Importance of parental involvement in their children education Essay

Substantial quantity of research has been conducted in the area of parental role in their children academic achievement and adjustment. Parental involvement in their children educational activities at early stages involves both creating an enabling environment at home that foster academic attainment and direct involvement in literal skills (Gillian and Bernadette 2006). This is in a view that pupils have two categories of teachers: parents and teachers at school. Generally, research show that there is an increased parental involvement in their children’s education at early stages of about 92 percent, with women showing more commitment as compared to men (Maxwell and Johnson 2002). However, the outstanding question remains to be how parental involvement is done best to facilitate children achievement. In response to this question, Moore and Wade (2000) states that parents as prime educators of a child have a significant influence on the children’s learning in schools and beyond schooling to social, economical mindset and cognitive development. The parent involvement at school level includes assisting children during lunch times and providing necessary study materials for their children such as chats. While at home parents get involved in their children’s educational activities by teaching their children nursery rhymes or/and songs, reading together, narrating poems or stories together and assist with assignments or homework. This learning activities to a great extend do help the children attain literacy skills, discipline due to association and modeling from parents, socialization benefits and the boost in their cognitive abilities especially memory (Moore and Wade 2000). The body of research available indicates that parental involvement in their children learning activities influences their learning positively. The areas that are greatly affected positively are outstanding: overall academic performance, cognitive competence; fewer indiscipline problems due to low delinquency level and discipline maintenance by parents; problem solving-skills resulting from parental guidance in problem solving skills; and fewer cases of absenteeism due to greater school enjoyment (Gillian and Bernadette 2006). Research conducted by Sammons et al. (2001), found out that the learning activities that the parents engage in with their children at home have a positive impact on the children’s social and cognitive or intellectual development as a result of child-parent attachment (Sammons et al. 2001). Therefore, this finding implies that what parents do to their children in terms of their learning whether formal or informal is better than what they are to their children. Hence, it is inherent that parental income, educational background or parental occupation does not precede their contribution to their children intellectual development. Similarly, research on children’s literal skills in relation to their parent involvement in their education activities overwhelmingly supports positive influence (Porsche, Jordan and Snow 2000). Child-parent involvement in reading activities at home has impact on two dimensions about language aspects. First, the impact on learning activities usually includes attainment of language expressive skills, achievement in reading tasks and language comprehension (Moore and Wade 2000). Second dimension, involves cultivation and facilitation of the child’s attentiveness in reading lessons or sessions, reading interest and a positive attitude for reading (Gillian and Bernadette 2006). These two achievable dimensions through child-parent involvement create an incentive for reading skills and the necessary mechanisms that help support the incentive for reading. Parental involvement in their children academic activities is linked to the child’s benefit in terms of formal literacy learning. The leading child-parent academic activity like reading is an important determinant of child’s emergent literacy and language attainment. Moreover, the children introduced to books by their parents early ages they usually have a good head start and an overall advantage over their counterparts in primary (Porsche, Jordan and Snow 2000; Moore and Wade 2000). More empathically, the research shows the more the children and their parent are involved in literacy skills like speaking, reading, writing of language and numbers, and listening; the more long-lasting effect of retention to the child. Furthermore, parental influence is strongest in the reading subject to young pupils as compared to other subject as children demonstrate they can imitate their parent’s voices and pronunciations while reading (Moore and Wade 2000). Therefore, it should be seen that this strong reading influence is important in the sense that reading skill is basic to all subjects successful understanding and learning. Additionally, the parental influence demonstrated through their interest in their children’s education has a positive influence for teenage age of 16 (Gillian and Bernadette 2006). Findings by Sammons et al. (2001) reveals that parental involvement in their children’s learning environment and support go beyond educational and literacy attainment. This finding demonstrate that children that and good intimacy, attachment and interaction with their parents exhibited greater emotional and social development especially in a nuclear family set up. Most of the areas of emotional and social development are life satisfaction, self-control and self-direction, good mental health, resilience to stress, stable and positive relationships resulting to stable marriages and social adjustment is excellent. Conclusion In conclusion, this paper indicate that parents involvement in their children’s education activities has positive influence on the children’s educational outcomes; the view widely supported by research. The major dimension that child-parent interaction in educational activities are: academic performance, cognitive competence, fewer indiscipline problems, problem solving-skills, and fewer cases of absenteeism. Moreover, the strongest and important influence is the long-lasting reading skill that is crucial excelling in other subject areas. Therefore, parents ought to encourage continuing their involvement in their children’s learning. Bibliography Gillian P, Bernadette D 2006, Contemporary Issues in the Early Year, SAGE, London Maxwell S. & Johnson, L 2002, â€Å"A five-year longitudinal study on Parental involvement in the development of children’s reading skill† Child Development, 74, (12), 442-456. Moore, M & Wade, B 2000, A sure start with books, Early Years, 21, 33-48 Porsche, MV, Jordan, GE, & Snow, CE 2000, â€Å"The effect of a family literacy project on kindergarten students’ early literacy skills: Project EASE†, Reading Research Quarterly, 36, 521-531. Sammons, P et al. 2001, EPPE project on Cognitive, Behavioral and Social development at 3 to 4 years in relation to family background. The effective provision of pre-school education, The Institute of Education, London

Equus Performance Commentary

On paper, Peter Shaffer's Equus is extraordinarily vivid piece of literature. Onstage, it is a visually engaging masterpiece, where the complexity of breathing life into characters and settings by the perfected interplay between actors and the stage is an enthralling and emotional experience for all those involved. Like all theatric successes, Equus has endured various convoluted productions of the magnificent original, sometimes succeeding, and sometimes failing, to poke and prod the audience into thinking-questioning- imagining. A handful of directors have fallen prey to the vicious desire present within all of us: to turn a play into real life; to make it relatable to surroundings we are so familiar with. Those who do- fail; fail to understand the concepts that Equus strives to imbibe in its readers. Equus is not a pretty fairy tale dressed in the tattered rags of disillusionment, Equus is macabre and bare, miserly in its pity for a naive audience that likes to think itself jaded. In Shaffer's words, â€Å"Upstage, forming a backdrop to the whole, are tiers of seats in the fashion of a dissecting theatre†¦ In these] sit the audience†. If one allows their imagination to roam as it will (and definitely as Shaffer wished it to be) the audience will form a rather imposing backdrop, hundreds of eyes that look down upon the tormented actors and silently, quietly, judge. Eyes are an important recurring motif in Equus: those of Equus, Alan's jealous God, that perpetually watch Alan are emulated by the h orse-actors and the audience that view the stage from above and the sides. Not only is the judging audience meant to be a sort of stand-in for God, but they also represent the masses; the forever judging, cruel, intransigent and sentient being that is society. The stage that the audience looks down is sparse, and movable. This allows the â€Å"square of wood set on a circle of wood† to be rotated, to mimic the various settings as needed: Alan's house, the stable, Dysart's office, and the field where Alan performs ecstatic and ritualistic worship. Shaffer describes the rail that surrounds the wooden square as â€Å"[resembling] a railed boxing ring†. This boxing ring has been interpreted in many different ways, one critic compares Alan and Dysart as competitors of a sort, â€Å"the boxing ring [fits in with] the intimate contest in which psychiatrist and patient are locked†. In a play whose protagonist strives for freedom, the boxing ring may also represent the inevitable battle against society and the â€Å"reality principle† that Alan's worship will lose, a â€Å"ritualized public combat†. The rails represent bondage, chains, turmoil, and signify to the audience the tension, conflict and the unsatisfactory conclusion to Equus. Simply seeing them onstage is enough to subliminally communicate to the viewers the angst and epic struggle between right and wrong within the play. The benches that seat the other actors in Equus: the horses, Alan's parents, the nurse, Dalton, Jill, are significant in the fact that the actors never leave them- unless they are called upon stage. They sit and watch the play along with the audience, and play the role of society in Alan's life. They too, judge Alan, they judge his worship, and they condemn it. The horse masks that are hung behind the stage once again provide the images of eyes, the eyes of God, that watch and mark Alan as one of their own. The actors that play the horses, when not in character, join the crowd that watch on in distaste as Alan passionately, ecstatically, communes with his God. Different directors have taken Alan's â€Å"God† to skyrocketing and plunging levels of meaning simply by dressing the horses differently. The initial production of Equus (directed by John Dexter) had the horses dressed in â€Å"tracksuits of chestnut velvet†, with â€Å"light strutted hooves, about four inches high†. The hooves (or â€Å"hoofs† as Dexter called them) have been a staple in all versions of Equus, but directors have taken liberties with the tracksuits and gloves of chestnut velvet that Shaffer prescribes. Some productions have well muscled, bare-chested men portraying the horses, with â€Å"strapping to suggest bridles†, whereas in others, the actors playing the horses were completely nude, adhering to Alan's notion that â€Å"The horse isn't dressed. It's the most naked thing you ever saw! † The nudity of the horses also creates an atmosphere of homoeroticism and homosexuality, which some critics have interpreted as the true source of conflict in Alan's life instead of religion. Peter Shaffer was deliberately trying to create imposing, menacing figures when he created the horses, not â€Å"the cozy familiarity of a domesticated animal†. The actors, he wrote, â€Å"must never crouch on all fours, or even bend forward† He insisted that all the motions of a horse must be created â€Å"mimetically†, through movements of various body parts. The actors who play the horses undergo vast amounts of training, and most commonly comprise of dancers, used to swaying movements and odd body contortions. Not only did Shaffer decide to distance his horses (who may even be called gods) from animals by having the actors playing them stand upright, but also by not giving them paper Mache horsey-jokey heads. The horse masks used in Equus are â€Å"tough masks made of alternating bands of silver wire and leather†. These huge, regal and god-like caricatures of horse heads enable the actors to toss and turn them with equine ease. Created by Dexter, they were deemed â€Å"risky† by Shaffer as they projected a double image: the horses head, and the clearly seen actor's head underneath it. Shaffer was eventually convinced by Dexter, who argued that Shaffer's Equus was about a double image and then horse masks would simply be a physical manifestation of it. As with the horses, directors have indulged themselves in taking liberties with the lighting of the play, although the instructions are not as rigorous for the lighting as it is for the horses. Some directors have used colored lighting to evoke a rich, captivating scene for Alan's memories, and bleak, white lighting for the scenes which take place in Dysart's office. Shaffer himself describes the lighting for Jill and Alan in the stables as â€Å"anti-erotic†, it is meant to be a dissection of a troubled mind, not an excitingly pornographic remembrance. The lighting is used to its best effect when Alan blinds the horses, the â€Å"cones† of light that surround the â€Å"archetypal† the horses out of a nightmare, creates an eerie, haunting image of light flashing on the flowing masks, an image truly out of a nightmare. Most interesting of all though, is the actual dissection of Alan and the tantalizingly concealed hints that clue the audience in too late: that Equus is a story told by Dysart. He is the only actor to ever address the audience, and the odd flashbacks and strange time lapses make sense†¦ f one were to consider them happening in Dysart's memory. The fact that we are seeing Alan through Dysart's eyes changes the way we view Alan. We grow to pity him, feel empathy for him, and even envy him. This is not because Alan is a genuinely compelling character (his story told from the viewpoint of Dysart's associates, perhaps, would cause the audience to turn against him), but because Dysart envies him and admire s him and views Alan positively, as something good, something worthy of sympathy. The story being told from Dysart's point of view also makes it seem more like a psychological detective story, complete with a crime, clues, and a whydunnit conclusion. Peter Shaffer's dramatic psychological thriller, Equus, is definitely the sum of all of its parts. A glorious mix of suspense, drama and pure controversy, Equus comes alive to the audience in a provokingly tangible way as a shimmering, stomping, tossing deity.

Appeal to Aesthetics in Death in Venice Essay -- Literary Analysis

The first and most obvious instance of aestheticism and decadence as correlating themes in this story is the title, Death in Venice. By fore-grounding the name of the city in the title, Mann is highlighting the city's key role in the unfolding narrative. Mann aligns the word 'Venice' with the word 'death' in the title. This creates a relationship between these two words - the word 'death' strongly infuses the word 'Venice' with all its connotations. Death and decay are important ideas within the context of decadence. By shear nature the title relates the concepts of death and dying to the city of Venice, which implies that the location is where a death will occur. However, this is paralleled by the opening of the story when Mann drearily tells of Aschenbach’s stroll through Munich. In the reading of this passage it nternally decadent through his indulgence in Tadzio’s appearance. He then changes his appearance to please his idol which in turn corrupts himself by tur ning him into the type of decadent man he once despised. These themes of aestheticism and decadence, not in juxtaposition but in duality, are used frequently by Mann throughout the novella. Works Cited Mann, Thomas, and Clayton Koelb. Death in Venice: a new translation, backgrounds and contexts, criticism. New York: W.W. Norton, 1994. Print. Ritters, Naoimi, and .Jeffrey B. Berlin. "the Tradition of European Decadence." Approaches to teaching Mann's Death in Venice and other short fiction. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1992. 86-92. Print. Shookman, Ellis, and Rene-Pierre Collins. Thomas Mann's Death in Venice: a novella and its critics. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2003. Print.

Gender Differences Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender Differences - Assignment Example Also, identify if the research hypothesis is directional or non-directional? Provide support for your decision. 10. If a quantitative study is this an associational, causal-comparative, or experimental research design? If a qualitative study is this an ethnography or phenomenology. List several characteristics with specific evidence from the research article to support your response. 11. What was the target population being investigated in this study (The target population may not be addressed in the participant section, but is often determined from information in the introduction and literature review section)? 13. Locate the description of the sample in the research article. Compare the sample with the target population. Do you think the sample used in this study is likely to be representative of the target population? Can this study be generalized to the intended population? Explain your reasoning. The subjects were 147 undergraduate students of business administration, 80 women and 67 men, who were enrolled in a compulsory introductory computer course in a Norwegian college. The sample represents the target population. 16. For each of the instruments describe what evidence was provided on the instrument’s validity (content, construct, criterion). You may not find that evidence was provided for all types of validity. If no evidence was provided state so. 17. For each of the instruments describe what evidence was provided on the instrument’s reliability (test-retest, equivalent forms, equivalent forms/retest, internal consistency, scoring agreement). You may not find that evidence was provided or all types of reliability. If no evidence was provided state so. It was simply stated that Gressard and Loyd, the scale they developed was convenient, reliable and valid measure of computer attitudes. It could be confidently and effectively utilized in research and evaluations. Each instrument was valid and reliable. The

Apartheid System and its impact on Education in South Africa Essay

Apartheid System and its impact on Education in South Africa - Essay Example The population of the country is talented and hard working. In spite of these factors, the country faces hard core racism. The oppression of the white population over the blacks resulted in forced slavery and exploitation of land and human beings (Abdi, 2002, p. vii). The apartheid period continued for over four decades in South Africa and in that period race discrimination was ruthlessly implemented in schools and they were highly effective. It is a monumental task for the government to undo the effects of apartheid from the education system (Fiske and Ladd, 2005, p.14). This paper focuses on the apartheid system in South Africa and its impact on the education policies. Background History of Apartheid in South Africa In the seventeenth century the Dutch descendants who were knows as Boers or Afrikaners were dominated by the English. This was followed by establishment by the Dutch of new colonies like Orange Free State and Transvaal. In the year1900, diamonds were excavated in these regions. This led to the Boer war when the English invaded these lands. The conflict centering on power sharing between the English and the Boers remained till the 1940s when the Afrikaners National Party became stronger. To control the economic and social system, the National party invented the apartheid system. Initially the goal of apartheid was to maintain the minority rule of the white and curtailing the rights of the black population. Racial discrimination was given a formal shape when the apartheid laws were enacted in 1948. In 1950, the South African people were classified into three racial groups which were white, black (African) or colored (mixed decent). The colored group mainly contained the Indians and the Asians. Apartheid laws led to segregation of every aspect of social life which included education and medical care. Public services provided to the black people were inferior to those provided to the white people. Marriage was prohibited between the whites and the non -white groups. Residential areas were segregated by forceful removal of the black population. These laws were strongly implemented and anyone who did not abide by the laws was given harsh punishments. The Blacks were required to carry identity proof to enter into the non-black areas (The History of Apartheid in South Africa, n.d.). In 1953, Bantu Education Act was passed to segregate the education system of South Africa by which the Blacks were denied education leading to certain positions in the society. The Blacks were prepared to lead the lives of labour class (O’Malley, n.d.). Analysis Impact of Apartheid system on Education One of the most oppressive laws of apartheid was the Bantu Education Act of 1953. Before the Act was implemented most schools in Africa were missionary schools and were partly funded by the State. Under this Act education system was segregated and most schools began to be controlled by the government. Governments began to put forward conditions to sch ools to start racially discriminatory curriculum before agreeing to provide financial aid. As protest many missionary schools did not allow extension of apartheid system in their education system and chose to close down. This system of bringing all schools under the control of the new government was faced opposition from school organisers, parents and students. The major subject of the protests was to ban the separate education system for the Black and promote a common education system for the entire population of South Africa. The government which was controlled by the whites declared that the structure of Bantu education was such that the blacks will be trained to become labours ignoring what other abilities

Teeth Erosion Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Teeth Erosion - Lab Report Example This report discusses the erosion of teeth that has occurred due to the sustained effect of tea and herbal tea. Erosion in Teeth-Effects of Tea and Coffee Though there are a host of chemical factors, biological factors and other factors related to oral hygiene, this report shall focus on the erosion of teeth due to behavioural factors. These behavioural factors include unhealthy eating and drinking habits and high consumption of acidic foods, tea and coffee. It has been noted that there are certain brands of herbal teas containing rose hip and lemon that have pH values in the range of 2.6-3.9. Since pH of 7 is considered to be neutral i.e neither acidic nor basic, a pH of 2.6 throws up several challenges as more the time this fluid is in contact with the teeth, the chances of erosion are higher. It has to be noted that during remineralisation cycles Fluoride present in our teeth, forms fluorapatite. (Adrian Lussi, 2006) However interaction of this layer with acidic food products caus es it to dissolve leaving the tooth surface open to erosion. Erosion of teeth due to coffee on the other hand is because of generation of gastric juice which finds its way into the mouth. (L. Shaw & A.J. Smith, Feb 1998) Gastro-Oesophageal reflux (GOR) is backward movement of acid generated in stomach beyond the lower oesophageal upto the mouth. The pH value is higher than the acids caused due to tea and hence the teeth erosion is more profound. The content is high in hydrochloric acid and causes thinning of the enamel. Later as this spreads the molar and premolar teeth are also affected. Symptoms that indicate whether a person is suffering from GORD include continuous burning sensation close to the heart area and regurgitation or the feeling of throwing up. (Adrian Lussi, 2006) Some samples of teeth images that have been subject to excessive herbal tea and coffee are listed below to make a comparative study. Source: Adult teeth sample exposed to herbal tea at 100Â µm, Lab Images S ource: Adult teeth sample exposed to coffee at 100Â µm, Lab Images Source: Adult teeth sample exposed to herbal tea at 2Â µm, Lab images Source: Adult teeth sample exposed to coffee at 2Â µm, Lab images The comparison of the erosion of the teeth to both tea and coffee in the images for the 100Â µm range offers the following facts 1. The lower pH and hence the more gastric acid generating coffee has shown a wider degree of tooth erosion compare to herbal tea. Source: Baby teeth sample exposed to coffee at 2Â µm, Lab images 2. The figures have been split into 2 sections; those taken ay 100Â µm and those at 2Â µm. The images for 100Â µm show that the teeth exposed to coffee have a fish scale like appearance and heavy duty cracking with enamel layers almost peeling off. Severe presence of cracks is also noticed on the surface. The teeth exposed to herbal tea also show deterioration with the surface witnessing rough scaly discontinuities. 3. More magnification in the 2Â µm show that compared to the teeth exposed to herbal tea, the coffee exposed teeth had severe degree of pitting across its surface. 4. The baby tooth that has been exposed to coffee does not show significant erosion but the beginning of surface layer peeling has begun. Also if one were to compare the images at 2Â µm for the adult and baby, the former shows a significant amount of pitting that has taken place on its surface in addition to

Nursing paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nursing paper - Essay Example Unfortunately, such fundamental practices are often forgotten by the management and in turn affect the morale of the nurses. For example, in my first job as a nurse I witness and experienced low morale among the nursing staff. I had just joined a nursing home and was working in a busy medical oncology floor. Being my first job, I was happy, confident, motivated and enthusiastic to learn. However, the other staff members were not feeling the same because shortly before I arrived there were many changes made to the unit that they were not pleased with. They had lost some nurses in the transition and the situation had not improved yet. The problem continued after my arrival and more nurses especially experienced ones left leaving the new recruits. This led to short-staffing and overworking which in turn reduced even the morale of the new nurses. Many nurses became frustrated, tired and demoralized. The staff complained of the condition to the management but there complaints were not hea rd or at least nothing was done about them. The condition deteriorated and more nurses quit their jobs citing low morale as the cause of their leaving. The condition in the nursing home was highly blamed on the management. The management did not consult the nurses when they were making the changes in the unit.

Enteprenuership and Organizational Behavior Essay

Enteprenuership and Organizational Behavior - Essay Example This study therefore seeks to establish adequate principles and approaches needed to accomplish the relevant ambitious trends. Systematically Analyse the Concept of Entrepreneurialism The entrepreneur is an individual or group who is keen to abide by the risks of organising, operating as well as assuming the possibilities for a business venture in order to build capital either through profits (in case of profit earning organisations/companies) or through funds (in case of non-profit institutions). From a generalised perspective, entrepreneurialism can be denoted as one of the effective entrepreneurial cultures deliberately contributing towards various social development activities. Entrepreneurship today is extensively involved with the transforming ideas concerning economic growth of a society or a country at large. They are risk takers, who look forward to undertake any challenge or task without any hesitation. There are certain numbers of characteristics that are involved with the effectiveness of entrepreneurs, such as self confidence, sense of ownership, continuous learning skills, communication abilities, goal and system oriented cognitive skills and dedicat ion towards the objectives with an optimistic point of view, among others. Among the various notable entrepreneurs of this era, Lord Alan Sugar has been one. Born in East London, he worked against all odds to be a member at the House of Commons and to hold 89th position in the Sunday Times Rich List of 2011. Amstrad has been his most successful venture. 1.2 Critically Evaluate Entrepreneurialism as an Agent of Change in Both Public and Private Health and Social Care Sector. In the modern day context of healthcare and social organizations, the entrepreneurs are highly inclined towards gaining increased revenue or profit for the organization. However, social enterprises now-a-days entail certain significant attributes related to the governmental public policies. The enterprises of the globalised world focusing on a developed entrepreneurship are different from traditional and socio-economic approaches which motivated the European countries to adopt developed legal frameworks. The contemporary scenario of healthcare organizations is necessary to be conscious of the environmental changes, also to implement suitable plans and strategies for the organization, concentrated on its social benefits. Significant plans along with the appropriate strategies are more effective for the organizat

Marketing assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing assessment - Essay Example Among these is the threat of new entrants in to the market. The ratio of new entrants continues to get bigger and as such intensifies the competition. For example in the telecommunications industry, more companies have set up shop, introducing products such as mobile phones which are affordable therefore challenging the already existing companies. This is primarily due to the advances in technology which allows more people to venture in to business easily than it was the case in the past. This means that more superior products will be developed in order to retain a competitive advantage. Therefore, increase in the financial spending to produce quality products and services and low profit margins since the prices of the products and services will be put to match the market prices at the time. Globalisation another feature of technology is a major challenge especially to local companies who are increasingly being faced by competition from multinationals in their backyard. Local companies face the risk of losing monopoly as more and better products and services are being offered by international companies who have infiltrated their market. There is an increase in middle men and counterfeit products in the market which is a major threat to the existing genuine companies. Fake and substandard products continue to flood the market at the expense of genuine products due to their low pricing. People are buying cheap products due to the high cost of living as a substitute to genuine products they are unable to afford. The rise of middle men also, who sell products and make higher profits than the producers themselves are also a major threat to companies in the 21st century. Pfizer pharmaceutical in the US has been a victim of this continued trend with several of their medicine being counterfeited. Counterfeiting is linked to organized crimes such as money laundering and is a lucrative business for the

Second Vatican and the Roman Council Essay Example for Free

Second Vatican and the Roman Council Essay What changes did the Second Vatican Council made to the Roman Catholic? The Second Vatican Council that is also referred to as the Vatican II took place in 1962-1965. It is also called the 21st Roman Catholic’s ecumenical. The council was initiated by John XXIII the pope of the Roman Catholic Church and continued up to the times of Paul IV. It was specifically concerned with renewing spiritually the Roman Catholic and to address the position of the church in the whole world. This council made a number of significant changes to the Roman church especially on liturgy, church constitution, on ecumenism etc. The purpose of this research paper is to discuss in details the reforms that were made in the Roman Catholic Church. The first announced purpose of this council was to make some reforms on liturgy. This was a change that was proposed such that if implemented the laymen would be encouraged to come closer to the church and increase their participation in the church matters. This was also intended to bring as many laymen as possible to the church so that there would be diversity in terms of the languages as well as in practice. This was based on understanding that various groups in the world have different cultures thus incorporating different groups in the church was the most viable means of bringing diversity. Much emphasis was also directed on the bishops’ pastoral duties so as to differentiate their role from other administrative duties. By the time this council adjourned, the council had discussed these issues and came up with four terms and definitions of these proposed changes that were based on mutual agreement. (Flannery, A 1996) When the council convened again in September to December 1963 the sacred liturgy constitution was passed. This constitution allowed the use of local languages and increased participation of the laymen in the church rituals. (Greeley A. 2004) The second Vatican unlike the past councils was particularly concerned with the renewal of the church and to make citizens to be committed to the church matters. The past council mainly addressed the punishment issues so as to combat heresies. The council came up with what was referred as the constitutions on divine revelations, on the church on 11th November 1964 and the pastoral constitution. The liturgy constitution was after mass participation in the church matters. In this constitution, Latin language, which was being used in the past, was replaced with other vernacular dialects. This constitution also provided the common ground of dealing with Protestants, orthodox and those that were considered as non-Christians. Here the Roman Catholic departed from making harsh policies against the above mentioned groups and instead condemned all acts that were viewed as anti Semitic. The council also deployed the persecution and hatred ness against the Protestants. Generally the council reformed the past constitution something that led to increase church freedom. (Daniel-Rops H. 1962) The church constitution was concerned with the biblical understanding of the juridical model, which was in use for many years. The Roman Catholics came to be regarded as the people of God thereby asking the servant nature of follower the prime concern His touched offices like the bishop and for the priests. The constitution made a provision that would allow bishops to have collegial responsibility in church affairs. The ordinary church members were also not left out as the constitution came upon these members to be sanctified so that they would help the church in spreading the gospel to the Christians in every part of the world. The tone of the constitution on pastoral matters was clearly expressed in the opening words in the council, â€Å"Joy and hope the grief and anguish of contemporary humanity particularly of poor and afflicted. † The debate stated with theological matters affecting humanity and then shifted to other areas that affected humanity such as cultural family, economic and well as family and marriage. (McGrory, B. 2004) This church constitution had eight chapters that were referred as the Lumen Gentium and this particularly completed the work of the first Vatican. This constitution in chapter three addressed the pope’s infallibility but no big change was made except the fact that pope’s infallibility was also extended to the Roman Catholic bishops especially when they are pursuing the church doctrines. The roman primacy was also reemphasized on this constitution but of paramount concern was the bishop’s centrality, which was strongly affirmed. This was in line with the collegiality principle or sharing responsibilities. (Flannery, A 1996) This is in other words affirmed that bishops were just like the body of apostle that Peter headed. By incorporating the Episcopal collegiality, papal primacy and infallibility solved the long continued tension between the council and the. The chapter 4 of this church constitution changed the tenaciously held believe that the clergy only formed church and nobody else mattered. This belief changed so that the church came to be seen as the ‘people of God. ’ With these changes, the church phased out the old traditions and switched to the modern world church. The transition was marked by use of people from all walks of life to promulgate the gospel of Christ. They were the church’s representatives just as it was the case in the times of the Christ. This changed the long-standing belief that only nuns, monks and clergies that possessed the Christian calling. This was changed so that the Roman Catholic would spread its gospel to all areas that in the past were inaccessible. The second Vatican council while forming the second dogmatic constitution touched on the sacred traditions and the church’s functions. They were aware that though the appropriate approach in spreading the gospel was to be used, the content and the harmonization of the scripture was of prime importance. The scripture was to be interpreted depending on the sacred tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. The emphasy was placed on the biblical decree and specifically on its centrality. This council resolved that it was to be ensured that everybody had an access to the sacred scripture. (Bokenkotter T. 1979) This sacred was quickly implemented and the results were evident within a very short time and there was particularly because of the legislation of using vernacular languages in spreading the gospel unlike in the past where Latin was the only recognized language. Another reason why it spread very fast is because unlike in the past where the Roman Catholic only relied on the clergies, monks and nuns to spread the gospel, this time through the constitutional reform, laymen were also entrusted with the work of spreading the same. About the mass sacrifice there were notable changes that were made for example the celebrant was not supposed to say privately those verses that were sung by the choir or by the deacon however they were allowed to sing along with the members in reciting the ordinary of the mass such as the Gloria and the Credo. Also there was supposed to a ‘secret’ prayer to be sung either loudly or secretly prior to preface. (Ker 2002) On ecumenism, the traditional method of teaching was maintained but was dramatically adapted. It was emphasized that only through the Roman Catholic Church of the Christians that salvation would be achieved. There were notable changes especially in the way Protestants and Anglicans were viewed. In the past they were viewed as enemies and were strongly condemned but this time they started seen as Christians while the eastern orthodox was deemed as the descendants of the apostles. The Roman church stopped believed that the solution to the church division was the return of all these churches to Rome but the believed that the solution was to let all participate and fulfill what their God wanted. (Gilbert A 1968) In conclusion, we can say that the second Vatican council made some significant reforms in the Roman Catholic. This is what could be referred to as the turning point between its dark past and the modern Roman Catholic Church. The changes that were brought by this council of the 1962 up to 1965 had some positive results for example viewing Christians as people of God, primacy and infallibility of the papal and the extension of this to the bishops, the inclusion of laymen in the spread of gospel and the condemnation of the persecution against the Protestants and the Jews. Work Cited. Bokenkotter T. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. Garden City, New York: Image. 1979: 36 Daniel-Rops H. The Second Vatican Council. D. C. Pawley.1962: 78-87. Flannery, A. , ed. Vatican Council II: Constitutions, Decrees, and Declarations. Costello Pub Co. 1996: 98 Gilbert A. : The Vatican Council and the Jews. Cleveland, World Publishing Co. , 1968: 112 Greeley A. The Catholic Revolution: New Wine, Old Wineskins, and the Second Vatican Council. Berkeley: University of California Press. 2004: 122-125. Ker I. What did the Second Vatican Council do for us? 2002. Accessed at http://www. christendom-awake. org/pages/ianker/vatican2. html on March 29 2008 McGrory, B. The Parish Council Empowers People: Church, Second Vatican. Catholic New Times. 20th June, 2004: 23-27

Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions in Australia

Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions in Australia The word culture stems from a Latin root that means the tilling of the soil, like in agriculture. In many modern languages the word is used in a figurative sense, with two meaning. The first meaning which is more commonly used is civilization, including education, manners, and arts and crafts and their products. It is the domain of a ministry of culture. The second meaning is derived from social anthropology, but in the past decades it has entered common parlance. It refers to the way people think, feel and act (Hofstede, G. Et al. 2011). According to Geert Hofstede, Culture is the collective programming of the human mind that distinguishes the members of one human group from those of another. Culture in this sense is a system of collectively held values (Geert Hofstede). Categories can refer to nations, regions within or across nations, ethnicities, religions, occupations, organizations, or the genders. He also spoke about culture as the software of the mind that guides us in our daily interactions. Another definition of culture according to Edgar Schein is, Culture is the deeper level of basic assumptions and benefits that are shared by members of an organisation that operate unconsciously and define in a basic taken for granted fashion an organisations view of its self and its environment (Edgar H. Schein. 2004). *According to Peterson (2004), Culture is the relatively steady set of inner values and beliefs commonly held by groups of persons in countries or regions and the visible impact those values and beliefs have on the populations outward behaviour and environment. Hence, culture includes many elements which include behaviour, knowledge, motives, ideas, and customs that differentiate the members of one group from another (Neelankavil and Rai, 2009). The aim of this essay is to discuss and evaluate the key dimensions of national culture of Australia using the cultural dimensions model developed by Hofstede which is based on an extensive study of how values in workplace are influenced by culture. A particular culture will be rated against five distinct categories. These dimensions are Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism versus Collectivism, Masculinity versus Femininity and Long Term Orientation (Hofsted, 2001). I will also discuss some limitations and criticism of the Hofstede Model of Culture Dimensions, concluding my discussion with a brief summary at the end. National Culture of Australia: *Australia is a well developed country making marks in the world economy. Australian Culture echoes the nations exceptional unification of different cultures. Australias diverse culture and lifestyle reflect its liberal democratic traditions and values, geographic closeness to the Asia-Pacific region and the social and cultural influences of the millions of migrants who have settled in Australia since World War II. Australia is a product of a unique blend of established traditions and new influences. The countrys original inhabitants, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, are the custodians of one of the worlds oldest continuing cultural traditions (Australiacountrybook. 2011). Australia culture has grown to be one of the most diverse cultures of the world. Heavily influenced by Anglo-Celtic origins the culture of Australia has also been shaped by multi-ethnic migration which has influenced all aspects of Australian life, including business, the arts, cooking, sense of humour and sporting tastes. Australian culture is based on the following principles: Productive diversity- All the people should uplift the cultural, social and economic values. And Cultural respect- All the people of Australia can practice their own religion and culture. Today Australia has a population of more than 21 million people (World News Network. 2011). Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions framework of Australia Power Distance: Power distance is the extent to which less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. (Hofstede, 2001). This represents inequality (more versus less), but defined from below, not from above. It suggests that a societys level of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders (Geert Hofstede. (2009). In high power distance cultures the following things are observed. Those in authority openly demonstrate their rank. Subordinates are not given important work and expect clear guidance from above. Subordinates are expected to take the blame for things going wrong. The relationship between boss and subordinate is rarely close/personal. Politics is prone to totalitarianism. Class divisions within society are accepted and parents are more highly respected and corporal punishment is more common (Hofstede on Cultural Awareness. 2011). In comparison in low power distance cultures the following things are observed. Superiors treat subordinates with respect regardless of their rank. Subordinates are entrusted with important assignments and tasks. If things go wrong, the blame is generally shared or very often accepted by the superior due to it being their responsibility to manage. Managers may often socialise with their subordinates. Liberal democracies are the norm and societies lean more towards egalitarianism. Power Distance in Australia: Power Distance (PDI) in Australia is relatively low, with an index of 36, compared to the world average of 55. This is indicative of a greater equality between societal levels, including government, organizations, and even within families. This orientation reinforces a cooperative interaction across power levels and creates a more stable cultural environment (Australian Business Culture. 2011). A low power distance implies that power in Australia is spread out to everyone instead of being reserved to a few groups. This relatively low score implies that Australians believe that they are close to power, that they should have access to that power, that the powerful and the powerless should try to live in concert with each other, and that a hierarchy is an inequality of roles established for convenience (Samovar and Porter, 1991). Uncertainty Avoidance: Uncertainty Avoidance deals with a societys tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to mans search for truth. It indicates to what extent a culture programs its members to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations. Unstructured situations are novel, unknown, surprising, and different from usual. Uncertainty avoiding cultures try to minimize the possibility of such situations by strict laws and rules, safety and security measures, and on the philosophical and religious level by a belief in absolute truth; there can only be one truth and we have it. People in uncertainty avoiding countries are also more emotional, and motivated by inner nervous energy. The opposite type, uncertainty accepting cultures, are more tolerant of opinions different from what they are used to; they try to have as few rules as possible, and on the philosophical and religious level they are relativist and allow many currents to flow side by side. People within thes e cultures are more phlegmatic and contemplative, and not expected by their environment to express emotions (Geert Hofstede. 2009). Some of the common traits found in countries that score highly on the uncertainty avoidance scale are as follows. They are usually countries/cultures with a long history, where the population is not multicultural, i.e. homogenous. Where risks, even calculated, are avoided in business and where new ideas and concepts are more difficult to introduce (EuroAfricaCentral Network Multicultural Communication Training. 2009). In comparison, some of the common traits found in countries that score low on the uncertainty avoidance scale are as follows. They are usually countries with a young history and where the population is much more diverse due to waves of immigration. Where risks are embraced as part of businesses and innovation and pushing boundaries is encouraged (Hofstede on Cultural Awareness 2011). Uncertainty Avoidance in Australia: The Geert Hofstede analysis shows the high level of individuality Australians hold dear. This is reinforced in their daily lives and must be considered when travelling and doing business in the Country. Privacy is considered the norm and attempts at personal ingratiation may meet with rebuff. Uncertainty avoidance is relatively low with a family centred culture and a stable society (Geert Hofstede. (2009). Australia received a score of 27 on the scale of Uncertainty Avoidance. This score implies that Australians do not like uncertainty, that they want stability for members, they strive for consensus, follow many rules, and tend to have more stress and anxiety (Samovar and Porter, 1991). Individualism/collectivism: According to Hofstede (2001), individualism/ collectivism refer to the extent to which individuals are integrated groups. *Individualism is the opposite of collectivism; together they form one of the dimensions of national cultures. Individualism stands for a society in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate family only. People in individualistic cultures emphasize their success/achievements in job or private wealth and aiming up to reach more and/or a better job position (International Business Cultures. 2010). Collectivism stands for a society in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong cohesive in groups, which throughout peoples lifetime continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. Alexandra Giroux. (2011). Highly individualist cultures believe that an individual is the most important unit. In this kind of culture people only take care of themselves and their immediate family. People are self orientated. Identity is based on individual. It is also a kind of a guilt culture. People make decisions on their individual needs. Emphasis is on individual initiative and achievement and everyone has a right to a private life (Ann P. Copeland. (2011). *In comparison, highly collective cultures believe that an individual is the most important unit. In this kind of culture people expect absolute loyalty to a group i.e. extended family. It is group oriented and decisions are based on what is best for the group. Identity is based on a social system and it is also a kind of shame culture. Dependence on organisation and institutions i.e. expects organisations/institutions/groups to take care of an individual. There is an emphasis on belonging and private life is invaded by institution and organisations to which one belongs to. Individualism in Australia: The Geert Hofstede analysis for Australia reflects the high level of individuality Australians hold dear. The Individualism (IDV) index for Australia is 90, the second highest score of any country in Hofstedes survey, behind the United States ranking of 91. This individuality is reinforced in Australians daily lives and must be considered when travelling and doing business in their Country. Privacy is considered the cultural norm and attempts at personal ingratiating may meet with rebuff (International Business Centre. (2008). Masculinity/Femininity: This dimension indicates the extent to which dominant values in a society tend to be assertive and look more interested in things than in concerning for people and the quality of life. Masculinity is the opposite of femininity; together, they form one of the dimensions of national cultures (International Business Cultures. (2010). According to Hofstede, Masculinity stands for a society in which social gender roles are clearly distinct: Men are supposed to be assertive, tough, and focused on material success; women are supposed to be more modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life. Femininity stands for a society in which social gender roles overlap: Both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life. (Hofstede (2001). Masculine cultures tend to be ambitious and need to excel. Members of these cultures have a tendency to polarize and consider big and fast to be beautiful. In workplaces employees emphasize their work to a great extent (live in order to work) and they admire achievers who accomplished their tasks. Feminine cultures consider quality of life and helping others to be very important (Hideyuki SUGAWARA. (2009). A High Masculinity ranking indicates the country experiences a high degree of gender differentiation. In these cultures, males dominate a significant portion of the society and power structure, with females being controlled by male domination. A Low Masculinity ranking indicates the country has a low level of differentiation and discrimination between genders. In these cultures, females are treated equally to males in all aspects of the society. Masculinity/Femininity in Australia: *The Geert Hofstede analysis for Australia in relation to masculinity reflects almost 58% population is male dominated which is just below half level at 48% compared to the rest of the world. This shows that females still are not considered equal to men in different fields of life; however, femininity equality rights are increasing rapidly in Australia according to some online statistics and reports. Long Term Orientation: Long-Term Orientation (LTO) focuses on the degree the society embraces, or does not embrace long-term devotion to traditional, forward thinking values. High Long-Term Orientation ranking indicates the country prescribes to the values of long-term commitments and respect for tradition. This is thought to support a strong work ethic where long-term rewards are expected as a result of todays hard work. However, business may take longer to develop in this society, particularly for an outsider. A Low Long-Term Orientation ranking indicates the country does not reinforce the concept of long-term, traditional orientation. In this culture, change can occur more rapidly as long-term traditions and commitments do not become impediments to change (International Business Centre. 2008). A long term orientation is characterized by persistence and perseverance, a respect for a hierarchy of the status of relationships, thrift, and a sense of shame. Countries include China; Hong Kong; Taiwan, Japan and India. A short-term orientation is marked by a sense of security and stability, a protection of ones reputation, a respect for tradition, and a reciprocation of greetings; favours and gifts. Countries include: Britain, Canada, the Philippines; Germany and Australia (Robert Paterson. (2003). High long term orientation cultures will show respect to traditions and longer work commitments, this is because one believe rewards will come following work even if it is not immediate. Long term rewards are expected for work done today. Low long term orientation societies do not confirm to traditions and long term rewards. Traditions and commitments in cultures with low long term orientation are likely to change with time (Confucius Institute. (2008). Long Term Orientation in Australia: Long term orientation in Australia is at 30% which is just below half level at 44% compared to the rest of the world. This shows that long term orientation is at a low level in Australia. This might also means that Australia leans more towards short term orientation than long term. Limitations of the Hofstede Model of Culture Dimensions: Even though Hofstedes model is generally accepted as the most comprehensive framework of national cultures values, its validity and its limitations have been extensively criticized. Certain criticism has been raised such as the following. Firstly, the averages of a country do not relate to individuals of that country. Even though this model has proven to be quite often correct when applied to the general population, one must be aware that not all individuals or even regions with subcultures fit into the mould. It is to be used as a guide to understanding the difference in culture between countries, not as law set in stone. As always, there are exceptions to the rule. Secondly, there is no certainty concerning the accuracy of the data. The data has been collected through questionnaires, which have their own limitations. In some cultures the context of the questions asked are as important as their content. Especially in group orientated cultures, individuals might tend to answer questions as if they were addressed to the group he/she belongs to. Lastly, the question is as to how up to date is the data considering factors such as how much does a country change over time, either by internal or external influences. Conclusion After discussing in detail, Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions framework for Australia, it can be seen that the power distance situation in Australia is relatively low. A low power distance implies that power in Australia is spread out to everyone instead of being reserved to a few groups. This also indicates that there is good equality between social level, including government, and organisations. This orientation reinforces a cooperative interaction across power levels and creates a more stable cultural environment. In relation to uncertainty avoidance, it is also relatively low with a family centred culture and a steady society. It can also be seen that Australians do not like uncertainty, that they want stability for members, they strive for consensus, follow many rules, and tend to have more stress and anxiety. It can also be witnessed that there has been a high level of individuality. The masculinity / femininity level seems to be balanced as well with both genders sharing equality in business and ethics. As for orientation, you can see both long and short term as Australia is a product of a unique blend of established traditions and new influences. Overall this portrays that Australia has come a long way from where it once stood has improved on many issues and fields heading towards a strong, solid and promising future in terms of culture.

Booker T. Washington :: essays research papers

Booker T. Washington was the first African American whose likeness appeared on a United States postage stamp. Washington also was thus honored a quarter century after his death. In 1946 he also became the first black with his image on a coin, a 50-cent piece. The Tuskegee Institute, which Washington started at the age of 25, was the where the 10-cent stamps first were available. The educator's monument on its campus shows him lifting a symbolic veil from the head of a freed slave. Booker Taliaferro Washington was born a slave on April 5, 1856, in Franklin County, Va. His mother, Jane Burroughs, was a plantation cook. His father was an unknown white man. As a child, Booker swept yards and brought water to slaves working in the fields. Freed after the American Civil War, he went with his mother to Malden, W. Va., to join Washington Ferguson, whom she had married during the war. At about age 16 Booker set out for Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, which had been established by the chief of the Freedmen's Bureau to educate former slaves. He walked much of the way, working to earn the fare to complete the long, dusty journey to Virginia. For his admission test he repeatedly swept and dusted a classroom, and he was able to earn his board by working as a janitor. After graduation three years later he taught in Malden and at Hampton. A former slave who had become a successful farmer, and a white politician in search of the Negro vote in Macon County obtained financial support for a training school for blacks in Tuskegee, Ala. When the board of commissioners asked the head of Hampton to send a principal for their new school, they had expected the principal to be white. Instead Washington arrived in June 1881. He began classes in July with 30 students in a shanty donated by a black church. Later he borrowed money to buy an abandoned plantation nearby and moved the school there. By the time of his death in Tuskegee in 1915 the institute had some 1,500 students, more than 100 well-equipped buildings, and a large faculty. Washington believed that blacks could promote their constitutional rights by impressing Southern whites with their economic and moral progress. He wanted them to forget about political power and concentrate on their farming skills and learning industrial trades.

hatchet Essay -- essays research papers

The story The Hatchet is about a boy, Brian Robeson and how he gets stranded in northern Canada when the pilot of the plane he is on has a heart attack. He is left without food, water, and shelter. This is the story about how he survived. His dad lived up near the tundra in Canada. Brian was on his way to see him because his mother had cheated on his father and divorced him, so his father moved away. Brian’s mother didn’t know that Brian knew she had left his father for another man and the secret was killing him. His mother gave him a hatchet before he left to see his father. He then left and got onto the small bush plane. The pilot was going along merrily when he had a heart attack and died right in front of Brian. Brian didn’t know what to do so he sort of steered the plane and kept going. The plane had been turned a bit while the Pilot was having a heart attack so Brian had no idea where he was going. The radio wouldn’t work and he was looking for a lake to land in so he would have a slightly bigger chance of survival. Once he woke up he realized he was on a beach and insects were tearing him up. He had landed in a lake and drug himself up. He was still very tired and hurt from the crash so he just fell back asleep again. Once he woke up we went to the lake and got a drink, he was hungry. All he had to survive was a 20-dollar bill, the clothes on his back, and the hatchet his mother had given him before he left. He found a shelter and some berries. One night while he w...

Alkanes :: essays research papers

Alkanes The alkanes are the simplest form of organic compounds. They are made up of only Carbon atoms and Hydrogen atoms. All of the bonds are single and the number of hydrogen atoms versus carbon atoms follows this formula: CnH2n+2 Alkanes are all non-polar molecules so they aren't soluble in water. Here are some more facts. -Referred to as "Saturated" -They have -low densities -low melting points -low boiling points -Refer to "Slide 29" sheet We couldn't find any information on who discovered them. Or on the what, where, or when. However the first alkane that was discovered was probably methane. Because, of course, this is the gas that cows belch. The journal of toxology report that a 15 year old boy was stricken with hemiparesis "resulting from acute intoxication following inhalation of butane gas." Hemiparesis is when half of a person's body is paralyzed. Through reactions alkanes can be transformed into chloroform. This has been shown to accumulate in lungs of swimmers after they swim for extended periods of time. As mentioned above chloroform can be produced which can be used for anesthesia. Also dichloromethane, or paint stripper and 1,2-dichloroethane which is a dry cleaning fluid. Here is a sample reaction where a halogen replaces a hydrogen. CH4(g) + C12(g) ----> CH3Cl(g) + HCl(g) There are many uses for alkanes, for instance: Propane is used in gas grills, butane is used in cigarette lighters, through various reactions scientists can make paint stripper, anesthesia or dry cleaning fluid. The Pentanes and Hexanes are also highly flammable and make really cool explosions. Heptane, octane and nonane make up gasoline. The "Octane Scale" on gas pumps uses a system which rates n-heptane at a 0 and isooctane at 100. Currently propane gas is being studied to use it as a fuel for more

Project Management Regency Plaza

Table of ContentsPage 1. Executive Summary (207 words) 2. Introduction (280 words) 3. Project Definition Phase (949 words) 3. 1Problems Encountered during the Project 4. The Project Manager (790 words) 4. 1Assessment of Kris Hodgkins 5. Risk Management (938 words) 5. 1Evaluating Risk Management 6. Miller’s Dilemma (821 words) 7. Final Discussion (398 words) 8. Conclusion (142 words) 9. Appendix 10. References 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Being a successful hotel operator, the Regency Hotel Group (RHG) has the experience, the resources as well as the capability of managing the Regency Plaza Project. So the question is, why has the project been dogged by various problems? From slow sales growth, unhappy customers to increasing costs, internal conflict as well as work delays, the list is extensive. One major reason for this appears to be poor planning. With proper planning and project management in place, scheduling and coordination is made much easier. Any arising problems could be identified and resolved which would lead to less time and money spent on rectification. This would in turn enable more time and resources to be spent on the refinement of the works which would result in the completion and success of the project. The RHG has established a reputation and a brand name associated with good service, luxury and an extensive range of amenities. Failure or even further delays on this project would be detrimental to their reputation. This goes to show the importance of project management in relation to the organization’s strategic mission. This report will assess how the Regency Plaza project was managed and implications for future project managers to take note of. 2. Introduction Lewis (2005; P23) mentioned that haste makes waste and it is very true. But in the â€Å"hurry up and get it done world†, there is little patience with â€Å"wasting time† on all that planning. The result? Rework and rectification, which is 100 percent waste. Experts estimated that one-third of the cost of the average project goes to correcting errors through reworks. Having said the above, there is still no flawless project process. Why is that so? This is because we are all human beings, and human beings tend to make mistakes. In situations where time, cost and resources are of special concern, project anagers tend to make more irrational decisions, resulting in more re-work. The Regency Plaza case study is a key example. So how can these errors be minimized? What projects managers can do to minimize these errors is to ensure that there is proper planning, project design and project management. Projects are stepping stones of corporate strategy and its success is the lifeblood of every organization RHG is well known for her luxurious fitt ings and high service quality in the hotel industry. The Regency Plaza project was formulated using this strategy in the challenging market environment. The role of the project manager (which in this case is Hodgkins), is to take responsibility for the overall success of the project. However, this is not seen in the Regency Plaza project. As indicated, this project has been racked with many uncertainties. This essay will evaluate the following: 1) The Project Definition Phase of Regency Plaza, 2) The Role of the Project Manager, 3) The Overall Risk Assessment, and lastly 4) The Implications for the Project Manager facilitating the pace of the project. 3. Project Definition Phase The overall project definition phrase goes according to the following cycle diagram which shows the interrelationship between the 3 stages of project definition. Goals RHG had a clear goal in mind of what they wanted to achieve in this project development; that is, to develop Regency Plaza. This is their first attempt venturing into building luxury condominiums units together with hotel rooms. The financial aim was to earn projected gross profits of $134. 4 million and net profits of $26 million. In the development of Regency Plaza Project, luxury condominium units are also included. The management failed to take into account the fact that they are venturing into a new business territory involving long-term residential condominium units. Hotel guests and condominium residents have different levels of expectations not to mention the fact that the Regency Plaza is a luxury development. While being established and successful in their main business is good, perhaps this has also contributed to the over-confidence of the management and their failure to set appropriate realistic goals. A project priority matrix was first developed to identify the various levels of project priorities in terms of time, performance and cost which interelate to the goals set. Project Priority Matrix | | | | | | | | | | | | This would signify the following for the Regency Plaza Project: ? If the project is behind schedule, there will be a reduction in the completion time in order to successfully market the product ? If the project is behind schedule, cost budget will be increased to speed up work ? The original specifications fixed cannot be compromised Specifications When the project management team under the leadership of project manager Hodgkins was set-up by RHG management, plentiful amounts of information/data/specifications was provided. It was a tough period for Hodgkins as she needed to undertake many decisions of deciding on the project’s main specifications. For instance; she had to decide on the number of units that would be offered when the project was completed. From RHG’s perspective, obtaining the maximum profit from the 96 units would be deemed as a wise decision, whereas considering the duration and deadline of the project, choosing to build more units would be tedious not only in terms of planning and meeting deadlines but also with regards to cost in terms of materials. At the same time, one of the key strategies of the development was allowing buyers the option of customising their units. As such, the decision to opt for more units is a core decision which would greatly affect the project’s main specifications whereby the rest of the specifications that follow would be affected as well. Tasks and Responsibilities As ambitious as RHG may be, following the concept development, they not only left key decisions but also the majority of the project responsibilities and decision-making power to Hodgkins. However, this fact was not communicated to the rest of the project participants, resulting in many individuals influencing the project manager’s decision. RHG management had failed to organize the task and responsibilities in a systematic manner where there is proper information dissemination and a tight chain of command. The management also failed to supervise and maintain a series of checks and control for the entire project. It was also noted that the management had a different project team working on the hotel but the same contractor. It is essential that both teams work closely as any delay by either party would impact on the other as could be seen when construction slowed down on the hotel nearing the completion date due to issues with the condominium units. Conflict and unhappiness with the contractor and vice-versa also impacted the other. Decision making process hindered by too many parties pic] 1. Problems Encountered during the Regency Plaza Project Unable To Complete Before Scheduled Time In the case of the Regency Plaza Project, the hiccup encountered by the project manager was behind schedule If a clear and sufficient time frame was pre-planned in the project definition phrase, the possibility of such a problem occurring would be greatly reduced. The project manager had failed to allocat e and include an amount of time/duration into the entire project duration as a contingency plan to rely on in the event of phrase failure or delays.. In the initial tender stage with the contractor, the lowest bid selected and the selected contractor was persuaded to cut off 3 months from their target date. This was agreed with the understanding that the timeline was tight but with minimal changes and disruptions, the time line could still be met. With this in mind, the project manager should note that no disruptions or delays could be tolerated. There also appears to be a lack of proper checks and progress updates, as if this was present, the problem would be flagged earlier on and measures to resolve this could be established. Decision making hindered by multiple stake holders The decision-making process, right from the conceptualisation stage had to go through tedious discussions with the stakeholders. The nature of the project itself, with two separate project teams (hotel and condo) as well as the customisation element, meant that while the responsibility laid with Hodgkins and she was tasked to make major decisions, she had difficulty doing so as she needed to accommodate and take the various stakeholders into consideration while trying to obtain the optimum profit/benefits. If the major decision maker has been determined during the project definition phrase, a systematic flow utilising the decision making matrix should be used to avoid the problem of too many decision-makers. 4. the Project Manager The role of the project manager involves integrating, planning, organizing, controlling and leading. Hodgkins needs to be able to properly communicate and combine the crossing points of functional departments, the subcontractors and other stakeholders. In the initial planning stage, Hodgkins needs to identify the task each stakeholder is involved in and the targeted completion deadline. This will provide a better picture of the resources availabile at each stage of the project. Hodgkins is required to manage and organize the project team that was put together for her by Regency. This controlling role requires the project manager to plan out the objectives and processes required to reach the end goal. Following which, the assigned processes need to be implemented and at various stages, the results need to be tracked and tallied to ensure that the expected outcomes are reached. Lastly, project manager must be flexible and react decisively. There is a eed to constantly keep track and analyze the cause of any differences and re-evaluate the whole process and make the necessary changes. A project manager should lead by example as it is a highly visible management style that will build and sustain cooperative relationships. The skills required as a project manager would be as follow; 1. Good communication ensures that valuable information related to the project status is provided in a timely and effective manner. 2. Ability to work as a team will allow team members to understand their roles and responsibilities on the project and work collaboratively. 3. Listening skills is important because good listening skills is needed to truly hear and try to understand what others on the project are trying to say 4. Planning skills will help the project manager provide each functional department a clearing schedule of their work. 5. Persuasion techniques – influencing without direct authority and obtaining win-win situations 4. 1Assessment of Kris Hodgkins Hodgkins dismissed Farley’s, a renowned condominium marketing consultant, suggestion on building larger but less units. Her focus was to hit the projected sales targets and failed to consider the merits of Fraley’s suggestion. She also realized that customization had disrupted the completion of the project, but did not try to persuade the management on giving up the idea. If she had done so with the evidence of the increase in cost, wastage of materials and potential complaints from customers that may likely lead to damages to the company’s reputation, the management may have reconsidered their commitment. Hodgkins choose not to discuss with the buyers about the option on customizing individual units, as she felt that most of the customizing could only be done after the building was completed. This resulted in the wasting of materials and resources as the base design that was constructed had to be ripped out and rebuilt according to the buyers’ changes. This has also resulted in a delay in the work flow because with incomplete drawings the main contractors are not able to get accurate quotes from the subcontractors. By not processing and disseminating vital information promptly, miscommunication occurs, the work process is lengthened and the pressure is placed on the final recipient. A key example of this is the situation where Hodgkins only delivers sketches from the interior designer to O’Brian and Sinclair when she had the time. An instance where miscommunication results is when Hodgkins never explains to Helen Miller that the reason why the bills she received are so expensive is because of the complexity of the work and the incomplete design provided by Susan Randolph. Incomplete control and bad planning where there is no proper task breakdown structure in place resulted in continual changes to design even while the opening date is closing in. This causes the already tight timeline to be stretched even further, not to mention the fluctuation in manpower, increasing costs and subsequent further delay to the project. As mentioned earlier, the two project managers from Regency are working as different entities although the main objective is for the building to be completed sooner. Furthermore when Hodgkins realize that sales was not doing very well, she did not discuss with Farley and the sales staff on ways to improve sales figure. It can be concluded that Hodgkins is not a good project manager. She failed to communicate vital information to the stakeholders. She was given a team to help on the sales but did not make good use of it. It was only till things were getting out of hand that she called for a meeting. If she had done so earlier, this would have reduced the amount of time and resources wasted. There is also evidence of poor control and checks, bad planning and a refusal to address issues and update management of problems. 5. Risk Management The Risk Management Process consists of four stages which are elaborated below; 5. 1Stage 1: Identify – Risk Identification Identification ensures that actions and contingencies are focused upon specific risks. Actions may then be developed to specifically target this risk and attempt to reduce its impact. Risk Breakdown Structure i. Complexity – The strategy of customisation of condominium units resulted in the delay of the project’s completion. Hodgkins did not identify and assess such risks when she took on this project. If she had done so, it would have allowed her to factor this in when assessing the contractors and costs and would also have given her ample time to develop choices of strategy to tackle the problem. ii. Subcontractors – Time was an issue during the designing process when making alterations to the condominium. This would have been acceptable if the issue had been addressed at the beginning and contingency plans were made. But Hodgkins preferred to take the chance of hoping customers would settle for what was given instead. This was a curious decision that she made in view of the fact that customisation was a selling point for the condos and the target market consisted of wealthy couples who were likely to have higher expectations and would want something personalised and unique. It would not be surprising and would in fact be expected that they would opt for customisation despite the additional cost to them. This judgement error by Hodgkins resulted in problems with regards to work schedules and budgets. Once alterations were required, the process of designing these changes would take weeks. This placed a lot of pressure on the contractors. iii. Construction Management – Due to the customization option available to the buyers, Hodgkins was required to ensure proper management of the overall construction of the project. Any delay on any aspect of the project, eg the delay in completing floors would have a chain effect and cause delays to other parts of the project (i. . the Millers’ case) and result in additional costs. While the buyers are willing to pay for the cost of alterations that they have made, the extra costs associated with the delaying of the entire project would not be their responsibility. Due to the fact that the contract between RHG and the contractors was a fixed sum contract, as such the contractors would be extremely cautious of committing to anything. 2. Stage 2: Analyse – Risk Assessments Rank risks according to the likelihood that the risk will occur and also the severity of its occurrence. The ranking is usually done using words such as ‘Severe’ or ‘Highly/Likely’ which are then linked to numerical values that can be multiplied together. The results can then be ranked, with the highest number the one which most requires attention. For Regency Plaza Project, the major potential risks are plotted below Risk Management Assessment Matrix | | | |Contractors- Time Length | | | | |Complexity |Construction Management | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5 4 Likelihood 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 Impact Red zone–Major Risk Yellow zone-Moderate risk Green zone–Minor risk 5. 3Stage 3: Planning – Risk Response Development Risks cannot be ignored. They may be tolerated, treated, transferred to another party or terminated. Below are some plans that can be used to tackle the major risks: i. Complexity – Solutions of strategy to reduce possible risk damage will be accepting the recommendation offered by Farley on building larger units. If Farley’s recommendation had been taken up, the risk of complexity will be reduced due as there will be lesser buyers and conversely less complications and liaison required. This will result in lesser probability of alterations and the progress of the project can be increased tremendously, while additional cost due to delays is avoided. In terms of the consideration of revenue, bigger units can be priced higher thereby making up for the lesser units. Another alternative will be as mentioned before, if Hodgkins had identified the risk of complexity upon taking up this project, she will then have the necessary time to plan out and tackle the source of this risk. Other than factoring in sufficient contingency time, she would also be able to appeal to management and stakeholder to lengthen the time scheduled for completion. This additional time would enable additional marketing of the units and possible recommendations from satisfied buyers which would assist in the slow sales. ii. Subcontractors – If the issue had been tackled earlier then a visible framework could have been set up with adequate and fixed deadlines that would cause little or no problems to the contractors and allow the changes to be made before critical areas of the condominiums were constructed. This difference would also help avoid the majority of complaints from customers regarding delays and slow service. iii. Construction Management – This again could have been planned more effectively if the scope of change had been correctly defined and agreed at an earlier date, allowing for more efficient use of resources and better planning. 5. 4Step 4: Management – Risk Response Control Hodgkins should monitor the project progression, do an extensive risk assessment, anticipate possible risks and handle unforeseen new risks. All these should be updated to project team members and stakeholders during regular meetings. Problems should be embraced and resolved and not concealed and denied. All the team members should be encouraged to identify problems, mistakes and new risks, and ensure that constant communication and information flow amongst the project members. Hodgkins should also make an effort to communicate and highlight issues specifically to the hotel project team who will be directly affected by any problems on the condominium project. 6. Miller’s Dilemma In view of the Millers’ predicament, Hodgkins was found to be trapped in a tight spot with only five options to consider. Option 1: The first option of telling the Millers that it was too late to customize the unit would have a disastrous impact. The buyer-seller relationship and reputation of Regency Plaza and its management would be put at stake if the Millers, who are active and influential members of the Boston social circles, were to spread the information amongst their social circle (who are the potential target market of this project). Even if the Millers decide to undertake this option, extra time and coordination would be required as changes to the unit might involve shutting down the entire floor, hindering construction on other units and causing further delay to work schedules. At the same time, the positive effect of this option might not be beneficial to Hodgkins either as it may make no significant impact on the already delayed work schedule. Option 2: The second option would involve pushing through the changes. This would reduce the amount of demolition work required and keep the Millers satisfied. However, on a macro view, putting the unit on hold would delay schedules and have impact on both direct and indirect costs, eg delaying the hotel project and thereby the loss of possible income from occupancy. Should the Millers decide to draw out this option and the changes take a longer time, the cost liability during the holding phase would be a grey area which would add on to the complexity of the problem. Option 3: The third option to hire a small general contractor to finish the unit before closing may not resolve the Millers’ problems. Extra overhead expenses would be extremely expensive and it would be tedious for Hodgkins to handle two general contractors. The possibility of conflicts and disagreements on roles and responsibilities might arise between the different groups of contractors, adding complexity and delay to the project. This may also impact the morale of worker in Kelly Construction thereby impacting quality of work. But the advantage of hiring small contractors could be beneficial looking at it from a microscopic view. Changes to the Millers’ unit could be accomplished while works on other units could be carried out concurrently. This would allow works to be completed and costs would not be borne by Kelly Construction which would minimise any other inconvenience. On hindsight, this option might be appealing to the Millers as well as they could get their unit on time. But, the price of satisfying the Millers by increasing management expenses significantly may be too great for Hodgkins to justify paying for. Option 4: The fourth option involves stopping work and handing over an empty unit. The advantage of this approach will be that the Millers could finish the unit at their own convenience while works on other units could be done concurrently. However, Hodgkins could still be trapped in the dilemma if she were to execute this approach. On top of the fact that the costs have already been incurred and work would need to be undone, the bank’s unwillingness to lend money could add on to the Millers’ frustration, which could be extremely unfavorable to the reputation of RHG. Regency would also lose control over the project and may be forced to deal with other occupants who want this option. In a construction sense, there may be future issues with works to units done by external contractors. Option 5: In general, the last option of moving the Millers to a different unit on a higher floor would be a more feasible and win-win alternative. It would generate the least negative impact on both time and cost. Most importantly, all parties – the Millers, Kelly Construction, Susan Randolph, Hodgkins and even the RHG, could benefit from this approach. A higher floor unit is of a higher value. Offering to move the Millers there (it is of course recommended that RHG absorbs the price difference), would help to â€Å"compensate† the Millers for any inconvenience caused. This move would be a positive long-term investment in exchange for the satisfaction of the Millers and sustainability of the positive impression for RHG. Likewise, moving the Millers to a higher floor in which interior work had not yet started would buy additional time for the contractors as no demolition work is required. There would be no wastage of materials and significant cost savings would be anticipated. Susan Randolph would also have a larger time frame to make changes to the designs while cost assessment and approval could be done concurrently without affecting the schedule. In view of the fact that sales figures are not high, there would not be any significant inconvenience caused to RHG and in fact this move may assist in sales if the Millers are positive about the Regency Plaza Project and this is circulated in their social circle. 7. Final discussion The above evaluation has revealed that the Regency Plaza was not very well managed. A major factor contributing to the failure is poor planning. The project seems to be in a mess as roles and responsibilities are not properly defined and allocated, the decision- making process is muddled and is not well communicated. there are no proper checks. These problems could be easily overcome if delegation of roles and responsibilities was communicated clearly (refer to appendix on RAM). Every modification introduced within the project phase can have certain impact on the level of achievement of the project (Lock 1992). Each modification could take several weeks so that quotes could be gathered and reviewed. In t he case of the modification of the Millers’ unit, this caused the delay of the scheduled completion of the twelfth floor and has also affected the safety and infrastructure of the building. As such the risk management aspect was not well taken care of. If the issues had been addressed earlier through constructing a project network, this would cause little or no problems to the contractor as it allows changes to be made before critical areas of the condominium were constructed Newell (2002) suggested that assumptions must be made for the purpose of project planning. However in Hodgkins’ case, her assumptions are flawed and not thought through properly. She assumed that most buyers would not customize their units and would settle easily for what was given. By assuming such scenarios, she had overlooked the target market for the project, ie the wealthy. This error in judgement disrupted the completion of the project, raised overall budgets and caused much dissatisfaction among the project group. To make matters worst, the marketing strategy adopted by Hodgkins was that of word of mouth. With complaints of delay, cted the sales performance of the project was affected and a poor image of Regency was projected. Hodgkins would have done better to have done research on the buying patterns of her target market or spoken to her contacts, market specialists or even to have discussed with her team. If the above problem was to be addressed or realized earlier, the impact would have been minimized. While assumptions may not be a bad thing and in fact are encouraged, they must be made with a contingency plan and for Hodgkins case, she does not seem to have any. 8. conclusion The Regency Plaza project was a race against time and time means money. This situation put Hodgkins in a tight spot and many decisions needed to be made immediately to avoid any delays. Many irrational decisions were thus made which affected the overall progress of the project. As a project manager, success of the project should be the first priority. Coming up with possible alternatives to tackle the tough situation is critical. Although many possible solutions were provided, however Hogkins did not appear to have used many of them to resolve the current issues related to the project. Lock (1992) mentioned that to achieve the project objectives, People, Communication, Jobs and Resources must be properly organized. Planning and coordination is essential. To summarise, Project Managers are key to the success of any project and are worth their weight in gold. . Appendix Responsibility Assignment Matrix(RAM) Task/Resource |PM: Hodgkins |KDS |O’Brian and Sinclair |Kelly Construction |Millers Designer: Randolph |Consultant: Farley |Sales Team | |Sales and Marketing |R | | | | |C |R | |Building Architectural |A |R |R |C | |C | | |Customization |I | |C |R | | | | | Managing the subcontractors | |I |I |R | | | | |Miller’s interior design |I |I |C |C | R | | | |Construction invoices |R | |R |R | | | | | R = Responsible (People who do the work) A = Accountable (People who make sure the work gets done) C = Consulted (People who provide input before and during the work) I = Informed (People who are kept informed of progress) Blue boxes refers to the stakeholders 10. REFERENCES 1. Ballard G & Whelton M, 2002, Wicked Problems in Project Definition, Retrieved on 14th September 2009, from http://www. leanconstruction. org/pdf/WickedProblemsinProjectDefinitionIGLC10. pdf 2. Gray C. F & Larson E. W, 2008, Project Management: the managerial process, 4th Edition, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, America. 3. Juan R. S, 2009, Good Project Manager, Retrieved on 27th September 2009, from http://www. gaebler. om/Good-Project-Manager. htm 4. Lewis J. P, 2005, Project Planning, Scheduling & Control 4th Edition, McGraw Hill, America 5. Lock D, 1994, Project Management 5th Edition, Gower Publishing Company Limited, America 6. Meredith J. R & Mantel S. J, 2003, Project Management; A Managerial Approach 5th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, America 7. Newell M. W, 2002, Preparing for the Project Management Professional P MP 2nd Edition, Amacom, America 8. The Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM), 2009, Retrieved on 20th September 2009, from http://www. mindtools. com/pages/article/newPPM_RAM. htm 9. Weiss J. W & Wysocki R. K, 1992, 5-Phase Project Management, Perseus Books Publishing, America 10. Yagiz O, 2008, Project Planning, Retrieved on 14th September 2009, from http://www. emu. edu. tr/~oyagiz/MGMT409/MGMT409-05-BW. pdf BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Berkun S, 2005, The Art of Project Management, O’Reilly Media, Inc. , America 2. Bruce A & Langdon K, 2007, Manage Projects Dorling Kindersley Limited, London 3. Burke R, 2003, Project Management Planning and Control Techniques 4th Edition, John Wiley & Son, UK 4. Egeland B, 2009, Project Management Tips, Retrieved on 27th September 2009 from http://pmtips. et/ 5. Lewis J. P, 2007, Fundamentals of Project Management 3rd Edition, Amacon, America 6. Lockyer K, 1985, Critical Path Analysis 4th Edition, The Bath Press, Great Britain 7. Lovegrove H, 2008, Good Project Managers are hard to find! , Retrieved on 23th September 2009 from http://www. pmhut. com/good-project-managers-are-hard-to-find 8. Randolph W. A, 1988, Effective Project Planning and Management; Getting the Job Done, Prentice Hall, UK 9. Reh F. J, 2009, Project Management 101, Retrieved on 16th September from http://management. about. om/cs/projectmanagement/a/PM101. htm 10. Shackleton E, 2005, Managing your people; real life lessons from top business leaders, BBC Books, London 11. Tusler R, 1996, An Overview of Project Risk Management, Retrieved on 22th September 2009 from http://www. netcomuk. co. uk/~rtusler/project/riskprin. html ———————– Performance Cost Time Constrain Enhance Accept Marking Consultant (Farley) Clients Vocal Neighbourhood Groups Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) KDS Associates Regency Hotel Management Project Manager Hodgkins Decision Making Process

Kalma Chowk Underpass

Punjab Chief Minister, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated the largest Kalma Chowk underpass of the history of the country. Addressing the ceremony held on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that completion of the largest underpass in a record period of 82 days is a great achievement which was possible due to the collective efforts of the entire team working on the project. He congratulated the concerned departments, members assembly, contractors and labourers who worked on the project. The Chief Minister said that the underpass consisting of seven lanes has been completed at a cost of Rs. billion in a record period of 82 days. He gave away cheque for Rs. 25 lakh to the labourers who worked on the project. Shahbaz Sharif said that transparency, quality and speedy completion of development projects, is the hallmark of Punjab government. He said that modern infrastructure is essential for rapid development. The Chief Minister said that Punjab government has spent millions of rupees on the improvement of infrastructure throughout the province and a network of roads, bridges and underpasses has been laid due to which economic and trade activities have increased in the province. Director General LDA while giving briefing about the Kalma Chowk underpass, informed that this project has been completed by working round the clock and one lakh sixty thousand vehicles will pass through this underpass daily. Later, the Chief Minister inaugurated underpass and passed through it. Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated the Peco Road Ramp constructed alongside Lahore Bridge by unveiling plaque and offered Dua. Members Assembly Naseer Bhutta, Ramzan Siddique Bhatti, DG LDA, DCO Lahore, officials of NLC and a large number of people were present on the occasion. Talking on the occasion, Shahbaz Sharif said that facility has been provided to the residents of Kot Lakhpat and other adjoining localities due to construction of ramp. Dost Muhammad Khosa calls on Shahbaz Sharif, expresses his complete confidence in party leadership: Former Chief Minister Punjab, Dost Muhammad Khosa called on Punjab Chief Minister, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif at Raiwind today. Senior Advisor Senator Sirdar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa and Member Provincial Assembly Sirdar Hassamuddin Khosa were also present on the occasion. Dost Muhammad Khosa while expressing his complete confidence in the leadership of President PML-N Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, reiterated that he will continue to work as a party worker and make efforts for further strengthening the party in the area. Talking on the occasion, Shahbaz Sharif said that workers are precious asset of the party and they are like children in the eyes of party heads.