Sunday, January 26, 2020

Procurement And Contract Advice For Clients Construction Essay

Procurement And Contract Advice For Clients Construction Essay This section of the report outlines both traditional and design and build forms of procurement to aid clients in understanding and selecting the appropriate method. Traditional Procurement: The most well known and widely accepted form of procurement in the construction industry. Traditional procurement caters for all types of client from individuals constructing a project for the first time too large complex projects where the function of the building is paramount. Traditional Organisation Client / Employer Contractor Subcontractors Employers Agent Quantity Surveyor Architect Civil / Structural Engineer Other Designers Contractual LinkThe traditional organisation diagram highlights how contractual links are formed within traditional procurement. As the client you are contractually bound to the design team. This is important and should be considered seriously as the contractor is at no direct contractual link to the architect. The primary procurement method in traditional procurement is the two stages tender. Initially the client must produce a brief which outlines what your requirements. This must include relevant figures such as budget and time constraints. Now a team of consultants needs to be appointed, this will comprise primarily of an architect who will guide you through the design and construction processes. Other members will need to be appointed based on the scope of the project. These include a quantity, structural engineer and a clients representative on larger projects. (Stage one) Design and tender documents can now be produced. A select number of contractors will be invited to tender on the partially completed tender documents. This will include a build up of the price of the project via a document called the bill of quantities. (Stage Two) A contractor is now selected based upon the price and having the relevant resources required to complete the project. The contractor now has involvement with the design team to negotiate a finalised price for completing the construction works. Also he can have involvement in finalising the design. This form of procurement is considered low risk as the risks to overspending, delays and failures in the design are reduced. This can only be achieved however, if the design has been thoroughly produced by the architect and completion date targets specified are unreasonable. Design and Build procurement: This procurement method differs from traditional procurement as the contractor is largely responsible for the design work. This relieves some of the contractual pressure on the client. With the contractor being involved in the project from the design stage it allows their expertise to be incorporated into the design phases. One of the largest advantages to design and build is the reduced time scale that projects can run to. Design information can be still being produced while construction work commences. This doesnt come without its risks however. Client / Employer Contractor Subcontractors Employers Agent Quantity Surveyor Architect Civil / Structural Engineer Other Designers Design and Build Organisation Tendering for design and build projects is more costly than traditional projects therefore the number of contractors tendering is reduced. This is due to the time and resources it takes for a contractor to produce the relevant design and pricing information. Cash flow within a design and build project can be more substantial in the beginning than traditional as the contractor requires money for the design as well as construction. This is also due to larger risk being imposed on the event of an issue in the design being raised by the client as the contractor is the first point of contact. This will then cover the costs of having to transfer this information. This is not required in traditional forms of procurement as the client is in direct contact with the architect. Types of Contract (The information for types of contract has been cited from deciding on the appropriate JCT contract 2008 available from the CIS published by Sweet Maxwell limited) Traditional: Lump sum contracts The agreed sum of construction is agreed based on a design and specification. A bill of quantities is produced for the contractors to price the works. Measurement contracts The end price of the construction works is not agreed until the end of the construction project. Cost reimbursement contracts Price of labour, plant and materials is calculated at the end of the project. Overheads and profit is then added onto this. Design and Build: Package deal or turnkey contract A package is selected usually from a set standard of specification from a contractor. Design and Build contracts This form of contract will cover the contractors obligations to the design and build of the project. JCT Standard building contract with quantities: This form of contract is suitable for the traditional procurement method. The client must appoint an architect, contract administrator and quantity surveyor to administer the work. Contractors will tender the works based on the drawings and a set of bill of quantities. Design and build contract: Standard form of contract for design and build works. Contractor is principally responsible for the design and construction of the project. Partnering: JCT contract also provides an outline for setting up a partnering agreement between select members of a construction project. Everyone throughout the supply chain is bound to the agreement to work collaboratively and to have everyone best interests in mind. This should be considered as a form of contract that Hotels R Us should look into in the future when they have sufficient experience in the industry. ICE This form of contract is suitable for civil engineering works such as bridges, roads and dams. The project will be designed by a team of engineers and qualified contractors will tender for the work. The engineer is the principal administrator acting on behalf of the client. NEC 3 compensation and event clauses The NEC 3 contract was derived from Ice form of contract. The principle goals of the NEC contract are to provide a contract that is flexible, simple and clear to understand. There are many different types of NEC contract which cover traditional and design and build types of procurement. This section is going to cover early warning procedures, compensation and event clauses. Early warning clauses can be found in section 16 of the NEC contract. These are basically a set of rules that the project manager and contractor must adhere to when they are aware of a cost or time issue on the project. It is there duty under contract to notify one and other and request an Early warning meeting which relevant members should be invited such as the client, architect or quantity surveyor. During these meeting the issue will be discussed and the relevant actions that need to be taken should be appointed. The advantages to this system of traditional methods of the contractor submitting a formal notice is that issues can be resolved in the most economically viable method, this offers clients more safety in terms of cash flow. Compensation events are covered in section 60 of the contract. These are claims made by the contractor requesting either more time or money for the project. The project manager can also notify the contractor if he is aware of such an issue. NEC3 outlines the methodology behind compensation events, the contract has eight weeks to notify being aware of a compensation event and must make a claim within this period. As a client entering into the construction industry for the first time it is often difficult to understand how and why construction projects can run over budget and cost more money. The compensation events detailed in the NEC3 contract try to justify how such events can occur.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Family as a Primary Group

Family as a Primary Group Social Problems Garelick August 2010 Family as a Primary Group Family plays an important role in the life of every person and society as a whole. It is no surprise that at every new stage of development in our society, with every revaluation of values, the interest in the issues of family, morality and spirituality spikes. At the present time, in the complicated environments through which we weave our lives, the family remains a unique mediator between the interests of the individual and society and is in the epicenter of a major social upheaval.The transition to current market relations and with them the related apathy, and with the impoverishment of the general population drastically came the turnaround in the view affecting the well-being of our families and their stability and potential for proper upbringing of the young. These, along with many other social instabilities, have led to a crisis of family values. The consequences of this crisis are bifurcat ions between the generations, the prevalence of reduced lifetime fertility and the growing number of single parents in the United States.If marriage, parenthood and kinship are what constitute family relations, at the present time we are witnessing a decay of this little tiny trinity. The problem is complicated by the fact that at present time, the institution of marriage is going through a transitional period. There is a certain destruction of the old traditional values of marriage, and the new have yet to be formed. Marriage and family are increasingly becoming more about individuals and their need for intimate satisfaction and informal communication, and less about structure and support of one another.Let us pinpoint and define just where the family lays its essence within the complicated world of social institutions and in which groups, as defined by our text. In a broad sense, the concept of a social group is any social association of people, anything from peer groups to a popu lation of a particular country. In sociology, this concept is used in a narrower sense as â€Å"any number of people with similar norms, values, and expectations who interact with one another on a regular basis† (Schaefer, 2009, p. 107). In general, members of a society feel like they belong to a group, and are also perceived by others as members of said group.To analyze the social structure of a society there must be items explored that appear in all elementary parts of the given society, which incorporate all of the social perspectives. For this, I have chosen what is generally accepted to be the â€Å"primary group† (Schaefer, 2009, p. 110). The most successful definition, and essentially creation of the term, was created by â€Å"Charles Horton Cooley† who â€Å"coined the term†¦ to refer to a small group characterized by intimate, face-to-face association and cooperation† (Schaefer, 2009, p. 10). In other words, primary groups are those in which individuals have personal interaction with one another. For example, classmates can be members of a primary group, and the rest of the student body would then be members of a secondary group. From a social perspective of a â€Å"functionalist† for the normal operation of the human society we must consolidate certain types of social relations so that they become mandatory for members of a particular social group (Schaefer, 2009, p. 14).This primarily refers to those social relations in which, in order to obtain entry, members of a certain group must satisfy the most vital requirements needed for the successful functioning of the given group as an integrated social unit. For example, for the production of material comforts, people tend to perpetuate and secure a level of financial cushioning; this is also done for the upbringing of children, for unstrained family relationships, as well as for education and training for everyone involved.A symbolic â€Å"interactionist† would view the family process as a consolidation of social relations and a way to establish a system of roles and statuses, prescribing certain rules of conduct in a â€Å"social network,† and in defining a system of sanctions in case of a default by any of the individuals in the process of living out and following the given rules of conduct (Schaefer, 2009, p. 16/111). Social roles, statuses and sanctions are implemented in the form of social institutions that define sustainable patterns of behavior, ideas and incentives.Social institutions â€Å"are organized patterns of beliefs and behavior centered on basic social needs, such as replacing personnel† in the family setting (Schaefer, 2009, p. 113). Social institutions dictate how ideas and goals are perceived and defined by the system of standard social values, such as patterns of public behavior and the complicated systems of various social ties, i. e. the sets of roles and statuses through which a range of behavior is carried out and kept within certain limits.So, within the concepts of â€Å"social institution† and â€Å"social group† there is a significant internal difference. While the social group, whether primary or secondary, is a collection of interacting individuals, the social institution is a system of social relationships and social norms that exist in a particular area of human activity. However, it should be noted that these concepts are inseparable from each other, because  a social institution is a set of relationships and systems of behavior, and is determined ultimately by the needs of people.In other words, although the social institution creates social relationships and norms, there are people for whom these relationships are linked and carried out; the family is the perfect example of a social group that puts the rules in to practice. People organize themselves into different groups using institutional rules. Each institution includes many social groups tha t provide the overall institutional behavior. Consequently, institutions and social groups are interrelated, and it would be completely meaningless to separate these notions and study them separately.So, based on the foregoing, I conclude that the family is a social phenomenon that combines the features of a social institution and a primary group. The idea of the modern family arises from the desire to satisfy purely personal needs and interests of individuals. According to structure-functionalists, â€Å"the patterns of reciprocal obligations among people and between structures of people and the greater society define family. The greater society has needs that must be met; in order to meet those needs, society creates subsets of people structured to help meet the needs of society.The family is one of those structures. The definition of â€Å"family† changes as the needs of the greater society change. When the greater society needs rapid population growth — after a ti me of war, for example — society's definition of family emphasizes heterosexual bonding, procreation and child rearing; but when the greater society is faced with over-population and the need to limit population growth, society's definition of family may be modified to include homosexual bonding and may be more supportive of childless couples† (Diem, 1997, P2).As a primary group, the family connects the personal needs of the public interest, adapting to social relations, norms, and values that are accepted in our society. In other words, the family's personal needs are sorted and organized on the basis of accepted societal values, norms and behavior patterns and, eventually, acquire the character of the social functions such as the regulation of sex, procreation, socialization, emotional satisfaction, status, safety, and economic security.From what I have gathered, the definition of family from a conflict perspective has been a highly discouraged and slightly controvers ial subject since family â€Å"is considered a sacred institution. As a result, support for research on conflict in the family has been discouraged† (Werner-Wilson, 1993, p. 6). And it would seem that a social institution of such prominence would not have a dark side from which can leap and bound toward freedom suppressed minorities. But for the sake of this essay, let us assume that if Karl Marx were to look at the institution of marriage, he would wave his well bearded nugget side to side disapprovingly.The idea of a traditional family has roots in male supremacy, and suppression of women’s rights. If only Karl Marx was not a man of the nineteenth century, but lived in present time. The ideal family includes: 1) a set of social values (love, for children), 2) public procedure (for the care of children, family rights and obligations), and 3) interlacing of roles and statuses (status and role of husband, wife, child, teenager, mother-in-law, brothers, etc. ), with the aid of which the family exists.Thus, the institution of family is a collection of certain bonds, rules and roles, which in practice are manifested into the activities of this individual primary group. We all know how great the importance of family is in everyday life, society and even in the political arena. After all, it is the family of each person that provides them with an inexhaustible source of love, devotion and support. The family lays foundation for morality, spirituality and tolerance. And it is the family that is recognized as the major reason for why cultural beliefs survive, are inherited and passed from generation to generation.It is a prerequisite for socialization and the lifelong study of social roles, basic education, skills, and behavior. A healthy, strong family is the basis of stability and prosperity of any society. The family is the foundation of all social institutions vis-a-vis the development of the family is ultimately the progress of society as a whole. B ut the world does not stand still, in its ever-changing atmosphere social institutions take on new meanings and the ideas of marriage and family change with the times.Marriage has ceased to be life-long and is losing its legitimacy: divorce, single parent families, broken hearts and bank accounts used to be exceptions, and are now becoming the norm. The vast majority of professionals such as philosophers, sociologists, psychologists, economists, and students of the modern school of thought, all agree that the family is going through a real crisis. The strength of family is being tested under the weight of total catastrophic failure that our society is facing; the deep nature of which is characterized by our flailing ivilization. As a primary element of society, it gives a miniature image of the same contradictions that are inherent in our cultures. One of the most remarkable properties of the family is its flexible and dynamic form of structural organization. Thanks to the universal ability to adapt to the peculiarities of the ever-changing world, the family has developed an enormous variety of types of family structures, sometimes adapting itself beyond recognition, but while keeping unchanged its essence as a social institution and a primary group.In addition, the family is created to meet any number and range of essential human needs. The family, therefore, in contrast to other social groups defines the very meaning of integrity and adaptability. Because of its multifunctional ability to ameliorate the physiological and psychological human needs, and its inclination toward self-organization and self-development the idea of family is able to combine all personal, collective and public interests into one little amiable ball with a gigantic potential for explosive cataclysm.The world is not static, it changes, and with it change its social institutions, and thus the family. Clearly, the family today, like society in general, is in deep cow dung. The strength o f the family, its charm and vitality lie in the integrity that is inherent in the family idea and in the definition of the primary social group and social institution. The present era in which we have had this great pleasure of existing is different from any other in recorded history.Today’s complex economic and social situations require a modern approach, which can often cause stress and depression, which have already become integral parts of our existence. Today is the time when the need is particularly great in having a safe retreat, a place of spiritual comfort. This safe retreat can be our family, its stability and strength can be built to withstand the widespread variability of the painful world. The family is something worth celebrating, and in celebrating ourselves we can go on further to build everything else that will try to destroy it.References Schaefer, R. T. (2009). Sociology: A Brief Introduction (8th edition). New York: McGraw-Hill Diem, G. (1997). Formulation s: The Definition of â€Å"Family† in a Free Society. Social Scientists’ definition of Family. Retrieved August 12, 2010, from http://libertariannation. org/a/f43d1. html Werner-Wilson, R. (1993) Social Conflict Theory. Retrived August 12, 2010, from www. public. iastate. edu/~hd_fs. 511/lecture/Sourcebook15. ppt

Friday, January 10, 2020

Feminism in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice Essay

A feminist perspective began to exist during the time when women were not given much right to be heard. With the determination to fight for their right to be heard, women used literature as their means of exposing their true feelings and desire to be equal among men (â€Å"Feminist Perspective on Eighteenth Century Literature†, n. d. ). Jane Austen is one of the many female authors during their time that showed her feministic point of view especially in her work Pride and Prejudice. Feminism in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice showed how women at early times were repressed by the expectation of society and how women fought for their right to be respected and treated the same as their male counterparts. Austen’s feminism influence was shown in her work Pride and Prejudice by making the characters themselves stand up for women (â€Å"Pride and Prejudice — notes on education, marriage, status of women, etc. †, n. d. ). In the movie version of the novel, the dialogue between Lady Catherine and Elizabeth revealed how Elizabeth stood up for herself and her right to be respected. This is shown in Elizabeth’s line: â€Å"I will not and I certainly never shall. You have insulted me in every possible way, and can now have nothing further to say† (â€Å"Memorable Quotes from Pride and Prejudice†, 2005). Here, Austen made Elizabeth’s character stand up for her right to be respected as a person. This is what most feminists discuss, i. e. , the right of women to fight and demand respect from other people, and Austen showed that in Elizabeth’s character. Austen also revealed a sense of feministic view in her work by showing how limited options are for women (â€Å"Pride and Prejudice — notes on education, marriage, status of women, etc. â€Å", n. d. ). Austen did not only reveal this issue by using other female characters in the story. In the movie version of the novel, this issue could be clearly seen through the character of Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth’s best friend as revealed in one of her lines: â€Å"Oh hush! Not all of us can afford to be romantic. I’ve been offered a comfortable home and protection. There’s a lot to be thankful for† (â€Å"Memorable Quotes from Pride and Prejudice†, 2005). In this line, Charlotte clearly suggests that not all women can afford to follow what their heart truly desires, meaning women at that time could not afford to choose because of what society expects from them. This could also be seen in Charlotte’s line: â€Å"I’m twenty – seven years old, I’ve no money and no prospects. I’m already a burden to my parents and I’m frightened. So don’t you dare judge me Lizzie. Don’t you dare! † (â€Å"Memorable Quotes from Pride and Prejudice†, 2005). This line clearly states how Austen made Charlotte’s character show how hard it is for women having limited options. Austen showed through Charlotte’s character how women at that time were repressed because of how society’s expectation amongst women affected them. Aside from exposing the issue about women’s rights to be equal among men, Austen also revealed in her work how women are independent individuals that can make their own decisions. In the movie adaptation of the novel, Austen made use of the character of Elizabeth to show how a woman could go against the norms on decision making. This is revealed in her lines: â€Å"Mr. Collins, I cannot accept you. Only the deepest love will persuade me into matrimony. † This line from the movie adaptation reveals how Elizabeth rejects the marriage proposal of Mr. Collins, a clergy man newly ordained by Lady Catherine. Austen revealed in the character of Elizabeth how she believes that women should be able to make decisions on their own. Feminists not only discuss issues about how women are viewed during the previous times but also how women fought to be treated equal and to have the same opportunities as the men in society. Discussing the different issues and rights of women to be heard in a society dominated by male shows the influence of feminism in Jane Austen’s work Pride and Prejudice. References Feminist Perspective on Eighteenth Century Literature (n. d. ) 123helpme. Retrieved from http://www. 123helpme. com/preview. asp? id=34762 Memorable Quotes from Pride and Prejudice (2005). Retrieved from http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0414387/quotes Pride and Prejudice — notes on education, marriage, status of women, etc. (n. d. ) The Republic of Pemberly. Retrieved from http://www. pemberley. com/janeinfo/pptopic2. html

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Historical Globalization Essay - 685 Words

Assignment II Essay Historical Globalization In the period of historical globalization, a lot of horrible events had happen and many people have suffered, also lost what they had such as land, culture, languages, family, freedom, and dignity. Like the Rwanda incidents, Apartheid Law in South Africa and the incidents in Residential Schools in Canada. Although those things had happened, they still survive and right now is rebuilding and moving forward to not let it happen again with the little help of NGOs. In my opinion, Contemporary society has done enough to respond to the legacies of historical globalization. Moving forward and start making a better future is the only answer for those horrible events from repeating itself.†¦show more content†¦While the students were protesting the police were ordered to fire and almost half of the students who protested were killed. Because of the incident, the South African government started dismantling Apartheid in 1986. In 1994, the country worked to gradually introduce fairness and equity also they held the first elections in which all South Africans could vote, and Nelson Mandela was elected president. In 1995, Nelson Mandela establishes the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to help South Africans solved their country’s horrible past and also has managed to move forward. In the past, Canada’s Aboriginal people’s culture was at stake and for it to resolve. The Residential Schools were established to help aboriginal children to not forget about their language and culture in the contemporary society. In 1931, there were about 80 schools in Canada. It was a total of 130 schools in every territory and province. In 1996, Residential schools in Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick closed all residential schools which led all the Aboriginals, Intuits, and Mà ©tis were forced to attend the schools. 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