The Mayor of Casterbrige Essay Example

The Mayor of Casterbrige Essay Thomas Hardy wrote the tragic novel The Mayor of Casterbrige (1886), setting it in the fictional town Casterbridge which was based on his childhood town Dorchester. Hardys novel explores the life of a rural hay-trusser, Michael Henchard and his rise and fall in Casterbridge. It was set in 1846, before the Corn Laws, when England was experiencing scientific and technical advancement and new ways of working. In addition, social values were also changing.Hardy is well known for his very pictorial descriptions and was a writer in the realist/naturalist tradition and used real places in Dorchester to describe rural Casterbrige. The functions of Hardys descriptive language creates a vivid picture; illustrates and reflects the personality of the characters concerned; creates a strong sense of atmosphere often using pathetic fallacy and gives a sense of social history.Throughout the novel, Hardy describes many exterior settings such as Casterbridge and its surrounding area including Weydon P riors, The Ring and the market-place. Interior settings include Henchard and Lucettas home and the three public houses, the Kings Arms, the Three Mariners and Peters Finger. What would the modern reader think about the vivid descriptions Hardy creates that contribute greatly to the novel?When Casterbridge is first introduced, it is described as being an isolated old-fashioned agricultural town that was cut off from the outside world.Casterbridge- at that time, recent as it was, untouched by the faintest sprinkle of modernism.There is a great contrast with the surrounding countryside and the town.The mass became gradually dissected by the vision into towers, gables, chimneys and casements.Hardy creates an in-depth account of Casterbridge to engage the reader so they can connect with the town itself where most if not all the action of the novel takes place.The town relies on the agricultural and pastoral people of Casterbridge for its existence and the jobs were linked with the countr yside. Hardy shows this by including a list of occupations in his colourful description,The yeomen, farmers, dairymen, and townsfolk, who came to transact business in these ancient streetsThe prosperous market town reveals to the reader the long-standing tools and objects that used to be used by the townspeople which puts their world into context with the modern world.Scythes, reap-hooks, sheep-shears, bill-hooks, spades, mattocks and hoes, at the ironmongers: bee-hives, butter firkins, churns, milking stools and pailsEven though it is remote from more modernised towns we see it being affected by the Industrial Revolution and Hardy shows the changes by introducing the horse drill.Its arrival created about as much sensation in the corn-market as a flying machine would create at Charing Cross.The townspeople find it strange and technologically advanced because Hardy as the narrator describes uses a comparison to a flying machine which was being invented around that period of time. He also shows how the townspeople are affected as they will lose their jobs due to this new machine. In addition, it shows the contrast between some of the two main characters such as Farfrae and Elizabeth-Jane and their reactions to the new horse drill.It will revolutionise sowing herabout.This illustrates and reflects the personality of the characters concerned. Farfrae is a supporter of the horse drill and this shows he can adapt to change and is more modern. However, Elizabeth-Jane is against the horse drill. She is not used to technology because she comes from a poor background. She is a simple young woman and believes that the agricultural world that Casterbridge belongs to will be lost to a machine.Additionally, another function used by Hardy in his setting descriptions is pathetic fallacy.The river-slow, noiseless and dark- the Schwarzwsser of CasterbridgeHardy makes a connection with the setting and the emotions Henchard is going through at this stage of the novel by using pat hetic fallacy. This is a very effective technique to use when Henchard shows the softer and more vulnerable side of his character.A further exterior setting that Hardy describes in great detail to create a strong sense of atmosphere which gives a sense of social history is The Ring.It looked Roman, bespoke the art of Rome, concealed dead men of Rome.This location is filled with a lot of secrecy, privacy and where some of the key events in the novel take place, when Henchard is reunited with Susan after their long absence and when he meets Lucetta returning from Jersey. The atmosphere of The Ring has a negative impact as this is where violent fights and deaths would take place in Roman times as it used to be used by the gladiators and for public executions. This contributes to the sense of inevitable doom and eventual death of Henchard.As well as the exterior settings that Hardy intensely describes throughout the novel he also includes a range of interior settings such as Lucettas ho me and the three inns Hardy uses to show class divisions within society in Victorian England.The Kings Arms, the gathering place for higher class citizens play an important setting.At the beginning of the novel we meet the wealthy Henchard here, when Susan and Elizabeth-Jane return to find him.The interior of the hotel dining room was spread out before her, with its tables, and glass, and plate, and inmates.Without the vital description of The Kings Arms, the reader would not be able to see the flourished Henchard, from a poor hay-trusser, to a prosperous mayor and hay merchant. Another meeting place for the middle-class townspeople was The Three Mariners.Outside the house they had stood and considered whether even this homely place, though recommended as moderate, might not be too serious in its prices for their light pockets.This is a significant place because this is where the reader sees the respectable Elizabeth-Jane trying to make her way in life and provide for her mother. He nchard and Farfrae also meet here to discuss business plans. In addition this is where Elizabeth-Jane and Farfrae first see each other, with their encountering on the staircase.The gathering place for the lower class people of Casterbridge was Peters Finger.It was centrally situate, as such places should be, and bore about the same social relation to the Three Mariners as the latter bore to the Kings Arms.Key events take place in this public house and this is when Joshua Jopp reveals to the lower-class townspeople of Lucettas and Henchards former affair. This is a turning point in the novel and we see the towns superstitions with the skimmington ride. It was illegal in the past but rebellious townspeople used it to humiliate mainly women who were unfaithful. This shows the superstitious beliefs that people had in those times and how they contributed to the dramatic description of the novel.Lucettas home at High Place Hall illustrates her femininity and exoticness by the description of her dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cor and furniture.The room disclosed was prettily furnished as a boudoir or small drawing room, and on a sofa with two cylindrical pillowsAll of her possessions are foreign to the people in Casterbridge because of her Channel Islands background. Hardy includes a description of large windows that look over the bustling market place.They sat adjoining windows of the same room in Lucettas mansion, netting, and looking out upon the market, which formed an animated scene.This shows the distinction between the interior lives of women in the nineteenth century with the mens industrious business lives. Victorian women had no freedom and had to obey men. Women who were not married and remained single were looked upon in disappointed and pity. Their only purpose was to marry, have children, bring them up and look after the family home. Clothing symbolised their wealth which is what Hardy does to show the reader Lucettas fortune left to her by her aunt.Elizabeth saw the gow ns spread out on the bed, one of a deep cherry colour, the other lighter- a glove lying at the end of each sleeve, a bonnet at the top of each neck..Hardy shows Lucettas somewhat dissolute personality by reflecting it with her fashion and the dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cor of her home. He also shows that she is not like an everyday Victorian woman as she is not married and has no children. The description builds a personality for one of the main characters and illustrates what women were expected to be like in former years. Hardy shows how Casterbridge is being influenced by outside factors.The young reader may consider The Mayor of Casterbridge to be a long winded novel with endless amounts of description that could be considered to be too excessive. Nevertheless the descriptions contribute to the novel by adding a vivid picture, exemplifying characters personalities, creating a strong sense of atmosphere and using pathetic fallacy and giving a sense of social history. Hardy creates a genuine an d believable world for the characters by setting it in an existing town that he could relate it to. The descriptions in the novel are vital and without it, The Mayor of Casterbridge would be no different to other novels. Hardy is able to create bonds with the reader and the characters in the book by using description to demonstrate their personality, for example Lucettas house and use different settings for different classes of people the three public houses. The exterior settings give the novel an overview of the time period for example the detailed descriptions of Casterbridge, which makes the readers ability to associate with the novel stronger.

The Sarcophagus of Pakal

The Sarcophagus of Pakal In 683 A.D., Pakal, the great King of Palenque who had ruled for almost seventy years, died. Pakals time had been one of great prosperity for his people, who honored him by entombing his body inside the Temple of the Inscriptions, a pyramid that Pakal himself had ordered built specifically to serve as his tomb. Pakal was buried in jade finery including a beautiful death mask, and placed over Pakals tomb was a massive sarcophagus stone, laboriously carved with an image of Pakal himself being reborn as a god. Pakals sarcophagus and its stone top are among the great all-time finds of archaeology. Discovery of Pakals Tomb The Maya city of Palenque had risen to greatness in the seventh century A.D. only to mysteriously go into decline. By 900 A.D. or so the once-mighty city was largely abandoned and the local vegetation began to reclaim the ruins.   In 1949, Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier began an investigation at the ruined Maya city, specifically at the Temple of the Inscriptions, one of the more imposing structures in the city. He found a stairway leading deep into the temple and followed it, carefully breaking down walls and removing rocks and debris as he did so. By 1952 he had reached the end of the passageway and found a magnificent tomb, which had been sealed off for more than a thousand years. There are many treasures and important works of art in Pakals tomb, but perhaps the most striking was the massive carved stone which covered Pakals body. The Great Sarcophagus Lid of Pakal Pakals sarcophagus lid is made of single stone. It is rectangular in shape, measuring between 245 and 290 millimeters (roughly 9-11.5 inches) thick in different places. It is 2.2 meters wide by 3.6 meters long (about 7 feet by 12 feet). The massive stone weighs seven tons. There are carvings on the top and sides. The massive stone would never have fit down the stairways from the top of the Temple of the Inscriptions; Pakals tomb was sealed first and then the temple was built around it. When Ruz Lhuillier discovered the tomb, he and his men painstakingly lifted it with four jacks, raising it a little bit at a time while putting small pieces of wood in the gaps to hold it in place. The tomb remained open until late 2010 when the massive lid was painstakingly lowered once again, covering Pakals remains, which had been returned to his tomb in 2009. The carved edges of the sarcophagus lid narrate events from the life of Pakal and those of his royal forebears. The southern side records the date of his birth and the date of his death. The other sides mention several other lords of Palenque and the dates of their deaths. The northern side shows Pakals parents, along with the dates of their deaths. The Sides of the Sarcophagus On the sides and ends of the sarcophagus itself, there are eight fascinating carvings of Pakals ancestors being reborn as trees: this shows that the spirits of departed ancestors continue to nourish their descendants. The depictions of Pakals ancestors and former rulers of Palenque include: Two images of Pakals father, Kan Mo Hix, being reborn as a nance tree.Two images of Pakals mother, Sak Kuk, being reborn as a cacao tree.Pakals great-grandmother, Yohl Iknal, is shown twice, reborn as a zapote tree and an avocado tree.Janahb Pakal I, Pakals grandfather, reborn as a guava treeKan Bahlam I (ruler of Palenque 572-583), reborn as a zapote tree.Kan Joy Chitam I (ruler of Palenque ca. 529-565 A.D.), reborn as an avocado tree.Ahkal Mo Nahb I (ruler of Palenque ca. 501-524 A.D.), reborn as a guava tree. The Top of the Sarcophagus Lid The magnificent artistic carving on the top of the sarcophagus lid is one of the masterpieces of Maya art. It depicts Pakal being reborn. Pakal is on his back, wearing his jewels, headdress, and skirt. Pakal is shown in the center of the cosmos, being reborn into eternal life. He has become one with the god Unen-Kawill, who was associated with maize, fertility, and abundance. He is emerging from a maize seed held by the so-called Earth Monster whose enormous teeth are clearly shown. Pakal is emerging along with the cosmic tree, visible behind him. The tree will carry him to the sky, where the god Itzamnaaj, the Sky Dragon, is awaiting him in the form of a bird and two serpent heads on either side. Importance of Pakals Sarcophagus Pakals Sarcophagus lid is a priceless piece of Maya art and one of the most important archaeological finds of all time. The glyphs on the lid have helped mayanist scholars pinpoint dates, events and familial relationships over a thousand years old. The central image of Pakal being reborn as a god is one of the classic icons of Maya art and has been crucial to understanding how the ancient Maya viewed death and rebirth. It should be noted that other interpretations of Pakals headstone exist. The most notable one, perhaps, is the notion that when viewed from the side (with Pakal roughly upright and facing to the left) it can appear as if he is operating the machinery of some sort. This has led to the Maya Astronaut theory which states that the figure is not necessarily Pakal, but rather a Maya astronaut piloting a spaceship. As entertaining as this theory may be, it has been thoroughly debunked by those historians who have deigned to justify it with any consideration in the first place.   Sources Bernal Romero, Guillermo. Kinich Jahahb Pakal (Resplandente Escudo Ave-Janahb) (603-683 d.C) Arqueologà ­a Mexicana XIX-110 (July-August 2011) 40-45. Guenter, Stanley. The Tomb of K’inich Janaab Pakal: The Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque Lapida de Pakal, Palenque, Chiapas. Arqueologia Mexicana Edicion Especial 44 (June 2012), 72. Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo. Grandes Hallazgos de la Arqueologà ­a: De la Muerte a la Inmortalidad. Mexico: Tiempo de Memoria Tus Quets, 2013. Schele, Linda, and David Freidel. A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1990.

Competitive factors of YUM Brands (MNC) to succeed in the business Research Paper

Competitive factors of YUM Brands (MNC) to succeed in the business - Research Paper Example Yum brands, based on the co-branding strategy have built a vibrant global business by focusing on four key growth strategies (Uggla & Filippson, 2009): Another co-branding strategy has been to pair KFC with Taco Bell or Pizza Hut with Taco Bell. The co-branding approach has added 30% to its sales compared to singe brand units (Enz, 2005). As the competitors such as McDonalds and Burger King were trying to reinvent their strategies, Yum Brands adopted an unusual track of combining diverse brands in a single restaurant. This led to increased sales and improved efficiency. Apart from offering different products to a diverse segment, Yums has responded to the obesity and health concerns also by co-branding with health organizations. As such it partnered with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a leading US breast cancer charity, to sell pink buckets of fried chicken (Freedhoff & HÃ ©bert, 2011). Through such partnerships the Yum Brands is trying to send the message that inactivity and not consumption of its calorie-rich product is the cause of obesity. Their biggest expansion is in China and they have adopted the localization strategy and localized the menu options (Burchett, 2011). That apart, they have also introduced fine dining in India and China which is different from the fast food sector. They have their own fast food Chinese restaurant – East Dawning – and the brand association with KFC has a strong impact on the Chinese consumers. To gain competitive advantage, Yums pursued the hybrid strategy. As per Porter’s generic strategies, their strategy could fall under the differentiation strategy as they offered higher perceived value. They did not go for cost-leadership strategy because they did not want to be perceived as low-cost brand. However, based on Bowman’s Strategy Clock, this is a hybrid strategy. Their prices are at par with the competitors but they offer higher

Project Management analyze the relationship among organizational Essay

Project Management analyze the relationship among organizational culture, project structure - Essay Example This way he will definitely achieve his 80% - within his reach. In order to achieve the next 80% he will try harder and will at least achieve 20% thus giving 100 % results. The managers and subordinates share close relationships. The members of the organization work towards the united goal irrespective of the level they belong to. If the project gets delayed then employees engaged in other projects are also engaged hence there is great teamwork. Adequate monetary and professional rewards are based on the performance of the employees throughout the year. This culture can be termed as the 'work hard/play hard' culture. "In this culture activity is the key to successBecause of the need for volume, team players who are friendly and outgoing thrive." (Rue and Byars, 1992, p.442) Keeping this organizational culture in mind the projects are selected on the basis of manpower expertise and the organization's core line of business, as resources are already available within the organization for the same. But if the project deadline is too short, the project is selected after reviewing whether the pool of assistance can be immediately used from other departments without disturbing other projects in hand. Otherwise the organization sublets a part of the contract to certain consultants or organizations that have experts in selected applications and who are ready to become service providers for that particular project. But the industry in which this organization functions, such temporary resources are scarce so the organization always tries to optimize its internal resources while selecting a project. No matter what the deadline of the project is, it is always structured in such a way that there is no confusion from the top to the bottom level and that the goal is achieved successfully on time. The project manager breaks down the big and complicated task into much smaller and simpler tasks. This way it becomes easier to assess the progress and risks and take necessary actions on time. It also becomes easier for him to allocate tasks in a very clear and comprehensive way. According to Computer Systems Odessa Corp. "People call this producing a work breakdown structure to make it sound more formal and impressive. Without following this formal approach you are unlikely to remember all the niggling little details; with this procedure, the details are simply displayed on the final lists." (para.6) The top management also likes this structure used by the project manager as it becomes convenient for them to closely monitor the following stages of the project: Initiation stage Strategy stage Analysis stage Design and Build stage Implementation stage This way the project closes as per the schedule and the organization doesn't incur losses due to late delivery clause imposed by the clients. In a survey conducted at the California Executive Leadership Forum 300 executives responded. According to Arlington "The results indicate that the top challenges facing executives are: acquiring the support or commitment of management, stakeholders or the team; capturing lessons

Process Management Methods for Construction Performance

Process Management Methods for Construction Performance ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to study how the construction performance can be improved by adopting the process management approaches, in order to provide better client value and more cost-efficient production. The research focused on the manufacturing process , and referring point, and transfer this process thinking into the construction. The methods were tested in pilot tests in which the developed cost and value engineering prototype application was used. This thesis demonstrates an integration of design and production planning based on the product model approach. The final outcome is that the main contractor can utilise information coming from designers as input in its own tendering and cost estimation applications. The key methodology used for describing the information management process throughout the building process life-cycle was IDEF0. The analysis of the current process (as-is), in the form of an IDEF0 model, helped in identifying the main problems of current practice. The target process (to-be) definition was based on product model utilisation and takes into account the possibilities for process reengineering supported by product data technology. One specific requirement was deemed important in view of the anticipated developments in thearea of data exchange; the target system should be structured in such a way that it could easily be adapted to receive data according to the emerging IFC core model schemas. The overall result of the research reported in this thesis is that the product model approach can be used for a substantially reengineered information management process of a main contractor, especially in design and construct type contracts CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION RESEARCH BACKGROUND The construction industry is suffering from its fragmented nature ¼Ã‹â€ European Commission, 1994 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. The lack of co-ordination and communication between parties, the informal and unstructured learning process, adversarial contractual relationships and the lack of customer focus are what inhibit the performance of the industry (Latham, 1994; Egan, 1998). Because the construction project is regarded as unpredictable in terms of delivery time, cost, profitability and quality, the industry has not been able to combine high quality with productivity, customer satisfaction and flexibility (Fairclough, 2002). Howell (1999) pointed out that the ‘inefficiency’ of the industry has tended to be the way of life. However, Latham (1994) suggests using the manufacturing as a referencing point and transferring the practices and theories from manufacturing industry. And Howell suggests that the learning from manufacturing could be a two way process: manufacturing could learn from construction in areas such as project-based management; and construction could learn from manufacturing’s developed and developing solutions to improve competitiveness. In manufacturers are accustomed to taking a process view of their operations, and they usually model both discrete product activities and holistic high-level process both internal and external activities. Base upon this, Egan (1998) recommends that process modelling could be used as a method to improve the construction performance. Furthermore, many other models derived from manufacturing and process management theories have been recognized and adopted by construction companies Nevertheless, as Ball (1988) summarised, construction industry has distinctive characteristics differentiating from other sectors as well as manufacturing. Although solutions have been recommended, their implementation in manufacturing is far advanced in comparison to construction industry. Thus to what extent these process management approaches and models can improve the design and construction process will need to be examined. RESEARCH AIM The aim of the research is to understand construction process management and to prove it as an approach that could help to improve the construction performance. In order to achieve the aim, specific objectives were set PROJECT OBJECTIVES The research project objectives are outlined below l To explore the readiness of construction to embrace the process approach to deliver project l to identify the present state of process management in construction l To Study the current trends and developments of construction process management METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH The starting point of this research is exploring the construction process management approach and find out its influence on construction productivity and competitiveness. A cross-section research method is adopted in the collection and analysing of the data and presentation of the findings. To obtain comprehensive understanding of the relationship between manufacturing process and construction process, as well as theories on construction process management, a great quantity of books and documents need to be looked through. Then the implementation of process management in construction is inspected by adoption of the case study qualitative research approach. REPORT STRUCTURE The general instruction and structure of the report will be provided in this section. The report is organized to consist of six main chapters. A brief description of the content of each chapter is outlined below Chapter one In this chapter, the research report is introduced. The research background is addressed. The aim and objectives are also presented. Chapter two Chapter two reviews the existing literature. A wide-ranging literature review was carried out to identify the current knowledge and keep up on any development on the field. The literature review covers the understanding of manufacturing process, construction industry situation and problems within it, process management theory, and the implementation of construction process management approach. Chapter Three In this chapter, an overall outline of various research methods that might applied in this research is presented. The selection and justification of the research methods are described. The chosen methods and research plan are highlighted in this chapter. Chapter Four This chapter examines the collected data and analyzes the data within cases, as well as a detailed cross-case analysis of cases. Chapter Five This chapter is directly linked to the chapter four. An in-depth discussion is held based upon the previous analysis and research. Chapter Six This chapter provides the conclusion of the report as well as the recommendation. The direction of further research is also proposed SUMMARY CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction Over the past few years, researchers and sponsors have increasingly turned their attentions to finding ways managing the construction process. After decades of neglect, construction process is high on the agenda. As the construction product has in most instances been a ‘one-off’, much emphasis has been placed on project management. However actually the industry is focused on design and development of a building product and should look to manufacturing reference on how to manage the design and development process. Examining the manufacturing perspective and understanding how it can be applied to design and construction and considering the use of techniques and technologies available to support the process and the issues relating to the implementation on projects is essential for construction industry . However, whether this process approach is needed in the construction field, and to what extent it contributes to the construction industry, this required to be researched a nd evaluated. Therefore in this project, why there should be process management in construction industry, the state-of-the-art, how it is applied and the future of it will be identified. Being continuously criticized for its less than optimal performance by several government and institutional reports such as Philips(1950) and Latham(1994), The UK construction industry has been under increasing pressure to improve its practices(Howell, 1999). From the analysis of these reports, conclusion coming up that the fragmented nature of the industry, the lack of co-ordination and communication between parties the informal and unstructured learning process, adversarial contractual relationships and the lack of customer focus are widely and typically existing in the construction industry and are supposed to embarrass the industry’s performance. Furthermore, Fairclough(2002) indicates that construction are often seen as unpredictable in terms of delivery time, cost, profitability and quality, and the investment into research and development is usually seen as expensive when compared to other industry. According to Howell, the â€Å"inefficiency† of the industry has tended to be the way of life. This may be due to the fact that none of the reports, apart from Latham (1994) and Egan (1998), has been sufficiently acted upon. So Lutham suggests using manufacturing as a reference point and Egan, in his Rethinking Construction report, recommends process modelling as a method of improvement. There has been a constant subject of discussion on the transfer of the transfer of practices and theories from other sectors as Lutham (1994) suggested in his report. Some construction practitioners are obstinate that their industry is unique and that the transference of principles cannot be adopted wholeheartedly. Due to it, Ball (1998) emphasized some of the arguments most commonly used to differentiate construction from other industries: The one-of-a-kind product. The spatial fixity of buildings. One-site production. The effect of land price on design and construction possibilities. The requirement for long life expectancy. The inexperience of clients The merchant role of company. The overwhelmingly domestic industry. The masculine stereotype of the workforce. The long cycle from design to production. The high cost of the projects. The amplified reaction to economic crisis. The labour intensive production The fragmented nature of the industry. Nevertheless, there are also many practitioners and academics who believe that the construction industry has much to learn from other industries typically manufacturing. Howell (1999) goes so far as to suggest that this learning could be a two way process: manufacturing could learn from construction in area such as project-based management; and construction could learn from manufacturing’s developed and developing solutions, to improve its performance of competitiveness and productivity. As stated by Love ¼Ã¢â‚¬  Gunasekaran (1996) and Korenlius ¼Ã¢â‚¬  Wamelink (1998), manufacturing has been a constant reference point and a source of innovation in construction for many decades. Solutions that have been recommended to help overcome the problems of construction include industrialization, computer-integrated construction, robotics and automated construction. However their implementation in manufacturing is far advanced in comparison to the construction industry. Koskela (1992) believes that the fundamental theories and principles of manufacturing should be harnessed to deliver the full benefits to construction rather than the ‘technological solutions’. In recent years the realization that the construction industry might not be as unique as was traditionally thought has initiated new research, which In particularly, has resulted in a development of the concept that construction is a manufacturing process. Moreover a research fund under the Innovative Manufacturing Initiative (IMI) sector of the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC, 1998) to continue and expound upon current thinking. a new phenomenon currently appears to being steadily exploited within construction companies at the side of the new technologies taken from manufacturing. It is based upon the development and use of fundamental core processes to improve efficiency of the industry, with great emphasis upon the basic theories and principles underlying the design and construction process. Egan(1998) draw attention to this factor by reporting that due to the fragmented nature of the construction industry very little work had gone into process modelling. Manufacturers are in the habit of taking a process view of their operations; they usually model both discrete product activities and holistic high-level for both internal and external activities. In particular, there has be a growing volume of research focusing upon the consolidation of the just-in-time(JIT) and the total quality management(TQM) theories, with an array of other practices such as productive maintenance, visual management and re-engineering . Investigations by construction practitioners and academics alike have now sought to develop the content and manufacturing, agile production and lean production. Current Researches on Construction Industry The Civil Engineering Research Foundation (CERT) Report observes that the construction industry is becoming frustrated over the lack of progress in removing or mitigating barriers to improving construction practices and is necessary to support sustainable development goals. the industry has to face Many difficulties as it approach this goal: facilities are designed by using least-cost technologies that ignore opportunities to improve productivity and enhance environmental quality; it seems to be complicated, to achieve agreement on government design and construction policies that advance sustainable development; what’s more, there are the frustration of knowing better technologies are available but not having the capacity o find and retrieve them; and international concentration on construction research and practice is far more inadequate. Also the report identifies specific constraints to innovation that characterize the challenges facing the construction industry which repre sent the areas where work needs to be done. The observers indicate that the design and construction process often discourage the introduction of innovative technologies and systems that have superior characteristics but are not necessarily the least-cost option, which can work to the detriment of owners and the environment; unsuitable building codes and disjointed regulatory systems that does not allow for adopting new and better materials and practices are often be applied when buildings and facilities are designed and constructed. There is a lack of understanding by the public and by industry of practices and opportunities to promote sustainable development; there is lack of timely and accurate information and a knowledge base on proven design and construction solutions and techniques for assuring quality construction, which results in lost opportunities to improve system efficiencies and productivity through adoption of innovative technologies; there are no consistent, accurate, and comprehensive predictive models available for designing for sustainability making the process difficult to validate, monitor, and evaluate. Therefore, the observers suggest, new tools and methods are required for advancing state-of-the-art technologies, including taking advantage of advances in information systems to increase the construction industry’s efficiency and productivity. According to Kraiem Diekman’s (1987) theory delays of project are classified into three groups: compensable, excusable and non-excusable. Generally, a delay is considered compensable to the contractor when its cause is within the control, is the fault of or is caused by the negligence of the owner. Excusable delays occur when the contractor is delayed by occurrences that are not attributable to either the contractor or owner. Non-excusable delays are caused by the contractors own action and/or inaction. These can be caused by the fault of the contractor, or his subcontractors, material, workforce or suppliers. The delay damages from the contractor is regarded could be retrieved by the owner conceivably. Lieshmann (1991) presented the consequences of delays in construction, especially from the legal point of view. Herbsman et al. (1995) catalogued the influence of delays on time, cost and quality. Baldwin Manthei (1971) studied the causes of delay in building projects in the USA. The major causes of delay were the result of weather, labour supply and subcontractors. These authors found that adequate planning at the very early stages of the project is important for minimizing delay and cost overruns in most projects in developing countries. This study dealt with developing countries where workers are relatively skilled. The authors realised that some of these problems relate to the special characteristics of this part of the world, such as productivity, whereas others are inherent in the nature of construction projects, such as planning and control problems. Yates (1993) developed a decision support system for construction delay analysis called the delay analysis system (DAS). The main categories of delays in the DAS system include engineering, equipment, external delays, labour, management, materials, owner, subcontractor and weather. Assaf et al. (1995) studied the causes of delay in large building construction projects in Saudi Arabia. Some of the mos t important causes of delay included approval of shop drawings, delays in contractors payment by owners, design changes by owners, cash problems during construction, the relationships between different subcontractors schedules in the execution of the project, the slowness of the owners decision-making process, design errors, excessive bureaucracy in project-owner organization, labour shortages and inadequate labour skills. From analysing the factors causing the delay of project, there should be elicitation on whether it can be diminished by application of process management. Atkin, BorgbrantJosephson (2003) argues that ideas of what should be considered in the design stage of a new building often seems to be a headache for architects, engineers and clients. These ideas invariably lead to some compromise between the demands of hard engineering and softer issues, with the potential likewise to compromise on the physical characteristics and performance of the building leading to some measure of failure. Examples of failure include high energy costs, health problems and structural destruction because of moisture, for which the occupant must pay directly or indirectly. Long-term socio-economic consequences can occur from this as well. Current problems are failures resulting from neglect of building physics principles are examined and their causes are highlighted. Research is continuing into the development of tools to help reduce the risk of failure and to highlight the costs and risks attached to the insufficient attention to building physics principles. Theories on Manufacturing Process and Process Management According to Melan’s(1992) research, a well- managed manufacturing process has the following characteristics: 1. Clearly defined ownership. Traditionally, ownership of a manufacturing operation is generally clear and explicit; it resides with a manager. The manager responsible for the operation is readily identifiable. The organization objectives, its output, and what the manager is accountable for must be fully understood. Standards such as cost, schedule, and quality are established for judging the manager’s performance. However, in recent years, authorized work teams and self-directed work groups where employees are assuming some of the tradition roles of management have gradually take the place of the traditional management ownership. A process owner, whether an individual or a team, is fully responsible for yield, cost, quality, and schedule, and must management the process to the targets set on these standards. Further, an owner has the authority to change or oversee a change in the process within his or her area of jurisdiction. 2. Defined boundaries. Manufacturing processes have a clearly defined beginning and end. He final output, or deliverable, as well as the input required to create it are clear and unambiguous. What is sometimes not clear, however, is whether output specifications truly reflect customer requirements and whether input specifications represent what is needed in the ensuring transformations. The lack of understanding of requirements on either the input side or output side underlies many business processes. In a well-managed manufacturing process, requirements problems are minimized through conscious effort aimed at specifying the work product as it proceeds from one operation to another. 3. Documented flow of work. Work flow in a manufacturing process is generally documented in great detail. There are several reasons for this. Documentation provides a permanent record of the manner in which a physical transformation takes place for production purposes. This record also provides a reference point or baseline from which any changes are to be made and serves as a means for replicating the process. Finally, documentation also serves as both a training and reference aid for the personnel involved in the process. 4. Established control points. Control points serve as a means for regulating the quality of work. Because of the natural variation that occurs in physical process, control points are established to manage variation. These points involve such activities as inspection, verification of required characteristics, and the disposition of discrepant material. 5. Established measurements. Measurements provide a statistical basis for controlling the flow of work and managing variation. Statistical techniques such as the control chart serve as useful tools for managing variation in many operations of a repetitive nature. 6. Control of process deviations. In managed processed, corrective action is performed in a timely manner and from a statistical basis when an undesirable variation occurs. Feedback and regulation are the heart of process control and, without control, the process loses its capacity of providing consistent output quality. Anderson’s (1994) theory clearly introduces the manufacturing process. He states that the most obvious characteristics of a production facility are the volume of items produced and the variety of different products made using the same resources. The volume and variety characteristics provide one way to look at the process of manufacture. Usually an increasing volume of production, in term of the number of individual units of each product, will go hand in hand with decreasing variety, in terms of the number of different products. And the author classifies the manufacturing process into three types: Mass Production involves producing a small number of different products in a great quantity, which provides the stereotype of manufacturing industry: long assembly lines where men or machines endlessly turn on the same product month after month. One characteristic of a mass production process is that operations are linked together in a line: when one operation is finished on a produc t it moves directly to the next operation; Batch Production is used when there are a greater variety of products being produced, with correspondingly smaller volumes. In this situation it is usual to have machinery and equipment which can be used to carry out operations on a number of different products. A single machine will carry out an operation on a whole batch of items of one kind and then be set up to carry out a similar operation on a whole batch of items of another kind; One-off production is used when individual customers each require an individual product, which is different from any product the company has made in the recent past. This implies low volumes but the greatest possible variety. With very large and complicated items the manufacturing process may be project based. This indicates that the manufacturing processes sufficiently complex, and over a long enough time-scale, that the major difficulties are associated with planning how various different operations and ac tivities will fit together. Born (1994) has provided a systematic method for integrating process management with quality management. It is based on a notion called the Quality Process Language (QPL), which is capable of representing and analysing all process within an organization. It also provides a basis for quality management approaches, such as ownership of processes, improved communication and compliance with requirements and regulations. QPL has been used in many types of organisation, large and small, highly structured and loosely structured. It provides a foundation for practical approaches such as facilitated workshops, process mapping and improvement, and documentation of procedures. The author also point out that activities and roles inputs and results of any organization can be well represented if the nation of QPL is mastered and then this notion can be converted into ordinary text and flow charts, for use in procedure and other documentation about the organization. The use of QPL as author states provides a common language for process and quality specialists to communicate directly. This offers an opportunity to discuss and design organizational and process changes without ignoring the effect on quality. QPL is a diagrammatic language, and it makes it easier for non-quality specialists to understand how processes affect quality and vice versa. Process Management in Construction Report (Kagioglou, Cooper, AouadSexton, 2000) introduces the findings and recommendation on the process management relate to the state of the construction industry at the present time and recommend some solutions as t in respect of how some of the problems might be overcome by transferring established practices from the manufacturing industry. However, the authors deem that it must be very careful when transferring knowledge and practices from manufacturing into the construction industry due to a number of reasons. First, the differences between the level of maturity of both processes and practices are distinct, with manufacturing having the lead. Second, because construction depends heavily on Temporary Multi-organizations (TMOs) while long-term partnership arrangements normally play the operation role in the manufacturing industry, the structure of the industries and of the organization of project personnel is dissimilar. Finally, comparison between the processes and the practices of both industries must be made by considering the levels in which they exist, such as strategic, managerial and operational. Therefore, clarification of process levels can have an important influence on the management of those processes. Kagioglou (1998) argues that there are two chief perspectives of manufacturing that construction can benefit from: the project process or New Product Development (NPD) and the operational and production processes. The first relates very closely, both in terms of nature and content, to the design and construction process. For itself, the development that of a solution from a demand identified in the market place or internally within an organization to the implementation is considered. This is achieved by organizing the activities that need to take place in a number of phases, which are made distinct by the determination of review points between the phases. This is very similar to the enactment of a construction project, the difference being that the distinction between the phases is usually determined by the entry of the different parties or functions, for example, architects, contractors, to the process. The second area is related to the way in which the production of a product, incl uding material flow, process design and resources planning, is undertaken. Indeed, a number of very effective philosophies and practices such as Just in Time (JIT), lean production and others have a legacy of optimized production in the manufacturing sector. JIT aims to improve production by utilizing the internal and external supply chains in terms of people and material flow. The first two benefits can be realized in the construction industry perhaps more readily than the third one, which requires a significant reorganization and mind-shift of the litigation-driven industry. This investigation concentrates on what can be absorbed from the NPD project process of manufacturing, and reference to it is made throughout the description of the Generic Design and Construction Process Protocol (GDCPP). Koskela (1992) expresses in his report that currently some construction subproducts are produced in processes that possess a manufacturing character. The assembly of such components with the building frame usually represents a minor share of the total costs. Windows, doors, elevators, prefabricated concrete components, and prefabricated houses, are examples of this kind of manufactured product. In regard to quality management, clear progress has been made in many countries. Many supplying firms have acquired quality certification according to the ISO standard. The application of the new production philosophy is least problematic in this part of the construction industry: the methods and techniques developed in manufacturing can be applied directly. However, except for quality management techniques, only a minor fraction of the factories and plants delivering to construction sites have begun to implement the new philosophy. It may be anticipated that this transformation will proceed r apidly after having gained initial momentum. Thus, industrialized construction might gain competitive benefits sooner than site construction. Additionally, Koskela (1992) summarized the condition of Implementation of process improvement by engineering and construction organizations. The inherent recommendation of the new philosophy to construction practitioners is clear that the share of non value-adding activities in all processes has to be systematically and persistently decreased. Increasing the efficiency of value-adding activities has to be continued in parallel. Construction should adopt the new production philosophy. In manufacturing, the new production philosophy improves competitiveness by identifying and eliminating waste (non value-adding) activities. Traditionally, construction is viewed and modelled only as a series of conversion (value-adding) activities. For example, waste activities such as waiting, storing inventory, moving material, and inspection are not generally modelled by Critical Path Models (CPM) or other control tools. Construction has traditionally tried to improve competitiveness by making conve rsions incrementally more efficient. But judging from the manufacturing experience, construction could realize dramatic improvements simply by identifying and eliminating non conversion (non value-adding) activities. In other words, actual construction should be viewed as flow processes (consisting of both waste and conversion activities), not just conversion processes. As demonstrated previously by the manufacturing industrys experience, adoption of the new production philosophy will be a fundamental paradigm shift for the construction industry. The implications of this for design are that the process of construction must be developed in conjunction with the design itself. An initial set of design and improvement principles for flow processes are presented that can serve as an implementation guideline. Major development efforts in construction, like industrialization, computer integrated construction and construction automation has to be redefined to acknowledge the need to balance flow improvement and conversion improvement. The conceptual foundation of construction management and engineering, being based on the concept of conversion only, is obsolete. Formalization of the scientific foundations of construction management and engineering should be a primary long term task fo

Scope of Practice

Scope of Practice according to the free dictionary is the range of responsibility of patients or caseload and practice guidelines that determine the boundaries within which a physician, or other professional, practices. The basic is that these guidelines tell that particular practitioner how far they can go when it comes to medical care and treatment. According to the law in all states, a Medical Assistant must have the supervising doctor, or a licensed practitioner, present, on the floor or in the building before a MA can provide any type of direct care/procedures to a patient (2011). MA is allowed to do whatever they were hired to do. Doctors and nurses often times don’t know how to use their MAs, they main responsibilities are in their job description when they were hired. Each office that an MA may work in could have some different procedures to do. Your job as an MA maybe to administer immunizations for injections, or to file all medical charts when they are completed, whatever your job is, it should be clearly spelled out for you. They must also outline what a MA can not do, such as making any independent medical assessment, triage patients, dispense medication or samples without direct orders, and giving out your own personal medical advice (2011). The employer who usually is the doctor assumes responsibility of the MA and they have to determine each MA’s scope of practice, by determining their skill levels. Most states don’t have laws that specifically address the responsibilities and duties of a Medical Assistant. This doesn’t say that no rules apply to them but since they are an extension of the do0)ctor then they are more than likely to follow the laws of the State Medical Board.

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Copies of both the deposit agreement and fee schedule which contain the current version of the terms and conditions of your account relationship may be obtained at our banking centers.Electronic transfers: In case of errors or questions about your electronic transfers 0 If you think your statement or receipt is wrong or you need more information about an electronic transfer (e. . , ATM transactions, direct deposits or withdrawals, point-of-sale transactions) on the statement or receipt, telephone or write us at the address and number listed on the front of this statement as soon as you can.We must hear from you no later than 60 days after we sent you the FIRST statement on which the error or problem appeared. Tell us your name and account number. Describe the error or transfer you are unsure about, and explain as clearly as you can why you believe there is an error or why you need more information. Tell us the dollar amount of the suspected error. For consumer accounts used primarily for personal, family or household purposes, we will investigate your complaint and will correct any error promptly.If we take more than 10 business days (10 calendar days if you are a Massachusetts customer) (20 business days if you are a new customer, for electronic transfers occurring during the first 30 days after the first deposit is made to your account) to do this, we will credit your account for the amount you think is in error, so that you will have use of the money during the time it will take to complete our investigation. For other accounts, we investigate, and if we find we have made an error, we c redit your account at the conclusion of our investigation.Reporting other problems 0 You must examine your statement carefully and promptly. You are in the best position to discover errors and unauthorized transactions on your account. If you fail to notify us in writing of suspected problems or an unauthorized transaction within the time period specified in the deposit agreement (which periods are no more than 60 days after we make the statement available to you and in some cases are 30 days or less), we are not liable to you for, ND you agree to not make a claim against us for the problems or unauthorized transactions. Is fashion important? Deposit agreement 0 When you opened your account, you received a deposit agreement and fee schedule and agreed that your account would be governed by the arms of these documents, as we may amend them from time to time. These documents are part of the contract for your deposit account and govern all transactions relating to your account, including all deposits and withdrawals. Copies of both the deposit agreement and fee schedule which contain the current version of the terms and conditions of your account relationship may be obtained at our banking centers.Electronic transfers: In case of errors or questions about your electronic transfers 0 If you think your statement or receipt is wrong or you need more information about an electronic transfer (e. . , ATM transactions, direct deposits or withdrawals, point-of-sale transactions) on the statement or receipt, telephone or write us at the address and number listed on the front of this statement as soon as you can.We must hear from you no later than 60 days after we sent you the FIRST statement on which the error or problem appeared. Tell us your name and account number. Describe the error or transfer you are unsure about, and explain as clearly as you can why you believe there is an error or why you need more information. Tell us the dollar amount of the suspected error. For consumer accounts used primarily for personal, family or household purposes, we will investigate your complaint and will correct any error promptly.If we take more than 10 business days (10 calendar days if you are a Massachusetts customer) (20 business days if you are a new customer, for electronic transfers occurring during the first 30 days after the first deposit is made to your account) to do this, we will credit your account for the amount you think is in error, so that you will have use of the money during the time it will take to complete our investigation. For other accounts, we investigate, and if we find we have made an error, we c redit your account at the conclusion of our investigation.Reporting other problems 0 You must examine your statement carefully and promptly. You are in the best position to discover errors and unauthorized transactions on your account. If you fail to notify us in writing of suspected problems or an unauthorized transaction within the time period specified in the deposit agreement (which periods are no more than 60 days after we make the statement available to you and in some cases are 30 days or less), we are not liable to you for, ND you agree to not make a claim against us for the problems or unauthorized transactions. Is fashion important? Deposit agreement 0 When you opened your account, you received a deposit agreement and fee schedule and agreed that your account would be governed by the arms of these documents, as we may amend them from time to time. These documents are part of the contract for your deposit account and govern all transactions relating to your account, including all deposits and withdrawals. Copies of both the deposit agreement and fee schedule which contain the current version of the terms and conditions of your account relationship may be obtained at our banking centers.Electronic transfers: In case of errors or questions about your electronic transfers 0 If you think your statement or receipt is wrong or you need more information about an electronic transfer (e. . , ATM transactions, direct deposits or withdrawals, point-of-sale transactions) on the statement or receipt, telephone or write us at the address and number listed on the front of this statement as soon as you can.We must hear from you no later than 60 days after we sent you the FIRST statement on which the error or problem appeared. Tell us your name and account number. Describe the error or transfer you are unsure about, and explain as clearly as you can why you believe there is an error or why you need more information. Tell us the dollar amount of the suspected error. For consumer accounts used primarily for personal, family or household purposes, we will investigate your complaint and will correct any error promptly.If we take more than 10 business days (10 calendar days if you are a Massachusetts customer) (20 business days if you are a new customer, for electronic transfers occurring during the first 30 days after the first deposit is made to your account) to do this, we will credit your account for the amount you think is in error, so that you will have use of the money during the time it will take to complete our investigation. For other accounts, we investigate, and if we find we have made an error, we c redit your account at the conclusion of our investigation.Reporting other problems 0 You must examine your statement carefully and promptly. You are in the best position to discover errors and unauthorized transactions on your account. If you fail to notify us in writing of suspected problems or an unauthorized transaction within the time period specified in the deposit agreement (which periods are no more than 60 days after we make the statement available to you and in some cases are 30 days or less), we are not liable to you for, ND you agree to not make a claim against us for the problems or unauthorized transactions.