Perception of Various Performance Criteria by Stakeholders in the Construction Sector in Hong Kong

Construction Management and Economics (April 2010) 28, 377–391 Perception of various performance criteria by stakeholders in the construction sector in Hong Kong IVAN K. W. LAI1* and FRANKIE K. S. LAM2 1 2 Faculty of Management and Administration, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau International Graduate School of Business, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia Taylor and Francis Received 8 March 2009; accepted 1 December 2009 10. 1080/01446190903521515 All construction projects in Hong Kong have in common a cast of key contract participants, consisting of clients, consultants (designers) and contractors. The aim of this research is to examine, from different points of view, these practitioners in regard to the importance of perceived performance criteria and their respective performance outcomes in a construction project. A research model is structured based on nine performance criteria and their respective performances. The data were collected from 324 practitioners who have participated in construction projects in Hong Kong. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and repeated measures ANOVA are used to analyse the data. The relative importance of nine performance criteria and their performances are measured. Timely completion of the project is the most important performance criterion, followed by profit, environmental protection and quality. There are differences in the importance of the performance criteria with respect to performance. The differences in the perceptions of performance that are identified are: (i) among different practitioners in a construction project; (ii) due to different project types; and (iii) between different functional roles in the partnering organizations. In order to further understand the importance of the performance criteria with respect to performance, the status quo of roject partnering and congeniality problems in the construction industry is reviewed. It is intended to stimulate interest in the further exploration of solutions to improve the overall performance of the construction industry in Hong Kong. Keywords: Performance improvement, performance evaluation, partnering, supplier relationship, performance criteria. Introduction At the beginning of con struction projects, various targets are set as ‘performance criteria’ to be achieved among the key contract participants, consisting of clients, consultants (designers) and contractors. However, different participants have their own perceptions of various performance criteria, and they perform differently according to their perceptions. The aim of this study is to examine, from different points of view, these participants in regard to the importance of the perceived performance criteria and their respective performance outcomes in a construction project. The differences between the levels of importance of the performance criteria and their respective performance outcomes represent areas for the improvement of performance, which these participants should address. Author for correspondence. E-mail: [email  protected] edu. mo In the present study, nine specific performance criteria are used; they are: (1) profit; (2) time; (3) no claims or contractual disputes; (4) job satisfaction; (5) quality; (6) safety; (7) environment; (8) generation of innovative ideas; and (9) effectiveness. A research model was formulated to test the significant difference between these perfo rmance criteria with respect to their performance. There are also tests available to assess the performance of these performance criteria from the perspective of the respondents in different roles (i. . clients, consultants and main contractors); the types of construction projects (i. e. government, public/private utility and private development); and different functional roles of the staff within the organization (i. e. managerial, frontline supervisory and consultancy staff). This research was conducted through a questionnaire survey with construction practitioners in Construction Management and Economics ISSN 0144-6193 print/ISSN 1466-433X online  © 2010 Taylor & Francis http://www. informaworld. com DOI: 10. 1080/01446190903521515 378 Hong Kong. The overall discussion that follows is based on the results of the statistical analysis of the performance criteria and their respective performances as well as the major differences between the different perspectives of the participants. There are significant differences between the performance criteria with respect to performance, and conclusions are drawn from patterns noted in these results. This study indicates some areas for the improvement of performance. The limitations of this research and further research opportunities will be identified. Lai and Lam eam considers to be relevant in the pursuit of successful project delivery (Swan and Khalfan, 2007). Construction delays not only result in cost overruns and poor quality, but lead to increased disputes (Al-Khalil and Al-Ghafly, 1999). Odeh and Battaineh (2002) observed that most claims cases are related to the time of the project delivery. No claims or contractual disputes. It has been observed that the adaptive ability to man age changes without unnecessary claims is often critical in the routine assessment of subcontractors’ performance (Mbachu, 2008). The absence of claims or contractual disputes is a fair indicator of project success (Chan and Chan, 2004). Job satisfaction. Job satisfaction refers to the extent to which persons gain enjoyment or satisfaction from their efforts at work (Fogarty, 1994). It is a ‘soft’ measure, and has often been benchmarked with a company’s performance (Beatham et al. , 2004). Pinto and Pinto (1991) advocated that measures for project success should include project psychosocial outcomes, which refer to the satisfaction of interpersonal relations among project team members. Quality. Quality is defined as the degree to which general conditions promote meeting the project’s established requirements for materials and workmanship (Bubshait and Almohawis, 1994). The improvement of quality can reduce the resources and costs that must be devoted to reworking, which, when reduced, increases profitability (Ling et al. , 2009). The costs of rectifying defects and reworking have been estimated to be as high as 6. 2% and 12%, respectively, of the profit for a construction project (Thomas et al. 2002). Safety. Safety is defined as the degree to which general conditions promote the completion of a project without major accidents or injuries (Bubshait and Almohawis, 1994). Accidents during a project can be detrimental to the project in terms of time, costs and the reputation of the company (Chan and Chan, 2004). Environment. Environmental issues, such as waste management and public nuisance, have been regarded as negative environmental impacts on construction ( Shen et al. , 2000). Considerable attention has been directed towards finding out how to minimize construction waste and restrict environmental nuisance (Wong and Chan, 2000). Companies invest in the improvement of environmental protection because of cost factors (Tam et al. , 2001; Shen (3) Theoretical background Definition of performance criteria ‘Performance criteria’ are commonly shared mechanisms for monitoring and demonstrating project success (Krima et al. , 2007). Their use allows practitioners to understand their competitive position better and potentially to improve their performance (ElMashaleh et al. 2001). By looking at the deviations between the levels of importance of the performance criteria and performance outcomes, practitioners can review whether certain criteria underperform or overperform (Soetanto et al. , 2001). Ideally, performance outcomes of the performance criteria should be on a par with their normal performance, or, even better, their so-called ‘optimum per formance’, which are satisfactory to practitioners. Performance criteria of a construction project Atkinson (1999) stated that time, cost and quality make up the ‘iron triangle’ for project success. Loosemore et al. (2003) highlighted the importance of job satisfaction for the well-being of the construction industry. Fenn (2006) listed the typical performance criteria of commercial projects: time, cost, quality, project delays, delay claims, scheduling, monitoring and control. Lam and Wong (2009) argued that safety is a measure of project performance, as well as time, cost and quality. After reviewing the literature, nine performance criteria were selected: (1) Profit. Norris (1990) measured profit as the increment by which revenues exceed cost. Profit in terms of cost benefits has been identified as a key performance indicator (KPI) (Beatham et al. , 2004). Cost benefits can typically be achieved by savings and the early completion of projects (Soetanto et al. , 2001). Time. Time refers to the duration for completing a project (Chan and Chan, 2004). Time, cost and quality are the key factors a project (4) (5) (6) (7) (2) Performance criteria and Tam, 2002). For example, energy-efficient design allows both environmental friendliness and cost effectiveness across the project life cycle (Yao et al. , 2006). Generation of innovative ideas. Innovation is the actual novel use of a non-trivial change and improvement in a process, product or system (Slaughter, 1998). Innovation in construction leads to the improvement of working conditions, lowering construction costs, and decreasing construction time (Eaton et al. , 2006) so as to improve efficiency in the industry (Egbu, 2004). Effectiveness. Effectiveness is a characteristic of the overall performance of a project, in terms of whether it is being carried out within the budget, performed on schedule, and maintaining quality (Love et al. , 2004). Project effectiveness is dependent on conceptual level, skills and communicative abilities (Goodwin, 1993), which are important factors that affect project success (Krima et al. , 2007). Practitioners always intend to continually improve the effectiveness of the work process (Naoum, 2003). 379 importance of the performance criteria and their respective performance outcomes in a construction project in Hong Kong (as shown in Figure 1). In this study, three questions were addressed about the life of a construction project: Figure 1 A research model of importance of the performance criteria and their performance outcomes 8) (1) (2) (3) (9) What are the relative levels of importance of the performance criteria from the practitioners’ perspectives? What are the differences between the levels of importance of the performance criteria and their respective performance? What are the differences in the perception of performance from the practitioners’ perspectives? Research hypot heses The following hypotheses are formulated based on two variables: the importance of the performance criteria and their respective performance outcomes. Owing to the different dimensions of business-driven benefits and the degree of objective alignment (Thompson and Sanders, 1998), the levels of importance of the performance criteria may be different. H1: There are significant differences within the importance of the performance criteria. Research method Research model and research questions A research model is developed to examine, from different practitioners’ points of view, the levels of There are always levels of difference in the performance elements for construction (Soetanto et al. , 2001). The levels of importance of the erformance criteria may vary with respect to their performance outcomes. Figure 1 A research model of importance of the performance criteria and their performance outcomes 380 H2: There are significant differences between the importance of the performance criteria and their performance. Lai and Lam such as Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited; and a private development project may include somethin g like a residential development project. The respondents include a staff of clients, architectural and engineering consultants who represent clients, and main contractors. The respondents are also classified into three functional roles (i. e. managerial, frontline supervisory and consultancy staff). This study only focuses on the performance of the key contract participants—neither suppliers nor subcontractors are included in this survey. Questionnaire development and administration A questionnaire is designed to gather information from people engaged in partnering projects in Hong Kong. A pre-test of the questionnaire was conducted in July 2006 with academics and construction practitioners in order to confirm the general validity and reliability. After the initial pre-test, a further pilot test was undertaken to check the suitability and appropriateness. The final questionnaire consists of two sections. Section 1 is about the background of the respondents and Section 2 is concerned with the views of the respondents on the levels of importance of the performance criteria of the project and on their performance outcomes. Respondents are asked to pick a rating using a five-point Likert scale, ranging from ‘1’ (the least important, or very unsatisfied) to ‘5’ (the most important, or very satisfied) in respect of the criteria and the outcomes. A total of 850 questionnaires were distributed in person to the respondents in August 2006. From the 209 questionnaires that were collected, 71. 8% were from the main contractors during the first three months. Thereafter, another 100 questionnaires were distributed only to accessible clients and consultants in October 2006. Statistical analyses are conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 12. 00 software package. Different stakeholders have different views and expectations of performance in a construction project (Newcombe, 2003). Different roles (i. e. clients, consultants, and main contractors) in a construction project may have different views on the same performance. H3: There are significant differences among incumbents in different roles in a construction project in the perception of performance among partners. There are differences between government and private projects in the respective business procurement and the relationship with contractors (Burnes and Coram, 1999). Different types of construction projects (i. e. overnment projects, public/private utility and private development) may require different types of performances. H4: There are significant differences in the perception of performance due to different types of construction projects. Partnering involves teamwork and collaborative activities for achieving goals and resolving problems (Pheng and Hong, 2005; Ingirige and Sexton, 2006). Staff in different functional roles (i. e. managerial, frontline supervisory and consultancy staff) may have different views on performance. H5: There are significant differences among staff in different functional roles in the partnering organizations in the perception of performance. Sampling method In Hong Kong, more than 500 construction companies are certificated with ISO 9001 (HKQAA, 2007). Because of the large number and different types of construction firms, the different sizes and types of construction works that are undertaken and the constraints of time and resources for the research, purposive sampling (Sekaran, 1996) is used to focus on the respondents who have participated in a partnering project. Contractors, consulting firms, government departments and private developers who are active participants in the construction market in Hong Kong are selected. Government departments and private developers are classified as clients of the construction projects. There are three types of project: a government project is a public project that is initiated from a government department such as the Housing Authority; a public/private utility project is usually an infrastructure project, for example, one initiated by a mass transportation services provider, Performance criteria of the construction project Research samples Over the six months prior to March 2007, 950 sets of questionnaires were distributed, from which a total of 324 were collected. The response rate is 34. 1%. The backgrounds of the respondents are shown in Table 1. Statistical analysis Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) can be used when sample members have been matched Performance criteria Table 1 The background of the respondents Numbers of response Role in a construction project Clients Consultants Main contractors Others Total Type of construction project Government projects Public/private utilities Private development Others Total Functional role in the organization Managerial Frontline supervisory Consultancy Others Total Percentage Table 2 The rating of performance criteria Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Performance criteria Timely completion of project Profit to all involved parties Improvement of environmental protection Improvement of quality Improvement of safety Effectiveness of the construction process No claims or contractual disputes Job satisfaction of staff Generation of innovative ideas for construction design and method Mean 4. 2778 4. 2037 4. 1265 4. 1173 4. 1019 3. 9105 3. 8920 3. 8395 3. 7747 381 Std. deviation 0. 65127 0. 69174 0. 60904 0. 61846 0. 60350 0. 72634 0. 74903 0. 68068 0. 74350 123 51 149 1 324 112 121 87 4 324 131 157 21 15 324 38. 0 15. 7 46 . 0 0. 3 100 34. 6 37. 3 26. 9 1. 2 100 40. 4 48. 5 6. 5 4. 6 100 ccording to some important characteristic (ACITS, 1997). In this study, sample members are matched, and measurements across conditions are treated like repeated measures. Therefore, repeated measures ANOVA is used to find the rating among the performance criteria. Table A1 in the Appendix shows Mauchly’s test of sphericity. This is a test of compound symmetry or the homogeneity of covariance, an important assumption for this statistical test. If the test of sphericity is significant (i. e. , p-value < 0. 05), then the assumption H0 is met. Consequently, the univariate (more powerful) output (Tests of Within-Subject Effects) can be used. In this test, the p-value is less than 0. 5 and H1 is therefore accepted. This means that there are significant differences in the performance criteria. In order to elucidate the differences between them, Bonferroni’s test (see Table A2 in Appendix) is applied. The relati ve rating of the performance criteria is shown in Table 2 where time has the highest mean score, followed by profit, environment, quality, safety, effectiveness, no claims, job satisfaction, and the generation of innovative ideas. An individual paired-samples T-test is used to determine whether there are significant differences among the levels of importance of the performance criteria and their respective performances. The mean scores and standard deviations of the importance of the performance criteria and their performance outcomes are reported in Table 3. It shows that all of the factors have significant differences. The p-value is less than 0. 05. Therefore, H2 is accepted. Time has the highest positive paired mean difference, suggesting that the timely completion of a project, among the other performance criteria, seriously underperforms. One-way ANOVA is used to determine whether, among partners in different roles in a construction project (i. e. clients, consultants and main contractors), there are significant differences in the perception of performance. Table 4 indicates that there are significant differences in the perception of performance— with the exception of quality—among the three groups. The p-values for all of the factors (except for quality) are less than 0. 05. Therefore, H3 is accepted. The comparisons of the different groups are made using post hoc tests, after an overall significant difference has been obtained. The Tukey HSD table (Table 5) compares each group with every other group to determine the significance of the difference. Table 6 indicates that there is no significant difference (p-value > 0. 05) in the perception of performance due to the types of projects and between staff in different functional roles in the partnering organizations. Therefore, H4 and H5 are rejected. Discussion The levels of importance of the performance criteria The relative ratings for the highest levels of importance of the performance criteria are: (1) time; (2) profit; (3) environment; (4) quality; (5) safety; (6) effectiveness; (7) no claims or contractual disputes; (8) job satisfaction; and (9) generation of innovative ideas. Time, cost 382 Table 3 Mean scores and paired-samples t-test for the levels of importance of the performance criteria and their performance outcomes Mean scores and standard deviations (N = 324) Mean Mean 4. 2037 3. 4568 4. 2778 3. 4568 3. 8920 3. 3117 0. 6173 0. 6574 0. 6636 0. 6698 0. 74903 0. 72870 0. 04161 0. 04048 0. 5803 0. 90221 0. 65127 0. 81091 0. 03618 0. 04505 0. 8210 0. 91024 0. 69174 0. 70028 0. 03843 0. 03890 0. 7469 0. 94631 Std. deviation Std. rror mean Paired differences Std. deviation Std. error mean 0. 05257 14. 207 0. 000 t Paired-samples t-test (df = 323) Sig. (2-tailed) 0. 05057 16. 235 0. 000 0. 05012 11. 577 0. 000 0. 81500 0. 81201 0. 77 566 0. 82841 0. 04528 0. 04511 0. 04309 0. 04602 13. 633 14. 573 15. 399 14. 553 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 3. 8395 3. 2222 4. 1173 3. 4599 4. 1019 3. 4383 4. 1265 3. 4568 3. 7747 3. 2130 3. 9105 3. 2901 0. 71755 0. 72634 0. 76843 0. 74350 0. 04131 0. 03986 0. 04035 0. 04269 0. 68068 0. 69049 0. 61846 0. 65003 0. 60350 0. 65781 0. 60904 0. 72204 0. 03782 0. 03836 0. 03436 0. 03611 0. 03353 0. 03654 0. 03384 0. 04011 0. 5617 0. 94388 0. 05244 10. 712 0. 000 Pair 1 Profit to all involved parties Profit to all involved parties with good performance Pair 2 Timely completion of project Timely completion of project with good performance Pair 3 No claims or contractual disputes No claims or contractual disputes with good performance Pair 4 Job satisfaction of staff Job satisfaction of staff with good performance Pair 5 Improvement of quality Improvement of quality with good performance Pair 6 Improvement of safety Improvement of safety with good performance Pair 7 Improvement of environmental protection Improvement of environmental protection with good performance Pair 8 Generation of innovative ideas for construction design and method Generation of innovative ideas for construction design and method with good performance Pair 9 Effectiveness of the construction process Effectiveness of the construction process with good performance 0. 6204 0. 93157 0. 05175 11. 987 0. 000 Lai and Lam Performance criteria 383 Table 4 One-way ANOVA on signi? a nt differences in perception of performance among participants in different roles in a construction project Performance criteria Profit to all involved parties Timely completion of project No claims or contractual disputes Job satisfaction of staff Improvement of quality Improvement of safety Improvement of environmental protection Generation of innovative ideas for construction design and method Effectiveness of the construction process Total 3. 4582 3. 4551 3. 3127 3. 2198 3. 4582 3. 4365 3. 4551 3. 2105 3. 2879 Client 3. 5772 3. 6423 3. 4715 3. 4228 3. 5203 3. 5691 3. 6098 3. 3415 3. 4797 Consultant 3. 5098 3. 4706 3. 4510 3. 0588 3. 3137 3. 0980 3. 1961 2. 9216 3. 0000 Main contractor 3. 423 3. 2953 3. 1342 3. 1074 3. 4564 3. 4430 3. 4161 3. 2013 3. 2282 F-statistic 4. 024 6. 374 8. 684 9. 120 1. 830 9. 752 6. 529 6. 408 8. 208 p-value 0. 019 0. 002 0. 000 0. 000 0. 162 0. 000 0. 002 0. 002 0. 000 Table 5 The Tukey HSD table of the post hoc tests on the performance among partici pants in different roles in a construction project Performance criteria Profit to all involved parties Timely completion of project No claims or contractual disputes Job satisfaction of staff Improvement of safety Improvement of environmental protection Generation of innovative ideas for construction design and method Effectiveness of the construction rocess (I) Your role in the construction project Client Client Client Consultant Client Client Client Consultant Client Client Consultant Client Client (J) Your role in the construction project Main contractor Main contractor Main contractor Main contractor Consultant Main contractor Consultant Main contractor Consultant Consultant Main contractor Consultant Main contractor Mean difference (I – J) 0. 23495* 0. 34697* 0. 33732* 0. 31675* 0. 36394* 0. 31538* 0. 47107* ? 0. 34491* 0. 41368* 0. 41989* ? 0. 27977* 0. 47967* 0. 25149* Sig. 0. 016 0. 001 0. 000 0. 018 0. 004 0. 000 0. 000 0. 003 0. 002 0. 001 0. 040 0. 000 0. 018 Note: * The mean difference is signi? cant at the 0. 05 level. and quality are always described as the ‘holy trinity’ (Swan and Khalfan, 2007). Krima et al. 2007) also noted that the importance of time performance is widely accepted. Most construction projects in Hong Kong are developed on a fast track schedule, completed in two to three years (Chan, 1999). The top concern in the construction industry in Hong Kong is always time. Profit generated from partnering normally derives from cost savings and incentives (Soetanto et al. , 2001). Incentives are normally introduced by offering a bonus to contractors achieving the KPIs set for the project (Swan and Khalfan, 2007). Moreover, profit sharing is very popular in construction projects. It is surprising that the improvement of environmental performance is the third most important performance criterion. Zhang and Shen (2000) observed that clients are often concerned with immediate or short-term results and care little about the potential benefits of improving environmental performance. This finding directly contradicts a previous study performed by Swan and Khalfan (2007), who found that time, cost and quality are the key elements for a successful project. Although the improvement of environmental performance is an important performance criterion, compared with the improvement of quality, this finding still needs to be clarified by further studies. The improvement of quality is always referred to in terms of less re-working or no abortive work (Thomas et al. 2002). Quality is also defined as conformity and client satisfaction (Soetanto et al. , 2001). It is always among the top priorities in construction. Safety has always been an issue in construction because of the routinely high accident rate involving deaths and property damage. The creation of the built environment in 384 Table 6 One-way ANOVA on signi? cant differences of performance due to the types of project and between those staff in different functional roles in the partnering organizations Due to the types of project Sum of squares df 2 317 319 2 317 319 2 317 319 2 317 319 2 317 319 2 317 319 2 317 319 1. 021 161. 666 162. 688 0. 595 185. 93 186. 388 Between groups Within groups Total 2 317 319 2 317 319 1. 049 0. 415 0. 909 0. 426 0. 728 0. 518 0. 511 0. 510 0. 297 0. 586 0. 527 0. 471 1. 118 0. 087 0. 537 0. 162 0. 851 0. 080 0. 648 0. 124 0. 883 0. 697 201. 872 202. 570 1. 234 162. 403 163. 638 0. 328 1. 972 143. 064 145. 036 2. 528 0. 081 0. 254 129. 889 130. 142 2. 133 0. 120 1. 522 129. 623 131. 146 1. 407 0. 246 0. 309 159. 710 160. 019 1. 001 0. 369 1. 166 158. 989 160. 155 0. 507 0. 603 1. 295 182. 770 184. 065 2 306 308 2 306 308 2 306 308 2 306 308 2 306 308 2 306 308 2 306 308 2 306 308 0. 056 0. 472 0. 119 0. 887 1. 560 145. 333 146. 893 2 306 308 Mean square F Sig. Sum of squares df Between groups Within groups Total Between groups Within groups Total Between groups Within groups Total Between groups Within groups Total Between groups Within groups Total Between groups Within groups Total Between groups Within groups Total Between groups Within groups Total 1. 456 164. 094 165. 550 1. 819 135. 169 136. 987 2. 098 131. 524 133. 622 1. 053 149. 294 150. 347 0. 174 170. 198 170. 372 0. 161 205. 389 205. 550 0. 113 149. 634 149. 747 Mean square 0. 78 0. 475 0. 349 0. 660 0. 617 0. 531 0. 986 0. 468 0. 127 0. 424 0. 761 0. 424 0. 155 0. 522 0. 583 0. 520 0. 648 0. 597 1. 084 0. 339 1. 122 0. 327 Between those staff in different functional roles in the partnering organizations F 1. 642 Sig. 0. 195 Performance criteria Profit to all involved parties with good performance Timely completion of project with good performance 0. 529 0. 590 No claims or contractual disputes with good performance 1. 163 . 314 Job satisfaction of staff with good performance 2 . 109 0. 123 Improvement of quality with good performance 0. 299 0. 742 Improvement of safety with good performance 1. 797 0. 168 Improvement of environmental protection with good performance 0. 296 0. 744 Generation of innovative ideas for construction design and method with good performance Effectiveness of the construction process with good performance Lai and Lam Performance criteria 2003 in Hong Kong involved 18% of the total injuries of employees among all industries (OSHC, 2003). Policy makers and the general public always pay great heed to construction safety (Teo et al. , 2005). Effectiveness in construction has received negative commentary (CIRC, 2001). A rating solely on effectiveness itself is taken ordinarily to be insufficient and does not usually prevail. Claims in a project can involve extension of time (EOT), for example, because of inclement weather, or a variation order (VO), for example because of changes of design (Yeo and Ning, 2002). Contractors lose out from not being granted a claim. Although some previous studies suggest that job satisfaction is a measure of project success (Beatham et al. , 2004; Swan and Khalfan, 2007), an analysis of the data fails to find evidence suggesting job satisfaction is a priority in a construction project. Innovative ideas can contribute to cost savings and process expediting, and generating them should be encouraged through reimbursement or benefits sharing (Naoum, 2003). Nevertheless, innovative ideas about construction design and method are very rarely implemented in a construction project because of the relatively short timeline for completion. The differences of performance outcomes with respect to importance The relative ratings for the highest difference in performance with respect to the importance of the performance criteria are: (1) time; (2) safety; (3) quality; (4) environment; (5) profit; (6) job satisfaction; (7) effectiveness; (8) no claims or contractual disputes; and (9) generation of innovative ideas. All of the performance criteria clearly underperform. Timely completion of the project displays the highest difference. To a project owner, delay means loss of revenue due to slackened production and rentable space. To a consultant, delay means either the failure of progress monitoring of contractors or faulty design, or both. To a contractor, delay means penalties and higher overhead costs. It is thus very worthwhile to investigate the cause of delay, the parties who are responsible, and the preventive measures for avoiding it (Assaf and Al-Hejji, 2006). Owing to stringent legal and contractual requirements in Hong Kong, there are ever-increasing demands, expectations and emphasis on safety, quality and environmental protection. Naoum (2003) has argued that there should be a comprehensive incentive scheme to simulate the overall site performance in these categories. Profit is a basic goal for running a business, but in a project, it is always governed by the traditional re-measured contract at a fixed price. 385 Participants in a construction project can only benefit from cost savings or bonuses awarded by accelerating the process for early completion (Tam, 2002). Job satisfaction is among the performance criteria displaying a low performance outcome. Not only are staff members not happy about job satisfaction, but this variable is also in fact rated as the second least important performance criterion (see Table 2). The effectiveness of a construction process needs both good planning and coordination. Given the inherently fragmented nature of construction, work is always accomplished in sequential and unique stages handled by different contractors. Since the design and building processes are normally divided between consultants and contractors (Naoum, 2003), the original designers would thus not help the performance outcome or effectiveness of the construction process once it is underway. No claims or contractual disputes are part of the second-lowest performance outcome. Claims or contractual disputes in a project are very often raised among clients and contractors (Yeo and Ning, 2002). The generation of innovative ideas for construction design and method received the lowest rating concerning performance outcome. In fact, adopting new ideas in construction is always inhibited by the fact that there are always prior specifications governing construction activities (Naoum, 2003). Winch (2003) noted that construction is commonly characterized as a ‘backward industry’, that is, one that fails to innovate in comparison to other sectors. The strong categorical division of responsibility for design and building worsens this situation. The performance perceived by practitioners in different roles in a construction project Profit There are significant differences between clients and the main contractors in the perception of the performance of profit. Clients are more satisfied than are the main contractors (see Table 5). Clients typically set out the budget for a project at the beginning of project planning, whereas contractors concentrate on cost savings (e. g. reducing the opportunity for claims). Time There are significant differences between clients and main contractors in the perception of performance for the timely completion of projects. Clients are more satisfied than are main contractors (see Table 5). They are normally proactive and generally push for timely completion. Main contractors prefer a contract designed with a reasonable duration for the construction 386 time and fair treatment of claims for EOT (Assaf and Al-Hejji, 2006). Any completion delay for a project will be the subject of a penalty for liquidated damages to a contractor (PAH, 2008). In general, clients would consider an incentive bonus for the contractor who completes the project on time or ahead of schedule (Naoum, 2003). Contractors prefer these bonuses as an incentive for finishing on time or early. No claims or contractual disputes There are significant differences between clients, consultants and main contractors in the perception of the performance of no claims or contractual disputes. Clients and consultants are more satisfied than are main contractors (see Table 5). When initiating a contract, clients normally would have a contingency plan to provide additional money for any claim, for a delay in the project or for a change of design. In general, clients and main contractors take a different stand on claims. Clients suffer from claims, while the main contractors benefit. Traditionally, clients are perceived as distrustful and suspicious, while the main contractors are perceived as opportunistic and greedy (Kadefors, 2004). Consultants tend to have a passive attitude to claims, and do not like to see any claims or contractual disputes, as they might be taken to reveal their own faulty design or their failure to perform their duty of supervising the main contractors’ performance. Job satisfaction There are significant differences between clients, consultants and main contractors in the perception of the performance of the job satisfaction of staff. Staff members, as consultants and main contractors, are less satisfied than are clients (see Table 5). Staff from clients may participate in the partnering projects more than do the staff from consultants and main contractors. Since the levels of participation for different parties are different, they show differences in regard to this issue. Quality There is no significant difference between clients, consultants and main contractors in the perception of the performance of quality. This seems to illustrate that all partners in the construction project hold consistent views on the performance of quality. Safety There are significant differences between clients, consultants and main contractors in the perception of the performance of safety. Consultants are less satisfied than are clients and main contractors (see Table 5). Clients simply do not like to see any accidents. The Environment Lai and Lam responsibility for onsite safety is therefore ascribed to the consultants and the contractors (Teo et al. , 2005). Consultants take a passive role in safety during the operations (Teo et al. , 2005); they like to have sufficient planning and budgets for the design of safety at the beginning of a project (Wong and Chan, 2000). The main contractors bear most of the legal liability for safety performance (Chan and Chan, 2004); they commit to ensuring safety under a contractual requirement. There are significant differences between clients and consultants in the perception of the accomplishment of environmental performance. Consultants are generally less satisfied than are clients (see Table 5), who showed less concern in improving environmental performance. This empirical finding agrees with Yao et al. ’s (2006) basic argument. The design of environmentally friendly projects involves reduced use of natural resources, recycling of construction waste, and the avoidance of being a nuisance in the neighbourhood (Tam et al. , 2004). The green construction concept demands that, at the inception of a project, approval is sought from the client. Although consultants are reactive on this specific issue, they can propose some guidelines for administering a contract’s environmental requirements (e. g. contractors should prepare a comprehensive onsite waste management plan). Clients should consider covering all of the costs incurred in those contract specifications satisfying these environmental requirements. On the other hand, contractors do not totally disagree with this concept and are usually willing to follow some guidelines, such as avoiding environmental hazards and following safety procedures. Indeed, clients should regularly take the initiative to monitor and closely inspect contractors’ performance of environmental management. Generation of innovative ideas There are significant differences between clients, consultants and main contractors in how they perceive the accomplishment of innovative ideas about the construction design and method. Consultants are less satisfied than are clients and main contractors (see Table 5). In general, consultants play a significant role in generating new ideas about the construction method and the design (Bresnen and Marshall, 2000). The main contractors usually do not put too much effort into promoting innovative ideas unless it is a designand-build project. However, consultants are reluctant to accept a contractor’s design proposal (Bresnen and Marshall, 2000). In fact, the best innovative ideas for construction design and method should be developed by consultants during the planning phase. However, Performance criteria given the zero-growth budgets and tight schedules for construction projects, consultants seldom take the initiative to generate innovative ideas even though they should. Effectiveness There are significant differences between clients, consultants and main contractors in the perception of the relative effectiveness of a construction process. Clients are more satisfied than are consultants and main contractors (see Table 5). Consultants, as designers, play an important role by providing good, reliable and complete designs that are buildable. Main contractors play an active role in the construction process (Arobos, 2002; Errasti et al. , 2007), dealing with most of the problems raised during the construction stage along with the consultants. Most of the problems generated at the site level and the effective solutions do not involve the clients. The performance of important aspects of different types of construction project There is no significant difference between the three groups in the perception of the performance of government project, public/private utility and private development. This means that there appears to be no relationship between performance outcomes and the types of projects. The performance perceived among staff in different functional roles in partnering organizations There is no significant difference between the three staff groups: managerial, frontline supervisory and consultancy, in terms of the perception of performance. This means that there is no relationship between the performance outcomes and the staff in different functional roles in the partnering organizations. 387 and management of, a project, exacerbate the adverse effects of the fragmented nature of construction. There are many methods for trying and overcoming the barriers to optimum performance. For example, the ideas of the public–private partnership (PPP) and the private finance initiative (PFI) projects, which create a favourable partnering atmosphere between clients and the main contractors (Li et al. , 2005), could help diminish the abovementioned problems. PPP and PFI embrace all of the elements in a successful construction project of design, build and finance, which means a longer project timeframe and a contract sum sufficiently large so as to sustain the partnering atmosphere. Other methods, such as awarding contracts based on quality bids, as well as prices and partnering frameworks, are also recommended. Limitations Owing to the large numbers of the sample size and frame and the limited time and resources available, the selection of questionnaire respondents was based on the rationale of purposive sampling, aiming to select some specific categories in the populations. This may cause bias and error. The collected data were mainly from the main contractors and clients (84% of the total respondents) and may have led to biases that render the result inaccurate. A holistic supply chain must be expansive, embracing the vertical networks of subcontractors and suppliers for better partnering. There were also geographical limitations in this study. The survey was only carried out in Hong Kong. It would be beneficial to have the opportunity to test the theory elsewhere. Further research opportunities The results indicate that timely completion of a project is both the most important performance criterion and the highest in terms of the difference in the outcome of the performance with respect to importance. Future studies should seek to elaborate on this factor, exploring how to improve the time actor in a construction project. A new research tradition can be built on a more detailed model that specifies not only the relationships between the independent and dependent variables, but also the relationships between the independent variables. This means an investigation of the correlation between the factors of two variables as well as within the factors. In such a study, there should be a deeper focus on the correlation among the performance criteria. Regarding the significant difference from the perspectives of clients, consultants and main contractors about the performance outcomes, further additional research is necessary in order to elaborate on the Implications, limitations and further research Implications The present results reveal that, in order to achieve optimum performance, a company should improve its operations by managing the presence of the nine performance criteria. The differences in the perceptions of performance among the key contract participants in a construction project reveal the congeniality problems in the construction industry. The rule of the contract game, or that the lowest price wins, still very much dominates the final decision on the selection of contractors. The division of roles between designing and building, and the distinct roles of consultants for 388 more subtle rationale of these differences. A more qualitative data collection method through intensive interviews with participants would provide richer and more in-depth data. Lai and Lam more fairly when claims are made. Practitioners have less concern about the generation of innovative ideas for a construction method and design that make least deviations from performance. Finally, there is no difference in the perception of performance due to the types of projects, or between those staff in different functional roles in the partnering organizations. This study in Hong Kong examined, from the points of view of practitioners, the levels of importance of the performance criteria and their respective performance in construction projects. The research reviews the status quo of partnering and the congeniality problems in the industry, and it is intended to stimulate interest in Hong Kong for further exploration of solutions for improving the overall performance of the construction industry. Conclusions Here, we rate the performance criteria in a construction project in Hong Kong. The order of importance of the performance criteria is: (1) time; (2) profit; (3) environment; (4) quality; (5) safety; (6) effectiveness; (7) no claims or contractual disputes; (8) job satisfaction; and (9) generation of innovative ideas. There are differences among the levels of importance of the performance criteria with respect to performance. The positive differences between the levels of importance of the performance criteria and their performance outcomes indicate a common pattern: all of the performance criteria underperform. The results of the greatest differences are, in order, (1) time; (2) safety; (3) quality; (4) environment; (5) profit; (6) job satisfaction; (7) effectiveness; (8) no claims or contractual disputes; and (9) generation of innovative ideas. Timely completion of the project is the most important performance criterion, but it displays the highest deviation of its performance when compared with its importance. This implies that time management is the most critical factor for the performance of a construction project. In Hong Kong, events pertaining to quality, safety and environmental issues during construction always generate a great deal of publicity. In fact, there are quite regular incidents regarding substandard work, serious accidents on construction sites, and complaints regarding pollution and nuisance generated from construction activities. The performance of these three performance criteria can be improved by providing a greater budget during the planning of the project, or by allowing a larger budget for design and incentives to achieve good performance. Most clients are satisfied with the performance of profit, although the main contractors are less happy, reflecting the fact that, with the prevailing lowest-pricewins and the procurement practice in construction, the main contractor still stands to lose. In general, most respondents are not satisfied with job satisfaction. The job satisfaction of staff should be enhanced through personal development, job security and encouragement from colleagues and superiors. Most clients are satisfied with the performance of the effectiveness of the construction process. Consultants should strive to improve the effectiveness of the construction process early in the design stage of a project and should suggest adopting more design-and-build types of contracts. Clients are satisfied with fewer claims and contractual disputes. However, contractors would like to be treated References ACITS (1997) Repeated measures ANOVA using SPSS MANOVA. Usage Note: Stat-38, ACITS, The University of Texas at Austin Statistical Services, 475-9372, available at http://www. utexas. edu/cc/docs/stat38. html (accessed 12 January 2010). Al-Khalil, M. I. and Al-Ghafly, M. A. (1999) Important causes of delays in public utility projects in Saudi Arabia. Construction Management and Economics, 17(5), 647–55. Arobos, L. (2002) Design of a rapid response and high ef? ciency service by lean production principles: methodology and evaluation of variability of performance. International Journal Production Economics, 80(2), 169–83. Assaf, S. A. and Al-Hejji, S. 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(2000) Promoting urbanization towards sustainable development in China. Journal Tsinghua University, 40(1), 2–6. Appendix Table A1 Mauchly’s test of sphericityb Within Subjects Effect Mauchly’s W Approx. chi-square df Sig. Epsilon a Greenhouse-Geisser Huynh-Feldt Factor 0. 049 966. 660 35 0. 000 0. 682 0. 695 Lower-bound 0. 125 Notes: Test the null hypothesis that the error covariance matrix of the orthonormalized transformed dependent variables is proportional to an identity matrix. a May be used to adjust the degrees of freedom for the averaged tests of signi? cance. b Design: Intercept Within Subjects Design: factor. Performance criteria Table A2 Bonferroni test on rating of performance criteria (pairwise comparisons) (I) factor (J) factor Mean difference (I – J) Std. error Sig. a 391 5% confidence interval for differencea Lower bound Upper bound 0. 033 0. 474 0. 507 0. 227 0. 243 0. 219 0. 583 0. 441 0. 534 0. 576 0. 281 0. 300 0. 278 0. 661 0. 502 0. 206 ? 0. 070 ? 0. 052 ? 0. 073 0. 279 0. 140 ? 0. 146 ? 0. 125 ? 0. 145 0. 198 0. 069 0. 073 0. 061 0. 481 0. 337 0. 020 0. 470 0 . 330 0. 498 0. 355 ? 0. 012 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 4 5 6 7 8 9 5 6 7 8 9 6 7 8 9 7 8 9 8 9 9 ?0. 074 0. 312* 0. 364* 0. 086 0. 102 0. 077 0. 429* 0. 293* 0. 386* 0. 438* 0. 160* 0. 176* 0. 151* 0. 503* 0. 367* 0. 052 ? 0. 225* ? 0. 210* ? 0. 235* 0. 117 ? 0. 019 ? 0. 278* ? 0. 262* ? 0. 287* 0. 065 ? 0. 071 0. 015 ? 0. 009 0. 343* 0. 207* ? 0. 25 0. 327* 0. 191* 0. 352* 0. 216* ? 0. 136* 0. 033 0. 050 0. 044 0. 044 0. 044 0. 044 0. 048 0. 046 0. 046 0. 043 0. 037 0. 038 0. 039 0. 049 0. 042 0. 048 0. 048 0. 049 0. 050 0. 050 0. 049 0. 041 0. 042 0. 044 0. 041 0. 043 0. 018 0. 022 0. 043 0. 040 0. 014 0. 044 0. 043 0. 045 0. 043 0. 038 0. 969 0. 000 0. 000 10. 000 0. 731 10. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 001 0. 000 0. 005 0. 000 0. 000 10. 000 0. 000 0. 001 0. 000 0. 705 10. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 10. 000 10. 000 10. 000 10. 000 0. 000 0. 000 1. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 017 ?0. 182 0. 150 0. 221 ? 0. 054 ? 0. 039 ? 0. 065 0. 275 0. 145 0. 238 0. 300 0. 040 0. 052 0. 25 0. 345 0. 232 ? 0. 101 ? 0. 381 ? 0. 368 ? 0. 396 ? 0. 044 ? 0. 177 ? 0. 410 ? 0. 399 ? 0. 430 ? 0. 069 ? 0. 211 ? 0. 042 ? 0. 079 0. 204 0. 076 ? 0. 069 0. 184 0. 053 0. 206 0. 077 ? 0. 260 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Notes: Based on estimated marginal means. * The mean difference is signi? cant at the 0. 05 level. a Adjustment for multiple comparisons: Bonferroni. 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Barack Hussein Obama

Personal Information: Barack Hussein Obama jr. was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He grew up with his father, Barack Hussein Obama Sr., and mother, Stanley Ann Dunham. He went to college first at Occidental college in Los Angeles in 1989, then went to Columbia University, where he graduated in 1983, and finally went to Harvard Law school in 1991, where he met his wife, Michelle Robinson Obama. They had two daughters, Malia Obama and Natasha â€Å"Sasha† Obama. Constitutional Issues: Barack Obama faced many Constitutional Issues during his presidency. One significant issue he faced was in regards to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as Obamacare. Obamacare increases the affordability of healthcare, providing more people with healthcare. It was extremely controversial, with republicans, in general, strongly opposing the reform, and democrats, in general, strongly supporting it. One of the most controversial and central parts of obamacare is that it was required that everyone not receiving healthcare, is required to pay for it, with exceptions for people with enough financial hardships that the insurance would cost more than eight percent of their household income or certain religious groups. This was controversial because there was a tax penalty for all people not exempted, but had remained uninsured, causing the debate over whether or not congress could penalize people for not buying healthcare. In 2012, this debate ended up in the supreme court, with a 5-4 ruling that it was indeed constitutional. Another significant issue Obama faced during his presidency was the Iraq war. In addition to Obamacare, ending the Iraq war is one thing that Obama is widely known for. The war began in March 2003 because the Bush administration believed that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and that Saddam Hussein, Iraq's tyrannical dictator, was housing terrorists. Even from the beginning, Obama opposed the war, though at the time, many people disagreed with him. In August of 2010, Obama announced that the U.S.'s combat mission in Iraq had ended, but the troops were going to stay in order to support the Iraqi soldiers. By June of 2011, 100,000 troops had already left Iraq. Despite Obamacare and the Iraq war being the largest constitutional issues during Barack Obama's presidency, there were a number of other issues. These include when, in February of 2015, Obama spoke to the nation about, and in favor of the prospect of legalizing marijuana, in mid-2015, when same-sex marriage was legalized in the U.S., and First Lady: Michelle Robinson Obama was born on January 17, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois. She always was incredible in school, and even skipped 2nd grade. For college, she went to Princeton University and graduated in 1985. She later entered Harvard Law School and graduated. After graduating from Harvard, Michelle Obama joined the Chicago corporate-law firm of Sidley ; Austin and mentored Barack Obama who was a Harvard law student at the time and had joined the firm as an intern in 1988. She married Barack Obama in 1992 and was quickly plunged into politics. During Barack Obama's presidential campaign, Michelle Obama was a crucial part of their campaigning; touring the country with him, and even sometimes made her own appearances to support him. In addition, Michelle Obama had her own goals and was able to work towards them during her husband's presidency. During Barack Obama's presidency, Michelle Obama fought the epidemic of obesity in America, promoting physical activity and healthy eating. She started the program Let's Move! in February 2010, which encouraged everyone to make healthier changes. Often, she would visit schools and invite children to the white house where they would tend to her vegetable garden in order to promote healthy lifestyles. She traveled to foreign countries with and without the president, with the intent to improve the relationship with those countries. In addition, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden worked together and launched a program that supported the families of military members in April 2011.Summary of Administration: Barack Obama's presidency began in November of 2008 and ended in January of 2017. He had 8 years in office. During those years, he did many notable things. In 2009, Obama was very active. In February of 2009, he signed a $787 billion spending plan to prompt the economy, announced a salary limit of $500,000 for top executives that had requested federal bailouts, and started a $75 billion plan to help 9 million Americans faced with mortgage problems. In May, he made first supreme court nomination, judge Sonia Sotomayor who was the first Latina supreme court justice and third women on the top court. In the summer, after Obamacare was put into effect, it took over media headlines, causing immense controversy. Obama's first act in 2010 was in April, after the explosion of an oil rig in the Gulf of mexico, when he met with victims of the explosion and established a $20 billion fund for the victims. In May Obama ordered 1,200 National Guard troops to enhance security along the U.S.-Mexican Border, and Fired Stanley A. McChrystal, who was the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, and replaced him with David Petraeus. In the late Spring, he gave speeches about the how education is important to the success of America. In August, he spoke to the nation, marking the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq.2011 and 2012 were not as eventful as 2009 and 2010. In June of 2011, Obama spoke to the nation, announcing the withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan in July, with 33 thousand people returning home. In May of 2012, he challenged lawmakers to help Americans with mortgage and to create jobs and disclosed his belief that same-sex marriage should be legalized. On December 14, 2012, Obama faced what he called, â€Å"the hardest day of his presidency†. Students and teachers in Newton were attacked by an armed gunman, taking the lives of six adults and twenty children. Obama traveled to newton to publically speak about the tragic event, and privately meet with the families of the victims. On December 31, 2012 the government hit the limit on money allowed to borrow, which left the middle class vulnerable to higher taxes. 2013 began with Obama announcing 23 executive orders about gun control, strengthening all background checks for the purchasing of guns on January 16. His second inauguration, took place on January 21, 2013. On the first of February, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the secretary of state, stepped down and was replaced by Senator John Kerry. In September, Congress failed to raise the national borrowing limit as a result of the debt ceiling that was hit on Dec. 31, 2012. This caused 800,000 government to be forced to take a leave of absence, essentially shutting down the government. As a result of this, republican leaders demanded the defund of obamacare, a demand that obama refused to negotiate with. After 16 days, republicans gave in to president obama, allowing temporary spending bills to pass. Dr. Janet Yellen was nominated by Obama as chair of the Board of the Federal Reserve in October. She was the first woman to ever be nominated for the position.Works Citedâ€Å"Affordable Care Act (2010).† Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History, edited by Thomas Riggs, 2nd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2015, pp. 10-12.Biography In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3611000019/BIC?u=mlin_c_gibbons;sid=BIC;xid=0294951f. Accessed 3 May 2018.†Barack Obama.† Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 74, Gale, 2009.Biography In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1606004418/BIC?u=mlin_c_gibbons;sid=BIC;xid=88f4b098. Accessed 3 May 2018.Devaney, Sherri, and Mark Devaney. Barack Obama(JB). MI, Lucent, 2007.Freeman, Richard, et al. â€Å"Barack Obama.† Paywizard.org, 2018, paywizard.org/main/salary/vip-check/barack-obama. Accessed 3 May 2018.†Kathleen Sebelius.† Newsmakers, vol. 4, Gale, 2008.Biography In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K 1618004793/BIC?u=mlin_c_gibbons;sid=BIC;xid=3b18062b. Accessed 3 May 2018.†Michelle Obama.† Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 61, Gale, 2007.Biography In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1606003703/BIC?u=mlin_c_gibbons;sid=BIC;xid=bdb31a03. Accessed 3 May 2018.Nardo, Don. Barack Obama. Minneapolis, Compass Point Books, 2010.â€Å"President Map.† The New York Times, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2012, www.nytimes.com/elections/2012/results/president.html. Accessed 3 May 2018.Williams, Joel, et al., editors.â€Å"Barack Obama: Vetoed Legislation.† Ballotpedia, www.nytimes.com/elections/2012/results/president.html. Accessed 3 May 2018.

Journalism portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journalism portfolio - Essay Example The gathered information shows that there must be unique factors behind the popularity of the Ray-Ban sunglasses, helping it beat competition in the market. The portfolio therefore, mainly aims at establishing these factors, which have contributed to the success of the Ray-Ban sunglasses worldwide. In the portfolio, there is different information, and findings about Ray-Ban, including its other products, challenges, and its marketing strategies. First, it was important to understand and be familiar with the Ray-Ban Company and its history, before delving deep into its business operations. It is established that Ray-Ban brand stepped in the market in 1937, with Bausch & Lomb, an American company, as its founder. Although sunglasses in this era were meant for pilots, this company started manufacturing sunglasses and other fashionable products, for ordinary people. Later, Ray-Ban became popular for the Aviator and Wayfarer sunglasses, which came in various colours and lenses, for both p ilots and ordinary people (â€Å"Timeless fashion† 2012) Ray-Ban sunglasses are stylish and fashionable, but quite expensive, yet still manage to acquire a large global market (â€Å"Ray-Ban† 2013). ... However, the company has dealt with this by informing its customers of the unique features of its sunglasses, such as the lenses, frames and hinges, and the company logo on the sunglasses, which make it easy to differentiate between the real and fake Ray-Ban sunglasses (â€Å"Aticle Alley† 2011). This is the main information in the portfolio, which has helped demystify the success of Ray-Ban brand. This whole exercise of researching Ray-Ban has been a fulfilling one. To a greater extent, it has been like a learning process in the field of business. On the other hand, personal fulfilment came about in terms of making some discoveries about a concept that I had no idea about. For instance, I could have been wondering why Ray-Ban is so popular, but had never taken the initiative of finding out the phenomenon by myself. Therefore, this process has made me learn about the Ray-Ban company in detail, something I could have not achieved were it not for this project. Through this resea rch, I have achieved considerable academic knowledge. First, I have gained more knowledge in the field of journalism. Journalism is all about researching and finding out the truth and facts about aspects that had never been addressed before (Hartin 2004). This is exactly what I did on my personal level, as I had not attempted to research about Ray-Ban before. In the field of business, this project has imparted in me business knowledge. Basing on facts about Ray-Ban, I have learnt the strategies a company can use to ensure a successful and popular brand. In the case of Ray-Ban, this is putting the needs of customers first, to ensure customer satisfaction (Evans & Berman 2003). In the context of media production, the findings of this

CVS Caremark Corporation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

CVS Caremark Corporation - Research Paper Example CVS Caremark’s annual financial reporting structure depicts the company as divided into three business segments: Pharmacy Services, Retail Pharmacy and Corporate (CVS Caremark, CVS Caremark 2011 Annual Report 22). However, from an operations perspective the company is divided into three strategic business units (SBUs): Pharmacy Services, Retail Pharmacy and MinuteClinic (CVS Caremark, â€Å"Our Businesses†). SBUs are mostly autonomous units set up within a corporation that are run like separate companies with their leadership entrusted with full responsibility over their profit and loss (Distelzweig Para 22). CVS Caremark’s three business segments are clearly SBUs because we see each unit being led a president who reports to the corporation’s CEO. Per Lofberg is the president of Pharmacy Services, Mark Cosby, the president of CVS/Pharmacy and Andrew Sussman, president of MinuteClinic. These SBUs are organized along the company’s three broad product lines. The Pharmacy Services business provides a full range of pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services targeting employers, unions, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other sponsors of health benefit plans throughout the US. Retail Pharmacy SBU sells prescription drugs and a wide assortment of general merchandise through the CVS/pharmacies and Longs Drugs retail stores and online through CVS.com. The corporate segment provides management and administrative services such as corporate relations, legal, human resources, corporate information technology and finance departments and so on to support the Company (CVS Caremark, CVS Caremark 2011 Annual Report 23). MinuteClinics are small retail-based, walk-in health clinics located in CVS/Pharmacy stores that offer wellness services, treatment of common ailments and physicals. These clinics provide CVS Caremark with the capabilities to meet its goal of lowering the cost of health care. Given that MinuteClinics operate within t he CVS/Pharmacy stores, in the financial statements, MinuteClinics results are reported under Retail Pharmacy. The performance of the Retail Pharmacy and Pharmacy Services segments are evaluated based on net revenues, gross profit and operating profit before the effect of certain intersegment activities and charges. On the other hand, the corporate segment’s performance is evaluated based on operating expenses before the effect of certain intersegment activities and charges (CVS Caremark, CVS Caremark 2011 Annual Report 26). In 2011, the company’s net revenue was $107.1 billion, an increase of $11.3 billion in comparison to 2010. Of these net revenues, the revenue-generating segments, Pharmacy Services and Retail Pharmacy, contributed almost equally towards this amount. However, from a growth perspective, Pharmacy Services segment net sales increased by 24.9% in 2011 in comparison to Retail Pharmacy’s 3.9% increase. CVS Caremark’s more prominent innovat ions in the recent past have been attained through the integration of services with either other CVS services or other third parties. An example of CVS’

Control System Project for A Car Wash System Assignment

Control System Project for A Car Wash System - Assignment Example Self-generating sensors convert energy for a particular domain to another. The output signal, in this case, turns out to be zero since the signal itself is the only energy applied. For this reason, the sensor is referred to the as self-generating transducer. Self-generating transducers have no output and hence there is no offset as depicted in figure 1 below (Langereis, 1999). This aspect the reason for choosing the thermocouple sensors. Only the slope needs to be known. Â  This group of sensors refers to transducers consisting of devices into which energy could be applied by a specific source. The energy is then modulated using a chemical or physical parameter. Typical examples include the Pt-100 thermo-resistive temperature sensors and pH sensing ISFET. In the case of these sensors, it is possible to eliminate the offset through measuring of the output based on another element that is hardly sensitive to this measured parameter (Kissinger, Hart, & Adams, 1973). In this regard, a zero output would imply that all the conditions in the measuring device equal the conditions at the other device (Langereis, 1999). The choice of these sensors is thus based on the possibility to eliminate undesired signals such as unstable references. The Wheatstone bridge shown below is the most applicable differential set-up in case. Â  The sensor-actuator system is one of the commonest causes of integrated systems and may involve a smart use of data obtained using several sensors. While a typical integration may involve the joining of various structures, it can also involve the integration in data interpretation.

Canterbury Tales - The Pardoner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Canterbury Tales - The Pardoner - Essay Example They help to take a lot of people to holy places that have been made through the events that have been taking place in those places in the footsteps of those individuals who have gone before them or the presence of shrines or relics of the holy individuals. Pardoner giving his tricks of the trade in most of his works, for example, he explains to the pilgrims the major cause of most evils. This expression forms the key theme that he uses most of the time while preaching so as to understand better and loosen the purse strings of most of his audiences. On arrival to town, Pardoner demonstrates some of the relics and their curative traits some of which appeared to be fake though he does not appear to be caring a bit. In most of his preaching, Pardoner struggles to ensure that most of the pilgrims learn to understand that he only work through preaching to earn more money thus he does not hesitate to take money even from the poor widows. He often praises himself that he is a good speaker through tossing some English and Latin phrases to make things sink in the people a bit and in most cases he uses biblical philosophies to look more serious.

Drug abuse Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Drug abuse - Research Paper Example This research paper will seek to explore the above three topics in drug abuse so that by the end of the paper, the researcher will provide recommendations on how to reduce drug abuse in the American society. The commonly abused drugs are alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, heroin and tobacco. This research paper will analyze and examine the health effects it has on the user. Further, it will analyze the short term and long term effects of the drugs so as to give a clear understanding on the effects of drug abuse. The paper will also research on the effects of the drugs to the non-abusers. Non-abusers can be the family members of the abuser, the community around or even the whole country. The research paper will create more emphasis in knowing the different causes of drug abuse for different groups of people. After understanding the causes of drug abuse and the effect it has on the society, the paper will also seek to evaluate the effectiveness of the available control measures. A person begins to experience massive deterioration in health with the starting of use of illicit drugs. The different health costs that were incurred in America in the financial year 2007 lists the number of patients who had been admitted to the hospital and the reason or the cause of their admission. It was found out that the subtotaled health cost rounded up to $11,416,232. The detailed description when given was found to be specialty treatment included $3,723,338. The specialty treatments included a huge population undergoing detoxification, residential, outpatient whose primary abused substance is an illicit drug. It was also noted that most of the people who were the patients of drug abuse were found out to be affected by diseases such as HIV, hepatitis C, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, poisoning and the likes. The latest census reports that about one million of the people of America are living affected by HIV and AIDS due to drug

Physician Assisted Suicide Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Physician Assisted Suicide - Research Paper Example In this paper, we shall look at this debate from the point of view of those who are for physician-assisted suicide. It is our opinion that physician assisted suicide is the right of the person who requests it so long as this person has a very valid reason why his life should be ended. Physician assisted suicide is not a new occurrence and it has in fact existed for as long as suffering has been a part of human reality. Since time immemorial, physicians have been receiving requests from their patients who are suffering to end it all by helping them to die. It is a fact today that some fifty seven percent of physicians have received a request from their patient to assist them to die in one way or the other. In most of these cases, physicians have declined the requests of their patients and have instead suggested alternatives to this course of action. One of these alternatives is the availability of modern medicine, which can relieve their pain because in the past, before the coming of this medicine, unrelieved physical pain may have been better and the physicians in those times do not seem to have had much choice in the matter. Another alternative would be for a patient to be given access to the best care possible by the government and this would most likely eliminate their desire to have a hastening of their deaths until such a time when their lives end naturally. The debate about the legalization of physician-assisted suicide as a means of ending a patients’ suffering remains controversial to this day and the history of this debate suggests that it is periodically given intense attention especially when the cases have the attention of the media. Because there is always the fear that a physician might misunderstand their patient’s wishes, there is currently very little support for physician-assisted suicide. However, physicians need to know how to respond to a request from their patients because whether they like it or not, the requests will keep o n coming and some cases may be so bad that they will have no other choice other than assisting them to die. As the debate on physician assisted suicide continues, there are two principles, which are agreed upon within the medical circles. The first is that the physician is obliged not only to relieve the pain and suffering of their dying patients, but also to ensure their dignity. The second principle is the fact that a physician must do all in his power to ensure that the competent decision made by their patients to forego treatment that sustains their lives is respected. One of the most important events that took place in this debate happened in 1997 when the United States Supreme Court made a decision concerning it. Firstly, it recognized that there was no right in the federal constitution to physician-assisted suicide, and secondly, it made the affirmation that the legislature at the state level may choose to legalize it. There are several arguments why some people are in favor of physician-assisted suicide among those patients whose suffering cannot be relieved by modern medicine. One of these arguments is that it helps to protect patients who know that they are dying but do not want to suffer deaths that are lingering and painful. Furthermore, it has been argued that physician assisted suicide is in line with respecting the independence of a patient in making decisions concerning

Stategic management (strategic thinking) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Stategic management (strategic thinking) - Essay Example The notion of strategy holds its roots in military usage. According to Nickols, "In business, as in the military, strategy bridges the gap between policy and tactics. Together, strategy and tactics bridge the gap between ends and means" (2000, p. 1). Over the years, the definition of the word strategy has been interpreted in a variety of different ways by researchers and scholars. Nickols also claims that the concept of strategy consists of four rudimentary components: perspective, position, plan, and pattern. The official definition that he offers his readers after discussion the definitions proposed by others is that "Strategy is a term that refers to a complex web of thoughts, ideas, insights, experiences, goals, expertise, memories, perceptions, and expectations that provides general guidance for specific actions in pursuit of particular ends. Strategy is at once the course we chart, the journey we imagine and, at the same time, it is the course we steer, the trip we actually make" (2000, p. 1) Strategy can be difficult for a strategist because it often involves a lot of guesswork. No one can predict the future with full accuracy, so quite a few assumptions have to be made based on things such as past performance and experiences. Nonetheless, all strategies are based on goals, which mean managers have an ideal situation in mind to strive for, regardless of whether or not they know exactly how to get there. Strategy involves a lot of risk-taking, which also means that a lot of research has to be performed if it is to be as accurate as possible. Without a carefully made plan, an attempt at organizing a strategy can result in managers running around in circles, wasting money, and becoming quite frustrated (Nickols, 2000). Strategic decisions are made within an organization through a series of key steps. First of all, there is the communication stage where those with a vested interested gather together and exchange thoughts and ideas regarding a particular company's current situation versus where it could end up in the future. SWOT analyses are often conducted at this point. Once the desired end result has been determined, they are communicated continuously to those within the organization so that no one loses sight. Next, it is important that companies ensure a complete and thorough understanding of the desired end result through discussing issues related to it and gathering and observing feedback. One example of strategic decision making of this nature took place when Starbucks chose to redo their organizational structure around 2005, which is now relatively flat compared to the traditional organizational structure (Nickols, 2000). Strategic Thinking Mintzberg does an excellent job of providing advantages, disadvantages, facts, and folklores of strategic thinking in his literary works. Mintzberg claims that there are four myths regarding the job duties of a manager. First of all, people believe that managers tend to plan in a reflective manner, which is untrue since the often prefer to take action in a speedy fashion. Second, people tend to believe that managers are exempt from regular duties, but this is also untrue. Third, people tend to believe that managers always prefer concrete, paper evidence of information, when they in reality often prefer verbal

Export data into external source (m3) Essay Example for Free

Export data into external source (m3) Essay Explain the Impact of Organisational Policies on the Troubleshooting and Repair Process (P1) Referring to the policies related to the College’s network. Produce an audio recording for the Network manager to explain the impact of their organisational policies on the troubleshooting and repair process. Introduction In this documents, I am going to be explaining the impact of organisational policies on the troubleshooting and repair process, I am going to be talking about the organisational policies, such as considerations e.g. security, costs, systems downtime, disruption, resource allocation, prioritisation, contractual requirements, trend analysis, escalation procedures, documentation, reporting, contractual legal issues. Organisational Policies An organisational policy is expected to do many things. Primarily it should protect people and information, as well as set the rules for expected behaviour by users, system administrators, management and security personnel. It should also authorise relevant personnel to monitor, probe, investigate, define and authorise the consequences of violations, in addition to defining the company’s baseline stance on security. This can help minimise risk and help track compliance with appropriate regulations. Security This policy is mainly responsible for making sure that all the security detail such as password and user accounts are secure so you have to make sure that you are the only person that uses the account. IT systems Acceptable usage policy requires from users to log off the computer as inappropriate people could get the access to the data that they shouldn’t. The user also shouldn’t install the unauthorized software as this could lead to the issues such as making the equipment unusable by affecting it performance. The users also have to make sure that the equipment is secure during the use of it and after. The users within college are not allowed to connect they own device to the college network if they don’t get authorization from the IT Manager. Costs In term of costs the members of the staff has to make sure that they examine all the purchasing and introduce the environmental criteria to make sure that the equipment meets all the requirements and condition. They are also required to research on the equipment that they are purchasing to make sure that there is no alternatives with are better or cheaper. They also have to encourage the use of recycled paper to make sure that people don’t use it in inappropriate reasons that are not associated with the course as they are spending the college money. If the potential user with in this case is the student brake the equipment the staff have to make sure that it was reported and the person that did it will have to pay back the money for it. Systems Downtime System downtime is usually affected by many issues but they all can be prevented if the right procedures have been taken and the staffs fallow all the legislations. In this case people have to make sure that they have the right equipment for example server. They also should make regular backups so student and teachers work don’t get lost. The regular maintainer should be taken at the end of each week. System downtime could cause a lot of damage as if the system would be down user wouldn’t be able to perform they daily routine. Disruption Disruption is when something unexpected happened and person responsible for that area is not preparing for it. Organization such as College should have plan for everything so in case that something happen they have solution to repair it and prevents it from happening. For example if users lose they work organization should back them up. In order to back the files up they would have to be prepare for this to happen. Resource Allocation All the resources should be right allocated. This mean that there shouldn’t be too much of resources for one place for example you cannot add too much of the paper for the printer as the printer could damage the paper if there are too many resources than it should be the company could lose a lot of money as they might spend money on the unimportant resources. Resources should be well balanced so if the resources are not needed they shouldn’t been used. Prioritisation The company should prioritize some of the aspect when performing repair as they might be more important and they should be repaired first. For example if network is down and at the same time printer is not working. The person that perform repair should concentrate on repairing network instead of printer as without network printer would be useless. Contractual Requirements In a company, the support team staff would be required to work shifts that will provide coverage for the employees when the offices are officially opened, they will also need to provide extra time in the evening and weekends, where they will carry out the essential maintenance which may have to involve some downtime. The hours that an employee will have to work will be set out for them in what is called an employment contract. They will be limited by the EU legislation and some other regulations such as working time regulations, which will provide the basic right and protections such as: A worker can be required to work at most an average of 48 hours a week (though workers can choose to work more if they want to). For night workers there is a limit of an average of 8 hours worked in 24. Night workers are entitled to receive free health assessments. All staff are entitled to 11 hours of rest a day and to one day off each week. When the working day is longer than 6 hours, workers must have an in-work rest break. Workers are entitled to 4 weeks of paid leave per year. These protections may or may not be in place. You should check your contract to find out any special conditions of service before signing. Trend Analysis The records that are kept of incidents and how these are dealt with can provide useful data how successfully the support team are running, so an organisational policy will decide the frequency of analysis and of data and exactly what type of data has to be recorded by the IT supporting team. Trends can then be identified which will then help with the formulation of the plans to provide better and more reliable hardware and software package, it may then also be used to target a form of training for the users who will need them the most. Trend analysis can then also be used to re-allocate budgets and resources to identify the hotspots. Escalation Procedures An escalation process in different support establishments vary depending on the type of service that they have. In a technical support group, this involves setting up thresholds for certain issues to be addressed at certain levels. Typically it is a tiered setup. For example, Tier 1 can handle issues that can be easily resolved by just a phone call and when the Tier1 representative feels that the issue cannot be resolved at his level (if for example the problem cannot be resolved by their team alone and needs to be addressed by other support teams/departments with higher level of authority) it is then escalated or moved to the next higher team. This way the issues are segregated depending on their severity and type of resolution. Documentation The procedures of documentation vary from one sector, or one type, to another. In general, these may involve document drafting, formatting, submitting, reviewing, approving, distributing, reposting and tracking, etc., and are convened by associated SOPs in a regulatory industry. Since a key step in the process management journey is the documentation of current processes and any exceptions to those processes, this article explores how to create a template for your process documentation guide. A template makes the process of documenting your processes repeatable. Repeatable is the word to remember here primary aspects of a process documentation guide should be easily duplicated and reused to create additional guides after the first process has been documented. This repeatability feature makes it less painful to create your documentation as you move through all the processes in an organization. It also provides readers with a common format to follow as they research or review processes within your organization. Reporting Reporting may seem like a simple exercise in transparency but it is more than that. In fact, it gives management an additional opportunity for improvement, through readers’ reactions, criticisms and suggestions. Considering stakeholder views also helps to shape strategy, goals and objectives. All the inputs from direct stakeholders should be carefully reviewed as part of a management learning process to adapt and fine-tune the company’s sustainable development objectives. Contractual Legal Issues Regardless of whether you use an agency or not, you will require some  knowledge of contract law and the ability to negotiate a suitable agreement. IR35 should be at the forefront of your mind throughout this process if you are to keep as much as possible of your pay packet out of the clutches of the taxman. On the most basic level, any agreement reached with a client must make clear that you are a contractor and not an employee. This distinction should be clear in both the contract and your modus operandi. Primarily, your contract should define exactly what you are agreeing to do for the client. In contrast to an employee, whose work may not be defined at all in the contract, you must make sure that the document clearly lays out the service or services that you are to provide. Conclusion So in conclusion, this document has been explaining the impact of organisational policies on the troubleshooting and repair process, I am going to be talking about the organisational policies, such as considerations e.g. security, costs, systems downtime, disruption, resource allocation, prioritisation, contractual requirements, trend analysis, escalation procedures, documentation, reporting, contractual legal issues. Hopefully, this would help an organisation in the process of troubleshooting and repair.

Studies on Bioactive Tetrahydro Pyrimidine

Studies on Bioactive Tetrahydro Pyrimidine Chapter- 1 General Introduction 1 Chapter 1 General Introduction 1.1 Heterocycles in drug discovery Currently pharmaceutical manufacturing is facing many problems for research and development due to high costs and changeless existence of moieties in these days. According to research of human genome we got assumption that at least 1000 genes are involved in identified and non identified disease. For that research about 20,000 human genome had been decoded. Genetic science suggests that we have to develop 5,000-10,000 new drugs1.because these genes are linked with five and ten protein molecule. So we need to focus in development of low molecular weight drugs. The compounds must be containing specific pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties, which can show the properties of drugs. In these days scientists have many techniques to speed up the drug discovery process, like combinatorial chemistry, microwave-assisted organic synthesis, and high- throughput purification2. Actually, it is very difficult to select moiety with less molecular weight because less than 500 atomic mass unit is 10200, of which only 1060 may possess drug-like properties The proportion is one part in 1057, or roughly the ratio of the mass of one proton to the mass of the sun! The issue is therefore the selection of new molecules from this vast universe that have the potential to be biologically active3.It is important to do research work on medicinal chemistry to synthesis the biologically active bicyclic aromatic heterocycles which should be easily available commercially too. Here is the list of available bicyclic heterocycles is mainly limited to well-known nitrogen containing compounds, such as quinazolines (1), indoles Chapter- 1 General Introduction 2 (2) and benzimidazoles (3). Esatlished examples of privileged substructures include benzodiazepines (4), coumarins (5), quinoxalines (6), benzofurans (7) and benzothiophenes (8)5. In order to improve the hit rate in HTS campaigns,. This library is very helpful to develop active compound in many variety of biological assays. So many scientists have utilized these structures in such a manner. For example, Nicolau K. C. et al. constructed a library based on the benzopyran (9) privileged scaffold6, whereas Schultz P. G. et al. made use of the purine (10) scaffold7. Chapter- 1 General Introduction 3 O (9) Benzopyran N N NH N (10) Purine The benzopyran and purine privileged scaffold 1.2 Nomenclature of the fused ring system As the following chapters deal with the synthesis of bicyclic fused ring systems, its nomenclature is herewith shortly reviewed. The nomenclature follows the following rules: (1) The individual components are named without any application of fused ring system. (2) The parent component is represented in the fusion name by citing it last in the name. The parent component is the one with highest priority according to the following criteria: (a) heterocyclic compounds contains elements in ring. (b) a component containing the larger ring. (c) there are so many atoms of elements in the ring. (d) a component containing the greater variety of heteroatoms. (3) The attached component is then added as a prefix to the parent component. In the name of the prefix, the terminal e is changed to o. (4) The bonds of the parent component are indicated by a, b, c†¦starting with the bond normally occupying the 1,2 positions. The atoms of the attached component are numbered as usual, following the order of numbers in the original heterocycle. (5) The numbering of the final condensed heterocycle is carried out independently, starting at an atom adjacent to a bridged-head atom, whereby heteroatoms receive the smallest possible number. Chapter- 1 General Introduction 4 1.3 Objective:- â€Å"Synthesis and biological evaluation of 1,2,3,4 tetra hydro pyrimidines† will be done. To study the pharmacological and medicinal applicationapplication of synthesized compound. Viz;. antimicrobial, immunodilator, antituberculosis, antielergic and radioprotectves. The synthesis of (AB 101 to 145) will be achieved by acid catalysed cyclocondensation of N-(substituted)-3-oxobutanamide, substituted urea derivatives and 4-(phenoxymethyl) benzaldehyde. The products will be eliminated by spectras,. The newly synthesized compounds will be subjected to various biological activities viz., antimicrobial, anticancer etc.. The synthesis of (AB 146 to 190) will be achieved by acid catalysed cyclocondensation of N-(substitutedphenyl)-4-methyl-3-oxopentanamide, substituted urea and 4-(phenoxymethyl) benzaldehyde. The products will be analyse by spectras.The newly synthesized compounds will be subjected to various biological activities viz., antimicrobial, anticancer etc. Chapter- 1 General Introduction 5 1.4 Some Biological importance of pyrimidines and related heterocycles Recently genetical science is a vast subject of research. To study genetical science, DNA must be decoded. and we know that In the constituents of nucleic acids also pyrimidine exists in form of base. This theory helps treatment of AIDS. The discovery of pyrimidine is itself a big revolution in medical science. Some examples of pyrimidine derivatives are given below which are existing in nucleic acid. (1) reveals diabetogenic action in a number of animals8. . Chapter- 1 General Introduction 6 1.5 Medicinal significance of pyrimidines and related heterocycles. During the last 20 years, the drugs containing pyrimidine are very useful as chemotherapeutic agents . 1.5.1 Antineoplastics and anticancer agents Some other examples of pyrimidine antimetabolite are mopidamol (15)18, nimustine (16)19, raltitrexed (17)20, uramustine (18)21 and trimetrixate (19)22. 1-ÃŽ ²-D-Arabinosylcytosine (Ara-C, 20)23 . These compounds are useful in treatment of cancer and herpes virus infection.While Gemcitabine (21), is useful in the treatment of murine solid tumours24. Chapter- 1 General Introduction 8 1.5.2 Drugs for hyperthyroidism Here are the examples of drug for hyperthyroidism without side effects25. 2-Thiouracil (9c), , Propylthiouracil (9d) thiobarbital (9e) 1.5.3 Antifolates, antibacterials and antiprotozoals Chapter- 1 General Introduction 9 Chapter- 1 General Introduction 10 1.5.4 Sulfa drug 1.5.5 Antivirals and anti-AIDS Pyrimidine is containing antiviral properties also. The most popular derivative is 5-Iododeoxyuridine(IDU) (31)37. Chapter- 1 General Introduction 11 Chapter- 1 General Introduction 12 Chapter- 1 General Introduction 13 1.5.6 Antibiotics Pyrimidine are of multi functional important in medical significance they are good antibiotics also. (42), is used to prevent staphylococcal infections45. While (43), is a cytosine derivative and it is useful in treatment of mycobacteria Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria46. The other (44) and (45)45. And some wide spectrums are Puromycin (46) phleomycin (47a), bleomycin (47b) are containing the pyrimidine ring. tubercidine (48) is also antibiotic which is used as antitumour 46. Bleomycin is an effective derivative for tumor like Hodgkin’s lymphoma and disseminated testicular cancer47. Chapter- 1 General Introduction 14 1.5.7 Antifungals Very common disease found on skin, is fungal infection. But Pyrimidine derivatives are very helpful to solve this problem also because they exhibit antifungal properties also. Flucytosine (49)48 is containing fluorine. And widely strains of candida and Cryptococcus49. And for the treatment of aphthous ulceration Hexitidine50 (50) is used. Chapter- 1 General Introduction 15 1.5.8 Anthelmentics Sometime the patient body creates animal with a long thin body having no legs and no bones are called worms. they are of two types pinworms and roundworms51 .They may cause parasitic attack to body. Pyrantel pamoate (51) is a pyrimidine derivative which can depolarize . 1.5.9 Antitubercular drugs Previously only PABA was known antitubercular drug, now a days pyrimidine derivatives also popular in market like Capreomycin (52).which is made by Streptomyces capreolus and used as second-linebacteriostatic antituberculin drug 52, 53. Chapter- 1 General Introduction 16 In comparison of p-aminosalicyclic acid , Viomycin (53) is more tuberculostatic generally It isused in the treatment of experimental T.B. 1.5.10 CNS active agents 1.5.10.1 Sedative/Hypnotic/Antiepileptic agents Anxiolytic, sedative and hypnotic compounds are of very interest and important in medical science. They may have short time or longtime effect to act on body.54, 55 Barbiturates compound series have the needed properties to act as Anxiolytic, sedative and hypnotic compounds. and secobarbital are popular as hypnotic barbiturates56 among medical science users. Hexobarbital, cyclobarbital and propallylonal are popular sedative, hypnotics57. In 1932 Eli Lilly58 was the first researcher of secbutabarbital which was introduce in market with the name of barbitone (8) in starting of twentieth century. Chapter- 1 General Introduction 17 1.5.10.2 Anxiolytic agents The depression and anxiousness of body, both action are require in the surgery science. And these two actions are psychotic disease also. Generally psychoanalysts are blessed of these pyrimidine compounds having the psychoactive properties to treat psychosis. buspirone (55), is used to settle anxiety disorders.. It acts as sedative, anticonvulsant and muscle- relaxant effects59. anxiolytic activity is a good example of our interest62. mezilamine (57) is well known as an antipsychotic agent63. Risoperidone (58) is used as antipsychotic. Effective for anti parkinsonian drug64 1.5.10.3 Pyrimidine anaesthetics Anaesthetics actions are require in the surgery science. Thimylal (59) is used for minor surgery. This compound is family member of pyrimidine.65,66. Saxitoxin (60)65 dinoflagellates so, it is pyrimidine containing natural source. 1.5.10.4 Diuretics and uricosuri waste fluids, with the result that we need to urinate more often th. xanthine derivatives (61) are members of fused pyrimidine family. caffeine (61a)67, etamiphylline (61b)68, lomiphylline (61c)69, etophylline70 (61d), theophylline (61e)67 and theodrendaline (61f)71 are commanding examples of this problem. 1.5.11.1 Antihypertensives pyrimidine derivatives are effective as antihypertensive also. Examples are Prazosin (64a), is member of quinozoline family, and it is ÃŽ ±1-adrenergic antagonist74, 75. Other are bunazosin (64b)76, terazosin (64c)77 and trimazosin Chapter- 1 General Introduction 19 (64d)78, ketanserin (65)79 and serotonin-S2 is receptor. It is a triaminopyrimidine derivative, minoxidil (66), can be considered similar to Prazosin,by means of action. These drugs are hopeful in treatment of alopecia, male baldness80. More examples of antihypertensives81, 82. Alfuzocin (67)81, is as effective as urapidil (68)82 ,prescribes for urinary obstruction of prostate hyperplasia. 1.5.11.2 Vasodilators This drugs are highly require and demanding in the fast life the cases of cardiovascular disorder are increasing day by day .in activity of daily life patient is attacked by Parkinson’s syndrome in some cases. For this disease xanthine derivatives are used in broad level. cardiovascular disorders83. xantinol nicotinate84 (70b), containing value of nicotinic acid is helpful to support vascular disorders and pimephylline (70a) and pyridophylline85 (70c). A new dopamine stimulant, pirebidil (71)86 is used in ADL( Activity of DailyLiving) for the patient of Parkinsonâ€℠¢s syndrome. Chapter- 1 General Introduction 20 1.5.11.3 Cardiotonics/Bronchodialators Bronchitis is an illness like a very bad cough,in which our bronchial tubes become sore and infected. Important pyrimidine derivatives acting as drugs are : xanthine derivatives theophylline (61e), aminophylline (72a)87 andproxyphylline (72b)87. Chapter- 1 General Introduction 21 1.5.12 Antihistaminic pyrimidines Histamine affects directly to central nervous system. This is very sensitive to our body and needed to cure very sharply. Low or higher dose of the medicine may cause dangerous effect to body.Taziphylline (73) is more effective than astemizole and terfenadine88. Other example is temelastine (73a)89. With reference of Radiolabelled studies it came to know that it does not penetrate the Central nervous system. while Icotidine (73b), lacks Central nervous system (CNS) activity. It is working effectively on both H1 and H2 receptors90. Pemirolast (74)91, is used for severe asthma and proved best pyrimidine derivative. piprinhydrinate (75)92 is also good medicine having pyrimidine. 1.5.13 Analgesics and NSAID drugs Most common problems are seemed in human being are alcoholism and diabetes mellitus .for these different problems many pyrimidine derivatives are being used like Acetiamine (76a)93, bentiamine (76b)93 and Chapter- 1 General Introduction 22 fursultiamine (76c)94 which are lipid-soluble forms of thiamine (vitamin B1) For lower back pain patients Afloqualone (77)95 is the best anti-inflammatory medicine. Epirazole (78)96 and Proquazone (81)99are proved better medicine because of Nonsteroidal character (anti-inflammatory drugs), Ademetionine (79)97 is basic drug of glucosamine and chondroitin therapy. Octotiamine (80)98, is derivative of vitamin B1. Chapter- 1 General Introduction 23 1.5.14 Metabolic electrolytes In metabolic therapy a pyrimidine derivative Orotic acid (82)100 is useful. To prevent heart failure of patient orate is best to synthesize pyrimidine nucleotides biologically in body as they are main constituents of DNA and RNA. . Chapter- 1 General Introduction 24 1.6 Conclusion