L’oreal Tahiland Essay

L’Oreal is a beauty and cosmetic global company and is vastly spread company all over the world. The company is large sized as it is a Multi-National Company (MNC).L’Oreal offered a number of cosmetic products and beauty services through its fourteen brands they had in 2000, segmented on the basis of price and target markets. Some of the brands were Biotherm which exclusively offered skin care products Kerastase offered only hair care products PCI offered only fragrances and ancillary products Helena Rubinstein & Lancà ´me offered skin care as well as make-up products L’Oreal Paris covered hair colours, skin care, make-up and hair care products. L’Oreal Professional offered services such as hair colouring and hair care treatment Maybelline was exclusively used for make-up products Garnier only dealt with hair colours. L’Oreal offered their expertise in the service of women and men worldwide,  meeting the diversity of their beauty desires with a number of brands which targeted different markets accordingly. Biotherm, PCI, Lancà ´me covered the very high end market, L’Oreal Paris and L’Oreal Professional covered the high end and Maybelline and Garnier covered mostly mass market. L’Oreal Thailand had been performing poor after Asian crisis and was facing a decline in market share, low sales and profitability. Chris Martins, was appointed as a Managing Director in order to help increase the profitably, sales and market share of L’Oreal in Thailand. L’Oreal Thailand had two different local agents which were Slampar and Thailor. Slampar was the oldest one which had a joint venture with a local conglomerate. Due to the high import duties on luxury products Slampar manufactured some Lancà ´me products locally and imported the rest of the line. ANALYSIS CURRENT SITUATION Chris Martins, the new managing director was appointed to create a truly ‘L’Orealized’ company which upholds the long term values and deliver healthy profitable growth. The Asian crisis had negatively affected the market share, sales and profitability of L’Oreal Thailand. Thailand with a population of 63 million had the beauty market of Bt 26.6 billion. Thailand had faced a retail revolution as foreign retailers had entered the market and dominated all sectors. This had increased the level of competition and professionalism for L’Oreal Thailand as well as local companies. L’Oreal had two entities in Thailand, Siampar and Thailor which were later merged to form a single multi-division entity L’Oreal Thailand Ltd. But even after the merger the two companies did not talk to each other and had odds with each other. They also lacked media support due to which some of their brands not even known in the market. The current goal of the company is to solve their issues and further professionalize and stimulate their teams so as to survive in the Thai market. Internal Environment Strengths L’Oreal’s two major brands L’Oreal Professional and Kerasotes are market leaders and had an excellent image among top professional salons. Chris  Martin, who is a well experienced person in the L’Oreal industry, has been well utilized by the company in Thailand during the Asian crisis. From this we get to know that those who work sincerely with complete dedication & talent are given a chance to make use of it. The new managing directorr knows the seriousness of the issues faced by the company and is ready to implement changes in the organisation. The new MD is willing to work on the issue as a team rather than a self-centered approach. For a company’s success, working as a team will overcome any barriers. The company is able to identify the type of consumer’s whereby they can improve the quality of their business by concentrating on the type of consumers. L’Oreal in Thailand operated three divisions-luxury divisions, consumer division, professional division . This decentralized approach to handle respective responsibilities is a good characteristic whereby these three divisions can analyze their own areas and find the key areas to work on. Weaknesses L’Oreal Thailand is facing high turnover and is losing staff as the staff doesn’t see any future of the company. The staffs are just considered to be mechanical employees. The company is not considered about their well-being. Thus experienced employees are lost, young people are to be hired that lack in maturity and motivation. They are not able to catch up with the budget and are facing financial problems due to limited sales. The working environment in the organistaton is not inspiring and motivating for the employees as well as the reward system is out of touch with the market. They lack media support as they do not have enough funds to advertise their brands.Thus there was no clear positioning of the brand in the minds of Thai consumers. The organisation is much leaner and less bureaucratic than the international competitors.This company did not have a good tie up with the Thai government that were more protective about the local companies. A company can thrive only in a well-coordinated and cooperative environment. Martin noticed that there was bitter rivalry among most of the retail sectors. The business was restricted to beauty products only. The company had to think out of the box in order to compete with the counter brands L’Oreal, Paris management turns out to be self-oriented and not concerned about the well-being of the organization. They are not willing to spend beyond the assigned budget. Turnover is highest in the support functions as there is no HR Director at present. This is solely due to the narrow hiring criteria. External Environment Opportunities L’Oreal Thailand has the opportunity to come up in the market as it has a number of good quality brands which lack awareness among consumers due to less advertising They could use direct sales for make-up and skin care products instead of retail sales as this would help them to have direct interaction with their customers and know about their needs. L’Oreal can make specialised products specifically for Asian women so as to target the women’s in the Thai market and increase sales. L’Oreal can expand their business to non-beauty products also to increase their bar of business in comparison to the other leading brands. Beauty products can also be focused on men apart from women, thereby increasing a chance of rise in market. Online marketing should be put to best use to ease the customer needs and provide a niche solution in this technology driven generation. Threats L’Oreal Thailand has a lot of intensive competition in the beauty market due to the entrance of many strong foreign companies. One of the major threats would be the government regulations which could turn out to be deadly to shut down the business as the government tends to be more protective about their local companies. When similar products are introduced in market by different companies, consumers tend to choose the product with minimal price to satisfy their needs. The involvement of local companies in marketing of cosmetics can be a threat to the mass-cosmetic marketing. STRATERGIC CHOICE Methods of Pursuing Strategy External Environment Analysis: Analysing & Studying the current market situation : – Current competitors in the market (Existing companies and new foreign companies) – Finding out the Current Trends in the market – The Current Pays based on the market condition – Identifying the customer needs, what is being sold in the market and the products having high demand in the market. Internal Environment Analysis Analysing the Internal Environment: – Improving the working Environment of the employees i.e. creating a positive office ambience in which the employees feel enlightened to work – Providing deserving remuneration for the employees based on their expertise – Coordination within departments – Meeting the Working Capital Requirements – JUST IN TIME strategy can be applied for the production process – The HR Manager should be broad minded and should recruit new staffs and assign their position in the organisation based on their area of expertise and only skilled workers should be selected. – Motivation of the employees by the Top Management. FOUNDATIONS FOR COMPETITIVE STRATEGY (Marketing Strategy) Promoting their products with the help of media Specifically advertisements in televisions through which a large number of people can be reached over a vast geographical area. Various Sales Promotion methods can be used: – Price Reduction(Discount) Quantity gift, Providing free samples, Product combinations, Sampling, Personal selling. – Promoting products based on the customer needs (selected products having demand in the current market and excluding other products that are least preferred by the customers) STRATERGIC GAP External Environment As there were multiple foreign retailers and industries making their way in Thailand, the market share by L’Oreal was slowly and steadily declining by the entry of similar products in market. In order to increase the market share and revenue for the company, the managers should: Study about the  competitor’s strategy for sales and try to study the consumption of their products by different age groups. This can help them gain an additional advantage over other competitors. Internal Environment 1. L’Oreal has different departments but there was very little or no communication between the departments. So there is a need to improve the inter-department communication so the information can be reached throughout all the organization and they can work efficiently. This can be done by: a) Team Building activities for the employees b) Holding events like dinner or party so the employees can know each other. 2. The organization also faced the problem of the employees leaving their job. The main point here is that the employees didn’t have a satisfying work environment and adding to that the un-satisfying wages. This problem can be solved by the following; a) They should offer employees some incentives or bonus for extra time, extra paid leaves in case of better performance. 3. The company also faced the problem of slow generating revenue. This was happening due to various factors. a) They were selling their products only through 2 types of retail outlets. This was not helping them to make the products in everyone’s reach. b)The company was issuing invoices to the retailers but receiving the payments only when the products were sold. These issues can be solved by: †¢ Selling the products through more retail stores which help increase the sales. †¢ Collect the payments immediately while distributing the products to the retailers. Marketing Strategy The problem in marketing department was that it didn’t have the sufficient funds for promoting more about their products. The solution for this problem is that: †¢ Reduce their operating expenditure by introducing JUST IN TIME strategy. This will reduce the cost for storing the raw materials and as a result, the company can have a better margin over each product they sell. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN Development of alternative strategies enables to select the most apt strategy through proper evaluation of the success rate of each strategy. To make the selection of strategic process more effective, team members should have a clear understanding about the strategic goals thereby reducing uncertainties in decision making. Implementation of the pricing strategy, customer service and product development will definitely improve the firm’s performance. For the successful implementation of strategy there should be integration among the strategy implementation team and functionality between the various departments within the organization. If the corporate culture within the internal environment copes up with the rapid changes of external environment, the performance of the organization increases. Quality of communications plays a major role in the selection of strategy process. High quality communications within the organization can improve the firm’s market performance. Concerning the distribution of products, organisational and tactical planning needs to be done by selling of products through multiple retail stores in attractive ways by: improving the ambience introducing new products through a trial including beneficial offers or discount rates to stay competitive introducing raffle draws to allure customers JUST IN TIME strategy will reduce the storage cost of raw materials and as a result, the company can have a better margin over each product they sell. It is important for an organization to be well aware of the software potentials to improve the organizations efficiency. Employee empowerment in an organization can be done by: providing necessary skills to the employees providing them authority to take up right decisions required for their job providing adequate information and resources to do their job rewarding the employees for their hard work building confidence in them Human resource management can improve the organizational performance by: Introduction of leadership training programs and enhancing the skills and capabilities of the employees mentoring by the senior employees to give deep insight to the kind of work they are doing promoting positive attitudes and increasing motivation and job satisfaction increasing budget scales to allow experimentation within the company in order to take risks to meet the rapid changes of the external environment Allotting responsibilities to the employees so that they can make full use of their capabilities. These are the ways to improve the relationship of the employees within the company, thus producing highly committed employees in the development of the company. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS In conclusion, L’Oreal is still the market leader in the cosmetic industry of Thailand because it is providing quality products to its customers. They need to pay more attention to the relationships within the organization and between Tailor and Siampar as this will help them achieve their goals in the future. . Last but not least, well skills of managing conflicts, politics, controlling of power and the structured decision-making approaches within the organization structure and culture will assist L’Oreal Thailand to tackle with the challenges and come with a positive financial performance in order to remain the leader of cosmetics industry in Thailand. We would like to recommend the following to L’Oreal Thailand, firstly that each department should have a different decision making processes. Secondly the Managers should and need to learn from their mistakes as this will help them gain new information from their past failures. Thirdly they need to avoid the conflicts within the organization, the company should implement matrix organization to run the organization by listening more different ideas and respect the voice of colleagues, so the problem solving can be more flexible and objective. Next the company should find out the current trends in the market and try to differentiate their product in order to face competitions. Finally the managers need to motivate the employees if they want the best from all of them.

Mass Media Sociology

The mass media has become a big part of our society and its counterparts. In a time span of 50 years this medium has influenced society to an extent where it has created wonders. This immaculate tool can control almost every action we perform, from speaking to the actions that every human being performs in society. The mass media has brought upon a new era of idea's and changes in the world we live in. As we analysis media in depth we will find many aspects of media which overlap and some of the smallest factors and aspects of media, which create the biggest impact on society.Our main objective is to explore the mass media's effects on society and see how the media has affected out way of life. Not to mention, compare the life styles of the previous and current generation. These are aims all sociologists focus on. The mass media is seen as a medium of communication, as well as a way of delivering messages and valuable data to the masses within a matter of seconds. As we move into a m ore technological era we see vast differences in culture, values and the basic change in the way of life.The traditional way of life is dying; in-depth valuable heritage is no longer being followed. Many state that the media has blemished society which has created disparity within our traditional way of life. We are human beings with the power to take in unlimited amounts of information. The human brain contains functions that may never even be discovered by scientist due to its complexity. However, today the media has created a massacre of learning abilities and incoherent the emotional intelligence of human beings.As individuals say that the mass media is a valuable tool to society and can create great changes, it is seen to debauch within society and the minds of the new generation. Over all we see that the media has a colossal negative impact in comparison to a positive affect on society. Socialization and society is one of the main aspects in co-relation to the mass media. As s een in the recent generation, norms, values and way of life has changed to a great extent in comparison to the past generations. Media has distinctly created its mark in the socialization process.The mass media has social, developmental and various other forms of mental effects on children. A very important aspect of media society has embraced is the fact that it brings upon great awareness and understanding of the world around us. The media has exposed individuals of all ages to different aspects of the world that the previous generation was not aware of. This vast revelation has educated the youth thus making them more aware and ingenious about the world they live. Media has delivered messages to the world in a matter of seconds, providing us with intelligence about recent events around the world.Although media may provide society with many advantages, the negative impact can have immaculate affects on society. Promoting bad habits such as smoking is a conspicuous negative impact on society. Adolescents' smoking has become a big issue in today's time. † Almost 20 per cent of Canadian teens (aged 12-19) currently smoke (daily or occasionally†. Statistics state that the numbers of smokers have been increasing since 1990. The media has portrayed cigarettes to be a social and â€Å"cool† factor in society. Many youth state that they have smoked under peer pressure.Adolescents try to fit in by smoking so that they are not out casted. As social creatures it is our instinct to be apart of society and belong to a â€Å"social group†. Another growing concern amongst the current generation is the amount of television watched and how it is affecting developmental and psychological thinking. Television has become a big part of society. As many parents work it is found that children, who are home alone when their parents are at work, watch TV as soon as they come home from school. This influences their thinking more then the outside world does.N ot to mention that violence can be encouraged in the media. It is crucial to understand that when children are at that peek in their life, they tend to imitate what they see. A ponderous medium of media is video games in co-relation to violence. Video games encourage violent behavior in children as they are at a crucial stage of adaptation. Society as a whole has been immensely effected by the social realm. In the fashion world, it is media that creates the trends and genres of different types of clothes. This is seen as an identity. The fashion world markets their clothes to society thru the media.Using various sources such as, television, internet, newspaper and magazines. However there is a dark side to this industry. Today's society faces controversy about women's body figured. Size zero has become a behemoth  fad in the modeling world. The size zero topic has caused a revolution, women around the world trying to enter the modeling industry are now harming their bodies in coun tless ways in order to achieve the â€Å"ideal† body. Women today face a lot of criticism about their appearances due to the superficial ideology created by the media. This has rought a lot of criticism from feminist around the world who state that women have died from starvation only to model. Today's world has stereotypes formed from various forms of media. Stereotypes have been created ethnicities and cultures. As growing individuals we see distinct relations between the two. When we see a certain ethnicity portrayed in a particular way we judgments tend to be formed enforce them on that particular ethnicity. Eventually many individuals tend to conform to those stereotypes, thus them following the self fulfilling prophecy.This can be dangerous as people's self esteems may be affected, not to mention this activity can be harmful to society. For example, many African American people are portrayed as criminals and therefore displayed as â€Å"harmful† people in the med ia and its various forms; many fear them as they are known for causing harm and disruption. As this stereotype changes perspective of this particular ethnicity they tend to act the way they are seen in the media as society already believes that they are that certain stereotype. Since the 20th century we have seen a sudden rise empowerment in women, especially in North America.Women all over the nation fought for their freedom of right and are till this day at war for equality. Feminist state that we are currently living in a patriarchal society, where men predominantly control society and its activities. Further more feminist quote â€Å"all knowledge learned by society is created by men, thus creating biases in favor of men and predominantly male oriented situations. The media enforces this knowledge, for one gender roles are enforced through the media to children and adolescents. Although these are promoted to adults to, there is no personality harm to adults.For example, little girls and boys are shown playing sports and with toys that are meant for them, thus enforcing a stereotype and certain gender role of the behavior that is expected from these children. Disney as we know it promotes these gender roles to a great extends, with classical story lines. This shows young children how women are powerless and the male figure rescues her. This perception is seen distinctly in different forms as the child grows up. During the Second World War women refused to go back to their original jobs after then men returned from the war.As an extreme of re-socializing women, the government sent out propaganda about how women we're suppose to work in the homes and men to work in the factories. This is an extreme case of the media being used to change the perception of society. Feminist argue that media corrupted the minds of young women. Before the revolution women we're allowed a double standard of being sex objects however suppressed in society and seen as the â€Å"se cond† sex. Women nowadays are objectified by society and seen as sexual objects in the eyes of men Culture and the commercial world play a significant role in the media world.Culture is denoted as a way of life for society. It consists of beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics common to the members of a social group. A valuable aspect of culture is communication as it is its central activity. Without communication there would be no society or groups as such. Communication is the core of every society and culture in the world. It can take on many forms from verbal to sign language to symbols. All these arranged in a proper manner deliver a message and contain meaning. This approach is often described as a structuralism approach, where the focus is on the analysis of the production of meaning.The term structuralism is a used to emphasize influence of society as a whole. As stated above culture and communication go hand in hand. When we compare the language used i n the 19th and 20th century we see vast difference in the language and dialect. According to researchers the internet has changed our dialect, not to mention our way of typing. The internet has introduced short forms for various words and symbols to represent certain characteristics, as time passes by these characteristics are known to change the way we think. This type of change has affected our cognition.Literature has been restricted and we are made to expresses our selves in a matter of words, twitter for example restricts the amount of words being used to expresses one's emotions and feelings. This type of change has taught society how to expresses them selves in a matter of a few powerful words. Another aspect of language is how the media has allowed people to express them selves and grow as individuals. However there is a big drawback to this, as society has started to connect to the world over the World Wide Web, there tends to be less face-to-face communication.Individuals connect over the internet thus, disrupting the socialization process. People tend to become more anti-social and keep to them selves. Youth cultures and sub-cultures are a reflection of the media; today we see many youth cultures forming sub cultures within them selves. Many of them differ in various aspects; these subcultures are formed in order to rebel against the adult culture and their way of life. When adolescents form these sub cultures they find comfort and a sense of belonging. As the media is the predominate cause of youth sub-cultures, they portray what they want to see in the current generation.The hypodermic syringe theory states that the media feeds society what they want and society accepts it without any questioning, it is a medium of message which can causes changes within a time span of a few minutes. The results can be drastic and cause massive changes in society. Not to mention, as adolescents may apply these norms and values in their adult lives. Mass media is f ast growing field, the commercial world has experiences massive amounts of development in this sector due to the rapid increasing demand. As we can see, there are many highly regarded media jobs in the commercial world today.These jobs are important to the media sector as the skills and requirements are very different in comparison to traditional jobs. Many of the core media jobs are personal relations, journalism, publishing, broadcasting, film and many more. When we look at these topics we see a significant co-relation. As the World Wide Web has rapidly increased in the recent years and has gained significance, many individuals have taken up jobs which require constant internet co-relation. Blogging is an example of an internet related job. It requires regular entries of comments, descriptions of events, or interactive media such as images or video.Blogging has brought much recognition as written experiences and articles are posted in order to guide and share information with the world around us. As we move into the commercial world there is a strong relationship between the government and mass media. Their main aim is to educate society and make sure that information about the world's events reaches the masses. We see very little government contribution in regard to the media, as it is a privately owned source. For example when we look at the American media and how it is controlled by the government, there is very little interaction between the government and the media associates.Due to the fact that the media is controlled by a predominate part of the private industry. This means that the government cannot put their views across to manipulate society in anyway to their advantage. The media is also known to create illusions/perceptions about particular situations or events. However when an individual experiences it for them selves they will see how different it is compared to how the media portrays it. For example, when someone see's how television broadcas ting takes place in reality, they realize that the media may exaggerate the event, in order to create emphasis on the situation.This is only one example of the many events or situations that are exaggerated. Furthermore the media dispelling the illusions may be one of the most important responsibilities of modern education. As media may not portray the data in the way it was, disparities about validity are created. When we look at democratic situations in society, we see a vast gap in the voting percentage and the actual population. Political campaigns spend large amounts of money on promoting their campaigns for a very small population of voters.This creates big advantages to the political campaigns, as they spent large amounts of money on promoting them selves in the media, they will eventually receive a majority of the votes. This shows us that political success increasingly depend on fundraising, usually from well-financed special interest groups, to pay for media advertising. I n the age of mass media, Americans have been made to think that democracy means having lots of consumers choices in the marketplace of products, rather than alternative choices in ideology, issues or political leadership in the marketplace of ideas.The pattern of ownership has changed in the media, thus affecting the amount of information portrayed on the television. We see that today generally businesses are no longer family businesses. However nowadays they would acquire special people to handle such delicate affairs. Not to mention specialized magazines and book publishing operations have been launched across the country and these usually have been feasible economic ventures due to the fact that they do not require huge investments in equipment required to produce a daily newspaper. When talking about the media and the commercial world there are various different aspects to it.As the media has suddenly become big in the past few decades we can say that the media and its dynamics have drastically changed. This is due to the sudden enhancement in technology; this has helped us advance out world. For example, the film industry has advanced to an immaculate level, where production has changed along with the mode of production. The theorist has various views on the mass media and their effects on society. Each sociological theorist has a view which they embrace. Functionalist believes that each part of society has a certain function they are to perform in rder for society to function to its fullest potential. They believe that there are particular functions society has to their maximum capacity. Functionalists believe that the mass media helps co-ordinate and correlate between various parts of society by gathering and dismissing valuable information. Our society conforms to a lot that they see in the media. This means that they enforce laws and regulations which keep order and control in society. We believe that there is a certain extent of social control which is enforced. When talking about the mass media, functionalist strongly enforce social control over society.Conformity is reinforces the norms and values of society. This taught the new generation how to fit into a society. The media enforced and teaches society the rules and regulations, not to mention they provide social situations of individuals disobeying the laws and regulations. This acts as a reinforcement to conform to society's rules. For example, cop shows provide an example of social situations where individuals of our society act out and the punishments they receive. This enforces rules and conformity in society. Another aspect is how they are an agent of socialization.As mentioned before children of todays are exposed to vast amounts of the mass media at very young ages, they learn their norms and values form theses sources thus acting as sources of socialization. The media plays a big role in cognitive child development and re-socialization as they provide individuals w ith the knowledge that they learn and use in the future to come. Finally the last and most predominate role the media provides according to functionalist is entertainment. Besides all the social control and socialization factors, in the end the media is our predominate form of entertainment.This is a source of relaxation and a momentary escape from the hectic world that we live in. Conflict theorist was founded by Karl Marx. He believes that there are two dominate classes in society. One being the Bourgeoisie, they we're the ruling class that controlled all the assets and controlled the modes of production, they owned most of the properly and land. The second class was The Proletariats, they we're considered the lower working class. This class had no power at all and worked hard labor jobs which consisted of a lot of manual labor.Conflict theorist states that functionalist have not paid attention to the social inequality that the mass media portrays, that the mass media benefits som e more then others. According to conflict theorists the mass media is controlled by only a number of highly influential people. This leads to a very important factor which is media bias. Media bias can incur to massive levels, which can affect society. As the media is controlled by very few highly qualified people, they can deliver their views to the media and create false assumptions about particular opinions.Ownership of the media is in the hands of very few, creating profitability to them as producers and various different industries are interested in putting across messages to the world approach these particular media industry individuals. As seen in Canada the recent trends of the media are starting to change. Fewer people are starting to control larger amounts of the media and what is broadcasted. This is a big disadvantage to society as only their views will be focused on creating large amounts of bias media. When the media is controlled by a small population controlled by fe w there tends to be less diversity.Deprivation of independent sources of information with non-biased opinions stated. Society is forced to accept what is provided to them. Propaganda will flood the media due to smaller amounts of individuals controlling it For example in Canada, Rogers Communication Inc owns the Toronto Blue Jays, creates sports and entertainment, broadcasts on television, carries the signal to viewers homes via cable stations and finally they sell at Rogers Video stores. The government controls what is presented in the media to a great extent.There are various cases where the government has punished certain journalist for publishing articles criticizing the government and their policies. What happened to freedom of speech is a question many are asking in today's modern world. The main biased mechanisms are flak, advertising and sourcing. Flak occurs when big corporations frequently attack journalist who write and state controversial articles in the media. This is d ue to government control and how they do not want negative views about them being distributed in the public. The other biased mechanism is advertising.Most of the revenue earned by the mass media is thru advertising over the internet, television, magazines, newspapers, radio and various other different predominant forms of media. Large corporations pay great sum's of money to advertise their messages over popular modes of media. This brings in a large sum of the media's income. Last but not least is sourcing. This method of gathering news is heavily used by news agencies for press releases, news conferences, and interviews organized by large corporations or the government. These sources usually have traces of preferences towards certain policies and regulations.Unofficial statistics are usually not are preferred as official documents due to the fact that they only provide reactions and minority viewpoints that are secondary to that official story. As seen in the data provided about the biased media and how influential it can be, we see that the conflict theorist in summary believe that economic inequality is reinforced due. Further to that, the core value of society is stratified as the media is controlled by a small amount of people creating diversity and portraying socially acceptable and government approved opinions.Interpretive approaches are micro sociology that believes the socialization of individuals' shapes how society will form and function. According to them each individual's personality carries an imprint to his unique experience along with the socially transmitted world view. These types of sociologist look into each individual and the reason for each individual's results along with the factors affecting them. Society is not judged as a whole. They believe that the mass media influences a passive public in common.Symbolic functionalist state that although conflict theorist and functionalist reinforce the fact that the mass media is mainly benefici al to the rich and powerful, not to mention that the mass media is a great reinforcement of core values follow by society. They do not enforce much on the extent to which audience members interpret media's messages in different ways. Interactionalist state that, the entailments of mass media does not simply change individuals behavior, there are various steps that are used to change societies mind.Consider this question: How much influence does the mass media actually exert over audiences? Great controversy surrounds this question The subject of what influences the mass media involves the link between persuasive media messages and indirect actual behavior. The process of ‘ two-step flow of communication' must take place. This process involves the communication between the mass media and the audience members. The first process involves respected individuals of society to evaluate media messages. These individuals tend to be highly educated or politically powerful in that commun ity.As their status contains power and authority they usually conduct independent judgment. The second step involves the leaders influence on attitudes and behavior of others around them. This way media's opinions are filtered by the leaders. This two step process limits the amount of influence on society. If individuals in a society are influenced to perform a certain action is it less predominant within their minds as it has been influenced by the leader. The media influences society to perform a certain action; however the leaders influence will determine whether society will perform that action or not.Symbolic interactionalist represents media through cultural studies. In-depth interviewing and participant observation is used to study how people in a society truly interpret media messages. Cultural studies does not only concentrate on the cultural meaning producers try to transmit, but on the way audiences filter and interpret mass media messages in the context of their own inte rest, experiences, and values. Sociologist, Stuart Halls states that, audience members take an active part in consuming the products of the mass media.However they filter and interpret the messages in the context of their own interest. In conclusion, the audience will only take in and interpret what they want to. Every individual has a different way of thinking. This implicates that the media does not fully influence individuals. Hall asserts, society takes in the mass media's information in the context of their own experiences, interests and values. Thus, any in-depth analysis of the mass media must take into the production and consumption of the data. In the initial stages the meaning intended by producers must be studied.Further to that, we also need to study how the audience consumes or evaluates media products. Audience members may interpret media messages in ways other than those intended by the producer. The critical attitude of the individuals exposed to the media reduces th e ability to identify strongly with many characters, personalities, and storylines. Age also affects how we relate to the television or various different forms of media. For instance, the senior viewers tend to be selective and focused on their television viewing. In comparison to individuals who grew up with TV cable and a remote control.Individuals in that vein often sift through channels, engage in conversation and do a multitude of things that detract attention to the supposed object of focus. The media does not impact these modes of viewing. This is an example of the media's effect on society and the extent to which it affects certain individuals. Conflict theorists' and functionalists' exaggerate the extent to which the media affects the society. All in all, internationalist filters, interpret, resist and sometimes reject messages that are often presented by the mass media.Feminists are another group of sociologists who believe that women are treated unfairly in society and ar e discriminated against in various types of male dominated theories. In co-relation to the media, feminists have strong views about how they created gender roles and stereotypes. Women are mostly seen as sexual objects and prizes rather then humans. In addition, women in the media are said to create a stereotype which is affective to many of the adolescents as they create artificial looks and body structures. The media's power as a predominant socializing agent adversely influences women into these modes of thinking.The media creates stereotypes which portray women as, â€Å"dumb and silly†. This pushes women down the stratification scale in the world as a whole; this is one of the reasons why the glass ceiling was created. The glass ceiling is an expression which states that women can see the top position; however due to gender discrimination, they cannot reach it. It is worth noting that, the media also creates a gender role for women from a very young age. For example, gir ls are shown on television shows playing with kitchen sets and boys are shown playing football.This demonstrates to children that they have certain roles to play and with this, these roles are embraced at a young age. Not only is there gender discrimination, many women experience racial gender discrimination. This occurs when women in the ethnic minorities are discriminated against due to their gender and ethnic background. Although there have been countless efforts to combat this type of discrimination, women in today's society are facing large amounts of discrimination, not to mention are being denied the top positions and discriminated in terms of wages.As we have analyzed the various aspects from society to the commercial world, we can say that media has created a distinct change in society. We can conclude by saying that, the mass media is a tool which can cause great change and impact on society largely. When the mass media is related to society as a whole, the media has affec ted adolescents and children more then any other group. We see that society's children and adolescents have changed their ways of life in an immaculate level. Researchers say that there has never been such a large amount of change in such a short span of time.Media is to blame for such a large change in society. Although the mass media has afforded society negative instances, there are various high points we can take away from the mere existence of the media. If it weren’t for the media society wouldn't bee informed about world events and the situations taking place in it. Many individuals criticize the media for it's over exaggeration and creation of false delusions. However, many forget to give the media credit for the intense and immediate broadcasting around the world.On a whole the media has created many advantages for society and has created a whole new generation and way of life, however on the other hand the media has corrupted the minds of children and adolescents. N ot to mention its role in the massive loss of culture and tradition that dates back thousands of years ago. In the end has the media benefited society or corrupted it?

Culture and Beliefs Essay

Different cultures and beliefs can have an effect on implementing anti-discriminatory practice. One example of this preventing anti-discriminatory practice is though in a culture saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to things, where in another culture this may not be normal and so if someone doesn’t say thank you or please to something this may be seen as rude, and could make the person treat the other person differently. Another way culture and beliefs can affect implementing anti-discriminatory practice is that people may understand a person’s situation, or not understanding why someone behaves in that way and then the professionals own views or stereotypes will take control over the way the person treats the individual and then this wont promote anti-discriminatory practice. This may differ depending on where the health care setting is for example if it is in more of a multi-cultural area, beliefs and views may be different. Not understanding the importance If care providers don’t understand the importance of promoting anti-discriminatory practice, they are more likely to not work in an anti discriminatory practice. Care providers should be aware of the active promotion of anti discriminatory practice in order for the service users of health and social care to get the best of the services. If care providers fail to work in an anti discriminatory practice, service users will be not treated fairly and their choices wouldn’t be respected or taken into account, so therefore it is very important for health and social care professionals to work in an anti discriminatory practice. If the care settings fail to promote an anti discriminatory practice, service users will be marginalised and disempowered and this can lead to stress and depression and can trigger challenging behaviour. The way in which anti-discriminatory ractice is promoted may be different in different health and social care setting such as a school will focus more on children where as an residential care home may focus more on elderly or disability. Following the ‘norm’ Both care providers and service users are used to doing what is the ‘norm’ for them. This can cause problems when promoting anti-discriminatory practice because if for example a care provider is used to carrying out certain behaviour then they may ignore new anti-discriminatory practice that has been introduced because it is something they are not used to doing. This can cause loads of problems because it means service users may be neglected and discriminated against because new practice is not being followed. This could also sometimes be down to the age of the care provider. If someone has been working in a care setting for a long time they may be used to caring in a certain way which means that they will not adapt appropriately to new practice where as someone who is new will be fully aware of the new procedures in place so may be more likely to follow them.

Legal Aspects of Nursing Final Proyect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Legal Aspects of Nursing Final Proyect - Essay Example A registered nurse is obligated to use her capabilities and decisions to make resolutions on whether to take on responsibilities or whether to assign the responsibility to another person (Florida Department of Health & Florida Board of Nursing, 2007). A certified nurse should offer care and help that are associated to personal care, maintaining mobility, hydration and nutrition, elimination, use of assistive devices, sustaining the environment and resident safety, data gathering, and post mortem care. In addition, a certified nurse should offer care related to identification of and reporting of abnormal resident findings, symptoms and signs, roles associated with end of life care, resident socialization, leisure activities, and legalization methods and realism course. A registered nurse should perform duties associated with basic first aid, emergency care, and CPR abilities, duties associated with documentation of certified nursing services on daily basis (Florida Department of Healt h & Florida Board of Nursing, 2007). Duties associated with personal care include: dressing, bathing, grooming, shampooing and care of hair, shaving, caring for the skin, feet, and nails, offering and helping with oral hygiene and denture care, offering pericare, sustaining a clean environment, and making a patient’s bed and handling the patient’s linen. ... In the use of assistive devices, a registered nurse has the responsibility of taking care of eyeglasses and contact lenses, applying braces, antiembolus stockings, wheel chairs and crutches, and using comfort devices such as wedges, pillows, boots and wedges (Florida Department of Health & Florida Board of Nursing, 20007). The Florida nursing practice act has the duty to practice his or her profession stanchly, desist from deliberately taking harmful drugs, and desist from overseeing any injurious drug to patients, sustain and elevate standards of the nursing profession, and maintain any confidential information of patients during the practice. In addition, a registered nurse should assist physicians in their practice, follow instituted nursing procedures, follow the instructions of their supervisors, and advocate for his or her patient (Florida Department of Health & Florida Board of Nursing, 2007). Before being licensed as a nurse, an individual should fill an application form and submit a fee that does not exceed $150 set by the board and an examination fee that does not exceed $75. In addition, the individual should pay applicant cost to the board for the purchase of an examination from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Before licensure, an individual should also provide adequate information, which must be presented by the department for a nationwide criminal records correspondence check through the department of law enforcement. Before being licensed, an individual should also be physically and mentally sound. In addition, one should be a holder of a high school diploma, and has accomplished the conditions for

Accounting case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Accounting case - Essay Example les and production department, the department could not complete the order based on standard costing since there were significant labor cost variations which would then be assigned in the department’s budget. Labor also worked over time which added to the costs of the department, leading to a production batch that was more expensive than other regular batches (Caplan, 2012). One of the key ways that most organizations use to manage their costing systems is to use a standard costing mechanism and use flexible budgeting in order to cater to such variations which are inevitable in such organizations where some orders may come in for rush production. With flexible budgeting, the variations between actual and budgeted costs are utilized to evaluate futuristic trends and seasonable patterns. In this manner, the organization can use not only the same standard costing mechanisms but also flexible patterns in order to help predict how costs may vary in case of such non standard practices like overtime production, or production in shorter timelines (Caplan, 2012). Caplan, D. (2012). Management Accounting: Concepts and Techniques. Retrieved June 27, 2012, from Oregon State University:

What can be done about prison overcrowding Research Proposal

What can be done about prison overcrowding - Research Proposal Example it was able to come up with additional resources to build prison cells, the increase of inmates has still proven to be too overwhelming for the government to keep up with. In California, some inmates have taken to sleeping on floors because of the shortage of cells (Lake â€Å"News†). In other parts of America, the early release of prisoners has been sought by prison administrators just to ease inmate population. America has been shelling out billions of dollars to support the prison system. â€Å"State prison systems spend more than $30 billion annually, and the Bureau of Prisons budgeted $5 billion for just 182,000 federal inmates this year† (Myser â€Å"Business†). This overcrowding problem is attributed to a variety of factors, from the economic to the sociological, to the political. On an economic standpoint, the increase of poverty rates has unfortunately contributed to the increase of criminal activities. Various societal problems also encourage and breed criminal behavior. Legislative changes and new laws like mandatory life sentences, the three-strike rule, and strict parole eligibility provisions have also served to increase prison population. Without the corresponding increase in funding and in prison cells, these numbers will continue to rise. This paper will discuss some possible solutions to the problem of prison overcrowding, the viability of these solutions, the risk of unintended or undesirable consequences to these solutions, and the practical impediments that could hamper the development, approval, and implementation of the proposed solutions. Solutions to prison overcrowding that will be discussed in this paper shall focus on measures to reduce the number of prisoners and not solutions to increase the number of prison cells. These solutions will be more long-term. Increasing the number of cells will not stop prison overcrowding, especially if more inmates will keep coming in and filling up the new cells. This paper suggests changes

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 17

Case study - Essay Example The major problem that arises from implementing rulings that enforce business ethics is that laws are always retrospective in nature. This means that no law will solve a problem that is not someway provided for in that law, and correspondingly, most business problems are not crimes till they have been recognized and a rule has been applied against them (Collins 2010, p. 15). Another problem seen in laws applying to business scenarios is that such laws tend to create a negative portrayal of the relationship between ethics and law. Common law can decree some key precedents at the time when dealing with business problems that are ethical, but then again if business ethics depend only in the compliance of legal statutes that is combined with common law, then ethics will be weakened in force (Collins 2010, p. 18). Due to the fact that the rulings in common laws are centered in precedent, It is quite possible that a certain company can figure out how to execute an unprincipled action that is flawlessly legal within the defined scopes of the law up to that particular point. Additionally, if it appears that there is no law which bans that act, then it is still legal (Collins 2010, p. 23). When the corporate laws focus on ethics as identical with conforming to the law, then the companies will not be barred from executing any act until the act is forbidden in either common law or official statute. An example that entails the relationship between law and business problems is the Ford Pinto case. The case involved a Ford pinto car model. The chief designer, Ford, in making the car, created a model that would statistically cause 180 fewer accidents per year (Collins 2010, p. 25). However, this alternative model would cost an extra $11 per model. Ford then used a cost benefit analysis in compliance with the common law and previous business ethics cases to decide whether or not to implement the

Preparing People to Manage, Support and Use of ERP systems Dissertation

Preparing People to Manage, Support and Use of ERP systems - Dissertation Example , the quantitative and qualitative data were subjected to both statistical and thematic analysis. The study has found that the employees who were investigated expressed that loss of control of the organisation and complexity of ERP were acceptable in their present organisation along with the effectiveness of the alignment of ERP to business process and strategy and the resistance of users. In addition, the study likewise found that Planning was a key enabler of ERP implementation, along with management of the project and education and training. The variable of culture has particularly been disagreed upon as an enabler of successful ERP implementation. In addition, it was also found that management of the project, education and training and involvement of users are all significant, positive predictors of effectiveness of ERP deployment. As such, a number of recommendations had been presented. Acknowledgements Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1.1. Background 9 1.2. Project Rationale 1 2 1.3.Project Aims and Objectives 13 1.3.1. Project Aims 13 1.3.2. Project Objectives 13 2. Literature Review 2.1. Introduction 14 2.2. ERP systems: A Brief Overview 14 2.2.1. The Importance of ERP systems 15 2.3. Obstacles to the Effective Implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning 19 2.4. Factors that Positively Affect Effective ERP Implementation 25 2.5. Empirical Studies 32 2.6. Conclusions 37 2.6.1. Key Conclusions 38 2.6.2. Refined Research Questions 40 3. Research Methodology 3.1. Introduction 41 3.2. Research Philosophy 41 3.3. Research Strategy 42 3.4. Data Generation Methods 43 3.5. Data Analysis 46 3.6. Sampling 46 3.7. Ethics 47 3.8. Limitations 48 3.9. Conclusions 48 4. Results and Discussion 4.1. Introduction 50 4.2. Questionnaire Analysis 50 4.3. Interviews Analysis 74 4.3.1. Business Process and Strategy 74 4.3.2. Loss of Control of the Organisation 74 4.3.3. Complexity of ERP 75 4.3.4. User Acceptance/ Resistance of Users 75 4.3.5. Planning and Management of the Project 76 4.3.6. Teamwork 76 4.3.7. Support from Top Management 77 4.3.8. Communication 78 4.3.9. Management of Change/Culture 78 4.3.10. Education and Training 79 4.3.11. Overall Effectiveness of the ERP Implementation 79 4.4. Discussion 4.4.1. Introduction 80 4.4.2. Obstacles in ERP Implementation 80 4.4.3. Enablers in ERP Implementation 83 4.5. Conclusions 85 5. Conclusions and Recommendations 5.1. Conclusions 87 5.1.1. Conclusion 1 87 5.1.2. Conclusion 2 88 5.2. Recommendations 5.2.1 Recommendations 1 89 5.2.2. Recommendations 2 89 6. Personal Reflection 90 Bibliography 91 Appendices 97 List of Tables Table 1. Items measuring obstacles in ERP implementation 46 Table 2. Items measuring enablers in ERP implementation. 49 Table 3. Gender: Frequency and percentage breakdown. 50 Table 4.. Age: Frequency and percentage breakdown. 51 Table 5. Level: Frequency and percentage breakdown. 52 Table 6. Tenure: Frequency and percentage breakdown. 59 Table 7. Descriptive statistics:

Case Study # 2 Lounge Talk Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

# 2 Lounge Talk - Case Study Example The way each of them handled issues were different and aligned to the leadership styles they used as stated earlier. A classical example presents itself when Dr. Werner helps Delores with planning skills and classroom management unlike Mr. Calbo, who covered the teacher up. For a fact, Dr. Warner is more interested with the professional development of the teachers and the students, which is coupled to the realization of the schools goals and objectives. Essentially, the students and teachers expect a different kind of treatment from the principles. Some of the teachers and students expect to have a loving and caring principal while the others expect the principles to be very decisive and dynamic. The differences in the way the teachers expect the principal to react bring about the difference in reaction to Dr. Werner. The teachers demonstrating excellence in their fields have a problem with the principle for the fact that they do not get the praises and reward as it were before with Mr. Calbo. Instead, the principle spends more time with the students and teachers with a few shortcomings. The approach is important and advantageous for the fact that there is development of the individuals involved. They gain better skills and self-management which works towards achieving the goals of the institution. For instance, the fact that the principle took time with Delores, there has been improved performance and increased productivity. At the same time, the students attending the trip with the teacher are likely to change their character and work towards excelling. This wholesomely works towards the individual level development and achieving of the organizational goals (Yang, 2008 P2 L 26-36). Mr. Calbo used the transactional leadership style while Dr. Werner used transformational leadership style. Mr.Calbo promoted the rewarding of the staff member. The staff members were paid for any activity they were involved in. Moreover, he lacked the vision and

The Rise of Cloud Computing in Telecommunication Industry Essay Example for Free

The Rise of Cloud Computing in Telecommunication Industry Essay Introduction â€Å"There was a time when every household, town, farm or village had its own water well. Today, shared public utilities give us access to clean water by simply turning on the tap; cloud computing works in a similar fashion.† That was the analogy used by Vivek Kundra, Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the United States Government to depict the use of cloud computing in today’s society. As the corporate world has embarked on the interactive platform of Web 2. 0, some companies are progressing one step ahead to experiment data communication with cloud computing. What is cloud computing? According to Mache Creeger in the article â€Å"Cloud Computing: An Overview†, cloud computing refers a model of shift in the delivery of architecture of information services and data for economic reasons (Creeger, 2009). In this paper, I will present a brief overview of how cloud computing operate, the role of cloud computing in telecommunication industry, the advantages and challenges involved in its implementation. How does cloud computing work? â€Å"Cloud† technically refers to the data center hardware and software used in providing a pay-as-you-go data service to the public. The term â€Å"private cloud†, on the other hand, is used by organizations to refer to their internal data centers (Armbrust, et al., 2010). Cloud computing can be divided into three types of services, namely software-as-a-service (SaaS) for WAN-enabled applications, platform-as-a-service (PaaS) for new applications, and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) for computational and storage infrastructure (Creeger, 2009). Armbrust, et al. April 2010. [Main components of cloud computing]. Retrieved from â€Å"A View of Cloud Computing† Journal Article. Sometimes, cloud is claimed to be nothing new in data services. Chris Rose, author of the article â€Å"A Break in The Cloud? The Reality of Cloud Computing†, suggests that cloud computing is the merging of existing technologies like networking and virtualization to provide new services that charges by usage (Rose, 2011). Fundamentally, the point of storing data in the cloud, compared to conventional data management, is its high accessibility from a shared and centralized hosts and low cost for the same reason. Not only that, it enables opportunities for enhanced collaboration on a shared common platform (Creeger, 2009). What does cloud computing mean to telecommunication business? Google, Amazon and Salesforce.com were among the earliest companies to set their footsteps in by building data architectures using cloud technology to support their applications. Following that was an increasing number of telecommunication companies around the globe such as KDDI, China Mobile, SingTel that were grabbing their pieces of the pie by joining the pioneers in delivering data services using cloud (Tobolski, Greenway, Tucker, 2011). For these companies, they foresaw cloud services as a lucrative loophole from traditional telecommunication. An article by Accenture entitled â€Å"Six Questions Every Telecommunications Senior Executive Should Ask about Cloud Computing† reports that â€Å"worldwide cloud services revenue was projected to surpass $56.3 billion in 2009, a 21.3 percent increase from 2008 revenue of $46.4 billion, according to Gartner, Inc. The market is expected to reach $150.1 billion in 2013.à ¢â‚¬  (Tobolski, Greenway, Tucker, 2011). Those figures are huge enough to boost revenues for the telecommunication players. Additionally, Tobolski and other authors points out in the same article that cloud computing allows companies to save cost by bypassing most expenses in installing and maintaining their own local data centers (Tobolski, Greenway, Tucker, 2011). These are among of the reasons more telecom companies are investing in the development of cloud technology. However, there are other reasons that make cloud computing an ideal option. For instance, the common application platform used in cloud allows sharing with third parties, hence allowing telecommunication companies to deploy services that either extend their services to or operate independently in cooperating with third parties (Creeger, 2009). They would enjoy a lot more flexibility and less rigidity in their operations with the advantages offered by cloud. Another article, â€Å"Privacy, Security and Trust in Cloud Computing, The Perspective of the Telecommunication Industry† also highlights that telecommunication industry is at a unique position to integrate and promote new cloud-based services by making use of its existing relationships with customers (Martucci, Zuccato, Smeets, Habib, Johansson, Shahmehri, 2012). Such effort would encourage more participation in cloud computing that helps it to grow immensely and gain trusts from more customers. Furthermore, their expertise in building and managing complex networks is another plus point to adopt cloud computing in meeting some industrial needs that traditional data technology was unable to provide (Tobolski, Greenway, Tucker, 2011). In another word, cloud computing can make up to what was previously lacking in the industry. From a technical stand, Internet Protocol (IP) infrastructure owned by telcos also lends itself well to cloud services compared to enterprise infrastructure (Gubbins, 2009). All these instances have proven that cloud computing is a good fit for the telecommunication industry in increasing revenues and efficiency as well as lowering operational costs. Advantages of Cloud Computing i. Economic Advantage/ Cost efficiency As mentioned previously, the application of cloud computing in managing data saves cost for telecommunication companies. How and how much do they save? According to Mache Creeger again, sharing resources and purchasing power of very large-scale multitenant data centers in using cloud can result in an obvious cost cut, from paying as much as $3.75 per month for a gigabyte of managed storage reduced to as low as only 10 to 15 cents per month with cloud storage (Creeger, 2009). For companies that are constantly allocating a huge chunk of expense on keeping their data, cloud computing seems exactly like the great solution to saving on that. This difference in price essentially owes it to the lower physical space of only about 1,000 square feet required in a cloud data center that uses virtualization, instead of 35,000 square feet for a conventional data center. Yet compared to server utilization of between 2 and 3 percent on a usual data center, the one in cloud with virtualization can g o up to 80 percent (Creeger, 2009). Another economic benefit for using cloud is in giving small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) the affordability to invest in a disaster recovery cost. Again using virtualization, disaster recovery mechanism is more cost-effective by requiring 1.05 times the cost of the infrastructure itself, instead of double of that cost if using typical disaster recovery (Creeger 3). Therefore, not only companies get to save on paying for the storage, they even get to pay a lower price to keep their data safe just because it’s a better technology. Additionally, there are other expenses involved in the operation of telecommunication data business that can be significantly reduced. Using the concept of economies of scale, operating on large-scaled cloud data centers at low-cost locations can produce a factor of 5 to 7 decrease in cost of electricity, network bandwidth, operations, software, and hardware (Armbust et al. 3). Armbrust, et al. April 2010. [Main components of cloud computing]. Retrieved from â€Å"A View of Cloud Computing† Journal Article. ii. Flexibility and Shift in Control Besides saving costs, shifting to cloud-based data services results in a certain level of flexibility and technical advantages to the companies. In contrast with traditional data services, cloud capable of being turned on and off as needed and easily expandable by attaching more servers (Joe Tobolski et al. 4). Hence, cloud is more customizable with better control to cater to the needs of different companies. Moreover, Creeger mentions in his article that the increased automation used in cloud computing is another advantage by eliminating the need for on-call system administrators (Creeger, 2009). This means the operation of data service under cloud computing are programmed well in advance without relying on manpower. The shift to a new technology that it is so flexible and cost-effective is almost similar to the technology shift from analog to digital signals. Therefore, it is not surprising if most of the telecommunication and data management companies decide to adopt cloud computi ng in the near future. Risks and Challenges In spite of all the benefits that cloud computing bring to the telecommunication and data industry, it is not without risks in its application. In fact, there is a list of challenges posed by cloud computing that different parties are debating and companies are seeking for solutions. In dealing with data, especially sensitive and confidential ones, security and control have always been one of the major concerns. According to the article â€Å"Privacy, Security and Trust in Cloud Computing, The Perspective of the Telecommunication Industry†, In cloud computing services, telecommunication providers in have to share customers’ data with cloud computing providers in providing cloud computing services so the challenge is in ensuring they do not lose control over the customers’ data and identity (Martucci, Zuccato, Smeets, Habib, Johansson, Shahmehri, 2012). However, Creeger provides a different stand in addressing this challenge in his article. According to him, trusting information assets to a recognized and established cloud service provider could increase the security of customers’ data. Also, many data centers would continuously research and develop better ways to secure their infrastructure and data processed (Creeger, 2009). While no major data breaches cases involving cloud were heard of up to this point, telecom companies simply cannot afford the risking their customers’ data before assured that cloud computing services are at least as safe and stable as the traditional data services. Standardization is another challenge faced by companies in delivering cloud services. There is currently a lack of standardized interfaces for cloud computing and telecommunication services to integrate and it seems that the developers are only interested in making the components cross-compatible between different platforms (Martucci, Zuccato, Smeets, Habib, Johansson, Shahmehri, 2012). It may sound like a temporary solution and as the technologies mature, they will decide if standardized interfaces are necessary after all. This is just part of the lack of measurement standards that make evaluating the performance of cloud-provided services less possible at this moment. Besides security and standards, transparency of the cloud market could be a challenge if telecom companies are smart enough in maintaining good relationships with customers. Cloud computing services would be portrayed as the same as any Internet services and hence when the services go down, people would blog, post and tweet about it and share with people around the world. For example, a service outage that cut 14 percent of Google users from services in 2009 caused an outrage on social media channels (Tobolski, Greenway, Tucker, 2011). Consequently, this would negatively affect the reputation of the service providers. Therefore, aside being its part in avoiding service failures, telecom companies have to take part in social media and respond to customers’ feedbacks and complaints. These risks and challenges are not impossible to overcome but require time and collaborations between cloud providers and telecom computing to produce more promising security and standard. Conclusion Even with a relatively new emergence, cloud computing has a sophisticated and established infrastructure, ready to provide data services for the next generation of service providers. Cloud computing is a technology created to stay in the industry and continue to grow as telecommunication and other corporate companies jump on the bandwagon to benefits from it. While the advantages of implementing cloud computing seem appealing in terms of cost and technical flexibility, companies should always consider its drawbacks and understand the risks before proceeding with the adoption of this technology. With cloud computing becoming part of the telecommunication industry, it brings a new hope to the companies in generating more revenues and overcoming the weaknesses of traditional data services. Hence, it would also improve the quality of service in delivering and managing customers’ data Bibliography Armbrust, M., Fox, A., Griffith, R., Joseph, A. D., Katz, R., Konwinski, A., et al. (2010, April). A view of cloud computing. Communications of the ACM, 53(4), pp. 50-58. Creeger, M. (2009, June). Cloud Computing: An Overview. Queue Distributed Computing, 7(5). Gubbins, E. (2009, May). How Telcos Could Conquer The Cloud. Telephony, 250(5), pp. 34-35. Martucci, L. A., Zuccato, A., Smeets, B., Habib, S. M., Johansson, T., Shahmehri, N. (2012). Privacy, Security and Trust in Cloud Computing: The Perspective of the Telecommunication Industry . Ubiquitous IntelligenceComputing and 9th International Conference on AutonomicTrusted Computing (UIC/ATC), (pp. 627 632 ). Sweden. Rose, C. (2011). A Break In The Cloud? The Reality of Cloud Computing. International Journal of Management Information Systems, 15(4), 59-63. Tobolski, J., Greenway, A., Tucker, W. (2011, February 15). Six Questions Every Telecommunications Senior Executive Should Ask About Cloud Computing. USA.

Social Workers Roles and Benefits of PTSD Treatment

Social Workers Roles and Benefits of PTSD Treatment Ethel Jones Abstract Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that affects a disproportionate percentage of the military population, particularly within those populations of veterans who have served in combat deployments. This mental disorder manifests within patients in various ways, but is often triggered by events or perceived events that are associated with the patients own traumatic event. Comorbidity with other disorders, such as substance abuse disorders, is also common in many patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, often making treatment methods difficult. As a social worker, it is imperative to know the symptoms of PTSD and remain current regarding effective treatments so clients can be given the best available resources for the disorders management. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental illness that many veterans endure after experiencing the stresses and witnessing traumas during combat deployments. This mental condition is not limited to the exposure to combat-related trauma; Fry (2016) noted that this problem develops following exposure to a stressful event or a situation of an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature (para. 1). Characteristics of this disorder include increased tension, reliving the traumatic event and avoidance of stimuli related to the traumatic event (Fokkens et al., 2015, p. 569). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) also addressed other cognitive alterations, such as detachment or disinterest in activities or loved ones and a distorted perception about themselves or others. For combat veterans, Allen, Crawford, and Kudler (2016) found PTSD to be the Department of Veterans Affairs leading diagnosis. It is now estimated that up to 30 percent of veterans who have served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder. The impact and experiences of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder is rarely limited to the veteran. While most research has focused on the PTSD victim, it is also important to note the devastating effect that the disorder has on the victims immediate family as well. Yambo et al. (2016) found in a study of military spouses a radically changed life after a return or returns from combat deployment. Concurrent treatment for both the PTSD patient and their spouses and children can provide significant benefits by strengthening family resiliency and expediting the management of PTSD symptoms. Researchers are also noting that simultaneously occurring disorders with a PTSD diagnosis can further complicate treatment efforts. In their findings, Allen et al. (2016) found that alcohol abuse co-occurred often with both men and women with PTSD, suggesting that alcohol abuse was often used as a self-medication method of coping with PTSD symptoms (135). Throughout the military population in general, the rate of alcohol abuse is disproportionately large, many soldiers self-reported an increase of alcohol abuse after exposure to intense combat situations (Allen et al., 2017). Popular treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder include both psychotherapeutic and pharmacological approaches. The use of Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) have been found effective for the treatment of PTSD (Allen et al., 2017). In controlled environments and using different methods, patients are confronted with triggering stimuli and taught methods that will enable them to cope with those stimuli outside their clinical settings (Allen et al., 2017). It is imperative for social workers to recognize co-occurring diagnoses when evaluating clients for treatment and additional resources. References Allen, J. P., Crawford, E. F., Kudler, H. (2016). Nature and treatment of comorbid alcohol problems and post-traumatic stress disorder among American military personnel and veterans. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 38(1), 133-140. Fokkens, A. S., Groothoff, J. W., van der Klink, J. J. L., Popping, R., Stewart, R. E., van de Ven, L., Brouwer, S., Tuinstra, J. (2015). The mental disability military assessment tool: A reliable tool for determining disability in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 25(3), 569-576. Fry, M. (2016). Post traumatic stress disorder. Practice Nurse, 46(2), 30-34. Wade, N. R. (2016). Integrating cognitive processing therapy and spirituality for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in the military. Social Work Christianity, 43(3), 59-72. Yambo, T. W., Johnson, M. E., Delaney, K. R., Hamilton, R., Miller, A. M., York, J. A. (2016). Experiences of military spouses of veterans with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 48(6), 543-551.

The Viewpoint Of Developers Background Of Study Construction Essay

The Viewpoint Of Developers Background Of Study Construction Essay Nowadays, building quality has been one of the important factors to satisfy customers. The priority of the customer is mainly based on quality rather than cost. In todays economy competition, it is getting more fierce and cruel than before. Products with good quality can attact buyers to purchase, therefore the pressure has been formed from customers leads the developers to provide the building product with excellence quality (Connections Magazine 2003). Connie (2001) acknowledges that facilities, exterior and interior design are included in building quality. Due to the inconsistency in construction quality, the naissance of Construction Quality Assessment System or CONQUAS by the Construction Industry Development Board Singapore (now known as the Building and Construction Authority (BCA)), in conjunction with major public agencies and some leading industry professional bodies and organisations, had been designed to measure the construction quality level in construction industry in year 1988 (The National House Buyer Association 2008a). The CONQUAS has been evolved in seventh edition which renamed as CONQUAS 21. Although having the different name, but still, QLASSIC aka Construction Industry Standard (CIS:7) serves the same objectives as CONQUAS 21. Quality Assessment System in Construction or QLASSIC was developed by Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia together with various professional bodies, association, universities and government agencies to resolve the inconsistency construction quality. It is designed to standardise the quality standards in construction, to evaluate the performance of the construction, to have a proper standard of assessment system as well as to collect data for statistical analysis to continually improve quality of construction (The National House Buyer Association 2008a). In other words, QLASSIC can be served as a quality yard stick for the construction industry and is able to let outsiders to compare relatively and quantitatively the quality of workmanship between construction projects. Furthermore, some developers can set a CONQUAS score as a target for contractor to achieve (Building and Construction Authority 2008). Once the contractor has reached the targeted score, he will be awarded, but if the contractor is below the base line, he will be penalised. This will encourage the contractor to provide a superior building product. Both CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC are an independent assessment which is conducted by inspectors from BCA Singopore or CIDB Malaysia. Sample of building will be selected randomly and inspected to represent the quality of overall project, means that the inspection will not evaluate and measure every single unit in the project (The National House Buyer Association 2008a). Problem Statement Recently, people are more concerned about quality achieved in building project. So, many people will hesitate whether the property is up to the standard and worth to purchase with the amount of money that they pay (The National House Buyer Association 2008a)? Building project with high quality can ensure future marketability and enhances the clients confidence to the building (Building and Construction Authority 2008). Therefore, developers should deliver the final building product with high quality standard to the purchasers. Quality is always being emphasized in a construction project, the establishment of CONQUAS 21 or QLASSIC is an additional assurance for the developers to ensure the quality of the workmanship in the project is infallible. Moreover, the result of the assessment can present impartially the overall quality of the completed project as well as represent the performance of the building by the developer and the contractor. Furthermore, the higher score of the building can give a great sense of confidence to the house buyers to purchase the houses. However, some developers in Malaysia are adopting either CONQUAS 21 or QLASSIC to ensure the quality of the product. There is no study being conducted regarding the preference of application of these two assessment methods. Therefore, a study on preference of application between CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC will be proposed to find out the preference of developers. At the meantime, the researcher also wants to compare the application between CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC and to determine the advantages of applying CONQUAS or QLASSIC. Finally, the researcher also wants to find out the constraints when implementing CONQUAS 21 or QLASSIC. Project aim and objectives Aim The aim of this research is to study the preference of application between CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC from the viewpoint of developers Objectives In order to achieve the aim mentioned above, several objectives are created. To compare the application of CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC; To determine the advantages of applying CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC in construction projects; To examine the problems or constraints when implementing CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC in construction projects; To find out the preference of developers in the application of CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC and the reasons. Key Questions The following key questions are formed in order to achieve the objectives: What are the differences between application of CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC? What are the advantages of applying CONQUAS 21 or QLASSIC? What are the constrains or problems to be faced when implementing CONQUAS 21 or QLASSIC? Which type of construction quality assessment system is more preferred among Malaysian developers? Importance and benefits of study This study is to find out the preference of developers on application of CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC. This can gather the opinions from developers in order to determine which construction quality assessment system is more preferred among Malaysian developers. Besides, this study also can increase the level of awareness for the Malaysian developers who do not apply either CONQUAS 21 or QLASSIC. Other than that, the research also focuses on the advantages and constraints in applying CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC. The benefits of this study provide better understanding to the developers about the advantages when applying CONQUAS 21 or QLASSIC and encourage them to apply either system for further improvement in the quality aspects of construction projects. Besides, this study highlights the constraints when implementing CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC so that developers are aware of these issues and able to avoid or mitigate them for effective application of the aforesaid construction quality system in their construction projects. Scope of study To achieve the objectives mentioned, this study will just focus on two construction quality assessment systems, namely, CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC. This research does not include other construction quality assessment system such as European Association for Quality Assurance (ENQA), Project Quality Performance in Hong Kong developed by Chan (2001) and Blueprint in United States developed by the Quality Performance Measurement Task Force (QPMTF) of Construction Industry Institute (CII) (Stevens 1996). Additionally, the researcher will conduct an in-depth study on the advantages and constraints of applying CONQUAS 21 or QLASSIC. The researcher will also cover the preferences of application between CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC from the viewpoint of developers. Data collection will be done by conducting a structured interview among developers in Malaysia to ascertain the advantages and constraints of applying CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC and to find out the preferences of developers in the application of CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC and the reason. Due to time constraint, the structure interview will be conducted on developers, which are registered under Construction Industry Developer Board (CIDB) within Selangor and Kuala Lumpur area only. Thus, the contractors as well as developers from other states will not be considered for this study. Methodology In order to achieve the objectives of this study, there are two methods to be used to collect data, they are respectively the primary data sources and secondary sources. Primary Data Sources The second, third and fourth objectives, which are determining the advantages of applying CONQUAS 21 or QLASSIC, problem or constrains when implementing CONQUAS 21 or QLASSIC and preference of the developer in application of CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC and the reasons, can be obtained by conducting structured interview. Structure interview will be conducted with developers who adopted both CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC in the previous or current projects. The interview mentioned will be conducted within Selangor and Kuala Lumpur area. Secondary Data Sources Literature review is an essential material for researchers to enhance basic knowledge regarding to the research topic. Journal articles, government articles, newspapers, journals, books, magazines and internal research are used in secondary data sources. The review from those sources would complement the information for the first, second and third objective, which are compare the differences between application of CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC, advantages and constrains of applying CONQUAS 21 or QLASSIC. Besides, information can also be obtained from library at TARC, National Library and the resources centre of CIDB. Figure 1. Outline of research proposal Literature Review Quality Philosophy Definition of Quality The word of quality has a wide definition and it is an elusive concept, because different people view it differently (Joel E.Ross 2009). It can be further proven by Kerzners (2009, p.875) study, he indicated that quality cannot be defined accurately, the major reason for quality depends on the view of the customer. Quality is always treated as a complicated term, the explanation is inadequate to help a quality professional fully understand the concept. However, quality experts define quality in a different way as well, which is based on the customers perspective, speciafication-based prespective (Assignment Expert n.d.). However, there is a modern definition derived by Prof.R.K.Gupta (2008) that quality is fitness for intended use. It can be explained as meeting or exceeding customer expectations. It can be further defined as the degree of fulfillment of customer needs and expectations by a supplier or service provider. Undoubtedly, quality is an essential element in a series of activities that has been preceived and value much by end users, not the suppliers. There are seven essentials of measuring quality, they are Functions, Safety, Aesthetics, Reliability, Longevity (product lift and maintenance), Service-delivery (effectiveness of marketing channel) and customer communication (effectiveness of communication channel). Those are the main elements to cover customers satisfaction and developers preception about quality of product (Prof.R.K.Gupta 2008). Davids study (cited in Joel E.Ross 2009) stated that quality can be summarised into five principal approaches, which are transcendentel view of quality, product-based view, user-based view, manufacturing-based view, and value-based view. The explanation of each view is shown as below: Transcendental view of quality cannot be defined, but it can be differentiated by looking product. For instance, advertisement. Product-based view quality is deemed as quantifiable and measurable characteristics. For instance, measure products durability or reliability (e.g. mean time of failure or finish) and design the product to the benchmark. Although this approach has a lot of benefit, but it has restriction as well. In fact, quality is mostly based on individual taste or preference, therefore the benchmark for measuring may be misleading. User-based view products that meet customers preferences are esteemed as highest quality. This may lead to two problems, one is the differences of customers preferences and the other is the difficulty of unifying the different preferences of customers. This approach can identify the products that meet the needs of major customers. Manufacturing-based view products are complied with the requirements, or specification. This concept applies to both services and products. Good quality product is not necessary in the eye of end-user but in the standards or specification set by the organisation. Value-based view quality is defined in terms of costs, prices and other attributes. Therefore, the materialization of customers decision mostly depends on the quality at an acceptable price. Evolution of Quality There is a changing view of quality during the past twenty years, so improvement of quality is occured from time to time. Quality improvement not only focused in product but also services (Harold kerzner 2009, p.875). Additionally, Harold kerzner has introduced a changing view of quality from past to present as shown in table 2.1. Table 2. Changing views of quality Past Present Quality is the responsibility of blue-collar workers and direct labour employees working on the floor Quality is everyones responsibility, including white-collar workers, the indirect labour force, and the overhead staff Quality defects should be hidden from the customer (and possibily management) Defect should be highlighted and brought to the surface for corrective action Quality problems lead to blame, faulty justification, and excuses Quality problems lead to cooperative solutions Corrections-to-quality problems should be accomplished with minimum documentation Documentation is essential for lesson learned so that mistakes are not repeated Increased quality will increase project costs Improved quality saves money and increases business Quality is internally focused Quality is customer focused Quality will not occur without close supervision of people People want to ptoduce quality product Quality occurs during project execution Quality occurs at project initiation and must be planned for within the project (Source: Harold kerzner 2009, p.875). Importance of Quality There is no doubt that quality is extremely important because it will bring benefits. The benefits can be divided into two, they are internal benefits and external benefits. The figure 2.1 below shows the internal benefits and external benefits from good quality. (Source: Abhiman DasMulmi 2009, p.7) Figure 2. Internal benefits and external benefits from good quality Historical Perspectives of Total Quality Management There are four stages of evolution of Total Quality Management, they are Quality Inspection, Quality Control, Quality Assurance and Total Quality Management (TQM) (UTM 2003). Figure 2.2 shows the four stages of Quality Management. Abhiman DasMulmi (2009) recogonised that quality management is also a hirarchical process which is initiated with rough inspection and then developed through quality control, followed by quality assurance under the wider management approach of TQM. Figure 2.3 shows the different characteristics of different stages in TQM. The concept of TQM has been developed since 1950 by various American experts. Among the experts, W Edwards Deming, Joeseph Juran and A.V.Feigenbaum have contributed significantly in developing the concept of TQM. Quality Inspection Abhiman DasMulmi (April 2009) has stated that in order to ensure the basic level of quality to be accomplish, the most suitable use of quality control will be quality inspection. Once the inspector found out the poor quality product which is separated from the acceptable quality product, the product would be scrapped, reworked or sold as lower quality. Therefore, the method of inspection mainly sorts out the conformance and non-conformance of the product, it usually is done by visual inspection or testing (UTM 2003). (Source: Dale 1994) Figure 2. Four stages of quality management Quality Control (QC) Due to industrial advancement, it came to second stage of TQM development. Quality control is a stage above inspection (Abhiman DasMulmi April 2009). The quality was controlled through supervised skills, written specification, measurement and standardisation (Prof. Alessandro Brun 2010-2011). The process of QC involves monitoring and then utilizing statistical techniques to make decision. Quality standard of products and services can be improved and maintained through QC (Abhiman DasMulmi April 2009). Quality Assurance (QA) Quality assurance (QA) is the third stages of quality evolution. It is aim to provide products and services that fulfill customers expectations and needs (UTM 2003). QA can be defined as a process of checking, correcting and controlling is conducted in such a manner that the manufacture/ service providers are aware that all stages of the process are being conducted correctly with the specified standard (Abhiman DasMulmi April 2009). Other activities such as comprehensive quality manuals, use of cost of quality, development of process control and auditing of quality systems are also developed in order to progress from quality control to the quality assurance (UTM 2003). Total Quality Management (TQM) Total Quality Management is the last stages of this development, it involves the understanding and implementation of quality management principles and concepts in every aspect of activities. (Prof. Alessandro Brun 2010-2011) The purpose of TQM is to fully utilise these activities to provide customers with best quality products or services at the lowest cost. Additionally, continually improve quality is the main aim of TQM to become a winning strategy to gain customer loyalty (UTM 2003). (Source: Chew 2000) Figure 2. Different characteristics of different stages in TQM 2.2 Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC) Construction Quality Assessment System (CONQUAS 21) Introduction In current scenario in Construction Industry, performance of completed product can be measured by implementing either QLASSIC or CONQUAS 21. Both of them are an independent assessment carried out by assessors to inspect, evaluate and measure the quality of workmanship. QLASSIC Quality Assessment System in Construction or QLASSIC is an independent method that developed by CIDB Malaysia to assess and evaluate the construction work which done by workman based on the approved standard (CIDB n.d.). On other hand, QLASSIC also act as a benchmark for contractor to achieve and maintain the quality of construction work (CIDB 2011) According to Ali Faizal (n.d.), QLASSIC is a standard which expected to reduce contentious disputes between relevent parties such as architects, engineers, developers, purchasers, contractor regarding on constitution of acceptable quality and to ensure that the interest of buyers or purchasers is secured. CONQUAS 21 Since year 1989, Construction Quality Assessment System or CONQUAS is introduced in Singapore to serve as a standard assessment system on building project. In year 1998, several features was added into CONQUAS by BCA, therefore, CONQUAS has evolved in a new edition which renamed as CONQUAS 21 (Building and Construction Authority 2008). Comparison Both quality assessment systems served as a same function to assess and evaluate the quality of workmanship of building project based on the approved standard. Besides, both of them are carried out through site inspection by assessors that have no any relationship with that particular project. Marks will be given after the assessment system is completed. Additionally, regardless of QLASSIC and CONQUAS, both of them are act as a benchmark for contractor to achieve and maintain the quality of construction work. Objective CONQUAS 21 was designed with three objectives while the QLASSIC was designed with five objectives. Those objectives was designed and developed for the users to achieve. QLASSIC (CIDB 2006) To standardize the level of quality of the construction industry in Malaysia; To measure the quality of workmanship of building project by implementing standard quality assessment system; To measure quality of workmanship of a building project based on approved standard; To appraise the performance of contractors based on quality of workmanship; and To collect data for statistical analysis CONQUAS 21 (BCA 2008) To have a standard quality assessment system to assess quality of workmanship for construction works To make quality assessment objective by Measuring constructed work against workmanship standard and specification Using a sampling approach to suitably represent the whole project To enable quality assessment to be carried out systematically within timeframe budget Comparison On the whole, most of the objectives between CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC are same, just present in different wording. The similarity of the objectives between both quality assessment systems is having a standard quality assessment to evaluate the quality of workmanship and measure construction work against workmanship standard and specification. There are some differences between CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC. Firstly, one of the objectives of CONQUAS 21 is to enable quality assessment to be carried out systematically within time frame and budget. Secondly, QLASSIC is designed with another two objectives, they are to appraise the performance of contractors based on quality of workmanship and to collect data for statistical analysis. Scope In general, scope has been defined as the area or extent of an activity (Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary 2010). CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC have set out their scope or the covered area of the assessment. Therefore, both of the quality assessment systems set out the standards for various aspects of construction work (BCA 2008). Assessment on the quality of workmanship is carried out based on the various construction elements in the project and marks awarded are then summed up to give a total quality score for the building project (CIDB 2006). QLASSIC (CIDB 2006) Main elements to be covered in Quality Assessment System are as follows: Structural works Architectural works Mechanical Electrical works External works The above mentioned components can be further broken into different items such as internal finishes, external finishes, roof, sanitary work, electrical work and so on. However, the works such as piling, heavy foundation and sub-structure works which are heavily equipment-based and called under separate contracts or sub-contracts are excluded. Undoubtedly, assessment is primarily based on workmanship standard through site inspection and field testing. Therefore, assessment on structural work and ME works is carried out during the construction process, while for completed building project, assessment on architectural, ME fitting and external works is executed to measure the quality of workmanship. Other than site inspection, test on the material and the functional performance of selected services and installation also will be included in the assessment. Those tests can protect the interest of occupants in term of safety, comfort and aesthetic defects which will be surfaced only after some time. CONQUAS 21 (BCA 2008) Main components to be covered in CONQUAS are as follows: Structural works Architectural works Mechanical Electrical works The above mentioned components can be further broken into different item such as internal finishes, external finishes, roof, sanitary work, electrical work and so on. However, the works such as piling, heavy foundation and sub-structure works which are heavily equipment-based, buried or covered and called under separate contracts or sub-contracts are excluded. Undoubtedly, assessment is primarily based on workmanship standard through site inspection and field testing. Therefore, assessment on structural work and ME works is carried out during the construction process, while for completed building project, assessment is only carried out on architectural work to measure the quality of workmanship. Other than site inspection, test on the material and the functional performance of selected services and installation also will be included in the assessment. Those tests can protect the interest of occupants in term of safety, comfort and aesthetic defects which will be surfaced only after some time. Comparison It is obviously shown that there are four components covered in the QLASSIC while three components for the CONQUAS 21. The only difference between them is QLASSIC has an additional component, which is External works. In fact, the external work of CONQUAS 21 is grouped together with structural work. Due to the additional component of QLASSIC, there are slightly differences on the quality assessment. For better understanding, the following table shows the differences of the quality assessment between them. Table 2. Comparison of Components to be Tested Between QLASSIC and CONQUAS 21 Components to be tested QLASSIC During Construction process Structural works and Mechanical Electrical works. Completed Building Architectural works, Mechanical Electrical works and External works. Components to be Assessed QLASSIC (CIDB 2006) For the QLASSIC, the assessment is divided into 4 components: Structural works Structural is always deemed as an importance element of whole building because it might incur big amount of failure and repair cost once it failure. Therefore, the assessment of structural work comprises: Site inspection of formwork, steel reinforcement, prefabricated or pre-cast elements, etc during construction. Laboratory testing of compressive strength of concrete and tensile strength of steel reinforcement. Non-destructive testing of the cover and the uniformity of hardened concrete. Architectural works Architectural works are mainly deal with the finishes. The quality and standards of workmanship can be showed obviously through the finishes. Floors, ceiling, window and door and internal wall, fittings and fixtures, external wall, roofs, driveway, apron and porch are works under architectural. Mechanical and Electrical (ME) works The quality of ME works is also important because it might impact the performance of the building once its failure and high cost is involve in rectification works and installation works as well. Electrical works, air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation works (ACMV), fire protection works, sanitary and plumbing works, lifts, escalator and other basic ME fittings are covered under the assessment. External works Lastly, the external works cover the general external works elements in building construction such as the link ways/shelter, drains, road works, car parks, footpaths, turfings, playgrounds, gates and fences, swimming pools, hardscapes and electrical substation. CONQUAS 21 (BCA 2008) For the CONQUAS 21, the assessment is divided into 4 components: Structural works Structural is always deemed as an importance element of whole building because it might incur big amount of failure and repair cost once it failure. Therefore, the assessment of structural work comprises: Site inspection of formwork, steel reinforcement, prefabricated or pre-cast elements, etc during construction. Laboratory testing of compressive strength of concrete and tensile strength of steel reinforcement. Non-destructive testing of the cover and the uniformity of hardened concrete. Architectural works Architectural works are mainly deal with the finishes. The quality and standards of workmanship can be showed obviously through the finishes. The assessment covers the following: Site inspection of floors, internal walls, ceiling, window and door, fittings, roof, external walls of the building. Material functional tests such as window water-tightness, wet area water-tightness and adhesion of internal wall tiles. Installation of waterproofing for internal wet areas also included in the process of assessment. Mechanical and Electrical (ME) works The quality of ME works is also important because it might impact the performance of the building once its failure and high cost is involve in rectification works and installation works as well. Electrical works, air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation works (ACMV), fire protection works, sanitary and plumbing works, lifts, escalator and other basic ME fittings are covered under the assessment. The stages of the assessment include: Site inspection of installed works before they are concealed such as the concealed pipes Site inspection of final installed works such as the Air-Handling units (AHU), cooling tower, fire alarm control panel, etc. Performance tests on selected works such as earthing test, dry riser test and water pressure test, etc. Comparison The components of CONQUAS 21 and QLASSIC are quite similar. However, there is only one difference, it is CONQUAS 21 does not have external works. In fact, the external works was grouped together with structural works. The following tables are the comparison of sub-components to be assessed between QLASSIC and CONQUAS 21: Structural works Table 2. Comparison of Sub-Components to be Assessed between QLASSIC and CONQUAS 21 (Structural Works) Sub components to be assessed QLASSIC CONQUAS 21 Part 1: Reinforced Concrete Structures Formwork à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Reinforcement (Cash in-situ and Precast) à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Finished Concrete (Cash in-situ and Precast) à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Precast Specific Requirements à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Structure Quality à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Non-Destructive Testing à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Part 2: Structural Steel Works Main Member/ Partial Assembled Component à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Metal Decking à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Erection Tolerances à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Corrosion and Fire Protection à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Welding Test Reports à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Part 3: Pre-Stressed Concrete Condition of Tendons Anchorages à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Installation of Sheathing à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Stressing Grouting Process à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Debondling à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ (Source: CIDB 2006 and BCA 2008) Architectural works Table 2. Comparison of Sub-Components to be Assessed between QLASSIC and CONQUAS 21 (Architectural Works) Sub-components to be assessed QLASSIC CONQUAS