Thursday, October 31, 2019

You can choose the topic you want Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

You can choose the topic you want - Essay Example stence is all about hope and since the dawn of human civilization on this planet, almost all the major religions of the world have either believed in or alluded to rebirth in one form or other. The early Christians do believed in rebirth and life after death and they carried on with this belief until the Middle Ages. The records of many important and influential church fathers like Origen establish beyond doubt that they believed in rebirth and reincarnation. Yet, by the advent of Renaissance, the Christianity dropped the beliefs about reincarnation from its doctrines and rituals. However, two major world religions that are Hinduism and Buddhism regard rebirth and reincarnation to be an essential part of their creed. Though there are many similarities between the Hindu and Buddhist theologies about rebirth, yet there also exist many marked differences between the way the two religions tend to elaborate on the concept and mechanism of rebirth. The fundamental similarity between the Hinduism and the Buddhist beliefs about life after death is that both of them believe in reincarnation or rebirth. Both Hinduism and Buddhism believe that death is not the end of life, but the extension of life into a second life that is a life after death. Thus, there exists nothing as death and the human beings continue to live after death by taking a second birth after death as some other personality, individual or life form. The Hindus believe that eventual goal of the human existence is to merge with the Brahma or the Supreme Being or God and before the attainment of this state; the human beings continue to pass on from one birth to other, from one state of existence to other and experience many births and deaths. As per Hinduism, every individual has to bear with countless and many experiences and has to live many lives before becoming one with the Divine. According to Buddhism, the eventual goal of human consciousness to attain Nirvana o r enlightenment and on its way to Nirvana,

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Social Issues and Friendship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Social Issues and Friendship - Essay Example We promised each other we would talk every day keep up on each other’s lives and try as much to convince our parents to allow us to visit each other over the holidays. It all seemed easy enough and our friendship was going to last forever. Little did we know fate had completely different paths for us. Ideally, Melanie and her family were supposed to come back after two years once her mother’s work contract was over. But once those two years were over, they did not return and by then I was headed to college. We tried to keep in touch but it proved challenging as I was overwhelmed with studies and extra-curricular activities. We had not managed to visit each other during the two years and she seemed to also be busy with college. Then one day she called me out of the blue insisting that she wanted us to meet and she would be in town over the weekend. I was too excited to hear from her that I did not ask any questions, I simply asked for a place and time and looked forward to our reconnecting. Two days before our meeting, I sat in a Statistics class too distracted to pay attention. All I could do was imagine how our meeting would go, how she would make fun of my short hair. I wondered what she had done with hers, we always wanted to color our hairs something crazy while in coll ege but I had stopped wanting that. The lecturer disrupted my thoughts as he called out my name. I raised my head up from the scribbling I was doing on my notebook to respond. Next to the lecturer were these two men who wanted to talk me outside the classroom. I walked out grateful for a chance to walk out as I felt I was not being productive in the class. Once outside, I got the most shocking news of my life and up to this day, I still have trouble coming to terms with what the two men told me.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Overview Risk Management On Construction Company Construction Essay

Overview Risk Management On Construction Company Construction Essay Rapid industrialisation has brought in its wake several problems. One of them is industrial risk, which is taking newer and newer forms ever. With mechanical, electrical, chemical and radiation hazards besetting the industrial world, the Risks to Life, Limb, Health and Wealth are common in this sphere of economic activity. Risks are present in every corner and under every stone. Industrial risks may arise while handling, storage or because of operational errors and violation of accepted safety procedures. The industry, therefore, has to be always prepared for such eventualities. An industrial risk is the one that may affect several areas within the factory or may cause serious injuries, loss of life, and extensive damage to property and disruption to manufacturing activities. Such risks may occur in any industry in spite of best efforts to prevent them. The suffering and damage as a result of the accident is determined by the potential for loss surrounding the event. However, the ris k can be largely avoided if effective action is taken as per pre-planned and practised procedures, utilising the combined resources of the factory and outside emergency services. The construction industry has changed rapidly over the past ten years and some companies are faced with more risk and uncertainty than before. Clients are more likely to engage in litigation when things go wrong. Risk in construction has been the object of attention because of time and cost overruns associated with construction projects. Risk can be defined as an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on a project objective. As the conclusion, most construction company have to analyses their project to eliminating a specific threat, usually by eliminating the cause. The project management team can never eliminate all risks, but specific risk events can often be eliminated. Other than that, from the analysing, it can reduce the expected monetary value at risk events by reducing the probability of occurrence (e.g., using new technology), reducing the risk event value (e.g., buying insurance), or both. Objective Risk Management on Construction Company Most of consultants help business owners and entrepreneurs develop the business objectives necessary to achieve the organizations service, social, profit and growth goals by interviewing the principal leaders. Talking through the vision for an organization helps the leaders vocalize where they want the organization to go. A business objective provides a specific, measurable, realistic, action-oriented and time sensitive statement that, once achieved, propels the organization closer toward meeting one of its goals. The business goals and objectives form the foundation of its business plan. Business owners can follow the same process on their own to develop workable goals, objectives and actions to help their business succeed. There are 2 objective categories in Construction Company which are short term objective and long term objective. Short-term refers to one-year goals and objectives. For instance, if the goal is to open a real estate business, some short-term objectives include obtaining a realtors license, renting office space and purchasing a computer and MLS subscription. Long-term refers to three to five year goals and objectives. Following the real estate start-up example, these may include sales goals and objectives in terms of number of properties sold or dollars, and opening a second office location. One objective for meeting a sales goal of 24 homes in the second year of business would be advertising to reach a larger clientele. As the conclusion, the main objective of risk management is to protect the property, earnings and personnel of the organisation against losses and legal liabilities that may be incurred due to various risks. It minimises cost of the risk and maximises the pro ¬Ã‚ tability. The accidental risks may not only result in unexpected costs to a company but threaten its survival altogether. Thus, it is essential for the management to do some exercise to know about the possibility of a risk event, sources of such event and impact of such event beforehand and consider ways and means of preventing, reducing or minimising the loss . Terms of Reference This report is about the research on issue that relates to Risk Management in Construction Company. The research is focusing on Industrial Construction Company. The report about the research was requested by Miss Kwan Jing Hui. This report is prepared by five students undergoing the subject Corporate Risk Management in Multimedia University Cyberjaya who is Erda Nurakma Binti Zharani, Muhammad Adi Arzri Arshad, Thania Nasiha Md Shariam, Nurul Farahin Husin, Tiara Citra and Nur Atiqah binti Adam. We will like acknowledge Ziestech Company because the cooperation that they have been given to us in the process of completing this assignment. This report is submitted on 16 January 2013. Methods In this report about Risk Management in Construction Company, we are using two methods using the primary data and secondary data. The primary data is based on the interview that we have done based on an industrial construction company that we have chosen for more understanding in the research. The company that we have chosen is the Ziestech Company where we trying to get more information to support our research. We create a short questionnaire to understand more about the risk management of the company. On the other hand, we are doing our research also using the secondary data where we found some journals and other sources that can be helpful to support our purpose in completing this report. Findings Based on Research : Risk Management on Construction Company Risk Management in Construction Industry Risk in construction project is highly related to type of risks that may delay the performance of the project itself. In order to eliminate risks, in construction project should have effective risk management as mentioned by Lee Chun Siang and Azlan Shah Ali (2012). Effectiveness of risk management basically depends on how the project leader identifies and construct anticipation actions to risk that may occur during the life cycle of construction project. In addition, risk have to be analysed and listed out throughout project life cycle, otherwise poor risk management would affect in low performance of project. Refer to effective risk management, it enables to determine assessment of project risk, as well as control potential barrier to the success of the project completion. Construction projects value sometimes reflects to its risk management. Variable risks that related to construction project make it different from other industry. Its due to various variables such as engineering, procurement, technical (The Association of Project Management, 2000). In Malaysia, construction risk management has not been a priority and shows bad reputation based on Hamimah Adnan et al (2008). An attitude from contractor that attend to make simple project, fast process and less expensive methods while they identify risks. Even though in construction industry, its projects might be different from project to project, thats why risk identification also might be different. For the project leader, personal experiences, training speciality on risk management would be needed. However, Norazian Mohd Yusuwan (2008) found that Malaysian Construction Company is not paying much attention on reporting, reviewing and monitoring its risk management activity and still consider unfamiliar method among Malaysian Construction Company. Limited knowledge for risk management in construction project again related to limited budget and they found it will only add for operational cost of project. There is different treatment related to risk management that based on size o f Construction Company. Most of companies that is stable in financial status, well known in public, and hold a big construction project that will have formal risk management. Relationship Between Risk Management And Project Performance Maintain good performance during the project activity in construction will result in less risky for the project and closer to its successful. However, if happen to have failure in risk management it will cause increase in operational financial cost, capital structure amendment, delaying for building activity, overrun budget / higher risk in insolvency, lost in cash inflow, bad quality for final product possible to redo work after completion and many more (Sundararajan 2004). Various potential factors in construction project activity according to Flanagan and Norman, 1993; Akintoye and MacLeod, 1997; Smith, 2003, there are long period, complicated processes, abominable environment, financial intensity and dynamic organization structures. These variables of risk management hold important rule and reflects how the projects performance will be. Researchers found construction project performance determinations can be concluded to cost, time and safety (Chen et al., 2000; Shen, 1997; Tam et al., 2004). People Involve in Construction Project According to one of construction insurance for the Construction Design Management (CDM) 2007, players who involved in construction projects are clients, CDM co-ordinator, designers, principal contractors, contractors and workers. Property developer, and company who has construction project consider as clients. CDM co-ordinator will be chosen to lead the project and as advisor on health and safety issues during project time. Next is designers such as engineers and architects who prepared for building drawings in and out. Person in charge to plan, manage and co-ordinate health safety while project is happening will be the principal contractors. Contractors are people who involved in business construction i.e. civil engineering, mechanical, electrical, demotion maintenance companies. Lastly, workers are anyone who directly carries out the work during project construction, i.e. plumber, electrician and scaffolder. Risk Faced By Construction Industry There is no line item on a construction companys income statement titled Cost of Risk, but this is actually one of the industrys largest and most volatile expense items. Some construction companies pay 5 per cent or more of their gross income for risk related costs. In an industry with tight profit margins, effectively managing risk can sometimes make the difference between making a profit or not, and in some cases, the survival of the business. There are many kinds of risks faced by a construction company. One of the examples is economy slowdown. Recessions usually happen where there is a widespread drop in spending. Recession can give a very big impact to construction companies. This may be triggered by various events, such as a financial crisis, and external trade shock, and adverse supply shock or the bursting of an economic bubble. The other risk face by Construction Company is increasing competition, where, economic growth is the increase in the amount of the goods and services produced by an economy over time. Economic growth is generally distinguished from development economics. The other factor is that increasing in population can get same ideas or product from different people. The same construction will increase in competition such as quality, price, quantity and etc. The other risk the construction company faced is regulatory or legislative changes. Regulatory changes are controls imposed on a company by an authority (usually the government) that generally restricts the natural direction in which the company is moving. Legislative Authority or the power to make laws at the Federal level is vested in the Parliament, which comprises the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Other than that, Construction Company also facing the risk of injuries to the workers. Occupational injury rates among construction workers are the highest among the major industries. While several injury control strategies have been proposed by various organisations, their effectiveness for reducing the rate of injuries in the construction industry remains uncertain. Cash flow risks also one of risk that Construction Company faced. Some companys available cash will not be sufficient to meet its financial obligations. That is because of the any mismatch asset or quality in the constructions. In construction site, managing the work in time is necessary to avoid any delays and for the companys and investors good. However, employees sometimes forget to put safety first, by doing short cut and due to this result in accidents. Examples of common fatal accidents are falling from fragile roofs, ladders scaffolds, being stuck by excavators, lift trucks, collapsing structures. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/j8IikJzDRP7KvSYHgn8FVcLGb40uxe1QwXN1EVR8Xp8ktrZEejeGb4yFSUlSxhxT9_H32_uziQYf3fnfEDjQiFSLZ8OetFhOBINTQuGVSJ4PoJCcWsM Based on reported data below from Malaysia Ministry of Human Resource period 1994-2008, major accidents caused in construction held the fifth position on last 2008. Numbers of accidents finally had decreased in 2008 as its lowest number within 12 years. Scope of Policy and Coverage in Construction Industry For purpose of this assignment, we will touched on the two types of risks faced by construction companies, that is, third party liability claims and injuries to workers and on how the insurance policy works to minimized possible monetary loss to the company. Third party liability claims can be in two forms, amongst others:- Claims made by the party whom have awarded the contract to the construction company. It can be a government or private company contract. One of the conditions in the contract agreement will be that the contractor must issue a performance bond to the awarder. Performance bond, normally in the form of an insurance policy gives an undertaking to the awarder of the contract that they will pay the amount stated in the policy in the case that the contractor fails to complete the contract or breached the specifications of the contract. In Malaysia, performance bond is normally within the range of 2.5% to 5% of the contract value. The other type of a third party claims is where claims made by a third party be it an individual or a company to the contractor due the suffering incurred by them which arise from the contract implementation, for example, damages to their property, sound pollution and also loss of earnings. There is normally no specific percentage on the coverage. However, it will be decided by the contractor base on his assumption on possibility and probability of its happening by looking at the nature of the job. Referring to Department of Occupational Safety Healthy Malaysian, below are Occupational Acts summary: Factories and Machinery Act 1967. 2. Employees Social Security Act 1969. 3. Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994. 4. Occupational Safety and Health (employers safety and health general policy statements) (Exception) Regulations 1995. 5.   Occupational Safety and Health (control   of   industrial major accident hazards) Regulations 1996. 6.   Occupational Safety and Health (safety   and   health committee) Regulations 1996. 7.   Occupational Safety and Health (Classification, Packaging and Labeling of Hazardous   Chemicals) Regulations 1997. 8. Occupational Safety and Health (Use and Standards of Exposure of Chemicals Hazardous to Health) Regulations 2000. 9.   Occupational Safety and Health (Notification of Accident, Dangerous Occurrence, Occupational Poisoning and Occupational Disease) Regulations 2004-NADOOPOD. Relation to current practice in Construction Industry in Malaysia Construction industry indeed one of the highest accident occur not only Malaysia but all over the world. Construction is one of the valuable asset to our nation since it brings Malaysia through the world by the recognizance of our building such as Petronas Twin Towers which is one of the highest building in the world, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and Formula One Sepang circuit. This construction is an important part of our economy; it helps our economy by attracting the investors to invest in our country. News reported that incidence of injuries and fatalities rates are high in Malaysia. The company may lose their valuable employees if this frequently occurs. Employers responsibility to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employee The quote of safety first is a common quote that used to ensure that every employee aware of their safety while working. There are several or awareness that have been given to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employee. This is to ensure the company will be able to complete their project on time. When one of their employees injured while performing their work, it is considered as a liability for their company causing their work in progress slowing down. The amount spending for the purpose of safety is beneficial as the consequences are the company would enjoy an effective safety than suffering with the cost. There are several current practices to reduce the risk of accident. There are several effects that the company can get when they ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employee. This can be seen by the company can reduce the accidental cost, when they doesnt have to pay huge amount of money to pay for their employee if accident occur at their working place. The company will enhance the image of company by showing that their company is aware of their employees and following the rules of (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series) OHSAS 18001. The company also can increase their business opportunity which can be seen when their workers are efficient to finish their project on time. Increase overall profit of project were also the benefit of ensure the safety and health of workers this can be seen when theres no accident occur on their employee, the workers operation run smoothly and employer doesnt have to pay more on accident and get more profit instead. Companies can refer to the authority such as Department of Safety and Health (DOSH), National Council of Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH), National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) and Local authority about the safeness. Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) For example like Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) under the government was established by Act 520 of Lembaga Pembangunan Industri Pembinaan Malaysia Act 1994 in July 1994 as a statutory body under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works Malaysia, with CIDB they offered a provide training for the construction companies. The board ensures the company with the responsibility of coordinating the needs and wants of the construction industry, planning the direction of the Malaysias construction industry, addressing the pertinent issue and problems faced by the construction industry, making recommendation in the formulation of policies for the construction industry Department of Safety and Health (DOSH) The board will ensure that their customer would be provided sufficient information on safety and health. Their responsibility are responsibility of administrating and enforcing related to occupational safety and health to ensure that safety, health and welfare of people at work as well as others are protected from hazards resulting from occupational activities in the various sectors which include manufacturing; mining and quarrying; construction; agriculture, forestry and fishing; utilities (gas, electricity, water and sanitary services); transport, storage and communication; wholesale and retail trades; hotels and restaurants; finance, insurance, real estate and business services; public services and statutory authorities. National Council of Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH) The board was established under Section 8 of Occupational Safety and Health which is their responsibility is to Investigate and make report and also to recommend to the Minister any matters whatsoever related to the objectives of OSHA. To amend or make any change deem necessary for legislations of OSHA. To improve administration and enforcement of OSH legislation. To foster cooperative consultation relationship between management and workers with regards to OSH and well-being of workers. To resolve any particular problems related with OSH and well-being of workers consist of women, handicapped and other group of people in the society. To formulate adequate methods and procedures of controls at workplace for chemical industry. To analyze statistics related to occupational fatality and injury which happen at workplace To provide facilities for health care a workplace. To foster development plans and public acceptance of good industrial codes of practices related to OSH. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) The board main vision is to be the Leading Centre of Excellence in Occupational Safety and Health. NIOSHs responsibility is providing training; consultation services inseminate information and conduct research and development to employees, employers and those responsible, either directly or indirectly in the field of occupational safety and health. Example of companies following the health and safety management guidelines Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSH-MS) guidelines promotes a safe and healthy working environment by providing a framework that helps organizations to consistently identify and control health and safety risks, reduce the potential for accidents, aid legislative compliance, and improve overall performance. Sime Darby Engineering Sdn Bhd, oil and gas construction industry which practiced the OSH guidelines they are fully concern on the safety health and environment. This company is certified by ISO 9001 OHSAS 18001 and others. Their main objective is to establish a safety and health committee to upgrade the level of occupational safety and health in their company. They are committed to comply with all relevant environmental, safety and health legislation, prevent pollution and accidents, minimize usage of hazardous materials, chemicals and gases, and minimize release of pollutants to air, water and land. , reduce consumption of natural resources., reduce, reuse and recycle of waste, promote environmental, safety and health awareness to all employees, clients, sub-contractors, suppliers and visitors Sustainable Construction practices in Malaysia Several efforts has been given to the construction industry which it lead several changes. Construction waste causes environmental problem towards Malaysia such as water pollution, environmental pollution and others. The concern toward environment has been given only less attention before this however with the increasing awareness of global environment has lead the construction to increase the protection and sustainable towards our environment. This practice may lead to the structure which will enhance our lifes quality, protect the environment and at the same time maintaining a balance between growth in economy and preserving the natural resources and ecosystem. Problems in current practice of Malaysian Construction Industry Malaysian construction industry depends heavily on unskilled foreign labor worker as they considered as cheap, widely available and flexible. Majority of construction industry choosing this way as this might lead to a problem such as insufficient, slow and labor intensive. Growth of policy in Insurance Market of Construction Company Based on daily routine of a firm activity, they might encounter numerous kind of risk on during performing their job. The risk can be predicted before it might actually happen but the firm cant assume that all risk can be eliminated. Thus it comes to consideration of firm to have a proper way to manage their risk. There are three main insurances coverage in todays construction industry, which are: Contractors All Risk Insurance. Contractors All Risk insurance is precisely designed for the purpose of managing risk against any loss and damage during the construction work takes place. This kind of insurance covers any loss related to works, construction plant and any damage arising from the construction process. It a simpler word, this type of insurance policy helps to manage against unforeseen and accidental physical loss or any damage happens to the property during the period of insurance. Contractors all risk Insurance is best to cover all works executed by the contractor whether it is temporary type of work or construction type of work that takes a longer period to accomplish. The basic Contractors All Risk insurance gives protection coverage whether under construction period or maintenance period against: Material damage during the work under construction Loss and damage towards contractors machinery, plant and equipment. Loss and damage on principals existing property. Third party property damage or any bodily injury happens during the contract of work. The insured parties include the principal, main contractor and the sub-contractor. Examples of types of construction project that can be insured under Contractors All Risk Policy are: Civil works such as dams, power plants. General building construction such as industrial, halls, stadiums and residential. Towers, silos Railway line, roads, tunnels, bridges. Electrical equipment installation. Other miscellaneous work. Bonds / Insurance Guarantee. Bonds are widely being used and almost every interaction between inter-personal and inter-corporation use it to guarantee the project accomplishment. The insurance company actually works as a middle person between the two parties because the fact that insurance companies are financial institutions. Thus interference of insurance companies in bonding businesses can generate other type of business such as Contractors All Risk, Public Liability and Workmens Compensation policies. There are few features of bonds, which are; Once bonds are given, it cant be cancelled until its expiry date. Most of government project demand bonds and are worded, thus bond need to be issued by the contractors to satisfy the requirement of tender. Furthermore the demand of bond in such way enables the ability to invoke the bond by the holder without any reason and explanation. Any demand nevertheless any dispute or protest by the insurer, contractor or any third party needs to be settled by the insurer. Workmens Compensation Insurance This policy is being design to give protection for any employee insured against injury, accident or any disease caused from the employment. The employer is the one who need to pay such compensation based on the law set up in the schedule of the policy and common law. Demand for workmens compensation insurance usually comes from: Contractors who are required to have insurance under the requirement of contract with the Principal. Employers that are having foreign workers which are not eligible to contribute to SOCSO but because of (a) above, they usually include these workers in their insurance based on the wage roll of 15% of total contract value. The employer or their sub-contractor should also take note that they are also required to be under the provision of the Workmens Compensation. Findings Based on Interview : Risk Management on Construction Company In this part of findings, we refer to an industrial construction company that has been involved in this industry for a long time. Ziestech Enterprise has been kindly to provide the information needed about their risk management. The company located in Kulim Kedah. Basically, they are an electrical industrial construction company that offer customer electronic and air conditioner service. The manager, Mr Arshad Bin Tasselim has been exposed to us the risk management that company has applied for the workers and business. Ziestech Enterprise is a company that can be categorized as industrial construction. The company has been in the industry almost 10 years. Ziestech Enterprise has been humble in the industry where they have started small then eventually they had grown to become a very successful electrical industrial construction company. Based on our interview session with Mr Arshad, he explains that the company is very high skilled in electrical and wiring for the industrial construction where they have the ability to involve their business in handling heavy electrical job. Furthermore, to perform this kind of task, the company require a very special certificate such as Wireman from Suruhanjaya Tenaga Malaysia. As an electrical construction company, Mr Arshad is aware that their company is facing a very high risk especially the workers safety. The operational task is related with electrical usage and appliances, where they might face the risk of having accident, loss, damage or injury during the construction works takes place. The industrial task is far more dangerous because the workers are exposed to a very high voltage. Mr Arshad explains more about the usage of electrical equipment that has been used in industrial works where it involves with 240V to 450V. Workers that involved in this kind of job, they will be supervised by the expertise that has been hired by the company. Mr Arshad is very aware with the risk that their facing every working day. Ziestech Enterprise is well prepared in managing the risk and decided to buy some of the insurance policies that can reduce the level of riskiness in performing the task. Mr Arshad explains more about the loss and damage during the construction work for example damage to machinery,plant or third party damage that has been insured by Contractors All Risk. The company also concern about the workers that may injured and accident during performing tasks where they pay for Workmens Compensation to insure the employee. Risk management is very beneficial for the company and the current insurance coverage satisfy the needs for the Ziestech Enterprise. Conclusion Risk Management in Construction Industry can be very beneficial to the companies that are applying this because the internal organizations such as staff, supervisors, middle and senior management have a heightened awareness of risks within their work environment. In addition, risk can be identified, assessed and controlled in accordance with the legislative requirements of OHS Act. Besides that, risk management becomes a part of the organizational corporate culture. It reduces the severity of an accident results in an associated reduction in pain and suffering. Moreover, risk management also reduce in the severity and incidence of workers compensation claims, leading to a reduction in associated and hidden costs (such as loss of staff morale, loss productivity, etc.). To conclude, it is a known fact that risk management is a very important tool to be applied by companies in order to ensure their survival. Both the contractor and the insurance company try their level best to reduce their own risks. Wrong judgment may be a fatal blow on the survival of the company. Recommendation The construction industry is a vehicle

Friday, October 25, 2019

Gallipoli :: essays research papers

Gallipoli is the tragic tale of two Australian men, Frank Dunne and Archie Hamilton, who both enlisted to join the Gallipoli campaign overseas. The film follows the two men from their time as competitors in a sprint races to Perth for enlistment the light horse. The film itself isn’t so much a ‘war’ film as it is a film dealing with attitudes of Australians through particular individuals towards war in 1915. The story is told through the continued themes within the film such as competitiveness, mateship and sporting spirit. Gallipoli uses creative and experienced cinematography to effectively send a visual message to the viewer without overstating its intent. This filmic device makes the director a successful yet subtle storyteller. This is especially obvious in the scene where Archie and Frank are crossing the dried up lake bed in an effort to reach Perth. The director uses this landscape to highlight Australia’s isolation from the rest of the world and supports it with the two male leads arguing whether or not it is in their best interests to fight for the Mother Country, England. The screenplay itself accomplishes gaining the audience’s interest and attention by using humour to capture the essence of Australian character letting viewers relate and later sympathise with all characters as well as highlighting Australian spirit. Combined with breathtaking visual imagery, this is a remarkable combination. After fives years of organization, Gallipoli had a budget of a $2.6 million and took 4-5 months to film. The locations were mainly found in South Australia (Town of Beltana, Lake Torrens and the coastline near Port Lincoln was transformed into Gallipoli) but also a small town near Cairo. It had been Mel Gibson’s impressive performance in Mad Max that was enough to convince Weir and Lovell into inviting Gibson to an audition for the role of Frank Dunne. Gibson was successful in the audition and got along well with his fellow co-star, Mark Lee, who had been cast as Archie Hamilton. Despite not having been in a feature film before, Weir thought Lee had the right qualities to portray the character of Archie Hamilton on screen. Gallipoli, as part of a national cinema, can be construed as being made to effectively compete with the dominant international cinema especially Hollywood. It is part of the national cinema ideal to create a space nationally and internationally for non-Hollywood film-making activity. As a result, it was the film-maker’s conscious decision to invoke Gallipoli with qualities that are essentially Australian – dark humour, humanist values and quirkiness.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Madonna and the Child with Saint Peter and Saint John

The National Gallery of Art in Washington D. C. holds a wide selection of works of art from ancient times. Among these are Madonna and the Child (expressed in tempera on panel) and Madonna and the Child with Saint Peter and Saint John the Evangelist (also expressed in tempera on panel). The themes of both works are similar in that both contain an interpretation of the Virgin Mary (Madonna) and her interaction with the Christ Child. However, the differing contexts in which these are placed add further levels of meaning to each individual piece as depicted by each artist. Despite this, similarities also exist between the two paintings, and these similarities range from the use of color and lighting, to the sizes and perspectives used by the artists. Therefore, superimposed upon the differences in style, context and (to an extent) subject matter; similarities of color, lighting and perspective are to be found in these two works of art. The work Madonna and the Child was most likely painted some time between 1320 and 1330 AD. This was done in the late Byzantine Period in Italy by the artist Giotto, whose style is considered to be anticipatory of naturalism. The panel that holds this particular work represents Giotto in the later stages of his career and demonstrates the sobriety and restraint of an artist that had already spent his enthusiastic flare. Nardo (who died in his twenties), on the other hand, displays his 1360 painting in much brighter and vibrant colors that are typical of his youth and enthusiasm. While in Giotto’s work one detects the deliberate strokes of a talented artist that seeks to display the natural portrait of a woman and her baby caught in motion, in Nardo one also sees the talent, but with a less naturalistic tint. Nardo represents a return to the more traditional portrait-like paintings where subjects appeared poised specifically to be captured in the medium. Therefore, whereas in Giotto’s painting, the hands of the mother and child are caught in the act of brushing by her chest, Nardo’s painting depicts mother and child in absence of motion. Furthermore, Nardo’s painting includes the apostles on the side in adoration of these persons as saints, while Giotto represents them more on the side of human persons spontaneously experiencing life in solitude. The colors and lighting techniques used by these two artists offer themselves up for scrutiny. Contrast and conceptualization are used to a large extent in both the Giotto and the Nardo paintings. Giotto uses a method of alternating between gold and black to emphasize the importance of the Madonna. A conceptual interpretation of the colors might also demonstrate that the Madonna is herself covered by a black shroud of humanity, though her gold-tinted skin demonstrates the worth of the person within the shroud. The colors used for the Christ child corroborate this and elevate Him in relation to his mother, as he is given no dark-colored garment to attenuate the golden nature represented in the color of his body. In a similar fashion, the Nardo depiction of the Madonna, Peter and John features a stark black background that has the effect of focusing the eyes of the viewer upon the portraits within. Yet, the pictures of Peter and John on either side of the Virgin take on less significance because of a reduction in their sizes and of the contrast between their color and that of the wall in front of which they stand. This has conceptual value in that is denotes that the Madonna and the Christ Child take more precedence than the apostles. The mother and child’s position at the center also highlights this idea. One gets several feelings when one views these two paintings in the gallery. The immensity of the subject and the beauty of the golden and reddish colors give the idea that one is in the presence of highly exalted persons. Yet, one also gets the idea that the persons being viewed (especially in the Giotto painting) are also natural and in the middle of living their lives. With Giotto, the viewer has the sense that he/she witnesses â€Å"a quite drama† in which occurs â€Å"the human interaction between a mother and a child† (National Gallery). In contrast with this, the Nardo portrait gives a more contrived picture which resembles the posing of the two for a portrait. According to interpretation by the Gallery’s art historians, â€Å"Nardo’s Virgin, despite her soft expression, appears removed from human concerns.† The Virgin is, in this picture, aware of being under the scrutiny of others: the Saints Peter and John that flank her on each side, and the artist himself for whom she poses. Works Cited Giotto. Madonna and the Child. (Tempera on Panel). Samuel H. Cress Collection. National   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gallery of Art. Washington D. C., 1320/1330. Nardo di Cione. Madonna and the Child with Saint Peter and Saint John the Evangelist. Samuel   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   H. Cress Collection. National Gallery of Art. Washington D. C., 1360. National Gallery of Art. â€Å"Byzantine Art and Painting in Italy during the 1200s and 1300s.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Madonna and the Child. (Giotto.) Samuel H. Cress Collection. National Gallery of Art. Washington D. C., 1320/1330.      

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The Lucky Luciano’s History

Lucky Luciano Lucky Luciano made the modern mafia. In 1931 he cut New York into five slices and served the rackets up in a form that still exists today. He had his fingers in every slice of the metaphoric mince meat pie that was America in the first half of the twentieth century, and then spent his remaining years ruling the underworld from afar. In the history of organized crime, there has never been a more powerful boss, and unless there is a drastic change in American law enforcement, no one person will ever be able to consolidate so much criminal power again.In 20 years, with the help of the 18th amendment, Charles Luciano went from being an average pimp to a God amongst thugs. With the help of a number of other famous gangsters, Lucky built a single, business-like crime syndicate with a board of directors and a directed sense of purpose. It would come to rule the entire United States, and eventually, a good portion of the world. From Humble Beginnings Born in italy in 1896 as Sa lvatore Lucania, Lucky Luciano eventually changed his name to spare his family the embarrassment of reading about him in the newspapers.As a kid, he was a thug; he dealt drugs, sold women, and stole anything he could. He was constantly picked up by New York police, who typically smacked him around and dropped him back on the streets due to his age. Junkies everywhere, take note: Charlie â€Å"Lucky† Luciano created the modern heroin trade. Thanks Chuck! In 1915, at the tender age of 19, Luciano was first arrested for dealing heroin on the streets of New York. Upon release, he broke his sales ring into a tiered affair, with thugs standing on street corners dealing out the dope while he stayed upstairs with the women.He was probably one of the first gangsters to use it in his pimping operations to help keep the girls loyal. In 1920, Luciano joined Joe Masseria's gang and helped run booze, manage prostitutes, and traffic horse for the Sicilian mafia. Masseria trusted Luciano, wh o was a great and reliable earner. He eventually became Masseria's right hand man, making him one of the most powerful gangsters in New York. Somewhere in the 20's, Lucky met Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky. This three-way introduction is one of the classic underworld myths, and many versions of the story exist.One alleges that Lansky was a heroin addict at the time. Others describe awkward scenes featuring screaming hookers, naked Jews, and Lucky the belt wielding pimp. And still others describe Lansky whacking Luciano upside the head with a plumbers wrench to defend a crying Bugsy. No matter how it went down, the event served as a symbolic destruction of the old racial walls that existed in the New York underground. Previously, Italian and Jewish gangs tended not to associate on the street, but Lucky would be one of the first to cross the cultural lines and forge an alliance between the groups.Siegel, Lansky and Luciano would become the driving force behind the eventual formation of the National Crime Syndicate: Lucky was the heart of the syndicate, Lansky its brains, and Bugsy its fist. Sicilian Neck Tie In 1929, Masseria's gang became embroiled in a violent turf war with Salvatore Maranzano's mafia. Maranzano was a megalomaniacal don fixated on becoming the one and only ruler of New York. In October that same year, Luciano was on a dock at on the Hudson River inspecting a load of fresh chiba that had just arrived. Four of Maranzano's men rolled up in a car, grabbed Luciano and taped his mouth shut.They beat the shit out of him for an hour as they slowly drove towards Staten Island. Once there, they slit his throat and cheek, then dumped him in a ditch and left him for dead. Luciano lived through this attack, earning him the nickname â€Å"Lucky. † Luciano saw the attack as a sign that the gang war had to end, and soon. He, along with Siegel and Lansky, went to see Maranzano. They struck a deal with Marazano to divide up Masseria's empire: Marazano got the liquor turf, Luciano got the girls and the drugs. Luciano set up a dinner meeting with Masseria at the Nuova Villa Tammaro, a spaghetti house on Coney Island.After a few hours of feasting, he excused himself to use the pisser. In walked Bugsy Seigel, Joe Adonis, Vito Genovese, Albert Anastasia, and Meyer Lansky. Out walked Luciano as the new leader of Masseria's gang. Only half a year passed before Siegel and Luciano bumped off Marazano. This placed Luciano in charge of New York. Through agreements with Dutch Schultz and other Manhattan turf barons, Luciano was able to consolidate all underworld power and streamline the mafia. The Syndicate Rises Despite having dropped out of school in the 4th grade, Luciano had a business savvy unrivaled in the crime world.He set up a board of directors that included all the major players, including millionaire thug Joe Adonis and beancounter extraordinaire Meyer Lansky, who remained on the board until the late 70's. There was even a trial str ucture to hear complaints and justly determine if someone should be whacked. The underground began to flourish, and the organization became known as the National Crime Syndicate. Gambling, prostitution, drugs, liquor, and guns could all be had from the Syndicate, and everyone in the underworld had to pay tribute to the organization by giving it a percentage in all takes.Even assassinations became big business thanks to Lucky. With the help of Bugsy Siegel and Albert Anastasia, Luciano formed Murder Inc. , a professional grade killing company staffed mostly with Jewish hitmen. Mobsters in need of a hit simply called Murder Inc and bought themselves some prescreened contract killers. It was much like 1-800-dentist, but with guns and piano wire instead of drills and laughing gas. This establishment was responsible for hundreds of hits throughout the late 30's, including the killings of Dutch Schultz, Abe Wagner, and even it's founder, Bugsy Siegel. Still Pimpin'Luciano was on top of th e world by 1936. He had a different woman every night, a habit he had picked up early on. By 1936, his empire of whores caught up with him. The state of New York had amassed enough evidence and testimony to put Luciano in jail for pimping by years end. Thomas Dewey, special prosecutor in the case, paraded a near endless stream of witnesses before the jury. Over 28 of them were hookers, and Luciano was incensed by this fact. He claimed that the government had coerced the testimony of these whores by offering them free trips to Europe and a steady supply of drugs.One of these hookers was permitted by the judge to take a shot of bourbon while on the stand to help keep the morphine shakes off long enough to finger Luciano. Initially, most people believed Luciano was grasping at straws, but some documents from Deweys offices confirm that a large number of tickets to Europe were purchased by the office in the same year as the trial. Luciano was sentenced to 30 years in jail for his allege d masterminding of the New York flesh trade. Prison didn't dwindle Luciano's influence. He remained firmly in charge, even under lock down.So great was his influence that when the US government was searching for German saboteurs in the ports of New York during World War II, they came to Luciano to ask for help. Luciano agreed, and used his power to bring the Nazi conspirators to the surface. Luciano also helped the government find contacts on Sicily and in Italy before the Allied invasions. In 1946, Thomas Dewey, now governor of New york, gave Luciano a pardon and deported him to Italy. There, Luciano lived out the rest of his days entertaining the like of Frank Sinatra Sr. and other celebrities.He remained active in Syndicate business, however, even in exile. In 1946, he flew to Cuba to meet with fellow mafiosos about turning the island into a floating Las Vegas. In December of 1946, Luciano arrived in Cuba to discuss the realization of plans for the island. All the biggest names i n the mafia were there: Vito Genovese, Meyer Lanksy, Joe Adonis, and Santos Trafficante Jr. , relative of the infamous senator James Traficant. Aging gangsters arrived one after another, all there to pay respects to Luciano and affirm that he was still in control.Of those in attendance, Vito Genovese was the only real troublemaker. Genovese initially asked Luciano to step down from power, a request which infuriated the aging mobster. Eventually, after a few days of meetings, Genovese again asked Luciano to step down, and to retreat to Italy. Luciano was sure that Genovese had tipped off Washington to his presence in Cuba. Luciano leaped on Genovese and beat the living shit out of him, breaking three of the man's ribs. Aside from wupping up on Gevovese, there were other issues to be discussed at the Havana conference.One issue was narcotics sales, something Luciano thought was becoming too hot for the mob to remain in. He pleaded with his underlings to get out of the business, but no one seemed to care. Meyer Lansky informed Luciano that Genovese was orchestrating much of the trade now, and his followers, as well as his enemies, were making too much money off of drug trafficking to back down now. Another issue was Bugsy Siegel. Bugsy had purposely been left out of the conference because his Flamingo hotel, by then $6 million in the hole, was a sticking point for many in the group.By the end of the conference, Siegel was marked for death. His old friend, Meyer Lansky was unable to help him because he was not allowed to vote in any conference matters. Only Italians could vote, and Lansky was a Jew. In 1962, Luciano was planning to help produce a movie about his life. A Hollywood producer flew to meet the aging gangster in Naples, Italy on January 26th. As Luciano was walking across the runway to shake the producer's hand, he dropped dead suddenly of a heart attack.