Compare Wal-Mart Essay

1.Compare Wal-Mart. com with Amazon.com. What features do the sites have in common? Which are unique to Wal-Mart? To Amazon.com? Walmart.com and amazon.com have a lot of similarities. Some of the common features between the two include setting up a user account, they both have the shopping cart feature, both these websites have the search bar at the top of the page, they both allow you to sort through products based on price, popularity, relevance, customer review, they both show you a list of items viewed that matched what you searched for, they both have a gift registry, purchases made on the Wal-Mart can either be shipped to your home or to a nearest store either by Wal-mart or by a third party vendor from the marketplace. Amazon too has tie ups with a number of vendors all over the world that you can buy from. Both websites graphically display user reviews for each item. Both websites allow you to track your order. Both sites have the deals of the day. Amazon’s is called today’s deal and Wal-Mart’s is called value of the day. The only thing I found unique about Wal-Mart’s website is that it has a button on the top of the page called ‘weekly ad’ that displays little coupons that users can redeem. Amazon does not have this feature. Another difference between the two websites is their return policy. Wal-Mart has a 90 day return policy whereas Amazon has a 30 day return policy. 2.Will Wal-Mart become the dominant e-tailer in the world, replacing Amazon.com, or will Amazon.com dominate Wal-Mart online? What factors would con- tribute to Wal-Mart’s success in the online market place? What factors would detract from its ability to dominate online sales the way it has been able to dominate physical retail sales in many markets? Currently, Amazon.com offers a much larger and more varied inventory as well as a variety of features and benefits that Walmart.com is unable to match. While Walmart’s retail stores have a huge customer base, many of whom will turn to Walmart.com for convenience, Walmart.com’s inventory is mostly composed only of products that are available in Walmart stores. Meanwhile, Amazon has a vast array of products in virtually every category imaginable, from all over the world. In addition, Amazon has many used items that are available for lower prices, as well as rare, vintage, and antique items that are not part of Walmart’s stock. Amazon also offers an online â€Å"marketplace,† where shoppers can connect with sellers anywhere in the world, compare products  and prices, and sometimes even negotiate with sellers. Much of Walmart’s dominance in the physical retail market is due to its business model of buying in such large bulk quantities that it can offer lower prices to customers, as well as being a one-stop shopping destination; however, because Amazon customers have the ability to comparison shop between Amazon sellers, and because Amazon is able to offer a much larger variety of products, both of Walmart’s advantages are negated. Therefore, it is very unlikely that Walmart.com will ever be able to replace Amazon. 3.Check the shopping aids offered at Wal-Mart. com. compare them with those at Amazon. com. Walmart.com has a searchable database as well as categories that allow customers to browse through their available products. Search results can be sorted by relevance, price, customer rating, best-selling, etc. Customers can create profiles that store their shipping and billing info for convenience, as well as previous order information. Orders can be tracked online. Customers who search for items at Walmart.com are also offered recommendations for other products that might also interest them. Gift cards can be purchase online, and gift card balances can be checked. Walmart.com also offers wedding and baby registry services, as well as a â€Å"Wish List† that can be viewed by others. A â€Å"Value of the Day† is offered to showcase items that are on sale for even lower prices. Free shipping is often available on select purchases. All of these shopping aids are comparable to those on Amazon.com. Walmart.com does offer one shopping aid that Amazon does not have; many items can be shipped to the customer’s nearest Walmart store for free, which can lead to significant savings. 4.What online services can be purchased on Walmart.com? Walmart.com offers the following services online: †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Straight Talk No-Contract Phones,† where customers can purchase a pre-paid phone, have it delivered to their address, and activated online or over the phone; †¢Same-Day Photo Pickup,† which allows customers to upload digital photos to Walmart.com, which can then be transferred onto photo prints, mugs, cards, calendars, etc., or even onto posters or faux canvases. Most of these products can then be picked up at the customer’s local store that same day; †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Contact Lenses at Walmart,† which allows customers to enter  their prescription contact lens information and order a variety of brand-name contact lenses at bargain prices; †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Enroll in a Medicare Part D Plan,† a service which helps eligible applicants apply for Medicare, as well as receive discounts at Walmart’s pharmacy; †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Walmart MoneyCenter,† which provides a variety of financial services online, including credit cards, pre-paid deb it cards, money transfers, tax preparation services, and Bluebird, a â€Å"debit and checking alternative† sponsored by American Express that offers many of the same services as traditional banks. In addition, the Walmart Pharmacy offers many services online, including prescription refills and delivery. Walmart also has a Wellness Center that offers health tips and tools online.

Manage health and social care practice Essay

Outcome based practice refers to the actual impacts, effects and or end results of services / interventions on an individual’s life. Its effectiveness is not measured by numbers/figures or financial strategies it is measured by the positive outcome that is achieved. It isn’t about what is required to be done but what is actually achieved as the result that matters. Outcome based practice is centred on results for people in the following areas: gains in health, mobility and skills, prevention of deterioration, increases in confidence, engagement and feeling they are in control and finally changes in behaviour. It is assessed and planned starting with the end result / goal and then planning how the goal is to be achieved. Outcome based practice is about investing rather than funding or purchasing and leads to a very different kind of relationship with programme or service providers. It means that providers have autonomy and are expected to innovate the objectives and plans etc. It doesn’t just require the input of one or two people, all team members are valued and are required to contribute to the achievement of outcomes. All outcomes will be measured as part of service/programme evaluation. There are different ways to approach outcome based practice following different models or systems and frameworks, including: Outcomes into Practice initiated by the Social Policy Research Unit (SPRU) in the University of York, a Results Based Accountability model, the Logic Model and Outcomes Management. Outcomes into Practice (SPRU): is very much service oriented and is mainly used for adults and older people’s services, for carers and people with learning disabilities. It is user-centred and promotes value of users determining their own outcomes. It provides autonomy and flexibility for service providers ensuring that they are responding to the ever changing needs and preference of their service users. This model / framework identifies three categories of outcomes: process, change and maintenance. It has both positive and negative features and is very useful for: all involved are focusing on achieving the same identified outcomes, involving service users in decisions about their own care and ensuring that they have control, finding out what works for all involved, enabling staff to use their initiative and feel valued. Some of  the disadvantages to this process include: the actual measuring of outcomes and although ‘bite-sized’ outcomes contribute to more strategic goals the higher outcomes are difficult to plan and be effective. Results-Based Accountability: this is extremely well worked out system and adopts an â€Å"ends (results) to means approach. It also presents itself as simple and easily implemented with a ‘talk to action’ method. This system is able to discriminate between Population Accountability and Performance Accountability. Performance accountability is based on three key questions: How much did we do? How well did we do it? And is anyone better off as a result?. It requires a need for baseline assessments / predictions in order to monitor and evaluate. The advantages to this process includes: it being adaptable to different services and interventions, it provides very strategic outcomes and in the UK is being used for Every Child Matters outcomes and actually measuring outcomes is more achievable. Some of the disadvantages to this method include: funding issues, commissioning relationships as organisations appear to be quite insular when implementing outcomes, individual outcomes/person-centred working and although the actual concept is simple the detail is complex. Logic model adopts a visual description of interventions and or programmes. It provides a way of understanding the connections between resources (inputs), activities, intended outcomes and the impact of outcomes. This method allows for short term, medium term and long term impact of outcomes to be planned and monitored, a bit like a ‘road map’ towards the outcome required. Although this method is not very precise but it does portray a picture to stakeholders about the aspects they think are important. Advantages to this process include: it helps systemise and organise a programme, it provides a useful primary planning tool, it illustrates the concept and strategy of programme for stakeholders and other organisations, evaluation of outcomes is fairly easy and straightforward and it can be easily augmented to fit differing situations. Disadvantages to this process include: planning and management of ongoing interventions and service provision. Outcome Management assumes a â€Å"results matter† style and this provides the driving force behind it. This means that goals need to be quantified on the outset as ‘what gets measured gets done’. This method also  provides a performance measuring tool and milestones provide opportunities to take stock and make adjustment. This process challenges conventional thinking and provide the opportunity for job descriptions to provide a pathway to enthusiasm and energy rather than just being about compliance. This method takes on an evaluation is important, but learning is even more important outlook and believes that the way forward is to invest in order to get results. Advantages to this process include: it is very supportive of innovation, challenges conventional ways of doing things making people â€Å"think outside of the box† and is used a lot in substance abuse programmes where results are easy to measure. Disadvantages to this measure include: more complex outcomes are more difficult to plan, assess and monitor and individual focus can be lost. Outcome based practice is proving to a very valued and evidence based practice which suggests that positive outcomes are more likely to be achieved when this process is followed. Legislation and frameworks also encourage the process as a â€Å"best practice† method and evidence strongly backs this up. No matter how small or big a goal it, when adapted using the outcome based process the individual and their care team are all away of the end result which they want to achieve there for the outcome is much more likely to be achieved than if for an example 1 person has set a goal without foll owing this process and involving the individual and key people in their lives. Read more:  Manage health and social care practice to ensure positive outcomes for individuals

Lockheed management Essay

We examined the decision to invest in the Tri-Star project by forecasting the cash flow associated with the project for a volume of 210 planes. We also asked what a valid estimate of the NPV of the Tri-Star project at a volume of 210 planes as of 1967 would be. We found this to be -$584 M. This was clearly an unacceptable NPV for capital budgeting on the project. A break-even analysis revealed that the project reached economic break-even with the production of 275 planes at $12.5 M per unit but did not reach value break-even at that level of production. Despite industry analysts predicting 300 units as Lockheed’s break-even sales point, at this level, net present value remained insufficient to cover costs at negative $274 million. If the company had performed a true value break-even analysis, management would have realized that roughly 400 Tri Star aircraft (about 67 per year for six years) costing somewhere between $11.75 million and $12 million per unit would have to be sold in order to break even. The investment decision made by Lockheed to pursue the Tri Star program was not a reasonable one. A true value analysis shows that at the production level of 210 units, the project would result in an economic loss of $584.05 million and a profit loss of $480 million. In addition to miscalculating the break-even level of production, Lockheed management overestimated the growth rate of air travel industry.

The analysis of the non-store retailing sector in the UK Essay

The analysis of the non-store retailing sector in the UK - Essay Example Political Environment In the former years, the retail sector was recorded to fall significantly although the non-store retail sector was identified to grow with record hikes. One of the fundamental reasons was the fluctuations in the political environment of the UK. This depicts that political factors have a significant influence on retailing sector of UK but has a minimum affect on the non-store retailing sector. Economical Environment The economic factors have a significant impact on non-store retailing sector. The current trend in the economic environment of UK is identified to have rising tax rates by 20%, decreasing employment rates as well as increasing inflation that can cause significant turmoil to the venture in terms of fluctuating demands. Social Environment The social indicators of the UK depict to support the non-store retail segment to a large extent. The current trend in the industry reveals that shoppers are increasingly tending to consume products/services through non-store channels developing UK retail market to be among the largest online markets of the world. (Pinnington, 2011). Technological Environment The non-store retailing sector is largely depended on the technological factors in terms of internet marketing and machineries that support vending out of stores. Currently, the technology industry in UK is witnessed to grow significantly that in turn provides substantial support and opportunities to the non-store retail business (Robinson, 2010). 1.1.2. Product Feasibility: SWOT Analysis Strengths: Are available at cheaper rates than hardbacks Convenient while travelling and are also referred to as travel books (Shaffer & O'Donnell, 2011) Weaknesses: These products have a significant demand among individual customers but are no t quite favoured by library customers Are considered to have inefficient quality assurance in comparison to hardbacks (Shaffer & O'Donnell, 2011) Opportunities: Increasing demand for cheap products in the book publishing industry Lower production cost in comparison to hardbacks Can be distributed through various channels rather than only through retail stores (Shaffer & O'Donnell, 2011) Threats: The rising significance and demand for e-books are notably among the biggest threats of the paperbacks

Capstone community health improvement project Assignment

Capstone community health improvement project - Assignment Example Drug abuse is historically a real problem in United States. Drug abuse affects both the individual and the society. In United States, statistics for overall cost of drug abuse in terms of health, productivity and crime related costs rise above $600 billion per annum with alcohol taking a staggering portion of about $235 billion. Unfortunately, these high figures cannot fully describe the far reaching effect of drug abuse in the society in terms of child abuse, loss of employment, family disintegration and general loss of hope in life (national institute of drug abuse, 2009) Statement of the problem The United States population is estimated at 314,904,151. Population of Florida stands at 19,057,516 according to The Bureau of economic and Business research Population Program, 2012. Alcohol abuse is a major issue in Florida with 55,278 arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in 2010. Out of 165 people who died in Florida as a result of road accidents, at least one driver had BAC recorded between 0.01% and 0.07%. In 2010, around 110,203 were arrested for illegal drug trafficking and abuse related cases. (DUI-USA.Drink Driving.org). This year, it is estimated that people driving under influence (DUI’s) will be around 83,557 with 994 deaths occurring due to intoxicated driving. It is also estimated that 1,013 deaths will, occur as a result of illicit drug use. According to Department of Children and Families, the local homeless coalitions reported 57,643 residents of Florida in 2010 as homeless .The federal definition of a homeless person is anyone sleeping in a place that is not initially meant for human habitation, a person living in transitional housing for the homeless or a person who originally came from the streets. Any migratory individual living in a place occupied by the homeless is also classified as homeless. Due to the harsh living conditions, the homeless display high levels of drug abuse either to evade the reality of basically becaus e drug abuse itself lead loss of a decent shelter . Apopka is the largest city in Orange County with a population of 40,406 and a median age of 34.1 years. Apopka city has an unemployment rate of about 10.50% which is a representation of a percentage of productive work forces that is not working (Bureau of Economics and Business Research, University of Florida). This unemployed group is vulnerable to drug abuse as well as drug trafficking. People in midlife age especially men are more vulnerable to drug abuse than the larger population. For this reason, the homeless people in the age bracket 30-50 years will be targeted. Mobilization To kick off the mobilization of this project, a selected team of nurses will meet to appoint possible collaborators. Church leaders and community opinion leaders will also be invited to this important meeting. Partners will be selected on the basis of their expertise, ability and willingness to finance the project and involvement in past health projects in the community. Another meeting will be held where all the stakeholders will be invited. In this meeting objectives, mission and vision of the project will be developed. Different stakeholders will also be allocated different roles depending on their expertise and experience. The role of data collection and analysis, project monitoring and evaluation as well as report writing will be allocated to experts from a local university. Resources will also be

Homesexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Homesexuality - Essay Example n in the year 2006, the pension protection act gave protection to same sex couples and workers who choose to leave their retirement benefits to people who were not their spouses. As of September 2014, only 9 states have outlawed same sex marriages, and another 10 states that are awaiting court decisions. The other states (majority) have legalized gay marriages. Homosexuality was some time back branded as sexual deviancy. Sexual deviancy in this case is used to describe something abnormal. Hence homosexuality was branded as something abnormal and against the norms of the society. This is, however, is not the case anymore. As of the year 1960, homosexuality was illegal in all the American states. This has changed with time as only today 9 states have completely outlawed homosexuality. This shows that the society is embracing same sex marriages and not branding homosexuals as criminals or people who are mentally challenged. Therefore, I think that homosexuality is departing from

Community Assessment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Community Assessment - Assignment Example Generally the community in the county is composed of low-income earners with limits ranging from 15,350 dollars and 77,100 dollars (Wise et al., 2008). The median income is 46, 844 dollars. This constitutes low income compared to other areas in the United States. Domestic violence is dominant due to the fact that most of the population is low-income earners and engage in the use of drugs especially tobacco; these are likely to cause conflicts. There is little of importance from these issues than there are problems. The county is largely rural, and most people face health and education problems and thus cannot make well-informed decisions that better their wellbeing. Drug use, poor health status, and unplanned pregnancies are just examples of how the decision-making mechanism among the community members is negatively influenced. Discrimination affects mostly non-native Americans; they undergo the highest unemployment rate, lowest annual income, worst education, highest functional illi teracy rates, and highest death rate. Notably, El Paso County like many other communities has not yet constituted an efficient system to assess the presence and impacts of domestic violence and child maltreatment. Women and children under the age of 12 form the greatest percentage of victims of domestic violence, which results in about 2 million injuries and almost 1,300 deaths. In fact, an intimate or former spouse commits about a half of murders occurring in the community and the victims are mostly female. Moreover, 17 children were killed for the period of 2000-2005 during a domestic violence associated incident (Eaves, 2010). The target population for domestic violence cases is 14,726 that forms the number of cases filed in Colorado Law Courts in 2005 and classified as domestic violence oriented. The El Paso County Sherriff’s Office and Colorado Springs Police Department responded to about

Database security Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Database security Questions - Essay Example In addition, the moment we think to offer security to our database framework with the intention that no illegal person or user is able to use it. However, the unplanned harms could be minimized by offering guidance to the employees and enforcing fines on violation of the business policies for instance moving away from workplace even though the system is open for working. In this scenario, a company user must be permitted access only relevant data, and diverse business users should be controlled through diverse methods of access for instance interpretation and modification to business critical data. Thus, business strategies at user administration level are able to help make new rules for prohibiting illegal or legal user access issues (Kumar, 2011; Cawley, 2008). Q. 2 Trigger The below given code is taken from (Pattani, 2010; Oracle , 2010; Czuprynski, 2006) CREATE TABLE CUSTOMER_SECTION ( Cst_SectNo sectno_dom, Cst_Name section_dom, Cst_HeadSSN ssn_dom, Cst_Budget budget_dom, CONSTR AINT customer_section_PK PRIMARY KEY (cst_SectNo), CONSTRAINT c_section_FK FOREIGN KEY (cst_HeadSSN) REFERENCES tab_LIBRARIAN (SSN), CONSTRAINT customer_section_budget_TX2 CHECK ((cst_Budget >= 0) AND (cst_Budget IS NOT NULL)), CONSTRAINT customer_section_budget_TX2 CHECK (NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM customer_SECTION s WHERE cst_budget Head.Salary AND Lib.Section = S.cst_SectNo AND S.Lib_HeadSSN = Head.SSN and Lib.SSN Head.SSN)) inform_director (Lib.SSN,Lib_HeadSSN); In the above given code we supposed that inform_director() is a process which has already been stored inside the database in addition it could be used by the DBMS (Pattani, 2010). Q: 3 Following are advantages of VPD: (Pattani, 2010; Oracle , 2010; Czuprynski, 2006) VPD offers dynamic security mechanism means that businesses need not to uphold complicated roles and considering grants aspects. By using VPD one can apply over individual rule on every database object Database users are not able to circumvent safety mechanis m inserted inside applications, since

Production of Quality Goods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Production of Quality Goods - Essay Example There is a greater awareness of preferences, choices, and customization among customers. This has posed a great challenge to the industries at large. Trans National Corporations' (TNC's) producing at large scale find it very hard to break their production run and set their machines for new orders as it is rarely economically feasible for them. However, the cutthroat competition among competitors have forced production engineers and supervisors to come up with new and innovative technologies to produce customized products on a mass scale. Computer and IT Technology, artificial intelligence, and flexible production lines driven by innovation have led to the possibility of mass customization. The idea is that industry should produce what is demanded and not what it expects to be demanded. For that to happen practically, times required to change jobs have to be reduced. In printing industry machine operators are averse to short run jobs, as setting time for a new job is significant. A new job setting requires mainly cleaning, changing blankets, making printing plates, setting color, and supplying logistics- right sizes and colors of paper/board and ink respectively. One critical step is taking the old ink out, cleaning the fountain roller on top of color units, and again filling them up with new inks. Sometimes this may take more than 15 minutes, provided each crewmember is available at each color unit.

Global Internet Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global Internet Advertising - Essay Example This paper is going to highlight some of the unanswered questions in the global advertising medium. Although global internet advertising is a good thing to business all over the world there are some areas that need to be further researched. One is that there are privacy concerns on the advertiser’s side and even the potential customers (Tungate, 2013). Business owners when advertising need to prove authenticity of the products or services they are advertising this has caused issues like hackers accessing financial data and employee information via the internet and using it for illegal means (Taylor, 2012). On the customer’s side, some customers have been duped and lied to about keeping their queries or purchases private only for traces to be left that could jeopardize the customer’sreputation and life (St, 2007). This issue needs to be further researched. Secondly, through the research on global internet advertising, there is an issue of Global Internet Access 100% connectivity and when can it be a reality (Hanafizadeh & Behboudi, 2012). It emerged that the whole world knows about the internet and even about internet advertising but not all people have internet access 100% connectivity (Frith& Mueller, 2010). This is either because of high data and broadband prices, lack of data booster in the regions they are situated or partial network coverage (Kogut, 2004). This means that a lot of business will not be reaching the intended target customers while customers will not get the advertisement that could change their daily lives(Krishnamurthy & OConnor, 2006). Further research should be done to establish when 100%comnncevtivty will be a reality especially in developing worlds. A final unanswered question that emerged from the research on global internet advertising was the issue of Advertising & technology (Bidgoli, 2004). To advertise on the internet means that one must be able to use a computer and use their own website or use another

Oil And Gas Industry Essay Example for Free

Oil And Gas Industry Essay Petroleum in one form or other has always been the most useful natural resource of man. More than four thousand years ago, Herodotus, a Greek historian of 5th century B. C. E and Diodrus Siculus, a historian of Agyrim Sicily in C A 90 B C– C A 30 B C discovered that Babylon were using Asphalt black substance found in Petroleum during the construction of the walls and towers of Babylon. In 1410 AD, native Americans were harvesting the oil for medicinal purposes. It was in 1859, in the quite farm country of North Western Pennsylvania that the drilling of the first most important crucial oil well took place. This well began to be known as the Drake Well after the name of Colonel Edwin Drake, the man who gave the idea of drilling the well for commercial use. This was the first phase of the history of Oil Industry, which gave new lease to our lives. (The Paleontological Research Institution, The History of Oil) Today, the Oil and Gas Industry has touched every sphere of our lives. It is the most depleted and yet the most used natural resource by the economies all around the world. With the increase in new explorations and technological developments, the natural oil and gas production is increasing at the rate of two billion cubic feet a day, and currently Devon Energy is one of the largest and independent oil and gas producers in the United States. Based in Oklahoma City, it is supplying three percent of the gas consumed in North America and producing 600,000 barrels of oil a day. The company is also drilling more than 2000 oil wells every year in North America in an area stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the northernmost reaches of Canada. (O G Next Generation Oil and Gas, 2007) There are many unpredictable reasons, like over all economic growth, continuous development in technology, change in energy prices, change in weather patterns and public policy decisions which led to the changes in the levels of production and in demand and supply. According to Energy Information Administration projections from 2007 to 2030, the total production of domestic liquid embracing crude oil, natural gas plant liquids, refinery processing gains and other refinery inputs, is expected to see a tremendous increase. The reason behind the increase is the growth in refinery processing and other refinery inputs. It is projected that this growth will compensate any predicted reduction in crude oil production after 2017. This increase in the production owes to some extent to the high tech oil recovery methods, the increase in the production in the deep waters in Gulf of Mexico, higher resource assumptions for the Bakken Shale formation in the Williston Basin. (Energy Information Administration, 2007) As per the AEO2007 reference case, the total domestic natural gas production including the supply of supplement natural gas reflects an increase from 18. 3 trillion cubic feet in 2005 to 21. trillion cubic feet in 2022. (Energy Information Administration, 2007) This clearly shows that in-spite of the factors that have led to the increase in the energy prices since 2000, the growing influence of developing countries on world-wide energy requirements, enactment of legislation and regulations in the United States, the rising need for the alternative source of energy and the need for the energy technologies did not hamper the growth of Oil and Gas Industry. United States of America is one of the largest economies in the world with the per capita Gross Domestic Product to be $43,500. The Central Intelligence Agency, 2007). The economy of America depends on the crude oil for fuels to be used in the transportation purpose. Seeing the current economic scenario and increase in the demand for the fuel, the demand for the light oil production all over the world is expected to increase and will reach to the point where supply of the oil will going to be far less than the demand. This will result in the imbalance in the supply and increase in the price of oil and fuel especially for military and strategic purposes. More than 60 per cent of the fuel requirements of United States of America is met by imports and at this current state of affairs, United States of America have to bear the cost at price level of $55/Bbl could be increased twice, from 9. 9 MM Bbl/d to nearly 20 MM Bbls/dby2025. (Online Edition) As the imports will increase, there is every possibility that America could face price shocks, supply disruptions, and fuels shortages. According to the EIA/AEO estimates, the average import price of oil from 2005 to 2020 could make United State Gross Domestic product to reduce by more than $ 1. 1 trillion. The department of Energy and the honorable President of America suggested that the need of the hour is to rely on the domestic sources for the increase in the liquid supplies. (Online Edition) And the best source is the production of Shale Oils; converted into liquid fuels, provide fuel for the transportation of military and civilian purposes. Currently the Oil shale resources can be found in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah and hope is on the anvil that with the efforts of the Government, industry and other stakeholders, the oil shale production can reach 2 MM Bbl/D by 2020. The prices of the Crude Oil which have been showing an increase since last two months is expected to reach at the pinnacle of its monthly average price in August. The RAC of crude oil in 2007 is estimated at the rate of 64. 86 per barrel as compared to $ 60. 23 per barrel in 2006 and in 2008 is expected to be 68. 75 per barrel. This increase is due to the tight world oil supply and demand balance. 2007 can witness the increase in the total gas consumption by 4 percent and the LNG imports can go up to 850 bcf, which would be a record in upper scale. This is clear from the fact that despite the increase in the demand of bio-fuels and other non-hydroelectric renewable energy sources and subsequently the construction of new nuclear power plants, the Oil and Gas Industry is expected to supply same 86-percent share of the total U. S. primary energy in 2030, which they were giving in 2005 Year after year, there has been very less growth in retail sales to just 3. 2% year in April whereas there has been increase in the gas stations. Because of the growth of wholesale energy prices to 3. 4 per cent, the Producer Price Index (PPI) increased to 0. % in April. Due to the increase in oil prices and stable demand, there was a trade deficit by $6 billion. (Pod cast Directory, 2007). According to Chicago Fed’s annual Automotive Outlook Symposium, the economic growth in 2007 is seen to be slower than in 2006, with inflation and the unemployment rate increased. The prices of the Energy also increased in the middle months of 2006, but after that they fell, at an average of $60 per barrel in the fourth quarter. This led to the increase in inflation by 1. 9 per cent as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is less than 3. per cent than previous year. (Strauss Engel, 2007) This phrase â€Å"Oil flows the Nation grows† is evidently true when it comes to Oil and Gas. The increase in the price of Oil also increases the over all Consumer Price Index, especially in September 2005, which was 1. 2 per cent, highest in 25 years. The increase in imports of energy increases the trade deficit, on the average the increase in oil prices to 10 per cent leads to 150,000 Americans to lose their jobs, and over and above we have to loose between $80 billion and $160 billion in economic growth. In September 2005, it was estimated that 40 percent increase in gas prices reduced the total domestic consumption by 0. 4 percent and the GDP fell to an estimated 0. 9 percent. In fact even the Consumer spending was reduced. But there is an increase in the profits among the major players in Oil and Industry. Only in the beginning of 2005, the five largest oil companies were making profits of $52. 2 billion, which was less in 2004, only $39. 5 billion. (Democrats Policy Committee, 2005). The study on the impact of Oil Price by An International Energy Agency in 2004 revealed that the repercussions of the high prices on economy will be minimum and this proves to be as High oil prices became most important macro economic variable. It is apparently quite clear that with the new technologies are in the offing, the Oil and gas Industry will strike more. The earnings from the Industry are being invested in new technology, new production, and environmental and product quality improvements to meet the requirements of Generation next. According the Oil Gas Journal estimates, the Industry spends $85. 7 billion in 2005, whereas in 2004 it spend just $80. 7 billion in 2004 and in 2003 $75. 5 billion. (Cavaney, 2006). The threat to the Oil Industry is from the alternative sources of energy like bio fuels and other non-hydroelectric renewable energy sources and subsequently the construction of new nuclear power plants, yet the Oil and Gas Industry is expected to supply same 86-percent share of the total U.  S. primary energy in 2030, which they were giving in 2005. (Energy Information Administration, 2007). As the study above reveals that though the production of oil and gas is on the increase but it is not able to meet the demand and to maintain a balance between the demand and supply, The Government and Energy department is taking initiative to increase in the Shale Oils for liquid fuels.

Service Area Analysis for Beaumont Essay Example for Free

Service Area Analysis for Beaumont Essay Beaumont Health System is a three-hospital regional health system with more than 1,725 beds with additional facilities that include nursing homes, home healthcare agency, research institute, primary and specialty care clinics, rehabilitation, cardiology, and cancer centers. offers a wide-range of services and programs to our adult and pediatric patients which includes Ninety-one medical and surgical specialties are represented on the Beaumont medical staff of more than 3,700 Michigan physicians with numerous community based medical centers throughout Detroit, Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne counties. The service area for Beaumont Hospital is Oakland County which consists of cities, villages, and townships with a population of 1,202,362 people. Approximately 30% of Oakland Countys 483,698 households have children aged 18 years old or younger. Beaumont is the exclusive clinical teaching site for the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. The system draws on a rich history of pioneering medical research to serve the health needs of southeastern Michigan and advance healing techniques nationwide. Education Level and Income Level The level of education of Oakland County as become a more educated county. 17.6 percent of the Oakland population in the year 2010 is a graduate of a professional degree. 24.6 percentage of people in Oakland county have a Bachelors Degree. 7.4 percent have an associates degree, and 21.3 percent have had some college but have no degree. Only 7.8 percent did not graduate high school. Which this number had decreased by 3 percent. While the number of people who have graduated with a professional degree or a bachelors degree have increased from 2000- 2010 by 4 percent. This census is from the population of people 25 and up. The median income for a household in the county was $61,907, and the median income for a family was $75,540 (these figures had risen to $62,308 and $79,589 respectively as of a 2009 estimate[8]). Males had a median income of $55,833 versus $35,890 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,534. About 3.80% of families and 5.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.50% of those under age 18 and 6.50% of those age 65 or over. In the year 2000 the census for households with seniors was 96,585 in the year 2010 census the number of households with seniors was 116,768. that is a percentage change of 20.9 percent. The number of households with seniors who live alone age 65 and up in 2000 was 39,910, and in 2010 the number of households 65 and older living alone is 47,290 which is a percentage change of 18.5 percent. Those two categories are the largest changing over the 10 year span out of all other age groups. To be more specific of age and the change of population from the year 2000 census through the 2010 census. According to the SEMCOG projections for the year 2040 the majority increase in population is almost strictly people the age 65 and up. Disadvantages for Beaumont: Competition from urgent care centers. Faster wait times than the hospitals along with less costly medical bills Recruitment, continued training, and retention of talented healthcare professionals.it will be important to always make sure their employees are happy and taken care of because it is easier for certain professionals to move on to somewhere else Advantages for Beaumont: They are well known and trusted throughout the community offering a variety of services for all age groups. They keep up on technology, new information, new techniques in the health field to help give better quality of care. Possible merger with Henry Ford for financial stability during the healthcare reform Top Competitors for Beaumont Health System Competitors | Detroit Medical Center | Henry Ford Health System | University of Michigan Health System | Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital St. Joseph Hospital Crittenton Hospital Summary A majority of the people in Oakland County have a median age of 40.2 but according to SEMCOG this median should increase due to the increased population of people 65 and up. The people are primarily educated therefore capable of making good sensible quality decisions. The Target market would be a population of 65 and older.

How HRM contributes to organizational objectives

How HRM contributes to organizational objectives Human Resource Management is the effective use of people to achieve both the organization and individual goals. It is actually effective recruitment, selection, development, compensation, and utilization of human resource by organization Human Resource Planning and Development is the framework for helping employees to plan and develop their personal and organizational skills, knowledge, and abilities. Human Resource Development includes such opportunities as employee training, employee career development, performance management and development, coaching, succession planning, and organization development. I have worked for Masood Textile Mills Ltd  [1]  . and completed my assignment in perspective of this organization as assigned by the Dr.Helen Ford A short and snappy foreword of organization is given as under Masood Textile Mills Ltd is striving to lead in creating, developing and manufacturing of knitted apparel products right from basic to highly fashioned garments thus responding to emerging trends in the industry. MTM translates conceptual ideas of its customers into reality and shape them through its technical bent and professional acumen. MTM establish on 1998 and now has a recognized name in the textile industry. MTM is one of the biggest exporters of apparels. Competent professional staff, a team of talented merchandisers, excellent supplies support services, and state-of-the-art technology is the driving force behind MTM phenomenal growth in the past years. MTM has the technology with expertise, products with knowledge and most importantly the right mindset to achieve total customer satisfaction. The HR manager of Masood Textile Mills Ltd. is continuously striving for making parallel the needs of the changing organization so that it can become more adaptable, resilient, quick to change directions, and customer-centered. Within this environment, the HR professional are learning how to manage effectively through planning, organizing, leading and controlling the human resource and knowledge of emerging trends in training and employee development. Objectives of Organisation (MTM) Objectives are pre-determined goals to which individual or group activity in an organization is directed. MTM respect for the individual, integrity, speed, simplicity, self-assuredness, and a 100% commitment, values are non-negotiable; they are never to be jettisoned. Objectives of mtm can be defined as: To provide market leadership and brand coverage To pursue technological innovation To partner with operators for their maximum productivity HRM Contribution to achieve objective Objectives of human resource management are influenced by organizational objectives and individual and social goals. MTM is not just satisfied with this goal, further the goal of MTM is growth and / or profits. Institutions procure and manage various resources including human to attain the specified objectives. Thus, human resources are managed to divert and utilize their resources towards and for the accomplishment of organizational objectives. Therefore, basically the objectives of HRM are drawn from and to contribute to the accomplishment of the organizational objectives. For the MTM, its ability to attract and retain human capital will depend on its reputation as an employer. The reputation about the organization says something about who you are, what you stand for, and how you relate to others including yours employees. All this is partially formed through the organizations commitment to the employees. To gain their commitment, MTM is trying to smooth communication channels with the employees, assess their capacity to engage in various initiates, give honest feedback, and invest in aligning its objectives with employees aspirations. The goal of HRD is to improve the performance of MTM by maximizing the efficiency and performance of people. HRM has a critical role to play in the achievement of organizational goals and helping the organization to achieve and maintain excellence. MTM believe that good people and a good culture make good organization to achieve and maintain excellence. HRM has the responsibility of getting the right kind of people, creating and maintaining a culture that nurtures and rewards talent. In MTM, human resource management give tools that need to manage and operate in organizations. HRM develop strategies relating to everything production, management, marketing, sales, research development for more productive. MTM have made its known recognition in the last 12 years of its establishment .It has been possible only for the factor of recruiting right people in the right number and right time. They recruit highly qualified and experienced individuals-both at entry level and for vacancies arising at various levels-who would prove to be assets for the organization. They provide opportunities for improving personal capability to enable staff to take on greater responsibility. HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT HRD predicts its future employment needs even if they dont estimate their sources of supply. The challenges that determine this demand and method of forecasting it merits are given below: Cause Of Demand: Employees need in the MTM, for whole organization or in specific department need when some sort of external Challenges, extension of project or department, turnover exist in the department, Lay off are temporary loss of employment Forecasting Techniques: Forecasting techniques is consist of following techniques Expert forecasts Trend Projection Forecasts Staffing Table Recruitment Employees are selected or hired as the requirements of departments. These requirements can be reached out from the database, which is name as HCM (Human Capability Management) software. When any change occurs in above mentioned conditions, this program informs to the Human resource Department. This department hires new employees as the requirement of the specific department. Recruitment Resources of the MTM can be defined as under. Internal Resources The organization motivates and upgrades their employees when the organization feels to hire the services of the particular person for the particular job within the organization. Because employees are familiar with the environment of the organization. It saves the cost of time, recruiters time and trainees time. Communication with Other Department Other departments inform to the Human Resource Manager by the internal E-mail system about the need of the employees. That specific department tells the only designation the number of employees required. Next, the Human Resource Management starts his work, they see the requirements of the job from the H.C.M (Human Capability Management) program that require the followings Experience, Education, Age Limit, Personality, Intelligence External Resources For the post of Management Trainee MTMs web site is the biggest source of recruitment also Advertisement is another source of recruiting the highly qualified people. When MTM needs highly skilled, energetic, and qualified personnel for a specific job, then it uses the external resources. Selection HR InterviewMasood Textile Mills Ltd follows the following steps for selecting the Management Trainee: Management Interview Written Test Realistic Job Previews Medical Test Reference Check Written Tests: At the first step of selection written test is taken by the HR department of the selected applicant who fulfill the basic requirements of the job description. If applicant passes this test then he/she forward to the next step of selection which is HR Interview HR Interview: At this step the HR manager and Ht deputy Manager conduct the interview of the selected candidates. Management Level Interview: At this step the HR manager, General Manager and other panel team from the senior level management evaluate the applicants. Both types of questions are asked by the panel for assessing his/her capabilities to perform the job. Reference Checks: Reference is checked by the Human Resource Manager for the position of the Management Trainee. These include: Personal Ex- Employer During the selection criteria for Management Trainee, Human Resource Department gives importance to reference checks about 30% to 40% weight age out of total selection marks. Medical Test: Medical test from the Allied Hospital and Civil Hospital is must for checking the ability to perform the job having physical fitness. Realistic Job Review: Realistic job review is also conducted in MTM when Management Trainee is going to be appointed for new job. The HRD working environment is shown to employees where they are expected to be after selection. Hiring Decision: The final authority which takes the decision about the hiring of the Trainee Officer is the director of operation named as Mr. Arif Ali. At the end this authority will take decision about the hiring or not hiring because there is a centralize environment in Masood Textile Mills Ltd. HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IN AN ORGANIZATION Professionalism and Human Resources The management of MTM has continued its policy to arrange in house training programs and to send the employees to management courses arranged by reputed management institutes and universities to further to further improve and update their professional knowledge. In order to develop and groom their management skills, employees are encouraged to attend and participate in top management meetings. Fresh qualified professionals are being employee on regular basis and a pre designed career path in given to them to encourage each person to develop his potential and consistently improve his performance. Human Resource Development The management of Masood Textile Mills Ltd. has a firm belief that their continuing success is dependent upon the quality of each individual associated with the Company and how well their knowledge and creativity is being utilized. In this regard, on the job training programs are being regularly arranged to develop and groom their talent. During the year under review more than 120 employees have also attended various management courses to improve and update their knowledge in their respective fields held at Pakistan Institute of Management (PIM), Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Pakistan Institute of Quality Control (PIQC), etc. TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Training of Management Trainee In Masood Textile Mills Ltd. on the job training is given for the post of Management Trainee. It is vertical integrated organization where A to Z processes are performed by MTM itself. All expenses of training programs are beard by MTM. Criterion for Training MTM not only train the employees of the job but also focus on the development of the employees so, providing the employees competency for fulfilling the potential requirements of the organization as well as their career development. This period is called probation period in which no increment is given to the MT. Types of Training: The training of Management Trainee consists of two phases which are given below: Management Level training Production Level Training Management Level Training This type of training is given to the MT in the HR department, which is located at Sarghodha Road Faisalabad. The Consultants, Experts and immediate officers of the MTM conduct this training. In management level training following training programs are conducted. Cross Functional Training is given for the purpose that when there is any person absent and no other employee available then Management Trainee can do his/her job. Un-parallel training is given to employees. Human Resource department of MTM offers numerous programs and activities of interest that are related to diversity. The Human Resource Development (HRD) Group offers courses to employees that are targeted to public sector managers, supervisors, administrative support specialists, Human Resources professionals, and employees who want to increase their knowledge and improve their skills to be more productive and effective. HR offers a variety of personal and professional skill development courses such as: Conflict Resolution, Negotiation, Interpersonal Communication, Behavioral-Based interviewing to faculty and staff. Production Level Training As the MTM is vertical integrated organization therefore production level training is also given to the Management Trainee. This training is given in the Production department of MTM which is located at sheikhupura road. The purposes for the training are given below. To enhance the performance of employees. To emphasize expertise in the production sector. To enhance the productivity and efficiency of employees. Execution of Training At Masood textile Mills Ltd. for the job of management training officer the following method is adopted: First of all lectures are delivered to management trainee in which the most important issues discussed are how to improve the communication skills, how to evaluate the employees, how increments are provided, what benefits would be given to employees working under their supervision. Secondly the management trainees are given 1-month training at training centre 15 kilometer away from the main office branch of MTM at Sargodha Road. After 1 month the management trainees are given the training at Human resource department for 2 months. This 3 month period is called the probation period in MTM. During these 3 months management trainees are paid Rs. 7,000 per month. Career Planning Development Masood Textile Mills Ltd. provides opportunities for improving personal capability to enable staff to take on responsibility. Having a rich and diverse history, the firm encourages its employees to venture forth in new and dynamic areas leading to organizational progress along with individual growth. Career Counseling The firm provides best opportunities for its employees to develop their career through the conduction of training programs. Career Counselor: The career counselors at MTM try to explain those points to management training officers which are not known to them and can help their career development. Also career counselor points out the steps needed for MT officer to become qualified for next job opportunity. Mentors: Mentors are provided by MTM to counsel the employees their career development. Mentors help employees to make progress through exposure in such a way that management trainees become known to their supervisors who are the ultimate deciders of their promotions. Methods of Career Assessment: Two types of assessment methods are used for the trainee officer. These are as follows: Self assessment: Self assessment is taken by MT officers themselves in order to overview their own activities. In this process, personality and personal behavior is assessed by him. They want to know if theyre making any mistakes and if so how they should correct them. Self Assessment is done in evaluation forms in which they are able to answer themselves the following questions: How am I doing? I need to know where I am, so I can plan how to get ahead. Organizational assessment: Organizational assessment is also done by HR manager and supervisor of MT officer for the purpose that employee work is in accordance with the organization or not. Ways for Organizational Assessment: Human resource department of Masood textile Mills Ltd. uses evaluation forms to assess the performance of MT officers. IMPROVEMENT IN HR PERFORMANCE First we will talked about the challenges and problems faced by mTm then solution to that problems and challenges. The HR manager of Masood Textile Mills Ltd. is continuously striving for making parallel the needs of the changing organization so that it can become more adaptable, resilient, quick to change directions, and customer-centered. Within this environment, the HR professional are learning how to manage effectively through planning, organizing, leading and controlling the human resource and knowledge of emerging trends in training and employee development. Followings are the human resource challenges in Masood Textile Mills Ltd.: 1) Rapid Change: The internal environment of the organization is changing very rapidly because of noise of the machines, high temperature where product is produced, quality control and cultural environment of the organization. The external environment of the organization is change in the technology, economic factors and industry based products. 2) Work Force Diversity: The values, norms and attitudes of the workers are not homogeneous so the workers have to be trained by the different kinds of courses which relate to the work force diversity. The dimensions of workplace diversity include: age, ethnicity, ancestry, gender, physical abilities/qualities, race, sexual orientation, educational background, geographic location, income, marital status, military experience, religious beliefs, parental status, and work experience. 3) Legislation: The rules and regulation, government policies, contract act, services act and taxation laws are being changed every year so MTM must be updated with them. 4) Competitive Challenge: The competitive edge of the organization is Cost, Quality and Availability of the goods. So, MTM has to be updated according to customer preferences and competitors technologies for improving qualities and reducing costs. Human Resource Problems Although there are many HR problems in MTM as we have visited the human resource department yet the most identifiable was that of downsizing of employees. Masood Textile Mills have been using the downsizing strategy in order to cover its budget and to cut down the costs that become high due to increase in the pays of operational level employees. MTM has increased the salaries of low level production workers from Rs. 3,000 to Rs.4,000. In this way the budget increases and MTM has to cover up so, it used to downsize the employees. Downsizing Impacts Overall: It is effecting the overall economy as more people are downsized the un-employment persist in the economy. Mixed effects on firm performance: some short-term costs savings, but long-term profitability valuation not strongly affected. Firms reputation as a good employer is suffering. Downsizing Effects on Employee Morale: Employee motivation disrupted: increase in political behaviors, anger, fear which is likely to negatively impact quality of customer service Violation of psychological contract, leads to cynicism, lowered work commitment, fewer random acts of good will Survivors experience more stress due to longer work hours with re-designed jobs, and increased uncertainty regarding future downsizings. Solutions to Downsizing: Employment  Changes in  Pay/Benefits can be an effective alternative to downsizing. Outplacements can be another good alternative to downsizing in which organization help present employees find new jobs with other firms. Attritions which mean the voluntary departures of employees must be encouraged in this situation. Voluntary Quits  by employees must be appreciated. Offer voluntary early retirement or other packages to people within a certain category, such as particular position or years of service. If this offer does not result in enough savings, it is extended to a broader pool. Offer early retirement incentives to pension-eligible employees in a specific area. If that doesnt get sufficient response, expand the pool and so on. Hiring freeze can be done by not allowing job openings fill with external employees. Internal job recruitment by succession planning can be done in order to fill new job opening.    Relocation  can be done by sending the employees overseas to another branch of MTM where there is HR shortage instead of hiring new employees there. It would definitely cut costs. Voluntary  Pay cuts of employees can be done by making sure that they will get the accumulated pay at the end of year with some increment in it. Involuntary Separation policies must be strict enough to maintain employee commitment to organizational policies and in case of dis-obey must be separated.   Early Retirements can be granted to employees. Organization may include the golden handshake benefit. Temporary Layoffs  can be done. This will help organization to maintain its employee loyalty and also cut down its work force for some period. Other implications to improve HR performance: Successful organizations have a focus on the performance of their employees. Here employees are rewarded based purely on their performance on set criteria. Their performance goals and targets are clearly defined and communicated to them in a formal way. The employees feel motivated and accountable for their performance and strive to achieve/exceed the targets set for them. The only thing that pleases the managers and leadership is higher achievements and performance delivery. Regular Feedback to Employees. Supervisors must have to get feedback on regular basis from workers.This feedback should be on day to day basis to improve the current targets rather than to to rectify the errors / mistakes of past.This approach needs to observe and evaluate the efficiency of employees.This is also ensure that the manager also involved to give positive feedback for the job well done. Authoized overtime payment: The surest way to aggravate a wage and hourly claim is not to pay overtime to those employees who have worked. The Department of Labor (DOL) regulations has been clearly mad that if you know that an employee had worked more time than is scheduled, you must paid him, even if you did not depute him for additional work. Exempted employees treat properly: Employers expects that their exempt employees (those exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)) to worked as long as the job done.Some of the employers also punish their exempted employees to do work for paid vacation or sick time. Review HR policies and procedures. There should be clearly written policies can be both effective employee relationship.The policies that are out of date applied improperly should have opposite effect.There should be regular review of policies that should be matched with new laws,rules regulations.Experts suggest that a thorough review of policies should be made once a year.

Johnny Rocket’s invades Belgium :: essays research papers

Johnny Rocket’s invades Belgium! Restaurants continue to play a significant role in the Belgian franchise market, and their presence is increasing rapidly, with the fast food franchising market growing at an annual rate of approximately 12%. American fast-food franchising concepts, such as standardized restaurant chains that offer a limited but popular range of dishes served in packaging for on-the-spot consumption has been widely adopted. We plan to bring Johnny Rocket’s to Belgium with a twist of catering to business people, by catering lunches. Every Johnny Rockets restaurant boasts great-tasting food from a menu of All-American favorites including juicy hamburgers, hand-dipped shakes and malts and freshly-baked apple pie. Guests also enjoy an All-American diner look and feel, servers who know the secret behind getting ketchup out of the bottle, tabletop jukeboxes that belt out tunes for a nickel and authentic dà ©cor. Johnny Rockets is the place where every Guest can enjoy All-American favorites served with a smile! OUR GUEST PROMISE: †¢ Say "hello" and "goodbye" to everyone passing through our doors. †¢ Serve the freshest, highest quality simple All-American fare. †¢ Cheerfully serve guests promptly in a sparkling clean store. †¢ Always dance on the half hour, twirl straws and serve ketchup with a smile. †¢ Handle guest needs right here and now. The hamburger market is the strongest of all franchised food chains. In this market, McDonald’s, the second largest hamburger chain, hopes to expand from its current 64 restaurants to well over 100 in the next two to four years. Pizza Hut controls twenty percent of the pizza restaurant market. Chi Chi’s and Dominos are also present in the Belgian market, but they have experienced much difficulty in successfully penetrating it due to the high cost of labor in Belgium. Belgium has one of the highest percentages of inbound franchises as a proportion of franchise systems in the European Union, which helps contribute to the strong competition present in the fast-food sector. The market leader is the GIB group, Belgium's largest retailer, which are the owner and franchiser of the Quick Hamburger Restaurant chain, Lunch Garden and Crock’In Sandwich restaurants. The Quick chain, with one hundred-five outlets, is the sales leader in the hamburger market. GIB originally owned the Pizza Hut master franchise. It is now owned and operated by the Tricon group of Belgium. The decision to enter into a direct foreign investment was made on the basis that Johnny Rockets wanted to maintain controlling interest over operations, avoid transport costs and trade restrictions.

American Male Pigs :: essays research papers

American Male Pigs Today in this great country of ours, there is an animal that stalks the face of our land. An animal that'll stop at very little to obtain it's nightly goal. Some women have unjustly classified this animal a Land Shark, along with an assortment of other colorful names. Little do the women of this country realize that these animals have banned together to form a national coalition. I, along with most males above the age of consent, am a proud and very active member. Our covert organization is called American Male Pigs. Our slogan to all other males and future males, is: "Get AMPed" Our purpose is to educate the present, and future male populations, so that they might be better able to distinguish between the different types of females and notify all other members of their findings. Everyone is unique. However, most women can be herded into three basic groups. Those groups are: Those who do, Those who don't, and those who do, that you won't do. The last group and by far the least important, are those who would do Anything with Anyone that you won't do. These women aren't usually very attractive. They are more often than not, quite heavy. They are NOT desirable. These are the women, who after you've been drinking heavily all night, at 2:00 A.M. still don't look good. You can see them lined up at the exit to every bar, looking quite sad, lonely and pathetic at closing time, hoping and praying to get lucky. Unfortunately this hefty flock is usually good in bed. Logic of course would dictate that they would have to be, or else they know they would NEVER get anything otherwise. The other type of third class women that aren't usually identified until it's too late, are the "FATAL ATTRACTION" type. They'll do anything you ask, whenever you ask, but in return you unknowingly give up your soul. These are without a doubt the most hazardous of women, and must be immediately identified. The second section is a strange breed indeed. Those who won't. Won't what, they won't do anything with anyone. We have all met these. Usually stuck up, with an air of conceit, grandiosity and Supreme BITCH all rolled up into one HOT, tight-assed little package. These are not hard to find. Most seem to ooze out of the woodwork. The only purpose we can find for these prudes is to PISS males off. A lot of these women will talk to you, some might actually date you. Beware of these dates! You buy your date dinner, maybe a show, then when it comes to a kiss

The Broken Healthcare System of The United States Essay -- Healthcare

An issue that is widely discussed and debated concerning the United States’ economy is our health care system. The health care system in the United States is not public, meaning that the states does not offer free or affordable health care service. In Canada, France and Great Britain, for example, the government funds health care through taxes. The United States, on the other hand, opted for another direction and passed the burden of health care spending on individual consumers as well as employers and insurers. In July 2006, the issue was transparency: should the American people know the price of the health care service they use and the results doctors and hospitals achieve? The Wall Street Journal article revealed that â€Å"U.S. hospitals, most of them nonprofit, charged un-insured patients prices that vastly exceeded those they charged their insured patients. Driving their un-insured patients into bankruptcy." (p. B1) The most expensive health care system in the world is that of America. I will talk about the health insurance in U.S., the health care in other countries, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, and my solution to this problem. The United States health care is structured badly. The insurance companies only look out for themselves; they think of ways they can save money not spend it. When you file for health insurance, companies will look through your application and medical records as if it were a murder investigation. They will try to find any flaw possible in your application just so they would not have to pay for your medical bill. The health insurance companies have an extremely long list of medical conditions you may have that they will deny you for. They will reject you if the surgery is considered experimental,... ...on, which consists of not making tons of money, but in helping people fight their health problems and saving lives. That is why we should have a socialized/publicly funded health care system. To ensure that everyone gets the proper medical care, no more denying people because they do not have insurance. Works Cited Herzlinger, Regina. Who Killed Health Care? America’s $2 Trillion Medical Problem And The Consumer-Driven Cure. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007. Print. Lucette, Lagnado. â€Å"Anatomy of a Hospital Bill,† Wall Street Journal, September 21, 2004, p.B1. Print. Moore, Michael, narr. Sicko. Dog Eat Dog Films Weinstein Company, 2007. DVD. Palmer, Donald. â€Å"Utilitarianism,† Does the Center Hold? An Introduction to Western Philosophy. 5th ed. 264-271. Print. Unkown. â€Å"American Medical Association,† The New York Times, June 15, 2009, p.2. Print.

Equus Essay

Peter Shaffer’s play, Equus, tells a young man’s story of faith and struggle. Through Alan, Shaffer explores man’s relationship with God and himself, the concept of pain and passion, and eventually, shame. Indeed, Alan blinded the horses because he was shamed, not merely of his inability to perform, but more so because Equus, through the horses’ eyes, witnessed how he gave in to temptation and betrayed his god. Alan is like any man who is brought up to his parents’ beliefs. In his case, his mother was a devout Christian who read to him verses from the Bible, where he learned of God and Jesus. His father, on the other hand, was an atheist, and seeing Alan’s growing interest in religion tore the picture of the crucifix Alan had and replaced it with a picture of a horse. This is a powerful act of symbolism. The young Alan was confused because of his parents’ differing religious beliefs. He could sense that his father did not approve of the kind of fervent religion his mother is practicing, and but Alan has already been raised to love God. He could have just become a nominal Christian; instead he turned his intense beliefs towards a substitute god, a god that his father does not hate. Hence, Equus is born – his conception of a deity embodied in every horse. Yet, essentially, his faith remains traditional orthodox Christian. Like God, Equus sees everything, like Jesus, Equus suffers for the sins of the world. Alan’s devout love in Equus culminates to his riding the horse Nugget naked and barebacked, flagellating, riding to the point of sexual/mystical/religious climax, when he screams of his love and his desire to be one with the horse. This image illustrates Alan’s intense religious beliefs that he wants to share the pain, the passion or the suffering of Equus, and be one with him, akin to the intense devotion of saints. In the next part of the play, Alan goes with Jill to a pornography theater where they accidentally run into his father. This leaves an impression to Alan that sexual desire is common to all men. It can be said that since he found his father there, he made the logical conclusion that it was something that his father does not disapprove of. So when Jill suggests they have sex in the stables, he acquiesces. But the presence of the horses makes him nervous, and he is unable to get an erection. He becomes frustrated, and he threatens away Jill. He is more than just ashamed because he was not able to perform. He was ashamed because he could feel Equus’ eyes on him, and he knows that he has sinned. Alan felt guilty about his act, about his giving in to temptation, his attempt to do it with Jill, because he perceived it as an act of betrayal to his god. He declared his devotion and desire to be one with Equus, and yet he found himself a sinner, one of those who cause Equus’s/Jesus’s pain and suffering that he professed to want to share intensely. Whereas before he devoted himself body and soul to Equus, now he has succumbed to his body’s desire and suddenly he is aware of his nakedness. His nakedness is metaphorical with his nakedness on stage and the nakedness of Adam and Eve in Genesis. Literally he becomes aware of his nakedness, when previously he rode the horse naked anyway. This awareness brings forth shame, and since his depiction of god is within reach in the form of the horses, he lashed out at them. Consumed by shame, he vents out his anger and puts out the horses’ eyes, so that he they, and Equus, through them, could no longer see him naked, nor would they be able to see his sins.

Palawan Case Essay

The name â€Å"Palawan† – most probably – was given by the Chinese as far back as the 9th Century. They called it PA-LAO-YU, or â€Å"land of beautiful safe harbour†. Others believe it came from the Indian word â€Å"Palawans† meaning â€Å"Territory†. The popular believe is that â€Å"Palawan† is a corrupted form of the Spanish word â€Å"Para agua† because the main island’s shape resembles a closed umbrella.The limits of the Province are : Busuanga island in the north Agutaya group of islands northeast Cagayancillo (who has not heard about Tubattaha Reef) in the east Balabac island in the south Spratly – Kalayaan in the West I. About Palawan Islands Palawan is one of the Last Unexplored Islands in the Pacific, as well as the location of the 1997 James Bond thriller â€Å"Tomorrow Never Dies.† Jacques Cousteau remarked that Palawan was the most beautiful place he ever explored. Renowned underwater explorer Jacques Costeau has described Palawan as having one of the most Beautiful Seascapes in the world. Sprawled beneath the seas are nearly 11,000 square kilometers of coral reefs. Myriads of fish swim in these underwater gardens. Palawan probably has more protected areas than any other province in the Philippines. The Calauit Wildlife Sanctuary in the northern Calamianes islands is home to exotic and endemic species of animals that roam freely in its verdant hills and plains. On the northern coastline, the El Nido Marine Reserve is noted for its edible birds’ nests and limestone cliffs. In the middle of the Sulu Sea lies the Tubbataha reefs, a pair of coral atolls recently named as a World Heritage Site for its highly diverse collection of fishes and other marine life. Along the west coast, the St. Paul Subterranean National Park features old-growth forests, cathedral caves, white sand beaches, and one of the longest underground rivers in the world. In the South, Ursula Island is a haven for migratory and resident birds. II. People, Culture and Way of Living a. Batak The Batak, which means â€Å"mountain people† in Cuyonon is a group of indigenous Filipino people that resides in the northeast portion of Palawan. They live in the rugged interiors of northeastern Palawan. Living close to nature, they are a peaceful and shy people. These people believe in nature spirits, with whom they communicate through a babaylan or medium. b. Palaweà ±os Native-born lowland dwellers (calling themselves Palaweà ±os, much to the amusement and distress of the original tribal groups, such as the Palawan who are called Palawano by outsiders) include the Cuyunon, Agutayanon sub-groups. The Cuyunons, originally from the island town of Cuyo in northern Palawan, are considered the elite class in this group. They are religious, disciplined and have a highly developed community spirit. Their conversion to Christianity has led to the merger of the animistic beliefs of the Cuyunon with the Christian elements to produce a folk Christianity which is the prevailing belief of the Cuyunon. The Agutayanons practice a simpler island lifestyle, with fishing and farming as their main source of livelihood. c. Palawano The Palawano tribe, also known as Pala’wan (or Palawan, depending on sub-dialect) or Palawano (only by outsiders), is one of the unique and primitive indigenous peoples of Palawan. They are part of the large Manobo-based linguistic groups of southern Philippines. They traditionally hunt using soars and bamboo blowguns. d. Taaw’t-Bato The Taaw’t Bato means â€Å"people of the rock†. They are not actually a separate language or ethnic group, but rather a small community of traditional southwestern Palawanos who happen to reside in the crater of an extinct volcano during certain seasons of the year, in houses built on raised floors inside caves though others have set their homes on the open slopes. They are found in the Singnapan Basin, a valley bounded by Mount Matalingahan on the east and the coast on the west. North of them is the municipality of Quezon and to the South are the still unexplored regions of Palawan. They still primitive in their lifestyle, even in the way of dressing. The men still wear g-strings made of bark and cloth and the women wear a piece of cloth made into skirts to cover the lower body. Both of them are half-naked but sometimes women wear a blouse that is not indigenous but obtained through the market system e. Tagbanwa The Tagbanwa tribes, or â€Å"people of the world,† are found in central and northern Palawan. They practice shifting cultivation of upland rice, which is considered a divine gift, and are known for their rice wine ritual called pagdiwata. Central Tagbanwas are found in the western and eastern coastal areas of central Palawan. They are concentrated in the municipalities of Aborlan, Quezon, and Puerto Princesa. Calamian Tagbanwa, on the other hand, are found in Baras coast, Busuanga Island, Coron Island, Linipacan Calibangbangan, a Cultural Preservation area (off limits to foreigners and the largest Contiguous grouping), and in some parts of El Nido. Shifting cultivation of upland rice is part of their cultural and economic practices. Rice is considered a divine gift and are fermented to make rice wine, which they use in Pagdiwata, or rice wine ritual. The cult of the dead is the key to the religious system of the Tagbanwa. They believe in several deities found in the natural environment. Their language and alphabet, practice of kaingin and common belief in soul-relatives are part of their culture. This group are excellent in basketry and wood carving. In addition, they are also famous for their beautifully crafted body accessories. Their combs, bracelets, necklaces and anklets are usually made of wood, beads, brass and copper. III. Economy (Products) Palawan’s economy is basically agricultural. The three major crops are palay, corn and coconut. Mineral resources include nickel, copper, manganese, and chromite. Logging is also a major industry. Palawan has one of the richest fishing grounds in the country. About 45% of Manila’s supply of fish comes from here. Having natural gas reserves of approximately 30,000 trillion cubic feet, the province is the only oil-producing province in the country. In addition, tourism is also a thriving sector. Pearl diving used to be a significant economic activity for Palawan until the advent of plastics. The world’s largest pearl, the 240mm diameter Pearl of Lao Tzu, was found off Palawan in 1934. Palawan’s insular characteristics endow it with vast fishing grounds. The varieties of fish caught in commercial quantities are milkfish (bangus), eel and moray (palos, pindangga), grouper (lapu lapu, kolapu), sea bass (apahap), snapper (maya maya), surgeon fish (labahita), slipmouth (sap sap), pomfret (pampano), mackerel (tangingi), sardines (tonsoy, tamban), anchovies (dilis), yellow fin and big eyed tuna (albacore, tambacol), swordfish (malasugi), shark (pating), rays (pagi), blue crabs (alimasag), mangrove crabs (alimango), lobster (banagan), white shrimps (hipong puti), oysters (talaba), green mussels (tahong), giant clam (taklobo), squid (pusit), octopus (pugita). About 35% of the total national catch comes from Palawan. Palawan also has rich deposits of minerals. Actual mining and exploratory operations are ongoing for nickel, mercury (the biggest deposit in South East Asia), chromite, manganese, barite, feldspar, silica, guano, limestone, marble. There are new discoveries of copper, gold, iron, asbestos, talc, quartz, clay and sulphur. In the northeast of the province – offshore – there is oil and gas. Palawan has 52 rivers, 4 small lakes and countless small streams. The most unique amongst all these is the Princesa Underground River, emptying in St Paul’s Bay on the west coast. The economic and agricultural business growth of province is at 20% per annum. Coconut, sugar, rice, lumber, and livestock are produced here. IV. Notable Sites a. Calauit Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary A game reserve and wildlife sanctuary of exotic African animals and endangered endemic animals of Palawan. The reserve was established on August 31, 1976 by virtue of the Presidential Decree No.1578, this was initiated in response to the appeal of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to help save African wildlife when former President Ferdinand Marcos attended the 3rd World Conference in Kenya. By virtue of the Republic Act 7611 (SEP), administrative jurisdiction of DENR was given to the local government of Palawan, effective December 31, 1993. Management of the area is the responsibility of the Office of the Palawan Council of Sustainable Development (PCSD). It is located in Calauit Island in Busuanga. b. Coron Reefs, Coron Bay, Busuanga Seven lakes surrounded by craggy limestone cliffs attract hundreds of nature lovers to Coron Reefs in Northern Palawan, near the town of Coron. Busuanga Island, whose main town is Coron, is the jump-off point for numerous dive operators. The principal dive sites are 12 World War II Japanese shipwrecks sunk on September 24, 1944 by US Navy action. They range in depth from the surface to 40 meters. This large variety offers exciting wreck exploration for enthusiasts, from novice divers and snorkelers and recreational divers to experienced TEC divers. The aquatic views from the sunken Japanese warships off Coron Island are listed in Forbes Traveler Magazine’s top 10 best scuba sites in the world. Dive operators offer PADI dive courses ranging from Discover Scuba to Assistant Instructor, Technical and Enriched Air Diving, as well as other specialty courses. Dive operators offer day diving, snorkeling trips, and overnight dive safaris. Live-aboard and charter boats also offer diving in the area. c. El Nido Marine Reserve Park One of the many beaches of El Nido, a marine reserve park and municipality at the northernmost tip of Palawan Island. d. Malampaya Sound Land and Seascape Protected Area Located in the Municipality of Taytay, this important ecological and economic zone is a watershed and fishing ground, and the habitat of Bottle-nosed and Irrawaddy dolphins. e. UNESCO World Heritage Sites * Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park This park features a large limestone karst landscape with an underground river. One of the river’s distinguishing features is that it emerges directly into the sea, and its lower portion is subject to tidal influences. The area also represents a significant habitat for biodiversity conservation. The site contains a full ‘mountain-to-sea’ ecosystem and has some of the most important forests in Asia. Tubbataha Reef Marine Park The Tubbataha Reef Marine Park covers 332 km ², including the North and South Reefs. It is a unique example of an atoll reef with a very high density of marine species; the North Islet serving as a nesting site for birds and marine turtles. The site is an excellent example of a pristine coral reef with a spectacular 100 m perpendicular wall, extensive lagoons and two coral islands. Ursula Island This game refuge and bird sanctuary is situated near the Municipality of Brooke’s Point in southern Palawan. The islet is a migratory and wintering ground for shorebirds and seabirds. AKLAN I. About Aklan Aklan is considered to be the oldest province in the country and is believed to have been established in the 12th century by settlers from Borneo ruled by the chieftain Datu Dinagandan which traded with its neighbouring islands. Despite its vibrant tourism industry and substantial agriculture, the province is still considered as one of the poorer provinces in the country with more than 30% of the population living below the national poverty line. II. Languages The most prominent languages in the province are Akeanon (Aklanon Proper), Malaynon and Buruanganon. Akeanon is spoken by a majority of the people, while Malaynon is spoken in Malay and Buruanganon is spoken in Buruanga, Aklan . Other regional languages used include; * Ati* Hiligaynon * Kinaray-a * Capiznon III. Culture Despite the prevalence of Christianity native beliefs about the aswang and the babaylan are still prevalent among the people. Kulam or witchcraft, locally known as â€Å"amulit† is still feared by many residents. IV. Festivals The province is known for its festivities which includes the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo. Originally, the festival was to celebrate the treaty between the Ati and the Malayan tribes who settled in the Island. The Ati live in the mountain regions and the Malay people in the flatlands or close to the water. The festivity begins on the dry season, at which time the Ati come down from the mountains to trade and celebrate with the Malayan tribes. When the Spaniards settled in the region and converted the Malays to their Christian religion, they asked the Malays to celebrate this festivity to coincide with the Feast of the â€Å"Santo Nià ±o† (Holy Child) which is usually held during the third week of January. V. Fauna Several endemic species in the Philippines are located in the province. Examples include endangered animals such the Philippine Spotted Deer (Cervus alfredi), the Visayan warty pig (Sus cebifrons), and the Tarictic Hornbill (Penelopides panini). As of 2007, conservation efforts Vare being made by the Aklan State University and the DENR with varying success VI. Festivals The province is known for its festivities which includes the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo. Originally, the festival was to celebrate the treaty between the Ati and the Malayan tribes who settled in the Island. The Ati live in the mountain regions and the Malay people in the flatlands or close to the water. The festivity begins on the dry season, at which time the Ati come down from the mountains to trade and celebrate with the Malayan tribes. When the Spaniards settled in the region and converted the Malays to their Christian religion, they asked the Malays to celebrate this festivity to coincide with the Feast of the â€Å"Santo Nià ±o† (Holy Child) which is usually held during the third week of January. VII. Economy and Livelihood Aklan depends greatly on agriculture. The massive and sustained education and research in agriculture production, the implementation of national program in agriculture, well-established marketing strategies, as well as the support of the agribusiness industry and other private and non-government sectors, result to better production and higher income of the farmers. Kalibo’s main industry is agriculture where the primary product is rice and coconuts. Kalibo is the hub for the Pià ±a cloth industry of Aklan. The Pià ±a and Abaca cloths are exported to various parts of the world, most particularly North America and Europe. Kalibo is known for other native products such as handbags made of buri leaves which is a favorite for Caucasian females visiting the town. Pineapple silk is considered the queen of Philippine fabrics and is the fabric of choice of the Philippine elite. During the 1996 edition of APEC in the Philippines, world leaders donned a pineapple silk Barong Tagalog from Kalibo during the obligatory class photo. Kalibo also has a burgeoning meat-processing cottage industry and is beginning to be noticed in the processing of locally made chorizo, tocino and other meat products, particularly with Rosa Foods in the Linabuan Norte district. Remy Nadal Duck Meat is also a well-known processor in the province, located at Magdalena in Kalibo

Building Defects

Introduction: Decay and deterioration can happen in a building for any number of reasons. The first being poor repair and maintenance of the building over its life by users or those responsible for its maintenance such as a landlord etc. It can also mean that there were original problems with the building that impair its ability to function as intended, these may not have been uncovered during the snagging process at the end of the construction stage.These building problems are referred to as defects, depending on the type of contact most contracts have a 12 month defect period, this enables the users (and funders) to live in the building through the different seasons and see if any problems occur. A latent defect is after the 12 month defect period has lapsed and the new building shows signs of problems that are so significant that they can stop its functionality (a latent defect period can last up to 12 years on some contracts). Please find below some common reasons for defects: * Design IssuesDesign professionals (such as architects or engineers) could perhaps specify material or equipment that cannot perform as intended. For example: a geological survey that does not cover enough areas on a site could mean that the subsoil is not consistent across the site and therefore could eventually cause subsidence in the building. The architect’s motivation for the design may be with the building form, function or aesthetics but the completed design could result as a defect as any cost considerations or value engineering if not well planned, managed and coordinated could result in a defects.The use of inferior building materials can cause problems such as windows that leak or fail to perform and function adequately, even when properly installed. Leaking windows are a common defect and prevention requires good workmanship. * Site supervision during construction period Poor supervision during the construction period can result in poor quality and sub standard wor kmanship. For example: this can often manifest in water infiltration through some portion of the building structure (cracks in oundations, floor slabs, walls, dry rotting of wood or other building materials), electrical and mechanical problems, plumbing leaks and back-ups, lack of appropriate sound insulation and fire-resistive construction between adjacent housing units, etc. The above can prevented with a good Quality Assurance process in place that ensures that all trades are well supervised on site, accurate records are kept on workmanship (this can include pictorial evidence) and guidance is given to all staff on the quality expectations that have to be achieved on site.The traditional role of Clerk of Works should also be used to ensure that all measures are met on site level. * Maintenance No building lasts forever. Day to day planned maintenance of a building is required to ensure that it prevents any problems in the future. Poor planned maintence can cause defects to occur in buildings that would have performed well had they been cared for properly. For example: a master plan for the buildings mechanical and electrical (M&E) equipment to be replaced (such as Boiler replacements, lighting upgrades, ICT Category cabling upgrades etc. also phased window or roof replacement schedule to ensure that all that entire building envelope is protected to protect from the elements. If maintenance of buildings are not kept up to date then in some contracts ‘latent defects’ would not be honoured as the users have not maintained the works that were carried out in line with the contract therefore the contractors would not be obligated to rectify any defective works. * Service installationSome equipment requires regular servicing under the terms of its guarantee. For example: If a boiler that has been installed with a 10 year warranty is not annually serviced then the manufacture can advise that the user did not meet their obligations and therefore any replacement in the 10 year period would fall to the user to fund. Common Defects found in Low-Rise Housing: Please see below mock defects sheets in relation to the defects outlined in ‘Common Defects in Low-Rise Housing’.These outline the defect, the cause of the defect, the remedy required to rectify the defect and finally any supporting building regulations/guidelines that support this process. STAGE:A| WORKS/JOB SHEET NO. 6| LOCATION:South Wall| DATE:26th May 2010| BRE REF NO. Defect Action Sheet 116| DEFECT: Insufficient wall ties below Damp-proof Level | CAUSE: Poor design and specification | FUNCTION:A wall tie is a small piece of metal generally made of steel that is installed between a cavity wall void or between two adjoining walls. The purpose of this is to keep both walls together at all times.A wall tie allows slight movement for expansion but if correctly fitted stops each wall acting independently of one another so therefore keeps the building strong and stable. | DEFECTIVE AREA: * Corroded and show signs of de-laminating (this is when the metal starts to peel and splinter) * Corroded due to water egress (decaying of the tie means loss of strength) * Corroded show signs of ferrous oxide (this is when the metal bubbles and expands) this can cause lifting and cracking the brickwork * Cavity walling that is blocked with decayed mortar that bridged the DPC. Poorly fitted wall ties (this means that it does not function as originally intended) * Incorrect wall ties used (there are 4 different types of wall ties – each tie has its own best area for use)| DEFECTIVE CORRECTION REQUIRED: * Ties should be placed at 900mm centres horizontally and 450mm vertically * Sufficient lap of Damp proof course is required all round * Wall ties to be of a minimum size 5/m2 * Ensure that ties are as specified and are of the correct type * Use BS or BBA Certificated ties of length and type suitable for cavity width and purpose * Space ties in accorda nce with BS 5628: Pt 3: 2001.For example: the cavity width should be 50 to 300mm, number of ties 2. 5 per m2, 900 mm horizontally 450mm vertically and provide extra ties adjacent to openings * Check that there is a row of ties at every sixth course of bricks * Ties should be staggered and evenly distributed * Check that the horizontal spacing’s have the correct number of specified ties per m2 * Check that ties are at every block course within 225mm of opening | RELEVANT BRITISH STANDARD:| * BS:5628 Pt 3. 2001 | | | | | STAGE:A| WORKS/JOB SHEET NO. 1| LOCATION:Rear externals| DATE:26th May 2010| BRE REF NO.Defect Action Sheet 96| DEFECT: Mature trees too close | CAUSE: Poor design and specification | FUNCTION:Movement where a building is in close proximity of a mature trees. This is a common problem found generally in the following species Oak, Poplar, Ash, Plane, Willow and Elm although any very large mature tree close to a building can spell disaster. These trees require a c onsiderable amount of water to grow much of this is taken up by their root system. For example: a mature poplar can take up to 50,000 litres of water from the sub-soil each year.The more mature the tree the greater amount of water it requires. The outcome of the site survey and soil investigation should inform the decision on the type of substructure to be used for the proposed buildings in relation to soil type, saturation levels and lay of land e. g. sloping etc. It is recommended that buildings be built at least a distance equivalent to the tree’s height away from that tree to protect both the tree and the building although in some cases of Willow, Poplar and Elm the root radius can be twice that of the tree height. DEFECTIVE AREA: * The trees potential root radius has not been calculated correctly * Poor choice of substructure for the new building| DEFECTIVE CORRECTION REQUIRED: * Repair works require the retrospective installation of a root barrier (see attached diagram) . This means detailed surveys are required to identify were the tree roots are. If the tree has a Tree preservation order (TPO) on it then any damage to its roots could mean an appearance in Majesties court and a fine up to ? 20,000| RELEVANT BRITISH STANDARD:| * BS:5837 * Approved Document A & C * Tree Preservation Orders: A Guide to the Law and Good Practice 2000|STAGE:A| WORKS/JOB SHEET NO. 22| LOCATION:Flank wall| DATE:26th May 2010| BRE REF NO. Defect Action Sheet | DEFECT: Poor Mortars, Bricks, Blocks in sub-structure| CAUSE: Poor design and specification Poor site supervision| FUNCTION:Mortar is used a bonding agent to secure brick and block work. These three elements used together ensure that the building is sound, secure and water tight. | DEFECTIVE AREA: * Poor specification of an inferior brick and blocks that are engineered to support the loadings of the finished building is poor design planning.A poorly specified mortar could also be the reason that water could ingr ess the building this could lead to significant problems later for the building. * Poor site supervision of this area could mean that the mortar is poorly laid or not given enough time to set, or could even have been laid in the wrong temperatures such as Frosty weather. | DEFECTIVE CORRECTION REQUIRED: * The building may require additional support. For example: underpinning externally could support the substructure sufficiently enough to take the load away from the problem areas. The best method in this case is to pile and beam. This method stabilises the existing substructure by using piles installed either side of  an existing wall. A small excavation is made below the ground level and a reinforced concrete needle beam is used to connect the piles and support the wall. * Reducing the distance between needle beams can accommodate very high loads. | RELEVANT BRITISH STANDARD:| * | STAGE:D| WORKS/JOB SHEET NO. 24| LOCATION:Internal/External various locations| DATE:26th May 2010| B RE REF NO.Defect Action Sheet | DEFECT: Notches and holes for services mis-positioned and oversized| CAUSE: Poor design Poor site supervision| FUNCTION:The location of holes and notches for services is very important in relation to the functionality and quality of finish to the end building. A misplaced large hole could lead incorrectly fitted lighting, heaters, light switches etc. | DEFECTIVE AREA: * Poor design drawings that are sent to site with the wrong measurements could mean that the location and shape of the holes for services are installed as per the drawing. It is more lightly that this defect would be down to poor site supervision. This could mean that the inappropriate person has been tasked to carry out this work such as a labourer that does not have the skill to read drawings but was asked to install holes for services rather than an electrician or electrician’s mate (i. e. being supervised by the trade lead at all times)| DEFECTIVE CORRECTION REQUIRED: * If cau ght early enough this should not be a great problem to resolve on site.However, if this was left to practical completion were the building is being handed over to the user/occupier then the works to rectify could be much greater and could include the following: * Re-routing electrics and mechanical pipe works to suit correct dimensions * Repositioning of all electrical and mechanical equipment * No direct connection to main sewer therefore re routing all connections to bathrooms, kitchens and any sinks etc| RELEVANT BRITISH STANDARD:| * | STAGE:D| WORKS/JOB SHEET NO. 30| LOCATION:Door No. GF32| DATE:26th May 2010| BRE REF NO.Defect Action Sheet | DEFECT: Lintels in external walls: missing, damaged, bedding, insulation| CAUSE: Poor design and specificationPoor site supervision| FUNCTION:A Lintel is a piece of steel or concrete that is used as a support in walls. These are generally used above openings (such as windows or doors) in the wall to support the load above. Lintels are usual ly supplied with load bearing at each end for 100mm openings up to/including 1000mm, 150mm for openings up to/including 3000mm and 200mm for openings over 3000mm. For spans in excess of 1200mm, it is good practice to provide temporary support such as an Acro at every 1200mm point. DEFECTIVE AREA: * Poor design could mean that the location window or door opening is in a difficult position to properly fit the correct size lintel * Poor specification could mean that a concrete lintel is specified when the location requires a small and compact steel lintel * Poor site supervision could mean that the area were the lintel is to be installed in not supported prior to installation and therefore the floor above is already sagging with the load. Also installation of the wring lintel in time will show on the exterior and interior of the building. DEFECTIVE CORRECTION REQUIRED: * Lintels should be carefully bedded on a full mortar joint * Wall ties should be positioned in accordance with curren t building regulations * A damp proof course should be used for all lintels in external walls, and must be fixed in accordance with building regulations * In cavity construction, it is recommended that both internal and external leaves are taken up uniformly * It is good building practice to insert a flexible joint between the lintel and the top of the frame| RELEVANT BRITISH STANDARD:| * BS:12 * BS:882|STAGE:E| WORKS/JOB SHEET NO. 20| LOCATION:| DATE:26th May 2010| BRE REF NO. Defect Action Sheet 73 & 74| DEFECT: Floor joist quality and installation: not graded or marked, bowing and twisting, high moisture content and wet rot| CAUSE: Poor specification Poor site supervision| FUNCTION:A floor joist is a beam of wood that stretches from one side of the sub-floor to the other bridging the floor load bearers. They are the essential component to the foundation of each floor level and floor boards are laid onto of them to give a foundation to any floor covering.Wood should be marked Top/Bottom, be graded (for the load) and have a kite mark or brand number referring to BS: EN 14250. | DEFECTIVE AREA: * Poor specification of a floor joist can mean that the wood used is not the correct grading to support the load. This can mean that the floor in time will show effects of overload bowing and twisting are one of the signs. * Poor site supervision of this area could mean that the wood has not been stored correctly on site meaning that it is now warped and twisted and has high water content. If wet rot occurs it is generally at the bearings of timber joists in external walls.For example: the sole or head plates rather than in the studs. | DEFECTIVE CORRECTION REQUIRED: * An assessment on if there is any ‘dead air’ within the cavity between the joists and the floor board. If so, then air bricks (to BS:493) can be installed into the external walls to allow air flow. If wet rot is localised in small area then minor repairs can be made * If poor ungraded wood has been installed then the floor will have to be taken up and reinstalled with the correct graded wood to ensure it complies with current building regulations. | RELEVANT BRITISH STANDARD:| * BS:EN 14250 * BS:493|Area H: Defect| Drains below foundations| Reason for Defect:| * Broken or damaged pipes * Failure to washout subsoil leading to foundation settlement; * Lack of clearance to debris or materials * Lack of flexible joints. * Non compliance with Approved Document H * Non compliance with the Public Health Act revised 1985 * Non compliance with Building regulations C part 2 * Incorrect type and size of pipe used for subsoil drainage * Drainage not laid to correct gradient| Specification Issue:| * Possible poor quality drainage pipes specified| Design Issue: | No|Site Supervision Issue:| * Compliance with Approved Doc H * Compliance with Public Health Act 1985 * Compliance with Building regulations C part 2 * Correct size and type of pipe use for each type of drainage identifie d e. g. foul, rainwater, soil type. * Ensure movement joints are in place * Ensure drainage meets the required gradient * Ensure pipes are clear from obstructions * Check pipes are not broken or damaged prior to installation. | Maintenance:| No|Responsible area:| The above defect is due to poor management on site on manual labour workforce| Image:| Ref: Image taken from NHBC Good Craftsmanship Guide for Drainage| Area H: Defect| Installation of DPC and DPM| Reason for Defect:| * DPC pointed or rendered over * DPCs bridged by mortar droppings * DPM punctured * DPCs and DPMs not lapped * Fill and paving not kept at least 150mm below DPC * DPM should comply with BS CP 102, Section 3, and Building Regulations Approved Document C. | Specification Issue:| No| Design Issue: | No|Site Supervision Issue: | * Check that edging of DPM projects enough to lap later with the DPC * Sheet should be sealed with adhesive tape and any punctures patched with an overlap of no less than 150mm * Use polye thylene sheet not less than 500 gauge and should carry a BBA certificate or is to the PIFA standard| Maintenance:| No| Responsible area:| The above defect is due to poor management on site on manual labour workforce| Image: | Ref: Image taken from http://www. bricksandbrass. co. uk/images/walls/damp. gif| Area H: Defect| Damp walls |Reason for Defect:| * No DPC installation in walls * Poorly installation of DPC in walls| Specification Issue:| No| Design Issue: | No| Site Supervision Issue:| * A responsible contractor should understand the importance of DPC within the external walls * If just poorly installed retrospective DPC injections can be used to back fill in areas that require additional waterproofing * If no damp proof course is in place then Electro Osmosis method can be used this is when a low voltage steel stake is placed intermediately around the external walls as long as the unit is on it will keep the damp at bay | Maintenance:| No|Responsible area:| The above defect is due to poor management on site on manual labour workforce| Image: | Ref: Image taken from www. petercox. co. uk/prevent| Area J: Defect| No lintel above the window and doors | Reason for Defect:| * No installation of lintel above window and door openings| Specification Issues:| * Possible incorrect lintel specified * | Design Issue: | * For an architect to exclude lintels from the design, it means that they have not complied with building regulations.This is not only a design floor but a dangerous and hazardous way to leave the building| Site Supervision Issue: | No| Maintenance:| No| Responsible area:| The above defect is due to poor design management by the design team and should have been picked up by various professionals along the process including Building Control| Image: | Ref: Image taken from http://www. bancroftcentre. org/images/eco/insulation. bmp|Area J: Defect| Plaster break up on internal walls and ceilings| Reason for Defect:| * Bond failure between plasterwork and plasterboard due to ‘watering down’ of bonding agent * Plaster itself poor quality or poorly mixed together (plasterer should have a mate to mix for them as plaster can ‘go off’ quickly) * Cracking due to movement * Drying out period hurried and room artificially heated to increase drying time| Specification Issue:| * Poor quality bond or plaster | Design Issue: | No| Site Supervision Issue: | * Remove poor quality plaster, apply a thick oat of Unibond allow to dry and then re-applying a suitably mixed plaster (plasterer should have a mate to mix for them as plaster can ‘go off’ quickly) * Ventilate and allow to naturally dry out| Maintenance:| * Poor maintenance of internal finishing can make plaster work decay and break up * Poor ventilation or extreme weather (if no heating) then plaster can become brittle and break up| Responsible area:| The above defect is due to poor management on site on manual labour workforce and/or poor maintenance by the occupier/users| Image:| Ref: Images taken from Google images ‘plaster work’|Area J: Defect| Shrinkage to wooden floor joists| Reason for Defect:| * Temperature to install to extreme * Stored poorly on site allowing water to penetrate – Part C of the Building Regulations â€Å"Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture† * Area needs better ventilation| Specification Issue:| No| Design Issue: | No|Site Supervision Issue:| * A responsible contractor should have the knowledge and experience to know at what temperatures they can have to install after the installation * Air bricks may need to be installed in the external walls tp improve under floor ventilation * All materials should be stored off the ground and well covered in accordance with building regulations| Maintenance:| No| Responsible area:| The above defect is due to poor management on site on manual labour workforce| Image:| Ref: Image taken from Google images ‘defective timber joists’|Area K: Defect| External wall movement| Reason for Defect:| * Incorrect substructure * Restraints missing from wall to floor| Specification Issue:| No| Design Issue: | * Substructure must be designed following an accurate soil survey, bore holes are taken from the proposed site and are inspected in laboratory condition. * The soil samples are tested and categorised in accordance with their load value * Then detailed calculations are erformed by structural engineers to establish the most suitable substructure for the proposed building * Below a ‘tell tale’ is a measuring device that can check how much a crack is moving over a period of time| Site Supervision Issue: | No| Maintenance:| No| Responsible area:| The above defect is due to poor design management by the design team and should have been picked up by various professionals along the process including Building Control| Image:| Ref: Image of a ‘tell-tale’ taken from Google images|A rea K: Defect| External wall movement| Reason for Defect:| * No cavity tray installed to discharge water outwards * No weep hole specified in brickwork at lowest tray * No flashing identified, Lead or a suitable substitute should be installed in accordance with BS 1178 * All roof tiles to Part C of the Building Regulations â€Å"Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture†| Specification Issue:| No| Design Issue: | No|Site Installation & Supervision Issue | * A responsible contractor should install cavity tray to ensure water is discharged correctly * Ensure appropriate weep hole is installed in the brickwork at the lowest tray level * Install appropriate flashings where required * Ensure tiles and drainage is compliant with Building Regulations Part C| Maintenance:| No| Responsible area:| The above defect is due to poor management on site on manual labour workforce| Image:|