable procurement as applying environmental and social aspects in all stages of the procurement process to ensure that it results in the actual delivery of product, service or work in line with such environmental and social aspects. It is also defined as construction that brings about the required performance with the least unfavourable ecological impacts while encouraging economic, social and cultural improvement at local, regional and global level. (Taipale, 2010) 1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT Sustainability is one of the five main areas of the Government Transformation Programme. Therefore, in order to achieve this, the policies need to be enforced. This is to ensure the implementation will take place and change can be seen. However, sustainable procurement is also important which are not well known in Malaysian construction industry. There is a need to know the level of awareness of this procurement so that it can help policy makers to do policies that are applicable to Malaysian environment. This is because Malaysia have a strong foundation in the sustainability issue but still lacking in implementation level. As stated by Perera et. al (2007), law and policies are not enough to change the usual traditional procurement system which are based on value for money rather than the whole life of value of the project. According to CIMP 2006-2015, road to sustainability is expected to come by 2015. However, 2015 is getting near and the changes are still yet to be seen. 1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1.2.1 AIMS This paper aims to discover the awareness of construction industry players of the sustainable procurement. It is can be used to discover the problems that hinder or cause the industry players hesitant to incorporate sustainability in procurement even though there are various policies available nowadays. By using natural materials in the design does not mean the building is sustainable. Everything that came from the Mother Nature does not necessarily sustainable to begin with. For example, tyres which made out of 100% natural ingredient which is rubber. Therefore, it is hoped that the understanding of sustainability itself and the ability to incorporate sustainable into procurement can be done. 1.2.2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES a. To identify the awareness of the construction industry players about sustainable procurement. b. To identify the problems in implementation level. c. To find appropriate recommendation to encourage the use of sustainable public procurement in public projects. 1.3 SCOPE OF RESEARCH The scope of this paper will limit on the procurements for public projects as the projects in Malaysia are mostly from the Government development programmes. The scope will limit for government projects in Sarawak only. 1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The research methodology will explain how the objectives of this study can be achieved. This chapter will show the flow and the method used to gather the data and information to achieve the objective of study. The data and information will be adopted by specific approach depend on the nature of the investigation. It can be categorized into two stages: Data collection methods are an integral part of research design in any research. Data can be collected in variety of ways and in different setting. Data can be obtained from primary and secondary data. The primary data refer to information which gathered from first hand experiences in the specific of studies. Then, the secondary data is the data which are collected from the publish data or the data collected which are already existed. Primary Data Questionnaires Questionnaires will be given out to Quantity Surveyors, Engineers and other construction industry related job such as contract administrators and others. The questionnaires are intended to assemble all the information that needed to prove the objective of the research paper. Secondary Data The Literature Review was carried out to establish some general knowledge of the research topic. A clearer framework of the research was established for secondary data. These are all obtained from: Journals Articles Information from internet Dissertation Publisher research work Books 7.0 TENTATIVE CHAPTER HEADINGS Chapter 1: Introduction The introduction will discuss on issues relating to sustainable construction and sustainability in procurements. Other items included under this heading are problem statements, aim and objectives and scope of the study. This chapter will also line out the research methodology of the research paper and its significant to the construction industry. Chapter 2: Literature Review Chapter 2 will review on the sustainable procurement principles, the distinction between sustainable and green procurement. The chapter will also review the other countries that have taken steps to implement sustainable procurement in the public projects. The characteristics, benefits and the procurement practices in Malaysia will also be reviewed under this heading. Chapter 3: Sustainable Procurement This heading will further discuss on the integration of the sustainability into procurement. The chapter will also discuss the application of sustainable procurement in other countries such as United Kingdom. The National policies on sustainability issues will also be discussed in this chapter. This is to show that Malaysia have strong foundation on policy but lack in implementation. The roles of Government in implementing sustainable procurement will also be discussed. Chapter 4: Data Analysis And Findings This chapter will discuss on the data obtained and findings on the research. Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations This chapter will conclude on the overall issues and recommend the suitable solution. CHAPTER 2:Â  LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 INTRODUCTION Nowadays, the consumption of goods and services causes the emission of chemical substances, mass use of natural resources and other activity generates waste and pollution. Sustainable procurement ensure the environmental, social and economic objective is achieved. The construction industry uses a lot of natural resources, waste and pollution. In order to control these problems, the solution must start from the procurement itself. Malaysian construction industry has no problem in adopting and implementing the sustainable practices however, due to lack of knowledge and due to financial constraints the progress are slow (Othman R., 2008). 2.1 SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT: AN OVERVIEW 2.1.1 Principle According to United Nation, sustainable principle is based on environmental, social and economic consideration. These three objective must be combined together to produce a sustainable procurement. The procurement strategy must consider the life cycle value of the project, social impact and the economic benefits. The life cycle value of the project does not means the value in terms of financial value only. The life cycle value of the project in sustainable procurement also means the project have lower environmental impact. This ensures that the building is not only green initially, but also after end of use. The building components must consist of materials that are Eco labelled. Among the energy rating label on product is Energy Star. Energy Star is an international recognized standard for electrical product. A procurement officer can check whether the product such as air conditioner have an Energy Star label. Other than that, the procurement officer can refer to the specification i n Energy Stars website. This is to ensure the product is energy efficient and have lower environmental impact. Sustainable procurement gives impact socially by supporting the local businesses. Supporting businesses by single mother is also considered helping the social level to progress. When support is given to these local businesses, their business will eventually grow and job opportunity created. Economically, if there is a demand for green innovative product the market will try to supply more of the similar products and probably more competitive price can be obtained from the market. This opens up a bigger market for sustainable products. More variety of products with reasonable price will be available. The assessment of economic sustainability considers not only the initial investment in land and construction, but also questions such as the cost of maintaining and operating a building over a longer period of time. Social and societal sustainability covers issues which are often closely linked with economic and environmental ones, such as access to basic services, upgrading poor housing conditions, creating decent jobs, fair trade of construction materials, transparency. of tenders for contracts., cultural values embedded in old buildings, and accessibility to buildings. (Taipale, 2010). 2.1.2 Sustainable VS. Green Although the term green and sustainability used interchangeably, there is a difference of green and sustainable construction. For green buildings (the middle-size box), common phases of the life cycle for the building are incorporated into construction. Indoor environmental quality is a variable added into the green building model compared to the conventional building model. In green building, the stage of incorporating green character of a building only started during design stage. While for sustainable, the concept are incorporated since the pre-design stage. During pre-design stage, all the design team, owners and all other parties involved need to establish and understand the objectives on sustainability. They also need to share their opinions on sustainability and agree on common priorities including the potential challenges on reusing and refurbishing the building. They need to learn lessons from best practices on other projects to examine possible changes or innovations for th e proposed building. (Taipale, 2010) In sustainable buildings (the bigger box), the numbers of variables and stages of the building life-cycle considered are even larger. Based on the figure 2.1, the concept of sustainability comprises of whole building life cycle value. Variable such as site selection, project planning and urban design, service quality, social and economic aspect and cultural and perceptual aspect are added to this model. In pre design stage, site selection is considered important. Selection of site must not give negative impacts to the surrounding environment. Impacts on groundwater, natural resources, decrease in accessibility, pollution to soil and orientation of sun and wind are several items that need to be considered for site selection. 2.1.2 Why sustainability need to be integrated with procurement? Through procurement that requires sustainability to be incorporated in the construction, the market will see a signal to supply more sustainable products to meet the criteria. This is because where there is demand, there will be supply. Laymans checklist shows that procurement is one of the issues that need to be taken account during construction of sustainable buildings. 2.1.3 Sustainable Procurement: A Global Issue Sustainable procurement is already enforced in New Zealand, United Kingdom..___. The Marrakech Project is a task force formed to do the framework on sustainable procurement as a result from Agenda 21. According to Marrakech Force, Japan According to Shohei Yamada from Ministry of Environment Japan, the key Japans success in green purchasing is due to the law in green purchasing that are strictly enforced and implemented in by Japans government. Switzerland Marrakech Task Force United Kingdom Sustainable Procurement Action Plan 2.2 National Policy On Sustainability Issue Malaysia had taken a step towards sustainability after Rio Summit in 1992. The summit requires various countries to commit on the sustainable development issue. There were 27 principles of sustainable development identified during the conference. During Rio Summit, there is also a guideline on sustainable development which is known as Agenda 21. After Rio Summit in 1992, Malaysian government introduced the Malaysian National Environment Policy. (elaborate) The development of various initiatives and policy of sustainable development in Malaysia started since the Kyoto Declaration in 2002 is signed by various countries. Benefits of Sustainable Procurement There are several benefits listed by Kennard (2006) for sustainable procurements. Among them are: Control costs by adopting a wider approach to whole life costing. When wider approach to whole life costing is adopted, the once considered expensive item will be seen as cost saving in long term. This is through the efficient use of the sustainable material and products. Several research and best practices proved that by evaluating the life cycle value of the building, positive social and environmental impact can be achieved. For example in choosing the type of bulb to be used in a building. The energy saving bulb initial cost is expensive. But it uses less energy which brings to less electricity current. The bulb also long lasting therefore it does not require change regularly. This reduces the maintenance cost of the building operation. Comply with environmental and social legislation. There are various tools implemented by the Government in environmental and social legislation to improve sustainability such as transforming Ministry of Communication, Water and Energy to Ministry of KETTHA. There are also guidelines in developing a sustainable development in National Urbanization Policy. Incentives are also given such as exemption from tax if a developer achieves the Green Building Index certificate. There is also a Green Technology Funding Scheme (GTFS) where the construction fulfils the criteria in Table 2.0. No. Criteria Elaboration Requirement 1 Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy By using the building orientation as a method to optimise the consumption of energy. For example to get good natural lighting, the orientation of the building must be towards the sunlight. The building also need to use building services that use renewable energy, ensure proper testing made to the services and do regular maintenance. Minimum Energy Efficient Performance Compliance to minimum requirement of MS1525:2007 Renewable Energy 2 Indoor Environmental Quality Good indoor air quality, acoustics, visual and thermal comfort. This includes using a low volatile organic compound materials, use a quality air filtration system, proper control of air temperature, movement and humidity. Minimum IAQ Performance Minimum indoor air quality (IAQ) performance to enhance indoor air quality in building, thus contributing to the comfort and well-being of the occupants. Low indoor air pollutants, mould prevention 3 Sustainable Site Planning and Management Selecting appropriate sites with planned access to public transportation, community services, open spaces and landscaping. Avoiding and conserving environmentally sensitive areas through the redevelopment of existing sites and brownfields. Implementing proper construction management, storm water management and reducing the strain on existing infrastructure capacity. Environment Management Conserve existing natural area Restore damaged area to provide habitat Promote biodiversity Maximize open space by providing a high ratio of open space to development footprint to promote biodiversity. Earthworks Construction activity pollution control and Reduce social impact to surrounding. Public transportation access Reduce pollution and land development impacts from automobile use. Storm water design to limit the disruption of natural hydrology Reduce heat island effect. 4 Materials and Resources Use products that are from environmental friendly and recyclable source. Implement a proper waste management system, with storage, collection and reuse of recyclables and construction waste and formworks. Materials reuse and recycle content materials and construction waste management. Use of environmentally-friendly Refrigerants and Clean Agents. 5 Water Efficiency Practices rainwater harvesting, water recycling and water saving fittings Rainwater Harvesting to reduce potable water consumption. Water Recycling to reduce potable water consumption. Water Efficient Irrigation/ Landscaping Encourage the design of system that does not require the use of potable water supply from the local water reticulation. Water Efficient Fittings Encourage reduction in potable water consumption through use of efficient devices. Metering Leak Detection System Encourage the design of systems that monitors and manages water consumption. 6 Innovation Use an innovative design and initiatives in promoting energy efficiency that meets the goal of Green Building Index Innovation in design environmental design initiatives that contribute to reduce impact to the environment. Green building accredited facilitator To support and encourage the design integration required for green / sustainable building rated buildings and to streamline the application and certification process. Table 2.0 : Criteria and Requirements for obtaining Green Technology Funding Scheme (GTFS) (Source : http://www.gtfs.my/page/criteria-building-and-township-sector) There are also rebates for those who procure the air conditioning, refrigerator or chiller which are rated 5-star by Suruhanjaya Tenaga. The Government are encouraging the consumers to use energy efficient appliances by listing the 5-star rated products in the website. They also provide a savings calculator to show how much saving the consumer can get if they use an energy efficient electrical appliances. This is to help create a culture of efficient use of energy into consumers and business entities. Manage risk and reputation. In order to implement the sustainable procurement, an organization needs to fully change its policies and procedures. It is vital that the sustainability criteria are integrated into the management itself before it is applied to other areas such as procurement. The existing procurement practice and policies need to be evaluated to clarify what the organization really needed to purchase. The procurement policies need to adopt sustainable strategies in order to manage unnecessary consumption and demand thus reducing the impact of energy use to environment. By producing a guideline of the procurement policy, the performance of sustainable procurement can be measured in future. Thus sustainable procurement goals can be developed from time to time. This process will provide a measurement for re-evaluating the sustainability of the supply chain and build a reputation for the organization as an organization that practices good ethical value of sustainable in procurement. (Kennard, 2006) CHAPTER 3 3.0 INTRODUCTION According to Kallet (2004), a studys validity is judged based on the method section of a research paper which provides all of the information in a study. Therefore, a solid research methodology planning precise description of each action must be prepared prior to the commencement of a particular research study. The credibility of the outcome of the research and how the research can be applied in a general population interest is referred as validity (Kallet, 2004). Therefore, the authenticity of content in a research paper are depending on the degree of the validity of its outcome to the overall population and ability of the research paper to be used as future reference. Hulley et.al (1988) as cited by Kallet (2004), stated that the credibility of a study is solely determined by the degree to which conclusion drawn from a research correctly what actually transpired during a study, known as Internal Validity. Moreover, Kallets 2004 study (Hulley et.al, 1988) stated that as for External validity refers to whether the result of a study depending on the degree of the study can be generalized to a larger population. Planning a research methodology before the execution of a research study is essential in ensuring that the outcome of the study which was based on its objectives can be reached and its degree of validity is credible for future reference. 3.1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY OF THE TOPIC 3.1.1 Objectives of the Study The research on the has three most important goals or objective which comprises of the following: To identify the awareness of the construction industry players about sustainable procurement. To identify the problems in implementation level of sustainable procurement in construction industry. To find appropriate recommendation to encourage the use of sustainable public procurement in public projects. These three main objectives were set out as a guideline in executing the research study on the topic. The methodologies used in order to obtain valuable information for this research study are based on sources from both Primary and Secondary Data. Primary Data for this research study was obtained by means of interviews with numerous individual and site visits. Among the barriers in obtaining the primary data was the restriction due to governmental policies, availability of the person in- charge, communication barriers, bureaucracy hassle, public transportation breakdown, financial limit, time constraint, and weather condition. As for the Secondary Data, the information was obtained from journals, articles, electronic information, dissertations, publisher research work, and book of related topic. 3.1.2 Summary of Research Methodology 3.1.2.1 Primary Data Due to the effect of degree of validity of a research study to the credibility of the outcome of the study, the data obtained for executing the study is scrutinized and filtered in order to obtain only the worthy information. Primary data can be defined as the first hand data that was obtain by the researcher prior to the commencement of the research, it is the foremost sources of information which was obtained from both interviews and site visits. Prior to the these data gathering can commence, a letter of consent for request of approval for using the project as a case study was submitted to the responsible being for approval and official notification. The interviews were carried out largely at the mentioned public department. Among the individual interviewed was the Head of the Developers, Quantity Surveyors, Civil Engineers, Architects, and Contractor and also other parties that involved and understand the procurement content. 3.2.2.2 Secondary Data According to Stacks (2002), secondary data can be defined as report on the outcome of the primary data. It is not as authoritative as the primary data as it often provides broad background and readily improves ones learning curve. Therefore, obviously the secondary data is not as reliable as the primary data. The secondary data used in this research is obtained from books related to the research topic, articles, journals, electronic information, dissertations, and public works research. 3.2 SOURCE OF RESEARCH DATA 3.2.3 Primary data Primary data obtained for the purpose of the study consist of interviews and site visits. Interviews The interviews carried out for the purpose of this study can be divided into two, namely : Semi structured interviews. Informal interviews. 3.2.3.1.1 Semi Structured Interviews Rashid (1998) suggested that it is more desirable to conduct a semi-structured interview which is closer to the qualitative research method in order to be balanced and attempt to obtain additional information that would enrich the quantitative data obtained through questionnaire survey. As the nature of the investigation is a combination of qualitative and quantitative that seek for the answer for open-ended and close-ended questions of why and how therefore, it is more appropriate to conduct semi-structured interview in which it provides opportunities to researcher to capture both data. To ensure the smoothness and to facilitate the respondents in answering the questions, the following guides and procedures were followed: The main instructions were clearly explained during the beginning of interview sessions. Each respondents were requested to discuss on one or more specific projects that has been selected during content analysis prior to the interview in which they were directly involved in the strategic briefing process. The respondents were allowed to express their opinion freely in the future outlook of sustainable procurement in construction industry, in order to explore potential variables and concepts that may have been overlooking during literature review. The questions were design to be short and simple, which developed from objectives of the research. A five-point rating scale were used for close-ended questions with choices of responses of : 1 Not at all aware 2 Slightly aware 3 Somewhat aware 4 Moderately aware 5 Extremely aware 3.2.3.1.2 Informal Interviews Informal interviews were carried out by means of telecommunication such as telephone calls, emails, and Short Messaging System or better known as SMS. This type of interview were conducted in order to acquire basic information such as the availability of the person in charge, hardcopy information for appendix purposes, and other related references. 3.2.3.1.3 Questionnaires The final stage of data collection is a postal questionnaire survey. The primary objective of postal questionnaire survey is to measure the level of clients practices during briefing. It also carried out to measure the level of project success based on perception of the architects in-charged for the selected project. Responses and variables on clients practices during briefing and level of project success obtained from the survey were used to validate findings on semi-structured interview on the previous stage of data collection, in order to have reliable, unbiased and meaningful data. Given that the location of the respondents were relatively remote, financial limitation and constrained by timeline of the study, a postal questionnaire survey was observed as the most appropriate method to collecting data from the respondents. According to Sekaran (2003), the main advantage of mail questionnaire is that a wide geographical area can be covered in the survey. Naoum (1998) added it is more suited to assembling a mass of information at a minimum expense in terms of finance, human and other resources. A set of question was developed for the purpose of the survey in which divided into several sections that covered background of the respondents, level of knowledge and concept of sustainable development and construction, application of sustainability in procurement, barriers to implement sustainable procurement in construction industry and future outlook of the sustainable procurement in construction. To encourage high response rate and to ensure the required information were obtained, the following guides and procedures were followed: The questions were design to be short and simple, and were formatted on A4 sizes paper. The main instructions were clearly printed in the front page of the questionnaire form. The questionnaire was divided into several sections, according to research objectives and category of information required. Refer to Appendix 1 for copy of questionnaire used in the postal questionnaire survey. Secondary Data According to Ober (2008), secondary data is not as good as the primary data , however, it is not the worst kind of data that can be used in completing a research study. Moreover, there are many advantageous in applying the secondary data as a method in completing a research study, this is due to the facts that it is low in term of cost and less time consuming than gathering primary data, therefore, secondary data will help save money, energy, and time. However, it also holds its own disadvantages in terms of the quality of the available data and its availability for a particular topic of a research study. Most of the secondary data gathered in this study was obtained from construction journals and articles. The secondary data for this research was also gathered from the electronic

Captain Ahab and Moby Dick Essay -- essays research papers

Captain Ahab and Moby Dick: Literary critics point to a variety of themes and juxtapositions when analyzing Herman Melville's â€Å"Moby Dick†. Some see the land opposed to the sea or Fate opposed to free will. Most mention man versus nature or good versus evil. A perspective that seems overlooked though is the perspective of the self and the other. The self and other is when one discovers the other (something not us) within oneself, when one realizes that one is not a single being alien to anything that is not them. There are many such relationships throughout the book, such as that of Ishmael and Queequeg and Ahab and Starbuck. However, this paper will focus on the essential relationship, which is of Ahab and Moby-Dick. By recognizing the other within ourselves, we are saved from hating the other in itself. Captain Ahab struggled to see Moby-Dick within himself, in this began the book's main problem of the self and the other. Before I get to this problem lets track the character of Ahab’s development up to that point. Chapters early in the book describe Ahab as having lost his leg to Moby-Dick. This character development suggests that Ahab is the victim of an attack by a vicious animal. However, by chapter 36 â€Å"The Quarter Deck", Ahab is described as a man infatuated with destroying a great white whale, named Moby-Dick. By chapter 37 â€Å"Sunset", it is obvious that Ahab is mad and in chapter 44 â€Å"The Chart", the reader is made aware of Ahab's "monomaniac thought of his soul." He was so obsessed with Moby-Dick that he couldn’t sleep. Ahab must have had some cause for his feelings toward the whale. It seems that Ahab and many other sailors have been exposed to the story of Jonah, which may have established man and whale as enemies. Also, is chapter 54 â€Å"The Town-Ho's Story" Melville tells of an account of Moby-Dick's capabilities. In this story, Moby-Dick snatches Radney from his ship and takes him below the ocean’s surface. However, for some reason Ahab does not hear this story. Melville may be showing the reader that the whale can be violent, and by not allowing Ahab to hear this story he (or the reader) won’t be able to use this information as an excuse for Ahab’s madness. By telling only the reader of the Town Ho's story, both the characters of Ahab and Moby-Dick are developed further. The character of the whale is set up as a dan... ...k this way Ahab created himself. Just like a master and slave relationship the self and the other are linked. There can be no slave without a master and there can be no master without a slave. When a master defeats and creates a slave, the master creates a role as "master" for himself or herself as well. In Melville's book, Ahab played the role of hunter and Moby-Dick became the hunted. The self/other relationship can be far more complicated than what has been offered here. Many racists, sexists and those who cannot tolerate homosexuality do not always follow the standards. Ahab and Moby-Dick are a special case of the relationship, and they are one that deserves consideration. Once again when I say self/other I am referring to a type of linkage of two separate beings. It is when one (the self) discovers the other (something not us) within oneself, when one realizes that one is not a single being alien to anything that is not them. The main point of this paper is the main problem of the self and the other which is that Captain Ahab struggled to see Moby-Dick within himself. Since he could not see this he hated and became obsessed with Moby Dick and thus apart of himself.

The Philip Morris Anti Smoking Campaign Essay -- Essays Papers

The Philip Morris Anti Smoking Campaign Traditionally, many advertisements released by cigarette brands under the Philip Morris label have depicted happy people joined together in friendship (supposedly due to their common habit). Other advertisements attempted to associate cigarettes with sleek mystical figures, sometimes even sexually desirable ones. All this has changed, however, due to recent legal developments in which the cigarette giant was pressured to offer anti-smoking ads, in addition to the usual fictional ones depicting happy mannequins. In no way were they to advertise cigarettes, and they were mandated to help stop youth smoking. These requirements placed Philip Morris in a difficult situation. They needed to satisfy the courts, but at the same time also make their advertisements as unsuccessful as possible. To the joy of Philip Morris, Ogilvy explains that "the consumer perceives that the product is inferior and never buys it again" (103). The product is of course not a cigarette, in this case, but rather the message of the advertisement, "don't smoke". Through the use of dull visual features and two reversed advertising tactics, Philip Morris has successfully designed a campaign certain to reach no one. The side benefit of positive PR for the company, of course, was guaranteed regardless of the ad content. The first goal of this article is to attract as little attention as possible. At first glance, the eye finds no special focus point. We see two silhouettes seated at the far opposite ends of a small fishing boat out on a motionless river. It looks more like a mournful life insurance advertisement than anything else. The reader almost expects it to ask "Who will take care of your children?". There are no ... ...hat this awkward conversation was in fact their responsibility. The viewer is left feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and unhappy. What better solution than to turn the page and gaze instead at a graceful Dorothy Hamill figure skater telling them to purchase a wonderful mysterious product named Vioxx? * Gramatically incorrect sentences used for style Works Cited Fowles, Jib. "Advertising's Fifteen Basic Appeals." Common Culture, 3rd Edition. Ed. Petracca, Michael, and Sorapure, Madeleine. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001. 60-77. Ogilvy, David. "What's Wrong with Advertising?" Common Culture, 3rd Edition. Ed. Petracca, Michael, and Sorapure, Madeleine. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001. 95-104. Solomon, Jack. "Masters of Desire." Common Culture, 3rd Edition. Ed. Petracca, Michael, and Sorapure, Madeleine. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001. 46-59. The Philip Morris Anti Smoking Campaign Essay -- Essays Papers The Philip Morris Anti Smoking Campaign Traditionally, many advertisements released by cigarette brands under the Philip Morris label have depicted happy people joined together in friendship (supposedly due to their common habit). Other advertisements attempted to associate cigarettes with sleek mystical figures, sometimes even sexually desirable ones. All this has changed, however, due to recent legal developments in which the cigarette giant was pressured to offer anti-smoking ads, in addition to the usual fictional ones depicting happy mannequins. In no way were they to advertise cigarettes, and they were mandated to help stop youth smoking. These requirements placed Philip Morris in a difficult situation. They needed to satisfy the courts, but at the same time also make their advertisements as unsuccessful as possible. To the joy of Philip Morris, Ogilvy explains that "the consumer perceives that the product is inferior and never buys it again" (103). The product is of course not a cigarette, in this case, but rather the message of the advertisement, "don't smoke". Through the use of dull visual features and two reversed advertising tactics, Philip Morris has successfully designed a campaign certain to reach no one. The side benefit of positive PR for the company, of course, was guaranteed regardless of the ad content. The first goal of this article is to attract as little attention as possible. At first glance, the eye finds no special focus point. We see two silhouettes seated at the far opposite ends of a small fishing boat out on a motionless river. It looks more like a mournful life insurance advertisement than anything else. The reader almost expects it to ask "Who will take care of your children?". There are no ... ...hat this awkward conversation was in fact their responsibility. The viewer is left feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and unhappy. What better solution than to turn the page and gaze instead at a graceful Dorothy Hamill figure skater telling them to purchase a wonderful mysterious product named Vioxx? * Gramatically incorrect sentences used for style Works Cited Fowles, Jib. "Advertising's Fifteen Basic Appeals." Common Culture, 3rd Edition. Ed. Petracca, Michael, and Sorapure, Madeleine. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001. 60-77. Ogilvy, David. "What's Wrong with Advertising?" Common Culture, 3rd Edition. Ed. Petracca, Michael, and Sorapure, Madeleine. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001. 95-104. Solomon, Jack. "Masters of Desire." Common Culture, 3rd Edition. Ed. Petracca, Michael, and Sorapure, Madeleine. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001. 46-59.

Changing Lives Essay

I have always viewed life differently. There were times when people would act differently towards me, for I acted maturely for my age. Oftentimes, I was vocal about how I wanted to finish my education so that I would be able to fulfill my dreams further. For everyone’s benefit, I would like to pursue a degree in Biology. At a young age, my mother exposed me to the real world. She was a nurse in one of the hospitals, and most of the time she would cater to the needs of patients. Like any curious child, I would ask her questions about her profession, making me more inclined into the field of medicine as I grew older. I could definitely say that my mother was my driving force in my dream of becoming a physician someday. My mother would consistently teach me about medicine and the first aid that I need, in the event that I need help. In school, I always showed my determination and perseverance to succeed in life. I would always give my best, even in the smallest requirement deemed from students. As much as possible, I wanted things to go as planned. Hard work and dedication were not the only factors that I took in mind. I was guided by my prayers and my will to be of service to others. In this manner, I wanted to make sure that everything was in proper order and that I am not stepping nor hurting anyone in the process. I remember the many times that my mother brought me to work with her. Even at a young age, she helped satisfy my curiosity by allowing me to assist in her work. In high school, my mother finally allowed me to volunteer in their hospital, especially in catering to the needs of patients. This kind of exposure made me more determined than ever to be of service to those in need as a physician. My life was never a perfect one. Although my mind was set into becoming a successful physician, there were certain things in life that led to this decision. My mother was of Mexican-American lineage; and Mexico was where she finished her education. In her attempt to bring herself to grater heights, she moved to the United States. The hardships that she endured when she was still starting were difficult to bear. However, she disregarded all of these and went on to fulfill her dream. Now, she is a nurse and earning a stable job in the United States. Like my mother, I was inspired to work hard and bridge gaps by making it big in the United States. The kind of education that the University of California would give me would come to my advantage in my attempt to attend medical school. I learned that the institution has produced numerous talents that have been successful in their chosen field, and making a difference in the lives of others. Like them, I would want to serve as an inspiration and be able to break barriers in the field of medicine. I would use the training and the knowledge that your school would give me to make further researches that could be used in the advancements and upheaval of society. I also want to inspire others from the medical field to render service from their heart, and not just because of the paycheck that may be receive. I know that the experiences that I had in life were not enough for me to be accepted in your university. Like the other students who have bore witness to the exemplary performance of this institution, I would do my best to live up to the Mission-Vision, which is summed up in making it big and helping others. As one of the students, all I can offer is my dedication and will to make a difference in society. I am one step forward in reaching my goals in life – and it starts with my acceptance at the University of California.