Dmci Homes Application of Pert Essays

Dmci Homes Application of Pert Essays Dmci Homes Application of Pert Essay Dmci Homes Application of Pert Essay information on units and important areas within the vicinity. Assistance on transactions concerning the developer, including following up documents * Community events  such as sports fests, family day, Halloween treats, Christmas party, etc. You are also able to enjoy the perks of living in a DMCI Homes community. Modern-day facilities that are standard features in the developments and which contribute to a more convenient lifestyle include: * 24-hour security service * Gated entrance and perimeter fence * Overhead water tank, deep well, and underground cistern * Covered bridge way connecting the residential building to the car park * Individual drying area at the roof deck Provision for CATV and telephone lines QUALITY WORKMANSHIP Expect efficient floor plans and high-quality structures with first-rate construction techniques in the development of all DMCI Homes projects, owing to its mother company DMCI’s 50-year c ommendable track record in the construction industry. DMCI Homes also provides one (1) year quality warranty that covers repairs, free of charge, on any workmanship defects of the unit. Fast and reliable, the companys construction of the residential buildings and turnover of units are within 6 to 12 months only. READY FOR OCCUPANCY AND MOVE-IN POLICY For as low as 20% down payment for mid-rise or 30% down payment for high-rise, a homebuyer may immediately move into his or her unit and enjoy the privileges of living in a DMCI Homes residential community, provided his or her unit is completed. Without the long wait, take pleasure in a resort living ambience right within your own backyard, or realize your condo unit’s earning potential sooner than you expected. II. Literature Review A BRIEF HISTORY OF SCHEDULING BACK TO THE FUTURE Presented at 4 6 April 2006 Hyatt, Canberra. Patrick Weaver FAICD, FCIOB, PMP. Director, Mosaic Project Services Pty Ltd Introduction The science of ‘scheduling’ as defined by Critical Path Analysis (CPA) will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2007. In 1956/57 Kelly and Walker started developing the algorithms that became the ‘Activity-on-Arrow’ or ADM scheduling methodology for DuPont. The program they developed was trialed on plant shutdowns in 1957 and their first paper on critical path scheduling was published in March 1959. The PERT system was developed at around the same time but lagged CPM by 6 to 12 months (although the term ‘critical path’ was invented by the PERT team). Later the Precedence (PDM) methodology was developed by Dr. John Fondahl in 1977 as a ‘noncomputer’ alternative to CPM. Arguably, the evolution of modern project management is a direct consequence of the need to make effective use of the data generated by the schedulers in an attempt to manage and control the critical path1. The evolution of scheduling closely tracked the development of computers. The initial systems were complex mainframe behemoths, typically taking a new scheduler many months to learn to use. These systems migrated to the ‘mini computers’ of the 1970s and 80s but remained expensive, encouraging the widespread use of manual scheduling techniques, with only the larger (or more sophisticated) organizations being able to afford a central scheduling office and the supporting computer systems. The advent of the ‘micro computer’ (ie, personal computer, or PC) changed scheduling forever. The evolution of PC based scheduling move project controls from an environment where a skilled cadre of schedulers operating expensive systems made sure the scheduling was ‘right’ (and the organization ‘owned’ the data) to a ituation where anyone could learn to drive a scheduling software package, schedules became ‘islands of data’ sitting on peoples’ desktops and the overall quality of scheduling plummeted. Current trends back to ‘Enterprise’ systems supported by PMOs seem to be redressing the balanceand offerin g the best of both worlds. From the technology perspective, information is managed centrally, but is easily available on anyone’s desktop via web enabled and networked systems. From the skills perspective PMOs are re-developing career paths for schedulers and supporting the development of scheduling standards within organizations. This paper tracks the development of scheduling (with a particular focus on Micro Planner and Primavera) and looks at the way the evolving technology has changed the way projects are scheduled and managed. In the Beginning Pre 1956 The concept of ‘scheduling’ is not new; Sun Tzu wrote about scheduling and strategy 5000 years ago from a military perspective, the pyramids are over 3000 years old, transcontinental railways have been being built for some 200 years, etc. None of these activities could have been accomplished without some form of schedule; ie, the understanding of activities and sequencing. However, whilst the managers, priests and military leaders controlling the organizations responsible for accomplishing the ‘works’ must have an appreciation of ‘scheduling’ (or at least the successful ones would have) there is little evidence of any formal processes until the 20th Centenary. Henry L. Gantt, an American engineer and social scientist is credited with the developed the bar chart (Gantt Chart) in 1917 as a production control tool. In its pure form, the bar chart correlates activities and time in a graphical display allowing the timing of work to be determined but not interdependencies. Sequencing is inferred rather then shown and as a ‘hand drawn’ diagram, the early charts were a static representation of the schedule. Fig. 1 A typical Gantt chart. Milestone charts were also in regular use by the 1950s2. Major contracts were subdivided into sections with target dates set for accomplishing the work required to achieve each ‘milestone’. However, as with Gantt Charts, all of the dates and durations shown in these charts were based on heuristics (rules of thumb) and/or experience. It was possible to identify slippage but any assessment of the impact of a delay was based on a personal view of the data rather than analysis. As a consequence when schedule slippage became apparent on major contracts, the tendency was to flood the work with labor and ‘buy time’ frequently at a very high premium. Independent of the development of schedule control processes based on bar charts and milestones, work on linear programming had been going on for a number of years. This branch of mathematics looked at the cause and effect of actions on each other in situations such as the flow of traffic along a freeway. One of the mathematicians involved in this work was James E. Kelley. CPM and Kelly and Walker3 The origin of CPM can be traced back to mid 1956. E. I. du Pont de Numours (Du Pont) was looking for useful things to do with its ‘UNIVAC1’ computer (this was one of the very first computers installed in a commercial business anywhere and only the third UNIVAC machine built). Fig. 2 – An early UNIVAC Computer Du Pont’s management felt that ‘planning, estimating and scheduling’ seemed like a good use of the computer! Morgan Walker was given the job of discovering if a computer could be programmed to help. Others had started studying the problem, including other researchers within Du Pont but no one had achieved a commercially viable outcome. In the period from late 1956 through to April 1957, Walker assisted by Kelly and others had scoped a viable project. Their challenge was to solve the time-cost conundrum. They could demonstrate that in preference to flooding a project with labor to recover lost time, focusing effort on the ‘right’ tasks can reduce time without significantly increasing cost. The problem was identifying the ‘right’ tasks! Fig. 3 – The Time / Cost Curve On the 7th May 1957, a meeting in Newark Delaware committed US$226,400 to a project to develop CPM; Du Pont’s share was $167,700, Remington Rand Univac contributed $58,700. Univac had decided to help ‘to keep IBM at bay’; competition can be useful†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ but more important than the money was the people brought to the project by Univac. The Du Pont team was lead by Morgan R. Walker, key players from Univac were James E. Kelley and John Mauchly. Kelley was the mathematician and computer expert nominated by Mauchly to ‘solve the problem’ for Walker. The solution adopted by Kelley borrowed from ‘linear programming’ and used the i-j notation to describe the relationship between activities. This constrained the sequencing and made the calculations feasible (remembering the challenge was still to resolve the ‘time-cost’ trade off). This solution created a couple of significant challenges. One was gathering the data needed toload the computer model. Engineers were not used to describing work in terms of activities (tasks) with resource requirements and different costs depending on the resources deployed for a ‘normal’ duration and a ‘crashed’ duration. Gathering the data for the first CPM model took Walker over three months. The other problem was that unless you were a mathematician the concept of i-j was virtually meaningless! The ‘Activity-on-Arrow’ diagram was developed to explain the mathematics to management. Despite all of the problems, by 24th July 1957 the first analysis of the George Fischer Works schedule had been completed and the concept proven. The schedule included 61 activities, 8 timing restraints and 16 dummies. Fig. 4 A section of the George Fisher Works CPM schedule The major challenge then became reducing the number of calculations and variables to a level that could be processed in a reasonable timeframe. The estimate of the time needed to update a schedule of 150 to 300 arrows was some 350 hours of computer time per month. Some of the challenges were as basic as accessing the right computer; magnetic tapes storing the schedule data were prepared on the DuPont computers and then flown across the USA to be run on machines capable of analyzing the data. Development continued through 1958 and in March 1959 Kelley and Walker jointly presented CPM to the public at large at the Eastern Joint Computer Conference in a paper entitled ‘Critical Path Planning and Scheduling’. As with many innovations though, CPM nearly died as a concept. CPM saved DuPont 25% on their shutdowns, but they dropped the system shortly after the management team responsible for its development changed in 1959. Similarly, RemRand could see little future in the system and abandoned it! CPM as a technique was ‘saved’ by Mauchly ; Associates (including John Mauchly and Jim Kelley). Starting in 1959, they commercialized CPM, simplified the process to focus on schedule (rather than cost), organized training courses and developed an entire new way of ‘doing business’. CPM was popular but expensive – solving scheduling problems (eg loops) could cost the price of a small car! PERT and Other Systems PERT was developed independently by the US Navy Special Projects Office, Bureau of Ordnance (SP). A team comprising members of SP and consulting firm Booz, Allen and Hamilton was established in 1957 and produced its first report in July, 1958. Apart from introducing uncertainty into schedule durations, the lasting contribution the PERT teams have made to the business of scheduling was the invention of the ‘critical path’. Kelly and Walker used the name ‘main chain’ for the longest path through their schedule. By 1961, a multitude of PERT like systems had been developed including MAPS, SCANS, TOPS,PEP, TRACE, LESS and PAR. These systems were all network based and had distinguishing features of their own. PEP is particularly interesting as it was essentially ‘a connected bar chart; ie, a set of bars with links connecting the ends of related bars’5. A concept that has re-surfaced in a range of computerized scheduling tools in recent years. By 1968 PERT and CPM had emerged as the standard nomenclatures and dominant systems. Precedence Diagramming Method In 1961 John Fondahl published a report entitled ‘A Non-computer Approach to Critical Path Methods for the Construction Industry’6. This paper described the PDM system of scheduling and was offered as effective manual process to bypass the expensive computer based CPM system. The irony being PDM is now used by every computer based scheduling system, PERT has dies out completely and CPM is rarely seen and is generally only found in academic papers where the calculations are performed manually! Mainframe days†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Through to the early 1980s, to create a project schedule you either used a mini or mainframe computer system. Or drew and calculated schedules manually. Or did both; manual calculations first (to sort out problems) then pload the corrected and checked schedule to the computer. The run-time on the computer cost too much for errors! Schedulers were trained through a process of apprenticeships and mentoring; it cost too much and took too long to fix problems caused by inexperience! The consequence was the evolution of a group of project schedulers skilled in both the art and science of scheduling. H owever, as Kelley noted from the very earliest CPM training courses, there was a significant variability in the outcome for scheduling exercises caused by differing skill levels and perceptions on the trainees. The existence of scheduling departments meant the scheduling processes were standardized and the schedule data was largely ‘owned’ by the organization. Additionally, the desire of professional schedulers to exchange information and develop their skills would appear to have been the foundation for the evolution of ‘modern project management. PC systems Micro Planner Micro computers emerged in the late 1970s, machines like the Commodore and Atari were initially aimed at the enthusiast. However, by the end of the 1970s micro computers were starting to make their presence felt in the business world. One of the leaders in the business market was Apple Computer with its first ‘commercial’ PC, the Apple II being launched in 1979. The first commercial scheduling software for this class of computer was developed by Micro Planning Services in the UK. Running on the Apple II Micro Planner v1. 0 was released in 1980 after 14 months development, based on the ICL PERT mainframe system. The first IBM PC was launched in 1981; although the definitive IBM XT was not launched until 1983. In 1982, ‘The Planner’ is released for the 256K IBM PC and the Sirius/Victor. Windows’ type operating systems became available in 1984 (Apple Macintosh) with Microsoft’s ‘Windows v1. 0’ being launched in November ‘85. Micro Planner maintained their association with the Apple system launching graphical scheduling systems for the Apple Macintosh in 1986 and Windows in 1988; followed by the first true GUIb scheduling tool Micro Planner X-Pert in 1989. The author managed the Australian arm of the Micro Planner group from 1986 through to 1998 over this period the total annual sales of the business grew to more than $1 million. Primavera Primavera was founded in May 1983 by: Dick Faris, Joel Koppelman and Les Seskin (who owned a batch entry mainframe scheduling system). Today Primavera is arguably the dominant ‘high end’ project scheduling tool worldwide. But where did the name come from? Focusing on the then ‘mainstream’ DOS operating system, Primavera shot to prominence with the release of a 10,000 activity capable system in the late 1980s and has maintained its position as ‘market leader’ with a steady flow of innovative developments. The Changing Industry During the 1970s, the arrival of powerful project scheduling systems running on ‘Mini Computers’ caused the first major change. The lower operating cost of systems such as MAPPS on Wang and Artemis on HP and DEC hardware caused the rapid demise of mainframe scheduling systems. Apart from a few legacy systems the era of the mainframe was over by the mid 1980s. The ‘mini systems’ retained many of the characteristics of the mainframes though and required skilled schedulers to make efficient use of them. From the perspective of the people working as schedulers all that changed was the hardware and maybe the software vendor. The rapid spread of relatively cheap, easy-to-use’ PCs in the latter half of the 1980s spawned dozens (if not hundreds) of PC based scheduling systems including TimeLine and CA Super project at the ‘low end’, and Open Plan and Primavera at the ‘high end’ of PC capability. The ‘low end’ tools spread the availability of scheduling systems to a very wide audience and allowed everyone access to cheap computer based scheduling. This had two impacts, by the early 1990s no one was doing manual scheduling (apart maybe from a few ‘old timers’) and the number of people creating schedules on a part time, untrained basis exploded. At the same time, the increasing capability of the ‘high end’ systems annihilated the significantly more expensive mini systems. Scheduling had become a desk top PC based process. The last of the significant changes in the industry started in latter part of the 1980s and has continued through to the present time. Despite the ever increasing number of people using PC based scheduling tools; the competition in the market has driven prices down and caused a major consolidation of the industry. For many years, Microsoft Project could be bought for less than $100 per set. This decimated the ‘low end’ market. Similarly the cost of developing GUI interfaces and staying competitive in the features arms race at the ‘high end’ caused most of the system developers to move to greener pastures or simply close up shop. It is only since the start of the 21st century has this trend begun to change. The increase in the sophistication of Microsoft Project and the rise in its base cost to around $1000 has opened up the market to a number of low cost entry level tools based primarily on bar charts. There has also been an increase in the number of generally available niche systems offering enhanced; risk (eg Pertmaster), time/location and line of balance capabilities (eg DynaProjectâ„ ¢ and LinearPlus) and other functionality, that can operate stand alone or use data from and interact with the dominant systems such as Microsoft Project and Primavera. One very interesting development is a Russian tool called SPIDER. This software dynamically links time and cost (the original Kelley and Walker objective) within a managed risk profile. The loss of skills and control Prior to the 1980s Scheduling was a serious business; it used very expensive assets, required significant training and skill and was largely centralized and ‘visible’. Where manual scheduling was used, the saving in system costs was offset by the tedium of lengthy manual calculations. It simply did not pay to make mistakes! The arrival of ‘easy to use’ scheduling tools with a graphical interface radically changed the industry. Scheduling migrated to the desktop and the myth that ‘anyone’ can schedule (provided they knew how to switch on a PC) emerged. Many people learned ‘scheduling’ from using tools like Microsoft Project. There was no training or oversight and as a consequence, the average schedule is littered with ‘fixes’ allowed or encouraged by the tool. The trend has been towards a focus on computer processes and getting a schedule ‘looking right’ rather than analyzing a project to determine the appropriate duration based on appropriate resources and designing the schedule to be an effective management tool in the context of each specific project. As a direct consequence of this loss of skills, the importance of scheduling has dropped in most organizations and most projects run late! But the tide is turning†¦.. Current trends back to the future The requirement for effective ‘corporate governance’ is focusing management’s attention on project controls. The requirement for visibility, predictability and accountability of project performance can only be achieved by the introduction of effective corporate tools supported by skilled project schedulers7. The drive for visibility has been met by the arrival of powerful ‘Enterprise’ tools such as Primavera Enterprise and the suite of programs from WST including Open Plan and WelcomeHome. These integrated tools with effective data management and security ‘built in’ deliver the visibility and control needed for effective corporate governance (provided the tools are adequately supported). Additionally, the integrated nature of the tools makes project data visible and this visibility encourages enhanced quality. The drive for quality is creating a demand for skilled schedulers. This skills shortage is being helped by the spread of PMOsd and a renewed interest in scheduling training8. Many PMOs are also starting to recognize the need for, and develop skills in the ‘art’ of effective scheduling, as well as providing a home and career path for schedulers. The trend back towards a corporate view of schedule information and the requirement for skilled schedulers to operate the tools and provide effective support to project managers is being supported by the development of new standards. PMI will launch its ‘Scheduling Practice Standard’ in 2006, to augment the information in the PMBOK Guide. A longer term initiative is the work being undertaken by PMI’s College of Scheduling to develop and publish its ‘Scheduling Excellence Initiative’9. SEI is planned to develop and publish a comprehensive set of industry accepted best practices and guidelines for every aspect of project management ‘that touches a schedule, or that a schedule touches’. The consequence of these trends is that schedulers are once again in great demand around the world. The role of the scheduler is back! Conclusions The evolution of scheduling has been a fascinating journey: Kelley and Walker set out to solve the time-cost conundrum and invented CPM. For most organizations the resolution of time-cost issues is still in the ‘too hard’ basket (although SPIDER offers an interesting solution)! The PERT project invented the name ‘Critical Path’, and everyone else borrowed it. Fondahl invented a non-computer methodology for scheduling that is now used by every computer package worldwide! Whilst Kelley and Walkers CPM system was developed for computers and is now only seen as a manual technique. The changing role of the scheduler has been almost as interesting: The mainframe era saw scheduling as: o A skilled profession o Central to the success of projects The new ‘enterprise’ era sees scheduling as o A skilled profession o Central to the success of projects We have gone back to the future! III. Data and Analysis -Data Activity| Description| Predecessor| ABCDEFGHIJKLMN| Civil and StructuralFire Protection WorksMechanical WorksElectrical WorksPlumbing WorksAuxilliaryMasonry/WetworksMiscellaneous Walls ; FinishesMiscellaneousPainting WorksCeiling WorksFloor FinishesMechanical EquipmentElectrical EquipmentFire Protection EquipmentPlumbing Equipment| D, EB, C, EAAHH, IGFK, L, M| This Table shows the flow of activities in building basement 3. We were able to determine the activities by the given data. * CPM Network Crash Completion Time 9 months Crash Cost: Php 6, 197, 600. 00 Critical Path: B – G – L M IV. Conclusion This study investigates on the feasibility of project development thru the use of PERT and CPM techniques. Both aided the researchers in getting the critical path, optimum project completion time, and minimum project cost incurred after the optimum crash completion time. The critical path is the longest path of the project where it indicates the amount of time needed for the completion of the project. Thus the activities along this path must be accelerated in order to catalyze the project, On the other hand, when delays happen in these activities would cause a chain reaction of delays throughout the scheduling, etc for the rest of the project. Obtaining the optimum project completion time is done by crashing the network. Crashing the network refers to crashing a number of activities in order to reduce the duration of the project below its normal value. Based on the data obtained, this project accomplished in 13 months with a total cost Php 4, 596,400. 0. However if the project is crashed the soonest possible time is 9 months with a cost of Php 6, 197, 600. 00. V. Recommendation Though PERT and CPM considers the cost and completion time available it doesn’t really reflect how the real scheduling of a construction project is. It is only an ideal flow of activities. In current construction project activities usually starts simultaneously e. g. As soon as this first floor floor ing is done, they begin with the next floor not observing anymore the other activities to be done on first floor. Therefore the use of PERT CPM should be of initial study and not as a basis of overall scheduling of construction. VI. References Hillier and Lieberman. â€Å"Introduction to Operations Research†, Chapter 10 Project Management with PERT/CPM, 7th Edition Weaver, P. (2006) â€Å"A Brief History of Scheduling†, ; pmforum. org/library/papers/2006/A_Brief_History_of_Scheduling. pdf;. â€Å"PERT/CPM for Project Scheduling ; Management†, ;interventions. org/pertcpm. html;. â€Å"Pert Diagram and CPM†,

The Curious Case of Whet

The Curious Case of Whet The Curious Case of â€Å"Whet† The Curious Case of â€Å"Whet† By Maeve Maddox Here’s a question from Caro that cites a usage for whet that I’ve never heard: I have recently seen several people using the word â€Å"whet† in place of the word â€Å"wet†.   (In one case, I asked a friend if shed meant to say â€Å"wet† but she said it can also be used as a dirtier form for â€Å"wanton† I can only wonder what the friend understands by wanton. Both whet and wet have been in the language since Ango-Saxon times. whet: OE hwettan to sharpen† Even back then the word could have the figurative sense of â€Å"to encourage.† wet: OE wà ¦t moist, liquid, OE wà ¦tan to be wet. OE wà ¦ter, â€Å"water.† When I taught young girls in England, I often heard one of them say that So-and-So was â€Å"wet.† It meant that the unfortunate girl under discussion was â€Å"socially ineffectual† or, as they may be saying now, â€Å"wimpy.† I don’t often hear the word wanton in ordinary conversation. It can mean â€Å"lascivious† as in â€Å"that wanton hussy.† Youre more likely to hear someone refer to â€Å"wanton cruelty.† In the latter example the meaning is â€Å"merciless, unfeeling, inhuman†: Leaving those dogs tied up in the backyard when they moved was wanton cruelty. The earliest meaning of wanton was similar to the French expression mal à ©levà ©, â€Å"badly brought up.† Wanton was a word to use when referring to unruly or unsocialized children as Shakespeare does in Lear: As flies to wanton boys are we to the Gods. They kill us for their sport. Wanton was originally a two-part word: wan-towen. OE wan meant â€Å"wanting or lacking.† OE togen was the past participle of teon, â€Å"to train, to discipline.† The wanton child was lacking in discipline. Expressions with â€Å"whet† in the sense of â€Å"encourage† or â€Å"stimulate† whet one’s appetite: stimulate one’s desire to eat whet one’s whistle: clear one’s throat by taking a drink whet one’s anger: increase feelings of anger Expressions with â€Å"wet† wet one’s whistle: take a drink wet-nurse (1620): a woman hired to nurse another’s infant wet dream (1851): nocturnal emission wet blanket (1879): a person who brings down the spirits of others, (the way a wet blanket may be used to smother a fire). to be all wet (1923): to be in the wrong wetback (1924): illegal Mexican immigrant (wet because of wading the Rio Grande). Bottomline: Using whet as a â€Å"dirtier form of wanton† is totally bizarre. (But then, not being au courant with the latest slang, I may be all wet.) 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 Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Regarding Re:50 Diminutive Suffixes (and a Cute Little Prefix)Oppose and Opposed To

HCM621-0804A-01 Ethics, Policy, and Law in Health Care Management - Essay - 6

HCM621-0804A-01 Ethics, Policy, and Law in Health Care Management - Phase 3 Individual Project 2 - Essay Example In the survey the admin was able to identify the Advantages of patient satisfaction: Medical Center improved its managing care. The RCMC should have an environment that will satisfy not only the patient but its relative as well. As result of this patient and its relative may recommend RCMC to others which may help the organization increased its income. Nurse- patient, doctors – patient and other staff –patient relationship are among the important factors that are considered. A patient is satisfied enough if he sees his doctor visits him regularly in his room. Nurse patient relationship will increase the possibility that a patient will cooperate in taking his medication. Availability of the medicines needed should be put in focus. Relatives are also particular in medication. RCMC Pharmacy should have at least 90 percent of medications needed in the hospital. Patients are also particular in the food they eat in the

Reflective writing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflective writing - Assignment Example The nurses, or other clinical and medical practitioners, cooperate and work with each other, enable better communication, more understanding, faster decision-making, and a stronger supervision for each other. Group leadership skills provide a solid foundation for using group concepts, theory, and research with a wide variety of groups and group settings (Carolyn, 2008). It is also observed that the patients with chronic health problems are better treated when examined by a group of nurses or doctors. In this way, a constructive research and discussion takes place, and there is an enhanced relationship with the patients. Moreover, while working in groups, the professional skills of nurses are also groomed and they begin enjoying helping and facilitating one another in professional activities (Nursing Times, 2000). The advantage that the concept of group working gives is that there is a more formalized joint approach to the planning of patient care through further participation of patients as well as nurses. The group support also helps relieve anxiety from both the doctor and the patient. I think, in a group working situation, it is also easier to brainstorm and find solutions to the existing problems. It also encourages an effective utilization of the resources, and helps to keep complete records and collection of data whenever needed. In the profession of nursing, it is essential to have mutual cooperation, trustworthiness, sense of accomplishment and respect for the individual values and beliefs. All these aspects can be worked on while performing the tasks in a group (The Scottish Government, 2004). Moreover, working in groups is extremely beneficial for the organizations which operate in a complex manner. There is increased competition, and conformity to better productivity. It results into more and better idea generation and an individual learns to lead and attain a sense of responsibility on his/her part. Shared knowledge and experience gives the

The roles and objectives of AASB

The roles and objectives of AASB The AASB is hardly an independent standard setting body. Its policies and activities are subjected to the dictation and supervision by at least two big brothers the IASB and the FRC, not to mention the ASIC. A critical evaluation of this statement has been done in the light of the present accounting regulatory environment in Australia. This study had a detailed analysis within the concerned Government websites of Australia, annual reports, journal and documents. This paper will discuss the various roles and objectives of AASB as an accounting standard setting body and its relationship to FRC, IASB and ASIC in achieving its task. Finally helps to reach a conclusion whether agree or not to agree with the above statement. The Australian Accounting Standard Board (AASB) AASB is an independent Australian Government agency under the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001. It has responsibility for the development of accounting standards for application by companies and by other entities in the private and public sectors, and for the development of Statements of Accounting Concepts. (Lundqvist k, 2003) AASB (2009, pp 23-24) in the Annual report 2009, describes the function, mission, vision and objectives of AASB Statutory functions of AASB: To develop a conceptual framework for the purpose of evaluating proposed standards; To make accounting standards under section 334 of the Corporations Act 2001; To formulate accounting standards for other purposes; To participate in and contribute to the development of a single set of accounting standards for worldwide use; To advance and promote the main objects of Part 12 of the ASIC Act, which include reducing the cost of capital, enabling Australian entities to compete effectively overseas and maintaining investor confidence in the Australian economy. Vision of AASB To be recognised as a global centre of excellence, delivering a truly distinctive contribution to the development of high-quality financial reporting standards. Mission of the AASB To develop and maintain high-quality financial reporting standards for all sectors of the Australian economy To contribute, through leadership and talent, to the development of global financial reporting standards and to be recognised as facilitating the inclusion of the Australian community in global standard setting. The major standard-setting objectives of the AASB, as set out in its 2006-07 annual report, are to: issue Australian versions of International Accounting Standards Board documents; produce standards that treat like transactions consistently; significantly influence the development of International Financial Reporting Standards; identify areas requiring fundamental review and introduce standards to cover those areas; and promote globally consistent application and interpretation of accounting standards. The Standard-Setting Process The following  diagram  is a simplified view of  the standard-setting process. Organisational Structure The following  diagram  shows the relationships between other bodies and the AASB. Source: Adapted from AASB (2009) As an independent standard setting body, AASB is responsible for the development of accounting standards for application by companies and by other entities in the private and public sectors, and for the development of Statements of Accounting Concepts. (Lundqvist k, 2003) The policies and activities of AASB are subject to the supervision of an advisory body, FRC. AASB implemented the broad strategic direction from FRC to adopt  International Accounting Standards Board  (IASB) standards for financial reporting Financial Reporting Council (FRC) FRC (2009) in its website makes a broad understanding on its responsibilities, functions and objectives. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is a statutory body under the Australian  as amended by the Corporate Law Economic Reform Program (Audit Reform and Corporate Disclosure) Act 2004. FRC is responsible for providing broad oversight of the process for setting accounting and auditing standards as well as monitoring the effectiveness of auditor independence requirements in Australia and giving the Minister reports and advice on these matters. Responsibilities of FRC on accounting standard setting functions: appointing the members of the AASB (other than the Chairmen); approving and monitoring the AASBs priorities; business plans; budgets; and staffing arrangements (including level, structure and composition of staffing); determining the AASBs broad strategic directions; giving the AASB directions, advice or feedback on matters of general policy and on the AASBs procedures; monitoring the development of international standards that apply in major international financial centres; furthering the development of a single set of accounting standards for world-wide use with appropriate regard to international developments; promoting the continued adoption of international best practice accounting standards in the Australian accounting standard setting processes if doing so would be in the best interests of both the private and public sectors in the Australian economy; monitoring: the operation of accounting standards to assess their continued relevance and their effectiveness in achieving their objectives in respect of both the private and public sectors of the Australian economy; the effectiveness of the consultative arrangements used by the AASB seeking contributions towards the costs of the Australian accounting standard setting processes; monitoring and periodically reviewing the level of funding, and the funding arrangements, for the AASB Objectives of the FRC in relation to Accounting standards The FRC operates within a framework set out in the ASIC Act. Main objectives are: Accounting standards should require the provision of information that: allows users to make and evaluate decisions about allocating scarce resources; assists directors to discharge their obligations in relation to financial reporting; is relevant to assessing performance, financial position, financing and investment; is relevant and reliable; facilitates comparability; and is readily understandable. Accounting standards should facilitate the Australian economy by reducing the cost of capital and enabling Australian entities to compete effectively overseas. Accounting should facilitate the Australian economy by having accounting standards that are clearly stated and easy to understand. Accounting standards should maintain investor confidence in the Australian economy, including its capital markets. Functions and Objectives of FRC clarifies its limitations on standard setting. According to Leo et.al (2008, pp 16) FRC has the power to do all things necessary to perform its functions, including establishment of committees and advisory groups. In particular FRC has to ensure that standards set by AASB are in harmony with standards established in international level so that there is no competitive disadvantage overseas for Australian businesses. To ensure that AASB as an independent standard setter there is a provision under the ACT that expressly limits the FRCs ability to become involved in the technical deliberations of the AASB. It provides that the FRC does not have power to direct the AASB in relation to the development, or making, of a particular standard, or to veto a standard formulated or recommended by the AASB .(FRC,2009) Bowrey G (2007) in his article has a significant argument on the independence of AASB. In ASIC Act 2001 the role of the FRC could be summarised as providing broad oversight for setting accounting standards in Australia. Indeed section 225 of the ASIC Act 2001 outlines that the FRC does not have the ability to be become involved in the technical deliberations of the AASB, nor does it have power to direct the AASB in the development of a particular standard and nor does the FRC have the power to veto a standard made or recommended by the AASB. These limitations placed on the FRC are to ensure the independence of the standard setter. The notion of independence of the AASB is eroded by the fact of direct control on the appointment of the members. The notion of independence is even further eroded because the FRC sets the AASBs priorities, its business plans, budgeting and even it staffing arrangements. The government through department, Treasury, has financial and operational control of the FRC and in turn the AASB. In this article again question of independence arises where, the budgets of all government organisations go through a significantly in-depth evaluation process through the Senate Estimates. So even though the FRC sets the AASBs budget, before any money is provided the budget estimates need to go through the senate for approval. So how is it possible for the AASB to be independent? The fact that current and potential government (opposition) members have the power to decide for what and how much to fund the board certainly supports the argument about the lack of independence. There doesnt appear to be any independence on the contrary the AASB seems to be highly dependent on both FRC and the Parliament. The argument in this article ended without reaching a specific conclusion as there is specific legislation this government has enacted to ensure there is independence in the accounting standard setting process. Hockey J (1999) in his speech addressing to the Group of 100 Executive Dinner Meeting in Sydney suggested that the FRC might have too much power and too much control over the standard setter. He said that even though 225 of the ASIC Act 2001placed some limitation over FRC the new AASB, though independent, will be fully accountable to the FRC in much the same way that the UK Accounting Standards Board is to the UK Financial Reporting Council and the US Financial Accounting Standards Board is to the US Financial Accounting Foundation. Under a strategy adopted by the Financial Reporting Council [1] in July 2002, the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) is obliged to work towards the full implementation of the International Accounting Standards (IAS) (now known as International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) [2]) in Australia.(Hay A, 2004). The primary objective of the new accounting standards is the expected efficiency of the capital markets that will arise from the existence of a set of globally acceptable accounting standards that result in high quality comparable and transparent financial reporting. In short, an objective of the harmonisation of international accounting standards is a worldwide effort to restore confidence in corporate reporting and create a free flow of capital worldwide. A second objective is the facilitation of cross border comparison of accounts by investors, leading to a reduced cost of capital for Australian companies and assisting them to raise capital or list overseas. From this it is clear that IASB is not directing to adopt any standard but it is for the efficiency of capital market and for a reduced cost of capital AASB does so. In an article, Brown AM et.al (2007) consider AASB, as one of the operating bodies of FRC which does the functions of FRC.In this article it is said that FRC oversees the activities of AASB and has no technical role on the standard setting . In adoption of international accounting standards when started from 2005 FRC said that the Australian Accounting Standards Board would decide the appropriate time at which future amendments to those standards would be made law in Australia. (Tom, R 2006).This also an indication of the AASBs independence in standard setting and the amendments of those standard set. The  International Accounting Standards Board  (IASB) The  International Accounting Standards Board  (IASB) is an independent, privately-funded accounting standard-setter based in  London, England. The IASB is committed to developing in the public interest, a single set of high quality ,understandable and enforceable global accounting standards that require transparent and comparable information in general purpose financial statement .In addition IASB cooperates with national accounting standard setters o achieve convergence in accounting standards around the world.( Leo et.al (2008, pp 21)) IASB as an independent, private-sector body develops and approves International Financial Reporting Standards. The IASB operates under the oversight of the International Accounting Standards Committee Foundation. The IASB was formed in 2001 to replace the International Accounting Standards Committee. IAS Plus International Accounting Standards, explains the objectives of IASB To develop, in the public interest, a single set of high quality, understandable and enforceable global accounting standards that require high quality, transparent and comparable information in financial statements and other financial reporting to help participants in the worlds capital markets and other users make economic decisions; To promote the use and rigorous application of those standards; To fulfil the above objectives and, to take account of, as appropriate, the special needs of small and medium-sized entities and emerging economies; and To bring about convergence of national accounting standards and International Accounting Standards and International Financial Reporting Standards to high quality solutions. Adoption of IASB Standards by AASB Adoption of IASB Standards by AASB is explained by AASB(2009) in its website. AASB made Australian equivalents to International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) standards on 15 July 2004. The overall approach of AASB is to adopt the content and words of IASB standards, accommodating the Australian legislative environment with only the words being changed. Main focus of IASB is on for-profit entities whereas AASB is responsible for setting accounting standards for all types of reporting entities. Suitably identified additional text, is included in the AASB standards to deal with those limited cases where there is a need to have different or additional requirements for not-for-profit entities. These additions do not impact on the requirements in relation to for-profit entities There are circumstances in which a not-for-profit entity complying with the Australian equivalents to the IASB standards will not be able to simultaneously comply with the IASB standards because the additional requirements for not-for-profit entities are inconsistent with the IASB requirements. In some cases, existing AASB standards contain helpful commentary that is not included in the equivalent IASB standards. The AASB retains this commentary as guidance that is not part of the standards where it is considered to be of benefit to users of AASB standards and provided it does not contradict the content of Australian equivalents to IASB standards. Thus AASB is aiming for the highest quality financial reporting in adopting IASB standards. Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) According to ASIC(2009) ,ASIC is Australias corporate, markets and financial services regulator, which is an   independent Commonwealth Government body set up under and administer the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act (ASIC Act), and carry out most of work under the Corporations Act. ASIC ensures that Australias financial markets are fair and transparent, supported by confident and informed investors and consumers. ASIC regulate Australian companies, financial markets, financial services organisations and professionals who deal and advise in investments, superannuation, insurance, deposit taking and credit. ASICs Statutory Role and Responsibilities Cameron A (2000) discuss the role and responsibilities of ASIC ASICs role in the financial reporting system is not well understood Responsibilities and Obligations in regard to financial reporting imposed on ASIC by the Corporations Law are as follows Monitoring and enforcing compliance with financial reporting requirements of the Law, including the accounting standards. Powers to exempt companies from the requirements of Accounting Standards and other provisions of the Law, and to modify the application of the Law. Relationship Between ASIC and the AASB ASIC is in full support of the AASBs standard setting process. Both agencies share information and regulatory concerns. ASIC gives information of concerns of accounting practices that come to their attention under their activities and ensures that the Board is aware of the views on their proposals for new standards and revisions to existing ones, as market regulator. All contributions made by ASIC have to be considered by the Board on making a final decision on Standards. (Cameron A, 2000) ASICs role is to contribute to the development of high quality standards to promote market integrity generally, and to enforce the individual Standards made by the Board. Even though ASIC does not have authority to establish or veto accounting standards, ASIC does have the power to exempt or modify them. ASIC also develops policy on applying financial reporting requirements of the Law in new and problem areas. For example, development of transitional reporting requirements of building societies, credit unions and friendly societies. Functions under  Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001  (ASIC, 2009) Maintain, facilitate and improve the performance of the financial system and entities in it Promote confident and informed participation by investors and consumers in the financial system Administer the law effectively and with minimal procedural requirements Enforce and give effect to the law Receive, process and store, efficiently and quickly, information that is given to us Make information about companies and other bodies available to the public as soon as practicable. Conclusion To conclude the above statement can be agreed only to some extent .The statement specifies the activities of AASB are under the supervision of FRC, and it is the function of FRC to oversee the process of setting accounting standards, but the Act has placed limitations on FRC to ensure the independence of the standard setter.AASB aims for the high quality financial reporting in adopting IASB standards. The role of ASIC is to contribute towards the development of standards by AASB.In short, the combined effort of the bodies will help develop and maintain high-quality financial reporting standards for all sectors of the Australian economy

Economic Development and Environmental Protection

This paper argues on both theoretical and empirical grounds that, beyond a certain point, there is an unavoidable conflictbetween economic development (generally taken to mean ‘materialeconomic growth') and environmental protection. Think for a moment of natural forests, grasslands, marine estuaries, salt marshes, and coral reefs; and of arable soils, aquifers, mineraldeposits, petroleum, and coal. These are all forms of ‘natural capital' that represent highly-ordered self-producing ecosystemsor rich accumulations of energy/matter with high use potential (low entropy). Now contemplate despoiled landscapes, eroding farmlands, depleted fisheries, anthropogenic greenhouse gases,acid rain, poisonous mine tailings and toxic synthetic compounds. These all represent disordered systems or degraded forms of energy and matter with little use potential (high entropy). The main thing connecting these two states is human economic activity. Ecological economics interprets the environment-economyrelationship in terms of the second law of thermodynamics. The second law sees economic activity as a dissipative process. Fromthis perspective, the production of economic goods andservices invariably requires the consumption of available energy and matter. To grow and develop, the economynecessarily ‘feeds' on sources of high-quality energy/matter first produced by nature. This tends to disorder and homogenizethe ecosphere, The ascendance of humankind has consistently been accompanied by an accelerating rate of ecological degradation, particularly biodiversity loss, the simplificationof natural systems and pollution. In short, contemporary political rhetoric to the contrary, the prevailing growth-oriented global development paradigm is fundamentally incompatible with long-term ecological and social sustainability. Unsustainability is not a technical nor economic problem as usually conceived, but rather a state of systemic incompatibilitybetween a economy that is a fully-contained, growing, dependent sub-system of a non-growing ecosphere. Potential solutions fly inthe face of contemporary development trends and cultural values Ecological disturbance and nature tourism. THE purpose of this article is to consider the role of disturbance as a crucial ecological consideration in landuse planning for nature tourism. Incorporation of ecological insights into the environmental-planning process offers hope for rational and sustainable development. Nature tourism has been proposed in recent years as a solution to the dilemma that developing countries face in conserving their biological heritage and concurrently improving the economies of local human settlements. In Mexico, nature tourism has become a favored mechanism for development, especially on the Yucatan peninsula. Recognizing the immense value of its coastal natural communities, Mexico has recently established several large biosphere reserves to preserve natural resources and to accommodate and support human settlements. The experience of sprawling, high-impact Cancun, with more than one million visitors annually, has encouraged the government to reassess its development goals. One example of Mexican openness to sustainable conservation-development projects is the innovative, cooperative effort of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras to establish Ruta Maya, a low-impact design to promote tourism based on natural and archaeological treasures (Garrett 1989). In the Yucatan, two long, relatively pristine barrier peninsulas, Rio Lagartos and Celestun, are being identified as opportune sites for nature tourism. Both have high conservation value and were designated special biosphere reserves by the government in 1979 because of their floral and faunal diversity. Both have small human settlements based on fishing and salt extraction. The protection concept known as the Mexican modality, in which local villages can coexist with both conservation and tourism, is an ambitious development plan. Through trial and error, it is becoming clear that development must be guided by ecological understanding if degradation of natural systems is to be avoided. Sites worth visiting are often those that cannot endure heavy human use, and if irreversible environmental degradation results from nature tourism, both conservation of biological diversity and sustainable tourism will fail. Although political and economic considerations usually far overshadow ecological concerns, conservation of natural resources will not succeed if ecological insights are ignored in planning for nature tourism. To retain the integrity of ecosystems, ecologists must convey the most useful information about the dynamic physical and biological contexts of natural communities, including information about the effects of human change on natural disturbance regimes. Important shifts in ecological theory in the past several decades could change perspectives on planning decisions. Fundamental models of community organization throughout the history of ecological thought were rooted in the idea of equilibrium, and most principles applied to managing natural areas have been based on the notion of stability. Many recent empirical studies offer evidence that the natural world is not static, that natural disturbances are common to many environments, and that most landscapes are not in equilibrium, at least for the short term. Planners and developers of tourist facilities, along coastlines, for example, have mistakenly assumed that the physical context for hotels and roads was a stable place. RECENT ECOLOGICAL THOUGHT From its beginnings, ecology has been the study of nature as a stable, orderly system. Natural communities that were undisturbed by people were generally thought of as pristine and immutable, composed of interdependent and harmoniously arranged species assemblages (Botkin 1990). This idea was based on a long tradition in Western culture that envisioned nature as orderly and was embodied in the phrase â€Å"balance of nature† (Glacken 1967). Largely through the writings of Frederick E. Clements (1916) early in the twentieth century, the notion of natural communities as naturally occurring assemblages of species in harmony with local climatic regimes became ecological dogma. If a community was disturbed, damage would be repaired along a predictable continuum toward the climax community. Later, equilibrium became an explicit assumption for most ecosystems, a steady state to which a system returned if a disturbance altered its balance (Connell 1978). Dissenting voices proposed that species act independently of one another and that perturbation is a common event in many natural communities (Gleason 1917; Watt 1947). Strong evidence for the commonness of disorder in nature has come from a large body of literature documenting the profound and pervasive effects of a multitude of disturbances–fires, floods, windstorms, alluvial erosion, landslides, grazing, insects, and invasion of exotics (Veblen and Ashton 1978; Bormann and Likens 1979; Sprugel and Bormann 1981). It is now believed that all ecosystems are somewhat dynamic and that, in some, severe or even catastrophic disturbance is a regular occurrence. Natural disturbances were once assumed to retard the orderly progression of species replacement †¦ THE PROBLEM: Sulfur dioxide is a major source of air pollution world wide, and a major contributor to the problem of acid rain. SOME SOLUTIONS: 1) The technology exists to produce cleaner burning coal, but this process is very expensive. ) Inorganic sulfur can be removed from coal by washing it, but this will not remove organic sulfur, and the process is also very expensive. 3) Coal gasification converts goal to a gas in order to remove the sulfur. The gas produced from the sulfur can then be used to augment supplies of natural gas. This process is not yet competitive enough. 4) Scrubbing removed the oxides from the gases in the smoke stakes, but is also an expensive producer. Looking at these solutions, it would be easy to conclude that th ere is no win win solution when it comes to sulfur emissions from coal. However, in Germany they did find a solution that is win-win. AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION: â€Å"A German company in 1980 purchased coal-scrubbing technology and improved on it†¦ rather than disposing of the calcium sulfite rich sludge the company further processes it to produce building materials such as sheet rock or wallboard, which are sold worldwide. Another innovative approach to removing sulfur has been taken at a large coal burning plant near Mannheim, Germany. The smoke from combustion is cooled, then treated with liquid ammonia.. he sulfur-contaminated smoke is cooled in a heat exchange process that allows the chemical reaction between the sulfur rich smoke and ammonia to take place†¦ waste heat from the cooling towers is used to heat nearby buildings, and the plant sells the ammonium sulfate in a solid granular form to farmers to use as fertilizer. Thus, Germany, in response to tough pollution control regulations, has substantially reduced its sulfur dioxide emission s, and in the process it has boosted its economy. â€Å". Increasing recognition that the overall goals of environmental conservation and economic development are not conflicting but can be mutually reinforcing, has prompted calls for ‘environmentally sustainable’ economic development. Although there are difficulties in defining sustainable development in an analytically rigorous way, there is still a need to evolve a concept of sustainability that both distinguishes it from other post-war meanings of development and is useful for practical analysis and policymaking.

Friendship Between George Washington And Marquis De Lafayette

Throughout history, friendships have formed amongst important leaders that in turn propelled history into greatness. Starting in the Greek and Roman times, Roman Emperor Octavian with best friend and defense minister Marcus Agrippa worked together to develop Rome into a major global power. Similarly, the friendship between Meriwether Lewis and William Clark allowed for the exploration and development of western America as it is formed now (â€Å"10 of History’s Greatest Bromances†, Mandatory.com). Even the friendship between activists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton propelled the women’s rights movement to equality (Bower, Life123.com). But one friendship that is a little less known, but seemingly the most important to history, is that between George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette. This powerful friendship allowed for the successful outcome of the American Revolution by providing strong leadership and wisdom to American armies. This pair of gener als changed the course of history simply through their bond as friends. Marie Joseph Paul Yves Gilbert du Motier, or Marquis de Lafayette, was born on September 6th, 1757. Unfortunately, by the age of 12, Lafayette’s entire family had passed away and he was left an orphan – but an orphan with a sizeable inheritance. Following in his father’s footsteps, a royal navy general, when Lafayette turned 16 he joined the Royal Army in France. Two years later he married into the Royal family and therefore made himself a veryShow MoreRelatedThe Marquis Of Revolutions : The French Revolution1501 Words   |  7 Pages The Marquis of Revolutions The American revolution is full of many bright and unique people. Without these individuals, the war could have had a more negative outcome. The Marquis de Lafayette is one that the colonies could not have spared at their fragile time in history. His dedication to the nation remains unrivaled to this day. 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As early as 1523, 31 years after Columbus, Giovanni da Verrazanoi, an Italian sailor from France, traveled to the new world with a crew of Frenchmen underRead MoreThe Origin, Development and Significance of Human Rights10255 Words   |  42 Pagesthese truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Similarly, the marquis de Lafayette, who won the close friendship of George Washington and who shared the hardships of the U.S. War of Independence, imitated the pronouncements of the English and American revolutions in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of August 26, 1789, proclaiming