Qué migrantes deben comprar seguro por Obamacare

Actualmente, si su empleador no le brinda seguro mà ©dico ni tampoco està ¡ protegido por programas como Medicaid o Medicare puede que està © obligado a comprarse un seguro mà ©dico en cumplimiento de la ley que se conoce como Obamacare y, si no lo hace, deberà ¡ pagar una multa. Obamacare, que tambià ©n se conoce como ACA, por sus siglas en inglà ©s o incluso como PPACA, tiene normas complejas. Y este artà ­culo aspira a explicar claramente quià ©n està ¡ obligado a tener seguro mà ©dico con especial mencià ³n a las diversas situaciones migratorias e, incluso, tipos de visa. Tambià ©n cuà ¡les son las excepciones a esta obligacià ³n, cuà ¡l es el monto de la multa si no se cumple con la ley y quià ©nes pueden comprar seguro a travà ©s del mercado que que se conoce como Marketplace y, es su caso, obtener subsidios para el pago. En este artà ­culo se explica quià ©nes NO està ¡n obligados a comprar un seguro mà ©dico. Y como todos los demà ¡s no incluidos, sà ­ està ¡n obligados a adquirirlo, tambià ©n se explica quià ©n puede tener ayuda econà ³mica para comprarlo y cuà ¡l es la multa por no tener seguro. Quià ©nes no està ¡n obligados a tener seguro mà ©dico   La forma mà ¡s sencilla de saber si se està ¡ obligado a tener seguro mà ©dico en Estados Unidos es determinar que no se està ¡ en uno de los grupos que pemiten no tenerlo. Y no està ¡n requeridos por ley los siguientes: Ciudadanos y residentes permanentes legales en una de las siguientes situaciones especiales No està ¡n obligadas aquellas personas con ingresos tan bajos que no tienen que llenar las planillas de impuestos (tax returns)Tampoco aquellas que no pueden pagarlo porque el costo del premium del seguro mà ¡s barato supera en un ocho por ciento los ingresos del hogar.Tampoco se tiene obligacià ³n si el tiempo sin seguro no excede de tres meses en el conjunto de un aà ±o.  Ni los ciudadanos que residen habitualmente en el extranjero o pasan al menos 330 dà ­as de un total de 12 meses en otro paà ­s. Estos ciudadanos pueden comprar seguros privados de corta duracià ³n cuando se encuentran en Estados Unidos si asà ­ lo desean.Tampoco està ¡n obligados las personas que se encuentran en prisià ³n ni aquellas a las que su religià ³n se lo prohibe.Asimismo,  tampoco aplica a los nativos americanos que pueden obtener cobertura mà ©dica a travà ©s Servicio Mà ©dico Indio o los religiosos cubiertos por Health Care Sharing Ministry.Tampoco està ¡n obligadas las personas con pocos ingresos que podrà ­an ser elegibles para Medicaid segà ºn las reglas establecidas por Obamacare, pero que viven en un estado que ha elegido no extender este beneficio.Por à ºltimo, ciertas situaciones transitorias de dureza pueden servir para calificar para no tener que comprar un seguro mà ©dico, como por ejemplo: declaracià ³n de bancarrota, haber sufrido un desastre natural como huracà ¡n o tornado, ser và ­ctima de violencia domà ©stica, estar en una situacià ³n de desamparo y no tener vivienda o, incluso, la muerte de un miembro de la familia.   Todos los ciudadanos y residentes que no està ¡n en ninguna de esas categorà ­as citadas anteriormente deben estar cubiertos por un seguro mà ©dico. Obamacare y carga pà ºblica y nuevo requisito de seguro para visa inmigrante La nueva directriz sobre carga pà ºblica se està ¡ aplicando desde el 15 de octubre de 2019 en embajadas y consulados y alguno de sus factores tiene en consideracià ³n la situacià ³n sanitaria del solicitante. Por otro lado, a partir del 3 de noviembre de 2019, las visas de inmigrante para la residencia pueden ser negadas si el solicitante no puede probar que tendrà ¡ seguro mà ©dico en los 30 dà ­as siguientes al ingreso a EE.UU, Situacià ³n de migrantes indocumentados y Obamacare Segà ºn la ley, las personas sin estatus legal en los Estados Unidos -los migrantes indocumentados- no està ¡n obligadas a comprar un seguro mà ©dico. Ni tampoco tienen que pagar una multa por no tenerlo. Es decir, no les aplica la ley para nada, ni para lo bueno ni para lo malo.    A la hora de aplicar para comprar seguro a travà ©s de Obamacare se verifica el estatus legal del solicitante, siendo necesarios al menos 2 I.D. para acreditar ciudadanà ­a de Estados Unidos o residencia permanente legal. El sistema SAVE es una base de datos federal contra la que se verifican todos los I.D. que se presenten. Especial mencià ³n hay que hacer a los muchachos que aplicaron por la medida que se conoce como Accià ³n Diferida (DACA) y obtuvieron la aprobacià ³n. Se les considera que no està ¡n legalmente presentes en los Estados Unidos y, como consecuencia, no està ¡n obligados a comprar un seguro mà ©dico. Tampoco pueden beneficiarse de ninguna ayuda si deciden comprarlo. Es importante resaltar que todos los indocumentados -con DACA o sin ella- pueden comprar su propio seguro mà ©dico privadamente. Tambià ©n tienen las puertas abiertas en algunas instituciones que atienden sin fin de lucro y en los Centros de Salud Comunitarios y en los Centros de Salud Federalmente Calificados. Tambià ©n hay programas limitados como WIC, para embarazadas, lactantes, bebà ©s e infantes. Ademà ¡s, algunos estados como California o Nueva York, permiten que tengan acceso a travà ©s de sus sistemas estatales a protecciones limitadas  en asuntos de salud o incluso a travà ©s de programas que aplican en condados concretos. Ademà ¡s, California està ¡ viendo cà ³mo los indocumentados podrà ­an llegar  a beneficiarse de Obamacare, pero por ahora no pueden. Los indocumentados y los muchachos con DACA deben tener mucho cuidado con fiscalistas inescrupulosos que aseguran que tienen que pagar una multa por no tener seguro mà ©dico y se quedan con ese dinero. Porque, como ya se dijo mà ¡s arriba, ni tienen obligacià ³n de comprar seguro ni tienen que pagar si no lo tienen. Turistas en Estados Unidos y Obamacare Los extranjeros que se encuentran en los Estados Unidos por turismo no està ¡n obligados a tener seguro mà ©dico. Sin embargo, es altamente recomendable que adquieran uno antes de viajar por las cifras astronà ³micas que puede alcanzar una simple consulta mà ©dica o una hospitalizacià ³n para un procedimiento sencillo debido a una urgencia. Ademà ¡s, llamar la atencià ³n sobre las posibles consecuencias negativas de tener un bebà © en Estados Unidos con estatus de turista si no se paga completamente la factura de la hospitalizacià ³n. Por à ºltimo, las personas extranjeras residentes en otros paà ­ses que desean recibir tratamiento sanitario en Estados Unidos deben pagar por el mismo o mostrar un seguro mà ©dico que cubra por los gastos. Recordar que el riesgo de convertirse en una carga pà ºblica es una de las muchas causas de negacià ³n y/o cancelacià ³n de la visa americana. Visas de estudiantes y de intercambio y seguro mà ©dico Para los efectos de Obamacare, los estudiantes y participantes en programas de intercambio no son consideradas residentes legales temporales. Lo siguiente afecta a los extranjeros presentes en Estados Unidos con visas F, M, J, Q y sus dependientes.   Los estudiantes (F, M, Q) està ¡n exentos de tener seguro mà ©dico durante los primeros cinco aà ±os de su estadà ­a en Estados Unidos. A partir de esa fecha deberà ¡n iniciar trà ¡mites para que los consideren no residentes y probar fuertes lazos con su paà ­s para evitar tener la obligacià ³n de comprar seguro mà ©dico. Los titulares de visas J de intercambio, tienen una exencià ³n durante los dos primeros aà ±os de su estancia.   Obviamente, el sentido comà ºn indica que lo prudente es tener un seguro mà ©dico. Se puede comprar privadamente y, ademà ¡s en el caso de los estudiantes, en muchas ocasiones se puede adquirir a travà ©s de las propias universidades. En total se estima que un total de 24 millones de personas que residen habitualmente en los Estados Unidos no tienen la obligacià ³n de tener seguro mà ©dico. Casos especiales En primer lugar, las personas menores de 26 aà ±os pueden estar incluidas en el seguro mà ©dico de cualquiera de sus padres. En segundo lugar a las personas con visas H-1 para profesionales y modelos  y L-1 de transfer entre empresas  se  les considera a estos efectos como residentes temporales y deben tener cobertura mà ©dica. Si trabajan en un lugar con mà ¡s de 50 empleados lo obtendrà ¡n por ley a travà ©s de la empresa pero si es mà ¡s pequeà ±a dependerà ¡ de la polà ­tica de la empresa. Si à ©sta no lo da, pueden obtenerlo a travà ©s del marketplace o comprar uno directamente con una aseguradora para sà ­ y sus dependientes (H-4).  ¿Cà ³mo se hace para obtener un seguro mà ©dico en Estados Unidos? Si no se està ¡ en ninguna de las categorà ­as mencionadas anteriormente y que dan derecho a estar exentos de la obligacià ³n de tener un seguro mà ©dico entonces hay que conseguir uno. Lo cierto es que en Estados Unidos la gran mayorà ­a de personas con esta obligacià ³n - tres de cada cinco- lo obtienen a travà ©s de las empresas para las que trabajan.  Y otro 12 por ciento resuelve la situacià ³n a travà ©s de programas pà ºblicos como Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, el Sistema de Veteranos, u otros como COBRA (desempleados que cumplen ciertos requisitos) o TRICARE (militares). Para el resto caben dos alternativas para cumplir con la ley. Primero, contratar un seguro privado por su cuenta o, segundo, acudir a lo que se conoce como el Health Insurance Marketplace.  ¿Quà © es el Marketplace para la compra de seguro mà ©dico? El Marketplace un mercado en internet donde se da la opcià ³n de comparar y comprar el seguro mà ©dico que mà ¡s se ajuste a las necesidades del comprador. Tambià ©n se conoce en inglà ©s con el nombre de exchanges. Los seguros varà ­an enormemente segà ºn lo que se paga, las coberturas que se acuerdan, la aseguradora, el estado en el que se reside, si se elige un PPO o un HMO, etc.  ¿Quià ©nes pueden comprar seguro mà ©dico en el marketplace? Todas las personas en una de las siguientes categorà ­as que no tienen seguro mà ©dico porque no se lo da la empresa, ni està ¡n cubiertos por asistencias pà ºblicas como Medicare, CHIP o Medicaid ni han contratado uno directamente con una aseguradora. El seguro en el marketplace se puede comprar para sà ­ mismo y para las personas dependientes, como por ejemplo los hijos menores de 26 aà ±os. Ciudadanos o nacionales de los Estados Unidos. No importa el caminio por el cuà ¡l se adquirià ³ la ciudadanà ­a.Todos los  extranjeros presentes en Estados Unidos que califiquen, esto es:   Residentes permanentes legales.Extranjeros en el proceso de ajuste de estatusAsilados y refugiados. Los primeros sà ³lo si ya tienen aprobado el permiso de trabajo (EAD) o son menores de 14 aà ±os y llevan de espera en su aplicacià ³n mà ¡s de 180 dà ­as.Cubanos y haitianos que ingresaron al paà ­s por reglas especà ­ficas que aplican sà ³lo a ellos. Y cualquier persona a la que se le haya concedido un parole en una frontera (puerto, aeropuerto o paso terrestre).Las personas a las que se le concedià ³ con anterioridad a 1980 un ingreso condicional.Las personas buscando legalizacià ³n en base a maltrato y sus cà ³nyuges, hijos, padres o madres.Las và ­ctimas de trà ¡fico humano, sus cà ³nyuges, hijos solteros menores de 21 aà ±os, padres, madres y hermanos.Los migrantes que gozan de un TPS.Los extranjeros con visas temporeras de trabajo, como por ejemplo las H-1B, las H-2A y las H-2B y otros comprendidos dentro de la clasificacià ³n de residentes legales temporales, co mo por ejemplo, los periodistas con visa I, los religiosos con una R, los prometidos (novios) de ciudadanos americanos con una K-1, los inversores (EB-5, E-2), oficiales de gobiernos extranjeros, los estudiantes, trabajadores de la OTAN, personas con visas de intercambio J-1 o trabajadores en situacià ³n de transfer dentro de sus empresas (L-1). Por regla general, tambià ©n se incluye a sus cà ³nyuges e hijos solteros menores de 21 aà ±os.  Los extranjeros a los que se les ha concedido una suspensià ³n de la deportacià ³n (withholding of deportation/removal) o una suspensià ³n administrativa de la expulsià ³n (staying removal)Los muchachos a los que se les ha concedido el Estatus de Inmigrante Especial Juvenil.Las personas favorecidas por una orden presidencial que pospone su salida obligatoria de los Estados Unidos, lo que se conoce como DED o Deferred Enforced Departure y que en la actualidad sà ³lo aplica a ciudadanos de Liberia.Los residentes de la Samoa AmericanaLos ciudadanos de Micronesia, las islas Marshall o PalauLos miembros de una tribu nativa reconocida federalmente  Los nativos americanos (first nations) nacidos en Canadà ¡ y que viven en los Estados Unidos. En el caso de familias mixtas con miembros legales y otros indocumentados, se puede aplicar para las personas que tienen estatus. No se preguntarà ¡ por las circunstancias migratorias del resto. Y, si califican, los miembros legales pueden beneficiarse de subsidios.  ¿Quià ©n tiene derecho a descuentos de seguro mà ©dico a travà ©s del Marketplace? Muchas de las personas autorizadas a comprar seguro mà ©dico a travà ©s de este sistema podrà ­an tener derecho a dos clases de subsidios: Fiscales (tax subsidies), para los que ingresan menos del 400 por ciento de lo que està ¡ establecido como là ­nea de la pobreza. Esto viene a ser aproximadamente $46,000 para las personas que viven ellas solas y mà ¡s para las familias.De pago (cost-sharing), para ayudar a pagar por copagos, deducibles, primas, etc y que beneficia a las personas que ingresan en un aà ±o menos del 250 por ciento de lo que està ¡ establecido como umbral o linea de la pobreza.  ¿Cuà ¡ndo se puede comprar en el Marketplace? Las pequeà ±as empresas tienen el marketplace abierto sin là ­mite de fechas para incorporar a trabajadores. Ademà ¡s, si se ha cambiado recientemente de estatus migratorio se podrà ­a calificar para un tiempo especial para enrolarse.  ¿Cuà ¡l es el castigo por no tener seguro mà ©dico cuando se tiene obligacià ³n de tenerlo? En el 2017  el importe a pagar en concepto de multa serà ¡ la cantidad mà ¡s grande de entre estas dos: $695 dà ³lares por persona, cantidad que se ajustarà ¡ segà ºn la inflacià ³n,  con un tope mà ¡ximo de tres por familia, si bien el importe a pagar por un nià ±o menor de 18 aà ±os es de $347.50.el 2.5 de los ingresos de la renta imponible.  ¿Cà ³mo cobra el gobierno esa multa? Automà ¡ticamente en cuando se hace el cà ¡lculo de lo que toca a pagar (o a regresar) al llenar las planillas de los impuestos federales. Para cobrar el multa en su totalidad el gobierno puede incluso no regresar lo que toque a devolver por varios aà ±os, hasta que la deuda se paga completamente. Para mayor informacià ³n sobre Obamacare Se puede marcar al telà ©fono gratuito 1-800-318-2596 o consultar la pà ¡gina oficial de Cuidado de Salud del gobierno de los Estados Unidos. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal

Gay Marriage Should Not Only Be A Civil Right - 1569 Words

America declares itself as the great country of liberty, the great country of opportunities and the great country of equality. As long as an American wants to marry a person of the opposite sex there seems to be no limits to their pursuit of happiness. Even in the progressive, modern year of 2015, the question of whether or not gay couples should be permitted to perform the act of a legal marriage divides the United States of America into two. Although more than half of the states have legalized gay marriage, fourteen states, including Kentucky, reject the idea of homosexual couples as equals to heterosexual couples. The fact is that an exclusion of marriage for gay couples is a limitation of their personal rights and is unequal, unfair,†¦show more content†¦It is discrimination to refuse to give the benefits that are provided to heterosexual married couples to homosexual couples. According to the General Accounting Office of the United States there are 1138 benefits and rig hts for married couples (cbo.gov). These rights include the right to visit a partner in hospital due to an accident or illness. Whether homosexual or heterosexual, partners should have the right to care for their loved ones during illness and misfortune. Another example, actually the worst case scenario is, if one of the persons in the same-sex partnership without being married passes away unexpectedly. If the deceased did not make his or her last wish, the consequence would be that the person left behind has no right to the belongings of the deceased, even though they build up a life together. These two were just a tiny portion of all the rights that married couples enjoy, same-sex couples however, have no access to them without being officially married. To deny these rights to a homosexual is simply discrimination. The concept of marriage has changed over time. According to Rose McDermott, a political scientist at Brown University, the traditional, monogamous concept of marriage between one man and one woman is a modern concept. In fact, two centuries ago polygamy was widespread and monogamy was an exception (McDermott).

Marketing Plan Project Journal of Marketing Theory

Question: Describe about the Marketing Plan Project for Journal of Marketing Theory? Answer: Mission and Objectives of the Organisation In order to produce a new product in the market place an organisation is in need of strategizing the new policies and identifying the issues. In order to place the product, proper marketing manifestation is essential which helps in developing the marketing prospect. Here, in this assignment the researcher is going to strategize the marketing policies while launching a new product Red Energy. Purpose of Market Plan: In order to market the product properly and to analyze the necessities of the customers of the market is needed to be the main motive for an organisation to develop a strategic market planning. Red Bull is going to market Red Energy targeting the youths of America who prefers mostly in body building and athletes. At the same time, the product is also an energy drink which helps the common people to be relieved from their tiredness. The drink as supposed by the organisation helps the common people maintaining its fitness and health. It can better be stated as an energy drink (Desai et al. 2012). As there are only a few organisations available in USA supplying energy drink in the market, proper promotion of the product both in the social and digital media seem to be literally necessary. The marketing plan strategizes to be important in this aspect. Among the existing users of Red Bull craze of having strong energy drink is on a high note which can be expected to grow extensively once the Red Energy is marketed. Mission Statement: By marketing of Red Energy, the organisation intends to increase its sales among the customers aged between 18 to 35. At the same time, the company wants to revise its revenue growth as well which helps in determining more profit. Nowadays, as soft drink and energy drinks have become one of the alternatives of tea or coffee, Red Bull expects that by marketing of Red Energy the organisation will attain the market penetration. At the same time, achieving the marketing goals is another significant issue that the organisation wants to achieve (Dyer and Chu,2011). Competitive Advantages: In Red Energy, the organisation has decided, to attain advantages of the competitive market place, reduce the general quantity of calories (110 grams) and increase the normal quantity of caffeine from 80mg to 86mg. With hike in the quantity of caffeine reaction speed will also increase and let the concentration of the common people leads to be increased. With more caffeine burning of fat will also be engaged which enables the person to get relieved from the extensive fatigue that may conquer upon it. These features are quite intuitive which helps Red Bull to claim market success for Red Energy. A report of Eastman and Liu (2012) states that Red Bull in 2014 had attained $2883 million where Monster could only attain $2476 and Rockstar $647 million. The report also states that Red Bull is having 43% USA market acquisition where 39% is for Monster and 10% share for Rockstar. This approach is literally effective for the organisational development and marketing growth. As Red Bull is already in a height of growth in USA market, it is expected that it will also prove to be helpful for acquiring the market for Red Energy as well. As no of the organisations has marketed any energy drink aiming at slashing off the fatigue of the common people, it helps in organisational development (Eastman et al. 2010). Situation Analysis Strengths v Red Bull has decided that Red Energy will be launched in three flavors which will enable the customers to choose among them. Taste of these three flavors is also going to be different that is another significant attraction. v Brand equity of Red Bull is literally sophisticated which helps in developing the strengths of the organisation (Eng and Bogaert, 2010). At the same time, creative approach of Red Energy is another essential issue that helps in attaining potentiality for the product. v Although it is said that Red Energy is going to increase the caffeine quantity, however, it is laboratory tasted and proved that there is no harm and side effects. v It may conquer the market in alternative of soft drinks. Weaknesses v Stereotype confusion of the market place in the past few years with economic slowdown has resulted US economy not to be stable. This may result the market of Red Energy not to be properly attained. v For Red Energy, the limited age group has been covered from 18 to 35, resulting in a serious loosening of a huge number of customers. v As Red Energy is a complete new innovation, never have tasted in the market ever, a threat of getting rejected by the customers of the market is always there. v Competition is also a significant issue that has become a real threat for the USA soft drink market. Opportunities v As people are getting more conscious about their health these days, Red Energy may seem to be the only option open to them that easily decreases the total fat level. Having been manufactured with protein and fiber it helps to attract more people of the market. v Red Bull has decided to keep the price of the product low which helps in attaining better market advantages. v No potential competitor of the market place may help in developing the problem for the product. Threats v Threats from the other organisations and competitors are a significant threat that may create hindrances in its way. v More innovation is a real risk which may create problems after the product is launched. v Supply of the raw materials is another significant problem that may affect the organisational problems. Table 1: SWOT Analysis Identifying the opportunities of this energy drink by using STP analysis: STP refers to the segmentation, targeting and positionining of the new product. Here, the marketer needs to analyze the market opportunities of the product within the industry of energy drink. STP analysis can be very helpful for identifying the potential group of the customers within the particular market of the industry (Wood et al. 2013). Segmentation: This process of segmentation is included within demographic, psychographic as well as geographic and socio economic sector of the market. For the product Red Energies the segmentation can be of following types; Demographic segmentation: The market can be divided within the groups of age, income, gender and occupation of the people within the society. Here, for this energy drink, the age of the customer can be considered as between 16 to 35. Generally, male is the targeted customer of this energy drink. Income group of the customer group can remain in medium or high income. The tendency is towards high income people among the group of the customers who belong from student, service as well as business occupation within the society (Barnes et al. 2010). Psychographic segmentation: Customers who lead high lifestyle, ambitious for any type of situation can be considered as the targeted customers of Red Energies. Geographic: People from city and city-based areas have been considered as the potential as well as loyal customers of this energy drink. The marketers of this energy drink can also consider the people who come from semi urban area of United States. Socio economic segmentation: The marketers of Red Energies can attract the people who belongs to high profile job among cities of United States. The purchasing power of the people should remain within high and medium high limit. Targeting: In the demographic segment, this energy drink mainly can target the teenagers as well as young generation of the market. This energy drink also targets young adults of 22 to 36 years of the market. In the psychological segment, the company can attract the students, working professionals of enthusiastic people who are loyal as well as medium loyal to the company through this newly launched product. In the geographic segmentation, this energy drink can attract the city-based people who belong to a high and medium socio economic zone of the society (Cai et al. 2013). Positioning: However, the price will be medium high for selling the new energy drink to the customers. In the positioning purpose of this energy drink, extensive levels of media campaign is very essential as well as necessary for the effective positioning of Red Energy. As this product targets young generation of the society, digital marketing technique will be considered as one of the important positioning strategies of this energy drink. The marker can promote this energy drink through extensive social media marketing using popular tools like face book, twitter, instagram and blogging. Apart from this, the company can use outdoor media like hoarding, digital sign within the places of movie hall, office premises and college area of various cities of United States (Choi et al. 2012). Implementation of the Marketing Mix Attributes Description Product As it has so far discussed that Red Energy is a sophisticated and prestigious product which helps in attaining the US market as a whole. In comparison with the other products available in the market place, Red Energy is a significant one that targets the common athletes and body builders generally. As it cuts the calories short and helps common people feel energetic by removing their fatigue, it is expected that more people will be fascinated by this product. Price Red Bull to attain the market advantages has decided to keep the price of Red Energy low that any other available energy products in the market place. Having a low piece, it is expected that more people will get fascinated by the product. The price of the product is also a significant issue that helps in attaining better cohesion in the market place (Fang et al. 2012). Place In order to market the products, place also appears to be an intrinsic issue for the development of the market place. Place is also a significant approach that determines to be developed intrinsically. Place is also a significant issue for the marketing development. Place also helps in managing the organisational statistics in the market place. Places to promote Red Energy are also an essential from of development. Places for development of this approach are helping in strategizing the significant issues. Place determines to be significant approach which constitutes in the strategical development of Red Energy. Promotion Red Bull has decided to promote the products through social and digital media. Facebook, You Tube and other social media has been decided to be used for the promotional approaches. At the same time, it is also decided that the organisation will also promote Red Energy through newspapers, magazines and other advertisement areas as well which helps to reach to the maximum number of people in the market place (Gallagher et al. 2010). Promotion through the own website of Red Bull is also getting in order. Promotion helps in developing in maintaining better cohesion in the market place. Promotion also appears to be quite intrinsic issue which attempts to be the unique approach in the organisational development. Satisfaction of goals and objectives of Red Energies: Red Energies is a newly launched company in the market of United States. The company has made the next five years marketing plan of Red Energies. To find out the satisfaction level of the company, the following points are discussed to measure the performance of the product in the market and the demand of the market in the United States market (Gauzente and Roy, 2012). a) Key Performance: If the management of the company tries to measure the goals and objectives, then the management of the company should measure the performance of the company in the market. The management of Red Energies should measure the cost of the product and the sales volume of the product. This will help the management of the company to find out the profit percentage of the company. If the company earns more profit margins by selling the product, this shows that the demand of the product is high in the market (Goldsmith et al. 2010). b) Customers Feedback: The management of the company should take feedbacks from their customers to know about the quality of their product. If the customers are satisfied with the quality of the product, then the demand of the product will be high in the market. c) Employees Feedback: The management should take a feedback from their employees to understand the demand of the product by their customers in the market. If the customers are satisfied with the quality of the product, then the demand of the product will be high in the market. Determination of Success or Failure: Depending on the demand of the product in the market, the management of the company will understand the success of the product in the market or failure of the product in the market. If the product margins of the company gradually increase, it means that the demand of the product is high in the market. If the profit margins gradually decrease in the market, it seems to be that the demand of the product is low in the market. Performance: Key People Responsibilities Finance Manager The Finance Manager of Red Energies took the responsibilities of calculating the financial conditions of the company. Operation Manager The operation manager of the Red Energies took the responsibilities to improve the operational performance of the company. Promotion Manager The main role of the promotion manager of the Red Energies is to promote their product in the market. Market Analyst The main role of the market analyst is to analyze the demand of the product in market. Sales Manager The main role of the sales manager of the Red Energies is to improve the sales volume of their product in the market. Financial Performance Metrics: Sales versus profit: The sales are calculated for the company for the next five years. The selling price of the product is in linear progress. The initial year sales of the company are USD 100,000. The price is increased by 3 % in every year. In addition, the cost of the product includes operating cost, production cost and administrative cost of the company (Gurau,2012). The cost of their product varies in every year due to change in inflation rate. If the inflation rate varies in every year then the cost price of their product varies. This will lead to change in the profit margins of the company (Hu et al. 2009). Market Growth: The management should take a feedback from their employees to understand the demand of the product by their customers in the market. If the customers are satisfied with the quality of the product, then the demand of the product will be high in the market. The management of the company should take feedbacks from their customers to know about the quality of their product. If the customers are satisfied with the quality of the product, then the demand of the product will be high in the market (Ha et al. 2011). Customer Relationships: The management should take a feedback from their employees to understand the demand of the product by their customers in the market. If the customers are satisfied with the quality of the product, then the demand of the product will be high in the market (Hartmann et al. 2009). Social Responsibility: If the management of the company tries to measure the goals and objectives, then the management of the company should measure the performance of the company in the market. The management of Red Energies should measure the cost of the product and the sales volume of the product. This will help the management of the company to find out the profit percentage of the company. If the company earns more profit margins by selling the product, this shows that the demand of the product is high in the market (Hewlett et al. 2009). Reference list: Barnes, D. C., Beauchamp, M. B., and Webster, C. (2010), To delight, or not to delight? This is the question service firms must address, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 18(3), 275-283 Bradley, G. L., and Sparks, B. A. (2012), Explanations: if, when, and how they aid service recovery, Journal of Services Marketing, 26(1), 41-51. Cai, S., Gohn M., de Souza, R. and Li, G. (2013). Knowledge sharing in collaborative supply chains; twin effects of trust and power. International Journal of Production Research, 51(7), 2060-2076 Choi, Y.H., Souiden, N. and Skandrani, H. (2012). The differential impact of trust types on inter-firm relationships: some empirical evidence from the Japanese eyeglass industry. Asian Business and Management, 11(5), 541-562 Desai, P.S., Bell. D., Lilien. G., and Soberman, D. (2012) The Science-to Practice initiative: Getting new marketing science thinking in to the real world. Marketing Sci. 31(1):13 Dyer, J. and Chu, W. (2011), The determinants of trust in supplier-automaker relationships in the U.S., Japan and Korea, Journal of International Business Studies, 42(1), 28-34 Eastman, J. K., and Liu, J. (2012), The impact of generational cohort on status consumption: an exploratory look at generational cohort and demographics on status consumption, Journal of Consumer Marketing, 29(2), 93-102. Eastman, J. K., Iyer , R., and Wiggenhorn, J. M. (2010), The short-term impact of Super Bowl advertising on stock prices: An exploratory event study, Journal of Applied Business Research, 26(6), 69-84 Eng, T-Y, and Bogaert, J. (2010), Psychological and cultural insights into consumption of luxury western brands in India, Journal of Customer Behaviour, 9(1), 55-75 Fang, E., Palmatier, R. W., and Evans, K. R. (2012), Influence of customer participation on creating and sharing of new product value, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(3), 322-336 Gallagher, D., Ting, L. and Palmer, A. (2008) A journey into the unknown: Taking the fear out of structural equation modeling with AMOS for the first-time user. The Marketing Review, 8(3), 255-275. Gauzente, C., and Roy, Y. (2012), Message content in keyword campaigns, click behavior, and price consciousness: a study of millennial consumers, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 19(1), 78-87. Goldsmith, R. E., Flynn, L. R., and Kim, D. (2010), Status consumption and price sensitivity, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 18(4), 323-338 Gurau, C. (2012), A life-stage analysis of consumer loyalty profile: comparing generation X and millennial consumers, Journal of Consumer Marketing, 29(2), 103-113. Ha, B.C., Park, Y.K. AND Cho, S. (2011), Suppliers affective trust and trust in competency in buyers, International Journal of Operations Production Management, 31(1): 56-77. Hartmann, P. and Apaolaza-Ibanez, V. (2009), Green Advertising Revisited: Conditioning Virtual Nature Experiences. International Journal of Advertising, 28(4), 715-739. Hewlett, S. A., Sherbin, L., and Sumberg, K. (2009), How gen y boomers will reshape your agenda, Harvard Business Review, 87(7/8), 71-76 Hu, J., Huhmann, B. and Hyman, M. (2009). The relationship between task complexity and information search: The role of self-efficacy. Psychology Marketing, 24(3), 253-270 Jackson, V., Stoel, L., and Brantley, A. (2011), Mall attributes and shopping value: differences by gender and generational cohort, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 18(1), 1-9. Wood, M. B., Jobber, L. (2013).The Marketing Plan Pearson Canada

Is it possible to imagine nationalism without the nation

Introduction After the end of the Second World War, populations assembled within their nations with great hope of developing their home countries, which had undergone destruction following the aftermath of the war. Emigration and migration activities were part of the events that marked the World War II with powerful states exercising slave trade that displaced cultural communities to form mixed states.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Is it possible to imagine nationalism without the nation? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Nation-building started immediately and the world exponentially started developing into unique world structures characterised by globalisation. Latin American, Europe, and Asian nations have been historically the predecessors of campaigning for nationalism, though quite unsuccessful, following ethical and religious divisions that have proven critical matters over the years. Nationalism can be u nderstood as the conception that a society, state, or nation is the natural political and social appearance of the modern world. Little literature prevails on nation-state and nationalism, hence the poor understanding or misunderstanding surrounding this concept. This essays thus seeks to examine whether it is possible to imagine nationalism without the nation. Meaning of the two terminologies Nationalism Nationalism has become a huge field of study, discourse, and one of the globally controversial concepts with studies seeking to expound the understanding of the concept to reduce the augmenting fury of confusion (Wimmer Schiller 2002). Studying the concept of nationalism is becoming essential in understanding world politics. The historical development of the notion of nationalism streams from the ancient politics that witnessed the dramatic emergence of the French Revolution of 1789 that marked the formation of the first ‘nation-state’ (Spruyt 2002). It was during thi s moment that nationalism, as a global concept, became a powerful idea, thus changing the European states into rising towards nationalism and governing through Napoleonic rules. Nationalism, in its simplest terms, can be expressed as a desire of citizens of a nation to establish and maintain an autonomous political component. According to Tishkov (2000), nationalism generally refers to the creed and intuition streaming from the political dogma that describes the attitude of individuals over their identification and association with a certain nation. A nation Latin America has been the most renowned anomaly in the backdrop of nationalism and hence the term nation itself. The word nation came from the Latin and when it was first introduced, it clearly demonstrated the idea of common blood bonding. From the contemporary literature as elucidated by Lowrance (2012), â€Å"a nation refers to a group of people thought to share a common history, culture or some aspects of identity† ( p. 85).Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A nation entails individuals or nationalists mainly embedded by transnational boundaries and guided by certain political principles, judicial frameworks, and certain religious convictions, but with distinct racial, cultural, and ethnical backgrounds. Defining a nation thus becomes a confronting issue, especially considering the socio-ethnical dimensions and political systems that finally lead to distinguishing nationalism in different perspectives, including civic nationalism and ethnonationalism (Connor 1978). With several racial and ethnical dimensions, a nation can thus mean a community or populace living under certified transnational boundaries bounded by certain statutory and political principles. Quandary in connection between the terminologies Tracing the history and development of the concept of nationalism and its context withi n nations and states have never proved challenging as finding its appropriate definition and its connection with the state or nation. An incessant quandary exists over the concept of nationalism and its relationship with a nation or state, as nationalists themselves within countries differ idiosyncratically and the question is whether there is any interdependence. Despite streaming from Western nations with the French Revolution making the beginning of nation-state politics that nationalism signifies numerous nations, including the European states and Latin American nations themselves, have failed to achieve nationalism. Miller (2006) affirms, â€Å"Lacking the linguistic and ethnic distinctions commonly associated with national identities in Europe or Asia, lacking a secure process of state consolidation, and lacking, too, the economic success of the United States and Canada† (p.201).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Is it possible to imagine nationalis m without the nation? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A nation can only be distinguished best from its boundary, but not from behaviour of its people, as it is very normal that a nation comprises individuals with different ethnical and racial backgrounds. Researches consider the aspect of nationalism and nation as one of the most challenging, especially when individuals seek to identify the connection prevailing in the two terminologies. As postulated by Connor (1978), â€Å"far more detrimental to the study of nationalism, however, has been the prosperity to employ the term nation as a substitute for that territorial juridical unit, the state† (p. 381). How the practice of interchanging the two terminologies developed over the years is still ambiguous, but the French Revolution and the West politics of the seventeenth century can provide a substantial background. Early literature is crucial in understanding how nationalism gr adually developed, including the terminology ‘nation’ as a territorial juridical unit for any state. As noted by Connor (1978), the literature and theories discussed by writings of the early men including Locke are integral in the discussion of nationalism as they always identified people as the forerunners of political power, hence making the state and people almost the same thing. Perhaps the augmenting mental quagmire and failure concerning political practice and theory relating to the practice of a nation and nationalism, inclusive of general and contemporary studies of nationalism, is making it even more challenging to understand the nation-state ideology. As noted by Tishkov (2000), a nation is continuously becoming a powerful symbol in which two forms of social alliances known as polity (the state) and ethnic unit (the people) are confronting to possess as their elite property.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The question that continues to linger across scholars’ minds is whether a nation is the geographical boundaries that differentiate one state from another or the people and the principles, culture, and belief they consider in their life practices. Nationalism is one’s perception or conception that he/she belongs to a certain nation and at this point, the issue of patriotism becomes essential while considering whether nationalist can prevail without a nation (Miller 2006). The notion that nationalism has to come first before a nation will also remain debatable. Can nationalism exist without a nation? From the conviction that a nation-state exists when individuals come forth and with anticipated solidarity, unify their nation through nation-building, the question of whether nationalism can prevail without a nation persists (Kuzio 2002). The struggle to build a nation-state has always been in existence with inventors and predecessors of the nationalism concept struggling t o achieve this vision but constantly ending up in dismay. This assertion holds as the messianic nationalists have never believed that human beings are capable of joining their nation in any possible way (Spruyt 2002). Any nation struggling to achieve nationalism through nation-building, including those that consider themselves democratically governed, have always suffered a massive blow towards achieving a nation-state status. Nation-state continues to be applied indiscriminately to all nations within ethicised political systems taking place each successive regime. Brubaker (2004) notes that in some contexts, â€Å"the community imagined as nationalists to a certain nation fail to coincide with the territorial aspects and citizenry of the state† (p.119). Building a nation needs nationalists A nation is, as stated before, a geopolitical area that entails individuals or nationalists mainly embedded by transnational boundaries and guided by certain political principles, judicial frameworks, and certain religious convictions, but with distinct racial, cultural, and ethnical backgrounds (Wimmer Schiller 2002). However, nationalists or people within a nation from an integral basis of the ethnic composition and not the geographical boundary, which is still unclear to many. Nation-building is efforts of nationalists to engage harmoniously in activities that promote impartiality, justice, and peace within their nation (Connor 1978). Formation of laws, governance of people, and community building that result in strengthened nationhood is achievable through contributions of nationalists through the process of civilisation. The actuality beyond this assertion is that a nation entails people and building it requires real patriots or nationalist, all of which are persons still. A nation marred with socio-political and ethnic bias will receive potential challenges when struggling to build a nation-state. In a bid to enjoy equal state rights and privileges once in a n ation-state, it is paramount for all individuals to remain bound to the reality that solidarity in nationalists is critical and viewing one another as individuals who need one another is of importance. Territorial states become nation-states on the basis that state-building and nation-building contain a relatively closer meaning of nation-state building. Spruyt (2002) posit, â€Å"State-building (the attempt to enhance the capacity to rule) and nation-building (the attempt to construct a shared political identity among the subjects of that particular territorial state) thus went hand in hand† (p. 133). Further importance in acknowledging the essence of people and nation as inseparable entities prevailed in studies throughout literal documentations. One of the noticeable documentations is the conceptions of Tishkov (2000) that a nation is not merely a political entity, but it comprises a system of cultural representations and that people are not only legal citizens of a certai n nation, but also possess critical knowledge on nation-building through the national culture. Why it is impossible to have nationalism without a nation A great excitement over whether nationalism can prevail without the presence of a nation will remain an endless argument whether one is liberal or democratic. From this paper’s arguments, a nation needs nationalists who are patriotic at building it, and thus, it is impossible to have nationalism without a nation. While arguing on this stand, individuals should understand that a â€Å"nation is a symbolic community and this element accounts for its power to generate a sense of identity and allegiance† (Tishkov 2000, p. 629). One is a nationalist when he/she considers her/himself as an individual belonging to a certain nation with all prerequisites needed to become a nationalist, including national identity. This assertion explains why it becomes significantly challenging to develop states bound to individuals cultural d imensions and ethnographic circles (Kuzio 2002). Citizenship is all about considering oneself to be of an origin or currently attached to a certain nation and this aspect happens only when there is a willingness to shift from tribal affinity to associational citizenship. Referring an individual to a certain national background begins with building civic knowledge that makes individuals entitled to beliefs of having a connection with a certain state and the strength of defending patriotism will depend on how individuals feel about their nations (Wimmer Schiller 2002). As denoted earlier, state-building and nation-building are two inseparable things that complement each other in development. State building requires public building and the vice versa and at this point, nation-state building becomes achievable (Spruyt 2002). Building a nation requires patriotism from nationalists and through this aspect, one should concur that it is relatively impossible to have the concept of national ism within the existence of a geopolitical nation itself. However, the role of nationalism in the modern state-building to develop nation-state is downsizing as real nationalism remains anticipation, but not an achievement (Wimmer Schiller 2002). As public building requires patriotism from nationalist, it becomes difficult to imagine nationalism without a nation. Following a survey conducted in 1971, Connor (1978) presented significant evidence that nation-state building signifies the importance of nationalism as well as nation-building. From the survey that included approximately 132 entities considered as states in 1971, the following protracted from this survey. Only 12 (9.1%) states out of the surveyed 132 could remain described as nation-states, twenty-five (18.9) contained a nation accounting for above 90% of the state’s total population, but also with minorities. Another 25, accounting to 18.9%, included a nation accounting for approximately 75% and 89%. From the few evidences, it is possible to realise that nation-building has primarily depended on state-building and hence making the two inseparable concepts from theoretical to a practical perspective. From this analysis, Connor (1978) concluded that there are no vital differences between nation and state as no great harm would occur from referring to them as simply nations as they theoretically and practically coincide in their application. No nationalism in nations From the historical development of the concept of nation-state and its political campaign to achieve this form of civilisation, nationalism has been ever challenging to achieve especially considering the prevailing social, cultural, and economic differences that result in the presence of minority population. The forerunners of the nationalism concept, including the Latin Americans, Europeans, and other Asian countries have been anticipating, but not successful in achieving nationalism. The current state compositions include individ uals of diverse racial backgrounds and ethnic origins following the migration activities that have been eminent in the modern decades. Racial and ethnic differences in the western nations have persisted and despite their democratic governance, which they contend so, significantly failed to achieve nationalism. Miller (2006) affirms, â€Å"All these experiences, together with those of black people and other immigrant groups, have led to severe questioning of the official claim that Latin American nations are racial democracies† (p. 204). Nations have become ethnical and they behave more of racial and religious identity rather than region and national identity. Racial Ethnical disparities Nationalism occurs after individuals feel free and have an attitude of relationship with their certain state or nation. This feeling erodes in situations where civilians feel unappreciated, undermined, and living with differences from their statehood. Despite holding significant evidence over their contribution to the development of the nation-state, Latin American states became part of the racial divide in the1960s when the US started nation-building based on racial foundations. The United States itself has been a victim of social aggression, within the nation-state building characterised by racial differences rather than building the nation on civil grounds (Wimmer Schiller 2002). Efforts to build nations on strong civilisation grounds has received substantial challenges following the conviction that different races are battling for the same share of state with each of them claiming as its property. Coupled with globalisation that is racially divided, this aspect seems to generate different perceptions of the state of nationalism as perceived by its practical meaning. The United States and other West nations, including Europe, have been witnessing racial differences that have been marred by political and cultural contributions. Of late, they have witnessed separatist movements resulting from a racial confrontation with the nations divided on perceptions that specific cultural units (whites or blacks) are more important than others in these nations are. Blacks, American Indians, Black Americans, Mexican Americans and other minority group races in the US and other European nations have been fighting for equity and recognition by their governments, claiming of racial partiality, employment favouritism, and political segregation. The United States’ immigrants from history to present have experienced prejudice in one way or the other and continuously received unequal treatment in their nation. How would these individuals then consider themselves as nationalist of such countries where prejudice forces them to have a different perception over their connection with their nation? Presumably, this issue will remain a debatable factor when almost every nation contains minority groups. Religious differences Religion is one of the important players o f contemporary global politics as nations are divided on religious grounds. Nationalism has been a controversial concept in determining the context at which nations’ politics are becoming largely influenced by the religious issues (Connor 1978). Israel and Palestine are practical examples of nations divided by religious differences, with Israel promising to deliver its civilisation to humankind. The main religions involved in changing global politics that have led to different perceptions against nationalism are the Jews, Christians, and Muslims. As noticed by Brubaker (2004), â€Å"needless to say, this use of ‘nation’ excludes Muslims from membership of the nation, just as similar claims to ‘ownership’ of the state due to ethnocultural core nation exclude other ethnoreligious, ethnolinguistic, or ethno racial groups† (p. 117). This assertion brings up the question of nation-state with individuals divided into ethnoreligious groups and very d ivided into nation-building. Conclusion Nationalism is all about considering oneself to be connected legally to a nation and having a creed that one belongs to certain ethnic group. Ideally, a nation is more of a political entity and it contains significant consideration of cultural representations. People also are not only legal citizens belonging to a particular nation, but also they are capable of participating in the idea of statehood or nationhood bound to certain national cultures. Building a nation requires one’s understanding and love for the state, with aspects of racism and prejudice creating a different perception over nationalism, nation, and nation-state building. Nationalists are the people who remain patriotic to a nation and state-building and thus there cannot be nationalism without the nation. Reference List Brubaker, R 2004, ‘In the Name of the Nation: Reflections on Nationalism and Patriotism’, Citizenship Studies, vol. 8 no. 2, pp. 115 œ127. Connor, W 1978, ‘A nation is a nation, is a state is an ethnic group is†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, Ethnic and  Racial Studies, vol. 1 no. 1, pp. 377-400. Kuzio, T 2002, ‘The myth of the civic state: a critical survey of Hans Kohn’s framework for understanding nationalism’, Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 25 no. 1, pp. 20–39. Lowrance, S 2012, ‘Nationalism without Nation: State building in Early Twentieth-Century Palestine’, Middle East Critique, vol. 21 no.1, pp. 81-99. Miller, A Schiller, G 2002, ‘Methodology nationalism and beyond: nation-state building, migration and the social sciences’, Global Network, vol. 2 no. 4, pp. 301-334. Miller, N 2006, ‘The historiography of nationalism and National identity in Latin America’, Nations and Nationalism, vol.12 no.2, pp. 201-221. Spruyt, H 2002,’The origins, development, and possible decline of the modern state’, Annual Review of Political Science, vol. 5, pp. 127- 149. Tishkov, V 2000, ‘Forget the ‘nation’: post-nationalist understanding of nationalism’, Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 23 no.4, pp. 625-650. Wimmer, A Schiller, N 2002, ‘Methodological nationalism and beyond: nation–state building, migration and the social sciences’, Global Networks, vol. 2 no.4, 301-334. This essay on Is it possible to imagine nationalism without the nation? was written and submitted by user Cailyn Cruz to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Feminism Essays - Gender, Gender Studies, Behavior, Biology

Feminism Of what historic and contemporary concern is it that the architecture profession has been, and continues to be, strongly male dominated in Australia (currently 90% of registered architects in NSW are men). Ideally, what proportion of the profession should women occupy and why? From the start of human history, we always experience certain level of inequality between sexes. It can be seen everywhere around the world and is a concern to everyone, both men and women. This inequality is an important issue within the workforce of many professions, such as being an architect, landscape architect, city planners and designers within the built environment. Industrial revolution is the onset for women to become segregated from home, creating greater spatial division to impact on gender roles. There is common concept between the relationship of public and private space with male and female as described by Kate Lyons, PUBLIC ? Male ? Economic and Political ? WORK PRIVATE ? Female ? Reproduction and Domestic life ? HOME This model represents the suburbanisation occurring in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. Many suburban women are forced within their daily activities due to the constraints on accessibility and mobility in low-density suburbs and lead to a feeling of being isolated from the inner city. These constraints of this gender role affect the women's ability in the broader professions within the built environment, as they were restricted at home. "? Architects do not like to employ women in their offices; contractors do not like to build from their plans; people with money to spend do not like to entrust its expenditure to a woman." This is probably due to the fact that women are kept at home without 'knowing much' of the 'outside world'; the design professions have intrigued women into marginal roles. Architects and other similar professional fields "have perceived women not as profession but as passive clients." From these, women are users of the designed built environment as there are only few to have the opportunity to design them. This forces women to adapt to the way environments have been designed (by men). There is a concern where many women architects, landscape architects, planners, builders and designers such as Catharine Beecher, Louise Bethune. Eileen Gray, Julia Morgan, and others are not formally identified with professions. Many of their works have been credited to their male colleagues. Another concern is that there is a lack of sensitivity towards women's needs within the built environment. Design strategies and schemes often fail to consider women as a disadvantage group with exclusive needs, many of these needs are inadequately met or even un-met. This was evident in several Local Environmental Plans and Development Control Plans of the Sydney Metropolitan area that had not identified women as a disadvantage group to be included amongst the handicapped and elderly in design issue. Having considered women's issues within the built environment, in concluding one must ask are the fundamentals of professions of the built environment gender biased? Whilst the outcomes of these are gender biased, the fundamentals of planning require subsequent analysis in order to resolve the question. "? not only do men and women view a common world from different perspectives, they view different worlds as well." The issues raised are not subject to strictly to women, but men also experience them though with less intensity. In addressing these issues a gender sensitive environment will be beneficial to all. Bibliography: 1. Allen, J., Evidence and Silence: Feminism and the Limits of History in Feminist Challenges, 1986. 2. Freestone, R., Florence Taylor: The Lady Town Planner of Loftus Street in New Planner, Dec 1991. 3. Hanna, B., Florence Taylor's Hats in Architecture Bulletin, Oct 1986. 4. Hanna, B., Three Ferminist Analyses of the Built Environment in Architectural Theory Review, vol. 1, no.1, April 1996.

The aztec empire essays

The aztec empire essays The Aztec Empire was a great empire until it was conquered by people from foreign lands. I believe that the main reason that Aztecs were conquered so easily was because they filled their own heads with fear. Fear ran throughout the minds of all the Aztecs which led to their downfall. The Aztecs had great fear of the new people that had traveled to their land all the way from Spain. The Aztecs believed Cortez himself was a god coming back to claim their land. There greatest fear was that Cortez would take Montezumas ruling power away. The Aztecs were simple people who built empire throughout the lands of Mexico. The Aztecs were people of dark skin. They were laborers, they liked to work hard and produce lots and lots of agricultural food, who were very much so self dependent. They planted their own crops and produced food for the whole village. The Aztecs were greatly devoted to their gods. They had a certain god to praise for everything. They prayed and made sacrifices every year to the god of the crops so that they could have enough crops to feed the people. They would pray to the rain god whenever they needed rain to fall. The empire of the Aztecs spread all throughout Mexico. They were the dominant group covering almost all of Mexico. The Aztecs would make sacrifices to their gods for things like good crops, safety of the village, rain, a well hunt etc. The Aztecs were such simple people and that is what led them to be conquered so quickly and easily. The Aztecs got word that new people had arrived to their land. The people were like no other kind of people that they had ever seen before. The new people that had come to their land were so different that it began to spread fearful thoughts throughout the little villages of the Aztecs. The new people were Cortez and his men who had come from Spain in order to find treasures and other goods to send back to his king back home. The Aztecs described this ne ...

Organisational Behaviour 3 Leadership Assignment

Organisational Behaviour 3 Leadership - Assignment Example Tension exists because it is my first day at work as a manager in a new company, and Oli would be having his own apprehensions with the change. However, I have been assigned a specific task by my superiors that require cooperation and delegation to Oli, for this reason it is very important that we try to reduce tension. Oli has the type of personality that would be comfortable to accept challenges and share ideas best when he doesn’t feel tense. In this scenario, I tried to support Oli in an attempt to reduce tension and encourage Oli to share his ideas with me. The third step I took was to guide the ideas in the right direction through prioritizing, since Oli had several ideas it was important to sort them out in order of importance and urgency. I encouraged this through showing assertion and focusing on ideas that he passed through quickly like Computer Set-up and Getting Nortic cards. In conclusion I summarized all this work priorities in order of importance for him such as Coffee break , Nortic cards, computer set-up, and looking for an apartment. The key learning points for me from this scenario were that in order to get work done from my subordinates it is important that I empathize with them. I can accomplish this through reducing tension, delegating power through showing trust, encouraging communications and sharing ideas. There is a strong impact of personal life on work life, in this case instability in personal life of the subordinate was affecting his ability to stay focused on the job, so the importance of personal issues cannot be undermined. I also realized that compared to my business score, my leadership scores matters more to me because when my subordinates see me as a leader working towards their benefits good business results would automatically follow. The leadership insights of democratic leadership supports my decisions, a democratic leader

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Research Paper Example In the last work by Langston Hughes that is I, too were identified varied themes, symbols and metaphors. This paper intends to unravel the commonality of those themes, symbols and metaphors in the two short stories by the author, which are Father and Son and Cora Unashamed. As was traced in the poem I, too by Langston Hughes, the short story Father and Son by the same writer delineates the atrociousness and brutality of the Jim Crow rules, but in a more detailed and intricate manner. Father and Son is a story about a Georgia white man Colonel Thomas Norwood who keeps a black woman Nora for a mistress and fathers five children by her. The story reveals the psychological and social might of the Jim Crow laws. In the story, Colonel Tom is showed to harbor feelings of constrained affection and liking for his sons from Cora, as is natural for any man. However, his allegiance to the Jim Crow system is evinced to be more doughty and mightier than his commitment to the voice of human feeling s within him. He not only tends to publically deny his children from his black maid Cora, but considers an open profession of affection by his son Brat to be a mark of dishonor and disgrace. As in I, too, in Father and Son, Hughes exposes the absurdity and fickleness of Jim Crow laws, which allow a white man to get into the most intimate of relationships with a black girl and to father sons by her, yet, do not allow one to socially and legally recognize the relationships that such intimacies and acts entail. As in other works of Hughes, the register attributed to the black characters further exposes the bestial and subhuman level to which the blacks character are supposed to stoop in Jim Crow America, replete with invectives like nigger, darkie and yard-nigger. In Father and Son, Hughes elaborately shows the decorum and mannerisms which the black dependants were expected to follow in subservience to Jim Crow norms that he alludes to in I, too. The black slaves owned by Colonel Tom a re never allowed to enter his home from the front door or to roam about in his inner chambers, irrespective of their long service to him or their relationship to him. The blacks were always to approach his home from the backdoor and allowed to gather only in the kitchen. Like a dog, they were expected to maintain a respectable distance from and decorum with their white master. The story also reinforces the social status attributed to black characters in Hughes’ other works. All the black characters are shown to be serving in menial positions. Colonel Tom do tries to be good to his children by extending to them educational and other opportunities and facilities. However, the magnanimity of his concern for his children never dares to cross the boundaries marked by Jim Crow laws. The story also reveals the fear of marginalization of the whites, as in Hughes’ other works. When Brat, the youngest son of Colonel tries to rebel against the constraints of segregation and recla im his relationship with his father, the system comes crashing down on him and his brother. Cora Unashamed is one of the masterpieces of Langston Hughes. Though the writer predominantly repeats the themes, symbols and metaphors in the story with which he deals with in his

Impact of Modern Digital Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Impact of Modern Digital Technologies - Essay Example However, modern digital technology has influenced it adopters and users both negatively and positively, considering that, the corporate world adopts technological advancement to improve quality of production and more so, efficiency and effectiveness in both production and communication. Digital Printing Industry The modern digital technology has revolutionized the printing industry from the ancient application of faded images and texts to come up with complete printed product. The printing industry has advanced technologically from the use of ancient dot matrix printers that were characterized with holes in a row, which fed the ream of printing papers to the digital printing. The old dot matrix printers were repeatedly accompanied by the challenge of jamming of printing papers. The impact of the modern digital technology in the printing industry is clearly depicted by the strikingly clear texts and images with the flexibility of a wide range of colors where digital printing can be ad vantageously used to display a wide range of products, ranging from photographs to marketing materials. Small companies and business entities in the printing industry are able to match up to the big names in the printing industry through the application of digital printing to come with less costly and high quality products. Big companies dominated the production of quality and large quantities of printing products at less costly products as compared to small business entities that had to incur huge costs to produce printing products of higher quality, thanks to the modern digital technology that has enabled them to compete fairly in the printing industry. Digital printing has replaced the making of photocopies that were of low quality and were not that clear enough for detailed representations. Adoption of digital printing can therefore be associated with the significant quality of printing and representation of detailed graphics. It has replaced the less quality printing products f rom the ordinary printing devices and photocopy machines, where the result could never achieve more quality that original copy. The old printing machines could never achieve much quality as the digital technology, since any slight depreciation in quality of the original copy was always highlighted by the printer. Digital technologies have the advantage of using original soft copy material unlike the physical hard copy whose quality can be compromised by handling complications such as creases, dust, and oil. However, companies operating within the printing industry have not fully embraced the digital printing technology, considering the rather huge costs involved in installing the digital printing devices. Large printing companies have been reluctant in installing newer printing devices that can produce large quantities at high speed. More over, in relation to huge costs incurred in installing high-speed digital printing devices, some companies in the industry generally have a slow p ace in innovation and adoption of new technologies other than the modern digital technology itself. Total digital printing represents two percent of the entire printing industry and it is projected to grow minimally in future, considering that there is limited modern digital printing equipment in the whole industry. Companies are reluctant to embrace digital printing technologies consideration the high capital costs incurred in

The Low Cost Housing Pandemic Construction Essay

The Low Cost Housing Pandemic Construction Essay This research report has been compiled for the purpose of providing an efficient and effective solution to the glaring housing pandemic currently prevalent in South Africa. The South African government has to some extent, through the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), realised their obligation as mentioned above; however, the desired results have not yet been achieved. It has been a daunting task for the government to provide housing to the large population of indigenous people, so young into a democracy. The aim of this research is essentially, to provide a solution to the perplexing problem of providing adequate housing as it is a fundamental human right, and it must be noted that the lack of success over the years in providing the said housing has caused an insurmountable amount of distress to affected communities and has put an enormous amount of pressure on the South African Government in terms of their obligations toward service delivery. Consequently, this compilation presents undoubted findings which imply that the government is being pressurized by the housing backlog within the KwaZulu- Natal Region, more especially on the area known as the Kennedy Road informal settlement which is part of the Suburb of Clare Estate and also includes the Umlazi B10 Housing Project and in turn they require suggestions on a more concrete approach to sustainably meet the demands placed upon them by the ever growing populous. One such suggestion that must be viewed with a keen eye is the relatively new and exciting initiative introduced by Moladi, which has already been used in countries such as India, Mexico and Nigeria with tremendous success. South Africa has been plagued by an almost unsolvable housing crisis. It must be noted that the specific goal of this research is to assist in exploring new alternatives to the conventional building methods employed by the Reconstruction and Development Programme, which will subsequently be proven, has fallen apart. Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Background-History of research According to Sayed Ally (2009:3), despite the fact that South Africa is 18 years into the great democracy of 1994, a large percentage of the indigenous population in this country have been subjected to deplorable and in actual fact, completely inexcusable living conditions. Sayed Ally (2009:3) further highlights that promises of improved housing conditions, better education and lower unemployment levels have not materialized to date, however, we cannot say that the struggle has been in vain as South Africa has progressed from being labelled as an apartheid state, to becoming one of the most developed countries on the African continent. Part of the stepping stones to this achievement have been through strategies based on the improvement of education facilities, black empowerment policies to level the plain fields of the previously disadvantaged, and housing initiatives such as the Reconstruction and Development Program (RDP). However, as mentioned by Sayed Ally (2009:4), we have not tasted the fruits of success, as implementation of some of these policies has failed to lift off the ground. This is blatantly evident as the presence of slums or shacks as it is referred to colloquially, have become the popular means of shelter for those underprivileged individuals who had trusted in the promises made by their ideal government. Although there have been attempts made by the government to replace the informal settlements with low cost housing, this process has been slow indeed. According to Majavu (2011:2) the department of performance monitoring and evaluation in the Presidency has warned parliament s human settlements portfolio committee that the Human Settlements Department is making slow progress on 2014 targets. The primary concern to the government should be to solve the housing problem by providing suitable shelter to all citizens in need of it. This is because people with homes to go to, have a sense of belonging. (Wikipedia, 2012) A roof over the head of an individual grants him the opportunity of maintaining his/ her human dignity! It is a fundamental right of any human being to have a house, and duly stated in Section 26 of the South African Bill of Rights. Sayed Ally (2009:4). If successful, the alternative provided by this research will provide assistance in resolving the ongoing housing problem in Kwazulu-Natal through the initiative discussed below, and hopes to provide not only shelter, but also employment as well as ease the burden of the government in providing adequate service delivery, thus making South Africa a better place for all those who live in it. 1.2 Problem Statement The problem to be investigated may be stated as:- Moladi (the concept of shell housing), an alternative to South Africa s conventional construction methods, once incorporated into the Governments low cost housing policy, may assist in overcoming the failures prevalent in providing low cost housing which are associated with the conventional construction methods, thereby providing permanent shelter to displaced South Africans. 1.3 Objectives The objectives of this study are: i. Comparing and identifying the traditional building methods in the construction of low cost housing, design-and-build and the provision of an excellent end product. ii. Identifying factors such as: innovative designs, workmanship, selection of inappropriate material, approval of defective products and the quality of staff. iii. To identify and propose appropriate alternative solutions to challenges regarding the lack of sufficient funds, the shortage of skilled labourers, a lack of resources, work flow control, time constraints and wastage. 1.4 Significance of this research study The above averments have one goal and that is to assist in the process of repairing the problems created by poorly constructed conventional method houses in the affected areas of Kwa-Zulu Natal. Sayed Ally (2009:13) points out that over the past 15 years, many companies were contracted to build low cost houses for the previously disadvantaged, however, till today we find homeless people living on the side of the road, or if they are lucky, to live in an informal settlement. The numerous cases of poorly constructed houses, corrupt contractors, and misuse of government funding has done little to help the man on the street. The government has even gone to the extent of hiring foreign companies such as Golden Nets International to complete the job, but even they produced inefficient homes which subsequently collapsed in bad weather. The research that follows herein below examines the impact that shoddy building techniques has had upon low-cost housing in South Africa, more so in Kwa-Zulu Natal. This would be done through the examination of factors such as design and workmanship. In addition, the anticipated outcome of this research is to see a change in the quality of low-cost housing projects as well as an improved product for house occupants. 1.5 Design According to Wentzel L (2010:3), most of the blame for inadequate building performance and low quality work is placed on the designer. This however puts a lot of pressure on the designer, pressure such as a lack of awareness of the building processes; or for failing to understand the latest technology and the performance of innovative materials; or the reluctance to delegate authority to project-based supervisors; or simply for not spending more time on these building sites. However, Barrie and Paulson (1984) mention that designers generally recognize that no human undertaken task produces absolutely perfect results. Therefore designers often specify not only the desired standard for the characteristics that define a product, such as dimensions or strength, but tolerance or ranges for acceptable variations from the standard. These standards therefore need to be maintained and quality of conformance monitored by the construction manager, who will also be held liable if quality standar ds drop. Wentzel L (2010:3). A proudly South African initiative otherwise known as Moladi, takes construction to an entirely new dimension. The speed and minimal costs involved, allow for the development of building a house a day Moladi.net (2012). The multi award winning Moladi construction system was founded in South Africa in 1986 as a method of building cast in place reinforced monolithic structures Moladi.net (2012). The Moladi technology was developed as a means to alleviate many of the cumbersome and costly aspects associated with conventional construction methods without compromising on the quality or integrity of the structure Moladi.net (2012). Managing director Mr Hennie Botes states that the Moladi system involves the use of a removable, reusable, recyclable and lightweight plastic formwork mould to produce a durable and permanent structure, which has been subject to numerous tests and independent reports. As the system is not pre-fabricated off the building site or dependant on skilled labour, the use of the Moladi system allows for local, unskilled labour to be employed, he stated Moladi.net (2012). Women, who have traditionally been either reluctant or discouraged from working within the male-dominated sector, are encouraged to participate in the non-labour intensive building process, Mr Botes added Moladi.net (2012). He explained further that the process involves assembling a mould the size of the designed house, with all the electrical services, plumbing and steel reinforcing located within the wall structure, which is filled with a South African Bureau of Standards approved lightweight mortar to form all the walls of the house simultaneously Moladi.net (2012). The method, he noted, eliminates the time and labour intensive work of chasing, beam filling, plastering and generates no waste. 1.6 Workmanship According to Wentzel L (2010:3), when human error occurs at the setting-out stage of the construction process (which is the first physical activity in the chain of activities), the result might be very costly and the ripple effect down the chain of activities maybe disastrous in terms of time constraints. Swain and Guttmann (1983), found four types of errors in the construction industry. They are: time, qualitative, sequence and quantitative errors, which can take place. Time errors occur when a task must be performed within a specific time. Qualitative errors are such errors which include right action on wrong object, wrong action on right object, wrong action on wrong object, information not obtained/ transmitted or substitution/ intrusion error. Sequence errors however occur when an activity is done or performed out of sequence. Quantitative errors are errors which are made in rates, prices, and mathematical errors. Wentzel L (2010:3) Wentzel L (2010:4) stated further that, when focusing on the issues such as the housing backlog, design faults, lack of skilled shortages and client manipulation, it is made clear that all these factors influence low-cost housing in South Africa currently. As mentioned above the Moladi Shell Housing concept, has been designed and manufactured to address the six key challenges that determine the successful implementation of low cost housing projects in developing countries. These challenges would be the lack of sufficient funds, the shortage of skilled labourers, a lack of resources, work flow control, time constraints and wastage Moladi.net (2012). Chasing, beam filling, plastering and wastage are eliminated, producing a fast track, cost effective, transferable construction technology Moladi.net (2012). (Moladi.net 2012:3) (Moladi.net 2012:3) (Moladi.net 2012:3) (Moladi.net 2012:3) 1.7 Limitations i. The research is conducted specifically on the construction processes of low cost housing units. ii. Research is angled at mass housing initiatives providing an alternative to the normal building techniques (using brick and block). iii. The research area is confined to the Kwa Zulu Natal (Clarestate and Umlazi) region. iv. The research was completed in a time frame of six months. Some of the limitations regarding Moladi are: v. Moladi systems cannot be used or are undesirable for use in boundary walls. They are primarily used for housing. vi. Moladi systems cannot be used to build cavity walls. However, it provides good thermal and water proofing properties. vii. Moladi systems cannot be used to do extensions to homes. Moulds for once of applications would not be cost effective. 1.8 Conclusion In conclusion, alternate building techniques form an integral component to the building industry; however, it is inflated significantly when examining low-cost housing. By analyzing objectives stated in this chapter, we can consequently draw conclusions about the building techniques that are currently used in the construction of low-cost housing in South Africa, in comparison to newer innovations and techniques that may better address the issue. Chapter 2 Literature review 2.1 Introduction Objectives were presented in the preceding chapter in order for the identification of possible problems that are related to workmanship qualities and poor design methods in the construction process in terms of the provision for low cost housing. Quality standards were also raised alongside time and cost factors, which affected design as well as workmanship at the same time. In order to place these submissions in proper perspective, this chapter will review the relevant literature that is currently available, particularly on shoddy building techniques and its impact on the low-cost housing sector. 2.2 Building techniques Building may refer to, any human-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy, or an act of construction (i. e. the activity of building. (Wikipedia, 2012). Building Techniques refer to different methods adopted in construction processes and phases which provide alternate options to conventional or traditional building methods. It also plays a substantial role in the low-cost housing sector because of the high demand for mass housing that has to be constructed over short contract periods. Low income housing refers to residences for persons or families with low annual household earnings. Its purpose is to provide places for people to live within their range of affordability. Quality is being severely compromised as more focus is being placed on quantity. 2.3 Poor construction techniques and the R.D.P According to Mbonambi (2012:4), an article that appeared in the Mercury Newspaper, soil and mud tumbled down into the back walls of people s homes and water seeped through the walls and floors, this is what residents of Umlazi have experienced in their new RDP homes since moving in early in 2011. The article states further that some residents were afraid that their houses, in the Umlazi B10 housing project, would collapse and they would be injured or even killed. Some of the problems that contribute to the impending failure of the RDP programme are the use of inefficient labourers. In 2005, the Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel was taken on a tour to observe the good progress of RDP houses in Port Elizabeth, he was shocked when he saw that the millions of rands being spent by government were producing incomplete walls and door frames that were not according to size. (Sayed Ally: 2009:5) (Sayed Ally:2009:5) mentions further that this is one of many examples of the lack in competence of the labourers tasked with the responsibility of ensuring quality but efficient housing skills in the RDP programme. In contrast, the Moladi housing initiative does not require skilled labourers to build houses, in fact, it is mostly unskilled workers that are utilised, and more predominantly females are encouraged to be involved because of the simplicity and repetitive nature of the process Natasha Odendaal (2012:3) reported in the Engineering Newss print magazine that Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale stated that the rectification of substandard construction work on many of the low-cost housing projects throughout South Africa has left the State with a bill of about R50-billion. As a result of this, he again posed the question of whether it was time to establish a State-owned construction company to undertake the many housing projects in the country engineeringnews.co.za (2012). Having considered the above it can be deduced that, current building techniques are failing dismally. The minister was exasperated when he stated that inexperienced, less-than-credible shovel, wheelbarrow and bakkie brigade construction groups involved in the tenders for governments housing programmes were delivering shoddy workmanship and many of their constructions were falling apart. Black economic-empowerment was not a licence to deliver substandard or poor-quality work, he said engineeringnews.co.za (2012) Odendaal (2012:3). Sayed Ally (2009:5) avers that in addition to the higher costs and incompetent nature associated with RDP housing, the programme has been riddled with numerous counts of corruption on the part of project managers and other stakeholders involved. The development in the Mpumalanga region has reported that as many as 8000 houses were left incomplete after project managers filled their pockets and quietly exited the scene (SamaYenda, 2005). It is due to these factors that public perception has embraced a negative attitude to the process of low cost housing. As a mandatory requirement, the institution of a project of this magnitude would require efficient labourers, who have been trained on the job to produce the most efficient results. According to Tabane (2002:1), Gauteng pays 41 million rand for 8 RDP houses, the city of Gauteng paid 41 million rand (forty one million Rand) for 8 RDP houses this means that the eight RDP houses cost the Gauteng housing department a whopping R5-million each. It is just one of the startling findings uncovered by an investigation team appointed by Housing MEC Paul Mashatile. It is evident that various electronic as well as print media associations are publishing their discoveries regarding the ineffectiveness of the RDP, but still, it seems that rampant corruption and inefficiency on the path of government is ever present and in fact stalling the rate of success needed for the completion of the incumbent housing projects. Streek (2001;5) confirms that 7.5-million people are still without shelter, and between two and three million houses still had to be built to meet this need. Many of these people are living in informal settlements in urban areas, where 53.6% of the population live, whereas others share accommodation. The pace of housing delivery annually has declined from 300 000 in 1997 to about 200 000 the following year richardknight.homestead.com (2012) Streek (2001;5) states that the housing shortage is still desperate, he further states that, Minister of Housing Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele says, we will be slowing down further we have to look at the quality issue and at tenure alternatives richardknight.homestead.com (2012). 2.4 Traditional and Alternate Building Techniques South Africa is a third world country that is in its crawling stages of development. Emphasis has been placed on the drastic changes that need to occur in order for South Africa to move forward. The government has not been able to provide any suggestions to enhance the condition of housing thereby elevating the plight of those poor South Africans who have no roofs over their heads. 2.4.1 Traditional Building Techniques Traditional bricks or blocks are moulded in a small mould and then laboriously stacked by an artisan and sandwiched with mortar to form a wall structure. The electrical and water pipes are positioned by grinding and chasing into the brick wall. The wall is then plastered to cover the pipes and services, as well as the brickwork, to create a level and smooth surface Moladi.net (2012). 2.4.2 Alternate Building Techniques Supplemented by evidence that appears throughout this dissertation, Moladi comes forth as the most suitable alternative to repair the in-competencies of traditional building techniques currently used for low-cost housing. Moladi follows an optimised and sequential process. This allows for the number of unskilled labourers, which are utilised effectively, to be predetermined according to the size of the house, area of formwork for the intended unit and volume of the mortar Moladi.net (2012). The speed of the construction is also taken into consideration to calculate the number of unskilled labourers on site, with larger units having additional unskilled labour to optimise construction time Moladi.net (2012). Table 2.4.2.1 as shown below outlines the model of operation of the two day building process in a summarised step by step format adopted by Moladi Moladi.net(2012). Table 2.4.2.1 OUTLINE OF THE MODEL OPERATION DAY ONE- START 11HOO FINISH 17H00 DAY TWO- START 07H00 FINISH 17H00 STEP 1: Moladi Formwork is delivered to site. Area= 74m Mass= 550kg Volume= 3m? Moladi Formwork panels are assembled by unskilled labourers to form the mould panels of the desired house plan. STEP 1: Moladi formwork panels are removed Moladi formwork panels are completely removed in 2 hours with 4 unskilled labourers STEP 2: Internal Formwork panels are erected Window frames and block-outs are positioned within the wall cavity Reinforcing bars are positioned within the cavity to engineer specifications STEP 2: Immediately after the formwork panels are removed, the walls are painted with a water based paint Oil or acrylic based paint can be applied after the walls can be cured or within 28 days. STEP 3: Door frames and black-outs are positioned within the wall cavity External formwork panels are erected to close off the wall cavity Erection is completed in 4 hours with 4 unskilled labourers STEP 3: The engineer certified roof is installed The windows and doors are installed Final finishing s such as sanitary ware and lighting are completed The structure is now ready for occupation STEP 4: The wall cavity is filled with Moladi aerated mortar by unskilled labourers The pour is completed in 2 hours with 4 unskilled labourers Moladi.net(2012) To evaluate the viability of Moladi s housing techniques against conventional building techniques, some of the salient features are listed below: I. Moladi provides cheaper housing in a faster time period than any other form of housing. II. Efficiency of production is maximized as each foreman will be educated to minimize costs by Moladi project managers themselves and thus transferring their skills. III. Reusable nature of Moladi framework system makes it ideal in reducing costs as well as meeting environmental standards. IV. The process is not dependant on skilled labour. V. Experience, expertise and track record of our contractors will come into valuable use as a large operation of this magnitude will require diversification of skills. VI. A fast, simple, adaptable and a low construction cost technological building system. VII. Highly suited for use in mass housing markets, without compromising quality. VIII. Utilizes indigenous materials to produce high standard permanent structures that are earthquake, cyclone and tsunami resistant Moladi.net (2012). 2.5 Conclusion The creation of Moladi houses are very simple and differs from the normal lengthy building process commonly associated with construction. Once the foundation has been laid, a lightweight plastic shutter framework system (Moladi) is erected and mortar is used to cast the house resulting in a one piece reinforced walling system. (Moladi.com 2012:3) In a matter of 10 days, a Moladi house can be completed. Such an inference may ease government s pressure and allow them to focus on other avenues that need their attention such as poverty, health care and education. Chapter 3 Research methodology 3.1 Introduction Chapter 2 presented an overview of existing literature. It was determined that there are various factors leading to problems concerning poor building techniques in housing construction more so, affecting the low-cost housing sector. These factors however, do not only reflect pessimism but in actual fact they bring about a sense of prosperity for the simple reason that South Africa itself, is undergoing substantial development and growth which takes time and will invariably lead to an upliftment of the lives of those who are inadequately accommodated. In order to test the quality of Building Techniques two research methodological approaches were employed namely Qualitative and Quantitative methods which will be presented and analyzed to substantiate the validity of this research. 3.2 Qualitative Research Methodology Qualitative research is a type of scientific research. In general terms, scientific research consists of an investigation that: I. Seeks answers to a question. II. Systematically uses a predefined set of procedures to answer the question. III. Collects evidence. IV. Produces findings that were not determined in advance. V. Produces findings that are applicable beyond the immediate boundaries of the study. Qualitative research shares these characteristics. Additionally, it seeks to understand a given research problem or topic from the perspectives of the local population it involves. Qualitative research is especially effective in obtaining culturally specific information about the values, opinions, behaviours, and social contexts of particular populations. (Qualitative research methods: A data Collector s field Guide 2012:1). 3.2.1 What are some qualitative research methods? The three most common qualitative methods, explained in detail in their respective modules, are participant observation, in-depth interviews, and focus groups. Each method is particularly suited for obtaining a specific type of data. I. Participant observation is appropriate for collecting data on naturally occurring behaviours in their usual contexts. II. In-depth interviews are optimal for collecting data on individuals personal histories, perspectives, and experiences, particularly when sensitive topics are being explored. III. Focus groups are effective in eliciting data on the cultural norms of a group and in generating broad overviews of issues of concern to the cultural groups or subgroups represented. (Qualitative research methods: A data Collector s field Guide 2012:2) The qualitative method as used in this research incorporates both questionnaires delivered by hand in association with standardised open ended interviews that were conducted. In order to gather theoretical and honest responses from the respondents emphasis is given to the method above. 3.3 Quantitative Research Methodology Quantitative research is a formal, objective, systematic process in which numerical data are used to obtain information about the world. (Burns Grove 2005:23) This research method is used: I. To describe variables; II. To examine relationships among variables; III. To determine cause-and-effect interactions between variables. (Burns Grove 2005:23) Quantitative research is generally made using scientific methods, which can include: I. The generation of models, theories and hypotheses. II. The development of instruments and methods for measurement. III. Experimental control and manipulation of variables. IV. Collection of empirical data. V. Modelling and analysis of data. Wikipedia.org (2012) This method has also been incorporated into this research. Quantitative research is utilized in order to achieve appropriate statistical outcomes, which would assist in ascertaining supplementary theoretical recommendations and subsequent conclusions. 3.4 Questionnaires A questionnaire is a series of questions asked to individuals to obtain statistically useful information about a given topic. When properly constructed and responsibly administered, questionnaires become a vital instrument by which statements can be made about specific groups or people or entire populations. Wikipedia.org (2012) Questionnaires are frequently used in quantitative marketing research and social research. They are a valuable method of collecting a wide range of information from a large number of individuals, often referred to as respondents. Wikipedia.org (2012) Adequate questionnaire construction is critical to the success of a survey. Inappropriate questions, incorrect ordering of questions, incorrect scaling, or bad questionnaire format can make the survey valueless, as it may not accurately reflect the views and opinions of the participants. Wikipedia.org (2012) According to Wentzel L (2010:31) the data which is collected by questionnaires may be qualitative or quantitative. Wentzel L (2010: 31) further mentions that questionnaires do however lend themselves more to quantitative forms of analysis. This is partly because they are designed to collect mainly very discrete items or packages of information, with either numbers or words which can be coded and represented as numbers. Wentzel L (2010:31) in addition mentions that this emphasis is also partly due to the larger scale of many questionnaire surveys, and their common focus is on representation, which encourages a numerical or quasi-numerical summary of results. 3.4.1 Types of Questionnaires a. Contingency questions A question that is answered only if the respondent gives a particular response to a previous question. This avoids asking questions of people that do not apply to them (for example, asking men if they have ever been pregnant) Wikipedia.org (2012). b. Matrix questions Identical response categories are assigned to multiple questions. The questions are placed one under the other, forming a matrix with response categories along the top and a list of questions down the side. This is an efficient use of page space and respondents time Wikipedia.org (2012). c. Closed ended questions Respondents answers are limited to a fixed set of responses. Most scales are closed ended. Other types of closed ended questions include: I. Yes/no questions The respondent answers with a yes or a no. II. Multiple choice The respondent has several option from which to choose. III. Scaled questions Responses are graded on a continuum (example: rate the appearance of the product on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most preferred appearance). Examples of types of scales include the Likert scale, semantic differential scale, and rank-order scale (See scale for a complete list of scaling techniques Wikipedia.org (2012). d. Open ended questions No options or predefined categories