Animal Farm: Snowball Essay

He was a great leader, a devious leader, but caring at the same time. You may have thought I was talking about a man, but I was talking about a very powerful pig on a farm. I read a book called Animal Farm by George Orwell. The animals in this story represented humans in the Russian revolution. It was a very interesting book and I related most to a character named Snowball. The character that I feel represented me the most is an eloquent, passionate, and intelligent pig named Snowball. In the beginning of the novel, Snowball was the leader of Animal Farm. He and Napoleon often competed against each other. Even though Snowball believed in Animalism and felt that pigs were more superior to the other animals on the farm everyone still agreed with everything that he said. He created the slogan â€Å"Four legs good, two legs bad.† Snowball had always won the animal’s side against Napoleon. Later on, Snowball led a battle against Mr. Jones and the other farmers. The crusade was called the Battle of the Cowshed. After the animals won, Snowball had even more power than he had ever had before. He had an idea that they should build a windmill to power the farm and provide better service for the animals. Napoleon realized that Snowball had to leave the farm. He got Snowball to leave the farm by having dogs chase him away and he never came back after that. The author of Animal Farm named George Orwell, represented Snowball as Leon Trotsky. I think that Orwell did a very good job comparing a pig to a tremendous war leader from the Russian revolution. Snowball and Trotsky shared many characteristics. Some of them are that they were both clever leaders, they both wanted to make life better for their comrades and that they were both admirable, good speakers. In my opinion, it seems like it would be very difficult to represent important, influential people from the Russian revolution to animals. Orwell did a very nice job of comparing the two. Not only does Snowball compare to Trotsky, he also can represent me too. The competent pig, Snowball can represent me in some ways too. We are both smart, nice, caring, and responsible. Another way that we are alike is that we both compete against people. Snowball competes against Napoleon, and I compete against other girls at dance competitions. As you know, Snowball was a devious but caring leader. He led the Battle of the Cowshed, had conflicts with Napoleon, and got chased out of the farm by vicious dogs that Napoleon sent to attack him. I believe that Snowball was a better leader than Napoleon because he cared more about the animals, but at the same time Snowball treated the pigs better than the rest of the animals on the farm. Snowball may have gotten chased out of the manor farm, but he will always be my favorite and most representable leader from the book. Works Cited: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/animalfarm/characters.html. n.d. Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Harcourt Brace & Company, 1946.

Brief Gerographic background of from where Anna Hazare was born Essay

Anna Hazare was born and lived the 1st 6 years of his life in Bhingar which is a small town in Ahmednagar district. It is in the state of Maharashtra in India. Bhingar got its name from a rishi called Bhrigu that did tapsya there on a hillock and later a temple was erected in his honour. Aurangzeb, the last Mughal emperor, died at Bhingar in 1707. Also, there is a very famous and very old temple of Lord Shiva called Shukleshwar Temple in Bhingar. In 2001, the total population was 7620 people out of which 51% were males and 49% females. At the time, the literacy rate was 73% , which was higher than the national average of 59.5%. The language spoken in this town Bhingar is Marathi. Ahmednagar is the largest district in the state of Maharashtra. The district is famous of the town of Shirdi associated with Sai Baba. In olden days it was part of Bombay presidency until India’s independence in 1947 when it became part of Bombay state and in 1960 the new state of Maharashtra. In 2006, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Ahmednagar one of the country’s 250 most backward districts. In 2011 India census, Ahmednagar district recorded a population of 4,543,083 people and the sex ration was 934 females for every 1000 males. It had a literacy rate of 80.22%. According to the census, 82% people were Hindu’s, 9% Muslims, 5% Christians and and the balance religions were 4%. Ahmednagar is home to the Indian Armored Corps Centre & School (ACC&S), the Mechanized Infantry Regimental Centre (MIRC), the Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (VRDE) and the Controllerate of Quality Assurance Vehicles (CQAV). Training and recruitment for the Indian Army Armoured Corps takes place at the ACC&S. Formerly, the city was the Indian base of the British Army’s Royal Tank Corps / Indian Armoured Corps, amongst other units. The town houses the second largest display of military tanks in the world. Few Famous personalities from Ahmednagar are: Sai Baba of Shirdi, spiritual master Anand Rishiji, Jain saint Meher Baba, spiritual leader Sant Dnyaneshwar, Marathi saint, wrote Dnyaneshwari, a discourse on the Bhagavad Gita. Zaheer Khan – Indian Cricketer Dagdu Maruti Pawar, a Marathi author and poet known for his contributions to Dalit literature. B.J. Khatal- Patil – Ex. Cabinet Minister of Maharashtra, a senior Maharashtra leader and a veteran Congressman. Places of interest are as follows: Akolner a village near city is birthplace of saint Dasganu also famous for chariot festival (Rath yatra). National bird peacocks are found here. Dongargan — An old temple of Lord Shiva in mountains 8 km from Ahmednagar City, having notable waterfalls. Shingnapur – A village containing a Shani (planet Saturn) temple and where all the houses are doorless—probably the only village in the world where locks are unnecessary. Tank Museum — The Armoured Corps Centre and School has created a museum with an extensive collection of 20th-century armoured fighting vehicles. Ahmednagar Fort – Built by Ahmed Nizam Shah in 1490, this is one of the best-designed and most impregnable forts in India. As of 2013, it is under the control of the military command of India. Oval in shape, with 18-metre-high walls and 24 citadels, its defence system includes a moat 30 metres wide and 4 to 6 metres deep. Maharashtra is a state in the Western region of India and is the nations second most populous. It is also the second most populous sub-national entity in the world with over 110 million inhabitants. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Indian states of Karnataka, Telangana, Goa, Gujarat, Chhattisgarg, Madya Pradesh and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The state capital is Mumbai which is also the financial capital of the nation. Maharashtra is the wealthiest and most developed state in India contribution 15% of the country’s industrial output and 13.3% of its GDP as of 2006-2007. Maharashtra is the 3rd largest state by area in the India. Rice is the dominant crop of the state but cashews, mangoes, vegetable cotton, oilseeds and tobacco are also important. Maharashtra is divided into five geographic regions. Konkan is the western coastal region,  between the Western Ghats and the sea. Kandesh is the northwestern region lying in the valley of the Tapti River. Maharashtra is divided into 36 districts under given 6 divisions. These 36 districts are further divided into 109 sub-divisions of the districts and 357 talukas. The Governor of Maharashtra is Kateekal.Sankaranaryanan on 22nd January 2010. The Chief Minister is Prithiviraj Chavan from the political party â€Å"Indian National Congress:. He was sworn in on 11th November 2010. Maharashtra has a typical monsoon climate with hot, rainy and cold weather seasons. However, dew, frost, hail can also happen according to the seasonal weather. Winter is in January and February followed by summer between March and May and the monsoon season is between June and September. The economy of Maharashtra is driven by international trade, entertainment (television, motion pictures, video games, recorded music), aerospace, technology, petroleum, fashion, apparel, and tourism. Maharashtra is the most industrialised state and has maintained leading position in the industrial sector in India. The State is pioneer in Small Scale industries. Mumbai, the capital of state and the financial capital of India, houses the headquarters of most of the major corporate & financial institutions. India’s main stock exchanges & capital market and commodity exchanges are located in Mumbai. The State continues to attract industrial investments from both, domestic as well as foreign institutions. Maharashtra has the largest proportion of taxpayers in India and its share markets transact almost 70 per cent of the country’s stocks. The flora of Maharashtra is heterogeneous in composition. In 2012 the recorded thick forest area in the state was 61,939 km2 (23,915 sq mi) which was about 20.13% of the state’s geographical area. Maharashtra is known for its extensive avifauna. Maharashtra is said to have 3 game reserves, 5 national parks and 24 bird sanctuaries.[40] Wild sanctuaries in the state include Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary, Bor Wildlife Sanctuary, Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, Chandoli National Park, Sanjay  Gandhi National Park and Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. The most common animals which are found in the state are Tigers, Black panthers, Leopards, Gaur, Sloth bears, Sambar, Four-headed antelope, Blue Bull, Chital, Barking deer, Mouse deer, Civet cats, Jackals, Jungle cats, Spotted hyena, and Hare. Other animals in the state include reptiles such as lizards, cobras and kraits. The national parks of Maharashtra possess a variety of plant species that include Jamun, Palas, Shisam, Neem, Teak, Dhawada, Kalam, Saja / Ain, Bija, Shirish, Mango, Acacia, Awala, Kadamba, Moha, Acacia, Terminalia, Hedu and Ficus. Attire Marathi women commonly wear the sari, often distinctly designed according to local cultural customs. In urban areas, many women and men wear Western attire. Men also wear traditional costumes such as the dhoti and pheta on cultural occasions. Women wear traditional jewelleries derived from Marathas and Peshwas dynasties. Another very much popular jewellery for the Marathi women is Kolhapuri saaj, a special type of necklace. Cuisine Maharashtra cuisine covers a range from being mild to very spicy dishes. Wheat, rice, jowar, bajri, vegetables, lentils and fruit form Staples of Maharashtrian diet. Some of the Popular dishes include puran poli, ukdiche Modak, and batata wada. Meals (mainly lunch and dinner) are served on a plate called thali. Each food item served on the thali has a specific place. People of this state believe in offering their food first to the lord as a thanksgiving for all that he has given. Maharashtra’s cuisine is divided into two, viz. Konkani, and Varadi. Though quite different, both use a lot of seafood and coconut.

Significance of ingot

To look into the significance of metal bar during the Bronze Age within the Mediterranean trade industry.Chapter I: IntroductionThe significance of the metal bars in the Bronze Age has long been recognized in the development of metallurgical engineering, societal organisation and the primary focal point of this research, the Mediterranean trade industry. The metal metal bars, peculiarly those made from Cu and Sn became an of import facet in the Bronze Age trade, as they were the majority of the ship ‘s lading. Furthermore the location of these metal ores occur in geographically localized countries, which would hold limited entree of prehistoric communities to metals, which hence encouraged long distance trade between them. ( Jones, 2007, 1 ) Copper was particularly an of import natural stuff as it was used for doing tools, arms and status-enhancing luxury goods. Furthermore, Cu was the chief constituent within the sea trade. Evidence found on Mesopotamia and Dilmun, Egypt, Levant, the Aegean and subsequently the cardinal Mediterranean suggests ladings were much easier to transport by sea than by overland. The shipwrecks at Uluburun ( c.1300B.C ) and Cape Gelidonya ( c.1200B.C ) provide direct grounds for the conveyance of Cu metal bars by sea. This has hence influenced Mediterranean civilizations to increase nautical trade and established interregional contacts for Cu and Sn entree. This besides applies for metals such as gold, Ag and led which besides played a function in long-distance trade, thought non in the same measures as Cu. There have been many arguments for the exact nature of this trade. Muhly references that the metal metal bars would supply us â€Å" a proper apprehension of the nature and the range of this trade. † ( 1977, 73 ) However, we can non establish our hypothesis on understanding Bronze Age trade on the metal metal bars entirely as â€Å" The metals trade would hold differed considerable in volume and organisation in different parts, depending on locally available resources, geographics, established trade paths, local metallurgical engineering, and assorted societal and political factors. † ( Jones, 2007, 3 ) The most direct grounds for an analysis of early trade comes from Tell el Amarna. The three-hundred-eighty-two clay tabular arraies found within the metropolis, where records of elusive communicating with foreign powers. These clay tablets provide grounds that the function of the metal metal bars in the development of long-distance trade in metals varied over clip. Howev er they provide no grounds for the beginnings of Sn and Cu which suggest that they must hold been imported from states such as Cyprus. Cyprus is by and large known for its laterality within the Cu production. â€Å" This historical state of affairs is well-known among Cypriot and Mediterranean archeologists, and the Cu ingots represent the terminal merchandise of a complex procedure affecting the excavation, smelting and casting of Cu. â€Å" ( Knapp, Kassianidou, Donnelly, 2001, 204 ) However this ‘historical state of affairs ‘ was really complex and ill understood. Nevertheless the grounds shows that the Cypriots played a dominant function within the Cu industry. Sites, such as the Troodos Mountains in western and cardinal Cyprus, contained the largest measure of Cu ore in the Mediterranean ; therefore becomes an of import beginning within the Cu metallurgy in the Late Cypriot societies. Other sites in Cyprus were besides important in understanding the Cu metallurgy. By the Late Cypriot period ( c.1400-1100B.C. ) many sites became affluent regional Centres ; sites such as Enkomi, Hala Sultan Tekke, Kition and several other colonies. These metropoliss were of import in understanding trade, due to their part in Cu production and export. These metropoliss nevertheless, did non bring forth any paperss affecting trade like the castles ; a few Bronze Age letterings found called ‘Cypro-Minoan ‘ . These were undeciphered syllabic books which have been suggested to incorporate economic texts, votive letterings, or for case the clay balls from Enkomi and Kition contained short fables. However a figure of archeologists believe that the map of these books is yet to be known. Nonetheless epigraphers suggested that these texts show marks from a Cypro-Minoan alphabet, which may be identified on trade points such as the Cypriot and Mycenaean clayware and a assortment of oxhide metal bars. This connexion between the books and the goods has late been well-established. Equally of import as Cyprus was within the Cu production, archaeologists struggled to bring out grounds for Bronze Age smelting activities. Virtually all the scoria sedimentations discovered on the excavation countries dated to periods after the Bronze Age. â€Å" While more grounds for Middle and Late Cypriot Cu excavation and metallurgical production is available today, unluckily this grounds is by and large fragmental and hard to construe. † ( Jones, 2007, 6 ) However, the led isotope analysis proved to be really successful and accurate, as it measured the stable isotopes of lead utilizing a mass spectrometer in order to qualify peculiar samples. This method severally measured the samples ‘ radioactive concentration harmonizing to the geological age of the lead ores. This analysis would supply archeologists with near-conclusive grounds that Cypriot Cu was exported on a important graduated table. The chemical and metallographic analysis show high measures of pre Cu within the oxhide metal bars. This analysis suggests a high demand and production for Cu in the Bronze Age. Another of import facet of Bronze Age trade were the shipwreck finds, particularly those found at Uluburun and Cape Gelidonya. Each of these shipwrecks provide of import information for the nature and organisation of the Cu trade within the period of 1300-1200B.C. The Uluburun and Cape Gelidonya ladings contained the largest measures of Cu metal bars, particularly Uluburun which about contained over 10 dozenss of Cu and one ton of Sn metal bars. The three-hundred and 54 metal bars found within this lading exceed old ladings found on land and on submerged sites. Other important goods found within the Uluburun lading include a big figure of glass metal bars, about one ton of terebinth rosin in Canaanite jars, Cypriot clayware in several pithoi, and a broad assortment of luxury goods plus other points such as the personal ownerships of the crew and riders which bordered the ship. These goods were besides notable as they are an indicant for directional trade ; points such as the Nefertit i Scarabaeus sacer. On the other manus the Cape Gelidonya ship is significantly different. This complete digging contained in its vessel 34 complete Cu oxhide ingots every bit good as other ingot types. The Cape Gelidonya ship seems to hold a lower position that the Uluburun ship as it was a great trade smaller in size that the Uluburun ship and the goods it contained and transported have a lower value. These shipwrecks raise a figure of theories which are of import in understanding Bronze Age trade. How important was the position of the goods found within the ladings? Are the smaller ladings, for case the one found at Cape Gelidonya, more typical that the larger 1s? How common was the transit of the Cu and Sn metal bars? How does this alter our position on the Bronze Age trade? This inquiry besides applies to land-based transit. The most appropriate would be that the production and circulation of metals occurred in several different ways to one another. However this response is really by and large used, as there are a figure of possibilities to differences between Cu and Sn metal bars. However the most dominant accounts are the fluctuations of trade mechanisms, the geological and geographical factors, the societal organisation of societies involved and the utilizations to which the metals were employed. These are a few of the accounts used to assist us associate Cu and Sn metal bar s to Bronze Age trade and let us to understand the differences between each metal bar. Furthermore we could now do the theory that by analyzing these metal bars in deepness would let us to acknowledge the trade paths within the Mediterranean. There are a scope of grounds which describe the trade and production of Cu, Sn and other metals in the Bronze Age. The most common are the textual grounds of Tell el Amarna, Mesopotamia, Aegean, Syria-Palestine and Anatolia. However the iconographic grounds is besides of equal importance as several civilizations such as the Egyptians, Cypriots and Mycenaean ‘s represented their oxhide metal bars in pictural signifiers. These â€Å" Representations of oxhide metal bars demonstrate a cultural group ‘s acquaintance with Cu metal bars in this signifier and therefore their entree to interregional trade paths connected with the beginning or beginnings of Cu used to do oxhide metal bars. † ( Jones, 2007, 9 ) Iconographic grounds such as the pictures and reliefs found at Sahure ‘s burial temple represent the ships ‘ crews. This provides information on the ship ‘s beginning and information on the different foreign groups involved within the Mediterranean t rade.

Research Paper on Social Commerce Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On Social Commerce - Research Paper Example Introduction Social Commerce, falls under the umbrella of electronic commerce with the notable feature of social media or online networks assisting, recommending or supporting the buying and selling of products. The origin of the term social commerce can be traced back to November 2005, where an article at Yahoo! first used the term social commerce to refer to the phenomenon of user ratings, pick lists and user generated content on the internet. Particularly, â€Å"Facebook, Groupon, Pinterest, LivingSocial, Tabjuice, Cafepress, Etsy and others are examples of social commerce websites† (Pearson & Zehr, p. 429). Importance of Social Commerce The entire idea of social commerce aims at harnessing the power of â€Å"word of mouth marketing†. There is much theoretical and empirical evidence about the power of â€Å"word of mouth marketing† and those customers are willing to trust the recommendation of their friend more than the advertising of a product running on prim e time television (Gibbons, p. 27). This is true because, in the past few decades, the number of advertisements and promotions targeted to individual customers have increased individually. Customers do not even notice most of these promotions, let alone buying the products and services based on those promotions (Davies, p. 108). On the other hand, in the recent past, corporations, businesses and their marketers have been accused of deceptive, manipulative, and deceitful techniques to promote their products in their pursuit of profits, something that has led to a widespread distrust on the advertising messages of corporations. A research from Nielsen, conducted in the year 2010, revealed that when purchasing cars over 90 percent of the customers trust the recommendations and advice of their friends. Only 33 percent of the customers appeared to be trusting advertisements and 59 percent of the customers rely on the input from the side of experts. In fact, another study from Wantlet rev ealed that just over 82 percent of the customers seek social input while purchasing goods and services (Pearson & Zehr, p. 429). Consider the fact that according to the statistics of March 2011, over 3.5 million businesses had their pages on facebook and a significant percentage of these businesses had created their business models around facebook, which meant that they did not have any physical presence (Kotler, Armstrong, Wong & Saunders, p. 37). Consider the example of BlendTec, a blend manufacturer, connects with customers using social media. The company maintains a channel on YouTube, with more than 0.5 million subscribers and statistics indicate that its videos have been viewed at least 181 million times. Furthermore, at least 85000 customers on Facebook and 7300 consumers on twitter read the tips and tricks provided by the company (Gibbons, p. 27). The company believes that maintaining a rigorous presence on the social media converts into added sales because it allows dissati sfied customers to find the solutions of their problems and satisfied customers to recommend the products of the company to other friends. In order to account that whether a particular like of facebook converts into sales, the company provides special coupon codes to its customers and then tracks the whereabouts of the redemption of those coupons (Davies, p. 108). Furthermore, the social media and social commerce efforts of the company are

Business Start Up Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Start Up - Essay Example We had worked out an initial business plan with my team as a basis of our operations. Our business plan had all the important sections including finances, operations, milestone objectives and marketing covered. Practically speaking, having a business plan significantly reduces the risks and provides a proactive scope. I learnt that the initial business plan is not sufficient enough, hence my team decided to keep updating the document to take guidance from it. Hornsby & Kuratko (2009 p.111) have also identified many reasons to update a business plan which are: varying financial needs and new projections yearly, additional financing needed, managing management conflicts and to induce more reality to the plan. There already are similar companies producing customised cakes and crepes, therefore I was of the view that if we want to stand out we need a comptetitive advantage. Enterpreneurship is about new ideas and creation, and strategic planning focuses on the method to achieve above ave rage performance through a competitive advantage (Hitt, Ireland, Camp, & Sexton, 2002 p.33). Two of our team mates are passionate about the baking line of foods. Utilising their talent we have designed new cake and crepe recipes alongwith additional services and packages, as our unique selling points include customised packaging, complimentary dessert decor, small goodwill presents, greeting cards and an optional nutrition card for the health conscious customers. We have drafted updates on our business plan regarding this Enterpreneurial Strategic Management Interface (ESMI). Professionalism is a function of time and experience, but we lag in it because we are beginners in business... Professionalism is a function of time and experience, but we lag in it because we are beginners in business management. There have been incidents like the one when we landed with a huge order of deserts for a new year party. The order was huge, with promising profits and potentially loyal customers. The process to meet the order produced conflicts amongst our team members. The team member responsible for managing the operations and employees, namely preparation of the deserts and managing the chefs, felt that he was doing all of the work. The one who had negotiated the contract and maintained the liaison with the customer party felt that she deserved all the credit. That’s when I, being the leader, realized that we need teamwork orientation to wheedle out the individualism. I arranged a self-development session with my fellows and pointed out that everyone’s individual contribution in the work is unique and significant. We need to develop a sense of unity in our work ot herwise the conflicts will adversely affect the output and our produce will lack harmony. We learned that there are external agencies that exist to perpetuate small businesses. One of my fellows gave the idea to take some form of external small business assistance and consultancy service. He showed me the SBA.Gov platform on the internet that helps in finding the local resources, exploring the potentials and consultancy to achieve the organization’s goals. Our current focus is to develop and strengthen ourselves through proactive planning and introducing newer food and service packages.

Molecular Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Molecular - Speech or Presentation Example Suppose furthermore that these variants are distributed in the population independently of one another. Since A and B are now dependent, the probability of a randomly selected person to have the two variants, A1 and B1, will increase as these two variants will in most cases be found together (dependent distribution) In the movie Superman, the infant Kal-El’s father Jor-El gives him a crystal about the size of a tube of toothpaste and leaves a recorded message telling him that it contains the combined knowledge of the â€Å"28 known galaxies.† Suppose that this extraterrestrial crystal is a covalently bonded array of atoms spaced about 0.4 nm apart (like diamond on Earth) and that it contains information encoded in defects in the crystal lattice (For example, a defect could be a missing carbon atom. b. If a human encyclopedia of the 21st century fits comfortably on a digital video disk (4.7 GB, or 38 . 109 bits), about how many encyclopedias worth of information per â€Å"known galaxy† could Jor-El have recorded on his crystal a. You are a city inspector. You go undercover to a bakery and buy 30 loaves of bread marked 500g. Back at the lab you weigh them and find their masses to be 493, 503, 486, 489, 501, 498, 507, 504, 493, 487, 495, 498, 494, 490, 494, 497, 503, 498, 495, 503, 496, 492, 492, 495, 498, 490, 490, 497, and 482 g. you go back to the bakery and issue a warning. Why? b. Later you return to the bakery (this time, they know you). They sell you 30 more loaves of bread. You take them home and find their masses to be 504, 503, 503, 503, 501, 500, 500, 501, 505, 501, 501, 500, 508, 503, 503, 500, 503, 501, 500, 502, 502, 501, 503, 501, 501, 502, 503, 501, 502 and 500 g. you’re satisfied, because all the loaves weight at least 500g. But your boss reads your report and tells you to go back and close the shop down. What did she notice that you missed? 4. Molten wax is placed into a cold metal pan; the wax becomes solid and the metal rises

Marketing International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing International Business - Essay Example often through relaxed postures with precision of a point which plays an important role in showing that the parties are familiar to what the topic is (A, 2003, 1017). Statuses in power for interacting persons are also critical in dealings as the country exhibits high levels of hierarchy. This therefore justifies the need for any investor intending to advance operations within any area to be well conversed with the cultural dimensions at play within the market. This paper therefore takes a critical analysis of the cultural aspects at play with the Vietnamese people along the lines of individualism and collectivism, masculinity and femininity, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance (Blodgett, Bakir & Rose, 2008, 339-349; Migliore, 2011, 38-54). Societies across the globe hold different perceptions on individual equality and how power would be equally or unequally distributed among the people. The Vietnam people score relatively higher in acknowledging that there are variations in power proximity between the less powerful low class persons and the powerful high class citizens. According to Hofstede’s ranking, the Vietnamese natives score 70% in accepting that people hold different positions and that everyone has a distinct position within the society which may require no justification at all. There is also a lot in centralization within the country, a fact that explains the high managerial power that the seniors hold over the subordinates (Berrell, Wright & Tran, 1999, 578-582). The subordinates therefore have to wait for orders on what to do from their bosses hence they portray low levels of self drive. This has an adverse effect on the leadership problems as the structure fails to acknowledge any role that the subo rdinates would play in correcting the leaders whenever on the wrong (Clinton, 1998, 180-183; Hoang, 2008,  1-26). This implies that the UK based organization must appreciate that while working with Vietnam people, well-structured systems of power

Analysis of breastfeeding ad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of breastfeeding ad - Essay Example People may find the image controversial, thrilling or some may even judge it as obscene because of the showing of the nipples but it cannot be denied that it only reflects the reality that babies really suck nipples to be fed. If this image will be judged as obscene, its creator can readily defend themselves that they are only portraying a reality. The ad may be controversial but it cannot be readily dismissed as garbage because it was created by a reputable ad agency. It meant that the people who created the ad were professionals and knows what they are doing. The reputation of the advertising agency who created it made the ad credible and served as the ethos. Initially, people may want to dismiss the ad as something obscene or improper but when they realize that it was actually created by a professional and global advertising agency, they would tend to analyze and reconsider their opinion and look the ad closely. Had this image been created by a nobody, it would have dismissed as d isrespectful and obscene. But it received a different treatment when it was made by an advertising agency that breastfed advocated even lauded the ad. The advertisement becomes very powerful because the image used the rhetorical tools of pathos, ethos, and logos effectively. The image of the baby sucking his or her mother’s nipple is very emotional. It is also logical because that is how really babies are fed. It is also credible because it is made by a reputable advertising agency. The ad is so powerful that it stirred controversy.

Pricing Strategies for FirstGroup PLC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Pricing Strategies for FirstGroup PLC - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the FirstGroup Company operates a wide range of transport services such as bus, coach, rail & tram, as well as, the yellow school bus. The headquarters of the company are at Aberdeen Scotland, with the company’s Chief Executive Officer and chairperson being Tim O’Toole and Martin Gilbert respectively. These two provide the company with a great insight and appropriate leadership necessary to achieve its goals and objectives. The incorporation of the company was in 1986 and has had tremendous growth over the years to expand its operations even to international markets. Currently, it is among the leading transport services company in the world, specializing in road and rail transport. This is evident from the revenue brought in by the company over the years, such as in March 2013, the company recorded net revenue of  £ 6,901 million. On the other hand, the operating income of the company for the same financial period was  £ 335 million, whil e the net income for the company during the same period was  £ 172 million. This shows how profitable the company is in its operations. the company provides employment opportunities to numerous jobless people across the markets in which it operates, with its number of employees by the end of a trading period of March 2013 being 120,000. In addition, the company has an online platform that enables its customers to enjoy convenience and efficiency while dealing with it, as well as, provide the company an opportunity to increase its market control and holding within the industry by gaining a competitive advantage over other market players. The FirstGroup PLC undertakes a number of transport services across various markets and routes within the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Ireland and Denmark where it operates. In order to maximize its profits, the company has to adopt a pricing strategy that enables it to make a profit with every transaction. As such, it adopts a differ ent pricing strategy depending on the type of transport service it provides, such as by bus, train or tram, as well as, the route and distance in which it operates, considering the other factors if transportation such as traffic jams, calibre of passengers, as well as, the frequency of the routes they use.

Shakespeare's play-King Lear Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Shakespeare's play-King Lear - Research Paper Example In the words of an advertiser, publicizing a performance of the play: â€Å"He achieves a life without ‘lendings’ – the accumulated material possessions we cling to for meaning – or the need of them† (Bardeweb.net, Date Unknown). Throughout the play, the inversion of good and evil so apparent in Lear’s mind comes to permeate the characters and the action of the play. Only in the very final scenes is order restored, the evildoers punished, and at least for the time being, can good triumph. But good and the restoration of order have come too late for Lear and Cordelia (from: Theatrehistory.com, Date unknown). As a comment on the social context in which Shakespeare wrote the play, this restoration of order was threatening not to arrive, until the ascension of James I to the throne of England, and presenting the hope that England and Scotland would be unified (Jones, 1977: 212-215). Before the ascension of James I, the threat of civil war was widespread. Shakespeare alludes to this several times in â€Å"King Lear†. Muir (1947:64-66) comments that Shakespeare believed that personal immorality in the ruling class is a disease that spreads evil throughout society, in extreme cases causing it to fall apart. By the close of the play, Britain is rescued from the evil in its leadership, represented by the two sisters, civil war in Britain is avoided, and the French invasion caused by Lears lack of judgment is defeated by Albany. While Shakespeare does not oversimplify the state of society, it may very well have been that an Elizabethan audience would have understood the positive end of the play to reflect the future under James I. The unfolding of Lear’s story, however, serves to emphasize Shakespeare’s understanding of human psychological, social and political events. Lear’s mistake is to divide his wealth, land and power between his

Premature birth & the sociological effects Research Paper

Premature birth & the sociological effects - Research Paper Example Dr. Mathew Allin, the research leader, has linked these symptoms to different possibilities such as remaining in the incubator makes bonding of the child and the parents difficult; genes could also be a reason of this personality disorder (BBC News). A premature baby faces continuous exposure to stress from invasive procedures, pain, sleep disturbances, and changes in less severe problems such as temperature, noise, and hunger. Even after being delivered to parents from the ICU care, a child experiences stress from regular fever, growth delays, and feeding problems. The life-risky problems challenge the under-developed coping mechanism of the child, as a child can undergo on an average 60 painful invasive procedures after admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. In a study by Brandt et al, it was found that about 50% of all premature babies have learning disabilities in comparison to 9% of their peers. The IQ score of low-birth-weight premature babies is low in comparison to normally delivered babies (Maroney 679-83). There is a correlation between post -traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD) in the parent of a premature baby and its resultant effect on the baby. The level of PTSD shown by the parent of the premature child is not definite but studies have shown that mothers of such babies show more PSTD symptoms in comparison to mothers of normally delivered healthy babies. Babies of such mothers are more prone to happenings of PSTD. Effects of such stress remain for long term in the lives of PSTD children. As the main care provider to the infant is the mother, studies have shown that due to the close relationship between the mother and the child, the mother can help the child in controlling the stress and providing a feeling of security. Parents of such children should provide Kangaroo Care with suitable Infant Massage to the child to reduce the stress level of the premature baby (Maroney 679-83). A child views the surroundings and

Comarative analysis of video games Essay Example for Free

Comarative analysis of video games Essay Introduction Pascal, after remodeling your house and adding a bonus/entertainment room, you mentioned that you would love to buy a new video gaming system. The last video gaming system that you owned was a Nintendo 64, which pales in comparison to the systems available today. Since owning a Nintendo 64, your experience with playing video games has been limited to playing MMORPGs (Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Games) on your personal computer. I have been researching your options and am constantly considering your preferences and restrictions. Your primary preference is game genre, with your most preferred genre being Role-Playing. Several other genres that you are interested in are Action, Adventure, Platformers, and Strategy. Your only real restriction is a spending limit of $700 for your entire gaming setup. Other preferences that have been noted are the system’s Blu-Ray capabilities, and that the system targets a mature audience. The three most prominent video gaming systems on the market that fit your preferences are Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Nintendo’s Wii, and Sony’s Playstation 3. The following criteria are being used to evaluate your options. * Cost * Hardware Specifications * Games Offered * Target demographic * Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches * Movie-Playing Features The remaining contents of this comparative study will be organized into the several sections. RESEARCH DATA will be presented organized first by option and then by evaluative criteria. Each of the evaluative criteria will be compared in the RESULTS section by showing the results for each option side-by-side. These results will be totaled and a final CONCLUSION will be made. Finally, I will make a RECOMMENDATION as to the most appropriate course of action. Research Data Microsoft Xbox 360 Cost: $199. 99 – includes a 4GB console with built-in wi-fi, one wireless controller, A/V cables, and a one-month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold. Hardware Specification: The following table shows vital hardware specifications that are important to your gaming preferences. Table 1. 1: Xbox 360 Hardware Specification * Media Type| * DVD| * CPU| * 3. 2 GHz PowerPC Tri-Core Xenon| * Internal Memory| * 4 GB Flash| * RAM| * 512 MB| * Online Services| * Xbox Live| * Online Multi-Player Services| * Yes| * Connector Types| 1 x AV cable port,5 x USB 2. 0, 1 x Kinect port,1 x HDMI output1 x SPDIF output,1 x Ethernet| * * Games Offered: The following table shows how many Xbox 360 games are offered in your three most preferred genres. Table 1. 2: Xbox 360 Total Games in Preferred Genres Genre| Titles Available| Action| 563| Role-Playing| 108| Strategy| 48| The following images show compiled game review scores by genre to show which console does best for several preferable genres. The results have been split into two types for each console. The lighter shaded color bars show the average score for all games for the specified system in that genre. The darker shaded color bars show the average score of just the top 5 best-scoring games in that genre for the specified system. Graph 1. 1: Role-Playing Games Bar Graph Graph 1. 2: Adventure Games Bar Graph Graph 1. 3: Platformer Games Bar Graph Target Demographic: The target demographic of the Xbox 360 is most easily identified and quantified by looking at the ESRB ratings of the most popular game titles. The following is a list of the number of Xbox 360 titles offered for each ESRB game rating. EVERYONE 303 Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. EVERYONE 10+ 213 Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes. TEEN 535 Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. MATURE 491. Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. RATING PENDING 149 Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a games release. ) Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches: The ten most common hardware malfunctions and glitches for the Xbox 360 are as follow: * 3 red flashing lights, also known as â€Å"Red Ring of Death† * Open tray and/or disc error messages. * No video or only audio * DVD laser replacement * DVD drive replacement * System freezes, dotted video or similar issues * 1 red light, E74 * 2 red lights * Stuck DVD tray * White screen Most of these issues must be dealt with by professionals and will be costly. Self-repair is a possibility, but is not recommended. Most systems run into issues eventually, but the Xbox runs into hardware problems more frequently than the other options. Movie-Playing Features: The Xbox 360 is capable of playing the following types of multimedia discs (list does not include Blu-Ray): * Xbox 360 Discs * Xbox 1 Discs * DVDs * CDs * DVD-R * DVD+R. * DVD-RW * DVD+RW * CD-R * CD-RW * Dual Discs Nintendo’s Wii Cost: $149. 99 – includes one remote controller, one nun chuck controller, one wheel controller, one sensor bar, and Mario Kart for Wii. Hardware Specification: The following table shows vital hardware specifications that are important to your gaming preferences. Table 1. 3: Wii Hardware Specification * Media Type| * Flash Memory Card, * Nintendo Wii Disc, * Nintendo GameCube Disc| * CPU| * 729 MHzIBM PowerPC â€Å"Broadway†| * Internal Memory| * 512 MB| * RAM| * 512 MB| * Online Services| * Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, WiiConnect24,| * Online Multi-Player Services| * Yes|. * Connector Types| (4 pin USB Type A),4 x Game controller,Component video output,Composite video output,S-Video output,2 x USB| * Games Offered: The following table shows how many Wii games are offered in your three most preferred genres. Table 1. 4: Wii Total Games in Preferred Genres Genre| Titles Available| Action| 593| Role-Playing| 33| Strategy| 32| Also, see the graphics and information in the section Microsoft’s Xbox 360 – Games Offered. Target Demographic: The target demographic of the Nintendo Wii is most easily identified and quantified by looking at the ESRB ratings of the most popular game titles. The following is a list of the number of Wii titles offered for each ESRB game rating. EVERYONE – 916 Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. EVERYONE 10+ 355 Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes. TEEN 374. Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. MATURE 57 Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. RATING PENDING 61 Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a games release. ) Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches: Three common hardware malfunctions and Glitches for the Wii console are as follows: * Power Supply Issue * WiConnect 24 Issue * Dual Layer Wii Disc Problem All of these minor issues are covered by warranty and do not occur on the same scale as other video gaming system. The most common issue relating to the Wii system occurs when an excess of light interferes with the Wii Remote. Movie-Playing Features: The Nintendo Wii is only capable of playing Wii and GameCube discs and doesnot support the playing of DVD or Blu-Ray Discs. Sony’s Playstation 3 Cost: $299. 99 – Includes access to the Playstation Network at no charge, 160GB harddrive, and one wireless controller. Hardware Specification: The following table shows vital hardware specifications that are important to your gaming preferences. Table 1. 5: Playstation 3 Hardware Specificaton * Media Type| * Blu-Ray| * CPU| * 3. 2 GHz IBM Cell Broadband Engine (8-core)| * Internal Memory| * 160 GB HDD| * RAM| * 256 MB XDRAM| * Online Services| * Playstation Network| * Online Multi-Player Services| * Yes|. * Connector Types| 2 x USB,1 x Ethernet,1 x HDMI output,1 x PlayStation 3 AV output,1 x SPDIF output| * Games Offered: The following table shows how many Playstation 3 games are offered in your three most preferred genres. Table 1. 6: Playstation 3 Total Games in Preferred Genres Genre| Titles Available| Action| 536| Role-Playing| 117| Strategy| 33| Also, see the graphics and information in the section Microsoft’s Xbox 360 – Games Offered. Target Demographic: The target demographic of the Playstation 3 is most easily identified and quantified by looking at the ESRB ratings of the most popular game titles. The following is a list of the number of Playstation 3 titles offered for each ESRB game rating. EVERYONE – 481 Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. EVERYONE 10+ 186 Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes. TEEN 529. Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. MATURE 373 Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. RATING PENDING 145 Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a games release.) Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches: The five most common Playstation 3 hardware malfunctions and glitches are as follows: * Yellow light of death (3 red light beeps) * Not reading games/blu-rays * No video * Stuck discs * No power Doing self-repair is very difficult on the Playstation 3 is highly discouraged. Most of these issues are not easy fixes and require the replacement of key components. Movie-Playing Features: The Playstation 3 is capable of playing the following types of multimedia discs (list includes Blu-Ray): * Playstation 1,2, and 3 Discs. * Blu-Ray Discs * DVDs * CDs * DVD-R * DVD+R * DVD-RW * DVD+RW * CD-R * CD-RW * Dual Discs RESULTS Comparing Costs The following table shows your three options with their prices and a ranking based on affordability. Table 1. 7: Comparing Costs Option| Cost| Ranking (1-Best Option)| Microsoft’s Xbox 360| $199. 99| 2| Nintendo’s Wii| $149. 99| 1| Sony’s Playstation 3| $299. 99| 3| BEST OPTION: All Because you have already identified that your spending limit is $700 for a gaming setup, none of these options go against your cost preference. Cost is not a preventative factor in purchasing a video gaming system based on this information. However, if you decide that you would like to readjust your spending limit given the substantial difference between your limit and the prices of the systems, the Wii is your best option. Comparing Hardware Specifications The table below lists the hardware specifications for each option, and also includes the online capabilities of each system and their respective networks. Table 1. 8: Comparing Hardware Specifications | Options| Hardware Specification| Xbox 360| Wii| Playstation 3|. * * Media Type| * * DVD| * * Flash Memory Card, * Nintendo Wii Disc, * Nintendo GameCube Disc| * * Blu-Ray| * * CPU| * * 3. 2 GHz PowerPC Tri-Core Xenon| * * 729 MHzIBM PowerPC â€Å"Broadway†| * * 3. 2 GHz IBM Cell Broadband Engine (8-core)| * * Internal Memory| * * 4 GB Flash| * * 512 MB| * * 160 GB HDD| * * RAM| * * 512 MB| * * 512 MB| * * 256 MB XDRAM| * * Online Services| * * Xbox Live| * * Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, WiiConnect24,| * * Playstation Network| * * Online Multi-Player Services| * * Yes| * * Yes| * * Yes| * * Connector Types| 1 x AV cable port,5 x USB 2. 0, 1 x Kinect port,1 x HDMI output1 x SPDIF output,1 x Ethernet| (4 pin USB Type A),4 x Game controller,Component video output,Composite video output,S-Video output,2 x USB| 2 x USB,1 x Ethernet,1 x HDMI output,1 x PlayStation 3 AV output,1 x SPDIF output| * Ranking| 1| 3| 2| BEST OPTION: Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Because your preference is to play online Role-Playing Games, the focus of the hardware specification criterion has to be online capabilities. When it comes to online game-play, Xbox 360 has the technical specifications to make it the best option. One of the most important specifications in a system is its processor speed. The Xbox 360 boasts a 3. 2 GHz PowerPC Tri-Core Xenon processor, which is the same speed as the Playstation 3, but far superior to the Wii. When it comes to intense online game play with potentially dozens of other players, it is important to have a processor that can keep up. To keep the whole system running smoothly and minimize lag time, it is also important to have a substantial amount of RAM. The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 have 512 MB or RAM, while the Wii only has 256 MB. At this point, the Xbox and Playstation 3 are nearly equal in terms of specifications that lean toward online gaming. What really pushes the Xbox 360 in the lead is their network: Xbox Live. As of 2011, Xbox Live has over 30 million users worldwide. Most of the games that are played on the Xbox Live network are geared toward your gaming preference of Role-Playing and Adventure games. However, due to the massive size of the network and the sheer number of users, even a less popular category like Strategy is available for multi-player gaming. According to Michael McNeilly, an experienced Xbox 360 online gamer, â€Å"There is really nothing like the Xbox Live network out there. The network for PS3 is okay, but it isn’t nearly as big and has a lot of bugs that still haven’t been worked out. † Michael Mcneilly has played all of the other systems extensively, but due to his love for online gaming, he chose the Xbox 360. Ralph Jones, an avid Wii owner and player, explained to me that he really has no need to play online. He mostly enjoys the physical nature of the Wii’s gameplay, and doubts that the Wii is even capable of serious online gaming. According to Kyle Johnson, an avid gamer and owner of all three options, the Wii is not a competitive option in terms of online gaming. When asked about the Playstation 3 and its online gaming community, Kyle explained that there is a reason that the Playstation Network does not have a subscription fee. It is not adequate when compared to Xbox Live, and the number of users sometimes makes it hard to play the less popular games online. Clearly, the Xbox 360 offers the best of both worlds. It has a massive online gaming community and also boasts a powerful 3. 2 GHz processor. With processor speed and RAM that are equal to the Playstation 3 and far superior to the Wii, the Xbox Live community is what gives the Xbox 360 the top ranking and makes it the best option in terms of hardware specification. Comparing Games Offered Table 1. 9 lists a calculated average of the two figures previously provided in graphs 1. 1, 1. 2, and 1. 3. These figures were mean game-review scores of all games in three genres, and mean scores of the top-five best-selling games for the three genres. Table 1. 9: Comparing Games Offered pt. 1 | Options|. Genre| Xbox 360| Wii| Playstation 3| Role-Playing Games| 79. 4| 72. 7| 71. 75| Adventure Games| 76. 1| 76. 7| 77. 9| Platformer Games| 76. 2| 72. 2| 76. 2| Ranking| 1| 3| 2| Table 1. 10 shows how many games are available for each system in your most preferred genre: Role-Playing Games. Table 1. 10: Comparing Games Offered pt. 2 | Options| Genre| Xbox 360| Wii| Playstation 3| Role-Playing Games| 108| 33| 117| Ranking| 2| 3| 1| BEST OPTION: Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Based on the averages found for all five relevant genres, the Xbox 360 is the best option for the Games Offered criterion. Even though the Playstation 3 has a slightly higher total number of Role-Playing Games available for sale, it does not outweigh the fact that the Xbox 360 scored significantly higher on overall game-review scores. It is generally more important to have higher-rated games than a greater quantity of lower-rated games. For this reason, the Xbox 360 is the best choice for the Games Offered criterion. Comparing Target Demographic Table 1. 11 displays your three options and the total number of ratings received for each rating category out of all games available for each system. Table 1. 11: Comparing Target Demographic. | Options (Number of Ratings)| Rating| Microsoft’s Xbox 360| Nintendo’s Wii| Sony’ Playstation 3| Everyone| 303| 916| 481| Everyone 10+| 213| 355| 186| Teen | 535| 374| 529| Mature| 491| 57| 373| Rating Pending| 145| 61| 145| Ranking| 1| 3| 2| BEST OPTION: Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Based on all of the games available for each gaming system, the Xbox 360 has the most games with ratings in the Mature and Teen categories. Since you, Pascal, are an adult and prefer the types of games that are most commonly rated Teen and Mature, the Xbox 360 gets the top rank for the Target Demographic criterion. Sony’s Playstation 3 comes in second with a comparable number of games in the Teen and Mature rating categories, but they are not quite as high as the Xbox 360. Nintendo’s Wii has least number of ratings in each of those categories. The Wii has a staggeringly low number of games in the Mature category at 57, and roughly 150 less games in the Teen category than the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. This makes it clear that the Xbox 360 is geared toward an adult audience, and will likely have more games that suit the preferences of an adult. The Playstation 3 is a close second, but still offers significantly less games in the Mature category. The Wii seems to be geared toward a younger, less mature audience, and will likely have the least number of games that will fit your preferences. With all of this considered, it is clear that the Xbox 360 is the best option for the Target Demographic criterion. Comparing Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches Table 1. 11 shows all of the common hardware malfunctions and glitches for each option. This table also assigns a ranking (1 being the system with the overall least severe hardware problems relative to the other options). Table 1. 12: Comparing Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches | Options|. | Microsoft’s Xbox 360| Nintendo’s Wii| Sony’s Playstation 3| Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches| *Complete System Crash – â€Å"Red Ring of Death†*Basic Hardware Failure (eg. DVD tray and laser failure)| *Power Supply Issue*WiConnect24 Issue*Dual-Layer Wi Disc Failure| *Complete System Crash –â€Å"Yellow Lights of Death†| Ranking| 2| 1| 3| BEST OPTION: Nintendo’s Wii Based on this table and other research, I have identified Nintendo’s Wii as your best option for the Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches criterion. Even though the Wii does run into problems occasionally, they are rarely as severe as they are with the other options. All of the problems listed for the Wii are covered by warranty and are not worthy of complete system replacement. Alternatively, the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 both commonly run into full system crashes, which render the system unusable. Kyle Johnson, an avid gamer and owner of all three options, has never run into a problem with his Wii, but has experienced full system crashes on both his Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The only reason the Xbox 360 is ranked higher than the Playstation 3 is because self-repair on the Playstation 3 is strongly discouraged. Kyle Johnson and Michael McNeilly have both performed minor repairs on their Xbox 360’s, but have never dared to open up their Playstation 3’s. With all things considered, Nintendo’s Wii is the best option for the Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches criterion. Comparing Movie-Playing Features Table 1. 13 below shows all of the media discs played by each option, and whether or not that option satisfies your preference of having a built-in Blu-Ray player. Table 1. 13: Comparing Movie-Playing Features | Options| | Xbox 360| Wii| Playstation 3| Media Discs Played| * Xbox 360 Discs * Xbox 1 Discs * DVDs * CDs * DVD-R * DVD+R * DVD-RW * DVD+RW * CD-R * CD-RW * Dual Discs | * Wii Discs * GameCube Discs| * Playstation 1,2, and 3 Discs * Blu-Ray Discs * DVDs * CDs * DVD-R * DVD+R * DVD-RW * DVD+RW * CD-R * CD-RW * Dual Discs | Satisfies Preference? | No| No| Yes| Ranking| 2| 3| 1| BEST OPTION: Sony’s Playstation 3 Based on the media discs that each option offers, Sony’s Playstation 3 is the obvious choice for the top rank in the Movie-Playing Features criterion. The Playstation 3 is capable of playing both DVDs and Blu-Rays, while the Xbox. 360 is only capable of playing DVDs. The Nintendo Wii, however, cannot even play DVDs. Because you have identified that you prefer a video gaming system that has a built-in Blu-Ray player, the Playstation 3 is the best option for the Movie-Playing Features criterion. CONCLUSIONS Table 1. 14 lists the rankings of each of the six evaluative criteria used throughout this report. In order to come to an overall conclusion as to which option to select, I have assigned reversed point values to the previously determined rankings. If, for instance, an option received a ranking of 1, it would be valued a 3. A ranking of 2 receives a value of 2, and a ranking of 3 is valued a 1. The total number of points will be shown at the bottom of the table along with the final ranking. The video gaming system with the highest number of points will be ranked as 1 and will be your best option. Table 1. 14: Overall Ranking | Options| Evaluative Criteria| Xbox 360| Wii| Playstation 3| Cost| 1| 1| 1| Hardware Specification| 1| 3| 2| Games Offered| 1| 3| 2| Target Demographic| 1| 3| 2| Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches| 2| 1| 3| Movie-Playing Features| 2| 3| 1| Total Points| 16| 10| 13| Overall Ranking| 1| 3| 2| RECOMMENDATIONS. It has been determined that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is the best option, and I would like to recommend to you several retailers where it is available for purchase. The price is universal when bought new, but may vary depending on bundling and other promotions. I have prepared a table showing three popular retailers, the nearest location, and the price of the Xbox 360 4GB system. Table 1. 15: Retail Locations and Price Retailers and Locations| Price| GameStop(425) 895-833116475 NE 74TH STRedmond, WA 98052| $199. 99| Target(425) 482-641013950 NE 178th PlWoodinville, WA 98072| $199. 99| Walmart(425) 741-94451400 164Th St SwLynnwood, WA 98087| $199. 99| Throughout my research I began to realize that the final outcome would depend heavily on how much any criterion was valued. Based on your personal preferences, the best choice is the Xbox 360. However, if you decided that you valued having a Blu-Ray player above everything else, then the Playstation 3 would be the best option. If you decided that the only way to play Role-Playing Games was to use a remote and a nun chuck, then the Wii would be the best choice. It all depends on the valuing of any particular criterion. If you are interested in doing further research, the bibliography lists all sources used. My personal interviewees may be available if you would like to ask them questions, and all of my other sources have a variety of useful and reliable information. Based on everything I have learned from this report and my personal experience with the system, I believe that the Xbox 360 is the best choice for a video gaming system. Bibliography Console at Nintendo Wii. Nintendo Wii Console. Web. 07 Aug. 2011. Dotree, Phil. 3 Common Wii Technical Problems. Associated Content from Yahoo! Associatedcontent. com. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. ESRB Ratings Guide and Definitions. Entertainment Software Rating Board. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. How to Fix Common Xbox 360 Problems: Same Day Repairs, Low Prices. Same-day Xbox Repair. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Johnson, Kyle. Owns All Three Options, Personal interview. 29 July 2011. Jones, Ralph. Wii Owner, Personal interview. 30 July 2011. McNeilly, Michael. Xbox 360 Owner, Personal Interview. 30 July 2011. Microsoft Xbox 360 Slim Specs (4GB) Consoles CNET Reviews. Product Reviews Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews More CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Nintendo Wii Specs (original, Wii Sports Bundle) Consoles CNET Reviews. Product Reviews Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews More CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. PlayStation 3 160 GB System. PlayStation PS3. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Playstation 3 Search GameStop. Games for PS3. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Sony PlayStation 3 Slim Specs (160GB) Consoles CNET Reviews. Product Reviews Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews More CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Towell Justin, Games Radar UK, â€Å"Which console does best and worst in each genre? † 09 Aug. 2011. Wii Search GameStop. Games for Wii. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Xbox 360 4GB Console Xbox. com. Xbox 360 Official Site Xbox. com. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Xbox 360 Game Search GameStop. Games for Xbox 360. Web. 04 Aug. 2011.   [ 1 ]. Xbox 360 4GB Console Xbox. com. Xbox 360 Official Site Xbox. com. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 2 ]. Microsoft Xbox 360 Slim Specs (4GB) Consoles CNET Reviews. Product Reviews Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews More CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 3 ]. Xbox 360 Game Search GameStop. Games for Xbox 360. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 4 ]. Towell Justin, Games Radar UK, â€Å"Which console does best and worst in each genre? † 09 Aug. 2011. [ 5 ]. Towell [ 6 ]. Towell [ 7 ]. Towell [ 8 ]. Towell. [ 9 ]. Towell [ 10 ]. GameStop [ 11 ]. GameStop [ 12 ]. ESRB Ratings Guide and Definitions. Entertainment Software Rating Board. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 13 ]. Xbox 360 Game Search GameStop [ 14 ]. ESRB [ 15 ]. Xbox 360 Game Search GameStop [ 16 ]. ESRB [ 17 ]. Xbox 360 Game Search GameStop [ 18 ]. ESRB [ 19 ]. Gamestop Xbox 360 Search [ 20 ]. ESRB [ 21 ]. How to Fix Common Xbox 360 Problems: Same Day Repairs, Low Prices. Same-day Xbox Repair. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 22 ]. Johnson, Kyle. Owns All Three Options, Personal interview. 29 July 2011. [ 23 ]. Johnson [ 24 ]. Johnson [ 25 ]. Console at Nintendo Wii. Nintendo Wii Console. Web. 07 Aug. 2011. . [ 26 ]. Nintendo Wii Specs (original, Wii Sports Bundle) Consoles CNET Reviews. Product Reviews Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews More CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 27 ]. Wii Search GameStop. Games for Wii. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 28 ]. Towell [ 29 ]. Wii Search GameStop [ 30 ]. Wii Search GameStop [ 31 ]. ESRB [ 32 ]. Wii Search GameStop [ 33 ]. ESRB [ 34 ]. Wii Search GameStop [ 35 ]. ESRB [ 36 ]. Wii Search GameStop [ 37 ]. ESRB [ 38 ]. Xbox 360 Game Search GameStop [ 39 ]. ESRB [ 40 ]. Dotree, Phil. 3 Common Wii Technical Problems. Associated Content from Yahoo! Associatedcontent. com. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 41 ]. Dotree [ 42 ]. Jones, Ralph. Wii Owner, Personal interview, 30 July 2011. [ 43 ]. Jones [ 44 ]. PlayStation 3 160 GB System. PlayStation PS3. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 45 ]. Sony PlayStation 3 Slim Specs (160GB) Consoles CNET Reviews. Product Reviews Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews More CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 46 ]. Playstation 3 Search GameStop. Games for PS3. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 47 ]. Towell [ 48 ]. Playstation 3 Search GameStop. [ 49 ]. Playstation 3 Search GameStop [ 50 ]. ESRB [ 51 ]. Playstation 3 Search GameStop [ 52 ]. ESRB [ 53 ]. Playstation 3 Search GameStop [ 54 ]. ESRB [ 55 ]. Playstation 3 Search GameStop [ 56 ]. ESRB [ 57 ]. Playstation 3 Search GameStop [ 58 ]. ESRB [ 59 ]. How to Fix Common Xbox 360 Problems [ 60 ]. Johnson [ 61 ]. Johnson [ 62 ]. Johnson [ 63 ]. Johnson [ 64 ]. McNeilly, Michael. Xbox 360 Owner, Personal Interview. 30 July 2011. [ 65 ]. Johnson [ 66 ]. Johnson [ 67 ]. McNeilly [ 68 ]. Jones [ 69 ]. Jones [ 70 ]. Johnson [ 71 ]. Johnson [ 72 ]. Johnson [ 73 ]. Johnson [ 74 ]. Johnson, McNeilly.

Socrates Contribution To Ethics Philosophy Essay

Socrates Contribution To Ethics Philosophy Essay According to Nehamas (1999), Socrates is accredited as one of the main pioneer of western philosophy and an enigma mostly recognized in the accounts of later writers of classical, especially the writings of his learners Xenophon and Plato, and through Aristophanes. Initially, it is known that Socrates utilized his time learning the nature of reality (cosmology) but later dropped the study so that he could entirely focus on ethics. Socrates has emerged as a recognizable figure due to his contribution to the area of ethics through his depiction in dialogue of Plato. He was later convicted for corrupting minds of youth by educating them to question anything and for being atheist. On the other hand, ethics as a field starts with the efforts of Aristotle. As a Greek philosopher, Aristotle is also a vital pioneer in western philosophy where his initial writings developed a system of comprehensive western philosophy covering morality, politics, science, logic, aesthetics, and metaphysics. E thics of Aristotle are founded on ancient thought of Greek, specifically that of teacher Plato of Aristotle and teach of Plato, Socrates (Gottlieb, 2009). The major goal of philosophical method of Socrates is at all times ethical. Socrates held the belief that the appropriate way for individuals to live was to point on self-development instead of material wealth. At all times he welcomed others to attempt to focus more on sense of true community and friendships because he had a feeling that it was the appropriate way for individuals to develop together as a population. He lived up to this and it was revealed when he was condemned for corrupting youth and atheism. Even though his death sentence was procrastinated for a month and this presented a good chance to escape, Socrates did not escape since he felt it would be opposite to his principles (Nehamas, 1999). The concept that individuals have particular virtues created a common thread in teachings of Socrates. According to Socrates, the virtues represented the paramount qualities for an individual to posses, firstly of which were the intellectual or philosophical virtues. Socrates main tained that the greatest of all valuable possessions is virtue and the ultimate life was used up looking for the good. Socrates accepted as true that if an individual knows what the good is, one will all the time do what is pleasant. Hence, if a person justly comprehends the meaning of justice, self-control, or courage, one will act in a just, self-controlled, and courageous way. The consequence about this would be that every vice must be as a result of ignorance. Ozden and Elcioglu (2004) argued that Socrates believe is that no one does wrong knowingly but most of the times they think what they are doing is right. This means that even the individual who commit the most atrocious deeds always have a thought that he is acting for some good cause. This resulted to Socrates not to buy the idea of Aristotle called moral weakness where good is recognized and yet committing the evil. The one committing evil acts does not recognize what is good and he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t choose the ev il intentionally. In addition, Socrates had a belief that the virtue life was all the time in best interest of a person and no one could be leading happy life if he was not good morally. Aristotle held the perception that virtues of moral are conditions of character placed at the middle of extremes of deficiency and excess (Gottlieb, 2009). He suggested that intellectual virtues and moral virtues are distinguishable entities. Moral virtues are related with choosing, acting, and feeling good. The moral virtues are developed via practice and every individual is capable of nurturing these virtues via habit. From Aristotle, intellectual virtues are superiorities of the mind like judgment, understanding, and wisdom. He also argues that an individual is born with these virtues and they can only be cultivated but not taught. Also Aristotle believed that virtue is a thing that a person can attain and not a thing which is present when person is born. Various persons are not initially bad or good but result to be bad or good via habits they nurture in them. Therefore, virtue can only be attained by acting it. He also indicated that doing virtuous things is not enough and an in dividual must have the appropriate motive to act in a manner that a Virtuous individuals would. Aristotle indicated that the appropriate method to learn virtues is to follow the illustration of a virtuous person. He also suggested that a virtuous person could be a perfect type by tracking the example of how a virtuous man would act. These kinds of persons are Martin Luther King, Socrates, Mandela, and Jesus and by tracking such persons and continuously learning habit to handle our feelings we might start to contain these feeling at appropriate periods, towards the appropriate persons, on the appropriate grounds, in the right way and for the right motive (Gottlieb, 2009). Aristotle view is more plausible because he shows that moral virtues are developed via practice and every individual is capable of nurturing these virtues via habit. He has also indicated that virtue is an entity that an individual can achieve and not an entity that is hereditary. It is also appropriate for an individual to learn virtues by emulating persons with virtues. Socrates view would fall short in the society because he suggest that individual who commit the most atrocious deeds always have a thought that he is acting for some good cause. Aristotle accepts that there is moral weakness where a person knows the good but still commit the evil. Therefore, the Socratesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ view that the person doing evil doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know what is good and he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t choose evil intentionally cannot hold in moral of the society especially when searching for justice.

Procurement of Subcontract Packages

Procurement of Subcontract Packages Purpose The aim of this paper is to investigate how Main Contractor procurement procedures influence value on a project through competitively tendering Sub Contract packages; whereby cost is driven down by competition or single sourcing Sub Contract packages creating value through negotiation and innovation. Design/Methodology/Approach Empirical data was collected through structured questionnaires issued to Sub Contract companies and Main Contractor firms. 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background What the Study is about When considering the procurement of a Sub-Contract package, the procurer is faced with numerous challenges. First he/she needs to gather all information required to decipher what needs to be procured and how the information can be transposed to potential Sub-Contractors. Secondly a contractual agreement is created including obligations and methods of compensation. Thirdly, the procurer needs to decide how to award the procurement contract between the Sub-Contractors, either through competitive tendering or single source negotiation. Ultimately the award method should result in the selection of a highly competent and desirable Sub-Contractor resulting in a cost effective product. The award method may be appointed to Sub-Contractors in two ways. Either a single Sub-Contractor can be approached to discuss and agree the works (single source tendering), or a number of Sub-Contractors can be invited to compete for it (competitive tendering). With regards to competitive tendering it is important to distinguish the method or form of competition from the criteria used for the selection of Sub-Contractors. Ciria (1994, p15) states that competition may be either: Open, where there is no limit on the number of Sub-Contractors invited to compete for work. Or Selective or restricted, where the number of Sub-Contractors invited to compete is limited. For the purpose of this study open competitive tendering will not be taken into consideration to keep the number of variables to a constant. Where competition is referenced throughout the paper we are to assume selective or restricted competition. 1.2 Research Focus This paper addresss the potential increase of project value generated by detailing a partnering approach based on Sub-Contractor and Main Contractor relationships; compared to that of traditional competitive tendering. Competitive tendering can be described as determining the value of the subcontract; whereas in contrast, negotiation is designed to create the value of the subcontract. Since the Latham Report (1994) and Egan (1998) was published there has been a greater awareness regarding the possible benefits to single source a product or service. In theory if contractors and subcontractors engage and work together would it provide best value? Alternatively would value be added by competition? Competitive tendering is still widely recognised as an attractive procurement mechanism and is strongly advocated as it helps to stimulate and promote competition encouraging many potential suppliers. This subject area has been addressed due to its close relationship with the Quantity Surveying profession. Accurate procuring of goods and services is essential to a projects success, having a direct impact on profit margins. This study is relevant to everyday work for a site based Quantity Surveyor dealing with nominated Sub-Contractors on a daily basis while working closely with the procurement team to procure future packages. Interest has motivated the investigation and address of the thesis question; Single source or competitive tendering; which procurement route gives best value? 1.3 Overall Research Aim and Individual Research Objectives The overall aim of this research is to advance an understanding of the impacts that tendering Sub-Contract packages through negotiation or competition have on a projects value. However, in order to understand tendering methods and its effects on value it is felt necessary to gain an insight into the forces driving Sub-Contractor and Main Contractor relationships and explore the barriers to implementation of both parties achieving maximum value. Further, this research will assess existing practices, exploring the experiences and views of professionals involved with Sub-Contract procurement. In turn two main research vehicles will be exploited to facilitate this study: an in depth review of relevant literature and the collection of and analysis of empirical data. The chapter entitled Methodology contains the details of both research strategy and data collection techniques to be used to obtain empirical data. Specifically, a range of objectives have been developed and unpacked from the central question, the objectives of this research are to: Identify and investigate the forces driving single source and competitive tendering procurement routes. Evaluate critically the construction industries current views and opinions, compiling the attitudes of the experts. Explore and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages for each method of procurement. Formulate and propose recommendations on the procurement route that provides more value to a construction project. 1.4 Value of this research At the risk of oversimplification of the purpose and value of each of the above objectives, objective 1 focuses on methods, reasons and emerging issues. Whereas it is in objectives 2, 3 and 4 is where this research will make key contributions to the field of Sub-Contract package procurement through single sourcing or competitive tendering. Each of the objectives must not be viewed as separate, unrelated issues. The listed objectives are necessarily interlinked. The first objective on investigating procurement routes will cover the strategic drivers and methods associated with the procurement of Sub-Contract packages. For example, it will, in effect, attempt to answer the question are there forces driving companies to procure Sub-Contract packages in certain ways and, if so, what are they and what do they involve? An example of such driver could be perceived as communication, which if the case, may act as a driver to encourage negotiation through single sourcing Sub-Contractors. Obj ective 2 on critically analysing the construction industries views provides an opportunity to gain meaningful insight into the views of professional staff, and management form Sub-Contractor and Main Contractor backgrounds, on what would encourage them to procure Subcontract packages through either negotiation or competition, what would discourage them and how these link to value creation as well as their views on the industries past and current approaches. Objective 3 on the advantages and disadvantages is of obvious relevance to assist in the analysis of each procurement route and links in with objective 4. Finally objective 4 formulating recommendations will, as a result of both a review of literature and the collection and discussion of empirical data, make recommendations. The objectives are not to be seen as independent of each other, but rather as all linked to issues surrounding procurement routes and how they can add value in the construction industry. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Introduction This literature review will examine the main issues surrounding the drive for single sourcing and competitive tendering associated with Sub-Contractor selection. Emphasizing current obstacles and potential benefits for each procurement routes from both parties. The study within this review of literature focuses on objectives 1 and 2 as set out in sub-section 1.3 of the Introductory chapter (the third objective will be completed through the vehicle of empirical data collection and analysis, while the final objective objective 4 is derived as a result of findings from objectives 1, 2 and 3): Identify and investigate the forces driving single source and competitive tendering procurement routes. Evaluate critically the construction industries current views and opinions, compiling the attitudes of the experts. Explore and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages for each method of procurement. Formulate and propose recommendations on the procurement route that provides more value to a construction project. By exploring the above areas of literature, a significant contribution will be made to this research. At the end of this chapter it is hoped that a critical understanding of key issues is exhibited, that the reader will be better informed in these areas and that there will emerge a clear focus, and justification, for empirical research in the field of Sub-Contractor procurement methods and their effect on value during a construction project. 2.2 Forces driving single source and competitive tendering procurement routes. 2.2.1 Historical Events Government Legislation Subcontracting became a popular practice in the 1960s and over the years established itself as an integral part of the industries production process. Projects were procured using traditional methods of delivery with main contracts being awarded through competitive tendering (Uher, 2009; Davenport, 2009, p.200). During these years the economy was stable with little inflation and low interest rates, the contractor was seen as the Master Builder due to employing most of its own direct labour and only specialised areas of work such as mechanical and electrical were subcontracted. Since the late 1960s the worlds economies experienced periodic economic downturns, increased inflation and higher interest charges. With the Construction Industry being highly susceptible to economic fluctuations, the adverse economic actions changed the traditional practices of the construction industry; one of the foremost changes being the shift towards subcontracting. Since the early 1990s the Construction Industry has continued its conflict-ridden competitive tendering culture, together with adversarial working relationships throughout its supply chain, (Brindley, 2004). The Construction Industry continued to pressure its suppliers to lower prices, along with delaying payments to them so that it could profit from a level of interest. This tradition placed risk on smaller businesses causing them to cease to exist or execute projects at inferior quality. Authors in the early 1990s were somewhat certain about their view between main contractor and subcontractor relationships; with main contractors driving prices down even if detrimental to quality, not paying subcontractors on time and in some cases forcing smaller companies to cease trading. The UK government, concerned by these facts employed Sir Michael Latham in 1994 and Egan in 1998 to produce two reports. Latham advocated the need for a Code of Practice for subcontractor procurement and for st atutory backing to fair payment terms (Latham, 1994). Consequently in 1996 the Construction Industry Board published and implemented a Code of Practice for the Selection of Subcontractors and the Housing Grants and Regeneration Act. In addition, Egan (1998) pointed out that partnering through the supply chain is a critical approach with which the UK construction industry can drive innovation and sustain incremental improvement in performance. In recent years main contractor supply chain relationships have changed from the traditional adversarial to the joint venture, with tendering experiencing a retreat from traditional methods of procurement towards single source processes. According to Davenport (2009) the contribution of subcontractors to the total construction process can account for as much as 90 per cent of the total value of a construction project. One of the results of this is that main contractors are concentrating their efforts on managing site processs rather than employing direct labour to undertake construction work. Main contractors have recognised the positive impacts that closer working relationships with subcontractors can have on package value and quality. Most work undertaken on construction partnering has been between client and main contractor relationships with little mention of adopting partnering with subcontractors. 2.2.2 The Contracting Framework A central problem in procurement is that both Sub-Contractors and Main Contractors share uncertainty about many important design changes that occur after the contract has been awarded. These changes are usually a consequence of design failures, unexpected conditions and changes in regulations, which have an effect on project costs. This observation suggests that relationships between both parties can become adversarial hindering supply chain relationships. Therefore project design completeness will have an impact on the procurement award method selected. (Tadelis, 2006; Bajari, 2006) argue that simple projects, requiring an uncomplicated design ought to be procured using fixed-price contracts as they have high design completeness. Therefore preventing the need for contract variations, and are best awarded through competitive tendering. In contrast (Tadelis, 2006; Bajari, 2006) state that complex projects demanding large design give rise to surprises throughout the projects due to low levels of design completeness. Implying that there will be a high chance for variations therefore it should be awarded through negotiation. The insight for these thoughts is through incentives to reduce costs that follow on site variations consequently having an effect on a projects overall value. In fixed price contracts, the Sub-Contractor offers the procurer a lump sum price to carry out the works as specified, with any changes being negotiated throughout the contract. The incentives for a Sub-Contractor to reduce tender costs offered by fixed price lump sum tendered contracts will lead to increased costs for the Main Contractor through variations when changes need to be negotiated. This valuable surplus to the Sub-Contractor leads to efficiency loss through the Sub-Contractor wishing to use these changes to his advantage. On the topic of competitive tendering Tadelis (2006, p.4) states: While competitive bidding does have the advantage of unbiased awarding of projects, it fails to respond optimally to ex post adaption. Therefore it appears that competitive tendering stifles coordination between Sub-Contractors and Main Contractors before specifications and drawings have been finalised. After all a Sub-Contractor has no incentive to offer the procurer advice on value engineering or innovative ideas, if anything the Sub-Contractor would benefit from holding any information from the Main Contractor as they would offer a competitive advantage over the rival competitors. Once awarded the contract the anticipated design errors will be discovered and the Sub-Contractor will be in a position to claim excessive variation costs. However In negotiated single source tendering both the Main Contractor and Subcontractor typically spend time discussing the project before construction begins. During these discussions the Sub-Contractor will have better incentives to suggest potential cost saving techniques through design and specification changes. Accompanying this more design pitfalls will be picked up before a p roject begins, potentially adding value. The competitive pressure through negotiating contracts with a single Sub-Contractor is weak with the procurer not achieving all the potential cost savings. 2.3 The construction industries current views and opinions Competitive tendering is widely recognised as an attractive procurement method and is commonly supported for numerous reasons. Largely it is viewed as a means of promoting and stimulating competition amongst Sub Contractors. By its nature open competitive tendering invites potential Sub Contractors from many venues reducing the likelihood for price inflation (Tadelis, 2006; Bajari, 2006). Fair market price discovery is beneficial to this type of tendering with open competitive mechanisms being transparent, making it easier to prevent corruption. (Cira,1994) suggests that competitive tendering has three significant advantages over negotiation which as as follows: Competition encourages a systematic approach which is more likely to yield the right Sub-Contractors than negotiation with a single Sub-Contractor Competition is a transparent process and so helps satisfy the increasing demand for accountability in both public and private sectors. Competition can give clients better value for money, particularly when compared on the basis of both their ability and fees. An interesting point made by CIRA, 1994 pg 14 arguing against competition was that Sub-Contractor input at an early stage cannot be described well enough to allow fair competition. This is because the Sub-Contractor helps define the works needed and bids consist of an element of judgement due to incomplete design. CIRA also mentioned that initially competition is a time consuming and expensive process and costs may outweigh any value saved. However the benefits of selecting the most suitable Sub-Contractor for the job could outweigh this initial investment. Competition can have practical exceptions to its use through complicated packages where only one Sub-Contractor has the specialist expertise needed. Or is services are needed urgently and there is not enough time to undertake the competitive process properly. Competitive tendering, where the lowest bidder gets awarded the contract, is deeply embedded in the construction industry and can be destructive in the long term as the need to minimise transactional costs tends to reduce quality and client satisfaction. The emphasis on cost competition, and the traditional adversarial Main Contractor Sub-Contractor relationships, results in frequent changes in participating firms from one construction project to another. This makes collaboration between them difficult. Partnering leading to single sourcing between Sub-Contractors and Main Contractors has been cited as effective approaches to overcome these difficulties and add value to a project. (Dainty, 2001) identified the following barriers to integration from the subcontractor point of view: Financial/cost-related issues related to competitive tendering based on price, which has developed adversarial relationships that result in serious problems with regard to payments; Planning/time-related issues, such as false expectations on part of the main contractor and unrealistic schedules; and Attitude-related issues, such as arrogant conducts, exclusion of the subcontractor from the early phases, lack of praise for good performance, poor site management practices, and lack of understanding of subcontractors problems. Latham (1994) defines partnering as a contractual arrangement between two parties for either a specific length of time or for an indefinite time period. The parties agree to work together, in a relationship of trust, to achieve specific primary objectives by maximizing the effectiveness of each participants resources and expertise. It is for this reason, that principal contractors are oblivious of the fact that sub contractors can bring added value to the construction project (Dainty et al., 2001). Conversely authors such as (Dimitri, 2006) recognise competitive tendering as an attractive procurement mechanism, stimulating and promoting competition, hampering corruption and inviting more potential subcontractors to price work. Although the single sourcing approach has shown promising results, there are some cases in which subcontractors have considered that it did not add any value, while some main contractors have seen little benefit in forming alliances with firms that they do not regularly work with (Dainty et al. 2001). Egan (1998) feels that sub contractors should be involved in the design team as early as possible. An argument which is echoed by Briscoe et al. (2004), who believes that sub contractors should be procured early, therefore need knowledge and ability to exercise value engineering and other innovation exercises. The primary reason for selecting sub contractors is their innovation and knowledge, not necessarily for the lowest price. However, high performing sub contractors use their innovation and knowledge, and can often deliver a better service at a lesser price. Low performing sub contractors offer only on low price, while high performing contractors offer value (Garrison, T. 2006). The next stage of this research will detail the Research Methods to be used to capture the empirical data, including details on the research strategy to be adopted, data collection techniques, sample selection and management of the researchers role. Ethics Statement When undertaking a research project careful consideration must be taken to ensure that any material contained within the project causes no harm or potential harm to anyone, or organisation. Ethics is the science that deals with conduct, in so far as this is considered as right or wrong, good or bad. (Dewey, 2008) An Ethics Review Checklist has been completed (Appendix A) which has highlighted a potential area for approval. This is due to the methods of research being undertaken which involve human participation. These activities specifically include questionnaires; to ensure they are executed in a morally correct and ethical manner the following steps will be taken. Ensuring that the subjects have the option to grant voluntary consent the questionnaire will be structured in a way that participants can opt out of answering either individual questions or not participate at all. This is honoured by all questionnaires being issued to the subjects via e-mail, permitting candidates to return the document in their own time and at their own will with no pressure to respond, therefore there will be no reason for any of the participants to feel uncomfortable. All questionnaires issued will be sent with a participation consent form and information sheet. The questionnaire refers to this documentation via a disclaimer that by returning the survey the subject agrees to the terms and conditions and privacy statement as disclosed in the consent form. This disclaimer ensures the subject that careful consideration is being taken to ensure that all participants and respective companies remain anonymous, to prevent any possible harm. Subjects will be referred to by job role only with no mention of name or company to eliminate any matters of commercial risk or damage to reputations. Feedback will be issued to subjects that assisted in the research thanking each subject for his/her time and input; including a summary of the findings once all research has been populated. In line with the Data Protection Act 1998 upon completion of the research all completed questionnaires and sensitive data will be destroyed, including any stored on hard disk and in the recycle bin. Two hard copy publications of the finished article will be produced for the university, in addition with one electronic; these publications may be available for public viewing in the university library which is disclosed in the participation information sheet. I intend to conduct a number of case studies for research; therefore it is incredibly important that each case study will be alphabetically referenced, with no mention of any information that could identify the individual, project, location, contractor, client or consultants. All material will remain unidentifiable including any diagrams, illustrations or drawings used. This ensures that all parties involved can be assured that there will be no information detailed in the document which could potentially cause harm. All sensitive material collated will be dealt with due care, and destroyed in the correct manner either by shredding hard copies or deleting the information from hard disk. Any secondary research undertaken will be wholly and correctly recognized to the author and source throughout the dissertation by means of Harvard referencing. Methodology Introduction A valuable aspect to this research relates to Objective 2: the opportunity to study the construction industries current views and implementation in practice in a subject that, although generating much discussion, is in terms of research in its embryonic stages. Research Strategy One research method that will be adopted, related to research strategy, is a questionnaire. What is a questionnaire approach and why is it suitable for this research? Cohen and Manion (2007: 317) describe a questionnaire accordingly: The questionnaire is a widely used and useful instrument for collecting survey information, providing structured , often numerical data, being able to be administered without the presence of the researcher, and often being comparatively straight forward to analyse. According to this definition, a questionnaire is therefore concerned with seeking individuals views, facilitating this researchers drive to probe deeply into answering the thesis question as to which procurement route provides more value by seeking representatives opinions. Cohen and Manions definition also gives merit to a questionnaires practical consideration, aiding the justification for using this researchers chosen research strategy and data collection technique. Data Collection The questionnaire has been structured using primarily qualitative research as it is linked to in-depth exploratory study. Enabling the opportunity for quality responses exist through open ended questions, probing participants thoughts and views. Denzin and Lincoln (2003) hold that qualitative research involves studying things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them. The subjects have been selected through convenience sampling, a non-probability approach to sampling as they have been exclusively targeted. Convenience sampling was used because of its expediency through issuing questionnaires to staff in the organisation for which this researcher works, and to subcontractors whom this researcher has dealt with. Through having a prior association with the subjects a better rate of return has been achieved, with subjects wanting to engage more in the research. In addition to this further time will be spent by each individual on providing more detailed responses further enhancing the thoroughness of this paper. Respondents are construction professionals and range from job roles such as estimators to surveyors and project managers to directors. The wide variety of job roles will give me the levels of unbiased data required to reach a conclusion. This method of research has been selected with the aim that subjects ideas and insights may lead to other, m ore detailed and representative research. Two different questionnaires were issued via electronic mail to a pre populated list of employees with one questionnaire issued to subcontractors and the other to main contractors. The purpose of this was so that the questions could be tailored to suit either the contractor or subcontractor, it was important to collate both views to reach an accurate conclusion. The theory behind using E-mail to distribute and collate the questionnaires was that it is much more reliable than circulation by post, easier to manage and track, whilst being convenient to people encouraging a larger participation as well as being more environmentally friendly and cost effective. Limited background data was requested such as position in company and level of industry experience as I felt other information would be irrelevant and not unpack the central question. There are no more than ten questions asked per questionnaire, it was felt that no further questions were required as a conclusion can be drawn from t he results and that by using fewer questions the participant is more likely to contribute as it will not encroach on their working day. The questions have been structured in a standardised manner so that they can be interpreted and analysed efficiently, there is a balance between open and closed questioning. Framework for Data Analysis Limitations and Potential Problems Convenience sampling suits this area of study because it is industry specific, by targeting known subjects this reduces the limitations of the research as there is only one researcher so manually sourcing or random sampling would be very time consuming with no guarantee of the quality of results. A perceived limitation with using questionnaires for research is that they are limited in number. This is predominantly justified due to the lack of time available as a student. To negate this risk the subjects were carefully selected to ensure a high rate of questionnaire return and an increased level of detailed answers. Methodology Rational Behind the Questions Questions issued to Sub-Contractors Interviews were dismissed as a potential research strategy; the rationale behind this is for the reason that unlike questionnaires they are not anonymous. Therefore interviewees may hold back from their true feelings or not give as much detail in their answers. This researcher has counteracted this by using open ended questions in the questionnaire permitting the subject the opportunity to express concerns and genuine views with the knowledge of total incognito; further substantiating that by using a questionnaire counts as valid empirical research due to its is suitability and relevance to this research paper. This researchers own primary data has been collected due to the lack of previous literature available on this subject; the majority of accessible information is concerned with client and contractor relationships and not contractor/subcontractor relations. Findings Introduction This chapter reveals the results of the survey described in Chapter 3 Methodology. This research concentrates on obtaining the views of Sub-Contractors and Principle Contractors with regards to single sourcing or competitively tendering Sub-Contract packages. Survey Findings; Description, Analysis and Synthesis Main Contractor Question 1.0 The first question Question 1.0 was: Do you feel that repeat work with the same subcontractor improves the working relationship in terms of discussing site issues/valuations? Response 17 (81%) of subjects questioned felt that working with the same Sub-Contractor improves the working relationship with 4 (19%) arguing against the majority. One respondent responded positively: A collaborative working relationship forms the basis of a much stronger approach to on site discussions and subsequent resolution of variations. Another stated: It needs to be two ways, with both parties fully buying into the benefits. One member conjectured that repeat business can improve working relationships however; at times this can be tested due to commercial pressures. No Main Contractor respondents stated a reason behind why repeat work with the same Sub-Contractor does not improve the working relationship. The replies from Main Contractor personnel suggest that there is still a problem with collaborative working. Although 81% of respondents viewed repeat work with the same Sub-Contractor in a wholly positive light, 19% felt differently. Question 2.0 The second question Question 2.0 was: Do you believe that repeat work with the same subcontractor gives a higher quality of workmanship? Response This question gave rise to many mixed views with 57% of the subjects surveyed believing that repeat work with the