Civil Engineering Management Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Civil Engineering Management Portfolio - Essay Example Management is a leading science domain and routine in managing building companies. It is one of the oldest human activities; it activates human abilities on building investment objects in order to assure necessity for civil engineering purposes. It is good enough reason to take place in management development in civil engineering. As there are too many definitions of management depending on an author, only the most important are offered, namely the most acceptable in civil engineering domain. Remarkable attention is given to managing tasks in civil engineering as well to their correlationsIf we speak about management in civil engineering then the total quality management must be proposed. Total quality management is a business philosophy and accessible way of modern companies around the whole world. It is the most contemporary idea of developing and advancing in all life and work domains. The growing urge of efficient use of the earth's resources such as land, air, water and raw mate rials as well as concentration on efficient design, analysis and maintenance of civil structures requires a better insight in the spatial and temporal patterns of resources and activities (Bean, A.L., 2007). In view of the fact that the parameters of civil engineering today are not only confined to design and construction of structures but due to globalization and privatization of civil engineering organizations now civil engineering emerges as a study, which not only pay attention on construction.... Inspection is the activity that assesses by measurement or testing whether an element has conformed to specifications. Corrective work is then ordered to rectify any non-conformance in the element. QC builds upon the inspection efforts and relies largely on statistical techniques to determine trends and detect problems in the processes. Such techniques are being used routinely in manufacturing. With respect to the construction industry, concrete cube testing is one rare example. Both QA and TQM are focused on meeting customer requirements, and this is at the top of the agenda. It may be said that if TQM is necessary for all businesses, it becomes more crucial and critical in case of civil engineering because structures and constructions are the phenomena afford no repetition or revision after completion. In this way, civil engineering project management becomes a dynamic multi-dimensional and multi-pronged strategic field. (Pyzdek, Thomas, (2000) 1.1 Objective of the Study In general and widely adopted sense, civil engineers are considered to design and manage the construction of roads, railways, buildings, bridges, tunnels, dams, airports, water supply and sewage systems. They must have to look into several factors in the design procedure from the production costs and expected lifetime of a project keeping in view the government policies and possible environmental hazards such as hurricanes and earthquakes. Civil engineering, considered one of the oldest engineering disciplines, assimilates many specialties. The most common and crucial fields of civil engineering include structural, water resources, construction, transportation, and geotechnical engineering. (Bean, A.L., 2007) Most of the civil engineers hold administrative or supervisory

Assignment 2 (Management Quantitative Methods) Essay

Assignment 2 (Management Quantitative Methods) - Essay Example The research paper focuses on how individual motivation, connectedness and inter/intra-unit ties is important in knowledge transfer between individuals in organisations. Knowledge transfer and has recently been gaining a lot of importance since firms are finding themselves in increasingly competitive markets and are realizing their need to be more creative and innovative. Its importance has grown in recent decades for three related reasons. First, knowledge appears to be an increasing proportion of many organizations total assets2. Second, organizations have moved away from hierarchical methods of control toward more decentralized organizational structures and increased employee involvement. This has resulted in more knowledge transfer as employees are more involved in the decision making of the companies and has reduced organizational paths through which information travels. Finally, advances in information technology have created new means of knowledge transfer. The paper discusses how knowledge transfer is important for promoting innovation and creativity in organisations. Employees can be influenced by actions taken by the organisations to transfer knowledge so as to reach favourable outcomes. This can be done by an understanding of both what motivates the individual to transfer knowledge, as well as, structurally, with whom individuals exchange knowledge; the former is relevant to development of proper HRM policy to stimulate knowledge while the latter is indicated by an individual’s position in the knowledge transfer network of an organization. The paper also discusses how individual motivation may explain an individual’s position in the structure of the network in which innovative knowledge is transferred. Individuals that are more connected within the full knowledge transfer network of an organisation contribute significantly and lead to more innovative outcomes for the organisation. The concept of closeness centrality is used to indicate the individual’s position in the full knowledge transfer network, rather than merely observing their immediate connections. The connections an individual has may be within the own unit, while also knowledge transferred from other units, crossing unit boundaries, is believed to contribute to innovation in an important way. Transfer of knowledge in a multi-unit organisation may be difficult than transfer of knowledge in a unit that specializes in one knowledge field. This is because in a multi-unit organisation, the employees have limited information as to what activities and knowledge other employees have or are engaged in. Within a unit that specializes in one knowledge field, knowledge may also be of the tacit3 kind. Thus an individual’s capacity to contribute to the innovation processes in a firm then depends not just on his own (absorptive) capacity originating from earlier experiences, but also depends on the social, professional and hierarchical relations within t he organization. If one is not well-connected one’s contribution to knowledge transfer and thus the innovation process can be limited. Well-connected individuals can gain information of higher accuracy, van gain diverse knowledge and can collect and spread existing information more rapidly, but can also recombine existing ideas and knowledge in a novel way thus being more creative. Individual motivation is important factor for knowledge transfe

Understanding Prejudice Essay Example for Free

Understanding Prejudice Essay What exactly is the meaning of prejudice, and what does being prejudiced mean? Prejudice is a big word with a very deep meaning. Indeed, a lot of people may not know the true sense of it and how it affects people in the society. People live in a world that is full of prejudice. It is considered as one of the negative social phenomenons and one of the main sources of problems in the world. Prejudice denotes making or predisposition to make a decision or judgment before one becomes aware of the relevant truth of a certain case or scenario. For instance, people may have heard others saying things about a certain group of individuals such as â€Å"all black people are†¦. ,† â€Å"all white people are†¦. ,† â€Å"people in third world countries are†¦,† etc. (Breen, 2006). People may think that prejudice only refers to racial prejudice that is usually directed towards people with light or dark skin. However, I have learned that prejudice has a deeper meaning than discrimination against people of a certain race or color. Rather, prejudice can also be a result of one’s gender and geographical, religious, and cultural backgrounds. Every person also has his or her own way of being prejudiced. For example, one can judge somebody by the way he or she dresses and talks or even by his or her appearance. Thus, prejudice can come from different sources such as peers, parents, school, and public organization. At the same time, it can also be directed to various types of people. There are also many different kinds of prejudice that exist in our society today. Some of them may be observed in school, at home, or even in the television. For this reason, discrimination, racism, sexism, and other forms of social problems exist in the world we live in. Hence, it is not fair and also very sad that prejudice is a widely pervasive phenomenon in the world. (Breen, 2006). It is always inevitable to become prejudiced. There are a lot of reasons why people become prejudiced. It is a fact that one can learn it from home; parents often do not recognize that they are being an example to their children. If parents are prejudiced, then it is most likely that the child will also become one because that is what he or she observes from his or her parents. Children may also become prejudiced if parents directly teach or tell the former to perceive somebody or some things in the society in a certain way. That is why at a very young age, many children start to become prejudiced already and start to judge people and things by what they believe and think of them. They also become prejudiced due to the environment that they grow up in, the school and the neighborhood that they get involved in or witnesses. The media also plays a role in influencing people to become prejudiced. The effect on prejudice of television shows and films is very substantial. There are just so many ways on how people can become prejudiced, and it is very alarming that it has become one common source of misunderstandings, fights, and disputes all over the world (Breen, 2006). It is very hard to stop prejudice; however, it can be lessened if people would try not to be judgmental on simple things that they see and observe in their environment. Proper or right education must be imposed to children especially at home and in school in order to stop prejudice and so that people will eventually look at one another without making negative judgments. On the other hand, it would be very difficult to stop this social phenomenon as prejudice has become already part of the society. In conclusion, prejudice is an attitude that is based on generalizations and stereotypes. It is very astounding how easy it is for an individual to become prejudiced on somebody or something. Nevertheless, prejudice is merely a kind of thinking or a feeling in an individual’s mind. While people will never abolish the existence of prejudice in the society, it can be lessened and prevented if everyone will just start to cooperate and make an effort in reducing it. I believe that working hand in hand toward a common objective or goal can bring different groups of people all together, regardless of their age, race and sex. Reference Breen, R. (2006). Real Life Issues: Prejudice. Great Britain: Trotman Company Limited.

Islam And French Colonial Rule In West Africa History Essay

Islam And French Colonial Rule In West Africa History Essay Following the European conquest of Africa there was a substantial expansion in both Muslim and Christian societies. Though Christianity was perceived by some as a machine of colonialism and part of a European civilising mission, taking Islam was on the other hand viewed as anti-colonial, reflecting a form of resistance rather than collaboration. Islam offered a sense of community during colonial rule when the continent was experiencing a time of rapid change and mobility. F admin sought to systematically manage the practice of Islam in their colonies in a way of which they could bring it into alignment with the F perspective of modernity and make Islam serve as a bulwark for the states authority. At same time officials half heartened efforts slavery, inconsistent labour cash cropping projects and arbitrary power by poorly trained and underfunded admin brought dramatic and unexpected changes in how comm. were org and how individuals understood their position in soc. West African Musli ms drew creatively on centuries of Islamic thought and soc experimentation to craft new identities and comm. out of the changes brought by F. Example was how followers of Yacouba Sylla gave a new meaning to the hollow and alien terms that colonial politicians spoke about such as freedom, dev and modernisation. They made them central themes in a mystical Sufi practice that looked little like the enlightenment-based liberal republicanism governors hoped to create or like reformist Islam promoted by modernisers elsewhere. (Hanretta 2009, 3) The terms accommodation and collaboration are commonly used by historians to describe the relationship between Islam and French colonial rule in West Africa. In Islam and Social Change in French West Africa, Hanretta states that in places like Senegal, Mauritiana and Mali, when successful in representing their version of Islam as being compatible with the dictates of colonial rule, they were given access to metropolitan power to use against other religious leaders for clients and patronage. This relationship could be seen as a collaboration of resources between the colonisers and the Muslim colonised, to maintain order and peace (Hanretta 2009, 138-139). Another traditional Islamic community were the Sufi Brotherhoods, in particular the Tijaniyya in Senegal, Mali and Guinea, who split into branches and networks that have cultivated family networks. Of the Tijani scholars there were who actively opposed French colonial rule in the 19th century, by the 20th century many became outspoke n collaborators of the colonial government (Heck 2007, 65). Heck and Hanretta mention Seydou Nourou Taal, grandson to al-Hajj Umar Taal, who contributed to and organised many Tijani jihad movements, whilst Seydou Nourou became one of Frances greatest Muslim intermediaries. When colonial occupation began, many Muslim leaders accepted European administration who agreed to grant them limited control over their communities; this was what part of what the Europeans thought was an efficient and cheap system of governance (Hanretta 2009, 60). These are examples of when Muslim leaders and communities chose to cooperate with the colonial regime and shows that areas under Islamic rule decided to accommodate French colonial rule and in some parts of West Africa, Muslim leaders obtained a peaceful relationship between the two. Brenner looks at the case of Agibu where the motivating ideology for al-Hajj Umar was reformist Islam, which opposed the civilising mission of the French colonial ideology. The relationship between Islam and colonial French rule is built on clashing ideologies and conflict. Brenner states that between the two world wars there was a confrontation between Tijani Sufism and French Islamic policy, and the major French goal with respect to Islam was maintenance of political stability. The French had realised by the second decade of the 20th century that their greatest threat to colonial rule in West Africa was Islam because it had the potential to unite large numbers of people to form resistance against European domination. The relationship therefore could be one of conflicting aims, where the French tried to impose rule among Muslims who did not want to be ruled by non-Muslims. The French were persistent, they promulgated a new native policy in 1909 where Governor General William Ponty e xpressed concerns that Muslims shouldnt govern non-Muslims and in 1911 it was decreed that all administrative correspondence, as well as judgements by native courts, should be written in French, rather than Arabic. These attempts to dissuade the spread of Islam failed however it showed that he wanted French colonial rule to monopolise the politics of Agibu and this meant reducing Islamic influence. This was similar to French Soudan where colonial military officers aimed to limit conversion to Islam (Mann 2003, 264). However, Islam grew more rapidly than ever, becoming the dominant religion of commercial centres in Soudan, where new arrivals that came to seek work in these towns converted to Islam. This chapter of Agibus history should be described as Domination and the French Challenge to Islam (Brenner 1984, 32-38). French Colonial rule in Agibu posed a threat to Islamic values and Islam posed a threat to colonial rule, creating a relationship of conflict. Robinsons explanation of the relationship between Islam and French colonial role in Senegal is a good example of both conflict and collaboration. The French werent able to accommodate rule within Muslim societies, they found it difficult to adjust and through practice and trial and error they did manage to exert a form of indirect rule over the societies. Their intentions behind this form of control was to cut French costs, whereby they used the local population to grow peanuts, pay taxes and in essence, maintain order. This however caused many of the Muslims to resent colonial chiefs and persuaded them to become marabouts that although abandoned their political powers they did encourage their followers to pay tithes but provided them also with an education and welfare as well as assurance. The French recognised the importance of marabouts in maintaining order and brought back Amadu Bamba (Muslim scholar and Sufi leader) from his exile who they had previously accused of plotting to w age a military jihad against the French (Heck 2007, 61-62). This shows collaboration between the colonial French and Bamba. They believed that he would help to stabilise the colonial economy and political order, he returned realising that French colonial rule would endure and that they had but no choice to accommodate (Robinson 2004, 182-196). After Mamba died the Murids became the dominant and economic force in the peanut basin and accepted colonial rule (Searing 2002, 128-130). In his book Sufism and Politics Heck goes on to say that Bambas return from exile not early pacified relations between his followers and the French colonial system but it developed a pattern of understanding and proved to be profitable for both sides (Heck 2007, 63). Here the relationship began by the French adjusting to ruling over Muslim societies and eventually exploiting them to grow peanuts and pay taxes to cut administration costs. This completely turned around when the French had to seek help from Ba mba and other marabouts to maintain order and therefore join forces with Muslim leaders and societies, thus forth displaying a relationship of compromise. It is important to be aware of what earlier French Islamic policy was in colonial Africa in order to examine the relationship between Islam and French colonial rule in West Africa. The presumptions made by French colonialists of Islam and Africans had implications on their reaction towards Muslim leaders and their subjects. Hanretta states that there is no doubt that the beliefs the French held about Islam, Africans and the nature of the colonial mission deeply influenced the reactions of the officials to Yacouba Sylla and his followers. Through a working, shifting compromise, Muslim leaders were tolerated and even patronised, but also carefully scrutinised. A lot of the action taken by the French in West Africa was based on experiences they had encountered in Algeria, for example the idea that Muslim networks, particularly Sufi tariqas could be used as intermediaries provided they were small and particularised, small enough not to gain enough power to compete with regional systems a nd African enough to protect themselves from North African and Middle Eastern influences. Harrison agrees that if we are to find a serious and sustained development of French policy towards Islam it is necessary to look north to Algeria where a definite consensus emerged at the end of the 19th century (Harrison 1988, 15-27). French policy in the 1920s and 1930s turned on the distinction between good and bad tariqas, during this period a the bad tariqa was the Hamawaiyyah and naturally once Yacouba became seen as a Hamallist preacher the administrators goal was to determine whether him and his followers shared the tendencies of this order (Hanretta 2009, 127-128). The relationship between Islam and French colonial rule in West Africa could be characterised by a set of corrections the French were making from the mistakes they had made in North Africa. Sense of cooperation was seen with the leftist Popular Front government in France and Yacouba. It is said that although they were only in power for two decades, their reformist approach abroad had last effects on French West African Policy. In 1936 the Popular Front government helped boost Yacoubas efforts to organise his entire community into a single labour pool. The government also sought to mend the rift between eleven-beads and twelve-beads to bring Hamawis under a more effective control. The most important was the dispatch of Seydou Nouro Tal to Nioro, he was grandson to the head of the powerful twelve-bead Tal family who were opponents of the Hamawiyyah. He was released to reconcile with Shaykh Hamallah (founder of Hamawiyyah) and essentially offer him and his followers minimal protection for their submission to Seydou Nourou (administrations chosen leader of West Africas Muslim population). Thereby the Popular Front were able to change the image of the Hamawiyyah from being s een as a part of a larger politique musulmane to being integrated into Frances hierarchical network of Muslim clients (Hanretta 2009, 95-96). De Coppets attitude to Sheikh Hamallah portrayed him as benevolent and liberally minded, Harrison in France and Islam in West Africa suggests that the initiative for his Muslim policy in French West Africa came from himself and the impression Islam had on him in Mauritania (Harrison 1988, 193). In Fetishizing Religion Mann speaks of how Cardaire, a military colonial officer was cautious of the growth of Saudi-sponsored Wahhabism as a threat to French Africa, serving as director of Soudans Bureau of Muslim affairs he supervised the state-sponsored Hajj, where he accompanied pilgrims to the Hijaz. The fact that the state sponsored people to go on pilgrimage shows that they were tolerant and didnt oppress them from continuing their religious practices (Mann 2003, 270). Accommodation didnt take place between Muslims and a coherent colonial regime but rather was a result of temporary and local constellations of power in which religious elites and administrators shared similar goals. Muslim entrepreneurs able to take advantage of the conflict within administrative depictions of Islam. In areas where the states control of religious institutions was strong, French officials were able to influence a process of creating an environment where certain forms of Islam and certain networks of Muslim leaderships and certain ways of responding to French presence would thrive. An important resource Muslim elites could seek to control was the production of knowledge about African Islam, knowledge that in turn directed the activities of the colonial state. It seems almost as if the relationship was defined by them using each others resources against them and then realising how they would succeed and what methods they would use to gain power and changing it, to suit them (Hanretta 2009, 138-139).

Corruption in Ken Keseys One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest :: One Flew Over Cuckoos Nest

Corruption in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest As Lord Acton put it in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." This is the truth that is evident both in Ken Kesey book One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. His main characters Nurse Ratched and Randal McMurphy are in a subtle underground war against each other's accumulating power, and corruptness. This idea of great men being bad men is evident in Kesey's book, my experiences, and society in general. Ken Kesey appears to show disgust for people of power in his book One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Throughout the novel, Nurse Ratched, the lady within whom lays all the power of the staff in a mental institution, frequently sends people who she has behavioral problems with off to the disturbed wing, like she did Maxwell Taber. It is there that they experience the pain of either electroshock therapy, or a full frontal lobotomy. Nurse Ratched uses this and her natural dominance to inspire fear in her patients. She tends to agree with old school of thought that a healthy dose of fear makes people easier to control. Thus she was able to easily putdown any uprising against her totalitarian rule before Randle McMurphy. Nurse Ratched tries to use the power that has been given to her as head nurse to change the patients as she sees fit. As Bromden puts it, "Working alongside others... she is a veteran of adjusting things" (p. 30). But to do this she has created a living hell for them. McMurphy, one of the rare man that dares to vocalize his opinion, shows his negative sentiment towards Nurse Ratched when he tells Harding, "Hell with that; she's a bitch a ball cutter..." (p. 58). The entire ward can see how power has corrupted Nurse Ratched into the pseudo-megalomaniac/sadist she now is. I agree with Kesey's view of power. I once had a teacher who would grade harder for people he didn't like. As a result if he disliked one of his students, they were guaranteed a `C' or lower. His abuse of power went unchecked and unchallenged due to his seniority and the difficulty of proving his crime.

slave families :: essays research papers

Aside from what the owners and overseers thought, slaves lived their own lives. They made friends, fell in love, played and prayed, sang, told stories, and engaged in the necessary chores of day to day living. These things as well as family and religion were also important to the slaves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the South, the slave owners defined the living arrangements of slaves. Most slaves lived together in nuclear families with a mother, father, and children (Phillips 1929, 14). The stability of the slave family was often challenged due to various reasons: no state law recognized marriage among slaves, masters rather than parents had legal authority over slave children and the possibility of forced separation, through slave trade or sale were an issue of every slave family. These separations were especially frequent in the slave-exporting states of the upper South (Phillips 1929, 16). However, the most effective way of controlling slaves was the threat of sale. Slaves feared the reality of such a suggestion more than any form of punishment. They could endure the pain of whipping, but it was more difficult to suffer the grave psychological injuries that stemmed from the severance of familiar bonds (Phillips 1929, 44). Parents who were sold would worry about the welfare of children growing up without a mother and a father. Slave men and women heard terrifying stories from masters about the dangers of life in other states or in other towns where they might be sold. However, despite their severe status, families served as the slaves’ most basic refuge, the part of their private lives that owners could never fully control.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Religion also served as a refuge for slaves. African slaves usually remained close to their native religions, and many slave owners grew suspicious of those who looked to convert their slaves to Christianity, partly because they were scared that converted slaves would have to be freed. Christianity was increasingly central to the slaves’ cultural lives (Phillips 1929, 20). Many slaves converted during Christian revivals that swept through the South in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, where Baptists and Methodists denomination became most popular among slaves.

Surah Khaf

surah khaf 18:1 to top Sahih International [All] praise is [due] to Allah , who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance. 18:2 to top Sahih International [He has made it] straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward 18:3 to top Sahih International In which they will remain forever 18:4 to top Sahih International And to warn those who say, † Allah has taken a son. 18:5 to top Sahih International They have no knowledge of it, nor had their fathers. Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths; they speak not except a lie. 18:6 to top Sahih International Then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, [O Muhammad], if they do not believe in this message, [and] out of sorrow. 18:7 to top Sahih International Indeed, We have made that which is on the earth adornment for it that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in de ed. 8:8 to top Sahih International And indeed, We will make that which is upon it [into] a barren ground. 18:9 to top Sahih International Or have you thought that the companions of the cave and the inscription were, among Our signs, a wonder? 18:10 to top Sahih International [Mention] when the youths retreated to the cave and said, â€Å"Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance. â€Å"