Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Philosophy - Essay Example He is separate from the mere idea of God, in the sense that all reality is contained with Him. On this idea of perfection, there is a hierarchy of perfection that begins with the purely subjective and ending with the ultimate reality, which Descartes equates with God. Descartes believes people experience an idea of the most perfect being and that existence is more perfect than existence in thought alone. Using both of these premises, Descartes concludes that the most perfect being (that is, God) exists in reality, not merely in thought. The argument is intuitively appealing, since people tend to see existence as more perfect than nonexistent. Despite this intuition, however, an entity cannot possess a characteristic (such as â€Å"being perfect†) unless that entity already exists. Accordingly, those things that do not exist cannot retain the property of perfect or imperfection. Existence serves as a precondition of perfection, not as something that occurs simultaneous to it. D escartes thinks that it is impossible to conceive of a most perfect being that does not have the characteristic of existence. Nevertheless, people, in fact, have the idea of this most perfect being. Descartes argument begs the question by basing all of existence on God and then using the premise that existence in reality is more perfect than existence in thought alone.

Hurrican Katrina Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hurrican Katrina - Essay Example As the report declares Bush, Congress, the mayor - each of them are symptoms of a bigger problem, that we don't have accountability for disasters or challenges of this scale. That's all the public wants in trying times - accountability ... Lovin added that it's too convenient to blame one branch of government when they are all, at some level, failing people. This paper stresses that Lovin's sentiments seem liberal and noble on the surface. We do have a human need to assign blame in "trying times," real accountability does seem lacking at multiple levels of our government, and we shouldn't go on a witch hunt to appease public outrage by scapegoating one person or one department of government, when the culpability is much more diffuse. This is certainly a moral sentiment, and an appropriate stance to take in the absence of compelling facts to the contrary. However, facts to the contrary can be found. And the culpability in this matter is not equally shared. The United States government has known for decades that large scale natural disasters necessarily go beyond the response capabilities of state and local authorities. According to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, it is likewise well-known, by our top disaster planning experts, that a quick mobilization of the United States active military is the only adequate response in such disasters.

Examining The Definition Of White Collar Crime Criminology Essay

Examining The Definition Of White Collar Crime Criminology Essay Little is known about white collar crime among ordinary people. Many people are unaware of its damage, because it is a less apparent harm. They cant even detect it themselves as happens, for example, with descriptions of consumer goods, with major frauds, corruption and pollution. They can just observe and endure its effects long after it occurred. This essay explores what is known about white collar crime and will expose every part of it in order to comprehend its gravity. This essay aims to examine the impact of white collar crime among citizens and to expose the harms caused by it. These issues will be discussed in this order. According to Croall (2001) most of the early criminologists associated crime only to activities of a lower social class of offenders who frequently populated courts and prisons. In the 19th century this hypothesis was challenged by a US criminologist named Edwin Sutherland who stated that crime should not only be associated with that particular class of people and that: persons of the upper socio-economic class engage in much criminal behaviour; that this criminal behaviour differs from the criminal behaviour of the lower socio-economic class principally in the administrative procedures which are used in dealing with the offenders and that variations in administrative procedures are not significant from the point of view of causation of crime (Sutherland, 1949:9) Newburn (2007) states that criminology has a small interest in white collar crime, it focused mostly on crimes such as theft, assault, burglary, criminal damage and others being strongly criticized for it. In the public belief criminology deals and researches only the crime of the powerless rather than the crime of the powerful. There are a number of reasons why criminology has treated this subject with small interest. Some of these reasons are that most of the activity is private and most of the time hidden making it very hard to study, the social and political interests in this area is little, the crime statistics do not capture this type of crimes. Another reason is that media coverage is different for this type of crime. There is usually less space devoted to white-collar crime, the coverage is less prominent and it is mostly written in the specialist press rather than in the common one. Even tough the focus of criminology in this area is little the concept of white collar crime dates back in the 19th century. The criminological work that is involved in this type of crime started with Edwin Sutherlands work. He was the criminologists that gave birth to the term and introduce its study to criminology. He tried to direct the preoccupation of criminologists from crimes committed by people of low social status to crimes committed by the ones belonging to a higher social class. Sutherland was way ahead of his time by his research. His concept of crime committed by high status individuals and the concept of white collar crime came well before labeling theories suggested that the nature of crime should not be found in the act itself but in the social response to the act. Even though Sutherland approach was indisputable it was considerable criticized. (Newburn, 2007) According to Tappan (1947, cited in Newburn, 2007, pp. 374-375) Sutherlands attempt to label people who had not been convicted by a court of justice as criminals was appalling and stated that what Sutherland sees as deviant behaviour is actually normal business practice. As a response to Tappan, Sutherland stated that some of the normal business practices were in contradiction with the legal rules. His definition of white-collar crime is highly disputed because it oversees very different kinds of victims, offenders and offences. It covers crimes committed by people from a high social status, crimes that are committed against or on behalf of some organizations. It is also a very different type of crime because it generally takes place in private, it almost always involves a form of inside knowledge, it has the tendency of having uncertain legal and criminal status, it involves an abuse of trust, the offenders appear to be legitimately present at the scene and the complaints are made l ong after the event. As mentioned before there are different kinds of victims, offenders and offences in white collar crime and because of that according to Croall (2001) there are seven main types of white collar crime such as: theft at work, fraud, corruption, employment offences, consumer offences, food offences, environmental crime and an eight type, state-corporate crime, identified according to Newburn (2007). Theft at work corresponds to activities that range from small scale employee theft to large scale embezzlement. According to Barclay and Tavares (1999) research undertaken by the British retail consortium established that theft by staff accounted for losses of approximately one quarter of losses from all crime. According to Newburn (2007) another research undertaken by Karstedt and Farrell (2007) showed that, from 1000 people that have participated in the study, more than 61 per cent admitted to have committed offences such as paying in cash to avoid taxation, avoiding paying a TV licence, falsely claiming refunds and many similar small crimes. Employment offences cover business practice and aspects of working life that ranges from employment, health and safety to low pay. Every year a large group of people are injured or even killed at work and evidence shows that the people that are more likely to fall in this category are from the lowest socio-economic groups. Tombs (2004, cited in Newburn, 2007, pp. 380) states that there have been recorded over 1600 deaths that have been linked to asbestosis in 2000 and in 2001 the Health and Safety Executive recorded 633 fatal occupational injuries and about 130.000 other injuries that had the result in a minimum three days off work estimating the cost of workplace injuries at 18 billion pounds a year. Environmental crime includes a variety of offences ranging from fly-tipping to major industrial disasters such as Bhopal. Bhopal is the city where a carbide plant leaked almost 30 tones of methyl isocyanate, exposing almost half a million people and it has been estimated that almost 20.000 of those people died to date because of it. Another form of environmental crime is represented by waste dumping. A well known case dates according to Newburn (2007) from 1998 in Cambodia where a shipment of waste was deposited 15 miles outside a village wrapped in plastic sheets. These plastic sheets were considered very useful in such a poor country and were taken by local villagers that soon started to feel sick having symptoms that varied from headaches to chest pains. It has been estimated that almost 600 of the 1200 residents fell sick. (Newburn, 2007) Fraud covers many activities that involve a form or another of misinterpretation in order to achieve financial or material advantages. According to Levi et al. (2007) there are 14 common types of fraud: benefit fraud, charity fraud, cheque fraud, consumer frauds, counterfeit intellectual property and products, data-compromise fraud, embezzlement, gaming frauds, insider dealing/market abuse, insurance fraud, lending fraud, pension-type fraud, procurement fraud and tax fraud. (Levi et al. 2007) Benefit fraud is a type of fraud based on the social security system and has a variety of cases from working and claiming benefits to failure to notify benefit officials of changes in circumstances. Charity fraud covers frauds where donations are taken for charities that do not exist or have been embezzled from registered charities. Cheque fraud is the type of fraud which means issuing cheques knowing that they are not covered. It is a type of fraud that is usually covered up to a set limit. Consumer frauds include lottery/prize scams, telemarketing frauds, misrepresentation of products and gaming frauds such as fixed races. Counterfeit intellectual property and products fraud includes the illegal copying of vehicle parts, art and antiques, computer software and games, CDs, DVDs and even medicines. Data-compromise fraud covers fraud on both companies and individuals by fraudulently gaining and using financial information. Embezzlement is the type of fraud taken against businesses, government departments and professional firms by staff and it generally involves accounts manipulation or the construction of false invoices. Insider dealing/market abuse represents in general share trading by using information that is not available to the public. It may or may not directly affect people but it affects the market and can be seen as fraud against the whole public. Insurance fraud stands for fraud that is made against insurance companies and varies from arson for profit to false claims. Procurement fraud includes fraud and corruption involved in the purchasing process from price-fixing to the abuse of inside information. (Levi et al. 2007) Tax fraud covers the failure to pay direct, indirect and excise taxes. According to Newburn (2007) this is a very common type of fraud and it is estimated that it costs the European Union almost 34 billion pound per year. These are the types of white collar crime described by Levi et al. (2007) and in order to better understand Sutherlands definition of the concept we should also research the offenders. McBarnet (1988) states that usually wealthy offenders or large corporations are the ones who make the most of white collar crime as they can more easily avoid breaking the law by employing expert advisers to keep them in accordance with the letter of law. However, if they do break the rules, they may also use expert advisers or hire the best lawyers to negotiate with enforces and contest cases in court, in order to produce more indulgent outcomes. (Croall, 1989) Jewkes and Letherby (2002) state that very few offenders are prosecuted for white collar crime and, because of this, it is difficult to determine what characterizes a white collar criminal. Offenders of white collar crime are usually believed to be from high status backgrounds but there are indications that show the opposite. According to Jewkes and Letherby (2002) there are authors that found that small businesses were the types of business that mostly resorted to insurance fraud rather than big ones. They also found that small video stores and moonlighting builders are more likely to be convicted by The Inland Revenue because their offences are cheaper to investigate and easier to convict than large businesses. Another reason for this is because small businesses deal directly with the public making it harder for them to conceal their operations that most of the time are less complex than the ones from large businesses and also because the proprietor is much more easily identified a s the responsible person. Regarding to the race, age and gender of the offender there is little information. Although Gelsthorpe and Morris (1988) affirm that the vast majority of offenders are male. That could be related to womens lower involvement in powerful positions with so many opportunities to commit high-profile white collar crime. On the other hand, a large number of women are found in fraud categories. Anyway, there had been a few legendary female white collar crime offenders to compare with the male defendants in the Guinness trials, or the directors of firms who have been charged with white collar crime. In addition, most major scandals involving frauds or corruption in the United Kingdom have involved men. Besides that, popular representation of entrepreneurs and mavericks are also mainly male. It is believed that, white collar offenders are recognized by their older age. This can be partially explained by employment rates, because younger people are less likely to achieve a powerful and trusted position associated with forms of white collar crime. Some people agree with the statement that theft at work increases with age. (Croall, 2001) Race or ethnicities have been little explored in studies of white collar crime compared with other types of crime, where it has received greater attention. This could be linked to the employment status of different minority groups where high-status occupations are dominated by majority. Studies based on white collar crime have confirmed a wide variety of offenders that were divided into two main categories: Individual offenders and Organisational offenders. Newburn (2007) states that individual offenders can be grouped according to their occupational status as elite offenders, the middle classes and white-collar workers. Elite offenders group include people with great influence, owners and partners in businesses and corrupt politicians. The middle classes group belong to middle managers, professionals and civil servants whom are mostly dealing with tax offending and fraud. White-collar workers group is represented by clerical workers and the other people involved in theft, from a lower level of organisations. Organisational offenders can be grouped according to the size of their businesses into corporate offenders, petty bourgeois businesses, and rogue and cowboy businesses. Corporate offenders involve the worlds largest corporate bodies in diverse types of delinquencies. Petty bourgeois are small companies operating locally mostly implicated in health and safety offences. Rogue and cowboy group are mainly involved in consumer fraud by misrepresentation on products and services. After describing what white collar crime means, its forms and offenders we should take a look at the victims of this type of crime. According to Levi (1988) the victims of white collar crime vary from people that is very wealthy to people that are very poor. Newburn (2007) states that, white collar victimization is different from the victimization of conventional crimes. According to Croall (2007) one of the main focuses of white collar criminology is to expose the harm caused by the crimes of the powerful which seem to overcome the harm caused by conventional crime. It tends to use general categories to describe the victims and it has the tendency to research the relation between class, status, power and offending, criminal justice and sentencing rather than victimization. Croall (2007) argues that victimization is made and studied as a multitude of layers. At the first level it affects private individuals, at the second level it affects organizations and at the third and final leve l it affects the society. There are crimes that do not target individual people but they end up doing it. For example crimes that target and affect the government end up affecting all citizens. Victimization of white collar crime is often covered up by creating incidents that result from systematic violations of the regulations. The victims are also classified as deserving and undeserving. Investors can be accused of making bad investments and are seen as less deserving than people who for example are victimized through pension fraud. One of the principles of the consumer law is to let the buyer beware so most of the victims are blamed by others or even blame themselves for not paying attention and for being taken in by sales cons and counterfeit goods. According to Croall (2007) one of the most outrageous blaming of the victims was at the Hillsborough disaster when 96 people were killed in the collapse of a football stadium, disaster that ended up to have been provoked by the advanced drunken state of the spectators. (Croall, 2007) According to Croall (2001), the best way to reduce the extent of white collar crime is through promoting a good relationship with firms that are being policed. Criminal law is universalistic and absolute, and those who offend against it are criminals. (Snider, 1990: 385) Even if sentences for white collar crime attract less public attention, they do attract criticism where, for example serious fraudsters receive short prison sentences or companies blamed for death or injuries are given a relatively small fine. Their actions are rarely criminalised if they are, they are rarely punished adequately. It should be taken into consideration the harm that has been done. (Croall, 2001) White collar crime continues to raise a lot of questions to which answers must be found in order to improve the quality of life. This essay defined and described the concept of white collar crime. It studied and showed its types, the offenders and categories of offenders, the victims and the impact that it has on them and also how criminology studies this type of offence.

Depression in To Seem the Stranger, Fell of Dark, Carrion Comfort, and No Worst :: To Seem the Stranger Essays

Depression in To seem the Stranger, Fell of Dark, Carrion Comfort, and No Worst  Ã‚   I believe that there can be seen a progressive deepening of depression throughout Hopkins' so-called terrible sonnets. The poems I intend to look at will show this, starting with "To seem the Stranger lies my Lot", "I wake and Feel the Fell of Dark", "Carrion Comfort", "No Worst, there is None", and finally "My own Heart let me more have Pity on". The first of the above poems shows the beginning of Hopkins' descent into depression. This is followed by "I wake and Feel ...", illustrating Hopkins descending further into depression. The depths to which Hopkins sank are shown in "Carrion Comfort" and in "No Worst, there is None". Following this, "My own Heart ..." represents the beginnings of an ascent out of depression, and into a more stable frame of mind. Although the order of the poems are set by the editors of various collections, I think that the above order is the order in which they were written, based on their content. The symptoms of the early stages of depression, that of paranoia, listlessness and feelings of isolation are recounted in 'To seem the Stranger lies my Lot'. Although in some cases, these feelings tend to be a result of mental imbalance, and have little or no relationship with external reality, in Hopkins' case it would seem that his feelings of isolation are in some senses valid. Following Hopkins' decision to become a Catholic, he came to be rejected by his family. This then would explain his bitterness: Father and Mother dear, Brothers and sisters are in Christ not near And he my peace my parting, sword and strife. To seem the Stranger lies my Lot, lines 2-4 This bitterness he feels about the gulf that now exists between himself and his family is expressed in the irony of Christ being both the bringer of peace, and the cause of the "sword and strife". The paranoia common to the early stages of depression is also expressed: Only what word Wisest my heart breeds dark heaven's baffling ban Bars or hell's spell thwarts. To seem the Stranger lies my Lot, lines 11-13 The alliteration both of the repeated 'b' and 'ell' sounds show frustration at his being not allowed to write his poetry. He transfers the decision of his Jesuit superiors to "ban" his poetry to being one of God himself.

AIG Current Issues Pertaining to Business Law

AIG (American International Group Inc) has most recently been a common feature on American as well as international headlines following its possibility of going into liquidation as a result of financial difficulties. The federal government bailout extended to the company to help it in reviving its activities has also been a topic of discussion.Following all these, issues related to business law have been a common occurrence as AIG fights legal battles and accusations from enraged customers demanding their investment monies. AIG has as a result lost clients, employees and business in general. This paper focuses on these and other current events pertaining to business law at AIG.AnalysisAIG was recently faced with an economic downturn as a result of the current economic crisis. AIG is said to have made losses worth $62 billion in the fourth quarter of 2008 (Sorkin, 11-14). As a result, it has not been able to pay its credit dues on time.Creditors are constantly knocking on AIG's doors to obtain their money as they fear that the company could fail to pay them under the current financial difficulties it is experiencing. AIG has resulted in selling its assets in order to meet its obligations to creditors and beginning 2008 it obtained bailout from the government.Following the government bailout, AIG is no longer a wholly private company. The majority shares of AIG are now in the hands of the government hence it expects to receive more government control.AIG traded 79.9 percent of its shares for the federal government bailout. The government now possesses the rights to suspend dividends to the previously common and preferred stock.This is an indication that the company has ceased from being a fully private company to a nationalized one. It therefore owes the citizens who are represented by the government to operate profitably as well as repay the loan advanced by the government from the tax payer's money.As a result of the government bailout, AIG has to adjust itself to the government's requirements and laws that have been set for companies obtaining bailout.For example, The House of Representatives passed a requirement that all companies receiving federal government bailout exceeding $5 should pay 90 percent on bonuses given by companies. The companies must also operate with positive net value so that they can be able to pay up the loans advanced. If this is not so, the government will force companies that cannot pay up into liquidation Mich, 23-25).AIG has been under scrutiny following the handsome benefits that were issued to its more than 400 employees in the financial products division ranging between $1 million and 6.4 million. This follows the fact that AIG received $170 billion as federal government bailout which has necessitated investigations on how AIG was spending the taxpayer's money.(Turkish Weekly, 22-29). The government owns 79.9 percent of AIG now and as a result the public is the major shareholder of the company and this is wh at has created a major uproar in the public about AIG's activities. There are claims that the company is not taking its responsibilities towards shareholders in a serious manner.Edward Liddy, AIG's chief executive officer told the congress in March, 2009 that the company had asked the employees to return half of the bonuses received (Sorkin, 19-23). Further, he argued that the reason for the hefty bonuses was an attempt to retain employees in the financial products division.

An Ethical Issue Essay

Euthanasia is a hotly debated ethical issue these days, and there are certain arguments for and against its practice. Arguments against euthanasia are usually based on the sanctity of life, and such arguments are often compatible with religion, but arguments for euthanasia concern individual liberty, and a desire to prevent more suffering than is absolutely necessary. In this paper, I intend to address arguments for and against euthanasia, and explain why it is an ethical issue, and conclude that euthanasia, in some cases, should be permissible. Euthanasia is defined as the painless termination of someone’s life, but the ethical dilemma surrounding the topic has to do with whether or not it is alright to euthanize someone who is in a vegetative state, and can no longer think for him or herself, and whether or not assisted suicide is morally acceptable. The first of these scenarios would entail someone, such as a family member or physician, ending the life of someone who is in great pain following an accident, but cannot express their own wishes (whether or not they wish to remain on a feeding tube, or on life support) because of physical body damage, and this is known as passive euthanasia. The other issue, the one of physician assisted suicide, entails someone like a physician assisting someone who is in great pain, but not in need of life support, in committing suicide, maybe by administering a lethal dose of medication, to alleviate the patient’s pain, and this is known as active euthanasia. Both active and passive euthanasia are highly debated ethical issues, as they concern the value of life, and whether or not people are justified in prolonging a life of anguish, or terminating a life of misery. Recently, there have been many controversial cases of euthanasia, or its possibility in cases where it seems necessary to some, such as the cases of Doctor Kevorkian, and Terry Schiavo. The main ethical issues in the cases where Dr. Kevorkian euthanized (performed physician-assisted suicide on) some of his patients regards whether or not a patient should have the potential to decide his or her own fate, and then whether or not a physician should be held accountable for supporting, and aiding in a patient’s decision to end his or her life. This fundamentally boils down to the question of whether or not someone can choose to end their life when that person is in constant pain, but the issue would be complicated by the efforts needed in determining who is in enough pain to be permitted to actively end his or her life, which brings up the question of why everyone cannot choose to terminate their lives. And patients in hospitals do have the right to passively kill themselves, by starving, or refusing treatment, so in some cases, when a patient is prepared to take such measures to end his or her life, it would seem morally permissible for a physician to painlessly facilitate that patient’s suicide. In the case of someone’s euthanasia by the pulling of a feeding tube or the termination of life support, the ethical dilemma surrounds the family, or physician’s authority, when it comes to forcing the person who has brain damage to forfeit medical attention. A patient who is not in a vegetative state can refuse treatment, as that is not actively killing him or herself, but the question in the case of passive euthanasia is whether or not anyone other than the patient who might or might not refuse treatment due to severe pain if he or she were not in a vegetative state would have the authority to pull the plug on that person’s behalf, if the patient had not made his or her desired wishes clear. Religion plays a huge roll in helping people to believe that euthanasia should not be morally permissible, as most religions include some aspect about the sanctity of life, and based on that, they discourage suicide or killing in any form. Christianity in particular regards suicide as a sin, and that makes it difficult for people who wish to die because they are in too much pain, but their religion preaches against suicide. It is even against the law to commit suicide, but lately there have been questions coming out about whether people who are intensely pained by there illness should be exempt from this law, and whether or not doctors would be allowed to aid these suffering patients by providing them with lethal pills, or putting them to sleep by giving them extra doses of their medication. This is active euthanasia, where a patient, or doctor, or the combination of the two, take action to terminate life, rather than let it painfully continue for a long time, as the patient takes medicine and food, or making it drag on for a short, immensely painful period in the case where a patient refuses medication and food. For the most part, any argument against euthanasia must somehow be based on a view that life is sacred, and should never be sacrificed, at any cost, even when there is great pain to be dealt with if the life is prolonged. â€Å"Religious people don’t argue that we can’t kill ourselves, or get others to do it,† a BBC article about religion and ethics reports. â€Å"They know that we can do it because God has given us free will. Their argument is that it would be wrong for us to do so. They believe that every human being is the creation of God, and that this imposes certain limits on us. Our lives are not only our lives for us to do with as we see fit. To kill oneself, or to get someone else to do it for us, is to deny God, and to deny God’s rights over our lives and his right to choose the length of our lives and the way our lives end. † This summarizes a religious viewpoint that holds that euthanasia is not morally permissible. But for people who are not religious, a more basic argument in favor of euthanasia seems to arise, and that is simply whether or not people should be allowed to forfeit their lives if they are completely unsatisfied with them, or are severely pained by them. So, that might concern a simple case where someone is slowly dying of a terrible disease, and his medication deters the pain to some degree, but he is still miserable. Should that person be allowed to actively (or request that a physician actively) end his life, because he would rather forfeit his life than live on in pain and suffering? That seems to be a highly controversial issue, and from this perspective, it seems that euthanasia should be supported, at least to some degree. This could easily be a pro-euthanasia argument, as the person in pain has the right to forego medication, and refuse food and other life-sustaining attributes, which would lead to the patient’s death after a period of maximal pain, but the patent, without euthanasia, would not have the right to forfeit his life without enduring the pain from the scenario where he refuses treatment if active euthanasia is not permissible. â€Å"Some experts are gunning for a compromise. Zhu Tiezhi, a media commentator,† A China Daily article reports, â€Å"suggests the right-to-die prerequisites: the applicant must have a terminal illness that causes agonizing pain, and the diagnosis must be verified by at least two doctors; the applicant must be in a clear state of mind when he applies for it, and the application process should be repeated at least twice to make sure it is not a spur-of-the-moment thought. † This article was written after a patient who had throat cancer jumped out of a window to end his life after he was told that physicians were unable to assist him in doing so. So it seems that in certain cases, euthanasia is a more humane way for one to end his or her life than to manufacture a way him or herself. â€Å"Our job is to save lives, and we don’t have the right to mercy killing,† said an official at the Changsha hospital,† an official at the hospital in the Hunan Province of China, where the man committed suicide, stated. But in certain cases, lives may only be prolonged, painfully, for a short time, so euthanasia would then represent a painless way of alleviating a suffering patient’s agony. â€Å"Chantal Sebire knows she’s forcing people to make an agonizing decision, but agony is something she knows far too much about,† Bruce Crumley includes in his article, entitled Making a Case for Euthanasia. â€Å"The 52- year-old Dijon schoolteacher suffers from a rare disease that has left her disfigured by facial tumors, which will also damage her brain over time and eventually kill her. Her demand that French political leaders loosen laws against euthanasia has been rebuffed, so Sebire now awaits a judge’s decision on whether existing legislation allows doctors to assist her in ending her pain-racked life. ‘I no longer accept this enduring pain, and this protruding eye that nothing can be done about,’† Crumley writes. And unfortunately, the legal system of most countries do not recognize euthanasia as a permissible alternative to prolonged suffering, which causes many to live on in pain, wishing that they could terminate their lives instead of continuing on in agony. This seems like a reasonable right that everyone should be entitled to exercise if the time is right. People should not be forced to, because of the legal issues surrounding the issue, and anyone (such as a physician) involved, be forced to live on in agony when they could end it all by euthanasia. It seems that laws forbidding active euthanasia, or mercy killings, is based on the principle that all life is sacred, and that even extreme suffering should be fundamentally imposed on people if it could occur without their death. So death is legally regarded as impermissible when it is in any way caused by man. But what about the death penalty? There is a scenario where the government does not view life as the most sacred institution, so if exceptions are allowed, why not provide one that alleviates the constant suffering and agonies that plague people who have certain medical conditions, but are not allowed to self-terminate? â€Å"A French woman suffering from an incurable and disfiguring cancer was found dead on Wednesday, two days after a court rejected her request for medical assistance to help end her life, a source close to the government said,† an article from reuters. com reported of the woman who had petitioned to have a physician assist her in suicide. â€Å"Chantal Sebire, 52, whose face was swollen and distorted by a rare tumour in her sinuses, won heavy media coverage and the compassion of many French people in her bid to set a legal precedent for patients like her seeking to end their suffering. A court in the eastern city of Dijon ruled on Monday that Sebire could not have a doctor help her die because it would breach both the code of medical ethics and the law, under which assisted suicide is a crime. † But it seems that the code of medical ethics should make exceptions in certain cases of euthanasia. Forcing someone to die slowly in accordance with some debilitating disease is in no way more ethical or more humane than permitting that person to terminate his or her life painlessly. â€Å"After nine years, 130 deaths, and six trials, ‘Dr. Death’ Jack Kevorkian finally faces jail time for killing a desperate man who came to him for ‘help’ and found only death,† Liz Townsend writes in her article, Kevorkian’s Nine-Year Euthanasia Crusade Leads to Murder Conviction. â€Å"Thomas Youk’s death by lethal injection, administered directly by Kevorkian and nationally televised on 60 Minutes, led to a second-degree murder conviction March 26, but Youk was only one of many people who died to advance Kevorkian’s euthanasia crusade. ‘We believe the verdict should have been premeditated murder, but we’re very elated by the second-degree verdict,’ said Diane Coleman of the disability-rights group Not Dead Yet, according to the Associated Press. ‘We want to see Jack Kevorkian imprisoned for life. It’s clear he has no respect for people with disabilities. ’† But is assisted suicide really a violation of the rights of someone who is disabled? In cases of physician-assisted suicide, the patient would not think so. A violation of the rights of the disabled would be ignoring a plea for assisted suicide, which would end pain and suffering. But perhaps the most basic argument for permissability of euthanasia, in at least extreme cases, should be in regards to everyone’s personal liberty. By that argument, people may say that everyone should have the right to do as they please when it concerns their own body. But an argument against personal liberty might state that similar arguments would allow drug use and other impermissible activities. So What is to be done? It seems that the best thing to do would be to, when physician’s can gauge someone’s mental aptitude, allow them to actively euthanize themselves, or assist him or her in doing so, if the patient is mentally competent, and wishes to end his or her life. And in the case of a family pulling the plug on someone (passive euthanasia) it should be permissible at all times if the patient had previously expressed a desire to die rather than remain on life support. Works Cited Appleton, Michael et al. At Home with Terminal Illness: A Family Guide to Hospice in the Home. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995. Barnard, C Good Life, Good Death – a Doctor’s Case for Euthanasia and Suicide. Hbk 146pp Prentice-Hall 1980. Bold and provocative work by the famous heart surgeon. Battin, Margaret P. The Death Debate: Ethical Issues in Suicide. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996. The Law Society & the British Medical Association. Assessment of Mental Capacity – Guidance for Doctors & Lawyers. Pbk 152pp British Medical Association 1995. Randall, F, & Downie, R. Palliative Care Ethics – A Good Companion Pbk, 202pp Oxford University Press 1996.

Open House at Private Schools

Open House at Private Schools If youre applying to a private school, you might notice that many of them offer something called an open house. What is it and why should you attend? In the most simple terms, a private school open house is a chance for you to visit the school. Some schools have a block of time where prospective families can come and go, meet the admissions team, and take a quick tour, while others offer full programs that require families to register in advance and arrive by a specific time. Open houses may have limited space, so if its not clear whether registration is required, its always a good idea to check with the admissions office to be sure.   Exactly what happens at an open house can vary from school to school, but typically you can expect to hear from the Head of School and/or the Director of Admission, as well as one or more of the following things during an open house.   A Campus Tour Nearly every private school open house will have an opportunity for prospective families to tour the campus. You might not be able to see the entire  campus, especially if the school is set on hundreds of acres, but youll likely get to see the main academic buildings, the dining hall, library, the student center (if the school has one), arts facilities, gymnasium, and select athletics facilities, as well as a School Store. Often these are led by students, giving you a chance to ask questions about life from a students perspective.  If youre attending an open house at a boarding school, you might also get to see a dorm room or at least the inside of the dormitory and the common areas. If you have a special request for a tour, you will want to call the admission office in advance to see if they can accommodate you or if youll need to schedule a separate appointment.   Panel Discussions and Question Answer Session Many private schools will host panel discussions where students, faculty, alumni and/or current parents will talk about their time at the school and answer questions from the audience. These discussions are a great way to get a general overview of life at the school and help you learn more. Usually, there will be limited time for questions and answers, so if your question doesnt get asked and answered, just ask to follow up with an admission representative later on.   Class Visits Attending a private school means going to class, so many schools will offer students and their parents to attend class so you can get an idea of what the classroom experience is like. You may not be able to attend the class of your choice, but attending any class, even if its conducted in another language, will give you an idea of the student-teacher dynamic, style of learning, and if youll feel comfortable in class. Some schools will offer students the opportunity to shadow current students for an entire day, giving you the full experience, while others only provide the opportunity for visitors to attend one or two classes.   Lunch Food is an important part of a school, as youre going to each lunch here every day and if youre a boarding student, breakfast, and dinner, too. Many private school open houses include lunch so you can try the food and see what the dining hall is like.   Club Fair Schools will sometimes offer a club fair, where prospective students and families can learn about after-school sports, activities, clubs, and other things that happen on campus as part of student life. Each club or activity may have a table where you can ask questions and meet students who share the same interests as you.   Interview Some schools will offer a chance for prospective students to interview during the open house event, while others will require a second personal visit to conduct these. If youre not sure if interviews are possible or if youre traveling from a distance and want an interview while youre there, ask if its possible to schedule one before or after the event.   Overnight Visit This option is less common  and is only found at select boarding schools, but occasionally prospective students are invited to spend the night in the dorm. These overnight visits are arranged in advance  and are not available if you just show up at an open house unexpectedly. Parents will typically find lodging in town or nearby, while students stay with a host student. Visitors are expected to participate in whatever activities happen at night, including study halls, so be sure to bring a book to read or homework. Lights out rules are also expected to be followed, as are restrictions for when you are allowed to leave the dorm at night and in the morning. If youre doing an overnight, you may wish to bring your own shower shoes, towel, and toiletries, in addition to a change of clothes for the next day. Ask if you need to bring a sleeping bag and pillow, too.   A common misconception about open house events is that attending means youre absolutely going to apply. Usually, its quite the opposite. These massive gatherings of prospective families are designed to introduce you to the school and help you decide if you truly want to learn more and complete the application process.

American civil war Essay

American civil war Essay American civil war Essay The American Civil War was a fought within the United States between the North and the South starting from 1861 and ending in 1865. This war was one of the most negative events in American history, yet it helped shape the character of the American individual today. The causes of Civil War can be traced back to tensions that were created early in colonial era. Mainly, the war between the two regions was caused by social, political and economic differences between the South and the North, but it is important to understand that slavery was the root of cause of these differences. Socially, the North and the South were built on different standards. The South was a slave-based community, and people were depended on slaves and accustomed to this way of life. South plantation owners had slaves working for them, and those who could not afford to own slaves would work on their own farm. The North had more immigrants settling in its areas, where labor was needed. Therefore it had a more industr ialized society where most people worked in factories. The Northerners opposed to Slavery as an institution in the South, as the Confederate States were the only region in the world that still legalized the ownership of slaves. This angered the Southerners and threatened their way of life. By time, economic differences also developed between the two regions. The Southern states were depended on agriculture rather than industrialization. After the Cotton Gin was invented, it increased the need for slaves and made cotton the chief crop of the South. The South was able to produce most worlds’ supply of cotton. This increased the South's dependence on the plantation system and its vital component, slavery. However, the North was prospering industrially. The North depended on factories and industrialized businesses. In addition, many of the new immigrants settled north, while very few settled south. This allowed the North to grow industrially, while making the South more hostile t owards them. Southern economy opposed high taxes, as manufacturing was limited. But the Northern states accepted high taxes to protect its products from cheap foreign competition. Another major problem that occurred was the competition between the North and South for more land. The expansion of America due to the lands obtained from the Louisiana Purchase and with the Mexican war, it caused the issue of whether new states would become free or slavery. This decision was important not only for the individual state making the decision but for the country as a whole. In December of 1818, a bill was placed into the hands of congressman to allow Missouri to be admitted as an independent state of the United State. The bill wanted Missouri to be permitted to have slaves. The Northern representatives did not want Missouri to have any slaves. They wanted a free state and any slaves located in the territory of Missouri to be freed. However, the Southern representatives wanted the state to ret ain their right to have slaves. The on-going debate progressed for the next two years until the creation of Missouri Compromise of 1820, which Missouri enter the union as a slave state, and Maine enter as a free state. Also, no territory above the 30-36 parallel

Australian Great Recession Survival

In the year 2008, the major Europe experiences the Global Financial Crisis recession by the name the Great Recession. Most countries with large economies were affected. The recession hit the members of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) like USA and France. Economies in Europe shrank and currencies weakened. The preferred economic interventions failed to work in most economies instead the worse happened. Funnily enough, Australia was never affected by the recession (Bailey and Turok 2016). It remained the single country with advanced International Monetary Fund not affected by the crisis (Bosworth and Rich 2013). Instead, its economy remained stable and vigorous to accommodate its domestic and international demands. The paper aims at evaluating the magic behind the performance of Australian economy during the global crisis.   It discusses the country's intervention policy through the Reserve Bank and the fiscal policy intervention by Federal government tha t maneuvered ways for its stability. It is also objectively looking at the role played by China as a trading partner. China played a role in foreign trade category to ensure the success of the economy.   The paper then draws a conclusion from the results of the discussion to justify the two questions: Did the success of the economy purely dependable on fiscal policy by Federal government, foreign trade and the role of Reserve Bank? Why the three factors did adequately sustain the economy? The study aims to draw conclusions on the roles played by Federal Government, Reserve Bank, and Foreign trade to maintain Australian economic growth at the crisis point. In macroeconomics, the business cycle considered as fluctuations in the production or any other business. It involves expansionary, and contractionary behaviors of an economy. The best determination of a business cycle is GDP. The components of the cycle are; trough, expansion, peak, and contraction. The definition of a recession is a conceptual reasoning pegged on the level and extent of a crisis. The different intensity levels are used portraying the different scope of impact on an economy (Courvisanos et al. 2016). However, a recession is an economic slowdown contributed to reduce spending. It hampers economic growth by introducing inflation, unemployment, and reduced Gross Domestic Product. The recession creates financial hurdles in an economy by negatively affecting all economic sectors.   During a recess, countries take intervention measures to curb the impacts. Among the responses preferred are fiscal policies to increase the spending by reducing tax rate or through monetary policies. Although, there is no guarantee on the effectiveness of measures against the crisis. The government of Australia did a timely intervention to monitor the crisis that had the most terrorizing effects on G7 economies. Before the GFC the country economy was operating at annual GDP of around $1 trillion at the market exchange rate. The GDP level demonstrated the economy as the 14th largest economy in the world. The first intervention policy done by the country focused on the crisis was advocated by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) (Bosworth and Rich 2013. The bold step was taken in around October when the country through RBA announced the cutting of interest rates by 100 basis points. In the same month, the government decided to react proactively by guaranteeing all the bank deposits a wholesale fund at a fee (Doran and Fingleton 2016).   The geared step aimed towards the achievement of a stable financial institution. The government intended to empower the banks through which they could sustain stability hence help secure the country's flow of income (Martin 2012). The intervention placed the banks in a competitive mode, an action that threatened the survival of small-scale banks. The stability in financial sectors eased consumers and business worries on the finances and economic issues. The Federal took the initiative of a private sector risk to reduce the tempo of the economy. The second policy taken by the government was the fiscal policy measure. The system directed the package to the weak sectors of the economy (Foster 2016). The areas covered were the household spending and consumption. The coverage represented a population of around 60%. Thus more people were kept safe by the program (Henry 2014). The housing policy advocated for the grant to first home buyers. The spending level of citizens increased and the GDP rose (Bosworth and Rich 2013. The consumption package had quick bonuses to seniors, and the pensioners. It also valued the low-income earners (Pulla 2013). The high propensity level of the households improved hitting the common target. Apart from risen expenditure, the society had cash to carry out activities. The policy attained the average GDP of average consumers in the economy. At June 2009, the country enjoyed a continuous growth with the fiscal, China trade factor and RBA combined. According to various scholars, the economic growth would not have been hit high without fiscal policy intervention.   The economic status had a loose monetary policy, low exchange rate, and china's trade contribution. In 2009 when the effect of GFC increased on the economies, the government released another discretionary policy. The government meant to develop a program on infrastructure and also improve consumption (Drew 2016). The program covered the projects on the fast constructed infrastructural base to prepare the country for a long term crisis. The retail trade by 2009 brought a turnover of around 5% something that devastated the US and other significant economies. Their retail trade brought a turnover of around 2% and 3%. The outcome variance came due to the stimulus preference by the countries. Australia preferred a stimulus package for consumption and spending that stabilizes spending and consumption in the market. The low-income household got financial supports to meet their purchasing nature (Capon and Reid 2016). Also, the country had better financial regulations fertile for the fiscal policy effected by the government. The good status of its financial system accommodated the measures advocated for on economic activities. The country's cash rates were higher compared to other trading partners, a factor that enabled the stronger economy (Roos 2014). The existed healthier systems blocked the need to outsource for the financial instruments which could have contributed negatively.   In the absence of fiscal policy, the country would have undergone the worst recess in the history.   The countries like the USA that effected monetary policy minus economic policy has been struggling with the crisis impact to date. The GFC collapsed economies of the Australia trading partners. Germany, USA, and France got affected. The country before the GFC had good trade ties with Asia. The large Asia depended on the country's exports such as gold and coal. The USA was also a major importer of Australian exports (Battisti et al. 2013). However, recession left the country with no choice but to trade Asia. The government of China in response to the crisis ordered its banks to borrow and spend. The reaction led to the growth of China economy by around 75% in the year 2009. China's economy grew with expansion in its import demand. Australia began to export its commodities to China and Japan. China being the major importer, increased the Australian export capacity by 10% within five months. The prices attained stability. The export to Asia became more instrumental to the economic growth of the country. The Chinese government created a fertile grounds for Australian trading activities to flourish. The existed high demand on the china's economy on valuable commodities provided the growth gap to the Australian economy. The country had the attentive financial system ready to accommodate and implement changes. The first phase of rectifying the suggesting crisis situations came from the policy of an RBA. The RBA through its first Board meeting GFC proposed the implementation of the cut on the interest rates by 100 basis points.   The cut is a 6% reduction. The RBA followed with the different monetary policy that ensured a fall in the cash rate to 3%.   The rate indicated a decline of 425 points. The reduced interest rates encouraged borrowing among the population (Reed 2016). The effect translated to increased disposable income. Low-income earners got the opportunity to maintain their spending ability consequently improving economy's expenditure on commodities. Reduction of the interest rate created a movement in the AUD dollar. The reduced dollar helped to lessen the impact of lowered global market price on the country's exports. It improved the level of competition of the country's produce and service exports (Buckley et al. 2014). The reduced exchange rate lasted for a short period, though the exchange rate hit 88 US dollars by 2009. The increase demonstrated an appreciation trend. The policy guidelines portrayed by RBA helped the healthy financial sector resist to collapse. Banks and other financial institutions survived the volatility of the financial situations in the global market. Regardless of the challenges, they still made profits (Tang 2015). The Australian market had no toxic assets that killed the world market in most of the Europe countries. The RBA kept reducing the cash rate in early 2009 to cope with the deteriorating economic conditions. The measure aimed at recovering stabilizing financial systems to help improve the functions of the credit market. The country monetary system performed a massive role by ensuring availability of funds in the banks. Australia had enough cash in its financial institutions, with mortgages for emergencies ((Bailey and Turok 2016). Therefore, the policy by the RBA had a motivating reception for implementation. The banks had low arrears and defaulted a factor that hindered exposure to toxic assets in the global financial market. Regardless of the risks associated with accepting wholesale funding, their confidence enhanced the initiative (Tonts et al. 2014). Through evaluation of alternatives, the RBA noticed the importance of using domestic financial institutions instead of looking for borrowings from the foreign institution. Australia survived the great recess getting out developed due to national and international factors. The major contributor to its success relies upon timely and objectively implemented fiscal policy. The stabilization of financial market came with trade advantages in the exchange market. The monetary policy by RBA bettered the sustainability of the stable economy. The discussion on the fortune and other magic factors never contributed to the economic growth of Australia. The country cultivated from its ready policy and proactive strategies. It stole the chances created by the fast-growing economy provide supply to its large demand market. However, the main reason behind the country's success pegged on the fiscal policy that improved spending ability of low-income earners. From the study, it is appropriate for economies to have robust financial institutions that are sound and dynamic. Countries should be ready to challenge emergencies through the use of their strategies without depending on a similar problem-approach style. Bailey, D. and Turok, I., 2016. Editorial: resilience revisited. Regional Studies, 50(4), pp.557-560. Battisti, M., Deakins, D. and Perry, M., 2013. The sustainability of small businesses in recessionary times: Evidence from the strategies of urban and rural small businesses in New Zealand. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 19(1), pp.72-96. Bosworth, E. and Rich, T., 2013. From optimisation to resilience: The changing nature of the risk reward conversation as seen through Westpac's capital and liquidity management policies. Journal of Risk Management in Financial Institutions, 6(2), pp.160-166. Buckley, R.P., Weber, R.H. and Dowell-Jones, M., 2014. A Swiss finish for Australia? Approaches to enhancing the resilience of systemically important banks. Capital Markets Law Journal, p.kmu030. Capon, S.J. and Reid, M.A., 2016. Vegetation resilience to mega?drought along a typical floodplain gradient of the southern Murray?Darling Basin, Australia. Journal of Vegetation Science, 27(5), pp.926-937. Courvisanos, J., Jain, A. and K. Mardaneh, K., 2016. Economic resilience of regions under crises: a study of the Australian economy. Regional Studies, 50(4), pp.629-643. Doran, J. and Fingleton, B., 2016. Employment resilience in Europe and the 2008 economic crisis: insights from micro-level data. Regional Studies, 50(4), pp.644-656. Drew, J., 2016. A Tale of Two Jurisdictions: A Focus on the Effect of Regulatory Constraints on Municipal Resilience in Australia. Building governmental financial resilience under austerity–an international perspective. Foster, J., 2016. The Australian growth miracle: an evolutionary macroeconomic explanation. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 40(3), pp.871-894. Graziano, A., Cirillo, N., Pallotti, S., Cricenti, L., Romano, F. and Aimetti, M., 2014. Unexpected resilience to experimental gingivitis of subepithelial connective tissue grafts in gingival recession defects: a clinical–molecular evaluation. Journal of periodontal research, 49(4), pp.527-535. Henry, K., 2014. Public policy resilience and the reform narrative. Public Policy, p.16. Martin, R., 2012. Regional economic resilience, hysteresis and recessionary shocks. Journal of economic geography, 12(1), pp.1-32. Pulla, V., 2013. Contours of Coping and Resilience: the front story. Perspectives on Coping and Resilience, pp.1-21. Reed, D., 2016. Resilience is the name of the game. Architecture Australia, 105(3), p.86. Roos, P.B., 2014, January. Design with nature: a proposed model for coastal settlements in Australia adapting to climate change and extreme weather events. In UHPH 2014: Landscapes and ecologies of urban and planning history: Proceedings of the 12th Australasian Urban History Planning History Conference (pp. 649-664). Australasian Urban History/Planning History Group and Victoria University of Wellington. Tang, S.H.K., 2015. Does Research and Development Intensity Enhance Industrial Growth Performance during Economic Downturns? Inter?Industry Evidence from Australia. Australian Economic Review, 48(3), pp.243-257. Tonts, M., Plummer, P. and Argent, N., 2014. Path dependence, resilience and the evolution of new rural economies: Perspectives from rural Western Australia. Journal of Rural Studies, 36, pp.362-375.

STUDENT-DESIGNED INDEPENDENT PROJECT USING THE PROVIDED TEMPLATE Essay

STUDENT-DESIGNED INDEPENDENT PROJECT USING THE PROVIDED TEMPLATE - Essay Example It will help addicts who may seek rehabilitation assistance, guidance and counselling and medical attention It will take at least one week to inform both the students and other participants about the project. The project will also call for at least a two weeks meeting by the project management team prior, during and after the event. Also, another one week will be needed to negotiate for support from partners. Two days will be enough to negotiate for the project location, the University College Hall. If the opportunity will be granted to hold project event at the hall, it will take two days to prepare the location and another two days to clean the place after the event (Penrod 826). Two weeks will be ideal to approach various event partners( the students, well wishers, The National drugs watch board, the college counselling department and the college illegal drugs and substance club) to help in raising the required funds (Angus 430). The college Hall will be an ideal space of hosting the event, because it is spacious. it also provides white boards that will help in project presentation using power point, giving clear graphical information and analysis. The timing to host the event is not only right but also appropriate. The event will be analyzed to determine if it fulfilled the original purpose by promoting assessment of the educational, social and economic impacts of drug and substance abuse among college students. Also, it has to empower college students to reject illegal drugs and substances abuse in future. The project will seek assistance from the Mathematics and statistics club to conduct the needed analysis for the project. Business and journalism clubs will also be of importance in marketing and linking with partners to sponsor the project. Team work will be expected to be displayed by all

Writing argument Vandana Shiva's the soil vs The Sensex Essay

Writing argument Vandana Shiva's the soil vs The Sensex - Essay Example heavily dependent on the agricultural goods and services of India and if the agricultural produce of India continues to decline then the food security of United States is under immense threat. These two issues are of immense concern because these issues affect our health and wellbeing in a negative manner. The issue of global warming can lead to food crises and malnutrition. Due to global warming some regions may experience decrease in rainfall and due to this various agricultural lands may not be able to attain enough rain to produce agricultural products such as grains and rice that are essential for the survival of human beings. Similar is that case with degradation of soil (Epa.gov, 2015). Degradation of soil can result in the decrease of agricultural products that are essential for the life for every human being in every community. Kristof states that global warming is causing changes in the weather and due to this various crop failures have been caused (Kristof, 2012). Shiva st ates that due to neglect of soil the soil is losing its fertility and this has led to decrease the production of important parts of diet including mangoes (Shiva, 2010). 2. In the essay titled as Soil vs. Sensex, the author Vandana Shiva has made a claim that the earth which is and which has always provided India and its citizens with the essentials of life is being ignored and more importance is being given to the industrial sector of India. The author does not make a general statement but uses proper reasoning along with evidence to prove the point the earth and the poor farmers along with the natural gifts are being neglected even though these elements are sacred to the people of India. She states that people and especially the rich in India is considering Sensex (stock exchange of Mumbai) to be more sacred than the earth. To prove her point that the earth is being neglected she states that 200,000 farmers have already committed suicide and their homes and livelihood are being

Responding to the Public Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Responding to the Public - Essay Example On the 14th of February 2008 a gunman shot twenty-four people on the campus of Northern Illinois University that is located in Dekalb, Illinois, wounding eighteen and killing six (The Evening Standard, 2008). Descriptions of the event recounted the gunman, who was later identified as Steven Kazmierczak, 27, stepped out from behind a curtain in the large lecture hall, and opened fire then turning the weapon on himself, committing suicide (Western Mail, 2008). Later identified as a former student at the university, police were not able to ascertain a motive for the shootings, citing that Kazmierczak was taking some type of medication and was reported by friends and neighbours as acting increasingly erratic during the weeks leading up to the incident (Western Mail, 2008). Further puzzling is that he did not have any type of police record (Western Mail, 2008). ... Later identified as a former student at the university, police were not able to ascertain a motive for the shootings, citing that Kazmierczak was taking some type of medication and was reported by friends and neighbours as acting increasingly erratic during the weeks leading up to the incident (Western Mail, 2008). Further puzzling is that he did not have any type of police record (Western Mail, 2008). Reported as an outstanding student when he attended the university, it was found that Kazmierczak has been treated temporarily for mental illness as a result of unruly behaviour toward his parents in his early teens (Daily Post, 2008). Prior to this tragic event, the university had not have any type of violent incidents, not even student riots or unrest, as Northern Illinois University is located in a quiet small Midwestern town. The Hidden Factors Later investigation turned up that Steven Kazmierczak indeed had a secret life that hide his good student and known public behaviour opinions (The Huffington Post, 2009). In the late 1990s Kazmierczak spent in excess of "a year at the Thresholds-Maryhill House ", which was "an alternative high school program for children suffering from mental illness" (The Huffington Post, 2009). The foregoing was a result of unruly behaviour, and he was admitted by his parents. Kazmierczak's condition, which Dr. Jay Rice (2008) describes as abandonment that could have its causes in the following events "1. He may have felt abandoned by his parents for placing him in treatment at Thresholds, 2. He may have felt abandoned by the illness of his mother and her death from ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease in 2006, 3. He may have felt abandoned by the death of an older sister to cancer, 4. He may have

The Art of Etruscan Civilization Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Art of Etruscan Civilization - Case Study Example It looks like the idea of afterlife is present in the majority of Etruscan art form. From this viewpoint it is clear that the majority of their art form is primarily based upon the art of tombs. It was their belief that a kind of magical survival was needed for the final resting place or in the shadowy world of Hades. This funerary cult was scrutinized with every major and minor detail and it seems as if Etruscan art had nothing else to look forward to or no other world end in view. (Bonfante, 1986) The Etruscan art also relied heavily on portraits. The portraits commemorate a dead man’s facets so as to make him credible enough to fight against the power of darkness. There is a valid reason for this creation and its continuing popularity, especially the Tuscan portrait which in turn inspired the Roman portrait. On a burial pot from Chiusi it is clearly seen that in the earlier period a trustworthy copy of a deceased face, in the form of a mask most likely made from bronze, was affixed to the vessel. Later the head was carved and placed on the pot’s lid. This ultimately led to the creation of the statue. Similarly, the wall paintings, that covered the clammy walls of the Tuscan Hypogea (subterranean burial chambers), were seen as imperative to their religious and cultural symbols. The show funeral feasts also portray the livelihood and contentment of his earthly life, and according to their belief it would shape their life in the afterworld. This repeals the apparent incongruity of sepulchral art infused with a passionate and enthusiastic feeling of life. To the spiritualist soul of Etruria, the life of this world is merely a test and is foreshadowed by the more significant and permanent afterlife that is waiting for them. Their culture was more about decorating tombs rather than towns, which were built using a single type of stone and hollowed out of the same material – places of abode were proposed to revolt against the blitz of time. In t he necropolises at Tarquinia and Cerveteri, virtual cities of the dead were formed and the locale and very rhythm and Etruscan life were clearly exhibited in those virtual cities. For Etruscans money, people and art became a feature of everyday life. Etruscan villa in Murlo, which was reconstructed recently, revealed big, painted terracotta panels decorating the foyer and also included a number of fresco wall-paintings. Etruscan painting and frescos often tried to influence a sense of Joie de vivre in the form of human figures looking strong and hearty and full of life, often in the form of dancing couples. Looking at Etruscan art from this perspective it seems clear that it was much more developed in capturing human emotion than the stylized Greek art. (Bonfante, 1986) During the 7th century BC the Etruscan art gained a new level of prosperity and popularity based upon their export of metal ore. Since Greek art got a great deal of inspiration and influence from the high cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean. Greek goods made its way to Etruria together in Orientalizing style with exotic objects and reached the Phoenician cities, Egypt, Cyprus and Asia Minor. During the entire existence of Etruscan empire, it was largely inspired from Hellenic styles which had profound impact on its independent artistic development.

Human resources function Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human resources function - Essay Example Abundance of human resources gives the company the luxury of becoming selective and filling positions with the right candidate and qualifications. But with scarcity of people, the businesses had to do away with the luxury and use whatever manpower was available. Compensation scales had to be revised since manpower became expensive. Alternatively, employees had to be brought in from faraway places and the companies had to bear the responsibility of their transport charges and safety. Moreover, the profit margins were severely affected since the businesses could not work their usual hours due to limited manpower. With the demand for employees going up, candidates had a field time as they could demand any amount as remuneration. Companies increased wages in a bid to attract workers and this lead to the entry of many untrained workers. Menial jobs now began paying well. Under ordinary circumstances, workers would be trained well before they started working on floor, but due to scarcity o f staff they had to start right away with no prior training. Working in fast food restaurants suddenly became lucrative. However, this put a lot of pressure on the existing staff as they had to work with untrained workers, leading to mismanagement and chaos. This affected the smooth functioning of the restaurants and also their reputation. Yes, to a certain extent the HR situation is typical here

Responding to the Public Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Responding to the Public - Essay Example On the 14th of February 2008 a gunman shot twenty-four people on the campus of Northern Illinois University that is located in Dekalb, Illinois, wounding eighteen and killing six (The Evening Standard, 2008). Descriptions of the event recounted the gunman, who was later identified as Steven Kazmierczak, 27, stepped out from behind a curtain in the large lecture hall, and opened fire then turning the weapon on himself, committing suicide (Western Mail, 2008). Later identified as a former student at the university, police were not able to ascertain a motive for the shootings, citing that Kazmierczak was taking some type of medication and was reported by friends and neighbours as acting increasingly erratic during the weeks leading up to the incident (Western Mail, 2008). Further puzzling is that he did not have any type of police record (Western Mail, 2008). ... Later identified as a former student at the university, police were not able to ascertain a motive for the shootings, citing that Kazmierczak was taking some type of medication and was reported by friends and neighbours as acting increasingly erratic during the weeks leading up to the incident (Western Mail, 2008). Further puzzling is that he did not have any type of police record (Western Mail, 2008). Reported as an outstanding student when he attended the university, it was found that Kazmierczak has been treated temporarily for mental illness as a result of unruly behaviour toward his parents in his early teens (Daily Post, 2008). Prior to this tragic event, the university had not have any type of violent incidents, not even student riots or unrest, as Northern Illinois University is located in a quiet small Midwestern town. The Hidden Factors Later investigation turned up that Steven Kazmierczak indeed had a secret life that hide his good student and known public behaviour opinions (The Huffington Post, 2009). In the late 1990s Kazmierczak spent in excess of "a year at the Thresholds-Maryhill House ", which was "an alternative high school program for children suffering from mental illness" (The Huffington Post, 2009). The foregoing was a result of unruly behaviour, and he was admitted by his parents. Kazmierczak's condition, which Dr. Jay Rice (2008) describes as abandonment that could have its causes in the following events "1. He may have felt abandoned by his parents for placing him in treatment at Thresholds, 2. He may have felt abandoned by the illness of his mother and her death from ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease in 2006, 3. He may have felt abandoned by the death of an older sister to cancer, 4. He may have

Human resources function Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human resources function - Essay Example Abundance of human resources gives the company the luxury of becoming selective and filling positions with the right candidate and qualifications. But with scarcity of people, the businesses had to do away with the luxury and use whatever manpower was available. Compensation scales had to be revised since manpower became expensive. Alternatively, employees had to be brought in from faraway places and the companies had to bear the responsibility of their transport charges and safety. Moreover, the profit margins were severely affected since the businesses could not work their usual hours due to limited manpower. With the demand for employees going up, candidates had a field time as they could demand any amount as remuneration. Companies increased wages in a bid to attract workers and this lead to the entry of many untrained workers. Menial jobs now began paying well. Under ordinary circumstances, workers would be trained well before they started working on floor, but due to scarcity o f staff they had to start right away with no prior training. Working in fast food restaurants suddenly became lucrative. However, this put a lot of pressure on the existing staff as they had to work with untrained workers, leading to mismanagement and chaos. This affected the smooth functioning of the restaurants and also their reputation. Yes, to a certain extent the HR situation is typical here

Politics of Backstabbing Essay Example for Free

Politics of Backstabbing Essay Due to the result of such illegitimate political approach, Mr. Rosen was demoted while his colleague was promoted. Shortly after the incident, Mr. Rosen resigned with many questions unanswered (Robbins and Judge, 2007, p. 497). Warning These types of incidents are very common in the workplace as some people would use political games to move ahead. In my opinion Mr. Rosen needs to communicate ith his colleague and solve this issue in a friendly kind of way, to avoid any complication in the future. Be straight forward about his concern and bring up the comments and the abnormal behavior that affecting him. During the conversation Mr. Rosen should offer his assistant if ever needed as a reminder of working as a team. Anyone should feel at peace and concentrate on doing their Job without feeling like being watched or being stabbed in the back. Be sure to keep a written record, dated, time, and every event for future need. Manager or criticize the view. If there was no improvement, Mr. Rosen should take the next step by talking to his manager about his concern and ask for his manager advice to appropriately approach the issue. To avoid the negative repercussions that can come from backstabbing and other illegitimate behavior, manager should research and verify the incident. Never by pass your manager by going straight to the next level, because this can be much more complicated. Present your manager, the fact with any supportive written records you might have and pressing on the fact that this causing your Jobs performance and stress, and would lead to health issues. Backstabbers often claim to be a friend with their victims and act, as if they are hesitant about sharing negative information due to the friendship. Backstabbers arent our friend and we should be cautious and prepared of their existent. H. R. Dept. and the Chain of Command The next level can be accelerated to the human resource department if there is no improvement after reporting to the manager. Explain the fact that he had already taken all the necessary actions before proceeding to the H. R. Department. Again, Mr. Rosen will need to press firmly that this dilemma is causing his Jobs performance nd stress that will hurt not only him individually, but this will also impact the company performance as a whole. At this point, human resource should gather any necessary information and take appropriate actions. Hopefully, this is your last stop and be prepared if this doesnt work, then elevate to the chain of command. There is a reason to every problem, and every problem needs to be res olved. Be sure to keep a written record of all time during this dilemma, since it will be needed to go to the chain of command. Write a complain letter with supportive documents include ritten records and present it to the chain of command and explain that this behavior is causing a hostile work environment. Conclusion One of the most political actions in organizations has consistently found to be promotion decisions. The opportunity for promotions or advancement encourages people to compete for limited resources and positively influence the decisions outcome. Threatened with the loss of resources people may engage in political actions to safeguard what they have. Certain personality traits, needs, and other factors have been found by some researcher that is likely to be related to political behavior. However, any changes, especially those that imply significant reallocation of resources within the organization are likely to stimulate conflict and increase politicking. Many researches focuses on backstabbing aimed at organizations, but most sabotage is intended to harm a colleague, and generally benefits the perpetrator. Its not easy to identify back stabbers motivation. Backstabbers are jealous and generally insecure in themselves. They are very cruel and enjoy hurting others. It is never Justifiable to partake in backstabbing or any other illegitimate political behavior as soon, or later theyll be caught and suffer the consequences.

Lean Principles in Construction

Lean Principles in Construction Executive Summary Toyota is a name that when seen brings an image of high quality, durability, cost/fuel efficient and best value for money in the car industry. The reason for such a high standard is that Toyota Production System has Pioneered and Implemented Lean Principles in Production system. These principles didnt have the effect immediately in the start but at the last stages, it proved to have a greater worth for it. By implementation of Lean Theories and Philosophy, Toyota had got rid of much wasteful activities using Just In Time approach. The understudy report consists of the Implementation of Lean Principles on a Construction Project which was significantly delayed due to lack of managerial qualities. The Client built a new Head office to shift all the activities from the previous offices in to the new one, but a delay to all activities was observed. It has been analyzed that the construction companies fail to give proper time to the initial Pre-Design and Design Phases and are more reluctant towards starting their construction. The current method of working of the company is mapped and explained with the possible issues and problems are being enlisted. The Design Build approach of Procurement was appraised and further improvements have been suggested. The second part of the report consists of the major and applicable Lean Principles and how they can be implemented in Construction Projects. This not only reduces the wasteful activities but also prove to be cost efficient as mapped. Lastly some merits of Lean Implementation on the construction project have been enlisted and conclusions are drawn. NEW HEAD OFFICE OF COMMERCIAL BANK OF KUWAIT (CBK) Introduction The Commercial Bank of Kuwait is a well known Bank in Kuwait having its roots back in 1960s. It began with a simple minded policy from just a small part of the property with the aim to handle the financial burden on the main bank of Kuwait; the National Bank of Kuwait. Being an old player in the country, the CBK decided to shift its old head office to the new location as the old building had many issues like less working space creating hurdles in modernizing the banking facilities. The old office was in the region of Maidan Hawally which is considerably famous for foreigners living in the region. The new head office of CBK is in the Centre of Kuwait i.e. Kuwait City which is the economic hub of overall State of Kuwait. In this project, Commercial Bank of Kuwait was the main funding source. The Project began in January 2007 and the construction of the Bank lasted till March 2009. Although the project was expected to be completed by June 2008 whereas only the construction phase had jus t finished till March 2009 and the final building being handed over by September 2009. The study of the project indicated that the Project was not only delayed yet was significantly over budgeted. The Project was approximately 30 % over budget and 15 months delayed. Moreover not only these issues affected the project but too many changes by the client were also a reason for the delay. The delay in the completion of the CBK Project was due to two reasons. One being that the Chief Executive Officer of the CBK resigned due to some personal issues with Managing Director of the Bank and the other reason was due to the Financial Crunch throughout the globe. These two reasons caused changes in the project after a long halt to the construction till the new CEO was assigned as the requirements of the project were altered accordingly. Therefore only one person cannot be held responsible for the overall delay caused in the CBK Project. According to Tucker (1998), a high level of management in Construction is very much essential for smooth flow of project. Thus it can be said that there were flaws in the design phase of the project and the lack of good management resulted in overall failed on-time delivery of the project. The Procurement method of the project was Design Build keeping in view the needs and outcomes of the project. The Client (CBK itself) had future plans for further development which all seemed to be left in vain of further initiation due to such a mess created. There fore the Client took keen interest to map the overall processes of the project in order to learn the flaws that delayed the Project so as to further smoothen up its activities. Working Philosophy in the CBK Project Being appointed as an Assistant Project Manager by the Client (Commercial Bank of Kuwait), the task allocated was to analyze the overall performance of the CBK Headquarters project and prepare a report to learn the flaws and outcomes of the project. Such an exercise was done in order to generate preventive measures so that future projects may not be delayed much. The report consists of a comprehensive analysis of methodology used for the Development of Headquarter of CBK and the maximum emphasize is given to the changes in the design i.e. the overall management of the design. The first step taken into consideration is the feasibility report or the outline of the project which is the first process in a project. A detailed approach in investigation is taken therefore, the Contractor (Ahmadiah Contracting-Kuwait), the team of Client (CBK), stakeholders and other parties involved in the project were consulted. All the processes are shown are Appendix 1. Method of Procurement The method of procurement in this project was Design and Build. It is very much necessary to understand what this approach is by analyzing the method. From the clients point of view, the success of the project is nearly decided by choosing appropriate method of procurement in the beginning. The common layout of the system can be seen in the figure below. Fig.2 indicates that this system is very much suited for clients who typically pass their risk to the contractor and a close coordination is developed between the design and the contractor team. This enables to synchronize the time, cost and quality of the project in the true sense of good project management perspective. As the cost is pretty much decided in the beginning, the client is confident that all the further process is smoothen up. But the point to be concerned is that all teams should have proper knowledge of design and build approach. Mostly clients which have Design Build approach new into their project end up with the sentence that the contractor has made a lot of money out of this project. This can be true only if the client finds that the things mentioned in the proposal are not same as they should have been. According to Morledge et.al (2006), client should be in notice that: * Design and Build method may change the formal aspect of most of the parties involved throughout the project. * The contractual accountability of the involved parties can change according to the environment and need of the project. Therefore according to Morledge et.al (2006), the client should study the procurement route to be selected from the technical, financial and legal angle, well in advance before the commencement of the bidding stage. By this not only the client but also the other stakeholders involved in the project can proceed safely which having loose much money. From the explained context it can be seen that before initiating any step into the start of the project, if the client spends some time in understanding the possible pros and cons of the selection of procurement method, much discrepancies can be tackled easily. Moreover, the early involvement of the clients design team can lend a helping hand to the client in correct decision making. This type of activity seems to be very scarce in the CBK Project. Processes of CBK Project The working of the CBK Project can be seen in the form of a process map with each activity corresponding to a task. It can be seen that the working standard of the overall project is in the form of a three phase Design Build method. The three phases can be as: a. Pre-Tender Phase b. Tendering Phase c. Implementation Phase The three phases of the project are mapped as processes and sub processes and the roles of different parties involved in the overall project are elaborated (Appendix -1). This exercise enables to understand the whole process easily. Detailed Analysis of Processes The main processes of the New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait are discussed as follows:  § Concept of the Project The Chief Executive of Commercial Bank of Kuwait had a vision towards modernization in the country and the Bank it self. Therefore in order to compete the competitive banks in Kuwait the decision was taken to develop a state of the art building which will serve as an headquarter and economic backbone for the organization. Modernization was in the sense that latest high performance computers with ultra high-tech security were to be operated in the building.  § Financial Issues The Commercial Bank of Kuwait being the client as well as the funding authority finalized the concept of the project in order to have a brief overview of required budget of the project. For this, closed group meetings and seminars were arranged in order to clear any queries in the mind of the staff of the bank.  § Planning Phase The top management of the Commercial Bank of Kuwait was keen to modernize its new headquarters. For this to happen, special sessions were arranged in collaboration with Ministry of Planning, Kuwait and State Bank of Kuwait. International Banks like Barclays and HSBC were taken as role model and one model being finalized for the future development. This was a good step as to bring Western standards into an Arab Country.  § Consultant Team The consultant team (Al-Injaz Architects and Engineers) selected by the client was through competition and the team selected was an experienced one in modern construction.  § Feasibility Report A feasibility report was made in order to study the potential outcomes of the project and what could be the difficulties faced by the teams.  § Integrating Clients Objective The Consultant team enlisted the requirements of the client and steps were taken to meet the clients goals. Mainly the clients focus was a state of the art modern building and the whole project to be finished quickly without compromising Quality Standards. Therefore quality standards were also a must for the client. Through critical analysis of the data, the consultant team came out with the Design Build approach of procurement.  § Design Phase The consultant team started their work in the perspective of Design Build approach so that the tendering process can take place on time. Initial plan setup, architectural designs along with structural designs, cost estimation; all were done right on time.  § Project Documents The Projects brief long with all the details of the project including deadline of the project, estimated cost, drawings and plan etc are documented.  § Document Review The first document review meeting was held in which the top management of the CBK took part. All the project documents were critically analyzed and the Chief Executive and Chairman of Commercial Bank of Kuwait were briefed by the Project Manager about the findings of the report. It was decided that the design of the bank was little more luxurious as per the standard set and was exceeding the budget. So minor changes were made and final documents were setup.  § Tendering Process After finalizing the Project documents, pre-qualification of contractors was done and tenders were called for the development of New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait. This was done by the Bidding Committee assigned by the Client which was in close contact with the client during the tendering process.  § Bidding Documents Confidential bidding documents were received before the deadline and handed over to the client.  § Bid Evaluation The client selected the contractor with the lowest bid and consulted the consultant team and the project management team in order to approve the bid. Upon the approval from the teams, the client approved the Contractor (Ahmadiah Contracting, Kuwait) and informed the bidding committee.  § Contract Sign The Bidding Committee arranged a contract signing session in which the contract was signed between the two parties. It was assured that the detailed design would start immediately and the project would be finished on time and in budget.  § Initial Design The design team of the Contractor (Ahmadiah) started the initial design of the development of New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait. The consultant team and the project manager of the client were also involved in this phase and regular meetings with the client were taking place. During this phase proper site survey and investigation was done and the design aspects were altered accordingly.  § Interior Design The interior designing of the CBK was given much more importance in order to meet the quality standards set by the client. The other reason was to meet the maximum security levels of the requirements of the project.  § Provision for restaurant In order to serve the employees of the CBK, it was mentioned in the objectives of the client to provide the catering service to the staff so that at lunch time, the staff can enjoy the atmosphere and have a chat and meeting at the same time along with lunch.  § Design Proposal After finalizing the initial design of the CBK, a design proposal was prepared along with the time and cost estimates for approval from the Client.  § Final Review The client, consultant team and the project manager set up a meeting in order to critically analyze the proposal and upon approval from the client, the contractor proceeds further.  § Final Design Plan Layout Once the proposal was finalized, the design team of the contractor started to work on the detailed and comprehensive design of the project. The HVAC, electrical works, the building services including CCTV arrangements, the infrastructure of the building, all were done according to the sub-contractors co-ordination. The final layout of what is to be developed appeared on drawing charts and Auto-Cad drawing were prepared. The Step wise proceedings of the design phase of the CBK project starting from the Clients input and ending at the Contractors output can be seen in the Fig.3.  § Final Agreement With slight alterations in design and requirement by the client, the contract was review and the construction phase was to be started.  § Construction Phase The first step of the construction phase was the site acquisition, construction of temporary offices for the staff as well as design team. For this to happen the sub-contractors were put on job and the heavy construction machinery was brought on site.  § Final Drawings Implemented on Site With the start of working on the construction site, the first step was to excavate the area to be constructed upon. The construction phase started to be as smooth as predicted.  § Time Quality Checks The project manager of the client (CBK) had frequent visits to the site which resulted in strict control over the time and quality issues. A few incidents took place in which the contractor was not up to the mark as stated in the detailed drawing specifications. For instance, the project manager managed to have a look at the steel standards adopted and found that in the beams, low quality steel was used and was further sent for testing in the laboratory. The overall view of the working of the teams in the CBK Project can be seen in Fig.3.  § Documentation and Review A very important aspect of the CBK project was that every thing was documented and latest computer software such as Primavera was used on the site. The Clients project manager had an access to it. Some clashes went up due to delay in the project beyond the critical path which was referred to the client. Possible Issues with the Current Method of Working Different types of issues arose during the project life cycle that lead to certain unexpected failures during the project. Following table enlists the main issues: The above mentioned issues were found to have a significant impact on the working of the CBK project. The need of the future and to be successful in the field of construction is by analyzing the short comings of previously done processes. To enhance the working and construction processes by the client in the future, the forth coming recommendations in the form of Lean perspective in construction have been defined. All the working can be seen in Appendix -1. ENHANCED WAY OF HANDLING COMMERCIAL BANK OF KUWAIT PROJECT Introduction to Lean According to Egan (1998) and Latham (1994), the construction industry has changed significantly in the past decade, especially the UKs construction industry. Much emphasis is now given to improve the construction industry by analysis the working methodology of the industry. By analyzing, one can rectify the short comings and further improve that to make a win-win situation. According to Koskela (1997), construction industry cannot be a regarded as a â€Å"rich cultured† industry, because the way of doing work, the procedures and outcomes are nearly same as they were years ago. To improve this, the construction industry had to be linked with production and manufacturing industry. The reason is that although the end product of both the industries is entirely different, yet if the working principles of both industries are studied, they can be regarded as identical. According to Egbu (2010) and Towill (1997), construction industry can be regarded as a manufacturing industry. If we look at the production or manufacturing industry, for instance a car industry, the end product is a car, which was the project of the factory (Muhlemann et al., 1992). In construction industry, the end product is a building, house, a dam etc, which is the project for the construction factory/industry. Taking this, approach, Koskela (2000) introduced Lean principles in construction industrys perspective. He argued that the manufacturing industry has set of production theories which when applied to the construction industry, the results can be significant. When seen the time-line of the car manufacturing industry, for instance, we can see that the car manufacturing has changed drastically over the past century. The reason being that the working principles adopted by production industry has polished itself over time again and again, when such principle be defined and impl emented on construction industry, the end product can be enhanced (Koskela, 1992). Lean thinking is the concept put forward by Womack and Daniel (1996) in which he describes to think every possible aspect in a leaner way. Thus by minimizing single repetitive step can be a step forward towards implementing lean in our daily life. Lean production system was adopted and implemented by Toyota Production System through out its time-line of production activities. Liker (1998) recognizes Toyota as the pioneers of lean principles which have brought a revolution in its production activities for more than a century. This is done by proper planning the supply chain activities, minimizing the wasteful activities, etc. By the introduction of 5S technique, Kanban and others, Toyota has flourished significantly in the production industry, whereas, the construction industry is far away from these concepts. Summary of 14 points as set by Toyota Production System and enlisted by Liker (2004), are as follows: 1. Base Your Management Decisions on a Long-Term Philosophy, Even at the Expense of Short-Term Financial Goals. 2. Create Continuous Process Flow to Bring Problems to the Surface. 3. Use â€Å"Pull† System to Avoid Overproduction. 4. Level Out the Workload (Heijunka). 5. Build a Culture of Stopping to Fix Problems, to Get Quality Right for the First Time. 6. Standardizes Tasks are the Foundation for Continuous Improvement and Employee Empowerment. 7. Use Visual Controls so no Problems are Hidden. 8. Use Only Reliable, Thoroughly Tested Technology That Serves your People and Processes. 9. Grow Leaders who Thoroughly Understand the Work, Live the Philosophy, and Take it to Others. 10. Develop Exceptional People and Teams who Follow your Companys Philosophy. 11. Respect Your Extended Network of Partners and Suppliers by Challenging Them and Helping them Improve. 12. Go and See for Yourself to Thoroughly Understand the Situation (Genchi Genbutsu). 13. Make Decisions Slowly by Consensus, Thoroughly Considering All options; Implement Decisions Rapidly (Nemawashi). 14. Become a Learning Organization Through Relentless Reflection (Hansei) and Continuous Improvement (Kaizen). Thus by closely looking and understanding the above mentioned principles, we can judge that how successful a company can be when adopted such principles. By using Kanban, much of the waste can be removed. The fact is to carefully see and analyse the company performance and take out the shortcomings. Integrating Lean with the CBK Project Construction industry is now in a phase of adapting new procedures and methods for its improvement and to increase its efficiency. This can easily be done by integrating lean philosophy in the construction industry (Jorgensen and Emmitt, 2008 2009). Liker (2004) has condensed the above enlisted 14 key principles of Toyota Production System into 4 main categories/sections according to their nature. These are: 1. Long-Term Philosophy 2. Selection of Right Process 3. People and Parners development can lead to value generation 4. Gradually problem solving These 14 points of Toyota Production System are very well condensed in the above mentioned four points. When thinking about construction, Long-term philosophy can very much help in implementation of lean principles. According to Arbulu and Zabelle (2006), to standardize work it is very much necessary to follow a guideline. The five stages vision, skills, incentives, resources and action plan can be idealized according to the CBK Project. Thinking Lean while keeping in view these 5 stages can very well prove to be successful in the project. Vision Defining a vision is the first step towards the start of a project. These not only assist in the further journey, but also remove any questions that may arise in the overall team in the project. This exercise was found to be completely during the construction of New Head office of Central Bank of Kuwait Project because everything was mixed and jumbled up during the last stages of the project. Defining a vision thus give a road map towards success and the vision is usually giving for the next couple of years, which elaborates the broad thing of the company in front of others. Only thing that matters is the top management team to be strong to take decisions which lacked through out the CBK Project. Skills Skills come first after a vision is set. In fact a vision cannot be defined without the proper knowledge of the skills that a company possesses. In order to be successful in implementation of Lean in the construction industry, the company has to design or upgrade its staff development program. Thus skills very much distinguishes between the current adopted working methodology with the new working method i.e.; Lean. Furthermore, proper knowledge of the companies profile is also very beneficial in perusing successful projects. Although the staff of the CBK Project is very much skilled yet some lack in understanding of basics in construction industry is found, for instance the top management dealing first time with the Design Build procurement method. Incentive Incentives are good in the sense that they keep the workers at work motivated. The incentives can be in the form of money or by applauding someones good work, this make the worker feel happing. To implement lean into the construction industry is something to make a great change into the system, thus by introducing incentives can encourage workers at work and be happy to work and accept the change. Resources Resources can be regarded as the backbone of a project. Insufficient resources and funds may load to a halt during a project. In order to smoothen the working and progress of the project, it should be made assure well in advance that there are enough funds to support the working. The financial crunch appeared during the construction of the CBK project which significantly halted the progress of construction activities. Action Plan Like setting up a clear vision right in the start of the project, a good action plan is also equally important as a right action plan sets up guidelines for the project team. Working on the correct action plan, incorporates any unsubstantial changes and alterations in a project. A good action plan cannot be seen in the CBK project which lead to some unwanted results in the last stages of the project. Improvement by Implementation of Lean Principles The 14 principles of Lean Production system used by Toyota Production System and stated by Liker (2004) are being implemented into the CBK Project which gives a more Leaner and good value of money look to the project. Not only the cost of the overall project is properly utilized but also it is a quicker approach Womack and Daniel (2005). The enlisted problems in the CBK Project (as stated in the start) can be resolved using the Lean Principles. Following are the Lean principles directly implemented to the improvement of CBK Project. 1. Long-Term Philosophy The long term philosophy in the context of lean can be explained as: I. Base Your Management Decisions on Long-Term Philosophy Long term philosophy gives a plate form for an organization to initialize the start of future prospects. Long term approaches are usually declared in the form of upcoming 5, 10, 15 or 20 years in which it is clearly briefed about the future plans of the organization. Commercial Bank of Kuwait should introduce this approach right from the start of future projects. This will enhance the managerial skills of the organization and an approach to solve all the problems will be upgraded (Carroll, 2002) and hence shown in Fig.4 after application. 2. Process Improvement The process improvement section of the Lean principles consists of following aspects: II. Create Continuous Process Flow to Bring Problems to the Surface This principle of Lean suggests that the working criteria of the company should be such that it is running smoothly, fast and in an accurate manner. In this way any problem that arises during the process, may be handled quite easily. This principle can be implemented in the design and the planning phase as it removes many problems which are caused by starting different activities at same time. Such exercise was completely missing in the CBK Project. Multiple tasks were started at the same time, which lead to misunderstandings in the project. Smooth flow of work was least found and by implementing this technique the smooth flow of work can be seen. III. Use â€Å"Pull† System Pull system helps to reduce the un-necessary work that is done during the project. The use of pull system can be used in the pre-project and pre-construction phases during the design phases as this will help to control the time lapsed between the completion of the drawings and the designing. Un-necessary meetings and suggestions were found during the execution of the Pre-Tender phase whose burden, the overall project planning had to face. By introducing Pull system, much waste full activities can be overcome. IV. Level out the Workload The workers at work shouldnt be overburdened at any time of the project. This not only applies to the Labor but also to the Design Team. When it comes to the labor, it should be taken care off that every labor has equal work allocated to him and work load should be calculated according to the time available. Similarly the Design team should be Lean Principles in Construction Lean Principles in Construction Executive Summary Toyota is a name that when seen brings an image of high quality, durability, cost/fuel efficient and best value for money in the car industry. The reason for such a high standard is that Toyota Production System has Pioneered and Implemented Lean Principles in Production system. These principles didnt have the effect immediately in the start but at the last stages, it proved to have a greater worth for it. By implementation of Lean Theories and Philosophy, Toyota had got rid of much wasteful activities using Just In Time approach. The understudy report consists of the Implementation of Lean Principles on a Construction Project which was significantly delayed due to lack of managerial qualities. The Client built a new Head office to shift all the activities from the previous offices in to the new one, but a delay to all activities was observed. It has been analyzed that the construction companies fail to give proper time to the initial Pre-Design and Design Phases and are more reluctant towards starting their construction. The current method of working of the company is mapped and explained with the possible issues and problems are being enlisted. The Design Build approach of Procurement was appraised and further improvements have been suggested. The second part of the report consists of the major and applicable Lean Principles and how they can be implemented in Construction Projects. This not only reduces the wasteful activities but also prove to be cost efficient as mapped. Lastly some merits of Lean Implementation on the construction project have been enlisted and conclusions are drawn. NEW HEAD OFFICE OF COMMERCIAL BANK OF KUWAIT (CBK) Introduction The Commercial Bank of Kuwait is a well known Bank in Kuwait having its roots back in 1960s. It began with a simple minded policy from just a small part of the property with the aim to handle the financial burden on the main bank of Kuwait; the National Bank of Kuwait. Being an old player in the country, the CBK decided to shift its old head office to the new location as the old building had many issues like less working space creating hurdles in modernizing the banking facilities. The old office was in the region of Maidan Hawally which is considerably famous for foreigners living in the region. The new head office of CBK is in the Centre of Kuwait i.e. Kuwait City which is the economic hub of overall State of Kuwait. In this project, Commercial Bank of Kuwait was the main funding source. The Project began in January 2007 and the construction of the Bank lasted till March 2009. Although the project was expected to be completed by June 2008 whereas only the construction phase had jus t finished till March 2009 and the final building being handed over by September 2009. The study of the project indicated that the Project was not only delayed yet was significantly over budgeted. The Project was approximately 30 % over budget and 15 months delayed. Moreover not only these issues affected the project but too many changes by the client were also a reason for the delay. The delay in the completion of the CBK Project was due to two reasons. One being that the Chief Executive Officer of the CBK resigned due to some personal issues with Managing Director of the Bank and the other reason was due to the Financial Crunch throughout the globe. These two reasons caused changes in the project after a long halt to the construction till the new CEO was assigned as the requirements of the project were altered accordingly. Therefore only one person cannot be held responsible for the overall delay caused in the CBK Project. According to Tucker (1998), a high level of management in Construction is very much essential for smooth flow of project. Thus it can be said that there were flaws in the design phase of the project and the lack of good management resulted in overall failed on-time delivery of the project. The Procurement method of the project was Design Build keeping in view the needs and outcomes of the project. The Client (CBK itself) had future plans for further development which all seemed to be left in vain of further initiation due to such a mess created. There fore the Client took keen interest to map the overall processes of the project in order to learn the flaws that delayed the Project so as to further smoothen up its activities. Working Philosophy in the CBK Project Being appointed as an Assistant Project Manager by the Client (Commercial Bank of Kuwait), the task allocated was to analyze the overall performance of the CBK Headquarters project and prepare a report to learn the flaws and outcomes of the project. Such an exercise was done in order to generate preventive measures so that future projects may not be delayed much. The report consists of a comprehensive analysis of methodology used for the Development of Headquarter of CBK and the maximum emphasize is given to the changes in the design i.e. the overall management of the design. The first step taken into consideration is the feasibility report or the outline of the project which is the first process in a project. A detailed approach in investigation is taken therefore, the Contractor (Ahmadiah Contracting-Kuwait), the team of Client (CBK), stakeholders and other parties involved in the project were consulted. All the processes are shown are Appendix 1. Method of Procurement The method of procurement in this project was Design and Build. It is very much necessary to understand what this approach is by analyzing the method. From the clients point of view, the success of the project is nearly decided by choosing appropriate method of procurement in the beginning. The common layout of the system can be seen in the figure below. Fig.2 indicates that this system is very much suited for clients who typically pass their risk to the contractor and a close coordination is developed between the design and the contractor team. This enables to synchronize the time, cost and quality of the project in the true sense of good project management perspective. As the cost is pretty much decided in the beginning, the client is confident that all the further process is smoothen up. But the point to be concerned is that all teams should have proper knowledge of design and build approach. Mostly clients which have Design Build approach new into their project end up with the sentence that the contractor has made a lot of money out of this project. This can be true only if the client finds that the things mentioned in the proposal are not same as they should have been. According to Morledge et.al (2006), client should be in notice that: * Design and Build method may change the formal aspect of most of the parties involved throughout the project. * The contractual accountability of the involved parties can change according to the environment and need of the project. Therefore according to Morledge et.al (2006), the client should study the procurement route to be selected from the technical, financial and legal angle, well in advance before the commencement of the bidding stage. By this not only the client but also the other stakeholders involved in the project can proceed safely which having loose much money. From the explained context it can be seen that before initiating any step into the start of the project, if the client spends some time in understanding the possible pros and cons of the selection of procurement method, much discrepancies can be tackled easily. Moreover, the early involvement of the clients design team can lend a helping hand to the client in correct decision making. This type of activity seems to be very scarce in the CBK Project. Processes of CBK Project The working of the CBK Project can be seen in the form of a process map with each activity corresponding to a task. It can be seen that the working standard of the overall project is in the form of a three phase Design Build method. The three phases can be as: a. Pre-Tender Phase b. Tendering Phase c. Implementation Phase The three phases of the project are mapped as processes and sub processes and the roles of different parties involved in the overall project are elaborated (Appendix -1). This exercise enables to understand the whole process easily. Detailed Analysis of Processes The main processes of the New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait are discussed as follows:  § Concept of the Project The Chief Executive of Commercial Bank of Kuwait had a vision towards modernization in the country and the Bank it self. Therefore in order to compete the competitive banks in Kuwait the decision was taken to develop a state of the art building which will serve as an headquarter and economic backbone for the organization. Modernization was in the sense that latest high performance computers with ultra high-tech security were to be operated in the building.  § Financial Issues The Commercial Bank of Kuwait being the client as well as the funding authority finalized the concept of the project in order to have a brief overview of required budget of the project. For this, closed group meetings and seminars were arranged in order to clear any queries in the mind of the staff of the bank.  § Planning Phase The top management of the Commercial Bank of Kuwait was keen to modernize its new headquarters. For this to happen, special sessions were arranged in collaboration with Ministry of Planning, Kuwait and State Bank of Kuwait. International Banks like Barclays and HSBC were taken as role model and one model being finalized for the future development. This was a good step as to bring Western standards into an Arab Country.  § Consultant Team The consultant team (Al-Injaz Architects and Engineers) selected by the client was through competition and the team selected was an experienced one in modern construction.  § Feasibility Report A feasibility report was made in order to study the potential outcomes of the project and what could be the difficulties faced by the teams.  § Integrating Clients Objective The Consultant team enlisted the requirements of the client and steps were taken to meet the clients goals. Mainly the clients focus was a state of the art modern building and the whole project to be finished quickly without compromising Quality Standards. Therefore quality standards were also a must for the client. Through critical analysis of the data, the consultant team came out with the Design Build approach of procurement.  § Design Phase The consultant team started their work in the perspective of Design Build approach so that the tendering process can take place on time. Initial plan setup, architectural designs along with structural designs, cost estimation; all were done right on time.  § Project Documents The Projects brief long with all the details of the project including deadline of the project, estimated cost, drawings and plan etc are documented.  § Document Review The first document review meeting was held in which the top management of the CBK took part. All the project documents were critically analyzed and the Chief Executive and Chairman of Commercial Bank of Kuwait were briefed by the Project Manager about the findings of the report. It was decided that the design of the bank was little more luxurious as per the standard set and was exceeding the budget. So minor changes were made and final documents were setup.  § Tendering Process After finalizing the Project documents, pre-qualification of contractors was done and tenders were called for the development of New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait. This was done by the Bidding Committee assigned by the Client which was in close contact with the client during the tendering process.  § Bidding Documents Confidential bidding documents were received before the deadline and handed over to the client.  § Bid Evaluation The client selected the contractor with the lowest bid and consulted the consultant team and the project management team in order to approve the bid. Upon the approval from the teams, the client approved the Contractor (Ahmadiah Contracting, Kuwait) and informed the bidding committee.  § Contract Sign The Bidding Committee arranged a contract signing session in which the contract was signed between the two parties. It was assured that the detailed design would start immediately and the project would be finished on time and in budget.  § Initial Design The design team of the Contractor (Ahmadiah) started the initial design of the development of New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait. The consultant team and the project manager of the client were also involved in this phase and regular meetings with the client were taking place. During this phase proper site survey and investigation was done and the design aspects were altered accordingly.  § Interior Design The interior designing of the CBK was given much more importance in order to meet the quality standards set by the client. The other reason was to meet the maximum security levels of the requirements of the project.  § Provision for restaurant In order to serve the employees of the CBK, it was mentioned in the objectives of the client to provide the catering service to the staff so that at lunch time, the staff can enjoy the atmosphere and have a chat and meeting at the same time along with lunch.  § Design Proposal After finalizing the initial design of the CBK, a design proposal was prepared along with the time and cost estimates for approval from the Client.  § Final Review The client, consultant team and the project manager set up a meeting in order to critically analyze the proposal and upon approval from the client, the contractor proceeds further.  § Final Design Plan Layout Once the proposal was finalized, the design team of the contractor started to work on the detailed and comprehensive design of the project. The HVAC, electrical works, the building services including CCTV arrangements, the infrastructure of the building, all were done according to the sub-contractors co-ordination. The final layout of what is to be developed appeared on drawing charts and Auto-Cad drawing were prepared. The Step wise proceedings of the design phase of the CBK project starting from the Clients input and ending at the Contractors output can be seen in the Fig.3.  § Final Agreement With slight alterations in design and requirement by the client, the contract was review and the construction phase was to be started.  § Construction Phase The first step of the construction phase was the site acquisition, construction of temporary offices for the staff as well as design team. For this to happen the sub-contractors were put on job and the heavy construction machinery was brought on site.  § Final Drawings Implemented on Site With the start of working on the construction site, the first step was to excavate the area to be constructed upon. The construction phase started to be as smooth as predicted.  § Time Quality Checks The project manager of the client (CBK) had frequent visits to the site which resulted in strict control over the time and quality issues. A few incidents took place in which the contractor was not up to the mark as stated in the detailed drawing specifications. For instance, the project manager managed to have a look at the steel standards adopted and found that in the beams, low quality steel was used and was further sent for testing in the laboratory. The overall view of the working of the teams in the CBK Project can be seen in Fig.3.  § Documentation and Review A very important aspect of the CBK project was that every thing was documented and latest computer software such as Primavera was used on the site. The Clients project manager had an access to it. Some clashes went up due to delay in the project beyond the critical path which was referred to the client. Possible Issues with the Current Method of Working Different types of issues arose during the project life cycle that lead to certain unexpected failures during the project. Following table enlists the main issues: The above mentioned issues were found to have a significant impact on the working of the CBK project. The need of the future and to be successful in the field of construction is by analyzing the short comings of previously done processes. To enhance the working and construction processes by the client in the future, the forth coming recommendations in the form of Lean perspective in construction have been defined. All the working can be seen in Appendix -1. ENHANCED WAY OF HANDLING COMMERCIAL BANK OF KUWAIT PROJECT Introduction to Lean According to Egan (1998) and Latham (1994), the construction industry has changed significantly in the past decade, especially the UKs construction industry. Much emphasis is now given to improve the construction industry by analysis the working methodology of the industry. By analyzing, one can rectify the short comings and further improve that to make a win-win situation. According to Koskela (1997), construction industry cannot be a regarded as a â€Å"rich cultured† industry, because the way of doing work, the procedures and outcomes are nearly same as they were years ago. To improve this, the construction industry had to be linked with production and manufacturing industry. The reason is that although the end product of both the industries is entirely different, yet if the working principles of both industries are studied, they can be regarded as identical. According to Egbu (2010) and Towill (1997), construction industry can be regarded as a manufacturing industry. If we look at the production or manufacturing industry, for instance a car industry, the end product is a car, which was the project of the factory (Muhlemann et al., 1992). In construction industry, the end product is a building, house, a dam etc, which is the project for the construction factory/industry. Taking this, approach, Koskela (2000) introduced Lean principles in construction industrys perspective. He argued that the manufacturing industry has set of production theories which when applied to the construction industry, the results can be significant. When seen the time-line of the car manufacturing industry, for instance, we can see that the car manufacturing has changed drastically over the past century. The reason being that the working principles adopted by production industry has polished itself over time again and again, when such principle be defined and impl emented on construction industry, the end product can be enhanced (Koskela, 1992). Lean thinking is the concept put forward by Womack and Daniel (1996) in which he describes to think every possible aspect in a leaner way. Thus by minimizing single repetitive step can be a step forward towards implementing lean in our daily life. Lean production system was adopted and implemented by Toyota Production System through out its time-line of production activities. Liker (1998) recognizes Toyota as the pioneers of lean principles which have brought a revolution in its production activities for more than a century. This is done by proper planning the supply chain activities, minimizing the wasteful activities, etc. By the introduction of 5S technique, Kanban and others, Toyota has flourished significantly in the production industry, whereas, the construction industry is far away from these concepts. Summary of 14 points as set by Toyota Production System and enlisted by Liker (2004), are as follows: 1. Base Your Management Decisions on a Long-Term Philosophy, Even at the Expense of Short-Term Financial Goals. 2. Create Continuous Process Flow to Bring Problems to the Surface. 3. Use â€Å"Pull† System to Avoid Overproduction. 4. Level Out the Workload (Heijunka). 5. Build a Culture of Stopping to Fix Problems, to Get Quality Right for the First Time. 6. Standardizes Tasks are the Foundation for Continuous Improvement and Employee Empowerment. 7. Use Visual Controls so no Problems are Hidden. 8. Use Only Reliable, Thoroughly Tested Technology That Serves your People and Processes. 9. Grow Leaders who Thoroughly Understand the Work, Live the Philosophy, and Take it to Others. 10. Develop Exceptional People and Teams who Follow your Companys Philosophy. 11. Respect Your Extended Network of Partners and Suppliers by Challenging Them and Helping them Improve. 12. Go and See for Yourself to Thoroughly Understand the Situation (Genchi Genbutsu). 13. Make Decisions Slowly by Consensus, Thoroughly Considering All options; Implement Decisions Rapidly (Nemawashi). 14. Become a Learning Organization Through Relentless Reflection (Hansei) and Continuous Improvement (Kaizen). Thus by closely looking and understanding the above mentioned principles, we can judge that how successful a company can be when adopted such principles. By using Kanban, much of the waste can be removed. The fact is to carefully see and analyse the company performance and take out the shortcomings. Integrating Lean with the CBK Project Construction industry is now in a phase of adapting new procedures and methods for its improvement and to increase its efficiency. This can easily be done by integrating lean philosophy in the construction industry (Jorgensen and Emmitt, 2008 2009). Liker (2004) has condensed the above enlisted 14 key principles of Toyota Production System into 4 main categories/sections according to their nature. These are: 1. Long-Term Philosophy 2. Selection of Right Process 3. People and Parners development can lead to value generation 4. Gradually problem solving These 14 points of Toyota Production System are very well condensed in the above mentioned four points. When thinking about construction, Long-term philosophy can very much help in implementation of lean principles. According to Arbulu and Zabelle (2006), to standardize work it is very much necessary to follow a guideline. The five stages vision, skills, incentives, resources and action plan can be idealized according to the CBK Project. Thinking Lean while keeping in view these 5 stages can very well prove to be successful in the project. Vision Defining a vision is the first step towards the start of a project. These not only assist in the further journey, but also remove any questions that may arise in the overall team in the project. This exercise was found to be completely during the construction of New Head office of Central Bank of Kuwait Project because everything was mixed and jumbled up during the last stages of the project. Defining a vision thus give a road map towards success and the vision is usually giving for the next couple of years, which elaborates the broad thing of the company in front of others. Only thing that matters is the top management team to be strong to take decisions which lacked through out the CBK Project. Skills Skills come first after a vision is set. In fact a vision cannot be defined without the proper knowledge of the skills that a company possesses. In order to be successful in implementation of Lean in the construction industry, the company has to design or upgrade its staff development program. Thus skills very much distinguishes between the current adopted working methodology with the new working method i.e.; Lean. Furthermore, proper knowledge of the companies profile is also very beneficial in perusing successful projects. Although the staff of the CBK Project is very much skilled yet some lack in understanding of basics in construction industry is found, for instance the top management dealing first time with the Design Build procurement method. Incentive Incentives are good in the sense that they keep the workers at work motivated. The incentives can be in the form of money or by applauding someones good work, this make the worker feel happing. To implement lean into the construction industry is something to make a great change into the system, thus by introducing incentives can encourage workers at work and be happy to work and accept the change. Resources Resources can be regarded as the backbone of a project. Insufficient resources and funds may load to a halt during a project. In order to smoothen the working and progress of the project, it should be made assure well in advance that there are enough funds to support the working. The financial crunch appeared during the construction of the CBK project which significantly halted the progress of construction activities. Action Plan Like setting up a clear vision right in the start of the project, a good action plan is also equally important as a right action plan sets up guidelines for the project team. Working on the correct action plan, incorporates any unsubstantial changes and alterations in a project. A good action plan cannot be seen in the CBK project which lead to some unwanted results in the last stages of the project. Improvement by Implementation of Lean Principles The 14 principles of Lean Production system used by Toyota Production System and stated by Liker (2004) are being implemented into the CBK Project which gives a more Leaner and good value of money look to the project. Not only the cost of the overall project is properly utilized but also it is a quicker approach Womack and Daniel (2005). The enlisted problems in the CBK Project (as stated in the start) can be resolved using the Lean Principles. Following are the Lean principles directly implemented to the improvement of CBK Project. 1. Long-Term Philosophy The long term philosophy in the context of lean can be explained as: I. Base Your Management Decisions on Long-Term Philosophy Long term philosophy gives a plate form for an organization to initialize the start of future prospects. Long term approaches are usually declared in the form of upcoming 5, 10, 15 or 20 years in which it is clearly briefed about the future plans of the organization. Commercial Bank of Kuwait should introduce this approach right from the start of future projects. This will enhance the managerial skills of the organization and an approach to solve all the problems will be upgraded (Carroll, 2002) and hence shown in Fig.4 after application. 2. Process Improvement The process improvement section of the Lean principles consists of following aspects: II. Create Continuous Process Flow to Bring Problems to the Surface This principle of Lean suggests that the working criteria of the company should be such that it is running smoothly, fast and in an accurate manner. In this way any problem that arises during the process, may be handled quite easily. This principle can be implemented in the design and the planning phase as it removes many problems which are caused by starting different activities at same time. Such exercise was completely missing in the CBK Project. Multiple tasks were started at the same time, which lead to misunderstandings in the project. Smooth flow of work was least found and by implementing this technique the smooth flow of work can be seen. III. Use â€Å"Pull† System Pull system helps to reduce the un-necessary work that is done during the project. The use of pull system can be used in the pre-project and pre-construction phases during the design phases as this will help to control the time lapsed between the completion of the drawings and the designing. Un-necessary meetings and suggestions were found during the execution of the Pre-Tender phase whose burden, the overall project planning had to face. By introducing Pull system, much waste full activities can be overcome. IV. Level out the Workload The workers at work shouldnt be overburdened at any time of the project. This not only applies to the Labor but also to the Design Team. When it comes to the labor, it should be taken care off that every labor has equal work allocated to him and work load should be calculated according to the time available. Similarly the Design team should be