The Canterbury Television (CTV) Building-Case Analysis Assignment

The Canterbury Television (CTV) Building-Case Analysis - Assignment Example Most of the earthquakes witnessed in recent times have had devastating effects. Therefore, architects are advised to ensure that modern buildings meet the building standards capable of withstanding seismic waves of reasonably high magnitude. New Zealand is one of the European countries that have suffered from a series of earthquakes in the recent past. One such earthquake occurred on 22 February 2011 in Christchurch killing 184 individuals. Investigations conducted after the incident showed that the building collapsed due to poor design and construction. In addition, a number of players and stakeholders were associated with the incident, a number of them culpable. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 4 2. Key Role-players and Stakeholders 4 3. Management and Organizational Factors Associated with the Incident 9 4. Summary and Conclusions 10 5. Recommendations 10 References 11 The Canterbury Television (CTV) Building-Case Analysis 1. Introduction Natural disasters such as earthquakes hav e become a common occurrence in recent times. Earthquakes have particularly been common in Southern Asia and parts of Europe. Most of the earthquakes witnessed in recent times have had devastating effects. In New Zealand, the Canterbury Television (CTV) Building was the most affected by the earthquake that hit Christchurch on 22 February 2011, according to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (2012) report. The building collapsed to the ground leading to the death of 115 of the 184 people who perished in Christchurch. The collapse of Canterbury Television (CTV) Building in Christchurch on 22 February 2011 was one of a kind. Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (2012) indicates that the building collapsed when an earthquake, 6.1 in magnitude, hit Christchurch in New Zealand. However, it took many by surprise to learn that only the CTV Building collapsed due to the earthquake, leading to the death of 115 people (Wright & Greenhill, 2012). This hinted to the fact that there was something amiss in the design of the building. It was argued that there was no reason for the building to be the only one affected whereas there were many other buildings adjacent to it. Investigations have identified a number of key role players who were responsible in one way or another for the collapse of the building. Most of the role players in the incident double up as stakeholders. This report seeks to identify the key role-players and stakeholders linked to the CTV Building and its consequences. In addition, the paper will provide an analysis and evaluation of the key management and organizational factors linked to the incident, both prior to and after the incident. 2. Key Role-players and Stakeholders 2.1 David Harding David Harding, the architect who designed CTV building, is the first role-player blamed for the collapse of the building. According to Wright and Greenhill (2012), the building did not meet standards when it was built in 1986. Investigations showed that Harding worked beyond his level of competence since his structural plans had several flaws that an experienced designer would otherwise not have committed. Vervaeck and Daniell (2012) also indicated that Harding, the designer of the CTV building, had no tangible experience in designing multistory buildings like CTV. According to Vervaeck and Daniell (2012), the building had poorly designed joints between the columns and beams. As a result, the reinforcement holding the beam and columns together were too weak and did not comply with building standards set in 1986. The concrete used in making the columns also had inadequate steel reinforcements, making them brittle and too weak to withstand high tension such as that of produced by an

Political broadside detailing your objections to new Constitution Assignment

Political broadside detailing your objections to new Constitution - Assignment Example A state should be allowed to ratify a proposed federal constitutional amendment. The process of ratification may be very complex when it comes to being practiced all over the country, but in a state scenario, the ratification convention method is a bit less complex in comparison. The new constitution was suggested when the war was over, and the United states was said to be one of the sovereign states that has in place a weak central government. The new constitution proposes a bicameral legislature. This is a legislative branch that comprises of two chambers. Here, each state would represented depending on the number of inhabitants that exist in their state. This meant that large states would have more representatives than small states. The constitution also stated that the members of the legislature would be elected by the citizens, and the executive selected by the legislative branch. The terms of office in the constitution were not specified (Kelly, 2005). Ratification of the constitution would give only one political party the authority to suppress the rights of the minority. This would not be fair to the minority groups in several states that have a greater population of minorities than other states. The constitution would also allow the larger states to rule over the smaller states in situations of democratic responsiveness not only at the state level, but also at the national level. According to the new constitution, the number of representatives in the legislature is dependent on the inhabitants. Larger states would, therefore, have more representation in the legislature as compared to the smaller states. The constitution is, therefore, set up in a particular way whereby, the larger states get to dominate. This brings about the strong need for an amendment of such a proposed constitution. Every state needs to have equal representation in the

Britain and the Euro Zone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Britain and the Euro Zone - Essay Example Economically, Greece is ranked 32nd largest in the globe at around 312 billion U.S. dollars by nominal gross domestic product going by world bank statistics for the 2009-2010 financial year. Greece is ranked the 15th largest economy in the European Union, an organization that has 27 members. Greece was formally admitted, in June 2000, as a member of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union, commonly referred to as the Euro Zone. Amid reports of deliberate financial accounting records manipulation and misinformation practices, Greece has been subject to the worst crisis since 1974 (Lynn 2011). The Greece government revised its prediction of deficit from 3.7% to 12.7% of the GDP in 2009. In May 2010, the government’s deficit rose to a whooping 13.6% of the GDP – on e of the world’s highest. In November, 2010, Greece’s government deficit was estimated at close to 15.5% of the country’s GDP, public debt being set at close to 127% of the GDP (Ingrid and Papchristou 2009). Effectively, this is the largest deficit amongst the European Union member countries. As a result of this situation, international confidence in the country’s ability to pay back its debts got into a serious crisis. Following Greece’s deplorable and pitiable situation, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union offered an austerity package much to the fury of the Greek nationals. The situation has further led to public unrest and riots (Charter 2010). The European Central Bank in a bid to lift Greek back to its feet released a bailout package aimed at lowering the country’s public debt mountain (Lynn 2011; Castle and Ewing 2012). The measure was instituted after a balance was struck between the central bank’s adherence to EU laws and helping depressed EU governments. EU law forbids the central bank from offering monetary financing to the governments. In respect of the same, the ECB

Rheumatoid arthirits and assessment for exercise prescription Essay

Rheumatoid arthirits and assessment for exercise prescription - Essay Example The main affect is on the joints where there is inflammation of synovium which then proceeds toward the breakdown of cartilage and ankylosing of the joints (Robbins  et al 2005). The joints which are involved include the joints of the hand, feet, ankles, knees, elbows and the spine (EHRMAN 2008) Rheumatoid arthritis is a pathology which is believed to be caused by autoimmunity. Te disease is also considered to have a genetic predisposition (Gregerson 2003). The autoimmunity results due to the action of CD4+ T helper cells. These cells lead to the release of factors which cause inflammation which eventually leads to destruction of the joint (Firestein GS 2003 and Lee DM 2001). The autoimmune reaction also involves the formation of rheumatoid factors which are actually auto antibodies against IgG. The triggered autoimmune response leads to accumulation of T cells, plasma cells as well as macrophages in the joints. There is also evidence that the HLA-DR4 gene is found in people who develop rheumatoid arthritis (Levinson 2008). Rheumatoid arthritis begins with an acute presentation in most patients with pain in the joints. The patient complains of pain in the body, a feeling of being unwell and fatigue. The symptoms begin with the small joints which are the metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints of the hand and the metatarsophalangeal and interphalangeal joints of the feet. Te next sequence is involvement of the wrist, ankle, elbows, knees and finally the cervical spine (Robbins  et al 2005). The diagnosis is based upon certain signs and symptoms which include stiffness in the morning, the involvement of more than 2 joints, inflammation of joints in a symmetrical manner, nodules on the skin which are known as rheumatic nodules and the presence of rheumatic factor in the serum. An X-ray also assists in the diagnosis (Robbins  et

How a Firm's HR Strategy Could Be Its Source of Competitive Advantage Essay

How a Firm's HR Strategy Could Be Its Source of Competitive Advantage - Essay Example This paper illustrates that HRM has come about as a feature within the modern day organization which has changed its face upside down. It has turned the tide in the favor of recruitment and selection policies, made aspects like performance management rewarding, focused more on incentives and bonuses, relied on the importance of having a proper hiring and firing regime and many other initiatives are also in line when one thinks of HRM in the truest sense. The single most basic aspect that HRM brings to the fore is its ability to make the employees and workers feel counted for their actions and they realize that their voice is also getting heard within the midst of any company, firm or entity so to speak. Competitive advantage is important to understand because it dictates the manner in which HRM brings in the much touted for the value of the organization. The differing stance of the organization in terms of its human resources is manifested through the competitive advantage which is d ocumented in a number of varied ways. It must be remembered here that competitive advantage works to the benefit of the HRM regimes and thus building up of the same would mean incentives for the organization in the long run. It must be understood that competitive advantage and HRM work hand in hand, in order to bolster the organization in different ways – all of which build value at the end of the day. The origin of HRM thus emanates from the auspices of a single department taking care of all the management concerns. This would include finance people handling recruitment and selection duties as well as top management taking care of each other’s dealings and duties. What HRM has changed is to provide the employees a department for their own selves and now they know they could make themselves feel heard when it comes to drafting policies, amending proposals and strategies and changing the course of action as per the employee undertakings and similar avenues of employee s cope are concerned. Thus the most basic definition of HRM is to devise means for getting to the employees in a direct manner – taking care of their concerns, rewarding them for their works, listening to their demands and getting work done out of them.

Describe fully how corporate governance has developed in the UK from Essay

Describe fully how corporate governance has developed in the UK from the early 1990's to the present day, outlining as appropriate the key influences on the development - Essay Example The Cadbury Report came up with a significant number of recommendations. Amongst the most important ones were the separation of the role of chairman and chief executive, an increase in the number of non-executive directors on the board of a company, the selection process of non-executive directors and the need for good internal controls over the operations of a company. The issue of thick amounts being paid out as director’s salary and share options being granted to the top management led to the issuance of the Greenbury Report in 1995. The report recommended the creation of a remuneration committee comprising of non-executive directors (BOURNE 2007). The purpose of this committee was to determine the pay of executive directors. Moreover, the report required extensive disclosure in the financial statements about directors’ salary and other benefits granted to them by the company. In early 1996, a committee by the name of Hampel Committee was established to determine whether the principles laid down by the Cadbury and Greenbury Reports were even put into practice by companies or not. The Hampel Committee came up with the Hampel Report which led to the eventual publication of the much famous Combined Code of Corporate Governance in 1998. The Combined Code covered a lot of important areas like director’s remuneration, accounts and auditing, company’s dealings with major or institutional shareholders, operations of the board of directors and the responsibilities of institutional shareholders. The Code applied to all the listed companies in the UK from almost the start of 1999 till November ’03 when the Revised Code was issued. The Combined Code also required companies to provide a statement in their annual reports telling how they have complied with the principles laid down in the code (LYSANDROU 2007). There was much confusion over how companies should implement the teachings of various codes into their business.

Training Trends and Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Training Trends and Issues - Essay Example The organizations have become more demanding due to globalization factor, hence an individual’s worth in his organization has increased manifold. Due to the complex business nature, the organizations are marked by a scuttle and commotion to attract the best talent of the industry. There is huge dearth of skilled, experienced and competent workforce that help in the enhancement of organization overall efficiency and accomplishment of pre-defined goals and objectives (Rolph J. CIPD, 2004). In such an intense situation, business heads are looking out for innovative and effectual ways through which existing employees can be trained for future challenges. After analyzing and deeply evaluating the current trends in training and development, three specific styles have been identified. First and foremost is the impact of globalization on training delivery tools and techniques. It has become mandatory for firms to intensely compare the cost that is incurred on training in terms of inve stment made in different countries, regions, centers, units etc. The primary objective is to attain maximum output with minimum input along with optimum utilization of resources. In order to realize the above objective, reconstruction of integrated potential of the organization is preferred by most of the firms these days. A large training cluster is formed within the organization or can be outsourced as well to an agency that provides timely delivery of resources exceptionally manages the project and provides effective administration services (Polson, 2001). For rendering the above mentioned services, the company charges a fixed cost. The practitioners must ensure that organization must be proactive rather than reactive in identifying to the emerging skills that are needed to combat the current market threat. They need to highly focused and clear regarding their needs and requirements, and should be in a position to put pressure on outsourced companies to deliver the best and top m ost quality service. Second most upcoming trend is e-learning that aims to extract the best possible training from any part of the world at lowest price possible. On-line training is the solution to all problems faced in training employees and those companies, who have yet not adopted the trend or find no such need for it, would soon be ravaged (Polson, 2001). This is the most effective method as the learner can move as per his individual pace, it is cost effective as mass scattered audience can be targeted, and quality and cost are the two main attributes of the emerging trend overpowering the limitation of distance or location. The practitioners in this case need to understand that here the learners need constant motivation as different age groups have different grasping power, distinct goals and pace. A 21 year old energetic, vibrant and inquisitive learner can’t be taken on the same platform as a 50 year old experienced employee who wants to be at ease in his own created comfort zone. Technology alone can’t resolve all learning challenges hence must be taken as an additional source of training, the fundamental designing must be sound, meticulous planning and effective instructional skills are required. ‘Talent Hunt’ is another recent trend observed in the current business scenario where there is acute shortage of well trained, capable and highly skilled employees. It is contradictory statement when we say that the unemployment rate in most of