Cyp 3.4: Support Children and Young People’s Health and Safety

CYP 3. 4: support children and young people’s health and safety Task 1 1. 1 When planning health and safety indoor and outdoor environmental services we must take into account †¢The individual needs abilities and ages of the children and young people. †¢Certain risk factors †¢Mobility ,sensory ,medical needs †¢The needs of carers and extended family †¢The environment and the services that are available The duty of care to always have the child’s safety and welfare in mind. †¢The desired outcome clear aims and objectives based around the EYFS framework. Lines of responsibilities everyone has responsibility for the health and safety of the children and young people each member of staff need clear reporting responsibilities. 1. 2 Health and safety is monitored within the setting by †¢Daily risk assessments †¢Comprehensive policies which may include †¢Lost child, behaviour ,house rules, safeguarding children and young people, fir e safety, emergency cover for medical needs, medical and medicine permission, †¢Accident/incident record book. †¢Indoor play area. Quiet area toys and equipment Outdoor area toys and equipment checked grass areas checked for animal mess or litter. †¢Outing risk assessments in place for planned trips. †¢Each risk assessment is reviewed 6/12 to meet the needs of growing children and young people. †¢Visitors book checked daily †¢Smoke alarms checked weekly and recorded †¢Fire escape plan in place and fire drill practised each term †¢All windows ,doors locks are secure to stop children leaving the building †¢Policy’s are up to date and signed by parents. †¢My daily risk assessment †¢Risk Assessment †¢Daily checks RoomRisksActions All Rooms Electric sockets coveredShock, burns deathCover all sockets House PlantsPoison allergy rash No plants in play area Windows and low level glassCuts falls Cover with safety glass Cords on blinds and curtainsStrangulation deathTie up or remove Trailing wire and cablesTrips falls head injuryAll wires secure FlooringTrips falls head injuryAll falling secure on rugs Heating/VentilationOver/under heatingRegulate with thermometer Other Entrance/Hall/landing Front door-lockable and keys availableChildren could escape onto busy road of lock carer out of settingSafety lock at high level Keys at high level Stairs and banistersTrips ,falls Stairs kept clutter free safety gates in place ShoesGerms, dirt, harm to younger children if stood on. Shoes removed and put away after outdoor visits Meter cupboardShock burnsLocked away Smoke AlarmSmoke inhalation burns deathAlarms checked weekly Other Reception Room/Lounge/Dinning Room Table ClothsSpills burns suffocationNo table cloths AlcoholPoison ,sickness Alcohol looked away Hot drinksBurns scalds No hot drinks in play area Fires and heatersBurns scalds over heatingRegulated with thermometer Toys and resourcesCuts falls harmChecked daily for wear and tear. Remove or replace Harness on highchairFalls strangulation Monitor child and strap in securely Other Kitchen Knives and sharp implementsCuts harm to self or othersLocked away CookerBurns scaldsKitchen gate Dangerous substancesPoison burnsLocked away Hot surfaces and cooking utensilsBurns scaldsGate on kitchen Electrical appliances Shock, burns deathAt secure level on trailing leads KettleShock burns scaldsAt secure level on trailing leads Washing machineDrowning electric shockSwitched off at plug DishwasherDrowning electric shockSwitched off at plug Fire BlanketSuffocation At safe level Fridge (food correctly stored, in date etc)Food poison e coli Fridge temp checked and recorded Pets (food bowls) Litter trayPoison sicknessKept away from play area Other Bathroom/toilet MedicinesPoison In safe cupboard First Aid BoxMisuse cuts poison from creamsIn safe cupboard Toilet BrushPoison upset stomach In locked cupboard Temperature of waterBurns scaldsRegulate temperature Cleaning materialsPoison burns scaldsIn locked cupboard Locks on doorsChild could lock themselves in and put them self at risk of harm. All at high level Other Bedrooms Safe bedding/cotsStrangulation suffocation deathSecure all ties cellular blankets Windows (upstairs restrictors)Falls broken bones deathSecure locks in place Other Garden Gates and fencesEscape ,cuts fallsSecure all gates /fences surfacesSlips falls Clean/clear all areas daily Play equipmentFalls, broken bones. Check for wear and tear . remove or replace Water (ponds, drains and butts)Drowning deathCover all water features securely Paddling poolsDrowning death Never leave un attended Sand pitsPoison animal messCheck daily and replace each term Out buildings (sheds)Poison harm from tools equipment Keep locked at all time Tools, equipmentElectric shock ,cuts burns scaldsKeep locked away at all times Washing linesStrangulationRemove or cover PlantsPoison falls on sticksCheck for safe plants and no bamboo sticks. Animal faecesPoison blindnessClean up immediately Other 1. 3 †¢The sources I use are Ofsted standards ,EYFS, NCMA and my CDO †¢The main source I work within the EYFS which states The EYFS Welfare Requirements The General Welfare Requirements Safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare The provider must take necessary steps to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The provider must promote the good health of the children, take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection, and take appropriate action when they are ill. Children’s behaviour must be managed effectively and in a manner appropriate for their stage of development and particular individual needs. Suitable people Providers must ensure that adults looking after children, or having unsupervised access to them, are suitable to do so. Adults looking after children must have appropriate qualifications, training, skills and knowledge. Staffing arrangements must be organised to ensure safety and to meet the needs of the children. Suitable premises, environment and equipment Outdoor and indoor spaces, furniture, equipment and toys must be safe and suitable for their purpose. Organisation Providers must plan and organise their systems to ensure that every child receives an enjoyable and challenging learning and development experience that is tailored to meet their individual needs. Documentation Providers must maintain records, policies and procedures required for the safe and efficient management of the settings and to meet the needs of the children 1. †¢I have policies in place which cover †¢Safeguarding policies and procedure for reporting †¢Suitable person all adults have a current CRB †¢Suitable premises comprehensive risk assessments are done and recorded daily †¢Car travel, lost child, notify able diseases, large play equipment and garden policy, behaviour and physical intervention. Ac cident and incident policy and record book, medical record, permission policy and emergency plan /childcare. Plus many more to meet each child’s age and abilities to safeguard myself and the child, parent/carers. †¢Task 3 †¢ 3. 1 It is important to take a balanced approach to risk management to reduce the risk of injury or harm to the individual child †¢The activity should be set up to meet each child s individual needs and be within their individual capabilities †¢The activity should be aimed to enhance learning and but still must be within a safe environment †¢A comprehensive risk assessment should include the individual child s needs and abilities, challenging to the child s development but without excessive risk that may harm themselves of personal †¢Children and young people do not always have the skills to make judgement on safe choices and as carers it is our responsibility to identify any hazards and make the judgement on when it is safe for the child to undertake an activity or make a personal choice. Children and young people need the freedom to explore an activity in a well controlled setting. For example a baby may continue to pull themselves up against a table or cupboard if the table has corner edges cushioned and the area around the table is clutter free this reduces the risk of harm if the baby falls the baby will continue to keep trying without seeing the danger which is clear for adults the baby must e given the opportunity to explore the surrounding areas and do this without the risk of harm which can be eliminated if caution and care is taken. †¢3. 2 The dilemma between the rights of choices for young people and health and safety requirements †¢Children learn by try new and exciting experiences they may not have the skills t make judgement but children are good at judging and deciding when they feel safe to try or join in with activity. †¢Children need the freedom of choice but with reassu rance and firm boundaries of safety they become more confident. †¢Children need the freedom to explore and grow safely †¢Parents and cares need to take caution and reassure not control the situation so the child feels able to make a choice to explore a new activity. †¢3. 3 †¢I have a trampoline policy and agreement between myself and the children in my care each child signs and agrees with the boundaries we set. The rules are made on a health and safety basis. †¢Amount of children at one time. Rules concerning shoes and safe appropriate clothing no loose strings or baggy clothing. †¢The safety of the zip and catch locks surrounding the trampoline and the use of the ladder. †¢If the rules are broken ten the trampoline is out of use until the child re-reads and resigns the policy in place. †¢I also have a behaviour policy which the child and i write together including safety of equipment and around the house. †¢Task 4 †¢4. 1 †¢The accident, incident, emergencies and illness policies within my setting are Accident/Incident Policy The safety of your child is paramount and I will take every measure I can to protect your child from hurting itself. However sometimes accidents do happen and I have written the following procedure on how I will deal with such a situation: †¢I will comfort the child and reassure them †¢I will assess the extent of their injuries and if necessary call for medical support/ambulance †¢I will carry out any first aid procedures that are necessary and that I have been trained to do †¢Once the child is more settled I will contact you as soon as possible to inform you of the accident and if necessary to ask you to return to care for your child/ meet me at the hospital After every accident, however minor I will: †¢complete a report in my accident book †¢ask you to sign the report and then provide you with a copy If the incident requires any medical treatment then I will: Inform Ofsted (under Standard 14. 3 Children Act regulation, inform Ofsted about any significant events) †¢Inform my Insurance Company †¢Contact the NCMA/ BARKING AND DAGENHAM Early Years for additiona l advice/support It is important that you keep me informed regarding your child’s condition following an accident and if you have sought medical advice. Medical Procedures Policy I have received specific training to carry out the following medical procedures: List paediatric /adult first aid I was required to obtain a level of competence in each of these procedures and regular checks will be carried out by specialist staff to ensure these levels are maintained. My Insurance Policy with NCMA/ covers me to carry out these procedures. The welfare of your child is paramount therefore if I am at all unsure about the procedure, or concerned regarding the physical condition of your child whilst in my care I will contact either you the Parents, a member of their nursing team or the emergency services depending on the severity of the situation. I will document all procedures that I have carried out and ask that you sign this record. †¢I will require that you keep me informed as to the current health of your child and if there are any changes to their condition, treatment or medication †¢Permission to seek Emergency Medical Treatment. †¢ I/we authorise ______________________________to administer first aid assistance to my/our child named below as and when necessary, or in the event of an emergency to seek medical/hospital assistance in our absence as appropriate. I/we will provide her/him with up to date details of contact numbers. â⠂¬ ¢I/we understand that you will not be able to authorise any treatment and that I/we as the child’s next of kin will be contacted by the medics in the event of an emergency to give permission, or in a life threatening situation the medics will act in their professional capacity. †¢Name of child †¢ †¢Name of parent †¢Signature †¢Date Sick Child Policy I appreciate that as a working parent you need to be able to go to work, however if your child is unwell then they will be bettered cared for in their own home with a parent. I am happy to care for children with minor coughs and colds but will not care for children who are very unwell, infectious or running a high temperature. I have to go out each day to do school and pre-school runs and need to consider the welfare of all the children in my care. If you child has had diarrhoea or sickness in the last twenty-four hours please do not bring them, but call and let me know. If your child becomes ill whilst in my care, I will make them as comfortable as possible, isolate them from the other children if necessary and reassure them. I will contact you immediately and continue to care for your child until you arrive. I am happy to administer medication-please see my Administering medication policy. I will contact you if one of my own children is not well, inform you of the illness/symptoms and if I am able to work. This then allows you to make an informed decision as to whether to bring your child or not. If you have any concerns regarding this policy please contact me. Permission to Administer Non-prescription Medication I give permission to my Childminder (name)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ To administer the following non-prescription medication if my child needs it. (Delete as applicable) Calpol Junior Nurofen Junior Diprol Teething Gel I understand that I will need to have provided this medication in the bottle/packaging it was purchased and clearly labelled with my child’s name and instructions on dosages allowed. I expect my childminder to contact me prior to administering the medication, especially if my child has been in her care for less than 4 hours. I will advise my childminder, when dropping off my child, if I have already given my child any medication prior to arrival. I agree to sign for any medication given when I return to collect my child. Name of Child Name of Parent Signature of Parent Date 4. 2 Requirement for notifying Ofsted The law is slightly different for the Early Years Register and the Childcare Register. 3 If you are on the Early Years Register you must tell us about a child accident, Injury or death on the premises while the child is in your care. It does not require You to tell us if any other person has had such an incident, or if the incident happens Off the premises, or if it happens to a child not in your care, for example with their Parent after the end of any care period on their way out of the premises. 1 The Childcare (General Childcare Register) Regulations 20 08, www. legislation. gov. uk/uksi/2008/975/contents/made; The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, http://nationalstrategies. standards. dcsf. gov. uk/node/151379; Early Years Foundation Stage (Welfare Requirements) Regulations 2007, www. legislation. gov. uk/uksi/2007/1771/contents/made. 2 Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995, www. egislation. gov. uk/uksi/1995/3163/contents/made. 3 The Early Years Foundation Stage (Welfare Requirements) Regulations 2007 and The Childcare Register (General Childcare Register) Regulations 2008. 4 Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, page 26. The National Child minding Association I am registered as a member and i obtain my public liability from the NCMA The cover under the policy can be summarised as follows: †¢Legal liability for or arising out of: †¢Accidental injury (including death) of any person in the care of the Insured Childcarer (including costs and e xpenses incurred in defending any matter forming such claim). Accidental loss or damage caused to a third party or the property of the third party in the course of their childcare activities. †¢Nuisance or trespass. †¢Accidental injury caused by the incorrect application of first-aid treatment. †¢Administering medication/treatment (provided written parental permission has been obtained). †¢Children being left in the care of another adult during an emergency. †¢Damage to property including child minded children's property. Subject to an excess ? 50. 00 in respect of child minded children's property. (1) My CDO (childminding development officer) Social services through my safeguarding children police and procedure.

Frankenstein’s story Essay

The blindness involved in Walton’s pursuit of recognition is alarming. As the leader of a dangerous expedition, he is responsible for the lives of other men. His fervent longing for glory in his scientific pursuit endangers those men as he overlooks moral and even rational perceptions of what is possible and what is not. He seems naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve of morality, and plans to succeed even at the cost of human life because he considers this discovery worth such a sacrifice:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"One man’s life or death is but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought.† I flinched at the use of the word â€Å"I.† The knowledge he seeks appears to be for his own self-gratification.  His shipmates do not agree with him:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The men, unsupported by ideas of glory and honour, can never willingly continue to endure their present hardships.†Ã‚  Walton’s egocentricity becomes apparent as he never once asks about his sister’s well being, despite the fact that he has not seen her for a number of years. Later as we hear Frankenstein’s story, we find that this element in Walton’s character is also mirrored in his own, as he disregards his family for years as he experiments with the principle of life. Once again the selfishness of the pursuit of glory is paramount, succeeding the search for knowledge. Because Walton has overcome a minor problem on his expedition (the leakage) he becomes overconfident and believes that he can overcome any obstacles of nature:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"†Why not still proceed over the untamed yet obedient element?†Ã‚  Victor Frankenstein has too much ambition for his own good:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Wealth was an inferior object, but what glory would attend the discovery†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  The isolation that he experiences is very much self-inflicted. Frankenstein was self-taught in subjects that only he had interest in: the principles of life. The major path that he followed was influenced by this solitary learning of an unconventional topic. Fastidiously studying a topic left untouched by all before him, his ignorant ambition conquers all morals as he persists searching for recognition and immortality – as a result of man’s quest for knowledge, the ultimate isolation of a being is created. It is extremely irresponsible, and proves that man may not be strong enough to deal with the â€Å"continual food for discovery and wonder.†Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room.† The Creation is dreadfully unhappy because of this rejection and neglect, and he is even alienated from society because Victor Frankenstein blindly created him to be hideous:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God!†Ã‚  Thoughtlessly, Frankenstein continued with his task, without considering the acceptance of the Creature into civilization.  Our sympathy for the Daemon is heightened by his own obliviousness:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Alas! I did not entirely know the fatal effects of this miserable deformity.† Also, the Daemon lives as primitive man. He does not even discover fire until he stumbles across it in the forest. As he seeks shelter near the DeLaceys’ cottage, he learns civilisation by watching and listening like a child. He learns the ways of interaction, notions of pain and joy, and the ‘Science of Words.’ I feel that this is the true wonder of discovery:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I easily perceived that, although I eagerly longed to discover myself to the cottagers, I ought not to make the attempt until I had first become master of their language.† The Daemon’s development is rapid, though it is his own father who should have taught him these things. He is totally alone with his learning. He is so grateful for his ‘friends’ (although it is a one-sided relationship), and so remorseful for stealing, that he anonymously clears the snow from their path, helps to farm the land, and collects firewood for them; thus from a hunter-gatherer he has developed into a sentient being through his solitary self-teaching. Through these discoveries he is doing good for others. He is deeply affected when they are unhappy:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I thought (foolish wretch!) that it might be in my power to restore happiness to these deserving people.†

Model for free and open university courseware

One of the determinants of creation of FOCI contents is the capacity building which generally refers to developing required competences for creation of FOCI online contents. Dealing with copyright issues may be a serious roadblock even if the intention of the author was meant to provide the resource for free access and use. In the process of preparing contents, instructors research contents from various sources of which some may have various uprights and other restrictions. Instructors may also raise issues of their intellectual property rights.Another determinant is the motivation of instructors; there is no clear incentive of engagement for the faculty to participate in open courseware. The greatest concern is the time that is required by instructors to prepare a course that will be available, monitored, maintained, updated and perhaps re-formulated for new settings and different uses. The open courseware materials provided by the instructor will be Judged by the peers; therefore e ffort in producing quality desired is of essence. Validation Quality assurance mechanism will guarantee that materials are validated for publication.Quality in this sense refers to the relevance of material to the public, compliance to education standards and integrity, organization of contents and compliance to intellectual property rights. The FOCI materials should be intellectual property-cleared, meaning that the university has the rights to make the materials available under open terms and that nothing in the materials infringes the copyrights of others. Secondly, conceptualization and localization of contents trials from course instructors have been designed for their students at the university.If the same contents are to be available for public view, it is important to consider relevance of the contents to other people outside the university in diverse thematic areas of research and training. Quality assurance will involve checking the contents for consistency, pedagogical as pects, compliance to education standards and organization of contents. By publishing materials in the web for open access through FOCI, university is allowing the public to Judge what is offered by the institution.If materials are of poor quality, it may be threat to the reputation of not only the author but also the university. The university should strive to provide best quality material to avoid negative criticism by the public. Reliance should be made on standards and specifications to the extent possible. Lastly, there is need for accreditation which is the official approval of contents for publication in FOCI sites. Dissemination A key component of open courseware is the dissemination of contents whose cornerstone is technology. The technology is based on the CIT infrastructure for publishing the contents.Open courseware technology infrastructure consists of several components, internet connectivity, desktop tools for building course web sites and file conversion, web authorin g tools, workflow, metadata capture and publication tools, content staging infrastructure, content publication infrastructure, content repositories (file storage) Implementation. The technology should be designed to allow the use of a variety of appropriate tools, with a minimum of integration problems. The choice of technology should consider setup and maintenance cost.In our framework we endeavor to recommend use of cheap but efficient technology eatable for Kenya situation. One of the key determinants of dissemination of FOCI contents is the internet Connectivity. The university should be well served with internet and the bandwidth should be sufficient to allow access of not only textual information but also transmission of multimedia contents. Sufficient campus network connectivity is crucial to facilitate easy creation and updating of contents by course authors at the comfort of their offices.Secondly, Contents delivered through open courseware should be easily searchable and w ell organized for open access. Care would be made for usability considerations, which means contents, should be easy to edit or modify (formats, specifications) and should accommodate different kinds of access considerations. There is need for content management systems which provides a means of managing large amounts of contents and at the same time providing room for incorporating other pedagogical aspects.From literature review we found out that a number of content management systems are available and which are suitable for open courseware. Lastly, preparing contents for web access also require inserting metadata information. In most cases, local access of online contents does not pose a big problem to users as the remote access. Some of remote users may access courseware contents using very slow connections given the situation of internet in our country. For example it can be extremely difficult to watch or download video contents using slow connection.Before university implemen ts open courseware it is important to consider the connections of the expected users especially for remote access. In addition, a whole range of delivery modes should be made available for cases where connectivity at sufficient bandwidth would cause a robber. Lastly, criteria for the assessment of outcomes on the user of open courseware should be defined. Feedback mechanisms should be designed and implemented. It should allow users to express their views on their experiences with the courseware. In addition the site should include access counter to tell the number of people who visit the site.Utilization Utilization refers to usage of open courseware materials in the context of our proposed framework . This may entail learners using the materials for additional learning and research, instructors from other institution using the materials in their raining and other people using the materials for personal study. Awareness is thought as one of determinant of utilization in which case t argeted citizenry needs to be sensitizes of the availability of open courseware. The public should have information about what is available on open courseware and benefits of using the materials .The impact of the contents on the learner will greatly determine the utilization of the contents. Care should be taken in that the design of contents. The material should not only be useful to the university students but also majority of the public. Lastly, given that FOCI will be delivered through ‘CT. It is important to consider literacy levels of FOCI users. Basic cit requisite skills are needed for one to be able to search open courseware materials on internet, interact with the site in different ways, save contents and provide feedbacks.Methodology The research adopted a field survey research design whose objective was to establish factors that discourage or/and encourage free and open courseware in public universities of Kenya. The target population of the research was the publi c universities in Kenya. Questionnaire was the primary data collection instrument and as divided into five parts based on the five elements the free and open courseware framework elements; organization, creation, validation, dissemination and utilization. The study involved both qualitative and quantitative approaches. A sample size of 450 students and 150 lecturers was targeted.Data collection took place in August 2010. It was collected from 3 public universities that is university of Nairobi, Kenya and Com Kenya University KODAK). Useful and complete responses were obtained from 392 students representing a response rate of 87% and 1 11 lecturers representing a response rate of 74%. RESULTS On the basis of the analyzed responses the following inferences were drawn Table 4. 1. Elements Components Processes Observations Governance & Management -Planning -Setting up testators -Free and open courseware has not so far been implemented in Kenya. No comprehensive plan. Partnership and col laboration Building alliances and consulting Foci partners -Public universities have established some local and international links on open contents provision. Institutional policies Creating policies that support open courseware -Universities policies do not cater for free and open content. Some of universities are errantly reviewing policies. Sustainability Establish ways of meeting the setup and maintenance cost -Difficult to direct university limited funds to free and open courseware project. Low support from Government and Nags Developing knowledge & sharing culture Faculty assassination and advocacy A number of workshops and conferences have been held Capacity building -Improve CIT literacy among lecturers -Training of faculty in E-content development -Creating textual and video contents -Majority of faculties are CIT literate. -Majority of lecturers have not attended training in E-content development -Most of structures contents is not in electronic format -Faculties have not developed video contents of most of lectures. Lecturers have no access to video capturing and editing facilities. -Dealing with copyright issues -Adhere to PR -Set up open sharing licenses -Majority of lecturers obtain materials from copyrighted sources -No clear Intellectual property rights policies in Kenya and particularly in the universities that cater for open sharing. Attitudes -Developing positive attitudes towards open sharing materials Majority of lecturers have negative attitude towards open sharing. However, majority are willing to share heir materials for free under open Terms.Motivation -Establish ways of motivating lecturers Low motivation of faculty. Majority of lecturers indicated that they cannot dedicate their time to embark on contents creation for free publishing without clear terms of engagements. Validation Copyright clearance -Perform copyright clearance Majority of lecturers obtain contents from copyrighted sources. Conceptualizing of contents Perform releva nce check Some of the materials are not relevant to the public Quality Assurance Perform quality assurance Some of the instructor's materials do not meet quality standards for OCW.Accreditation of materials -Get official approval and seek authorization for publishing from faculty No policies available to support accreditation of open materials. Utilization -Awareness -Public assassination -Low awareness level Majority of university students, instructors and administrators are not aware of open courseware. -CIT Literacy Improve cit literacy Majority of learners at public university are CIT literate -Access Improve internet access Internet usage level is generally high by university students.However, majority of students utilize free contents available on the web for research as opposed to buying kooks. -Relevance Maintain high standards and quality in production of open courseware materials Some of the materials are not useful to public 5. 0 Conclusion Results from the study shows th at the concept of FOCI has not been embraced in Kenya. However, it is not an absolutely new phenomenon since some of the universities are sensitivity their faculties on content sharing and aligning their policies to accommodate open contents.Nevertheless, the study reports low awareness of FOCI in Kenya universities among students and faculty members. The study identified a number of issues that pose significant challenges in implementation of FOCI in Kenya based on regression test performed . Amongst, Intellectual property rights and attitudes of faculty towards open courseware have shown significant effect on creation of FOCI contents while quality and relevance of materials shown significant effects on utilization of open courseware. In addition sustainability of FOCI project is another issue that poses a significant challenge to the implementation.The fact that the original design of FOCI is not to generate income for the university or contents providers begs the question of how such project can be sustained. It is encouraging to note that the number of lecturers participating in development of content for online learning is on increase. Universities have also set up repositories for storage of contents e. G University of Nairobi and Kenya University has each two servers for storage of contents and backups and the universities are gradually embracing online learning in their curriculum.Lastly, over last five years internet connectivity has greatly improved in Kenya and currently, the majority of public universities in Kenya are connected through a fiber-based local and external access infrastructure. 5. 1 Recommendations There will be need for rigorous campaign and assassination to raise the awareness level if a university wants to embark on implementation of FOCI. The public needs to get information about the availability of materials, various techniques of accessing the materials online and build confidence about the quality of materials.Study has reveal ed that majority of lecturers utilizes copyrighted contents in preparation of their lecture materials and this poses a significant challenge of sharing the contents to the public. The study identified IP clearance as one the solutions of coping with issue of non adherence to copyright laws. IP clearance is the process that ensures the open courseware publisher has the rights to make the materials available under open terms and that nothing in the materials infringes the copyright of other . Let may involve getting approvals from authors whose contents have been copied and/or removing such contents.It may also involve making sure fair use of other author's contents which involves ensuring that the original authors are properly acknowledged and may involve granting licenses to open courseware end-users to use, reuse, adapt, and redistribute materials for non-commercial educational reposes, in accordance with the open courseware concept. The greatest concern is the time that is require d by faculty from academics to prepare elements of a course that will be available, monitored, maintained, updated and perhaps re-formulated for new settings and different use.Therefore motivation and attitudes of instructors is critical. The study recommends that stakeholders in academia should first demystify the whole issue of free and open sharing of contents through assassination of the faculty. It important for management of open courseware to consider financial rewards of the developers for their time and other forms intrinsic motivation such as recognitions of leading authors by the universities or/and other agencies. Course materials published on FOCI are subjected to public scrutiny.End users will constantly evaluate the quality of content offered by the university. Therefore, quality of content can positively or negatively impact on the reputation of the institution. It is difficult to achieve 100% acceptance of FOCI content in the face of the diverse thematic areas of re search and training, and the different approaches and modes of delivering contents. However universities should strive to make the contents relevant to majority of the public. One of the unresolved issues is delivery methods for remote access which includes off campus accesses.The scope of our study did not carry out assessment on the network infrastructure outside the university. But, results from other studies indicate that, it may be difficult to maintain high speed connection in most of places in Kenya especially the remote areas. Nevertheless, the current Kenya devolution promises to improve the internet connectivity of major towns and increase the internet reach for majority of citizens. It is also important to set up distributed contents servers or mirror servers in various parts of the country especially in major towns to improve speed of access all over the country.Sustainability of the project has shown significant effect on the implementation of FOCI, given the high setup and maintenance cost of implementing. It might be difficult to maintain budget line for open courseware. However, universities which already have an existing and well established online learning infrastructure can easily and cheaply migrate to FOCI. If the university offers online learning for a umber of years, over time published materials will be continually refined and since online learning is income generating Return-on-Investment will have been achieved.

Spanish Civil WAR, critical commentary on 4 primary and secondary Essay

Spanish Civil WAR, critical commentary on 4 primary and secondary source materials including literary or film sources - Essay Example The following discussion will examine the question whether or not the defeat of the Republic was inevitable. The sources for the analysis will include a variety of primary sources including a painting, a novel, a journal, and a newspaper article. Secondary sources will be employed to add context to these primary sources. Together this historical evidence will be mined for the causes of the Republican defeat in the spring of 1939. The conclusion will then return to the inevitability of the Nationalist victory. Comparing the aerial bombing of Guernica to the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki or the Allied firebombing that engulfed Dresden, Oxford Professor Raymond Carr describes it as merely a minor act of vandalism. However,viewed in the context of 1936 it was a terrifying, revolutionary and effective operation. According to Preston, â€Å"Guernica was the first total destruction of an undefended civilian target by aerial bombardment.† (Preston, 2006, 5) Precise casualty figures remain a subject of debate amongst historians but on the seventieth anniversary of the attack the BBC summarized historical opinion, â€Å"The figures for the number of casualties in the bombing are still disputed, but most historians think between 200 and 250 people were killed and many hundreds wounded. â€Å" (BBC, 2007) Also, Guernica was the historic capital of the Basque nation and as such its destruction was designed to terrorize the Basque and undermining their resistance to the Nationalist forces. A second element of Prestons description of the event is also significant. Guernica was attacked by the Condor Legion, German aircraft and aircrew seconded to the Nationalist forces to aid in their victory and gain experience in aerial bombardment. Simply put, they were military professionals. Technologically, the Republicans could not match them. Guernica had no anti-aircraft defenses and the

Trade Policy of UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Trade Policy of UK - Essay Example Secondly, the study also includes the home ownership aspect to the determinants of preferences regarding trade. It indicates that home ownership taken independent of the type of factor has a correlation with trade barrier support in the countries where the manufacturing mix has a concentration in sectors of comparative disadvantage. Here, we see that the preferences have a dependence on the effect of trade policy on the income of factors of production as well as on the economic benefit of the individual. Therefore, the preferences towards trade policy may be as result of not only income of the factors, but also of the ownership of the assets that they possess. However, the assets such as housing do not become a part of the standard theory of trade since it is not employed and nor is it presently produced asset. The study also says that ownership of home is correlated to negative preference for free trade in places having a manufacturing mix that is concentrated in comparative-disadvantage sectors. It is to be noted that when the economy runs on the basis of certain sectors, factors have a direct link in those specific sectors. Hence, it so happens that factors in different sectors show their different preferences i.e. support or negativity. This happens when there is an assumption of immobility of factors between sectors. Here, if the sector is not an exporting one, they prefer protection. However, free trade is the most preferred, if the sector is an exporting one, which means there is negative preference for trade barriers. However, if we assume that factors have mobility, factors who have a higher supply (those factors that are more in number) will have a preference for free trade policy & those which are less in number will have a preference towards protection. The theory on the trade policy indicates that the trade policy is evaluated by individuals in the light of the effect of the same on their incomes. They see whether the effect of the policy is favorable on their income or not and then have a preference towards protection or free trade policy. This does not take into consideration the national welfare. This happens because the income of the factor is affected because of the changes in the relative prices of the products. As seen earlier, we have also taken a view of the mobility of factors of production. The changes in the mobility of factors make an impact on the changes in income and thus influence the decision about trade policy i.e. having a support towards trade barriers or towards free trade. When we talk about the mobility of the factors, we are taking an assumption that the factors can move costlessly amongst sectors. When free trade comes in, not only is product price affected, but there is a change in factor price also. Hence, with the possibility of shifting sectors, the returns rise for the labour. Hence, when this is possible the support towards free trade is higher, since it affects the income positively. This model generally assumes that there is support for protection in the sectors where the factors employed are those which are scarce. The above explanation clearly brings out that the factor type that is abundant will

Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Question - Essay Example Included in the record are "Age range", "Disabilities", "Education/skills", "IT knowledge", "Frequency of use" and "The key interface requirements suggested by the profile". Creation of List: - The System creates a holiday list after every insertion. The list summarizes the holidays and various packages. It also includes full customer information, information on the trade-in benefits (if any), the trade-in allowance, and information on the purchased package. The invoice may contain details of the Options selected by the customer or no options. The Options have a code. The customer choices are being put on the invoice after the Salesman fills the digital form with the code of the selected option. No selection of Code means no option has been chosen by the Customer. Creation of Customer ID: - If the customer buys a package for the first time, his details are being recorded for future use for promoting sales. The customer is given an ID and so that the same can be used for data storage and retrieval. Creation of list of Options with each option being given a Code: - The Dealer provides lots of options to its Customers and these can be identified through the list of features and Option Code. Each Option has been pre stored in the database.

No topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

No topic - Assignment Example Another wrong assumption is the relation of the Cuban missile crisis to with the Missiles being installed in Turkey. Sergei Khrushchev is of the view that it had no co relation to it and it was a total different event and affair in the context of global politics. Another wrong assumption, fear and beliefs are attributed to the Russian mindset. This is done so on the account of fact that Russians have always gone with a consistent mindset regarding thwarting their enemies if they reach your borders. The actual account was the fact that Russians decided to engage the Americans through installation of missiles in their neighborhood as the past had shown the United States of America enjoyed safety on account of its geography. A general perspective is presented in the form of how the governments undertake the threats. For example the 9-11 incident, the Sputnik were all brought about with specific goals which were part of the Cold War. Another mystery or miss assumption is clarified through the co relation to the 9-11 or the overall Missile Crisis as it was the first time that the American borders were faced with the direct threat. The information regarding Vietnam war and Cuba event gives an account of how the overall Cold war was engaged. It tells us of the nature of the war that lasted for over nearly five decades. It shows the peculiar nature of the war that was at hand for half a century. The case of Vietnam was an instance where a proxy war was fought and Vietnam was a smaller force to reckon with, yet it gave United states of America real tough time and making it its first defeat of the 20th century through the history (Kort, p .177). Secondly, the Cuban missiles crisis reveal the fragile nature of the global politics that was existent in those days. This gave rise to concepts and wise counsels stressing for reduction in the arms and bringing about agreements such

Performance Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Performance Management - Essay Example sue that affects employee performance is the use of electronic communications especially in an era where social media has found its use in the workplaces. As such, companies us performance appraisals to evaluate their employees to reward the top performers and punish the non-performers. Therefore, the essay discusses the implications of random drug tests for current employees, establishes if it is justifiable to monitor the use of electronic communications and the importance of performance appraisals. Currently, companies are in a bid to implement policies that will allow them to random carry out drug tests on their employees. However, the random drug testing especially on the current employees is a subject to human privacy violation implying that organizations should consider the applicable regulations as well as statutes that protect the employee rights (Wall, 2011). On the other hand, random drug testing should take course under insurance and employment contract requirements to address the drug problem at the workplace. Random drug testing may be justifiable because organizations, through the executive management, have the responsibility to provide safe and healthy work environment. Employees who are on drugs may be a threat to others because they may be prone to mistakes that may result in serious injuries at the workplace. Therefore, random drug testing for the current employees is only justifiable if the employees sign the drug testing policy upon their employment to an org anization because this way, there will be a balance between privacy and safe workplace. In Canada, firing an employee can be quite a nightmare even if the employer believes that the employee is incompetent in the assigned task. The implication is that if the termination of the employee takes place in a wrong manner, the court may compel the organization to pay for damages. However, there are steps that organizations can take to reduce the chances of facing legal suit from the employee.

Airbus A3XX- Developing the World's Largest Commercial Jet (A) Case Study

Airbus A3XX- Developing the World's Largest Commercial Jet (A) - Case Study Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that there was a risk in terms of the upfront investment required for the project and also the uncertainty of demand, made this decision are a critical and daunting one. The response on the earlier orders had been a positive one but the hitch being the fact that initial orders do not imply long-term demand. As it is launch customers are offered hefty initial discounts. The delivery was not to take place before 2006 and there were very airlines that were willing to order more planes 5-6 years in advance. This made it even more difficult for Airbus to decide on the launch if it could not reach its pre-launch target of 50-100 orders. The aviation industry is a very risky one. There is no grey in this industry; it’s either black or white. Every 3-4 years, one has to put the business at a stake and if a launch failed then the consequences can be as drastic as culminating into an exit demand from the industry. In recent years, companies like Glen Martin, General Dynamics, and Lockheed have met the same fate. Irrespective of the risks lying ahead of it, Airbus went ahead with the launch. Now the deal would be to rectify and work upon the issues on the way and ensure that the launch is successful. Boeing which would be one of its biggest competitors would also have something ready up its sleeves to counter the launch. This threat can also be not denied. They would bring down the prices of their 747s or come up with a new version of 747. Given, their status in the industry, Airbus will have to counter the threat received from their end. Even the projected costs of the venture have been stipulated to be 13 billion dollars; some critics believe that it would shoot up to 15 billion dollars. The financial success of Airbus thus depends on their ability to drive enough early sales home through the learning curve effect.

Success of Native Americans Essay Example for Free

Success of Native Americans Essay The authors of the article aimed to decipher the factors that contribute or hinder the academic success of Native Americans attending American universities at the freshman year level. Specifically, they directed their study on the relationship between the culture of Native Americans to their academic grade point average, or GPA. They theorized that Native Americans who conformed to the beliefs, values and interests of Caucasians had higher GPA’s than Native Americans who hold on to their cultural beliefs, values, interests and traditions. The study was conducted in the fall of 1998 where 48 Native Americans participated in a series of examinations designed to ascertain how well the participants are able to conform to Caucasian American culture. The results of the tests are compared to the high school GPA’s and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores of the participants. The results of the study showed that there is a direct relationship between how well Native Americans conform to the Caucasian American culture and their high school GPA’s and SAT scores. It revealed that Native Americans who have strong ties to their own cultures have lower high school GPA’s and SAT scores compared to those who have assimilated the beliefs, values and interests of Caucasians. Although the study conducted by the authors only had a small sample of participants, their findings were supported by studies done by other authors. One study had linked to conflicts brought about by the differences in the traditions, beliefs, values and interests between Native Americans and Caucasians have caused many Native Americans to drop out from universities, widening the gap in academic success between the two cultural groups. The authors concluded based on the information obtained from their independent study and studies carried out by other authors that the cultural background of a student plays a significant role in achieving success in their academic life. Based on this conclusion, the authors recommended that in order for Native American to succeed academically, steps must be taken to help them understand the Caucasian American culture and its importance in their academic life, specifically in university studies. The authors also stated that since the conclusion and recommendation made are based on their independent studies and related review materials, they encourage further research be done to fully comprehend the academic achievement gap between these two cultures in order to ensure that the proper measures are done to close this gap. This article was to my liking since most academic achievement gaps studies between Caucasians and minority groups concentrated on African American, Hispanic and Asian cultures. As what was mentioned in the article, more research must be done to evaluate and address the academic achievement gap between Native Americans and Caucasians. Although the findings of the study is disturbing, it had also made me aware that biases towards the Caucasian culture in the academic world may be the cause for the growing academic achievement gap between Caucasians and other culture groups. Today, our universities are seeing an increase in the diversity of students enrolling, partly in line with universities encouraging diversity in their student population. However, it is apparent that the only way to succeed in an American university, a student from another cultural group must assimilate the â€Å"American† culture. This revelation based on this study contradicts universities’ claim that they encourage diversity in their student population.

Marketing Management Strategic Issues Blue Dart Express

Marketing Management Strategic Issues Blue Dart Express On a beautiful sunny afternoon in April 2012, Ketan Kulkarni, Vice President and Head of Blue Darts Marketing, Corporate Communication Sustainability division, was waiting in the plush conference room of Blue Darts head office in Mumbai. As he waited for Tulsi Mirchandaney, Managing Director and Accountable Manager for Blue Dart Aviation, he once again looked at the notes on proposed future plans of marketing strategy and wondered whether the companys plans to address the intense competition will be enough to meet 2012s target. Looking outside through the clear windowpanes, Ketan thought about remarkable journey of Blue Dart. Blue Dart was the leading express company in India, engaged in door to door pick up and distribution of packages, documents, and shipments in India and overseas. From its inception in 1984, in its first decade Blue Dart became the dominant player in the courier industry and in the next decade it surpassed all the competition and became South Asias premier number one express company in air and integrated transportation, distribution and logistics. In India, Blue Dart was the only company providing an array of services in air express (both domestic and international through DHL), air freight, ground and charters. It was a one stop solution for any logistical requirement. Blue Dart enjoyed a 45.9% market share and gained a significant increase in both, volumes and value. In the ground segment, the company garnered a market share of 12.4%. Blue Dart not only offered secure and reliable delivery of consignments, but also managed to deliver impressively on the financial front with the help of its widespread infrastructure network and aggressive growth strategies. Rs.10 billion in annual revenues is a remarkable landmark for any logistics company. Blue Dart managed better, leaping over the 11-digit barrier to record Rs. 14.89 billion in top line during FY2011. The company was established with a vision to be the best and set the pace in the express air and integrated transportation and distribution industry, with a business and human conscience. A people-first company, Blue Dart continued to deliver value to its stakeholders through its people philosophy and corporate governance, based on distinctive customer service, business ethics, accountability and profitability. Blue Darts core competence lies in the business of superior express delivery services, maintaining reliability levels of 99.96%. With a dedicated air and ground network optimized by cutting-edge technology, Care Customer Addition, Retention Empathy summed up the marketing strategy of Blue Dart. Company History In November 1983, three young entrepreneurs, Clyde Cooper, Tushar Jani and Kushroo Dubash identified tremendous opportunities in Indias expanding exports market and came up with an idea of delivering small packages and samples. On that date, Blue Dart was established in a space of 200 square feet under a staircase, with a capital of Rs. 30,000. Grit, determination and hard work would propel the fledgling from sorting and delivering a few dozen packages outside Mumbai airport on that first night, to handling nearly 200,000 shipments each day through rain, hail, earthquake and snow. In a study conducted by Dhristi Strategic Research Services in 2007, Blue Dart emerged as one of the strongest brands in India with amongst the highest top of mind recall. In its early days, Blue Dart forged ties with Gelco Express International, UK to introduce an international air package express service from India and thus enhance the value offered to its customers. In 1993, foreseeing the potential in I ndia, Blue Dart decided to shift focus from international to domestic service. It went on to become the first Indian courier company to conceptualise domestic on-board couriers with a guaranteed 10:30 am delivery to major metros. In 1994, the company went public with an IPO of 2.55 million shares. In the same year Blue Dart launched its multi-modal, premium package delivery service DartApexà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ (Air Package Express) and COSMATIIà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢, an advanced tracking and ERP system that redefined the industry. In that year, too, Blue Dart Aviation, a 100% subsidiary of Blue Dart Express, was incorporated and became the first private company to receive government approval for the operation of cargo aircraft in the country. In 1995, Blue Dart Aviation acquired two B737 aircraft and developed SMART (Space Management Allocation Reservations and Tracking), the first cargo reservations systems in India. The following year, Blue Dart launched the first jet express airline and also became the first express company to receive an ISO: 9001 Certification. 1995 was also momentous because in that year Blue Dart crossed Rs. 100 crore (US$ 25 million) in turnover for the first time. 1997 witnessed the launch of domestic charter operations and the signing of interline agreements with international airlines for distribution of bonded cargo within Blue Darts network. Today, these have extended to 26 operators and include bonded warehousing and transhipment facilities. In 1998, the company developed Indias first Load and Trim software for its aircraft, reducing handling time by 80%. In 1999, Blue Dart moved to its state-of-the art administrative, technology and operations Super hub and Headquarters, the Blue Dart Centre, in Mumbai. In 2001, a third Boeing 737 was added to the Blue Dart fleet. A year later, Blue Dart entered into a sales alliance with global leader DHL Express Worldwide. Today, DHL owns 81.03% stake in the company. In 2002, Blue Dart was re-certified as one of a handful of Indian companies to the new global ISO 9001 2000 standards for Design, management and operations of countrywide express transportation and distribution service within the Indian Subcontinent and to international destinations serviced through multinational express companies. Blue Dart signed a path-breaking Sales Alliance with the Worlds No. 1 international air express company, DHL Worldwide Express. Blue Dart also crossed 1,00,000 shipments per day. The fourth aircraft joined the fleet in 2004 and Blue Dart became the first private operator in India to receive approval from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for undertaking heavy maintenance D-checks on its aircraft. Two B757 freighters the first in the Indian skies joined the Blue Dart fleet in 2006. In an effort to fortify its unique capability of offering the entire gamut of end-to end distribution solutions, Blue Dart launched its ground express service Dart Surface Line in September 2007 and inducted the third B757 freighter. By 2011, Blue Darts infrastructure comprised a fleet of three Boeing 737 and four Boeing 757 freighters operating each night to the 7 main metros in India and offering a revenue payload of over 370 tonnes per night. It owns a flotilla of over 6,272 vehicles, 365 facilities including 7 aviation hubs and bonded warehouses, 56 domestic warehouses and 12 express hubs delivering excellence. Current Operations Blue Dart is the largest player in the domestic segment of documents and non-documents with 26 per cent market share in terms of tonnage. In terms of overall (domestic plus overseas) market share, it is the largest express company in India with a share of about 45.9 per cent. The company had a turnover of Rs 14.89 billion in 2011 and has had an annual growth rate of about 50 per cent while the industry growth rate has been hovering around 35 per cent. Table 1 presents the breakup of revenues and costs for the year 2010-11 (see Exhibit 1). Administratively, the company is organized into regional centres at six major cities namely, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, and Calcutta. Each regional centre is responsible for a number of branch locations under which there are area locations. The company currently employees around 7,800 people. Each major branch has a team of operations personnel who manage the entire network, transportation and tracking of shipments. They also liaison with airline and transportation agencies and take care of scheduling out-bound couriers. Other responsibilities of the operations department include routing, sorting, security checking, fleet management, and customer billing. Commercial functions like finance and marketing are centralized at the head office in Mumbai. Its international out-bound gateways function at Dubai, Singapore, London, and Mumbai. The in-bound international gateway is at Mumbai which receives packages from London, Frankfurt, Singapore, and Dubai. The Company offers secure and reliable delivery of consignments to over 35,902 locations in India and to over 220 countries and territories worldwide through its integrated air support and ground network group company DHL Express. In 2011, Blue Dart operates through 1,342,677 sq. ft. of facilities and carried over 988.5 lacs domestic shipments and over 8 lacs international shipments weighing over 423,000 tonnes. The core function of Blue Dart is the physical transportation of a shipment from its origin to the destination which is performed by the operations department. The distribution system follows the hub-and-spoke concept, i.e., shipments picked up at a particular origin location are transported to the nearest hub, which in turn routes these shipments to the hub to which the destination location is attached. The destination hub routes the shipment to the specific destination location where the staff deliver the shipment to the consignee. (see Exhibit 2) The Express Industry Addressing a changing market The express industry is a key enabler in facilitating trade and commerce because of the time-sensitive nature of most goods and the increasing demand for reliability, efficiency and speed. The opportunities are aplenty for the express industry in India as the current logistics spend in India is 13% of the GDP compared to a notably lesser percentage of the same in more developed economies. The need for the highest levels of efficiencies still exists. The demand for express services is surging with each passing year and customer expectations have also risen tremendously. Today, the Indian express industry provides integrated, value-added, time-bound, door-to-door delivery of documents, parcels and merchandise. It supports industries such as electronics, telecommunication, IT, banking, retail, auto-components, textiles and apparels, gems and jewellery and pharmaceuticals. Moreover, with India recognized as an outsourcing destination, manufacturing sectors such as textiles, automobiles and pharmaceuticals are likely to witness increased activities in the medium to long term. In order to maintain competitiveness, companies operating in these industries are expected to outsource their logistics requirements to third-party logistics service providers and concentrate on their core-competency of manufacturing and marketing. Besides, the opening up of banking, insurance, telecom and retail sectors would boost the demand for value-added express services in India, as these are major user industries. Anil Khanna, managing director, Blue Dart, conveyed the same sentiment. In his opinion, the growth in the Indian economy and the overall economic scenario, fuelled primarily by domestic consumption, is promising. The Indian economy is poised to record robust growth between 8 and 9 per cent in the financial year 2011-12, the Indian express industry is expected to register double-digit growth over the next few years. This in itself is a strong indicator of the potential of the express industry. The organised domestic air express market is pegged at around ` 1,500 crore, which grew at a CAG R of 7-8 per cent in the last five years, while the domestic organised ground express market is pegged at around 1,700 crore, which grew at a CAGR of 14-15 per cent in the last 5 years, Khanna pointed out. Blue Dart is in the process of rolling out several sector-specific, innovative products and services in a phased manner, in line with specific needs and requirements of different industries. These products provide the much-required flexibility to the shipper and consignee. Some recent additions to the companys product portfolio include Express Pallet, Smart Box: Ground Express, Time Definite Delivery, etc. In its journey of last 20 years, Blue Dart had evolved from a being a document centric service to a critically supply chain support service in. The annual turnover of express industry in India was estimated to be Rs 8000 million in 1994-95. The industry players can be categorized into (i) organized sector, accounting for 50 per cent market share, (ii) EMS Speed Post, accounting for 6.5 per cent, and (iii) the unorganized sector, making up the remaining 43 per cent. The courier industry in India has expanded its horizon to provide a wider range of services. Whereas it started initially as a service provider for the document and samples demand of industry, it is now viewed as an important part of the supply chain for industries, which demand speed, reliability, security and just-in-time distribution, Though this market is still in its infancy in India, it is growing Tulsi Mirchandaney, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Projects Competitive edge: Building IT for Business Agility Companys information technology infrastructure remains one of its key differentiators and enabler to values. Blue Dart was always in the forefront of technology and its technology innovations have played a key role in the companys premium positioning and in bringing global standards to the Indian customers doorstep. Blue Dart has become an important part of the supply chain of many companies by providing integrated services. Blue Darts in-house IT team has constantly developed technology solutions over the past seventeen years. Such has been the ramifications of these offerings that more than 79% of Blue Darts regular customers use it actively. These Home grown innovations include COSMAT IIà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ (the tracking and ERP system), TrackDartà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ (monitoring shipment status), MailDartà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ (tracking shipments over e-mail), InternetDartà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ (memory bank for shipments), PackTrackà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ (tracking software for medium and large customers), ShopTrackà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ (tracking and CRM tool for e-business portals), ImageDartà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ (online download of proof of delivery challans/documents, to speed up the customers bill process, waybill issuance capability, customer directory, data upload and download of tracking information). The company also provides e conomical packaging that facilitates customers sending documents at a price that includes door-to-door delivery service within India. These innovation solutions have enabled the weaving of thoughtful information management to the logistics business. With this advanced technology support Blue Dart delivers door-to-door to over 13,000 locations in the country with an in-house team of experts to handle inter-state regulatory requirements. Quality levels are at 99.95% and are monitored daily. No one else in the country offers this kind of integrated delivery capability. Marketing Strategies A combination of new product launches and tactical shift in focus across sectors helped Blue Dart register growth in spite of an overall slowdown in the economy. For instance, in order to lessen the impact of the slowdown in client verticals such as automobile and realty, it consciously improved its focus on sectors such as health sciences and the spare parts segment of the auto sector. It also built on its exposure to high-growth segments such as e-commerce and SMEs and high-growth potential Tier-II and III cities this year. These put together helped the company grow its revenues and profits by about 34 per cent and 42 per cent in the nine-months ended September 2011. On various other fronts the company has provided following marketing strategies. Offerings Blue Dart has a range of products and services that can be customised to address individual requirements. Blue Darts core business is domestic door-to-door and integrated (air and ground) express distribution. Each product has been developed with a customer centric approach. A combination of the right product mix and price has helped Blue Dart build a strong brand loyalty over the years. The products are ably supported by cutting-edge technologies. Blue Dart offers express, air freight, ocean freight, supply chain solutions, customs clearance, project handling, freight forwarding, and charters through its synergies with the three DHL Business Units DHL Express, DHL Global Forwarding and DHL Exel Supply Chain. The express services offer domestic priority for non-commercial domestic documents and small packages under 32 kilos. Dart Apexà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ is a door-to-door, time-definite, supply chain and logistics distribution service for commercial shipments that require regulatory clearance. Smart Box is the convenient door-to-door service for cargo in two sizes 10 kilos and 25 kilos. Freight services include domestic, early morning airport-to-airport deliveries to the seven metros Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad serviced by Blue Dart aircraft. Charters offer palletised capacity for carriage of urgent and large volumes to eighteen airports in India and four international airports in the region. Blue Dart, in line with its focus on innovation, has also introduced several customised products -Rakhi Express and Student Express, for instance designed to meet specific needs. A recent addition to Blue Darts product portfolio is Import Express. It is the only service of its kind in India and offers door-to-door facility for importing shipments from over 200 countries. Services Blue Dart offers a range of services: Domestic Priority a fast reliable service for non-commercial documents and non-documents. Dart Apex to support reliable commercial distribution and supply chain requirements. Dart Surfaceline a reliable and secure surface option, and an airport to airport option which includes charter of our aircraft for large volumes and urgent shipments. Some of the best services offered by this company are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Free computerized proof of delivery à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Real Time tracking à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Regulatory clearance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Free pick up from the location of the customer How does your service differ from competition? What added advantages do you provide your clients and what kind of message do you aim to send across? Blue Dart offer Solutions for Peace of Mind, and it has built extensively to deliver on that promise. Blue Dart are the only express cargo airline in the country today focused on handling packages. Connecting with Customers In an overcrowded, cluttered world, brand Blue Dart has exploited every opportunity to stand out. The core focus has been on strengthening customer relationship and on making more effective use of the 4800 plus vehicles as mobile touch points. Blue Dart constantly rolls out promotions for its customers to keep them updated on our various offerings. Apart from this, the company keeps on introducing several sector-specific, innovative products and services in a phased manner, in line with specific needs and requirements of different industries like BFSI, Pharmaceuticals, IT, Consumer Durables, FMCG, Automotive, Retail, Textiles, Telecommunications etc. The new initiatives will upgrade the product range and improve service quality, thereby offering customers state-of-the-art air and ground express solutions across the country. These products provide the much-required flexibility to the shipper and consignee. The most used features are real time tracking and Money Back Guarantee (MBG) offered on specific shipments. Company had a dedicated team of specialists who provide the expertise for customs as well as regulatory clearances at all States within the country, to support seamless service to the customer. India is known for its huge section of middle-class buyers. Blue Darts offerings though known to be reliable, are available at a higher price bracket. Isnt this an awkward pricing strategy for the Indian market Considering the fast paced, dynamic lifestyles our customers lead, Blue Dart deliver shipments as well as peace of mind. For our customers, aspects like service quality, consistency, responsiveness and reliability are of paramount importance because these dimensions directly impact their business outcomes. These values make excellent attributes to building a trusted brand. When our customers experience optimal service with Blue Dart, they do not mind paying a premium for our products. Customers Growth Strategy Our growth drivers are multi-dimensional but well defined. Blue Dart will be focusing on existing customers to scale our existing relationship with select high potential clients by offering them a lot more than what Blue Dart have been traditionally offering them. This will not only lead to revenue enlargement, but also give us an army of loyal customers. Positioning Designed to enhance the reliability of our operations and process efficiency, and add value to the customer through time and cost savings. The only one of its kind in the country today, that is focused on carriage of packages as its prime business, rather than as a by-product of a passenger airline. A dedicated aviation system to support Blue Darts services is self-sustaining, with its own bonded warehouses, ground handling and maintenance capability. Blue Dart envisioned itself as a warehouse in the sky creating a niche segment in supply chains that demand critical deliveries, low inventories and reliable and timely distribution. A strategic product mix, optimum utilization of aircraft space and committed people delivering at high reliability levels, Blue Dart is now strategically positioned as the market leader in the air express segment. Blue Darts competitive advantage lies in its vast and unparalleled Domestic Network Linked by some of the most advanced communications systems and positioned to offer a consistent, premium, standardized quality of service. Blue Dart is the only express carrier in the country today which offers an entire range of services that extend from a document to a charter-load of shipments Blue Dart has the only dedicated logistics infrastructure in the country today to provide a variety of logistics solutions for its customers. Blue Dart have an aviation system with an in-house ground handling and maintenance capability to provide confirmed uplift. Blue Dart have invested extensively in technology, currently the most advanced in the he domestic courier industry, for integration, data flow and customer software for greater customer convenience and efficiency. Blue Dart have stringent security and quality norms, our integrated network has the widest reach and our people are skilled and committed professionals. When others in the domain were still trying to find their bearings Blue Dart had already envisioned itself as a warehouse in the sky. It created a palpable differential for itself by arrogating a niche and a hard-to-emulate segment in supply chain management that demanded critical deliveries, low inventories and reliable and timely distribution. Your Company has been able to differentiate itself and has achieved scalability due to its focus on technology right from the early stages of its business. It is reflected in the way the Company moves its products, in a manner which is more cost-effective, more fuel-efficient and more environment friendly. Building strong brand Logistics or Couriers is a service industry where the service is the brand. The attributes of the product are not physically apparent. Demystifying each product to the customer and demonstrating, in simple terms, real benefits meaningful to him, therefore, assumes greater importance. This means translating each customer contact point into an experience representative of the brand. People who serve take on the mantle of the brand as opposed to an FMCG where you would buy your preferred cake of soap regardless of where or how it is served. Promotion Blue Dart is not known to be aggressive advertiser, but as aggressive marketer. Blue Dart has tried to focus on the total customer experience the brand tangibles such as the retail outlets (service counters), vehicles, signages, etc, as well as the intangibles at the customer contact point. Blue Dart has emphasized that the personal touch is essential and thus has also strengthened the areas of customer care centres. Even its TV commercials and print ads try to connect emotionally with customers. Blue Darts promotion method is to create a strong emotional connect with customers, in order to achieve brand strength, saliency and equity. Blue Darts prime communication vehicle is PR land direct mailers, with support from a large sales force across the country to directly engage the customer. Brand Values Blue Dart has always made a conscious effort to create a bond with its customers. Perhaps, because of this, the brand has, today, become synonymous with value, quality, speed, efficiency, responsiveness and service excellence. Financial credibility Fitch Ratings India Pvt. Ltd. has assigned the highest F1+ (Ind)[F one plus (Ind)] rating for their short term debt programme of Rs. 30crores. Further, ICRA Ltd. has also assigned the highest A1+ (pronouncedA one plus) Rating for their Commercial Paper Programme of Rs. 25 crores. New Areas Detecting opportunities vertical wise has helped us device sector specific solutions and this has helped the overall growth strategy of the Company, to a great extent. Demand for streamlined supply chains from the auto, pharma, hitech and retail sectors is expected to drive growth for us. Blue Dart perceive SMEs as an emerging opportunity and efforts have been underway to tap this segment across industry verticals, aggressively. In terms of new customers, tapping new geographies and segments continues to be our key focus area. New Products A combination of the right product mix and price has helped Blue Dart build strong brand loyalty over the years. Launching new products has been our response to any opportunity sensed in a new geography and new industry verticals. This approach has borne fruit. It pleases me to inform you that Blue Dart have successfully launched 25 new services since 2008. Some of our success stories in the Air Express segment include Time Definite Solutions (Domestic Priority 1030, Domestic Priority 1200, Dart Apex 1200) and Day Definite Solutions (Domestic Priority, Dart Apex, Dart Surfaceline). Packaging Solutions include Express Pallet: Air and Ground, Smart Box Air and Ground. The Company also offers Cargo Solutions like Airport to Airport, Interline and Charters besides offering Festive Solutions and discounted Student Solutions. Solutions like Temperature Controlled Logistics (TCL), Dart Surfaceline Plus, Point to Point (P2P) and a host of value added services like Demand Draft on Delivery (DOD), Freight on Demand (FOD), Freight on Value (FOV), Cash on Delivery (COD) etc. represent our tailor made services for specific industry requirements. Blue Dart will continue to focus on reach expansion, transit time improvements, small town (Tier-II and III) activation and strengthening channels. The strategy is in place to strengthen market share and deliver the Blue Dart promise. Achievements Attaining such stunning success wasnt easy. Along the way, Blue Dart endured formidable challenges and took bold steps to protect its hard-fought territorial gains. The list of awards and accolades is endless for Blue Dart. It has achieved many awards in all sectors such as Brand / Customer Service / Retail / Loyalty, Human Resources, Sustainability and Individual Blue Darts services have been recognized and rewarded time and again. Blue Dart was selected as a Business Superbrand from over 1,699 brands and received the Readers Digests Most Trusted Brand Award, for three years in a row and has been listed twice in the Dun Bradstreet top 500 companies in India. Blue Dart has been awarded the NDTV Business Leadership Award 2008 and the Asia Brand Congress Brand Leadership Award 2008. An Indian company benchmarked to international standards, Blue Dart has been recognised as one of the best and has been listed among the top 500 companies in India by Dun Bradstreet. Blue Darts aviation arm received the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) Cargo Airline of the Year Merit Award in 2006. In the following year, Blue Dart was declared the Best Cargo Airline at the Express, Logistics and Supply Chain conclave. Over the years Blue Dart ha achieved SUPERBRAND Status, 6 times in a row, Pursuing Business growth and Expansion Blue Dart already has an aggressive market share plans which aim to increase its market share both in air and ground express divisions. For this, Blue Dart will have to grow faster than the industry. Blue dart has already identified some growth levers. One of these is adding lot of new products. The company has been regularly introducing new products such as the latest Go Green carbon neutral service and it intends to continue. The other growth lever is the sectoral focus there are certain sectors that do not get impacted by a slowdown sectors like health sciences and the spare parts segment of the auto sector. Third, Blue Dart is focussing on verticals which are high-growth verticals like e-commerce, where in it is targeting a large market share. Moreover, the company has also identified small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as another growth lever. For a company, which has probably focussed more on our large customers, SMEs thus offer an opportunity. Finally, the company is looking at geographic expansion. It intends to reach out to those towns and cities where it currently does not have any presence. Also, prior to this, in smaller cities, the company was more focussed on the in-bound side. It then realised that a lot of these tier-II and tier-III cities have a lot of out-bound potential. These provide additional opportunity for business expansion. Looking ahead Blue Dart Express net profit declines 19.47% in the March 2012 quarter Blue Dart faces the challenges of increase in fuel cost, inadequate infrastructure, and increasing competition. But of these the biggest challenges is Infrastructure of both air and surface. Space at airports, airside and city-side infrastructure are often inadequate. In addition, parking bays, air-side/city-side access and traffic congestion adversely impact costs as well as service quality. Air express companies are constrained by the sizes of the facilities at the airports, as they have remained the same while the loads have increased many folds. It is estimated that though 70% of the freight transportation in India is through roads, National Highways constitute merely 2% of the total road network in India. Fuel prices are also a concern. In an industry, where space is a highly perishable commodity, any disruption in services, due to either natural disasters or manufactured reasons, affects us adversely, as the days capacity inventory is lost forever. Exhibit Financial Summary of the last five years Particulars 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Income from Operati

Duty of Care and Contractual Agreements in Architecture

Duty of Care and Contractual Agreements in Architecture Section 1 Clearly explain what particular requirements must be in place for a Contract to exist between two parties? For a contract to exist between two parties there must be evidence of three key principles. An intention between all involved parties to form a legally binding relationship. A consideration (usually monetary) for the agreement. The offer and acceptance of the stated agreement. The intention of a legally binding relationship from each party must be formal; a moral obligation alone is insufficient. As such, articles such The Memorandum of Agreement outline the requirements of parties when intending to enter a contract. For a contract to exist the promise must be enforceable with a consideration. It is the party who provides this bargain who enforces the contract. Once a consideration is provided, all parties are drawn into privity of contract. The consideration is decided by the parties involved and the level of adequacy is irrelevant, it must be offered and accepted for the agreement to mature into a contract. As such, an offer without an acceptance is merely a pre-contractual agreement, not binding in law. In any case, for a contract to exist all terms of the offer must be accepted and a consideration provided. However, there is no requirement for a written document for most types of contract. An oral contract is legally binding providing there has been acceptance of an offer. From a legal stand-point, difficulty can be avoided if documentary evidence is provided of an agreement. The four corners rule allows a contract to be recorded and subsequently is easier to enforce in law. Explain what is meant by the term Duty of Care and what are the implications upon the architect? A duty of care is a legal obligation in tort law imposed on the Architect requiring they exercise a standard of reasonable care and diligence whilst carrying out professional work that could foreseeably harm others. Any failure in an Architects duty of care can result in an action in negligence where they become liable in tort law. Furthermore, a duty of care is also applicable in agency outside of any contractual arrangement. It is not required that a duty of care be defined by law, however, it often develops through the jurisprudence of common law. In this respect, a duty of care can be interpreted as a formalisation of the social contract and implicit responsibilities of the individual towards others in society. It is an ARB requirement that Architects adhere to the established standards of the profession and exercise due skill, care and diligence,whilst carrying out professional work within agreed time-frames and without unnecessary delay. For a duty of care to be breached, the following must be true: Harm must be reasonably foreseeable of the defendants conduct. A relationship of proximity between the defendant and the claimant. It must be fair, just and reasonableto impose liability. Explain the term Joint and Several Liability and how does it impact upon particular forms of architectural Practice? Under Joint and Several Liability, a client may pursue an obligation against any single party as if they were jointly liable. The responsibility then passes to the defendants who must establish their respective percentages of liability and monetary payment. Therefore, if a claimant pursues a single defendant and receives all the damages, that defendant must then pursue the other libelous parties to obtain contributions proportionate to their share of liability. Joint and Several liability is most relevant in tort claims and most often invoked in cases of negligence. Architects seek to establish a clear and properly defined agreement with specific reference to the understanding and expectations of the client. These agreements provide an assured basis on which the commission can be undertaken. Furthermore, the chosen form of appointment will determine the limit of the Architects liability and accountability. Architects also seek to limit their risk and liability through their chosen form of architectural practice. For Example, Limited Liability Partnerships and Companies cannot be jointly or several liable with its members liability determined by their stakehold in the partnership or shareholding in the company. Explain what is meant by the term Lean Construction. Lean construction is a method of designing production systems to minimize the time, effort and material waste of a project to generate the maximum amount of value. The process itself is derived from the lean production system within the manufacturing industry. It is fundamental that the production system is designed through a collaboration of project participants (Client, Architect, Engineer, Contractor, Building Owner) at the earliest stages of the project. It is based on the premise that desired ends affect the means to achieve these ends, and that available means will affect realized ends. The principles of Lean Construction are as follows: Allow value to flow by systematically removing obstacles to value creation and dispensable processes that create no value. Optimisation of the system through collaboration and systematic learning. Priority on delivering the Client/End-user/Building Owners expected value. Creating Pull Production. The pursuit of perfection/continual improvement, involving everyone in the system. Lean construction supplements traditional construction management by considering material and information flow, focusing on the enhancement of the production systems value generation. Therefore, a project using the Lean Construction method should: Deliver maximum functionality. Benefit end-users with the lowest optimum cost of ownership. Eliminate the inefficiency and waste in the use of labour and materials. Involve specialist suppliers in design from the beginning to achieve integration and buildability. Establish performance and improvement achievements by measurement. Use a single point of contact for effective co-ordination and clear responsibility. Explain and define what is meant by a Letter of Intent. What are the circumstances under which it may be issued, what may be its objectives and what are the principal matters that it should contain? A Letter of Intent is a document that outlines an agreement between two or more parties before the agreement is finalised. They resemble written contracts but are not legally binding for the parties involved. However, letters of intent can contain provisions that are legal binding such as a covenant to negotiate in good faith, non-disclosure agreements and stand-still provisions that promise exclusive negotiation rights. It can also be interpreted as binding if it resembles a formal contract too closely. Therefore, the letter of intent is enforceable by the courts both in terms of the remuneration and the act. However, the letter of intent is not a contract; instead it is a unilateral agreement in which one party confirms an intention to enter a contract with another party. Most importantly, it must contain an instruction to act and confirmation of a consideration as payment. Letters of intent are usually issued to: Clarify the nature of complex transactions for the convenience of the parties involved. Provide safeguards in case of collapsed negotiations. Officially declare interest or intent. Allow work to continue quickly based on trust. Architects mainly use letters of intent for the purpose of negotiation. For example, following the first stage of tender, a letter of intent maybe issued to inform a contractor of their approval based on their proposal. The contractor can then contribute to the design before the second stage of tendering by providing detailed pricings and an overall building cost. Once the second stage of tendering is complete, a formal contract can be established between the parties. What are the principal factors that determine the choice of a particular contract form? To determine the most appropriate contract form, the Architect and client must first consider the priorities of the project in terms of time, cost and quality. These three factors are linked through a trade-off paradigm: Time results in increased cost and decreased quality. Cost results in increased time and decreased quality. Quality results in increased cost and increased time. They are all related and inter-dependant. If time is the priority, then the procurement method must allow sufficient time to consider all of the design issues properly at the pre-contract stage. The client is afforded predictability and additional time can be saved by allowing the contractor to resource their own materials, effective management, real-time planning and overlapping detailed design phases with actual construction. If cost is the priority, then a financial limit must be established that a contract sum cannot exceed. Certainty of cost is dependant upon comprehensive design, drawings and specification that accurately assesses cost at the tender stage. If quality is the priority, the issue and degree of quality in the finished building must be clearly defined and established from the outset through a specification. Also, the measure of quality must also be defined. The choice of contract type is also directly related to the chosen type of procurement. Each type of procurement type uses standard contract forms that are known and accepted by the industry. Most architects choose to use these standard forms as they are comprehensive, address common construction situations and take account of current legal decisions. Factors such as the complexity, size and overall value of the project may also inform the procurement route or contract type. In all situations the Architect as the lead consultant has the duty to advise the client of the long-term implications of their decisions. Section 2 The Design and Build process of procurement has been endorsed by the Public Sector as the preferred procurement option, on the basis that it is claimed that it offers certainty of contract sum and brings certain cost benefits. Consider and discuss the merits or otherwise of this approach in comparison with the Traditional method of procurement with particular reference to the role of the architect. (70 marks). Design and Build is a procurement method for project delivery whereby an individual contractor is contractually responsible for both the design and construction of a project. In recent years, the public-sector has moved towards Design and Build as the chosen procurement path as opposed to the traditional, three-party arrangement where design and construction are separately contracted. The public-sectors interest in Design and Build can be attributed to several potential benefits that are not always obtainable through alternative procurement methods. The following points outline the advantages. The Design and Build procurement route provides a single source of responsibility as the contractor is singularly responsible for any defect in both the construction and design of the project. This is of particular benefit to the building owner or client, who does not have to define whether such defects are brought about by a deficiency in design or construction. Instead, the contractor is jointly and severly liable for the complete works. In a traditional contract, it is the client who must first determine the nature and cause of a problem, before deciding whether it is the designer or contractor who is at fault. Design and Build is also a popular route for the public-sector client as the contractor is obliged to bear any additional cost that results from inadequate or defective plans provided by the design team. In a traditional contract, the client warrants the sufficiency of the plans and as such is liable for any increased cost because of inadequate design. In the Design and Build contract, it is the contractor who is responsible for the projects design as well as the construction. They are hired to meet the clients specific performance specifications rather than merely construct the building as in the traditional contract procurement. Hence, if the plans are inadequately drafted or designed, the contractor is unable to seek compensation from the client. It is widely recognised that Design and Build contracts enable a project to be completed within a shorter time-period than the traditional three-party arrangement. The interface between the designer and contractor, often adversarial in the traditional method, can become more open and hence foster a more co-operative arrangement and exchange of ideas that can make the project a faster process. Time savings are also made by fast-tracking construction of known elements before the specifications and drawings of unknown elements are complete. The phased-nature of the design essentially allows work to commence on site whilst the later phases of the project are still being designed. The same time-savings are unable to be made within a traditional contract as the contractor does not usually even submit a tender, let alone start work on-site, before the design and drawings of the Architect are finalised. The responsibility for meeting local controls such as planning, bylaws and legislation is placed with the contractor, which usually results in increased efficiency. The phased nature of the Design and Build method also allows the contractor to have increased control of the project and can result in lower costs for the client. The specific control of detailed design enables the contractor to use familiar construction methods and materials which increase the efficiency of the build process. By staggering the construction process, the contractor is able to order materials for upcoming phases, ahead of time and at a lower cost. The savings made on labour, materials and time are all passed on to the benefit of the client. It is considered that the Design and Build method reduces the requirement for independent professional representation. Public sector clients often prefer to limit the number of points of contact to restrict the amount of time, effort and in-house staff it requires to undertake a project. Often it will use Design and Build in conjunction with privatisation, whereby it contracts an independent party to undertake responsibilities previously held by the Government, such as land acquisition, project finance, design, construction, operation and ownership. This method, in its most complete form is represented by the turnkey and package deal options, whereby the client is uninvolved for the majority of the project and presented with the completed building. However, it is desirable to have an independent third party (usually an Architect) for the purpose of quality control. Without a third party, the contractor, who is hired to complete the project promptly and economically, also has the task of assessing the quality and quantity of its own work. Hence, the contractor has a potential conflict of interest and is likely to reduce quality in order to satisfy the clients other requirements. With the presence of a third-party, the client/owners interests are represented during the design and construction. Clients choose Design and Build contracts as usually a fixed price and contract sum can be negotiated. The client specifies the maximum price it is willing to pay for the project before it solicits a proposal from the Design and Build contractor for its specifications, configuration and materials. However, difficulty can arise when there is an increase in the cost of work and construction. The contractor can sometimes abuse the situation by recouping costs in other areas of the project and without a third party, the client finds it far more difficult to detect and control such situations than in a traditional contact form. Therefore, most Design and Build contracts are lump-sum and fixed price, but payments are completed on a cost-plus basis to facilitate potential increases in cost. Also, payments tend to be dependant on the achievement of project milestones. This allows the contractors progress to be measured and assessed by the client, allowing easier negotiation in terms of compe nsation where costs have significantly increased under a fixed-price contract. However, the Design and Build route is not without potential problems. Many architects, clients, building owners and contractors have varying opinions about the successes of this procurement type. The following points are amongst the potential disadvantages to using Design and Build in the public-sector. If a public-sector client chooses the Design and Build procurement path it is difficult to actively compare preliminary proposals from multiple contractors. The contractor is only responsible for satisfying the clients performance specification; therefore the designs may be wide-ranging in aesthetic and prioritise different issues depending on the contractors individual stand-point. As in the turnkey approach, the client or eventual building owner has little input into the design and final appearance of the building and as such, may be unsatisfied with the result. Also, as the contract is entered into by negotiation rather than competitive tendering, the client may not always achieve the lowest cost for the building. Therefore, unlike the traditional route, if a client wants to attract multiple preliminary proposals, they must provide an individual consideration for each contractor that submits a design package. This is a cost often overlooked in debating the value of Traditional vs. Design and Build procurement, as these fees are separated from the contract sum in the case of Design and Build. Another problem with tendering a Design and Build contract is the potential for the building to become a competition in under-design. Contractors will seek to meet the clients outline requirements whilst sacrificing quality, life-span, ease of maintenance, and value in a bid to offer the minimum price. In placing responsibility for both the design and construction in the contractors hands, the client forfeits control. Therefore the client has little input in assessing sub-standard work, claiming for variations, debating extensions of time or even using a termination clause due to excessive delay. To combat against this, it is again advisable to use a third-party design professional who can check the value and realism of the tendered bid. However, the monetary and time savings inherent to Design and Build contracts then become nominal as the time-period and expertise needed by the third-party to check the work of the contractor is both expensive and time-consuming. Such a third party can be appointed independently by the client, or be appointed through consultant switch or novation if they are the original designer/design team. Also, contractors seek to recoup the outlay of unsuccessful tenders with their successful tenders; therefore, the client will always pay a small premium for the work of their chosen contractor. Another disadvantage to the Design and Build arrangement is the difficulty of obtaining long-term contractual protection in terms of the suitability of the work. Many contractors use contracts where such insurance is prohibitively expensive and resultantly, commercially unviable for the client. Therefore, it is the clients responsibility to be aware of the extent of coverage of the contractors liability insurance. In the event of a defect in the design or construction of the project, the client may be unable to recuperate anything if the contractors insurance coverage or assets are insufficient to pay compensation, regardless of whether liability can be determined. Public sector clients often choose the Design and Build procurement route as the available financial resources of a contractor are normally greater than that of the professional individual or architectural practice, in the event of a post-completion failure. A potential problem with liability can arise when the Design and Build contractor hires an Architect as a sub-consultant. Most contractors professional indemnity insurance does not cover damages caused by defective design or specifications prepared by the Architect. Conversely, the Architects professional indemnity insurance does not cover damages caused by defective labour, materials or operations during the contractors construction process. Therefore, the contractor offers a warranty for an agreed (but usually limited) time-period based on the notion of negligence. However, the commercial and financial pressures of the Design and Build contract compel the contractor to essentially under-design the building as far as possible making failures within the building an increased likelihood. As a result, there is often a need for litigation to define whether the economy of the project surpasses the expected level of professional responsibility at the time of design and construction. Therefore in order to protect their building, the client should seek to obtain a warranty that guarantees the completed building is suitable for its intended purpose, regardless of defects incurred by the contractor. In the public sector, Design and Build contracts are usually awarded on subjective criteria such as value, experience and qualification. The public sector in particular has developed contractor evaluation and selection policies that try to mitigate against the risk of such subjective judgments. In many cases this is achieved by awarding contracts based on a point-scoring system with the highest scorer being appointed. However, this discretional points system implemented by public managers offers little objectivity in determining the adequate point allocation for individual elements of the proposed scheme. For instance, there is hardly any way to decide whether one contractors foundation system warrants 20 points or a different contractors warrants 22, it is completely subjective. Also the criteria used for marking generally do not relate to the specific building type, therefore analysing a contractors qualifications and experience presents a measure of competence but does not guarant ee a successful project outcome. There is also difficulty in reasonably comparing alternative design proposals in an effort to determine which represents the best value. For example, some contractors may offer higher quality plumbing whilst others offer better electrical systems. Therefore it is impossible to draw reasonable conclusions from dissimilar bids in terms of which proposal offers best value. Often, value can only be determined after the building has been completed. In conclusion, public owners look for procurement systems that meet the needs of the public whilst mitigating against legal problems and reducing administrative burden. The public-sector has favoured the Design and Build approach as the client can guarantee a total fixed project cost early in the process and the building can be constructed in a shorter time-period with more efficiency than other procurement systems. The contract type also allows an exploration of new solutions through an open dialogue between architect and contractor, in which the public benefit from the innovation and lower costs. As a result, the public-sectors involvement with Design and Build has increased over recent years. Fundamentally, the public requires its construction projects to be durable, environmental, functional and most importantly, fit for purpose. At the same time, it expects the government funded projects to represent good value and be economic in nature. Therefore, the public itself has little involvement or interest in which procurement system is utilised, however, they expect each project to fulfill its stated requirements within its allocated budget. It is the view of the public-sector, that Design and Build is the system best equipped to meet the publics expectations and provide the most transparent value for projects that are ultimately funded by the tax-payer. Bibliography Lupton S. Architects Job Book. (RIBA Enterprises 7th ed.) Chappell D Wills A. The Architect in Practice. (Blackwell Publishing 10th ed.) ARB. Architects Code: Standards of Conduct and Practice. (November 2002) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_and_Build http://www.lao.ca.gov/2005/design_build/design_build_020305.htm