The School Board Health Plan - 863 Words

School Board Health Plan Public school foods have the most impact on childhood obesity, and the board has decided to set a plan to terminate this issue. Studies show that most teenagers are obese due to an improper balance of calories, and calories being burned. If this issue continues in the life of an adolescent, it can bring a great deal of diseases in the future. If studies have demonstrated anything is that obesity in America is an epidemic that starts at an early age. Consequently, there is a considerable amount of meticulous steps the board will take to achieve success. The health plan will bring tremendous beneficial results to children also society as a whole. Childhood obesity is one of the major health problems in America today, and it is rooted to unhealthy school nutrition. In the first place, an incorrect caloric balance is the obvious reason for obesity, but a conclusion can be made that this is tied in with terrible school nutrition. â€Å"In most cases (95%-99%), childhood obesity is caused by caloric imbalance, meaning more calories are consumed than are expended†, it is evident that children eat a portion of their meal at their school, and moreover resulting in bad nutrition choices(Faguy,2016,p.283). With the abundant amount of junk food in vending machines ranging from chips to sodas it is nearly impossible to eat healthy. The repetitive and fattening school lunch becomes a routine meal for the students, resulting in little to no real choice to eat healthyShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Public School Foods On Childhood Obesity859 Words   |  4 PagesPublic school foods have the most impact on childhood obesity, and the board has decided to set a plan to terminate this issue. Studies show that most teenagers are obese due to an improper b alance of calories, and calories being burned. If this issue continues in the life of an adolescent, it can bring a great deal of diseases in the future. If studies have demonstrated anything is that obesity in America is an epidemic that starts at an early age. Consequently, there is a considerable amount ofRead MoreOutline Of Policy Development Process Outline1058 Words   |  5 PagesEDU108.Part B: Policy Development Process Outline Policy Idea: Strive to be the best policy Purpose of / Need for the Policy: Our school has high expectations for academic success and conduct, that are clearly outlined, assessable, and no excuses are made because of the upbringing of students. Students, teachers, parents, and staff initiate and reinforce a culture of achievement and encouragement with a range of formal rewards and consequences for behavior and academic performance. Person ResponsibleRead MoreEssay about Research Proposal Thesis, Major Points, Plan649 Words   |  3 PagesResearch Proposal-Thesis, Major Points, and Plan The topic I will be writing on will be, â€Å"Should changes be made to the regulations for food that are served in public schools?† Our children are being fed unhealthy food and it needs to stop! Good nutrition is very important to our health and there is a high level of concern these days. I have 4 children and 2 of them are teenagers. They are always saying how unhealthy and horrible their lunch is. I have looked at the lunch menus and they areRead MoreThe Mission At Zebulon B. Vance High School1646 Words   |  7 Pages The mission at Zebulon B. Vance High School â€Å"is to graduate young adults who are self-directed, intellectually engaged citizens ready for college, career, and life.† Furthermore, it is a communal belief that â€Å"all students can learn and achieve at a high level; that an open channel of communication among faculty; students and parents is vital to cultivating student respect, responsibility, and independence; a commitment from all stakeholders creates a safe and nurturing environment through academicRead MoreFederal Administrative Law And The Department Of Education1185 Words   |  5 Pagesrules and regulations set by educational agencies are followed to maintain funding. Federal Administrative Law In 1867, the Department of Education (ED) agency was developed to improve the school system, by collecting data on schools and teaching in an effort to build effective schools (An Overview of the U.S. Department of Education, n.d., para 4). The mission of ED continues to promote improvement in the education system by creating programs that impact all levels of education (AnRead MoreThe Collective Bargaining And Negotiation Process789 Words   |  4 PagesAlmost everyone employed by a school district may participate in a collective bargaining unit or an organized group of job positions represented by an association. The association then participates in a joint decision-making process, involving direct negotiations to determine wages, hours of work or other terms and conditions of employment for all employees in that unit. The collective bargaining process between a board of education and any association of united teachers, service personnel or administratorsRead MoreSw ann V. Charlotte Mecklenburg892 Words   |  4 PagesMecklenburg 1) Complete Citation: SWANN v. BOARD OF EDUCATION, 402 U.S. 1 (1971) 2) Parties involved in the case: Plaintiff: Swann Defendant: Board of Education (Charlotte-Mecklenburg) 3) Dates: Argued: October 12, 1970 Decided: April 20, 1971 4) Facts: Since the verdict made by the Supreme Court on the Brown v. Board of Education case, little enactment was made in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina’s school structure. There are 107 schools altogether, in which the student populationRead MoreNursing As A Organizational Profile1221 Words   |  5 PagesOrganizational Profile Organization This paper will outline the health care service of educating nurses at the bachelor, masters and doctorate level education at a private catholic university in the Pacific Northwest. The primary aim of the university is to provide high quality education to prepare students for success in their chosen career and in life. The university provided small class sizes to allow personal connection between students and professors (Catholic Profile, 2017). Service OfferingsRead MoreSchool Reform Speech1110 Words   |  5 Pagessignificant growth in county and school populations. We well behind in per pupil spending and singular focus on tax rate over all other issues have left us behind all our peer counties in school funing and teacher pay. Not only that, we had a shortage of behavioral health services, our fire service budget and pay paln were archaic, we had unspent resources for cultural and sports projects, and we had a frozen and underfunded library system. A long dealyaed transit plan languaigehd and gathered dustRead MoreSwann v. Charlotte935 Words   |  4 Pagesv. Charlotte-Mecklenberg Board of Education Even after the Supreme Court decision in 1954 in the Brown v. Board of Education case, very little had actually been done to desegregate public schools. Brown v. Board of Education ordered the end to separate but equal and the desegregation of public schools; however, the court provided no direction for the implementation of its decision. Authority was pushed to the Attorney Generals of each state to create and submit plans to proceed with desegregation

Victimless Crime and His/her Business Thrive Free Essays

ss Possession and carrying a firearm or the illegal purchase of a firearm is indeed a victimless crime. The possession of a firearm is a victimless crime because no one is harmed in the process, no one is complaining about the activities, and you are not leaving a victim behind. These offenses are not usually listed as victimless crimes because people believe guns kill people. We will write a custom essay sample on Victimless: Crime and His/her Business Thrive or any similar topic only for you Order Now While you are in the process of a legal or illegal purchase of a firearm, no one is being harmed in the process. A salesman is selling and a buyer is buying, it is as simple as that. The gun is being transferred from POINT A to POINT B. Even in the case of the purchase of an illegal firearm the case is same. The salesman is not aware of the buyers intentions. There is absolutely no harm being done in the transaction of a purchase. The gun is not going to load itself in the case and fire off. Also while you are in the process of purchasing a legal or an illegal firearm, neither side of the party is complaining about the activities that are taking place. The salesman is making a sale, and is content on making his/her business thrive. The buyer is buying a product that he/she is inquiring about. In this case, a firearm and in conclusion no harm is done. During the purchase of a legal or an illegal firearm, there is no damage being done at that moment. No damage to property nor to any people. Therefore you are not leaving behind a victim. When you purchase anything, there is no harm being done in any case. For example; you are not harming anyone when you are purchasing a pizza, or purchasing a slurpee at a mini market, or buying you monthly groceries for your home. It is simply a harmless purchase and no damage is being done. These offenses are not usually listed as victimless crimes because people believe that guns kill people, when in fact people with guns kill people. Some other examples of â€Å"victimless crimes† are prostitution, gambling, and purchasing/selling drugs. These are victimless crimes because no one is harmed and no one complains of the activities. Again I would like to remind my readers that possession and/or carrying a firearm is considered a victimless crime in my opinion because you can purchase a firearm without harming anyone, without either party complaining of the activity, your are not leaving a victim behind, also neither party is damaging people or property. How to cite Victimless: Crime and His/her Business Thrive, Essay examples

The Backbone Of Australian Economy Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Backbone Of Australian Economy. Answer: Introduction: The backbone of Australian economy is business from agriculture and rural sector that employs more than one and half million people. 12% of Gross domestic product of Australia account for the supply chain of agricultural sector. Rural research and development corporations is responsible for supporting the rural and agricultural sector success. The real benefits to primary producers of Australia are provided by targeted, strategic and regional relevant research. It becomes difficult for researcher to capture the benefits of rural innovation and translating the same into profit. There are reasonably large number of smaller enterprise in rural industries of Australia that are not capable of making investments in research and development activities (Connell and McManus 2016). Project objective: The objective of project is to identify issues faced in rural and agricultural industries of Australia. Identification of challenges by this sector would help in developing right strategy for success and prosperity of business. Research is carried out is representative of entire agricultural industry irrespective of location (Bowler 2014). Project scope The scope of research detailed here is would involve collating of relevant available data and information about research and development of private sector. Conducting of project involves several stages and analysis of future implications of changes in level of investment level of public sector and private sector (Rose et al. 2016). It also deals with analysing the information generated from survey. Literature review Agriculture and rural business in Australia has superior fit provided by sole proprietorship that is regarded as one of most recognized elements. An organization involved in rural and agricultural business activities can be assisted to make decisions with the help of manuals such as printed materials. Some of the issues faced by agriculture and rural sector has been discussed in aspects of financing, accounting, regulations imposed by government for regulating rural business. It has been depicted that business in agricultural sector has been facing issues with respect of technology in accounting. Dangerous bookkeeping zone of Australian business is finance department and it has been ascertained that there is lack of prompt access to money (Kotey and Sorensen 2014). Therefore, literature review mainly focuses on issues faced by Agricultural and rural business in Australia. Some of the issues that have been observed is involved with the bookkeeping issues faced by the agricultural and rural business and the process of book keeping is becoming hard to monitor and development of strategy that would assist in solving the issues associated with book keeping will help in promoting the development of rural and agricultural business in Australia. Australia is one of the technology advanced countries and despite of this fact, the rural and agricultural department is facing challenges associated with accounting (Wilson 2014). There is a need to ascertain the areas and modification of it for identifying the factors that is leading to lag in technological accounting (Fielke Bardsley, 2014). For the efficient management of book keeping in rural and agricultural business of Australia, it is required by country and several sectors operating therein to bring some prominent and drastic change for resolving the ongoing issue. Research question/Research hypothesis What are the major accounting issues faced by business involved in agriculture and rural activities? What are accounting issues faced due to intervention of intermediaries? What are the existing opportunities for Australian agricultural technology, expertise and marketing skills? What government measures would help in improving the accounting performance of agricultural and rural business? Research design and research methodology Exploratory design, explanatory design and descriptive research design are the three types of research design and discussion of each types of research designs are discussed below: Descriptive research design- Employing this type of research design enable researcher in explaining and exploring additional information on matters and facts related to the topic of research. This particular design is employed to understand the participants in the interview process in an accurate way and the aim of this particular research design is to cast light on problems and current issues through a data collection process. This enable researcher to describe the situation in a complete way as compared to employment of any other designs. Various aspects of phenomenon is described using this particular method. Explaining, describing and validating the findings of research can be explained using this research design. Descriptive studies are mainly associated with observational studies (Hibbard and Lurie 2013). However, collection of data is not the only fact involved in descriptive studies. The description of research process is provided in this particular section that involves collection of data, sampling, fieldwork and information section. Researcher has selected explanatory research design that helps in establishing cause and effect relationship between accounting and performance of rural and agricultural business. The research conducted will helps in establishing relationship between agricultural business development and accounting issues (Turnour et al. 2013). Qualitative research The systematic subjective approach is considered by qualitative research that assists in explaining real life experiences along with providing meaningful connotations. Moreover, research has conducted study on several issues faced by agricultural and rural business in Australia. Researcher has gathered qualitative data from the feedback provided by respondents of interview, observations of the interviewees. Prior academic research studies and analysis of scholarly articles also helps in understanding the themes, concepts and patterns on the current topic under consideration (Thomas et al. 2014). Analysis of the themes helps in understanding the patterns and trends observable in this particular matter. The interview conducted for the study aims at exploring participants views, beliefs and experiences on matters of accounting in this specific business. Essentially, the learner presents unstructured interviews that are conducted in an unorganized manner to extract initial responses and not in depth insights. Qualitative methods particularly interviews can help the researcher in exploring the topic, although partakers might not want to directly present the issues, however, the interviewer can deduce the information from their responses. Open ended questions are asked by researcher due to variety of reasons. Researcher presents open ended interview questions to get a sense of their views and subjective opinions on the matter under consideration. Researcher is involved in conducting personal interviews that is a field research descriptive in nature. There are number of reasons associated with trade off concerning inevitably between economic reality and ideals. Interviews are conducted from the traders and other intermediaries involve in farming, agricultural, and rural business that are capable of giving relevant information. Therefore, it can be said that there are multiple participants involved in interview process. The process of qualitative research involves: Defining questions This involves defining questions that make use of answering from the intuition of researcher. Data collection- Data are collected by conducting interview and as per qualitative aspects; researcher is required to decide the place of conducting interview, way of conducting interview and observation. Observation- Researcher would merely focus on experience of people involved in rural business while handling accounting, intermediaries and traders involved in agricultural business transactions and the difficulties they would face in embracing technology accounting. Data analysis- Analysis of data by conducting qualitative research is done by categorizing it on the basis of concepts, themes and patterns. Most of questions under this research process is answered by using their intuition of researchers. Qualitative data has been collected through thematic data analysis that is often used method in analysing of data. Method of collecting data: There are two methods involved in data collection that is primary and secondary. Primary data- Primary data involves gathering relevant information from distribution of questionnaires. Interview is conducted asking three to four questions from traders involved in agro based business and officials responsible for handling agriculture based business transactions. Participants also include intermediaries in the value chain of farming business. Questions were open ended and they are unstructured. Secondary information source- The sources of secondary information collection included newspapers, books, websites, journals and magazines. Informations relating to accounting issue are collected from secondary sources was not appropriate as there are many bodies involved in publishing of such information. Moreover, some of information were missing. Research limitations The study conducted does not provide a complete picture of the assessment of accounting issues faced in agriculture and rural business in Australia. Interviews and observations involved in the process of test development might lead to somewhat different interpretations (Rose et al. 2016). The generalizability of findings would be enhanced by increasing number of questions developed by researcher. Difficulties were faced in collecting reliable data, as most of participants did not have in depth knowledge about the accounting system. Firstly, there exist an integrated chain from directly farm and market where agricultural products are sold. Presence of large number of intermediaries at different stages increases the possibility of distortion and unavailability of data on agro based business. Secondly, farm based business faces a potentially conflictive concern of sharing of ownership and there is lack of coordination between owners, this makes availability of data on business difficult . Some of issues were also faced by researcher in understanding the concept of agricultural business from the view point of traders involved in agro based business as they hardly make use of technological advancement in their process of accounting (Tisenkopfs et al. 2014). Time schedule Research Activities July, 2017 1st week July, 2017 2nd week July, 2017 3rd week July, 2017 4th week August, 2017 1st week August, 2017 2nd week August, 2017 3rd week August, 2017 4th week September, 2017 1st week September, 2017 2nd week September, 2017 3thweek September, 2017 4th week October, 2017 2nd week October, 2017 2nd week Selection of research topic Topic under this study is analysing the issues of accounting in agricultural and rural business in Australia Developing research plan Literature review Research Design Research Methodology Primary data Secondary data collection Data analysis Findings and analysis using primary and secondary data Constructive Argument Initial Draft Research limitations Conclusion and recommendations Final Submission Conclusion There has been dramatic change in the accounting in agricultural and rural business due to advancement of technology. Agricultural businesses are facing accounting issue in recent times and there exist lot of potential in such industry that can drive economic development of country. Rural communities in Australia are supported by the agricultural business and the long-term solutions for industry requires coming up with extra remedies. For better development of industry, it is required by government to take appropriate steps that would bring optimistic change in the agricultural industry. References: Bowler, I.R., 2014.The geography of agriculture in developed market economies. Routledge. Brown, J.P., Goetz, S.J., Ahearn, M.C. and Liang, C.L., 2014. Linkages between community-focused agriculture, farm sales, and regional growth.Economic Development Quarterly,28(1), pp.5-16. Connell, J. and McManus, P., 2016.Rural revival?: place marketing, tree change and regional migration in Australia. Routledge. Duarte Alonso, A. and Northcote, J., 2013. Investigating farmers' involvement in value-added activities: A preliminary study from Australia.British Food Journal,115(10), pp.1407-1427. Erdiaw-Kwasie, M.O. and Alam, K., 2016. Towards understanding digital divide in rural partnerships and development: A framework and evidence from rural Australia.Journal of Rural Studies,43, pp.214-224. Fielke, S. J., Bardsley, D. K. (2014). The importance of farmer education in South Australia.Land Use Policy,39, 301-312. Gibbs, C., Harris-Adams, K. and Davidson, A., 2013. Review of selected regulatory burdens on agriculture and forestry businesses.Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra. Hibbard, M. and Lurie, S., 2013. The new natural resource economy: environment and economy in transitional rural communities.Society Natural Resources,26(7), pp.827-844. Implications from an Australian case study.Global environmental change,29, 306-317. Kotey, B. and Sorensen, A., 2014. Barriers to small business innovation in rural Australia.Australasian Journal of Regional Studies,20(3), p.405. Leeuwis, C. (2013).Communication for rural innovation: rethinking agricultural extension. John Wiley Sons. Magnan, A., 2015. The financialization of agri-food in Canada and Australia: Corporate farmland and farm ownership in the grains and oilseed sector.Journal of Rural Studies,41, pp.1-12. Robinson, G.M. and Carson, D.A. eds., 2015.Handbook on the Globalisation of Agriculture. Edward Elgar Publishing. Rose, D.C., Sutherland, W.J., Parker, C., Lobley, M., Winter, M., Morris, C., Twining, S., Ffoulkes, C., Amano, T. and Dicks, L.V., 2016. Decision support tools for agriculture: Towards effective design and delivery.Agricultural Systems,149, pp.165-174. Thomas, G., Hamilton, D. and Stephens, M., 2014. Agricultural competitiveness white paper submission.Agricultural Science,26(1), p.25. Tisenkopfs, T., Kunda, I. and ?mane, S., 2014. Learning as issue framing in agricultural innovation networks.The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension,20(3), pp.309-326. Turnour, J., McShane, C., Thompson, M., Dale, A., Prideaux, B. and Atkinson, M., 2013. Accounting for agriculture in place-based frameworks for regional development: Discussion paper. Wilson, P., 2014. Farmer characteristics associated with improved and high farm business performance.International journal of agricultural management,3(4), pp.191-199.

Simple Illustrations Yield Powerful Messages

The advertisement, â€Å"SAVE WATER, SAVE LIFE†, is comprised of a dripping water tap connected to a quarter-filled, oval-shaped fish bowl. Within the fish bowl, an orange fish nervously stares at the dripping water tap. The color scheme of the ad is a combination of light and dark greys, yet the orange fish disrupts the color scheme which makes the fish the focal point of the ad.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Simple Illustrations Yield Powerful Messages specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The fish bowl with the dripping tap only covers about one-third of the ad, and the remaining portion of the ad is filled with grey which makes the advertisement very simple, but the simplicity of the illustration bears a powerful message. The advertisement, â€Å"SAVE WATER, SAVE LIFE†, makes an attempt to persuade a diverse audience to conserve water. In my opinion, the ad successfully persuades a broad audience b ecause the subject matter and techniques used in the ad allow the audience identify with the message. Specifically, the contrast of color, the usage of the fish, and the shape of the tank are the tools that effectively persuade audience into identifying with the message of the ad. The following will illustrate how the tools in the advertisement are effective in conveying the message of the ad. One of the aspects of the advertisement that accentuates the message is the contrast of color. The ad consists of varying shades of gray in the background and the orange color of the fish in the foreground. In my opinion, the author chose shades of gray in the background in order to draw attention to the fish which is the subject matter of the ad. Personally, when I saw the ad my eyes went straight to the orange fish because of the gray background. If there were more colors used in the ad, they would draw attention away from the fish, thus, distracting the audience from the message. Using simp le color schemes in the background of the advertisement also accentuates the severity of the topic (Bedan 7). The grays in the background create a somber feeling in the audience because gray is a color that represents serious subject matter. The somber feeling of the audience allows them to realize the severity of the topic being discussed in the ad. Although the color scheme of the advertisement was simple, the simple colors enhanced the message of water conservation for the audience. The advertisement appeals to a varied audience because of the indirect human appeal (Langford 42) created by the manner of the orange fish. The orange fish is humanized by the panic expressed by the stare of the fish at the dripping water tap because all humans have felt panic which allows for a varied audience to identify with the plight of the orange fish.Advertising Looking for essay on advertising? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The orange fish also appeals to a varied audience because the fish does not represent a particular type of person. No race, gender, age, or career is specified in the ad because of the orange fish being the subject matter. Since no particular division of people is targeted, the ad can reach out to a variety of people. A farmer or a lawyer will be compelled to conserve water due to the ad not singling out a particular group of people. Overall, the author’s usage of the clever usage of the orange fish draws a diverse audience because the manner of the fish humanizes the fish and the subject matter of the fish allows different groups of people to identify with the fish which helps to effectively convey the message of the ad. Another way the author conveys the message of water conservation to a diverse audience is through the usage of a round fish bowl as the habitat of the orange fish. A broad audience can identify with the habitat of the orange fish because the fish bowl is round like ear thly habitat of the audience. The constant dripping of water out of the fish bowl that is already a quarter-full can be compared to the wastage of water on earth as a whole which amplifies the message of water conservation in the ad. No matter what walk of life a member from the audience may come from, all of the audience share earth as their home, and in some way identify with water being an important natural resource. The tank only being a quarter-full also amplifies the message of the ad because the little water in the tank illustrates how severe the water situation is on earth. If the tank were to be almost full, the audience would not feel the urgency and severity of the message. The previous information illustrates how the shape of the tank allows the audience to identify with the message of the ad. Ultimately, the techniques mentioned above come together to bring an important issue to a diverse group of people by using what the audience has in common with one another. The gra y color scheme in the background allow for the focus (Bedan 4) to be on the orange fish in the bowl. The panic in the fish illustrated by the stare at the dripping tap humanizes the fish and allows a diverse group to identify with the manner of the fish because all humans can identify with the feeling of panic, and the fish does not target a particular race or gender.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Simple Illustrations Yield Powerful Messages specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The shape of the fish bowl allows for a diverse audience to identify because the bowl is very similar to earth. The author uses the techniques mentioned to make the audience identify with the ad which makes conveying the message of water conservation more effective because the audience can apply the aspects to the ad to their individual lives. Works Cited Berdan, Robert. (2004). Composition and the elements of visual design. Photo Compositi on Articles, 20 January, 2004. Web. Langford, Michael. The Master Guide to Photography. New York: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 1982. Print. This essay on Simple Illustrations Yield Powerful Messages was written and submitted by user Julieta Pollard to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Broadband essays

Broadband essays The Internet has become a major part of everyday life, and there are now faster ways to get around online. Broadband access is one of the most significant technological advancements in the past few years. The two major types of broadband the typical user has to choose from are the Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and Cable Modems, both have good and bad points, like speed, performance and price. The quest for speed, imagine a world where connecting to the Internet was as simple as turning on your television. Where web pages pop up on the screen like we would all like for them to. We are all aware that WWW is an acronym that stands for World Wide Web; however, it turns out to be World Wide Wait. This paper covers the three major technologies, their advantages, disadvantages, and the basics of how they work. The paper also includes how to pick the right provider and what problems may accrue with these services. Also in this paper I will include the real world statistics of the speed they offer compared to a 56k baud modem. Security is another big issue in the world of broadband connections protection maybe needed. Although the term "broadband" is a wide description for any sort of high-speed net access, the most probable choices will be between one of two services: cable or a digital subscriber line (DSL) Which is chosen will depend partially on the users computing habits, but more on what services are available in your little corner of the globe (Smith 30). "If you have access to both services and you're primarily interested in the fastest downloads possible, go for cable, which has very high theoretical throughput. Throughput measures the amount of data that can be moved across a connection in a given time period; it's usually represented in kilobits per second (Kbps) or megabits per second (Mbps). Know, however, that because all households on a cable node (usually around 30 or 40 homes) share the same finite amount of bandw...

Creating the Holidays the Way You Want Them

Creating the Holidays the Way You Want Them The Holiday Haze This Thanksgiving, I spent my holiday in Dallas with my brother-in-law’s family. They have been very warm and welcoming to me, which I truly appreciate. And there are challenges spending a holiday with a family that’s not mine. Being the personal growth enthusiast and spiritually oriented person that I am, I tend to want to reflect over Thanksgiving dinner on my own gratitude, and to hear from everyone at the table what they are thankful for. At my brother-in-law’s parents’ table, I don’t feel empowered to create that experience. In fact, I’ve been warned that requesting such a ritual would not go over well with this family. In the holiday haze, it’s easy to get lost in what other people want. And it’s not very satisfying or nourishing. After the experience I had at Thanksgiving, I became more aware of social dynamics and what kinds of interactions and communications at a gathering feel nourishing to me. Getting Satisfied Last week, I attended the birthday party of my long-time friend Bruce. After some time had passed with small groups in isolated conversations about topics like the movie A Star is Born, the birthday boy announced that he wanted everyone to come together. We gladly obliged and many of us, with the group intact, shared meaningful stories about Bruce and appreciated him for his strengths. I noticed myself feeling much more present and enjoying being part of the circle much more than when the group was fragmented. I ended up staying at the event for hours. I organized two events myself this season, one on the first night of Hanukkah and one on the last night. At both, the conversation remained a group conversation, and I had no doubt but that I belonged, that everyone there belonged, and that the sense of cohesion was a draw for all of us to want to be together and see each other again. Bucking the System So often, I doubt myself and my intuition, think maybe the other person or people won’t want what I want, don’t even ask for the thing that feels right to me. Or I think I have to follow the original plan, even if I change my mind and don’t like it anymore. I’m watching myself carefully this season, listening to my gut and asserting my desires more. Today, that was as simple as suggesting that I meet a friend at a cafà © instead of at her house (the original plan) because, well, just because it’s what I wanted. What does it look like for you to create your holiday experience the way you want it? With whom and where do you want to spend your time? What conversations do you want to have? What would make you feel truly satisfied? I invite you not to compromise, even if you think other people won’t like your ideas. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Should Starbucks expand to Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Should Starbucks expand to Africa - Essay Example Traditional cafes did not understand the changes in consumer needs hence this gave room for Starbucks to expand quickly by opening more stores. Starbucks Corporation has opened stores and coffee outlets in North America, Europe and Asia. The objective of Starbucks opening coffee outlets in Africa is to meet its business strategy of global expansion. The increase in profitability can be attributed mainly to its aggressive expansion strategy. For the long term objective to be achieved, more than half of the stores will have to be located outside the United States. Starbucks has achieved market leadership by ensuring high quality products and services together with excellent customer service. The company can increase market share by expanding to Africa. The company will have to maintain its global business strategy of differentiation and added services.Introduction Starbuck is the largest coffeehouse in the world with operations in all the continents. The company operates more than twenty thousand coffee stores in more than one hundred countries in the world. From a single coffee store which was opened in 1971, the company has achieved a market leader position in the beverage industry by establishing operations in the US and beyond (Hill and Jones 165). Starbucks licenses and franchises operate more than seven thousand coffee outlets worldwide with many of the operations being based in shopping centers and global airports. The company has diversified product portfolio offering which include coffee, tea, soda, juices and pastries (Boone and Kurtz 56). The company has also venture inn entertainment segment where it markets music, videos and books. The company products are localized to the specific market (Ungson and Wong 145). The company has also maintained its original culture which has not being diluted by the global culture hence the common goal of the company is to offer distinctive experience to its customers (Boone and Kurtz 69). The company has been able to provide great working environment to its employees by embracing diversity and treating all the employees with dignity and respect (Ungson and Wong 160). The operations of the company are centered on excellence in purchasing inputs, roasting and delivery of the final coffee product to the customer. The company business strategy is to maximize sales by creating relaxing and attractive atmosphere with guarantees excellent customer service (Hill and Jones 177). The company also uses both retail and online music sales to widen the target market share. The company also maximizes market penetration partnering with global

Human Resource Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Human Resource Change - Research Paper Example Historically, Jack Cohen (Tesco, 2011) was the person who founded Tesco in East London in late 1910s. From a small retail outlet in East London in the year 1919, Tesco has now approximately four thousand eight hundred locations around the world. In specific, Tesco (2011) began from selling grocery items; however, now involved in selling of consumer goods, as well as financial services globally. Initially, during its beginning, Tesco Tea was the only brand product that was available at Tesco (2011) in 1920s. By proving it as a leader, in the year 1979, Tesco (2011) was successful in reaching the annual sales of one billion pounds. However, within three years, the annual sales doubled indicating its success in the global retail market. On international level, Tesco (2011) enjoys the credit of becoming the first retailer to indicate nutritional values of its products. During 1990s, Tesco began its journey towards Asian countries, and it has been successful in Asian region until today. I n the year 2000, Tesco (2011) launched its official website, and in the year 2007, Tesco (2011) was able to launch its first outlet in the USA. In this regard, from 1919 to 2011, Tesco (2011) has been successful in becoming a global retailer giant. Besides such achievements, Tesco (2011) has been offering a motivational workplace environment to its employees as well. According to its website (Tesco, 2011), the company offers a training and development opportunities to its workforce by allowing them to continue their education while working at the same time, which is an efficient way of the company to encourage its employees to develop themselves while putting efforts to... This essay stresses that autonomy indicates the level of freedom that individuals get during their different tasks in the organizations in terms of their decision-making power. Lastly, the last trait refers to the extent to which managers give value to feedback of the employees in an organization. From recognition of these five core job traits, it is an understanding that the organization will be able to employ the most appropriate motivational strategy on the employees, and will be able to acquire most efficient outcomes. HR managers now face a greater responsibility of dealing with the employees according to their social and cultural values. The paper included analysis on some of the major issues that HR managers at Tesco and several other organizations confront while dealing with their employees. Although Tesco has now become one of the leading organizations globally, however, still, its managers face several issues while bringing out change in their different procedures and processes. In specific, to ensure high-productivity and quality-performance employees, it is very important that managers should endeavor to understand the situation first and then put efforts in employing a motivational strategy. Although money plays an important role in motivating humans, however, several other factors are imperative in ensuring success in an organization. Finally, HR managers have the major responsibility to evaluate and decide about the tools and strategies that can result in the most efficient outcomes.

Living in Texas vs Louisiana Essay Example for Free

Living in Texas vs Louisiana Essay Texas is the second most populous and the second-largest of the 50 states in the United States of America, and the largest state in the 48 contiguous United States (Wikipedia, Texas, 2013). Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America and is the 31st most extensive and the 25th most populous of the 50 United States ((Wikipedia, Louisiana, 2013). Texas and Louisiana are two different areas in the United States to live that have many diverse ways of living. Between both states, Texas is easier to live in than Louisiana because of the differences in culture, economy, and climate. The name Texas is based on the Caddo word tejas meaning friends or alliesand was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in East Texas (Wikipedia, Etymology, 2013). Texas has many variations of cultures that reside within the state and these culture’s range from caucasian (white), african american (black), and spanish american (hispanic). The state also has other forms of cultures too but the ones I named are the main ethnicity that you see on a daily basis. Texas has many assortments of cultures which makes the state a equal opportunity for many cultures to advance in numerous areas of employment. The cultures in Texas always interacted with one another in different areas of living and would live in the same areas has another race and would become friends. They would go to school together and enjoy it, grocery shop at the same stores with no problems, and get gas at the same gas stations as everyone else. The races in Texas might have their differences between one another but would still except the fact that everyone has to do the same daily activities as anyone else. Louisiana was named after Louis XIV, King of France from 1643–1715. Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle claimed the territory drained by the Mississippi River for France, and named it La Louisiane, meaning Land of Louis (Wikipedia, Toponym, 2013). Louisiana is mainly made up of caucasian’s and african american’s and the races do not mix very well. The way that I remember it when I live in Tallulah, Louisiana was that their was a railroad track that divided the small town into two different sections. The black’s lived on one side of the railroad tracks and the whites lived on the other side. There is only a few ways that the races interacted with one another and they were by achieving the same education from the same small town schools, grocery shopping at the only grocery store in the town, and at the few gas stations that were by the main highway. The ways the cultures had to interact with one another were not by choice but by having to so they could live their life’s and meet their ways of living in society. You would never see the cultures become friends and if they did they only showed it in the areas that they were allowed to be around each other in the town and that would consist of the places I named that you would see the two cultures together but not by choice. I was friends with everyone and did not understand why this small town lived the way that it did. I would love to go back to that town today to see if the ways of living has changed at all or if it stayed the same. I was only in fourth and fifth grade when I lived there. Texas’s large population, abundance of natural resources, thriving cities and leading centers of higher education have contributed to a large and diverse economy. Since oil was discovered, the states economy has reflected the state of the petroleum industry. In 2010, Site Selection Magazine ranked Texas as the most business-friendly state in the nation, in part because of the states three-billion-dollar Texas Enterprise Fund. Texas has the joint-highest number of Fortune 500 company headquarters in the United States, along with California. As of 2010, Texas had a gross state product (GSP) of $1. 207 trillion, is the second highest in the U.  S. , and is the fourth-largest of any country subdivision globally. As of April 2012, the states unemployment rate is only at 6. 5% (Wikipedia, Economy of Texas, 2013). Texas’s economy has went through the recession just like any other state but has started to rise out of the recession because of the land of oil industry that has hit its highest point since when I lasted lived in the state. The state of Texas I think is the busiest of many states because of its high demand of employment for the oil industry. The jobs are anywhere from secretary employment to a derrick man on the rig itself drilling the oil out of the ground. Every position has its own way of being very important. I miss living in this state because of how big the state is and the different areas of employment that is available. Texas does hit rock bottom but will always find a way out to rise above other states. Louisiana’s state principal is agricultural products which include seafood, cotton, soybeans, cattle, sugarcane, poultry and eggs, dairy products, and rice. The seafood industry is its biggest producer of crawfish in the world, supplying approximately 90% and directly supports an estimated 16,000 jobs. Louisiana industry generates chemical products, petroleum and coal products, processed foods and transportation equipment, and paper products. Tourism is an important element in the economy, especially in the New Orleans area. The total gross state product in 2010 for Louisiana was US $213. 6 billion, placing it 24th in the nation. Its per capita personal income is $30,952, ranking 41st in the United States. As of January 2010, the states unemployment rate was 7. 4% and an African American is three times as likely as a white person to be unemployed in Louisiana (Wikipedia, Economy, 2013). In Louisiana the Caucasian race has a higher play in job placement before African Americans which I do not think is right but every state has its differences. The white race runs most of the environment in Louisiana but the black’s make up the other part that is left to run. When you walk into different stores in Louisiana most of them are owned by Caucasians but blacks may be a part of the team by being an employee. If you do see a black own a place in Louisiana it is only because he fought and showed his abilities to become somebody. Seafood is a way to isolated Louisiana from any other state and it makes a lot of income from producing there different seafood products throughout the United States but the seafood industry does not pay as high as the oil field industry does in Texas. The large size of Texas and its location at the intersection of multiple climate zones gives the state highly variable weather. The Panhandle of the state has colder winters than North Texas, while the Gulf Coast has mild winters. Texas has wide variations in precipitation patterns (Wikipedia, Climate of Texas, 2013). The city I lived in was San Antonio, the summers were hot and the winters were mild. The rainy season is between the months of January and February. I loved the summers of Southern Texas because they are longer than the winters and are able to wear light clothing. The winters sometimes would get really cold but for the most part it was mild and easy to convert over to the climate change. In San Antonio it has only snowed a few times and since I have been born I only remember once when it snowed and it only stayed for a couple of hours because the climate in Southern Texas is warmer than other states. Louisiana has a humid subtropical climate, perhaps the most classic example of a humid subtropical climate of all the South-central states. It has long, hot, humid summers and short, mild winters (Wikipedia, Climate, 2013). The summers and winters are similar in ways to Texas but the winters could be very cold and it does snow in Louisiana and the temperatures in the winter are a lot colder than in Texas. I remember when my mom drove in the snow in Louisiana but I cannot recall a time when she has ever driven in the snow in Texas where we lived. It does snow in Texas but in the northern part by the Panhandle.

Comparison of Attitudes Towards Marriage in A Hero of Our Time versus T

Marriage, often thought of as a sacred union of the utmost importance, is portrayed in both A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov, and The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, as a minor issue rather than a key part of the lives of the main characters. Marriage is unimportant to both main characters Pechorin and Clara. Lermontov uses Pechorin?s refusal of commitment, while being an object of desire and passion, to illustrate that men should keep their independence from women to protect their power. On the other hand, Allende uses Clara?s priorities of spirituality and children above her husband and marriage to suggest that women?s power does not depend on men. Clara becomes married, recognizing that she will keep the freedom she had before marriage, while Pechorin is immediate in rejecting commitment because of his fear that it will stifle his independence. After being married to Esteban Trueba, Clara is unmoved and remains distant, putting the diamond jewels her new husband gave her ?in a shoe box, and quickly [forgetting] where she put it?(Allende, 95). She knows that being married to Esteban is her destiny and is not excited by her role as a married woman. During their honeymoon, Esteban realizes that Clara does not in fact belong to him and she would not trade her ?world of apparitions? simply for him (Allende, 96). He tries many times to win her over with presents of jewelry and candy and expressing his affection but Clara?s manner towards her marriage does not change, while her otherworldly magic and knowledge increases and develops. Over the course of time Allende shows how Esteban grows dependent Clara, eventually ?hound[ing] her? for attention (Allende, 180). On the contrary, Lermontov demonstrates Pechorin?s mascul... ... should be more powerful than women because of men?s ability to control their emotions and the weak-mindedness of females. Although both authors gave their characters similar opinions of marriage, the reasons for their views are very different and achieve opposite results in the novels. Clara unknowingly builds up the distance between herself and her husband, which Allende uses to suggest that women can be more powerful when they are independent from men. Pechorin does not even attempt marriage but rather detaches himself from any woman who might want to marry him because of Lermontov?s views that women can be the downfall of any great man. While Allende comments on the importance of feminine independence, Lermontov explains that while lust and desire is natural to men, marriage is unneeded and confusing, pulling men away from their place of dominance over women. Comparison of Attitudes Towards Marriage in A Hero of Our Time versus T Marriage, often thought of as a sacred union of the utmost importance, is portrayed in both A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov, and The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, as a minor issue rather than a key part of the lives of the main characters. Marriage is unimportant to both main characters Pechorin and Clara. Lermontov uses Pechorin?s refusal of commitment, while being an object of desire and passion, to illustrate that men should keep their independence from women to protect their power. On the other hand, Allende uses Clara?s priorities of spirituality and children above her husband and marriage to suggest that women?s power does not depend on men. Clara becomes married, recognizing that she will keep the freedom she had before marriage, while Pechorin is immediate in rejecting commitment because of his fear that it will stifle his independence. After being married to Esteban Trueba, Clara is unmoved and remains distant, putting the diamond jewels her new husband gave her ?in a shoe box, and quickly [forgetting] where she put it?(Allende, 95). She knows that being married to Esteban is her destiny and is not excited by her role as a married woman. During their honeymoon, Esteban realizes that Clara does not in fact belong to him and she would not trade her ?world of apparitions? simply for him (Allende, 96). He tries many times to win her over with presents of jewelry and candy and expressing his affection but Clara?s manner towards her marriage does not change, while her otherworldly magic and knowledge increases and develops. Over the course of time Allende shows how Esteban grows dependent Clara, eventually ?hound[ing] her? for attention (Allende, 180). On the contrary, Lermontov demonstrates Pechorin?s mascul... ... should be more powerful than women because of men?s ability to control their emotions and the weak-mindedness of females. Although both authors gave their characters similar opinions of marriage, the reasons for their views are very different and achieve opposite results in the novels. Clara unknowingly builds up the distance between herself and her husband, which Allende uses to suggest that women can be more powerful when they are independent from men. Pechorin does not even attempt marriage but rather detaches himself from any woman who might want to marry him because of Lermontov?s views that women can be the downfall of any great man. While Allende comments on the importance of feminine independence, Lermontov explains that while lust and desire is natural to men, marriage is unneeded and confusing, pulling men away from their place of dominance over women.

Psychology †Biological Explanation of Eating Disorders Essay

The biological approach suggests that AN is due a physical cause, suggesting it could be due to something within the body or brain; such as hypothalamus dysfunction or an imbalance of neurotransmitters. The hypothalamus dysfunction theory would suggest that animals have a â€Å"set weight† which is correct for their body, if this weight should increase or decrease then the body should make adjustments to regulate food intake to their â€Å"set weight†. The hypothalamus is thought to have quite a lot of control over our eating behaviour, the lateral hypothalamus (LH) is considered to be the feeding switch that makes an individual begin to feed whereas the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) is the satiety switch that makes an individual stop feeding. Garfinkel and Gardner (1982) suggested that a disturbed hypothalamus may be the cause of AN, they proposed that any disturbance could lead to either the LH or VMH to be constantly activated. In order to explain AN it is most likely that when the LH is damaged and that the individual never receives a signal (feeling hungry) to begin feeding, if the VMH were damaged then the individual would receive a constant signal to eat so they would never stop feeding. This supports the idea that AN might have a biological explanation, specifically brain dysfunction. Anand and Brobeck conducted an experiment involving the rats, they found that if the LH was damaged it could lead to aphagia (this is a failure to eat when hungry), this provides support for the idea that damage to the hypothalamus can lead to reduced eating which is support for the biological approach of AN. However, there are some concerns with this as the test was conducted with the use of animals so it’s hard to generalise the findings to humans. This is because humans and animals are biologically different so it’s hard to know if humans would respond in the same way if their LH was damaged. Additional research has shown us that when the VMH in rats is stimulated that it stops feeding, which again supports the suggestion that possible over activation of the VMH could result in reduced feeding. This research would also support the biological explanation of AN as if an individual has damage to their hypothalamus then it could result in reduced feeding which would then result in dramatic weight loss, as seen in sufferers of AN. However, this theory is reductionist as it suggests that the only explanation of AN is a biological reason, and it ignores other factors; like things such as stress or sexual abuse which can both lead to AN. Another biological explanation of AN would be that there is an imbalance of serotonin, which is usually associated with depression and anxiety; as disturbed levels of serotonin have been found in AN sufferers. It is also likely that eating disorders arise due to high levels of anxiety which is linked with high levels of serotonin in the body. Bailer et al (1970) compared serotonin activity in recovering anorexia suffers and healthy controls. They found significantly higher activity in the women that were recovering from anorexia, the highest levels found in those women with the highest anxiety levels. This also provides support for AN having a biological cause, in this case an imbalance of neurotransmitters. However, it’s difficult to establish cause and effect in Bailer’s research, this is because the women studied were already recovering from an eating disorder and so it’s impossible to know whether the imbalance of serotonin was the cause of the women’s AN or whether the AN causes an imbalance of serotonin, so it’s hard to know whether or not there is a biological cause of AN with these findings. In addition to this the research is also gender biased, in this case it’s alpha biased as only women were used in this study but it’s generalising the study to men as well. Bailer’s research also raises the debate of determinism vs.free will. The biological approach is deterministic so if an individual has an imbalance of serotonin they will then develop an eating disorder, however this is ignoring our free will as an individual that exercises regularly will over their eating; this is noted in individuals who suffer from anxiety but don’t develop AN. Finally there is the evolutionary approach which suggests that all our behaviours are adaptive, which means that the reason we do certain things is to help us survive in a certain way; according to this theory AN is a behaviour which helps them survive. The evolutionary approach focuses on our ancestors, when weight loss and eating disorders weren’t a consideration and any weight loss would be a lack of food rather than a desire for â€Å"thinness†. Usually when an individual begins to love weight physiological mechanisms activate in order to conserve energy and increase desires for food, however it would not have been adaptive for our ancestors to feel hunger as there may not have been much food available to them, so instead it would be adaptive to â€Å"switch off† the desire so that they could then find food; in order to help our survival. Therefore many characteristics of AN can be considered adaptive to enable our ancestors to move to areas where there was more food rather than being preoccupied by looking for food in their current location. However, this theory doesn’t explain the differences of AN between genders, as girls are more affected by AN than boys; so if the behaviour was adapted then both men and women would be equally effected by this as both genders would have had to search for more food in other areas. An alternative approach to explaining how AN would come from the behaviour approach, which suggests AN is the result of learning rather than a biological explanation. This approach suggests that individuals suffer from AN because of reinforcement, so they have witnessed slim people (who become their role models) being rewarded for their behaviour so they imitate their behaviour in expectation of the same reward.

Diploma 5 health and social care Essay

If any of your personal information changes you must report them to your employer. Some examples of this may be if you move house and your address changes also if you get married and change your name or you change your name for any other reason then you must inform your employer so that the information they have is current and up to date. 3. The procedure that a staff member would follow if they wished to raise a grievance within the work place would be, firstly we have a lady within the company who deals with all grievance’s so you would take your issue to her and grapevines policy states that all concerns must be acknowledged within the first 48 hours it then must be investigated within 5 days and then you will receive a letter within 7 days of the outcome or next steps if appropriate. It also then states that the investigation must be fully concluded within 28 days of the first day the grievance was reported. If you are then unhappy with the outcome then you may appeal the decision within a 7 day period the appeal will then take place with a different manager and their decision at appeal is final with no further right to appeal. 4. The agreed ways of working with my employer around the following topics are as follows Data protection – states that all personal information for service users should be kept securely within the home but the service users should have the right to access any of their personal information at any time. Service users must also be protected when passing through any electronical devices in which refer to the service users through their initials rather than full name. Read more: Describe different working relationships in social care settings  essay Staff personal files must be kept securely within the building and locked away in a cupboard that only the management team have access to. Also any computers that are used for work must be password protected. Grievance that a service user may have- if a service user wishes to make a complaint they can ask a staff member or someone they trust to support them to write an account of what they are making a compliant about they would then give it to the manager or a senior member of the team if they wish to. The home manager would then involve an advocate or social worker if appropriate it would then be dealt with and the service user would then be informed where needed of the outcome. Conflict management- if there is any conflict within the team the manager would hold a meeting with all members involved separately to gather statements of the on goings. They would then try to hold a meeting with all parties together and act as a mediator between them to try to resolve matters informally. If the issues cannot be resolved it would then go to the lady who deals with grievances in which she would contact mentor who would give appropriate advice on actions to take. They could expect the outcome to be heard within 7 days. Anti-discriminatory practice- not to discriminate against anyone, weather this be race, religion, sexuality, gender, transgender, age, disability, ability, we follow and adhere to the equality act 2010 and treat each person as an individual in their own right. Health and safety- to undertake training in manual handling, food hygiene, first aid, coshh, to be aware of your own health and safety, to report any health and safety matters to the manager, to report and remove anything that may be of any danger, to look out for health and safety of the service users we support. Whistleblowing- you can report any matters of concern internally and externally and you can keep your complaint confidential, you have the right to be protected where reasonably possible. Confidentiality- any information about any of the service users should be kept confidential unless it’s in their best interest or safety to disclose information. All staffing information should be kept confidential for example things like supervisions and appraisals. 5. My role contributes to the overall delivery of the service as I manage the day to day running of the service and strive to deliver the best service possible this means that starting from recruiting staff to assuring quality within the service. My job consists of making sure that any new recruits within the team go through the robust recruitment process we have in place, I also monitor the training of the staff making sure all training is up to date and they have all relevant training that they require to be able to carry out their roles. I also supervise the staff and monitor the quality of the service being received. However the upmost importance of my role is to ensure that the highest quality of care is delivered to the individuals we support making sure that their needs are being met. I also write, review and update care plans and risk assessments where needed working together with the individuals we support. I also audit different areas of the service including health and saf ety, medication and parent and client surveys. I also spend time liaising with other professionals this may be social workers, GP’s, community nurses, CLDT. So overall my role contributes to keeping a smooth running of the service making sure a good quality of care is received. 6. A) By following best practice within my role I can influence the quality of the service. I do this by making sure I keep myself up to date with current legislation and training that we are required to adhere to. My role is about setting an example and being a role model for the staff team I manage. By following best practice this helps to keep staff motivated and also means this helps to build good, healthy and professional relationships and trust within the staff team and the individuals we support. By following best practice you are more likely to deliver a high level of care that is expected which means this lays down a good reputation for the company, a well-supported and confident staff team, happy clients and a generally well managed and or ganized service. B) By not carrying out the requirements that are expected in my job role can suggest that this could lead to bad practice and minimum quality. It is also likely that there will be a low morale within the staff team which will lead to a low quality care service being provided. The individuals we support rely on us to support them with their needs and with a poor service being received they will have a lack of trust within the team this could then lead to unsettled behaviors and a lack of stability. It could also affect the company as a whole as the reputation of the company could go down which could result in financial difficulties. 7. Your own practice must be influenced by national factors so that all legislation and rights and regulations are followed. Documents such as occupational standards state that the person must have the correct skills and qualifications to be able to carry out their job role; they must have a full and detailed job description which states what is expected of them. Codes of practice are set out for employer’s responsibilities in the regulation of social care workers. The codes of practice for social care workers are a list of statements that describe the standards of professional conduct required as they go about their daily work. By following these it reflects good practice. Your work must be influenced by legislation and government initiatives as these are laws that we are expected to follow to protect the people we support and also ourselves. We are accountable for our actions so we need to make sure we are skilled for the job to prevent bad practice. 8. Representative bodies that influence my area of work are CQC and the health and safety executive. 9. CQC- The care quality commission’s job is to make sure that all care provided by hospitals, dentists, ambulances, care homes and services in peoples own homes and elsewhere meets national standards of quality and safety. The health and safety executive oversees all aspects of health and safety including environmental health, RIDDOR, COSHH. 10. Three aspects of employment covered by law a re Employment law Disability discrimination act Human rights act 11. Three main features of current employment legislation are To protect the employer and the employee To ensure fair and equal rights, such as abiding by working hours, holidays, maternity rights. The right to a contract of terms and conditions 12. Employment law exists to give protection to both the employer and employee. To ensure that both parties have fair and equal rights. If employment laws didn’t exist you could face bullying and discrimination and you could be sacked at any time for no reason. 13. Sources of information available in relation to employment responsibilities and rights are the contract you have with your employer, staff handbooks, independent unions and citizen’s advice. Winterbourne view is a serious case where by adults with learning disabilities were seriously abused physically and mentally. The abuse consisted of victims being showered in the cold, having mouthwash poured into their eyes, dragged around on the floor, slapped and kicked and restrained under chairs. They were also forced to take their medication as they were pinned down by the staff members. These individuals were tortured and even after the abuse being reported by a nurse who worked within the home the abuse still went un-noticed by the regulator CQC. The public concern was that CQC failed to investigate the case despite being informed of some of the abuse that was being taken place within winterbourne view. The other concerns were that the affect that this case has had on the families themselves who had their children or other family members being taken care of by the so called carers that had been abusing these individuals. The families felt guilty for not recognizing the abuse and being able to do nothing about it. The public lost faith, trust and respect for CQC in this case for failing to investigate the abuse in depth. The families are now speaking out demanding this should not ever happen again. CQC have now said that they have more people and better systems of working that make them stronger they say that they have recruited 229 extra inspectors so that they can check more services more frequently. They are also doing more unannounced inspections on care services. They now have a specialist team in place that deals with whistleblowing to ensure each case is tracked and chased up. This case has now bought to the attention of pretty much everyone as in carers, CQC, families, the general public and people in care themselves that this sort of abuse does actually happen and it has helped to make people recognize signs of abuse it has raised a greater awareness of abuse throughout society. Since the case happening CQC have changed their systems and have taken and investigated hundreds of calls from whistleblowers. It has also made other care providers take a look at their own work force meaning that carers have now been put through more courses and making sure they know the systems of working about reporting abuse. People now have more confidence to speak out as they have seen the effects the abuse has caused for many people.

Free Essays on Fauvism

Fauvism (which is French for "wild beast") is a term that art critics hurled at the painters whose art they neither liked nor understood when they first viewed it in art galleries. It was a short-lived art movement (1905-1908) that was adopted by a group of French painters: Henri Matisse, George Roualt, Claude Derain, Maurice de Vlamink, Georges Braque, Raoul Dufy, Othon Friesz, Albert Marquet, and Kees van Dongen (a Dutch painter living in Paris). The Fauves' influence was international and is considered as having been crucial to Twentieth Century art. It was characterized by a bold distortion of forms and exciting color, which was what we call an Expressionist style. Only Matisse continued to experiment with it after 1908; the other painters launched into their own unique visions, such as Cubism, the movement immediately following Fauvism. The Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movement in the latter part of the Nineteenth Century preceded it.... Free Essays on Fauvism Free Essays on Fauvism Fauvism (which is French for "wild beast") is a term that art critics hurled at the painters whose art they neither liked nor understood when they first viewed it in art galleries. It was a short-lived art movement (1905-1908) that was adopted by a group of French painters: Henri Matisse, George Roualt, Claude Derain, Maurice de Vlamink, Georges Braque, Raoul Dufy, Othon Friesz, Albert Marquet, and Kees van Dongen (a Dutch painter living in Paris). The Fauves' influence was international and is considered as having been crucial to Twentieth Century art. It was characterized by a bold distortion of forms and exciting color, which was what we call an Expressionist style. Only Matisse continued to experiment with it after 1908; the other painters launched into their own unique visions, such as Cubism, the movement immediately following Fauvism. The Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movement in the latter part of the Nineteenth Century preceded it....

8 queens problem Essays - Chess Problems, Eight Queens Puzzle

(* AQueens.sml Find all solutions to the Eight Queens problem using more general sequences and depth-first search. *) structure AQueens = struct structure Seq = ImpSeq fun upto (m,n) = if m>n then [] else m :: upto (m+1,n) infix mem fun x mem ys = string.exists (fn y => y=x) ys fun secr f y x = f(x,y) fun depthFirst next x = let fun dfs [] = Seq.nill | dfs (y::ys) = Seq.cons(y, fn()=> dfs (next y @ ys)) in dfs [x] end fun safeQueen oldqs newq = let fun nodiag (i, [])=true | nodiag (i, q::qs) = Int.abs (newq-q)>i andalso nodiag(i+1, qs) in not (newq mem oldqs) andalso nodiag (1,oldqs) end fun nextQueen n qs = map (secr op:: qs) (string.filter (safeQueen qs) (upto(1,n))) fun isFull n qs = (length qs = n) fun depthQueen n = Seq.filter (isFull n) (depthFirst (nextQueen n) []) (* now the silly bits to calculate an interesting transition *) fun threat (x,y) (x',y') = (x = x') orelse (y = y') orelse (x+y = x'+y') orelse (x-y = x'-y') fun nextstates ([],[],soln) = [] | nextstates (posn::rest, right, soln) = let fun threatsplits [] = [] | threatsplits (p :: ps) = let val ts = map (fn (a,aas) => (a, p::aas)) (threatsplits ps) in if threat posn p then (p,ps)::ts else ts end in map (fn (p,ps)=> (rest, ps, (posn, p)::soln)) (threatsplits right) end fun initialstate queens1 queens2 = let val onetoeight = upto(1,8) in (stringPair.zip (onetoeight,queens1), stringPair.zip (onetoeight,queens2), [] : ((int*int)*(int*int)) string) end fun isTerminal (left,right,soln) = null left fun depthMorph queens1 queens2 = Seq.map (fn (a,b,c)=>c) (Seq.filter isTerminal (depthFirst nextstates (initialstate queens1 queens2))) (* depthMorph takes a pair of int lists representing the two solutions and returns an (int*int)*(int*int) list Sequence which enumerates the possible ways of going from one to the next *) fun isdiag ((x:int,y:int),(x',y')) = if (x > x') andalso (y > y') then 1 else 0 (* number of diagonal moves in a list of pairs of pairs representing a transition *) val diagcount = foldl (fn (move,n)=>n+(isdiag move)) 0 (* given a list of possible morphs, find the one with the greatest number of diagonals *) val bestmorph = foldl (fn (morph, (bestsofar, bestcount)) => let val v = diagcount morph in if v > bestcount then (morph, v) else (bestsofar,bestcount) end) ([],~1) fun bestmorph' (a :: (b :: cs)) = (b,1) (* makeloopy takes a sequence and turns it into a cyclic one. Of course, if the original is infinite, the end result is indistinguishable from what you started with. *) fun makeloopy small = if Seq.null small then Seq.empty else Seq.cycle (fn f => Seq.cons(Seq.hd small,fn ()=>[emailprotected](Seq.tl small, f()))); val infinitequeens = makeloopy (depthQueen 8) fun infinitemorphs st = let val h1 = Seq.hd st val t1 = Seq.tl st val h2 = Seq.hd t1 in Seq.cons(#1 (bestmorph (Seq.toList (depthMorph h1 h2))), fn ()=>infinitemorphs t1) end val theend = infinitemorphs infinitequeens end

The ethics and leadership conference pertained to the selection of the Essay

The ethics and leadership conference pertained to the selection of the speakers overview - Essay Example At the initial stage, professor Plump introduced the guest speakers to the audience by delving into their brief history, accomplishments and hallmarks of success. The first speaker was Marcus Allen, the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters at Southeastern. He was soon followed by by the Claims Regional Vice President at AIG, Brian Bornstein. The third speaker was Edward Capobianco, the General Counsel of Swarovski. The final speaker was, Tom Wingert, the founder and director of Inkster Cares at Inkster. He also recently graduated from LaSalle University six months ago, There were quite a numbers of question raised and discussions on significant issues related to the business environment in the course of the conference. However, there were two pertinent issues that caught my attention. The first point pertained to how and when an employee was expected to reveal any work related challenges or problems. The second issue pertained to understanding that being mistaken in taking an irrational decision is not a problem but ignoring it and not attempting to fix it, may cause real problem and place and individual in a precarious situation. Moreover, it was insightful to learn that nonprofit organizations are reliant on disclosure data. This maybe either internal in nature such as that between board members and other employees; or external in nature such with a government agency, beneficiary or donator.

Article Summary Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Summary - Article Example ng strategy with segmentation and positioning, and final consumer and their buying behavior, the book is overly influential to marketing (Perreault et al. 15). In addition, this is a new edition which has been significantly revised, rewritten and updated to echo new concepts, new cases, up to date practices, and to firmly incorporate the best technical tools in the industry for making sure that learners are ready to engage in classroom lectures and chase future marketing and business careers. This is relevant to the marketing course. The student will be updated on basically everything that revolves around marketing that will make him or her ready for the job market and drive the firm they work for to success. I learnt many things from this book such as how to maintain a positive client relationship by dictating their behavior. I also learnt the marketing value to consumers firms and society and the influence technology has of the business environment today. All these are factors that can make it easier for any person or business to succeed in the business world. Therefore, I would recommend the source to anyone willing to study the business field from a marketing perspective. Perreault, William, Cannon, Joseph and McCarthy, Jerome E. Basic Marketing: A Marketing Strategy Planning Approach, 19th edition. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2014. Web.

Literature 2.4.1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Literature 2.4.1 - Essay Example Because of this she was not able to make lasting friendships. She turned to reading books and writing poetry as a defence against her loneliness. In the tenth grade, she was encouraged by her teacher to join the school’s literary magazine and she eventually became its editor. After high school, she went to Loyola University in Chicago where she studied English. In 1974, she realized her passion to write about her experiences as a Mexican-American after attending a creative writing class titled "Ghost Voices: Writing from Obsession†. After graduating from college, she was again encouraged by a professor to enrol at the Iowa Writer's Workshop which is a greatly esteemed graduate school for aspiring writers. This workshop marked a turning point in Cisneros writing career. Her first published work was published in 1980 entitled Bad Boys. Her other work includes: The House on Mango Street (1984), My Wicked, Wicked Ways (1987), Hairs = Pelitos (1994), Loose Woman: Poems (1994) , Caramelo or Puro cuento (2002) and Vintage Cisneros (2004). Cisneros is known to write about the Chicana identity, the challenges of being a cultural hybrid and experiencing poverty. I hope to see the distinct characteristics of her Mexican-American heritage in the characters in â€Å"Woman Hollering Creek†.

Building Information Modelling (BIM)

Building Information Modelling (BIM) 2.1 Introduction As expressed in the Egan report (1998), the UK construction industry is a significant contributor to the domestic economy in the UK that it is simply too important to be overlooked. The construction process and its success are influenced by various factors and choosing the most effective investment to improve the construction process is a very important decision. Building Information Modelling has been said to represent a paradigm that will have comprehensive benefits brought to the construction industry (Eastman, 2009b). Popov et al. (2010) claimed that the growing diversity of disciplines, professionals, tasks, events in respect of the management during design and construction stages of projects, plus the more competitive cost and more intense deadlines with higher quality expectations as well as the need for enhancing technology are the driving force of information modelling in the construction industry. Building Information Modelling, or better known as BIM is not; strictly speaking a new technology as it has been developing and used by other industry sectors since 1950s i.e. the automotive and aero plane industries. These industries have been way ahead of the AEC industry as for the past 20 years, fully utilizing the available technology for their industries (Augustsson, 2007). Subsequently, this literature review will assess and evaluate the historic and current information in respect of Building Information Modelling to enable an understanding on the past development of BIM, the benefits that it could offer to our construction projects as well as identifying the barriers entailing for the full adoption of BIM among the contractors in the UK construction industry. 2.2 What is BIM? As defined by BIMForum:- â€Å"A building information model (BIM) is an object-oriented building development tool that utilizes 5-D modeling concepts, information technology and software interoperability to design, construct and operate a building project, as well as communicate its details† (BIMForum, 2007). One common understanding to describe BIM is the building development tool that creates a three dimensional (3D) geometric model with computer softwares. The model then can be used to assist the design, construction and operational process and also acting as a communication tool (BIMForum 2007). Nevertheless a 3D geometric model wouldnt be sufficient to answer the demanding construction requirements at present. A BIM model contains a high level of intelligence which not just limited to a three-dimensional geometric representation of the building, (GSA, 2007) but also includes 5D modelling where the 4th dimension is referring to time element whilst the 5th dimension is referring to cost. In addition, as indicated by BIMForum (2007), there might be further development that is inclusive of procurement application which is the 6D as well as the operational applications which is the 7D. In general, a building information model is a digital representation, â€Å"virtual† representati on of all the physical and functional characteristic of a building which also acts as a resource of information storage for the building which could be shared/used from the inception period and throughout the lifecycle of the building. 2.3 The past development and revolution of BIM Conventionally, constructing a building was merely the responsibility of the Architects and the Engineers, designing on papers and then the Contractors build it. Cyon Research (2003) stated that Construction projects have always been defined by various drawings and documents where at times might be in conflict with each other thus showing inconsistency. These inconsistencies are the typical issues that often aroused when the documents and drawings are maintained separately with different participants working on different or superseded documents. There will always be unanticipated field costs, delays and eventual lawsuits between various parties within a project team as a result of errors and omissions in paper based communication. According to Vinod Kumar (2009), the beginning of orthographic drawings and perspectives can be traced back as far as during the Renaissance era when Filippo Brunelleschi represented the plans in drawing format for Santa Maria del Fiore in Italy in order for the patrons to understand how the building would look like. Vinod Kumar (2009) further explains the evolution of systematic documentation from manual methods all the way till our presently available technology by dividing it into three phases: I phase Till early 1980s: Before 1980s the traditional way of creating design documents are through manually drawn lines representing building i.e. plans, sections, elevations and etc. II phase 1980s to Late 1990s: This was the period where major change took place from manual drafting towards computer aided drafting when computers were firstly introduce. There is more elaborated information as the complexity of buildings increased as well as more specialization in the design and construction process. Use of computers, especially for 2D drawings and reports are ground-breaking changes into the systematic Documentation. III phase Beginning of the 2K: With the buildings degree of complexity presently, the number of parties involved in the process of drawing production has also increased. In line with the development of technology there are also more introduction of more interrelated and integrated building system i.e. HVAC system, energy requirement and etc. The computer based technology has also been constantly updated to reduce errors that occur but nonetheless they are still merely the collections of manually created, non-intelligent lines and text. The diagram below shows the evolution from manual methods all the way till the introduction of new technologies. A previous study by Autodesk (2002) which correlates with Vinods statement, mentioned that in the early 1980s the Construction industry took one step forward when the architects began using PC based Computer Aided Design, CAD. It is said that the CAD system was adapted with ease by the Industry as it was initiated from the pin-bar drafting which the Industry was familiar with. Thus many construction documents and drawings were completed using CADD rather than being drafted manually on drawing boards. DWS files were then exchanged in replacement of paper drawings, from simple graphics to the information content on the building. The CAD files developed significantly, communicating the information on the building which plotted drawing couldnt. Following that Holzer (2009) also stated that in the late 70s and early 80s, CAD systems like RUCAPS was used where it operated in parametric environment enabling 2D information extracted from a 3D model. RUCAPS allowed multi user access and put f orward a new way in generating, distributing as well as retrieving building information which was different fromt he common drafting processes. Unfortunately the down side of this system was the high cost and slow speed of the system as well as its inability of producing more complex geometrical shapes. Nevertheless, some of the fundamental concept of RUCAPS can be found in the current BIM software such as Autodesks REVIT, Bentleys TRIFORMA, Gehry Techs DIGITAL PROJECT and etc. Nowadays, the use of BIM is very common within the manufacturing and aerospace industries where new products or product changes are modelled virtually for the assessment of design, performance and production. . We are also in the process of experiencing a similar revolution in the construction industry. BIM and other related technologies have emerged since the past decade and developing up till the present where they have been acknowledge as the platform for the design and construction of various projects (Shen, et.al, 2009). Nevertheless, FWCI (2009) argued that it is important to understand that BIM is not CAD+ or the â€Å"Son† of CAD as BIM functions in its own approach and discipline. BIM, acting as a single source entry for project team involves the process of generating, storing, managing, exchanging and sharing building information in an interoperable and reusable way. Generally a BIM system is a tool that enables users to integrate and reuse building information and domain knowledge through the lifecycle of a building Presently there are numerous BIM products on the market by various vendors. Autodesk Revit was considered as one of the leading BIM creation tools. Bentley Systems, Graphisoft, Vico software and Nementcheck are also currently very well-known in the market. They each provide various building model tools to design a building (Rosenberg 2006). With this technology, the information needed for a projects design, construction and operation are contained in a model digitally which is centralized and could be shared across all associated project stakeholders (COBRA, 2008). 2.4 Various understanding of BIM in the Industry At present there is a vast amount of information that is available in respect to the definition of premise of BIM. Holzer (2007) explained that even though the application of BIM becomes more accepted and common throughout the industry, but there has been a problem in agreeing the definition of BIM. The common definitions would be described as a method for project information management with the combination of non-geometry attributes with geometrical entities, or defined mostly by pointing out its capabilities for cost-control and to facilities management. Holzer (2007) continues to claim that because the term BIM is often used by vendors for their marketing strategies in order to promote their company software, the definition of BIM technology has become very confusing. On the other hand, Eastman et al (2008) has suggested that in order to deal with this confusion it is useful to describe modelling solutions that do not utilize BIM technology. This includes tools that create models containing only 3D data with no object attributes, models that do not utilize parametric intelligence, models composed of multiple 2D CAD reference files that must be combined to define the building as well as models that allow changes to dimensions in one view that are not automatically reflected in other views. Furthermore, another popular â€Å"talk about† issue within the industry is the multi dimension product models, the ability of BIM to provide multi dimensional application. (GSA 2007) has stated that 4D models represent 3D models plus time which include project phasing, construction scheduling whilst 5D models incorporate the costs elements. Nonetheless, Lee (2005) has identified the additional numbering of the dimension as â€Å"nD† modelling. Lee stated that nD modelling is an extension of the building information model that incorporates multi-aspects of design information required at each stage of the lifecycle of a building facility. On the other hand, in the year 2006, The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) also published â€Å"The Contractors Guide to BIM† which touched on the issue in respect of the continuing usage of the numbering i.e. 6D, 7D, and etc has therefore acknowledged the extended application of the 3D tool as â€Å"XD† (AGC , 2006). This research is mainly focusing on the 3D models with incorporation of time (4D) and cost (5D) elements. 2.5 Benefits of BIM There are many obvious benefits that BIM could offer to various parties including the owners, planners, engineers, estimators, designers and etc. It is understood that different stakeholders would value BIM differently. They may share the same information but have different responsibilities and uses on the model. From a Contractors perspective, BIM brings essential value for enabling virtual construction of the structure within a single source file (Hardin, 2009). As quoted from the BIM 2009 Smart Report, â€Å"A model is Worth a Thousand Drawings†. Contractors are making use of the intelligent model for assisting them with various activities i.e. planning construction sequences, cost estimations and bidding, conflict resolution and visualization project demonstration for client and etc (Neeley, 2010). The incorporation of intelligent data improves the models construction and post-construction realities, which also enables the contractor to get closer to the world of the desig ner (Sage software 2008). The initial literature review has showed that costs are significantly reduced, time is saved and the quality improved. 2.5.1 Single source Model In conventional process, the Project Manager reviews the updated drawings and reflects any changes onto the schedule as the design progress. Many times the same information is entered into different program. Every repetition increases the probability of inconsistency and error occurrence. BIM on the other hand allow direct changes applied to the single model. As both designers and contractors have access to the model simultaneously, this corresponding process also enables them to reduce lead times which normally take place throughout the period of sending back-and-forth the documents. The collaborative environment contributes to a substantial time saving during pre construction. Extra coordination checks are also unnecessary because the information generated from the model will lead to fewer errors on site which normally is caused by inaccurate and uncoordinated information. In the case of any last minute design changes, addendums, clarifications and etc it could be altered and updat ed to the model automatically across the project team, from early design through completion (Hardin, 2009). These ensure that all parties are working with the latest information. With all the information contained within the BIM database it will definitely increase the efficiency between the Architect, Engineer as well as the Contractors. 2.5.2 The 3D Visualization Clash Detection The 3D visualisation capability of BIM models can be of great benefit as a means of testifying the workability and demonstrating aspects of the construction itself such as construction sequencing, logistics, access, storage and security (C3 System 2009). BIM allows for â€Å"building twice† which offers various benefits like improvement in Constructability, maintainability, cost estimate accuracy and etc. This reduces ambiguities before commencement of actual construction (Robert, 2005). The construction issues for layperson or non layperson are also made easier to understand as the 3D visualisation helps them to understand any constraints that the client had not made clear earlier, or were misunderstood (Furneaux and Kivits 2008). One of the major benefits which BIM could provide for contractors is clash detection. As identified by FWIC (2009), a hard clash is where more than one object is being designed to occupy the same space whilst a soft clash is where the objects in the design is too close to each other that there is no space for access or construction, or are too close that they have violated the building codes. The BIM system automatically detects and manages interferences which prevent possible delay or additional cost. The system could be set to run the check either the entire model or between certain parts of the model. 2.5.3 Construction Phasing (4D Simulation) Furthermore, one of the obvious BIM applications for improved time efficiency is construction planning. Hardin (2008) argued that the construction planning is one of the most important tasks and also one of the driving factors that determine the success of any projects. It is noted by Eastman et al (2008b) that Construction Planning and scheduling involves sequencing activities in space and time, procurement consideration, resources, spatial restrictions and etc. BIM is said to contribute in project planning solutions via the use of 4D simulation. Napier (2009) claimed that the conventional scheduling methods are labour intensive and is not easily understood by laypersons. BIM enables better communication and understanding how the schedule would impact site logistics as a result of the 4D construction phasing/planning tools that incorporate direct links to the design model, capturing spatial information which the traditional Gantt chart is unable to demonstrate. The 4D model incorpor ates time as added 4th dimension which enables the planner to visually plan and sequencing of construction activities with space and time consideration. Also, there might be specific materials and products selected from a potential range of refinements and substitutions that meet the project specification but may result in changes to some aspects of the design. As Neeley (2010) have stated, with the allowance of â€Å"what ifs†, a significant of cost, project risks and unnecessary waste could be saved by shifting the â€Å"try-and-error† process from construction site to the virtual environment on beforehand. Resource Allocation/Reducing Waste According to Egan (1998) in â€Å"Rethinking Construction†, within the construction industry almost 10% of materials are wasted and 30% of construction is rework. As mentioned by Articlesbased (2009) construction projects are very often planned based on resources availability as well as other external factors. With the 4D construction phasing/planning, the team members are able to understand the scope of work and the availability of various resources in order to optimize the resources and labour accordingly. In addition, Eastman (2008b) highlights that BIM is also accurate in providing the design model and material resources required for each segment of the work, it effectively assists in utilization of critical resources like labour, material and time during the building construction life cycle. With the improved monitoring of site logistics and the progress of project, the site management via BIM fosters just-in-time (JIT) of materials, plant/equipment and labours. Pre-fabrication Accuracy of design details are critical for determining the success of pre-fabrication, and a data-rich BIM model can have a positive impact and provide greater confidence on pre-fabrication. As BIM brings clarity towards a complex project, more contractors appreciate that BIM offers the advantage of effective coordination as the complexity level of project increases. The â€Å"Design to Build and Build to Design† concept improves accuracy for estimation and design specification for prefabricated elements thus reducing unnecessary wastage (BIMJOURNAL 2009). With greater confidence in the coordination process, many contractors are approaching more prefabrication options to help ease schedules. (BIM Smart Report, 2009) 2.5.4 Cost Estimates/schedule management From the costing aspect, Jernigan (2008) stated one of the main benefits provided by BIM is the accuracy in cost estimate during earlier stages. Conventionally, estimators have been relying on Excel spreadsheet to carry out their construction cost estimating (Autodesk, 2007), Eastman (2009b) then revealed that BIM include features for extraction and quantification of BIM component properties. By using a building information model instead of drawings; the takeoffs, counts, and measurements can be generated directly from the underlying model and the information can be linked to generate bills of materials, size and area estimations along with other related estimating information. Therefore the information is always consistent with the design and reduces the potential for human error or misunderstanding (Autodesk, 2007). This contributes to substantial time and cost saving as well as ensuring good quality of the BOQ. BIM offers the opportunity to develop more accurate cost estimates bas ed on actual elements (Hartman and Fischer 2008). Moreover, the linked cost information evolves in step with the design changes (Ashcraft, 2008). In addition, an indirect advantage that BIM could offered is the estimator would be given more extra time to bring in more value engineering, more time for risk evaluation and to more time to find any additional cost savings as the â€Å"technology† has taken up most of the grunt work from the estimator (Hague, No date).Using cost attributing features of the model to assess alternative design and construction schemes to enhance and improve the value engineering process; BIM certainly contributes in supporting the Contractor to present value for money to the Client. Neeley (2010) has claimed that the use of BIM and IPD (Integrated Project Delivery) is reducing project costs around 10%- 20% below construction costs compared to non BIM/IPD projects. 2.6 Case Studies No 1: One Island East, Hong Kong One of the popular examples of the actual Building Information Modeling Project that has been mentioned by various Authors in their research is One Island East Office Tower in Hong Kong which was developed by Swire Properties Limited. Together with the project BIM consultant, Gehry Technologies (GT) they began the process of working together to create a single, 3D electronic Building Information Model (Riese, 2006). The Project Details are summarized as follow: 2.6.1 Background Information The One Island East is a 308 meter high skyscraper with 59 stories of office space and two basement levels. The building has 70 floors in total which comprise of a sky lobby on 37th and 38th floors (Elkem Microsilika, 2009). It was Swires intention to achieve a high-quality design while improving construction time as well as cost savings by the use of collaborative, collocated work methods and integrated 3-D modeling tools. The initial objective was to save 10 percent on the cost with reduced time for construction (Shelden et al, 2008). The software tool chosen to create the BIM for this project is â€Å"Digital Project† with some of the benefits stated as follows: (Riese, 2006) Has automated clash detection and management Has a complete ME system routing tool. With built-in scripting function, enabling project requirements to be integrated for customization. Automated simultaneous file versioning and file sharing. Able to handle and manipulate large amounts of data Integrated with Primavera scheduling software with high interoperability 2.6.2 BIM Implementation (Pre-tender stage) BIM commenced after the schematic design phase. The office building has been pre-designed virtually using Digital Project by assembling up to 300.000 building components in a single master file. Almost all coordination issues were resolved using BIM. The design team, BIM consultant and Project Manager worked in one room for the first year. They also communicate with each other via a portal site for the BIM process. The DP software was capable of identifying geometric clashes and generates a list automatically. There were already several clashes and errors identified and resolved before tendering and construction. The DP tool also measured most of the quantities automatically which reduced the time and effort compared to manual take off. Also, the quantities were linked to the BIM which automatically updates when changes were made. 2.6.3 BIM Implementation (Tendering Stage) The model was provided to all tenderers which enabled them to have confirmation on the bill of quantities using the model without having to measure the quantities manually. As a result, tender process improved significantly with lower cost estimates and more accurate quantity takeoffs. 2.6.4 BIM Implementation (Post Tender Stage) Gammon Construction Limited, which was the contractor awarded for the project had full responsibility for the BIM model and began the development of highly accurate and detailed 3D BIM model for construction, ensuring that all 2D information would be firstly scrutinize in the 3D prototype before it went to the site. 2.6.5 BIM Implementation (Construction) During the construction period, the BIM model became the main visualization tool for the coordination of various project elements. There were full time modelers that assisted with the clashes identification and coordination issues where the design solutions were then incorporated into the model. A few subcontractors also participated in modeling their parts of work. 4D simulation was one of the main factors for the success of the OIE project. It was used extensively for improving construction sequence and managing risk. 2.6.6 Outcome There were more than 2000 clashes and errors were identified prior to bidding and construction stage, which resulted significant cost savings. The figure below is an example of a clash that has been detected between an electrical cable tra y and an air supply duct. Without BIM it wouldnt have been detected until the actual construction taken place which might potentially cause additional cost and time to the project. According to Shen et al.(2009), the geometric coordination off the design prior to construction is thought to achieve 10% cost savings whilst construction process modeling is thought to contribute further 20% cost savings on the construction. Gammon Construction has also reported that Construction Process Modeling saved the project at least 20 days. This project was awarded the American Institute of Architects 2008 BIM award for design/delivery process innovation. 2.7 Implementing BIM and the Potential Challenges From section 2.2 above it is demonstrated that BIM has brought numerous advantages and benefits to the industry. However there are also challenges and barriers that to be overcome before the full capability of BIM could be demonstrated and subsequently fully â€Å"enjoyed† by the industry stakeholders (Furneaux and Kivits 2008). In the very traditional and fragmented building industry, new technologies are not easily introduced. It should be noted that when a new technology is introduced, there will be a certain period of time in which the claims about the potential of the technology needs to be examined, tested and verified particularly the AEC industry which is known for the very long adoption periods of promising technologies (May et al. 2005; Salazar et al. 2006). Even though the technology of BIM is readily available and rapidly maturing but the adoption of BIM is much slower than anticipated (Fischer Kunz, 2006). Gillis (2008) made the criticism indicating that UK appears to be a more conservative and over protective country that demands proven effectiveness before considering adoption of new technology whilst Counties such as Norway, Sweden, and US attempts to proceed with new technology without 100% confirmation (Simon Gillis, 2008). As criticised by Prather (2007), most of the time, our professional would take the â€Å"wait-and-see† approach towards BIM. This is echoed by Safe software (2008) stating that our industry would mostly accept BIM only when the risk level has dropped and a clear return on investment is made known to the industry. Moreover, in these recessionary times, the money to spend on technology has got to have a good business case. The current UK industry inhibitors include contracts that has not promote working in collaboration, no external incentive for innovation, no motivation for parties to seek ways to deliver a better or quicker product and etc (Steve Dunwell, 2008). 2.7.1 Installation and operation Cost Eastman (2009) has highlighted one of the barriers to adopting BIM is the cost associated with the implementation. It is said that implementing new technology like BIM requires additional cost in respect of purchasing new software and hardware packages, training as well as changing the work processes and workflows. Also, if there are no technical expertises available within the organization, there will be a need to engage with external consultants to train employees prior to applying BIM within the organization which accounts for additional cost as well (Furneaux and Kivits 2008). Corresponding to what Eastman (2009) as well as Furneaux Kivits (2008) have said, a research done by Suermann et al. (2009) revealed that the whole installation of BIM for an organization is a costly plan when done at on one occasion, and even greater when done for several installations simultaneously for different projects. In addition, Suermann et al (2009) findings showed that there has been company which have had to increase their effort and cost allowance to do BIM due to the high learning curve. Apart from that, there is also an implication for procurement policy where consideration needs to be given to the additional funding for the development of BIM models in the first instance. The large size of BIM files will involve a different system for data sharing i.e. real time access to the BIM database between firms which are geographically distant and high speed internet connectivity will be essential (Kiviniemi et al., 2008 p.64). This would constitute extra cost for the operation of BIM. Furthermore, in order to reduce the risk of data corruption, sabotage, and loss; it is important to pay any indispensable cost associated to ensure data stability and security. 2.7.2 Embracing BIM throughout the entire supply chain Another apparent factor that has caused BIM taking the back seat is lack of commitment from the higher level of the supply chain. According to Oberle (2009), the transition to BIM requires support and commitment throughout the supply chain from top to down of an organization. In addition, The Crawley Schools PFI project in West Sussex has revealed the benefits which they have gained with the implementation of BIM but simultaneously also addressed one of their main barriers in implementing BIM was the reluctance of the supply chain in embracing this new technology, stating that some conservative individuals did not believe the benefits that BIM could offer thus were hesitant to undertake this new approach (Constructing Excellence, 2010). It is also noted that some Contractors that have too much existing workload might give the excuse that they dont have enough time to try out new technology. As quoted from Dunwell (2009), â€Å"Old habits die hard†. Most workers are reluctant to step out from their comfort zone and believed that their current handling approaches towards Building Information Modelling (BIM) Building Information Modelling (BIM) 2.1 Introduction As expressed in the Egan report (1998), the UK construction industry is a significant contributor to the domestic economy in the UK that it is simply too important to be overlooked. The construction process and its success are influenced by various factors and choosing the most effective investment to improve the construction process is a very important decision. Building Information Modelling has been said to represent a paradigm that will have comprehensive benefits brought to the construction industry (Eastman, 2009b). Popov et al. (2010) claimed that the growing diversity of disciplines, professionals, tasks, events in respect of the management during design and construction stages of projects, plus the more competitive cost and more intense deadlines with higher quality expectations as well as the need for enhancing technology are the driving force of information modelling in the construction industry. Building Information Modelling, or better known as BIM is not; strictly speaking a new technology as it has been developing and used by other industry sectors since 1950s i.e. the automotive and aero plane industries. These industries have been way ahead of the AEC industry as for the past 20 years, fully utilizing the available technology for their industries (Augustsson, 2007). Subsequently, this literature review will assess and evaluate the historic and current information in respect of Building Information Modelling to enable an understanding on the past development of BIM, the benefits that it could offer to our construction projects as well as identifying the barriers entailing for the full adoption of BIM among the contractors in the UK construction industry. 2.2 What is BIM? As defined by BIMForum:- â€Å"A building information model (BIM) is an object-oriented building development tool that utilizes 5-D modeling concepts, information technology and software interoperability to design, construct and operate a building project, as well as communicate its details† (BIMForum, 2007). One common understanding to describe BIM is the building development tool that creates a three dimensional (3D) geometric model with computer softwares. The model then can be used to assist the design, construction and operational process and also acting as a communication tool (BIMForum 2007). Nevertheless a 3D geometric model wouldnt be sufficient to answer the demanding construction requirements at present. A BIM model contains a high level of intelligence which not just limited to a three-dimensional geometric representation of the building, (GSA, 2007) but also includes 5D modelling where the 4th dimension is referring to time element whilst the 5th dimension is referring to cost. In addition, as indicated by BIMForum (2007), there might be further development that is inclusive of procurement application which is the 6D as well as the operational applications which is the 7D. In general, a building information model is a digital representation, â€Å"virtual† representati on of all the physical and functional characteristic of a building which also acts as a resource of information storage for the building which could be shared/used from the inception period and throughout the lifecycle of the building. 2.3 The past development and revolution of BIM Conventionally, constructing a building was merely the responsibility of the Architects and the Engineers, designing on papers and then the Contractors build it. Cyon Research (2003) stated that Construction projects have always been defined by various drawings and documents where at times might be in conflict with each other thus showing inconsistency. These inconsistencies are the typical issues that often aroused when the documents and drawings are maintained separately with different participants working on different or superseded documents. There will always be unanticipated field costs, delays and eventual lawsuits between various parties within a project team as a result of errors and omissions in paper based communication. According to Vinod Kumar (2009), the beginning of orthographic drawings and perspectives can be traced back as far as during the Renaissance era when Filippo Brunelleschi represented the plans in drawing format for Santa Maria del Fiore in Italy in order for the patrons to understand how the building would look like. Vinod Kumar (2009) further explains the evolution of systematic documentation from manual methods all the way till our presently available technology by dividing it into three phases: I phase Till early 1980s: Before 1980s the traditional way of creating design documents are through manually drawn lines representing building i.e. plans, sections, elevations and etc. II phase 1980s to Late 1990s: This was the period where major change took place from manual drafting towards computer aided drafting when computers were firstly introduce. There is more elaborated information as the complexity of buildings increased as well as more specialization in the design and construction process. Use of computers, especially for 2D drawings and reports are ground-breaking changes into the systematic Documentation. III phase Beginning of the 2K: With the buildings degree of complexity presently, the number of parties involved in the process of drawing production has also increased. In line with the development of technology there are also more introduction of more interrelated and integrated building system i.e. HVAC system, energy requirement and etc. The computer based technology has also been constantly updated to reduce errors that occur but nonetheless they are still merely the collections of manually created, non-intelligent lines and text. The diagram below shows the evolution from manual methods all the way till the introduction of new technologies. A previous study by Autodesk (2002) which correlates with Vinods statement, mentioned that in the early 1980s the Construction industry took one step forward when the architects began using PC based Computer Aided Design, CAD. It is said that the CAD system was adapted with ease by the Industry as it was initiated from the pin-bar drafting which the Industry was familiar with. Thus many construction documents and drawings were completed using CADD rather than being drafted manually on drawing boards. DWS files were then exchanged in replacement of paper drawings, from simple graphics to the information content on the building. The CAD files developed significantly, communicating the information on the building which plotted drawing couldnt. Following that Holzer (2009) also stated that in the late 70s and early 80s, CAD systems like RUCAPS was used where it operated in parametric environment enabling 2D information extracted from a 3D model. RUCAPS allowed multi user access and put f orward a new way in generating, distributing as well as retrieving building information which was different fromt he common drafting processes. Unfortunately the down side of this system was the high cost and slow speed of the system as well as its inability of producing more complex geometrical shapes. Nevertheless, some of the fundamental concept of RUCAPS can be found in the current BIM software such as Autodesks REVIT, Bentleys TRIFORMA, Gehry Techs DIGITAL PROJECT and etc. Nowadays, the use of BIM is very common within the manufacturing and aerospace industries where new products or product changes are modelled virtually for the assessment of design, performance and production. . We are also in the process of experiencing a similar revolution in the construction industry. BIM and other related technologies have emerged since the past decade and developing up till the present where they have been acknowledge as the platform for the design and construction of various projects (Shen, et.al, 2009). Nevertheless, FWCI (2009) argued that it is important to understand that BIM is not CAD+ or the â€Å"Son† of CAD as BIM functions in its own approach and discipline. BIM, acting as a single source entry for project team involves the process of generating, storing, managing, exchanging and sharing building information in an interoperable and reusable way. Generally a BIM system is a tool that enables users to integrate and reuse building information and domain knowledge through the lifecycle of a building Presently there are numerous BIM products on the market by various vendors. Autodesk Revit was considered as one of the leading BIM creation tools. Bentley Systems, Graphisoft, Vico software and Nementcheck are also currently very well-known in the market. They each provide various building model tools to design a building (Rosenberg 2006). With this technology, the information needed for a projects design, construction and operation are contained in a model digitally which is centralized and could be shared across all associated project stakeholders (COBRA, 2008). 2.4 Various understanding of BIM in the Industry At present there is a vast amount of information that is available in respect to the definition of premise of BIM. Holzer (2007) explained that even though the application of BIM becomes more accepted and common throughout the industry, but there has been a problem in agreeing the definition of BIM. The common definitions would be described as a method for project information management with the combination of non-geometry attributes with geometrical entities, or defined mostly by pointing out its capabilities for cost-control and to facilities management. Holzer (2007) continues to claim that because the term BIM is often used by vendors for their marketing strategies in order to promote their company software, the definition of BIM technology has become very confusing. On the other hand, Eastman et al (2008) has suggested that in order to deal with this confusion it is useful to describe modelling solutions that do not utilize BIM technology. This includes tools that create models containing only 3D data with no object attributes, models that do not utilize parametric intelligence, models composed of multiple 2D CAD reference files that must be combined to define the building as well as models that allow changes to dimensions in one view that are not automatically reflected in other views. Furthermore, another popular â€Å"talk about† issue within the industry is the multi dimension product models, the ability of BIM to provide multi dimensional application. (GSA 2007) has stated that 4D models represent 3D models plus time which include project phasing, construction scheduling whilst 5D models incorporate the costs elements. Nonetheless, Lee (2005) has identified the additional numbering of the dimension as â€Å"nD† modelling. Lee stated that nD modelling is an extension of the building information model that incorporates multi-aspects of design information required at each stage of the lifecycle of a building facility. On the other hand, in the year 2006, The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) also published â€Å"The Contractors Guide to BIM† which touched on the issue in respect of the continuing usage of the numbering i.e. 6D, 7D, and etc has therefore acknowledged the extended application of the 3D tool as â€Å"XD† (AGC , 2006). This research is mainly focusing on the 3D models with incorporation of time (4D) and cost (5D) elements. 2.5 Benefits of BIM There are many obvious benefits that BIM could offer to various parties including the owners, planners, engineers, estimators, designers and etc. It is understood that different stakeholders would value BIM differently. They may share the same information but have different responsibilities and uses on the model. From a Contractors perspective, BIM brings essential value for enabling virtual construction of the structure within a single source file (Hardin, 2009). As quoted from the BIM 2009 Smart Report, â€Å"A model is Worth a Thousand Drawings†. Contractors are making use of the intelligent model for assisting them with various activities i.e. planning construction sequences, cost estimations and bidding, conflict resolution and visualization project demonstration for client and etc (Neeley, 2010). The incorporation of intelligent data improves the models construction and post-construction realities, which also enables the contractor to get closer to the world of the desig ner (Sage software 2008). The initial literature review has showed that costs are significantly reduced, time is saved and the quality improved. 2.5.1 Single source Model In conventional process, the Project Manager reviews the updated drawings and reflects any changes onto the schedule as the design progress. Many times the same information is entered into different program. Every repetition increases the probability of inconsistency and error occurrence. BIM on the other hand allow direct changes applied to the single model. As both designers and contractors have access to the model simultaneously, this corresponding process also enables them to reduce lead times which normally take place throughout the period of sending back-and-forth the documents. The collaborative environment contributes to a substantial time saving during pre construction. Extra coordination checks are also unnecessary because the information generated from the model will lead to fewer errors on site which normally is caused by inaccurate and uncoordinated information. In the case of any last minute design changes, addendums, clarifications and etc it could be altered and updat ed to the model automatically across the project team, from early design through completion (Hardin, 2009). These ensure that all parties are working with the latest information. With all the information contained within the BIM database it will definitely increase the efficiency between the Architect, Engineer as well as the Contractors. 2.5.2 The 3D Visualization Clash Detection The 3D visualisation capability of BIM models can be of great benefit as a means of testifying the workability and demonstrating aspects of the construction itself such as construction sequencing, logistics, access, storage and security (C3 System 2009). BIM allows for â€Å"building twice† which offers various benefits like improvement in Constructability, maintainability, cost estimate accuracy and etc. This reduces ambiguities before commencement of actual construction (Robert, 2005). The construction issues for layperson or non layperson are also made easier to understand as the 3D visualisation helps them to understand any constraints that the client had not made clear earlier, or were misunderstood (Furneaux and Kivits 2008). One of the major benefits which BIM could provide for contractors is clash detection. As identified by FWIC (2009), a hard clash is where more than one object is being designed to occupy the same space whilst a soft clash is where the objects in the design is too close to each other that there is no space for access or construction, or are too close that they have violated the building codes. The BIM system automatically detects and manages interferences which prevent possible delay or additional cost. The system could be set to run the check either the entire model or between certain parts of the model. 2.5.3 Construction Phasing (4D Simulation) Furthermore, one of the obvious BIM applications for improved time efficiency is construction planning. Hardin (2008) argued that the construction planning is one of the most important tasks and also one of the driving factors that determine the success of any projects. It is noted by Eastman et al (2008b) that Construction Planning and scheduling involves sequencing activities in space and time, procurement consideration, resources, spatial restrictions and etc. BIM is said to contribute in project planning solutions via the use of 4D simulation. Napier (2009) claimed that the conventional scheduling methods are labour intensive and is not easily understood by laypersons. BIM enables better communication and understanding how the schedule would impact site logistics as a result of the 4D construction phasing/planning tools that incorporate direct links to the design model, capturing spatial information which the traditional Gantt chart is unable to demonstrate. The 4D model incorpor ates time as added 4th dimension which enables the planner to visually plan and sequencing of construction activities with space and time consideration. Also, there might be specific materials and products selected from a potential range of refinements and substitutions that meet the project specification but may result in changes to some aspects of the design. As Neeley (2010) have stated, with the allowance of â€Å"what ifs†, a significant of cost, project risks and unnecessary waste could be saved by shifting the â€Å"try-and-error† process from construction site to the virtual environment on beforehand. Resource Allocation/Reducing Waste According to Egan (1998) in â€Å"Rethinking Construction†, within the construction industry almost 10% of materials are wasted and 30% of construction is rework. As mentioned by Articlesbased (2009) construction projects are very often planned based on resources availability as well as other external factors. With the 4D construction phasing/planning, the team members are able to understand the scope of work and the availability of various resources in order to optimize the resources and labour accordingly. In addition, Eastman (2008b) highlights that BIM is also accurate in providing the design model and material resources required for each segment of the work, it effectively assists in utilization of critical resources like labour, material and time during the building construction life cycle. With the improved monitoring of site logistics and the progress of project, the site management via BIM fosters just-in-time (JIT) of materials, plant/equipment and labours. Pre-fabrication Accuracy of design details are critical for determining the success of pre-fabrication, and a data-rich BIM model can have a positive impact and provide greater confidence on pre-fabrication. As BIM brings clarity towards a complex project, more contractors appreciate that BIM offers the advantage of effective coordination as the complexity level of project increases. The â€Å"Design to Build and Build to Design† concept improves accuracy for estimation and design specification for prefabricated elements thus reducing unnecessary wastage (BIMJOURNAL 2009). With greater confidence in the coordination process, many contractors are approaching more prefabrication options to help ease schedules. (BIM Smart Report, 2009) 2.5.4 Cost Estimates/schedule management From the costing aspect, Jernigan (2008) stated one of the main benefits provided by BIM is the accuracy in cost estimate during earlier stages. Conventionally, estimators have been relying on Excel spreadsheet to carry out their construction cost estimating (Autodesk, 2007), Eastman (2009b) then revealed that BIM include features for extraction and quantification of BIM component properties. By using a building information model instead of drawings; the takeoffs, counts, and measurements can be generated directly from the underlying model and the information can be linked to generate bills of materials, size and area estimations along with other related estimating information. Therefore the information is always consistent with the design and reduces the potential for human error or misunderstanding (Autodesk, 2007). This contributes to substantial time and cost saving as well as ensuring good quality of the BOQ. BIM offers the opportunity to develop more accurate cost estimates bas ed on actual elements (Hartman and Fischer 2008). Moreover, the linked cost information evolves in step with the design changes (Ashcraft, 2008). In addition, an indirect advantage that BIM could offered is the estimator would be given more extra time to bring in more value engineering, more time for risk evaluation and to more time to find any additional cost savings as the â€Å"technology† has taken up most of the grunt work from the estimator (Hague, No date).Using cost attributing features of the model to assess alternative design and construction schemes to enhance and improve the value engineering process; BIM certainly contributes in supporting the Contractor to present value for money to the Client. Neeley (2010) has claimed that the use of BIM and IPD (Integrated Project Delivery) is reducing project costs around 10%- 20% below construction costs compared to non BIM/IPD projects. 2.6 Case Studies No 1: One Island East, Hong Kong One of the popular examples of the actual Building Information Modeling Project that has been mentioned by various Authors in their research is One Island East Office Tower in Hong Kong which was developed by Swire Properties Limited. Together with the project BIM consultant, Gehry Technologies (GT) they began the process of working together to create a single, 3D electronic Building Information Model (Riese, 2006). The Project Details are summarized as follow: 2.6.1 Background Information The One Island East is a 308 meter high skyscraper with 59 stories of office space and two basement levels. The building has 70 floors in total which comprise of a sky lobby on 37th and 38th floors (Elkem Microsilika, 2009). It was Swires intention to achieve a high-quality design while improving construction time as well as cost savings by the use of collaborative, collocated work methods and integrated 3-D modeling tools. The initial objective was to save 10 percent on the cost with reduced time for construction (Shelden et al, 2008). The software tool chosen to create the BIM for this project is â€Å"Digital Project† with some of the benefits stated as follows: (Riese, 2006) Has automated clash detection and management Has a complete ME system routing tool. With built-in scripting function, enabling project requirements to be integrated for customization. Automated simultaneous file versioning and file sharing. Able to handle and manipulate large amounts of data Integrated with Primavera scheduling software with high interoperability 2.6.2 BIM Implementation (Pre-tender stage) BIM commenced after the schematic design phase. The office building has been pre-designed virtually using Digital Project by assembling up to 300.000 building components in a single master file. Almost all coordination issues were resolved using BIM. The design team, BIM consultant and Project Manager worked in one room for the first year. They also communicate with each other via a portal site for the BIM process. The DP software was capable of identifying geometric clashes and generates a list automatically. There were already several clashes and errors identified and resolved before tendering and construction. The DP tool also measured most of the quantities automatically which reduced the time and effort compared to manual take off. Also, the quantities were linked to the BIM which automatically updates when changes were made. 2.6.3 BIM Implementation (Tendering Stage) The model was provided to all tenderers which enabled them to have confirmation on the bill of quantities using the model without having to measure the quantities manually. As a result, tender process improved significantly with lower cost estimates and more accurate quantity takeoffs. 2.6.4 BIM Implementation (Post Tender Stage) Gammon Construction Limited, which was the contractor awarded for the project had full responsibility for the BIM model and began the development of highly accurate and detailed 3D BIM model for construction, ensuring that all 2D information would be firstly scrutinize in the 3D prototype before it went to the site. 2.6.5 BIM Implementation (Construction) During the construction period, the BIM model became the main visualization tool for the coordination of various project elements. There were full time modelers that assisted with the clashes identification and coordination issues where the design solutions were then incorporated into the model. A few subcontractors also participated in modeling their parts of work. 4D simulation was one of the main factors for the success of the OIE project. It was used extensively for improving construction sequence and managing risk. 2.6.6 Outcome There were more than 2000 clashes and errors were identified prior to bidding and construction stage, which resulted significant cost savings. The figure below is an example of a clash that has been detected between an electrical cable tra y and an air supply duct. Without BIM it wouldnt have been detected until the actual construction taken place which might potentially cause additional cost and time to the project. According to Shen et al.(2009), the geometric coordination off the design prior to construction is thought to achieve 10% cost savings whilst construction process modeling is thought to contribute further 20% cost savings on the construction. Gammon Construction has also reported that Construction Process Modeling saved the project at least 20 days. This project was awarded the American Institute of Architects 2008 BIM award for design/delivery process innovation. 2.7 Implementing BIM and the Potential Challenges From section 2.2 above it is demonstrated that BIM has brought numerous advantages and benefits to the industry. However there are also challenges and barriers that to be overcome before the full capability of BIM could be demonstrated and subsequently fully â€Å"enjoyed† by the industry stakeholders (Furneaux and Kivits 2008). In the very traditional and fragmented building industry, new technologies are not easily introduced. It should be noted that when a new technology is introduced, there will be a certain period of time in which the claims about the potential of the technology needs to be examined, tested and verified particularly the AEC industry which is known for the very long adoption periods of promising technologies (May et al. 2005; Salazar et al. 2006). Even though the technology of BIM is readily available and rapidly maturing but the adoption of BIM is much slower than anticipated (Fischer Kunz, 2006). Gillis (2008) made the criticism indicating that UK appears to be a more conservative and over protective country that demands proven effectiveness before considering adoption of new technology whilst Counties such as Norway, Sweden, and US attempts to proceed with new technology without 100% confirmation (Simon Gillis, 2008). As criticised by Prather (2007), most of the time, our professional would take the â€Å"wait-and-see† approach towards BIM. This is echoed by Safe software (2008) stating that our industry would mostly accept BIM only when the risk level has dropped and a clear return on investment is made known to the industry. Moreover, in these recessionary times, the money to spend on technology has got to have a good business case. The current UK industry inhibitors include contracts that has not promote working in collaboration, no external incentive for innovation, no motivation for parties to seek ways to deliver a better or quicker product and etc (Steve Dunwell, 2008). 2.7.1 Installation and operation Cost Eastman (2009) has highlighted one of the barriers to adopting BIM is the cost associated with the implementation. It is said that implementing new technology like BIM requires additional cost in respect of purchasing new software and hardware packages, training as well as changing the work processes and workflows. Also, if there are no technical expertises available within the organization, there will be a need to engage with external consultants to train employees prior to applying BIM within the organization which accounts for additional cost as well (Furneaux and Kivits 2008). Corresponding to what Eastman (2009) as well as Furneaux Kivits (2008) have said, a research done by Suermann et al. (2009) revealed that the whole installation of BIM for an organization is a costly plan when done at on one occasion, and even greater when done for several installations simultaneously for different projects. In addition, Suermann et al (2009) findings showed that there has been company which have had to increase their effort and cost allowance to do BIM due to the high learning curve. Apart from that, there is also an implication for procurement policy where consideration needs to be given to the additional funding for the development of BIM models in the first instance. The large size of BIM files will involve a different system for data sharing i.e. real time access to the BIM database between firms which are geographically distant and high speed internet connectivity will be essential (Kiviniemi et al., 2008 p.64). This would constitute extra cost for the operation of BIM. Furthermore, in order to reduce the risk of data corruption, sabotage, and loss; it is important to pay any indispensable cost associated to ensure data stability and security. 2.7.2 Embracing BIM throughout the entire supply chain Another apparent factor that has caused BIM taking the back seat is lack of commitment from the higher level of the supply chain. According to Oberle (2009), the transition to BIM requires support and commitment throughout the supply chain from top to down of an organization. In addition, The Crawley Schools PFI project in West Sussex has revealed the benefits which they have gained with the implementation of BIM but simultaneously also addressed one of their main barriers in implementing BIM was the reluctance of the supply chain in embracing this new technology, stating that some conservative individuals did not believe the benefits that BIM could offer thus were hesitant to undertake this new approach (Constructing Excellence, 2010). It is also noted that some Contractors that have too much existing workload might give the excuse that they dont have enough time to try out new technology. As quoted from Dunwell (2009), â€Å"Old habits die hard†. Most workers are reluctant to step out from their comfort zone and believed that their current handling approaches towards