Environmental And Social Reporting- Rolls Royce Group Essay

Environmental And Social Reporting- Rolls Royce Group - Essay Example The company operates four segments of civil aerospace, defense aerospace, marine and energy. The company’s highest revenue generating segment is the civil aerospace which generates around 50% revenue of the group. The company has shown consistently progressive and strong performance over the years and is one of the market leaders in all sectors in which operates with an annual turnover of  £11,124 million and a profit of  £ 848 million. (ROLLS-ROYCE) CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Sustainability reporting provides a chance to the organizations to report information about economic, environmental, social and governance performance to its investors and stakeholders. GRI (Global Reporting Initiatives) provides a framework for the organizations to disclose this information in a much transparent and consistent manner. (GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVES) Strategy and Profile: Rolls Royce has committed to serve with new approaches and technologies for sustainable economic growth. It aims to invest for long term, promote innovation and focus on research and development. It sustainability programs are especially designed keeping in mind the environment, its people and the society and communities in which it operates. Its environmental strategy focuses on three areas of reducing the environmental impact of the business activities; further reducing the environmental impact of the products; and developing of new low emission and renewable energy products. Its strategy for its people includes creating a working environment that attracts the best people, enhancing their potential and encouraging them to be involved in the ongoing success of the Group. It intends to serve for the communities in which operates focusing on their development. (ROLLS-ROYCE) Management’s approach and Performance Indicators: Environmental Issues: The company has taken significan t steps in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. Targets have been made for the reduction and energy consumptions for top 25 energy consumption sites. As a result there has been 5-6% overall reduction in the total GHG emissions. Further the company even invested ?3.5 million for the maintenance and improving projects for sustainable development. It has further put special focus to reduce its environmental footprint in its aviations business by incorporating sustainability in products designs and processes. (ROLLS-ROYCE; LEE. 2000) The company has Environmental Advisory Board who contributes in business strategy and design process. The company is even striving to reduce its environmental footprint created by existing products. For this it has created targets to be achieved for the aviation business for the reduction in CO2 emissions, noise and nitrogen oxide. The company through his core capabilities and experience in nuclear energy also intends to give solutions and address the iss ues zero carbon power generation. (ROLLS-ROYCE) Rolls Royce continues to mark its performance through certifications and third party accreditations like ISO 14001 for its environmental management, its new facility at Seletar received the Green Mark (Platinum) award for having a reduced environmental footprint in construction, retains its Gold status with BitC Index for

Managerial Personality Essay Example for Free

Managerial Personality Essay The characteristics of a person’s personality determine his leadership capabilities. Leaders from around the world all have distinct characteristics which define their leadership style and abilities. In a corporate culture, these personality traits can be capitalized upon to direct an organization towards its goals and to do so requires an in depth understanding of the different styles of personality traits that define every individual. A grasp on this knowledge would allow any leader to have a huge impact on the culture and performance of an organization. An observation to be made is the leveraging of personality traits may be utilized in order to achieve corporate goals. To create a competitive advantage, management’s focus must be on cooperation and inspiration. A clear link exists between culture and performance, as shown by Mindy L. Hall (Hall, 2005.) A leader’s personality shapes the environment in which employees function, and can either inspire extraordinary results, or devastating outcomes. Hostile conditions in the workplace will cause anxiety, stress, lack of energy, disengagement, or high turnover. Subsequently, organizations with these issues experience a lower quality of output. This negatively affects the relationship between consumers and businesses, who may find the competition more appealing. A positive engagement between management and employees excite a higher level of performance. From this, a company experiences higher quality output and satisfied customers. A best way to manage a company doesn’t exist; it must be studied, understood, and honed to best match or shape the organization’s culture. The key issue to choosing the appropriate manager in any organization is appreciating what goals and desires are sought after. This report is focused primarily on management as leaders and employees as subordinates. However, it must be understood that subordinates can also play the role as leader in their own context, and it should be encouraged. For example, a group of four employees are assigned to a project. Among this group will emerge a leader who directs the mission to accomplish said assignment. Although this individual does not possess a management title he or she is still leading. That being stated, an organization must possess a deep understanding of its business culture, and employ these concepts when prospecting for competent employees and management. Furthermore, management can recognize certain personality traits among individuals in a team, and manipulate and combine them in a synergetic way. In general, the comprehension of the various personality traits can be used as a measurement of how an individual may respond and perform in an organization’s culture. However, there is much debate as to the extent to which personality can predict behavior, and the extent to which behavior arises from the dynamics of a given situation (Kendrick, Funder, 1991.) The key issues in a corporate context include the big five personality traits, Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, attitude, and emotional intelligence. The Big Five Personality Traits General agreement exists among researchers regarding the big five personality traits. This model categorizes personalities into five distinct categories: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness. An understanding of these categories often referred to as OCEAN, gives insight to an individual’s underlying personality and how an individual would react in day to day operations of an organization. However, research has shown situational factors play a role in how individuals move between the two extremes of each personality factor. Each factor is a range of two extremes, which most individuals lie somewhere in between. Given this fact, the majority of decisions made by people are representative of their fundamental personality traits. Only when abnormal or extreme situations arise does an individual shift towards the extreme of either end on one or more factors. Managers seeking to create a winning team would do well to not only understand his own personality type, but also individual team member’s personality types. Intimate knowledge of each person among a group will allow for a more harmonious and efficient team effectively utilizing strengths and mitigating weaknesses. Attitude Attitudes of managers and employees contribute greatly to the working environment. An attitude is a collection of beliefs and feelings brought on by life experiences or learned from others, and a positive or negative analysis of one’s environment. Similar attitudes of a leader and a team can create a positive working environment that flows all the way down to the end consumer. Leaders of an organization who commit to reinforcing positive attitudes contribute to a successful business model. Individuals who are satisfied with the work environment make their duties a part of life, and commit skills and knowledge to drive progress of a business. A study conducted by MBA’s and one professor from India, (Tandon, Mishra, Singh, 2011,) explored the relationship between attitude and how an organization perceives its position in society. The study begins by stating that business behavior has both economic and relational impact. Over recent decades there have been significant changes in the social expectation from business and managers. This study found that one’s personal beliefs, values, and attitude drive commitment to social responsibility. In this writing social responsibility can be thought of as organizational commitment or responsibility. The study took a specific look into how spirituality, materialism, relativism, and idealism discriminate between high and low corporate social responsibility (CSR).The study conducted found idealism and spirituality to have a positive influence on CSR, and materialism and relativism had a negative or less of an influence. This implies that managers with more of a concern towards society’s beliefs and values, and less towards material things, will have a greater concern towards creating a positive internal working environment. Moreover, a manager with this attitude may push subordinates towards the same ideals, which create a more efficient environment. In contrast, materialistic and relativistic attitudes contributed negatively towards CSR. This suggests that individuals with these attitude types can create an environment where monetary gain and possession of assets are the only goal, and right and wrong is near irrelevant. This mentality can have a devastating effect on society’s perception of a corporation. Moreover, the connection between working peers can be non-existent, and coordination would lack causing inefficiency. A manager’s attitude can bring about the benefits of a positive working environment by keeping a positive attitude towards a given position in an organization. An attitude based on working towards an end goal, which produces the greatest good for society and a corporation, would be an ideal mentality for any organization. Attitudes contribute to a successful business model because individuals who are satisfied make their duties a part of life, and commit their skills and knowledge to driving the progress and success of the business. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory of human motivation based on increasing levels of needs. This theory suggests that human needs are fulfilled one at a time by accomplishing basic needs and proceeding upwards towards advanced needs. Although there is much debate as to the accuracy of these levels research has suggested a correlation between the fulfillment of these needs and happiness. Managers with an understanding of what level individuals in a team are on can manipulate motivation techniques to stimulate productivity and efficiency. Maslow’s hierarchy can be applied to compensation, job design, management techniques, or anything that requires a higher level of motivation. Maslow’s hierarchy is a systematic way of thinking about the different needs employees have at any given point and explains different reactions they may have to similar treatment (Carpenter, Bauer, Erdogan, 2009.) The definition provided implies that each individual perceives needs differently, and managerial techniques in this context must be applied more specifically. For example, two employees receive a raise after a massive project was finished. The first employee is satisfied with the raise because her safety, and subsequently her physiological, needs had been fulfilled. The second employee felt his needs had not been satisfied. His goal in finishing the project was to prove his worthiness as a manager. His intention through his hard work was to climb the corporate ladder. He was looking to fulfill his esteem and self-actualization needs. Physiological needs are satisfied through compensation, since a paycheck allows individuals to find nourishment, shelter, etc. Compensation can satisfy more than one need, however. Safety needs can be satisfied through benefits such as 401K, health plans, or paid time off. In many ways, compensation satisfies both physiological and safety needs. In addition, organizations must take in consideration the physical safety of employees. Managers have a duty to enforce safety precautions where working conditions may be hazardous. When a position requires employees to take physical risk an organization is expected to protect workers from unnecessary harm, and to compensate for the higher risk. When feelings of anxiety are low safety needs have been fulfilled. Social needs can be met through satisfactory social interaction with others in which there is interaction. The goal in satisfying this need is to cause individuals to feel accepted and loved. In a business context there must be a focus on acceptance over love. Creating a friendly environment is a great start to satisfying this need. Company sponsored games, events, holiday parties, and other social activities are great examples of how to socialize a staff. Also, team meetings where the staff can voice their concerns or ideas can allow team members to better understand each other. Esteem needs can be satisfied after one feels she has been accepted into a group. These needs can be fulfilled through recognition. It must be stressed that individuals enjoy being praised for their accomplishments, but praise only works for a limited amount of time. Managers must look to promote individuals with a high need for esteem. A raise in position and pay communicates an achieved status, and reinforces her ability to achieve corporate goals. Esteem needs lead into self-actualization. This need lies on the top of the hierarchical pyramid. Similar to fulfilling esteem needs, self- actualization can be met by giving an employee more responsibility, greater challenges, or more stimulating opportunities. Self-actualization is characterized by an individual having met all previous needs, and is now using his or her full potential and capabilities. Maslow’s hierarchy is important for organizations to apply. Humans are motivated by particular needs according to their current life situations and future goals. Furthermore, individual needs are in accordance with cultural backgrounds such as race, religion, or country of origin. It must also be noted that individuals are not always striving to fulfill the same needs. The needs model must be applied on an individual basis. Managers who realize their needs are being fulfilled can be used as a resource for understanding their subordinates needs, and act accordingly. When an organization applies this model to a workforce there is an increase in job satisfaction and loyalty. Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence is the ability to control extreme changes in mood and emotions, and is a characteristic of an effective and competent leader. When a manager cannot control temporary emotions that are brought on by day to day interactions it can bring an entire organizations progress to a halt. Emotions are contagious and create a domino effect. Simply realizing when a certain emotion is present allows one to better handle temporary emotional fluctuations, while containing it as to not affect others. That being said, it is of utmost importance for a manager to possess a deep understanding of his or her own emotions (self-awareness), and how to deal with each. An individual who is self-aware is humble enough to accept constructive criticism and mature enough to address the areas of concern. The impact of hiring individuals with high emotional intelligence is high productivity and retention of high-quality employees. Golnaz Sadri, PhD, defines E.I. as the ability to accurately perceive emotions, access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth, (Sadri, 2012.) The ability to accurately perceive emotions allows one to recognize facial and bodily gestures, and interpret their meaning. A manager who has this ability can intercept other’s cues, or tells, that signal irritability. This skill is recognized as constructive when dealing with scenarios such as a team who can’t come to an agreement, a irate client or customer, or when negotiating. For the most part, emotional intelligence is a learned skill, and an indicator of useful experience. Conclusion Manipulating strong personality traits and striving to improve negative personality traits can have a huge impact on a manager’s career, and more broadly can impact a corporation in tremendous ways. Today manager’s has access to information to help them maximize team productivity using psychology. Using psychological strategies to hire the right employees and build teams is the competitive edge companies need in this tough economic climate. REFERENCES Camgoz, S., Karan, M., Ergeneli, A. (2011). Part II Leadership, Social Capital, and Personality: Relationship Between The Big Five Personality and The Financial Performance of Fund Managers. 15, p139 Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., Erdogan, B. (2009). Need-Based Theory of Motivation. In Principles Of Management (10th ed., p14.1) Hall, M. (2005). Shaping Organizational Culture: A Practitioner’s Perspective. 2(1), p1-16 Kendrick, D. T., Funder , D. C. (1991). Situation versus Personality Debate. Retrieved from http://wilderdom.com/personality/L6-3SituationVsPersonality.html McCrae, R., Costa, P. (1995). Domains and Facets: Hierarchal Personality Assessment Using The Revised NEO Personality Inventory. Journal of Personality Assessment, 64(1), p23 Pannapacker, W. (2012, April 15). Screening Out The Introverts. The Chronicle. Sadri, G. (2012). Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Development. 41(3), p536 Tandon, A., Mishra, S., Singh, E. (2011). What Discriminates The Prospective Manager’s Attitude Towards Corporate Social Responsibility? 10(3), p54-60 Whitbourne , S. K. (2010, October 19). The Neuroticism Paradox | Psychology Today.Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201010/the-neuroticis m-paradox Witt, L.A., Andrews, M.C. (2006). The Predisposition to Engage in Interpersonal Deviance at Work. pHR-F2

The High Performance Concrete Construction Essay

The High Performance Concrete Construction Essay Concrete admixtures Construction materials Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction The High-performance concrete (HPC) is a mixture of many materials usually 5-10. The interaction between these materials is the reason of the various workability cases, and also the different ratios and portions added causes this variability. Testing the concrete is not the best solution for examining the workability properties, The testing process of the concrete need huge number of labor and materials, which is not cheap. There is, therefore, a need to predict the workability of concrete through a simpler, cheaper laboratory approach. Concrete workability is de ¬Ã‚ ned, according to American Concrete Institute (ACI), as the ease of placement of concrete and is usually quanti ¬Ã‚ ed by the result of the slump cone test. Rheological tests on cement paste were used to select the type and dosage of mineral admixtures that improved concrete workability. The conclusions reached based on cement paste tests were validated by concrete slump tests. It was also deemed interesting to compare the fundamental parameters (yield stress and viscosity) measured with a  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uid rheometer with the results from two commonly used empirical tests, the minislump and the Marsh cone tests. If a relationship could be established, the empirical tests could be used to design materials for a given yield stress and viscosity or, at the very least, rank different materials base on yield stress or viscosity. The decision to study the in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uence of mineral admixtures was dictated by the recent increase in use of mineral admixtures for improved concrete durability. Economics (lower cement requirement) and environmental considerations have also had a role in the growth of mineral admixture usage. The lower cement requir ement also leads to a reduction for carbon dioxide generated by the production of cement, while the use of a mineral admixture utilizes a product that would ordinarily be bound for the land  ¬Ã‚ ll. Thus, there is a double environmental bene ¬Ã‚ t from using mineral admixtures. Chapter 2: Literature review Background Concrete workability characterization Concrete workability cannot necessarily be sacri ¬Ã‚ ced for improved hardened properties, such as durability or strength. Workability is typically quanti ¬Ã‚ ed in the  ¬Ã‚ eld by the result of the slump cone tet. Nevertheless, a survey conducted by the National Ready-Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) determined that, for I-IPC, the slump cone value is not representative of the ease of handling HPC in the  ¬Ã‚ eld. It was reported that concrete mixtures with the same slump might not behave the same way during placement. This implies that the slump value does not give enough data to fully characterize concrete  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ow. In the construction  ¬Ã‚ eld, terms like workability,  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡owability, and cohesion are used, sometimes interchangeably, to describe the behavior of concrete under  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ow. The de ¬Ã‚ nitions of these terms are very subjective. Therefore, there is a need for a more  ¬Ã‚ rndamental and quantitative description of concrete  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ow. Rheological measurements of concentrated suspensions can be used to describe the  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ow of concrete. Numerous researchers have success ¬Ã‚ rlly used the Bingharn equation. Two parameters de ¬Ã‚ ne the  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ow: yield stress and plastic viscosity. Yield stress is related to slump, but plastic viscosity is usually ignored because only a few type of instruments exist to measure it. However, the viscosity may be related to properties such as stickiness, p1aceability,pumpability, and  ¬Ã‚ nishability. In addition, segregation could be de ¬Ã‚ ned as the ability of the aggregate to migrate (or sink) in the cement pa ste. This phenomenon is linked to the viscosity of the cement paste and the concrete mixture design. Therefore, methods to predict concrete workability need to take into account more than just the yield stress. What are Admixtures? Admixture is a material or a combination of different materials that are added to the concrete during mixing to enhance a property or more properties of the concrete mix, and providing it with new features that suits the need either if it is made by central batching plants, pre-stressed concrete factories or in-site mixing. Admixtures may enhance the workability, durability or strength of concrete. They can also be used to overcome extreme circumstances such as cold or hot weather w lower water-cement ratio. Admixtures are materials other than the main concrete mix components (water, cement, aggregate) which means that the admixture is added to the mixing water before or during the mixing process to give the concrete the needed properties, taking into consideration that there are some admixtures are added after a certain duration after mixing. Admixtures are divided into 2 types according to origin: chemical admixtures and mineral admixtures. Chemical admixtures They are materials that are found as fine particles or liquid and are added to the concrete to enhance it and give precise properties that are unobtainable in plain concrete mixtures. Usually, admixture quantities are not more than 5% of the mass of cement and are put into the concrete at the period of mixing. Public kinds of admixtures are. Accelerators that increase the speed of the hardening of the concrete. Normal materials utilized are calcium chloride, calcium nitrate and sodium nitrate. However, using chlorides could cause rust in the steel underpinning and it is banned in a some states, so nitrates are recommended. Retarders sluggish the hardening of the concrete and are utilized in colossal or tough dispenses whereas partial setting before the dispense is finished is undesirable. Normal polyol retarders are sugar, sucrose, sodium gluconate, glucose, citric acid, and tartaric acid. Air entrainments makes very small air bubbles inside the concrete during the batching process. It helps in protecting it from the harm made by frequent freezing and defrosting cycles. It also makes better workability, better consistency, less segregation and less bleeding. More than 80% of concrete pavements in the USA are made of air-entrained admixtures. Entrapped air, are huge air voids while entrained air, are very small voids range from 10 to 1000 micrometers. The admixture may be a liquid added during mixing or a powder mixed with the cement. Plasticizers raise the workability of the fresh concrete permitting it be easily placed, without joining efforts. Plasticizers can be utilized to decrease the content of water of concrete as keeping the workability, thats why they are called sometimes water-reducers. This action improves its strength and durability properties. Super plasticizers (Also known as High Range Water Reducers HRWR) They have the ability to reduce the amount of water needed for the concrete by 12-40% of the needed water. They produce concrete with the same workability but with lower water content ratio, they are also used to make highly flowable concrete. HRWR made out of polyether-polycarboxylates have higher efficiency and are used more widely. HRWR are added often in the site because of its low workability period, it increases the time of setting but increases the flowability for a longer period. Concrete that have HRWR in it has higher strength than that predicted by water content ratio, as the water content is not high so the permeability and shrinkage are lowered but the durability is increased. Corrosion inhibitors: rusting of steel reinforcement is a huge problem that encounters the durability of the reinforced concrete structures, from the causesof rusting of steel are the chlorides, they come from many sources like the deicing salts used to melt ice in winter or from sea water or they may come from the admixtures. From the ways of resisting the rust resulting from chloride is the use of corrosion inhibitors admixtures, they are added to the concrete during mixing to protect the steel by delaying the debut of rusting and also decrease the rate of rusting after it starts. They last for many years after the setting of concrete. Mineral admixtures There are inorganic materials having pozzolanic characteristics. These extremely fine-grained materials are added to the concrete mixture to enhance the properties of concrete or as a substitute for the cement, they decrease cost, permeability, enhance the strength and change other concrete characteristics, from the types of mineral admixtures are: Fly ash: A by-product of electrical coal-fired producing plants and can vary according to source; it is utilized to partly substitute the cement. The particles of fly ash are made of spherical glassy particles, its use has started in the USA in the 1930s, tests has proven that concrete can be replaced by one third with fly ash. Experiments made on high strength concrete has shown that its strength levels were up to 100 MPa at age of one year. Air-entrainment admixtures maybe required because of the carbon inside the fly ash. Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS or GGBS): is a product of made when the molten iron is put rapidly in water to decrease its temperature, it is crystalline shaped granular product of high adhesion, and so it be work as a substitute for part of the cement, the most favorable ratio is 50% of the cement if there is no salts and 25% if there is. Silica fume: A by-product aims to achieve both high strength and low permeability requirements made out of the creation of silicon and ferrosilicon alloys. Silica fume is compared to fly ash. The size of its particle is smaller by 100 times. This makes a higher ratio between surface and volume and a way faster reaction. Silica fume is utilized to raise the concrete strength and durability, but usually superplastisizers are needed for the workability. High reactivity Metakaolin (HRM): the concrete made using metakaolin has the same strength and durability of the concrete made using silica fume. As silica fume is normally dark gray or black in color, high-reactivity metakaolin is normally brilliant white in color, creating it the favored choice for architectural concrete whereas emergence is important. Types of Admixtures 1. Air entraining admixtures They are liquid chemicals that are added to the concrete during mixing to produce small air bubbles that are called entrained air. The air helps the concrete to resist the damage made by thawing, freezing and deicing salt. In hard concrete, the air enhances workability and decreases the bleeding and the segregation. Air entrainment is not important for the concrete used inside the structures as it is not exposed to either freezing or thawing, It ought to be evaded for concrete flatwork that have a flat troweled finish. In high cement content concretes, entrained will cut strength by 5% for every single 1% of air added; but in low cement content concretes, adding air has less result and could even cause a humble increased strength due to decreased water demand for needed slump. 2. Water reducers Are utilized for two purposes: (1) to decrease the water content in plastic concrete and rise its strength; (2) to attain higher slump without the need of adding water. Water-reducers will usually cut the needed water content of a concrete combination for a given slump. These admixtures disperse the cement particles in concrete and create extra ef ¬Ã‚ cient use of cement. This rises strength or permits the cement content to be decreased as maintaining the alike strength. Water-reducers are utilized to rise slump of concrete lacking adding water and are functional for impelling concrete and in hot meteorological conditions to offset the increased water demand. A little water-reducers could aggravate the rate of slump defeat alongside time. Mid-range water reducers are nowadays usually utilized and they have a larger skill to cut the water content. These admixtures are accepted as they enhance the finishability of concrete  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡atwork. 3. Retarders Are chemicals that postpone the early hardening of concrete by an hour or more. Retarders are regularly used in hot climatic conditions to counter the quick hardening caused by elevated temperatures. For colossal jobs, or in hot climate, specify concrete alongside retarder to permit extra period for pumping and  ¬Ã‚ nishing. Most retarders additionally work as reducers. 4. Accelerators Reduce the early hardening period of concrete and give higher strength after small period. They do not work as an antifreeze; they decrease the time of the hardening and rate of strength increase, thus the concrete would be stronger to endure damage from cold in chilly weather. Accelerators are additionally utilized in fast trail assembly that needs early removal of forms. Accelerating admixtures consists of two types: chloride and non-chloride based. One of the extra competent and frugal is calcium chloride that is obtainable in fluid or  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ake form. For non-reinforced concrete, The CaCl can be utilized to an amount of 2% by the heaviness of the cement due to worries of corrosion of reinforcement instigated by Cl. Pre-stressed concrete and concrete that have aluminum or invigorated metal inside it ought not to have chloride-based materials because of the increased possibility for the rusting of the metal. Non-chloride established accelerators are utilized whereas there is fear of rusting of embedded metals or concrete reinforcement. 5. HIGH RANGE WATER-REDUCERS (HRWR) It is a distinct type of water-reducer. Also known as, super plasticizers, HRWRs decrease the water content of a concrete mix by 12% to 25%. HRWRs are consequently utilized to raise the strength and decrease permeability of concrete by decreasing the water content in the mix; or considerably raise the slump to make  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡owing concrete lacking the addition of any extra water. These admixtures are vital for elevated strength and enhanced concrete mixes that have higher contents of adhesive materials and mixes having silica fume. Beside these kinds of admixtures, there are other materials obtainable for improving concrete characteristics for different types of applications. These products include rust resistors; admixtures that decrease shrinkage, anti-washout admixtures, and admixtures to decrease possibility for alkali aggregate reactivity, admixtures that helps pumping and a collection of colors and products that improves the concrete aesthetics. Fly Ash 1 Production Fly ash is a bi-product resulted from the finely divided residues generated from the combustion of coal electrically in thermal power plants; the dust collection system removes the fly ash, as a fine particulate residue, from the combustion gases before they are discharged into the atmosphere. The particles are finer than cement usually and consist off spherical glassy particles. 2 Properties Permeability The fly ash reacts with the calcium hydroxide chemically during the hydration process forming calcium aluminate and calcium silicate hydrate which decreases the risk of infiltration of calcium hydroxide and the permeability of concrete. The fly ash enhances the permeability of concrete also by decreasing the ratio of water to cement, which decreases the volume of pores. Its spherical shape also enhances the consolidation of concrete which reduces permeability. Use Fly ash has a spherical shape that allows it to create a ball bearing effect in the mix which improves the workability without increasing the water and also helps in increasing the pump-ability by decreasing the friction between the concrete and the pump line. It also increases the concrete pump-ability by increasing its cohesion and making it less subject to segregation. It also increases the gaining of strength of mixes for periods much longer than that of Portland cement only. The most important use of fly ash is that it increases the life cycle expectancy and durability. It also increases the resistance of corrosion of concrete reinforcement. Fly ash is used in concrete by replacing a portion of the Portland cement that may goes up to 30% of the total cement mix.

Law of Nature - Wordsworth Essay -- William Wordsworth

Nature is freedom, it knows no boundaries. Bronislaw Malinowski wrote, "Freedom is a symbol which stands for a sublime and powerful ideal.† The state of nature is a term in political philosophy that describes a circumstance prior to the state and society's establishment. John Locke, whose work influenced the American Declaration of Independence, believes that the state of nature is the state where are individuals are completely equal, natural law regulates, and every human being has the executive power of the natural law. Nature is the very essence of freedom, and freedom is the essence of singularity. An Infinite and Unbound Singularity would require infinite and unbound degrees of freedom. Each individual mind represents an infinite degree of freedom separated by Nothing but its own Perspective. Just as there is Nothing that separates one spatial dimension from the other but the perspective view. The height, weight, and depth of our spatial dimensions are interchangeable, and are only defined by our current point of view. Rotate them by 90 or 180 degrees in any direction and one be...

Individual’s values and the corporate values

Value AlignmentIn the following paragraphs team A will provide a brief analysis in regard to the origins and evolution of values at a personal level and in the workplace. The team will explain throughout the paper how an individual’s values can drive actions and behaviors, and the alignment between values, actions and behaviors. The team will include in the mentioned analysis the degree of alignment between Wal-Mart’s stated values, and the company’s plans, and actions. Last the team will explain the differences, between personal values and Wal-Mart’s values as reflected by Wal-Mart’s plans and actions.Origin and EvolutionAccording to sociologists, values are formed during the early years of a person’s life. One sociologist’s research suggested values are formed during four periods. This sociologist, Morris Massey, believed these values originate at pre-birth and continue to the age of approximately 21. The first period begins at pre-b irth and continues through four years, and is considered the basic programming period. During this time, a child is not capable of differentiating between important and not important information so all experiences are absorbed and values are formed. Subsequently, a person’s first job experience, which is usually at about the age of 16 to 18 years, plays a large role in forming workplace values. Without any previous exposure to workplace ethics, his or her first experiences are absorbed without differentiation (Squidoo, 2010).The second stage is the imprint period that takes place up to the about the age of seven. Children continue to absorb information from experiences. They become aware of their environment and culture from family and people they are exposed to and begin  to store this information.This information is imprinted in their minds and begins to form their values from their experiences, which are reflected later in a person’s individual behaviors and actio ns. Similar to the basic period, a person’s first job experiences are absorbed in his or her mind forming their workplace values and behaviors. For example, if a teenager witnesses a manager skimming money from the cash register without remorse, this memory is imprinted in his or her mind. Unless his or her individual values are in place correctly, the unethical behavior displayed to them at an impressionable stage may be carried into future workplace ethics.The next period of forming values happens between the ages of 13 to 18. Labeled the modeling period, a person begins to mirror or model behaviors of other people. A person’s constant exposure to ethical or unethical behavior during this time is often mimicked. According to the Squidoo (2010) website, â€Å"from Massey’s research he suggests that our major values about life are picked up during this period at about age 10† (How Values Are Formed, para. 6).Further, he infers that world happenings and wh ere a person was at the time is a basis for forming values. With the recent state of the United States’ economy over the past few years, it leaves one to wonder the repercussions to workplace ethics. Individual ethics may improve because people will appreciate their jobs and decide to make better decisions in the workplace. Conversely, people may believe they are trapped in their current position and may make poor ethical decisions.Massey’s last period of developing values is the socialization period, which takes place between the ages of 14 to 21. A person develops relationship and social values during this time, and these values are the formation of a person’s core values that usually stays with him or her throughout his or her life. As a person develops these core values individually, a person may develop his or her core workplace values as well, which may stay for a lifetime. People experience many events up to 21, which are pivotal to shaping their values. As people formed their values, the foundation of how they perform as an individual and in the workplace became aligned. During childhood, for example, parents often tell children to do their best in school.That value is imprinted into their personalities and is carried  into the workplace; those children become adults who do their best at work every day. Throughout the periods suggested by Massey, the experiences form our values and become a compass to our actions, decisions, and behaviors, both personally, and professionally. Wal-Mart’s stated values versus Wal-Mart’s plans and actions The authors’ employer shares some basic values with those of Wal-Mart. The employer values the respect of coworkers, diversity, inclusion, providing exceptional customer service, and offering a variety of quality products for a reasonable price. Wal-Mart focuses on being a diverse organization, providing excellent customer service, and providing a variety of good quality produc ts for a reasonable price as well. The organization also shares the valued of volunteering in the community.The focus of the organization is to make the customers happy, so they continue to come back. The degree of alignment between Wal-Mart’s stated values plans and actions show that the company has balanced the two to some extent. Wal-Mart values its customers, and its number one priority is putting the customer first by offering low prices. Wal-Mart also matches its competitor’s prices for customers. Wal-Mart employees are valued and offered career development so they have the opportunity to move to higher positions within the organization. Most of the employees at each level are treated with respect and receive suitable benefits, but sometimes the company loses sight of its stated values’ therefore, its plans and actions do not always follow suit.DifferencesThe differences between an individual’s values and the corporate values depend on the individua l. Corporations design the strategy to align with the culture’s values. For instance, Wal-Mart’s vision â€Å"to become the world’s largest retailer,† so the company has to reflect the values all the time. Developing one vision helps employees to adhere to the corporate values regardless of the local values. Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart says â€Å"Personal and moral integrity is one of our basic fundamentals and it has to start with each of us.† An example is the use of the whistleblowers form available to employees and customers alike. If an employee is found to be violating the corporate policies, another employee may report the  incident without fear of reprisal.Wal-Mart encourages every employee to use Wal-Mart’s Statement of Ethics, introduces the associates to the types of attitudes and conduct that create an honest, fair, and legal workplace (Wal-Mart, 2010). They learn how to recognize situations that may come up on their jo b that could be a violation of Wal-Mart’s ethics, also what to do if they have any questions or concerns about what is correct and ethical conduct. As an individual, knowing what the company will allow should make the job easier to comply with policy. Clear and concise writing allows very little interpretation on expectations of the company. To conclude, team A as provided the readers with a brief analysis of the basic origins and evolution of values at a personal level and workplace values.Team A also explained how an individual’s values can drive actions and behaviors, along with the alignment between ones values, actions, and behaviors. The team was able to briefly analyze the degree of alignment between Wal-Mart’s stated values and the company’s plans, and actions. Last, the team explained the differences, and the degree of alignment between personal values, and Wal-Mart’s values as the values were reflected by Wal-Mart’s plan, and actio ns.ReferencesSquidoo. (2010). Going For Gold-Goal Setting That Really Works. Retrieved from http://www.squidoo.com/GoForGold-GoalSettingThatWorks http://ethics.walmartstores.com/StatementofEthics/MSGfromCEO.aspx

E-Commerce in East Africa

Table of Contents Definition and background2 Reasons for growth of e-commerce in East Africa. 4 Influence of e-commerce on trading practices in East Africa. 5 Types of e-commerce8 Challenges facing the growth of e-commerce in East Africa. 9 1. Poor infrastructure9 Computer illiteracy9 Lack of proper regulation9 Inadequate capital10 Inadequate personnel10 Conclusion10 References11 Definition and backgroundE-commerce refers to business conducted through the use of computers, telephones, fax machines, barcode readers, credit cards, automated teller machines (ATM) or other electronic appliances (whether or not using the internet) without the exchange of paper-based documents. It includes activities such as procurement, order entry, transaction processing, payment, authentication and non-repudiation, inventory control, order fulfillment, and customer support. When a buyer pays with a bank card swiped through a magnetic-stripe-reader, he or she is participating in e-commerce. |It mainly in volves the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. Electronic commerce draws on such technologies as electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at one point in the transaction's life-cycle, although it may encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail, mobile devices and telephones as well.Originally, electronic commerce was identified as the facilitation of commercial transactions electronically, using technology such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). These were both introduced in the late 1970s, allowing businesses to send commercial documents like purchase orders or invoices electronically. The growth and acceptance of credit cards, automated teller machines (ATM) and telephone banking in the 1980s were also forms of electronic commerce. Another form of e-commerce was the airline reservation system typified by Sabre in the USA and Travicom in the UK.Electronic commerce or ecommerce is a term for any type of business, or commercial transaction that involves the transfer of information across the Internet. It covers a range of different types of businesses, from consumer based retail sites, through auction or music sites, to business exchanges trading goods and services between corporations. It is currently one of the most important aspects of the Internet to emerge. Ecommerce allows consumers to electronically exchange goods and services with no barriers of time or distance.Electronic commerce has expanded rapidly over the past five years and is predicted to continue at this rate, or even accelerate. In the near future the boundaries between â€Å"conventional† and â€Å"electronic† commerce will become increasingly blurred as more and more businesses move sections of their operations onto the Internet. Business to Business or B2B refers to electronic commerce between businesses rather than between a business and a consumer. B2B businesses often deal with hundreds or even thousands of other businesses, either as customers or suppliers.Carrying out these transactions electronically provides vast competitive advantages over traditional methods. When implemented properly, ecommerce is often faster, cheaper and more convenient than the traditional methods of bartering goods and services. Electronic transactions have been around for quite some time in the form of Electronic Data Interchange or EDI. EDI requires each supplier and customer to set up a dedicated data link (between them), where ecommerce provides a cost-effective method for companies to set up multiple, and ad-hoc links.Electronic commerce has also led to the development of electronic marketplaces where supplie rs and potential customers are brought together to conduct mutually beneficial trade. Just like the rest of the world, East Africa hasn’t been left behind in adopting e-commerce as a way of doing business. Many individuals, corporations and even governments have resolved to using e-commerce in consummating their business transactions, albeit on a smaller margin as compared to western countries or the more developed world economies.Countries in east Africa, that is Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have all been taking steps in the recent past to ensure that trade among them grows as a way of boosting the economic growth of these countries. One of the steps has clearly been adopting the use of e-commerce. Relevant infrastructure has been or is being established to back up this adoption. Since e-commerce ideally is all about the internet, most of the infrastructure I am referring to involves it in way or another.Most notably has been the laying of the fiber optic cable from the coast of Kenya towards the inland that allows for high speed internet access. Reasons for growth of e-commerce in East Africa. The rapid growth of e-commerce since 1995 is due to the unique features of the Internet and the Web as a commercial medium: * Ubiquity: Internet/Web technology is everywhere, at work, home, and elsewhere, and anytime, providing a ubiquitous market space, a marketplace removed from a temporal and geographical location. * Global reach: The technology reaches across national boundaries. Universal standards: There is one set of Internet technology standards, which greatly lower market entry costs (the costs to bring goods to market) and reduce search costs (the effort to find products) for the consumer. * Richness: Information richness refers to the complexity and content of a message. Internet technology allows for rich video, audio, and text messages to be delivered to large numbers of people. * Interactivity: The technology works through interaction with the user. * Information density: Information density is the total amount and quality of information available to all market participants.Internet technology reduces information costs and raises quality of information, enabling price transparency (the ease for consumers of finding a variety of prices) and cost transparency (the ability of consumers to determine the actual costs of products). Information density allows merchants to engage in price discrimination (selling goods to targeted groups at different prices). * Personalization/customization: E-commerce technologies permit personalization (targeting personal messages to consumers) and customization (changing a product or service based on consumer preference or history.Influence of e-commerce on trading practices in East Africa. As it has already been established, e-commerce is being used, even though not so widely in East Africa. The firms or organizations that have decided to employ e-commerce are benefiting from it in the following way s: 1. Exploitation of New Business Broadly speaking, electronic commerce emphasizes the generation and exploitation of new . business opportunities and to use popular phrases: â€Å"generate business value† or â€Å"do more with less† Safaricom, mobile service provider has the m-pesa service that captured so many customers and helped many people establish new businesses.There is also the m-kesho service which is a joint venture between Safaricom and Equity Bank that has enabled many small business owners and individuals to access banking services. 2. Enabling the Customers Electronic Commerce is enabling the customer to have an increasing say in what products are made, how products are made and how services are delivered (movement from a slow order fulfillment process with little understanding of what is taking place inside the firm, to a faster and rt1ore open process with customers having greater control. . Improvement of Business Transaction Electronic Commerce ende avors to improve the execution of business transaction over various networks. 4. Effective Performance It leads to more effective performance i. e. better quality, greater customer satisfaction and better corporate decision making. 5. Greater Economic Efficiency We may achieve greater economic efficiency (lower cost) and more rapid exchange (high speed, accelerated, or real-time interaction) with the help of electronic commerce. 6. Execution of InformationIt enables the execution of information-laden transactions between two ore more parties using inter connected networks. These networks can be a combination of ‘plain old telephone system’ (POTS), Cable TV, leased lines and wireless. Information based transactions are creating new ways of doing business and even new types of business. 7. Incorporating Transaction Electronic Commerce also inco11'orates transaction management, which organizes, routes, processes and tracks transactions. It also includes consumers making el ectronic payments and funds transfers. 8.Increasing of Revenue Firm use technology to either lower operating costs or increase revenue. Electronic Commerce has the Potential to increase revenue by creating new markets for old products, creating new information-based products, and establishing new service delivery channels to better serve and interact with customers. The transaction management aspect of electronic commerce can also enable firms to reduce operating costs by enabling better coordination in the sales, production and distribution processes and to consolidate operations arid reduce overhead. . Reduction of Friction Electronic Commerce research and its associated implementations is to reduce the â€Å"friction† in on line transactions frictions is often described in economics as transaction cost. It can arise from inefficient market structures and inefficient combinations of the technological activities required to make a transaction. Ultimately, the reduction of fr iction in online commerce will enable smoother transaction between buyers, intermediaries and sellers. 10. Facilitating of Network Form Electronic Commerce is also impacting business . o business interactions. It facilitates the network form of organization where small flexible firms rely on other partner, companies for component supplies and product distribution to meet changing customer demand more effectively. Hence, an end to end relationship management solution is a desirable goal that is needed to manage the chain of networks linking customers, workers, suppliers, distributors and even competitors. The management of â€Å"online transactions† in the supply chain assumes a central roll. 11. Facilitating for Organizational ModelIt is facilitating an organizational model that is fundamentally different from the past. It is a control organization to the information based organization. The emerging forms of techno-organizational structure involve changes in managerial respon sibilities, communication and information flows and work group structure. Types of e-commerce Business-to-business (B2B) Business that sells products or provides services to other businesses. Business-to-consumer (B2C) Business that sells products or provides services to end-user consumers.Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) Consumers sell directly to other consumers. Business-to-government (B2G) Government buys or provides goods, services or information to/from businesses or individual citizens. Business-to-employee (B2E) Information and services made available to employees online. Mobile commerce (m-commerce) E-commerce transactions and activities conducted in a wireless environment. Collaborative commerce (c-commerce) Individuals or groups communicate or collaborate online. Challenges facing the growth of e-commerce in East Africa. . Poor infrastructure. Many consumers and businesses in the east African region are not able to access internet services due to poor access of the internet and online services in general. This makes it difficult for them to transact through the internet and hence e-commerce has not been able to grow at a reasonable rate. This poor internet access can be attributed to the poor infrastructure currently being used in the region. Modern high performance network equipment has to be installed for e-commerce to grow as expected. Computer illiteracyMany individuals in the east African region do not have access to computers and those who might have access do not know how to use them. This has largely affected the growth of e-commerce since computers are an integral part of the online business. This is why many online transactions in the region are usually done by way of mobile phones which again aren’t that accessible to the common citizenry. Lack of proper regulation The internet is largely unregulated. Many businesses and individuals lose their money to unscrupulous and fraudulent business people who take advantage of the lack of proper r ules and regulations to play foul.The situation is even worse in east Africa and many businesses are losing money hindering their expansion and the industry in general. Inadequate capital Investment in the equipment and manpower required to run online business is very expensive and most firms cannot afford it. Computers, database managers, hard drives, software and software managers are all needed to keep on online system running. Administration of such systems is also very expensive and it needs regular updating and upgrading. Inadequate personnel Many firms in east Africa do not have the expertise needed to run these e-commerce systems.The curriculum in schools and higher learning institutions do not offer adequate skills. Expertise has to be imported from the rest of the world to complement the little that we have. This makes it so expensive to run online businesses. Conclusion Even though it has taken so long for e-commerce to be integrated into the business world in east Africa , it is finally here and it is being appreciated by those who are willing to adopt it. The governments of the countries in the region are doing a lot of investment in the required infrastructure to see to it that internet is accessed widely and cheaply.Investors from other countries have also realized that this east African region holds a lot of potential and are willing to invest their money to boost online trading establishments. There are still many challenges that need to be surmounted and e-commerce has gotten to its feet fully, but with the measures being taken by the governments, the private sector and many other stakeholders in the information technology sector, it is only a matter of time before e-commerce becomes fully operative in the region.This will present a lot of opportunities that will help improve the standards of living in the region. References * www. ecommerce-land. com * www. ihub. co. ke * The Economics of M-Pesa, William Jack and Tavneet Suri, 2nd Edition, Au gust 2010 * www. kcbbankgroup. com * www. imbank. com * The Smart Company, The Daily Nation, 17th July 2012 page 8-9