Intention and Recommendations Essay Example for Free

Intention and Recommendations Essay In the early 1960’s, Columbia, as well as other Latin American countries, witnessed a rise in leftist movements motivated by endemic poverty, social inequality and the success of the Cuban Revolution. At that time, the FARC embraced the PCCs Soviet-style Marxist-Leninist ideology. The early membership of the FARC consisted of communist ideologues as well as noncommunist peasants, many of whom had been active during â€Å"la violencia†. The FARCs stated goal is to overthrow the current democratic government of Colombia and replace it with a Communist government. They claim to represent the rural poor against Colombia’s wealthy classes and oppose American influence in Colombia (particularly Plan Colombia), the privatization of natural resources, multinational corporations, and rightist violence. FARC has shown a willingness to meet with the Columbian government but no agreement has managed to have any permanence. In May 1984, the government and the FARC signed La Uribe peace accords which permitted FARC to form a legitimate political party, the Union Patriotica (UP). The UP party comprised of former guerrillas and Communists espoused anti-corruption policies, harsh penalties against narco-traffickers and progressive land and economic reforms. As the UP gained in popularity and political clout, they soon became the target of para-military right-wing death squads and drug cartels. Thousands of UP members and candidates have either been assassinated or have disappeared. With their hope at political legitimacy sabotaged, the FARC reverted back to violence and narco-trafficking. It is unclear if FARC has actually done anything positive in support of their stated agenda. The Counsel on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) states, â€Å"FARC is extremely out of touch and unconcerned with the interests of the Colombian public today, including the rural populace. † According to BBC News and COHA, less than 5 percent of the population supports FARC and their involvement with kidnappings and drug-trafficking denigrates their ideological rhetoric. It should be mentioned that Manuel Marulanda Velez died on March 25, 2008 of reported heart failure, after almost five decades of rule. Several of his key leaders have also recently been killed; one at the hands of his own guards. It remains to be seen what the affect of these deaths will have on the stability and future of FARC. The death of two key members of the Secretariat and a recent successful rescue of hostages from FARC (July 2008) supports the current belief that FARC is in a state of disarray; but they are far from disbanding. It is estimated that they still hold 700 hostages and control millions of dollars in drug trade. Economic and political stability play key roles in reducing the motivation of a populace to vehemently oppose governments. Programs that reduce the perception of government â€Å"injustices† will erode public support for any â€Å"radical† factions and erode groups internally, especially if they begin to doubt their purpose. The country practices a democratic government similar to the United States. According to BBC and COHA reports, President Uribe and the government have a high approval rating and the gross national product has been steadily rising along with tourism and trade. One of the weakest key indicators is a high unemployment rate (11%) which should be countered with government programs to employ young adults†¦the most vulnerable pool for radical organizations. This will further bolster the economy and take away a recruiting source. Although military pressure is essential with regards to fighting a paramilitary force like FARC, the use of military operations towards FARC should be used in tandem with local civilian authorities. Confidence in local authorities solidifies the local base and further weakens the recruiting pool. President Uribe’s increased military and police efforts have shown a significant reduction in kidnappings and assassinations. Corruption scandals that have plagued previous administrations do not seem to be a major issue with the current administration. Any signs of corruption should be dealt with quickly and firmly to support credibility of the administration. Colombian scholar Herbert â€Å"Tico† Braun suggests that a crucial factor in the mindset of para-military and terrorist organizations is the need to be recognized as a viable and key player in determining local and national policies. Braun states, â€Å"†¦the FARC wants to contribute something, and be perceived as helping the nation. If the FARC can be seen as forcing the government to make important societal changes, it might be willing to give something up in return, and possibly even begin disarming. With their willingness to participate in talks in the past combined with their current perceived vulnerability, talks should be offered again to FARC but only under very strict guidelines to include a limited disarmament. A political wing, comprised of â€Å"non-militants† or people outside the direct leadership of FARC, should be offered the ability to es tablish a political party to forward similar goals of the FARC. The eradication of narco-trafficking is probably the most difficult strategy to implement and enforce. Local and regional efforts should be a high priority of resourcing and highly-publicized. The international drug trade is lucrative and any hint of corruption within the government needs to be dealt with swiftly. The improvements in economy along with continued subsidies to farmers who grow legal crops will help to erode the drug trade internally. Support directly from the United States should be limited as it benefits the rebel propaganda. With Venezuela’s public withdrawal of support for the FARC, international alliances should be pursued with regards to drug enforcement, especially pertaining to land and water boundaries in order to make it easier for law enforcement to work without restrictions to borders. Although the geographical and political landscape of Columbia presents unique challenges in dealing with the FARC, the tenants for a counterterrorism strategy are basic: Commitment to a national political strategy, limited but clear and concise military strategy, priority resourcing of regional and local security, implementation of economic reforms, improvement of human rights protection, and a vigorous and effective counter-narcotics program.

Concepts and Theories of Classical Conditioning

Concepts and Theories of Classical Conditioning Aimee Duncalfe Rena Borovilos Classical Conditioning and My Behaviour Behavioural psychology is a theory of learning that is founded upon the idea that all behaviours are acquired through conditioning, which occurs through environmental interaction (Cherry, What is Behaviorism?, 2014). Conditioning is a specific type of learning that has been explored by several different physiologists and psychologists throughout history, and can be broken down into two specific types of learning; classical conditioning and operant conditioning. This paper will discuss classical conditioning while exploring several different examples, including a personal behaviour that can also be identified as classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is a learning process that occurs through associating two stimuli that are repeatedly paired together, resulting in a conditioned response. (Cherry, What Is Classical Conditioning?, 2005). The process of classical conditioning consist of placing a conditioned stimulus before an unconditioned stimulus that naturally results in an unconditioned response. When paired repeatedly, the conditioned stimulus eventually causes a conditioned response, even in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus. An unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is one that naturally or automatically causes a response (Cherry, Classical Conditioning, 2005). For example, when you hear a balloon pop, you may immediately jump in shock. The sound of the balloon popping is the unconditioned stimulus. An unconditioned response (UCR) is the automatic response that occurs naturally in response to the unconditioned stimulus (Cherry, Classical Conditioning, 2005). Using the same example, jumping in response to the sound of the balloon popping is the unconditioned response. The conditioned stimulus (CS) is previously neutral stimulus that, after becoming associated with the unconditioned stimulus, eventually causes a conditioned response (Cherry, Classical Conditioning, 2005). Suppose that immediately before you heard the balloon pop, you saw a flashing red light. The flashing red light is unrelated to the sound of the balloon popping, though if the flashing red light was paired multiple times with the balloon popping, seeing the flashing red light would eventually cause the conditioned response. In this case, the conditioned stimulus is seeing the flashing red light. The conditioned response (CR) is the learned response to a previously neutral stimulus (Cherry, Classical Conditioning, 2005). In the same example, the conditioned response would be jumping to the sight of the flashing red light. This process, often used in behavioural training, was introduced by a Russian physiologist by the name of Ivan Pavlov, who won the Nobel Prize in 1904 for his work on the physiology of digestion (Nobel Media AB, 2014). Pavlovs experiment explored dogs salivating in response to the presentation of food. In his experiment, the UCS was the presentation of food, and the UCR was salivating in response to the food. Pavlov also introduced a CS, the sound of a bell, immediately before presenting the food to the dogs. By combining the sound of the bell with the presentation of food, the sound of the bell alone would eventually produce the conditioned response of salivation. (Cherry, What Is Classical Conditioning?, 2005). There are several occurrences that take place in relation to classical conditioning. The first stages of learning when a response is established is what is known as acquisition. This refers to the period of time when the conditioned response is first established and gradually strengthened (Cherry, Principles of Classical Conditioning, 2005). Going back to the first example of the popping balloon, the conditioned response has been acquired once a person begins to jump at the sight of the flashing red light. In Pavlov’s experiment, the conditioned response has been acquired as soon as the dog begins to salivate in response to the sound of the bell. Once the response has been acquired, the response can be progressively strengthened to ensure the behaviour is well learned. Factors that can influence how quickly acquisition occurs include how noticeable the CS is, as well as the timing of the CS in relation to the UCS. If the CS is too subtle, or if there is too much of a delay bet ween the CS and the UCS, the learner may not notice the CS enough to form an association between the two. The most effective method is to introduce the CS and then quickly present the UCS so that there is an overlap between the two. The more noticeable the CS, and the shorter delay between the UCS and the CS, the quicker acquisition will take (Cherry, What is Acquisition?, 2005). Another occurrence in relation to classical conditioning is extinction. Extinction happens when the frequency of a CR decreases or disappears when a CS is no longer paired with an UCS (Cherry, Principles of Classical Conditioning, 2005). Returning to the previously used example, if the popping of the balloon were no longer paired with the flashing red light, eventually the conditioned response of jumping to the flashing red light would disappear. In Pavlov’s experiment, if he no longer paired the bell with the presentation of the food, eventually the conditioned response of salivating to the sound of the bell would disappear. During his research, Pavlov discovered that when extinction occurs, it does not mean that the subject returns to their unconditioned state. Allowing several hours or even days to elapse after a response has been extinguished can result in spontaneous recovery of the CR (Cherry, What is Extinction?, 2005). Spontaneous recovery refers to the sudden reappearance of the CR after extinction or period of reduced response. If the CS and UCS are no longer associated, extinction will occur very quickly after a spontaneous recovery. Pavlov noted during his experiment that no longer pairing the sound of the bell with the presentation of food led to extinction of the salivation response. However, after a two hour rest period, the salivation response suddenly reappeared when the bell was presented (Cherry, Spontaneous Recovery, 2005). This phenomena shows that extinction is not the same as unlearning. While the CR may disappear, it may not have been forgotten or completely eliminated. Stimulus generalization, the tendency for the CS to prompt similar responses after the CR has been conditioned, is another occurrence of classical conditioning (Cherry, What Is Stimulus Generalization?, 2005). In the first example, our subject has been conditioned to jump at the sight of our CR, a flashing red light. After the subject has been conditioned, he might respond to not only a flashing red light, but all flashing lights. This response to all flashing lights exemplifies stimulus generalization. Closely related to stimulus generalization, stimulus discrimination is the ability to distinguish between a CS and other stimuli that have not been paired with a UCS (Cherry, Principles of Classical Conditioning, 2005). In Pavlov’s experiment where the sound of a bell is the CS, discrimination involves being able to tell the difference between the sound of the bell and other similar sounds, and would then only express the CR at the sound of the bell. Another form of classical conditioning is higher order conditioning. This is where a new CS is created, by pairing a second CS with a previously created CS. The second CS acts as a UCS for the first CS. If Pavlov had begun flashing a red light before he sounded the bell, the flashing red light would become the new CS, and would eventually evoke the same CR as the sound of the bell does. My own behaviour indicates that I have also been classically conditioned. Two years ago, I was involved in a car accident. I was driving on the highway in the fast lane, the lane closest to the centre guardrail, when I lost control of my car and slammed into the guardrail, spinning across all three lanes. My car came to a final rest after hitting the guardrail closest to the on and off ramps. Before my car accident, I was a very confident driver and never experienced anxiety while driving, in general or while driving in the fast lane. Since my car accident, I am unable to drive in the fast lane without becoming very anxious. Experiencing anxiety is generally a natural response when getting into a car accident, so getting into a car accident in this example is the UCS, and experiencing anxiety is the UCR. Immediately preceding the car accident, I was driving in the fast lane, which is the CS in this situation. As a result of my traumatic experience, driving in the fast lane now produces the same anxious feeling as getting into a car accident because I have associated this factor with my car accident. And so, anxiety is the CR in this example. I have included a diagram in Appendix 1 to demonstrate my behaviour and how it associates with the basic classical conditioning model. A CR was achieved very quickly during acquisition of my behaviour. Because the situation was so traumatic, the CR was immediate, and I began to experience anxiety as quickly as the next time I drove on the highway. My behaviour is a good example of generalization because I do not only become anxious while driving in the fast lane on the same highway or in the same area where I hit the guardrail, but also while driving in the fast lane on all highways. There is another possible explanation for my behaviour. By avoiding driving in the fast lane, I am decreasing the likelihood of experiencing anxiety. My personal behaviour is a great example of negative punishment, which involves removing something good or desirable away in order to reduce the probability of a specific behaviour reoccurring. While driving in the fast lane can be beneficial and often desired, by not driving in that lane, I am eliminating the CR of experiencing anxiety when driving in that lane. Be it salivating at the smell of our favourite food cooking, avoiding a specific restaurant because of a bad experience, or putting on our seatbelt to stop the car from making the obnoxious dinging sound, our everyday lives are filled with behaviours that are a result of classical or operant conditioning, whether we realize it or not. Some of these conditioning experiences may be positive ones, others may have more negative effects on our lives, and some may go unnoticed forever. While conditioning is not as prominent today as it was throughout the middle of the twentieth century, it still remains an influential force in psychology. References Cherry, K. (2005). Classical Conditioning. Retrieved from about|education: http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/a/classcond.htm Cherry, K. (2005). Principles of Classical Conditioning. Retrieved from about|education: http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/a/classcondbasics.htm Cherry, K. (2005). Spontaneous Recovery. Retrieved from about|education: http://psychology.about.com/od/sindex/g/spontrec.htm Cherry, K. (2005). What is Acquisition? Retrieved from about|education: http://psychology.about.com/od/glossaryfromatoz/g/Acquisition.htm Cherry, K. (2005). What Is Classical Conditioning? Retrieved from about|education: http://psychology.about.com/od/cindex/g/classcond.htm Cherry, K. (2005). What is Extinction? Retrieved from about|education: http://psychology.about.com/od/eindex/g/extinction.htm Cherry, K. (2005). What Is Stimulus Generalization? Retrieved from about|education: http://psychology.about.com/od/sindex/g/stimgen.htm Cherry, K. (2014). What is Behaviorism? Retrieved from about|education: http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/f/behaviorism.htm Nobel Media AB. (2014). The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1904. Retrieved from Nobelprize.org: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1904/ Weiten, W., McCann, D. (2015). Custom Pub: Psych 1000 Introduction to Psychology and Study Guide. Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd. Appendix 1

Planning Issues In The Construction Industry Construction Essay

Planning Issues In The Construction Industry Construction Essay Construction is an everlasting activity across the globe. Its profitability like of any other business fluctuates according to the law of demand and supply. In most countries, construction activity constitutes 6-9% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and constitutes more than half of the fixed capital formation as infrastructure and public utilities capital works required for economic development. Construction activity contributes to the economic development of a country. The GDP per capita and the investment in the construction per capita generally follow a straight line relationship, that is construction activity increases with the increase in per capita income. Construction projects are intricate and time-consuming tasks. For the total success of any particular project a wide chain of specialized services is necessary for the timely completion of the project. During the construction process, itself even a project of small or medium proportions requires many attributes, materials a nd involves many different types of operations. The assembly process must follow a natural order of events that, in total combination, constitutes a complicated pattern of individual time requirements and restrictive sequential relationships among the many segments of the structure (Project Quality Management in Construction, K. Lambrou, G.J. Besseris and C. Alafodimos, MSc in Quality Management, TEI of Piraeus and University of Aisley).Mismanagement of resources has become a prevalent problem in many construction firms. This mismanagement of resources contributes to numerous construction firms ineffectiveness and frequent failures each year. Hence, it is necessary to take appropriate steps and follow the process to improvise the output of construction industry by using proper planning methods and techniques. This can be done through adoption of modern and improvised planning techniques in construction industry such as CPM, PERT, Supply Chain Management etc, which will be discussed in detail in main dissertation work. In the literature review of planning issues in construction industry, different aspects of social-cultural-economic importance of planning and modern planning techniques has been highlighted. This dissertation focuses on analyzing the major hindrances caused by the positive and negative issues in planning and execution phase of the project. 2. Background Planning is a key ingredient in the successful completion of any construction project. It provides the road map for the project to follow and the milestones by which its progress is measured. To understand the loopholes in the planning process it is necessary to dismantle the planning objectives, so that all the aspects regarding the project could be thoroughly capitalized. Four planning objectives which characterize the whole of the planning process are execution of work, coordination of all the activities, control over the materials and manpower and forecasting. Safety is a major concern to every successful construction project because of humanitarian concern for the workers and the cost ramifications of a poor safety record. Major construction firms had proposed the usage of network planning techniques, mainly because of owners demand. The relationship between project planning and construction safety is sometimes subtle, and the impact it has on the project is not as readily apparent as the importance of planning and safety as separate entities. A comprehensive planning and scheduling specification system can aid in the planning of job sequence, financial needs, workforce needs, material needs, and equipment needs. It also can aid the scheduling of actual activity start or completion and provide feedback to control the schedule, cost, and use of resources. A critical step in the execution of any construction project is the selection of planning and scheduling specification clauses to be included in the construction contract. Numerous project characteristics should be taken into account when determining which planning and scheduling clauses to be included. Project is a mission, undertaken to create a unique facility, product or services within the specified scope, quality, time and costs. With the emerging global opportunities, projects cross geographical boundaries, corporate channels, traditional systems and cultural diversities. The knowledge areas needed to manage such projects comprise project management techniques, general management practices and technology-related subjects. The project management techniques of planning, scheduling and controlling are the tools and devices that bind the subjects knowledge areas. These techniques can be applied to all types of projects. This research focuses on the application of all these techniques in the construction industry. It is widely recognized that effective planning can play a major role in the success of projects. Whether project success is based on the traditional measure of time, cost and quality or newer measures of critical success factors (Westerveld, 2003), effective planning can also contribute to the prevention of accidents and ill health of site personnel (Duff and Suraji, 2000; HSE, 2003). These objectives become increasingly difficult to achieve, however, in construction projects. Construction sites can be extremely busy places where the working environment is ever changing. Unfortunately, in addition to this, the construction industry tends to be under resourced and under planned in relation to other industries (Egan, 1998), which can lead to a crisis management approach to production risk, a feature of construction culture which can impact heavily on health and safety. Despite this, activities requiring intensive planning as those required in a temporary rail possession, almost invari ably run smoothly. There is little chance of an unsafe incident, due to the heightened risk awareness resulting from the meticulous planning. 3. Aims and Objectives To study various minute details affecting the process of planning. The objective of this research is to assess the modern methods of planning and scheduling a construction contracts which can be applied in todays construction industry and to also discuss the issues involved in the application of those tools. To compare and analyze a planning strategy which has a solution for various issues in the planning process. 4. Research Methodology The research methodology is the approach through which the researcher collects the data useful for the chosen topic and then the analysis is done on the basis of that. In my dissertation, I will be using qualitative research as means to study planning and scheduling in construction contracts. 5. Scope and Limitations of Dissertation The limitations of the dissertation are: This research targets only construction industry, hence the results cannot be implied on the others sectors. This analysis will be done for Indian and UK industry. However, the study done on India and UK is not necessary applicable for other nations as well as because of cultural differences. Planning techniques for different countries is different which adds to more misery. The unavailability of proper planning and management techniques, which could possibly solve the issues of planning even when proper resources are not available. Construction Industry has flourished domestically as well as globally over the years. Economic development of any particular country also largely depends upon the construction projects. Major factors that affect the overall result of any project would be size, complexity, quality, productivity, completion time and cost. These factors would be achieved only when proper planning is done, which forms the base of construction management. A project plan is always formulated during the planning phase. Planning in its broader perspective, involves advance thinking as to what is to be done, what are the activities, how it is to be done, when it is to be done, where it is to be done, what is needed to do it, who is to do it and to ensure that it done. A project plan would be adversely affected if cost overruns and delays take place. The effect of past construction experience, on the quality of management in general and on planning effectiveness in particular, is addressed only rarely in const ruction-management research; the few studies doing so explicitly are in agreement with the findings of the present study. NEDO (Faster 1983) reports the contractors inexperience in similar projects as a major source of difficulty in construction [Faster building for industry (1983). NEDO-Building EDC, National Economic Development Office, London, England.]. All the perseverance put into the invention of new techniques did not gave the satisfying results in the construction planning sector (Choudhury 1981, Mason 1984, Morton 1983). Sometimes people fail to recognize the difference between planning and scheduling. Progress in the usage of new computer techniques has resulted in the misconception of standardization of project scheduling. Projects have been a part of our society for quite a long era. Indication of total efficiency would be seen by completing project on time, but construction process is subjected to too many fluctuations and unforeseeable factors which results from many sources (Sadi. A. Assaf, Sadiq Al-Hejji, (2005)). Construction organization lives in the ever-changing and their effectiveness depends on their ability to adapt to new demands and opportunities. This industry needs to adjust itself to the changes occurring in its working environment in order to become effective. Construction projects are intricate and time-consuming tasks. The total development of a project normally consists of several phases requiring a diverse range of specialized services. In progressing form initial planning to project completion, the typical project passes through successive distinct stages that demand inputs from such disparate groups as financial organizations, government agencies, engineers, architects, lawyers, surety companies, contractors, and building trade-persons. Most challenging part of these modern techniques is implementing these methods to achieve a particular goal or task. Construction Industry faces a lot of problems because of the working patterns and inefficient planning techniques to reach to complete a particular function. Following the modern planning techniques reduces the dilapidation of resources and economically strengthens the company. A constant focus should be given on the improvisation techniques which include mutually collaborating one or more techniques which would lead to a profitable project and reduce the loss due poor performance and cost overruns. The constructions industry in India and UK has realized the importance of the proper usage of modern planning techniques which has improvised the margins of profits and truncate the overall project cost. In India planning is an open process (Planning in India RICHARD S. ECKAUS MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ).If design completion is not done at proper time it would prove to be costly, as it would lead to construction delays. In India a prevalent method to planning is not sufficient as there are many situations which includes Limitation or inexpertness of human beings in there respective fields (Human Errors). Influence of external factors beyond human control (E.g. Natural Hazards: this could have an adverse effect on the planning process). The external components interact with the construction firm from outside of the organizations environment. Such external components are material suppliers, financial institutions, and surety companies, end users of products, owners, and architects. The project is also influenced by external causes due to scarce availability of resources in the market (Techniques and Technology). The project covers important framework of an integral system; therefore considerable economic or technical consequence could result from faulty usage. (An approach to planning and control of advanced projects Giorgio Caroni, Roland0 Matteelli and Alfred0 Berti) In order to have a competitive edge over other construction companies, perfectly planning techniques should be used. Main Body CASE STUDY: Even though India is one of the developing countries the approach towards planning is comparatively more advanced as compared to other developing countries. (Planning in India, RICHARD S. ECKAUS, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY). In India, for small scale project ranging between 1million £-10million £ specific planning techniques cannot be implemented, as a lot of unavoidable problems usually arise due to many reasons. Comprehensive survey of the location of the project clearly marks the project area and its boundaries. Soil investigation is to be done to ascertain the soil strength so as to decide the type and other specific details of the foundation. Depending upon the soil investigation reports, finalize the type of foundation i.e., pile foundation or open foundation up to hard strata strength. Necessary approvals, clearances, no objection for all the concerned government departments, local or self governing authorities should be obtained before starting the project. To ascertain whether any public utility service lines like Water pipe lines, sewage pipe lines, electrical cables or over head lines, telephone line or any other Public/Private items or assets are crossing /passing through the designated project area. Specific measures must be taken to relocate the service lines or public assets before starting the project. Drawings incorporating all the specific details, dimensions and other specifications must be accurate and must be got approved from all the relevant authorities before starting the work If any of the above fundamental issues are neglected at the planning stage, you are steadily heading for a project period over run and project cost overrun. TYPICAL CASE STUDIES FROM INDIA BUILDING PROJECT OF CBI(CENTRAL BEAURAU OF INVESTIGATION) BUILDING 1) Name of Work : Construction of Administrative Building including all infrastructure Amenities for C.I.D Pune. at Pune 2) Client : Maharashtra State Police Housing Welfare Corporation. Limited, Mumbai 3) Tender Work Order No : PHC/TB/CID PUNE/1152/2005 Dated 15.07.2005 from General Manager 4) Contractor : M/s. Deepa Engineers, 42, Welfare Chambers, 1st Floor, Sector-17, Vashi, Navi Mumbai 400 705 5) Architect : M/s. Arc-Aids. Pune 6) P.M.C : M/s PP Ventures, Pune 7) Tendered Amount : 5, 43, 04,161/- 8) Date of Starting : 02.09.2005 9) Stipulated period of completion : 31.05.2007 10) Area as per tender : 5483.57 Sq.Mtr 11) Area as per actual construction : 7217.19 Sq.Mtr. Including Common Facility. 12) Common Facility Area : 109Sq.Mtr 1) Septic Tank = 36 Sq.Mtr 2) Meter Room = 19 Sq.Mtr 3) Pump House = 54 Sq. Mtr 13 Area Constructed : 7108.19 Sq.Mtr (7217.19-109 = 7108.19 Sq.Mtr) 14) Actual date of completion/ : 31.03.2009 Taking over 10.07.2009 15) Difference in Area : 1669.62 Sq.Mtr. 16) R.A. Bill No. 21st (pending) : 30,70,629.00 17) Final Bill yet pending : 26,01,169.00 18) Security Deposit : 13,57,604.00 19) Retention money deducted From 20th R.A. Bill : 1,38,747.00 20) Retention money deducted From 21th R.A. Bill : 1,52,052.00 21) Extra Items Amount : 1,83,210.00 22) Inauguration Expenditure : 3,10,000.00 23) Bank Guarantee En cashed : 13,57,604.00 Total Claims overdue : 91,71,015.00 + Difference in Constructed Area amount Conclusion Departmental interaction between various service agencies of the state, like the police housing Department and PUNE Municipal Corporation must have been initiated at the planning stage of the tender itself. Though the project is commissioned successfully on 10th July-2009 and the C.B.I has occupied the Administrative Building, with all the proposed amenities the Contractor has suffered huge financial losses. Presently the case is under arbitration Justification for the delay of work 1) M/s. Arc-Aids, (Architect) M/s. PP Ventures, Pune (PMC) were new to the department lack of coordination between them with Police Housing and the contractor resulting in bad delay in furnishing the requisite drawings and other relevant details for the timely execution of the work. 2) Delay due to the shifting of approx One Meter Diameter Water pipe line of Pune municipal corporation which was not shown in the layout drawing of the tender, passing through the site feeding water supply to Pune City Delay 10 Months. The work was coordinated by Deepa Engineers and executed by Pune Municipal Corporation without any financial obligations to PHC. Drawings must incorporate all the details accurately, after carrying out proper survey of the project area. 3) Non releasing of the payments in time by holding of Running Bills payment by imposing heavy penalty as given below, which was against the terms conditions of the Tender, since the delay was caused by reasons beyond the responsibility control of the contractor Sr.No. Particulars No. of days Amount to be recovered from Bill in Rs. 1 Rs. 1000/-per day w.e.f. 1/6/07 to 15.01/08 229 2,29,000/- 2 Rs. 5000/-per day w.e.f. 16/01/08 to 15/02/08 31 1,55,000/- 3 Rs. 10000/-per day w.e.f. 16/02/08 to 12/05/08 87 8,70,000/- 4 Rs. 15000/-per day w.e.f. 13/5/08 to 30/06/08 49 7,35,000/- 5 Rs. 65000/-per day w.e.f. 1/7/08 to 10/07/09 375 2,43,75,000/- Total 771 2,63,64,000/- This holding of payment was waived and released by Hon. S.S. Virk after joining as M.D. of Police Housing Corporation and assured that the penalty will be waived and the difference in area constructed will be consider after completing the work. Accordingly the work is restarted and completed on 31.03.2009 and handed over on 10.07.2009. Month wise requirement of funds if predicted during the plannings stage itself, the payment schedule flow of money will not be hampered. B) Name of Project: 1) Construction of three storeyed of 300 seated Post Graduate Hostel including internal Water supply, Sanitary installation, Drainage wok and internal electrification work for Vishweshwarayya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India Name of Contractor : M/s. DEEPA ENGINEERS, 42, WELFARE CHAMBERS, 1ST FLOOR, SECTOR-17, VASHI, NAVI MUMBAI Estimated Cost : 5,33,56,856/- Tendered Amount : 9,34,63,099.00 Time allowed : 16 Months including monsoon Period Commencement Date : 12.07.2007 Stipulated date of completion : 11.11.2008 Security Deposit : 46,73,155.00 (Bank Guarantee) Project Management : Central Public Works Department, Superintending Engineer, Central Circle, Nagpur. Architects : do B) Name of Project: Construction of Additional storey (100 seated) over proposed 300 seated Post Graduate Hostel at Vishweshwarayya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur. Name of Contractor : M/s. DEEPA ENGINEERS, 42, WELFARE CHAMBERS, 1ST FLOOR, SECTOR-17, VASHI, NAVI MUMBAI Estimated Cost : 1,78,70,130.00 Tendered Amount : 2,36,39,902.00 Commencement Date : 28.11.2008 Stipulated date of completion : 27.05.2009 Security Deposit : 11,82,000.00 (Bank Guarantee) Time allowed : 6 Months Project Management : Central Public Works Department, Superintending Engineer, Central Circle, Nagpur. Architects : do Actual date of Completion : 31.03.2010 Parameter adopted for mix design for RCC works Ready Mix Concrete Nominal maximum size of aggregate : 20 mm angular as per C.P.W.D. description Degree of quality control : Good Type of Exposure : Moderate Maximum water cement Ratio : 0.50 Cement Content : 410/Kg/cum of concrete Type of Cement used : OPC 43 grade Conforming to IS: 8112 Sand : Coarse sand as per CPWD Specification Approved Admixtures conforming to I.S. 9103 permitted Fly wash shall not be used in R.C.C The Contractor shall submit the Mix Design Report from Approved Laboratory and get it approved from the Engineer-in-Charge Causes for the delay in completion of the project. Inaccurate Soil Investigation Report. The Original depth of Excavation, for Foundation fixed as 5ft(1.52 m) as per tender. At the time of actual execution the depth upto loft which resulted in huge quantity variation in excavation, quantity of steel and other items necessitating further approvals from all competent authorities. This project cost overrun and period overrun could have been avoided if proper soil investigation was carried out before tendering A Major defect in planning was the decision to have an additional floor with 100 seats after the completion of the hostel building up to 3rd floor by the contractor. The right decision to have a Four storied 400 seated Hostel building initially would have saved the Project period by at least 4 months Also there could have been a saving of the total Project cost by at least 03 % TABLE OF MILESTONE (S) CASE B(1) S. No. Financial Progress Time allowed (from date of start) Amount to be withheld in case of non achievement of milestone 1 All P.C.C. and brick works up to plinth level 120 days In the event of not achieving the necessary progress as assessed 1% of the tendered value of work will be withheld for failure of each milestones 2 Complete R.C.C structure up to terrace level 240 days 3 All brick work , flooring, internal plaster, fixing of door frames and windows etc along with all related items 355 days 4 Water proofing to terrace slab, external plaster and painting, fixing of all electrical and water supply, sanitary fitting etc. complete along with handing over of building including external service connections complete. 16 months TABLE OF MILESTONE (S) CASE B(2) S. No. Physical Progress Time allowed (from date of start) Amount to be withheld in case of non achievement of milestone 1 All R.C.C. Columns 30 days In the event of not achieving the necessary progress as assessed 1% of the tendered value of work will be withheld for failure of each milestones 2 Complete R.C.C and brick work up to terrace level 90 days 3 All brick work , flooring, internal plaster, fixing of door frames and windows etc along with all related items 150 days 4 External plaster and painting, fixing of all water supply, sanitary fitting etc. complete along with handing over of building including external service connections complete. 6 months Results from the Case Study: IN GENERAL VIEWS Table 1 List of causes of delay which may affect the overall planning is categorized below (Causes of delay in large construction projects, Sadi A. Assaf *, Sadiq Al-Hejji) No. of. Causes of delay affecting the planning process Group 1 The Original contract duration is very short Project 2 Disputes between various parts Project 3 Inadequate definition of substantial completion Project 4 Ineffective delay penalties Project 5 Type of construction contract (Lump sum contract, construction only,) Project 6 Type of project bidding and award ( lowest bidder) Project 7 Delay in payments by the owner Owner 8 Delay to furnish the site to the contractor by the owner Owner 9 Revision orders by the owner during construction phase Owner 10 Late in changing and approving the design documents by the owner Owner 11 Delay in approval of drawings and the sample materials Owner 12 Improper communication by owner and other parties Owner 13 Unwillingness to make proper decisions Owner 14 Disagreements occurring between joint-ownership of the project Owner 15 Absence of incentives for contractor for finishing the work ahead of schedule Owner 16 Discontinuation of work by owner Owner 17 Financial problems faced by contractor Contractor 18 Problems in sub-contractors schedule in execution work Contractor 19 Alterations during construction due to some minor errors Contractor 20 Affray between contractor and other parties Contractor 21 Inappropriate site management by the contractor Contractor 22 Inappropriate communication by contractor with other parties Contractor 23 Poor planning of project by the contractor Contractor 24 Improper construction techniques implemented by contractor Contractor 25 Postponement in sub-contractors work Contractor 26 Inadequate standard of work by contractor Contractor 27 Periodic changes of sub-contractors Contractor 28 Poor qualification of technical staff Contractor 29 Mobilization problems at site Contractor 30 Postponement in inspection and testing by consultant Consultant 31 Delays in the approval of major changes in the scope of work by consultant Consultant 32 Inflexibility shown by the consultant Consultant 33 Improper coordination between consultant and other parties Consultant 34 Slow to review and approve the documents by the consultant Consultant 35 Issues between the consultant and the design engineer Consultant 36 Inadequate experience of consultant Consultant 37 Mistakes in the design documents Design 38 Delay in delivering the design documents Design 39 Imperfect details in drawings Design 40 Complications in understanding of the project design Design 41 Incomplete data collection survey before design Design 42 Confusion in owners requirements by design engineer Design 43 Insufficient design-team experience Design 44 Low amount of usage of advanced engineering design software Design 45 Shortage of construction materials in market Materials 46 Alterations in the type of materials and specifications during the construction Materials 47 Immobilization of material Materials 48 Damage of sorted material while they are needed urgently Materials 49 Delay in manufacturing special building materials Materials 50 Late procurement of materials Materials 51 Late in selection of finishing materials due to availability of many types in market Materials 52 Equipment breakdowns Equipment 53 Shortage of equipment Equipment 54 Low level of equipment-operators skill Equipment Equipment 55 Lack of high-technology mechanical equipment Equipment 56 Shortage of labours Labours 57 Unqualified workforces Labours No. Causes of delay Group Labours 58 Nationality of labours Labours 59 Low productivity level of labours Labours 60 Personal conflicts among labours Labours 61 Effects of subsurface conditions (e.g., soil, high water table, etc.) External 62 Delay in obtaining permits from municipality External 63 Hot weather effect on construction activities External 64 Rain effect on construction activities External 65 Unavailability of utilities in site (such as, water, electricity, telephone, etc.) External 66 Effect of social and cultural factors External 67 Traffic control and restriction at job site External 68 Accident during construction External 69 Differing site (ground) conditions External 70 Changes in government regulations and laws External 71 Holding up the work from the important utilities i.e., water, electricity etc External 72 Final inspection has been delayed by a third party External Literature Review: Definitions and Concepts of Planning and Planning issues Planning can be defined as any one of the following: 1. A decision-making process. 2. A process of anticipatory decision-making to decide what and/or how to perform actions due at some point in the future. 3. A process of integrating interdependent decisions into a system of decisions. 4. A hierarchical process evolving from general guidelines to objectives, to the elaboration of means and constraints that lead to a detailed course of action. 5. A process that includes part or all of a chain of activities comprising information search and analysis, development and design of alternatives, analysis and evaluation of alternatives and choice making. 6. The systematic employment of procedures (standardized and formal to varying degrees). 7. Documented presentation, in the form of plans. (Is construction project planning really doing its job? A critical examination of focus, role and process, A. Laufera; R. L. Tucker, Department of Construction Management, Technion IIT, Haifa, Israel b Construction Industry, Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA) Social-Cultural-Economic Importance of Planning(POSTIVE AND NEGATIVE) Cultural Aspects: (International Measurement of the Economic and Social Importance of Culture, Prepared by John C. Gordon and Helen Beilby-Orrin) . The Australian statistical office

The Ethics of Gun Control Essay -- Constituton Bill Rights Right To Be

The Ethics of Gun Control The phrase "Gun Control" means different things to different people. One bumper sticker states that "Gun Control means hitting your target." However one defines gun control, the mere mention of it brings controversy. Opposing sides have for years fought over the laws that govern firearms. For the purposes of this paper "Gun Control" is defined as policies enacted by the government that limit the legal rights of gun owners to own, carry, or use firearms, with the intent of reducing gun crimes such as murder, armed robbery, aggravated rape, and the like. So defined, gun control understandably brings favorable responses from some, and angry objections from others. The gun control debate is generally publicized because of the efforts of the Pro-Gun Lobby or the Anti-Gun Lobby. The best known of the Pro-Gun Lobby is the NRA, headed by Charlton Heston and Wayne LaPierre. The Anti-Gun Lobby includes such organizations as Handgun Control, Inc., The Violence Policy Center, and the ACLU, and is commonly associated with such figures as Sarah Brady. It is doubtful that anyone would dispute that reducing violent crime is a good thing. Most pro-gun lobbyists will concede that guns are used in violent crimes, and that guns act as an enabler for criminals. It is impossible to deny that mass shootings could not be carried out without guns. This fact is generally the basis of the anti-gun movement. They argue that since guns are commonly used in the commission of crimes, and since guns are inherently dangerous because of their primary function (the primary function being the destruction of the target), that guns should therefore be outlawed. The pro-gun... ...der rate because Americans own so many guns." http://www.guntruths.com/myths/united_states_has_such_a_high_mu.htm. 28 July 1999. "Only the police are trained enough and responsible enough to carry guns". http://www.guntruths.com/myths/only_the_police_are_trained_enou.htm. 28 July 1999. "Proof Positive: Gun Control Increases Violent Crime". http://www.guntruths.com/resource/australia.htm. 28 July 1999 Reese, Charley. "American Citizens Have the Right to Bear Arms". http://www.guntruths.com/guest% 20correspondent/american_citizens_have_a_right.htm. 28 July 1999. Schultz, Daniel J. "It's Hard to Argue With the Founders". http://www.guntruths.com/schultz/it.htm. 28 July 1999. "This is America. The government is never going to turn into a tyranny." http://www.guntruths.com/myths/tyranny.htm. 28 July 1999.

How the Media Distorts Male Self-Perception Essay -- Exploratory Essay

How the Media Distorts Male Self-Perception Women are insecure. They constantly diet and scrutinize their bodies. They fall victims to the anorexically thin models appearing in the media. Why do men have it so easy? For years these questions are what women asked themselves. In a world where appearance is everything, women have been the main source of all the hype concerning the image and body. Advertisements have been criticized for years about putting the pressures of the â€Å"perfect† body into the heads of millions of women. Up until a few years ago, it was believed that only women had the eyes of society on them. Now the scales are balancing. More men are beginning to feel pressured, by the same society, to have a muscular body and to portray a perfect male image. However, some men are taking this pressure to the extremes. The media is having a negative effect on the way men view their bodies making them feel as if they need to look like the models shown, which can often result in muscle dysm orphia. Through exposure to the media, primarily advertisements and movies, the physical appearance of the male body has drastically changed, from barely seeing the torso to men in their briefs. In past decades, the male body was portrayed in a â€Å"rugged† sort of way (Luciano 4). It didn’t matter how many muscles the man had or the degree of atonement, but the way that the man carried himself. He was his own seller in a busy market. If he wanted to appear tough and manly, the way he presented and carried himself would make all the difference. For example, in the first two Rocky films, Rocky, played by Sylvester Stallone, is â€Å"beefy† yet buff (Law). He is the idol of women portrayed as ... ...s in Magazines.† Journal and Mass Communication Quarterly. Autumn 2002: 697-711. ABI/INFORM Global. Proquest Horn Lib., Babson Park, MA. 11 Feb.. 2003 . Luciano, Lynne. Looking Good: Male Body Image in Modern America. New York: Hill and Wang, 2001. Olivardia, Roberto. â€Å"Muscle Dysmorphia in Male Weightlifter: A Case Control Study.† American Journal of Psychiatry. Aug 2000: 1291-6. ABI/INFORM Global. Proquest Horn Lib., Babson Park, MA. 11 Feb 2003 . Pope, H.G.. â€Å"Muscle Dysmorphia: a New Syndrome in Weightlifter.† British Journal Of Sports Medicine. Oct. 2002: 375-8 Expanded Academic ASAP. Infotrac. Horn Lib., Babson Park, MA 11 Feb 2003

Marketing plan Essay

It is a management process through which an organisation provides its goods or services to its customers. Through marketing the organisation try to deliver and value customer, and managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organisation and its shareholders. Marketing also includes identification, selection and development of a product, determining the price of the product, selection of a distribution channel to reach the target customers, and development and implementation of a promotional strategy. Marketing is all about to meets the needs of the customers and satisfy the needs of the customers. WHAT IS MARKET RESEARCH? It is the systematic gathering, recording and analysis of data about issues relating to marketing products and services. It can inform businesses’ decisions by helping the business to understand the changing dynamics of its market. It involves finding out more about customers, competitors and the overall marketing environment. Market research also allows a company to discover who their target market is and what these consumers think about a product or service before it comes available to the public. Market research may be conducted by the company itself or by a third party company that specializes in market research. Test subjects are usually compensated with product samples and/or paid a small income for their time. There are two types of research: primary research: The research is original to the organisation conducting the research (they collected the data) Secondary research : The research came  from another source (the data had already been gathered e.g. Market research reports, trade journals, customer service records) Within these categories information can be either internal (from inside the organisation) or external (from another organisation or source outside of the organisation). The research can be qualitative and quantitative or include elements of both. Well planned market research often involves a combination as they can reveal different things about the same market. Qualitative research: qualitative research involves finding out opinions, attitudes and feelings. Often more useful than quantitative data but is more difficult to collect and analyse. Methods of collecting qualitative data include focus groups and in depth interviews. Quantitative research: quantitative market research involves finding numerical data. Quantitative data is generally collected from large samples and is easy to analyse. Methods of collecting quantitative data include written and online questionnaire. This kind of research is used to find out how customers perceive an organisations or brand, understand how changes in price, or other variables, might affect consumer spending decisions and investigate customer preferences, interests, aspiration and other variables. MARKET PLANNING It is a business document written for the purpose of describing the present market position of a business and its marketing strategy for the period covered by the business. Marketing plans usually have a life time of one to five years. The objective of market plan is to show the steps that will be undertaken by the business to achieve its objectives. The elements used in the market planning: Description of products or service, including special features. Marketing budget, including the advertising promotional plan. Description of the business location, including advantages and disadvantages. Pricing strategy. Market segmentation. The business uses different market planning tools to do market research such as: PESTLE audit SWOT analysis SMART objectives Strategy and tactics Evaluating effectives of marketing activity Now I am discussing about how Marks and Spencer uses market research and market planning tools to contribute to their development plans. PESTLE ANALYSIS Political These factors are usually beyond the control of the organisation. However, the business needs to anticipate changes and identify the action it needs to take either make the most of an opportunity or mitigate a threat. When Marks and spencer is considered they do have political influence such as government sets regulations for them regarding health and safety. British standards such as, planning for hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control. If the companies do not abide by these regulations they will be fined or even in some cases be forced to close down. Marks and Spencer did not abide by the British standards as they were charged for neglecting health and safety regulations after a door fell on an employee. The warehouse door was left hanging on loose fixtures. Marks and Spencer are supposed to have ignored repair requests, allowing the door to fall into disrepair. Marks and Spencer pled not guilty to this; there is still no outcome of this trial. Also according to BBC news 30th January 2006 Marks and Spencer would be the major retailer to go down the fair trade route on  both clothing and food. The fair trade policy, which they have launched will include, cut salt and fat in Marks and Spencer foods, recycled packaging and animal welfare protection. Marks and Spencer Chief Stuart Rose stated, â€Å"Customers want good value, but they care more than ever how food and clothing products are made.† Economic These factors can affect the performance of a business. Especially when national/international economy goes through periods of prosperity and recession. Currently the economic outlook is very uncertain and this is more than likely to affect retail sales, as people do not have the spare cash to spend on luxury items such as clothing and food luxuries. Marks and Spencer have been hit by this and have recently closed a number of stores and have to make job cuts of 2% of their 70000 staff. And also to show what affect the recession has had, they took the decision to have two days of 20% discounts in the run up to Christmas. They have also introduced a 20% of all wine and champagne to keep up with their competitors. Customers are happy to buy the products from Marks and Spencer but due to the current economic situation they do not spend much on shopping. Social These factors relate to the values and beliefs of society. This provides useful information for businesses targeting their services at broad segments of the population, such as newspapers and magazines. In the past few years the society has changed. The culture and the expectation of the customers have changed. In 2006 Marks and Spencer chief executive Stuart Rose wanted to stretch the company brand, for example he considered selling food online as part of a plan to become a multi-channel retailer to keep up with its competitors. Also in response to cheap clothing industry super markets have increasingly over the last few years caught up with fashion trends, helping them to challenging the high street clothing stores with their less expensive  versions. Marks and Spencer is no exception to this and they have bought their clothing ranges up to date to keep up with their customers interested. Consumer purchases are influenced by cultural, social, personal and psychological characteristics. Most of the factors cannot be controlled by the marketers but they have to be taken into account by the marketers. Technological This development can affect the business in range of ways. It is one of the important aspects in the retail market. The brands of the company have to be managed carefully by the relevant managers of that company. The large companies have to be continuously being considered about their branding as it is a method they communicate with the customers and it’s way of advertising. They need to use their initiatives and new technologies to set themselves a standard among the public. For Marks and Spencer continuously to communicate with their customers they need to be heavily advertising. They have celebrity icon Myleen class as the face of Marks and Spencer who appears on the adverts on the TV and she is also on their website modelling the Marks and Spencer clothing also other girls include Twiggy, Erin o’ Connor, and Noemie Lenoir too, so their adverts appeal to women not only in their 20’s but also to the more mature lady so they are covering all areas with their advertising campaign. Legal These are the laws that the companies need adhere to. There are lots of law that different companies need to abide by. Legislation keeps on changing throughout the year. Marks and Spencer carry out retraining and update every year, they keep up to date with new laws or regulations, and with issues regarding health and safety they also ensure that their legal protection is updated. An example of legislation is the Fair packaging and Labelling Act (1996) provided for the regulation of packaging and labelling of consumer goods. Requires that manufacturers state what the package contains, who made it, and how much it contains. In Marks and Spencer website they show that they adhere to this legislation. â€Å"Packaging helps to protect the product between being produced and uses by the customer. It prevents product wastage, carries important instructions and information on ingredients and helps the product look its best in the store.† Data protection Act 1998 and Freedom of Protection Act 2000 these are the Acts to protect the rights of the customers. Since Marks and Spencer collects the information about the customers for delivery purpose customers wants to ensure that they keep their data safe. Environmental Environmental factors can relate to the social, political and legal aspects affecting a business. The government may put pressure on businesses to increase the amount of recycling. All companies, industries and organisations are being pressured to change their ways when it comes to the materials they use and how they manufacture. Marks and Spencer have established their own Green policy which they call plan A the chief executive of Marks and Spencer has today announced a 100 point five year plan to re-engineer itself to become a carbon neutral, zero waste to landfill, ethical trading, and sustainable sourcing health promoting business. SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal to the business. Opportunities and threats are external elements present in the environment in which the organisation operates. Carrying out a SWOT means researching the organisation’s current and future position. It’s a way of getting information which provides the basis for developing marketing objectives or aims and ultimately strategies or plans. Strengths Strengths are the advantages for a company to run efficiently. For a company to run efficiently they need to keep up their strengths. The strengths of Marks and Spencer is that their high quality which have attracted all the customers. The customer service of Marks and Spencer is their biggest strength as their main objective apart from making profit is customer based trading. The shopping environment is strength for Marks and Spencer. The shopping environment is much more flexible and convenient to the customers. They have made their stores brighter, and use modern designing techniques in their stores to make it more attractive. The management training of Marks and Spencer is excellent. Every manager has the responsibility to do their duty and to ensure that they give the best service to the customer. Weaknesses Weaknesses are the draw backs of the company. The weaknesses have to be improved with time. The price is one the weakness of Marks and Spencer. Customers prefer to buy cheap clothes rather than expensive due to the current economic situation of the country. Lack of clothing is also another weakness. When Marks and Spencer is considered they have a variety of clothing market.in fact especially ladies outwear is outmoded design and cut. In addition, comfortable younger consumers prefer purchasing brand labels, such as Next, Debenhams, and Topshop etc. Opportunities Marks and Spencer has many opportunities to expand their business. One of the opportunities of Marks and Spencer is the use of technology. In the modern world the technology has developed fast. It increases the demand for the online products. Customers are happy about adapting themselves towards the e-shopping of Marks and Spencer. The other opportunities of Marks and Spencer are that extending their market and also healthy eating. Healthy eating would catch the attention of the people as they want to make sure that the food they eat is healthy and the demand for the specific food will  increase. People want quality foods and they also want variety of foods. Introducing variety of foods would increase the sales of Marks and Spencer. Threats Although Marks and Spencer is a successful company it still has to face threats. The main threats is that their competitors. The other companies like Debenhams and Next. Changing social environment is also a threat if the environment is changed the needs of the people will also be changed. Therefore Marks and Spencer needs to change the needs of the people will also be changed. Therefore Marks and Spencer needs to change themselves according to the needs of the people. SMART OBJECTIVES All businesses set objectives, at a variety of levels. All these objectives should follow SMART objectives. Specific It is the specific aim of the company. The specific aim of Marks and Spencer is to expand their stores and to become a multi-channel retailer. They want to expand their business internationally more over their main focus is to expand in UK. Measurable It is setting objectives that believe that can be measured so that they can decide whether the objective has been achieved. They wanted to expand the business as they have thought they have expanded various food stores throughout the UK. They have expanded their stores and have been famous among the people. Achievable The objectives that are set by Marks and Spencer should be able to achievable. The objectives of Marks and Spencer are an achievable target. As they thought they were able to achieve their target. They were able to expand their business. They wanted to introduce more variety in their food products as they have said they have achieved their target. They have introduced variety in their food products in their food stores. Realistic The targets that are set should be realistic. They should be achievable. Marks and Spencer have to set targets which are based on their competitors. The targets also have to be able to manage the resources and the market. Time related The targets that are set should be realistic. They should be achievable. Marks and Spencer announced in November 2010 that they wanted to expand the business in 5 years’ time frame. As they have planned they have achieved most of their target within two years’ time. STRATEGY AND TACTICS The strategic planning of Marks and Spencer is what made them to be famous among the other company. The strategic plan was set on November 2010. It was a 5 year plan in which they have achieved most of it. As part of their strategic planning they want to put the right team to work together, they have changed their capital structure. They also want to expand their food stores throughout UK. Their main focus is UK and they want to become a multi-channel retailer. They also improved on their product therefore which enables them to stand for years. In conclusion Marks and Spencer is a successful company. Their different market plans and their research have enabled them to achieve their targets. The market research done by the Marks and Spencer has contributed to the development of its marketing plans. In macro environment Marks and Spencer follows the government policies and protects and protects the natural environment. Moreover, Marks and Spencer is influenced by the factors of economic, social and technological to set their business strategies. On the hand, in micro environment the Marks and Spencer have a good long term relationship with their suppliers and their customers. The significant strategies of Marks and Spencer are creating potential customers and maintaining the existing customers. Overall the analysis of Marks and spencer has found that its business structure follow the trend society. This easy writing has made me to know the strategic planning of Marks and Spencer which has enabled them to stand for long. P4: Use marketing research for marketing planning. INTRODUCTION 200 customers were surveyed of a local fresh sandwich bar to find out about the current range of sandwiches on offer and the standard of service. The findings include: 75% want more children’s sandwiches 82% want the shop to open longer 65% said that the staff were unfriendly 50% said that the contents of the sandwiches should be fresher 80% said that they would prefer more wraps 75% want more children’s sandwiches From the survey it could be analysed that most of the customers prefer children’s sandwiches. 150 customers out of 200 like children’s sandwiches. It also could be assumed that the children’s sandwich is more preferred due to the characteristics of the sandwich. The target of the product is mainly at small children therefore they could make the sandwich more colourful and attractive. Nicely packing the sandwich and including a toy with the sandwich also increase their sales. Providing a meal pack also would  increase more customers. One of the other important things that have to be considered is the taste of the sandwich. The children’s sandwich should be milder than the adult’s sandwich. The milder choice is because the children do not prefer spicy food. The sandwich could be improved by making it more colourful and providing a meal would also improve their sales during seasonal times. Providing offers for the meal also would improve the sales. SMART Objective: Producing more different shaped and colourful children’s sandwich by 10% in next two months 82% want the shop to be open longer It could be analysed that the majority of the people wants the shop to be open longer. 164 people out of 200 want the shop to be open longer. If the shop is open longer during Saturdays and Sundays it is more likely that the customers come to the shop. In the fast moving world people spend most of their night times by visiting various places, going for shopping therefore if the shop is open longer customers who shops late nights would go to shop. Changing the interior designs of the shop for different seasons makes it more attractive to the customers. It would help them to create a more customer base for the sandwich bar. Opening the shop longer during the weekend and during the special season would benefit the bar more. Most people are free during the week ends than weekdays so opening the shops longer will bring them more profit. And also in the night they would prefer to buy food from shops than cooking at home. If they did home delivery and opened the shop for long they would get more orders. By keeping his store open longer than other stores in the area he can potentially gain more customers from other store and perhaps find new customers who use his store nearer to closing time. SMART: Increase the opening hours of the shop till 10pm in the night from next two months. 65% said that the staff were unfriendly It could be seen that most of the staff working are unfriendly. It is important that staff are friendly to the customers. If they treat the customers well only they would like to come to the bar. The customers are satisfied and would feel happy and they would prefer to go to the bar for the good service provided by the staff. They could raise morale to staff by staff recognition scheme. The staff may be given different shifts or rotating jobs for staff therefore they do not get bored. They could also give good training to the staff about how to deal with the customers. The work could be shared between the staff to reduce the stress. They can also recruit new staff by replacing new staff with high quality and of much potential. SMART: providing training or recruiting all the staff by 10% in next three months. 50% said that the contents of the sandwiches should be fresher In the fast moving world people prefer healthy and fresh foods. The bar could introduce new fresh foods like salads. They can ask their suppliers to supply the necessary materials every day in the morning. They can keep the sandwich fresh by covering it with a foil paper. Keeping the sandwich in coolers will make the sandwich fresh. Preparing the sandwich on the spot will keep the food products fresher than already made sandwich. People would be happier to buy fresh products. Including salads and vegetables to the sandwich will make the sandwich more a healthy food and it would provide calories to the people. They could also have more employees to serve the customers so that the sandwich is served freshly and on time. SMART: Supplying healthy and fresh sandwiches to the customers by 10% in two weeks’ time. 80% said they would prefer more wraps In the modern world people are exposed to variety of food choices. They are not only exposed to the home food but they have choices of food from all around the world. Therefore they are very specific in what they want. Therefore for the bar to improve on their business they could introduce wraps. They could introduce chicken wraps and vegetable wraps. When supplying vegetable wraps they should supply it with fresh ingredients. They can include salads, onions, tomatoes and etc. The wraps could be on the spot by the staff and served to the customers. The bar could offer meals to the customers. SMART: Introducing 3 different varieties of wraps in one month time by 5%. Overall customers are happy about the sandwich bar. They are quite satisfied with the products offered by the sandwich bar. This market research finding helps them to know their target market and to set their market strategy and also to develop their market plan. From the basis of the research we can do a SWOT analysis for the bar. This would help them to know the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The strengths of the bar are their product they are making for the children. The children sandwich is their main strength. 200 customers is a large amount of customers which shows they do have a strong customer base. The weaknesses of the bar are that the staff were unfriendly to the customers. The customers also want fresh supply for foods. If they could improve on them they would succeed in their business. The opportunities of the bar are that widening the choice of food products to the customers. more children’s sandwiches will bring more customers in with young children is an opportunity for them to make more profit. Making more wraps so that there is a larger selection of food available in store bringing more customers through the door therefore increasing sales and profit. The threats the bar could have is that their competitors. The competitors might overtake them if they do not provide good service to the customers. Any new shops that are opening can be a potential threat and steal customers from his store because they may give better service, products or their prices may be lower. Supermarkets around the shops are also a threat to the  bar because they sell sandwiches at lower price than the sandwich bar. Overall, from the outcome of the research it can be seen that the people are quiet happy and satisfied with the products and services offered by the restaurants. The bar could also set SMART objectives as part of their market plan to improve on their sales and profit. Overall this easy writing has helped me to learn how a research could help to develop their market plan and how they could improve on them.

Essay About Politics

In Regeneration Pat Barker utilises the character of Burns as a way of presenting the extent to which the society have managed to damage the young soldiers. Burns is a fictional character used as an extreme case in Craiglockhart Hospital that presents the emotional destruction that all soldiers feel and further enhances the strain from society on Burns individually shown in the actions he uses to demonstrate a severe deterioration.It is clear that the war is continuously playing on the mind of Burns in this extract by the militaristic imagery he uses when describing, what to other members of society, would be simply a normal walk around. On the bus journey first of all he describes the rattle of branches on the bus windows as sounding like ‘machine-gun fire’, which depicts the constant reminder he faces of the front line. The reaction of Burns trying not to be caught ‘crying out’ having heard these sounds suggests just how stressful being reminded of war in any way can be.Throughout this extract Burns also shows the discontent he feels and the struggle he faces to do the simplest of tasks such as walking up a hill. Barker refers to Burns’ struggle as ‘climbing the hill between trees’. The clever use of ‘climbing’ suggests the physical struggle he faces but also draws parallel with the feeling of climbing in and out of trenches on the western front that he formally faced, therefore hints at the idea that being reintegrated into British society was as much a â€Å"war† as it was when fighting on the western front.Again Pat Barker manages to show Burns facing the mirrored difficulties of war when he is ‘slipping and stumbling’ in ‘his mud-encumbered boots’ just like if he was in the harsh conditions of war. However we know that actually the ‘ploughed field’ he was walking through was nowhere near as difficult to travel through as in the western front which high lights how he has got far worse since returning which could possibly be due to the added pressure of society that he has been unable to adapt to life back home.Another key indicator that displays the pressure that has affected the character of Burns is the physical strains he faces. He depicts the discomfort with human contact so he ‘tensed, not liking the contact’ which indicates the disconnection he feels from society. Barker also further illustrates the dissatisfaction with life in general with his very pessimistic reflection on the day at the beginning. Looking at his room window he envisaged a ‘blurred landscape’ and the ‘sky and hills’ dissolved ‘together in a wash of grey’.The ‘grey’ and ‘blurred’ landscape that would have realistically have held much greater detail in rural Scotland- where Craiglockhart was located- shows the insignificance of the surrounding world for these struggling soldiers. Th ese dull adjectives simply underline the feeling of being fed up that Burn would have felt having being withdrawn from war and now has understood that he no longer has much meaning in life due to the societal pressure forced upon him.The feeling of being fed up that Burns portrays is seen through his dislike for spending time with others in the ‘common room’. He describes the talk as ‘facetious tones’ describing how he does not care what people have to say as it does not wish to spend time socialising with others due to the domino effect that he feels alienated from society. The men appear to sit around the ‘common room’ and talk about ‘the war, the war, the war’ showing how annoyed he is that this is all people talk about.The repetition of ‘the’ shows that this was the single most important thing of the time and this has left Burns feeling annoyed that he would rather just disconnect himself from everyone instead of f eel pigeonholed to only talk about such a distressful topic. As Billy Prior mentions later on in the novel this club ‘will be the club to end all clubs’ whereas Burns clearly does not comply with this. Physical strain on him. Paranoid- everything is against him. Possibly signs of disconnection from society leaving him emotionless. Conclusion. Print bibliography and photocopy extract.