Part1. Physical items Essay Example for Free

Part1. Physical items Essay Goods: Physical items produced by business organizations. Operations Management: the management of systems or processes that create goods and/or provide services Process: One or more actions that transform inputs into outputs Services: activities that provide some combination of time, location, form, and psychological value System: a set of interrelated parts that must work together. Technology: the application of scientific discoveries to the development and improvement of goods and services Operations management requires: both knowledge of the facts and how to interpret that info in order to produce and deliver Requires constant improvement: due to competition in the marketplace and advances in technology Good process design is: customer driven. What questions What type of process is best suited that will fulfill our customers needs What is the goal in selecting a supplier? To find the best product available for the best price you can The global market enables the operations manager: the flecibility to choose the most cost effective supplier Honda’s relationship with their suppliers is based on: trust Why did Hillrich Bradsby implement ERP system?: to simplify their processes When do hillrich bradsbey start their production process?: when an order is entered into the system What was the purpose of Disney’s Fast Pass?: remove the need to wait in line by using a virtual queue Measuring is an important method. Monitoring the consistency and repeatability of a process is called: statistical process control What technique does Gortac use to support continuous improvement: in manufacturing, try to be more efficient, improving quality: continuous improvement: record the days productivity numbers and compare – daily production meetings. How did ABTCO increase capacity without adding space or investing capital? : using fundamentals of operations mgmt., reorganized the manuf process to improve quality and efficiency. Closed lines producing unfrofitable products and started idle lines to fill shortages, as a result, their siding unit increased prod capacity w out adding space or capital expense.

The World Association Of Travel Agencie Tourism Essay

The World Association Of Travel Agencie Tourism Essay With globalization of economy the world wide communication has increased tremendously along with the touring activities. These touring activities may be for recreation business or any other purpose. A travel agency is an agency that makes the necessary arrangements for travelers (Referenced from, Concise Oxford Dictionary 9th addition Page 1485). The travel agent is supposed to be an expert who can make the knowledge of various destination available to his clients regarding mode of travelling paper work like Passport, Visa and money exchange, Hotel Accommodations for stay like hostels etc, Car rental, connectivitys and local tour etc. A new aspect of tour agency has developed recently i.e. Internet Traveling Agencies using the internet facilities. In terms of the business a travel agency can be defined as a retail business selling products and services which are related with the travel activities. A travel agency works on behalf of the suppliers of such facilities like Airlines, Cruise Companies, Car Rental, and Hotels etc. According to the work a travel agency may specialize into holiday package, business tours, educational tours etc. A new dimension of traveling has emerged i.e. Medical tourism related with services provided to a patient. HISTORY Cox and kings is supposed to be the pioneer company in the field of modern touring. It started in 1758 as Recreation Company for the wealthy customers of a private bank. Thomas cook followed Cox and Kings with establishment of the chain of agencies in 19th centaury with a partner i.e. mid land railway. They sold their own product to the public as well as other tour packages from different tour companies. Other pioneers travel agencies include polytechnic tourism association, co- operative wholesale society and Dean Dawson. All these travel agencies are of British origin. In America the pioneers in the field are Brownell Travel. With development of commercial aviation in 1920s the travel agencies become more and more popular in the public further boom was there in the post-war period with development of mass- market packet holidays specially developed for the working class customers in British owned colonies. OPERATONS AND FUNCTIONING A travel agency is mainly an agent which sells products and services relative with the traveling on behalf of the suppliers. They do not have a ready stock in hand unless a customer request for the same. Most of the travel agencies thrive on commissions given to them by the suppliers In uae7% commission is paid by the airlines to the travel agencies. These agencies have direct links with hotel chains cruise lines and airlines for their activities. RESOURCES AND REVENUE STRUCTURE A travel agency has got two means of revenue earnings i.e. commissions and professional fees. Commissions: These are the main source of income for most of the travel agencies. A travel agency is paid commission by the suppliers of the products and services like airlines etc. Usually the commissions are supposed to be given on a fixed ratio basis. However in case of an agency providing higher volume of business to the supplier it may demand a higher percentage for its services. It is called as override. To enhance their business a travel agency may prefer to pass on some part of this commission to its preferred customers in order to fetch more business. This is the reason that some time a ticket of an airlines is available at a higher price when purchase from a open market and at a lesser price with the agency. Travel agencies also help the airlines to fill their empty seats at the last minutes. Professional fee: A travel agency may charge professional fee from its client if it is not getting commission from the service provider. This may be a percentage premium of the total cost of tour or may be charged on a flat rate basis. Other commercial activities: These include travel insurance, providing travel guiding time tables, car rental and on site Bureau de change services provided by the travel agencies of large chains. A standard fee may be charge for the same. Promotional Activities:- Travel agencies have to take help of print and electronic media for their promotions. This constitutes a major expenditure. This may include hoardings, advertisements and other professionals advertising Apart from this the other expenditure are usually administrative and liasoning activities. Liasoning activities are supposed to be vital to get business in bulk. Sales:- There are four stages of sales sequences for a travel agency :- Enquiring about needs of a customer. Development of a personal rapport with the customer. Good presentation of the products and services and their major suppliers. Actual sales. ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES A better customer satisfaction may be generated if a travel agency uses adequate technologies to provide instance services to its clients. CUSTOMER PROTECTION: SURETY BONDS Like all other business travelling too has a risk of commercial failure so majority of the travel agents have the insurance policies against such calamities. These are called surety bounds and are well advertise by the travel agencies if they have this facility. This means that the clients are guaranteed either the refund of the money or an equivalent holiday according to their preference. These bounds are usually provided by IATA (International Air Transport Association), ATOL ( Air Travel Organizers Licensing), ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents and ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents.) HOLIDAY SUPER MARKET CONCEPT A new concept known as Holiday Super Market Concept has developed in recent years after low cost no frill airlines started their international operations. This is a mass market package holiday in which the clients choose their holidays from brochures on racks. TYPES OF TRAVEL AGENCY There may be many classifications of travel agencies as follows:- According to their specialization. According to geographical operations. According to size. According to specialization Leisure Travel Agents: These agencies operate like tourism ambassadors of foreign companies. or example A company having its head quarter say in Japan might set up various offices around the world to promote tourism to that country. These travel agency will work to promote the business of their mother company in Japan acting as a general sale agent for that company. Business Travel Agents:- with globalization of the economy a new phenomena of globalization of business has emerged requiring a frequent travelling of higher executives and policy makers of a company to different countries. Their needs may be different from those of holiday tourists. To cater this class of travelers a travel agency will have to specialize in this field so as to guide them to have better deals for their business. Abu Dhabi is a place of interest for both type of travelers due to its world class airport, improved infrastructure, and high connectivity as well as presence of large number of places of tourist interest. Medical Tourism: A new dimension called as Medical Tourism has been added to the tourist activities worldwide. This phenomena has emerged because of the fact that there is considerable differences exist between the cost of medical facilities in developed companies and those of so called developing countries. This is also called Medical Tourism, Health Tourism or Global Health Care. A travel agent specialized in medical tourism should have the working knowledge of specialized surgeries like Joint Replacement , Cardiac Surgeries , Psychiatry, Alternative medicines etc. and should be able to guide its client in this regards. According to Geographical Operations: There are two types of travel agencies depending on their areas of geographical operations :- Out Bound Travel Agency :- These are located in the country of the traveler. These are traditional multi- destination agencies. In Bound Travel Agency:- These are located in the country of destination or more commonly at a place of certain major events like sports events these are usually independent and cater to a special market (Niche Market) they deliver and expertise on that location only. Out bound travel agencies are usually much larger than the in bound agencies, the former being a chain of agencies in most of the cases while the letter are usually small individual travel agency Classification according to size In USA these are classified as under :- Corporate Owned Chains. National / International Franchises. National Membership Associassion. Independent agencies. Corporate Owned Chains:- These are the large chains and usually owned by the international giants like Cox and Kings etc. They have got a consistent policy about their products and services, commissions, fees and their operations. National / International Franchises:- They too have a consistent policy of their operation and their prices. National Membership Association:- These are usually less commissions focused as they rely more on their member ship fee. Independent agencies :- These usually do not have any brand affiliation their policies and operation may vary according to the needs and means of an individual client . Other classes Cargo Travel Agencies:- These travel agencies specialise in shipping cargo from one destination to other. Freighter travel: This may be considered as special class of travelling. Some of the cargo companies may ferry passengers along with the cargo. The clients of such companies / agencies are usually the budget travelers like retired persons, students etc. Who have got plenty of time. Internet Travel Agencies With the development of internet the clients have started planning their own business tours with the help of this facility. These are also called as travel agency this allows the travel agents to let their clients to compare a wide verity of facilities like Hotels, Car Rental Airlines Tickets and need of Paper work according to their destination for example you may not get entry into Arab Countries if you have got Stamp of Israel on your passport for VISA purpose. There is a palpable threat that the traditional travel agencies may be greatly affected because of the introduction of Internet in the business. However this threat is not real. The use of internet for travelling purpose provides you both facilities i.e. convince of self served booking through Internet and that of taking help of a professional person when you need it. Many travel agencies created their own websites with detailed information of their services like online booking. Examples of major online travel agencies are cheap tickets, Voyages sncf.com, Hotwire.com, orbitz and travelocityand expedia etc. A system called as GDS or Global Distributed System is also used for computer reservation. It is a subsidiary of travel port which allows these agencies to book or sale airline tickets, hotel booking and car rentals and other services related with traveling. Travel agencies using GDS facilities include Galileo CRS, Sabre, worldspan etc. While trying online booking with the help of internet travel agency one must keep the following aspects in mind:- Different airline for entire tour Different airlines for different parts of the tour Connectivity and alternative modes of transportation Hotel accommodation or alternative accommodation available at the destination point Positioning Flights. Management of dates of visit with different locations in case of multiple destination tours Different Airports and their connectivity Different routing. Split Ticketing: Consideration of advantages and disadvantages of split ticketing with regard to the period of tour, possible stay time at a particular destination point so as to take maximum advantage of stay. Loop-holes.: These are the unfair means of business i.e. the gross difference between the advertised facilities in a product and the ones actually provideds on the spot. Paperwork and formalities A good online travel agency must be capable of advising its clients over all these issues. A travelogue or travel literature is travel writing with literary value which typically records the experience of its authors touring a place or geographical area. One must take the help of this type of literature while seeking the advice of a web based travel agency. Travel literature may be a cross cultural or transnational in nature. It may also cover a big geographical region within the same countries or different countries. The Tourism Industry is diverse and includes many sectors including: accommodation, transportation, food and beverage, attractions, events and conferences, adventure tourism, travel trade, and tourism services. The Tourism and hospitality industry integrates general management concepts with the professional knowledge that is required by the tourism and hospitality industry. A typical travel agent acquires knowledge and skills in communication, research and analysis of the travel related problems with their solutions and organizations of tours. Examples of typical travel agents are:- Adventure Travel Guide. Events planner. Tour guide. Camp counselor. Naturalist Cruise Director. Travel Planner. Recreation Director. All of them are specialist of their field of travel related activity and help the travelers to organize their tours in a most fruitful manner. Take Over Activities in Travel Business:- Like all other business take over practice is common in this field. Such activities may be of two types:- Vertical Integration. Horizontal Integration. Vertical Integration:- some travel agencies may have large business and may be able to take over the other travel agencies with low value of business. A vertical integration means taking over of a firm having a different but related business. For example A large chain of tour operator may take over an airline with the aim to be benefitted from the lower cost of allocation air travel services to its customers. Sometimes this activity may be very complex and many facts have to be considered before under taking such type of activity. This means that in vertical integrated system of business one organization should be able to offer a travel package to the customers through its own resources with no help from outside. In this type of integration the business will be able to control its cost of operation in a more effective manner. However problems may arise if the business grows too large to be operated efficiently by the available number managers. Many tour operators indulge in wrong business practice by branding different part of the whole business differently and giving each part a different name this is supposed to be un- ethical. It is the right of the customer to know whether a relationship persists between the tour operator and the travel agent. Horizontal Integration:- This is a business activity when an agency of offering one travel product takes over another one which offers the same travel product or service this can be exemplified by taking over of GO by Easy Jet in 2002. Ethics of Travel Agency:- Being a part of the hospitality industry a travel agency must follow the rules of hospitality ethics which may vary from one geographical area to another. Contemporary Ethics:- In modern western world, hospitality is not related with protection and survival. It is associated with etiquette and entertainment. However, it still requires showing respect for guests, providing for their needs and treating them fairly. The hospitality to strangers, personnel friends and relatives may vary according to the culture and sub-culture. South Central Asia:- In south central Asia the hospitality has a strong code of conduct specially in the people called as Pashtus. These people have an ancient set of ethics stressing on Milmastiya or Hospitality. The feeling of hospitality is so great in Pakhtunsitan is such that it is also nick named as The Land of Hospitality . Middle East:- In middle east, it is a cultural to take care of foreigners and strangers. These ethics are reflected in many Biblical commands. Arab World :- In Arab World, there is set of stern obligations for both host and guest. It believes that a bond is formed just by eating salt under one roof. An Arab story tells about the extent of feeling in this regard. It tells us about a thief who tasted something to know if it was suger. He realized that it was salt and thus put back all that he had stolen and left the place. Greco Roman Ethics:- According to the Greco-Roman philosophy hospitality is a divine thing the host is expected to make sure that the needs of his guest are fulfilled. Indian Ethics:- The principle of Atithi Devo Bhava or The Guest is God is the driving force of hospitality for this reason the Indian approach towards guest at home and in all social situations is that of graciousness. Swot Analysis of Travel Agency of Business Being a secondary business activity travel agency business is affected by many factors like boom and crisis in other business activities, war and disturbances, natural calamities etc. Strengths:- The strength of a travel agency lies in its goodwill and a business profile giving distinct market advantage upon which one can capitalize the market plan following is a list of points of strength for a a travel agency:- A thorough knowledge of history and geography of the area of operation. Excellent relationship with product suppliers like airlines, hotels and car rental. Membership with strong association. Strong reputation in the market. Well placed location. Good contact with press and media. Adequate financial resources. Excellent customer list with high customer loyalty. Availability of good destination specialist. Low customer to employee ratio. Customer attentive staff with excellent communication skill. An unique with high end service offering. Weakness:- Being a secondary business activity travel agency business can be affected by many factors like calamities, war or economic slump. Being a comparatively new business activity the exploration of opportunities is still not complete. Finding good employees with necessary skills and customers centric attitude is a difficult and challenging task. Offering new and exiting trips at a regular interval and maintaining high quality is also a task which is difficult to achieve. Many times it is very difficult to find a proper location. For a new business set up financial aspects are also very important as traveling is a business requiring large volume of money. Opportunities:- A good working knowledge of international, national, regional and local trends is a must to fetch the fortune from the existing opportunities in travel agency business. One can find a number of opportunities with the help of ever changing social atmosphere of contemporary world. UAE is called the Land of opportunity .Following is a list of possible opportunities for a new travel agency. It is a growing market that is yet to be adequately explored. Growing numbers of professionals with boom in latest technology of computer science and internet. Globalization of economy. Better Connectivity Abu Dhabi International airport is a well connected transportation hub of the world.It served 9.02 million passengers in 2008 with a growth of 30.2% on 2007.The total number of passengers is expected to reach 50 million as the Abu Dhabi is expected to become a major Transportation hub in Middle East. Improved public transport system :- Public transport system of Abu Dhabi consists of buses, taxis and airplane. There will be a huge expansion of public transportation with completion of 130 km of metro and 340 km of tramway and bus rapid transit(BRT) routes. This is expected to be completed within the government plan called as Surface Transport master Plan DEMOGRAPHY: More than 75% population of Abu Dhabi consists of expatriates from different part of world like UK, India, Pakistan Other countries of South East Asia pacific Asia, Africa and china. This demographical pattern provides an excellent opportunity for travel related business. Business boom resulting into a positive trend of economy with increased spending capacity of general people. Financial capabilities of the management to spread over head expenditure in a number of events. Growing economy after last recession. Affective use of print and electronic media for mass communication. Emerging trend of group travelling and budget travelling involving more and more people in traveling activities. Tax structure of UAE favors business personales Threats:- Being a secondary business activity travel agency business is affected by many factors like boom and crisis in other business activities, war and disturbances, natural calamities etc. The travel industry will be affected in a negative way by a slump in the economy. The terrorist activities in a geographical area will badly affect the travel relative business in that area. Entrance of other service provider in the area of operation Low fair no frill cheap airlines are the threat to the travel agency business as they give facilities for the travelers to make their own arrangements for travel Latest trend of home entertainment like TV watching, etc has a negative impact on travel agency business. Marketing Plan of a Travel Agency To make a marketing plan for a travel agency the study of following factors is considered to be essential:- Situation analysis. Market needs. Market trends. Market growth. Market summary. Situation Analysis:- The analysis of the basic needs of the traveling market according to the situation is the primary need of a travel agency. It must be realized that the trends in the travel activities are ever changing and their analysis is always necessary to make program according to the situation. Market Needs:- The market needs in traveling may vary according to the clients. The needs of a wealthy client may be entirely different from those of a budget traveler. Selection: The selection of services according to the need of the client is a basic and essential recruitment of travel agency business. Accessibility:- The services and products of a travel agent must be accessible for its target client. Customer attention:- Contemporary business ethics follow the principle of customer delight FEE Structure: With emergence of low cost budget airlines commission of travel agency has been affected badly compelling them to impose fee. The service fee of a travel agency should be such that it should not be taken as a bitter pill by the client. MARKET TREND IN TRAVEL AGENCY BUSINESS:- Holiday making is the main reason of travelling worldwide. The second reason of travelling is business tours. For holiday making a traveler usually prefers an inbound tourism while a business tours may be both inbound and outbound according to the need of the business. Emerging medical tourism usually has an outbound dimension. With the growth of economy after last recession tourism is again gaining popularity as a leisure activity globally. Over 922 million international tourist was recorded in 2008 with a growth of 1.8% compared to 2007.However 2009and 2010 have felt a dip due to global slowdown and threat imposed by H1N1 influenza virus. A WTM report in November 2010 has announced a slow recovery of travel industry after the crisis. A report by Euro monitor International, a leading market trend analysis firm gives an insight into the upcoming trend of travelers in near future. There are seven regions of focus in travelling sector. North America UK Europe Middle East Africa Asia Latin America NORTH AMERICA: -The trend in North America is called as that of deprivation holidays The clients enroll themselves in boot camps with an aim to improve their health and balance. This trend has a positive impact on growth of spas and camps. UK: The trend of travelling in UK is that of Middle East Investment. Many companies from Middle East have shown their interests in Brands of UK including Luxury hotels, private jet operators and travel retailers(travel agency) with London emerging as a Hot spot for the luxury travelers . EUROPE: In Europe the business travelers have revolutionalised the tourism business with Smartphones based on GPS . It was their need to take help of mobile travel technology to make last minute change of their schedule which compel them to use mobile applications offering such services like flight booking ,travel guide, tourist information etc. Middle East:- this region is seeing a post Iraq war boom with support by GCC countries . Gulf investors are coming in Iraq with an upward trend in business tourism and revival of travel industry Africa:- South Africa is fast developing as world hub for world class space technology and astronomy. There is a growth potential for astrotourism attracting all classes of travelers from independent ones to families, amateur astronomers to professional ones creating more and more demand for accommodation to observe clear night sky. Latin America:- Latin Americas is characterized by poor infrastructure for travelling and lack of tourism services resulting in a slump of travel agency business . Due to vast territory Latin America has countless opportunities for travel agencies for travelers interested in exploring the interiors of this geographically isolated area. Asia:- Asian countries are characterized by emotional touch in hospitality business creating a special type of brand loyalty. Different hotel locations use different scent s as brands. MARKET GROWTH;- An average 4% growth of tourism industry has been anticipated by World Tourist Organization(UNWTO) . e- commerce has made the tourism products one of the most traded business items on the internet. New products have also been added to the list of high-tech facilities like space tourism ,airship hotels ,space elevators and hydropolis(underwater hotels).All these have a direct and positive impact on travel agencies. GROWTH OF TOURISM IN TOP 10 COUNTRIES (Period 2006-2009) Rank Country Regional Market International Tourism Receipts (2009) Tourism Receipts (2008) Tourism Receipts (2007) Tourism Receipts (2006) 1 USA North America $93.9 bln $110.0 bln $97.1 bln $85.8 bln 2 Spain Europe $53.2 bln $61.6 bln $57.6 bln $51.1 bln 3 France Europe $49.4 bln $55.6 bln $54.3 bln $46.3 bln 4 Italy Europe $40.2 bln $45.7 bln $42.7 bln $38.1 bln 5 China Asia $39.7 bln $40.8 bln $37.2 bln $33.9 bln 6 Germany Europe $34.7 bln $40.0 bln $36.0 bln $32.8 bln 7 UK Europe $30.0 bln $36.0 bln $38.6 bln $34.6 bln 8 Â  Australia Oceania $25.6 bln $24.8 bln $22.3 bln $17.8 bln 9 Â  Turkey Europe $21.3 bln $22.0 bln $18.5 bln $16.9 bln 10 Â  Austria Europe $19.4 bln $21.6 bln $18.9 bln $16.6 bln Source: The world tourism organization report **bln : Billion TOP SPENDER COUNTRIES ON TOURISM Rank Country Regional Market International Tourism Expenditures (2009) International Tourism Expenditures (2008) International Tourism Expenditures (2007) International Tourism Expenditures (2006) 1 Germany Europe $81.2 bln $91.0 bln $83.1 bln $73.9 bln 2 Â  United States North America $73.2 bln $79.7 bln $76.4 bln $72.1 bln 3 Â  United Kingdom Europe $50.3 bln $68.5 bln $71.4 bln $63.1 bln 4 Â  China Asia $43.7 bln $36.2 bln $29.8 bln $24.3 bln 5 Â  France Europe $38.5 bln $41.4 bln $36.7 bln $31.2 bln 6 Â  Italy Europe $27.9 bln $30.8 bln $27.3 bln $23.1 bln 7 Â  Japan Asia $25.1 bln $27.9 bln $26.5 bln $26.9 bln 8 Canada North America $24.2 bln $27.2 bln $24.7 bln $20.6 bln 9 Â  Russia Europe $20.8 bln $23.8 bln $21.2 bln $18.1 bln 10 Â  Netherlands Europe $20.7 bln $21.7 bln $19.1 bln $17.0 bln Organizations of travel agencies For obvious reasons various organizations of travel agencies were formed by their members. Following is a brief account of impotents associations and organizations of travel agencies:- Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA):- This is a legal organization establis

Development of Buildability and Constructability

Development of Buildability and Constructability What is buildability or constructability? Is design for buildability or constructability is approachable? Can buildability concepts and theories enhance designers awareness of construction knowledge and buildability issues and reduce rework and increase construction productivity? , or can it inadvertently limit designers creativity? At the heart of this review paper are debates about the potential of buildability concept and the usability of construction knowledge in design to sustain and develop buildable designs. Construction is the worlds largest and most challenging industry [R. L. Tucker, 1986]. In 1997, the US construction industry accounted for 10% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employed over 10 Million, making the industry the largest in the country [E. Allmon, C. T. Hass, J. D. Borcherding and P. M. Goodrum, 2000]. On the other hand, a 10% increase in construction labour productivity would yield annual savings of about  £1 Billion to the British economy [R. M. W. Horner, B. T. Talhouni and H. R. Thomas, (1989).]; a similar conclusion was echoed by Stoekel and Quirke [S. Adams, (1989).]. Several factors affect project productivity but, buildability is among the most important [R. M. W. Horner, B. T. Talhouni and H. R. Thomas, 1989)., S. Adams, (1989)]. In practice, design and construction processes are normally carried out in a sequential manner. Since 1805 the construction industry has benefited from the various advantages this approach (Dunican, 1984). It allows the different parties in the project to compete and provide the best results for the project while defending and upholding their rights and duties within their respective disciplines (Griffith, 1986). Although the separation of design and construction allows the construction processes to be managed systematically between the various stages and disciplines, the industry is still being criticised for poor performance, being under productive, lack of competitiveness, and consuming longer product development time. Various studies have revealed that since 1950, the construction industry has realised the important of analysing design for construction implications, if the production work on site is to be effectively performed (Gray,1986). To overcome this inherent problems from the separation of design and construction, a concept known as buildability in the UK and constructability in USA is established and marketed to the industry (Illingworth, 1984; CIRIA, 1983; NEDO, 1975; Griffith, 1985; Gray, 1983; Moore, 1996). By using the buildability concept as a means to improve the construction industry, many ideas have been put forward by various researchers to remove the disadvantages of separating the design and construction process (Illingworth, 1983; CIRIA, 1983; CII, 1986; Tatum, 1987). The issue of buildability and academic research in the field for that matter has been an evolving one over the last three decades; moulded by reaction to changes in the procurement environment and in the case of academic buildability research, to advancements in the science of methodology. Regarding the latter, developing techniques such as neural networks, fuzzy decision making, buildability scores system and 3d/4d technology technologies have witnessed application among a range of assessing buildabilty problems (ref.). This paper will review and synthesise the existing research efforts in order to establish state of the art collective knowledge in relation to buildability problems causes and effects. It aims to create two separate taxonomies, which are comprehensive collections of all project change causes and change effects identified in previous studies. A simple case study is presented to demonstrate how the taxonomies provide a useful framework for construction professionals to manage project changes. However, they are not management tools that can be used directly in practice. Instead, they provide a basis for developing project management solutions and toolkits. While the industry focus of this study is construction, the developed taxonomies can be modified and adopted for other project-based industrial sectors (change). Aim and objectives of this study This backcloth of evolvement brings matters conveniently to the focus of this study, the aim of which was to critically appraise academic research within the field of construction buildability, published over a time window of circa 30 years prior to 2011. Objectives related to this aim included particular consideration of: (1) the foci of that research; (2) stated research drivers; (3) favoured methodological approaches; (4) research tools employed; and (5) the products of research effort. Buildability assessment method (6) Buildability attributes Based on observation of outcomes resulting from satisfying these objectives, the contribution of published academic research is considered, and future research direction intimated. The literature review: The principal method for this study is literature review and analysis. A preliminary review found that studies on buildability assessment fall into a broad spectrum, covering buildability problems causes and effects, buildability attributes, as well as assessment methods and techniques. Given the large volume of published work, there was a need to set a limit to the scope of the review. The study was chosen to focus on buildability assessment models and the stages of its implementation, because a good understanding of buildability models is a prerequisite for effective. Such a decision excluded papers from the review. The targeted literature sources are limited to refereed academic journals, published in English. They are a good representation of the breadth and depth of research achievements; and they have been scrutinised through peer review. In recent years, most academic journals began to provide online access. The emergence of a number of publication index databases has greatly assisted the literature search task. As for the date of publication, no explicit restriction was set. However, because few pre 1990s publications were covered by the online index databases the number of papers identified for that period is very small. This will be revealed in the following analyses. Development of buildability and constructability concept: The word buildability appears to have first entered the language in the late nineteen seventies [D. W. Cheetham and J. Lewis, (2001).]. Concerns on the disparate phases in building development was raised in the early 1960s when a series of studies, such as Emmerson (1962), Banwell (1964), Tavistock (1965), EDC (1967) and NEDO (1975), were carried out in the UK. The issue of buildability and academic research in the field for that matter has been an evolving one over the last three decades; moulded by reaction to changes in the procurement environment and in the case of academic buildability research, to advancements in the science of methodology. Regarding the latter, developing techniques such as neural networks, fuzzy decision making, buildability scores system and 3d/4d technology technologies have witnessed application among a range of assessing buildabilty problems (ref.). To gain a better understanding of buildability problems, especially their causes and effects, has been a long-standing research challenge. Emmerson Report: An early attempt to address buildability can be credited to Sir Harold Emmerson (1962) when he suggested the development of a new form of relationship between designers and constructors. The point of concern was the lack of cohesion between designers and constructors and the inability of both parties to see the whole construction process through each others eyes. The report was the first that has emphasised that the inefficiencies in the construction industry stemmed from inadequacies of communications and coordination. The quality of the relationship between the professions and subcontractors was seen as affecting the efficiency of building operations. Emmerson criticised the lack of cohesion existing within the industry. Banwell Report: In the UK, since the Emmerson Report (1962), numerous researches had been carried out to identify the causes of buildability problems and search for solutions for improvement. Banwell 1964 highlighted the fragmented characteristics of the industry and inefficient designs produced by designers deficient in construction knowledge without involvement of contractors. Banwell 1964 suggested that: design and construction must be considered together and that in the traditional contracting situation, the contractor is too far removed from the design stage at which his specialised knowledge and techniques could be put to invaluable use The report called for more attention to be given to pre-contract planning and design formulation and criticised professionalism as being narrow sighted, giving rise to unnecessary and inefficient construction practices. It was suggested that: clients define their building requirements clearly at the start of the design stage; the building process should better integrate the stages of design and construction; and that traditional construction practices should be reviewed to seek interdisciplinary approach. A subsequent study (Economic Development Council 1967) reported that the recommendations made in the Banwell Report had not been successfully implemented within the construction industry and that flexible approaches to traditional procedures should be sought and new initiatives developed if meaningful change within the industry was to be achieved. The Wood Report in the mid-1970s (National Economic Development Office 1975) suggested that in the decade following the Emmerson and Banwell reports some improvements had been made in the quest for integrating better the processes of design and construction. In general however, the original problems remained and it was suggested that efforts should be directed towards increasing the level of awareness for the problems and designing measures to bring together the design and construction processes such that the construction stage might directly capitalise on design initiatives. Tavistock: Later, the report of the Tavistock (1965) highlighted that the causes of the communication problems between contracting parties could be attributable to the division of responsibilities and the pattern of relationships. Since then, the need to integrate disparate development phases has triggered a large number of studies in different countries. Griffith: Griffith (1984) suggested inviting construction expertise early at the design stage, using contractual arrangements that facilitate the improvement of buildability. Griffith (1984) further pointed out that the capability of project management embracing suitable procurement approaches would contribute to improved buildability with concomitant benefits for overall project performance. Griffith and Sidwell (1997) also maintained that decisions taken early in a projects life cycle have greater potential to influence the final outcome of the project, based on the Pareto Principle. Griffith and Sidwell (1997) highlighted that buildability must be considered from the first notional idea suggested by the client, and is quite simply a prerequisite throughout what may be considered to be a staged process. Griffith and Sidwell [17] identified several similar problems, which are lack of consideration on interrelationship between different construction elements and skills required; and less flexibility of design and leeway within design details for materials, components, plants and craft tolerances. Constructability includes number of activities during all project life cycle phases. Griffith Sidwell (1995) believe that application of these activities during early stages of total construction projects causes more influences on overall cost and value. Constructability must always remain as the ingenious thinking throughout the project life cycle to overcome project difficulties and barriers. Griffith Sidwell (1997) illustrate some of these difficulties such as low level of awareness; demarcation; lack of incentives; reticence; and competitive stance adopted by construction professionals. So identification, mitigation and review of constructability barriers and barrier-breakers, which affect directly on efficiently implementation of a constructability program, is a must during project life cycle (OConnor Miller, 1994, 1995). Griffith (1987) suggested a compromise between consciously making the design more buildable and accommodating the many factors imparting an influence upon design, including quality, aesthetics, time and cost. It is essential to consider constructability at an early stage in the total construction process, because the ability to influence project cost, and so value for money, from the client s viewpoint, diminish as the project progresses in time. (Griffith Sidwell, 1995). Construction projects can be divided into different stages as conceptual planning and briefing, design, procurement, construction and post construction (start up and use) (Alan Griffith Sidwell, 1995). Generally, there are many all-around benefits of good constructability; these are measurable not only in cost and time, but also in terms of the physiological and psychological gains for the participants in the total construction process (Alan Griffith Sidwell, 1995). Griffith (1987) suggested a compromise between consciously making the design more buildable and accommodating the many factors imparting an influence upon design including quality, aesthetics, time, and cost. Methods should be sought to improve constructability by designing for economical use of labor and widely available and versatile tools, plant and equipment. Griffith (1984 1985) also added that managerial aspects have the greatest potential to increase productivity and achieve good buildability. A subsequent research study (Griffith 1984; Griffith 1985a) was similarly narrow in scope, but recognised in its findings the fundamental weakness in focusing narrowly on the attributes of design to aid construction on site. It was suggested that concentrating on design was important, but that project site and management-based factors must also be considered. The difficulties surrounding the determination of conceptual boundaries for buildability have been discussed in further studies (Bishop 1985; Griffith 1985b).It was the narrow focus, together with the complexities of the traditional contractual processes, that led to the diminishing interest in buildability concepts within the UK construction industry during the late 1980s. Creating a building that is easier to construct cannot be the sole aim of the client (Griffith Sidwell 1995). Further research by Griffith and Sidwell (1995) presents an outline for developing a constructability strategy at each key stage of the construction process. This considers many of the factors suggested by Chen and McGeorge. This approach sought to stimulate creative thought about the nature of each stage such that important questions and considerations about the building process would not be missed and to encourage action to be taken by the respective participants to pursue constructability. In the strategic consideration of constructability it is likely that future research and practice might focus on: the more holistic view of constructability to develop more encompassing strategies to be developed for considering constructability at each stage in the total building process; the concentration on a fewer number of factors which influence constructability such that greater reliability can be built in to the strategies developed; and the formulation of management methods that are readily adaptable to the individual project situation, including non-traditionally procured projects. CIRIA: Thereafter, the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) (1983) in the UK introduced the concept of buildability and the Construction Industry Institute (CII) (1986) in the US developed the notion of constructability. The CIRIA (1983) defined buildability as the extent to which the design of a building facilitates ease of construction, subject to the overall requirements for the completed building. It indicates the importance of design considerations geared towards buildability improvement. Subsequently, a similar concept of constructability was introduced by the CII (1986) as the optimum use of construction knowledge and experience in planning, design, and procurement and field operations to achieve overall project objectives. It dealt with the optimal integration of construction expertise and experience at various project stages to achieve the overall project goals. Since then, numerous studies have been conducted in order to strive for better project perf ormance through improving buildability. For examples, Francis et al. (1999) found that better buildability could contribute to early completion of projects; Jergeas and Put (2001) as well as Low and Abeyegoonasekera (2001) showed that buildable designs would lead to saving in project costs and costs of change orders; others such as Trigunarsyah (2004a, 2004b) and Low (2001) pointed out that buildable designs would bring about improved quality and safety performance, as well as higher productivity levels, and mitigate the risks of unforeseen problems. Despite these developments, it has become evident that the progress of resolving buildability problems is still unsatisfactory. Construction industry review reports typically found contractors having little input into the design (Egan, 1998), or consultants putting little emphasis on buildability (CIRC, 2001). The ensuing review by Wolstenholme (2009) of the UK construction industry also points to the need for better integration of the construction supply chain using a whole life cycle approach. More specifically, some good examples of involving the contractors early in the design process have been cited, indicating the need to improve buildability. In view of these findings, a set of principles targeted at designers under the traditional procurement system was drawn up by the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA). Following the reports of Emmerson and Banwell, the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) supported a major research initiative to investigate what they regarded to be, the principal problems of construction practice. Their attention focused on a concept which they referred to as buildability, suggesting that building designs were not providing value for money in terms of the efficiency and effectiveness in the way in which the building process was then being carried out (change). The report of their investigations, Buildability: An Assessment, (CIRIA 1983) presented seven categories of buildability principles to: carry out thorough investigation and design; plan for essential site production requirements; plan for a practical sequence of operations and early enclosure; plan for simplicity of assembly and logical trade sequences; detail for maximum repetition and standardisation; detail for achievable tolerance; and specify robust and suitable materials. C IRIA stated that their methodological approach provided data that were too limited to be certain that the categories identified were final and universal, although they had sufficient confidence to publish the categories as provisional guidelines. It is from this original study that buildability research and practice evolved (change). The initial CIRIA report was followed by a further study (Adams 1989) in which the original seven categories of buildability principles were further developed to present 16, more definite, principles. This study is most purposeful since, although it still focuses on design, it does begin to widen the perspective of buildability and point the way towards recognising the true complexity and multifaceted nature of the issues involved. The first CIRIA study, while laudibly raising general awareness to the concepts and principles of buildability and therefore achieving its basic objective, was unfortunately restricted in focus. Egan Report: More recently, the Egan Report (1998) awakened attentions that the general buildability performance was far from being satisfactory. Contractors were also found to have little input into the design in the UKs construction scene, thus constituting a comparatively lower productivity figure for the industry (Graham and Bird, 2001). Egan (1998) claims that too much time is spent in construction on site trying to make design work in practice. He adds that contractors have little input into the design and this is indicative of a fundamental malaise in the industry the separation of design from the rest of the project. This is mainly because the traditional procurement method of design-bid-build remains rooted within the industry (Arditi et al. 2002; Song et al. 2009; Kent and Becerik- Gerber 2010). Egan (1998) subsequently encouraged longer term procurement relationships in favour of selective methods, as a mechanism to achieving quality and efficiency improvement; while in a second report (Egan, 2003), arguably rooted the term integrated supply chains into procurement dialogue. More recently, the Egan Report (1998) awakened attentions that the general buildability performance was far from being satisfactory. Contractors were also found to have little input into the design in the UKs construction scene, thus cons tituting a comparatively lower productivity figure for the industry (Graham and Bird, 2001). Over the years since the definition of buildability has been put forward by the CIRIA 1983, lots of studies have highlighted the prospective benefits to be brought about by improved constructability Arditi et al. 2002; McGeorge and Palmer 2002; CIRC 2001; Francis et al. 1999; CIIA 1996; CII 1986; Griffith 1984; Gray 1983. With the potential benefits as incentives, methods and practices have been proposed for more efficient designs minimizing construction wastages on site. However, as time passes by, the progress of resolving constructability problems is still regarded as being unsatisfactory CIRC 2001; Egan 1998. The underlying reasons are multifaceted Ma et al. 2001; Uhlik and Lores 1998; Griffith and Sidwell 1995; OConnor and Miller 1994, which have led to the current sluggish use of pull factors in the pursuit for better design constructability. More recently, push factors have been put in place by the Singaporean Government, which has enforced a legislation to enhance constructab ility by requiring minimum buildable scores to be attained before building plans are approved. The calculation of buildable scores is based on the buildable design appraisal system BDAS, which was modeled from the in-house buildability appraisal system of a major Japanese contractor, Takenaka Corporation Poh and Chen 1998. After the implementation of BDAS, follow-up studies have demonstrated the correlations between higher buildable scores and the improvements of site productivity, construction quality, and manpower consumption Lam 2002; Low 2001; Poh and Chen 1998. Buildability is a major issue across global construction industries and in particular the UK industry.

Glare of Fashion in Vanity Fair Essay -- Vanity Fair Essays

Glare of Fashion in Vanity Fair I fancy the doors to society guarded by grooms of the chamber with flaming silver forks with which they prong all those who have not the right of the entrà ©e...the honest newspaper fellow....dies after a little time. He can't survive the glare of fashion long. It scorches him up, as the presence of Jupiter in full dress wasted that poor imprudent Semele&emdash;a giddy moth of a creature who ruined herself by venturing out of her natural atmosphere. (657) With this sentiment in mind, Thackeray expresses his conception of the danger present when one attempts to step outside of their inherent social strata. Through depicting a world devoted to upholding the inflexible codes of society, Thackeray creates an appropriate backdrop for his humorously satirical novel Vanity Fair. At the heart of this work, the avaricious Becky Sharp, born of common blood, fights against traditional precincts by "venturing" (657) outside of her proper environs and entering into an elevated climate where the credulous yield unquestioningly to her will and the skeptics scorn her with cold indifference. Determined to secure a place in genteel society, Rebecca, disregarding the standards of society, manipulates the naive by engaging in hypocrisy and subterfuge while blinding those who doubt her with an unconquerable charm. Clearly a perfectionist in the art of deception, Becky Sharp, a young woman with serpentine sentiments, slithers her way into the aristocratic society that composes the hollow cortex of Vanity Fair. With unremitting cupidity, Becky exploits all those she encounters for the sole purpose of ameliorating her own situation, both financially and socially. Commencing her mission... ...little earthenware pipkin, you want to swim down the stream along with the great copper kettles...lookout and hold your own! How the women will bully you!" (613) Substantiating Lord Steyne's foreboding, with frigid indifference the ladies at his soirà ©e slight Becky, thus proving that she can never fully advance into their milieu. In view of this, Becky, one step away from pushing open the doors to social dominance, fails. Charms and beauty only carry the unwealthy so far in the world of Vanity Fair, thus Becky remains locked out of the room to which she dedicated her life to gaining entrance. Outstripped by the pretentious peerage, Becky's quest for status reiterates the insuperable fact that one without fortune or noble ancestry "can't survive the glare of fashion long" (637). Thakeray, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair. New York: Bantam Books, 1997.

Christianity Essay -- essays research papers fc

Christianity, Islam, and Judaism: Perspective on Fasting One of the longest established disciplines of the human body is that of fasting. Fasting is abstaining from food, drink, sleep or sex to focus on a period of spiritual growth(www.alinaam.org.za).Fasting has also been used in nearly every religion in the world, including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Many of history's great spiritual leaders fasted for mental and spiritual clarity, including Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed. Fasting is an important element in religious practices. Christian Perspective Nowhere in the New Testament is fasting commanded as a binding obligation upon the Christian. However, if one elects to fast it should be nothing less than drawing nearer to God. Even though fasting is not commanded that doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mean that fasting isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t recommended as a part of a Christianà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s spiritual growth. Fasting is very important in Christianity. Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights. The Book of Acts records believersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ fasting before they made important decisions (Act 13:4, 14:23). Fasting and prayer are often linked together (Luke 2: 37; 5:33). Although fasting in Scriptures is almost always a fasting from food; there are other ways to fast. Anything you can temporarily give up in order to better focus on God can be considered a fast (1 Cor. 7:1-5). Fasting should be limited to a set time, especially when the fasting is food. The occasions for a fast is total voluntary. Christians fast for different reasons. They fast during difficult times, to express sorrow or regret for sin or to seek guidance from God. Christian also fast to communicate emotion to God. Christian fasting is more than denying he or herself food or something else of the flesh à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a sacrificial lifestyle before God. In Isaiah 58, a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“true fastà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? is not just a one-time act of humility and denial before God; it is a lifestyle of servant ministry to others. Isaiah tells us, fasting encourages humility, loosens the chains of injustice, unties the chords of the yoke, frees the oppressed, feeds the hungry, provides for the poor, and clothes the naked. (Isaiah 58: 1-9). The concept of Christian fasting isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t a one-day thing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a lifestyle of servant living for God and others. Jewish Perspective Fasting is a part of the Jewish tradition. Fasting was instituted in Biblical times as a sign of morning, or when... ...d Judaism rely heavily upon law for fasting. They have major fasts based on the Holy Quà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ran and the Torah. Christian fasts are not restricted to commands from the Bible. As a matter of fact, fasting is not required at all. They are encouraged to fast for spiritual growth. If Christians decide to fast, they have individual freedom to choose when and how they fast. Unlike Christians, Muslims and Jews have to fast completely from food. Christians have a choice to fast from whatever keeps them from focusing on God. Even though Islam, Judaism, and Christianity have different perspective on fasting, they all have a common goal to get closer to God. No matter how a fast is carried out, one should never lose sight of the main goal of fasting. Fasting provides an environment for a deeper spiritual life. Bibliography http://www.aish.com Retrieved February 20, 2005. http://www.alinaam.org.za/ramadhaan/freligions.htm Retrieved February 20, 2005. Fisher, Mary Pat (2002). Living Religions, Fifth Edition Prentice-Hall, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. The Holy Bible, New International Version Grand Rapids, Michigan 1973. http://www.islamworld.net / Retrieved February 26, 2005.

Theater Arts

â€Å"Sitting in Limbo† is a play written by Dawn Penso and Judith Hepburn who are both Jamaican nationals living in London, the play was directed by Jo-Ann McCabe. â€Å"Sitting in Limbo† was held at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination; in the Walcott Warner Theater. The moon reading featured a trio of Barbadian actors: Amanda Cumerbatch as Yvonne Campbell, Philip Eno as the judge and radio announcer and finally Loretta Hackett as Nita George, on Monday 25th February 2013.The theatrical piece starts out with a contrast between two women, one of a fairly wealthy background and the other struggling to make ends meet this portrays a conflict between both women based on their differences which in the end both women overcame. The play about a prison warden, Nita George and prisoner Yvonne Campbell depicts a political disruption in Grenada’s annals which led to the imprisonment of Grenadian Phllis Coard.Immu red along with her husband for assassinating Grenada’s elected Prime Minister, Nita presumes that Yvonne is a greedy woman with a thirst for predominance and that she is the main reason behind all the troubles in Grenada due to her pushing her husband into the overthrow of the Prime Minister. Nita openly affronts Yvonne, while Yvonne demands that she be respected because of her position in society and the â€Å"success† she has brought upon the country.Two years had passed and Nita’s views about Yvonne hadn’t changed but as the years went by for a total of seven years and they both opened up to each other and adapted to each other’s personalities Nita saw Yvonne as a woman with humanity and compassion. Although the play is mainly about the two characters Nita and Yvonne, the radio announcer plays a very important role, he notifies the audience about the amount of years passed and the fate of Grenada, the radio announcer practically gives viewers an idea of what was going on during the play.The trio has done an exceptionally great job on the piece ‘Sitting in Limbo†. The use of accents added a great effect on the nationality of the characters or the origin where the incident was being taken place. The use of costume was also great because one could identify which character was which , when Nita or Loretta wore the khaki shirt and the khaki pants it gave the audience a hint that she was some sort of guard or officer or in this case a prison warden.In Philip’s case the use of headphones gave the audience an idea that he was a Dj or a radio announcer. The use of the projection of bars gave the audience an idea that it was some kind of prison. The bars also reflected on how each woman felt inside, Nita trying to raise a family by herself in the economic struggles felt ‘imprisoned† because she wanted to live a better life, she wanted to reach for her goals but she could not do so because of the curren t situation but eventually ‘broke free â€Å"and decided to accept the offer her sister had given her.Yvonne although imprisoned literally felt† imprisoned† due to the fact that deep down inside she knew what she did was wrong but her arrogance and pride got in the way ,she’ broke free† by refusing to sign a contract which could have literally freed her by denying everything she had actually done. However they were some minor imperfections which were indeed noticeable, such as the backing of the audience, Phillip walking offstage before the fade had actually begun and where Loretta and Amanda had somewhat forgotten a bit of their lines.There were also some technical difficulties where as the fade would begin too early or a little too late but they but did not affect the theatrical piece it self. The play was a unique piece especially because it was my first time viewing a moon read play and because they tied in a fictional crisis into a play which I f ound very creative. The play also impacted the audience and made it an enjoyable play for them.

Gender Justice: What Does It Look Like? Essay

The contemporary debate on the term â€Å"gender justice† has various dimensions. There have been philosophical discussions on rights and responsibilities, human agency and autonomy; political discussions on democratization and right to vote; legal discussions on the access to justice. Typically, the term is used to denote mechanisms to promote women’s position in society and their access to social parameters like health, literacy, education, occupation and economic independence. While the conventional attitude has been to assume the traditional patriarchal values as normal, more radical approaches have tried to subvert the norms and challenge political status quo. The term is increasingly being used in place of gender equality and gender mainstreaming as the latter terms have more or less failed to communicate (Goetz, 2007, p20). In essence, gender justice is the ending of inequalities between men and women as well as the process to bring about the change. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at the Fourth United Nations General World Conference on Women in 1995 required member countries to ensure fundamental rights of both men and women in all areas. It was recognized that there is a tendency of marginalization of â€Å"women’s issues† as a separate and somewhat inferior status. Gender mainstreaming by which all strategies and policies by member countries would have a gender perspective was agreed upon (UNRISD, 2000). The realization that economic and social rights were in fact linked with political and civil rights were also translated in the sphere of gender justice. The dichotomies of rights in the context of women’s rights surfaced aggressively through the demands for mainstreaming of gender issues, that is the conviction that women’s rights were no different from human rights in other spheres like health, education, freedom and justice. It was realized that without the right to legal claims, women could not expect to receive justice in settlements like land, property or divorce. Without literacy and education, women did not have the understanding of their rights. And, women had a right to motherhood as much as the choice for the number of children to bear and the right to a healthy life (UNRISD, 2000). The conservative approach to gender issues, however, concerned themselves with women’s ‘needs’ and not ‘rights’. There was a deliberate denial of approaching problems of sexual and reproductive health, or lack of access to safe and clean drinking water, sanitation, healthcare and education as matters of infrastructure inadequacies and hence denial of human rights and distributive justice. Women’s activists, on the other hand, considered women’s legal rights and the indivisibility of human rights in gender lines as fundamental to enable women to participate fully in the economic and social framework (UNRISD, 2000). Gender is a social construct that defines roles and responsibilities of men and women, regulating the role of sexuality, choice of occupations by men and women and the stereotypes. Typically, men hold positions of power even in democracies. Only 14 percent of the countries have achieved 30 percent representation of women in the parliament, as set out in the Beijing Declaration of 1995. Women have less access to and control of economic powers, rewarded for less remuneration than men for the same work, treated differently in global trade. Women receive less education than men; have to walk long distances to collect drinking water, thereby falling vulnerable to violence; sexual and reproductive health problems result in illness and disability to women; more number of women being victims of HIV/AIDS because of restrictions on women being able to practice safe sex and having access to HIV testing and care services; women become victims of gender-based violence and cultural taboos. On the whole, the mainstreaming of gender has generally failed because the approach towards ‘integrating’ women in the society does not challenge existing power equations. Women have continued to be offered stereotyped jobs, not receiving equal training and education and insufficient resources for women’s mainstreaming (Oxfam). By the time the issue for gender justice came up for a review in the Special Session for the Beijing +5 in 2005, the world had greatly changed. Political and economic changes around the world had shattered the faith in the current state of gender justice measures implemented in various countries. After the end of the Cold War, women had suffered disproportionately more from conflicts in postcolonial societies, calling for attention towards gender  justice. In 2004, the United Nations Security Council passed the landmark resolution 1325, calling on governments to protect rights of women in conflict areas. Despite the resolution, however, women continued to be victims of domestic violence and rape in conflict areas (MacMohan, 2004). For many, the failure of gender mainstreaming was the result of its de-politicization, by which it was aimed to be achieved merely in an instrumentalist manner. It was not possible to find a way to implement gender-mainstreaming program without challengin g the political status quo. Through the 1990s, there was hope for increased gender justice, emanating from the establishment of democracies in many countries. Women’s rights did witness considerable improvement, despite the conditions did not challenge the status quo because of the low base of the 1980s. From a global average of 6 percent women’s representation in national parliaments in the 1980s, the share grew to 12 percent in the 1990s (UNRISD, 2000). Women have become more active in mainstream politics as well as in grass root politics. Although women’s issues have become important and women’s groups have become more vocal, gender issues are becoming even less of concern in mainstream politics, mainly male, of most countries, particularly in the non-democratic world. In the Islamist world, typically, women’s participation has been all the more noticeably absent. Although there is the implicit assumption that debates about democracy are gender-neutral issues, struggles for citizenship rights in countries like Iran have been â€Å"naturally inclusive of women† (UNRISD, 2000). Among political parties, the African National Congress (ANC) has been one of the most progressive ones with regard to gender issues. Yet, gender justice that has been achieved in South Africa has been a domain of the elite society. In the new millennium, gender justice has remained unfulfilled. The world is witnessing a different economic power equation than in the previous decade. While gender mainstreaming has lost its political validity as a means for social transformation, the economic and political climate has become all the more unfavorable for gender justice. With globalization, the traditional economic relationships, including gender  relationships, are crumbling down. The classical patriarchy, dependent on the male property ownership and family headship notion, had given rise to the urban â€Å"fordist gender regime† – male bread earner/ female house maker – in the western world in the 1950s and 1960s, also duplicated in some parts of the developing world. Economic development and increased competition has meant that the male salary earnings are not sufficient for the increasing consumption patterns. Brenner (2003) notes that incorporation of women in the workforce and their increased access to education and literacy has brought feminism in the forefront of organized politics (cited in Dhawan, p2). Women activists are not increasingly becoming more vocal in national politics but also on global issues. At the same time, marginalized women are becoming even more vulnerable to global capital reorganization. Worldwide, women are facing the brunt of longer working hours, impoverishment, economic insecurity and forced migration and urbanization. Working class women find themselves in the crossroad of development and reactionary policy and continue to remain, if not become increasingly so, victims of fundamentalism, economic insecurity and a complex web of power relations (Kaplan, 1999, cited in Dhawan, p3). Pressures of structural adjustments imposed on many Third World countries have given rise to fundamentalism, which stem from the traditional patriarchal powers and victimize women even more. The emerging capitalist structures of many of these societies have eroded the protection of the traditional patriarchy that women used to have earlier. Women in the Third World are at the crosshead of two powerful forces: one, the nationalist agenda that is inherently masculine in which women are expected to follow traditional roles while the men are free to participate in the political arena, and two, global capital, which forces women to participate in the economic field, overpowering the nationalist agenda. While in the west, women of color feel that the feminist agenda is essentially white-oriented, in the Third World, the political interests of working class women are marginalized. Over and above this, women from the South are dominated over by the women of North (Mohanty, 1999, cited in Dhawan, p4). As Saunders (2002) says,†What is clear is that from the very founding of women, gender and development the â€Å"women’s point of view† was not singular but heterogeneous and multiple. This continue to constitute a challenge to the dominant western feminist will to enforce a gynocentric  philosophy and practic e, which centers and magnifies patriarchal power and marginalizes other vertical social relations† (quoted in Varela, p2). The dominance of western feminists over the Third World is evident in George Bush’s claim that the US War on Afghanistan was aimed to free the women from oppression. The demand for such freedom was generated essentially by feminist organizations in the west since 1997 to deny investments to the Taliban. Such claims, however, ignored that the Taliban initially drew its powers from the West itself, which used it as a force to resist Soviet Russia’s occupation of the country. The system of micro-credit financing in the Third World has been another form of denying gender justice. There has been a proliferation of such institutions in the Third World and the most successful ones have been the ones that provide small loans to women. These NGOs typically receive their funds from the World Bank and USAID (Dhawan). Although these organizations apparently target women’s economic independence, what they essentially achieve is to integrate women with the informal economy all the more, by exploiting their children, particularly daughters, to get the work done. Besides, the micro-credit institutions reinforce the traditional values of morality and maternal virtues in order to bypass the role of government and regulated development. â€Å"Credit-baiting† has been a means to turn gender justice on its head and make it an instrument for exploitation and imperialism (Spivak, 1999, cited in Dhawan). Most feminists find the voice of woman in Western culture is generally associated with the voice of the â€Å"Other†, that of the inconsequential or the child. This is a voice, he stresses, that the dominant mores of western societies time and again disregarded or took no notice of. Even today, despite its nearly two hundred years of history, women’s literature, enriched and endowed with many attributes and critical insights, is still branded as the voice of the man-hating feminists. Theorists like Helene Cixous and Julien Kristeva attempt to answer the questions that many women writers may have themselves tried to find. Why have women’s voices been missing in a plentiful practice of language that crosses over two thousand  years? Is it just because women are not allowed in the realm of education that would have enabled them into the speech-society? Or, is there in fact a separate way of communication in the woman’s world, in a unique language, which has made it hard for women to connect with the world-at-large (Jasken)? â€Å"Every woman has known the torture of beginning to speak aloud†, laments Cixous and says, â€Å"heart beating as if to break, occasionally falling into loss of language, ground and language slipping out from under her, because for woman speaking – even just opening her mouth – in public is something rash, a transgression (Cixous, 1975). Thus, the concept of gender justice is complex and eternal. While the political aspects of women’s exploitation and the effects of globalization are understandable, the attitude towards women has remained patriarchal. Even though women’s voices have been raised louder in the present days, they are still a marginalized lot at home, in national politics as well as in the global area. Works Cited: Brenner, Johannna (2003). Transnational Feminism and the Struggle for Global Justice, New Politics, 9(2)Cixous, Helene, Sorties, in The Newly Born Woman (1975, English translation, 1984). Retrieved from http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~pamhard/338Cixous.htmDhawan, Nikita, â€Å"Transnational Feminist Alliances and Gender Justice†, Second Critical Studies Conference, â€Å"Sphere of Justice†: Feminist Perspectives on Justice, http://www.mcrg.ac.in/Spheres/Nikita.pdfGoetz, A-M. (2007). â€Å"Gender Justice, Citizenship and Entitlements – Core Concepts, Central Debates and New Directions for Research†, in Gender Justice, Citizenship and Development, eds. M. Mukhopadhyay and N. Singh, International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, pp. 15-57Julie Jasken, â€Å"Helene Cixous†. Retrieved from http://www.engl.niu.edu/wac/cixous_intro.htmlKaplan, Caren, et al, ed. (1999). Between Women and Nation: Nationalism, Transnational Feminism, and the State, Durham, NC, Duk e University PressMcMohan, Robert (2004). â€Å"World: Conference Seeks to Assert ‘Gender Justice’ In Conflict Zones†. Second Critical Studies Conference. â€Å"Spheres of Justice†: Feminist Perspectives on Gender. Retrieved from http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/09/61093992-24a5-4cad-993d-ff92ba6f 264a.htmlMohanty, Chandra Talpade (2003). Feminism Without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity. London: Duke University PressSaunders, Kriemild (2002). â€Å"Introduction: Towards a Deconstructive Post-development criticism†. In Kriemild Saunders (ed). Feminist Post-Development Thought. Rethinking Modernity, Post-Colonialism and Representation. London/ New York. Zed Books. Page 1-38Spivak, Gayatri, Chakravarty (1999). Critique of Postcolonial Reason. London/ New York: Routledge. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) (2000). Gender Justice, Development and Rights: Substantiating Rights in a Disabling Environment, 3 June. Retrieved from http://www.pogar.org/publications/other/unrisd/gender.pdfVarela, Maria do Mar Castro. â€Å"Envisioning Gender Justice†. Second Critical Studies Conference, â€Å"Sphere of Justice†: Feminist Perspectives on Justice. Retrieved from http://www.mcrg.ac.in/Spheres/Maria.pdf