Monday, December 30, 2019

The Purpose Of This Essay Is To Identify And Explain Key

The purpose of this essay is to identify and explain key learning overview and action plan paper will summarize what you have learned in this course and provide a power and politics action plan that you can use immediately in your business. Furthermore, it is the intention to highlight leadership style, organization stability, culture, and diversity of the workforce as well as identify the need for communication within an organization. The individual factors contributing to the political behavior in organizations include; the political nature of human behavior, the need for power, Machiavellianism, the self-monitoring trait, and emotional insecurity and the desire to avoid hard work. There is a functional and a dysfunctional approach to†¦show more content†¦In the workplace, leadership tactics can alter the entire organizational balance as it related to power and politics. Many employees in an organization lean to negative political tactics rather than positive. Emotional intelligence plays a vital role in relationships within an organization and its importance. Emotional Intelligence involves a number of skills relevant to the understanding of others and as well as one’s personal emotions. After completing the emotional intelligence quiz, my score resulted in a level of high emotional intelligence. As a result, the leader of the school is skilled at interpreting, understanding, and acting upon emotions. This person is adept at dealing with social or emotional conflicts, expressing their feelings, and dealing with emotional situations. (Cherry, K. 2016). By placing less emphasize on self-serving behavior created a stronger team. (DuBrin, 2009). Performing a power analysis on this situation will lead to applying strategies and tactics in relationship to power. This analysis assists in identifying the power and influence of those in the organization. (DuBrin, 2009). This is achieved by answering questions such as hierarchy of authority, what drives people, what are the important roles, identifying factors tied to people, and where does one fall in terms of the hierarchy ofShow MoreRelatedThe And Structure Of The Intellectual Argument888 Words   |  4 PagesWhen you write a persuasive essay, it’s good to think about how you will construct your argument, from the way you will organize your key points to how and where you will disprove opposing views. A lot of students find it hard to identify what it is that makes a good piece of essay writing. At the core of such writing, it is the nature and structure of the intellectual argument. So, what is an argument? An argument is well defined as giving of reasons, evidence and support for a claim that somethingRead MoreAp Psychology1425 Words   |  6 PagesResponse Questions Sample The following questions are samples of the free response questions from past AP Psychology exams. The free response sections are worth 33 1/3 percent of the total grade. Students have 50 minutes to answer two questions. The key to successfully answering these questions is to: completely define the terms using appropriate psychological terminology and then critically apply each term. Many students concentrate their efforts on the multiple-choice sections. However, the freeRead MoreCriminal Justice Essay1251 Words   |  6 PagesRunning Head: Midterm Essay 1 Midterm Essay Armando 1 Running Head: Midterm Essay 2 Briefly identify and explain the key differences and similarities regarding the UCR, NIBRS, and NCVS programs. The Uniformed Crime Reporting (UCR) Program displays crime data for the United States, as well as for states, cities, counties and colleges. This allows for a comparison among neighboring jurisdictions and among those with similar populations and other common characteristics. TheRead MoreDefinition of Visitor Attraction634 Words   |  3 PagesWord count: 499 Module leader: Prof A. Leask The purpose of this essay is to further discuss the definition of a visitor attraction. It shall further resolve if events should be defined as visitor attractions, as Swarbrook (2001) characterizes them. Or rather should not be included in the definition as Getz (2008) argues. Visit England (2012) assigns the following characteristics to the definition; the fundamental purpose of an attraction must be one of the following: entertainmentRead MoreIntroductory to Online Learning1027 Words   |  5 Pagesfor the following cues: †¢ What is the objective of the assignment? †¢ What are the elements of the assignment? †¢ How will the assignment be graded? †¢ What are other considerations for completing the assignment well? The purpose of this worksheet is to guide you in â€Å"decoding† any GCU assignment. Assignment Instructions: Review the sample syllabus and sample rubric under the questions below. Then, provide answers underneath the following questions: 1. How do the objectivesRead MoreExploring Ancient Mysteries Essay687 Words   |  3 PagesStudents, please view the Submit a Clickable Rubric Assignment in the Student Center. Instructors, training on how to grade is within the Instructor Center. Assignment 1: Essay – Exploring Ancient Mysteries Due Week 4 and worth 100 points Choose one (1) of the topics below and develop a three to four (3-4) paragraph essay (of at least 250-500 words) which adequately address the topic you have chosen. Topic Choices * There have been many theories regarding how the pyramids at Giza wereRead MoreGovernment645 Words   |  3 PagesStudents will write an essay, 500-750 words in length, on a topic selected from the list below. The purpose of the project is to give students an opportunity to discuss a key political science concept, and to show a basic understanding of academic research and reporting skills. The project consists of producing a 500-750 word essay on one of the provided topics (see below), as well as a works cited page for sources containing information used in the essay. The assignment is to be formatted accordingRead MoreReflection Assessment Of Final Draft Points1273 Words   |  6 PagesStyle, and Mechanics) 4. Print/Staple this entire document to the front page of your printed FINAL DRAFT and hand in class (Face-to-face learners) or COPY PASTE this entire document and INSERT BEFORE the Cover Page of your FINAL DRAFT Failure to follow ANY of the above directions will result in a ZERO score. This score is all-or-nothing. Given the little amount of work for this assignment, this assignment is weighted somewhat heavy. The purpose of this assignment is to: 1. Increase your successRead MoreEssay On Portfolio Reflection1248 Words   |  5 PagesMy Portfolio Reflection Memo below indicates that I achieved this course learning outcome. CLO1 My essay 2 shows that I can develop an essay through the draft and revision. That is focused around a central idea. For example, my thesis has my main idea and all my body paragraphs relate to that. Here is my thesis, â€Å"I agree with her opinion, because although finding solutions that empower and equip children with knowledge to help them cope better with unfairness may not be easy. It is the responsibilityRead MoreThompson and Strickland Essay Questions1432 Words   |  6 PagesThompson and Strickland Essay Questions 1. Identify and briefly discuss the nature of each of the five tasks of strategic management. 2. Who is responsible for doing the tasks of strategic management? 3. What is the role of strategic planners in the strategic management process? 4. What is the role of a companys board of directors in the strategic management process? 5. Why is it appropriate to argue that good strategy-making and good strategy-implementing

Sunday, December 22, 2019

The Tolkien s The Hobbit - 930 Words

J. R. R. Tolkien s novel The Hobbit is one of a kind. The novel revolves around the protagonist Bilbo Baggins and his journey not only of recovering the treasure from Smaug, but his journey becoming a hero. Through the main character Bilbo Baggins Tolkien changed my perspective on what a mythic hero is suppose to be. When the term â€Å"mythic hero† is brought up I visualize someone that is a stouthearted a warrior namely Achilles or Odysseus to be exact not a hobbit. A little friendly, good-natured, brilliant hobbit. To put it bluntly, he is the polar opposite of Achilles and Odysseus. Despite the fact Bilbo Baggins isn t the typical mythological hero, in many ways he has the attributes of a hero. J. R. R. Tolkien ventured away from the archetypical hero we often see in Greek and Roman mythology. Bilbo Baggins has all the components of a hero one thing that makes him a hero is his selflessness. Although he has never been on an adventure before he became a leader immediately. More importantly, he did what was required as a leader and didn t question it because he knew the dwarves were counting on him. Many mythic heroes are natural born leaders, although Bilbo struggled at first it is obvious that he has leadership qualities. Consider as an example when Bilbo is sent off to check out the light and bring back supplies that can be used for the journey. â€Å"Off Bilbo had to go, before he could explain that he could not hoot even once like any kind of owl any more than fly like aShow MoreRelatedThe Tolkien s The Hobbit1143 Words   |  5 Pagescollective fantasies that story our relationship to each other, the world and the universe. To tell a myth is to tell a culture s dream about its inner workings and truths. A myth tells its tale through symbol, image and metaphor. The Hobbit is a mythic image in our modern day society. It is written by J.R.R. Tolkien. This story is more myth than anything. The Hobbit acts as the sister myth to Sigurd and Volsung. There are many mythic images in both of these stories that represent more than meetsRead MoreThe Tolkien s The Hobbit1294 Words   |  6 Pagesthe mountain with flames spitting from his mouth, shouting â€Å"I am fire. I am death!†Ã¢â‚¬ Bilbo is pacing himself to escape these angry flames as echoes of roars surround him. How did Bilbo Baggins get to such a place?In this novel The Hobbit,written by J.R.R Tolkien, a hobbit named Bilbo is enjoying a pipe on his front porch when he is confronted by an elder man that Bilbo recognizes as a wizard named Gandalf, though his suspicion continues to grow.Gandalf asks Bilbo to join him on a mission and BilboRead MoreThe Tolkien s The Hobbit1580 Words   |  7 PagesR.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit is arguably one of the most popular children s books of all time. The novel, because it includes characters such as trolls, elves, giants, goblins , and others is the reason that this story is a fairytale. This fairytale centers on a little hobbit known as Bilbo Baggins. It tracks the expedition of a group of dwarves, and a wizard, Gandalf, and their burglar, Bilbo as they travel to retrieve treasure that had been stolen from them long ago. The hobbit journeyed far, startingRead MoreThe Tolkien s The Hobbit862 Words   |  4 Pagesto tell a culture s dream about its inner workings and truths. Myth does not convey these truths literally, however. A myth tells its tale through symbol, image and metaphor. They don t explain so much as offer an enchanting, elevating or disturbing experience, sometimes warning us about where we should or should not go. Myths continually come back to life all around us. No one leaves them behind because we always face the recurring problems of life they address. The Hobbit is a mythic image inRead MoreThe Tolkien s The Hobbit1573 Words   |  7 PagesThe definition of a hero is an individual, man or woman, in which he or she exhibits immense courage, fortitude, and being humble. In today s culture, one might think of Batman or Wolverine as heroes, however, in J.R.R Tolkien s The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins redefines the entirety of the definition of a hero and deemed like no other. Throughout his adventure across middle-earth with the dwarves, Bilbo exemplifies several of these qualities. In contrast to both Norse and Anglo conceptions of heroismRead MoreWilliam Tolkien s The Hobbit 1315 Words   |  6 Pages What would it be like to embark on a journey or do something unlike anything else one has ever done before? Some may seek thrill and adventure, but living in the same world as a hobbit, one might think twice about venturing out. The Hobbit is an allegorical novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. The story follows the protagonist, Bilbo Baggins as he set s out to undertake a long journey with a wizard named Gandalf and thirteen dwarves. In the beginning of the novel Bilbo doesn’t feel the need to set out on a journeyRead MoreThe Story Of The Tolkien s The Hobbit 2741 Words   |  11 Pagesthe classic trope of the quest, the journey serves as a metaphor for the personal growth of the questing character, for whom the quest is often the fulfillment of a personal destiny. The story of The Hobbit is very much one of these tales. This classic novel follows the story of a comfort-loving hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, who is suddenly thrust into a world of adventure and danger by a group of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield and the somewhat mysterious wizard Gandalf. Their quest is to take back whatRead MoreThe Tolkien s The Hobbit918 Words   |  4 Pagesthat they will fail. In the beginning of J.R.R. Tolkien’s the Hobbit several of the dwarves question Gandalf’s decision to bring Bilbo Baggins along, â€Å"Will he do, do you think? It is all very well for Gandalf to talk about this Hobbit being fierce, but one shriek like that in a moment of excitement would be enough to wake the dragon and all his relatives† (22). Of course one would question why Gandalf decided to bring a hobbit along. Hobbits are half the height of humans but they probably consume moreRead MoreThe Tolkien s The Hobbit1509 Words   |  7 Pages The inspiring novel, The Hobbit, written by J. R. R. Tolkien, definitely deserves the right to be considered a timeless classic. Tolkien uses the main character, Bilbo Baggins, a well respected hobbit, to explain how fast one’s life can change. Mr. Baggins doesn’t believe he will go on an adventure through Middle-Earth the day Gandalf comes to Bag End to tell him so. Nor does he think the many races he only heard of in stories, will face him in the mountain pass. As the expedition takes the readerRead MoreThe Tolkien s The Hobbit1246 Words   |  5 PagesThe events associated with J.R.R Tolkien’s book The Hobbit resembles a hero’s quest journey, step by step until the final stage. Bilbo Baggins is the main character in this book and his life sonorously fits into in a typical hero quest journey. The three primary components of Bilbo’s quest are, the call to adventure, tests, allies and enemies, and the reward. In the book The Hobbit, Bilbo’s life is very plain and simple until he embarks on a marvelous journey with thirteen dwarfs and the wizard Gandalf

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Career Research Paper Free Essays

This Job Involves many skills. Since physical therapists are always working with people they must enjoy working with all different kinds of people. Touching others is also a large part of this job. We will write a custom essay sample on Career Research Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now They not only have to help a patient get better and help prevent injury. A therapist must have a good understanding of the human body and be able to show patients various exercises. There have been various types of therapy: heat and cold, hydrotherapy, electrotherapist, and massage and exercise according to Churchman. Heat and cold involves heating and cooling the Injury with various tools. Hydrotherapy Includes using hot water to help with various injuries. Electrotherapist Involves using electric shocks to relax the muscles. Massage and Exercise involves using acupressure and electrical stimulation. Today physical therapists make their own history through research. Rather than following everyone else they research to find what works best for them and their patients. The general duties of a physical therapist, according to Churchman, Include transporting patients, make-up of treatment tables, cleaning arioso machines, clerical work, talk with patients to become familiar with them and their injuries. They tend to work 40 hours a week and often-on Saturdays according to â€Å"Physical Therapists†. This article also states therapists tent to work one on one with patients and rarely work in groups since each injury is different they cannot be grouped together. The income off physical therapist ranges from $50,000 to $104,000 according to â€Å"Physical Therapists† and assistants tend to earn an average of $32,000 as stated in Churchman. The education needed for this Job once involved eating a physical education degree but has changed since them. However in 2001 all programs for physical therapy will be at the matters degree level and above. Students will need their undergraduate grades and volunteer experience in physical therapy. The undergraduate classes should have a balanced combination of course that will teach you how to live and how to earn a living. Understand the development of humanity spiritual and social needs as well as physical needs. Therapists must think logically and be able to write and speak effectively. They must learn to have strong relationships with their patients. Tarring In high school they should start taking courses that will help them learn all of these skills. A few classes include biology, English, physics, first aid, and health. In college or university there are many programs to help physical therapists get the requirements they need. Physical Therapist Assistants require a two-year associate degree that gives students theoretical and practical knowledge. Physical therapists mostly work In the field with baccalaureate degrees but most students today earn a master’s. Henderson also mentions that all students need some clinical experience while they are studying to et their various degrees. A few ways to get started it taking positions in large teaching hospitals in metropolitan areas to gain experience. The armed forces or the U. S. Public Health Service are also a good place to start. Hospitals or local practices are also available in most areas. Many new graduates tend to go to hospitals first. This Job really Interests me because I enjoy working with people and I always want to freshmen at San Marco’s and was studying to become a Sports Medicine Trainer. I have always looked up to her and we have always had similar interests. I looked into Sports Medicine and found it quite interesting but I knew I would not be able to handle that much pressure. Later in my freshman year, my knees started to bother me while I was dancing so I went to an orthopedic surgeon to get a diagnosis. I noticed the physical therapist’s office across the lobby but did not know anything about them. When I got home I began to research physical therapy and found it really interesting. I took anatomy and physiology in high school and fell in love with learning how the body moves. I am now in my third year at community college and I till have one more year before I plan on transferring to San Marco’s Sinology program. From there I plan to get my master’s, possibly Loam Linda, and my PhD from SST. Augustine in San Marco’s or Loam Linda. San Marco’s will help set up an internship at the new hospital in Tentacle and I am hoping to get a Job there while I finish up my education. Eventually I plan to open my own private practice, possibly specialize in a sport and work with athletes or work with the armed forces. Looking more into working for the armed forces, I could either enlist as an officer or work as a civilian. Enlisting as an officer would involve going through basic combat training, advanced individual training, and officer schooling. If I were to work as a civilian according to Henderson, many civilians hold two Jobs. Rather than only working for the military they tend to work at other practices or hospitals in the area. I feel I would also have to be very positive to help all the military men and women stay positive and keep working hard. Another issue with enlisting would be getting certified in each state. According to Henderson a therapist must be certified in the state before they are able to start practicing. How to cite Career Research Paper, Essays

Friday, December 6, 2019

Beloved (4500 words) Essay Example For Students

Beloved (4500 words) Essay BelovedToni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize winning book Beloved, is a historical novel that serves as a memorial for those who died during the perils of slavery. The novel serves as a voice that speaks for the silenced reality of slavery for both men and women. Morrison in this novel gives a voice to those who were denied one, in particular African American women. It is a novel that rediscovers the African American experience. The novel undermines the conventional idea of a story’s time scheme. Instead, Morrison combines the past and the present together. The book is set up as a circling of memories of the past, which continuously reoccur in the book. The past is embedded in the present, and the present has no foundation without the past. Morrison breaks up the time sequence using the visions of the past that arouse forgotten experiences and emotions. The visions of the various occurrences of slavery survive time and continue to haunt not only the characters directly involve d, but also their loved ones. In Beloved, Morrison makes the past visible in the present by making it into a tangible place that can be revisited, where people can be seen and touched, and where images and pictures survive and are projected outward from the mind. Morrison transforms these projected images into events for the reader to experience. The reader becomes part of the tradition of passing on the memories of the past. Yet, in the last two pages of the novel, Morrison instructs her readers that Beloved is not a story to be passed on. (275) It is not a story about happiness or healing or the success of one woman’s escape from slavery. Rather, Morrison communicates these images through a maze of emotions to accentuate the pain and suffering left by the remains of slavery. It is the story and the experience that Morrison wishes for the reader to remember, and not the characters. The novel is based on real events, that have past and been forgotten. Yet Morrison is not tell ing a story about happiness or healing or the success of women escaped from slavery. Rather Morrison delivers the past experiences of enslaved African American women, a past which is often forgotten. In the novel, Morrison brings to life the events and the stories that become permanently imprinted on the reader’s conscious. Morrison communicates these images through a maze of emotions that accentuate the pain and suffering left by the remains of slavery. Morrison wants the reader not to remember the characters; instead it is their experience that she wants the reader to remember. Throughout Beloved, the past is continually brought forth in the present, both physically and mentally through visual images, particularly those relating to slavery. The life at sweet home is all too real to escape for Sethe, her family, and all the others who once lived there. Sethe is continually brought back to Sweet Home through her rememory, against her own will to forget. Physically, Sethe†™s body bares her memory of Sweet Home; the choketree that is on her back, a maze that Paul D describes as a â€Å"decorated work of an ironsmith too passionate to display† (17). Yet, it is not the physical markings that cause the most pain to those who survived the bonds of slavery, as the story strongly points out, it is the mental images that haunt them along with past emotions of fear, horror, and regret, that manifest themselves physically with vengeance. Morrison uses the word rememory to mean the act of remembering a memory. This rememory is when a memory is revisited, whether physically or mentally. Yet the word is not a verb but a noun. It is an actual thing, person or a place that takes on the existence of a noun. When Sethe explains rememory to Denver, she states, â€Å"If a house burns down, it’s gone, but the place-the picture of it-stays, and not just in my rememory, but out there, in the world. What I remember is a picture floating around there outsid e my head. I mean, even if I don’t think about it, even if I die, the picture of what I did, or knew, or saw is still out there.† (36) To both Sethe and Denver, the past is inescapable. Denver come to realize that the past is something that cannot be blotted out. It is the question of the past, asked by Nelson Lord, that makes her understand the present. She was so happy she didn’t even know she was being avoided by her classmates-that they made excuses and altered their pace not to walk with her. It was Nelson Lord-the boy as smart as she was-who put a stop to it; who asked her the question about her mother that put chalk, the little i and all the rest that those afternoons held, out of reach forever.but the thing that leapt up in her when he asked it was a thing that had been lying there all along. (102) Denver, while attending school at Lady Jones’, first comes to understand the past of 124. Ironically it is hearing this, which causes Denver to lose her hearing. It is her means of blocking out the past that is too painful for her to accept. Even when she did muster the courage to ask Nelson Lord’s question, she could not hear Sethe’s answer, nor Baby Suggs’ words, nor anything at all thereafter. For two years she heard nothing at all and then she heard close thunder crawling up the stairs. The return of Denver’s hearing, cut off by an answer she could not bear to hear, cut on by the sound of her dead sister trying to climb the stairs. (103-104) The past exists on its own and lingers in the air, haunting all those who live in the present. What is scary about this idea of rememory, however, is that it effects everyone, not just the person who experienced the event. The rememories are tangible. Sethe explains, â€Å" It’s never going away†¦. The picture is still there and what’s more, if you go there-you who never was there-if you go there and stand in the place where it was, it will ha ppen again; it will be there for you, waiting for you.† (36) Sethe though tries to protect Denver from the past by keeping it from her. She tells Denver, â€Å"It’s when you bump into a rememory that belongs to someone else.So, Denver, you can’t never go there. Never. Because even though it’s all over- over and done with- it’s going to always be there waiting for you† (36). Sethe tries to keep Denver away from the expereince of slavery. So by keeping Denver from the reality of the past, Sethe is preventing her from experiencing the trauma of slavery. But eventually, Denver is awakened by the past as she is forced to take responsibility for saving her mother from the same past that her mother tried to save her from. Somebody had to be saved, but unless Denver got work, there would be no one to save, no one to come home to, and no Denver either. It was a new thought, having to look out for and preserve. And it might not have occurred to her if she hadn’t met Nelson Lord leaving his grandmother’s house as Denver entered it to pay a thank you for half a pie. All he did was smile and say, â€Å"Take care of yourself, Denver,† but she heard it as though it were what language was made for. The last time he spoke to her his words blocked up her ears. Now they opened her mind. (252) In the end of the novel when the mob of the townspeople visit 124 Bluestone road for the first time in ages, they fall into their own rememories, and see themselves as children in their own past. They are forced to return to the party that took place before the arrival of Schoolteacher. When they caught up with each other, all thirty, and arrived at 124, the first thing they saw was not Denver sitting on the steps, but themselves. Younger, stronger, even as little girls lying in the grass asleep. Catfish was popping grease in the pan and they saw themselves scoop German potato salad onto the plate. Cobbler oozing purple syrup col ored their teeth. They sat on the porch, ran down to the creek, teased the men, hoisted children on their hips or, if they were the children, straddled the ankles of the old men who held their little hands while giving them a horsey ride. Baby Suggs laughed and skipped among them, urging more. Mothers, dead now, moved their shoulders to mouth harps. The fence they leaned on and climbed over was gone. The stump of the butternut had split like a fan. But there they were, young and happy, playing in Baby Suggs’ yard, not the envy that surfaced the next day. (258) It is almost as if these places exist devoid of time and space, and appear in the form of the past, serving as a permanent reminders of a time that most of these characters long to forget, not pass on. Their souls are branded with the memories of slavery, chain gangs, lynchings and beatings. The memories still exist for the characters in the book, even though the Civil War has been won and slavery abolished. Morrison mo ves around in the novel, allowing each character to in turn, share pieces of their rememory. This multiple narrative viewpoint enables Morrison to fully establish the past, which she has created. Each account of suffering has the haunting of 124 as its center, while the events which caused it explained in ever-widening detail, embracing the composite experience of slavery. The enormity of the experience focuses on the triple burden carried by African American women who had no control over their children or their bodies. Along with the rememories that resurface to the present, there are also mental images, or pictured thoughts that arrest the mind and torment the heart. It is futile to try and escape, or to try to beat back the past, because like the places, the images that are revived by the brain are even stronger. This is something that Sethe comes to learn in the book. She shook her head from side to side, resigned her rebellious brain. Why was there nothing it refused? No misery , no regret, no hateful picture too rotten to accept? Like a greedy child it snatched up everything. Just once, could it say, No thank you? I just ate and can’t hold another bite? I am full God damn it of two boys with mossy teeth, one suckling on my breast the other holding me down, their book-reading teacher writing it up. I am full of that, God damn it, I can’t go back and add more. (70) Yet she does add more, because she is forced to. The internal and external scars which slavery has left on Sethe’s soul are irreparable. Her brain will not let her forget the images ingrained in her mind, just as Paul D is haunted by his own images; â€Å"nights in the cellar, pig fever, iron bits, smiling roosters, fired feet, laughing dead men, hissing grass, rain, apple blossoms, neck jewelry, Judy in the cherry trees, cameo pins, aspens, Paul A’s face, sausage or the loss of a red, red heart.† (235) Paul D similar to Sethe also tries to forget his past. Paul hides his past inside his â€Å"tin heart:† It was some time before he could put Alfred, Georgia, Sixo, schoolteacher, Halle, his brothers, Sethe, Mister, the taste of iron, the sight of butter, the smell of hickory, notebook paper, one by one, into the tobacco tin lodged in his chest. By the time her got to 124 nothing in this world could pry it open. (113) While Paul D helps Sethe face her own past, he too is forced to return to his own past and open his sealed â€Å"tin heart.† Going back to the past disrupts the peace of the present for both Paul D and Sethe. Even though they do share their memories, there is only so much that both of them are willing to divulge. They both share the same belief that it is best to keep the past buried. â€Å"Saying more might push them both to a place they couldn’t get back from† (72). For both Sethe and Paul D, Beloved forces the two of them to deal with the past they are afraid to. Part of Beloved’s character is her mechanism for causing others to deal with their pasts. The image of the tobacco tin containing all of Paul D’s repressed memories of abuse and degradation through his life of slavery is used throughout his story. This tin container is the means for holding what his soul cannot. But Beloved seduces Paul D in the cold house, thus provoking the flaking of the rusty tin and exposure of his â€Å"red heart† (p117). She moved closer with a footfall he didn’t hear and he didn’t hear the whisper that the flakes of rust made either as they fell away from the seams of his tobacco tin. So when the lid gave he didn’t know it. What he knew was when he reached the inside past he was saying, â€Å"Red heart. Red heart,† over and over again. (117) Sethe goes through a cycle in the novel. She goes from one extreme to the other. Sethe at first is insistent on beating back the past. With everything she does in the present, is a means to erase the past. â€Å"Working dough. Working, working dough. Nothing better than to start the day’s serious work of beating back the past† (73). Eventually Sethe is forced to face the past because of Paul D and Beloved. When she finally is able to face her past, she becomes a different woman. She becomes so infatuated with her past that she begins to neglect the present. She neglects her life and the responsibilities of the present. Beloved plays the key role in the process of rememory for Sethe. It is Beloved who makes Sethe remember her actions and feel her feelings. In the novel, she exists in the flesh, baring the scar of death along her neck. She is in a sense, the ultimate rememory- the ultimate reincarnation of a miserable past burdened by the horrors of slavery. As Paul D tells Stamp Paid, â€Å"She reminds me of something. Something, look like, I’m suppose to remember† (234). In Beloved’s monologues, she conveys a series of impressions of the terror of t he life of the baby ghost and the blended memories of slavery. Although it is never clear whether Beloved comes back to life out of her own will, or if she is just the product of Sethe’s mind that longs for redemption. Beloved’s image disrupts the life of the present, defies all laws of coherent time-lines, and leaves in its wake an open scar still bleeding from the past. All these images of the past that find a life in the present erase the boundary between time, and leave in its place a life of eternal regression. Many of the characters are aware of this and refer often to the idea of timelessness. After Sethe realizes that Beloved is her deceased daughter, she rushes back from work, longing to return home. Sethe becomes trapped in the past she had first denied. She forgets herself and wallows in her past pain. Once again with Beloved, Sethe puts the girl’s interest ahead of her own. Morrison shows the complexities of Sethe’s character, which is a woman who chooses to love her children but not herself. Structurally, Morrison mirrors this idea of timelessness in her writing. Throughout Beloved’s entire monologue there are no periods, and no endings- only spaces. The same idea prevails with time. There are no beginnings and no ends, just a long expanse of chaos. One of the ways Morrison depicts this sense of chaos is by switching and intermingling tenses throughout the book. The scene in which Paul D tries to tell Sethe about what Beloved is doing to him, but instead asks her to have another child, is taking place in their present, yet it is written in the past tense: â€Å"He waited for her.† (126) Yet, later in the novel, when Paul D is remembering the past and the days before they all planned their escape from Sweet Home, Morrison switches her tense to the present: â€Å"Paul A goes back to moving timber after dinner. They are to meet at quarters after supper† (224). Morrison includes the voices and perspecti ves of the deceased, including that of Baby Suggs. All of these tense changes show how the characters in the novel perceive time, or â€Å"no time† (191). Their pasts are being relived in their present, and the present time immediately flows into the past. Time is not depicted in a linear progression. Instead, time is presented as an interweaving of past and present events in an ever-widening circle, with the past juxtaposed on the present. Morrison’s technique is deliberate, for the issues that she is addressing are too horrific. Similar to how Sethe explains Beloved’s murder to Paul D, Morrison too circles around the subject. She never directly acknowledges her actions as murder. Sethe’s blindness is such that she displays her love by mercifully sparing her daughter from a horrific life. Yet at the same time Sethe refuses to acknowledge that her show of mercy is also murder. Sethe knew that the circle she was making around the room, him, the subject, wo uld remain one. That she could never close in, pin it down for anybody who had to ask. If they didn’t get it right off- she could never explain. Because the truth was simple, not long-drawn-out record of flowered shifts, tree cages, selfishness, ankle ropes and wells. Simple: she was squatting in the garden and when she saw them coming and recognized schoolteacher’s hat, she heard wings. Little hummingbirds stuck their needle beaks right through her headcloth into her hair and beat their wings. And if she though anything it was No. No. Nono. Nonono. Simple. She just flew. Collected every bit of life she had made, all the parts of her that were precious and fine and beautiful, and carried, pushed, dragged them through the veil, out, away over where no one could hurt them. Over there. Outside this place, where they would be safe. (163) Morrison, in the same fashion, spirals into the story. She brings the reader from being that of an outsider to an insider to the events. She slowly draws the reader in by giving bits and pieces of the entire picture. Reading this novel, one comes away with a sense that the past, as well as the people, never dies. The past, present, and future all exist together. The character’s stories are not forgotten, nor the â€Å"sixty million or more† people that were victims of the bonds of slavery. Yet, to resurrect all these images of pain and suffering, only extends the burdens that each of Morrison’s characters are forced to carry with them for the rest of their lives. They could resurrect the past â€Å"if they like, but don’t, because they know things will never be the same if they do† (275). Amy Denver told Sethe that â€Å"anything dead coming back to life hurts† (35). She refers to the soreness in Sethe’s feet that are the result of several days of brutal physical exhaustion. Her astute generalization holds true particularly through the last pages of the novel. Througho ut the book, healing the painful memories of the past reincarnates the painful emotions. Similar to the pain of healing that occurs with Sethe’s feet. â€Å"The more hurt more better it is. Can’t nothing heal without pain, you know† (77). Nonetheless, why does Morrison explicitly draw the label of rememories paired with pain, even after 18 years of mental torment? Sethe’s sins are obvious and she is forced to live half of her life ostracized from society. Yet, the reader is not quick to condemn her for her sins as the community and Paul D are quick to do. Beloved returns to 124 Bluestone as the reincarnation of Sethe’s sins, on a mission to punish Sethe for a crime that was committed 18 years earlier. Her intentions are evil from the start, and it is Denver, who ironically undermines Beloved’s motives. â€Å"Denver though she understood the connection between her mother and Beloved: Sethe was trying to make up for the handsaw; Beloved was m aking her pay for it† (251). It is not Beloved’s wrath that plagues Sethe, but rather the memories of the past that Beloved revives that wear her down. Beloved uses Sethe’s guilt as a weapon against her. Her devotion to Beloved is based on the same destructive love of the past and also her sense of guilt. She is na?ve in the sense when she looks upon Beloved as an opportunity to wipe the slate clean. But instead, the past is replayed against Sethe. The source of guilt that had enslaved Sethe’s soul develops into the physical apparition that literally enslaves Sethe. Beloved bending over Sethe looked the mother, Sethe the teething child, for other than those times when Beloved needed her, Sethe confined herself to a corner chair. The bigger Beloved got, the smaller Sethe became; the brighter Beloved’s eyes, the more those eyes that used never to look away became slits of sleeplessness. Sethe no longer combed her hair or splashed her face with water. She sat in the chair licking her lips like a chastised child while Beloved ate up her life, took it, swelled up with it, grew taller on it. And the older woman yielded it up without a murmur. (250) Sethe is na?ve when she tries to rationalize Beloved’s existence as an opportunity to start over, to erase eighteen years of guilt. Sethe has managed to suppress many of the memories of her past. Now with Beloved’s presence, everything that originally made 124 a house of horror is resurrected. She is an invasion of two separate time periods, connecting all of the painful rememories. Thus, Morrison confronts her readers with several varying degrees of pain and guilt. From the late introduction of Sethe’s crime, the reader understands the circumstance of the situation. Sethe committed her crime out of a severe degree of love and fear of slavery that forced her to a crazed state. Such complicated issues and emotions are not easily transferable to those who have not direc tly experienced the gravity of these events. Sethe knowingly endures eighteen years of punishment, guilt, and ostracism for the death of her child. For this reason, she does not see Beloved as a phantom of vengeance, but rather as a second opportunity to be forgiven. Morrison essentially creates this sense of pardoning of Sethe by the destruction of Beloved at the end of the book, a minor tribute to all the pain and anguish Sethe endures over the years. Yet are these characters necessarily blameworthy for their crimes? Are pain and punishment caused by their â€Å"victims† justified?† In Beloved, the reader is unable to fully comprehend Sethe’s actions, but the pain she suffers over the years more than makes up for her crime. In addition, there is no justice in Beloved’s attempt to destroy Sethe. It is the community lead by Ella, which had for so long condemned her that in the end saves Sethe from Beloved. They come to realize that regardless of the crime that Sethe committed eighteen years before, it is Beloved’s intentions that are pure evil. Whatever Sethe had done, Ella didn’t like the idea of past errors taking possession of the present. Sethe’s crime was staggering and her pride outstripped even that; but she could not countenance the possibility of sin moving on in the house, unleashed and sassy. Daily life took as much as she had. The future was sunset; the past something to leave behind. And if it didn’t stay behind, well, you might have to stomp it out. (256) Beloved invades Sethe’s world at a time when eighteen years of painful rememories were just beginning to fade. Beloved drudges up the past and brings the nightmare to life. Beloved does not only bring forth the painful rememories of Sethe, but also the rememories of past women of slavery. Beloved conjures up all these images of painful rememories. It is these images that are passed on and remebered by the reader. It is these images th at allow the reader to begin to understand the experience of slavery. The character’s rememories are timeless; not only are the characters struck by a sense of â€Å"no-time,† or a sense of time flying, but the reader as well is struck by how strongly they are affected in their present by a past that is not even theirs. Morrison brings forth a novel that opens the experience of slavery to the reader. She makes the reader see the hopelessness, horrors, and realities of slavery. The reader is forced to contemplate and only try to understand. Beloved stands not as a story, but as a memorial to the â€Å"sixty million or more† people that were victims of the bonds of slavery. This is a book that is not to be read, but instead experienced. It is through this novel itself, that the past lives on, and it is this power that makes Beloved stand out and succeed as being a memorial to those who suffered and died; those who would have been forgotten in the past. In essence, Beloved is not a story about slavery and its affect on the people involved, instead it is the experience. For Morrison, history is something to be reflected on, and she does this by reenacting the horrors of slavery and the impacts it had on the people involved. The reader is left to come to their own conclusions, and their own interpretations. What Morrison is essentially saying at the end is that Beloved is not just about individuals and individual experiences but about the experience of a race and a community. One flew over The Cuckoos Nest Essay Book Reports

Friday, November 29, 2019

A Ginkgo Trees Profile and Planting Tips

A Ginkgo Trees Profile and Planting Tips Ginkgo is nearly pest-free and is resistant to storm damage. Young trees are often very open but they fill in to form a denser canopy as they mature. It makes a durable street tree where there is enough overhead space to accommodate the large size. Ginkgo tolerates most soil, including compacted, and alkaline, and grows slowly 75 feet or more tall. The tree is easily transplanted and has a vivid yellow fall color which is second to none in brilliance, even in the south. However, leaves fall quickly and the fall color show is short.  See Ginkgo Photo Guide. Quick Facts Scientific name: Ginkgo bilobaPronunciation: GINK-go bye-LOE-buhCommon name(s): Maidenhair Tree, GinkgoFamily: GinkgoaceaeUSDA hardiness zones:: 3 through 8AOrigin: native to AsiaUses: Bonsai; wide tree lawns; recommended for buffer strips around parking lots or for median strip plantings in the highway; specimen; sidewalk cutout (tree pit); residential street tree; tree has been successfully grown in urban areas where air pollution, poor drainage, compacted soil, and/or drought are commonAvailability: generally available in many areas within its hardiness range. Form Height: 50 to 75 feet.Spread: 50 to 60 feet.Crown uniformity: irregular outline or silhouette.Crown shape: round; pyramidal.Crown density: denseGrowth rate: slow Ginkgo Trunk and Branches Description Trunk/bark/branches: droop as the tree grows, and will require pruning for vehicular or pedestrian clearance beneath the canopy; showy trunk; should be grown with a single leader; no thorns.Pruning requirement: needs little pruning to develop except during the early years. The tree has a strong structure.Breakage: resistantCurrent year twig color: brown or gray Foliage Description Leaf arrangement: alternateLeaf type: simpleLeaf margin: top lobed Pests This tree is pest-free and considered resistant to gypsy moth. The Ginkgos Stinky Fruit Female plants are wider-spreading than the males. Only male plants should be used as the female produces foul smelling fruit in late autumn. The only way to select a male plant is to purchase a named  cultivar  including ‘Autumn Gold’, ‘ Fastigiata’, ‘Princeton Sentry’, and ‘Lakeview’ because there is no reliable way to select a male plant from a seedling until it fruits. It could take as long as 20 years or more for Ginkgo to fruit. Cultivars There are several cultivars: ‘Autumn Gold’- male, fruitless, bright gold fall color and rapid growth rate‘Fairmont’ - male, fruitless, upright, oval to pyramidal form‘Fastigiata’ - male, fruitless, upright growth‘Laciniata’ - leaf margins deeply divided‘Lakeview’ - male, fruitless, compact broad conical form‘Mayfield’ - male, upright fastigiate (columnar) growth‘Pendula’ - pendent branches‘Princeton Sentry’ - male, fruitless, fastigiate, narrow conical crown for restricted overhead spaces, popular, 65 feet tall, available in some nurseries‘Santa Cruz’ - umbrella-shaped, ‘Variegata’ - variegated leaves. Ginkgo in Depth The tree is easy to care for and require only occasional water and a little high-nitrogen fertilizer that will stimulate the growth of its unique leaf. Apply the fertilizer in late fall to early spring. The tree should be pruned in late winter to early spring. Ginkgo may grow extremely slow for several years after planting, but will then pick up and grow at a moderate rate, particularly if it receives an adequate supply of water and some fertilizer. But do not overwater or plant in a poorly-drained area. Be sure to keep turf several feet away from the trunk to help trees become established. Very tolerant of urban soils and pollution, Ginkgo could be used more in USDA hardiness zone 7 but is not recommended in central and southern Texas or Oklahoma due to summer heat. Adapted for use as a street tree, even in confined soil spaces. Some early pruning to form one central leader is essential. There is some support for the trees medical use. Its seed has been recently been used as both a memory and concentration enhancer with some positive effects on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, Ginkgo biloba has also been suggested as relieving many disease symptoms but  has never been approved by the   FDA as anything but an herbal product.

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Oxford Short List 2015

The Oxford Short List 2015 The Oxford Short List 2015 The Oxford Short List 2015 By Maeve Maddox As I pointed out in a recent post, the Oxford â€Å"Word† of 2015 is a pictogram. In this post, I’ll take a look at eight other words that placed in Oxford’s annual list of frequently used English words and phrases. Of the eight, I had heard of three of them, had written about two of them, and had never heard of five of them. sharing economy Merriam-Webster has an entry for the phrase and defines it as â€Å"economic activity that involves individuals buying or selling usually temporary access to goods or services especially as arranged through an online company or organization† and gives 2007 as the date of its first-known use. Wikipedia defines it as â€Å"peer-to-peer-based sharing of access to goods and services (coordinated through community-based online services).† The phrase does not yet appear in my subscription edition of the OED. It seems to mean â€Å"online bartering.† they The appearance of this ancient word on the 2015 list is in the context of its growing use to refer to a person of unspecified gender. See Gendered Pronouns for a discussion of this usage. on fleek I couldn’t even guess at what this one could mean. According to the Oxford site’s explanation, this phrase originated with the user of a social media called Vine. She uploaded a video in which she displayed her eyebrows and described them as â€Å"on fleek.† The phrase is now taken to mean â€Å"extremely good, attractive, or stylish.† ad blocker This is a type of software that prevents ads from popping up on a web page. I had heard of this one. refugee This has been an English word since the seventeenth century. The renewed interest derives from the frequency that refugee and migrant have appeared in the news this year. I recently wrote about the words in Migrants vs Refugees. Brexit This creation- a combination of Br(itish)+exit- is a term for â€Å"potential or hypothetical departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union.† Dark Web I’d heard of the Deep Web, but not the Dark Web. The Deep Web refers to parts of the Internet that can’t be accessed in the usual way with browsers and search engines. The Dark Web â€Å"refers specifically to websites which use encryption tools to hide the identities of hosts and users of a site, often in order to facilitate illegal activities.† lumbersexual I guessed this one to mean the type of man who imagines that beard stubble looks attractive. I was close. It merges lumberjack with metrosexual and refers to urban males who sport checked shirts and facial hair. Mind you, I like beards; it’s the not-quite-shaven-but-not-really-a-beard look that gives me the fantods. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Compared "to" or Compared "with"?7 Tips for Writing a Film Review20 Tips to Improve your Writing Productivity

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Using Ownership Incentives in China Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Using Ownership Incentives in China - Case Study Example roach, the CEO is well placed in motivating the workers to be responsible and work hard considering that their own success is determined by the company’s success. Additionally, the use of this approach is important in demonstrating to the employees that the company values all stakeholders in it equally, and gives similar treatment to all its employees. As observed in the historical practices in China, however, there could be numerous challenges in implementing this considering that the workforce in China could possibly perceive such approaches by the CEO as forcing the American operational culture onto them, while overlooking the native population’s values. Another way of exporting the ownership culture to the Chinese population could involve sticking with the limiting stock ownership to the initial American team. By doing this, the CEO would be expected to formulate a different ownership culture and payment for the China-based team. However, this practice could prove challenging, especially if some of the staff in China could wish to have stock ownership in the company (Beyster and Economy 24). It could also be practical if the CEO exported the culture of ownership to China by creation of different structures of equity based on the different regions of operation. For instance, the ownership culture operations in China could be executed using different optimized methods of payment that are dependent on the region of operation and the taxation policy involved. Exporting the ownership culture to the Chinese employees could also be accomplished by sending expatriates from the US to China for the purpose of introducing the system, as well as offering the required training to the Chinese staff. The use of this approach could, however, experience culture shock for the foreign employees due to their lack of knowledge of the business traditions of the Chinese community. Ben Freed’s decision to offer the Chinese team similar company ownership as the Silicon Valley

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Marketing management- next Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing management- next - Article Example It is a British retailer marketing clothing, footwear, accessories and home products. In India the growth of retail business is at its budding stage. Organized retail business has a grasp of nearly 7% in Indian Market and there is umpteen opportunity for its development. Off late big brands and fashion houses are aiming towards the Indian market. Due to the immense cross culture factor or globalization, trends from across the globe are getting accepted by far and large. Even in India, people are getting influenced by various other cultures and the Indian crowd is happily embracing it. Apparently growth of retail business in Indian market is at its best. Under such circumstances, it would be the accurate time for Next to hit the Indian market. Even though it has three branches in India, it should start eyeing other locations in India. Not many people are aware of Next plc, so Next should keep in mind of having phenomenal launch in India. Lot of retail chains are getting established in India. Indian players like Future Group, RPG Group, reliance Retail, and global players like Wal-Mart, Metro etc are having their presence in India. Still the organized retail sector in India is not very big. Hence Next can enter into Indian market and it has lot of potential to grow with its wide product range. I have considered area of study to be clothing. There is lot of competition in apparel industry because people have started becoming more brand conscious in clothing segment. Hence it is very important to position yourself well in such an industry. B - PLC Stage PLC (Product Life Cycle) is the course of product’s sales and profits over its lifetime. It involves five distinct stages. Product Development Introduction Growth Maturity Decline Clothing is a necessity for every human being. In a country like India the scope for branded product (in clothing) is very high. India is a country which is fast developing and the purchasing power of people in India is increasing. So the share of wallet for branded apparels is surely increasing. That is the reason why all big names in the clothing segment exist in India. But the entry of these companies has happened recently and they have still not captured the market. Next in India is at introduction stage. As it has entered the Indian market recently and at the moment has only three stores in India. As far as Boston’s Matrix is concerned â€Å"next† has low market share but the market they are in has high growth. So â€Å"next† is in the question mark quadrant. C - Target Market India is one of the emerging markets and it is becoming more and more important buyer in our global economy. India has a nice percentage of world total population so if not right now, in few years, India will be one of the most important buyers in the world (sayeconomy.com). Hence it is very important to choose the right segment in Indian market to succeed. â€Å"Next† has three stores in India (Two store s at Delhi/Gurgaon and one store at Mumbai). This clearly shows that the segment they have targeted is the urban/metro segment. The purchasing power of people in these area is comparatively more than those who stay in small cities and villages. â€Å"Next† has also targeted the middle class and upper middle class. When you sell products which are luxurious item and not necessarily necessities, then an organization usually target middle class and

Monday, November 18, 2019

Cryptography Attacks Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cryptography Attacks - Research Paper Example This is further compounded by the constant need for government agencies to share information over the common means of communication such as the internet. Additionally, the numerous enemies of the government also use the normal means of communication and the government develops interest in obtaining some of their communications. This led the government to form the National Security Agency, this is a special state agency mandated with overseeing state communication and supervising all communications in the country with a view to averting threats to the country. The agency employs the best brains in communication technology and has some of the best cryptographers in the world. The besides coding government information for communication over the open networks, the agency looks for other strange codes in the American market and breaks them in the pretext of vigilance and the country’s security. Ethics and morality on the other hand refers to sets of behavior governing principles co ncerned with the right or wrong decision. Everyday activities present people with situations that require them to choose between right from wrong and good from bad. There is no universal standard of these but somehow people will always know from the actions of others whether a decision was right or wrong. The media as a means of communicating for the people presents a number of regulatory challenges some of which are ethical. The advent of the internet further worsened these scenarios by presenting virtually everyone with the ability to communicate to others and even become mass communicators. The internet has no assigned gatekeepers or regulators. The users reserve these powers a feature that puts them in very precarious situations. The operations of the National Security Agency and other hackers further worsen the scenario making the decision on wrong and right harder to make. Ethics and morality are behavior guidelines that reduce harm to others. By making an operative and accept able choice between right and wrong or good and bad, a person secures the interest of another thus preventing an unnecessary harm to the other party. Such understandings further put government agencies such as the NSA in challenging situations (James, 2001). The agency searches and breaks millions of coded messages on a daily basis. After breaking the codes, the government official assesses them and those found safe later communicated to their recipients as intended and in the original format. The unsuspecting recipient thinks the message is safe, secure and highly secretive not knowing that government officials had the content before they got to him or her. This presents a great dilemma in the operations of the government since the need to protect the people is equally important to their fundamental right of privacy vested in the bill of rights. The government safeguards the country and every citizen in it. The American government will not allow any ill motive by anybody to cause h arm or deaths of innocent Americans. To keep this promise the government, the government breaks a number of ethical principles such as accessing people private and confidential information. Some of the codes that the agency deciphers normally turn out to be communication between drug barons and not necessarily terrorists. The decoding process was necessitated by the rampant terrorist attack threats in the country. The government uses such information to impound

Saturday, November 16, 2019

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