Academic and Professional Skills Development Essay Example for Free

Academic and Professional Skills Development Essay There is a new world in the academic and the post academic the students must adapt themselves to. The world has become increasingly competitive and there is an exponential expansion of knowledge and information and this means that the students who will survive in this new world order are the ones who will adapt to keep up with this highly dynamic world. The way universities used to be has changed and they are now not only centres of disseminating knowledge, but also centres of promoting change (Soontiens, 2002). This change is not just intellectual change, it is all encompassing change that makes a complete makeover of the raw material it receives in the formative years and gives out a refined product that is well shaped to tackle the emerging issues in the world. Gone are the days when having a degree was something to be cerebrated by all and sundry. Nowadays, if you have just the undergraduate degree, you are just another first among equals and you do not have any competitive advantage over millions of others who have a first degree like you. This means that learning is a life long process and this world belongs to those who understand this fact (Verville, 1990). This is because the world is now being moved by knowledge and information, and these are two highly dynamic facets; how else do you acquire them apart form engaging seriously in lifelong learning (Soontiens, 2002). Even the world economies have changed from the conventional heavy economies to the modern knowledge based economies where knowledge and information and not machineries and physical labour are now the drivers of the economies. The most powerful thing right now in the world is information and knowledge and students must dedicate their lives to continuous process of learning to be able function in this highly knowledge driven world (Soontiens, 2002). Another important element that the universities are emphasizing today is critical thinking. Thinking is important but critical thinking is what differentiates a smart student or even worker from the rest (Soontiens, 2002). The more the world is changing, the more the problems are evolving and the solutions to these problems must be found for progress to take place. These problems cannot be solved by ordinary thinkers; they can only be solved by critical thinkers. This is another area that the universities are focusing on. They are out to churn graduates with acute problem solving skills by teaching them how to make critical analyses of life situations (Soontiens, 2002). For the students to be said that they have adequate problem solving skills, they must be able to use some habits of the mind and one of these habits is formation of perspectives; which involve the organization of arguments into parts and then separate the most important from the least important. It also involves separating opinions from facts and then the value of each is appreciated (Verville, 1990). This is the basis of critical thinking. Another habit of the mind that is involved in critical thinking is analysis. After forming perspectives, it is important to ponder on the arguments in a way that is reflective. This involves the use of logic and also knowing the limits of the analysis. The other critical habit of the mind that is involved in the process of critical thinking is imagination (Soontiens, 2002). This is the disposition to make an evolution of your view of an issue using contemporary and conventional patterns that will suffice now and in the future. A university that is not equipping its students with the aforementioned abilities is in a very wrong path. The workplace, just like the academic arena has changed significantly. Education alone cannot help one to fit in the contemporary work environment because of its highly social and flexible nature. Thus the universities are putting this into consideration by ensuring that they do not mould academic giants and social dwarfs who cannot fit in today’s workplace. They are churning out all round products that are readily prepared to face the challenging job market and the demanding workplace (Verville, 1990). That is why you see in the workplace today, people are not necessarily doing what they studied. Education students are working in banks, Law students are working as news reporters and so on. This means that one thing that the universities are teaching very well is flexibility: do not just follow one line, there are many things you can do there with your education. In the workplace, the workers must be able to work as a team and individually.   There are some more habits of the mind that can help them to fit well in the highly challenging, demanding and evolving workplace (Soontiens, 2002). One of these habits of the mind is empathy. Empathy involves sensing reasonable views, revering all views and honoring the one that is the most persuasive. The other habit of the mind is communication which is the ability to take the duty of explaining ideas in a clear, truthful and sober way that respects all those who are listening to them or seeing them being communicated.   The other habit of the mind that ought to be developed is that of commitment. This is the recognition of the necessity to act when there is an action worth attention and being patient to the situation one has stepped forward to respond to (James, 2003). The current generation takes the flak for the many ills that are happening in the society. The generation has been labeled as irresponsible, insensitive and morally corrupt and the universities are taking measures to ensure that all the raw materials they receive will be devoid of the aforementioned tags by the time they are being churned out as products. This means that apart from just giving the intellectual knowledge, they are also equipping the students with skills that will make them responsible members of the society who can be trusted to take over the leadership from the old conservative generation that is far beyond the benefit of the modern information and knowledge revolution. This means that there are programs that are teaching leadership skills, social welfare skills and may other skills that can make the students reliable members of the society (Verville, 1990). The habits of the mind that can help the students to become more responsible members of the society include, value which is the choice to apply a pattern of behavior that is intellectual and ignoring the patterns that are less productive. The other habit of the mind is inclination that includes the tendency to apply the aforementioned behavior without pressure or motivation (James, 2003). Sensitivity is another habit of the mind that will make the students to become more responsible members of the society because of its ability to perceive opportunities and threats and also emphasizes the appropriateness of applying behavior that is intellectual in pursuit of opportunities and in evasion of threats. Capability is a habit of the mind that will help the students in application of the basic intellectual skills that are central to behavior while commitment on this platform means the desire to reflect and improve the behavioral performance (James, 2003). In conclusion, university students in the contemporary world must adapt to the knowledge and information that is expanding markedly. They must be life long learners who think critically and are flexible to be able to fit in this highly dynamic world. They must be problem solvers who can work independently and in a team. The education system today, apart from teaching the basics of education is also teaching the students to become responsible citizens who are open minded and can communicate with people from allover the world.   This new approach by the universities is a step in the right direction and should become a global concept inherent in all the academic systems. As illustrated in the essay, this new mode of learning borrows heavily from Costa and Carrick the Habit of the mind and it puts a whole new psychological dispensation to the world of academia that will ensure the mind must change for the individual to embrace the change in the society.

Malaysian Market For Sago Palm

Malaysian Market For Sago Palm In this chapter, we will discuss the background of Malaysia market for sago. The discussion of the market consists of production, consumption, export and price. To understand about sago, we will first briefly discuss on sago palm, sago starch and sago processing. 1.1 Sago Palm Sago palm or Metroxylon sagu is a crop that produces starch for food and non-food processing industries. Sago palm is widely cultivated in Sarawak with more than 60,000 hectare of area recently. Commercial cultivation area for sago palm was increased from 43 hectare in 1988 to 10,700 hectare in 1996 and the remaining was cultivated by smallholders. In year 2000, there are 21 sago processing plants which produced around 60,000 tonne of sago starch. In west Malaysia, sago palm cultivation is too small with only 2 sago processing plant operated in Johor. 1.2 Sago Starch Most of sago starch that been produced in Sarawak is used in west Malaysia (almost 30,000 tonne). Sago also been exported as high quality food grade starch and low quality industry grade starch. Export for food grade starch was increased from 3,600 tonne in 1985 to 11,000 tonne in 1995 while export for industry grade starch was decreased from 8,400 tonne in 1985 to 5,100 tonne in 1995. The major destinations for sago starch export are Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand and Thailand. 1.3 Sago Processing Sago Palm Sago palm took 10 to 15 years to be matured. When sago palm is matured, it will be felt down so that its trunk can be cut. Sago palm has a huge trunk, upright, reaches a height of 10-12 meters, with the contents of the soft and contain high starch content. It is a staple food source for indigenous people in Sabah and Sarawak, including ethnic Bisaya, and Melanau. Sago Log Sago trunk is cut into section with each section is 75 cm to 90 cm long. This section is known as sago log. Every sago trunk yield around 10 to 12 sago log. Then, these sago logs will be tied together in the form of rafts and tugged by boats to sago processing plant through river. Sometimes, these sago logs are carried by lorry to sago processing plant. Processing Sago Starch Processing of sago starch is done in the sago processing plant. In the sago extraction process, the sago logs are first debarked, followed by maceration using a rasper. Newer types of raspers have eliminated the need for debarking. The sago chips resulting from the maceration process are then further disintegrated using a hammer mill. The starch slurry is then passed through a series of centrifugal sieves to remove the coarse fibres. Cyclone separators are then used to extract the starch which is then dried using a rotary vacuum drum drier, followed by hot air drying. 1.4 Malaysia Market for Sago Source: Department of Agriculture, Sarawak. Agricultural Statistics of Sarawak From table 1.4, we can see how the development and the status of sago industries in Malaysia were. The number figure shows inconsistency in the export of sago starch every single year. Thus, it is influenced by the current economic climate. We can see that the figure of the total export of sago starch are not really consistence compared to its price which is going high all the way starting from the year of 1993 until it reaches its highest price in the year 1998. The year after, the figure shows that the price is going down. Even though, the total of production was increased in 2002 and 2003. The lowest price ever was in year 1993 where it was only around RM584 per tonne for industry grade starch and RM596 per tonne for food grade starch. The highest price was RM915 per tonne for industry grade starch and RM 897 food grade starch in the year 1998; a year after the economic erosion occurs. From the view of total export quantity and production, Malaysia produced the highest quantity of sago starch back in the year 1995 where it reaches its highest possible production with exported quantity up to 45,130.96 tonne for food grade starch and 4,816.43 tonne for industry grade starch. The lowest total production was in the year 1997 where only 27,285.50 tonne of food grade starch and 5,121.83 tonne of industry grade starch were exported; the same year when the economic erosion occurs. If referred to the net export value, the biggest amount is during the sago price recorded its highest price which is in year 1998. The amount is RM5, 638,142. Meanwhile, the lowest export value was in year 1993 with the net total of export value is RM2, 314,787. CHAPTER 2: CURRENT POLICIES DESCRIPTION 2.0 Introduction This chapter will discuss the agricultural policies relevant to sago; providing an accurate, clear understanding of the policies affecting the market for sago and its product. There are 4 policies that relevant to sago consist of policies by the Malaysia government (federal) and Sarawak government (state). 2.1 Sarawak Policy on Sago Plantation (Before NAP3) The Sarawak government is trying to pioneer the cultivation of sago on a plantation scale, trying to tap 20th century agricultural technology and large-scale organisational structure to grow this supposedly wonder crop. The aim of sago plantations is the application of modern, scientific agricultural technology and a large-scale institutional organisation, to exploit the cultivation of sago that has thus far been cultivated in a very primitive and semi-wild fashion. This is the first attempt at growing sago on a plantation scale anywhere in the world. Since the clone material and plantation technology for sago palm have not been established by private entrepreneurs, Sarawak government had developed the policies to cultivate sago palm on a plantation scale. With proper drainage, maintenance and fertilizer in plantation, sago palm will mature faster. This will increase the productivity of sago palm which supply starch to the local and international market. 2.2 Third National Agricultural Policy (NAP3) on Sago (1998-2010) In NAP3, sago is fallen under the group of new product and future industries. The policy objective for this group is: To develop innovative products and new industries which will provide source for the development of agriculture in the future The strategies for this policy are: To strengthen the economy base To generate and encourage private sector participation To reduce cost and increased productivity, commercial sago cultivation in large scale by private sector has been encouraged. This has been done alone by private sector and in collaboration with government subsidiaries. Infrastructures and basic facilities have been provided by the government to support the production of sago by private sector. Furthermore, cultivation with high quality seeds and better agronomy practices has been done to increase the productivity of sago smallholders. Sago cultivation has been encouraged on peat soil area in Sarawak due to the suitable of this crop with peat soil. This is the best way to use peat soil area in natured way. Production of value-added sago based products have been implemented to wider the market opportunities. The products include modified sago starch, sorbitol, dextrin and ascorbic acid. Research and development on both upstream and downstream activities for sago has been strengthen. The activities include: Breeding high quality crops material Farm management Processing technology New products development Usage of side products including wasted materials and sago scraps Sago smallholders have been encouraged to wider their farm through institution support. Research and market encouragement for sago starch and other sago products have been stressed due to strengthen the existing market and venture the new market. Sago processing plants have been encouraged to practice quality control management. Investment and strategic raw material gain for upstream industry has been encouraged. This is to sustain the supply of sago in the industry. To control the wasted materials and sago scraps, pollution control management has been implemented. 2.3 Sarawak Policy on Sago (Based on NAP3) Sarawak Policy on Sago has been formulated, planned and developed from NAP3 by Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak (MoMA). The policy is for sago starch-based product industry as a potential industry and sago as a crop industry. For sago starch-based product industry as a potential industry, the policy objective is: To explore new frontier industry which might have substantial return to the local producers and the economy The strategies for this policy are: To encourage private sector participation To intensify research and development on sago starch product development For sago as a crop industry, the policy objective is: To develop and expand sago industry and exploit the opportunities of market of sago and sago starch-based products The strategies for this policy are: To assist smallholder in planting sago using mini estate approach To encourage private sector participation in planting and processing of sago 2.4 Ninth Malaysia Plan; Policy on Sago Under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, sago is one of the crops that included in land consolidation and rehabilitation. Land consolidation and rehabilitation will be continued on a larger scale to accelerate the modernisation of smallholdings as well as increase productivity of the crops. CHAPTER 3: OBJECTIVE Objective To determine Sago cultivation area in Sarawak To determine policy implication on Sago industry in Sarawak To determine the changes of policy in Sago industry CHAPTER 4: POLICY ANALYSIS 4.0 Introduction In this chapter, we will analyze the effects of policy that have been discussed in the previous chapter. The policy that we will analyze here is the Sarawak Policy on Sago based on NAP3. 4.1 Effects on Sago Cultivation Area According to Chew, Abu Hassan Isa and Mohd. Ghazali Mohayidin (1999), the aim of sago plantations is the application of modern, scientific agricultural technology and a large-scale institutional organisation, to exploit the cultivation of sago that has thus far been cultivated in a very primitive and semi-wild fashion. With commercial planting on large scale have been encouraged through the policies, the sago cultivation area was increased. The estimated area for sago cultivation in 1998 is 45,000 ha and it increased to 60,700 ha in 2000 (Third National Agricultural Policy, 1998) Since year 2000, the estimated area for sago cultivation in Sarawak is over 60,000 ha and slowly increased from year to year. The increment of sago cultivation area in Sarawak from year 2000 to 2004 is shown as below (Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005). Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Hectares (ha) 60,709 61,523 62,141 63,053 62,308 % compared to other crops 7.8 7.6 7.3 7.1 6.7 Table 4.1: Estimated Area for Sago Cultivation Source: Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005 Even though the area for sago cultivation is increased in term of hectares, but in term of percentage compared to other crops, sago cultivation is decreased. The policies might be effective to increase the area of sago cultivation, but the increment is rather too slow compared to other crops especially oil palm. Figure 4.1.1: Sago Cultivation Area in Sarawak Source: Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005 Figure 4.1.2: Percentage of Sago Cultivation Area Compared to Other Crops in Sarawak Source: Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005 4.2 Effects on Sago Starch Export and Starch Import The highest sago starch export was in 1998 with 46,518.43 tonne of sago starch was exported and the value of it was RM41, 855,722 with price per tonne is RM897 for food grade starch and RM915 for industry grade starch (Craun Research Sdn Bhd, 2004). After 1998, the sago starch export decreased making the worst export value was in year 2000 with only 36,382.78 tonne was exported and the value of it was RM29,782,916 with price per tonne is RM830 for food grade starch and RM766 for industry grade starch. This might be derived from the price drop of starch in world market. The effects of the policies were only been seen after year 2000 where the export value of sago starch increased every year starting from year 2001 to 2004. Only in year 2003, the export value was decreased by RM55,000. The export value of sago starch from year 1998 to 2004 is shown as below (Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005). Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Export Value (RM000) 42,182 36,450 29,783 30,680 32,165 32,110 37,020 Table 4.2.1: The Export Value of Sago Starch SOURCE: Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005 While exporting sago starch, Malaysia still has to import other starch due to local consumption. In year 1997, estimated total production of sago starch in Malaysia is 60,000 tonne with almost 30,000 was used for local consumption (Third National Agricultural Policy, 1998). In 1998, the import value of starch was RM552,000 made it was the highest import value for starch. With local demand for starch is good for food and non-food industries, the policies were able to support the supply of starch in local market. It helps to reduce the import value of starch in 1999 to RM55,000. From this year, the import value of starch per year was going up and down where in year 2000 there is no starch was imported. The import value of starch from year 1998 to 2004 is shown as below (Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005). Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Import Value (RM000) 552 55 134 0 45 71 57 Table 4.2.2: The Import Value of Starch Source : Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture Sarawak, 2005 Figure 3.2: Export Value of Sago Starch and Import Value of Starch from 1998 to 2004 4.3 Effect on Sago Research Involvement According to Chew, Abu Hassan Isa and Mohd. Ghazali Mohayidin (1999), there was no private group and only two government centres carrying out research on sago in Malaysia. Researches on sago are important to avoid the extinction of sago industry in Malaysia. When the policies were implemented, Land Custody and Development Authority of Sarawak (PELITA) have formed Craun Research Sdn Bhd to carry out research and development on sago. Craun Research Sdn Bhd was once lead by former Sarawak MARDI Director, Mr. Yusup Bin Sobeng. The policies also encouraged local universities to carry out research on sago. With UPM already carry out researches on sago before the policies; UNIMAS have joined them to do more researches on sago. Recently on 4 August 2006, UNIMAS signed an MOU with New Century Fermentation Research Co. Ltd. (NECFER) of Fukoka to enable both institutions to cooperate and collaborate in the establishment of the fermentation parameters and structural set-up in a joint research and development endeavour on sago starch fermentation for large-scale production of ethanol and lactic acid. 4.4 Effects on Private Sector Involvement in Sago Plantation Presently, sago is grown in Sarawak as a smallholders crop (Chew, Abu Hassan Isa and Mohd. Ghazali Mohayidin, 1999). When Land Custody and Development Authority of Sarawak (PELITA) started the development of two sago plantations; Dalat Sago Plantation and Mukah Sago Plantation, several private companies in Sarawak got the initiative to involve in sago industry. With the policy encouraged private sector participation in planting and processing of sago, the numbers of private companies involve in sago plantation and processing had increase. Now, private companies which involve in sago industry have their own association for the benefits of members in the industry. Sarawak Sago Manufacturers Association is the well known sago companies association in Sarawak. It is joined by: Nee Seng Ngeng Sons Sago Industries Sdn Bhd Nitsei Sago Industries Sdn Bhd Song Ngeng Sago Industries (EM) Sdn Bhd C. L. Nee Sago Industries Sdn Bhd Grand Safeways (S) Sdn Bhd Igan Sago Industries Sdn Bhd 4.5 Effects on Traditional Sago Starch Production Before the policy was introduced, there were 11 modern sago processing plants in Sarawak which had fixed assets and equipment valued around RM2-RM5 million (Chew, Abu Hassan Isa and Mohd. Ghazali Mohayidin, 1999). The policy helps to increase this number to 21 modern sago processing plant in year 2000. The increasing number of modern sago processing plant had slowly replaced the production of traditional sago starch called lemantak with high quality, dry sago flour. 4.6 Effects on Sago Starch Contribution in World Starch Market In the world market, sago starch has to compete with other starch such as maize starch, potato starch, cassava starch and wheat starch. According to ISO Technical Committees (2005), the world starch output was estimated to be 48.5 million tons in year 2000. Below is the total export value (in USD) for starches in world market based on type of starches between years 2000 to 2002 (ISO Technical Committees, 2005). 2000 2001 2002 Wheat Starch 79,299,188 66,494,945 71,158,617 Maize Starch 247,354,215 254,598,496 250,744,561 Potato Starch 186,513,628 192,451,543 189,591,770 Cassava Starch 155,221,419 146,818,270 27,307,528 Other Starch 44,592,792 42,295,983 42,245,903 Table 3.6: Export Value (USD) for Starches in World Market Source: ISO Technical Committees, 2005 Other starch in table 3.6 refers to barley starch, rice starch, sago starch and waxy xaize starch. Though the export value of other starch is decreased from year 2000 to 2002, it was only 5% reduction compared to 82% reduction of cassava starch. However, the percentage or reduction for other starch including sago starch is higher than wheat starch, maize starch and potato starch. The policy to develop and expand sago industry in Malaysia helps to make Malaysia been acknowledged as one of the main exporter for starch in the world market. Malaysia also been acknowledged as the highest sago starch exporter in the world (ISO Technical Committees, 2005). CHAPTER 5: POLICY IMPLICATIONS This chapter will discuss the positive and negative aspects of the policies analyzed in the previous chapter. The discussion demonstrates a close relationship between the analysis in the previous chapter and the implications drawn in this chapter about the positive and negative aspects of the policies analyzed. 5.1 Positive Aspects First positive aspect, the policies implicate the sago cultivation to be increased. With 1.69 million hectares of peat soil in Sarawak, the policies had increased the sago cultivation area. This was due to the encouragement of private sector participation in sago plantation and the assistant of smallholder in planting sago using mini estate approach. Private sectors will not just focusing to oil palm plantation in term of the land usage in Sarawak. Even though sago is less profitable compared to oil palm, the policies which imply government support in sago cultivation helps to involve private sector in sago cultivation. Second positive aspect, the policies implicate the export and import of starch in Malaysia. With current consumption of starch in Malaysia is estimated around 100,000 tonne per year, the policies help to increase the supply of starch for local consumption. More than half of sago starch is been exported because of its high value as food grade starch and industry grade starch. This is more profitable than using it for local consumption. However, the usage of sago starch for local consumption still can support the local demand where the import value of starch in Malaysia is far too small (below RM80,000 from year 2001) compared to the export value of sago starch. Third positive aspect, the policies implicate the sago researches involvement in Malaysia. The policies help to increase the number of government subsidiaries and private group involvement in sago researches and development. The researches mostly focus on increasing its starch yield, reducing the gestation period of sago and reducing the cost of sago production. Fourth positive aspect, the policies implicate the income of sago smallholders. With most of sago palm is cultivated by smallholders, the policies help to increase their income. Most of sago farmers are having income from non-sago agricultural activities or from off-farm employment. This is because sago palm has the gestation period of 10 to 15 years which considered as too long to generate income. The policies are focusing on economic strategies in planting sago at farm level where the farmers can maximize the profit in sago cultivation. Fifth positive aspect, the policies implicate the collaboration between federal government and state government. With agriculture as the third instrument to generate Malaysias economy, the policies play an important role in developing the abundant crop such as sago. The federal government creates policies to develop sago cultivation for the state government. Then the state government will innovatively formulate, plan and develop the policies to be implemented. The policies consist of budget and land for sago cultivation. Finally, the policies ensured sago not to be abundant and will be developed to support the agriculture industry as well as other industries in Malaysia. 5.2 Negative Aspects First negative aspect, the policies implicate the manipulation of private companies in sago industry. Most of private companies that involve in planting and processing sago have their own association to protect their importance in the industry. They might control the price of sago section (sago trunk which is cut to yield its starch) and the fee for transportation to factories. When this happened, the sago smallholders might gain small profit or even worst they gain loss. Second negative aspect, the policies implicate the traditional value of sago processing. With the number of modern sago processing plant is increased, the traditional, small-scale cottage mills which produce a type of inferior wet sago called lementak for the local markets are slowly being wiped out. The Melanau community especially will slowly lose their traditional way in processing sago. Finally, the policies are considered not very effective in developing sago industry. This can be seen in the small increment of sago cultivation area for the past 5 years compare to other crop in Malaysia. CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS Even though, sago is considered by many plant scientists, especially Japanese scientists, as the starch crop of the 21st century (Jong, 1995), the present method of cultivation of sago palm shows that it is currently grown using very primitive agricultural technology. Sago is at present grown essentially as a smallholder crop, producing low yields with minimal maintenance and zero fertilization. Current methods of cultivation in Sarawak is not that much different from what had occurred through the millennium and what is occurring now in the virgin, unexplored jungles of Papua New Guinea. The policy was implemented and sago industry also given impotency in Sarawak region. The cultivation area was showing increment and the yield as well, at the same time Malaysia market and world market for sago also increase. We found every policy try their level best to develop the sago industry from cultivation up to market it. Now they also start focus in research and development (RD), which will improve the sago industry. The sago plant lot of RD, to improve the plant and make it more economically profit. In sago industry there need two important thing need to improve. Make sure the plant produce high starch or high yield and decrease the gestation period that is from 10 to 15 years to 5years. The yield can be improved by good plant materiel and good plant breeding as well. This can only be achieved by a prolonged, sustained research program in plant selection and breeding work. The spectacular improvements in the yield of oil palm and its maturity period in Malaysia were achieved by a similar long-term research program, undertaken by a wide variety of governmental and private groups, beginning in the 1900s (Hartley, 1967). Unfortunately, there are currently no private groups carrying out research on sago in Malaysia. In fact, there are now only two government centers, the Dalat Sago Research Station and CRAUN (Crop Research and Application Unit, Lembaga Pembangunan dan Lindungan Tanah, Sarawak or PELITA), carrying out research on sago cultivation. The amount of research resource devoted to sago is clearly inadequate for the monumental task of converting sago from its present semi-wild status to a modern clone with high yields, short maturity periods and responsiveness to fertilizers. The proper management and good care to sago will improve Sarawak Sago industry and the policy will make the sago as golden crop of Sarawak.

Selection of Procurement Strategy

Selection of Procurement Strategy 1.0 INTRODUCTION A major determinant of project success is the selection of the most appropriate procurement strategy which will be used as a frame work to acquire the services of professionals in the industry (Morledge at al, 2006). This report presents the stages that have to be gone through in other to select the best procurement strategy for Janus Leisure plc. Before a suitable project strategy can be selected, there are many variables that need to be considered. However, Masterman (2002) explains that with regards to procurement, only those sub strategies which will have an impact on the ultimate procurement strategy should be considered. He therefore describes the process as consisting of: understanding the client, assessing client objectives, identifying the project constraints including risks and the method of organising the design and construction. These points will therefore form the framework of this report. 1.1 CLIENT Clients in the construction industry are becoming complex in their requirements which has subsequently led to increased client dissatisfaction levels (Latham, 1994). It is therefore essential to identify the type of clients being dealt with as this will have an influence in the choice of procurement method. Based on the categorization of clients by Masterman (2002), Janus leisure plc can be described as a private organisation who generates its funds from its internally business activities and therefore are concerned with profit maximisation wherever possible. Furthermore, we can also say that, the client is an inexperienced client in terms of construction as their main business focus is horse racing. It does not involve in construction activities often and only owns 6 racecourses. However, it is assumed that, the client is very aware of what infrastructure of its business should look like. Finally, we can also say that Janus leisure is a secondary client who requires the building to enable it them house their business activities. This therefore means that construction represents only a small percentage of their annual turn over. 1.2 PROJECT SCOPE The company intends to improve its flagship racecourse at Melchester which hosts the 5000 guineas stakes every year. The proposals are to be undertaken in two phases: Phase I demolition of the existing grandstand the construction of a new 5-storey grandstand to include an extensive conference and exhibition centre (10,000m2 total) and associated external works (budget  £25M) refurbishment of two existing stands circa 100 years old (budget  £5M) Phase II construction of a new 120-bed hotel facility and casino (budget  £12M) to be operational for the 2013 5000 Guineas Stakes meeting in mid-September 1.3 CLIENT OBJECTIVES Janus leisure plc has to consider a number of factors in other to choose the best procurement strategy for the project. To provide guidance for client on their decision of the most appropriate procurement strategy to adopt, Turner (1997) proposed a list of seven factors to consider. Completion time variation complexity quality price certainty price competition management and accountability These will be discussed in detail in the next sub section. Client requirements The objectives and requirements of the client in this report have been categorised under cost, quality and time expectations of the client. They also represent the criteria used by the client in the assessment of the procurement strategies. The following criteria as adopted from Turner (1997) has been established and discussed. Cost Relevance of cost certainty Janus leisure plc is a company which aims at maximising profit wherever possible. It will therefore not intend to spend more than it has budgeted for each section of the development. This implies that, high on the priority of the client is to have a fair idea of how much the project will cost prior to the start of the actual construction. Since the company desires to constantly invest in all of its venues over the coming years. It will therefore be preferable that any strategy chosen should be able to give an idea of the total commitment to be expected, since the project is phased, it means that, this will be a tougher consideration for the first phase but will be achieved to higher degree of accuracy I the second phase Relevance of price competition Janus leisure has a total budget of  £42M for the entire project. With this commitment in mind and a fair certainty of the cost, the client does not really place so much focus on the competition for phase 1. Though Turner (1997) explains that best market price can only be obtained through competition, the client is of the view that factors such as time requirement are of more concern to him and any bid which was around his budget was alright for the first phase. With regard to the second phase, since there will be more time., it is the intention of the client to use competition in other to attain the best price as such therefore any opportunities for price competition will be preferred more. Organisation and accountability It is assumed that the client is fully aware of the fact that, risks go with premiums. However, Janus leisure plc prefers a single point responsibility for the construction of the hotel and will be prepared to pay a premium for that. Clamp et al (2007) argues that leaving both design and construction within one entity could have compromising effects on the quality; however, Janus leisure will prefer to have to deal with just one company in other to eliminate the hassle of lengthy negotiations with many professionals. The client requires that it retains the control for the management of the first phase because it is of more importance to him as he needs it to be ready by 2012. Time Early completion This is a very high priority for the client because they intend to return the 2012 5000 guineas stakes to Melchester. This clearly states that phase 1 should be competed and ready for commissioning before that time. It is known that the duration of the fist phase is short as such early start in needs to ensure early completion. Similarly, with the second phase, it must be completed be 2013. Though this seem to be a longer, advantage should be taken to obtain more competitive while maintaining acceptable standards of quality. Therefore, time is of a higher priority in phase 1 than in phase two Phased requirements The proposed developments are in two phases and should be carried out as such, the duration of the first phase is 2 years which should be ready by mid-September 2012 while that of the second phase is three years and should be completed and ready to use by mid September 2013. As a private client, completion time is of a high priority. Quality Variations Janus leisure plc has been describes as an in experienced client, as such there is the possibility for the client to want to change his mind as the project progresses. Furthermore, the extent of the refurbishment in the first phase cannot be fully envisaged. This implies that, there is an increased possibility of significant variations. However, variations will be minimal in the second phase because, Janus has built some hotels in the past and therefore know what exactly they will want to have in this hotel. It is important to consider variations because they entail high costs and have effects on the construction period and also each procurement method deals differently with variations. Level of prestige Horse racing is a sport that is patronised by a large cross-section of the public as well as wealthy and rich; however, the proposals by Janus leisure does not call for a prestigious design though the requirements of the conferencing, banqueting as well as the hotel should be good and incorporate state-of-the-art technology. Project complexity In terms of complexity during procurement, functionality of the project is not an essential requirement however; complexity of the construction itself and the environmental services is usually very significant (Turner, 1997). The requirements of the project are fairly straightforward as the major requirements were air conditioning and public address systems therefore; complexity is not a great problem in the first phase. With the second phase, more facilities like escalators, lifts and air conditioning facilities will be provided but that notwithstanding, we can say that both faces require a good quality. Risk It is important that any risks to the project are to be effectively managed by the party that is best able to handle them. And every procurement system distributes the risks between the client and contractor (Masterman 2002). Some procurement methods allocate more of the risks to the client and others more to the contractor. Since the client want to control of the first phase, they accept to have the risk even though they will prefer to share them wherever possible. Because the client is quite inexperienced in construction, will prefer to leave to as much of the speculative risk as possible with a single contracting entity though they are aware this might mean payment of premiums for the second phase because it will need time to organize its business activities. 2.0 PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS With respect to the client requirement, four procurement methods have been selected to be appraised because of the peculiar characteristics they have which may be of interest and suitability to the project. They are Traditional method Design and build Management contracting Construction management 2.1 TRADITIONAL METHOD This method is referred to by some authors and researchers as the separated system and it is the oldest form of procurement (Masterman, 2002). It is characterised by the separation between the design and the construction phases and therefore offers multiple points of responsibility (Oyegoke et al ,2009). The client first appoints consultants who will be responsible for the design, cost control and contract administration. Once the design in complete, the client and his team invites tenders from suitable contractors and eventually appoints one of them who will be responsible for carrying out the works. There is therefore direct contractual relationship between the client and the consultants and also between the client and the contractor. The contractor is responsible for all the workmanship and materials including work by sub-contractors and suppliers (Clamp et al, 2007). In some cases, the client could novate subcontractors or suppliers with whom the main contractor will have legal c ontracts. The figure below shows the contractual relations of this system. Fig 1: Contractual relationship; The Traditional Procurement Method (Morledge et al 2006) Use of Traditional method of procurement According to Murdoch and Hughes (2008), following the criteria developed by the Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT 1988), the following are a proposed a list of instances which traditional method is most suitable. The employer has caused the design to be prepared and for the purposes of the building contract takes responsibility for it. The employers designer is sufficiently experienced to co-ordinate and lead the design team and to manage the interface between design and production. The design is substantially complete when the contractor is selected. An independent quantity surveyor will be used to plan and control the financial aspects of the project The contractor is selected on the basis of the contractors estimate and carries the risk that the estimate may be wrong. The employer reserves the right to select sub-contractors for certain parts of the work. ‘Prime cost sums including employer-selected sub-contracts, do not form the major proportion of the contract sum. The employers agents feel that it is important to use an acceptable negotiated form to ensure a fair and familiar distribution of risk. The employer makes no explicit choice and the advisors do not raise the issue. Suitability With regard to the requirement of the client, the traditional method will be very suitable with regard to price certainty which is high on the priority of the client for the first phase. This is because designs will be completely finished and bills of quantities produced which will be priced by tendering contractors. As such, Janus will know its financial commitment to a high degree of accuracy before the start of the project. However, the problem will be whether there is enough time for full designs to be produced followed by tendering before actual construction starts. This is a concern because completion time is equally of high priority to the client and so the traditional method might not be so suitable in that regard. The traditional methods is also one of the best ways to secure best market price as there is competition between tendering firms, however, since competition is not high on the priority of Janus leisure plc for the fist phase, the second phase will take advantage of that. Since variation is to be expected in the project during the first phase, the traditional method will allow, Janus leisure, a flexibility of mind until when the tender documents are prepared for bidding. After this, changes in specification might be very costly and time wasting. It will be suitable for the second phase as well because variation is expected to be even lower. Janus leisure will not be favoured in terms of his accountability requirements for the second phase because Oyegoke et al (2009) explains that this system introduces multiple points of responsibility. 2.2 DESIGN AND BUILD This system is characterised by the integration of the design and construction phases. Masterman (2002) explains that, the commonly used integrated system is the design and build method however there are other variants such as novated design and build, develop and construct, package deal and turn key projects. Within this report, only the design and build variant is considered. The approach leaves full responsibility of the design and construction with a single organisation: the contractor. Rashid et al (2006) explains that, the selection of the most suitable contractor is based on the brief and the specification given by the client at the time of bidding. In effect, the contractor has the total responsibility for all the works, co-ordination and integration of the whole process as well as appointment of any consultants, specialists or subcontractors (Murdoch and Hughes, 2008). Figure 2.2 shows the contractual relation with this system. Fig 2 Contractual relationship: The Design and Build system (Morledge et al 2006) Use of the design and build method According to Murdoch and Hughes (2008), there are some characteristics of a project which determine whether the design and build method will be suitable for a particular project, theses are listed below: The clients familiarity with construction(experience) The relative importance of client priorities (time, cost, function, quality, value for money etc.) The technical complexity of the project The need to make variations to requirements as work proceeds The patterns of responsibility and communication The need for an early start on site. Suitability With regard to the requirements of Janus leisure plc, this method will be suitable in regard to project completion time because of the integration of the construction and design phases will make the project faster, furthermore, since there is a lump sum fixed price for the bespoke design and construction (Masterman, 2002) the client will equally have high degree of price certainty prior to the start of the project. This method will be suitable because for the client in the second phase in terms of his risk allocation requirement as most to the risk will tend to be with the contractor however, it may not be suitable for the first because the client wants to retain more control. Also, design and build will be suitable for the client because the client will only have one contractual relation with the contractor which will march his responsibility criteria. However many researchers including Masterman (2002) and Turner (1997) have argued that since both design and construction are left w ith the contracting firm, there could be possible compromises in the quality expectation in terms of both design and more importantly workmanship and materials, I will also argue that since the client will give a comprehensive brief with little variation for the second phase, this should not be a big problem. It is again worthy to note that the system will not particularly be suited to the variation requirement of Janus leisure plc for the first phase. The criteria established the possibilities of variations as the project progresses, especially in the first phase but the design and build system freezes excessive variation at an early stage when the contract is signed and any changes after that will tend to cost the client lots of money and time. Fortunately, Janus is already aware of this. Again, leaving both the design and construction on the contractor means leaving more risks with him and this will involve payment of premiums as such. 2.3 MANAGEMENT CONTRACTING This is a method of procurement in which the management contractor is paid a fee by the client to manage the whole building process and therefore has direct contractual relations with all the works contractors (Morledge at al, 2006). The management contractor advices on the buildability of the designs as well as value management during the design. The construction works are let out in packages therefore there is early start with this method. The management contractor does not take part in the actual construction but provide preliminaries for the project. The figure below shows the contractual relation with the management contracting form of procurement. Fig 3.Contractual relationship: Management contracting (Morledge et al 2006) Use of Management contracting Murdoch and Hughes propose a list developed by the Joint Contract Tribunal (JCT, 1987a) which indicates suitable circumstances in which to use Management contracting. The list is as follows: The employer wishes the design to be carried out by an independent architect and design team There is a need for early completion The project is fairly large The project requirements are complex The project entails, or might entail, changing the employers requirements during the building period The employer requiring early completion wants the maximum possible competition in respect of the price for the building works. Suitability This system of procurement is desirable in respect of the client priorities of completion time because of the overlap between design and construction, furthermore, as the work will be let out in packages, competition, though not of a high priority to the client, can be used to attain best price. Under this procurement method, the client will also be able to have a fair certainty of the price before the start of the project. The system will also be suitable in terms of the variation requirements of the client for the first phase because the full design is co-ordinated and developed by the client and his team, as such there is much room for flexibility until that package has been let out on contract. With this procurement system, much of the speculative risk is with the client while works contractors take just a little (Clamp et al, 2007) as such this will be acceptable for the first phase but not quite meet the expectation of Janus leisure for the second phase as they prefer to leave much of the speculative risks with the contracting firm. 2.4 CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT With this procurement system, the client appoints the construction manager on the basis of a fee to manage, prepare and co-ordinate the design and construction as well as advising the design team on the buildability of the design (Morledge et al, 2006) as such the client does not allocate risk and responsibility to a single firm because the works are subsequently let out to packages contractors who are in direct contractual relation with the client. The contractual relation with this procurement type is shown below. Fig 4 Contractual relationship: Construction management (Morledge et al 2006) Use of Construction management According to Murdoch and Hughes (2000) Construction management is suitable when the characteristics of the project fulfils in part or whole of the following: The employer is familiar with construction, and knows some or all of the professional team. The risks associated with the project are dominated by timeliness and cost (e.g. the employer may be a private sector employer requiring a commercial building). The project is technologically complex involving diverse technologies and sub-systems. The employer wants to make minor variations to requirements, as the project proceeds. There is scope for separating responsibility for design from responsibility for management of the project. The employer requires an early start on site. The price needs to be competitive, but ‘value for money is more important than simply securing the least possible cost. Suitability This procurement method similar characteristics with the management contract variant, however, there are some differences. The completion time requirements, variation requirement and quality requirements is the same as in the management contracting. However, this system leaves virtually on all the risk on the contractor: a trait which will not suit the requirement of Janus leisure plc. Furthermore, the is no certainty of price as the system works with target sum but advantage can be taken of price competition as the packages are let out to package contractors. Another point worthy on mentioning is that, this method will not particularly suit the responsibility requirement of Janus leisure, who prefer to have to deal with just one contractor. 2.5 RISK SHARING This determines the apportionment of the risks that occur to the party that is able to handle it more adequately than the other. Some procurement methods allocate more of the risks to the client and others more to the contractor, Janus leisure plc is willing to accept some of the risk provided they will be able to foresee it before it occurs for the first phase but will prefer to leave much risk on the contracting firm fro the second phase. The different procurement methods have limits to which the client can tranfer risk. A speculative risk chart according to the different procurement methods can be seen below table 1 : Speculative risk (Clamp et al., 2007) 3.0 SELECTION PROCESS The aim of the selection process is to accurately identify the best procurement route which meets and satisfies the client requirements best (Masterman, 2002). The tables below shows the results of the assessment criteria for the two phases of the project Table 2 priority checklist for phase 1 Table 3priority checklist for phase 2 3.2 PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS FOR PHASE 1 Based on the rating on table 2 and the clients success criteria, the management contracting procurement system has been recommended to be used in the execution of phase 1 Reasons for recommendation It has been established already that time is crucial to the first phase of the developments, as such, this procurement system is suitable because it allows construction to start early once a work section has been completely designed, for example, immediately the foundation are fully designed, the client and his team can give that part out on contract as the designed is continued. The client still retains full control of responsibility of the design as the construction goes on, so since Janus indicates the possibility of variations this will be very much accommodated while the management contractor contributes to the buildability of the designs. The client and his team will also have the chance to select materials and techniques in other to achieve the standard it requires which still reduces maintenance costs. 3.3 PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS FOR PHASE 2 Based on the critical analysis of the critical factors of success for the project as well as the adoption of the table 3 above, the competitive design and build system of procurement has been chosen for the construction of phase 2. Reasons for recommendation The client rates time as important as such, since the contractor is in charge of both the design and construction, there will be an early start of the project on site which will guarantee completion to schedule. However, since the responsibility of the design will be that of the contractor, the client will have to provide a good brief to the contractor in other to eliminate any confusion. This will be required to a great extent so that variations will be reduced to the barest minimum. The design and build procurement method is also best for the phase because the entire of design and construction has been shifted to the client and this suit Janus as a client thought the implication is the likelihood for an increased cost. The client is satisfied with this option because he will have enough time for his own business activities Also, since Janus does not require direct professional accountability for the design and consultants for the second phase, this system proves to be very suitable because the design and build system leaves the entire accountability between the contractor and his team and Janus only has a single contract with the main contractor Janus requires a high degree of price certainty before the start of the construction and the design and build system offers this. Moreover since the requirements indicated that the project is not so complex in terms of technical advancement, the system will be adequate and certain to deliver a product of good quality and workmanship. Finally, the adoption of the competitive variant of the design and build procurement system will give the client and his team the chance to select the best bid from the contractors as a result of the tenders that will be submitted based on the client brief. 3.3 ORGANIZATIONS TO BE COMMISSIONED The consultants to be commissioned for the first phase are as follows: Management Contractor: Engaged very early in the project to provide expert knowledge to other consultants on the constructability of the designs. Architect: Prepares all the necessary architectural designs in accordance with the clients brief and with the management contractor Quantity Surveyor: Carry out feasibility studies, prepare cost estimates and cost plans in conjunction with the designs. Also carry out interim valuations for payment to works contractors, in conjunction with the management contractor. Engineers: Prepare the structural, mechanical and electrical engineering drawings to be priced by the quantity surveyor and form part of the contract documents for executing the works. For the second phase, the client needs to contract a design and build contractor who will be in charge of both design and construction of the facility 4.0 CONCLUSION The proposals by Janus leisure plc have been thoroughly examined and discussed, going through the range of procurement methods and applying the table by CRT, it has been recommended that for a successful execution of the clients developmental proposals, management contracting should be adopted for the first phase while design and build is adopted for the construction of the hotel in the second phase. However, it must be stated that, the success of the project does not only depend on the procurement method used but also on the efficiency of the consultants and the contractors used. Therefore the client should be methodical in the approach for selecting the professionals for the execution of the work.

Positive Portrayal of Native Americans in the Film, Dances With Wolves

Positive Portrayal of Native Americans in the Film, Dances With Wolves The film Dances With Wolves, attempts to change our stereotypical view of Native Americans, as savage and uncivilized people, by allowing us to see life from their perspective, helping us to realize that many of their experiences are not all that different from our own. The main setting of the film is the Great Western Plains of North Dakota. John Dunbar comes to discover the west before it is completely destroyed through settlement and what he actually finds is a group of people that he comes to understand and love, for all of the qualities that he finds within their individual lives. The Sioux soon become a part of John Dunbar's experience not only in the west, but in his life as well. Through his eyes, the viewers begin to see that these Native Americans are not what they are expected to be, but instead are civilized and are companions that can have strong relationships. An important element of the film is the way that it sets us up to respect John Dunbar, for the qualities that he has. One of these qualities is bravery. In the beginning of the film, Dunbar is shown in a battle and he decides to get on a horse and ride across the front lines of his enemies fearlessly looking into the very faces of those whom are supposed to be his greatest enemies. This seems to be a foreshadow of the first meeting of Dunbar with the Sioux Indians, because like in the opening scene, he is unafraid to look into the face of a man who would usually be considered his enemy. After John Dunbar has ridden across the front lines twice, he falls from the horse out of mere exhaustion and is taken care of immediately. To show that Dunbar is valued by those around him, the do... ...views of these people and what they are expected to be, is taken away as the viewer realizes that the life of the natives is very common and understandable. This film almost goes to prove that often the reason that a certain group is tagged by prejudice views, is because little is known about where they are coming from, how they live or what they are experiencing in life. The film Dances With Wolves does a good job of proving that often our stereotypical views of others are inaccurate, and that the Native Americans of the west were not all that different from the whites that also inhabited the plains. Works Cited Costner, Kevin, dir. Dances With Wolves. Perf. Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, and Rodney A. Grant. 1990. Videocassette. Orion, 1991. Reference Encarta Page. 16 Mar. 1999. "Sioux". 13 Oct. 2001.http://encarta.mns.com/find/Consise    Positive Portrayal of Native Americans in the Film, Dances With Wolves Positive Portrayal of Native Americans in the Film, Dances With Wolves The film Dances With Wolves, attempts to change our stereotypical view of Native Americans, as savage and uncivilized people, by allowing us to see life from their perspective, helping us to realize that many of their experiences are not all that different from our own. The main setting of the film is the Great Western Plains of North Dakota. John Dunbar comes to discover the west before it is completely destroyed through settlement and what he actually finds is a group of people that he comes to understand and love, for all of the qualities that he finds within their individual lives. The Sioux soon become a part of John Dunbar's experience not only in the west, but in his life as well. Through his eyes, the viewers begin to see that these Native Americans are not what they are expected to be, but instead are civilized and are companions that can have strong relationships. An important element of the film is the way that it sets us up to respect John Dunbar, for the qualities that he has. One of these qualities is bravery. In the beginning of the film, Dunbar is shown in a battle and he decides to get on a horse and ride across the front lines of his enemies fearlessly looking into the very faces of those whom are supposed to be his greatest enemies. This seems to be a foreshadow of the first meeting of Dunbar with the Sioux Indians, because like in the opening scene, he is unafraid to look into the face of a man who would usually be considered his enemy. After John Dunbar has ridden across the front lines twice, he falls from the horse out of mere exhaustion and is taken care of immediately. To show that Dunbar is valued by those around him, the do... ...views of these people and what they are expected to be, is taken away as the viewer realizes that the life of the natives is very common and understandable. This film almost goes to prove that often the reason that a certain group is tagged by prejudice views, is because little is known about where they are coming from, how they live or what they are experiencing in life. The film Dances With Wolves does a good job of proving that often our stereotypical views of others are inaccurate, and that the Native Americans of the west were not all that different from the whites that also inhabited the plains. Works Cited Costner, Kevin, dir. Dances With Wolves. Perf. Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, and Rodney A. Grant. 1990. Videocassette. Orion, 1991. Reference Encarta Page. 16 Mar. 1999. "Sioux". 13 Oct. 2001.http://encarta.mns.com/find/Consise   

Operation Individual :: Short Stories Technology Papers

Operation Individual A thousand cars, well Computer Assisted Rovers, rode up and down the sky highways of the Upper East Side. Enormous skyscrapers reached to the top of the massive dark sooty heavens that surrounded Chicago, kind of like a bubble that kept them away from the world. The year was 3015, and the world was a completely different place. It was like a metropolitan on speed. Society no longer needed sidewalks, telephones, thanks to video recorded messages, and basically crime, since the Big Brother Project made sure that THEY were watching at every possible moment. Everything was going great except for Operation Artificial Individuals, which was a project designed for the creation of a robot, that looked exactly like a human, thought like one, talked like one, and looked like one. You are all aware of the term artificial intelligence, which is understanding and even placing thought and intelligence into machines. Well since the end of the 22nd century a new term has come out, artificial in dividual or once again A.I., which was coined by Dr. Allan Newell. Dr. Newell who began Operation A.I., created artificial individuals, and mass-produced them for distribution all over the world. Now anyone could have a playmate, a brother they always wanted, and even for the desperate there was the spouse, and at prices that anyone could afford. When they were tested they were immediately approved and found to be very safe and reliable, and just as fast as they were approved they were put onto the shelves for sale. Ten years later they had filled almost half of the city of Chicago, and in many more places around the globe the same thing was happening. What people didn’t know was that the robots had the ability to take over the world if asked to. I know this because I was the one who helped create them; I was working directly under Dr. Newell when we created them. My name is Dr. Mark Altman, and I was the one who programmed them with the ability to do anything that the person with the "key" wanted them to do. See the key was exactly what it sounds like, if you have the key, all you have to do is insert it into the mainframes in his lavatories, type commands, and the artificial individuals would be at your every whim.

In Watermelon Sugar and Tunnel Music :: Watermelon Sugar

In Watermelon Sugar and Tunnel Music The clearest vision of reality is often the most abstract. While the rise of science and progress suffocate the notion of an extrasensory experience within the reading of literature, the phenomena persist. Meanings are communicated, participating in a magnificent cosmic-cultural aura, penetrating a communication of meaning, intent, and scandalously--truth. There is a process of intertextuality occurring, a conversation between authors, texts themselves, and the readers who venture to interpret them. Richard Brautigan's imaginary novel, In Watermelon Sugar converses well with a poem written many years after his death, Tunnel Music by Mark Doty. This conversation appears to be about the collapse of our techno-egocentric society. Because of the cryptic nature of In Watermelon Sugar, it aids analysis to offer some form of comparison to its labyrinthine meanings. Through the lens of Mark Doty's poem, a particular feature of the novel is offered a clarity and relevance of vision: the Forgotten Works are indicative "of the coming world." (Doty 27) Allow me first to outline the basic feeling of the novel and how the Works figure into their lives. To paraphrase William James, generally there is a smell of watermelons. At once the novella details a simple community of nature-minded folk, centered on a compound called iDEATH, a place "always changing" (Brautigan 16) with trees, and a river "flowing out of the living room." At iDEATH, the sun shines a different color every day, making the watermelon crops reflect that color. The people of iDEATH make "a great many things out of" watermelon sugar. (Brautigan 1-2) Sculpting their lives from this sugar, and mixing it with trout, they have lantern oil. Brautigan once said "everything in America is about trout fishing if you've got the correct attitude." (McDonnell) Rivers run everywhere here, they take the qualities of whatever the reader would like them too, if you look hard enough--everything can be a river. "Some of the rivers are only a few inches wide. . . I know a river that is half-an-inch wide. . . We call everything a river here. We're that kind of people." (Brautigan 2) Beyond iDEATH and the trout hatchery are the Forgotten Works. They "go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on." (Brautigan 69) They are "hammered out" as Mark Doty puts it. The Works are "much bigger than we are. In Watermelon Sugar and Tunnel Music :: Watermelon Sugar In Watermelon Sugar and Tunnel Music The clearest vision of reality is often the most abstract. While the rise of science and progress suffocate the notion of an extrasensory experience within the reading of literature, the phenomena persist. Meanings are communicated, participating in a magnificent cosmic-cultural aura, penetrating a communication of meaning, intent, and scandalously--truth. There is a process of intertextuality occurring, a conversation between authors, texts themselves, and the readers who venture to interpret them. Richard Brautigan's imaginary novel, In Watermelon Sugar converses well with a poem written many years after his death, Tunnel Music by Mark Doty. This conversation appears to be about the collapse of our techno-egocentric society. Because of the cryptic nature of In Watermelon Sugar, it aids analysis to offer some form of comparison to its labyrinthine meanings. Through the lens of Mark Doty's poem, a particular feature of the novel is offered a clarity and relevance of vision: the Forgotten Works are indicative "of the coming world." (Doty 27) Allow me first to outline the basic feeling of the novel and how the Works figure into their lives. To paraphrase William James, generally there is a smell of watermelons. At once the novella details a simple community of nature-minded folk, centered on a compound called iDEATH, a place "always changing" (Brautigan 16) with trees, and a river "flowing out of the living room." At iDEATH, the sun shines a different color every day, making the watermelon crops reflect that color. The people of iDEATH make "a great many things out of" watermelon sugar. (Brautigan 1-2) Sculpting their lives from this sugar, and mixing it with trout, they have lantern oil. Brautigan once said "everything in America is about trout fishing if you've got the correct attitude." (McDonnell) Rivers run everywhere here, they take the qualities of whatever the reader would like them too, if you look hard enough--everything can be a river. "Some of the rivers are only a few inches wide. . . I know a river that is half-an-inch wide. . . We call everything a river here. We're that kind of people." (Brautigan 2) Beyond iDEATH and the trout hatchery are the Forgotten Works. They "go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on." (Brautigan 69) They are "hammered out" as Mark Doty puts it. The Works are "much bigger than we are.

Dr Jack Perry Motivation case Essay

This case revolves around Dr. Jack Perry, the protagonist, is proprietary dentist clinic. Dr. Perry is a successful dentist in a small town of Cromwell in Canada. He had purchased the practice from a retiring dentist and has been successful in his practice considerably. However, he now faces a management problem of motivating his employees who are suffering from low morale and do not seem to be working as hard as they could to help increase the revenue of the clinic. Dr. Perry, had attended a dental conference in Chicago in 2005, and recalled two approaches to profit sharing which would help in motivating the employees. He now faces the dilemma as to which one of the two pay structures would be best suited for his practice as selecting a wrong pay structure could lead to further de-motivation of his employees. BACKGROUND OF THE CASE Dr. Jack Perry has managed to run a thriving dentistry practice in Cromwell which had a population of only 3000 and served an additional 7000 people from the surrounding areas. He had little competition in the form of 3 other dentists. Dr. Perry has sound financials and is witnessing a growth rate of 15 % annually. In conformance with industry norms Dr. Perry employs three categories of employees namely, receptionists, hygienists and assistants. At present he employs two part time receptionists, two full time hygienists, one full time assistant and one part time assistant. His employees were paid their wages at competitive hourly rates prevalent in the market. In addition to their hourly wages, they were given an Annual cash bonus of $400 during Christmas which was well appreciated by his employees. Dr. Jack Perry was quite involved with his staff by regularly discussing their work and salary on an informal basis. He allowed his employees 3 weeks holidays in a year. As a result Dr. Perry had virtually no staff turnover. Despite the his easy going manner, competitive salary and a pleasant work environment, Sandi the receptionist, had concluded that the morale was low among the staff, an observation Dr. Perry had made himself. OBJECTIVES To study the benefits and drawbacks of the two pay structures , its financial impact on the employees and how they would help him resolve the issue of low morale in the organization. To suggest the best suited pay-structure for Dr. Perry’s practice which would help him increase his collections by motivating his employees. CHARACTER SKETCH OF DR.PERRY Dr. Jack Perry is a dentist who has completed his graduation from an Ontario University dental school in 2011. He was a sole practitioner dentist in Cromwell, Ontario. Becoming a dentist in Canada was a rigorous process which required a lot of hard work and which included three years of study at the undergraduate level, followed by four years at an accredited dental school. Perry was happy with his work as he was giving competition to other three dentists in Cromwell. He was doing far better than his competitors and was proud of the financial success which came along with it. His business was now growing at 15 per cent annually. Perry had created a comfortable and easy going environment at the workplace. He used to have informal meetings with the staff annually to discuss the work and salary. His staffs were given three weeks of holiday per year. Not only this, but he also allowed his staff to take further unpaid vacation time as long as they can provide him with another staff member to handle their shifts. This gave the flexibility to the staff members as this thing made easier for them to spend some time with their families. All the team plans and organize the Christmas party before Christmas holidays. He used to give cash bonus for their hard work throughout the year. He was a benevolent boss. CASE ANALYSIS 1. The main reason for the decaying employee morale was the quick growth of the business. Dr. Perry’s employees were well compensated at competitive market rates and enjoyed a pleasant working environment. The annual growth of the business (15%) meant that his employees were making relatively less money than Dr. Perry himself. The current pay structure did not have any provision for any category of employees to earn a proportion of the profits. Every employee has a fixed hourly salary. Thus, a bigger business meant that they felt like slave labourers since they were aware of the increase in the practice’s revenues and number of patients. 2. Dr. Perry’s revenues largely depended on the hygienists who generated about 40% of the revenues. Even the receptionists played a vital role in adding to the revenue by filling in cancelled appointments. His assistants too contributed by playing the role of nurses by comforting the patients which further helped in patient retention. Thus it would seem only fair that a part of the profits must be shared with the employees in the form of a variable pay structure. 3. As per the conference which Dr. Perry had attended, the first approach of remunerating the employees focused on the contribution of the hygienists only. As per this approach, the hygienists would be paid purely on a commission basis of around 40% of the total earnings. The main advantages of this system are: It recognises the direct effect of the hygienists’ efforts on the revenues of the practice and rewards them for the same. A 40% commission would be financially more beneficial to the hygienists assuming the current level of collections. Also it is forecasted that such a pay structure would result in an increase in the billings by about 13%. The major drawback of this system is that it simply does not completely recognize the contribution of the receptionists and the assistants in the revenue generation of the firm. The pay structure does not clearly define how commission would be linked to the total earning of the receptionists and the assistants. Also, by making the earnings of the hygienists completely dependent on the revenue, it may lead to dissatisfaction of the hygienists of the collections did not increase. 4. The second approach states that the employees should be given a share of the profits at a pre established percentage over and above their hourly wage rates. This method ensured that : Some parts of the profits were distributed to all the categories of employees. At the same time since the employees would receive their hourly rates in any case, it would give them a sense of security and eventually help in maintaining the pleasant work atmosphere. However, this method did not distinguish between the categories of employees who contributed more to the revenues than those who contributed comparatively less. This could lead to de-motivation of the hygienists who had a direct impact on the revenues of the companies. Solutions/Suggestions For Hygienist : 1. Perry’s Clinic should recognise best skilled hygienists. Perry should conduct special trainings for the underperformers and bring them to the same level. 2. Targets of hygienists need to be on a similar alignment as that of the firm. 3. Teamwork needs to be motivated through annual bonus. 4. Incentives can be introduced to keep the results persistent. 5. The firm should control the cost through effective pay strategy. The above decisions could have the following effect on the hygienists – their income would increase; the effort put in by an individual would benefit him/her i.e. every individual is responsible for his/her incentives. Thirdly they would get an opportunity to work with an efficient peer group thereby nurturing each other. For Assistants & Receptionists: 1. The firm should encourage wage earners to spend time on highly skilled tasks. 2. Decrease interoffice concern about peer pay. Pay should be based on training level. 3. The weekly payroll should be known. 4. Annual bonus would motivate team work and coordination. By implementing these they would have stable pay, little daily pressure to up sell services. Their pay easily calculated each week. It would allow them to take time off providing high quality of work. CONCLUSIONS In the scenario where Dr. Perry business is growing at a healthy rate it is important to continuously monitor pay structure of the firm and revise it from time to time since remuneration is directly related to the motivation level of the employees. Dr. Perry must change the pay structure to accommodate profit sharing with the employees in the form of a bonus which would be a percentage of the total profits of the practice, in the case of increased revenues for that particular year. This method is better for the business at this stage because the practice is still in a growth stage. The profits can be divided among the different categories of employees in a number of ways. A drastic change in the pay structure from fixed to completely variable is not recommended because in case of lower collections in any particular year, it may lead to lower earnings for the employees. This pay structure can be further revised in the future to increase the profit sharing element in the remuneration of the employees as the firm grows bigger. MANAGERIAL LEARNINGS 1. Monetary benefits motivate people to perform better in most cases. It is important for managers to understand the link between the pay structure and the motivation levels of employees. Merely high wage rates may not be sufficient to motivate the employees and they must given a fair share of the profits earned by the firm. 2. Performance linked Variable Pay (PLVP) is a salary component present in most of the MNCs. This keeps the employees motivated to continuously increase their productivity rather than a fixed salary which may lead to a laid back style of working thereby impacting the performance negatively. 3. It is important for mangers to know the contribution of individual employees and different categories of employees and must frame the pay structure in accordance with the same. This would ensure that employees are rewarded sufficiently for better performances. 4. Keeping the market standards in mind, pay – structures must be constantly monitored and should be revised along with the growth of the firm in terms of revenue earned and the volume of business for employees of all levels. 5. Firms disclose their revenue generated through Quarterly/Semi Annual Meets. Managers must make sure that the employees understand not only the revenue aspect of a growing firm but also the increased costs associated with them and therefore emphasise on the need for higher productivity from the employees.