Rolls Royce in Contemporary Business Environment

Rolls Royce in Contemporary Business Environment This assignment is aimed to critically evaluate a change management towards to the operations at Rolls Royce plc, ascertain a range of reasons for either success or failure to implement a operations management and to propose further improvements for the companys performance. The annual Rolls Royce report was used a primary source of business data. It was found that the firms strategy and operations management conforms to the current trends in the operations, i.e. environmental needs, customised quality of products and flexibility of production, etc.; however, certain risks and global challenges may affect a success of the business, leading to losing a share in the market niche. Introduction Rolls Royce in Contemporary Business Environment Rolls Royce is a global company providing a power product, judging on a basis of customers demand or a niche market position its me, for land, sea and air (Rolls-Royce, 2006). The company has a balanced business portfolio with the leading positions in civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy markets. One of key factors of Rolls-Royces success is continuing expansion of its business globally. In the past five year RR started work on or opened facilities in Europe, the United States and Asia. Company employs over 38,000 employees, 22,700 are in the UK with the balance primarily in the US, Asia, Germany, Scandinavia and Brazil, which represents a global expansion of business operations, human resources for implementation of process and technology, i.e. resources for the status. Rolls Royce is a highly focused power systems business, concentrating on manufacturing and services of power systems, including a gas turbine engine. There are approximately 54,000 Rolls Royce gas turbines in service. With annual sales of around  £4 billion and a forward order book of nearly  £22 billion, its technology is applied over a wide range of products that generate high-value services throughout their operational lives. These operations give a value for the companys business. In response to increased orders from the market due to A380 production will recommence and Boeing787 production begins (Boeing, 2006), the firm implements a strategy towards to the best operations for turbine engine production. Objectives of the Assignment Manufacturing (WCM) is one of the broadest philosophies focusing primarily on production (Lind, 2001). Although Hayes and Wheelwright originally defined the WCM term (B. Flynn, 1997) to describe organizations which achieved a global competitive advantage through use of their manufacturing capabilities as a strategic weapon, there is no consistent definition of WCM (Maskell, 1991). So does Roll_ Royce represents the operations management? In my opinion, the answer is clearly, yes, it does. A world-class organization is an organization that had established itself as the best (RR automotive has been doing it continuously since 1906) becomes the best with new product lines (such as gas turbines) and then sustains itself as the best in its field during a life cycle. It goes beyond TQM (Total Quality Management), which is an adaptive process. It also goes beyond the learning organization by keeping ahead of changes. World-class organizations practice Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) a management philosophy which focuses on improving processes within an organization. Further these principles of the operations will be analysed and discussed. Analysis and Discussion 2.1. Ownership and Finance Roll_ Royce is a Public Limited Company (plc). What are benefits or drawbacks to be a plc for the ? As firm is selling shares on a stock market, the business gets a huge capital injection allowing the company to expand quicker and invest in new products. In RRs case it allows them to use high quality machinery and materials to produce innovative and yet expensive products, entering a niche on the markets. Being on the stock market can have a positive effect on your publicity and suppliers are more willing to offer you a credit as they can see how secure finances are. Plc-type organisation has also drawbacks. Financial information has to be published for shareholders and it also open for competitors. The company on a stock market have to pay its profit out to shareholders (Fig. 1), which reduces a financial security of the business. Also the shareholders may influence a management style, not always in the best way, in running the company. This could lead to a conflict of interests between ownership and management board, leading to decisions taking a long time to be made. In addition such a business may be affected by movements of global markets themselves, i.e. commodity prices, foreign currency exchange rates etc. Fig. 1. Total Shareholders Return over five years [Rolls-Royce, 2006] 2.2. Business Strategy Roll_ Royce sets-up their strategy towards to be the best, i.e. and had a restructuring programme after 11 September 2001, increasing investments in both technology and capabilities to create competitive products. More satisfied customers relations, which can last up to 25 years or more, is also important for the business as it gives more than 50% of revenue from after sales market service. As a result of this strategy RRs mission statement is described as Roll_ Royce offers the best customers business solutions from superior power systems and services (Rolls-Royce, 2006). RRs ambitious and yet timely objective is to help the environment. The company developed a re-engineering program to reduce as much waste as possible. Using the SMART concept Roll_ Royce come up with a consistent strategy: Developing a competitive product portfolio (currently over 50 product programmes and  £350 millions for development and introduction of new products) for four global markets Civil, Defence, Marine and Energy with 40-50% market share in the next 5 years. Reducing operational and unit costs by increasing operations efficacy. Responding to the challenge of climate change.  £100 million annual investment for RD, introducing an Environmental Engine Programme. Capturing aftermarket services opportunity and add value for customers through the provision of product-related services. Environmental issues will dominate in the airline industry as more public issues have been arisen due to climate change, pollutions, noise and air quality (Fig. 2). The Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE) has set a range of challenging environmental improvement goals to be achieved by 2020. Globally a rapid growth continued in manufacturing load in 2006 and will increase further for the company. It is also inevitable that turnover will increase within the next years due to a world growth of transportation business and energy demand. As a result one of the key objectives at Roll_ Royce is the environmental issue. The pollution produced by companys factories and produced engines has to be designed, monitored and checked regularly. The Environmentally Friendly Engine (EFE) is the latest demonstrator programme to be launched by Roll_ Royce to enable them to meet these targets: reduced fuel consumption, while lowering emissions and engine noise. In addition RR is d eveloping renewable fuel cell systems that have the potential to be clean, quiet, cost effective and highly fuel efficient. Fig. 2. This is an example of an increasing environmental pressure for aerospace industry both manufacturers and carrier companies. Roll_ Royce aims to produce engines to meet the most stringent noise and emission requirements for future civil aircraft. A company is successful if it has stable growing sales and thus financial resources for further business development towards to the level. 2.3. Sales and Operations Management Roll_ Royce press release shows the group ended 2006 with a net cash balance of  £826million. Underlying aftermarket services revenues grew by 13% in 2006 and represented 53% of total sales and is expected to grow up to 63% further. Any threat to security of aftermarket revenues through a failure to provide an operational service which meets customers expectations, would threaten a RRs level of profitability. Therefore Roll_ Royce is focused on providing a high standard of service to all its customers, investing in capabilities such as its recently established Operations Centres, which monitor engine operations in real time, co-ordinating and integrating data to enable Roll_ Royce to provide better predictive information and operational performance. A corporate report shows how well after-sale revenue has increased (Table 1). *Reconciliation of underlying results is provided in notes 2 and 7 of the consolidated financial statements. **Underlying revenues reflect actual US dollar exchange rates on settled derivative contracts. A Roll_ Royce presentation (Rolls-Royce, 2006) contains a statement from each area referring to how well they have done in the previous year: Civil Aerospace = Growing services/improving business mix Defence = Well positioned on new programme Marine = Continuing strong order intake Energy = Introduced new products These four sentences sum up how the business has done in relation to their strategies mentioned previously. But the markets in which company operates are highly competitive that is another challenge faced at Rolls-Royces strategy mix to be the world-class. As Roll_ Royce does not offer products that can be sold over a till but more order based products over long periods, it is risky to have lots of pre-ordered products and therefore important to offer a good stock price to encourage potential investors. Majority of Rolls-Royces programmes are long-term in nature and access to the key platforms is critical to a business success. Although there is clearly a positive feeling to these four statements it is hard to measure these long-term objectives. One mentioned objective is that there is no reference to in their annual report is whether harmful waste has been disposed, protecting the environment, or it has resulted to increased emission tax, reducing a financial outcome. However the Managing Director of Roll_ Royce said that 2006 is developing, overall, in line with our expectations. Particular emphasis is being made on the most profitable engine market for long-haul aircrafts (Fig. 3, table 2). With more orders for new Trent engines to date is exceed 200 aircrafts valued  £6billions with the major clients in Asia and Europe (Table 1, 2 in appendix) shown for coming new A380. This delivery is a real challenge to maintain the status at Roll_ Royce as a series of delays with the aircr aft official launch showed this year. How this does affected the quality management will be discussed next. Sources: Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Airbus Figure 3: Delivered aircraft value and units (2006-2025) Table 2: Long-haul large capacity aircrafts and turbine engine types Aircraft passenger capacity Output (to date) Engine Unit cost Changes and benefits Boeing 747-8 (400-500 passengers) 747 deliveries, 60% civil, 40% cargo. 747-8 to be launched in 2009 4 ц¦ GEnx-2B67 US$ 240 millions Reduced NOx emission, noise dB and better fuel efficiency. Boeing 767-400 (245-375 seats) 767 deliveries, most companies have favoured B 777 instead of B767-400. 2 ц¦ PW40xx or Rolls Royce RB 211 with reduced noise and emission Boeing 777 (300 pass) 791 ordered, 509 delivered. 2x PW 40xx RR Trent 8xx or GE 90-94B US$ 220-240 millions with reduced noise and emission Boeing 787 (220-300 seats) 482 (452 firm, 30*** pending). The sales will continue till 2014. 2 ц¦ GEnx or Trent 1000 US$ 140-188 millions 137 orders for Trent 1000, 170 orders for GNex Airbus 380 (pass 555-853) To date 166 orders from 15 customers. Expected sales of 750 jets A380s over the next 20 years at 420 jets for breakeven. 4 ц¦ GE/PW GP72xx or 4 x RR Trent 9xx US$ 296 316 millions 86 orders for RR Trent, 80 for GE72xx. Fuel consumption of 2.9 litres per passenger km the current industry average is 5 litres per passenger km. Airbus 350 (pass 270-350 seats) Planned from 2013. 2 ц¦ GE/PW GP72xx or CEnx or 2 x Trent XWB US$ 200-240 millions Engines will have a thrust of 75000-95000 lb Sources: Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Airbus. Trent is Roll_ Royce trademark for aeroengines. http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of-aircraft-engines Another challenge is to reduce operations and unit costs. Cost of kerosene, which is main aircraft fuel, and other energy resources is continued growing within the industry, although it has achieved almost 50% improvements in fuel use in the last 20 years [1]. Advanced machinery and production tools offer further reduction of energy use to manufacture an aeroengine. If in the short term Roll_ Royce could invest in faster machinery or more productive workforce it could cut down the forward orders and thus optimise the production. In the long run, however, it would mean larger wage bills and higher risk of depreciation on the automated machinery. Cutting staff to reduce the costs by making people redundant is only really necessary if there is a major financial worry, which is the case for many airlines but not yet widely applicable for Rolls-Royce, who is moving production to more labour-effective countries. Therefore companys strategy, to increase quality and reduce waste products, seems to give the results. The production method itself will rely on quality of the product. Roll_ Royce at its current level of business operations has a high quality product, which needs to be maintained and improved continuously. In the long run it would be better but forward orders (Table 2, Appendix) could also decrease due to energy crisis. It would also lead to staff working longer hours and as a result staff morale decreases. Note that many airlines has either cut a number of flights or increased a fuel charge per passenger. This will affect new production orders from Rolls-Royce. One objective that could change for Roll_ Royce is to continue establishing themselves as a leading supplier in the four growing markets. Since the company has positioned itself in the key markets, it has substantial customers to get orders. If one market slows down, e.g. a civil aerospace department after the delay of A380 launch, it can fall back on the other three markets maintaining the business. A disadvantage of this strategy is the significant resources spent for employing experienced workers and management staff to keep the operations in these four markets. It is there Roll_ Royce would need to realign the core objectives to the global challenges to maintain the world-class operations and attract new shareholders. 2.4. Quality Management Within the factories Roll_ Royce manages complex production programmes with demanding technical requirements against stringent customer schedules and a capital intensive form of production, which allows products such as turbine engines to be made fast and all of the same quality. Failure to achieve sustainable quality goal would have significant financial implications for the Group. Car production facilities at Roll_ Royce have labour intensive operations due to handmade cars, causing it to be a far slower and more expensive process. Thus RR cars made by orders have an upper price and a market niche. When producing a product such as a jet engine Roll_ Royce employs a batch production method, which tends to be highly customised. It took several years for the company to change productions to lean system and receive an ISO certification. Quality at Roll_ Royce is intangible because of its world-renowned reputation for many years. The company employs three methods of quality testing. Firstly, Quality Control involves checking of the project at the end of production. But there is a drawback to this form of checking. If errors identified results in a waste being produced, this adds extra costs to operations. Another technique Quality Assurance is also employed at the production; however because there is more time taken on producing a product the cost of originally implementing the product although short term could be significant. As quality needs to be assured it means regular inspections need to be undertaken to ensure quality is achieved. Overall this is a better form of quality testing than quality control as changes can be made to product as it goes through production to increase quality. Final form of quality testing is Total Quality Management (TQM). It involves Building Quality In. All three of these methods of quality testing contribute to the overall quality produced by Rolls-Royce, which manufactures approximately 30 per cent by value of its gas turbine products and some 70 per cent is provided through external supply chains. Any quality failure happened in the supply chain would present a risk to the RRs ability to meet customer requirements and to achieve its financial goals. If quality is not met it could mean lack of sales due to reasons such as loss of reputation. It is not just Roll_ Royce that has to deal with quality. All businesses have to ensure they are producing quality goods otherwise people wont buy their products. A supporting infrastructure for quality management, a key element of world-class manufacturing, is an important element (Flynn, 1999). Roll_ Royce has an impressive investment plan totalling to more than  £3billion for advanced technology, capability and infrastructure, offering improved performance and better energy efficiency of products, environmentally friendly operations and long-term competitiveness.  £30million is spent annually on training and some  £250million is directed annually on capital projects. 2.5. Leadership Style and Management Culture Roll_ Royce has Democratic paternalistic style of management. Although the company has department it also has a management board, making all the decisions and having centralised power over company. An extreme management style is an authoritarian style, which would be noted in a military organisation such as Rolls-Royces military division. Another extreme in management style is a lasses-faire style that gives almost 100% control of a company to workers. Roll_ Royce is though none of the extreme management as it has CEO and a chairman who overlook all decisions. Styles of management are summed up in McGregors Theory Y and X. Another form of measuring management styles is through the Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum (Dawson, 2005). None of these theories has been fully taken at the company but it seems to be more towards the McGregor X theory of management, which has an important role of mangers and therefore it is further to the left (Fig. 4). It is thought that manger sells technique where people at the top make the decision but invite people questions. Degree of Workers Authority Degree of Manager Authority Rolls Royce Manager Manager Tells Delegates Allows people to function independently Makes a decision and announces it Fig. 4. Management style at Roll_ Royce Power culture dominates in the company because of its top-mangers. This type of culture is normally linked with an autocratic or authoritarian style of management. It is not solely a power culture as it has many leaders at the top where a position does play a role. However RR has many departments run by leaders that work under one brand name for one goal. A person-type culture can also be found inside Roll_ Royce as skilled employees are able to make their own decisions; however, it does not change much to the overall culture. This links to a hierarchy organisation that is a tall structure but it has a certain degree of openness between CEO and regular employee. 2.6. Communications Management Roll_ Royce is very process focused firm and it continues to reduce operating costs through standardisation but as ever IT, with investments to be at around 2.5% of sales, has been playing a significant role in Rolls-Royces growth, with strong project management and very aggressive timescales being the norm at the company. Roll_ Royce aims to implement a Global Supply Chain management structure at Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems which will allow them to consolidate commodity management and increase US dollar based proportion of a purchase bill. The ERP convergence programme has 18,000 SAP users and is allowing us to open up our capacity and improve effectiveness. A substantial CAD/CAM product lifecycle project was to cut design and development times on the back of technology and monitor a process change down to the second phase. The next stage of Rolls-Royces IT strategy will be nine major teams looking at pushing forward a global supply chain and engineering level. Increased globalisation of the business and advances in technology has resulted in more data being transmitted across global communication links, posing an increased security risk. This puts higher responsibility and risk for being attacked by competitors (The Times, December 3, 2007). Therefore, the company has a corporate IT department and the latest security technology responsible for data management at the company as well as communication specialists at each department. A global company may have certain language and cultural barriers if using a phone is the only way to contact a client. The company uses IT for e-mails. As aforementioned e-mails can have attachments, which makes sending images or documents far quicker and easier than by post. Other electronic devices such as telephones are used to record voicemail and a factory wide public address system to notify staff. However this form of communication is open, as it is not used for restricted information such as redundancies. Externally RRs business uses e-mail to place orders or inquire about business. However it isnt entirely fool proof if a company urgently needs to contact supplier e-mail, although may take a few days before it is read and replied too. Apart from contacting suppliers or customers Roll_ Royce has the website. It provides an alternative way of selling products and giving information away to the public such as potential buyers and shareholders. Dramatically increased IT and operations costs due to market growth and disruption caused by shortages of raw materials could diminish the RRs aims towards to operating and unit cost reduction at UK factories. 3. Conclusion The Roll_ Royce achievements indicated that WCM practices were related to competitive performance, and that the addition of new manufacturing and management practices has resulted in further improvements in competitive performance such as gas turbines assembly line replicated for four key markets and after-sales services, including training. The WCM implementation was recognized as having been an economic success by the company itself and by partner-businesses. Being a world-class company gives to Roll_ Royce a certain advantage on a stock market, where so-called alpha and beta investors do prefer using rather a traditional approach (quality of management and production) to analyse a financial performance of a company, than quantitative approach to investment analysis. Thus more investors do believe in RR, especially after a series of financial crunches on the world markets. Roll_ Royce aeroengines aims to maintain the no. 1 market position by offering industry leading technology at the best environmental and operational performance, minimising airline costs throughout a total product lifecycle, and innovative technical and business solutions maximising customer value. Combination of the technology and after-sales support has created the growing demand at stable price for the new engines. In my opinion, further improvements towards to the world-class require four components: Vision, Active Leadership Involvement, Hierarchy of Trained People, and Constancy of Improvement Activity. (3468 words excluding references) Bibliography Roll_ Royce and Shell has been attacked by Chinese Spies. The Times, December 3, 2007 Boeing Marketing Outlook, 2006. www.boeing.com Dawson, M. (2005). The Consumer Trap: Big Business Marketing in American Life. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-07264-2. General Electrics. GEnx engine. www.geae.com/engines/ assessed on 10.06.2008 Ohno T., Toyota Production System, Productivity Press, Cambridge, MA, 1988. Roll_ Royce Aerospace Market Outlook, 2006. www.rolls-royce.com B. Flynn, R. S. (1997). World-class manufacturing project: overview and selected results. International Journal of Operations Production Management, 17 (7) , 671-685. Flynn, R. S. (1999). manufacturing: an investigation of Hayes and Wheelwrights foundation. Journal of Operations Management 17 , 249-269. Jonsson, P. (2001). Towards an holistic understanding of disruptions in Operations Management. Journal of Operations Management 18 , 701-718. Lind, J. (2001). Control in manufacturing A longitudinal case study. Management Accounting Research, 12 , 41-74. Maskell, B. (1991). Performance Measurement for Manufacturing-A Model for American Companies. Cambridge: Productivity Press. Testore, R. (1998). manufacturing demands suppiers . European Journal of Purchasing Supply Management 4 , 3-5.

Development of the Quantity Surveying Role

Development of the Quantity Surveying Role The report within analyses and documents the historical development of the Quantity Surveying role from inception to modern day practice, the roles and responsibilities of the Professional Quantity Surveyor and Contractors Quantity Surveyor, along with the importance and relevance of key skills to the role of the QS. The Quantity Surveyor role was born in the United Kingdom, shortly after the birth of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 1834, due to the fact that Architects wanted to distance themselves from the surveying profession. The report goes on to talk about the many reports published by The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), which identify the Quantity Surveying roles and how the future QS role will adapt to change. Both the Professional and Contractors QS have roles and responsibilities in the Pre-construction, Construction and Post-construction phases on any given construction project. Both sides have similar responsibilities during the pre-construction phase for example, each side will have a duty to carry out a form of estimation regarding the price of the works, which will require measurement/quantification. During Construction, the Contractors QS will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the project, including procuring subcontractors and submitting valuations to the client, whilst the Professional QS will be working with the client to ensure the Contractors QS valuations are factual and that they are certified in line with the contract terms. Post-construction activities on both sides would include activities such as Final Account procedures. Finally, the last section of the report details the six key skills required by a Quantity Surveyor in order for a successful career; Numeracy, Verbal Communication, Written Communication, ICT Skills, Problem Solving and Self-management. It is important that an aspiring Quantity Surveyor/Project Manager is continually developing these skills, as they will play a large part of their working careers for the rest of their lives. The purpose of this report is to write about the functions of the Quantity Surveyors and the roles each has within the Construction Industry. The team intends to accomplish the roles and responsibilities of the Quantity Surveyors (QS), Professional Quantity Surveyors (PQS), and Contractors Quantity Surveyors (CQS). The content of the report will consider the importance of key skills such as, Problem Solving, Numeracy, Self-Management, Written, and Verbal Communication and IT Skills. To accomplish this the team will meet up and communicate with each other, plus research the subjects for the report. All three team members will be involved with the evaluation of the report, once the report has a structure the team should meet-up to go over the order that each member will completing, after each of the members have finished the sections there should be another meet-up to check the work each as done and update the contents, once this is finished the report should be edited and completed. The resources for the report will come from the research in secondary published literature, and from sources based on the internet. 1.1 Introduction This qualitative team research report will analyse and make use of secondary published literature to discuss the fundamental roles and responsibilities of a Quantity Surveyor. The report will highlight the key skills required to conduct the roles and responsibilities of a Quantity Surveyor. Quantity Surveying is an occupation that dates back as far as the 17th Century in Britain, when construction enterprises were measured and valued after they were designed and built. The definition of a Quantity Surveyor according to the renowned author Seeley (1997, p. 40), whose work is well documented in many books that cover all aspects of Quantity Surveying, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦A quantity surveyor is a professionally trained, qualified and experienced in dealing with these problems on behalf of the employer. He is essentially a cost expert whose prime task is to ensure that the project is kept within the agreed budget and that the employer obtains value for money. 1.2 Constraints or limitations on the work There have been several limitations on this report, the most important limitations being that the word count of the report has a maximum limit of 3000 words. Another was that group members did not always all come to the same conclusions, with differing opinions on subjects which could have led to opposing or contradicting views. Another constraint was that with it being a group task, on occasions there were individuals that were not able to meet due to busy lifestyles and other plans. Other instances of this was when work schedules clashed with meetings, or that long distances meant the meeting was unviable, or the venue for the meeting was too small for everyone to sit and engage. 1.3 Any assumptions made No assumptions have been made for the basis of this report. 2.1 Introduction This section will document and cover a brief history of the Construction industry, the inception of the QS role in the industry, the historical development of the QS, along with the roles and responsibilities of the QS on both the private and contractors side. 2.2 Historical development of the QS role The Construction Industry within the UK in the past was very different to the modern industry we know of today. The industry back then saw a Project Manager individually tender, procure and co-ordinate each discipline on site himself. However, the Napoleonic Wars of 1803 to 1815 would see the revolution of the Construction Industry in the United Kingdom. Cartlidge (2013) indicated that the government in power during the war were required to construct barracks to house the large amounts of soldiers that were to be crossing the English Channel. Due to time being of the essence, contracts were required to be let on settlement by fair valuation based on measurement after completion of the works. The many years that followed on from this saw the amount of projects in similar scenarios magnify, leading to the inception of the general contractor in the United Kingdom. The year of 1834 saw the birth of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). This professional association exclusively for architects, was formed on the basis that architects wished to distance themselves from surveyors and their perceived obnoxious commercvial interest in construction' (Cartlidge, 2013, p. 7). This in turn led to the inauguration of the Quantity Surveyor in the UK. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) report published in 1971 clearly defines the role of the Quantity Surveyor (RICS, 1971). The report seeks to acclaim the profession as specialists in the measurement and valuation of construction works (Perera, Pearson and Dodds, n.d.). The trio go on to state that the follow-up report also produced by the RICS, The Future Role of the Chartered Quantity Surveyor (RICS, 1983), identifies the skills and knowledge base of the QS while identifying the scope for expansion and diversification of services (Perera, Pearson and Dodds, n.d., p. 2). 2.3 The duties of the QS According to Willmott Dixon (2016), the duties of Quantity Surveyors are to carry out a feasibility study, advise on potential sites and working out what a client can afford to build. They will present detailed valuations on information of costs for elements of work on an intermittent basis to aid payment for those works carried out to date. They will be responsible for organising the division of a project into component work packages, and awarding these work packages to smaller, more specialised construction companies such as the subcontractors and, in that process, finding the best deals. They are also responsible for dealing with contracts and legal matters. Managing costs to ensure the initial budget is not surpassed. Arranging the staff payments and, settling the final accounts. Plus, act as the financial advisors while monitoring progress for the client. 2.3.1 The roles of the Professional Quantity Surveyor The Professional Quantity Surveyor (PQS), which is a quantity surveyor employed in private practice, has been prevalent in the Construction industry since the 1960s where cost planning services were introduced into their repertoire of duties in order to avoid tenders being returned over budget (Ashworth, Hogg and Higgs, 2013, p. 8). It is the PQS responsibility to give advice on all financial and contractual issues to all relevant parties, from pre-tender to completion of the project. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (1998) published a set of competencies, titled Table 1, in which the assessment of professional competence would be measured against. The competencies are split into three different categories; basic, core and optional. PQS would need to fundamentally prove that they meet these competencies in order to reach chartered status. 2.3.1.1 Pre-Construction The pre-construction roles and responsibilities would include functions such as initial budget setting with the client, quantification/measurement and possibly preparation of bills of quantities, dependant on the contract. The PQS would also have an input into the design stage of the project, and would work with the Project Manager (PM), architects/structural engineers and public authorities, as he/she would be involved from a very early stage. Following this, they would then work with the PM directly to give sound commercial advice to ensure the contract is awarded to the most favourable and most cost effective contractor. 2.3.1.2 Construction Phase During the Construction phase, the PQS would still be expected to analyse and provide cost/commercial advice to the PM where needed, but he would mainly be working with the Contractors QS now to ensure that monthly valuations are submitted and valued correctly. Not only this, he/she would be responsible for attending site to review the applications submitted to confirm the values applied for. The term for this generally is Cost Control. 2.3.1.3 Post-Construction After the Construction phase, has been completed, the PQS would endeavour to complete and settle the Final Account with the Contractor to ensure all monies, where due, are paid and all disputes settled. If its necessary, the PQS will also conduct and participate in arbitration or court proceedings to settle disputes that couldnt be resolved previously. Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (CIQS, 2016) 2.3.2 The roles of the Contractors Quantity Surveyor The Contractors QS is responsible for the performance of operations similar to those of the PQS, i.e., the measurement and pricing of construction work, utilising certain mechanisms for pricing such as Bill of Quantities. The Contractors QS handles the day to day running of the building/construction project. The construction programme is handled in three distinct sections. These are Pre-Construction, Construction Phase and Post-Construction. Within these phases the Contractors QS plays a major role. 2.3.2.1 Pre- Construction The Contractors QS will be required to carry out a Feasibility study for the project. They will also estimate the cost and whats involved in the project based on measurements of the designer or clients sketches. The Contractors QS can compare the project with historical projects that his/her company has completed, and potentially gain an insight into how much the build may cost. The final part of the phase will lead to the final detailed estimate which is prepared by the QS and the Architect of the project which will lead to the evaluating tenders. 2.3.2.2 Construction Phase The role of the Contractors QS will be to provide cash flow data so the client can start to arrange the finances needed to execute each stages of the project. They will also provide assessments on the cost effect so they can be ready for any changes that will appear during the Construction phase. During this time they can provide a project report. They can also manage disputes within the organisation (Clients, Designers and Building Contractors). 2.3.2.3 Post-Construction The Contractors QS will be preparing and carrying out Final Accounts with subcontractors that have worked on site, as well as preparing their Final Account submission to submit to the client. The QS will liaise with the site team to ensure that all snags/defects are carried out in a timely manner. Once the defects liability period has expired within the Main Contract, generally 12 months after practical completion, the QS will be responsible for releasing any retention monies owed to the subcontractors. 3.1 Numeracy Numeracy skills are one of the largest of the key skills within the QSs repertoire, as they assist with the majority of the tasks a Quantity Surveyor carries out. For example, a Quantity Surveyor would be required to carry out numerous calculations for tasks, such as when he/she is required to produce tender documentation, i.e., Bills of Quantities etc. Measurement, or Quantification, would also require extensive numerical knowledge, as the task of producing a Bill of Quantities would require the QS to measure quantities from a drawing and implement the measurements into a suitable method of measurement, such as SMM7 or NRM2. The QS would also require handy numeracy skills when producing a valuation, or application for payment, as he/she will need to devise a document that can be used to apply for monies against particular activities, which would generally be against an Activity Schedule. 3.2 Verbal communication Verbal communication is a very important skill for the Quantity Surveyor to have because they have to interact with the internal and external employees which are working on the project. For example, the QS has to have a formal relationship with the client and the architect whilst managing affairs on site. It is imperative that a positive rapport is built up using verbal communication with suppliers, as this will help to ensure materials are delivered on time, which in turn will assist in the overall project completion. Communication with all parties involved in a contract will be required, as the different parties involved all have the same end-goal; to complete the project. Verbal communication is essential in the day to day life of the QS, speaking face to face with clients, Project Managers and other key figures involved in the project. The QS will also be required to demonstrate his/her verbal communication skills in meetings, interviews and conferences. 3.3 Written communication The written communication will be important from the beginning to the end of any work that need to be carried out and can be either: Email Letter Proposals Contracts Brochures This will begin when a team has been assembled when minutes of the meetings will be taken. Once these notes have been written up into a report they will allow the team to get the relevant information. By having these written down will allow anyone who needs to see the information they will be able to request them. They will also become a permanent record to reference information from. 3.4 IT Skills ICT skills are quickly becoming the foreground of a Quantity Surveyors key skill inventory. The need for computer literacy and a high level of ICT skills has stemmed from the fact that computers are now a large part of how a QS operates. Generally, a QS will produce Bills of Quantities, send emails, write letters and even now, gain measurements from drawings using a computer. Most of these tasks require a satisfactory level of capability regarding ICT, and more of the complex tasks require further extensive knowledge. Ashworth, Hogg and Higgs (2013, p. 14-15) identify and backup the idea for the need of strong ICT skills, by stating that process skills include computer literacy. 3.5 Problem Solving Problem solving is a very important skill required in the role of the QS. Due to the unpredictability of the Construction industry and the works that are carried out on site, the QS will be required to use his knowledge and devise an innovative solution to a problem which arises on site. The QS would be required to sufficiently and effectively identify and examine the problem to find a possible resolution to overcome the situation in order for works on the site to continue to progress towards completion. Demonstrating this skill will help the QS to achieve productivity and targets, as well as meeting key dates within a contract, i.e., Practical Completion, otherwise known as PC. 3.6 Self-management To be successful in the management of yourself, Valchev (2016) states you should be self-confident. The best way to achieve self-confidence is being positive by getting rid of negativity, and be happy with every achievement whether they are big or small, State that you are smart and intelligent and finally talk with other positive people. Valchev (2016) also states that you should be able to manage stress. To achieve your stress levels, you should relax, enjoy yourself, take holidays with people you love, take long walks and have hobbies or do activities you like. You should have excellent organisational skills and can manage your time, which can be achieved by writing lists, make a schedule, prioritize and setting goals, break down large tasks into smaller tasks and balance work and rest and recreation. You should be self-motivated, to achieve this you should make a list of your needs and desires listen to music when working on them and look at different books for inspiration this can expand your thoughts, and you should also have big dreams, live in the present moment, have dreams often and remember everything can be achieved. Lastly you should also have a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet. With all of this will help productivity which will make the work go easily.   4.1 On roles and responsibilities of the QS To conclude, Quantity Surveyors, have a vital part to producing efficient work in construction to reduce conflict by securing the most suitable procurement technique is selected, providing effective cost control procedure and ensuring value for money constantly. They minimise the potential lapse by distribution of risk and identifying the value-adding activities in the project. Quantity Surveyors run an extensive choice of skills outside the traditional quantity surveying actions. The extended skills of quantity surveyors will help clients to achieve their needs and expectations. In the current financial predicament, where cash flow and credit are paramount for clients, thus completion of project on specified time and within budget is important especially in the public sector which deal with the large projects and intensive capital. Quantity Surveyors can secure success for projects by the current technical and financial information and hence have vital influence in economic recovery. 4.2 On the importance of key skills development as aspirant quantity surveyors or project managers and future specific recommendations you have for your key skills acquisition and development The key skills that have been identified above; numeracy, verbal communication, written communication, IT skills, problem solving skills and self-management skills are all critical to an aspiring Quantity Surveyor/Project Manager. They are the necessary foundations to a successful career in the Construction industry, as without these crucial skills, a Quantity Surveyor/Project Manager would struggle to perform his or her day-to-day tasks. The development of these key skills is necessary in order to progress and enhance the opportunities available to you throughout your working career. Without the development of these skills, you will not be able to achieve your life goals, which will decrease your confidence and will lead to you having a poorer quality of life. However, if these skills are developed and maintained, your confidence would be boosted and you would live a far more comfortable, fulfilled and higher quality life. References   Ashworth, A., Hogg, K., Higgs, C. (2013) Williss Practice and Procedure for the Quantity Surveyor. 13th edn. Chichester: John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Brandon, P. (1990) Quantity Surveying Techniques: New Directions. Oxford. Blackwell Scientific Publications Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (2016) Professional Quantity Surveyor. Available at: http://www.ciqs.org/english/designations-defined-professional-quantity-surveyor (Accessed 16 November 2016). Cartlidge, D. (2013) Quantity Surveyors Pocket Book. 2nd edn. Oxfordshire: Routledge. Manker, A. D. (2016) What Is Written Communication in Business? Definition, Types Examples. Available at: http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-written-communication-in-business-definition-types-examples.html (Accessed 19 November 2016). Perera, S., Pearson, J., Dodds, L. (n.d.) Alignment of Professional, Academic and Industrial Development Needs for Quantity Surveyors. Northumbria: Northumbria University. Rahmani, F. (n.d.) Importance of Quantity Surveyors for public sector organisations in the prevaling recession. Available at: http://www.academia.edu/466357/Importance_of_Quantity_Surveyors_for_public_sector_organisations_in_the_prevaling_recession (Accessed 19 November 2016). Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (1998) The APC Requirements and Competencies. London: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Seeley, I. H. (1997) Quantity Surveying Practice. 2nd edn. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Valchev, M. (n.d.) Self-Management Skills | List, Definition, Tips Techniques. Available at: http://www.businessphrases.net/self-management-skills/ (Accessed 19 November 2016). Willmott Dixon (2016) The role of a Quantity Surveyor | Willmott Dixon. Available at: http://www.willmottdixon.co.uk/careers/working-for-us/the-role-of-a-quantity-surveyor (Accessed 16 November 2016). Ashworth, A., Hogg, K., Higgs, C. (2013) Williss Practice and Procedure for the Quantity Surveyor. 13th edn. Chichester: John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Brandon, P. (1990) Quantity Surveying Techniques: New Directions. Oxford. Blackwell Scientific Publications Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (2016) Professional Quantity Surveyor. Available at: http://www.ciqs.org/english/designations-defined-professional-quantity-surveyor (Accessed 16 November 2016). Cartlidge, D. (2013) Quantity Surveyors Pocket Book. 2nd edn. Oxfordshire: Routledge. Manker, A. D. (2016) What Is Written Communication in Business? Definition, Types Examples. Available at: http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-written-communication-in-business-definition-types-examples.html (Accessed 19 November 2016). Perera, S., Pearson, J., Dodds, L. (n.d.) Alignment of Professional, Academic and Industrial Development Needs for Quantity Surveyors. Northumbria: Northumbria University. Rahmani, F. (n.d.) Importance of Quantity Surveyors for public sector organisations in the prevaling recession. Available at: http://www.academia.edu/466357/Importance_of_Quantity_Surveyors_for_public_sector_organisations_in_the_prevaling_recession (Accessed 19 November 2016). Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (1998) The APC Requirements and Competencies. London: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Seeley, I. H. (1997) Quantity Surveying Practice. 2nd edn. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Valchev, M. (n.d.) Self-Management Skills | List, Definition, Tips Techniques. Available at: http://www.businessphrases.net/self-management-skills/ (Accessed 19 November 2016). Willmott Dixon (2016) The role of a Quantity Surveyor | Willmott Dixon. Available at: http://www.willmottdixon.co.uk/careers/working-for-us/the-role-of-a-quantity-surveyor (Accessed 16 November 2016). List of appendices Group Diary Evidence Group Diary Date Activity Actions agreed Type of evidence 21 Oct 2016 Message from Matt Meeting Message print-out (see Figure 1 in Appendix 2) 27 Oct 2016 Email to the two members Template of the report Screenshot (see Figure 2 in Appendix 2) 01 Nov 2016 Email to Jeannette from Matt Revised template Screenshot (see Figure 3 in Appendix 2) 15 Nov 2016 Message from Matt Rearranging some of the report and organise a meet-up for the next day Screenshot (see Figure 4 in Appendix 2) 24 Nov 2016 Message to Mo Requesting work Screenshot (see Figure 5 in Appendix 2) 30 Nov 2016 Email to Matt Dropbox invite with the assignment Screenshot (see Figure 6 in Appendix 2) Evidence Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 (snippet of conversation from WhatsApp) Figure 5 Figure 6 (emails to Matt)

Genetic Engineering: Gender Determination: A New Evil Essay -- Argumen

Gender Determination: A New Evil      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout history, there have always been those who advocate the rapid proliferation of new technology. Today, many propose that we fully exploit the potential power of genetic engineering, before its capabilities are fully researched. With the potential risks involved and the great controversy surrounding this new innovation, one would expect that its applications, at least for the near future, would be limited to situations of grave importance. Ends such as finding a cure for terminal illnesses, reversing the ageing process, are fundamental, and hold the promise of great rewards for mankind; thus, it is not inconceivable that genetic engineering, altering the genetic material that has been given to man by God to distinguish him from His other creations, might be a legitimate tool of science in these situations.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, one clearly must try to prevent genetic engineering from being used in a frivolous or carefree manner. Some propose using this new advance for such mundane tasks as allowing parents to determine ...

The National Forest Management Act

Writing Assignment Resource Management Policy The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976 is a federal law that reorganized, expanded and amended the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, which called for the management of renewable resources on national forest lands. The National Forest Management Act requires the Secretary of Agriculture to assess forest lands, develop a management program based on multiple-use, sustained-yield principles, and implement a resource management plan for each unit of the National Forest System.It is the primary statute governing the administration of national forests. The NFMA had a particular focus in regulating when, where, and how much timber could be harvested and in requiring public involvement in preparing and revising the plans. In 1982 the NFMA published the Planning Regulations, a process that planned to integrate the many interests concerning the forests. There are ten major steps to this process.Identify issues , concerns, and opportunities (ICOs); Develop planning criteria; Collect data and information necessary to address ICOs; Analyze the management situation (AMS); Formulate a broad range of alternatives including a ‘no action, alternative; Estimate the effects of each alternative on the environment, the economy, and society; Evaluate alternatives by comparing how well each resolves the ICOs; Select a preferred alternative; Implement the plan by updating all uses of the forest into conformity of the forest plan; and monitor and evaluate the plan by comparing the actual biological effects of the plan to the projections.The NFMA has started many legal suits regarding the degree of involvement required by both the forest service and the public, but the most famous was the Ohio Forestry Association v. Sierra Club. The Sierra Club claimed that the logging practices allowed in the Wayne National Forest in Southeast Ohio were unlawful under NFMA because the Act requires ongoing input an d management from the Forest Service.The Court rejected the claims of the Sierra Club and stated the Forest Service is not an agency required to perform ongoing action or involvement in the forest plans. BIBLIOGRAPHY: * Pegg, J. r. â€Å"Bush Converts National Forest Management to Corporate Model. †Ã‚  Environment News Service. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. ;http://www. ens-newswire. com/ens/dec2004/2004-12-23-10. html;. * â€Å"National Forest Management Act of 1976. †Ã‚  Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. ;http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/National_Forest_Management_Act_of_1976;.

How To Build Suspense and Scare the Audience Essay

The film Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg, was created approximately 30 years ago. It tells the story of a shark which attacks and kills numerous people off the north-east coast of the USA in a small holiday resort called Amity Island. The attacks took place around the 4th of July, which in America, is similar to the British bank holiday. During this time, many Americans and tourists from abroad visit resorts such as Amity Island for a summer vacation. The director of the film, Steven Spielberg builds up fear of the shark using many different techniques. One of these techniques is the use of music. Spielberg uses a non-diegetic piece of music which plays whenever the shark is about to attack, almost like the shark’s very own theme tune. A non-diegetic sound is one which can only be heard by the audience and not by any of the characters in the film. Spielberg uses this particular technique just before the shark attacks Alex, the young boy who is swimming on his lilo. This technique makes the audience fear the shark, as whenever it’s played we expect another gruesome attack which adds a lot of tension to the film. Another technique used to increase our fear of the shark is showing the tremendous damage that it can cause. For example, towards the end of the film, whilst Brody, Hooper and Quint are out at sea attempting to catch the shark, it attacks their boat, resulting in the boat eventually sinking. Spielberg uses this method to give the audience the impression of the shark’s power and to suggest to them that the shark is indestructible, and that it will continue to kill innocent victims. A third technique with which Spielberg builds fear of the shark is the way in which he uses camera angles to show the sheer horror on the characters faces as they witness the attacks unfolding. For example, when Alex, the young boy is attacked, Spielberg uses a zoom, showing a close up of Brody’s face which is overwhelmed by horror and huge panic. By using this technique, Spielberg really gets the point across, from the characters’ perspective, of how terrifying the whole situation really is, which builds even more fear and tension for the audience. The choice and use of the music in the film Jaws also adds to the overall fear and tension experienced by the audience. For example, the music which is played just before the attack was chosen by Spielberg as it can be linked with the shark itself: the music starts quietly with a slow tempo as the shark swims around peacefully. Then, as the shark identifies its prey, the music begins to get both faster and louder. Then it begins to swim faster and close in on its victim, and as this happens, the music is gradually getting faster and louder. Then the shark bites, and the music explodes. Spielberg’s choice of music adds massively to the overall fear and tension in the film, because as soon as the music begins playing, the audience knows that an attack is imminent, they just sit there waiting anxiously. Then, the music explodes, coinciding with the attack, giving the audience a shock. Another way in which Spielberg uses the soundtrack to build tension and fear in the film is thro ugh contrasts of emotion. For example, at the start of the film before any of the attacks, a piece of diegetic music is played. This music creates a relaxed atmosphere so when the audience witness the first attack, it seems to come from nowhere, catching them by surprise. Another example of this is after the first attack on Chrissie, there is silence, and all that the audience can hear is the quiet ripple of the waves as they reach the shore. This makes the audience feel that everything is peaceful and calm, when in fact; they’ve just witnessed a terrifying shark attack. Another technique to provoke contrasting emotions is that of the music used just after Alex is attacked and killed by the shark. As Alex is attacked, everyone on the beach panics and rushes to get out of the water. At the same time, a young toddler is happily playing in the sand and quietly singing to himself. Again, as after the first attack on Chrissie, the audience can’t believe how something so terrible is happening when the mood set by the little boy is so calm and untroubled. This use of music and contrasting emotions builds up tension and fear affecting the audience as it makes them feel confused, as they can’t understand how things can be so pleasant then suddenly so devastating. Spielberg also exploits various camera techniques to build up fear and suspense in the film Jaws. For example, during the second attack on Alex, a lot of different camera techniques and angles are being used. The start of the scene is a tracking shot, showing Alex coming out of the sea and sitting next to his mother on the beach. After some persuasion, his mother lets him have just 10 more minutes in the water. Then a further tracking shot is used, as we follow Alex up the beach as he goes and gets his lilo. The use of this camera angle, which focuses the audience’s attention on Alex, immediately makes them feel more attached to the character. The next part of the scene shows Alex running into the sea on his lilo. The camera technique used for this part is a mediu m shot from a reverse angle, showing him from behind. This camera angle builds up fear as all the audience can see is Alex on his lilo and the bearing sea in front of him with no-one else in sight. This immediately makes the audience realise that Alex is vulnerable and that if something was to go wrong, help was a long way away. The scene then switches to a point of view shot from Brody, the police chief’s perspective. During this scene, a member of the public is talking to Brody, obscuring his and the audience’s view of the water. As Brody desperately tries to keep his eye on the water, the audience notice a young woman relaxing in the water. Then suddenly, she begins to scream and struggle and the audience automatically assumes she is being attacked by the shark, although it turns out that it was just her boyfriend playing around. This camera technique builds up fear as the audience realise that Brody is unable to help if an attack does take place. The next part of the scene involves a group of boys running into the water. The camera technique used for this part is a medium shot from a reverse angle. This camera angle shows the boys all alone in the sea, making the audience realise that they are, like Alex, vulnerable. It also makes us fear for their safety as the audience have just witnessed a false alarm with the young woman, and the potential of a real attack happening is fresh in our minds. Suddenly the shot changes once more to a point of view from the shark’s perspective. This shot shows the boy’s legs dangling under the water as well as Alex’s lilo on the surface. Spielberg’s choice of camera technique for this particular part builds up a lot of tension as the audience knows that an attack is coming, and that it’s almost as if we are just waiting for which boy the shark wants as its prey. Also adding to the tension in this scene is the fact that although the audience know about an attack being imminent, the eventual victim Alex doesn’t. This keeps them o n the edge of their seats as they are left almost shouting at the television screen for Alex to get out of the water! The attack the audience suspect is then confirmed as the shark’s non-diegetic theme tune begins playing and as this happens, the audience see the shark close in on its chosen victim. Immediately, the camera changes to a long shot. In the distance, the audience see the shark grab hold of Alex and hurl him into the air. As this happens, blood begins to spray from his body as he struggles desperately. Spielberg’s choice of camera for this scene makes the audience scared, as they see the whole attack unfolding, as well as for the first time, getting a look at the shark itself and discovering how big and vicious it really is. Instantly, the camera changes again, this time to a technique called a close up. The shot shows Alex under the water, desperately trying to free himself from the shark’s jaws before suddenly; he disappears in a thick cloud of his own blood. This scares the audience purely because of how gruesome it is. Once again, the camera angle changes to a medium shot, showing Alex’s mangled lilo calmly wash up shore in the slightly bloody water. The way in which the camera shows the lilo gently drift up shore, makes the audience feel sor ry and upset for Alex, as they feel they have made a connection with him in earlier parts of the film. The audience also have contrasting emotions, as they wonder how something so gruesome and devastating could have just happened when seconds later; everything was so calm and peaceful. Spielberg also tries to scare the audience by creating a lot of tension in the overall plot and particularly in the ending of the film. For example, he tries to create fear and suspense in the film by showing the first two attacks on both Chrissie and Alex close together at the start of the film. By situating them at the beginning of the film, the audience quickly realise that the first attack wasn’t a one off, and that the shark is almost like a serial killer. Another example of this technique of building tension and fear affecting the audience is the way in which Spielberg decides to add the third attack mid-way through the film, on the 4th of July with police chief Brody’s son involved. By showing the third attack mid-way through the film, the audience feel as if they have got to know t he main character, police chief Brody. So when the audience see the shark closing in on his son Mikey, they care more for his safety as they feel as if they have a connection with the family. By situating the third attack on the 4th of July, the audience see thousands of people flocking the beach at Amity Island, after Brody had desperately attempted to stop them from visiting because of the potential danger in the water. So when the third attack happens the audience are scared and shocked, as they realise that if only the Mayor hadn’t been so greedy for money and had Brody got his way, a third attack wouldn’t have occurred and Brody’s own son wouldn’t have been in danger. The last section of the film is really when Spielberg creates a lot of fear and suspense affecting the audience. One example in which Spielberg creates fear and tension in the film is when the shark attacks the boat whilst the three men, Brody, Hooper and Quint are out at sea. The scene involves the camera using a zoom technique and showing a close up of the wooden hull of the ship. As the shark attacks the boat, it endlessly pounds its head into the side of the ship and the audience can hear the wood beginning to creak under the strain as they watch it flex and bend. This scene builds a lot of tension because the audience think that any second; the shark is going to force a gaping hole in the side of the boat causing it to sink, which as a result would endanger the lives of the three men, who over the course of the film, the audience have bonded to. Another area of the film ending which contained a lot of fear and suspense was when after the damage to the boat had been repaired, Hooper, the shark expert, went down in the cage in an attempt to tranquillise the shark. During this scene of Hooper in the cage, the shark comes into view from nowhere and repeatedly crashes into the cage before eventually getting into it. This part of the film is full of tension because after every time the shark crashes into the cage, the more the metal frame begins to crumble. Then the audience see the shark close up, which scares them as they can see for themselves how fierce it really is. Immediately after, the audience see a shot of Hooper as he comes face to face with the shark for the first time, and his expression is ridden with horror. This reaction of his reflects on the audience as they then realise what it would feel like if they were within touching distance of the man-eating beast. But in my opinion, one of the scenes at the end of film has far more tension and fear than any of the others. This is the scene where Brody is alone in the sea after Quint has been eaten by the shark, and Hooper is under the water trying to hide from it. Brody is leaning on the mast of the sinking ship with a rifle in his hand when we see the shark gradually closing in on him. Brody shoots at the shark, but it continues to head straight for him, so he fires the gun again. Nothing happens, and by now the shark is just 10 metres away and Brody is down to his last bullet. He aims and fires, directly hitting the oxygen cylinder in the shark’s mouth. The tank explodes, blowing the shark into pieces. This part of the film is full of tension in the way that the shark is relentless and keeps gradually getting ever closer to Brody, who by now the audience feel connected to, and they begin to fear for his life. Also, the way in which Brody kills the shark with his last bullet keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. This scene is scary because of how unbelievably gory the shark’s death is. The audience see the shark blown up into shredded chunks of flesh as blood spurts everywhere. My scariest moment in the film is the death of Quint, the shark catcher. I think it’s full of the most fear because of how gruesome, gory and full of tension it is. The scene is full of suspense when Quint loses his grip on Brody, and agonisingly slides down the deck of the boat, straight into the jaws of the shark. Then it gets gruesome, because as the shark plunges its teeth into Quint’s chest, blood begins spewing from his mouth. Then the shark begins violently tossing him from side to side as Quint screams desperately before the audience here a loud crack. Immediately his body stops struggling and the shark calmly drags it under the surface of the water. Overall, in my opinion Steven Spielberg has successfully created a film in which the audience experience a lot of fear and suspense. He has effectively used many different techniques to do so, and as a result, more than 30 years on, Jaws is still recognised as one of the best horror films ever made.

Private and Public Culture: Redefining the Borders Essay

Although defining culture into a universal definition that fits every social or academic mold can be a daunting task (Fischer, 2007), it is safe to say that every person in this world belongs to a certain culture. Recent trends in the demographics of America show exactly the possibility of separate cultures interacting, thereby indicating that multiple cultures flourish on that part of the world (Kim, 2001). In a larger sense, each country across the globe is home to a wide variety of cultures. The people who belong to each of these cultures certainly have their own cultural affiliations and the groups of people in each society also have their own as a collective body. As a result, a person, according to Richard Rodriguez, can become someone who is a part of a crowd and someone who is distinct from it. But is there really a distinction between public culture and private culture to begin with? To say the least, the notion of a private culture presumes the existence of a culture that is isolated in nature and is different from other cultures. A private culture, therefore, is one that is exclusive and cannot be easily absorbed by a foreign entity. If there are private cultures—indeed, if there are isolated and exclusive cultures—it is difficult to understand why cultures sometimes overlap with one another, why one culture shares several basic yet significant characteristics with other cultures, or why people have the tendency to absorb other cultures when the necessity and the situation call for it? I think there are no innate differences between public and private cultures simply because the notion of culture, in my opinion, is a state of the mind. Culture is something that is conditioned during the extent of a person’s life. It is something that is taught and passed-on from one generation to the next as a mental idea that seeks to differentiate the self within the group from other groups. In reality, that state of mind is only an excuse for intolerance when there should be no reason to sow hatred or indifference on the basis of cultural distinctions. Such distinctions do not carry actual value that is worth propagating for we live in a world where the only culture that exists is the culture of humanity. That being said, there is a need for college students to search for more than what we have at home simply because the home is not a bottomless source of information. To know the world around and appreciate it in its whole us is to go beyond the limitations imposed by the social institution of family. The task of understanding the rest of humanity requires us to step out of the comfort zones provided by homes and to come face-to-face with people around us. There is the culture called humanity waiting to be explored outside the home. The foundation that our families provide is incomplete in much the same way as that which society and our peers expect of us is similarly partial. There is need to explore both areas because they are two sides of the same coin in a manner of speaking. Initially, we are armed with information provided to us by our families. To develop into more complete human beings, we need to gather more comprehensive information from other sources such as formal learning institutions and social groups. However, breaking away from our families does not mean abandoning them altogether for the sake of living a more rounded life. While it is true that we need to severe ourselves from the clutches of our families at some point in time, it does not necessarily mean that we also have to totally forget them or leave them behind never to return again. What is needed is to learn to remove the limits imposed to us by our families in our attempt to understand the society and the rest of humanity while not failing to remember our so-called â€Å"roots† and tap them whenever the need arises. References Fischer, M. M. J. (2007). Culture and Cultural Analysis as Experimental Systems. Cultural Anthropology, 22(1), 1-65. Kim, E. Y. (2001). The Yin and Yang of American Culture: A Paradox. London: Intercultural Press.

Starbucks vs Tim Hortons

A Comparison of Starbucks and Tim Hortons Starbucks and Tim Horton’s are two companies that specialize in the food and coffee service industries. Information about each company, a comparison of how each markets their brand and their differing distribution methods will be provided. Starbucks is a â€Å"premier roaster, marketer and retailer of specialty coffee† (Marketline 2012). This company is globally recognized because of their vast amount of stores, consisting of more than 17,000 retail stores in over 55 countries.Most retail stores are in highly populated areas, like â€Å"downtown and suburban centers, office buildings, university campuses and in select rural and off-highway locations† (Marketline 2012). Starbucks sells other products in addition to coffee, like teas and fresh food items. It also â€Å"licenses its trademarks through †¦ grocery stores and national food service accounts† (Marketline 2012). Some of the brands, besides Starbucks, a re Tazo Tea, Seattle’s Best Coffee and Starbucks VIA Ready Brew.Products for sale in Starbucks stores include Italian-style espresso beverages, cold and iced shaken drinks, and both breakfast and lunch items such as pastries, salads and sandwiches. Starbucks also sells warm food items, coffee equipment provides free wireless internet within its stores. Tim Hortons is like Starbucks in the sense that they provide similar products like â€Å"premium coffee, flavored cappuccinos, specialty teas, home-style soups, fresh sandwiches, wraps, hot breakfast sandwiches and fresh baked goods† (Marketline 2012). Tim Hortons has 3,750 restaurants in Canada and the United States.Most of these (3,148) are in Canada. â€Å"It also offers home-brew coffee through various lines of distribution in Canada and the US, including certain grocery stores† (Marketline 2012). The way in which both Starbucks and Tim Hortons distributes their products is through the various licensing channe ls. For example, Starbucks directly advertises and sells its products in grocery and warehouse club stores in Canada, the U. K. and countries in Europe. This channel is also known as the CPG Channel, which represents the four business segments: the U. S. , international, global consumer products group and other (Marketline 2012).Many licensees also have license agreements with Starbucks where Starbucks sells its ingredients to make these products that are sold in retail stores. Regarding Starbucks, some of these licensing agreements are with North American Coffee Partnership (joint venture with Pepsi-Cola Company), Arla, Suntory, and Dong Suh Foods. With these license agreements, Starbucks is able to have these other companies â€Å"manufacture and market ready-to-drink beverages† like the Frappuccino and Doubleshot espresso drinks as well as manufacture, market and distribute Starbucks chilled cup coffee beverages in Europe, Japan and South Korea.Super-premium Tazo Tea and i ce cream products in the U. S. with Unilever is another example of how the manufacturing and distribution works with Starbucks. Most of these products discussed are sold to foodservice companies that serve the following industries: businesses, education, healthcare, office coffee distributors, hotels, restaurants, and airlines, among many more. National accounts also receive Starbucks (Seattle’s Best Coffee brand), such as SYSCO Corporation, US Foodservice and others (Marketline 2012).Like Starbucks, Tim Hortons uses warehouses for distribution efforts as well. They also market their goods in restaurants and also have self-serve kiosks that consist of pastries and both hot and cold beverages. What differs from Starbucks is the distribution of paper and dry goods in the â€Å"Canada-based restaurants† as well as the frozen baked goods that are delivered to Ontario-based restaurants. Coffee-roasting plants in areas like Rochester, New York and Hamilton, Ontario are also used as third party distributors, which differs from Starbucks’ methods (Marketline 2012).Tim Hortons doesn’t have as many joint ventures as Starbucks, but still also shares that distribution method, as Tim Hortons operates the Maidstone Bakeries facilitiy, which is a 50-50 joint venture with a subsidiary of IAWS and a subsidiary of Starbucks (Marketline 2012). In comparing both Starbucks and Tim Hortons regarding distribution, Starbucks definitely has more of a wide range of distributors and concentrates mainly on coffee and fresh food distribution. Tim Hortons concentrates on their beverages as well as bread, dry foods and pastries distribution as well.So in this sense, they differ a bit in what they distribute and how, as Starbucks uses a lot of licenses and partnerships while Tim Hortons relies on third party distributors and warehouses. Marketing is another key aspect that both Starbucks and Tim Hortons do differently for their company. Starbucks has intensely use d technology applications such as for the iphone, in which a customer can use their mobile phone to make their purchases and it is also connected to the Loyalty Card that Starbucks has (Baker 2012). Starbucks also uses Facebook and online shopping to market their products.For example, in regards to social media, that area is part of the Marketing team in the UK and Ireland. They include customer care and public relations people, as well. Ian Cranna, Vice President for Marketing, stated that Starbucks believes â€Å"that customers want genuine and authentic interaction with the brands they choose to engage in online† (Lifting the lid on social†¦ 2012). Starbucks hosted a â€Å"Frappuccino Happy Hour† and Cranna also admitted â€Å"most of the best ideas come from their customers† and Facebook is a great way to stay connected. Lifting the lid on social†¦ 2012). Also, regarding the online shopping aspects, the Verismo, recently released in September, is S tarbucks’ first home coffee machine and can be bought on Starbucksstore. co. uk. This is â€Å"the first time the chain has ventured into e-commerce† (Baker 2012). According to Androich and Laird, a managing director, Kris Engskov, stated, â€Å"†Up until today making a Starbucks Latte at home was just not possible. Now customers who have been asking for more convenient ways to enjoy Starbucks need look no further† (2012).Starbucks is aiming to also provide self-serve â€Å"Go machines. † Its aim is to provide â€Å"the quality of Starbucks† anywhere (Baker 2012). Tim Horton also uses technology like social media to attract customers and advertise, just as Starbucks does. Tim Hortons did a Facebook campaign with the â€Å"Rolling up the Rim† promotion, which also included television, radio and both outdoor and in-store promotions. Those who liked the Facebook page could download a free ringtone of the â€Å"Roll Up† ringtone as well as create profile pictures with the theme.Free coffee for a year and gift cards were available to win. This attracted thousands of â€Å"likes† on Facebook and really promoted the Tim Hortons name (Androich and Laird 2012). However, what differs from Starbucks is that Tiim Hortons is especially associated with Canada life, and the few regions it inhabits in the northern United States area, while Starbucks is more of an internationally recognized brand because of its wide spread stores. According to Chris Koentges, a writer in Vancouver, Tim Hortons attracts Canadians.In his article, â€Å"Why we are Tim Hortons and Tim Hortons is us! † was a headline on Canada. com (Koentges 2012). Overall, Tim Hortons and Starbucks differ in their marketing by who they market to – as Tim Hortons is mainly in Canada and Starbucks, although predominantly in the United States, is also all over the world. However, they do market their brands in similar fashions on Facebook or other social media channels and providing chances to â€Å"win† certain prized items. References Androich, A. & Laird, K. (2012).Facebook done right. Marketing Magazine, 117(3), 44-47. Retrieved from EBSO Host on November 11, 2012. Baker, R. (2012). Starbucks launches new caffeine fruit drink. Marketing week (Online Edition), 11. Retrieved from American Psychological Association on November 11, 2012. Koentges, C. (2011). The Pandora’s Box of the new Tim Hortons’. Marketing Magazine, 116 (18), 21. Retrieved from the American Psychological Association on November 11, 2012. Lifting the lid on the social brands. (cover story). (2012).Marketing(00253650), 3-5. Retrieved from the American Psychological Association on November 11, 2012. Starbucks Corporation. (n. d). Retrieved from: on November 11, 2012. Tim Hortons Inc. (n. d). Retrieved from on November 11, 2012.