EKATO Organization Essay

A team is a formal work group whose members work internally with each other to achieve a common objective. A self-managed team is a small group of employees responsible for an entire work process, improve their operation or product, plan their work, resolve day-to-day problems, and manage  themselves. U. S companies including Ford Motor company, Digital Equipment and Boeing report many positive benefits from their experience with self-managed teams including higher productivity, improved quality and lower turnover. Team Development and Evolution EXATO vision it self as a services organization involve in providing solutions for mixing problems, rather than just designing and manufacturing of mixing machines. EKATO objective was to design a flexible and optimized production facility at a realistic cost, while creating an attractive environment to foster innovation. Therefore the new building was designed to support a cell-based, self-managing culture. Before the change to self managing culture, an extensive consultation and participation programme was conducted. This was based around people, process, technological and architectural strategies. A planning groups consisting of both workers and representatives of the workers’ council was formed to discuss any affect on employees due to those changes. The plan is to have 3 person groups. Wide-ranging internal information was made available to employees to support the new-managing, self-optimising approach in EKATO. With self managing teams approach brought good results; The new decentralised system amortized itself within the first 2 years operation Throughput times were reduced by 50% Inventories fell by 50% Spare parts stores reduced by one-third Machine cost fell Changes to plans reduced by 40% Obtaining information and passing it on cost reduced due to its availability and the easy communication Double time work was eliminated Due to the amount of coordination between that large no. of cells, the company reformed the cells into 8-9 persons instead of 3 allocated to three major manufacturing areas responsible for drives, shafts and impellers. Each manufacturing area has a leader who is responsible of that production group. Conclusion Teams can supply the competitive edge. Group pressures can have influence over individual’s behavior. The basic philosophy is â€Å"Entrusting employees with responsibility assures highest quality standards and low costs to the customer’s advantage†. 2. Evaluate the contribution that an effective HRM operation makes to the organization? Maximizing the effectiveness of the human assets of an enterprise is critical. HRM strategies vary from one company to another but provide similar services to the organization. – In EKATO, the HR is decentralized by making the department managers to be responsible for their staff finance and HR matters especially the appraisal and performance. – HRM includes a variety of activities, the key is deciding what staffing needs you have and whether to use independent contractors or hire employees to fill these needs. In EKATO hiring decision vital since staff composition  determines whether the firm has the necessary creativity skills and attitudes. EKATO maintains relationship with universities that specialised in process and involve this expertise on specific assignment. This open doors for universities students to work with the company after they finish their studies and be part of the organisation. – Attracting new employees by rotating them through different sections of the company for few months including assembly to gain the hand on experience in the entire company and be multi skilled. – Improving employees’ skills by providing extensive training programme to allow them to improve the productivity and have high quality performance. EKATO Team skills were improved through training before and after the move to the cell structure, to allow workers to be multi skilled and able to rotate roles to some extent. Coaching assisted individuals in personally adapting to working in teams on day-to day basis. Group members were trained in conflict resolution, problem solving, interpersonal relationship skills, team roles, group dynamics and decision making, as well as setting goals and priorities. – The typically objective of the HR is to provide an atmosphere in which all employees can perform their jobs to the best of their abilities and creatively contribute to the organization. EKATO retains its people by providing interesting work environment. Working there is relatively challenging because employees need to keep up development by attending seminars and read to stay current and keep up with fast technology. It is easier to make the job interesting for R&D staff than sales people. – They motivate their employee by adjusting the reward system to include an individual bonus for works contribution and the group productivity which encourage workers to work as a team to achieve individual goals. Re-training some employees who resisting the new change of the company to be self managing and group process. In addition, human resources management includes 15 methods to improve competitive advantage. 1. Working security: organization gives employees a long-term contract. 2. Carefully interview: managers should be carefully choosing excellent employee. 3. High salary: the salary is higher than another competitor at least. 4. Appropriate compensation: every month choose the excellent employee and give reward. 5. Employee ownership: provide stock of organization or share in project of profit. 6. The salary concentrating: Narrow the degree of the difference of the salary among employees. 7. Participate in management: let lower level employees join management. 8. Term work and working design 9. Symbolic equality principle: treat all employees equally. 10. Internal upgrade: through upgrade a lower level employee to higher position 11. Measurement practicing: Organization should measure employee attitude, different of the scheme and spirit of creation and ability of employee performance level. Notes: Introducing new technology such as expert system to help the company to manage and share solutions and knowledge, thereby reducing duplication. 3. Discuss the extent to which leaders at EKATO have attempted to change the organisation’s culture? Culture represents the unwritten feeling part of the organization. It refers to the set of values, beliefs, norms, attitudes, assumptions, and understandings shared by all members of the organization. It also defines the basic organizational values and communicates to the new members joining the organization the correct ways to think and act, and how things taught to be done. An understanding of organizational culture helps organizations respond and adapt to external environment by changing and solving internal problems. EKATO is a family owned enterprise. The founder Todtenhaupt was very technically oriented and has excellent relationship with his works and people in the chemical industry. The founder passed the organisation culture to his sons. But his sons changed the culture by bringing in an outsider Mr. Zeiler as CEO/President. The CEO, Mr. Zeiler believes that the leadership has to do with the personality style, values and assumptions. The CEO concentrated on the company internal matters and problems. With his sales background, he changed the company from role oriented i.e. bureaucratic to self managing culture. He focused on his workers by delegating responsibility to them and empowering skilled employees. He implemented the trust and openness culture within the organisation by allowing staff to learn from mistakes. To prevent classical labour problem, the CEO implemented communication and sharing the information culture by having open discussion on the company’s numbers, problems and goals. This is done by having two annual meetings between management and employees where the workers council and the CEO report to the staff. Beside that, top managers meet weekly and senior managers engage in cross-functional weekly problem solving meetings. Top management set the company plan and individual departments’ goals. These  goals are communicated to departments’ managers and then discussed within department staff. Senior mangers then meet quarterly to discuss the direction and review the strategy and areas of innovation. Each department manager is required to present results, costs and innovation capability. The outcome of these meetings are fed back to top management and then shared with staff. Hence, the spreading nature of culture will have an effect on organizational processes such as decision making, design of structure, group behaviour, work organization, and motivation and job satisfaction. Management interest in organizational culture to improve performance and increase competition. It is developed and manifests itself in different ways in different organizations, therefore, it is not possible to say that one culture is better than the other. Hence, there is no such thing as an ideal culture, only an appropriate culture.

Precarious Employment Essay

This essay will discuss why young people are two to three times more likely than adults to find themselves unemployed and why the problem is rapidly growing in almost every region of the world. Although young people today are the most educated generation ever, both industrialised and developing countries are failing to increase employment opportunities for them. The lack of opportunities is of course linked to the general state of the economy and employment situation but it is also a result of the mismatches between the skills young people possess and the skills required by the labour market. All of these factors can lead to long periods of unemployment, job seeking or low skilled and precarious work, which are not only detrimental to young people but impact heavily on economies and society in general. (ILO tackling youth unemployment) Globalisation Globalisation and technological advances have been changing labour markets around the world. Young workers are facing new challenges in making the transition from school to work (Elizabeth Morris 2003). Globalisation is changing the distribution of power and gains and has raised questions about legitimacy and sustainability. Inadequate attention to the human side of globalisation has created a gap in understanding its impact on life and work (International Labour Office). Economics The 1980s and 1990s saw the most profound transformation of Australian public policy since World War II and in that it fundamentally reworked a framework in place since Federation (Castles et al 1996; Kelly 1994). This transformation was underwritten by two principles: liberalism – the view that citizens are autonomous individual actors whose interests are best served when they are free from coercive government interventions into individual action (Yeatman 2000); and marketisation – the belief that free markets are arenas which best enable individual autonomy and produce efficient outcomes (Marginson 1997). These principles define ‘neoliberalism’ or ‘hard liberalism’ (Argy 2003). How have these policy changes affected Australia? An advocate would say it created improved economic outcomes greater market efficiencies, less public expenditure less reliance on social welfare and more individual choice. For a critic it increases inequality, corrodes quality of life and produces an atomised society in which individuals are culturally disconnected from one another and fundamental social institutions (Pusey 2003; Saunders 2002:8-12, ch 2). The primary arguments for neoliberalism are economic, mostly that a free market is necessary for economic, employment and income growth (Kenworthy 2004). However, with the structural changes that have occurred the nature of work has changed with greater casualisation, more part-time work at the cost of full-time employment along with changes in working conditions such as irregular working hours. Income inequality has increased (Saunders 2003). The government has encouraged individuals to be responsible for their own welfare. The market was seen as a more efficient distributor of resources than the state. Skills and Knowledge In an increasingly globalised, competitive and rapidly changing economy the skills and knowledge of young people are becoming more and more important to existing businesses, and are necessary to those wishing to set up their own successful business. It is crucial that young people get a decent basic education and have the skills and qualities needed for work. Numeracy and literacy skills are key to a well-functioning business environment, with information and communication technology (ICT) and enterprise skills (such as business administration, sales and marketing, and so on) not to be underestimated. In particular the teaching of entrepreneurial skills and attributes and behaviours is often not properly integrated into school curricula or not adequately taught on different educational levels. Most education systems still teach only traditional values rather than independent thinking and acting, risk-taking and self-reliance. Moreover, an academic approach to education nurtures skills that are appropriate to working in the public sector or large organizations and companies, are not the key skills needed to start an entrepreneurial career. Youth regardless of their origin have dreams, hopes and aspirations. They carry with them many qualities: â€Å"relevant and recent education and training; enthusiasm, hope and new ideas; willingness to learn and be taught; openness to new skills and technology; realistic expectations on entry into the labour market; mobility and adaptability; and represent a new generation to meet the challenge in countries with an ageing workforce. † (Resolution concerning youth employment, 2005). Yet youth throughout the world encounter barriers in making transitions from school to work. Frequently their full potential is not realised because they do not have access to appropriate jobs (United Nations General Assembly, 2000). Work and Employment Previously factories, offices and shops employed a large part of the working population. Now, computer based technology produces more goods, processes more office work and oversees more sales than ever before, while utilising fewer and fewer people especially teenagers (Stevenson). Traditionally young people with little working experience have filled unskilled jobs and due to technical and organisational changes in the workforce these positions have disappeared. There have been substantial declines in the construction, manufacturing and transport industries over the last decade. The total proportion of the workforce employed in the three industry divisions has declined from 28. 7 per cent to 24. 8 per cent in the ten years (Stevenson). Despite initiatives by government to tackle the problem, youth unemployment has remained at a high level. The teenage labour market has been in long term decline since 1965 when teenage unemployment stood at 2. 6 per cent. By 1975 teenage unemployment has risen almost fivefold to 12. 9 per cent, and, although volatile, it has risen ever since(Stevenson, Brian). Given the differences young people have they still face common barriers – lack of experience, disparity between their skills and the demands of labour markets and insufficient information and advice. Youth experience business barriers because they usually have less access to resources and credit. It can also be typical to experience some level of discrimination in regard to age, sex, ethnicity, race, culture, health, family status and other factors (Global Employment Trends BRIEF, 2006). Difficulties such as this can make it take a lot longer for young people to find employment. It is not unusual for those entering the workforce for the first time to expect a delay. However, if an extended period of unemployment occurs it can have serious consequences for young people including a loss in production and an increase in poverty. It is easy to become discouraged and frustrated leading to the young person giving up in their search for employment. Others continue in the education system for longer than they intended. Therefore, giving young people a chance to achieve decent employment early in their working life would help avoid a vicious circle of unemployment or underemployment, poor working conditions and social exclusion (Morris, Elizabeth 2003). In a weak labour market where jobs are scarce and competition among job seekers is savage it is difficult for anyone to cope with job loss. For disadvantaged youth without basic education, failure to find a first job or keep it for long can have negative long-term consequences on their career prospects that some experts refer to as â€Å"scarring†. Looking past the negative effects on future wages and employability, long spells of unemployment for the young person can often create permanent scars through the harmful effects on a number of other outcomes, including happiness, job satisfaction and health, many years later (ACCI Leading Australian Business, 2010). Precarious Work Young people are continually finding, employment is precarious and may not provide an income sufficient to cover basic necessities. Even if young people are employed, they often find themselves in low-paying temporary jobs with not many protections. Demands for a flexible workforce and the increased use of casual, part-time and temporary employment contracts have heightened the sense of insecurity and risk. More and more young people are working in an informal economy, where they earn low wages and are often experience poor or even exploitative working conditions. The increased use of short-term contracts is another indicator of deteriorating conditions in the youth labour market, as young workers are more likely than older workers to receive and accept this type of offer (World Labour Report, 2000). High levels of youth unemployment are always a source of concern because of the profound impact unemployment has on young people’s lives. Studies of young people show that unemployment leads to a reduction in self-esteem and diminished levels of well-being. Youth unemployment turns problematic when it becomes long-term and when it leaves young people without the means to provide for their basic needs. Around the world, the boundaries between the formal and informal economy are becoming increasingly blurred, and much of the economic activity of young people is taking place in the intermediary zone. The informalisation of work is a global phenonomen, with an increasing number of new jobs being created in the informal economy. The proliferation of informal sector employment is problematic in that these jobs tend to be characterised by lower wages and productivity as well as unsafe working conditions. The forms of precarity seem to be ever expanding, as employers constantly uncover new ways to circumvent regulations or find loopholes in regulations to increase the profitability of their business at the expense of their employees. In the most general sense, precarious work is a means for employers to shift risks and responsibilities on to workers. It is work performed in the formal and informal economy and is characterised by variable levels and degrees of objective (legal status) and subjective (feeling) characteristics of uncertainty and insecurity. Although a precarious job can have many faces, it is usually defined by uncertainty as to the duration of employment, multiple possible employers or a disguised or ambiguous employment relationship, a lack of access to social protection and benefits usually associated with employment, low pay, and substantial legal and practical obstacles to joining a trade union and bargaining collectively. The result is a condition in which workers cannot plan for their future, and lack the security of certain forms of social protection. Precarious work is also characterised by insufficient or even a total absence of trade union rights. Precarious work has a deep impact on individuals and societies. Over the past years, economic crises and turbulences on the financial markets have lead to wide spread anxiety among workers. Increasing rates of unemployment and precarious work arrangements deteriorate the quality of working and living conditions. The normalisation of precarious work is already showing its deeply damaging impacts on society at large. In general, it leaves workers and communities in unstable and insecure situations, disrupting their life planning options. More concretely, precarious workers are found to suffer a higher rate of occupational safety and health issues. Precarious work deprives people of the stability required to take long-term decisions and plans in their lives. Unemployment and precarious jobs have left a young generation hard pressed to see a bright future. The risk of losing financial independence and having to rely on lower social welfare payouts can lead to further social exclusion. It is not surprising therefore that youth are also more likely to fear losing their jobs. Characteristics of precarious work such as anxiety and income and employment insecurity limit long-term planning especially among the young. Young workers very often accept bad working conditions and salaries on a subsistence level. Many of them do not even have working contracts, placing them beyond the reach of social security systems. Consequently the population under 25 runs the risk of falling into poverty and social exclusion. At the same time, according to the flexibility ideology, they need to ensure their â€Å"employability† and have to constantly develop new skills. It is obvious in this context that privileges of the young from ‘higher classes’ lead to the fortification of the class divide. Hardest hit by social exclusion are the young people from the lower classes. Unemployment and material hardship in the family make insecurity part of their everyday life. For low skilled workers†McJobs† without training lead to an inevitable dead end. The lack of prospects, apathy, and resignation become normal. The precarious nature of the employment relationship itself can cause precarious workers to experience poor emotional and mental health. It creates conditions of deprivation and a lack of social cohesion that often lead to social unrest and resentment. Society needs to create a pathway to a world where decent work is no longer a goal, but a reality. Conclusion In conclusion, the causes of youth unemployment can be analysed at different levels, but it is certain that globalisation and technological advances have had a profound impact on labour markets throughout the world; and young people, as new workers, have faced a number of challenges and difficulties associated with these developments. However, it must be remembered that access to productive and decent work is the best way young people can realise their aspirations, improve their living conditions and actively participate in society. Decent work for young people means not only significant benefits in terms of increased wealth, but is also commonly associated with a commitment to democracy, security and political stability. Decent work can thus strengthen both the economy and wider civil society.

Art In Society Essay

Art is an influential means of presenting the true meaning of beauty in humankind which cannot be expressed by any other ways. It bonds people from all forms of society in such a way they respond to ideas that is universally pleasing to them. Art has the magic in shaping a harmonious society as long as it is being expressed to entertain in a positive and beneficial way. To be able to know the impact of art in a society, it is only required to classify any forms of art in their true and artificial meaning. Although people have different significance to art, the objective in making a true piece of it usually involves human kindness, pride and responsibility. Since art is always influenced by the society it also has a connection with different societies. An egalitarian society in general uses the principle that all men regardless of any race are equal under the law. In industrial society the form of society is in societal structure which means that the society itself is bound by its own rules and structure and separated from other society. Beyond the societies are the doctrines and values. Utilitarianism is the principled policy that an act must have a benefit in order to be morally good. In western principle, this emphasizes that the greatest thing must happen to the most number of people to prove its worth as a utilitarian act (Commitment, 2007). Spirituality pertains to the soul or its love for God or its affections as inspired by the divine Spirit. To classify, the association of spirituality and utilitarianism in art can have different manifestations. Believers of utilitarianism can portray art in any angle, depiction, style, forwardness and with few limitations. Spiritual art however, may emit from the personal spiritual experiences of the artist although the art form is not really related with religion (Sumartono, 2001). Work Cited: Commitment, G. O. (2007). A Wisdom Archive on Utilitarianism [Electronic Version]. Retrieved August 14, 2007 from http://www. experiencefestival. com/utilitarianism. Sumartono. (2001). SPIRITUAL ART AMONG SPIRITUALITIES [Electronic Version]. Retrieved August 14, 2007 from http://asianchristianart. org/exhibitions/asae2001/pages/spiritual-art. html.

Liberalism and Conservatism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Liberalism and Conservatism - Essay Example It calls for minimal change in the society. It is established that both ideologies oppose each other, while one calls for change and liberty, the other calls for traditionalism and minimum change. In essence liberalism states independence and growth. It covers the basic meaning of humanity and society. Though there have arisen different strands liberalism, the basic fundamentals of liberalism remain same. The liberal philosophy ignites individualism, egalitarianism, meliorism and universalism. Individualism asserts independence and self reliance while egalitarianism imparts political, social and civil equality among individuals. Meliorism and universalism both have common motives. That is to allow greater sociopolitical interaction. All these separate ideologies converge towards a few common postulates. These are equality and individual liberty, support of private property and individual rights, limited constitutional government and pluralism, toleration and autonomy. In history there have been various critiques on the liberal chain of thought. The most significant of which has been by the conservatives. They have argued that liberalism is in fact pursuit of progress and mate rial gain. This argument was further augmented by a Hungarian philosopher, Karl Polyani. Polyani attacked the liberal economic thought. He stated that human behavior is supported through social interactions not through greed and rational, which in fact drove the free markets (Hill). He also argued that the created free markets brought with it fictitious money. In his view the liberal economic system would ultimately bring with it artificial commodification of land, labour and capital. This would lead to the destruction of the society. The counter ideology is conservatism. It promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and structure. The ideology allows minimal and gradual change in society. As with liberalism, there are many different strands of

Man of Marble Film Review Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Man of Marble Film - Movie Review Example ick layer whoselected by a filmmaker, Jerzy Burski (Tadeusz Lomnicki) to star in an advertising film in which he with four others laid 28,000 bricks in 8 hours. This represents "collective working" which symbolized the nature of Communist strength. In this film, the character of Birkut demonstrates the face of the common men, symbol of all common workers in communist Poland. There are three distinct kinds of scenes in this movie - the black and white documentary materials of 1950s, basic accomplishments of Socialism and the idols of the working class. There are also numbers of sections from the 50s shot in color, displaying the exact situation of that time. The third types of scenes are about the actual trouble face by Agnieszka and her team in 1970 while doing this documentary. From a broader perspective, Man of Marble  is a remarkable sample for the blend of diverse messages and subjects in a single film. Both the characters Agnieszka and Birkut are full of optimism and modest in their rigid approach towards the scope of the politics. The significance of this movie lies in the demonstration of the difference among the black and white publicity footage and the colour realism shots which help to expose the temporary nature of political reality. There are two scenes worth mentioning regarding the role played by the movie to demonstrate the political nature of the country. One is about showing Birkut coming out of jail and casting his vote in the elections and encouraging others to do the same. In that part of the movie, there is a clear description about the development of the country under communist rule. . The second scene is about the demonstration of the economic achievement of socialist Poland shoot in colour with the presence of background disco musi c. That disco music is the clear indication of the growth and development of the country under communist rule. From the point of view of above two scenes if we analyze the two main characters of this movie, it is

Female Characters in Flannery O'Conner Short Stories Essay

Female Characters in Flannery O'Conner Short Stories - Essay Example Some have an aspect of madness, some are very assertive and others are very devout Christians. The three short stories that will be critiqued for the elements of women are , â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge,† â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own,† and â€Å"A Circle In the Fire.† All three stories provide the reader with a look into the traditional, Southern woman and her need for survival. 2 â€Å"Everything that Rises Must Converge† In the beginning of this story, the reader is introduced to Julian and his mother. They are on their way to a â€Å"reducing class at the Y† (O’Connor 1) where his mother must lose 20 pounds. The reader is immediately pulled into the story because the writing is very clear and crisp. O’Connor has the reader standing behind the mother and watching her try on her hat to get it to fit her head in just the right way. The author writes, â€Å"she lifted the hat one more time and set it down slowly on top of her head† (â€Å"Everything† 1). This automatically sets the mood for what is going to happen and the reader understands that the mother is elderly by the â€Å"grey hair protrude on either side of her florid face †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"Everything† 1). ... This mother and son conflict continues throughout the story. His mother was â€Å"still [living] according to the laws of her own fantasy world† (â€Å"Everything† 6) where she would always remain. He saw the world differently and was attempting to make her see the world for what it was—a place that had changed. His mother still thought she was living in a time when slaves were slaves and everything in her mind was right. This is not the world they were living in now. Bryan N. Wyatt states that Julian wrestles with what to do with his mother since he has become emotionally detached from her. He thinks about abandoning her at a bus stop to get out of her clutches. Michael W. Crocker and Robert C. Evans note that the convergence in the story has to do with Julian’s mother being seen as n outsider of the society in which she lives and having to come to terms with the fact that life is not what it used to be – that blacks are now free and they can move around as whites and they can work in jobs instead of on plantations (par. 7). This is a sad stroke of luck for Julian’s mother because it is difficult for her to deal with this truth. In fact, this is so difficult that she walks down the street, has a heart attack and dies at the end of the story when she is confronted with reality. To say that this is a poignant ending is an understatement. The reader can identify with Julian’s mother and with Julian because these two people are seen in everyone’s family. The mother in this short story is very traditional, and she may be suffering from delusions as she lives in her fantasy world. She only understands good Southern hospitality that she grew up with and she is not prepared for the life outside of this

Review of the Economic Development Theories in Africa Essay

Review of the Economic Development Theories in Africa - Essay Example This paper offers an analysis of practical implementation of the four models of development in African countries. These models includes Harrod-Domar Model, Exogenous Growth model, Surplus Labor Model, and Harris-Todaro Model. Economic development theories and models are built on three main blocks; the saving function, the production function and labor supply function. Growth rate and saving function are equal to s/AY (where s is the saving rate and AY is the output ratio). South Africa is one of the developing countries in Africa that has implemented the Exogenous Growth Model since it has acknowledged the inclusion of technology and innovation in its plans. This model explains the importance of technological change (and capital accumulation in an economic growth. In Ethiopia Harrod-Domar model applies where high population growth rate is constraint to the rate of technological change. Harrod-Domar model outlines an economic function relationship in which the â€Å"growth rate of gross domestic product (g) depend directly on the national saving ratio (s) and inversely on the national capital/output ration ratio (k) Libya is one of the developing countries in Africa with the highest income per capita GDP, however, most of its population still remain poor and unemployed because of the rural-urban migration in accordance to the Harris-Todaro Model. This is a theory of rural-urban migration and it is strives to address the high rates of unemployment problem issue in the developing countries (Ezeala-Harrison,p3). Rural to urban migration is mainly fueled by the creation of more employment opportunities in the urban areas than the rural areas. This is the reason why most of the Africa’s developing countries such as Kenya have introduced policy of rural industrialization and development to help deal with the problem of high population and unemployment rates in the urban areas. Creation of more industries and other employment opportunities in the rural areas has attracted more people to the rural areas and this is one of the policies required for a balanced development in any country. In developing countries such as Algeria and Tunisia most of the citizens move from their rural homes to urban areas in search of education, employment and high living standards. Some people are also driven away by the poor status of their lands which are unproductive. The current surveys show that about 53 per cent of the populations of Kenya, Tunis, Algeria and South Africa reside in the urban areas. Rapid urban growth rate in the current economic status of the developing countries is a strain to the level of national and local governments to provide basic necessities such as electricity, sewerage, water and adequate health facilities. In such situations, squatter settlements and over crowded slums begin sprawling up. In a country like Kenya over-crowded slums are the homes to millions of the citizens. In most developing countries, this growth rate reflects rural crisis other than urban-based development (Ezeala-Harrison, p5). Harrod-Domar Model Harrod-Domar model outlines an economic function relationship in which the â€Å"growth rate of gross domestic product (g) depend directly on the national saving ratio (s) and inversely on the national capital/output ration ratio (k) (Jurgen & Paul, p257). Mathematically it is expressed as g= s/k. This equation derived its name from two economists (E.V Domar of U.S and Sir Roy Harrod of Britain) who proposed it. This th eory has been majorly utilized by the developing countries in planning their economy in the early post wars. For a targeted growth rate to be realized, a required growth rate must be set. Countries which are unable to set this require savings can resort to a jurisdiction for borrowing from international agencies such as International Monetary Funds and World Bank. Most of the African countries are developing countries which are unable to set the required savings to meet the targeted growth rate. They therefore resort to borrowing from international agencies. Huge debts are disadvantages to developing countries because of the higher interest rates and poor credit (Jurgen & Paul, p257). Problems usually a rise when these countries make irregular loan payment and underestimate the project cost. Every country

Personal Experience at Narcotics anonymous Term Paper - 2

Personal Experience at Narcotics anonymous - Term Paper Example ed completely negating the existence of individual or self in the society putting stress on his argument that there is no existence of an individual beyond society or apart from it. Every individual is a part of it and no individual exists apart from the society (Foulkes, 1948). The contemporary psychotherapy has moved far beyond these drives and pushed its limit to a great extent. In recent studies, individual importance is viewed in terms of more in depth, intersubjective relationship and based on these therapeutic models are undertaken. Dynamic group therapy have evolved as the most effective therapeutic model in this regard and recent researches tend to prove that dynamic groups help to a massive extent in curing psychological disorders like depression, anxiety states and personality disorders (Robinson & Et Al, 1990). Very important and pertinent to our discussion is also the fact that depression and anxiety states lead to consumption of various drugs and as an effective interpersonal group therapy 12 curative factors have yielded better and effective results in this regard. Yalom developed 12 curative stepwise therapies for the purpose of a psychological disorder. The meeting attempted to move beyond the theoretical limit and aspect of the model and succeeded in an effective discussion on the practical implementation of these stepwise therapies in a case. Yalom’s 12 curative factors starts with interpersonal learning which involves a continuous process with the effective participation of the group leader indulging and involving adults talks which enabled the patients to open up their mind. The next step in the Yalom’s 12 curative factors is that of Catharsis. A complete biblical perspective literally involves purgation and is quite difficult. Initially in the process, the involvements of all the group members are not noticed spontaneously but with time as a repetitive and inspiring mechanism, it can be effectively attained. Group cohesiveness and

A character study of Sarty in the Burning Barn Research Paper - 1

A character study of Sarty in the Burning Barn - Research Paper Example The first time we come across Sarty, it is easy to tell that it might not have been his first time to appear in the court rooms. Nevertheless this has not been communicated before by Sarty. The lessons learnt from the courts and the knowledge about justice makes Sarty to feel that barn burning is not a good act and that it is not good to be forced by his own father to get involved in that and pretend not to have participated in the barn burning. Sarty is well aware that by a mere fact that he is only helping his father and acting under a instruction from him to burn barns is a crime punishable under the law. There is no excuse after participating in such an act. The feeling of guilt arises after knowing that it is wrong to barn burns. Sarty do not see things in the perspective of being incorrect according to the law or religion but in the perspective of a duty to the community or civic responsibility. In the scenario where Lennie is told to hold Sarty, for instance, he orders her mother to leave him alone or else he could hit her back. According to Sarty it is wrong to hit your mother but engaging in barn burning is even worse. Similarly, betraying his own father is also a challenge and would result into her mother being heartbroken, but this cannot prevent him from making a decision that is best according to his senses. His age is only ten and this is certainly not the right position he was to be involved in. the writer, William Faulkne, has simply made Sarty to be in a complex situation. In the de-Spain-Mansion, we come to meet the thoughts of the character Sarty. This is a very important moment after Sarty comes to see it. The mansion arouses the little boy’s thoughts; it makes him to remember the courthouse. By remembering the court house is a clear indication that Sarty has at one moment come across a courthouse. It also gives some clue that Sarty could possibly

Emotional intellegince Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Emotional intellegince - Research Paper Example Human capital plays pivotal role in business organizations and in their success. In today’s fiercely competitive business contexts, human capital and effectively managing this high-valued resource have become major corporate strategies that affect competitive advantage (Hall, 2008). Human capital is the sum total of knowledge, skills, talents, experience, wisdom and other personal as well as professional qualities that people in the organization possess and utilize for the organization’s purposes. HR roles and functions have been evolving tremendous changes from being fundamentally administrative to making strategic decisions regarding choosing right talents for right tasks. Jarrel (2012) emphasized that focusing on the emotional intelligence of people in the organization has become another change that the HR field has witnessed very recently. It was because those employees who showed high emotional intelligence have influenced others around them positively rather than negatively. Why emotional intelligence matters in the workplace is because the way people affect others in the same workplace is an important matter to affect the effectiveness of leadership, teamwork, collaboration, knowledge sharing, organizational learning and so on. For instance, transformational or charismatic leaders are those who influence their subordinates by identifying their needs and taking positive ways to meet their requirements. Stough, Saklofske and Parker (2009) are of the view that leadership effectiveness is closely linked to the levels of emotional intelligence of the leader. With a view to achieve highest level of emotional intelligence in the workplace, human resource management adopts selective hiring and training and development program to ensure that their workforce would demonstrate EI competencies. By using Hendrie Weisinger’s Emotional Intelligence assessment tool, I found that my overall EI level was above the average, with a point of 84. The levels of self

Technology Assessment Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Technology Assessment Plan - Research Paper Example 1.2 IT Management Structure The IT management structures comprises of for management posts with hierarchical functional delegation flow from top down ward. The management consist of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as Todd Hoppens; Chief Information Officer(CIO) as Jared Campbell; Chief Technical Officer (CTO) as Felix Yanez; and finally IT VP as Nicholas Williams. Apart from the management team, there are implementation teams or IT experts that execute the technology plan. A reporting chart 1.3 Technology Plan Goals A technology roadmap is a plan that complement short-term and long-term objectives with precise technology solutions to assist meet those goals or objectives. It is a strategy that is applicable to a new product or procedure, or to an up-and-coming technology. Technology is very dynamic and ToJa & FeNi Corporation cannot remain on business if they do not capture new innovation of chocolate production. The objective of this plan is to recognize the IT Infrastructure requirem ents for the next 2 years for ToJa & FeNi Corporation by providing (Bolan, & Cullin, 2007): An inventory of current technology assets. IT Infrastructure documentation identifying future needs. A prioritized plan, including a budget, for addressing these needs. 1.4 Plan Review The technology plan is a responsibility of the ToJa & FeNi Corporation management and IT department. The CEO, CIO, CTO and IT VP are responsible for the plan execution. Technological review and update must be done as soon as a new technology emerges. So the company must always budget for technology upgrade. Innovation subsection must be created to assess technologies emergence and advise the management with proper recommendation. 2 Executive Summary The technology plan strategy of ToJa & FeNi Corporation involves: defining the accessible technology strategy; identifying the requirement; design, develop and purchase necessary technology; implement and train the staffs; and finally maintaining and continue learni ng. Technology plan is essential for the growth of the business. By focusing on its strengths, its major customers, and the fundamental values necessary, ToJa & FeNi Corporation will augment sales progressively in its first two years after technology implementation, while also sustaining the gross margin on sales, with a focus on  cash management and working capital. This technology plan leads the way. It renovates the company’s vision and strategic focus: adding value to the target market share, and reinforcing connections with businesses in the local markets. It also provides the step-by-step plan for enhancing sales, production, gross margin, and profitability. Technology plan enhances the connection with relevant stakeholders through networking. Technology advances is the background and basis of any business progress thus the need for ToJa & FeNi Corporation to handle technology plan. The executive management must embrace the fact that technology is dynamic and need to be continues and planned for. Launched confectionary products are manufactured with the usage of the cut edge technologies. Modern high capability equipment,  strict devotion to the production technologies, only high excellence raw materials ensures

Body modification Essay Example for Free

Body modification Essay Nowadays, students have more opportunities to choose what sport they want to play. One of them, for example, is Ultimate Frisbee. It is a rising sport here in the Philippines. It is played with a disc with 7 players per team, 4 boys and 3 girls or 5 boys and 2 girls but the 4/3 ratio is more applied in almost all leagues and tournaments. Basically, the goal of this game is to score in an end zone and played with a 50-min. time cap or in the finals just a 15-pt. point cap. There have been countless leagues and tournaments for students. One kind of tournament is the NUCC or the National Ultimate Collegiate Championship. It is tournament exclusively for students and alumni of different schools. I asked some of the student-athletes on how they manage their time on playing and academics. It is pretty hard to manage time with the training schedule and their academics, as I am one of the student-athletes. Some of the ones that I asked answered that they put their academics first before they go to play or to train and some procrastinate their acads for ultimate Frisbee while some have a specific schedule for training. All of the student-athlete say that they sometime have to sacrifice one for the other but they try to get back what they lost. They say that it’s time management that you need when you are a Student-Athlete. Every sport has their own sports attire and gear. And Ultimate Frisbee has its own specific attire and gear. Examples of these are: dry-fit shirt with the team’s name on the front and the player’s number on the back, dry-fit shorts, and cleats or spikes. Injuries are almost a part of playing this sport as sometimes you cannot predict that you will have a tiny bruise or even yet break your anterior cruciate ligament or ACL or your ankle so some of the players who already injured their ACL or ankle have knee or ankle support when they play, after their recovery, and to protect them from the harmful rays of the sun they wear sunblock, hats, and rash guards. Sometimes the disc slips off the hands of the players hence they wear a special glove that is anti-slip. The pictures below are examples of what Ultimate Frisbee players wear. There is also a new up-rising sport in the world of Board Sports here in the Philippines. It is Longboarding or Downhill Longboarding. Basically, a longboard is just the bigger brother of the skateboard because the longboard is bigger, wider, and more stable than the skateboard. The rule of Downhill Longboarding is like any other race-oriented sport, whoever goes through the finish line wins but the twist is you are in a board with speeds reaching up to 75 km/h depending on what the track is and the fastest known hill here in Metro Manila is in Sierra Madre. There are also different types of competition in Longboarding not just downhill racing, and they are: Slide jams, and Push races. Slide jam is a competition where you can show what your hardest and coolest tricks and judges decide who the winner is. Push race is a race where you push or in the players’ jargon term â€Å"padyak† from the starting line to the finish line and the distance is very far. The last recent push race held here in Metro Manila, the Sector 9’s Push Don’t Pollute which was a 10-km race. These competitions have various categories and they are: Men’s A, Men’s B, Women’s, Amateur, and Open. There is a very special kind of playing longboard and it combines all the three types, it is Freeriding. In Freeriding, you can do outrageous drifts and slides which is on an open road unlike the other three where you are playing on a closed road. And under Freeriding is Freestyles, on this type you can do dances, grab tricks, and manuals or wheelies. Like all other extreme sports, Downhill Longboarding has also safety rules like: wear safety gears and leathers. Safety gears are helmet, gloves, knee pads, and elbow pads. In downhill racing, the safety gears are just helmet, gloves and leathers. And in the other two, its helmet, gloves, knee pads and/or elbow pads. Here are the photo examples of Longboarding: The Hipster: Carmela Llorca An Article on Hipsterism on psychologytoday. com The Sad Science of Hipsterism The Psychology of Indie Bands, PBR and Weird Facial Hair Published on September 8, 2010 by Jeff Wise in Extreme Fear Behold the hipster, the stylishly disaffected breed of twentysomethings whose fog of twee whimsy envelops Williamsburg and the East Village. Most who encounter the hipster in its natural habitat respond in one of two ways: derision or ridicule. But science does not cast judgment. Its goal is to explore and explain dispassionately, whether the object of study be the noble eagle or the lowly nematode. So what does science have to tell us about this fascinatingly misunderstood breed, the indigenous North American hipster? Surprisingly much. In a paper in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Consumer Research entitled Demythologizing Consumption Practices: How Consumers Protect Their Field- Dependent Identity Investments from Devaluing Marketplace Myths, authors Zeynep Arsel and Craig J. Thompson delve deep into the phenomenon of hipsterism, and in particular its most abiding mystery: if everyone hates hipsters, why would anyone want to be one? The long and short of it is that they dont. In general, psychologists who study consumers understand that people are largely motivated to spend money not just on things that they materially need, but that bolster their sense of identity. They purchase not just goods and services, but mythologies. Imagining themselves as rugged, rebellious patriots, they buy a Harley-Davidson. Imagining themselves as respected and well-heeled, they buy a Lexus. Hipsters, though, follow a different paradigm. Their problem is that their purchases tend to place them within a category whose mythology they despise. Thats right: Nobody likes hipsters, not even hipsters. As Arsel and Thompson put it, the beats of the 50s and hippies of the 60s and 70s, both of which had an admirable authenticity about them even if you didnt care for the particulars, eventually gave rise to the millennial hipster, which came to be represented as an uberconsumer of trends and as a new, and rather gullible, target market that consumes cool rather than creating it. As examples of the dorkification they cite online parodies of the iconic Mac v. PC ads and this viral YouTube video. The upshot being that any people who legitimately enjoy all the trappings on hipsterhood the authors mention Pabst Blue Ribbon, Puma, and the trucker hat must psychologically distance themselves from the demographic group of which they are so clearly a part. And so their subconscious brains have to work double time so that they can convince themselves that the things they buy do not reflect on their true character. Arsel and Thompson interviewed hipsters and asked them how they dealt with the problem of being identified as such. The answer, they found, was to demythologize the hipster experience, that is, to psychologically reclassify their own behavior as being separate from the aggregate activity that the rest of the world lumps together as hipster. They interviewed one consumer, identified as Scarlet, who told them: Im not gonna lie, I shop at Urban [Outfitters] sometimes, only when its on sale of course I like doing a lot of the things that are the hipster thing to do, but I do them because I like to do them, not because theyre the cool thing to do. And because I am immersed in the social scene where there are a lot of hipsters, people mistake me for being one of them. The deeper irony is that those who try to assert their independence from the commodification of identity wind up tapping into another marketplace myth, what the authors call the myth of consumer sovereignty. This is the idea that by assiduously selecting from all the identity markers available for purchase, a person can assemble one that authentically reflects their true self independent of the marketplace. Some of the hipsters that Arsel and Thompson talked to are well aware of the futility of this project. Said one, identified as Tom: I dont necessarily know every single weird obscure band. I dont necessarily want to. But I mean, yeah, who do I hang out with? I hang out with like a bunch of tattooed indie dorks. So, yeah, I guess I am but I wouldnt self-identify, I think. Id listen to stuff thats outside the mainstream or its like I dress weird compared to the majority of the population. I just try not to think about it too much. The minute you start identifying with a subcultureyou kind of lose individuality, surrender part of your identity, and we dont wanna do that. This, then, is the essence of being a hipster. Pretending you arent one. Filipino hipsters today can be found mainly in Cubao Expo or in The Collective in Makati. Many hipsters hate that they are called hipsters because it would connote them to a certain stereotype. Jobless, irresponsible, beer-drinking, night-dwelling twentysomethings who have vast knowledge of some obscure topic that is not mainstream. The goal is, the more you know of this something that has been never heard of, the higher you are in the hipster ladder. Additional points to those who are environmentally aware, more points if you are vegetarian and more points if you only smoke either marijuana or cigarettes. Sarcasm and wit are the main means of discussion and usually topics flow from â€Å"which was the best circa for French films† to â€Å"Philosophical take on my coffee choices† Nonetheless, this stage of life is a purgatory for those who don’t have anything solid they can call a career or just lazy to actually start on and would rather debate on the importance of a job. Don’t get me wrong, there are ACTUAL HIPSTERS. Those whose actual being is an admirer of the past eras, have an interest in something peculiar or probably, really an environmentalist who goes around riding bikes. The Professional: Theresa Llamas Racial stereotypes of one hundred college students. Katz, D. ; Braly, K. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, Vol 28(3), Oct 1933, 280-290. The degree of agreement among the students in assigning characteristics from a list of 84 adjectives to different races seemed too great to be the result solely of the students contacts with members of those races. Individual experience may have entered into a students judgment, but it probably did so to confirm the original stereotype which he had learned. Because human beings from time to time exhibit all kinds of behavior he could find confirmation of his views. By omitting cases which contradict the stereotype, the individual becomes convinced from association with a race that its members are just the kind of people he always thought they were. The manner in which public and private attitudes are bound up together was shown in the order of the 10 racial and national groups as determined by the definiteness with which students assigned characteristics to them. The definiteness of the stereotyped picture of a race, however, had little relation to the prejudice exhibited against that race. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH TATTOOS AND PIERCINGS: MOTIVES, FAMILY EXPERIENCES, PERSONALITY FACTORS, AND PERCEPTION BY OTHERS GORDON B. FORBES Body piercing, which is prevalent in young adults, has been suggested to be associated with features usually related to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) such as high-risk behaviours and psychopathological symptoms and might be motivated by a wish to deal with prior traumatic experiences. However, to date, no research has investigated the relationship between this practice and PTSD symptoms. The present research aims to investigate the possible relationship between body piercing and PTSD symptoms in French-speaking young adults. According to our results, having two or more body piercings was associated with a twofold increased risk for scoring above the cut-off score for PTSD on the PTSD checklist. Our findings suggest that two or more body piercings might serve as an identifiable marker for PTSD symptoms and may have important implications for clinical screening. Copyright  © 2012 John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Read More: http://www. amsciepub. com/doi/abs/10. 2466/pr0. 2001. 89. 3. 774 PERSONALITY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TATTOOED AND NONTATTOOED INDIVIDUALS VIREN SWAMI This study examined differences between tattooed and non-tattooed individuals on a range of personality and individual difference measures. A community sample of 540 individuals from the southern German-speaking area of central Europe completed a survey consisting of measures of the Big Five personality factors, Need for Uniqueness, Self-esteem, sensation seeking, Religious and Spiritual Beliefs, Attitudes Toward Tattoos, tattoo possession, and demographics. Preliminary analyses showed that 22% of the total sample possessed at least one tattoo. Further analyses showed that, compared with non-tattooed (n = 420) individuals, tattooed participants (n = 120) had significantly higher scores on Extraversion, Experience Seeking, Need for Uniqueness, and held more positive Attitudes Toward Tattoos, although effect sizes of these group differences were generally small- to medium-sized. These results are considered in relation to the contemporary prevalence of tattoos in socioeconomically developed societies. Read More: http://www. amsciepub. com/doi/abs/10. 2466/09. 07. 21. PR0. 111. 4. 97-106 Exploring professional stereotypes and learning for inter-professional practice: an example from UK qualifying level social work education. Bell, Linda and Allain, Lucille (2010) Exploring professional stereotypes and learning for inter-professional practice: an example from UK qualifying level social work education. Social Work Education, 30 (3). pp. 266-280. ISSN 0261-5479 This paper explores the concept of stereotyping from UK social work students’ and educators’ perspectives. It discusses findings from an exploration of inter-professional practice with two cohorts of final year social work students in a UK university. The authors adapted a questionnaire (Barnes et al, 2000; Hean et al, 2006) to initiate discussion about inter-professional working with BA and MA students participating in a specialist child and family social work module. This paper analyses students’ responses to the questionnaire and explores wider issues relating to professional stereotyping and identity, discussing the usefulness of these concepts for social work education and collaborative practice. Results suggest that student social workers held both positive and negative assumptions about specific occupations / professions (such as medicine), and that these acted as a mirror or tool for reflecting back their own views of social work identity/ies. We argue that this pedagogic exercise in identifying stereotypical assumptions about ‘others’ may encourage the building of a positive sense of ‘own’ professional identity. We further suggest that students should be encouraged to construct a core social work identity that is dynamic and responsive to changing contexts. Body modifications, sexual activity, and religious practices. Rivardo MG, Keelan CM. Source: Department of Psychology, Saint Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650, USA. mark. [emailprotected] edu Relations among body modifications (i. e. , tattoos and piercings), sexual activity, and religious practices and beliefs were examined. In previous studies, Koch and colleagues found the type of body modification seemed to interact with sex to predict sexual activity; but only weak, negative correlations were found between tattoos and religious beliefs and practices. In a sample of 236 students (M age=20. 1 yr. ) from a small Catholic liberal arts college, numbers of tattoos and sexual partners were correlated statistically significantly. Other results differed by t sex: men with piercings were more likely to have had premarital intercourse, and women who had had premarital intercourse had more piercings than women who had not. There were no statistically significant correlations among body modifications and religious variables.

The Cause And Effects Of Consumerism Cultural Studies Essay

The Cause And Effects Of Consumerism Cultural Studies Essay Consumerism is the term used to describe the effects of equating personal happiness with purchasing material possessions and consumption. Today we live in a consumer culture obsessed world. Consumption encompasses our everyday lives and structures our everyday agendas. The values, meanings and costs of what we consume have become an increasing important part of our social and personal experiences. The main factor enforcing our actions in this way is the news media. The news media is filled with information about consumption- not only in the form of advertising but also as news about businesses, lifestyles and economic indicators. However none of this tells us how we came about as a culture that associates freedom with the freedom of consuming anything of our choice and as a means of self-fulfillment. All cultures have found meaning in material goods. Objects resemble a social status or go further than that and have an emotional attachment with ones self. Goods are not only consumed for there material characteristics, but even more for what they symbolize- there meanings, associations and there involvement in our self image. Consumption is not simply the acquiring of products predestined meanings. Instead, it should be seen as a form of social consumer culture. While consumption is an act, consumer culture is a way of life. It is quite likely that never before in history has consumption become one of the central values of a culture. In modern society one learns merely to consume, and tasteful or appropriate consumption is only one of the numerous choices. It is this focus on consumption as a central worth that makes us a consumer culture. Consumption no longer seems to reflect our cultural values; it has itself become a cultural value. It has entered into the warp and turmoil of this fabric we call modern life. Every public space, every occasion for public gathering, every creative expression is seen as an opportunity to encourage more consumption. To understand how we have become this consumer crazy culture it is important to understand the humble beginnings of this crazy fixation. Before the industrial revolution of the eighteenth century, what people consumed was, either goods mad by family members or a person the consumer has a personal relation with. In early Europe the form consumerism took place in the weekly markets and seasonal fairs. The historical pattern in America was somewhat different. Unlike in Europe, where markets and fairs preceded the development of shops, in America shops emerged as the customary way of buying and selling in its early colonial period. It was not until the eighteenth century that markets and fairs became popular in the United States. Fashion is one of the key elements that fuel consumerism. Fashion not only includes clothing, but also any object where there is a concern for what is different, new and improved and which allows us to express our individuality. Fashion is so central to modern day consumption that it is difficult to imagine a culture in which it is not a major force. People throughout time have always been interested in the beautiful or in signs of status and in the pursuit of anything that brings them pleasure or happiness. It was during the last quarter of the sixteenth century in England that consumption first took off amongst the European nobility. This powered to two important developments. First, Queen Elizabeth the first used the dramatic spectacle of fashion as a display of government power. Second, she forced social competition among the nobility by removing them from their locality where they were clearly superior and forcing them to attend the London court where they had to compete with equals. Previously consumption had always been a family matter and what benefited the family the most. But now Elizabethan noblemen began to spend less on their families and more on themselves to further show there class and status. Josiah Wedgewood was one of the pioneers in the consumption phase. He had this new understanding of fashion and the market place. Wedgewood was a manufacturer and retailer of pottery in the eighteenth century. He was the first to recognize that if the rich and elite could be induced to adopt fashions, the other classes would follow soon. There are only certain societies where it is possible for a fashion to spread to the higher class to the lower class. Fashion has to be affordable for those in the lower class and the classes must be close enough with some fluidity between them that those in the lower class could imagine themselves owing what those in the upper class have. In England during this period the lower class was eager to possess whatever the upper class deemed fashionable. Wedgewood understood the immense financial potential of such a social situation and learnt how he could control it. His fashion tool was pottery. Wedgewood learned to closely observe what the upper class was buying in order to predict what direction the lower class consumption habits would follow through. Another factor adding to the consumer culture is the portrayal of this culture. In the United States consumption spurred as a symbol for rebellion rather than a symbol a homogeneous conformity. Schutte and Ciarlante describe Coca cola, Levis and Marlboro as symbols of individualism and freedom. Three phrases from Stuart and Elizabeth Ewens Channels of Desire (1982) which they see as indicative of the recent tendencies within consumer culture describe it best. Today there is no fashion: there are only fashions. No rules, only choices. Everyone can be anyone. This suggests there is a war against uniformity, a surplus of difference which results in a loss of meaning. The repercussion is that we are moving towards a society without fixed status groups in which the adoption of styles of life which are fixed to specific groups have been surpassed. We have been encouraged to buy in order to establish our individuality in a mass-produced culture. To express our disgust with consumption by more consumption, to purchase the latest improved traditions. Now people are encouraged to buy to convey their rejection of homogenized lifestyles. This anti-consumption attitude only fuels more consumption. Years ago, many people imagined that life would be idyllic in the 21st century. Technology would have cured most human short-comings, and there would be abundance of resources available for all. Population growth and over consumption underlie many of the invasive environmental and social concerns that humans face today. Over consumption of our natural resource base is jeopardizing ecosystems throughout the world. Wealthy nations like the US amount to 20 percent of the worlds population, yet they use more than 70 percent of the earths resources and generate an even higher volume of wastes. Some of these wastes are released into the atmosphere, rivers and oceans, others are land filled or incinerated, a small part is recycled. The standard notion of economic development envisions the rest of the worlds population moving progressively up the ladder of mass consumption. Clearly, the environmental implications of the global spread of mass consumption for resource use and environmental was te is staggering. In present times design culture also has greatly been influenced consumerism. Cities such as Las Vegas have dedicated there entire landscape to advertising to feed the need of consumerism. For the Utopian design at hand I have targeted the hospitality sector of the economy which attracts consumers owed to the hectic and fast-paced life we live today. I have chosen the Singapore Cricket Club for my bar and restaurant. The design is held together by the concept of network. Taking into consideration that the bar is the main attraction of a bar and highest revenue earning point in an FB. Using the concept of network my design directs all consumers towards the bar. The bar acts as the main attraction of my design which can be viewed from all levels and spaces. The unconventional feature of the bar is that it suspends 3000mm from the ground. As people walk through narrow corridors directing them towards the bar they are suddenly engulfed by the large open suspending bar and LED lighting panels from the ceiling going past 3 floors lighting up the entire design and focusing mainly onto the bar. The cuckoo club in London is a great example of how the bar acts as a key attraction in the premises. The entire space communicates glamour, drama and luxury. It represents a grand, dramatic film set with huge doors sweeping stairs, silk and voile drapes. The bar acts as a key feature covered entirely in gold sequins, set beneath a ceiling of diamond pattern panels of LED lighting (acrylic domes set into panels and then colour-washed across the whole ceiling), fringed with diamante beading. The lighting is flexible, varying from simulated daylight to pinks and purple in the night. The second case study chosen is Wine tower bar in UK. A 13 meter high wine tower forms the alluring centre point of the Radisson SAS Hotel lounge and bar at Stansted airport. The temperature controlled structure, constructed out of 6.5 tons of laminated glass, a steel core and a pyramid shaped roof, is fitted with an acrylic rack filled with 4,000 bottles of red and white wine. The enchantingly lit column not only serves as a large open wine rack but also functions as a theatre in which 4 graceful wine angels suspended on cables collect the bottles ordered by the guests. With the help of remote control and computer controlled winches, these women glide effortlessly up and down, whilst also slipping in a few acrobatics in the between. In conclusion Consumer culture has been incredibly successful. Not only has it been successful in satisfying our needs and desires, but it also has been successful in redefining what are needs are and expanding our desires. If we accept these desires as natural or inevitable, then consumer society seems natural and inevitable as well. Consumerism on the other hand does not only feed our desires but has left this earth with beyond reconcilable damages. Today are demand for goods is increasing beyond the capability of what our earth can come up with it. If our greed for consumption keeps increasing we will have to very soon give up our basic needs because our demands cannot be kept up with.

Integrated Organizational Structure in Construction

Integrated Organizational Structure in Construction For some, Project Management is still defined as a collection of planning, a variety of control methods and various other decisions. However this paper argues that the essential elements of Project Management in the construction industry is based on organizational issues, which include the way people are managed and organized throughout the project process. The distinction is rather important due to the fact that although the utilization of  [1]  technical assessment tools and techniques are sophisticated, these methods are eradicated with an unorganized structure between various parties thriving to achieve misguided objectives. Technological training techniques and tools should enhance the management process after the appropriate objectives and organizational issues are in place. Aim The aim of the paper is to inform various parties in the construction industry of the importance of an integrated organizational structure. Introduction The characteristics of an effective project team are examined in this paper, followed by recommendations as to how an architect can develop and keep his own management team. Some of the essential elements are a culture of flexibility, shared interests, mutual support and a unity in purpose (Murray and Langford, 2004: 193). The leader, specifically, is being examined and the requirements of being a good project management leader are stipulated and the main influences are also discussed. The continuous sense of urgency is seen as the main drive behind the realisation of the construction and management processes. The general mindset in the management team should be one of a learning spirit and it must consist over the capacity to be able to adapt and change as requirements and goals change over time. Method Management and Organization It is important to understand the term Management and Organization prior to any discussion. Various authors offer a dictionary interpretation of the term, but Cleland King (1983:15) probably offer this in the most useful manner. Cleland and Kings operational definition of management identifies the criteria of organized activities, objectives, relationships among resources, working through others and decisions. Cleland King (1983:17) further states that organization in essence consists of the various elements used to define management. It can be said that these two terms are interlinked concepts that should drive and support each other through the project management process. Walker (2007:4) states that in order to maintain a successful construction process, organizations should be observed as the pattern of interrelationships, authority and responsibility that is established between the professional team, and all the contributors to achieve the main objective: client satisfaction. It is important to note that the management aspect is the dynamic impact that evolves in successful organization. Defining Project Management in Construction In the built environment this definition is well known throughout the theoretical field which is: the planning, coordination and control of a project from conception to completion on behalf of a client requiring the identification of the clients objectives in terms of utility, function, quality, time and cost, and the establishment of relationships between resources, integrating, monitoring and controlling the contributors to the project and their output, and evaluating and selecting alternatives in pursuit of a clients satisfaction with the project outcome. ibid (2007:5) It is evident that the term resources mentioned above, is a general term used to accentuate on equipment, funds, materials but most importantly the relationship between people. Many contemporary definitions are not conclusive on these principles, where the project management process is referenced without the organization of people to achieve the final objectives. It is important to implement theory with practice and to understand that these disciplines should support each other. Walker (2007:5) mentions that since these interrelationships have been devised there has not been a significant change within the practice. Authors often formulate new concepts and theoretical stances within the theoretical field, but this is of no use without it being observable or enforceable. In the context of the previously stated definition, it is necessary to understand the management process as a cognitive approach of various fields and not to be narrow minded in evaluating the product in terms of time, cost and client satisfaction. Although these elements play an important part in the process it is the relationships built within the construction team that would insure future project employment. It is interesting that Munns Bjeirmi (1996:45) argue that there is a distinction between project management, on the one hand, and the project on the other. They state that the success within a project should be seen in the long run, where the performance of the building, over a period of time, should determine the success of a project. They blame project managers for having short term time and cost objectives, rather than focussing on the stakeholders  [2]  needs. Separating these terms takes a narrow approach towards project management in general, knowing that client satisfaction should form the primary objective for any management process, along with the various aspects mentioned above. Projects, Firms and Clients There are two types of management systems within the industry: the way in which a project is managed and the management of a firm within itself. Walker (2007:8) illustrates in fig. 1 the various parties involved within the matrix management structure. However this is an idealistic structure because the various projects would seldom be dealt with by the same architect, general contractor and the variety of sub-contractors due to competitive tendering. But as an architectural practitioner one should understand the importance of the profession in the management structure. Due to the inconsistency within the management structure it is difficult to establish an effective growing relationship between the participants. The problem normally occurs when various firms should form a relationship on a working and individual level but do not want to waste time or money without the certainty of working together in the future. Walker (2007:8) further states that relational contracting initiatives h ave considered these weaknesses and have gone further to warn clients with multiple projects, but according to statistics the larger portion of projects are still managed in the traditional way. Construction management, whether relational or traditional, are thus accomplished by a variety of firms that alter from one project to the other. It is important to understand that these companies are independent firms that should manage their relationships within the firm. A healthy project necessitates a well balances firm prior to the well managed relationship between companies. Each company (firm) has certain objectives to consider maintaining a well managed practice such as: Enhancing productiveness Improving services Keeping existing clients and Attracting future clients Walker (2007:9) states that professional practices claim to be less driven by profit than the contracting and sub-contracting firms. But none the less, conflicts between the needs of individual companies and the needs of projects will still arise. i.e. what does an architectural practice do when the  [3]  resources are limited and they should chose between the urgent completion of an existing project or undertaking a new project, knowing that the other project would be affected? The objectives of the client are closely related to those of the project management objectives and the different firms involved. These are directly associated with the project and will be: Functional satisfaction Aesthetically pleasing Completion within the allocated time Completion within budget and Approved quality The question arises: Who is responsible to insure that these objectives are met? In traditional construction projects architects would be obliged to meet these requirements. But who should solve these conflict situations within the project management period? And if the architects are required to solve these issues, would it be resolved to benefit the project to the extent to meet the clients initial requirements? It is ideal to have an individual responsible to overcome these various conflicts at an early stage, preventing unhealthy relationships between companies. These individuals or project managers should preferably be trained by the clients organization itself, and this in turn establishes a close relationship between the client and the project team, where the project manager should be seen as the middle-man. However this is not always achievable and clients do not have the expertise or time to control their projects or train a project manager. The Variety of Clients Clients differ in various ways. It is important to note that there are a variety of objectives the client aim to satisfy. Contrast, in general, can be drawn between clients, the public and private sector, and multi-national and foreign clients whose objectives differ from home market objectives. The construction industry and the professions involved have to be flexible and skilled at these indifferences to maintain client satisfaction as an outcome. Walker (2007:11) explains how these practices should adapt their objectives according to the clients vision and deal directly with the client to understand how the clients organizations operate. Contribution of Organization Structure Hinings (2003) recalls the organizational structure as the heart of organizational theory. He states that structure is vital, because according to history, it has always formed the centre of the development of organizational theory and continues to be important to new and existing structural forms and contributes as a primary element to the thinking of managers. However, the organizational structure can only exist if various other factors are in place to allow a practice to perform adequately. According to Walker (2007:12), for the successful implementation of construction project management, there are a few factors and elements to be considered: Behaviour Techniques and Technology Decision making Organizational Structure Walker (2007:13) illustrates these factors in Fig 2. It is noticeable how closely these factors are related to each other but although these factors form the heart of the effectiveness of the organization process, one should keep in mind that external practice could affect the process. And if so, the project manager should compromise to keep the process in equilibrium. Walker does not deal with the external factors, but in many scenarios these are unforeseen influences i.e. political or economical changes. Behaviour Loosemore (1994) finds that the variety of skills required within the parties involved to execute a project leads to a subjective vision of the final product. These individual visions of a company, affect the effectiveness of the product and the need for an objective stance is required to envision the final product in a conclusive way. (Fig 3 Dave Taylor) Techniques and Technology These are tools used by individuals to accomplish the product throughout the construction process. Scott (1992) suggests that there are three different dimensions of technologies: Complexity, uncertainty and interdependence. Technological complexity leads to uncertainty, especially structural uncertainty, and therefore affecting interdependency where more skills and an effective co-ordination system are required. Decision Making There are numerous specialists involved throughout the decision making process of a building. This illustrates the dynamics and complexity involved throughout the management process within the built environment. By stating this, it could be said that the decision processes are firmly connected within the organization structure that underpin the way people relate to each other and the effective workmanship between these parties. Organization Structure The organization structure should advice the decision making process and the use of technology and techniques as discussed above. It is a system that integrates these various factors to achieve a balanced relationship between the different companies involved. Walker (2007:15) mentions that this organizational structure is the responsibility of the managing executive and in turn achieving his/her final objective: client satisfaction. The Learning Spirits of the Project Team Architects prefer the initial phase of the development process, where the design and the concept development takes place, engineers on the other hand prefers the hands-on development of the project, during construction, the actual implementation of the plans (Murray Langford, 2004: 201). The most important part of the learning process, however, is the reflection part, where evaluation takes place and all involved can learn from mistakes and wrong doings during the process. The architect, as project manager, can promote the reflection process and thus improve the learning experiences of the professional team. Constructive discussions, between the team members, of project development should be encouraged by the project manager; this often leads to innovative solutions to solve problems, adding to the learning experience. Feed back to all members of the team can only benefit the project as well as prospected future projects. Communication and collaboration that leads to continuous experiments and the improvement and increase of the members problem solving skills, identifies a learning organization. The acquired knowledge obtained through this process is not only documented and stored for future use, but those involved will also benefit in the long run, as the new acquired skills and knowledge can be applied on any other projects, leading to more integrated and well developed management systems. Many of the solutions found during this learning process may still need adjustment; this implies that continuous control and monitoring must take place. Revans (1971:264) advocates action research as an excellent method by which team members can develop their technical and personal skills. Even though the aesthetics of a building and the designers personal design image gives the building its identity, some modern buildings nowadays acts merely as a shell to the functional dynamic implemented by a process engineer. Efficient design in terms of layout and cost is crucial. Close teamwork is essential in these buildings, it is also important to basically understand the discipline of all parties involved, this allows for better communication. Assembling a new team every time a new project starts is inefficient and wastes a lot of money. Old knowledge, accumulated over a long period of time, can save time and money if the relationships between the team members are established and small indifferences or misunderstandings have been dealt with in the past. The reoccurrence of similar design problems are not common and this leads to standardized, tried and tested solutions for problems already been dealt with before. The conflict in interest is also much less, should a team already be established, as no one has something to prove. Often when a new team is working together a power struggle exists between some members of the team, who wants to enforce their power and influence on other members of the team. It is thus beneficial to all involved to create a learning organization out of the project team. Excitement and innovation is more likely to happen if the team members have confidence in each others competence and integrity. The most important link in this process is the team leader who should continuously encourage creative thinking and constructive criticism as well as stimulate effective learning through problem solving experiences throughout the project. Implementing Best Value Thomas Thomas (2005:170) describe the importance of the integrated team and the understanding of the value criteria the whole team will be judged upon final evaluation. By accomplishing an integrated team they should align their objectives insuring they are pulling in the same direction rather than working against each other. (Fig4) In order to deliver a project at the lowest cost (tender price) contractors often carry out the work to maintain maximum profit, thus leading to the evaluation criteria to be stricter. This in turn affects team work, and the relationships of various parties are at stake. It is vital to achieve value and quality of work from the initial stage eliminating certain factors that would affect the building project i.e. rework that contributes to the lack of crucial time. The principles of best value can be described as, the optimum combination of whole life costs and benefits to meet the customers requirements. This approach enables sustainability and quality to be taken into account whole life costs allows factors such as fuel efficiency and replacement cycles to be taken into account, as well as social example benefits to local people, good work force, management, community safety, diversity and fairness. Successful procurement strategies are likely to be based on whole life cost considerations that include subsequent revenue implications and not simply the lowest tender price. (ODPM, 2003). Thomas Thomas (2005:173) further discuss the advantages and disadvantages of an integrated and non-integrated team. If an integrated team is established, would they disintegrate for the purpose of being more productive on a individual level? Fig. 5 (173) illustrates a diagram of these communication strategies; both these illustrations offer their own benefits in terms of time, cost and quality. But the disintegration of a team often leads to: Rework Constant Evaluation Lack of Trust Overlapping Projects No drive for Quality Improvement Organizations becomes selfish focussed on their own goals and objectives Multiple Systems of Communication as Illustrated in Fig. 4 Eagan (1998) writes that one should rethink construction, due to the fact that the clients are usually dissatisfied with the outcome of the final product. To obtain the clients initial objectives it is necessary to work as an integrated team, where various team members work together without eliminating each others efforts. The Integrated Team Due to organizations that contract into their own cultural and technical silos, an integrated team cannot be established. It is required that the various practices and companies need to develop a combined intellect, skills and synergy of the project to deliver the appropriate quality of workmanship to benefit the process and the partner involved in the project. In Egans book, Accelerating Change, Eagan (2002:85) advises a toolkit to achieve an integrated team. These guidelines should be referred to throughout the management process. He defines these conditions as: A singular team, that is focussed on a common set of goals and objectives, delivering benefit for all concerned A team so seamless, that it appears to operate is if it were a company in its own right A team with no apparent boundaries, in which all the members have the same opportunity to contribute and all the skills and capabilities on offer can be utilized to maximum effect. Any team is only as strong as its weakest link, and in the construction industry, a weak link can also have a negative effect on the other supporting systems. With a well organized program, these links decrease offering a more stable system as a whole. This cognitive approach enhances the relationships built during the process and a bond of trust is obtained. The management of these projects are a learning process on a big scale, but organizational skills acquired between the various organizations could be re-implemented on a smaller scale i.e. the individuals within these smaller companies. Thomas Thomas (2005:63) illustrate the basic structure of an integrated team and a traditional chain. It is important to note, from these illustrations, that an integrated team will require understanding and commitment from the various practices and organizations to function as a system. (Fig 11) Trust Trust is elusive and could not be rated or quantified on a hierarchical basis, but it is of cardinal importance between team members to insure a healthy relationship. Because trust is based on a personal, emotional stance, it is difficult to measure these feelings, but Thomas Thomas (2005:66) defines it as, TRUST = POSSITIVE EXPERIENCES à · RISK According to this measurement, as trust increases team members would act more honestly and the upcoming problems could be dealt with as a team and in turn the risks would be managed in an effective manner. Trust is a fragile emotion that could be lost in a short period of time, but this is where communication within the team is of the essence. Where one party feels that they experience dishonesty or discomfort, it is necessary to confront one another before the relationships is ruined. Maintaining the Team The leader of the building projects most important role is building and maintaining an effective project organization. The teamthink approach must be stimulated and a balance between convergent and divergent thinking (and the communication thereof) should be managed by the project leader. Teamthink is where all the individual members spend time on finding the best possible solutions to various problems through the illumination of other solutions. During this process all views and opinions are granted a fair chance, but is then evaluated to determine the best solution (Murray Langford, 2004: 205). The team usually develops in four stages: forming, storming, norming and performing. Forming is when the team is first established and everyone is being introduced to each other. Storming has to do with early disagreement, which is inevitable when different people need to work together for the first time. Norming refers to the stage where the team has established effective ways of working together to achieve the best possible results. Performing is the point where the team starts producing effective and efficient solutions to the proposed problems and has developed into a mature, well functioning group. Most teams, unfortunately does not have the luxury of naturally undergoing this process, but the variations of effectiveness of a team will follow a pattern as suggested by Moore (2002): A well prepared project may have the capacity to deal with or require different project management leaders at the different phases of the project. This, however, is not very often the case, because projects often relay on the communication and relationships between the team members. By starting over, both in terms of new people and new positions, in term of hierarchy, the process is delayed and this may cause conflict in the management process. When managing a project, or even just a meeting, the management happens in two levels: a) the leader must manage the content, in terms of decisions made and the detailing of where, when, how and why and b) the leader is responsible for the social aspects, such as the individuals egos and transforming arguments into solutions. It is thus the leaders role to control all the involved individuals in order to benefit the overall project. Partnering If partners have worked together before it is easier to form successful partnerships. The main objective of partnering is to optimize project performance, this includes completing on time and within budget, with a reasonable profit margin to all involved and obviously the aim is to produce within an acceptable, agreed quality with zero accidents (Murray Langford, 2004: 199). It is important that the partners, as leaders of the project remain loyal and on one side of the table, as conflict between partners, on top level, will cause the entire project to deminish. When the team members have been identified, it is important to gather the team in a neutral venue where the main outcomes and objectives of the project can be discussed. This improves team spirit and open up communication. This workshop setup usually fosters commitment to the success of the project. The architect should remember that there is no such thing as a optimum design and therefore the design process should continue and all suggestions accepted and tried. The main objective of such a workshop is to encourage cooperation between the team members. A summary of best practice methods: High performance teams must be selected and chosen, it is not something that happens by chance. A good team leader leads decisively yet gently with a firm focus on the clients requirements Effective teams are self-motivated, people orientated, supportive and flexible environments are created Roles, responsibilities, procedures and communication channels should be clearly defined The value of contributing small groups should be recognised and the leader should not force his power onto every situation All members of the team should be treated as equal partners The project should be seen as a learning opportunity to all, with feedback and reflection sessions The team must be developed and maintained by the project leader, this must continue throughout the whole project. Conclusion This theoretical paper has tried to illustrate what should be done in order to create a successful project team. It should be noted that all the mentioned methods and techniques have made sense in the past and may only be applicable to some situations. The project leader has the responsibility to read every situation and then react appropriately to every individual event. It should, however, be noted that generally, virtual teams (as a result of the technical explosion) are not as successful as teams that meet face-to-face on a regular basis. Most people prefer personal interaction in an encouraging and constructive environment. Case study: Cape Town International Convention Centre project (CTICC) Background In 1999 the Western Cape Provincial Government, the Cape Metropolitan Council, the City of Cape Town and Business Cape joined forces to develop a truly world-class convention centre on a 6.1-hectare site on Cape Towns northern foreshore. To this end, they formed the Cape Town International Convention Centre Company (Pty) Ltd (CONVENCO). CONVENCO was thus tasked to develop an international standard, multi-purpose conference, convention and exhibition centre ) which, hitherto, was a missing piece of tourism and business infrastructure in the Western Cape. Project description CTICC is a world-class undertaking, providing 25,000 m2 of space featuring high levels of quality, and exceptional interior and exterior design elements. The project comprises the development of a multi-purpose conference, convention and exhibition centre. It is a three-storey building including numerous facilities, such as an integrated deluxe hotel, dedicated column-free exhibition space, and extensive banqueting and conference facilities. Such an ambitious project required meticulous design of auditoriums, ballrooms, meeting suites, breakout blocks and exhibition halls. CTICC aims to provide a landmark feature at the city/waterfront gateway, and has an impressive domed external appearance with numerous glazed concourses and incorporating internal landscaped areas. Project team for the construction phase of the CTKC The two main appointments were the project manager and the design architect. Foreshore Architects was named as the joint venture responsible for developing the total design concept, this is an association of various architectural practices including: Revel Fox and Partners (architects and planners); Van der Merwe Miszewski Architects; Lucien le Grange Architects and Urban Planners; Stauch Vorster Architects; Magqwaka Associates, Architects. Procurement management strategy Before examining the role of the sub-contractor management in the successful completion of CTICC, it is essential to understand the socio-political situation within post-apartheid South Africa. CTICC was built in South Africas Cape metropolis at a time when the country and its construction industry are going through significant restructuring (Dept. of Public Works White Paper, 1999). Top of the list of the South African Governments Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) is provision of infrastructure designed to bring relief to people in the form of jobs and economic business development. Expansion of business, the government contends, would increase potential for investment for small, medium and emerging contractors (particularly those representing affirmative business enterprises [ABEs] and previously disadvantaged individuals [PDls]). PDls are a key aspect of this situation since they were often long-term unemployed and/or unskilled workers from the townships selected as a means to expand economic activity without particular reference to the skills of the individuals. On-the-job training therefore became an inherent component of the development of all ABEs employed on the CTICC. Essentially, the RDP policy framework requires that the development of the construction industry must respond to the broad social and economic imperatives of the country. These include sustainable employment creation, affirmative action, active promotion of small, medium and emerging enterprises (SMEEs). The vision is for a construction industry policy and strategy that promotes stability, fosters economic growth and international competitiveness. Furthermore, that the policy should create sustainable employment, which should simultaneously address historic imbalances in employment opportunity as it generates new capacity for economic development. In this regard government is willing to promote appropriate and innovative public-private sector partnerships, which build on the strengths of respective sectors to promote investment in the delivery of infrastructure. Management of sub-contractors at the CTKC project The procurement of sub-contractors was in line with the targeted procurement policy. Up to well over 200 sub-contractors participated in the project. To ensure equity, targeted contract procurement goals were established. To ensure that the choice, performance, workmanship, health and safety issues, sub-contractor design, manufacturing and installation were all properly managed and co-ordinated, a targeted procurement strategy, support and management system was put in place. Time, cost and quality performance of sub-contractors Performance was achieved through strict work breakdown, which ensured that each sub-contractor only performed their part of the pie but while working as a co