Starbucks - International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Starbucks - International Business - Essay Example Although, previous researchers like Roby (2011) conducted research on international expansion strategy of Starbucks but these researcher focused more on marketing aspects of international expansion strategy of iconic coffee retailer but strategic dimensions of Starbuck’s international expansion remain scarcely discussed by scholars. In order to fulfil scarcity of research regarding strategic dimensions of Starbucks international expansion, this essay will try to shed light on pertinent issues regarding international expansion of Starbucks. Key objective of this paper will be to answer three questions, 1- how internal resources capabilities are supporting Starbucks to achieve success internationally, 2- how Starbucks has addressed challenges during international expansion and 3- what are the strategic initiatives that are taken by Starbucks to achieve success while expanding business internationally. In such context, business background Starbucks will be discussed in order to d evelop background for strategic analysis. Back Ground Analysis: Business Matrix of Starbucks Starbucks Corporation was established by Zev Siegl, Gordon Bowker and Jerry Baldwin during the year 1971 and the company is headquartered at Seattle, Washington, U.S (Starbucks, 2012). The company started its operation through opening single store in Pike Place Market of Seattle while in the next 42 years; Starbucks Corporation has expanded its operation over 61 countries (Starbucks, 2012). According to annual report published by Starbucks Corporation for the financial year ended 31st December, 2012, the company maintains distribution channel containing more than 10,000 stores (including licensed and owned stores) within USA and more than 20,000 stores across the world (including licensed and owned stores). Starbucks Corporation specializes in offering various coffee drinks, beverages, different types of hot drinks, side dishes, salads etc (Starbucks, 2012). Market capitalization Starbucks c lose to US$38 billion while sales revenue of the company hovering over US$ 12 billion. Starbucks Corporation faces competition from not only same segment players but also from competitors who offer cross segment products. For example, Starbucks offer similar kind of offering as Dunkin' Brands, Green mountain coffee while in domestic and international market; Starbucks Corporation faces intense competition from cross segment players like Nestle, McDonalds, Kraft Food and Wendy's International. Why Starbucks has been so successful to penetrate in distant markets while its competitors are gasping for maintain margin product differentiation equilibrium? Lee (2010) pointed out that competitive advantage for Starbucks lies on its ability to customize its product portfolio and service mix in accordance with the macro environmental requirements. Lee (2010) identified three strategic moves that have helped Starbucks Corporation to achieve success in international market such as, 1- establish ing licensing and partnership with distribution partners that can reduce dimensions of risks and contingency factors associated with expansion in international context, 2- differentiating in terms of product portfolio and service customization as per socio-cultural divergence in international countries and 3- customizing its integrated marketing communication as per socio-cultural divergence in international countries. In such context, Boston Matrix of Starbucks product portfolio

Limitations of ERP

Limitations of ERP ERP systems have emerged as one of the latest that organizations are using to meet the needs of a global market. Many companies hope that these systems will help leapfrog to the next level but ERP systems are fraught with limitations that can prove difficult to manage. This paper tries to analyze some of the limitations and provides directions that will help overcome the same Introduction In todays increasingly competitive world where the world is converging into a single market place, organizations are looking for ways to become globally competitive. Companies must be able to meet customer requirements in the shortest possible time faster than competition and this requires extensive production planning and close coordination between the company and its suppliers and customers. MRP (Materials Requirement Planning) was one of the most widely used systems for production planning but its main focus was only on managing the production requirements in an organization. MRP systems helped in time phase release of production orders and aggregating planning for material requirements. With time, companies realized that there needed to be an integration of all the functions in an organization and this lead to the development of ERP (Enterprise resource planning) systems. Dr. Suresh Subramoniam et.al [1] defines ERP as ERP is an Enterprise wide system that facilitates integrated and real-time planning, production and customer response. ERP has multilingual capability, multi-currency handling ability, and can recognize legal and tax reporting needs of various nations across the world. Traditionally, each department of an organization uses a software application of its own and the interaction between these systems is very limited. Thus there is no way of generating consolidated information that is accessible to the entire company. ERP systems were created to address this issue by treating the entire organization as a single enterprise and making information available to all the departments as and when needed. Many companies across the world have either implemented or are in the process of implementing ERP systems across their organizations with the intention of making their businesses globally competitive. Despite their best intentions, there are widespread instances where ERP systems have failed to live up to their expectations and have even lead to the demise of companies. Some companies have been able to absorb these losses (Hersheys, Whirlpool, Nestle, IBM, Apple, etc.) but most havent. Even those companies that have successfully implemented ERP have found it difficult to realize the true potential of the system. A few findings as reported by Panorama consulting in their 2010 ERP Report are as follows: Close to 57% of the ERP implementations take longer than expected About 54% of ERP implementations cost more than expected Most ERP implementations under-deliver business value (Fig 1) Companies do not effectively manage the organizational changes of ERP Limitations of ERP Limited to the four walls of the company ERP is an evolution of MRP which was solely focused on manufacturing and materials planning. ERP systems were designed to manage more functions of enterprises thus integrating all business management functions, including planning, inventory and materials management, engineering, order processing, manufacturing, purchasing, accounting and finance, human resources, etc. Though considered as a revolution during its time, ERP did not take into account any of the external relationships that a company had as enterprises were run as independent entities during those times. Within an organization the system was able to support all functions but was unable to handle the various interactions that the enterprise had with its suppliers and customers. Conventional ERP helped automate individual departments but did not integrate its back-office benefits into the front-office to help businesses manage people, workloads and supply-chain issues; it could not establish consistent control of all the processes of the business Even within the organization, some of the difficulties faced by managers were Only the current status could be accessed, such as open orders. But managers often need to look beyond the current status to find trends and patterns for better decision-making. The data in the ERP application was not integrated with other enterprise systems and did not include external intelligence. ERP systems could not meet all of the analytical and reporting needs of organizations. ERP systems are generally very expensive to install. They call for voluminous and exorbitant investments in terms of time and money without guaranteeing the said benefits. The time taken for an organization to migrate to an ERP system is quite substantial. Extensive training has to be provided at the expense of existing working hours which can also result in a loss of business during the transition period. Apart from the installation costs, companies also charge annual maintenance and renewal costs. These costs put together may not justify the implementation of ERP systems especially for companies that are smaller in scale Since each business has different needs there has to be a level of customization to ensure that the all the factors relevant to the industry are considered. This may call for changing the ERP software structure to match the business workflow which is generally not allowed by the software vendors. ERP systems are built as per industry standards and when company wants to implement the system, it may have to change its way of functioning to match these standards. This can either be beneficial or can lead to the business loosing its competitive advantage Some companies have relatively simple operations and the use of ERP may complicate the existing setup thus leading to an over-engineering as compared to customers needs The biggest advantage of ERP is its ability to provide an information across the organization. There are instances where departments are unwilling to share information due to reasons best known to them thus reducing the effectiveness of the ERP system Many companies run on legacy systems and implementing ERP results in compatibility problems across departments. Conversion of these legacy systems into modern ones in itself results in huge cost overruns The easy availability of information also raises the question of security and privacy. Access to the various functionalities has to be carefully regulated to prevent unauthorized access and information theft. The time frame to realize the full benefits of a successful ERP implementation is longer that most companies would have initially expected. There would be a dip in the performance immediately after it goes live as employees take time to adjust to the new systems. With time, there will be changes in the requirements of the organization. Since the ERP system would be customized during the installation phase, there would be a limit to which the system can be scalable. Like for example, if a company wishes to add more fields to a data recording system there may be a pre set limits for the same. In order to overcome this, companies would have to pay the vendor an extra fee for such future upgrades Ongoing support After the implementation, companies would require constant support. The technical support provided by the software vendors maybe insufficient if the ERP systems encounter some major issue Overcoming the Limitations ERP as discussed before is a very comprehensive when it comes to handling the transactions within an enterprise but fails when there is an interaction with systems external to the organization. To overcome this, the concept of ERP II has been developed which integrates the ERP systems of an enterprise with that of the suppliers and event the customers. Using Enabling Technologies ERP can be considered as the backbone of an enterprises applications, but successfully handling the complexities of modern business will depend on a companys ability to share information promptly, securely, and effectively with customers, partners and suppliers. Organizations must seamlessly integrate their supply and value chains. The figure below shows the enabling technologies that will help organizations achieve the same Companies should constantly work towards integrating new technologies with their existing ERP systems. ERP systems are expensive to implement, but if they are not constantly updated they tend to get obsolete and may result in lost opportunities in terms of meeting customer needs. ERP is the central or the core component around which the various technologies are integrated, and these combine to enable an organization automate most of its processes. The technologies that will enable companies to do business at Internet speed when integrated with the ERP system are Business Intelligence (BI), Data Warehousing, Data Mining, On-line Analytical Processing (OLAP), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). A case in point is AM machines which is a world leader in the design manufacture, and support of automobile engines and power systems. The market demand for this industry is to develop high performance components at lowest cost. AM was one of the first organizations to use an ERP system to improve the efficiency of its manufacturing process systems. The ERP systems so developed were used across various functions such as finance, quality management, plant maintenance, materials management, controlling, program management, logistics, accounting, and sales and distribution transactions. Even though the ERP solution replaced a number of disparate legacy systems and provided a common ground to pull a lot of business functions together, the manual processes for managing large volumes of unstructured content (information such as digital photos, scanned images, and CAD drawings, not easily managed by any ERP system) still remained. To overcome this difficulty, AM realized that it needed to complement its ERP solution with a Product Data Management (PDM) solution. PDM is the use of software or other tools to track and control data related to a particular product. The data tracked usually involves the technical specifications of the product, specifications for manufacture and development, and the types of materials that will be required to produce goods. The PDM system integrated the document repository and ERP applications, empowering ERP users to collect, securely store, find, link, and easily retrieve the required documents. Retaining Customers Traditional ERP packages generally include functions that are required for Sales Force Automation (SFA) and other call center operations but not on personalizing customers experiences. In todays times the focus of companies is retaining customers and after a given point, ERP systems fail in contributing to this objective. ERP implementations leave many companies saddled with massive, isolated systems containing vital customer, product, or service data. These systems lack the functionality needed to optimize customer-facing operations. The solution is to integrate a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system with the ERP system. CRM is not just a software application or a database that is used to store customer information, it is an effort taken by the company to continuously improve the relationship it has with its customers. Automated CRM processes are used to generate personalized marketing and customer care based on the customer information stored in the system. Integrating the CRM and ERP systems makes customer information available across the organization. One of the immediate benefits would be in improving the ability of companies to deliver personalized services to their customers based on information that has been stored previously. CRM systems also help companies in launching targeted promotional campaigns and also in informing customers about new product launches based on their previous usage patterns. The call center operations are also improved as preferential treatment can be provided using past data. Understanding the importance of information When companies are competing for one another more or less in the same markets, just having information from within the organization would not be sufficient. Organizations must thus have information from the external environment to modify their business decisions accordingly. Knowing the external factors such as changes in the business environment, customer preferences and trends, new rules and regulations, competitor strategy, market trends, etc. are more important. This information is critical for survival and is more difficult to get when compared to the internal information. Another important factor is the manner in which companies manage historical information. As companies grow older, they collect a gold mine of information that can provide valuable insights regarding demand, customer demographics, customer preferences, etc. The challenge faced by enterprises today is to avoid information overload by intelligently selecting available data and presenting it in a way that is intuitively meaningful. Business and Competitive Intelligence Business Intelligence was term coined by the Gartner group in a report as early as 1996. It can be said that Business intelligence (BI) is a broad category of applications and technologies for gathering, storing, analyzing, and providing access to data to help enterprise users make better business decisions. BI applications include the activities ofÂÂ  decision support systems, query and reporting, online analytical processing (OLAP), statistical analysis, forecasting, andÂÂ  data mining. Using the existing data warehouses as a foundation and then building upon them using BI helps organizations predict the future in terms of trends, preferences and market variations. A data warehouse organizes ERP data so that it is easily accessible for online analysis. Business intelligence systems improve business competitiveness by providing reporting and analysis tools to the desktop, enabling communication with the entire supply chain via the Web thus automating alerts and actions. Competitive intelligence (CI) is a branch of BI which deals with managing the hyper-competitive environments that are a part and parcel of todays markets. CI gathers information that helps organizations formulate strategies to beat competition and assists decision-makers predict future trends and take smart decisions. Arik R. Johnson Managing Director of the CI consultancy Aurora WDC, describes CI as CI is the purposeful and coordinatedÂÂ  monitoringÂÂ  of your competitor(s), wherever and whoever they may be, within a specificÂÂ  marketplace Your competitors are those firms which you considerÂÂ  rivalsÂÂ  in business, and with whom you compete forÂÂ  market share. CI also has to do with determining what your business rivals WILL DOÂÂ  beforeÂÂ  they do it. Strategically, there is a need to gainÂÂ  fore knowledgeÂÂ  of your competitors plans and to plan your business strategy to countervail their plans. This will involve many methods at the tacticalÂÂ  collectionÂÂ  level, but it will also requireÂÂ  integrationÂÂ  into your existing information infrastructure,ÂÂ  analysisÂÂ  andÂÂ  distributionÂÂ  of the information, and finally, the calculation of business decisionsÂÂ  on the grounds of that information and the analysis of same. This is the intelligence part of the formula. Valuable in its own right, ERP information becomes even more valuable when it is combined with information from other sources. A BI system allows this. For example, a marketing manager might want to combine sales information from the ERP system with consumer demographics from A. C. Nielsen or business demographics from Dun Bradstreet. With this information, the company can better segment its customers and improve customer relationship management. An automobile manufacturer for instance, can combine its internal ERP data with external databases to identify customers likely to be receptive to advertisements for a sports car, sedan, van or sports vehicle. Similarly the purchasing department of a computer manufacturer might combine its ERP data with external data about sales forecasts for microprocessors. With this information, the purchase department can react to rising demand by consolidating all purchases stored in memory to obtain a better price from a single supplier Businesses can thus optimize their investment in ERP systems by closing the loop between the BI system and the ERP system. The loop begins when the company discovers valuable business information from the ERP system; it closes when the company feeds those discoveries back into the ERP system to continually improve business processes. The reports generated by traditional ERP systems provide only a fraction of the useful information in the system. Using data warehousing and BI overcomes this limitation and unlocks the true potential of an ERP system. Leveraging on the Internet The true value of an ERP investment results from integrating the ERP system not only with a business intelligence front end, but also with the Internet. When a Web-based interface is provided to the information in the business intelligence system, the Internet becomes an enterprise information utility for employees, partners, suppliers and customers. An early application for integrating ERP business intelligence with the Internet is supply chain management. All participants like engineering and product design, vendors and suppliers, production, marketing, distributors and customers can get the information at real time, from wherever they want it, like they want it over the internet. This enables for example, the marketing people to provide customers with the latest product details and pricing information. Inventory management can be done based on real-time information, production can be fine tuned so that the right quantities are produced, as and when required. The suppliers and partners in turn, can share the information with their suppliers. Product designers, both for manufacturing and service companies, can capture customer information in real-time, refining their products for greater market appeal or customizing them for key customers. By adding a Web-based interface to the ERP business intelligence, the supply chain can be integrated thus speeding time to market and gaining manufacturing efficiencies. Role of CIO The CIO plays a pivotal role in the implementation of an ERP system in an organization. In most cases the CIO is appointed as the process owner for the implementation as the CEO would be in charge of the core operations of the business. The CEO and upper management would be involved in the pre implementation phase and would play a major role in the selection of the ERP vendor, external consultants and the implementation team members. The CIO would be in charge of the implementation and in ensuring that the project is on schedule as per the requirements agreed upon. Apart from the implementation, the CIO should also ensure that all the end users are provided with sufficient training and education to ensure that the full benefit of the system is exploited. Most of the employees are generally apprehensive of ERP systems fearing the change it brings about and the impact it will have on their jobs. The CIO should put to rest such fears through effective communication, constant updates and sharing details of the future plans after ERP implementation. The CIO should ensure that knowledge transfer happens from the external consultants and ERP vendor representatives to the employees before they leave. There should be enough trained employees within the company who are capable of handling the system to ensure its smooth functioning. The CIO thus plays an important role in successfully managing the transition to ERP systems and ensuring that the full potential of the ERP system is utilized after implementation. Conclusion World class competition, modern business environment and the availability of the Internet are the premises which stress the need for ERP. These systems are effective in integrating the different functions across an organization but should not be used in isolation especially during current times. Many ERP implementations end up as failures and the ones successfully implemented face limitations of their own as mentioned. This should not dissuade companies from implementing ERP systems as the benefits of a successful implementation outweigh the limitations. Organizations should now graduate to the next level of ERP systems that are termed as ERP II which integrate the organization and the members across the value chain with the help of enabling technologies. A sound management with clear focus, long term vision and well defined achievable targets set from ERP systems will help overcome the limitations of these systems

The Great Gatsby: The Decline of The American Dream Essay -- The Great

The pursuit of the American Dream has been alive for generations. People from nations all over the world come to America for the chance to achieve this legendary dream of freedom, opportunity, and the â€Å"all American family†. However, in the 1920’s this dream began to take a different form. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, unfolds what the American Dream really meant during the roaring 20’s. The Great Gatsby tells a story of the affluent Jay Gatsby and his dream of attaining the love of the married Daisy Buchanan. In this novel, Gatsby’s dream of love is unmasked and reviled as a dream of materialistic things. Fitzgerald shows that each character truly glorifies only money, power, and social stature. During the 1920’s, these things were the only thing people dreamt about. The symbolism in The Great Gatsby illustrates how the American Dream became corrupt in the 1920’s. Fitzgerald has an amazing talent to create symbols for things that could be overlooked by any reader such as colors. Every color mentioned has a meaning even if it may not seem it. White and green are the main colors mentioned in the novel. White can often be portrayed as wholesome and innocent. However, in this novel white actually represents the false purity or decency in some of these characters. Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker, a friend of Daisy’s, are always seen wearing something white. Daisy and Jordan both seem as if they are sweet and innocent at first, but deep down you see it is only and act and they are truly careless and selfish. Gatsby also wore white on his first meeting with Daisy after five years so that he would appear to be good and pure. The 1920’s also had this way of deception. The fads such as jazz, fashion and art all made the 1920’... ... Gatsby’s dream of winning Daisy embodied the American Dream in the 20’s. Gatsby, as well as everyone in the 20’s, only dreamt of the materialistic in life and it didn’t matter how it was achieved. When talking about Gatsby, Nick says, â€Å"If that was true he must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream.† (Fitzgerald 161). This quote explains that it’s sad that one man only had one dream that he paid high prices for and never got it. Fitzgerald shows that in the 1920’s people only had one dream of power no matter what it took, and in the end it was never attained because of the selfishness of their dream. Through Fitzgerald’s symbolism, it is shown that the American Dream in the 1920’s was corrupt and fell apart. Work Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print.

Smog City 2 from Particle Pollution

Name: Date: Save Smog City 2 from Particle Pollution Student Worksheet 1. Access the Smog City 2 web site at www. smogcity2. org. 2. Select â€Å"Save Smog City 2 from Particle Pollution. † 3. Once Smog City 2 loads to your computer, take note of the areas of Smog City, including Weather Conditions, Emissions Levels and Population. All areas have â€Å"clickable† choices. Mouse-over or click on the choices. †¢ NOTE: in the information box at the bottom of the screen, there is information about each choice. 4. Notice how each of the choices are pre-set to a certain level. These are called the default settings. You can use the reset button at any time to return to the default settings. In the chart below, circle or highlight the default setting for each choice. The first setting, Sunlight, has already been completed for you. Weather ConditionsChoices Included in the Area: Sunlight : Inversion Layer: Wind Speed: Maximum Daily Temperature: Clear -Partly Cloudy – Cloudy No inversion – Low inversion – High inversion Calm – Light Breeze – Breezy – Windy 30? F – 40 ? F – 50? F – 80? F – 90? F – 100 ? F – 110 ? F EmissionChoices Included in the Area: Energy Sources – Cars and Trucks – Off Road Vehicles – Consumer Products- Industry – Some energy sources produce more smog-producing emissions than others. (level 1 is cleaner sources like a wind or solar technology, level 3 produces more smog like a coal-fired power plant) Levels: 1 2 3 This includes Passenger vehicles (all sizes), large and medium trucks, motorcycles Levels: 1 2 3 4 5 This includes airplanes, trains, power boats, earth movers, tractors, harvesters, forklifts, bulldozers, backhoes Levels: 1 2 3 4 5 This includes paint thinner, charcoal lighter fluid, glue or other adhesives, gasoline Levels: 1 2 3 4 5 This includes manufacturing facilities, power plants, oil refineries/storage/distribution centers, food and agricultural processing Levels: 1 2 3 4 5 Area Name:Choices Included in the Area: Population – Population in Smog City 2 affects air quality. Changing population, as shown by the â€Å"total emissions† chart and the emission sources n the cityscape, affects VOCs, NOx and SO2. The compounds react to form ground-level ozone and particle pollution. When temperatures are cool, changing population also changes the usage of wood-burning stoves, which emit particle pollutionIn Smog City 2, you can increase the population from near-zero to about two million people. Levels: 1 2 3 4 5 5. Observe the AQI (Air Quality Index) box inside the bla ck box. The default settings, which are circled above, result in a â€Å"red†, or â€Å"Unhealthy† AQI for particle pollution. The health message is: â€Å"Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion. † Scenario 1: Emission Sources 1. Minimize the â€Å"Save Smog City 2 from Particle Pollution! † instructions at the top of the screen. 2. Turn only Cars and Trucks control to 1. Leave all other choices at the default settings. Record what happens on the Student Worksheet in the table below. Uses the reset button to return the Cars and Trucks control to 3, so all controls are in default position. . Turn only Off Road down to 1. Leave all other settings alone. Record what happens on the Student Worksheet. Use the reset button to return the Off Road control to the middle setting, so all controls are in default position. Student Worksheet Energy SourcesCars &TrucksOff RoadConsumer ProductsIndustryAir Quality Index (AQI) ColorMessageValue DefaultRedU nhealthy157 21333YellowModerate80 23133RedUnhealthy158 4. Using the worksheet below, adjust each of the remaining controls noted in red and record the result in the worksheet. Student Worksheet Energy SourcesCars &TrucksOff RoadConsumer ProductsIndustryAir Quality Index (AQI) ColorMessageValue 23313RedUnhealthy175 23331RedUnhealthy152 13333Red Unhealthy173 5. Move all Emission controls to level 1. What is the AQI? Why? The AQI is green and healthy. The emissions are the main reason for the poor air quality. 6. Using the reset button, return all Emission controls to the middle setting and turn the Population control to level 1. What is the AQI? Why? (Hint: Read â€Å"WHAT IS THIS† in the information box) The AQI is green again. The reason for this is because when there are less people, there are less emissions as well as less particle pollutions from wood burning fireplaces (when the weather drops below 50 degrees. ) Scenario 2: Weather 1. Using the reset button, return all Emission and Population controls to the middle setting. What is the AQI level? Unhealthy for sensitive groups is the AQI when emissions and population controls are in the middle. 2. Set the Temperature to 80 degrees F. Check the black sign in the cityscape for the temperature. How does this affect particle pollution? Why? Heat increases the chemical conversion of emissions to ozone and particle pollution. 3. Move the Inversion control to low-altitude (the far right). How does this affect particle pollution levels? Why? Temperature inversions create a warm layer of air above the ground-level ozone that traps pollution. The lower the altitude, the closer to the ground the lid traps the pollution. Questions Based on all the data collected, answer the following questions 1. Was there any one variable that seemed to have a greater increase in particle pollution than others tested? Which one? Population made the most impact in either direction quicker than any other factor. 2. What steps could be taken to control emissions levels? Choose energy sources that are not produced with fossil fuels, telecommute (shop online) instead of taking trips to the mall, recycle, etc. 3. Can you think of ways to reduce particle pollution levels? Keep fire burning to a minimum or use a gas burning fireplace instead, ride a bike, take public transportation, walk, keep â€Å"off road† trips to a minimum, avoid revving engines for longer than 30 seconds when driving, etc.

Literature Review: Foreign Maid

The problem of maid abuse has been around for a long time, and is no longer new to us. There have been several cases of extreme maid abuse shown in the news through the years. The debate has been further sparked up by the case of Ng Hua Chye, a 47-year-old male tour guide, who was sentenced to more than 18 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane for manslaughter after his Indonesian maid died following nine months of beatings which left more than 200 injuries. However, these are cases are only a few out of the many that have yet to be uncovered. Are there better ways to improve the working standards of maids? This review aims to look into this problem through the comparison and analysis of several sources that we have managed to get our hands on. This review aims to identify the problems faced by foreign domestic workers in Singapore, whether maid abuse is indeed widespread, and finally what are the possible measures that can be taken to curb these problems effectively. Is maid abuse a widespread problem in Singapore? Cases of maid abuse are hard to track. ‘Given their isolation in private homes, it is difficult to ascertain the exact proportion of migrant domestic workers who face abuse. (Human Rights Watch) However, an independent poll by SIngapore Press Holdings in Dec 2003, revealed that ‘over 80% of FDWs were happy to work in Singapore. ’ (Getforme) This leaves us with a question: Are the statistics given by the government accurate in evaluating the problem of maid abuse? It can be further argued that the results of the polls are not representative of the whole for eign domestic workers population at large. Moreover, most foreign domestic workers who are abused would not be outside answering interviews by the government. Thus, the results of the polls are not accurate in showing the problem of maid abuse in Singapore. Of course, abuse is definitely not confined to serious physical abuse only. ‘â€Å"We only know about the extreme cases of abuse,† [TWC2 member Constance Singam] said, citing everyday practices like getting maids to wash the car, work long hours and wake up to feed someone coming home late. Employers also keep passports and withhold wages. ’ This goes to show that mundane forms of maid abuse and general ill treatment of maids are left unnoticed. As quoted by TWC2 (The Working Committee 2) member Constance Singam, â€Å"Physical abuse was only the tip of the iceberg, with the mundane problems of the domestic workers largely ignored. † This statement is further supported by reports which show stunning statistics. ‘Out of 147 cases of abuse [The Working Committee 2] studied, 68 percent involved physical injuries. ’ Physical abuse is rampant amongst cases of maid abuse, while there is also a large portion of foreign domestics workers in Singapore that suffer other ‘mundane types of abuse’. Thus, we can conclude from the evidence given above that maid abuse is indeed a widespread problem in the Singapore society. Problems that foreign domestic workers (FDWs) face Maids in Singapore face many problems, as asserted by the HRW. Women migrant domestic workers in Singapore suffer grave abuses ‘including physical and sexual violence, food deprivation, and confinement in the workplace. ’, ‘Migrant domestic workers earn half the wages of Singaporean workers in similar occupations, such as cleaners or gardeners. Unpaid wages is a growing complaint. And that ‘authorities have excluded domestic workers from the country's main labor laws. ’ (HRW) However, Getforme disagrees by saying, ‘Foreign domestic workers receive full protection under Singapore’s laws, including the Employment of Foreign Workers Act. All employers must provide adequate rest and meals and ensure work safety, proper housing and prompt salary payment. ’ (Getform e) Although it is evident that the Singapore government has tried to protect the welfare of foreign domestic workers, whether employers and employment agencies will follow suit is a different case. Studies conducted by the Human Rights Watch have shown that foreign domestic workers have more problems that do not meet our eyes. As quoted by the HRW, ‘key labor conditions, such as wages, hours of work, and salary deductions are left to employers and agencies, while domestic workers have little or no bargaining power. ’ Foreign domestic workers in Singapore also suffer from economic problems. Apart from physical abuse by their employers, many of them have to pay huge debts to the employment agencies. HRW shows this problem in its article, ‘Many domestic workers labor without pay for months to settle debts to employment agencies,’ Second, many of these FDWs lost their freedom as they were ‘confined to their workplace’, claimed HRW. Some employers prevent domestic workers from having weekly rest days, forbid them from talking to neighbors, and sometimes lock them in the workplace to prevent them from running away or having boyfriends. All these facts disagree with the Ministry of Manpower, which states that all employers must provide adequate rest and meals and ensure work safety, proper housing and prompt salary payment. Ultimately, it does not matter what the government does, as the people who have actual contact with the FDWs are the employers and the employment agencies, who are often the ones to make lives difficult for FDWs. Therefore, we do not believe it wrong to say that the problems that domestic workers face are indeed very serious. Solutions to curb maid abuse So, what are ways that can curb the problem of maid abuse more efficiently and improve the standards of working maids? There are some resolutions stated in our sources, while there are conflicting views at the same time. The HRW proposes that Singapore follow the example of Hong Kong in terms of their treatment of FDWs, ‘where the law stipulates a minimum wage and at least one rest day a week, the Singapore government does not provide a standard contract for maids. ’ (TWC2) However the Ministry disagrees with this arrangement as it is impractical to lay down minimum standards of working conditions due to the FDWs’ ‘unique nature of employment’ in households. Moreover, the introduction of such a standard will ‘inconvenience many households’, for example households with the elderly and need constant care from the domestic workers. However, the MOM has indeed taken several measures to protect the welfare of domestic workers. These include creating mandatory orientation programs for employers and domestic workers, prosecuting cases of unpaid wages and physical abuse, as well as introducing an accreditation program for employment agencies. The MOM has paid particular attention to the rosecution of cases involving unpaid wages and physical abuse. Employers who breach work permit conditions can be punished with a fine of up to $5,000 and a jail term of up to 6 months as quoted by the MOM. Also, employment agencies are to ensure that employers are to have at least 8 years of education such that they understand ‘[FDW’s] rights and protection provided under Singapore law. ’ Therefore, it will be very wrong to say t hat the Singapore government has not provided with measures to curb the problem of maid abuse. However, are these measures enough to curb maid abuse? Although, the cases of maid abuse have been decreasing, the cases have become more serious. The Ng Hua Chye case happened after the Singapore government enforced stricter penalties. Moreover, there is no way to be sure that the employers and employment agencies do know if households are going by the law. A ministry spokesman said that as domestic workers ‘work in a home environment, which varies from household to household, it would be difficult to enforce any coverage under the Employment Act. ’ Thus, it is clear to us that prosecution is not enough to solve the problem. Certain governmental policies which pertain to FDW and their employers, act as double-edged swords. They could be changed or abolished for the better lives of maids in Singapore. A fine example of such a policy would be the S$5,000 security bond imposed on employers who hire migrant workers. Purposed to control illegal immigration as well as to ensure employers have sufficient money to pay their maids their due salaries during their employment period, this policy directly led to employer’s restricting their migrant workers’ movements, as they will have to forfeit S$5,000 if their maids run away. Some employers even go to the extent to give their maids no weekly rest days and limited freedom of movement (e. g. locking them up at home). Other policies such as the monthly levy of approximately S$200-295 which employers of domestic workers have to pay also directly or indirectly result in the deprivation of the rights of migrant workers. In this case, not a cent from the money collected by the Singapore government in a stated attempt to regulate unskilled labor migration is used to provide better services for the migrant workers. Thus, modifying governmental policies for the benefit of FDW can also serve as a potential solution. Conclusion In conclusion, the problem of maid abuse is widespread in our society, as domestic workers in Singapore suffer from a variety of abuses and problem, ranging from physical abuse to financial problems. However, governmental policies are not effective enough to curb the problem of maid abuse, as it is difficult to enforce the law in every household. Moreover, laws are to protect the interests of victims, not just to punish those who broke the law. Thus, more actions has to be done to solve the problem as it has been proved that deterrence is not exactly effective enough to protect the welfare of domestic workers. Therefore, we believe that the problem of maid abuse is serious, that domestic workers do face many problems, and that governmental policies are effective in solving these problems only to a small extent. References 1. http://www.thinkcentre.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=2721 2. http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/12/07/singap12125.htm 3.http://www.getformesingapore.com/previous2005/061205_manpowerministryrespondstohrwsreportonmaidsinsingapore.htm 4. http://www.littlespeck.com/informed/2002/CInformed-020728.htm 5. http://www.singapore-window.org/sw03/030727af.htm 6. http://hrw.org/reports/2005/singapore1205/singapore1205web.pdf

Free Essays on Felix Ziems Painting Evaluation

Evaluation of Quai de Esclaron’s/La Promenade Felix Ziem painted this painting some time in the 1840s-1860s. #Felix Ziem studied architecture in Dijon while painting landscapes with water colors even then in his youth. Then from 1841-1843, he lived in Russia and painted sights from the Bosphorus, and was influenced by Cort and Rousseau; also, he began to use mostly oil paint. He then traveled a lot and painted much of Venice and Turkey. This painting comes from his many impressionistic (even though he was pre-impressionist) paintings from Venice. #The title refers to the two protruding stone Esclaron piers visible in the foreground. The painting is painted with receding perspective lines in the near edge of the canvas protruding thoroughly balanced towards the left center. The subject is at first the obviously wealthy group beginning to embark on a leisurely trip down the Grand Canal. One woman is dressed in purplewealthy color another is in yellow, a darkened figure in blue must be a servant. Someone who looks to be a soldier in red is preparing the boat. A dark big brown figure is approaching the group with a flower arrangement. He seems to be poor and taking advantage of the chance to get some spare change for his counterparts in the closer foreground who are preparing the arrangements. #Behind this colorfully contrasting group is the awesome Doges palace. So these people are probably the Dukes family or friends; or perhaps other higher aristocracy. The palace and the building next to it are decorated with beauti ful architecture and notably a big sculpture of a nude woman reaching into the heavens. This leads the eye to the sky with few clouds and the not visible sun seems to be in the mid-low northwest. One must notice the many little arch bridges of the small canal walkways. The architecture designers of these old buildings had their work cut-out for them. It would be exciting to go out on a canal ride... Free Essays on Felix Ziem's Painting Evaluation Free Essays on Felix Ziem's Painting Evaluation Evaluation of Quai de Esclaron’s/La Promenade Felix Ziem painted this painting some time in the 1840s-1860s. #Felix Ziem studied architecture in Dijon while painting landscapes with water colors even then in his youth. Then from 1841-1843, he lived in Russia and painted sights from the Bosphorus, and was influenced by Cort and Rousseau; also, he began to use mostly oil paint. He then traveled a lot and painted much of Venice and Turkey. This painting comes from his many impressionistic (even though he was pre-impressionist) paintings from Venice. #The title refers to the two protruding stone Esclaron piers visible in the foreground. The painting is painted with receding perspective lines in the near edge of the canvas protruding thoroughly balanced towards the left center. The subject is at first the obviously wealthy group beginning to embark on a leisurely trip down the Grand Canal. One woman is dressed in purplewealthy color another is in yellow, a darkened figure in blue must be a servant. Someone who looks to be a soldier in red is preparing the boat. A dark big brown figure is approaching the group with a flower arrangement. He seems to be poor and taking advantage of the chance to get some spare change for his counterparts in the closer foreground who are preparing the arrangements. #Behind this colorfully contrasting group is the awesome Doges palace. So these people are probably the Dukes family or friends; or perhaps other higher aristocracy. The palace and the building next to it are decorated with beauti ful architecture and notably a big sculpture of a nude woman reaching into the heavens. This leads the eye to the sky with few clouds and the not visible sun seems to be in the mid-low northwest. One must notice the many little arch bridges of the small canal walkways. The architecture designers of these old buildings had their work cut-out for them. It would be exciting to go out on a canal ride...

Photo essays

Photo essays When you are young, giving gifts for Christmas is something your parents, grandparents and relatives, appreciate because you are young and they can be proud of you. So, as you get older you also want the gifts that you give to have an extra meaning and you want to be appreciated for doing something nice. A few years ago, in December, a few weeks before Christmas, I was debating on a gift for the whole family (because I hate shopping for different gifts for everyone, especially at the last minute). I decided that I would get a family picture taken, not only because I loved photography and was going to school for it, but also because I assumed it would be a nice gesture on my part because I would be leaving at the end of the school year. I paired up with my sister on this because I needed her to help with the expenses and I needed her to coordinate outfits. Well, I brought all my brothers together, except for Nathan, who was living in Georgia at the time, and told them what we were going to do (I think that Jimmy, especially, thought this was a cool idea because he would have some extra money for himself). As we made preparations for the night, when we would go to Sears to get the photographs taken, everything started to go wrong. Jimmy, who thought of himself as a new age punk rocker, had made plans to go out that night, with his friends to jam. After Erin and I, the dominant females of the family, had threatened and bribed him into complying with our plans, he didnt want to wear the outfit that we had arranged for him to wear. As soon as Jimmy was through complaining about the outfit, Trevor started making a fuss, too, about the outfit we had picked out for him. Altogether, it took about an hour and a half to get them situated. By the time we left for the portrait studio, Jimmy and Trevor were so worked up that they simply didnt care about what we were doing, and sitting through a ...

How to Get Good Grades in High School

How to Get Good Grades in High School SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The transition to high school causes academic whiplash for many students. It’s hard to adapt to a new environment and get good grades when you’re given more independence in your assignments and are expected to learn more challenging materials. In this guide, I’ll go through the most important strategies that will help you to get good grades in high school and beyond. Basic Academic Survival Strategies Let's start with the most fundamental strategies for getting good grades. A strong foundation is the key to success! Strategy #1: Read Directions and Rubrics Carefully Read the directions thoroughly on every assignment you get.If you don’t follow the directions, you won’t get a good grade even if what you do would be considered solid work on a slightly different project.If your teacher tells you to write a seven-page essay, and you only write five, you'll get points taken off even if you do a good job. Don't sacrifice your grade just because you were careless or chose to ignore the instructions! Sometimes when students misinterpret directions, they blame the teacher for giving them a bad grade.Even if you disagree with the structure of an assignment, being stubborn about it probably won’t get you anywhere.You should re-educate yourself on the expectations for the class so that you don’t give the teacher another chance to deduct points from your assignments.In these cases, you’re probably just dealing with a strict teacher who likes to stick to very specific guidelines.Once you know what the his or her standards are, you will be able to reliably earn high grades. Strategy #2: Listen and Participate in Class A trait that is consistent in people who get good grades is that they pay attention in class.You may think that you can just space out in class, study hard later, and ace the test. If school has always been a breeze for you, this might be true up to a point, but it will catch up with you when you run into something that isn’t as easy to understand. If you pay attention in class, you’ll spend less time studying in the long run.Why is this? It’s because you’ve already absorbed a lot of the information you need to know just by being engaged while your teacher is talking. You can even go a step farther and take notes in class to reinforce what you’re learning in a different way. It's smart to get into this habit before college so that you don’t struggle with note taking in lecture classes. If you learn how to summarize the main points of a lesson now, it will be easier for you to take notes at times when they’re even more critical. Class participation is another big part of this.Participation is important for a couple of reasons.First and foremost, it might be a part of your grade! In some cases, class participation accounts for ten percent or more of your final grade.Even if it isn't a part of your grade, participating in class will help you understand the material more thoroughly and let the teacher know that you care about the subject. For me, class participation was always very difficult because I was shy and afraid that I would say the wrong thing. If you have this issue, I would recommend sitting as close to the front of the classroom as possible so that it feels like you’re just talking to the teacher and not addressing the whole class. Also, try not to overthink it! I can’t tell you how many times I had an answer in my head that I decided was dumb only to hear someone else say it thirty seconds later. Even if your answer is incorrect, you should view it as a learning opportunity that may help you to understand the material better. This is what your face should look like in class. If you're extra creepy, your teacher will be afraid to give you bad grades. Strategy #3: Ask for Help Sooner Rather Than Later Often, the key to success is knowing when to ask for help, and high school classes are no exception.If you don’t understand a concept, don’t wait until you’ve already bombed a test to get help.Approach your teacher as soon as possible, and ask if he or she would be willing to meet you after school to go over the material.By doing this, you can avoid bad grades before they happen and build a positive relationship with your teacher. Of course, all of this is easier said than done. It's hard to ask for help if your teacher is less friendly or you’re a super independent person.If you’re worried about approaching your teacher, stick to a script. You can just say â€Å"Teacher’s Name, I’m having some difficulty understanding this unit. I was wondering if you might be able to talk through the main concepts with me after school at some point. I’ll come up with a list of my questions.† If you prepare a list of questions for your teacher, it will be easier for you to get the information you need and for your teacher to explain things in a way that is helpful to you.You should also remember that there’s absolutely no shame in asking for help.It’s really the smartest thing you can do if you’re struggling, and it will only lead to better grades in the future. Strategy #4: Don’t Rely on Your Family and Friends Too Much Another way of saying this is â€Å"don’t cheat,† but sometimes the definition of cheating can be nebulous.If you and your friends help each other on a homework assignment, that’s probably fine depending on the distribution of work.However, if you directly copy a friend’s homework (even if they say it’s ok), it’s definitely a form of cheating whether or not the homework counts toward your grade. Avoid doing this, especially if you want to get good grades in the long term.If you copy your friends’ homework assignments, you’re committing self-sabotage.I know it’s a cliche that you only hurt yourself by cheating, but in this case it's true.If you rely too heavily on the knowledge of others for small assignments, larger assignments like tests and papers will be even more difficult since you never learned the material for yourself. Also, don't let your parents edit your papers extensively or do the bulk of the work in figuring out homework problems.They probably mean well, but it will do you more harm than good if you’re not learning on your own terms.Eventually, you’ll have to write an essay or solve math problems on a test, and you may fall short of your potential if you don't have experience doing these things independently. Matching jackets? Kind of cute and kind of lame. Matching homework? Unambiguously lame. Expert Study Strategies Many students have trouble getting good grades in high school because they don't know how to study effectively. Here are a few of the best ways to improve your test scores through the use of smart study strategies. Strategy #5: Always Do the Homework (Even If It Doesn’t Count!) Most teachers in high school assign regular homework, although some may not check it or incorporate it directly into your grade.Some students view this as a free pass to ignore homework assignments, which can is a very bad idea.In subjects like math and science in particular, homework assignments are critical if you want to gain full comprehension of the material.In math, your understanding of one unit of study is often a necessary foundation for your understanding of the next unit.Knowledge builds on itself. If you start skipping homework assignments, you may get confused when the teacher moves on to a new unit.Ultimately, you could become completely lost and perform poorly on assignments that do count towards your grade. Doing homework assignments will also help you psychologically. If you’re staying on top of things in a class, you'll be more confident in your knowledge.Homework assignments are a way of studying consistently over time. If you do the homework, you may not have to study as much for tests because you’ll already have a solid understanding of what you need to know. This is what will happen on tests if you don't have a strong homework-based foundation of knowledge. Strategy #6: Know the Difference Between Reading It Over and â€Å"Getting It† Just reading over the material before a test won't cut it unless you have a photographic memory. You need toactively absorb the information, not just skim over it and hope it will stick in your brain. Surface-level knowledge won't help you, especially when you're dealing with open-ended questions on a test. You should be able to recall the facts without any hints or prompting. If you have review sheets to study before a test, I would recommend reading them in small, manageable sections.After you read each section carefully, look away from it and see if you can repeat the facts back to yourself.Don’t move on from a section until you’re able to do this. One thing that I’ve found very helpful in cases like this is to make up some sort of weird mnemonic. It can be an acronym or just something memorable that has a random association with the information you need to know.The more bizarre the memory device you come up with, the more likely you are to remember the facts. After you’ve read everything over yourself and feel relatively confident, you can have someone else step in and quiz you on the information.To be sure that you have a full understanding of what you need to know, you should be able to answer questions about how different facts connect to each other rather than just regurgitating the facts themselves.For example, if you’re studying for a history test, you might have someone ask you a question like â€Å"what were the main factors that led to the French Revolution† that requires you to draw from a few distinct facts to reach a separate conclusion. Strategy #7: Study Between Tests, Don’t Cram There is a certain glamour for some students in the late-night pre-test cram session.However, sacrificing your sleep and sanity will not get you a better grade on the test (no matter how much cooler it might be than planning ahead). The best way to ensure that you don’t panic before a test (or on the test itself) is to make a habit of going over the material that you’ve learned regularly and not just when it gets down to the wire.You’ll retain it better, and you’ll get a good night’s sleep to recharge your brain. In the week before a big test, you can study for an hour or so every night rather than studying for five hours the night before.As you build up your knowledge, you’ll feel more and more confident.On the night before the test, instead of trying to study every little detail that you need to know, you can do a quick review of the main concepts to reassure yourself that you’re in good shape. If studying responsibly is too uncool for you, try getting a good night's sleep while wearing sunglasses to keep up the illusion of detached nonchalance. Strategies for Structuring Your Work Strategy #8: Make Project Timelines (Don’t Procrastinate!) If you hope to earn high grades without suffering from excessive amounts of stress, you must overcome your procrastination habits.It's especially hard to manage your time responsibly on long-term projects. It may seem like you have forever to complete the assignment, but time will always catch up with you. If you're a procrastinator, I highly recommend making a timeline whenever you get a long-term assignment. If you have a project that’s due in a month, set aside the first week for brainstorming, make a rough outline of the project in the second week, flesh it out as much as possible in the third week, and spend the rest of your time perfecting it.This is a vague timeline because it depends on the type of project you’re doing and what it involves, but you get the idea. If you save the last week for polishing your work and fixing mistakes, you’ll end up with a final product that’s a much better representation of your abilities.Sticking to a schedule like this can be tough, so you might want to ask your teacher to help monitor your progress by checking in with you periodically.Some teachers already set up checkpoints for longer term projects because they know students have trouble avoiding procrastination.If this is the case, stick to the schedule and avoid falling behind! Strategy #9: Stay Organized Many of these tips will be useless if you don’t keep track of all the materials for your classes.Cultivating good organizational habits will not only help you succeed in high school; it will pay off in spades when you get to college as well. Always mark the beginning of each new unit in your notebook, and keep a binder or folder for each class.This way, when you study for tests, you won’t be freaking out about where a certain review sheet went or why there seems to be nothing relevant in your notebook.Avoid just throwing papers into your backpack. I’ve made the mistake of doing this many times in the past, and you WILL forget where you put them when you need them most. It's also a good idea to write down your homework assignments in an agenda book so that you don’t miss anything.It’s easy to forget about smaller assignments if your brain is focused on a big project or test that’s coming up.Even if you don’t have a concrete homework assignment in every class, you should make note ofany potential work you might do that night. If you have light assignments in your other classes, this will remind you to catch up on a long term project or start studying a bit for a test that’s coming up in a week. Planners/Google calendars/whatever you kids are using to manage your time these days are your friends! What's Next? Worried about your GPA? Here are four strategies for raising your GPA in high school fast. If you're not sure whether your GPA is high enough for your goals, read this article on what a good GPA means for college. Still trying to figure out your courses? Check out our expert guide on which classes you should take in high school. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Acceptance Under Contract Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Acceptance Under Contract Law - Essay Example Consideration is an added benefit that is bargained for and may also include a promise to compromise upon a dispute, but the important factor is that it must be a new obligation, over and above what has already been agreed to in the original contract. The principle of consideration determines whether an oral promise may be enforceable since an implicit contract is formed if the person making the promise is receiving something in return – some consideration [www.abanet.org, pp 22]. This involves the exchange of â€Å"something of value† or the promise to do something in future.[www.bplans.co.uk, 2003]. The basic premise of a contract is the concept of Offer and Acceptance. When one party makes an offer and another party accepts it – either orally or in writing – then a contract is said to exist [www.bplans.co.uk, 2003]. In order for a contract to be valid, both the parties need to exchange something of value. If one party promises orally to give something to the other but does not follow through with it, his promise is not enforceable, unless the other party agreed to do something in return for the promised gift, in which case a contract does exist and may be enforceable. Once an agreement has been made and a contract entered into, any agreement to vary the contract is likely to be based upon some consideration, especially if the pacts is increased under the doctrine of economic duress. The doctrine of consideration has however been argued as being too â€Å"blunt an instrument† since its â€Å"reasoning was such that it could make a promise invalid even thoug h no pressure had been exerted by the promisee at all.† [Trietel, 2002, pp 14]. In this connection, there is already in existence a written contract between the two parties, which lays out the terms of payment for services rendered, ie, three installment payments of 10,000 pounds each to be made by Roger.

Learning disabilities of children Research Paper

Learning disabilities of children - Research Paper Example The paper presents the expert professional opinions and empirical evidences regarding identification of children with learning difficulties; the law that guarantees special learning education of children, and how parents and educators cope with the problem; and will come up with some recommendations on suitable treatments of children with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities of Children Introduction I grew up with the belief that there is no such thing as learning disorders, and that there are only lazy students and motivated ones; there are stupid children and there are bright ones. However, recent studies and conclusive researches proved this belief to be non-conclusive and wrong. Several studies on brain researches showed that there are differences between the brains of the individuals with learning disabilities and those without, and that the architecture of the brain of the child with learning disabilities is different (Smith 2005). Most often, the learning disabilities are not known to parents when children are born and differences are manifested only as the child goes to school and grows up. In most cases, parents and the family do not know the reasons and therefore cannot cope up with the problem. In this context, it is important that they understand the behavioral problems of the child in order to provide appropriate solutions.

You can write one that fits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

You can write one that fits - Essay Example It was not unlike a world turned upside down. As the scramble for the new truth set in, the new philosophy was introduced. For thinkers and those who introduced new ideas, it was a necessary change and a tool. For ordinary people who came to be acquainted with it and eventually accepted the new theoretical paradigm, it was a way of coping with the changes around them. This paper explores this new philosophy development and determines its causes and impact, especially its inevitable link with new science. There is an interesting school of thought that figures prominently in the manner by which new philosophy was accepted. The position is that philosophy is critical in validating science. Therefore, these two variables are within a symbiotic relationship wherein one is crucial in the acceptance of the other. Earlier, this was the case with Aristotle’s physics and natural science. They became legitimate when it was backed by Aristotelian philosophy. Several years later, this would be cemented further when Thomas Aquinas reconciled his thoughts with Catholic theology, effectively making Aristotelian science the foundation of European philosophical and intellectual worldview. The position is that new philosophy also functioned the same way. It became inextricably linked with new science. The new philosophy was called for in order for people to accept new science as the new truth or to establish it as valid as opposed to the classical authorities. This is perhaps the case because any pursuit of truth requires a degree of rhetorics and persuasion in order for it to be recognized. There is a great deal of perception involved here wherein the truths cannot merely exist objectively. There was a philosophical statement about whether a tree makes any noise when it falls in the forest when no one could hear it. There is noise, true. But

Tackling substance misuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Tackling substance misuse - Essay Example Background One of the more pressing issues in health care intervention is the issuance, administration or prescription of drugs for patients. There has always been a continuing challenge about dispensation, dosage, supervision, as well as effect on patient so that medical practitioners, pharmacists, and their team have to be wary of several considerations prior to any action that relies administration to the patient or his / her immediate carer, or even in controlled setting. Reaction to drug or substance misuse vary leading to ideologically driven approaches in medicalization, treatment, decriminalisation, and even use of the criminal justice for quasi treatment. Other propositions such as harm minimisation and harm reduction were also considered with the understanding that use of substance is inevitable (Bevan, 2009). People with severe mental illness, group of individuals with complex needs and a varied range of problems are usually the concern for ‘dual diagnosis’ an d co-morbidity related to substance misuse or abuse. It was suggested that many problems related to substance misuse are linked to ill-prepared services that deal with these conditions. Bevan (2003) observed that Public Health treatment for substance misuse should understand that those who receive treatment are of chronic and frequently relapsing condition. Perception of treatment should move away from an individualistic approach to an understanding of the many and varied relationships as part of treatment rationale. Focus should also be given on minimising the harm associated with drug use. Prescribing policies for opiate replacement should also be considered instead of abstinence as prescribed doses of methadone have demonstrated positive results. â€Å"The reduction in drug related deaths, as a result of the reduced frequency of accidental overdoses, and the wider population health gains when treatment and interventions are flexibly delivered is further evidence that the health of populations can be improved with public health based strategies for substance misuse,† (Bevan, 2003), P 19). People should not be seen as failures when relapse occur for substance misuse. Various conditions influence substance misuse and these should be taken as a whole and not in part to fully understand the patient as well as provide a more effective and holistic intervention approach. Likewise, Bevan (2009) noted that curing should not be the focus as an over emphasis on moving people on, through and out of treatment usually results in the revolving door phenomena. Substitute prescribing has been offered a possible solution to address issue on substance misuse. Engaging the individual as member of a wider society and members of dynamic social groups with families, friends and acquaintances should be a public health consideration in addressing this issue (Bevan, 2009). Substance Misuse and Problematic Drug Use Problematic drug use and misuse occurs when individuals experi ence a range of unwanted and negative consequences as a result of their drug use (Brown, 2007). Problems may be social, psychological, physical or legal resulting from regular or excessive consumption, intoxication and/or dependence on any substance. The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (2002) observed that these individuals often attempts to achieve stability or abstinence but relapse is usually a problem.

The Impact Of Technology On Social Interactions Essay

The Impact Of Technology On Social Interactions - Essay Example Her concerns are based on the implications of such communication on social interactions among friends and friends. Although technology has transformed the communication circle in various ways, Turkle and Wallis offer contrasting and similar views concerning the implications of such trends in today’s world. Both authors tackle the impact of technology on social interactions in which people interact with the social media networks and other messaging tools. For instance, they suggest that teenagers are glued to their devices interacting with others. It is also apparent that some students do their essays through the internet where they consult the search engines. The two authors contend that this trend is killing physical interactions and may impose negative repercussions on the normal interactions (Wallis 22-23). Another similar concept adopted by Wallis and Turkle is the aspect of life revolving around the digital devices, including in family and executive meetings. This shows h ow people have reduced the conversation to the mere connection that they do not want to meet others physically. The general approach of the two articles is how people can change their communication habits to avoid the implications that occur in their lives. The other similarity between the two articles is the different consequences that technology has influenced the modern generation. For instance, children are becoming anti-social and detached from others since they like using Instant messages and emails for communication (Wallis 22-23). This affects their physical well-being and social development skills, especially when they are overexposed to the digital elements. Considering this, the two articles emphasize the role of conversation and control over individual interactions.

Queer community service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Queer community service - Essay Example Suicide can be regarded as the top reason of death for the youths amid the age of 15-24. According to a statement given by Phoenix Schneider, the program director of The Trevor Project, â€Å"Suicide, especially among high-risk populations such as LGBTQ youth, is a public health crisis. But we are headed in the right direction to prevent this epidemic from spreading by saving lives, building supportive communities and advocating for a more accepting national culture† (PR Newswire Association LLC, â€Å"The Trevor Project Honoured by the American Association of Suicidology†). Once, I came across a friend, who was associated as a volunteer of The Trevor Project. Learning about The Trevor project, I got interested to know more about the organisation and started searching about it in social media. Likewise, I came across the social networking platform of The Trevor Project named as Trevor Space which is an online based community for social networking for the LGBTQ individuals. Subsequently, it was observed that the youth of the country having suicidal tendencies create their own profile and try to connect with the people having the same problem. Moreover, it was observed that Trevor Space ensured that the information provided by them is suitable and friendly for the youth along with being completely factual. Then, I came across The Trevor Project school workshop wherein I got more interested to learn about the program of this workshop. Subsequently, I found out that the school workshop provided a program for Lifeguard Workshop which used organised and age s uitable programme to solve the problems related to identity of gender, language barrier, sexuality and what resulted in the negative thought of younger people. From the observations, I learnt that the curriculum taught the youth to determine the reason for suicidal tendency and depression along with

The Impact Of Technology On Social Interactions Essay

The Impact Of Technology On Social Interactions - Essay Example Her concerns are based on the implications of such communication on social interactions among friends and friends. Although technology has transformed the communication circle in various ways, Turkle and Wallis offer contrasting and similar views concerning the implications of such trends in today’s world. Both authors tackle the impact of technology on social interactions in which people interact with the social media networks and other messaging tools. For instance, they suggest that teenagers are glued to their devices interacting with others. It is also apparent that some students do their essays through the internet where they consult the search engines. The two authors contend that this trend is killing physical interactions and may impose negative repercussions on the normal interactions (Wallis 22-23). Another similar concept adopted by Wallis and Turkle is the aspect of life revolving around the digital devices, including in family and executive meetings. This shows h ow people have reduced the conversation to the mere connection that they do not want to meet others physically. The general approach of the two articles is how people can change their communication habits to avoid the implications that occur in their lives. The other similarity between the two articles is the different consequences that technology has influenced the modern generation. For instance, children are becoming anti-social and detached from others since they like using Instant messages and emails for communication (Wallis 22-23). This affects their physical well-being and social development skills, especially when they are overexposed to the digital elements. Considering this, the two articles emphasize the role of conversation and control over individual interactions.

Explains some of the effects of stress and how police organization may Essay

Explains some of the effects of stress and how police organization may reduce stress for its officers - Essay Example His wife will agree that he has become egotistical, noisy, and short-tempered; he demands continuous attention as well as care. He acts like a small, self-centered kid. In majority of the cases, individuals regress in persistent anxiety. Secondly, stress numbs the compassion of individuals. Since they cannot tolerate seeing persistent human despair, they stop feeling because otherwise they will not be able to survive. The mind has this resistance method so people can carry on functioning during hideous circumstances. If they maintained their regular sympathy, they would collapse. As they become tactless towards their personal agony, they also become tactless to the agony of others. Police officers meet stressors in â€Å"call after call, which sap their strength† (Stevens, 2007). Debilitation from this every day stress adds up in making officials additionally susceptible to distressing happenings as well as common demands of life. The deteriorating procedure is usually very slow to notice; neither an individual nor his acquaintances are aware of the harm being done. If persistent stressors are known, then police representatives can take positive steps. Departments should discontinue making false differences amid job-linked and personal difficulties. The two are interlinked and go with one another. The outcome is a bunch of individuals facing the maximum stress within any profession in US. Police department cannot end stress in police occupation, however, they can identify it and assist officers in three phases: (1) offering assistance to individual officers, (2) offering help in family life, and (3) lessening the stress caused by the police department itself. Direct assistance to individual officers can be provided in a number of forms. Every big unit should have a psychologist for the police officers and ensure that indemnity policies have good terms for outpatient therapy

Construction Essays Construction Industry Workers

Construction Essays Construction Industry Workers Construction Industry Workers The construction industry currently employs 2.2 million workers making it Britain’s largest industry (HSE, 2007). However, the sheer size of the industry comes at a cost as it is regarded as being one of the most dangerous industries to work in due to the individual complexity of construction projects and tough working conditions that workers are exposed to (HSE, 2005). The wide range of activities undertaken by construction workers further emphasises the need for a high level of legislation and management of measures to reduce accident and injuries throughout the entirety of the construction process, from planning to demolition. This is essential if the health and safety on construction sites is likely to improve and become more effective, which is important for not only the people already involved within the construction industry, but also for the expected 2-3% growth within the next 5 years (Reference). (Reference) suggests that poor design and management in the constructio n industry is the principal cause of the unacceptable accident and fatality record throughout construction sites in the UK. This needs to be improved through the improved implementation of measures to reduce these statistics which has been highlighted through the introduction of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, which are perceived to provide numerous benefits to the construction industry from design concept onwards and help ensure that construction projects are safe to build; safe to use; safe to maintain, and deliver good value. These regulations aim to avoid, reduce and control health and safety risks faced by construction workers and others through preventative measures particularly during the design and management stage, whether engaged in, or affected by, new build, maintenance, repairs, demolition or other construction works (Joyce, 2007). http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/hsc/meetings/2006/171006/c54Ann6.pdf The CDM regulations have the potential to make a significant impact on the industry with regards to health and safety however it is unrealistic to think that this can be achieved very quickly without encountering any problems in an area which has had much debate regarding this topic. It will take time before the new legislation will be free flowing however improvements in both effectiveness and efficiency can be expected as lessons are learnt. Get help with your essay from our expert essay writers Rationale for the Research The subject of this dissertation developed from a personal interest in the Health and Safety aspect of the construction industry and the significant research within the industry on how to minimise the injuries and fatalities on construction sites. In the construction industry, the risk of fatality is four times more likely to occur than in any other industry throughout the UK, whilst the risk of major injury is two and a half times higher (HSC, 2005b). A Health and Safety Executive (HSE, 1997) study, reveals that the construction industry has one of the highest ratios of non-injury to injury accidents of all UK industries. For every major accident on a construction site, Heinrich’s accident to incident ratio model suggest that there will be approximately thirty minor accidents and three hundred near misses (Hughes Ferrett, 2007). The HSE (2007) recorded 77 fatalities on construction sites during 2006/2007 and 3,711 major injuries to employees in construction related accidents . Include the 7,108 over 3 day injuries reported to the HSE and an estimation of under-reporting of injuries of approximately 45%, and it is evident that the accident rates in the construction industry is unacceptable and needs to be reduced. The Government and the Health and Safety Commission became aware of this on going poor record in the construction industry and at the Construction Health and Safety Summit in 2001, set a target of reducing the number of fatalities and accidents by 66% in the UK by 2010. The fatality rate appeared to be reducing year after year, with a industry record low of 59 fatalities in 2005/2006 (HSC, 2006) compared to the 69 in 2004/2005 (HSC, 2005) showing sufficient progress was being made. However, the 77 fatalities recorded in 2006/2007, and already 60 fatalities recorded in the first 9 months of the 2007/2008 period (HSE, 2007) shows that progress was short lived and that once again the rate of fatalities and injuries within construction sites is inc onsistent and starting to rise. The latest published statistics by the HSE shows the increased need to improve the measures used in order to prevent accidents and fatalities on construction sites. The CDM regulations 2007 which is the latest legislation to be introduced to the construction industry aim to achieve this through implementing regulations to develop improvements at the design and management stage of construction projects by placing more responsibility on all parties involved. The HSE suggested in ‘Blackspot Construction’ that 70% of the fatalities and accidents on construction sites could have been prevented by positive action by managers within the industry (Joyce, 2001) and speaking from Ashburton Grove, Kevin Myers, Chief Inspector for Construction said: â€Å"Every fatality is one too many, most are preventable, each a tragedy for those affected†. As a result the fundamental aim of this study is to identify factors to improve health and safety mea sures on construction sites within the UK with a view to reducing the number of accidents and fatalities. The importance of improving these measures to reduce accident statistics is because, apart from the human cost of suffering, moral and legal effects an accident may have; the economic cost to organisations can be devastating. In a study undertaken by the HSE, it was shown that accidents produce direct costs such as injury, ill health or damage which can be insured against, however it is the indirect costs such as material damage and legal costs that are most costly to organisations as they can be up to 36 times greater than the direct cost of an accident (Hughes Ferrett). The following information in this chapter gives further details about the principle aim and objectives for this research topic. Aim To identify factors to improve health and safety measures on construction sites within the UK with a view to reducing the number of accidents and fatalities. Objectives This aim will be investigated through a series of key objectives: 1.To provide an understanding of the current health and safety legislation that surrounds the construction industry with a particular focus on the CDM regulations 2007. 2.To provide a review of the history of accidents and fatalities within the construction industry. 3.To identify the current measures used to prevent accidents and injuries on construction sites. 4.To establish the main effect of preventative measures and what factors would assist the preventative measures used on construction sites within the UK in order to reduce the number of accidents within the construction industry. 5.To identify operatives understanding of the CDM regulations as well as success and problems associated with them. 6.To establish views from CDM duty holders on the current effectiveness of the CDM regulations. Outline Research Methodology This research topic has incorporated two research approaches in order to collect information which was the following: secondary data collection and primary data collection. Secondary data collection This form of research refers to the ‘desk study’ approach where data is obtained from sources that cite from primary sources. This method had been used to achieve the first, second and third objectives. These sources will be critically appraised by means of a systematic literature review which will cover the internet, textbooks, newspaper articles, research journals, thesis, reports, trade publications, etc. Primary data collection This form of research refers to the methods of primary data collection which can take the form of a number of practical approaches. This method of research was accomplished to utilise objectives four and five. The selected method for this thesis will be a structured survey approach in the form of a questionnaire. This method was selected as it is the best form of gathering data from a large number of respondents in a relatively short time frame. The questionnaires will adopt a semi structured format, employing both open and closed questions to gather the appropriate data. The research method is a way in which the research objectives can be questioned and achieved. Throughout my research I will be using a number of core sources of references such as the books, the internet, newspapers, companies, journals and questionnaires in order to carry out my objectives. I will decide upon the most appropriate research strategy which can be carried out in two ways depending on the purpose of the study and the type and availability of the information required. These two methods can be classified as â€Å"Quantitative† and â€Å"Qualitative†. Quantitative research (Naoum, 2007) can be defined as â€Å"objective† in nature. It involves the description or analysis of statistical procedures that involves specific measurements of variables to determine whether a theory holds true. Qualitative research on the other hand can be defined as â€Å"subjective† in nature (Naoum, 2007). It does not involve the use of specific variables, but relies o n reasons behind various aspects of data. It emphasizes the means, experiences and different descriptions of topics from different authors points of view. The type of qualitative data collected fell under the classification of attitudinal research. Attitudinal research is used to ‘subjectively’ evaluate the ‘opinion’, ‘view’, or the ‘perception’ of a person, towards a particular object (Naoum, 2007). For this study the ‘object’ has been the CDM regulations and the ‘person’ has been the duty holders that implement these regulations. The purpose of this section is to inform the reader of the contents of this dissertation. Each chapter within the dissertation has a brief description stating what each chapter includes, the purpose of it, and its relationship to carry out the research aim and objectives, followed by a conclusion of the chapter. Chapter One Introduction Chapter one highlights to the reader the main topic area that is being investigated and researched into. It does not going into depth in the topic but it does provide a background and rationale into the research area. Within this chapter the research aim will be described as well as the objectives and the research methodology used in order to achieve the objectives set. Chapter Two History of Health and Safety legislation Chapter two will provide a detailed description of the health and safety legislation that has surrounded the construction industry since the first publication in 1961. A particular focus will be on the latest legislation known as the CDM regulations 2007 highlighting specific roles each professional has within the regulations in order to implement rules to provide a safer construction site. This chapter will also provide a background into the main changes that have occurred and assess the main reasons for why these changes were necessary. Chapter Three – Accidents and injuries within the construction industry This chapter intends to review the statistics provided by the HSE on fatalities and accidents within the EU member states, the industries within the UK and in particular and in particular the accidents and fatalities within the construction industry. It will analyse statistics prior to the introduction of the CDM regulations as well as after the introduction of these regulations highlighting any common problems that have occurred and potential reasons this. Chapter Four – Measures to prevent accidents on construction sites This chapter intends to review the main systems in place to reduce accidents on construction sites and comment on which are the most successful that should be developed further. This chapter will also discuss the cost implementations of implementing these measures along with the potential benefits of doing so. Chapter Five Research Methodology and Questionnaire / Interview Design This chapter highlights my proposed research methodology for obtaining the information necessary for my study. This chapter also describes how questions for my interview have developed as my research has become more detailed, as well as why such questions were chosen for the interview and what I intend to achieve from these. Chapter Six Analysis of Results Chapter Seven with provide the reader with a detailed analysis of the results from my questionnaire / interview. A wide range of data will be gathered so therefore a summary of the information which highlights specific areas will be presented in the form of charts, tables, graphs and a written conclusion of the results. Chapter Seven Conclusions and Recommendations This chapter was designed to provide the reader with a final discussion and conclusion for the research information that has been collected as well as to provide imitations of the study and recommendations for future research. The dissertation does not provide a chapter titled ‘literature review‘, however in order to achieve the objectives set, a comprehensive literature review will be ongoing throughout the study to critically appraise issues and statements identified and gain the industries, work operatives and authors opinions of the progress, effectiveness and success of the CDM regulations within the construction industry. A wide range of key literature from sources such as research journals, refereed conferences, thesis, textbooks, reports, trade publications and newspaper articles on this research topic have been reviewed, analysed and appraised of their strengths and weaknesses. Chapter Two:History of Health and Safety Legislation This chapter intends to provide a background into the history of the UK’s health and safety legislation that has governed the construction industry and progressed over time. A particular focus on the CDM regulations 2007 will be provided, highlighting key roles and responsibilities as well as the necessary components of the regulations. Factories Act 1961 The Factories Act 1961 was the starting point for parliamentary legislation on health and safety matters within the construction industry. Construction safety was first introduced into safety law in the Factories Act 1937, however further amendments and alterations were made in 1948 and 1959 before the final consolidating measure in 1961 to produce the final version known as the Factories Act 1961 (Holt, 2001). One of the main problems encountered with the Factories Act 1961 was that it only applied to premises defined within it, such as factories, and did not cover other workplaces such as schools or hospitals. This was the main reason for the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The relevant contents of the Factories Act 1961 have since been applied to other legislation with the remaining sections left out that are of little relevance to the construction industry (Holt, 2001). Fire Precautions Act 1971 (Amended 1989) The introduction of the fire precautions act 1971 ensured that all properties regulated by the Act should require a fire certificate that should only be authorised by the fire authority. These certificates were only awarded if the inspection of the property met the safety requirements outlined in the act itself. The requirements introduced by the Fire Precautions Act 1971 paid particular attention to the people working on the premises; this involved making them aware of the means of escape as well as ensuring that people on the premises have sufficient warning to evacuate in the event of a fire. The act did not just ensure that there was sufficient facilities in place to combat a fire but also ensured that personnel employed within the building received sufficient instruction and training in what to do if a fire ever occurred. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1971 (Amended 1974, 2002) The introduction of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1971 (HAS 1971) involved improvements to the Factories Act 1961. The Act’s obligations are based more on relationships between organizations and employees rather than on narrow definitions on types of premises as in the Factories Act 1961 (Holt, 2001). The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1971 is currently the centrepiece of legislation for all industries in Great Britain that provides the legal framework to achieve high standards in health and safety. The act was responsible for establishing the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enabling them to propose health and safety regulations and approved codes of practice, they both however act in accordance with the secretary of state who must be informed of any proposed amendment or new regulations. The Health and Safety Commission The Health and Safety Commission and the Health and Safety Executive are responsible for the revision of the CDM Regulations. They were originally established as part of the Health and  Safety  at Work etc Act 1974 as two separate non-departmental public bodies (HSE, 2007). The HSC is appointed by the secretary of state whose main aim is to protect members of the UK against health and safety risks that may occur during working activities. In order to achieve this they must conduct and sponsor research; promote training; provide an information and advisory service; and submit proposals for new or revised regulations and approved codes of practices (HSC, 2007). http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/hsc/index.htm The Health and Safety Executive The role of the Health and Safety Executive is to assist the Health and Safety Commission to ensure that risks to people’s health and safety from work activities are properly controlled (HSE, 2007). The HSE is the main enforcement and advisory body to the HSC however for activities that involve lower risks such as offices then local authorities have equal powers to enforce (Holt, 2001). http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/hse/index.htm The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 The health and safety (First Aid) regulations 1981 contained certain regulations that apply to construction sites and their workers. The act places vast amounts of responsibility on employers who are required to carry out an assessment of first aid needs which involves consideration of workplace hazards and risks, the size of the organisation and other relevant factors, to determine what first aid equipment, facilities and personnel should be provided. The location of these provisions should be made aware to all employees by the employer under regulation 4. Regulation 3 states that employers are responsible to ensure that adequate and appropriate equipment and facilities are available for enabling first aid to be rendered to an employee in the event of being injured or taken ill whilst at work (HMSO, 1981). It was also the responsibility of the employer, under regulation 3, to ensure that a competent person is available at all times to carry out first aid procedures in the event of a n injury or illness occurring on the construction site. http://www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/legislation.htm#duties Construction (Head Protection) Regulations 1989 (Amended 2002) The Construction (Head Protection) Regulations 1989 came into force as of the 30th March 1990 in an attempt to prevent head injuries whilst working on construction sites. These regulations apply to all members of the workforce with the responsibility of the employer to provide each employee who is at work with suitable head protection, maintain it, and replace it wherever necessary as outlined in regulation 3. Under regulation 4 the employer, self employed or anyone who has authority over another person must ensure that suitable head protection is worn whenever reasonably practicable. In the event of self employed workers entering the site, they must wear and comply with all rules set by the site they are working on in order to comply with regulation 4. In order to comply with regulation 5, all rules established with the wearing of suitable head protection must be provided in writing and brought to the attention of any worker that may be affected by them. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1989/Uksi_19892209_en_1.htm The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 first came into force on the 1st April 1990 in order to target the number of health and safety risks exposed to work operatives on construction sites involving working with electricity (HMSO, 1989). These regulations place responsibilities on both the employer and self-employed to comply with the provisions of these Regulations and the duty of the employees to co-operate with the rules set by the employer. Regulation 4 sets out standards to be achieved involving systems, work activities and protective equipment. This involves ensuring that all systems when carrying out operations should be adequate, used and maintained in an efficient manner in order to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any risks of danger. Regulations 4 of this legislation also indicates that any equipment provided in order to protect work operatives carrying out tasks on or near electrical equipment must be appropriate, maintained in a satisfactory condition and used in the correct manner. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1989/Uksi_19890635_en_1.htm The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 (Amended 1999, 2006) The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 came into effect as of the 1st January 1993 which placed responsibility upon all employers and self-employed to carry out suitable and sufficient risks assessments with regard to health and safety issues on construction sites. This is to ensure that regulation 3 is achieved through informing employees of the potential issues that may affect, or potentially affect the health and safety of another person on site. The other most significant responsibility placed on the employer under regulation 11 is to ensure that they fulfil capability and training requirements set out in this legislation. This involves the employer making sure all employees are provided with adequate health and safety training upon recruitment or upon being exposed to new or increased risks such as the introduction of new work equipment. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1992/Uksi_19922051_en_2.htm#mdiv1 The Manual Handling and Operations Regulations 1992 (Amended 2002) The Manual Handling and Operations Regulations 1992 were first enforced on the 1st January 1993 which introduced the requirement for employers to avoid the need for their employees to undertake any manual handling operations at work which involves a risk of being injured, this is outlined in regulation 4. If manual handling and operations are undertaken then it is the responsibility of the employer to keep these occurrences to levels as low as possible as well as to provide employees with general indications where it is reasonably practicable to do so such as the weight of each load. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1992/Uksi_19922793_en_1.htm The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (Amended 2002) The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 came into effect on the 1st January 1993 to try to ensure that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is provided and worn at all times if work operatives are presented with a situation that provide risks to their personal health and safety. Regulation 4 of the act states that it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that PPE is provided to all employees whilst at work if they are likely to be exposed to health and safety risks, any self employed work operative must provide their own PPE once entering the construction site. Regulation 4 also emphasise that the PPE provided should be appropriate for the risks involved and should fit correctly or at least have a mechanism for adjustments that enable it to be worn correctly. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1992/Uksi_19922966_en_2.htm#mdiv1 The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (Revised 2002, Amended 2003) The WHSW regulations 1992 came into force on the 1st January 1993. These regulations do not apply specifically to construction sites which means they have had no effect in reducing the number of accidents and fatalities throughout the construction industry. The construction industry had two specific sets of regulations that were industry-specific before the introduction of the CDM regulations 2007 as these regulations incorporated both of them. These were known as the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 which are described in more detail below: Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 (Amended 2007) The CDM regulations 1994 first came into force on the 31st March 1995 with a view to further reducing the number of accidents occurring within the construction industry (Joyce, 2001). The main aims of the regulations were to reduce the regular occurrence of accidents and ill health arising from construction work (Percy, 2002). The main influence these regulation had on the construction industry was that it shared responsibility of health and safety issues during construction work between all parties and not purely the responsibility of the contractor (Joyce 2001). These regulations were in place for 12 years but have recently been amended and are now known as the CDM regulations 2007. The reasons for the amendments were due a number of problems encountered with the CDM regulations 1994 such as the ongoing debate about there effectiveness, high level of unnecessary bureaucracy, lack of clarity and regulations that were subject to misinterpretation throughout their enforcement (Joyce, 2001). The CDM regulations 2007 intend to take on board the research into these problems and readdress the main criticisms in order to improve the effectiveness within the industry. The CDM regulations 2007 are discussed further in section 6.0. Reports of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995 The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 came into force as of the 6th April 2006. These regulations have an effect with a view to protecting workers against the potential risks to their personal HS arising from exposure to noise at work (HMSO, 2005). It is the responsibility of the employer under regulation 5 to provide a risk assessment to assess the potential risks of exposure to noise an employee may face when carrying out work on site, if exposure is likely to occur then where possible it should be eliminated at the source or reduced to nose levels as low as possible in order to comply with these regulations. In order to support regulation 5, regulation 7 sets out to ensure that the employer must provide personal hearing protection to any employee who is exposed to high noise levels in order to protect their health and safety, this must be supported with the use of appropriate safety signs in order to inform work operatives of an area that is subject to high noise levels. R egulations 9 and 10 respectively are provided to ensure that if employees are exposed to high levels of noise then the employer must ensure that they are placed under suitable health surveillance as well as provide them with suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training in order to carry out their tasks efficiently (HMSO, 2005). Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 The CHSWR 1996 were enforced as of the 2nd September 1996 which replaced the Construction (General Provisions) Regulations 1961, the Construction (Health and Welfare) Regulations 1966 and the Construction (Working Places) Regulations 1966, which were all revoked (Holt, 2001). These regulations were introduced as the construction equivalent of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 as they do not apply to constructions sites (Holt, 2001). The CHSW Regulations 1996 were created by the HSC which represented the UK’s implementation of Annexe IV of the Temporary and Mobile Construction Sites Directive (Clarke, 1999). Before the introduction of the CDM regulations 2007, the CHSW regulations 1996 applied to all construction work and along with the CDM regulations 1994, they provided a life cycle of health and safety standards throughout the entirety of construction projects. This was achieved as both these sets of regulations applied to different aspects of const ruction work which meant there was no overlapping of each legislation between the two sets of regulations. The CHSW 1996 applied to workers carrying out construction site work where as the CDM regulations 1994 applied to those in the design and management process. Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 were first enforced on the 1st April 1996, they were introduced as a set of regulations to notify the construction industry of the minimum requirements for the provision of safety signs at work. This act complies with the MHSW regulations 1992 as an employer must provide appropriate safety signs if they feel that the risk assessment made as a requirement of the MHSW 1992 regulations cannot adequately reduce risks to employees after adopting appropriate techniques for collective protection, and measures, methods or procedures used in the organisation of work. These signs are used to warn or instruct employees of the nature of potential risks they may face and inform the employees of the appropriate measures to be taken to protect against them. This act also introduces a standardised system of safety signs; this enables workers to be able to travel from different construction sites and not face the problem of different m eanings for different signs. In order to comply with regulation 5; employers must ensure that each of their employees receives suitable and sufficient instruction and training in the meaning of safety signs and the measures to be taken in connection with safety signs. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1996/Uksi_19960341_en_1.htm Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 The COSHH regulations 2002 were introduced to the construction industry on the 21st November 2002, this legislation placed responsibility upon employers to ensure that exposure to substances hazardous to health is either prevented or, if not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled (HMSO, 2002). The employer should prevent from carrying out work that may potentially expose an employee to substances hazardous to health unless they have carried out appropriate risk assessments and carried out the suitable processes in order to comply with these regulations, and safeguard workers on site. Regulations 12 of the regulations states that an employer should provide employees with suitable and sufficient information, instruction and traini