Literature Review Timber

Question: Discuss about theLiterature Reviewfor Timber. Answer Introduction Timber is one of the key product of the forests which has been used for a long time in the construction industry. For the many construction projects, both small and bug the timber has been used to enhance the construction in different elements (Halperin Bible, 1994). The different factors ranging from the chemistry ones to the physical factors have been used to enhance the use of the construction of the different projects. In Australia, the timber technology in the construction is new but peaking at a very high rate. The timber has been having numerous advantages in the construction and thus the main reason for its popularity (Roy, 2004). Moreover, timber has different species which are able to enhance its usage in the construction industry. Timber is defined as any wood which is at the stage of being fallen down and ready to be used for different purposes. Since the ancient days, timber has been used in construction although not widely. Nevertheless, some key advantages of timber i n construction has been identified leading to its massive application in construction. This paper will look at the key advantages of timber as a construction material. It will analyze the way the construction is able to benefit from using the timber as a construction element. Some of the key factors, which are critical in enhancing timber as a construction material, include the affordability, safety and the environmental friendliness nature. The use of the timber has been implemented on different areas in the construction industry from the construction phase to the finishing areas, which include the decorations (Roy, 2004). Moreover, according to the changes in the building regulations, the architects are now allowed to be able to build timber-framed structures, which will be able to move to more than height storey. The current height of the wooden storey stands at three storey in Australia (Ince Nepal, 2012). Changes which started since May 2016, has seen the country be able to increase its usage of timber in the construction industry through this means. This is a key development, which the country has been able to receive in its usage of the timber in construction. In 2013, a 5 storey building was built in Australia even with the existing slaw on store y of not more than 3 storey. Literature Review Over the past 200 years, timber has been enhanced as a building material in different countries. From the use of the platform poles during the construction to the finishing, the timber has been a key structural element in enhancing the construction. Some of the key factors, which have led to the high acceptability of the timber in this industry, include the affordability. Timber is easily available with the increase of the forest (Aicher, Reinhardt Garrecht, 2014). Different companies are able to engage on tree planting which they intend to use on the construction projects. This means that these companies are able to access the timber as a construction material for their use. Another key factor is the superior performance when use in construction. Timber is able to be used on different areas on the construction industry. For instance, in the use of the timber on the construction platform poles, timber is able to ensure that the casted areas do not fall and budge down. Since timber i s not compressible, the performance on this area is able to deliver to the required expectations. The use of the timber is able to enhance the purpose and therefore given a priority on the areas of application due to its superior performance (Halperin Bible, 1994). In addition, the timber has the flexibility character which is attained at any time during the design. Timber can be transformed to any shape and design, which the client needs. This ensures that the construction industry is able to enhance this factor in order to achieve the aesthetic factor. The different innovative factor can be in cooperated with the flexibility in design in order to achieve the different factors (Luso-Brazilian Conference Of Sustainable Construction Materials et al., 2015). Moreover, other key factors which has been key in the implementation of timber as a construction material include the adaptability, innovative and value-centric. Different elements such as the beams, roofs, to doors, windows and floors are nowadays are being made with the timber. In addition, timber is also used for decorative purposes such as moulding, cladding and also surfacing. Apart from these key applications, timber is also used in the construction industry as formwork, hoarding and also scaffolding (International Conference On Structural Health Assessment Of Timber Structures, Piazza Riggio, 2013). All these factors are key elements which must be considered in the construction industry to ensure that they achieve the needed objective. In the last 20 years, the world use of the timber as a construction material has grown with high number. Some of the key countries which has been able to use the timber in small scale construction has changed the trend and they are implementing its use in large buildings. In addition, timber is quick to build in the different areas. In construction site, time is a key factor which is able to carry a high capacity of the cost of the projects. Reducing the implementation period, he projects are able to save a lot from the construction (International Conference On Information Technology In Geo-Engineering et al. 2014). This means through the use of the timber, the projects are able to reduce the time of construction and therefore able to save much. In addition, during demolition, the activity is easy to deform. This means that the timber is used is able to safe time when demolition is needed. This shows that different projects are able to meet their economic needs through the time saving through the use of timber in its activities. In addition, timber can be treated in order to meet the different specifications, which are needed by the client. It can be noted that the treated timber can be able to last for more than 20 years (Rajapakse, 2008). This lifes pan has been able to promote the use of timber in the industry as a construction material. Due to the increased aesthetic in the different areas coupled with the longer lifespan, timber has been able to multiply the usage over the last ten years in the construction industry. The use of treated timber is in most cases enhanced in the decorative works which ensures that the aesthetic nature is able to last for long. Methodology In order to achieve the key element that timber is increasing in the usage, the analysis of timber with other factors was enhanced. The comparison between timber and other construction materials was done to ensure that the desired goals and advantages of timber where achiever, this led to the conclusion that timber is more superior in terms of the construction materials than other materials such as plastic and steel (International Conference On Structural Health Assessment Of Timber Structures, Piazza Riggio, 2013). Key comparison factors which needed to be carried out include the aesthetic factors, durability, affordability, availability among other key factors. In addition, hardness factor consideration and comparison, painting comparison are other key issues which were considered in coming with the conclusion that the timber is a better construction material (Coulson, 2014). Moreover, the cost factors are key in the construction industry and these were much considered in the comp arison methods with other materials which are substitutes of timber. Moreover, the environmental issues are other key factors which were considered in the determination of the timber as a fit material for the construction industry. Design and Discussion One of the key factor, which enhances timber to be used in the construction industry, is its sustainable nature. The companies implementing the timber as a construction material are able to regrow trees even before they are able to use them as construction material. The fact that the timber can be achieved through this means, it means that the timber is replaceable after being cur. The regrown forest there may be able to exist all through and not be depleted. Unlike the steel, which are not sustainable because they can explode the ground and the ore is depleted. The ore after depletion cannot be able to be replaced after being explored. The exploration of the ore will not be done forever but timber can be easily be regrown and therefore be able to enhance its superiority over the steel. This factor is able to make the timber more superior to the steel and therefore making it a perfect material for construction. The timber used in Australia is usually obtained from the specified fores try areas (Coulson, 2012). This means that the areas are able to allow the regrow after the cutting down the trees. The ratio of 1:1 or greater is usually used in the regrow of the trees in these forestry areas in Australia. In addition, wood is relatively light in comparison with other materials such as steel (Coulson, 2014). The specific weight of timber is usually about 500 kg/m3. The comparison of this to the weight of armed concrete weight of between 2000 to 2500 kg/m3 and that of steel of about 7800 kg/m3 makes the timber more advantageous (Rajapakse, 2008). The design factors are able to consider the amount of self weight which the main members in the construction are able to impose on others. It is clear that the cost of design and construction using the concrete and the steel are much expensive due to their increased specific weight (Watts, 2014). Moreover, the cost effectiveness in the design members is able to depend on the weight. The increase in the weight is able to lead to a costly construction of the embers when the cost is imposed per kg. Being lighter than these other construction materials, the timer is able to become the best option for the construction industry. The design of other f actors will be reduced due to the reduced self weight of the individual members in the construction projects. Moreover, timber is in most cases applied even in location where some of the materials in the construction industry cannot fit. Most of the materials such as steel are usually limited in their area of application (Watts, 2014). Timber has more application such as ceilings, floor, windows, doors and flooring. This means that the timber is usually applied on many variety of the construction industry. Moreover, hardwood is usually applied in wooden houses and other construction industry. The more application of timber is able to make it a superior material in the construction industry (Rajapakse, 2008). The increase uses are able to make the use of the timber in the construction industry in Australia becoming a key construction material. The timber is able to offer more aesthetic touch than all these key materials and therefore becoming a superior material. Moreover, the application on all these location is able to enhance the look for the perfect aesthetic which is able to help increas e the popularity of the timber in the construction industry. In addition, structural performance is another key factor, which the timber is able to exhibit than other construction materials. Solid timber is able to offer more superior performance under different conditions such as the fire and earthquakes than other materials than timber. Different design factors are able to show that the solid timber is able to minimize on the structural defects under large earthquakes. This means that the solid timber is able to increase the safety and structural performance of the projects. This makes the timber a superior material in the construction industry and therefore leading to the increased usage in the recent days in Australia. Conclusion Timber is one of ancient materials, which has been used in the construction industry. Nevertheless, the less of usage has been low but over the past 15 years, its usage has been able to increase by a bigger margins. From the structural performance to the aesthetics, to the weight factors and the cost effectiveness, durability, the timber is able to perform better than other materials such as plastics, concrete and steel. In Australia, the commercial usage of timber has been embraced considering all these types of additional advantages. In addition, the time used to build the timber parts is lesser that other materials take that. This makes the timber to be able to achieve the key structural elements. The time taken is able to account to much cost in the construction project. Reference AICHER, S., REINHARDT, H. W., GARRECHT, H. (2014). Materials and joints in timber structures: recent developments of technology. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truescope=sitedb=nlebkdb=nlabkAN=644007. COULSON, J. (2012). Wood in construction: how to avoid costly mistakes. Chichester, West Sussex, UK, Wiley-Blackwell. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=4043408. COULSON, J. (2014). Sustainable use of wood in construction. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom, John Wiley Sons, Inc. HALPERIN, D. A., BIBLE, G. T. (1994). Principles of timber design for architects and builders. New York, N.Y., J. Wiley. INCE, P. J., NEPAL, P. (2012). Effects on U.S. timber outlook of recent economic recession, collapse in housing construction, and wood energy trends. International conference on information technology in geo-engineering, toll, d. G., zhu, h., coombs, w., li, x., rouainia, m., osman, A. (2014). Information Technology in Geo-Engineering: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference (ICITG) Durham, UK. https://site.ebrary.com/id/10955550. International conference on structural health assessment of timber structures, piazza, m., riggio, m. (2013). Structural health assessment of timber structures. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1910375. Luso-brazilian conference of sustainable construction materials, aguiar, j., camo?es, a., fangueiro, r., eires, r., cunha, s., kheradmand, m. (2015). Sustainable Construction Materials. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1912650. RAJAPAKSE, R. (2008). Pile design and construction rules of thumb. Burlington, MA, Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=338925. ROY, R. L. (2004). Timber framing for the rest of us: a guide to contemporary post and beam construction. Gabriola Island, BC, New Society Publishers. https://www.deslibris.ca/ID/432028. WATTS, A. (2014). Modern construction envelopes. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1585964.

Great Gatsby Essays (1465 words) - The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan

Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel about one man's disenchantment with the American dream. In the story we get a glimpse into the life of Jay Gatsby, a man who aspired to achieve a position among the American rich to win the heart of his true love, Daisy Fay. Gatsby's downfall was in the fact that he was unable to determine that concealed boundary between reality and illusion in his life. The Great Gatsby is a tightly structured, symbolically compressed novel whose predominant images and symbols reinforce the idea that Gatsby's dream exists on borrowed time. Fitzgerald perfectly understood the inadequacy of Gatsby's romantic view of wealth. At a young age he met and fell in love with Ginevra King, a Chicago girl who enjoyed the wealth and social position to which Fitzgerald was always drawn. After being rejected by Ginevra because of his lower social standing, Fitzgerald came away with a sense of social inadequacy, a deep hurt, and a longing for the girl beyond attainment. This disappointment grew into distrust and envy of the American rich and their lifestyle. These personal feelings are expressed in Gatsby. The rich symbolize the failure of a civilization and the way of life and this flaw becomes apparent in the characters of Tom and Daisy Buchanan. Nick Carraway, the narrator of the story, quickly became disillusioned with the upper social class after having dinner at their home on the fashionable East Egg Island. "Nick is forced unwillingly to observe the violent contrast between their opportunities- what is implied by the gracious surface of their existence- and the seamy underside which is it's reality" (Way 93). In the Buchanans, and in Nick's reaction to them, Fitzgerald shows us how completely the American upper class has failed to become an aristocracy. The Buchanans represent cowardice, corruption, and the demise of Gatsby's dream Gatsby, unlike Fitzgerald himself, never discovers how he has been betrayed by the class he has idealized for so long. For Gatsby, the failure of the rich has disastrous consequences. Gatsby's desire to achieve his dream leads him to West Egg Island. He purchased a mansion across the bay from Daisy's home. There is a green light at the end of Daisy's dock that is visible at night from the windows and lawn of Gatsby's house. This green light is one of the central symbols of the novel. In chapter one, Nick observes Gatsby in the dark as he looks longingly across the bay with arms stretched outward toward the green light. It becomes apparent, as the story progresses that "the whole being of Gatsby exists only in relation to what the green light symbolizes This first sight, that we have of Gatsby, is a ritualistic tableau that literally contains the meaning of the completed book" (Bewley 41). A broader definition of the green light's significance is revealed in Chapter 5, as Gatsby and Daisy stand at one of the windows in his mansion. "If it wasn't for the mist we could see your home across the bay," said Gatsby. "You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock." "Daisy put her arm through his abruptly, but he seemed absorbed in what he had just said. Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it has seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed so close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects has diminished by one" (Fitzgerald 94). Gatsby had believed in the green light, it made his dream seem attainable. Upon meeting Daisy again, after a five-year separation, Gatsby discovers that sometimes attaining a desired object can bring a sense of loss rather than fulfillment. It is when Gatsby makes this discovery that the green light is no longer the central image of a great dream, but only a green light at the end of a dock. The most obvious symbol in The Great Gatsby is a waste land called the Valley of Ashes, a dumping ground that lies between East and West Egg and New York City. Symbolically "the green breast of the new world" (Fitzgerald 182) becomes this Valley of Ashes. As the illusions of youth give way to the disillusionment of the thirties, so green hopes give way to the dust of disappointment. Certainly Gatsby's dreams

The Tenor of a Metaphor, a Rhetorical Term

The Tenor of a Metaphor, a Rhetorical Term In a metaphor, the tenor is the principal subject illuminated by the vehicle (that is, the actual  figurative expression). The interaction of tenor and vehicle evokes the meaning of the metaphor. Another word for tenor is topic. For example, if you call a lively or outspoken person a firecracker (The guy was a real firecracker, determined to live life on his own terms), the aggressive person is the tenor and firecracker is the vehicle. The terms vehicle  and  tenor  were introduced by British  rhetorician  Ivor Armstrong Richards in  The Philosophy of Rhetoric  (1936). [V]ehicle and tenor in cooperation, said Richards, give a meaning of more varied powers than can be ascribed to either. Examples The main elements of metaphorical equations such as Life is a walking shadow are often referred to as tenor (thing we are talking about) and vehicle (that to which we are comparing it).   Ground . . . denotes the link between tenor and vehicle (i.e., common properties; Ullmann 1962: 213). Thus, in the metaphor  Ã‚  Life is a walking shadow, life represents the tenor, walking shadow the vehicle, and transience the ground.Alternative terminologies abound. Popular alternatives for tenor and vehicle are target domain and source domain, respectively.(Verena Haser,  Metaphor, Metonymy, and Experientialist Philosophy: Challenging Cognitive  Semantics. Walter de Gruyter, 2005)Tenor and Vehicle in William Staffords RecoilIn William Staffords poem Recoil, the first stanza is the vehicle and the second stanza is the tenor:The bow bent remembers home long,the years of its tree, the whineof wind all night conditioningit, and its answer Twang!To the people here who would fret me downtheir way and make me bend:By remembering hard I could startle for homeand be myself again. Tenor and Vehicle in Cowleys The WishIn the first stanza of Abraham Cowleys poem â€Å"The Wish,† the tenor is the city and the vehicle is a beehive:Well then! I now do plainly seeThis busy world and I shall neer agree.The very honey of all earthly joyDoes of all meats the soonest cloy;And they, methinks, deserve my pityWho for it can endure the stings,The crowd and buzz and murmurings,Of this great hive, the city. I.A. Richards on Tenor and Vehicle We need the word metaphor for the whole double unit, and to use it sometimes for one of the two components in separation from the other is as injudicious as that other trick by which we use the meaning here sometimes for the work that the whole double unit does and sometimes for the other componentthe tenor, as I am calling itthe underlying idea or principal subject which the vehicle or figure means. It is not surprising that the detailed analysis of metaphors, if we attempt it with such slippery terms as these, sometimes feels like extracting cube-roots in the head.​(I.A. Richards, The Philosophy of Rhetoric. Oxford University Press, 1936)​[I.A. Richards] understood metaphor as a series of shifts, as borrowings back and forth, between tenor and vehicle. Hence, in 1936, his famous definition of metaphor as a transaction between contexts.Richards justified coining tenor, vehicle, and ground to clarify the terms of that transaction. . . . The two parts had been called by such loaded locutions as the original idea and the borrowed one; what is really being said or thought of and what it is compared to; the idea and the image; and the meaning and the metaphor. Some theorists refused to concede how much idea was imbedded in, drawn from the image. . . . With neutral terms a critic can proceed to study the relations between tenor and vehicle more objectively.(J. P. Russo, I.A. Richards: His Life and Work. Taylor, 1989) Pronunciation: TEN-er

Materiality in Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Materiality in Auditing - Essay Example Due to economic turmoil, every company has become more conscious about financial statements and auditing. The mission of the financial audit is to offer credible information for the effectiveness of the decision making process. In auditing function, materiality is an important concept. As per the Council for International Accountancy Standard (IASB), materiality is defined as a â€Å"general code for drawing up and presenting financial statements† (Maria & Franca, n.d.). Materiality is regarded as a financial misstatement. The variation is amid the budgeted and actual cost on the basis of the material purchased. Varied financial institutions and organizations have used materiality to make auditing report perfect (Fields, 2011). Therefore, Financial Accounting Standard Broad has renounced quantitative guidelines for determining materiality in auditing. In general auditing of a company is to provide a fair image of the financial statement. Nowadays, every private organization us e materiality to maintain secrecy in financial accounting statements. With the help of auditing systems financial institutes has minimized materiality in company’s financial statements (Baietti & et. al., 2012). It has been minimized by implementing the concept of materiality in the planning as well as final process. Materiality relies on various aspect of element considering situations of erroneous omission or presentation. The objective of this paper is to highlight materiality importance in auditing. Moreover, this study also highlights recent audit regulation, changed audit practice in relation to disclosure of materiality. The audit represents a professional reasoning that can be applied in any domain. The main purpose of discrepancies reported is to control some corrective measures necessary for reduction or elimination of identified discrepancies. The materiality concept depends upon dimension of element or an error

Kite Runner of Khaled Hosseini Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Kite Runner of Khaled Hosseini - Essay Example Comparison between Amir and Hassan The comparison between Amir and Hassan shows that Amir is a jealous person as opposed to Hassan. This is because, whenever Amir sees his father loving Hassan more than him, he gets jealous. As a result, he seeks methods aimed at attracting his father’s affection by trying hard and winning the local kite-running tournament. To ensure that he remains alone with his in their home, he frames Hassan as a thief by planting some money and a watch under his mattress so that when his father finds out Hassan is a thief, he will force him out of the family. In addition to jealousy, Amir is cold and a coward. For instance, when Hassan takes long after going to look for the blue kite, he goes searching for him and when he finds him in the hands of Assef who bullies Hassan and sexually abuses him, he does not help him (36). Besides, he hides and watches helplessly but thinking if he does get the blue kite to his father, he will approve him. In the other en d, Hassan is a true successful kite runner. Hassan is also a brave boy and loving friend. For instance, when Assef tries to attack Amir, he steps forward to defend Amir simply because he is brave and a caring friend for he defends his closest friend Amir. Similarities between Amir and Hassan The novel portrays Amir and Hassan as closest friends despite Hassan being a Hazarajat and therefore not allowed to stay close to Amir traditionally. The novel gives a number of similarities between Amir and Hassan. For example, within the context of their close friendship just as portrayed in part of the novel, it is deducible that both Amir and Hassan are friendly (44). Hassan is a Hazarajat and their tradition does not approve of his friendship with Amir. On the other side, Hassan does many things to help Amir due to their friendship. He defends him from bullies and helps him win the local kite-running tournament (59). All this happens because they are both friendly. When Amir returns to Paki stan after Rahim Khan who is ailing calls him, he establishes something that portrays another similarity between him and Hassan. Khan tells Amir that, for all that time he was not aware but as of that time, he knows. Khan is certain that Ali was not the true father of Hassan; his real father was Baba, Amir’s father. On that note, Amir finds out that Hassan was his half brother and they both shared the same biological father. This shows that, apart from being closest friends, they are also brothers. It is therefore agreeable that Amir and Hassan have another thing in common which is, they share the same father (64). Furthermore, both Hassan and Amir have talents. The novel portrays Hassan as a talented kite runner while Amir has talent in locating where the kite will fall even without looking. Thus, their talents are also part of the similarities that they share. How do their differences ruin their relationship? Amir and Hassan relate as friends and share the same home. Howeve r, they are not relatives. Baba, Amir’s father is rich and Amir gets almost everything that he wants. Hassan on the other hand ails from a poor family and can only get what is necessary. Since Amir feels that his father does not love him as much as he loves Hassan, he resolves to do things that ruin his relationship with Hassan. For examp

Strategic Management And Decision Making

Strategic Management And Decision Making When the benefits of actions are predictable, when the forces or variables that drives the firm are known and move in deterministic manner, when the deviations arent high , one can easily use standard decision making optimization techniques. But when the situations are unpredictable, forces are unknown and move in unpredictable and non-linear manner, and then optimization principles will not help much. And this is what we are facing today. The utter necessity of tactical, operational and strategic approach is the solution to such dynamic situations that can be achieved through making important decisions strategically. CHARACTERISTICS AND APPROCHES TO STRATEGIC DECSION MAKING Unlike routine decisions, strategic decisions are highly substantial and significant that has pervasive and long term effect on an organization life. Such decisions must have following characteristics to be considered as a direction for future actions throughout an organization, these are: Rare: Strategic decisions are rare and unusual and do not have any example or model to follow. Consequential: Since strategic decisions are substantial, therefore its demands lot of dedication from people at all levels. Percussive: Good strategic decisions serve as a role model and set standards for upcoming decisions in future. Also as stated by Cyert and March(1963) that in established organization, the scope for decision making is limited by prior decision, either explicit or implicit, as well as being limited by morally committed to resources and departments etc. According to Thompsons (1967) decisions has 2 major dimensions i.e. preference about possible outcomes and cause and effect relations. And the degree of certainty and uncertainty is defined by causation and outcome preference, as shown in figure below: Fig.1 Situation Certainty Uncertainty Certain Computational Compromise Uncertain Judgmental Inspirational Computational Decision Making: Computational decisions are the outcomes of linear relation between causation and preferred outcomes. For examples, if company wishes to increase its sales by 2%, it must increase its advertisement by 4% , and for 4% sales, it must increase advertisement by 8%, knowing linear relation exists between cause and effect. Thus increasing advertisement increase sales by double and this is called programmed decisions by Simon(1997). Judgmental Decision Making: It occurs when cause and effect relation is uncertain, but outcome preference is certain. For examples a company targets to increase its sales by 2% for the coming year, but is uncertain about how to much increase advertisement to reach such target. So some kind of experienced powerful individual of committee with high intuition is required for effective decisions. Compromise Decision making: Compromise decisions are the outcomes of situations where there is certainty about causation and uncertainty about preferred outcomes. From previous examples, if company knows from its historical data that for every 2% increase in sales, the advertising must be increased by double, this is causation certainty, but there is uncertainty about achieving desired goals with respect to increase in sales. Inspirational Decision Making: Such decisions are the outcomes of both uncertainty about cause and effect as well aS preferred outcomes. For an instance, a company isnt sure that how much advertising percent be increased to get certain percent of sales increment. So for such cases a entrepreneurial mode or well planned mode is required to make careful decisions. Because of uncertain business environment, decision makers face difficulty matching probability with outcomes, having many decision tools in hand. However, again despite of having such tools, lack of accuracy is also one of the biggest obstacles in making decisions strategically. In short we can summarize typical problems involved in strategic decision making are: Uncertainty: Dealing with excessive complexity and rapid changes Self-fulfilling prophecies: Coping with situations that external factors arent fixed, but are affected by decisions. Fragmentation: Working to connect regional functional groups. According to Mintzberg, there are different approaches to making strategic decisions, that could be done by one person or by team. Entrepreneurial Mode The strategy is developed by one individual with strong entrepreneurial capabilities, supported by the owners vision of direction. It is a good example of availing the available opportunities. Example AOL, Amazon.com. Adaptive Mode Unlike entrepreneurial mode, adaptive mode is the focus on the threats posed by external conditions, rather than search for opportunities. Planning Mode Planning mode is the combination of both entrepreneurial mode and adaptive mode, which consist of proactive search for opportunities and reactive solutions to current problems. It is a typical form of decision making where set alternatives strategies are presented and the best are chosen and implemented. Logical Incrementalism This philosophy of decision making is characterized by achieving organizational objectives by disseminating large organizational objectives into small steps for better focus. Though it is time consuming, but offers greater flexibility. STEPS IN STRATEIC DECISION MAKING PROCESS One of the distinguishing factor of strategic decisions from other decisions is context in which decision is made. The figure below represents this context in 3 Cs form i.e. Company, Competitor and Customer. This means that managers ( company) make decision within organizational context ,with influence from other players like customers and competitors .Thus we can say that managerial strategic decision is outcome of number of players like manager himself, customers, competitors, public, media etc. As we can also see from figure that many factors, both external and internal are involved in strategic decision making. There are modifiers, influencers, and controllers and so on that decides the viability of decision making. As mentioned before that most appropriate approach to strategic decision making is Planning mode, because it is more analytical, flexible in dealing with complex and changing environment, and consist of presenting set alternative strategies in response to solution for existing problems or looking for new opportunities. Following are the steps involved in strategic decision making process, shown in fig. 4 Evaluate current performance result: The first step in decision making is (a) evaluating current performance of the company in terms of various measuring tools of decision making i.e. NPV, ROI, profitability etc and (b) evaluating the current mission, vision, strategies and policies of the organization. Review corporate governance Assess the performance of the organizations board of directors and top management, and agency head. Scan and assess the external environment Analyze the external environment. i.e. Societal and Task environment, for opportunities and threats and weigh external strategic factors. Scan and assess the internal environment Analyze the internal environment i.e. organization Culture, Structure and Resources for example programs, IT needs, constraints and weigh strategic factors in terms of strengths and weaknesses. Analyze strategic (SWOT) factors Consider strategic factors in light of current department situation and review and revise the firms mission, vision, strategies and objectives. Generate, evaluate and select the best alternative strategy Keeping in view the previous step of analyzing strategic factors, operate and evaluate strategic alternatives and options and choose the best feasible options. Implement selected strategies Once the strategies are chosen, the next important step is to implement them keeping in considerations factors like budget, resources etc. Evaluate implemented strategies This is a very important step in decision making to check for any deviation from actual desired and pre- planned outcomes. CONCLUSION Strategic management is one of the very important areas in business environment and making decisions strategically is one of the biggest challenges in todays rapidly changing and complex environment. Strategic decision making is a process of generating alternatives and choosing the best feasible alternatives for achieving long run objectives of the organization. Good strategic decisions are rare, consequential and directive, that set standard for future actions. The context in which the decisions are made is very important, as mentioned; it is external players like customers, competitors, media etc along with internal input from managerial efforts that effect quality of decisions. And also it is very important to know how these factors influences the quality and effectiveness of strategic decision making and be proactive to convert threats into opportunities, rather than being re-active in finding solutions to current problems. REFERENCES http://www.dol.gov/cio/programs/ITStrategicPlan2006/decisionmakingprocess.jpg http://www.stratrisk.co.uk/about/execSummary/fig3x470x345.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_management http://books.google.ae/books?id=c35YVifvGekCprintsec=frontcoverdq=strategic+decision+makingsource=blots=EPD5PfXGS-sig=WcXC9bk8R0bxKf1TZpZriuic-Ashl=enei=kLUhTKazFsaLONHUiTosa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepageqf=false Raghbir S. Basi, University Professor of Management and Glenn and Eva Olds Professor of International Understanding, Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage, Alaska, Administrative decision making: a contextual analysis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_management#cite_note-79 Understanding Managers Strategic Decision-Making Process, WILIAM BOULDING ~ Fuqua S «hool of B «Ã‚ «siness, Duke Universitv Box 90121, Durham, NC 27708-1020 Retrived from URL : http://www.springerlink.com/content/rg6770h0148641l7/fulltext.pdf (Mulcaster, W.R. Three Strategic Frameworks, Business Strategy Series, Vol 10, No1, pp68 75, 2009) Our book Wheelen T.L ( ) and Hunger J. D Strategic Management and Business Policy Strategic decision making : Applying The Analytical Herarchical Process Navneet Bhushan and Kanwal Rai Retrieved from URL http://books.google.ae/books?id=c35YVifvGekCprintsec=frontcoverdq=strategic+decision+makingsource=blots=EPD5PfXGS-sig=WcXC9bk8R0bxKf1TZpZriuic-Ashl=enei=kLUhTKazFsaLONHUiTosa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepageqf=false

Domestic Violence in Canada Essay -- Violence Against Women Essays new

Violence has become prevalent within society; it is something the western world has learned to accept. With every minute that passes Canadians come face to face with certain acts of violence they may not have previously encountered (citation). Although, violence is not a subject that one can escape, women and children have unfortunately become the prime victims of violent acts. The media glorifies violence in other countries around the world it fails to address the presence of violence within Canada. Although violence is usually associated with gangs and guns, Canada experiences more violence related to bullying, sexual, verbal, cyber and domestic abuse (citation). Amidst the changing societal views towards treating women equally and eliminating objectification, of all these types of violence and abuse in our society, the most common still happens to be domestic abuse, which is mainly targeted at women and affects children. Domestic abuse is described as a form of abuse that takes pl ace in the confines of the household (Citation). Though 51% of Canadians have said to have experienced or witnessed domestic abuse only 20% of those cases related to domestic violence are ever reported (citation). Domestic abuse has become more prevalent in modern society; however, it is an issue that is left un-noticed simply because its effects are invisible outside the walls of ones home. In reality the effects of domestic violence have severe negative effects on women, children and the social structure of today’s society. Without any notification of domestic violence the re precautions of this abuse can be dire. When an individual thinks of domestic abuse, their ideas quickly relate back to women, simply because women are the usual and most common victims of domestic violence. And therefore is an issue that must be resolved rather than ignored. An abused woman is always faced with a number of different choices from which she may consider, with regards to seeking help or ending the relationship with a variety of alternatives, the woman knows each decision involves a variety of risks. Time after time, the common question arises, â€Å"why doesn’t she just leave?† This question can be answered by analyzing the psychological effects domestic abuse has on women. Many women are unable to cope with the emotional and psychological stress of domestic abuse and resort to violence and extre... ...mestic violence become homeless, their social economic status begins to decline. Going from a potentially middle class lifestyle they must resort to living in a shelter or on the street, simply because they are mentally or physically unable to find work due to the abuse they have experienced. As individuals lose their social economic status the social gap between the rich and the poor grows inevitably. The widening social gap can lead to discrimination and disparities such as growing food insecurities which can be described as the struggle for poor and homeless minorities to obtain food. The result of homelessness due to domestic violence will, negatively affect interaction between individuals, consequent to the social gap that will detach the victims of violence from their desired social economic status. In conclusion, the invisibility of domestic violence has caused numerous negative effects on women, children and the overall structure of modern day society. Women have been affected psychologically as well as socially. Children have been disadvantaged by the effects of domestic abuse within the school environment and in the latter parts of their lives. (worldly statement).