Thursday, October 31, 2019

What I have learned in this class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What I have learned in this class - Essay Example My introduction to this class laid the groundwork for a clear understanding of construction project management. I understood that this class was not going to teach me everything I need to know about this topic, but that learning is a lifelong process. Many valuable lessons can be learned from others. It may be valuable to try and think about problems in a different context and from a different perspective. It the construction industry, as in many industries, it is often the soft-side or people aspect of engineering that makes the difference. Remember that people are often the most important part of a process. People plus process equal product. So I will remember to use my education in context, learn from others, and continue to expand my knowledge of construction project management. The construction industry is very unique. Construction can be run in an open shop, union shop, or merit shop. Residential construction consists of building places for people to live such as houses or apartment building. Commercial and institutional construction consists of building structures such as office buildings. Infrastructure construction is usually civil engineering projects such as highways, bridges, or waterworks. Industrial construction involves manufacturing or power projects. The construction industry is unique, always changing, not always extremely technical, doesn’t always contain a lot of data or standardization, has a large number of participants and people involved. There has been a lot of legislation to monitor the construction industry such as requiring bids on jobs and controlling wage rates. Computers are being used more and more in the construction industry. The quality and quantity of labor in this industry are declining. Material, equipment, labor, an d management are blending more and more on the global scale. Vendors and suppliers are becoming more involved at the construction

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Human Resources Development and Leadership Essay

Human Resources Development and Leadership - Essay Example mbination of the traits, skillsets and personality of a particular individual that are developed within the context of racial, ethnic, or educational setting with each individual having an exclusive personal culture. On the other hand, national culture can be considered as shared understanding that originates from a set of beliefs, perceptions and values that provide a foundation for a nation’s heritage. Even though national culture is a communal understanding, people in a nation continue to have a broad variety of beliefs concerning their country. Corporate culture is a blend of broadly shared institutional principles, morals and the guiding philosophies of the organization that is typically highlighted in its mission and vision statements. Organizational culture has similarities to the national culture in that individuals in the firm usually perceive their firms differently (Witte & Muijen, 1999). These differing perceptions usually align themselves with the level of the ind ividual in the hierarchy of the firm. It produces leaders who have varying views of their corporate culture in comparison to those who are in lower levels of the firm. Understanding the manner in which these perceptions differ is a significant aspect of the job of every leader. Culture is not an external aspect as it exists within the person and cannot be separated from other learned skills (Matsumoto & Juang, 2004). Therefore, the development of multicultural awareness, understanding and competencies should be considered as a professional responsibility and an opportunity for any leader. With billions of workers residing and working in diverse environments, there are numerous opportunities for nurturing cultural awareness, understanding and skillsets. People living in unfamiliar cultures have a higher likelihood of becoming more multicultural in their understanding of alternative morals, traditions and ways of life, which were initially odd and unfamiliar (Ford, 1999). In some instance,

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The growth of the banana market in Australia

The growth of the banana market in Australia The bananas market in Australia has been expanding since 1993 to 2008. In 20 March 2006, a Tropical Cyclone Larry has caused a damage in banana industry and affected the bananas market. The explanation of effects happened will be provided by looking into price equilibrium, price elasticity of demand and supply and price ceiling imposed by government. In a perfectly competitive market, there is no government intervention in the market. The price is usually established when the equilibrium price and quantity is achieved (Jackson,J Mclver.R 2007). Equilibrium means that consumers are willing to buy at this price and producers are willing to supply. By referring to the graph Figure 1, we can see the equilibrium is at the intersection point between demand curve and supply curve. Pe means the price equilibrium and Qe means quantity equilibrium. In an equilibrium state, problems like shortage and surplus will not happen in the market because the quantity demand and quantity supply are in balance. Shortage will usually happen when the price is below the price equilibrium, we can see that when price drops from Pe to P0, the quantity supply will decrease because suppliers are willing to supply at this price where they have low revenue while quantity demand will increase because consumers find bananas is really cheap and they should buy it. Demand exceeds supply. Surplus will happen when the price is above the price equilibrium. From the graph, when price increase from Pe to P1, the quantity demand drops because consumers find it very expensive and the bananas doesnt worth that price while quantity supply increase because the suppliers are willing to supply as much as they could as the high price of bananas would help them to generate more revenue. Demand exceeds supply. The natural disaster, cyclone has caused the supplies of bananas to decrease tremendously. The price elasticity of demand in bananas market is said to be inelastic when we look into the determinants. First of all, Bananas are Australias No.1 selling fruit, it means there is a huge demand for bananas in Australia.(ABGC n.d) Bananas industry appears to be one of the largest fruit growing industries in Australia and also an important contributor to the economies. Bananas are among Australias top 10 supermarket lines. First determinant would be the availability of substitute goods and for bananas, there is lack of substitutes for it. Apparently the demand would be inelastic when there is no substitutes. Second determinant is proportion of income. Bananas price has shot up from around $3 per kg to $15 per kg (ABCG n.d). Consumption of bananas would be still a small fraction of income although the price has increased. Therefore, consumers are not sensitive towards the price changing. Third is Luxury versus necessity. Bananas can be considered as a necessity in Australia because people still consume bananas although the price has increased. According to the Australia Banana Growers Council, they estimated that 28 million of bananas are consumed each week, which means a person consume 60-70 bananas and is around 13kg averagely (ABCG n.d). Fourth determinant would be time. The time would be in a short run because consumers are difficult to change income and preference immediately right after the cyclone. People would still think that the price is acceptable and they will still buy it in short run. It would be an elastic supply for bananas market because there are around 800 banana growers in Australia (mainly from Queensland and New South Wales) that are estimated to produce about 23 million 13 kilogram cartons of bananas (ABCG n.d). When there are a lot of supplies, its price elasticity of supply would be elastic and long run. However, the supply has decreased as the c yclone has caused a critical damage on banana farms. The price has shot up because there is a shortage in bananas market. Banana consumers will tend to compete and bid up the market price for bananas. As the supply curve shifted to left, it shows that the price has gone up from P0 to P1 and quantity demanded has decreased from Q0 to Q1.(refer to figure 2) It then moves to the new price equilibrium from e0 to e1 and it shows that a large change in price has resulted a small proportionate change in quantity. Quantity demanded falls means many customers cant afford the new equilibrium price. Total expenditure on bananas is equal to total revenue gained by sellers. From the graph, the R1 shaded area means revenue gained, R2 shaded area means revenue loss. Since the demand is inelastic, the revenue gained will be more than revenue loss when the price increases. Therefore, the total revenue of sellers increased. In economy, whenever the supplies is found limited and couldnt satisfy all the demands in market, suppliers would tend to increase the price as high as possible to maximize their profit. It would be a benefit to suppliers but a disadvantage for the consumers. In such situation, government intervention is needed to set up a price ceiling in the market of bananas. Price ceiling means a maximum legal price level that suppliers can set for the goods they are selling Jackson,J Mclver.R 2007). Price ceiling for this case would be a protection for the consumers as they dont have to pay for unreasonable high price set by suppliers. However, putting a ceiling price in the market doesnt settle the problems. It may cause a bigger shortage. The shortage would cause difficulty in rationing the limited supply of bananas. From graph Figure 3, we can see that quantity supply is falling further from Qe to Qs and Quantity demand has increased from Qe to Qd. Apparently, the quantity supply contributed more to shortage compare to consumers. Besides that, black market price will increase further. Setting a ceiling price is actually encouraging black market. All these consequences such as black market and shortage will cause the market efficiency to become inefficient. Supplier will not be happy to supply because they have low income selling bananas at ceiling price. The government will receive less sales tax from banana industry as well. In conclusion, there are pros and cons if government intervenes the market by implementing price ceiling. However, the price ceiling would only have short-term effects because the supply could recover in within 6months to 12 months period. Reference Lists Australian Banana Growers Council Inc. (ABCG) n.d, Media Kit, available through www.australianbananas.com.au/public/media/downloads/media_kit.pdf, viewed at 2 September 2010. Jackson,J Mclver.R 2007, Microeconomics , 8th edn, McGraw-Hill, Australia.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Dreams in Literature Essay examples -- Comparative, Faulkner, Hurston

The ability to dream may be uniquely human. These dreams exist with no purpose other than achievement. In many cases, a dream, not an instinct, drives human action. Certainly, dreams are central to the human life. Since one of the main purposes of literature is to reflect on that life, some dream must be included. The achievement of the dream is completely up to the author, and what his/her thoughts are on the achievement of dreams. Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, and Zora Neale Hurston all use certain literary elements to craft their theme of the achievement of dreams, which is viewed and portrayed differently by each: grievously, by Williams; pessimistically, by Faulkner; and with a modicum of optimism by Hurston. Hardly a better adjective exists than â€Å"grievous† to describe Williams’ attitude toward dreams and their achievement in his play â€Å"The Glass Menagerie.† Williams does not treat dreams violently and harshly, but sadly and poignantly, using symbolism and stage lighting. Amanda’s jonquil dress, a momentum from days long past, is one important symbol. The revival of the dress, a remnant of Amanda’s courting days, shows the extent to which her dream of living through Laura pervades her life. The use of the â€Å"girlish† dress makes it seem as though Jim is visiting Amanda, rather than Laura, returning Amanda to her happiest days (Williams 53). The clearest and most important symbol is Laura’s glass unicorn. It represents her; its changes mirror hers. She only places the unicorn out in the open when Jim arrives, and, not completely intentionally, opens herself to him. As Laura shares her first dance with Jim, the unicorn falls, and its horn, the only thing distinguishing and separating it from the other horses, breaks off... ...shback, Hurston notes that one can help others with their dreams, and still accomplish one’s own, so long as the dreams of others do not become permanent priorities. People’s thoughts on dreams vary, and so dreams are shown in differing ways throughout literature. All three authors agree that the attainment of a dream is not guaranteed; it requires some work. From there, they use different techniques to refine their opinions. In their respective novels, Hurston offers some hope for the dreamer in humanity, while Faulkner scoffs and tells them what to do, and Williams urges them to give up while there’s still time to avoid heartache. Differing opinions such as these are found through a span of literature, and they offer comprehensive readers food for thought, and a chance to think about and form their own opinions, in this case, about the attainability of dreams.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Medieval Pilgrimage

Medieval Pilgrimage In this essay I will discuss how medieval pilgrimages were considered to be a cultural phenomenon. Overall there were many motivations for pilgrims to participate in the act of a pilgrimage. Elaborate excessive artwork led to competitions at pilgrimage sites. Medieval pilgrimages changed Christians along with other religious people, spiritually and emotionally. Pilgrims went on journeys that were over long distances that proved to be physical and mental hardships.Before they left they would receive a blessing after a full confession to a priest or Bishop, mostly if their pilgrimage was to be a journey of penance. Christians believed that these particular pilgrimages would help them in a number of ways. They believed that the journey would deepen his or her faith, would cure the impossible disease or illness, or just bring them closer to God. The beginning pilgrimages started off by traveling to the places where Jesus and the Apostles lived while on earth.Constanti ne was the first Roman emperor that believed in Christianity. With him believing, and respecting what the pilgrimage stood for, Constantine constructed three major sites designed for major pilgrimages; such as, the Basilica in Jerusalem at the place where Christ was crucified, the Holy Sepulcher which was the site of Jesus’ burial and resurrection, and finally in Bethlehem Constantine commissioned another church over the cave said to be Jesus’ birthplace. Sorabella) Even though the three sites said above were the most popular of pilgrimages, â€Å"Rome became another destination for pilgrims because it was easier access for European pilgrims than the Holy land. † (Sorabella) Rome had many relics of saints and martyrs which over a period of time became a reason to set foot on a pilgrimage. Many would flock to see a saint’s hand or the Virgin Mary’s veil. Art played a huge role in this cultural phenomenon. Having many relics all over Europe sparked m any opportunities for artists to create important works of art for the relics themselves. Sculptors and goldsmiths made reliquaries required to enshrine the holy objects. Jewelers produced small containers for sacred material for the faithful to wear. † (Sorabella) This was one of the better times to be an artist. Artists created different souvenirs for pilgrims to celebrate and remember their pilgrimage. Every relic and Holy place had a different souvenir for that location. The souvenirs ranged from simple badges, mirrors, or even miniature elaborate reliquaries.Churches would trade or even steal relics from their original resting place, which for at least one location was cause for immense celebration, and was often depicted in art. â€Å"It was customary for pilgrims to bring offerings to the shines they visited, and many of these, too, were works of art: costly liturgical vessels, elaborate priestly vestments, and other precious objects enriched the treasury of every pilg rimage church. † (Sorabella) In the later Middle Ages pilgrims traveled because churches would promise to consolidate with god about their sins over a whole lifetime to be forgiven.With this in effect, churches made extreme renovations to accommodate larger numbers of pilgrims at one time. A perfect example of this is the church Saint Denis which dramatically had undergone many changes in the early twelfth century. I have not experienced a journey of this magnitude in my lifetime. However, I think it would be a great experience from an emotional point of view. It may not be an exact pilgrimage but in the month of October I will be going on my own journey to Europe. I hope to gain a broader outlook on cultural differences.I am so used to living in the same place, so it will be an exciting new adventure to be thrown into a different world and experience Europe’s normal aspects of life. There are certain places that I am specifically going just to see, such as the Roman Co liseum, Saint Peter’s Basilica, and the Leaning tower of Pisa. I can imagine that these three destinations will bring a number of emotions out in me. I also can imagine that this is probably the same way a pilgrim felt on his or her journey once they finally saw what they had travelled so far for.I also see myself buying trinkets in memory of a particular destination just like a pilgrim buying a miniature relic once seeing Santiago de Compostela where Saint James was discovered. The concept and experiences of a pilgrimage were widely popular all throughout Medieval Europe. It sparked imagination and hope, and set the tone for travel of many different kinds. These basic concepts have not changed much in today’s time. Most travelers do not travel from a spiritual standpoint, however most travelers will travel far and wide for an emotional experience.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Rhetorical Analysis of the World Tradeorganization Essay

WTO: Why It Was Opposed – A Rhetorical Analysis of Top Twelve Reasons to Oppose the World Trade Organization Nowadays economic globalization is a trend. Free trade affects us every day. The World Trade Organization is writing the constitution and operating the global trade. However, more and more people start to think over: is free trade a universally good global economic system? Does the WTO can really inspire growth and prosperity for all? According to the Global Exchange, the answer is no and there are alternatives to the WTO. A flier distributed through the website for Global Exchange appeal to people to oppose the WTO and replace it with a democratic global economy. The flier strongly proves that the WTO does harm to the human rights, global economy and the equality between poor countries and powerful countries. As far as I am concerned, the flier works beautifully to make people realize the disadvantages of free trade and shortcomings of the WTO by enumerating twelve reasons clearly and by using logos, ethos and pathos successfully. The flier from the Global Exchange claims that the WTO has been the greatest tool for taking democratic control of resources out of our communities and putting it into the hands of corporations. There are twelve reasons listed that why people should oppose the WTO. By the mean of showing the disadvantages of free trade . Global Exchange persuade people to reject the expansion of the WTO and help build a political space that nurtures a democratic global economy. A essential persuasive technique in a advertisement or a flier is pathos. The author starts off the flier by a brief statement about the aim of the WTO in a sarcastic tone and then uses the positive tone to describe the team to oppose the WTO is becoming stronger and stronger. The sentences such as â€Å"an international movement is growing†¦. and importantly, we are winning! † make the readers believe that more and more people aware of the negative influence of WTO. We can also see the emotional sentences in the last two paragraphs of the flier. The author is trying to urge the readers to get involved in the international opposition to the WTO by using the short and powerful phrases like† Stop the WTO! †,† Get Involved! †. Using pathos can effectively engage readers’ emotion and imagination. In addition to the Pathos, ethos also has very important effect on this flier. The author presents a lot of specific information about the policies of the WTO and its practices in many aspects in recent years. All the facts, the reports from the authoritative organization like the United Nations Development Programs, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, give the flier strong evidence and make it creditable. The major technique the author uses in this flier is the logos. In order to make the readers understand and accept the reasons to oppose the WTO, the author explains them very logically. He states the policies of the WTO first and then explains specifically how the WTO do harms by the facts. For example, one of the reasons to oppose the WTO is the WTO undermines local level decision-making and national sovereignty. First, the author states â€Å"the WTO requires that all WTO members countries to treat each other equally and to treat all corporations from these countries equally regardless of their track record†(90). Then, he explains how the WTO violates its own principle by some facts such as â€Å"the California’s Former Governor Gray Davis vetoed a â€Å"Buy California† bill that would have granted a small preference to local businesses because it was WTO-illegal. † (90) We can see the WTO rules are so rigid and unreasonable sometimes and undermine local decision-making severely. It is easier for the readers to understand through the logical explanations. The use of logos backs up the author’s claim and make readers agree easily. This flier clearly explains the disadvantages of the WTO and the free trade. The author uses logos to reveal the shortcomings of the WTO and ethos to strengthen the evidence. Pathos also make the flier be vivid and full of passion. Besides, it is also informative because it refers to a lot of information about the WTO and the global economy. In a word, it is a successful flier.