Video Game Console Essay Example for Free

Video Game Console Essay Introduction This three year strategic marketing plan for the Alpha System has been created by its founders to secure additional funding for growth and to inform employees of the company’s direction. The first year of the marketing plan will be a tactical/guerilla approach to marketing with certain objectives and goals to meet. Even though Alpha Systems was launched 2 years ago on a Kickstarter campaign, the firm has seen tremendous growth over the last several months. We have had a lot of recognition from major video game publications and blogs. Our beta group has given us the right feedback to improve our video game system and worked out all of the major flaws in the system. The demand for our console is predicted to be high after we tried to get funding on â€Å"Shark Tank†. There was enough demand that we had to limit the number of beta tester request. Our pre-sale Kickstarter campaign saw high demands for people wanting day one systems. The market segment we service has been very receptive to our system launched with a high quality aluminum console, which is available in several popular colors to reflect our user’s personal style. Over the next three years, Alpha Systems can increase distribution, and enter a new era for our console and accessories; which will increase our bottom line sales and affect our return on our investment into our system and winning customers from the major gaming system platforms. Mission Statement â€Å"Our mission is to merge the valleys and gaps between the popular gaming platforms. It will allow users to play all popular games across multiple platforms on a single system; eliminating the need for multiple video game machines and accessories.† Product Description and Classification Alpha Systems video game console system will support all major video games system platforms, and allow you to use the online content provided by the game. There is a custom dashboard and the operating system reads all of the codecs that PlayStation â„ ¢, Xbox â„ ¢, Nintendoâ„ ¢, and retro games. The Alpha  Console will have the ability to support surround sound and high definition video. The system will also support DVD, and Blu-ray codecs. There will be two controllers in the box with an optional smart controller that customers can purchase. The system will have 16 GB of DDR3, and a two terabyte SSD hard drive. The operation system will be based upon open source Ubuntu with a dashboard look at feel. There will be support for web browsing and online video streaming. Applications like Spotify and Netflix will be pre-installed. Product Classification The Alpha System will fall under the classification of a Specialty Product Offering classification of the three-way product classification system. By providing a single console for you to play all of your favorite games on without the need for multiple systems to play the games one. Alpha System will become the premier video game system. Target Market Our target market is parents of teens who are looking to give their children the latest in technologies, and young adult’s age 19 to 25 who are avid game players, and have the disposable income to buy a higher end gaming system. Also we would target people who would want a single system, but yet would want to play games exclusive to PlayStation â„ ¢ and XBOX â„ ¢ and other gaming systems. Competitive Situation Analysis Analysis of Competition using Porter’s 5 Forces Model Competitive Rivalry: Our business model and advertising is directly pointed to compete in the same arena as Microsoft and Sony for the premiere video game systems. By doing this it will show the larger video game systems that will we not back down and that we are confident in our product. Threat from New Entrants: After Alpha System enters the market, our business model is structured about gaining a majority of ground in the market place, and taking user away from XBOXâ„ ¢ and PlayStationâ„ ¢ and allowing them to play all the proprietary games all on one system. While we always will work hard on our product to stay  current in an ever changing video game world. We have developed work around all of the major media digital rights management codecs. This will allow all major games to be played regardless of what system they are designed for. This will allow the optical drive to read the gaming media. Threat from Buyers: The number one threat from buyers in this market segment is loyalty to another brand. They may simply choose to buy an XBOXâ„ ¢ or PlayStationâ„ ¢ simply because they are used to buying those systems. There is a certain social stigma attached to owning an XBOXâ„ ¢ or PlayStationâ„ ¢ since they are for the most part the only video game systems on the market. Getting Vloggers, and bloggers to give our system positive review can go a long way towards neutralizing the negative stereotype a new system may or may not have. Threat from Suppliers: Many of the suppliers of the raw goods needed to develop the cross-platform gaming systems may have exclusive deals with Microsoft or Sony to build gaming systems. With that being said we may have to find new suppliers or research other avenues to get the gaming system made, and have to make a well informed and financially sound choice as to the direction we will go with manufacturing the system. Threat from Substitutes: Microsoft and Sony will always be a direct substitute for our console, but our job is to show the customer how our product is different and a better solution to their gaming system even if it is the smallest differences and, in our humblest opinion, superior. SWOT Analysis In this first paragraph, please introduce the SWOT analysis. For more information, see the recommended text, index topic â€Å"SWOT analysis.† This section is laid out to summarize the analysis in a table, and is then followed by more detailed explanations of each item. Please see specific instructions in the four sections below the table. STRENGTHS *indicates core competency Strengths We will be the first non-major bard video game system on the market that will play games from every video game system. Alpha Systems will not succeed without an innovative product. We have established that we can be as flexible as our users need us to be. If there is a game that we cannot play we will develop a way to play that game. By creating a market for the all-in-one gaming systems, we will be the gaming system that plays all of the major games from the major gaming machines. Weaknesses Low name recognition- At first we will have to hustle to find our share of the 55 billion dollar gaming industry. We will have to have a heavy ad campaign to get our name out there fast. Being we are going to be an unknown system at first we have to be creative in how we select our suppliers. Any mistake we make could and will be fatal to our company. Opportunities Some of our target demographic will not go away from their video game console at all. We can understand that, but we will use target ad campaigns that will attract the users in that demographic via YouTube and viral videos, and  social media buzz. These will get the people we want to reach at the rate we need to reach them at which is fast and immediate. We will also use a hands on approach at E3, CES, Insomnia Gaming shows and pretty much every comicon in the US and Europe and Japan. This will give our target demographic a hands-on time with our gaming system. We will have several systems set up on a local area network, and have a championship game battle. Job creation we will create jobs in America for the system and put people back to work. Threats The major video game manufactures like Microsoft, and Sony will likely take us to court and try to stop us, but we will prevail because of the ability to have free market competition, and they will be looked at as having a majority of control over the market. They may make changes to their digital right management coding to try to stop us from having their games played on our systems, but we will work with them and come up with a deal as long as they are willing to play fairly, and allow open source game codec development. Sony and Microsoft my push out the newer systems before they are due on the market; which means we will have to adapt to their new DRM. They may also try to purchase us in order to put an end to interfering in their 55 billion dollar market place. During the next three years, Alpha System seeks to achieve the following objectives using our marketing mix, including product, price, distribution, and marketing promotions strategies. If core financing is approved for this marketing plan, Alpha System will ramp up manufacturing, allowing Alpha System to achieve the following: Market Objectives Product Objective Expand into 5 major retailers buy 1st black Friday we are on the market. To hit our 2.5 million dollar sales goal. Price Objective To maintain our 15% ROI by the end of the fiscal year. Place Objective To add 10 more major retail chains throughout the world by the end of the second fiscal year. Promotion Objective To achieve 50 percent market awareness by the end of the 2nd fiscal year. Marketing Strategies We will have the most useful mix of marketing strategies, because focusing on getting our name out there will our primary focus. We will launch up to 30 viral video, and we will harness all of the video game YouTubers, bloggers to review and rate our game system by shipping them two free game systems. One to play and one to give away. The game systems will be in a special color because they are going to be limited pre-launch editions. These will create the buzz we need pre-launch. We will also use gaming convention in the USA and Europe and Asia to allow our system to be been prior to launch. This will allow people to get hands on experience with the system and allow them to see the capabilities of what is possible with our technology. Product Strategies Customizable Colors Sleek design No additional cost to online services Price Strategies Research the price points. Set a mid-range price point that will make the system desirable. Stage focus groups in regards to price. Place Strategies Develop relationships with major retailers, and find out supply chain requirements. Work out requirements with 3rd party logistic providers. Plan logically which distribution hubs product will be shipped from in relationship to retail locations. Promotion Strategies Viral Videos on YouTube, Social Media, Web launch day Game Trade Shows Give away systems pre-launch/ Day One Special Edition Explanation of Strategies This is the most effective strategies for our gaming device. We have thought out the development, and distribution, and promotion that will work for our product. Our product is simply the best system on the market and we will push it out to people, and allow them to realize what they have been missing out on over the past 30 years of video gaming, and show them the future of gaming and that they have a choice that is not Microsoft or Sony. Tactics and Action Plan Our Tactic and action plans are designed precisely from date of design to the 3rd year of product life. We feel that we will not have to micromanage our people, but yet make them accountable for their role in the greater good that is to place Alpha System on the market. Product Action Plan Tactic Due Date Responsible Party Develop System Blue print Month 1 Engineering Operating System and Codecs Month 1 and 2 Programming Source raw materials Months 1 to 4 Sourcing Price Action Plan Tactic Due Date Responsible Party Research Competition Months 5 to 9 Marketing Focus Groups Months 9 to 13 Marketing Pre-Launch Trade shows Months 3 to 24 Marketing Place Action Plan Tactic Due Date Responsible Party Develop Retail chains placement Year 2 Sales Choose Logistics partner Months 23 to 24 Operations Supply Units prior to commitments 22 to 36 Operations Promotion Action Plan Tactic Due Date Responsible Party Produce Videos Months 23 to 36 Marketing Celebrity endorsements 20 to 36 Promotions Give Aways 35 to 36 Promotions Monitoring Procedures Monitoring is the most important procedure we will have weekly conference calls with suppliers to make sure our raw materials and finished goods are underway, and will make the cargo ship in time to be shipped to our logistics partner. We can hold in person meetings to discuss development and pre-launch status. Prior to launch of the system we will hold a companywide conference to show people what their hard work contributed to. We will also seek to make a positive Return on our investment through the distribution chain, and seek to make sure we are complying with retailer’s requirements. Also we will ask retailers for reports to see how many units are moving off the shelves.

History of the Fornication Pants Essay Example for Free

History of the Fornication Pants Essay Jeans today are much more than a simple item of clothing; they are a staple, a comfort and an identity. They are not a piece of clothing that is unique to one culture or society; jeans are jeans no matter where you are. Jeans have transcended nationality, race and even war, and yet they are still one of the most ordinary parts of our lives. What many people take for granted is that Jeans have become such a part of their everyday lives that they never stop to think about where they come from, and what they have done for people. Jeans had a humble beginning, a colourful and influential life and have a bright future. They are a part of North American history and culture and have defined many people’s lives. Cotton denim started being produced in North America in the eighteenth century and with the American cotton industry came slave labour. Plantation owners relied on slaves to keep prices down, and in 1860 there were almost four million slaves in the southern United States. (Kyi p.10) Denim got its name from a French fabric woven of silk and wool. The fabric was made in Nimes, France, and as a result it was dubbed â€Å"serge de Nimes†, but when the fabric began being stocked in English stores, it was shortened to â€Å"deNimes† or â€Å"denim†. (Sullivan p.12) At the time, denim was the strongest fabric and was even thought to have been the fabric of choice for the sails of the ships that Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World. (Sullivan p.14) Jean manufacturers buying denim from mills requested dark blue cloth rather than the pale beige offered as it was a colour that would show less dirt and wear. So denim cloth began to be dyed using indigo, but because of the time needed to make the dye it was one of the most expensive dyes in the world. That changed in the 1880’s, when a German scientist by the name of Johann von Baeyer discovered a way to create the same colour in a lab. The colour blue was now much more accessible and cheaper to achieve using the new synthetic indigo dye. (Kyi p.10) There are two Jean companies that played a major part in the production and distribution of the pants at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Levi Strauss Co. and Lee Company. Levi Strauss was born Loeb Strauss in 1829 in Bavaria. After immigrating to the San Francisco, he opened up a whole sale business selling high quality fabrics. He struck it rich during the California gold rush in the 1860’s, but not by finding gold, but by selling his heavy duty work pants. (Kyi p.15) Around the same time in Nevada, a tailor named Jacob Davis, an immigrant from Latvia, was trying to figure out how to make his work pants stronger. Miners were constantly ripping the seams of their denim work pants. Finally while in his barn Davis realised that the copper rivets that were used to reinforce the seams of horse blankets could be used to reinforce pants as well. (Kyi p.18) His pants were a hit, so he contacted his denim supplier, Levi Strauss, to see if he would consider going into business with him and help him purchase a patent. Strauss was convinced and the two applied for a patent in 1873. This was the birth of blue jeans, although they were not called jeans yet. They were still being called high waist overalls or waist overalls. (Kyi p.21) The first cloth called â€Å"jean† was made in Genoa, Italy, and was worn by sailors. In Italian, Genoa is pronounced â€Å"Genes†, but Strauss did not use the Italian fabric and his pants were not worn by sailors so he never used the term â€Å"jeans†. It was not until years after his death that Levi Strauss Co. Began using the word. (Contini p.158) It did not take long for the riveted jeans to catch on, and production began to soar and Strauss invited Davis to move to San Francisco, where the two hired dozens of seamstresses to work in their new factories. To distinguish which pants were his and to demonstrate how strong they were, Strauss had a leather label designed for the back waistband, that showed a pair of jeans tied between two draft horses going in opposite directions. The horses were trying to rip the jeans apart, but the fabric was too strong. The label worked so well that for decades the jeans were known as the Two-Horse brand. (Kyi p.23) In the 1890’s a pair of Levi Strauss’ jeans cost about one dollar US, about the equivalent of twenty dollars US today, which was enough to make Strauss rich. (Sullivan p.18) When he died in 1902, his company was left in the care of his three nephews, who were eager continue the company’s success, but they were facing competition. The patent on riveted pants expired in 1891, and in the early 20th century, a new clothing manufacturer appeared, Henry David Lee. Lee opened H.D. Lee Mercantile Company in Kansas City in 1899, selling fabric and furniture. Soon he opened up his own factory and began producing what would today be recognized as overalls. (Kyi p.25) He then came up with the idea to sew a denim shirt onto a pair of jeans to form a denim coverall. The Lee Union-All was first marketed to men who loved cars as it could be worn over other clothes to keep them clean. In 1913 it was popular with farmers, engineers, and factory workers, and soon became available for women and children. When the American Army was preparing to join WWI, thousands of Lee Union-Alls were ordered for the soldiers as they were found to be more durable than any other clothing. (Kyi p.26) In 1926, the Lee Company revolutionized jeans, by putting a zipper in place of the buttons in the fly to â€Å"ease access†. During the depression Lee Company managed to convince people that Lee jeans would last twice as long as other pants, making them a good investment. The Company even opened up a new factory in 1936. (Kyi p.31) During WWII, wartime rationing led to shortages of blue jeans, and owning them became a status symbol. At that time jeans were only available in North America, but when soldiers set sail for Europe and Asia, jeans were introduced to the rest of the world. (Kyi p.35) For women working in factories during the war, jeans or coveralls with a bandanna became their dress code, partly because of the famous portrait of Rosie the Riveter proclaiming â€Å"We Can Do It† while wearing a denim shirt. (Sullivan p.70) After the war, the young soldiers who came home became the first teen rebels. They no longer wanted coveralls but pants that fitted snugly around the waist more suited to motorcycle riding than farming. (Kyi p.39) This developed a style that was popularized by Hollywood and stars such as James Dean in Rebel without a Cause. (Sullivan p.92) Marilyn Monroe began wearing hip-hugging jeans that became popular for women in the 1950’s, making jeans sexy for women as well as men. (Sullivan p.96) Jeans were now something that you could wear while hanging out with your friends; they were no longer just for working on the farm or in a factory. Parents began to worry that their children were running wild, and jeans were banned in US schools and in churches in England. (Kyi p.41) It seemed as though Brigham Young could see into the future when in the 1830’s he called jeans the â€Å"fornication pant†, appalled at the button fly. (Sullivan p.9) Denim had left behind its army reputation and had become the newest style trend. Hollywood stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Bridget Bardot began wearing them for press appearances and parties, and that’s when the worldwide love affair with denim began. (Sullivan p. 98) Jeans are now a staple of pretty much everyone’s wardrobe in the 21st century. No matter what ethnicity or social class, everyone wears jeans. You see them on movie stars, your teachers, Presidents and Princes, and when you see news footage of a peace rally in Israel; the protestors are wearing jeans. They now come in over 200 sizes and countless styles and washes, with some made for wear on the farm and others perfect for a date on a Friday night. In the 19th century a pair of Levi’s would set a buyer back about $1.50 US, but today the sky is the limit. Jeans vary in price (for adults) from around $20 US at Wal-Mart to a pair of diamond and gold studded jeans that were sold in 2001 in Italy for $500,000 US. (Kyi p.13) Light wash or dark wash, boot cut or flare, diamond studded or embroidered, jeans are jeans, and are a North American icon. Jeans are one of the only pieces of clothing that have survived over ten decade’s worth of styles, and have always looked pretty much the same, and will be around for many more years to come. Works Cited 1.Kyi, Tanya Lloyd. The Blue Jean Book: The Story behind the Seams. New York, New York: Annick Press, 2007. 2.Sullivan, James. Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon. New York, New York: Gotham Books, 2006. 3.Contini, Mila. 5000 Years of Fashion. Secaucus, New Jersey: Chartwell Books, Inc., 1977.

Quality Assurance in Construction Projects

Quality Assurance in Construction Projects ABSTRACT: The main aim of this research is to let readers know how useful quality assurance is and its benefit to the community. To guide construction industries on how they can assure quality in their constructions and also how building industry to can achieve minimum loses and avoid risk on site. Furthermore, to also let contractors satisfy the need of their clients. KEY WORDS: Quality assurance, implementation, improvement, effectiveness and comparison. INTRODUCTION: The main motive behind this research is to produce a reliable source to identify the need for Quality Assurance in Design (Construction). Statistics has revered that lot of problems facing construction work is due to the fact that, Quality is not assured in construction. In my point of view, quality assurance can be done if we avoid all the following problems: Poor coordination of subcontractors work, unable to supervise and verification on site, lack of communication among architects, engineer, subcontractors and material supplies, uncertain instructions and unqualified operators and also misinterpretation of drawings and specification. As a matter of fact these problems can cause frequent delay in project, financial loss in companies and loss of confidence in contractors as result of inefficient quality assurance. A project lacking all these effects could end up as indication in fig 1.1. See below how the demonstration of a good quality assurance project and non quality assured project could be. As you can see from the diagram illustration, the red line explains the stability of a construction with good quality, however it also means that, the construction will not face any problems in some years to come. Whereas, the blue line indicate how a building can be of no quality and as a matter of fact, it is possible for the building to collapse in a short period of time. I have therefore decided to research on the subject as I believe that construction industry could improve upon it performance if the above mentioned is avoided so that construction would be quality assured. Besides, since construction work is team work and all members need to contribute to its effectiveness and quality of the construction, therefore this will allow the members of the project team to identify the main objectives of quality in a project. In order to achieve this, it is better to establish a technique for modeling the relationships between the project environments, objectives, control systems and feedback in the construction process. In this case the purpose will make recommendations to clients of the construction industry and their advisers and about how to make sure projects are quality controlled and assured. PROBLEM FORMULATION Quality Assurance is one of the major areas in construction in which much attention must be drawn into. As a result of this, it is my duty to figure out how quality can be assured in the construction industry. Generally speaking, there has been complains, delayance and financial losses in construction companies due to lack of quality in the construction industry. Again, if a project lacks quality assurance, the consequences of a time overrun are always serious and hard to resolve. It also distracts a project from meeting deadlines and this brings financial losses to the users and, more often than not, it has a negative impact on the profitability of the project for the promoters. Besides the above mentioned problems, lack of quality assurance in construction is causing litigation among architects, engineers, subcontractors and material supplies since each party is blaming each other for the problems at the building site. As a matter of fact, the positive feeling and understanding of enjoying the beauty of a house is to give a full comfort and safety of the client but due to lack of quality assurance in construction, this comfort cannot be fulfilled. In addition to this, my argument will be basing on quality assurance in design and project scrutiny. METHODOLOGY: Before this research can be accomplished its main aims and objectives, the method to use will basically base on existing informations, general observation and other internet sources which will be very useful to the topic. However, this research will be limited within the information gathered on the internet, general observation and existing information from the researchers and will provide answers to the questions in the problem formulation. RESEARCH QUESTIONS: ÃÆ'ËÅ" How can quality be assured in design ÃÆ'ËÅ" Problems affecting construction industry as a result of lack of quality assurance. 1.0 WHAT IS QUALITY? The term quality means different things to different people. Some takes it to be the characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy a need. Whilst others take it as the degree to which a product exceeds a customers requirements and expectations. On the other hand, others think it is the attainment of prescribed standards. (http://www.qualitydigest.com/html/qualitydef.html) The international Organization for standardization (ISO DIS 9000:2000), formally defines quality as the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils the requirement. In the situation of quality assurance, quality is not a statement of excellence in a comparative sense. It is just a short cut for `desired quality` that should be laid down as clearly as possible. The producer, on the other hand, attempt to attain the desired quality at an optimum cost while the customer requires confidence in the producer`s ability to deliver and firmly maintain that quality. However, quality in construction is more difficult to explain. Firstly, the product is not a mechanical unit but a piece of work with specific characteristics. An example will be building construction, the product can be a whole building or just a prefabricated component that ultimately forms part of a building. Also the need to be satisfied includes not only the client but the expectations of the community as a whole, into which the completion of the building will be integrated. The construction cost and time of delivery are also important characteristics of quality. In other words, all these things must be properly introduced in designing the building and the outcome should be expressed absolutely in drawing and specifications. Besides, in the building industries, it is a traditional practice to have different contracts for design to that of the construction with the designer taking up responsibility of supervising the construction. The quality of the finished works will be controlled by ways of inspecting and testing as construction process. For example, the quality of concrete and other materials on site is judged by samples of test and thorough inspection of the finished work is done without any exception before finial acceptance. The major aim of this à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“inspectional systemà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  of quality control is to identify the mistakes after the product has been produce. Even high strength of concrete can be defective if it is not properly compacted, cured and the potential hazard of steel corrosion will not surface until some years later. In view of this, many short comings are covered up with the existence of subsequent construction and consequently the quality of the finished works cannot be assessed by the final inspection. Unlike consumer goods, problems in building work are very difficult to replace. The client is often left with no choice than to patch up the original which is the source of recurrent troubles and huge expenditure in some years to come. Sometimes, poor workmanship is disregard to keep up with expected productivity or just labour. However, to show commitment to quality, the senior management of the companies should therefore provide enough resources on site to avoid anybody cutting corners. Furthermore, an inclusive record of in process inspection is to ensure that the intended verification is actually done. The extra efforts are managerial in nature and complementary to the functional techniques of quality control in assuring the quality of the product. 1.1 WHAT IS QUALITY ASSURANCE? Quality assurance is defined a set of procedures designed to ensure that quality standards and processes are adhered to, that the final product meets or exceeds the required technical and performance requirements. Whereas, (ISO 9001:2000) also defined Quality assurance as that part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirement is fulfilled. In other words, all those planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that a product or service will satisfy given requirements for quality. Despite all the wealth of site experience throughout the pass years, one out of ten building contracts still leads to clients dissatisfaction and complains against contractors. Researches made by the (Building Researches Establishment) in the United Kingdom indicate that 40% of building defects occurs during the construction phase (BRE, 1982). In most cases, the defects are found to be the following: ÃÆ'ËÅ" Inadequate supervision and verification on site. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Misinterpretation of drawing and specification. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Ambiguous instructions or unqualified operators. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Use of superseded drawing and specification ÃÆ'ËÅ" Poor coordination of subcontracted work ÃÆ'ËÅ" Poor communication with the architects, engineer, subcontractors and material suppliers. Perhaps, due to the above mention, it is obvious that the following defects rising in construction are mostly caused by poor management and communication. In this case, it is assumed that mistakes occurring on site are usually made on site. These mistakes somehow can be traced back to the purchase of incorrect materials and failure to recover the out-dated drawings. On the other hand, the end result of site problems can be of disregard or malpractices in the head office. Obviously, quality can be achieved when such preventable mistakes are avoided in the first instance. Serious measures must be taken to minimize the risk of managerial and communication problems; this is basic concept of quality assurance. Besides, the conduct of an individual in an organization could directly or indirectly affect the quality of a finished product. Responsibility for quality can therefore stretches from the chief executive right down to the person on the job. If persistent quality is to be assured, all members in the organization, both in the head office and on site must; have proper organization structure, clear lines of responsibility and communication and also to have good motivation. Before quality assurance can be practice, an organization has to be constituted and maintain a quality management system in its day to day operation. A quality system contains, among other things, a set documented procedure for the different processes carried out by the organization. Also implementing quality system does not replace the existing quality control function, nor does it conclude in more inspection and testing. It just ensures that, a proper type and amount of verification is performed when and where it is planned to be done. In short, quality assurance is oriented towards prevention of quality short coming. It also aims at minimizing the risk of making mistakes in the first place, therefore avoiding the necessity for rework, repair or reject. From the indication of the diagram above, less time and money is used in the 1st and 2nd phase, whereas less time and money is used in the 3rd and 4th phase due to the fact that mush time and money was used in the earlier phase. 1.2 PURPOSE OF QUALITY ASSURANCE (ISO 9001:2000) Quality assurance ensures that a product has achieved it highest standard and that its production, modification or repair (in the case of a manufacture item) has been completed in an efficient and timely manner. The purpose of quality assurance is there to provide assurance to a client that the standard of workmanship within the contractor ´s premises of the highest level of quality and that all the products leaving the industry is above a certain minimum level of specification. It should also further ensure that the company personnel, sub-contractors and key suppliers are aware of customer requirements and that they are fully met. Conformance with requirements of the detailed procedures developed in accordance with the Quality Manual has to be mandatory for all staff employed in the company. It is essential to the system that encouragement is given to each employee to develop and maintain an attitude of continuing quality improvement and customer satisfaction. [11] Also, to ensure that, the standard of productions are in order between the divisions or section and they have remain constant despite changes in personnel. 1.3 HOW TO IMPLEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Construction industry has been struggling with it implementation of quality assurance for many years. The cost could potentially be reduced reasonably if the industry were to hold onto the concept of quality assurance with the use of great success by the means other companies. (Construction Quality Assurance White paper.) However, various case studies and initiatives have succeeded in introducing quality assurance to the construction industry on a small scale, but as a whole, it has mostly been ignored by the industries. The construction industry is unique and therefore the application of quality assurance requires to be implemented in the industry. Some of the major steps of this process are discussed below; 1. First of all, project managers in various companies have to form a team or groups who will be dedicated for quality assurance. This team will be responsible to value and report on the evaluation regarding every part of the company. The team will be working individually having authority and freedom of work, at each point of their operation. The team has to report to the senior management of the company and keep all results in files. [9] 2. Once the team is formed, the main responsibility of the team will be to define the tasks and assign them to respective persons. Some of these responsibilities are to review the products, tools, services as per the requirements, standards and guidelines, audit project processes, suggest various methods, standards or tools to be used in the project, report the outcome of the evaluation etc. [9] 3. The team then defines the plans for the quality assurance process. In this case, it depends upon the nature of company; the details of the plans in the company might change. However, it basic plan remains common for most of the companies. Mostly the list includes quality objectives, defining the tests and verificational activities, process evaluation, defining the individual responsibility of the team members, identifying training requirements, budgeting and funding for quality control jobs, scheduling all activities, documenting and tracking etc. [9] 4. Generating the test process, checklists and related activities to explain the way quality assurance will be performed is the next step. [9] 5. The team in simple sense has to perform according to the plans made to ensure the next steps of quality assurance process. These resources can be acquired to perform the procedures, when the team starts evaluating the project. Tools required for this evaluation are identified depending on the nature of the project. Any non conformance with the standards or requirement are notified and reported to the appropriate department. The problems are then corrected and again sent for testing to the quality control team. This way, testing and correcting goes on, till the project is proven to be in conformance with the standard. [9] 6. The next step is to identify the training requirement for the team members to perform the evaluation processes as specified in the quality control plan. [9] 7. The performance of the team should be monitored regularly by the project manager against the plans, schedule and budget. In case the progress of the team is not doing a good job, then corrective actions should be taken. [9] 8. The team activities and results are reviewed by the senior management of the company and their stakeholders on regular intervals. Any unsolved issue for the team procedure is taken care of by the senior management at this point of time. [9] 9. The team collects review information from various sources. Again, suggestions for improvement at any step of quality assurance process is accepted and implemented in the next session, if it satisfies the various limitations. Recommendations are accepted from any level of the company for future use. [9] 10. The team refines the total process to give it a defined structure with the team ´s descriptions, templates and checklists. This structure can be reused as a model for future or might become an example to other companies or organizations. [9] 1.4 WHY DO WE USE QUALITY ASSURANCE IN DESIGN? In the construction industry, quality assurance is adopted in nuclear and offshore works mainly for safety and reliability reasons. The process of construction involves different types of professional and tradesman with a wide range of skills and level of education. The environments where these processes are carried out are often revealing to aggressive element, in such condition it is arguable whether the procedures can be standardized at all. On the other hand some contractors think that trying to do so merely place another layer of administration in the industry. Despite, the differences of the work handled by a construction company, the corporate procedures apply to all varying degrees. Some examples of such are tendering, procurement, document control and record keeping. Mostly, the adoption of quality assurance in the construction industry has been mainly client-led. Noting that the implementation of contract in law cannot undo any damage already done, a progressive client, when awarding a contract, tends to take into account, the contractor ´s capability to do it right at the first time down the hidden philosophy of quality assurance. Besides, there is a general movement towards making the enforcement of quality systems in a contractual requirement. Most of the government bodies that are responsible for public works and housing have begun to persist on an effective quality system as an obligatory for tendering; perhaps public utilities companies are doing the same thing. In this cases, the basis of competition for industries will move from à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“priceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  to the combination of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“price and qualityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , meanwhile if the contractors do not want to keep out from bidding for available work, they should then wait no longer in establishing a quality system in their companies. Such contractors will be fighting a lose battle against their competitors who have already enhanced their product through better quality assurance or quality management. More so, trying to satisfy a condition for tending or contracts may not be the best argument for practicing quality assurance, but it would have probably be the most compelling reason in the first place. However, the companies that benefit mostly from quality assurance are those who do so for the purpose of improving their own efficiency. These improvement leads to higher productivity on the on hand and client satisfaction on the other. Lets see some few constructions analyze with poor quality assurance. 1. Damage to the terrace roof surface. 2. Roof leakage through joints, bushings and so on, which lead to drenching of the thermal Insulation material and discolorations on internal surface layers. 3. Roof leakage at the eave with discolorations and flakiness on the faÃÆ' §ade surface layer underneath. Sources: 5th semester project 2009 Moisture has caused many damages through the roof terrace covering because of different reasons. Some of which are discovered in the construction by some blemish on the faÃÆ' §ade and inside the building. The extent to which these damages can be determined is after the construction has been exposed. Besides, the deformation of this damage depends partly on changes in the supporting substrate and partly on movement of the building structure. 2.0 ROOF 2.1 BAD WORKMANSHIP And the most common damage on roof construction is water leakage More often than not, the leakage can occur anywhere in the roof construction and also at other place then where the water from the outside normally penetrates. These leakages are caused by innumerable; another reason could be a damaged roof membrane. Above all, the roof membrane can be a reckless traffic, ice blasting and thermal movements in the roof coverings. Also there can be movement underneath the roof membrane duo to shrinkage in the thermal insulation boards. The water that comes through the openings in the roof membrane is partly absorbed by the thermal insulation boards and partly penetrates the roof covering. On terrace roofs with external thermal insulation, the thermal insulation boards make up a substrate for the roof membrane. Terrace roofs with no thermal insulation or with internal thermal insulation occur more occasionally, but when it does the concrete surface becomes the substrate for the roof Membrane. The roof membrane can consist of one or two layers. Roof membranes made of one layer are usually made of: * Thermoplastic materials (mostly PVC) * Rubber materials * Polymer modified bitumen. 2.2 BENEFITS OF QUALITY ASSURANCE Quality Assurance has become basic part of most of the construction industries. Every construction industries nowadays face tough competition and hence it is essential for them to provide goods or services of high quality at low cost to their clients. Different systems are implemented in construction firms to improve upon the quality of the companies. Besides this does not only helps to satisfy the client requirements but also helps in reducing costs and increasing profits of the firms. Most of the construction industries understand the importance and necessity of maintaining good quality to survive in today market and that are laying even greater emphasis on their QA systems. The first benefit is that, it helps in understanding the wants and expectations of the client. It thus aids the industries to focus on its processes to satisfy those needs and expectations, so as to keep it client happy and satisfied. For e.g. construction companies that offer good quality of buildings to their clients get lots of contracts from the community benefit from it. They can also over shadow their competitors and enjoy good sales and profits. Secondly, quality assurance has increased the effectiveness of the construction industries. It requires that, the construction industries gives proper training to their employees so that they can understand their jobs better as well as get trained on the new technology to work and perform better. The entire construction industry works in a predefined fashion with the aid of these procedures. It helps the employees in knowing and understanding their roles and responsibilities. They also make the employees understand the different inter linkages within the departments. Thus, the employees understand the importance of teamwork in improving the quality of products and thus improve the brand value of the company. Moreover, the quality assurance improves the flow of work within the companies. It helps to identify the problem areas within the companies very early. There are regular inspections and audits that pin point the problem areas of the companies. Not only the problems of the company, but also the low quality and other problems of the vendors are highlighted during these performance inspections. The aim of these systems is to continuously improve the entire quality of the companies, so as to attain high productivity while maintaining good quality. Last but not the least, quality assurance help all the departments to work efficiently. There are fewer lags in the manufacturing of the products and as a result the construction companies benefits from a short cycle time. For e.g. if proper quality systems are implemented in a prefabricated company, it will benefit from fast and good production to its buyers. There are many big names in for instants the Danish companies that claim to serve their customers in a very short time. Such companies benefit tremendously from increased sales and clients satisfaction. In short, quality assurance is essential for companies in order to get a strong foothold in the market. These systems help the companies to work effectively, which then reduces the operational costs of the construction companies. Also, it helps to infuse confidence in the employees though training and role clarity. All this helps the construction companies to serve their clients better every day. 3.0 HOW TO DO QUALITY ASSURANCE IN DESIGN Design in itself has four phases before a project can be completed. These phases include: PRELIMINARY BRIEF OUTLINE PROPOSAL PHASE SCHEME DESIGN PHASE DETAIL DESIGN ONE PHASE DETAIL DESIGN TWO PHASE A project needs to go through all these phases before it becomes a complete one and legally accepted. Quality has to be ensured step by step as well. 3.1 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN THE PRELIMINARY BRIEF In as much as, this project is a renovation project it still has the basis for drafting the client preliminary brief. (The Constricting Architect ´s Manual) Preliminary brief is the sum total of the client ´s visions and wishes / needs for a building. In most cases the clients idea should be put on paper which should comprise as follows: the client has to make the architect aware of the reason of the building; the function, location, rooms, space etc. Because the clients mostly have different backgrounds and experience with the construction projects, the brief should be presented in forms. Besides it is somehow necessary for the architect to assist or explain to the client some important informations in the project. Minutes of the conversation between the client and the consultants should be taking into consideration. These minutes can be used as basis for drafting the preliminary brief. The preliminary brief should be drafted in such a way that not only the consultants can use it but every one concern with the project, so as it can also be used as the basis for the project. 3.2 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN THE OUTLINE PROPOSAL PHASE This is a phase where materials for construction have to be taken into consideration, analysis of where to place each room as long as design is concerned to fit regulations and demands. In redesigning such a construction, the materials to be used must critically be taken into consideration. As to how and where to place for example the bathroom and the material to use in order to get a better construction and as a matter of fact it life span. As seen in the figà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.the materials to use in the walls around the bathroom has be water proofed in order not to soaks with water. Sound and fire also has to be taken into consideration which also make construction meet the demands in law. 3.2.1 Budget ÃÆ'ËÅ" To have a successful preconstruction phase, it is important to have an accurate first budget. The key to an accurate first budget is communication of expectations by all team members. This will lead the dialog among the team members, asking the right questions to clearly establish the scope of the project. This includes identifying phasing plans, finishes, systems, equipment and responsibilities of the owner, consultants, proprietary items and long lead items that might impact the project cost, schedule and quality. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Preliminary detailed cost estimating and budget development must be performed at schematic design, design development and construction document phases. At each milestone design and budget must be evaluated against the master project budget for conformance with the established program price. Corrective action, if required, should be reviewed at each stage to keep the project on target. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Contractors perform detailed independent checks of estimates with subcontractors pricing prior to competitive bidding to the subcontractor base. This is essential to ensuring accurate numbers in the variable mountain market. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Value engineering must be done early in the process. When utilized at this stage, it is not cost cutting, but rather a process that balances the Owners goals of meeting quality, budget and schedule objectives. ÃÆ'ËÅ" A Team if possible must be formed to provide quality assurance, constructability and multi-disciplined peer reviews to improve document quality and ultimately achieve lower base bids and reduce change order exposure. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Proceeding to the issuance of bid documents, the bidding requirements must be established and clearly communicated to all bidders. A compiled à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"bid book must be made in addition to the plans and specifications that helps to clarify how they intend to build the project, as well as clarifying the role of each subcontractor. This eliminates doubling up on or missing a scope. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Contractors uses an extensive select list of qualified subcontractors and suppliers who in a position to respond to the needs of the project. 3.2.2 Schedule ÃÆ'ËÅ" A project schedule should be developed and validated to maximize construction efficiencies and optimize owners program requirements. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Schedules must be validated at each step in the design. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Subcontractors must be asked for input in the schedules early on to ensure an accurate, achievable schedule. 3.2.3 Design Intent ÃÆ'ËÅ" Evaluation reviews are performed in the design phase. Assemblies and systems are evaluated for ease of construction so they are not later discovered to be difficult or even impossible to build. The evaluation reviews can help avoid cost increases and schedule delays during construction. The Teams experience in construction should allow productive reviews and analysis of the proposed design to identify these items. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Submittal requirements and timing must also be identified in a submittal log so that the design intent can be properly validated. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Contractors must compare the merits of various design ideas at the preconstruction stage, including a cost analysis, life cycle analysis, schedule impact analysis and an overall quality comparison. This will give the Owner the information needed to decide which design best meets the needs of the project. 3.2.4 Workmanship ÃÆ'ËÅ" Quality levels must be determined and incorporated in the Project Mission Statement. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Drawings and specifications are reviewed with subcontractors and designers to identify potential conflicts, which may affect constructability and quality. 3.3 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN THE SCHEME DESIGN PHASE These stage shows where critical problems in the construction can be solved before it actually get to the detail design phase ÃÆ'ËÅ" There must be a focus on constantly scrutinizing for value adding ideas to best meet the owners objectives. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Contractors work to find creative solutions to problems during construction in an effort to minimize cost, schedule or quality impacts. ÃÆ'ËÅ" Contractors provide a review of the proposed changes, with regards to cost, schedule, design, constructability and quality implications as part of the role in the change order management process during construction. ÃÆ'ËÅ" The contractor meets all contractual schedules. This eliminates additional costs for owners due to schedule delays.

Advocating The Death Penalty :: essays research papers fc

Advocating the Death Penalty Thousands of people will attack the death penalty. They will give emotional speeches about the one innocent man or woman who might accidentally get an execution sentence. However, all of these people are forgetting one crucial element. They are forgetting the thousands of victims who die every year by the hands of heartless murderers. There are more murderers out there than people who are wrongly convicted, and that is what we must remember. I, as well as many others, have total confidence in the death penalty. It is a very beneficial component of our justice system. The death penalty saves lives. It saves lives because it stops those who murder from ever murdering again. It also deters potential murderers from ever committing the crime. Unfortunately, the death penalty is currently used so rarely that it isn’t nearly as effective as it could be. In order for it to work, we must put it into practice more often. In recent years, crime in America has been on the rise, in particular, violent crime. This has led not only to an overcrowding of prisons in our country, but also to an increase in the number of death sentences handed down by the courts. Despite the fact that the number of inmates on death row is climbing, the number of death sentences actually carried out in any given year lags far behind. People simply aren’t fearful of the death penalty when it isn’t used the way it should be (Stewart 50). If the death penalty has been declared legal, then the federal and state governments must employ it to its fullest as a means of stopping previous murderers from recommitting their crimes. Since most of the prisoners on death row are there for murder, executing them would ensure that they would never kill again. Obsessive murderers, who know no alternative to killing, need to be executed to protect both prison guards and society. This view is perhaps best illustrated through the words of Judge Alfred J. Talley of New York who explained â€Å"If I as an individual have the right to kill in self defense, why has not the state, which is nothing more than an aggregation of individuals, the same right to defend itself against unjust aggression and unjust attack?† (Kaplan 28) About two and a half years ago, my dear cousin, Jaime, became the first victim of a serial killer named Brian Duffy.

Woodstock Essay -- essays research papers fc

The muddiest four days in history were celebrated in a drug-induced haze in Sullivan County, New York (Tiber 1). Music soared through the air and into the ears of the more than 450,000 hippies that were crowded into Max Yasgur's pasture. "What we had here was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence," said Bethel town historian Bert Feldmen. "Dickens said it first: 'it was the best of times, it was the worst of times'. It's an amalgam that will never be reproduced again" (Tiber 1). It also closed the New York State Thruway and created one of the nation's worst traffic jams (Tiber 1). Woodstock, with its rocky beginnings, epitomized the culture of that era through music, drug use, and the thousands of hippies who attended, leaving behind a legacy for future generations. Woodstock was the hair brained idea of four men that met each other completely at random. It was the counterculture's biggest bash, which ultimately cost over $2.4 million, and was sponsored by John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld, and Michael Lang (Young 18). John Roberts was an heir to a drugstore and toothpaste manufacturing fortune. He supplied the money, for he had a multi-million dollar trust fund, a University of Pennsylvania degree, and a Lieutenant's commission in the Army (Tiber 1). Joel Rosenman, the son of a prominent Long Island orthodontist, had just graduated from Yale Law School (Makower 28). In 1967, he was playing guitar for a lounge band in motels from Long Island to Law Vegas. He and Roberts met on a golf course in the fall of 1966 (Tiber 1). By the next winter, Roberts and Rosenman shared an apartment and were trying to figure out what to do with their lives. One idea was to create a screw ball situation comedy for television (Landy, Spirit 62). "It w as an office comedy about two pals with more money than brains and a thirst for adventure," Rosenman said. To get plot ideas for their sitcom, Roberts and Rosenman put a classified as in the Wall Street Journal and Fanning 2 the New York Times in March of 1968 that read: "Young men with unlimited capital looking for interesting, legitimate investment opportunities and business propositions" (Tiber 1). Artie Kornfeld was the vice-president of Capitol Records. He smoked hash in the office and was the Company's connection with the rockers that were starting to sell millions or reco... ...ug use, and the thousands of hippies who attended, leaving behind a legacy for future generations. II. How Woodstock got Started; The Events Leading up to Woodstock0 A. Woodstock was the hair brained idea of four men that met each other completely at random. B. The four met to discuss their idea at a high-rise on 83rd Street. C. "In the cultural-political atmosphere of 1969, Kornfeld and Land knew it was important to pitch Woodstock in a way that would appeal to their peer's sense of independence. III. The Four Days of Woodstock A. After a much-anticipated wait, Friday, August 15, 1969, arrived. B. On Friday, Joan Baez was the headliner†¦and Sly and the Family Stone. C. There were people everywhere. D. There was a tent dubbed the Freak-Out Tent, which in reality was the nurses' station. IV. The Aftermath A. After the final hippie drudged out of Max Yasgur's pasture, the problems for Woodstock Ventures began. B. For the next decade, Woodstock was virtually a clichà © for all that was goofy and bad about the '60's. V. Conclusion Summary Sentence: A good time was had by all, and although it has been tried, perfection cannot be imitated.

Personal Narrative Essay - The Ski Trip :: Personal Narrative Essays

The Ski Trip Standing in awe, cold air permeated through my hair. The smell of fresh and minty pine scent complimented the beautiful vantage of the wilderness. With my boots wedged in the snow, a shiver took over my body. This is was a place of peacefulness and tranquility. Never before had I been so close with nature. Facing the north was the vast forest. To the left and right, only the crystal white snow was visible. While looking up, I caught a glimpse of the old ski lift, the solo apparatus which was my passport to this great adventure. All that could be heard was the sweet chirping of birds nestled upon tree branches. "This is indeed a moment to remember." I thought to myself. Being that close to nature could put anyone in a state of nirvana. As I stood admiring the clear blue sky and the world around me, I was interrupted by my friends' constant taunting, "Come on, let's go!" They were not rookies. They had experienced the sport of skiing and the atmosphere around it and were not as enthusiastic toward the surroundings as I was. Their calls became louder, with annoyance. I stepped up to the edge of a great slope. The steepness of this colossal block of snow I stood upon, was frightening. The only was to go was down. I took a deep breath with no worries, for this was not the first time I was confronted with a suicide mission. In a heartbeat, the exhilarating feeling of going downhill on a pair of thin skis took over.

A memorable experience in my life Essay

I have rarely thought about the so-called memorable experiences in life. Since there are a lot of things that need to be done now and also in the future, to me, it is quite hard to write about this topic and it took me a lot of time recalling what have happened in my life, what the memorable experiences were and what the most memorable one was. Finally, I realized that a memorable experience is not only a significant event like getting a university degree, travelling abroad or having a good job. It can also be small events in life such as the first day going to school, the first time riding bicycle or something like that. To me, the most memorable experience that I have was the time I spent with my father during my childhood. I have two elder brothers, one elder sister and one younger sister. My younger sister is only 2 years old younger than me and apparently, we spent most of the time playing together throughout our childhood. My father usually took us to the park by the river ever y weekend. There we played tig, hide-and-seek, merry-go-round; shared one piece of baked banana, and so on. They were just small things, but these small things made us remember all these moments forever. We felt happy every single moment we shared with our father. Read more: Essays About Life Experiences My father passed away on the Buddhist holiday (the 15th of the 7th month of the lunar calendar) last year due to poor health situation at the old age. We told each other not to cry so that he could leave this world peacefully. Finally, I could not stand it and left my brother’s house where my father was lying for a small park near my house. The merry-go-round there reminded me of all the good things he had devoted to us. I could not stop crying then. When my little daughter asks me to bring her to the park or do her some favor, I sometimes scold her because I am tired after being swamped up with the daily jobs and activities. Thinking of my father, I often say sorry to her after that and think if I can do just half of the things my father did for me, I am already a good mother. The most important thing I can learn from my father is to love my family, and to show the love to the beloved ones by simple actions in daily life. So, my friends, if you love someone, just say you love them and try your best to bring good things to your beloved ones whenever you can. Their happiness is your happiness!