Management Contracting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Management Contracting - Essay Example Furthermore, it is considered that using the design and build approach tends to produce projects that are poorly adapted to complex technical or aesthetic requirements (Quatman & Dhar, 2003). Additionally it is argued that the design and build approach fails to utilise competitive bidding so that prospective builders might bid on the very same design. The selection criteria for contractors is often subjective and becomes hard to justify in the later stage of the project (Broyles, 2011). In contrast research has shown that the design and build approach provides projects 33.5% faster than projects built using the separate design and build approaches. In addition the same research has highlighted that the design and build approach allows 12% faster construction along with a 6.1% lower unit cost (Construction Industry Institute, 1998). 2. NEC3 Approach The New Engineering Contract (NEC) is a formal system of contracting adopted by the Institution of Civil Engineers which provides guideli nes for drafting various kinds of documents for construction projects. These documents relate in general to obtaining tenders as well as awarding and administering different kinds of contracts (Gerard, 2005). In legal terms these prescribe the duties and responsibilities of Employers and Contractors through the Works Information (Brook, 2004). In itself the Works Information comprises of the Contract Data part one which details the Data provided by the Employer as well as the Contract Data part two which details the Data provided by the Contractor. The flexibility provided by this contracting approach makes it a popular choice as it provides the Employer and the Contractor with a number of choices for contracting... This essay describes the management contracting, that recently has diversified the approach to contracting in a number of ways. Employers today may choose to use any types of contracts in order to deal with design, building, procurement and other aspects of construction. Typically it is up to the requirements of the individual build to define the most suitable form of contract. The current situation at hand requires that a flagship store be built for a high value client. This indicates that the build needs to provide the client with a fresh and innovative design. There might be chances that the unique design would require special expertise in modern construction techniques. Therefore, it could be surmised that the required building requires innovation in both the design and construction phases. The different options available to the client are presented in the essay including the design and build approach as well as the NEC3 approach to discern a fitting solution for the issue. In co nclusion, the researcher states that for the case of the customer being discussed it would be highly appropriate to suggest a NEC3 framework based contract. The design contract should be well separated from the construction contract in order to ensure that the best possible Designers and Contractors bid for both aspects of the project. This in itself will ensure competition and better results, the use of the NEC3 framework design and build fronts will ensure that cooperation is promoted along with a sustainable working relationship.

Life Before the Pharaohs :: Ancient Egypt Egyptian History

Life Before the Pharaohs For more than half of the twentieth century, much like the pyramids, the predynastic Egypt was a mystery to archeologists. The little discoveries that had been made from the period preceding the pharaohs were not enough to either prove or disprove the various theories circulating at the time. One of the first artifacts dated at the time of the unification to be unearthed was Narmer's palette, discovered by the English archeologist James Edward Quibell at the end of the nineteenth century. The discovery was made at Hierakonpolis, about four hundred and fifty miles outside of Cairo. The object depicted the unification of the Lower and Upper Egypt, the event being attributed to Narmer; he also found a macehead that carried the insignia of Scorpion, a king which was believed to have ruled Upper Egypt just before the unification. Not far from the spot where Quibell had found the palette, his colleague, Frederick W. Green, discovered an extremely decorated tomb that had been built for a ruler who dominated the surrounding region almost two centuries before Narmer. Their discoveries were the first ones to document this moment of extreme importance in history: a time of political and cultural change and evolution. Unfortunately they were not nearly enough to explain that evolutio n. The little evidence available led several archeologists to come up with more or less "believable" theories about the predynastic Egypt. Some sustained that the society before the pharaohs was a primitive and one that could not have evolved into the great Egyptian state without any outside help. Walter Brian Emory was one of the supporters of this theory. Only three years before this amazing discovery, another English archeologist, William Fliders Petrie, had unearthed at Naqada about twenty-one hundred graves containing such objects as fired-clay pots, palettes, and amulets made of stone, bone, and ivory. The latest graves were dated to about 3100 BC, while the earliest were dated to the predynastic period. Petrie assigned the objects found in the "predynastic graves" to three major periods: the Amratian (3800-3500 BC), the Gerzean (3500-3200 BC), and the Protodynastic (3200-3100 BC) periods; a fourth period, the Badarian (before 4000-3800 BC), is added in the 1920's. Using the scarce evidence they had, Petrie and other archeologists concluded that life before the pharaohs was quite a primitive one and it wasn't until very short before the dynastic era that the culture would evolve.

The Importance of Language and Culture

There are two forms of communications–verbal and non-verbal. Nonverbal communication is usually understood as the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages. Language is not the only source of communication, there are other means also. Messages can be communicated through gestures and touch, by body language or posture, by facial expression and eye contact. Meaning can also be communicated through object or artifacts (such as clothing, hairstyles or architecture), symbols, and icons (or graphics). Speech contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, rate, pitch, volume, and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation and stress. Dance is also regarded as a form of nonverbal communication. Verbal communication, nonverbal communication, and interpersonal communications all play an important role in different languages and cultures. Sign languages and writing are generally understood as forms of verbal communication, as both make use of words — although like speech, both may contain paralinguistic elements and often occur alongside nonverbal messages. Nonverbal communication can occur through any sensory channel — sight, sound, smell, touch or taste. Nonverbal communication is important as: â€Å"When we speak (or listen), our attention is focused on words rather than body language. But our judgment includes both. An audience is simultaneously processing both verbal and nonverbal cues. Body movements are not usually positive or negative in and of themselves; rather, the situation and the message will determine the appraisal† (Givens, 2000, p. 4). Hair color, gender, race, origin, clothing, appearance, and personality send nonverbal interactions during communication. Communication can be judged many different ways and that is why it is important to understand the different types of communication. Communication failures often result in lack of knowledge of communicating skills. A lot of people do not know or understand what kind of communication they are develop with their appearance. Verbal interactions are not used quite as frequently or not noticed as much. On average, to a moderate degree, women are better at nonverbal communication than are men (Hall, 1979). Verbal communications include body language, facial expressions, eye contact, paralanguage, environment, and the use of silence and time. Several thinks take part in the importance of communication. The world revolves because of communication. Without education to teach us how to communicate we would not be able to resolve important matters in everyday society and at home. Children learn culture through their parents, because they are the primary people in thier lives to teach them how to talk. That is why when children are born they speak and communicate like their family, environment, and origin. It is very important to teach children what communication means rather than just teaching them how to talk. The knowledge of understanding communication is important to be successful at communicating. Language and culture play a huge role in education. Without education the world would be very unorganized. We would not know how to even sign our name or manage our finances. It is important to learn different languages so you can communicate with other origins when needed. You may have to communicate with someone who speaks another language at your local grocer, the bank, the school, the courthouse. There are a wide range of languages in which people speak, and sometimes just because they live in the same country as you it does not mean they know how to speak the same language. When people encounter that can’t speak the same language, verbal communication is the only other way to communicate. Verbal communication often leads to failure to communicate between to origins, because they both communicate differently verbal as well. Language is more than just a means of communication. It influences our culture and even our thought processes. Language is arguably the most important component of culture because much of the rest of it is normally transmitted orally. It is impossible to understand the subtle nuances and deep meanings of another culture without knowing its language well. Different languages are easier to learn at a younger age before completely understanding a first language. Trying to learn a second language can be difficult for an adult, because the language they speak can confuse them while trying to learn. Different languages come from different backgrounds and when crossed can lead to great misunderstanding between the two languages. Anthropologists have found that learning about how people categorize things in their environment provides important insights into the interests, concerns, and values of their culture(Oneil, 2006). Language determines the way a person reviews the world. One’s culture determines the way one processes information and how one copes with reality. Concepts and objects have frames of reference that differ from culture to culture. The meaning of a word partly depends on the culture’s historical relation to the concept or object described. Different cultures see the world differently. Different cultures have different beliefs and values and these are expressed in their language, whether it be verbal or non-verbal. Many misunderstandings occur in intercultural communications because many are unaware of these differences. It is important for one to learn the differences of various cultures for one to understand one’s own identity. It is through knowing about others that one learns what is truly important to oneself. In our American culture, new skills are typically taught and learned through verbal instruction (Slobin, 1979). In some cultures, new skills are learned through nonverbal observation. A distinction has also been made between cultures that encourage independent learning and those that encourage cooperative learning (McLeod, 1994). The power of language to reflect culture and influence thinking was first proposed by an American linguist and anthropologist, Edward Sapir (1884–1939), and his student, Benjamin Whorf (1897–1941). The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis stated that the way we think and view the world is determined by our language (Anderson & Lightfoot, 2002; Crystal, 1987; Hayes, Ornstein, & Gage, 1987). Instances of cultural language differences are evidenced in that some languages have specific words for concepts whereas other languages use several words to represent a specific concept. For example, the Arabic language includes many specific words for designating a certain type of horse or camel (Crystal, 1987). To make such distinctions in English, where specific words do not exist, adjectives would be used preceding the concept label, such as quarter horse or dray horse. Cultural differences have also been noted in the ways in which language is used pragmatically. In our American culture, new skills are typically taught and learned through verbal instruction (Slobin, 1979). In some cultures, new skills are learned through nonverbal observation. A distinction has also been made between cultures that encourage independent learning and those that encourage cooperative learning (McLeod, 1994). Differences in the social roles of adults and children also influence how language is used. Home and school contexts may represent different cultures, subcultures, or both and may influence language acquisition in noticeable ways. Nonverbal cues (e. g. , facial expression) and contextual cues (e. g. , shared experience) have different communicative roles in different cultures (Kaiser & Rasminsky, 2003). People develop their language and culture as a child. It is important to understand different language and cultures to be able to communicate with different people from all around the world. Conflict is a part of most every interpersonal relationship. Managing conflict, then, is important if the relationship is to be long lasting and rewarding. Conflict is an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference from the other party in achieving their goals. Two sides must communicate about a problem for there to be a conflict. They must also have different perceptions or ideas to create a conflict. The most important thing with an interpersonal relationship is to know how to handle the situation. Avoiding a conflict can cause communication damage and lead to greater problems. It is best that both individuals discuss their differences in a civilized manner. Conflicts can be resolved by trying to understand the other person’s point of view. Criticism and judgment of others only makes the conflict harder to resolve. Communicating openly and honest, asking for opinions, expressing interest, expressing a willingness to listen, and focusing attention on the task are ways to improve a personal conflict with someone. Emotional intelligence represents an ability to validly reason with emotions and to use emotions to enhance thought. Perceiving emotions, using emotions, understanding emotions, and managing emotions play a big role in emotional intelligence. Perceiving emotions is the ability to detect and decipher emotions in faces, pictures, voices, and cultural artifacts. Perceiving emotions represents a basic aspect of emotional intelligence, as it makes all other processing of emotional information possible (Salovey P and Grewal D, 2005). Using emotions is the bility to harness emotions to facilitate various cognitive activities, such as thinking and problem solving. The emotionally intelligent person can capitalize fully upon his or her changing moods in order to best fit the task at hand (Salovey P and Grewal D, 2005). Understanding emotions is the ability to comprehend emotion language and to appreciate complicated relationships among emotions. For example, understanding emotions encompasses the ability to be sensitive to slight variations between emotions, and the ability to recognize and describe how emotions evolve over time (Salovey P and Grewal D, 2005). Managing emotions is the ability to regulate emotions in both ourselves and in others. Therefore, the emotionally intelligent person can harness emotions, even negative ones, and manage them to achieve intended goals ( Salovey P and Grewal D, 2005). All these roles help form emotional intelligence and play a part in successful communication. Even though these aspects all play an important role in emotional intelligence, for most people, emotional intelligence (EQ) is more important than one’s intelligence (IQ) in attaining success in their lives and careers. As individuals our success and the success of the profession today depend on our ability to read other people’s signals and react appropriately to them. Therefore, each one of us must develop the mature emotional intelligence skills required to better understand, empathize and negotiate with other people — particularly as the economy has become more global. Otherwise, success will elude us in our lives and careers (Bressert S. , 2009). Five major categories of emotional intelligence skills are of value to professional accountants ( Bressert S, 2009). Self-awareness, self regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills are all part of the five major categories of emotional intelligence. Verbal and nonverbal communication, self perception, emotional intelligence, cultural differences, and conflicts are all very important in understand different languages and cultures. Being able to communicate effectively with different cultures has almost became a requirement in today’s society to be able to live successfully. Many different languages and cultures express themselves differently. The most important thing in understand the different cultures is knowing how to communicate with anyone and everyone whom you may come in contact with in your life. Understanding different people and the way they commincate, and all the different types of communication can make a huge difference in communication efforts. Language is obviously a vital tool. Not only is it a means of communicating thoughts and ideas, but it forges friendships, and economic relationships (Kilgour D, 1999). Language, of course, is knowledge, and in our world today knowledge is one of the key factors in competitiveness. Brains and knowledge are what create the prosperity and growth we tend to take for granted. In an advanced industrial society in an increasingly interdependent world, the knowledge of other languages becomes indispensable. Just think of how the advent of the Internet has changed our lives. For the last few years, millions of people across the world, who share common interests, are able to communicate with each other and exchange ideas. Not only are they able to do this due to the various technological advances, but also because they share a common language.

Childhood Development A Multicultural Perspective Essay

I chose this area of development because I thought it was intriguing how a child can get so distracted from the simplest tasks such as eating. Children will sometimes just forget to eat because they are so interested in something else. It’s amusing how a child can go from playing a game to coloring to chasing a cat in less than 5 minutes. It seems as though a child could never become bored. I also chose this topic because many children are diagnosed with ADHD when they are actually just very rambunctious individuals. The textbook â€Å"Early Childhood Development: A Multicultural Perspective† discusses the topic of an individual cognitive function that helps children learn. This is called attention, which is the ability to focus for an extended period of time on the important features of a situation or problem. As the child becomes older they are able to better control what they pay attention towards. Young preschoolers tend to focus on many different aspects of the situation, almost at random. (Trawick-Smith, 2014, p.257) Children with ADHD - Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder are extremely active, impulsive, and easily distracted, they perform poorly in school and are more likely to break classroom rules. Children with this disorder also have troubles forming positive relationships with peers and are more often rejected by classmates. (Trawick-Smith, 2014, p.466) ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric disorder in childhood. This disease affects about 3% to 5% ofShow MoreRe latedFor The Past Two Decades, Canadian Population Is Increasingly1439 Words   |  6 Pages For the past two decades, Canadian population is increasingly diverse and multicultural by the huge wave of newcomers who will adopt and immerse different â€Å"cultural practices† in contributing to the national development (Parent Clydesdale, 2016). 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In order, for America to be successful, our world must be a multicultural world. This existence starts within our learning facilities where our students and children are educated. This thesis is â€Å"changing the way America, sees education through cultural diversity, has been co existing in many countries across the worldRead MoreMulticultural Perspectives in Early Childhood Education2629 Words   |  11 PagesB341: Multicultural Perspectives in Early Childhood Education 20120825 Paula Ann Signal The purpose of this essay is to critically examine the multicultural perspectives of Te WhÄ riki (Ministry of Education [MOE], 1996), the early childhood education curriculum of Aotearoa. In order to accomplish this, I will examine the term ‘multiculturalism’, its place in early childhood education and its historical context, and the concepts of individualistic and collectivist approaches to childrearingRead MoreHow Feminist Therapy Is Well As Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy1339 Words   |  6 Pagesdiscuss the biographical history of the theory developers, key concepts of each theory, as well as each theorist’s view of human nature, the reason and development of conflict that the client experiences, the roles of the therapist and client in therapy, and the goals of each therapeutic process. Additionally, I will investigate the multicultural perspectives of each theory. At the end of this paper, I will compare and contrast the similarities and differences between these two theories. Feminist TheoryRead MoreDiversity, Racial, And Cultural Factors1277 Words   |  6 Pages Multicultural competence is defined as acquiring the essential skills in order to interact successful with individuals of diverse cultural or ethnic backgrounds (Holcomb- Mc Coy Myers, 1999). Multicultural competency in counseling helps clinicians diminish the deeply rooted assumptions of a particular group and enables them understand their own values and gain a better perspective and empathy to successfully respond towards the needs of diverse populations. Clinicians are able to learn and recognize