List and describe the seven steps of selling. Give an example of each Essay

List and describe the seven steps of selling. Give an example of each step. CH12 - Essay Example In the case of a school principal, ask the number of uniforms needed, sizes and colors. Overcoming objections involves eliminating all customers’ doubts by answering all questions they have concerning the product. A customer, for example, hiring one of your taxi cars can ask how long the car has been operating, its fuel consumption, any mechanical problems, and whether it is licensed (Silver & Howard, 2006). In this step, the customer makes a commitment and ends up buying the product. Give out your product as you receive the cash (Silver & Howard, 2006). A polite way of doing so would be, for example, asking, â€Å"Will you family be comfortable with the Toyota corolla?† In this step, the seller makes compliments and presents ideas that can lead to additional product sales. Normally, the suggested sales have a relationship with the original purchase (Silver & Howard, 2006). You can, for example, recommend the customer who hires your taxi to fuel it in a nearby filling station where you have shares. For success in business, entrepreneurs should stay in touch with customers even after making the sales. Follow-ups include making phone calls, sending emails, and wishing them happy birthdays. Such actions help retain customers (Silver & Howard,

Literature review: learning on the internet

Literature review: learning on the internet RESTRICTED CHAPTER TWO LITREATURE REVIEW LITERATURE ON THE SUBJECT 1.Internet is an important tool in the modern day context. All searches pertaining to any kind of search to are within the finger tips. There by it has become a topic for researchers to research and write the thesis on covering various aspect of the internet. Saunders says that a thorough understanding of, and insight into, previous research that relates to a project is essential for the quality of the study, this usually being achieved by means of critically reviewing the extant literature1 2.My literature review of research will be based on publications such as subject related text books .E books, articles, journals, periodicals, projects proposals and unpublished thesis, pamphlets, completed reports and other available literature information resources already published by external authors on the respective subject area. According Timothy and Ellis they state that the literature review should be structured in following stages. So that I have used this model in order to sequence my literature review.2 On the attributes of a critical literature review Saunders, Mark N. K.1 Rojon, Cà ©line21School of Management, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH, United Kingdom;2Department of Psychology School of Management, University of Surrey,Guildford, GU2 7XHUnited Kingdom Achieved by means of critically reviewing the extant literature.1 2A Systems Approach to Conduct anEffective Literature Review in Support of Information Systems Research Yair Levy and Timothy J. Ellis Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences,Nova Southeastern University, Florida, USA INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNET 3.There are plenty of definition can be find on what internet and this what the oxford dictionary says â€Å"A global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols†. The definition itself brings out what it exactly does and also it describes under which conditions it should use. According to Linux information project on 2005 describes it as a network that is composed of a number of smaller computer networks which connects thousands of networks and hundreds of millions of computers throughout the world. It shows that no barriers on using the internet for any kind of a user for the benefit of him or for his organization. 4.The internet is a unique collection of networks, or a network of networks, that was made possible by scientists with vision to implement a compatible communication standard. These standards’ allow computers built by a variety of manufacturers running on different operating systems to exchange data. The internet, therefore, is able to facilitate the sharing of resources among participating organizations, which include government agencies, educational institutions, and private corporations.3 HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF INTERNET 5.The Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio, and computer set the stage for this unprecedented integration of capabilities. The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location. The Internet represents one of the most successful examples of the benefits of sustained investment and commitment to research and development of information infrastructure. Beginning with the early research in packet switching, the government, industry and academia have been partners in evolving and deploying this exciting new technology4 6.The history of the Internet begins with the development of electronic computers in the 1950s. Initial concepts of packet networking originated in several computer science laboratories in the United States, Great Britain, and France. The US Department of Defense awarded contracts as early as the 1960s for packet network systems, including the development of the  ARPANET(which would become the first network to use the  Internet Protocol.) The first message was sent over the ARPANET from computer science Professor Leonard Kleinrocks laboratory at  University of California, Los Angeles(UCLA) to the second network node at  Stanford Research Institute(SRI)4. 7. Access to the ARPANET was expanded in 1981 when theNational Science Foundation(NSF) funded theComputer Science Network (CSNET). In 1982, theInternet protocol suite(TCP/IP) was introduced as the standard networking protocol on the ARPANET. In the early 1980s the NSF funded the establishment for national supercomputing centers at several universities, and provided interconnectivity in 1986 with theNSFNETproject, which also created network access to thesupercomputersites in the United States from research and education organizations. CommercialInternet service providers(ISPs) began to emerge in the late 1980s. The ARPANET was decommissioned in 1990. Private connections to the Internet by commercial entities became widespread quickly, and the NSFNET was decommissioned in 1995, removing the last restrictions on the use of the Internet to carry commercial traffic4. 8.Since the mid-1990s, the Internet has had a revolutionary impact on culture and commerce, including the rise of near-instant communication byelectronic mail,instant messaging,voice over Internet Protocol(VoIP) telephone calls,two-way interactive video calls, and theWorld Wide Webwith itsdiscussion forums,blogs,social networking, andonline shoppingsites. The research and education community continues to develop and use advanced networks such as NSFsvery high speed Backbone Network Service (vBNS),Internet2, andNational LambdaRail. Increasing amounts of data are transmitted at higher and higher ___________________________________________ exploring the internet by Clive C. Sanford 4http://www.internetsociety.org/internet/what-internet/history-internet/brief-history-internet#Origins(accesed on 03 march 2014) speeds over fiber optic networks operating at 1-Gbit/s, 10-Gbit/s, or more. The Internets takeover of the global communication landscape was almost instant in historical terms: it only communicated 1% of the information flowing through two-waytelecommunicationsnetworks in the year 1993, already 51% by 2000, and more than 97% of the telecommunicated information by 2007.[1]Today the Internet continues to grow, driven by ever greater amounts of online information, commerce, entertainment, andsocial networking4. 9.The Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio, and computer set the stage for this unprecedented integration of capabilities. The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location.3 10. The graph below shows how the expansion of internet from 1996 to 2014. Sri Lanka as a developing country 31mpeople out of hundred use intenet accordind to the cences given by the international telecomunucation union. Internet users per 100 inhabitants Source:International Telecommunications Union POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET 11.Educational achievement is perhaps of secondary importance to many of the children; however, it too seems to be a real advantage. From 10 years of age onwards, there is a pressure from school to get the internet and a sense that access to the internet allows the willing student to attain a higher quality of extra information relevant to the subjects.4 12.This research suggest that it also has a role re-engaging some of the educationally disengaged, as they enjoy the control and fun of working with a PC. It can also enable the academically able to find more relevant information and research more effectively. For some though, who are not particularly interested in schoolwork, they remain uninterested whether they have internet access or not. 13.Research about the Internet generally has focused on social effects, such as psychological well-being; for instance, children are more likely to use the internet when they feel lonely. A study by Michigan State University has found that the internet has had a positive effect on reading but not mathematics. One explanation is the internet is a text rich environment with fewer opportunities to foster mathematics or science skills; however, both the Internet and children are changing. Students increasingly use visualization, which can relate to mathematics and science as much as creative writing.4 14.The internet can facilitate a game like learning environment, which is highly motivating and interesting to students. Unlike in traditional classrooms, students do not sit across from the teacher, hold a textbook, and take a final exam. Instead, they can explore new information on the internet like a game combining both the learning journey and entertainment. More research is needed in this area as additional online games are built specifically for history, mathematics and science. Gaming has the potential to have a different kind of cognitive impact than traditional learning. 15.The internet’s is more exciting and challenging as a research environment than earlier media because it is a complex virtual, social and physical world that school children participate and co-construct, rather than something that is merely watched TV or PC. It becomes a complex virtual universe behind a small screen on which developmental issues play out in old and new ways, offering new views in to the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of schoolchildren’s. This universe will continue to expand as web-connected cell phones and other new internet applications emerge. Thus, existing theoretical models, research programmes and methodological techniques in developmental psychology are both challenged and stimulated by interactions between youth and the internet.5 16.According to the research done by three Japan universities regarding â€Å"Children and the Internet in Japan†, they identified that junior high school students enrolled in the school that use the internet had higher skills for practical use of information compared to students in the school that did not use the internet in its classes. This indicates that internet use in school activities helped in increasing the ability of students to use information practically. In this research, they proposed that â€Å"skills for practical use of information† are composed of six sub skills, namely, skill of collections, the skill of judgment, the skill of expression, the skill of processing, the skill of creation, and the skill of communication. In terms of these skills, students in the school that used the internet in its classes had particularly better skills of collection, judgment, expression, processing and communication compared to the students enrolled in the school that d id not use the Internet in its classes.5 17.Students possibly will feel bored if they only study from textbook day by day. That is why internet can be good alternative media to improve students’ motivation in studying. By using internet as a learning media, students can see relevant pictures or animations, which are related to lesson. Based on some reliable researches, students’ motivation in studying can increase fast if teachers or lectures use pictures or animations in explaining lesson.5 2-1 RESTRICTED Unethical Act Among Contractors: Class F in Selangor Unethical Act Among Contractors: Class F in Selangor 1.0 INTRODUCTION Contractors are the independent entity that agree to construct certain number or quantity of goods, material, equipment personnel ,or services that meet the requirement of specifications at a mutually price with a specific timeframe with another independent entity call contractee or project owner (Oxford Times). All contractors are rated Class F are Bumiputera. According to Article (160(2)) the concept of a bumiputra ethnic group in Malaysia was coined by activist Tunku Abdul Rahman. It recognized the special position of the Malays provided in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, in particular Article 153. But, the constitution does not use the term bumiputra; it defines only Malay and aborigine (Article 160(2)).This means that the contractor is Class F Bumiputera contractors and do not need to apply for Recognition of Bumiputera. According to PKK (Pusat Khidmat Kontractor) until 26th June 2010 there are 4210 registered class F contractors in Selangor. A countrys economic system, irrespective construction industry plays a role in, construction industry plays a substantial role in a countrys national economic system (Zantanidis Tsiotras, 1998). Indeed, this sector is an important employer of a nations workforce as it employs between 2% to 10% of total workforce of most countries (Abdul Rashid Hassan, 2005). Malaysia has gained an impressive economic growth during the last three decades (Abdul Rahman et al, 2005) and this sector has employed an estimated 798,200 workforce nationwide in 2004 (CIDB, 2006). The Malaysian Government has given a much needed boost to the countrys construction industry under the 9th Malaysian Plan where a total of 880 projects worth RM15billion is to be tendered (The Star, 2006). It should be foregrounded that the issue of poor quality in the construction sector has, nevertheless. been identified as a major concern even as far back as the mid 1980s (The Star, 2006). Generally, it is a rule that constructi on projects must be completed within the planned cost, scheduled time and required quality. Quality may sometimes be ignored in this industry to cut the costs or to shorten the project time (Turk, 2006). To deal with the low quality problem faced by the industry, quality management is seen as an approach to achieve the required level of quality of the end product and has been given great attention worldwide over the past three decades (Hiyassat, 2000; Berawi and Woodhead, 2005). However, there is a perception that majority of quality related issues are caused by human factor. In response to that perception, a study was performed to look into the relationship between professional ethics among participants of construction sector and the quality related issues in Malaysian construction sector. It should be noted that for this purpose of survey, contractors and clients are regarded as professions and they are required to demonstrate a high degree of professionalism in performing their t ask, in response to the Governments effort who has introduced the National Integrity Plan to enhance integrity and ethics in the nation. Unethical acts of fraud, waste, abuse, and corrupt practices are what receive prominent treatment in the media worldwide. Such as inappropriate gifts, unauthorized payments, and fiscal infractions are the unethical act problems most noted. The Conference Board in New York reported that the above issues have widespread agreement on each of these issues as being a serious concern among the leaders of the free world, including those in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Australia. Due to the increased of public awareness toward the contractor unethical acts and also decreased of public tolerance for wrong-doing, it is important for contractor to focus specifically on the question of how professional ethics should be incorporated into awareness of individual to make sure every projects should be completed as standard. The ethical statement can describe the act was right or wrong, or act with a right or wrong which it can provide a line of distinction between good and evil of the act or the tendency of a person or at least it can develop guidelines that can be made with various moral considerations(J.L Mackie, 1971). Ethical act are very important because it use to determine the thoughts, actions and behavior of members of the organization to fulfill their responsibility and trust as an employee. It is also to create statements and coordination between the contractors as a key institution for national development. Ethical act also important to maintain and improve client confidence in the organization, 84% of FMIs respondents said that theyve seen an unethical act committed in the construction industry in the past year is an alarming statistic. Contractors, can take little comfort in the probability that incidence of unethical behavior is just as high in other industries these days. FMI had offer f our solution and one of the solutions is to stiffer the penalties for those caught in unethical or illegal acts is the least likely to succeed. Secondly, the FMI had suggest to develop an industry-wide code of ethics which these codes of ethics need to be enforced in every country. A less formal but corollary solution would hit closer to home. Companies should place more emphasis on social responsibility in their dealings with other firms. This approach is easier said than done, of course, although a few respondents in the survey say they have walked away from projects or companies and suffered short-term consequences as a result. They did not indicate, however, that they regretted their decisions in the long term. Training in ethical conduct is the fourth solution, and its the one that holds the most promise as long as it is coupled with commitment to these practices from the top ranks of any construction company. The FMI report states that unethical acts can signal a failure of management to know how to get the job done the right way. 1.2 Problem statement Due to many issues in our country regarding construction industry that lead to the unethical act by the contractors in running the projects such as the issue on the Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2( MRR2 ), Matrade building and also the issue on the Navy Recruit Center. If this ethical issue still going on in our construction industry, it will affect our construction quality. According to the Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, more than 18,000 contractors and sub-contractors were either paid late or have yet to receive payment for completed work totaling RM23.7billion since 2000. This is a very huge sum, about 14% of the allocation for development projects under the 9th Malaysia Plan. The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) had carried out a six-month survey on 330 contractors, in which 273 cases of payment problems involving RM877.8mil were reported. Another example for the issue in Malaysian construction industry is the Plaza Rakyats project. The government will iss ue a warning notice to the Plaza Rakyat project contractors to continue the project as early as next week, initially, and if defaults, the tender will be forfeited. Minister of Federal Territory and Welfare Commissioner, Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said, a notice will be given to contractors in a week or two so that they continue construction work. 1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH. The aim of this research as far as the unethical act among contractors class F in Selangor is concerned, is to identify the effect in the construction quality. These main objectives are broken down to more specific objectives in order to better understand the topic at hand. To achieve the desired aim of the research, there are some of the objectives had been choose for this research. Objectives for this research are: Assess the level of professional ethical standards and its practice in the Selangor construction industry, To identify the problems associated to unethical acts in construction industry Determine the role of professional ethics in improving quality management in construction industry. 1.4 Organization of Study Chapter 1 introduces the research topic. It discussed about the unethical acts, definition of contractor, definition of bumiputera, issue related to unethical acts in construction industry problem statement and the objectives that initiated this study. Chapter 2 involves the extensive review of literature relating to the relevant topic of the subject matter of research including the professional ethic and relationship between ethic and construction. Chapter 3 discussed the methodology used in this study. It includes the developed hypothesis and data collection methods. It also includes a brief explanation on the data analysis methods. Chapter 4 reports data analysis and findings of the survey obtained from the findings. Chapter 5 involves detail finding and discussion on the result of survey base on the analysis. Chapter 6 present conclusions and recommendation based on the findings of the study. Key recommendation and their future prospect have been outlined which may assist in future plans to facilitate knowledge sharing plan in school. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introduction In this chapter a great extent of literature of relevant concepts are being reviewed in order to get insight of and identify variables which have impact on the objectives of this research. The researches which are done by different scholars and researches will be reviewed. 2.1 Quality In Construction Industry Quality is a measure of excellence or a state of being free from defects, deficiencies, and significant variations, brought about by the strict and consistent adherence to measurable and verifiable standards to achieve uniformity of output that satisfies specific customer or user requirements. ISO 8402-1986 standard defines quality as the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs Since tribal chiefs, kings, and pharaohs ruled the issues of quality have already existed (Gitlow, 2005). In a project scenario, quality can be defined as meeting the legal, aesthetic (Arditi Gunaydin, 1997) and functional requirements of a project (Berawi, 2006). Customers nowadays place more emphasis on the quality of products rather than the price which was the major concern in the past. Hence, a rapid expansion of international competition in quality has occurred (Tsiotras Gotzamani, 1996; Abdul Rahman Berawi, 2002). In America, the professional societies have prepared codes of ethics since before early twentieth century. These have been incorporated to a greater or lesser degree into the regulatory laws of various countries. Such as The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in the UK, they have a code of ethics incorporated into its standards of conduct and as for Canadian societies of professional engineers likewise have such codes of conduct as well (Bowen, P., R. Pearl and A. Akintoye. 2007). Mainly for practical and professional use, codes of ethics are developed for supplementing the building codes and other acts of law. These ethical aspects were considered based on mans natural morals (Darabarek Symotink, 1999). In terms of quality in construction industry, Turk (2006), citing Arditi Gunaydin (1999), mentioned that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"high quality building project includes factors like the design being easily understandable and applicable, conformity of design with specifications, economics of construction, ease of operation, ease of maintenance and energy efficiency. According to S. Fryer, Buro Happold, UK (2007), no matter how clever or elaborate the design of a structure is, any construction project will ultimately be judged on the quality of the finished product. Zantanidis Tsiotras (1998) and Abdul Rahman Berawi (2002) mentioned the expectations for quality construction projects will continue to grow rapidly as the number of affluent, educated and quality conscious customers are increasing. With the globalization of economy, construction firms worldwide are actively engaged to achieve internationally accepted quality levels to ensure their position in the emerging international market especially in those developing economies. Thus, the need to have a proper system that ensures quality is critical, coupled with high level of attention paid to quality management in construction industry (Abdul Rahman, Berawi, et al, 2006). Scholars indicate that quality management has been adopted by many countries in their construction industry including Hong Kong (Leung et al, 1999; Au Yu, 1999 and Tang Kam, 1999), Singapore (Low Omar, 1999 and Low Yeo, 1997), Greece (Tsiotras Gotzamani, 1996 and Zantanidis Tsiotras, 1998), Turkey (Turk, 2006), Jordan (Hiyassat, 2000), Saudi Arabia (Bubshait Al Atiq, 1999), Sweeden (Landin, 2000), United States (Chini Valdez, 2003), South Africa (Rwelamilla, 1995) and Malaysia (Chew Chai, 1996). As for Malaysia,we have the code of ethics for co ntractor which need to be followed by the contractors. In that code of ethic it emphasizes more about the level of professionalism, productivity, and quality. Excellence in the construction industry is very much determined by the level of efficiency, productivity, quality and professionalism in the delivery services. The delivery of construction services is connected directly or closely related integrity of the construction contractors in the performance responsibilities. This aspect has been dealt with when Construction Industry Master Plan (CIMP): 2006-2015 enacted. CIMP has given special emphasis on increasing productivity, image and professionalism in the construction industry as the strategic thrusts of this industry to greater high. For this purpose CIMP also has proposed legislation Code of ethics to further strengthen the practice of values and moral ethics among contractors in the country in implementation of construction works. Many developers were also fined for not confo rming to the Housing Development Act, including not preparing reports on schedule, especially work progress reports every six months (NST, 2010). This quality in our construction industry can be improved if everybody doing their part. For every developer, starting a new housing project is a new business. So, if they understand their responsibility as a developer and follow the agreement, they must complete the projects according to the dates set. According to Michael S. Poles, the quality of the construction can be control by competence supervision. It is the duty of the contractor to complete the work covered by his or her contract, in accordance with the approved plans and specifications. The contractor must carefully study the approved plans and specifications and should plan their schedule of operations well ahead of time. If at any time it is discovered that the work which is being done is not in accordance with the approved plans and specifications, the contractor should immed iately correct the work. In order to assure that the work being done is in accordance with the approved plans and specifications, the contractor must always supervise, and coordinate of all of the work that need to be completed. 2.2 Professional Ethic in Construction Industry Profession is an occupation that requires both advanced study and mastery of a specialized body of knowledge and undertaken to promote, ensure or safeguard some matter that significantly affects others well being (Vee Skitmore, 2003). Almost every profession has its codes of ethics to provide a framework for arriving at good ethical choices. Therefore, professional ethics is a system of norms to deal with both the morality and behavior of professionals in their day to day practice, and ascribes moral responsibility not to an individual, but to all professionals practicing in a particular profession. For the building and designing professions, the incalculable value of human life demands nothing less than the highest moral considerations from those who might risk it otherwise (Mason, 1998, cited in Vee Skitmore,2003). Professional ethics concerns the moral issues that arise because of the specialist knowledge that professionals attain, and how the use of this knowledge should be governed when providing a service to the public (Ruth Chadwick, 1998). The construction industry is a perfect environment for ethical dilemmas, with its low price mentality, fierce competition, and paper thin margin (FMI, 2006). Jordan (2005) stated that unethical behavior is taking a growing toll on the reputation of the industry. From a survey conducted by FMI, 63% of the respondents whom are the construction players feel that construction sector is tainted by unethical conducts (FMI, 2006). Surveys conducted by researchers in Australia (Vee Skitmore, 2003) and South Africa (Pearl et al, 2005) identified several unethical conducts and ethical dilemmas in the construction industry such as corruption, negligence, bribery, conflict of interest, bid cutting, under bidding, collusive tendering, cover pricing, frontloading, b id shopping, withdrawal of tender, and payment game. It is evident that there exist significant areas of concern pertaining to the ethical conducts practiced by the construction professionals. There are many other efforts taken to increase the ethical standards and integrity among the professionals in construction sectors worldwide. According to Pearl et al (2005), the regulatory professional Acts relating to the built environment professional sector in South Africa were totally overhauled in the late 1990s and a new suite of professional Acts were promulgated in 2000 to enhance the professionalism. Meanwhile, in America, the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) has updated its code of ethics to include a wider range of professional services as well as professional services among construction players (CMAA, 2006). A Standard of Professional Conduct to govern the ethical practices in the American civil engineering profession was published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE, 2007). On the other  hand, Australia has their own codes of tendering to enhance fairness and transparency (Ray, 1997). In Malaysia, the government is very serious about improving ethics in both public and private sector. For instance, the construction industry has introduced codes of ethics for contractors to encourage self regulation among the contractor in this sector (The Star, 2006). Stakeholders of construction projects were asked to enforce the existing code of ethics to safeguard the engineers good name (The Star, 2006). The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) of Malaysia also host integrity courses for contractors to promote the importance of integrity and plans to make the course as a pre9requisite for contractors when renewing their registration (The Star, 2006). Finally, the launching of the Construction Industry Master Plan (CIMP) by CIDB in 2004 also had in the master plan an objective to enhance professional ethics in the local construction industry (Construction Industry Master Plan 2006 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 2015). According to Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha, 1,345 developers and more than 5,000 directors of such companies involved in problematic projects have been blacklisted because they abandoned housing projects and also those that were not completed on schedule. They are not only been blacklisted, they also fined for not conforming to the Housing Development Act, including not preparing reports on schedule, especially work progress reports every six months(NST 2010). 2.3 Relationship between Professional Ethic and Quality Related Issues Besterfield et al (2003) mentioned quality is dependent on ethical behavior, whereby quality and ethics have a common care premise which is to do right things right and it is a proven way to reduce costs, improve competitiveness, and create customer satisfaction. It is evident that low  ethical standards among construction professional will lead to quality problem. These issues were highlighted in the media and received great concern of public (Fleddermann, 2004; NST, 2004; and RTM, 2006). As an example, the ethical related case in the construction industry was the collapse of the Hyatt Regency Kansas City walkways (Fleddermann, 2004). It is a hotel project in 1970s with walkways suspended over the large atrium. With the intention to save the cost, the subcontractor for the fabrication and erection of atrium steel suggested changes in the structure and it was approved by the consulting structural engineer. During the construction, part of the atrium collapsed and the engineer came out with the report saying that the design was safe and ready to be opened for business in 1980. The tragedy happened one year after the completion of the project during a dancing party in the atrium lobby. Some of the walkways on which people were dancing collapsed onto the crowded atrium floor, leaving more than a hundred people died and almost two hundred injuries. Investigation was then conducted by the Missouri Board of Architects, Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors reported that the original design was only marginally acceptable to the Kansas City building code where the walkways would only have had approximately 60% of the capacity required by the code. The situation was even worse in the new design proposed by the steel subcontractor and approved by the engineer. The consultant was found negligence in its investigation of the atrium collapse and places too much reliance on the subcontractor. Therefore, the engineer has been charged for negligence, incompetence, and misconduct. Both the engineer and the consultant firm lose license of practicing. This case strongly indicates that unethical behaviour will lead to quality problems and structural failures. In Malaysia, as an example, a newly opened specialist hospital in Johor Bahru was closed due to fungi attack on the equipments and walls (RTM 2006). It was found that many of the hospitals equipments such as oxygen piping and sewerage system are not according to the specifications. This clearly shows the poor ethics of the contractor who failed to do right things right. The contractor was given three months to rectify problems including leaking pipes, broken ceilings and faulty air conditioning ducts (NST, 2004). Another substandard quality of construction project in Malaysia is the RM238 million Middle Ring Road Two (MRR2) flyover which was closed to traffic after cracks were found in 31 pillars and structural movements were detected (The Sun, 2004). The Government engaged an independent consultant from the United Kingdom to investigate the defects. The independent consultant identified that design deficiencies and improper anchoring of the columns to the crossbeam were the main cau se of the cracks (NST, 2004). Design deficiency is found to be a negligence on the design team and the repair works was then carried out at an estimated cost of RM20 million. Contractors confront dozens of issues, many of which have substantial impact on their own self or organization, as well as others involved in the project. Many decisions have a straight forward answer determined by contract language or budget. Some, however, require entering an indistinct gray zone where the contractor must use best judgment to devise a course of action. Ethical questions raised include: what happens when professional codes and regulations lag behind technological innovations; what precautions must engineers take when trying to balance the benefits, new technologies bring against risks to public safety, often associated with engineering innovation and what are engineering and corporate responsibilities to the public for failed innovation; and should he hold then payments for the benefit of his organization. Often these challenges are managed with little or no preparation or formal guidelines and sometimes with negative results. Engineering ethics is attracting interest in colleges of engineering throughout the world. Therefore, the new technology must address the human being as its central subject and has to be introduced by ethics (Cywinski, Z. 2001). The construction of the new national palace at Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur has doubled in a period of four years from RM400 million to RM 811 million. Contracts for the construction were awarded to three companies through direct negotiations instead of open tenders ( NST 2003). Government will focus on overcoming the problem `leakage of tenders in the Ninth Malaysia Plan (RMK-9) are exploring the possibility of tightening conditions of the application to the contractor class F. Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the conditions were studied for class F contractors license applican t is to ensure that applicants undergo interview, examination, has offices and operations background of the net. The number of contractors has increased dramatically recently that 46.983 of the contractors registered with the Contractor Service Centre (PKK) in the country. Of the total, 35,544 are Class F contractors. The contractors will face intense competition in seeking jobs or contracts, and more disturbing is the number of contractors that own more than the number of contracts offered, especially from the government. CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.0 Introduction This section describes the methodology used in conducting this research. It starts by describing the sample selection, research design, variables and hypothesis and continues with the description of the methods of data collection and data analysis. Finally, some of the limitations and key assumption of the findings are described. Primary source were used to collect data from the sample to assess the perception of respondents toward knowledge management and knowledge sharing, the school culture and work environment, individual barriers and organization barriers toward knowledge sharing. The selected data was tested and conclusions were drawn. There are 6 procedures used in completing this study. First, a review of literature was conducted. The review was focused on the emergence of knowledge economy and knowledge management. Then the roles of knowledge sharing were discussed. A further potential barrier toward knowledge sharing was reviewed. Variable which has affected on knowledge sharing was also discussed. The review of literature served as a frame work for the study, and offered contrasting opinions of the authors. Second, a rough draft of the survey instrument and possible methods of testing and assessment of variables was done. A questionnaire was tested and validated before implementation reviewed for preventing any bias and avoiding errors. Questionnaire survey is the main research methodology used to achieve the research objectives. Five hundred (500) sets of questionnaires were distributed to targeted respondents in Selangor state by post ,via the internet , by hand. Targeted respondents ranging from consultant firms and contractor personnel within Selangor area .To ensure the reliability of the questionnaire survey, the sample size taken was then compared to match with the sample size recommended by Krejcie and Morgan (Sekaran, 2000: 295). Third, a survey was implemented. Questionnaire was sent to the list of all class F contractors which registered under PKK within Selangor area. Fourth, the result of the survey was assessed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 15.0 software. The result were tested and presented with illustration. Scores were converted into percentage rating and presented in graphical format using excel 2003. Fifth, the conclusion was driven from data analysis and findings. Important points were highlighted and recommendations were given. Research Design The research was designed to explore the unethical acts among contractors regarding the issue on the construction quality in Selangor. The data produced from the research was then analyzed so that the following objective could be achieved. The stated hypothesis could be tested and further recommendations could be made with regard to specific focus of this research. To identify areas for further, and more specific areas of research Quantitative method utilizing survey method is used for gathering information. Variables Variables are classified into three groups including dependent variables, moderate variables and independent variables. Dependent Variable Unethical act is considered as dependent variable Independent Variable Contractors and construction quality are considered as independent variables. Data Collection A comprehensive literature review and self administered questionnaire were used to provide an insight to the study. These instruments provide informative ideas on the possible issued experienced by factors affecting perception of respondents about unethical acts will effected the construction quality The survey aimed is to target contractor class F in Selangor. The aimed was chosen because of two reasons. Firstly, there are too many contractors class F in Selangor. Secondly, the issues that involved contractor class F are more major in our construction industry and this give the author the possibility to sent the questionnaires to some contractor firm on one to one basis. The author would have preferred a larger sample of respondents to participate in the research, but due to limitation of time, this was not possible. The survey was aimed at the contractors class F in Selangor area. Data were collected from 500 contractors selected randomly from different firm and background. Questionnaire was send through mail and respondents were given three weeks to respond before they were send back to the author. 3. 4 Research Assumptions When conducting this study a number of assumptions have been made with regards to the literature reviewed and the respondent sample selected. These assumptions are identified as below. The secondary data collected from various resources have been assumed to be valid and based on the research done by authors. The secondary data has been assumed to present public interest as a whole and without any biases. The respondents have responded to the questionnaire without any biasness and to the best of their abilities. Instrumental Biases In administrating the questionnaire, there has been a significant degree of biasness that was exercised by researcher. The questionnaire was developed based on the respondents. This minimizes the respondent biasness to a certain level. Various scaling methods were utilized where appropriate to minimize biasness. Sample size Approximately 500 contractors were randomly selected from the target population of different firms. The simple random sampling method was utilized in this situation. This was to deter any sample biasness that could have distorted the result. The respondents samples of contractors were surveyed in the Selangor area. The contractors who responded came from various hierarchy levels of different firms. Scaling of Questionnaire In order in measure the operationally defined and elements of a variable, the rating scale has been used to elicit responses with regard to the person studied. A number of rating scales techniques and measurements were utilized when administrating questionnaire involving Category scale and Likert scale. Example: Category Scale What is your highest educational qualification? PHD degree Bs degree Ms degree Diploma/STPM Knowledge sharing is fully supported by school administrator. Extremely disagree/ Strongly disagree/ Disagree /Agree /Strongly Agree/Extremely A

US and Canada Essay -- Economic Relations

Economic relations between Canada and the United States In January 1989, Canada and the US implemented the USA-Canada free trade agreement that marked a major increase in trade among them. Their commerce forms the largest bilateral trading relationship in the world. As a result of the free trade agreement, the economic relationship between them has succeeded and the two economies have become highly interconnected. In 1994, this agreement was partially altered and broadened to include Mexico in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (McKinney 2010). Canada’s economy is geographically divided into economic clusters that have deeper relations with the USA than the rest of Canada. For instance, eight of the ten biggest Canadians cities are within 100 miles of the US border. After the free trade agreement, Canadian economy emerged as more dependent on international trade, and US-Canada trade was in part responsible for that. Canada’s exports of goods and services increased from 25 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 1989 to 43 percent in 2002, and exports to the USA augmented from 18.6 percent to 37.6 percent of GDP during the same period. Canada’s imports of goods and services grew from 25.8 percent to 38.1 percent of GDP. The US share slightly increased from 63.8 to 71.1 percent (McKinney 2010). As an indicator of provinces’ lack of commerce among them, between 1989 and 2002, inter-provincial exports in Canada fell from 22.5 percent to 19.7 percent of GDP. In 2001, 90 percent of Canadian provinces exported more to the USA than to other provinces – only two provinces did so in 1989. Therefore, Canadian economy has been more intertwined with parts of the USA and relatively less linked across provinces (McKinney 2010)... ...nd investment in its oil sands. In fact, the rise in the guaranteed production of oil sands, as the US intends to do, will allow Canada to invest in new technologies to reduce the extraction cost of oil sands. Second, Canada would amend NAFTA to include a privilege treatment with regards to the US board control/access, and solution and/or extinction trade of disputes with the US, such as softwood lumber, agricultural policies and intellectual property rights. Finally, the US would have to reimburse all the energy contracts signed among Canada and China. Clearly the relationship between China and Canada would be seriously deteriorated. As a rising power, China would soon become the greater economy in the world and retaliation would be likely to happen. Although as risky as the first option, this one seems to be worse in the long-run, rather than in the short-run.

A Technological Advancement in European’s Rural Communities

Throughout the economic reforms of the 18th and 19th centuries life for the peasantry moved from one ill to another. The turbulent economic changes that marked this period would benefit the lifestyle of one generation only to completely impoverish the next. It wasn't until the latter part of the 19th century that the standard of living for the average citizen moved toward what could be considered comfortable. In the early part of the 1700s the majority of Europeans were living in rural communities of no larger than 1000 people. Their lives focused only on survival. They would farm small plots of a larger field, the right for which they would often have to pay a considerable amount of their income as rent to the landholder. In most cases, for warmth they would sleep under the same roof as their animals, and heating sources usually consisted of wood, peat or dung, but very rarely coal. While this lifestyle is harsh it had its benefits. Due to the fact that one field would be cultivated by a large portion of the community, decisions on the crop rotation would have to be determined as a community. This provided the peasant with some modicum of freedom. When landholders started enclosing fields, and began cultivating them for profit, it devastated millions. Suddenly they had no immediate source of food nor a place to graze their animals. The immediate effect was wide spread starvation. The long-term result was that with the efficient management of fields, and the introduction of new crops, like the potato, food became more abundant. This instituted a population boom throughout most European nations. With the introduction of the putting-out system by many merchants, as a means to circumvent guild control over the manufacture of goods, peasants were able to support themselves. With their newfound work, and the increased abundance of food they were finally able to feel secure in their livelihoods. This was just the calm before the storm. The growing desire among the bourgeoisie for financial gain paired with new technological advances made the putting-out system inefficient. Shifts in production were made toward small workshops or larger factories. Over time the demand for rural industry decreased to the point where many were accepting next to nothing for their goods. It became virtually impossible for the peasantry to make a living in rural communities. They were increasingly forced to move to cities where they could find factory work. Liverpool, for example, grew by 250 percent between 1600 and 1750. With even further advances in factory mechanization, hundreds of thousands of jobs became â€Å"obsolete†. After all, if you have a machine that can do the job of one hundred men, why pay one hundred men? Once again there was a widespread loss of jobs. Public opinion on poverty at the time did nothing to help the situation either. The poor were grouped into two categories: the deserving and the undeserving. The deserving consisted of children, the elderly and the crippled. The undeserving were healthy men and women who either were unable to find work. The attitude was that it was their fault they were poor, and thus they were treated as little better than criminals. It wasn't until the advent of the railroad that things really started looking up for the average citizen. The sheer amount of work required in the construction of a railroad alone provided many with work. In addition, it now became cheap to transport metal, and other heavy raw supplies for the manufacture of goods. This not only dropped the price of commodities, but also spurred industry to an even greater extent. I feel it evident that these economic reforms consistently threw the lives of the average citizen into upheaval. We must not overlook, however, the ultimate good this period did for the world. Were it not for the willingness of those early capitalists to take advantage of the peasantry as they did, we would all likely be farming a small plot of land and heating or homes with dung.

Bruce Dawe’s “Enter Without So Much As Knocking” Essay

â€Å"Remember, man, thou art but dust, and unto dust though shalt return.† This is a translation of the quotation which begins Dawe’s poem, Enter Without So Much As Knocking. The quote reminds us that life is not forever; and that we are all faced with mortality. The poem itself is discussing a man’s journey from birth to death and how all around him life is interpreted by material possessions. At the beginning of the first stanza, the sentences have been made very short and simple, as if to demonstrate the thoughts of a new born child. The first voice that the baby hears when he is born is Bobby Dazzler, one of Australia’s first game shows. The very first thing that the baby hears is not the voice of his mother, nor the voice of his father, but the voice of materialism. This first stanza instantly creates the feeling of a home in the 1950s, where television was something new. The ellipsis that connects the first and second stanzas demonstrates a change in time, in this case, a change of a couple of years. The words used in the second stanza, such as â€Å"well-equipped† and â€Å"economy-size†, are words that were constantly used in commercials at the time, as if life was being sold to the child. This use of a commercial like structure is also evident in the way that the family is depicted, each with its own stereotype: an â€Å"Economy Sized Mum†, a sexist description typical to the 50s; an â€Å"Anthony Squires – Coolstream – Summerweight Dad†, Anthony Squires referring to an Australian brand of suit; and â€Å"two other kids straight off the Junior Department Rack†, referring to the baby’s siblings, each free of gender and age and recognised only by the type of clothing that they wear. From these two stanzas, Dawe is able to create not only a vivid image of the typical family in the 1950s, but also give us an insight to the TV culture that they are living and what effect it has on the family. The thirds stanza discusses what happens when the Mum character wins the Luck’s-A-Fortch Tricky-Tune Quiz. She takes the boy shopping. They set off in the â€Å"good-as-new station-wagon†, yet more advertising jargon which  describes the family’s second-hand car. The short phrases that follow are describing a child’s view of a road trip and the many rules that come with it. The statements begin as typical road warnings â€Å"WALK. DON’T WALK.† and become more satirical as they continue, for example â€Å"NO BREATHING EXCEPT BY ORDER†. These phrases represent the signs that a child may recognise on a trip. After these, there are the sounds that are present on a car trip, as well as the sound of Mum complaining. The numerous â€Å"beeps† that are present may represent both the beeping of a car horn as well as censorship of swear words, a likely situation especially in the last capitalised beep. This situation creates an image or a race to get somewhere. It could be seen as Dawe’s expression of likening a traffic jam in the hurry to get to somewhere to the race of people to get to a certain place in their career or in their life. This entire stanza dictates fast and hectic circumstances, which change suddenly when arriving at the fourth stanza. The first word in the fourth stanza, however, followed by a comma, immediately slows the reader down by forcing them to pause. The stanza goes on to tell of how although the boy is surrounded by so much commercialism and fast-paced life, such as the fifty-foot screen and the giant faces projected onto it, he is able to enjoy a natural wonder of the world, the stars. It is here that there is the first mention of the boy’s emotions, where Dawe writes of the boy enjoying something. When describing the way the starts are sprinkled over the sky, Dawe has used the word littered, which usually has negative connotations. This could be because the stars had not yet been changed by our world, and if they were left as they were, untouched, they were not as good as what we had created on our Earth. The stanza ends on a slightly low note because of Dawe’s metaphor of the stars being like â€Å"kids at the circus† Dawe is trying to show how the stars are close enough to the Earth for the boy to reach, and therefore, for the boy to get â€Å"kicked†, or hurt. As in the beginning of the fourth stanza, the first word of the stanza brings the reader back to a different part of the boy’s life and a different event. This new event shows the character as no longer a boy, representing innocence, but in the company of â€Å"godless money-hungry back-stabbing  miserable so-and-sos†. We can tell from this that Dawe is trying to show that the boy has now grown up and has been introduced to the â€Å"real world† and is now already a middle-aged man. The phrase â€Å"goodbye stars† relates back to the fourth stanza. He must also farewell the â€Å"soft cry in the corner†; a farewell to any emotions. It is at this point that Dawe includes the adult voice of the boy. The character speaks the need to care for yourself first and foremost, no need to think about the effect it may have on others, shown in the statement â€Å"hit wherever you see a head and kick whoever’s down†. This harsh change from innocent boy to selfish man is how Dawe is creating the character. The adult man is shaped by his dialogue in the poem. The character has grown up and no longer discusses his family, yet no mention of a wife or children is present until the next stanza, and then only to criticize. This fifth stanza is the first one to portray him as an adult, and Dawe has managed to make the character seem harsh and unkind. The sixth stanza introduces Alice, most probably the characters wife. The character also criticizes Clare Jessup, indicating his hypocritical nature. The sixth stanza is very short, as it seems as though it was cut short because of what happened next. Obviously the car is involved in an accident, shown by the last two words of the stanza â€Å"watch it† followed by a dash, leaving the reader to imagine the incident. The dash that ends the stanza shows how short the moment between life and death is, and how it happens in the blink of an eye. Until this point, Dawe has been able to create the entire persona of the character, starting from birth and ending at death. Dawe is able to show how through different events a person is moulded into the character which they become. As the character has died, the narrator returns once more to an outsider, and observer. The reaction to those who possibly attend his funeral where they see his body, is strangely surreal; as they focus not on his life and personality, but on what a good job the morticians did on giving him a fake tan. The idea here is that he’s dead, but at least he looks good. The line † the old automatic smile with nothing behind it† describes how much of a disguise he had created for himself. No-one knew him for who he was because he had spent so long trying to conform to society and kill his  individualism. The last few lines of the poem relate back to his life. â€Å"winding the whole show up† refers to the man’s life as if it were a television show, now finished, as well as the ending of the poem. The end of the poem also states what the man has left, the parking tickets, taximeters and Bobby Dazzlers. These are all material things. There is no mention of any loved one, such as his wife; or the rest of his family that are spoken about earlier in the poem. Instead, there is talk of him leaving the â€Å"grieving over halitosis, flat feet, shrinking gums and falling hair†. The term grieving is usually used to describe the process after someone has passed on, yet in this case is used to show worry over such trivial matters. The second last line in the poem, â€Å"six feet down nobody interested† shows how society regards the dead: he doesn’t affect people anymore, so nobody cares. The last line links back to the first. â€Å"Blink, blink. CEMETERY. Silence†. Just like he came into this life, the man blinks into death and into silence, an ending.