Sunday, September 15, 2019
Biodiversity and Wild Life
Proper utilization and management of nature and its resources is termed as conservation. International Union for conservation of Natural and Natural Resources (IUCN) define conservation as rational use of environment to provide a high quality of living for the mankind. Conservation is essential for life support system like air, water, land, flora & fauna, biodiversity and ecosystems. Natural resources are conserved due to economic as their natural beauty and importance to local culture.Preserving biodiversity is essential for ecosystems to respond flexibly to damage or change. An International treaty, the convention on International Trade in endangered species of wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) went into effect in 1975 and out lawned trade of endangered animals and animal parts. In USA, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted in 1973. The conservation of wild life includes natural habitats, make them to reproduce and give rise to fertile offspring without human interference.Wild li fe Protection Act 1972 declares endangered (threatened) animals are now declared as protected animals. The Indian Board of Wild life (IBW) works in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to conserve wild life with the assistance of Govt. This includes implementation of Wild life Act, species preservations, predator control, Tiger reserve and Habitat preservation. In India there are 400 wild life sanctuaries and more than 70 National Park for protection and preservation of wild life.Forest conservation can be done by preventing fires, eradicates pest, resistant varieties of plants, reduces deforestation, increase afforestation, regeneration, conservation of soil depends upon the maintenance of vegetal cover, terracing and landscape and check soil erosion. The measures like proper drainage, storage, use, flood control can be taken for conservation of water. Energy conservation require the use of renewable energy resource and alternative energy resource and in household energy ca n be conserved by turning down thermostats, switching off unnecessary lights, insulating homes and using less hot water.The sustainable development as ââ¬Ëdevelopment that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' the United Nations Environment Programme says ââ¬Å"The intensified and unsustainable demand for land, water marine and coastal resources resulting from the expansion of agriculture and uncontrolled urbanization lead to increased degradation of natural ecosystems and erode the life supporting systems that uphold human civilization.Caring for natural resources and promoting their sustainable use is an essential response of world community to ensure its own survival and well beingâ⬠. Think and do the eco friendly exercises in life. Related Articles Essay On The Indo-Us Nuclear Deal
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Feasibility Study of Ibs in Sarawak
Feasibility Study of IBS in Sarawak Afdal Haziq bin Mohamad Salehe Department of Civil, Faculty of Engineering, University Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak Abstract This is a feasibility study of Industrialised Building System (IBS) in Sarawak. IBS implementation in Sarawak is still slow and thus this study is carried on to identify the factors that cause the problem so that proper solution can be carried on.The aim of the study is to increase the IBS implementation in Sarawak so that productivity and quality of the construction projects in this state can be improved. In order to achieve the aim, three objectives need to be met which are: 1) To understand the concept of Industrialised Building System (IBS); 2) To identify the challenges of implementation of IBS in Sarawak; 3) To find the solutions to overcome the barriers thus, ensure that IBS implementation in Sarawak can be improved.Collection of data is done by distribution of questionnaires to important constructio ns players such as engineers, consultants, supervisors and architects from construction sites within Kota Samarahan and Kuching City. The results determined the critical factors of challenges as well as finding the solutions to improve the IBS implementation based on the level of agreements of the respondents. As a result, this study has determined the critical factor of barrier and challenges which slow down the IBS progress in Sarawak is the awareness factor especially amongst the contractors.Besides, the study also found the solutions in term of awareness, knowledge, cost, acceptance and role of the government in order to improve the IBS progress in the construction industry in Sarawak. The finding of this study hopefully will be helpful for further future research as well as reference for the authority in order to improve the IBS implementation in Sarawak. Keywords: Industrialised Building System INTRODUCTION Construction industries play important roles in the development of bui ldings as well as economical of a country.According to the report by CIDB (2000), it is highlighted that construction sector are more than just economic where as the products of construction whether directly or indirectly through provision of bigger infrastructure and buildings has contributed largely towards the production of wealth as well as increasing quality of life of the citizen [1]. With the increasing knowledge and experiences of construction technology, now, many construction can be done faster with reduce cost, but still with optimized quality.One of the construction technologies that have been developing in many countries is precast concrete or as known as Industrial Building System (IBS). IBS is basically pre-cast concrete components where it is later on installed together to become a building or structure. It also may be defined as construction which system components are manufactured in a factory, on or off site, positioned and assembled into structures with minimal a dditional site work. The construction concrete components will be produce off-site and then will be transported to the construction site and assemble [2].In Malaysia, IBS has been introduced in early 1964 by Ministry of Local Government and Housing. The Ministry aims to provide low cost houses for low income citizens group. Since then, housing programmes for low income citizens is being carried on and by 1966, the Ministry has launched two pilot project in two major cities which are Pekeliling Flats in Kuala Lumpur and Rifle Range Road Flats in Penang. However, Pekeliling Flats in Kuala Lumpur has been demolished to be replaced by new development [3].With the latest 9th Malaysia Plan 2006-2010, as government are aware of the benefits that come from the application of IBS, many encouragement of IBS usage have been conduct. Two of the latest major initiatives are the release of the Treasury Circular Letter No. 7 Year 2008 and the announcement of the Action Plan for IBS Implementation in Government Projects (Pelan Tindakan Pelaksanaan IBS dalam Projek-Projek Kerajaan)[4]. It replaces the earlier instruction released on 6th July 2005 by Treasury for the usage of 50 percent IBS content in all government projects.Released on 31st October 2008, the Treasury Circular Letter was issued to all Secretary Generals, Heads of Federal Department, State Secretaries, Heads of Federal Statutory Bodies as well as to all local authorities. The essence of the instruction is the usage of Open Building, Malaysian Control design and 70 percent IBS Score for all projects. Agencies are required to submit periodical reports of IBS project implementation to the central monitoring agency. Exemptions are offered for certain classes of projects and the IBS Centre will function as the main technical reference centre.Sarawak, which is one of the fast developing states in Malaysia, constructions are happening all over the parts of the state. However, applications of IBS in the construction ind ustries in Sarawak are still far left behind. Sarawak just implemented IBS after a few decades after the introduction of IBS in Malaysia in 1964, as several projects using IBS was started in 2006 in Kuching areas [5]. Therefore, this study was performed in order to increase the IBS implementation in Sarawak so that productivity and quality of the constructions projects in this state can be improve.The aim of this research is to improve the IBS implementation in Sarawak so that productivity and quality of the constructions projects in this state can be optimized. In order to achieve this aim, several objectives must be met which are: i. To understand the concept of Industrialised Building System (IBS) ii. To identify the challenges of implementation of IBS in Sarawak. iii. To find the solutions to overcome the barriers to ensure that IBS implementation in Sarawak can be improved. 2. research methodologySecondary data will be needed in literature review part which aims to achieve the first objective which is to increase the understanding of the IBS concept. Primary data will be a strong evidence to achieve the second objectives which is identification of challenges of implementation of IBS in Sarawak. This will also help in achieving the third objective which is finding the solution to overcome the barriers in improving the implementation of IBS in Sarawak. Three approaches have been lineout for this study to gather the relevant data. The approaches are: i. Literature review i. Questionnaires Literature Review Literature review in this study is important in term of gathering the secondary data. This is to increase the resourceful information needed for this study for better understanding. The informations is gathered from wide range of media such as books, guidelines, previous thesis, journals, and new articles related to Industrialise Building System (IBS) and company related to them in Sarawak or Malaysia such as SCIB and CIDB. This also helped in achieving th e first objectives which aim of increasing the understanding of IBS concept.Questionnaires List if question has been prepared for the purpose of collecting primary data. Questionnaire can be an efficient data collection tool when the researcher knows exactly on the information that is needed and how o measure the variables of interest. Thus, all questions should be clear, understandable and obtain no ambiguity. Data validation has been done after the questionnaires had been collected. In the process of data validation, the responses obtained from the questionnaires have been for accuracy and suitability for his research purpose.Respondents for the questionnaire in this research are site workers, site engineers, site supervisors, foremen, management staff and production manager of several sites in Sarawak. The questionnaire has been given by hand to the respondents for determining the barrier and challenges of implementation of IBS in Sarawak. This is to gather information and eviden ce which is not available from literature review. In order to achieve the second objectives, Part B of the questionnaires which is on the challenges and barrier of IBS implementation has been filled by respondent who involved in construction field.In order to achieve the third objective which is to find the solutions in improving IBS implementation in Sarawak, Part C is provided which discussed on the suggestion and solutions criteria which have been filled by the respondent based on their level of agreement. The questionnaires have been given to various experience construction player such as developer contractors, consultant and supplier in Sarawak. This is to obtain their pc involve has been based on their experience in construction industry. Data Analysis Method The data collected from the questionnaires will be analyzed by using Likert Scaling method. 3. esult and discussion Objective (i): To understand the concept of Industrialised Building System (IBS) The first objective was achieved by finding and explaining wide informations about IBS and been discussed in Chapter 2, Literature Review. Many resources from internets, journals, project papers as well as newspaper is used in gaining information on IBS. In Chapter 2, starting from definition of IBS, discussion on the history as well as the general knowledge on IBS is discussed. Then, some discussion on current construction method in Malaysian construction industry is carried on to compare the IBS methods with the conventional method.In addition, more detailed information on IBS is provided such as, IBS in Malaysia and Sarawak which elaborated on the progress of IBS implementation in Malaysia as well as Sarawak, and also the need of IBS which discussed on the reasons why should IBS be implemented. Apart from that, knowledge on feature of IBS, types of IBS, the sequence of construction for IBS method, advantages of IBS, and challenges of IBS implementation in Malaysia also been provided in Chapter 2 which i s at page 12 until 38. All of this information aims to increase the knowledge and understanding the concept of Industrial Building System (IBS) to a higher level.The knowledge of IBS need to be improves especially amongst the construction players as well as citizens in Sarawak so that IBS implementation in this state can be increase. Objective (ii): To identify the challenges of implementation of IBS in Sarawak As discussed before, Part B of the questionnaires distribution assessment is conducted as to achieve the second objective which is to identify the challenges of implementation of IBS in Sarawak. These factors are the factor that is discussed in Chapter 2 on challenges of IBS implementation in Malaysia [2]. Another factor has been add on is Green Building Index (GBI).IBS is more towards GBI as wastage on site is reduced and pollutions due to work and progress done on site can be prevented. Green Building Index(GBI) was the world first tropical green tool design and developed b y Persatuan Arkitk Malaysia (PAM) and Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia (ACEM). Implementing Green Building Index will need more knowledge and experience since it is also a new tool in the construction industry. There are five main factors provided in the Part B section for construction players to rank according to their agreement on challenges of implementation of IBS in Sarawak, which are: i.Awareness ii. Knowledge iii. Cost iv. Acceptance v. Green Building Index (GBI) Summary of overall main challenges of IBS implementation in Sarawak Table 1: Scale Index of overall challenges factor by construction players Scale| Level of agreement| Index| 1| Strongly Disagree| 3. 31? Min index
Friday, September 13, 2019
Internet Addiction from an Economic Perspective Essay
Internet Addiction from an Economic Perspective - Essay Example The data collected provided the necessary information to analyze different sections and combine the data in different ways to determine if any of the participants are likely to show symptoms of Internet addiction. The results of the study are outlined and figures and tables are included to offer more insight into the way the study was conducted. From the introduction of computers to the continued advancements in technology, the use of the Internet and social networking sites have continued to grow. The technology age went through several changes throughout the past half a century. The technology innovation phase began in 1964 until 1974. By 1975 computers were being introduced into the educational arena as the institutional phase took over from 1975 through 1995. This was the introduction of computers to school age students and those who were interested got in on the ground floor. By 1996 the commercialization phase had pushed through the country and is continuing today stronger than ever (Laudon & Traver, 2012). With such an emphasis being placed on the use of the Internet and many businesses and organizations incorporating technology into the daily routine, to keep up with the business market that has now gone global, itââ¬â¢s no wonder the Internet has become an addictive tool. This paper will look at the background of the problem of Internet use and the possibility of the addiction that is portrayed by some users as they forgo regular normal daily routine to remain connected to the Internet for social purposes, gaming experiences, and surfing and shopping the Internet. The problem and purpose will be itemized and outlined for clarity. The sample group will be discussed and the criteria for choosing the participants, how many will be included in the study, reasons for exclusion, and other demographics necessary to fully outline the research sample group. The research significance for why the study is being done, along with the nature of the study that pro vides details of the study that help form the parameters for the collection of data. A review of the literature and narrowed topics selectively included in this section will provide a past, present, and future of the pending problem of Internet addiction. The research method of using qualitative and quantitative styles to collect pertinent information will be included, as well as the actual research questions, interview questions, survey questions, and observational data. Data collection will be itemized and categorized in this paper to allow easy access and clarity of the subject and analyzed outcomes. Internal and external validity will be explained and the results of the study provided. By covering all of the sections within this paper, the reader will be able to follow the progress of the study. Background of Problem Addiction has been defined in the past as a substance that alters a personââ¬â¢s reactions to normal daily routine or thought process (Tomer, 2001). At first, th e state of addiction was centered on the use of illegal drugs. The scope was then
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Egyptian Elections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Egyptian Elections - Essay Example Similarly, this paper traces the history of the Middle East concerning matters of political, economical and even social nature. Additionally, the discussion delves into the driving factors of the Arab Spring and the lessons the new president of Egypt should learn (Lesch 43). Furthermore, this essay is going evaluate the different forms of regimes and democracies practiced in the Arab nations such as Islamic Republic, absolute monarchies, liberal democracies and competitive authoritarianism among others. Therefore, the president I have predicted is Amr Moussa and below explain why. In the forthcoming Egyptian elections, there are fundamental issues in the context of elections that merit a discussion. Similarly, in making truthful predictions of the president and party, which are likely to ascend to power, other paramount considerations of the long journey Egyptian citizens, have travelled, should be noted down. On that account, this essay is going to look briefly at the history of the Middle East of which Egypt is a member and how it has come to be in the modern history in the context of development. For instance, it is a well known that civilization begun in Middle East in the period of 3500 BC, namely in Mesopotamia, which is currently in Iraq and ancient Egypt. Similarly, ancient Egypt facilitated the spread of civilization along the Nile River valley which was led by the Pharaohs in order to bring change (Lust 123). Similarly, before making a prediction concerning the elections that are on May 23 and 24, 2012, this essay highlights the different phases of history Egypt has endured. These include the prehistoric Egypt and Ancient Egypt that was characterized with kingdoms from 31 to 1070 BC. Furthermore, this period marked the beginning of a monarchy where Pharaohs practiced authoritarian leadership upon their citizens. After Ancient Egypt, came the Greco-Roma Egypt where Egypt began trading with other worlds to acquire economic autonomy. After the Greco-Roma Egypt came the Medieval Egypt and, finally, Modern Egypt, which was begun in 1882 until the ouster of Hosni Mubarak (Eva 153). In other words, the paper attempts to link the transition of the forthcoming elections with the past regimes of Egypt and how to chart a way forward. However, when we study at the history of the modern Middle East, there are critical issues that are worth mentioning to understand the situation. For example, it has metamorphosed into a zone of conflict where democracy does not exist but instead authoritarian monarchs persecute the people. Such countries include Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain among others that have been affected. For countries that practice democracy such as Iran and Egypt, the elections are always flawed with leaders extending their political terms to their advantage, which only breeds violence (Lesch 47). As a result, this has spawned liberal democracies where the real fruits of democracy are not enjoyed but trampled upon by the leaders. O n that note, countries that practice of democracy include Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Israel among others. Egypt under the former president, Hosni Mubarak, was also known to practice competitive authoritarianism where he exercised coercive tactics to win elections despite the efforts of the opposition. However,
Leadership and Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Leadership and Motivation - Essay Example There are many barriers that must be overcome in order to implement meaningful revolutionary cultural change and new ways of thinking and doing business. As managers most of the obstacles that must be dealt with a have to do with employees and the inherent fear and apprehension to change humans have in general. There are a lot of factors that affect how the employees will react to organizational change, as managers we must learn to positively help ease employee concerns, doubts, or questions. Many managers fail to communicate with their employees clearly and effectively. As a result, employee perception errors are quite common when dealing with organizational change. Since the employees are left to their own devices and their doubts, questions or concerns are not adequately addressed, employees will come up with their own conclusions. The perceptual process is complex and there are many cultural, personal, and physiological factors that affect how a person perceives, processes and in terpret any given information (Hodges). In order to manage organizational change successfully managers must learn to understand the perceptual process, the stages involved, and the impact of employee perceptions. By understanding the perception process managers are better able to implement the necessary operational and cultural changes while minimizing barriers to change. An important concept for management to understand is the concept of attribution theory and how it impacts employeeââ¬â¢s perceptions.
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Administrative Perspective Matrix (Evolution of Management Class) Essay
Administrative Perspective Matrix (Evolution of Management Class) - Essay Example 2. According to Sridhar (2010), the administration of an organization under the consideration of administrative perspective does not restrict management of the organization within the organization but on a large-scale stage. Therefore, the second characteristic of administrative perspective is to consider the development of the organization not on a micro level but on a macro level. 3. Administrative perspective and scientific management are quite contrasting from one another because of their location in the hierarchy. Administrative perspective is the approach that is set upside down due to which, it is categorized as top-down while scientific management develops from downside up due to which, it is considered bottom-up approach. Henry Fayol and Chester Bernard can be considered as major theorists who contributed in determining administrative perspective. They can be regarded as authoritative figures because of their most important involvement in structuring theories for administrative perspective. 1. Henry Fayol showed interest in running the organization as one unit due to which, he structured miscellaneous groups with partitioned organizational functionalities. According to the theorist, the handling of organization as one unit with dissimilar groups is manageable and convenient. The theory by Henry Fayol is based on division of organizational functions. 2. Chester Bernard emphasized on development of organizational objectives because it is only because of the organizational objectives due to which, the organization prospers. The administration of an organization should be able to make certain that all the set goals of the organization must be accomplished. The theory of Chester Bernard is based on accomplishment of organizational goals. The relevance of administrative perspective to todayââ¬â¢s managers cannot be negated as it enables todayââ¬â¢s managers to give
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Impacts of Technology on Human Creativity Introduction Research Paper
Impacts of Technology on Human Creativity Introduction - Research Paper Example Technology has made it too easy for human to acquire the different necessities automatically without taking time to think of how different machineries work. However, technology entails inventing new designs and models, thus it requires some creativity. Additionally, advancement in technology results in emergence of new problems whose resolution requires application of creativity. For example, invention of a new machinery involves coming up with new ideas and it upkeep requires some sense of creativity. This paper will focus on the positive and negative impacts of technology on the human creativity. Use of technology enable us to multitask thus achieve several accomplishments in a limited period. Technology entails using different senses especially visual audio and perceptual at a go. For example, a simple task like typing a creative piece of work requires vision, use of hands, and rationality. Use of technology for purpose such as advertisement and digital imagery require creativity. For example, coming up with a catchy product advert require one to think of new ideas of making it appealing so that it can have a competitive advantage over other similar products (Boden, 2012). Another positive impact of technology is that it enables humans to combine several ideas at a go encouraging increased creativity. For example, a program like JAPE, which processes jokes, requires the user to be creative enough to combine different templates (Boden, 2012). Technology helps us save time that can be used to enhance creativity. A good example is in designing by mechanical engineering. Before the invention of computers, mechanical engineers had to use pencils and paper to draw designs. Designing a simple 3-dimensiom widget design required one to take not less than five hours. With the invention of CAD software in addition to the PCââ¬â¢s, designing the same process takes less than an hour giving mechanical engineers at least four extra hours to be creative (Desrochers, 2002 ). Technology has enabled first and easy access of a wide range of information and resources making creativity less costly. A good example is writing a manuscript or a book. Previously, doing such an activity require a lot of time doing the writing, editing, publishing, printing, and publicizing the material. However, using computer and printing technology requires less effort and time making it possible for writers to air their creative view and ideas efficiently (Boden, 2012). Technology has also enabled collaborative teamwork across different professionals. This enables sharing of ideas creating room for more creativity. For example, development of ultrasonic instruments for surgery required combining ideologies in medicine and engendering (Desrochers, 2002). Technology has also had it negative impacts. It has increasingly made students less creative, lethargic, and irrational. Most teachers and lecturers post their notes and assignments online and expect the students to give the ir feedback online. Students no longer go to libraries or refer to textbook but prefer taking the shortcut of copy and paste. In such cases, the technology does not help students learn more or come up with new ideas thus they end up becoming less creative as compared to using textbooks which requires attentiveness and rationality (Boden, 2012). Additionally, technological inventions such as mini cameras, graphing
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)