Book Report: The Hunger Games Essay

Characters: * Katniss Everdeen (girl on fire)

Soil Mechanics by Jerry Vandevelde

SOIL MECHANICS (version Fall 2008) Presented by: Jerry Vandevelde, P. E. Chief Engineer GEM Engineering, Inc. 1762 Watterson Trail Louisville, Kentucky (502) 493-7100 1 National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying http://www. ncees. org/ 2 STUDY REFERENCES †¢ Foundation Engineering; Peck Hanson & Thornburn †¢Introductory Soil Mechanics and Foundations; Sowers †¢NAVFAC Design Manuals DM-7. 1 & 7. 2 †¢Foundation Analysis and Design; Bowles †¢Practical Foundation Engineering Handbook; Brown 3 Soil Classification Systems * Unified Soil Classification System * AASHTO Need: Particle Sizes and Atterberg Limits 4Particle Sizes (Sieve Analysis) (Well Graded) (Poorly Graded) 0. 1 5 Atterberg Limits Liquid, Plastic & Shrinkage Limits Plasticity Index (PI) PI = Liquid Limit – Plastic Limit (range of moisture content over which soil is plastic or malleable) 6 UNIFIED SOIL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM ASTM D-2487 7 8 Ref: Peck Hanson & Thornburn 2nd Ed. Effe ctive Size = D10 10 percent of the sample is finer than this size D60 = 1. 6mm D30 = 0. 2mm D10 = 0. 03mm 0. 1 0. 1 9 Uniformity Coefficient (Cu) = D60/D10 Coefficient of Curvature (Cz) = (D30)2/(D10xD60) D60 = 1. 6mm D30 = 0. 2mm D10 = 0. 03mm 0. 1 10 Well Graded – Requirements 50% coarser than No. 00 sieve Uniformity Coefficient (Cu) D60/D10 >4 for Gravel > 6 for Sand Coefficient of Curvature (Cz) = (D30)2/(D10xD60) = 1 to 3 11 Is the better graded material a gravel? 81% Passing No. 4 18% Finer No. 200 0. 1 0. 1 12 Gravel if > 50 Percent Coarse Fraction retained on No. 4 sieve % Retained on No. 200 = 82% 1/2 = 41% 19% (100-81) retained on No. 4 sieve (gravel) 19< 41 half of coarse fraction 81% Passing No. 4 18% Finer No. 200 ? sand 0. 1 (â€Å"S†) 13 Well Graded Sand? Uniformity Coefficient (Cu) > 6 = D60/D10 Coefficient of Curvature (Cz) = 1 to 3 = (D30)2/(D10xD60) 14 D60 = 1. 6mm D30 = 0. 2mm D10 = 0. 3mm 0. 1 Well Graded Sand? Uniformity Coefficient (Cu) D60/D10 = 1. 6/. 03 = 53 > 6 D60 = 1. 6mm D30 = 0. 2mm D10 = 0. 03mm Coefficient of Curvature (Cz) = (D30)2/(D10xD60) = 0. 22/(. 03Ãâ€"1. 6) = 0. 83 12% Passing No. 200 sieve: GM, GC, SM, SC 0. 1 >12% passing No. 200 sieve Since = â€Å"S† ? SC or SM 16 What Unified Classification if LL= 45 & PI = 25? From sieve data SC or SM 0. 1 A) â€Å"SC† B) â€Å"SM† C) â€Å"CL† or D) â€Å"SC & SM† 17 Unified Classification Answer is â€Å"A† ? SC 18 AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) 19 What is the AASHTO Classification? 65% Passing No. 10 40% Passing No. 0 18% Finer No. 200 1) 18 % passing No. 200 sieve 2) 65% passing No. 10 sieve 3) 40% passing No. 40 sieve 4) assume LL = 45 & PI = 25 20 18 percent passing No. 200 sieve; 65 percent passing No. 10 sieve 40 percent passing No. 40 sieve; assume LL = 45 & PI = 25 21 AASHTO Classification 1 2 3 4 4 1) 18 % passing No. 200 sieve 2) 65% passing No. 10 sieve 3) 40% passing No. 40 sieve 4) assume LL = 45 & PI = 25 22 AASHTO Group Index 23 Mass-Volume (Phase Diagram) †¢ Unit volume of soil contains: Total Volume Va Air Total Vt Vv Vw Vs Water Ww Ws Weight Wt Soil – Air (gases) – Water (fluid) – Solid Particles 24 Moisture Content = ? eight of water/ weight of dry soil ? = Ww/Wd water loss/(moist soil weight – water loss) ? = Ww/(Wm-Ww) and ? =(Wm-Wd)/Wd 25 Mass – Volume Relationships Density or Unit Weight = Moist Unit Weight = ? m ? ?m = Wm/Vt = ? d + ? ?d ? = (? m – ? d )/ ? d ? ?d + ? d = ? m ? m= (1+ ? ) ? d ? d = ?m/(1+ ? ) b 26 Total Volume = ? Volume (solid + water + air) = Vs+Vw+Va ? Va = Vt – Vs- Vw Total Volume Va Air Total Vt Vv Vw Vs Water Ww Ws Weight Wt Soil 27 Relationship Between Mass & Volume Volume = Mass/(Specific Gravity x Unit Weight of Water) = Ws/(SGxWw) Va Total Volume Air Total Vt Vv Vw Vs Water Ww Ws Weight Wt Soil 28Specific Gravity = weight of material/ weight of same vol ume of water Soil Specific Gravity Typical Range 2. 65 to 2. 70 Specific Gravity of Water = 1 29 Saturation = S expressed as percent S = volume of water/ volume of voids x 100 Total Volume Va Air Total S = Vw/Vv x 100 Ww Ws Weight Vt Vv Vw Vs Water Wt Soil Always ? 100 30 Porosity n = volume of voids/ total volume n = Vv/Vt Void Ratio e = volume of voids/ volume of solids e = Vv/Vs Total Volume Va Air Total Vt Vv Vw Vs Water Ww Ws Weight Wt Soil 31 What is the degree of saturation for a soil with: SG = 2. 68, ? m = 127. 2 pcf & ? = 18. 6 percent A) 88. 4 Total Volume VaAir Total Vt Vv Vw Vs Water Ww Ws Weight B) 100. 0 Wt Soil C) 89. 1 32 What are the porosity and degree of saturation for a soil with: SG = 2. 68, ? m = 127. 2 pcf & ? = 18. 6 percent = 107. 3pcf ?d = ? m/(1+ ? ) = 127. 2/(1. 186) Total Volume Va Air Total Vt Vv Vw Vs Water Soil Ww Weight Wt Ws Ww = ? m- ? d = 19. 9 pcf Vw = Ww/62. 4 = 0. 319 cf Vs = ? d /(SGx62. 4) = 0. 642 cf Va = Vt – Vw – Vs = 1- 0. 319 – 0. 642 = 0. 039 cf Vv = Vw + Va = 0. 358 cf 33 What are the porosity and degree of saturation for a soil with: SG = 2. 68, ? m = 127. 2 pcf & ? = 18. 6 percent Vw = 0. 319 cf, Vs = 0. 642 cf, Vv = 0. 358 cf Total VolumeVa Air Total Degree of Saturation = Vw/Vv x 100 Ww Weight Wt Ws Vt Vv Vw Vs Water = 0. 319/0. 358 x 100 = 89. 1% Soil Answer is â€Å"C† 34 Ref: NAVFAC DM-7 35 Borrow Fill Adjustments Borrow Material Properties: ?m = 110 pcf & ? = 10% Placed Fill Properties: ? d = 105 pcf & ? = 20% How much borrow is needed to produce 30,000 cy of fill? How much water must be added or removed from each cf of fill? Total Volume Va Air Total Vt Vv Vw Vs Water Ww Ws Weight Wt Soil 36 Borrow Fill Adjustments Borrow Material Properties: ?m = 110 pcf & ? = 10% ?d = ? m /(1+? ) = 110/(1. 10) =100 pcf; Ww = 110-100=10 lbs Placed Fill Properties: ? = 105 pcf & ? = 20% Ww = ? x ? d = 0. 2x 105 = 21 lbs Total Volume Va Air Total Vt Vv Vw Vs Water Ww Ws Weight Wt Soil 37 Borro w Fill Adjustments Borrow Properties: ? m = 110 pcf, ? d =100 & ? = 10% Placed Fill Properties: ? d = 105 pcf & ? = 20% Since borrow ? d =100pcf & fill ? d =105pcf, 105/100 =1. 05 It takes 1. 05 cf of borrow to make 1. 0 cf of fill For 30,000 cy, 30,000 x 1. 05 = 31,500 cy of borrow Total Volume Va Air Total Vt Vv Vw Vs Water Ww Ws Weight Wt Soil 38 Borrow Fill Adjustments Borrow Material Properties: Ww = 10 lbs Placed Fill Properties: Ww = 21 lbs Water supplied from borrow in each cf of fill = 10 x 1. 5 = 10. 5 lbs; 21 lbs – 10. 5 = 10. 5 lbs short/1. 05 cf 10. 5lbs/1. 05 cy = 10 lbs of water to be added per cf borrow Total Volume Va Air Total Vt Vv Vw Vs Water Ww Ws Weight Wt Soil 39 Proctor: Moisture Density Relationships Establishes the unique relationship of moisture to dry density for each specific soil at a specified compaction energy MOISTURE-DENSITY RELATIONSHIP 108. 0 106. 0 104. 0 D ry D ensity (pcf) 102. 0 100. 0 98. 0 96. 0 94. 0 92. 0 90. 0 88. 0 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 14. 0 16. 0 18. 0 20. 0 22. 0 24. 0 26. 0 28. 0 Moisture Content (%) 40 Proctor: Moisture Density Relationships †¢ 4† mold 25 blows †¢ 6† mold 56 blows Standard – 5. 5 lb hammer – dropped 12 in – 3 layers Standard: ASTM D-698 AASHTO T-99 Modified: ASTM D-1557 AASHTO T-150 †¢ Modified – 10 lb hammer – dropped 18 in – 5 layers 41 PROCTOR COMPACTION TEST Maximum Dry Density – Highest density for that degree of compactive effort Optimum Moisture Content – Moisture content at which maximum dry density is achieved for 42 that compactive effort Proctor: Moisture Density Relationships MOISTURE-DENSITY RELATIONSHIP 108. 0 106. 0 104. 0 Dry Density (pcf) 102. 0 100. 0 98. 0 96. 0 94. 0 92. 0 90. 0 88. 0 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 14. 0 16. 0 18. 0 20. 0 22. 0 24. 0 26. 0 28. 0 Moisture Content (%)What density is required for 95% Compaction? What range of moisture would facilitate achieving 95% compaction? 43 Proctor: M oisture Density Relationships MOISTURE-DENSITY RELATIONSHIP 108. 0 106. 0 104. 0 Dry Density (pcf) 102. 0 100. 0 98. 0 96. 0 94. 0 92. 0 90. 0 88. 0 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 14. 0 16. 0 18. 0 20. 0 22. 0 24. 0 26. 0 28. 0 Moisture Content (%) 104 x . 95 = 98. 8 pcf A 95% B Range of moisture is within the curve A to B (14 to 24 %) 44 Proctor: Zero Air Voids Line Relationship of density to moisture at saturation for constant specific gravity (SG) Can’t achieve fill in zone right of zero air voids line ZMOISTURE-DENSITY RELATIONSHIP 108. 0 106. 0 104. 0 Dry Density (pcf) 102. 0 100. 0 98. 0 96. 0 94. 0 92. 0 90. 0 88. 0 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 14. 0 16. 0 18. 0 20. 0 22. 0 24. 0 26. 0 28. 0 Moisture Content (%) 45 Proctor: Moisture Density Relationships MOISTURE-DENSITY RELATIONSHIP 108. 0 106. 0 104. 0 Dry Density (pcf) 102. 0 100. 0 98. 0 96. 0 94. 0 92. 0 90. 0 88. 0 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 14. 0 16. 0 18. 0 20. 0 22. 0 24. 0 26. 0 28. 0 Moisture Content (%) If SG = 2. 65 & moisture content is 24% What dry density achieves 100% saturation? A) 100. 0 pcf B) 101. 1 pcf 46 Proctor: Moisture Density RelationshipsMOISTURE-DENSITY RELATIONSHIP 108. 0 106. 0 104. 0 Dry Density (pcf) 102. 0 100. 0 98. 0 96. 0 94. 0 92. 0 90. 0 88. 0 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 14. 0 16. 0 18. 0 20. 0 22. 0 24. 0 26. 0 28. 0 Moisture Content (%) X ?d=SG62. 4/(1+? SG/100) ? d=2. 65Ãâ€"62. 4/(1+24Ãâ€"2. 65/100) ? d=101. 1 pcf Answer is â€Å"B† 47 Ref: Peck Hanson & Thornburn Static Head 48 Calculate effective stress at point x Ref: Peck Hanson & Thornburn Saturated Unit Weight ? sat 5’ ? sat = 125 pcf Moist Unit Weight ? M Dry Unit Weight ? Dry 7’ Submerged (buoyant) Unit Weight = ? sat – 62. 4 x 49 Calculate effective stress at point x Ref: Peck Hanson & ThornburnTotal Stress at X 5’ ? sat = 125 pcf = 5 x 62. 4+ 7x 125= 1187psf Pore Pressure at X 7’ = 12 x 62. 4 = 749 psf Effective Stress at X = 1187-749= 438 psf x or (125-62. 4) x 7=438 psf 50 Ref: Peck Hanson & Thor nburn Downward Flow Gradient 51 Downward Flow Gradient 3’ Total Stress at X = 5 x 62. 4+ 7x 125= 1187psf Pore Pressure at X ? sat = 125 pcf 7’ = (12-3) x 62. 4 = 562 psf Effective Stress at X = 1187-562 = 625 psf 5’ x or 438 + 3 x 62. 4 = 625psf see previous problem 52 Upward Flow Gradient Ref: Peck Hanson & Thornburn 53 One Dimensional Consolidation ?e/pn 54 Primary Phase Settlement (e log p) ? H = (H x ? )/(1+eo) eo ? H H 55 Consolidation Test Pre-consolidation Pressure Cc = slope of e log p virgin curve est. Cc = 0. 009(LL-10%) Skempton Rebound or recompression curves 56 56 e- l o g p Calculate Compression Index; Cc 1. 50 1. 40 1. 30 Void Ratio (e) 1. 20 1. 10 ksf 0. 1 1 4 8 16 32 (e) 1. 404 1. 404 1. 375 1. 227 1. 08 0. 932 1. 00 0. 90 A) 0. 21 B) 0. 49 57 0. 80 0. 1 1 10 100 Pr essur e ( ksf ) Cc is the slope of the virgin e-log p e- l o g p Cc = -(e1-e2)/log (p1/p2) 1. 50 Cc=-(1. 375-1. 227)/log(4/8) Cc = 0. 49 Answer is â€Å"B† ksf 0. 1 1 4 8 16 3 2 (e) 1. 404 1. 404 1. 375 1. 227 1. 08 0. 932 1. 40 Cc Void Ratio (e) . 30 1. 20 1. 10 1. 00 0. 90 0. 80 0. 1 1 10 100 Pr essur e ( ksf ) 58 Permeability Constant Head Conditions †¢ Q=kiAt †¢ Q= k (h/L)At †¢ k=QL/(Ath) 59 If Q =15cc & t = 30 sec what is the permeability k=QL/(Ath) 10cm 5cm A) 0. 01 cm/sec B) 0. 01Ãâ€"10-2 cm/sec 25cm2 C) 0. 1 cm/sec 60 Constant Head Permeability Calculate k Q =15cc & t = 30 sec †¢ k=QL/(Ath) †¢ k= 15(5)/(25(30)10) †¢ k= 0. 01 cm/sec Answer is â€Å"A† 10cm 5cm 25cm2 61 Falling Head Permeability †¢ k=QL/(Ath) (but h varies) †¢ k=2. 3aL/(At) log (h1/h2) †¢ where a = pipette area †¢ h1 = initial head †¢ h2 = final head 62 If t = 30 sec; h1= 30 cm; h2 = 15 cm L= 5 cm; a= 0. cm2; A= 30 cm2; calculate k A) 2. 3Ãâ€"10-3 cm/sec B) 8. 1Ãâ€"10-6 cm/sec C) 7. 7Ãâ€"10-4 cm/sec 63 Falling Head Permeability k=2. 3aL/(At) log (h1/h2) k= 2. 3 (0. 2) 5 /(30Ãâ€"30) log (30/15) k= 7. 7Ãâ€"10-4 cm/sec Answer is â€Å"C† 64 †¢Flow lines & head drop lines must intersect at right angles †¢All areas must be square †¢Draw minimum number of lines †¢Results depend on ratio of Nf/Nd Flow Nets 6ft 2ft 65 Q=kia=kHNf /Nd wt (units = volume/time) w= unit width of section t=time Flow Nets 6ft 66 What flow/day? assume k= 1Ãâ€"10-5 cm/sec =0. 0283 ft/day Q= kH (Nf /Nd) wt Q= 0. 0283x8x(4. 4/8)x1x1 Q= 0. 12 cf/day 2ft Flow Nets ft 67 Check for â€Å"quick conditions† pc =2(120)= 240 psf (total stress) Flow Nets Below water level use saturated unit weight for total stress ?= 2(62. 4) = 124. 8 (static pressure) = 1/8(8)(62. 4)= 62. 4 (flow gradient) = 240-(124. 8+62. 4) 2ft 2ft 6ft p’c = pc -(? + ) p’c = 52. 8 psf >0, soil is not quick ?sat=120 pcf 68 Stress Change Influence (1H:2V) For square footing z=Q/(B+z)2 69 If Q= 20 kips, Calculate the vertical stress increase at 7 feet below the footing bottom 5’ 8’ 7’ 70 If Q= 20 k ips, Calculate the vertical stress increase at 7 feet below the footing bottom 5’ 8’ z = 0000 (8+7)(5+7) 7’ z = 111 psf 71 Westergaard (layered elastic & inelastic material) If B= 6. 3’ in a square footing with 20 kips load, what is the vertical stress increase at 7’ below the footing bottom? 72 Westergaard Q = 20 kips B = 6. 3’ Z = 7’ z = ? 73 Westergaard 7’/6. 3’ = 1. 1B z = 0. 18 x 20000/6. 32 = 90. 7 psf 74 Boussinesq (homogeneous elastic) Q = 20 kips B = 6. 3’ Z = 7’ z = ? 75 Boussinesq Z/B = 1. 1 z = 0. 3 x 20000/6. 32 = 151 psf 76 Thanks for participating in the PE review course on Soil Mechanics! More questions or comments? You can email me at: [email  protected] com 77

Gym Proposal Allowing More Gym in School

Untied states is known to have the most obsessed people in the world, yet they continue to not do anything about it. In Shrewsbury high school we have Gym 2 days out of a 7 day schedule, and sometimes you can end up not having gym for a whole week. The recommended exercise per week is 30 minutes 3-4 times a week. Most teenagers don’t even exercise on there own outside of school excluding those who participate in sports. Our health is just as important as your educations. They should change Gym from 2 days out of a 7 day schedule to making it 3 days per week.I feel that providing gym more during the week can help teens reach or be closer to reaching there recommended exercise per a week. Obesity is one of the main issues teenagers have to deal with in the united states. Making gym 3 days a week could help students reach there recommended exercise to stay health. This is going to stop obesity but if you make it as important as learning students will realize that its and issue an d exercise on there own to help there health. Schools make students realize how important it is to study and keep your grades up and to continue you to do great in school.Well by applying gym 3 days a week it can help them get the thought of exercise nailed in there heads so they see the importance of this alone with there education. a lot of students believe that this wont help them exercise more, and it be a pointless act because they hate gym as it is already. But a lot of students don’t even realize how important exercise is to you. They’d think that there exercise level will remain the same, but if the gym teachers run tests to make sure students are exercising out of school they may take it more serious then It is taken.Of course each student will have there own goals as long as there improving in some sort of way. Making gym 3 days a week can be done a simple way, but having schools 1 hour long there usually. On certain days you don’t have gym you can hav e an independent study. Everything about school can run the same with educational part, but have gym 3 out of the 5 days you attend school. The gym teacher can provide a test every month to make sure students are improving and treat it as if it was a normal class. In Shrewsbury we have assigned gym teachers only for gym so it wont interrupt in any educational part. lot of students feel they’d fail school but by forcing the importance of this it can help students change they way they live there life and realize its just as important as there education. Knowing from being a high school student I never exercised outside of school and never even worried about exercising much. Knowing most students they did the same if not less than what I know. Your suppose to have 30 minutes of exercise 3 days a week. By purposing gym 3 days a week to the gym teachers this could help students reach that goal or if not exceeded it.Having test at the end of each month will encourage students to ha ve to do some sort of physical activity in order to pass the class showing the importance of it. Many student would say that they do exercise enough and that there physically fit, and by having gym 3 days a week is a waste of time. If there are so physically fit then it should be an essay A, and they can be role models to those who are not physically fit. This may be easier to some, than others specially those who participate in athletic sports outside of school.This may help some of the students want to be apart of those sports to get there daily exercise in by doing something they enjoy and being with other students. To wrap this all up, your health is just as important as your education. Gym isn’t going to be the one to fix all obesity, and unfit students but hopefully it can be the next step in helping that cause. This helps students realize that you need to exercise part of your daily life and make it your lifestyle not a one day week or not all kind of thing. Implying t he importance of exercise will show the students how important this is and help students exercise.

Talking point( Family communication class) Essay

Talking point( Family communication class) - Essay Example Children whose parents divorced are recorded to be exhibiting less â€Å"emotional, behavioral, mental and social stability, have poorer health and inferior academic† performance (Fabricius et al., 2010, p. 202). Divorce can be caused by a variety of factors and is a very complex emotional issue. In general, divorce rates are increasing due to the rising level of economic independence of a woman and also because of higher educational attainment by most women. There are many social factors contributory to increasing divorce rates these days such as a decline in influence of religion, reduced communalism and a corresponding rise in individualism. However, most of the highly relevant reasons for a divorce are actually the result of a miscommunication or a lack of effective communications between the two principal partners. These are called as the predictive factors of a divorce such as repeated expressions of negative affect, low levels of emotional support, frequent arguments, infidelity and frequent heated arguments. Many of the causes happen on multiple levels and interact (Clarke-Stewart & Brentano, 2007, p. 29). This project is focused on the attachment theory which was originally developed for children and later on extended to adults in family relationships (Feeney & Noller, 1996, p. 5). Specifically, it looks at the dysfunctional nature of their communications (Rholes & Simpson, 2006, p. 23). Attachment theory from a dialectical perspective involves three general thoughts on family relationships that are privacy as against transparency, novelty versus predictability and finally, desired autonomy as against connectedness and intimacy. An important part of the intervention is looking at several talking points designed to help diffuse mis-communications. 1. Talking Point No. 1 – It takes two to tango. When people get into trouble with their partners, they usually blame the other person and

Managing Interest Rate and Exchange Rate Volatility Assignment

Managing Interest Rate and Exchange Rate Volatility - Assignment Example Buckley (1996) identifies two other types of interest rate risk, which include basis risk and Gap risk. If interest rates are determined on a different basis for assets and liabilities then a firm having loans and debts will face basis risk. A company faces basis risk when the interest rates on its loans and debts are determined using different basis. (Buckley, 1996) Assume for example that Kaufman & Connelly Plc issues a fixed rate bond to fund its financing needs and at the same time gives out a loan to another party at a floating interest rate. Her interest payments will therefore be fixed while interest receipts will be variable and will depend on prevailing rates. She will therefore be facing basis risk since her interest expenses and revenues will be determined on different basis. A company faces gap risk when it has both fixed rate liabilities and assets. When fixed rate liabilities exceed fixed rate assets then there is positive Gap, with a positive gap a rise in short term rates increases margins while declining rates decrease margins. On the contrary if fixed rate liabilities are less than fixed rate assets, then there is negative gap. In this case a rise in short-term rates decreases margins while a decrease increases margins.(Buckley, 1996). Elekdag and Tchakarov (2006). Changes in interest rates have also been the major determinants of business cycles or trade cycles in emerging markets such as Thailand in recent times. (Elekdag and Tchakarov, 2006). The figure above is an indication of how interest rates and business cycles are related in Thailand. High interest rates lead to low output whereas low interest rates lead to high output. Therefore Kaufman & Connelly Plc is likely to face decreases in demand for its products during a period of the high interest rates and increases in demand during lower interest rates. ii. FOREIGN EXCHANGE EXPOSURE Exchange rate exposure can be defined as the degree to which a firm's cash flows, assets, liabilities and value can be affected by exchange rate movements. (Buckley, 1996). According to Buckley (1996), assets, liabilities, profits or expected future cash flows are said to be exposed to foreign exchange risk when a change in exchange rate would result in either a positive or negative change in the home functional currency (home currency) value of the asset, liability, profit, expected cash flow or firm value. The term "exposure" used in the context means that the firm has assets, liabilities, profits or expected future cash flow streams such that the home currency value of assets, liabilities, profits or the present value in home currency terms of expected future cash flows changes as changes in exchange rates occur (Buckley, 1996: pp 133). From the foregoing foreign-currency-denominated assets and liabilities as well as expected foreign-currency-denominated future cash flow streams are clearly exposed to exchange rate risk. (Buckley, 1996; Shapiro, 2003). Buckley (1996) also notes that home-currency-denominated expected future cash flows may also be exposed to foreign exchange risk. For example, a firm based and selling goods in the United States may be competing with European firms and as such its expected future c

Reading questions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reading questions - Case Study Example This strategy is effective when marketing a strong brand, which faces competition from other brands (Simonson, 72). Consumers make decisions after analyzing the choices on offer. Introducing a product that is inferior to the current product in the market would increase the sales of the superior product. Marketers use this strategy of introducing inferior products to increase the market share of superior products. For instance, designing a new model that has new features and pricing it at the same price as the old model would increase the sales of the new model. Most firms in the automobile industry use this strategy to increase the sales of their products (Simonson, 70). The manager at the local grocery stores can use alternative descriptions to influence the sales of the grocery’s products. Framing of product descriptions can help increase the sales of that particular product. The manager may also increase the sales of the grocery by offering a mix of products like onions and tomatoes. The sequence effect relates to the main points of an event. People will always consider the sequence in which a series of events took place. People consider events basing on the high and low points as well as the ending of the sequence of events (Chase & Dasu, 80). For instance, individuals donating blood will remember the long queues they had to follow, the stages they had to go through and the ending of the whole experience. One might improve this consumer situation by increasing the personnel to reduce the long queues. There is also need to reduce the stages through which a consumer has to pass before the end of the event (Chase & Dasu, 81). Finally, there is need for offering a meal to those who go through the blood donation experience. People’s perception of time is subjective. Increasing the segments of an activity lengthens its perceived duration (Chase & Dasu,

Organizational behavior Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational behavior - Case Study Example â€Å"The customer is the foundation of business success† (Hose, 2013). When Amie Lee was appointed to a supervisory position one of the other employees, Hahn Chen, was outraged and asked Abdul for an immediate transfer. He claimed he could not work under a person that did not have any technical skills. There is more than meets the eye at the reaction of Hahn Chen. Mr. Chen is a Chinese American that was raised by Chinese immigrant parents. Amie Lee is also of Chinese heritage. The organization behavior theory that explains the behavior of Hahn Chen is cultural conflict. In China females are visualized as second class citizens in the workplace. For a Chinese person it is disrespectful to work under the supervision of a woman. China is a male oriented society in which sexism is a common occurrence (China, 2011). As a manager Abdul would benefit from the OB concept of perception. Perception can be defined as the process through which people receive, organize, and interpret infor mation from their environment (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, 2003). He must realize that Hahn Chen is lying about his rejection of Amie as his supervisor. In reality his actions are discriminatory against women in the workplace. Discrimination in the workplace based on gender or sex is prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Eeoc, 2013). The problem could have been avoided by the manager through training and development. The employees of the firm should have been given cultural and discrimination training as part of their orientation period when they became employees of the company. The firm must take this matter very seriously because Hahn Chen just exposed the firm to legal liabilities if Amie decides to take actions against the firm. She was discriminated against by Mr. Chen. Nobody has the right to make another person feel bad and inferior in the workplace. Abdul Balli must take this problem very seriously and seek a solution immediately. Any solution must recogni ze the fact that Amie is the victim in this scenario and her needs should be the top priority. The first step Abdul must take is to meet with Amie to evaluate her state of mind. She left the meeting crying, thus it is fair to assume that Hahn’s action affected her emotionally. Abdul must make it clear to her that she is a value member of the staff, that the company is extremely happy with her work performance, and that she earned the promotion that was given to her. Abdul must tell her that the actions of Hahn are not representative of the business culture of the firm. To resolve the conflict Abdul will approve the transfer request of Hahn Chen under the condition that he takes sensitivity, discrimination and cultural training immediately. Transferring Chen leaves a position open the engineering department. Abdul must hire a person to fill the void. To speed up the process an employment agency will be hire to recruit a new engineer for the staff. Abdul cannot allow its employ ees to adapt bad customs from other cultures into the workplace. References China.org (2011). Chinese women seek larger role. Retrieved December 3, 2013 from http://www.china.org.cn/china/2011-08/10/content_23177569.htm Eeoc.org (2013). Sex-Based discrimination. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved December 3, 2013 from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/sex.cfm Hose, C. (2013). Customer Importance in Marketing. Retrieved

COUNTER CULTURE, COUNTER MEMORY AND PARTICIPATION Essay

COUNTER CULTURE, COUNTER MEMORY AND PARTICIPATION - Essay Example At some point in the 1970s, global economic depression destroyed the illusion of post-World-War-II prosperity and the idea of a ‘post-scarcity society’ (Kellner 1995, 3) was substituted by discourses demanding rationalising expectations, restrictions to growth, and the inevitability of economic and state reform (Kellner 1995); such reform occurred in most regions of the capitalist world throughout the 1980s under the command of conventional regimes which curtail social welfare agendas, while strengthening the military sector and adding to national deficits, with enormous debts that remain unpaid (Jameson 1991). The past decades have also witnessed the downfall of Soviet communism and the culmination of the Cold War (Sebestyen 2009). Communist and capitalist countries, after World War II, begin vying for political, economic, and cultural supremacy. Forces in both leagues provoked hot and cold armed conflicts, leading to intense militarisation and overt and covert hostilities between replacements of the superpowers (Katz 2000). Outrageous military organisations on both blocs and weapons of mass destruction generated an edgy, fearful age, where fanatic and suspicious bureaucrats could pressure citizens into recognising social policies that mostly benefited and profited the powerful and greedy, while delaying major social reform and the construction of a more fair and reasonable social order (Sebestyen 2009). Innovative technologies have also appeared in the recent decades which have altered the orders of everyday life and impressively reorganised work and leisure (Klein 2001). These new globalised infrastructures and networks also offer effective types of social control through more effective, ingeniously hidden strategies of propaganda and manipulation (Klein 2001). Definitely, their very presence might weaken political forces and keep individuals securely installed within

Critical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Critical Analysis - Essay Example Healthcare expenditure of the United States constituted almost 17% of the GDP. Healthcare costs rise at a rate faster than the income of the nation. Healthcare costs are expected to rise in future. A control in the rise is the need of the hour as healthcare costs are negatively affecting the growth and economic stability of the nation. Even though health care systems of America are benefited from the investments in healthcare, the heavy increase in healthcare costs, increasing federal deficit and the general economic slowdown are negatively affecting them. Medicare, Medicaid and other health-insurance coverage sponsored by employers are extremely burdened with increasing healthcare costs. Family premiums available for healthcare coverage sponsored by employees also increased, putting trouble on workers as well as employers. Income of workers is growing at a fast rate when healthcare costs are increasing at a fast rate. Medicare and Medicaid and other government systems contribute a b ig chunk of healthcare expenses. However, compared to private insurance government programs are increasing at a slow rate. Enrolment in government programs have increased significantly because of economic recession. Expenditures of government programs have increased considerably these days. The high spending figures is putting government programs under great pressure. Affordable Care Act or The Patient Protection Affordable Care Act signed by US president in 2010 is considered as a highly beneficial healthcare reform (Mantel 221). It is a far-reaching and useful healthcare reform. It is expected to bring good result like what Medicare did. This Act makes the Health and Human Services (HHS) department to offer essential health benefits to people. These benefits should be dispensed through health plans, covering the plans that include in the health insurance markets. However, this process that extends

Environmental Toxicology. Oil Spills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Environmental Toxicology. Oil Spills - Essay Example The catastrophe instantly hit the dwellers of neighboring regions as about 6000 metric tons of oil were observed along the beaches in Mexico and even the United States, and the rest of the oil sank to the bottom of the Gulf. It resulted in a drastic reduction (up to 70 percent) of amount of fish as was marked by the locals (Arne, 1981). This predictably had an impact on economical life of the region as most of the dwellers earned their living by fishing. Miglierini (2010) in his article claims that a number of factors decreased harmful consequences substantially. Among them it is possible to name high sea temperatures, which contributed to faster oil diffusion, and the flows in the part of the sea. Nevertheless, the long-term effects of the oil spill can still be witnessed in Mexico. According to Arne (1981), the decline of flora and fauna in the tidal zone was marked by reduction of certain species of crabs and fish as well as extinction of several species of algae, sea grasses, and corals. Due to its chemical toxicity (in the vicinity of the well) and through its physical properties (stickiness) the oil from the Ixtoc I blow-out acutely affected the species by changing their distinctive properties in the Campeche Bay area. Even after three decades the remnants of the oil spill linger in water an on land: it is possible to find tar mats (almost the same materials as the asphalt on the highways) among the reefs. Despite scientific e vidence, dwellers of the area are persuaded that strange black formations of coagulated oil noticed along the coast are the heritage of the catastrophe on Ixtoc I (Miglierini, 2010). Moreover, the most unpleasant evidence were contamination of brooks and sandy bays which resulted in decrease in reproduction of certain species of fish and birds. Nevertheless, few decades later the scientists marked the populations of endangered species

Teacher's Role in Classroom Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Teacher's Role in Classroom Management - Essay Example However, through the use and application of different strategies and lessons, the teacher not only lectures about a particular subject, (English language, in this case) but also shapes up the personality of the young minds being addressed. The task of a teacher also includes instilling the right moral and ethical values in the mind of the learners to help them transform into a better citizen and eventually, a better human being, who will contribute positively to their respective societies. Channeling different creative ideas presented by students in the right direction is also an important responsibility of a teacher. When the subject is taught with the right mix of humour and gravity, respect develops in students and it ultimately leads to a better teacher-student relationship. What has become even more important is the role of a teacher in classroom management. Classroom management is the use of those methods that facilitates the transfer of knowledge. It is all about disciplining, motivating and encouraging the students to prepare them to face the practical world with the right values. The affect of the external factors and environment on a classroom atmosphere has been well researched and confirmed. When handling classroom management, one of the most important things a teacher needs to keep in mind is to ensure that the environment is not dull and distracting. Firstly, the classroom should have a good inlet and outlet of air so that the right supply of oxygen helps maintain a lively and healthy atmosphere. Using enclosed spaces for classroom is not very effective while teaching since students tend to feel restless and bored in an atmosphere which looks suffocating. Apart from that, the seating arrangements and the teacher's corner should be placed in such a way so that it gives the classroom a spacious look, while not proving a hinderance to the communication that will take place. Neatness and order in classroom arrangement is even more important. It is imperative that the comfort level of students is also kept in mind as discomfort due to unleveled chairs or varying temperatures in the classroom may prove to be great distractions in the learning process. Furthermore, it is the role of the teacher to make sure that all students can view the teacher and learning tools clearly. Colourful charts and displays stimulate the minds of the students and help them retain knowledge better. It is better if a teacher tries to replace charts with new ones and add new things on display to upkeep interest and curiosity. In maintaining the right environment, the teacher plays the most significant role when it comes to discipline and the behaviour of the students. It is essential that misbehaviour of a student is declared wrong and punished though in a subtle way so as not to intimidate the other students. Overall, a comfortable environment is necessary to better the learning process and give teaching the right flow. [Barbara L. Wilt (Schoolmarm), 2000, 'Classroom Management Plan'] COMMUNICATION It will not be wrong to state that initiating and

Georgia Voluntary Payment Doctrine Essay Example for Free

Georgia Voluntary Payment Doctrine Essay The Georgia Voluntary Payment Doctrine is a policy that has been used in Georgia law since the 19th Century. It has been exercised so long that this policy has codified a statute. Because it dates back two centuries when business deals were completed on one’s word, face-to-face and with a hand shake, it causes one to question if it has outdated itself and should still be used to decide court cases in today’s business world. According to Dan Kolber of the Atlanta Business Chronicle, â€Å"the statute says when money is paid through ignorance of the law and there is no fraud or mistake of facts, then the payment is deemed voluntary and cannot be recovered. Filing a protest at the time of payment does not change this rule. † This law has been the deciding factor in many cases which some say have resulted in outrageous outcomes. In order for the Voluntary Payment Doctrine to be enforced there are three conditions that must be met. The first is that the payment is made through ignorance of the law or where all material facts are known. The person asking for reimbursement must prove that the payment was not made voluntarily because not all material facts were known at the time the payment was made. No one is excused from a law just because he is unaware that it exists. Secondly, the person to whom this payment is made must not have collected it fraudulently. And, lastly the payment must not have been made under duress, such as to release a person from detention or to prevent the immediate seizure of property. The person cannot be forced or coerced to make the payment. (AGG Authority on Real Estate, Winter, 2006) This statute has returned favorable outcomes for many. One particular Georgia case is that of an insurance company who lost its bid to recover overpayments made to medical providers. Mr. Seaton D. Purdom who was involved in the lawsuit supports it with this doctrine. He feels â€Å"It promotes commercial stability. It allows people to receive payments on account and treat them as payments, instead of escrow deposits. (Atlanta Business Chronicle) In this case, Cotton et al. v. Med-Cor Health Information Solutions, Inc. , Smith et al. vs. PMSI, L. P. , Yarbrough et al. v. PMSI, L. P. , and Lawrence et al. v.  Smart Professional Copy Corporation sets patients at various Atlanta hospitals against corporations who were responsible for photocopying medical records of patients and delivering them to authorized persons. Defendants performed the photocopying and delivery services and inflicted charges ranging from $1. 04 to $7. 60 per page. Plaintiff’s attorneys held that these charges were made in violation of the Health Records Act as they exceeded the limit of â€Å"reasonable costs of copying and mailing the records. † (Lawskills. com). They sought to recover these overpayments under the Georgia Voluntary Payment Doctrine. As noted above the Georgia Voluntary Payment Doctrine requires that payments of claims be made where all of the facts are not known and there is misplaced confidence or deception by the other party and payments cannot be recovered unless under an urgent necessity to release personal property. In this case both parties agreed that all material facts were known when payments were made so they did not meet the first requirement of the law. The plaintiffs maintained the defendants practiced a falsehood on them by providing records the hospital was supposed to provide and billed them excessively and more than the hospital was allowed to charge. The court found that this falsehood is not what caused the plaintiffs to make payments which they sought to recover. Then the plaintiffs argued the payments were made through misplaced confidence. Again the court found they had no facts on which these excuses could be found. Plaintiffs claimed they made the payments because they would have otherwise risked collection activity that would have hurt their credit and the court found this not to be an urgent necessity. Because the court felt they did not meet any of the requirements of the Georgia Voluntary Payment Doctrine, the plaintiffs were unable to recover any payment. However, the plaintiffs were able to recover under the Georgia Health Care Act. The court found the photocopying companies were agents of the hospital and were required under the Georgia Health Care Act to limit the cost of copying and mailing records to a reasonable amount. The plaintiffs therefore received payments of the charges deemed excessive. (Lawskills. com Georgia Caselaw) In the case S09G1664. SouthStar Energy Services, LLC v. Ellison et al. the Georgia Voluntary Payment Doctrine was applied to the claims of the customers of Georgia Natural Gas. In 2006 after the Natural Gas Consumer Relief Act was passed, the Georgia Natural Gas Company modified its billing procedures for its customers. The company developed a new standard plan and altered the method of computing the plan. (Forthcoming Opinions, SCOG Blog). The customers, Charles Ellison and Susan Bresler represented by the Atlanta law firm Strickland Brockington Lewis sued the Natural Gas Company â€Å"under a private right of action in the Gas Act. † The plaintiffs sought to recoup their overpayments charged through the defendant’s violations of the Natural Gas Competition and Deregulation Act (Natural Gas Act). The defendant asked the court to dismiss the case due to the plaintiff’s failure to establish a reasonable claim on which repayment should be given. A trial court granted a motion to dismiss the case, but an appeal was filed and the Court of Appeals reversed the trial court decision. In the appeal the appellees disclosed several actions by the Natural Gas Company that violated different sections of the Natural Gas Act, such as charging more for natural gas than the published marketed price. The gas company attorneys argued that the plaintiffs had made payment of their bill voluntarily, thus relieving the gas company from any wrong nor requiring them to make restitution. In March, 2010 the Georgia Supreme Court confirmed its agreement with the Court of appeals stating that the purpose of the Georgia Natural Gas Act is to protect the natural gas customer and granted the plaintiff the right to sue for damages. This decision opens the door for the plaintiff to proceed with action to recover overpayment and damages from the gas company. Wall Street Investment Fraud Lawyer Blog) Although neither of these cases was decided based on the Georgia Voluntary Payment Doctrine, the plaintiffs were allowed to continue to seek their claims for their overpayments under another law. In each of these cases the attorneys for the plaintiffs sought recovery of payment under other Acts. The plaintiffs in the Cotton v. Med-Cor Health Information Solutions, Inc. et al case have recovered overpayment while the Georgia Supreme Court has made a ruling that removed the Georgia Voluntary Payment Doctrine as a defense in the case of SouthStar Energy Services v. Ellison. This ruling allows the plaintiffs in this case to proceed with their lawsuit against SouthStar. In 2000 a case was tried in Georgia in which cable subscribers who failed to make their cable payments on time were charged late fees. This group of cable customers sought to recover these penalty fees claiming they were unenforceable fines. These subscribers had voluntarily paid the additional late fees. Under the Georgia Voluntary Payment Doctrine a payment is considered â€Å"voluntary† if it is paid in ignorance of the law. Therefore, in this case the Court ruled that the payments were paid â€Å"voluntarily† by the simple fact the subscribers admitted they did not know the late penalty fees were unenforceable and was in fact ignorance of the law. (AGG Authority on Real Estate, Winter, 2006) The Georgia Voluntary Payment Doctrine is a statute that has been used throughout the last two centuries. As has been shown in these three cases it can be a help to one’s case or a disadvantage. It is a law that is used by large companies that seems to take advantage of the general public as most common folk are generally not very well versed in the law.

Impact of stakeholder management in the construction industry

Impact of stakeholder management in the construction industry INTRODUCTION This section of the report covers literature by several authors. A literature review: gives an overview of what has been said in the area of project stakeholders and project success , who the key writers are, what are the prevailing theories and hypotheses, what questions are being asked and what methods and methodologies are appropriate and useful (Emerald, 2010). This chapter seeks to investigate the impact of stakeholder management and its contributions to project success in the construction industry. Using the literature review mind map in Figure 2 below, this report will explore principles and concepts on the subject matter to satisfy its main objectives. Figure 1- Literature review mind map (Author) This literature review will satisfy the following project objectives: To explore the principles of stakeholder management and project success. To assess the benefits and challenges of stakeholder management. To correlate a relationship between stakeholder management and project success. To propose a framework for measuring the impact of stakeholder management on project success thereby assessing its impact on project success. To make recommendations for improved stakeholder management practices. Overview of the UK Construction industry The construction industry in the past 30 years has continued to evolve and expand (PMI 2008) and although changes within the industry are relatively slow (Kagioglou et al 1998), one cannot overlook what the construction industry has contributed to the UK economy (Bennett 2003 p.7). The UK construction industry is the sixth largest industry in the UK in terms of turnover (Adamson and Pollington 2006) and it accounts for 10% of the UKs GDP and employs 1.5 million people (Corporate Watch 2002). Recent studies such as Walker (2007 p.101) has shown that the: Construction process also has a challenging and vital task in defining and implementing the stakeholders requirements. This study considered this to be paramount. This was further asserted by McElroy and Mills (2007 p.758) clearly explaining the importance of stakeholder management. This report would discuss stakeholder management in the next section. Overview of Project Stakeholder A review of various literature and study on project stakeholder begs an explanation as to the origin of the word stakeholder. The word stakeholder was first recorded in text in 1708 according to (Ramirez 1999) from the word stake. Although the definition of a project stakeholder may remain debatable (Walker 2007 p.100), There is no consensus as to a common and widely used definition (McElroy and Mills 2007 p.760). It may be suggested that each author defines stakeholder(s) to suit the aim of individual academic research at that particular time. Below are some definitions of a project stakeholder from various literatures. Vollans (2006 p.50-15) defines a project stakeholder as a: person or organisation with vested interest (positive or negative) in the ultimate outcome of the project. According to Olanda and Landin (2005 p.321) it is: a group of people who have vested interest in the success of a project and the environment within which the project operates. While project management for development organizations (PM4DV) (2009 p.71) suggested that stakeholders are: people who have an interest in the project, whose satisfaction is the most critical element to define the success of a project. Other definitions include the ApmBok (2006 p.159) which defines project stakeholders as: all those who have an interest or role in the project or are impacted by the project. For the purpose of this report an alternative definition would be suggested, this definition would incorporate various definitions as seen above. Project stakeholders are: Group(s) of people /Organisation who have an interest in and who can also impact a project positively or negatively within the project life cycle and whose satisfactions are the most critical element to define the success of a project. (Olanda and Landin 2005; project management for development organizations 2009; Apm Bok 2006; Vollans 2006) Projects are made of different stakeholders with different interest in the project. This study would look at the different types of stakeholder next. Types of stakeholders When considering stakeholders types, it could be suggested that person or organisation is not self sufficient hence the word Globalization came into being projects consist of various stakeholders. This can be seen in studies undertaken by Aaltonen and Sivonen (2009 p.132), where the author suggested that identifying the various stakeholders in a project involves taking into account their wants and requirement. Project stakeholders as identified by Kloppenborg (2009); Aaltonen and Sivonen (2009) are divided into internal and external stakeholders. This can further be subdivided into primary and secondary stakeholders. Identifying both the primary and secondary stakeholders will help the project manager establish the project requirements and expectations, where the expectation is critical to project success (Kloppenborg 2009 p.362). This expectation is divided into three aspects: relationship, communications and lessons learnt. Aaltonen and Sivonen (2009 p.132) defined internal stakeholders as: those who are actively involved in the project implementation and this category of stakeholders usually support the project. The author also inferred that internal stakeholders are also called primary Stakeholders. Examples of primary stakeholders are the project owner, project sponsor and project manager. It could therefore be assumed that Stakeholder Participation specifically by primary stakeholder will increase the chances of success (Unruh 2005 p.413). While the external stakeholders are; members of the project that may affect or be affected by the project Aaltonen and Sivonen (2009 p.132). These are often called secondary stakeholders. Examples of secondary stakeholders are government agencies, suppliers and special interest groups. These classifications will be illustrated in a Figure 3 which shows the level of importance given to primary stakeholders below: Figure 2-Primary and secondary stakeholders (Author) Notwithstanding, neither primary nor secondary stakeholders can stand on its own given todays project environment. A typical example of a primary stakeholder is the project manager who would not be able to proceed if the legislative requirements are not met, this could be in form of risk management system put in place on the construction site. These requirements are set by the government bodies in charge of monitoring and control, they are also known as the secondary stakeholders. Principles of stakeholder management During its years of development, stakeholder management has documented more success than failures in the area of project management (Aaltonen and Sivonen 2009). Due to the diverse nature of this subject matter, stakeholder principle and theories have been sought in national and international policies (Reed 2008). Examples of such success can be seen in research done by Narayan (2007) on Fiji Sugar Corporation; because sugar is the major source of income of Fiji, the presence of many stakeholders in the cooperation is evident but it can also be argued that the effectiveness of the management of all stakeholders present in the cooperation was key to the organisations success. Atkin and Skitmore (2008 p.549) have suggested that project management in the constructions industry has a complex collection of activities required to deliver a construction project. It is therefore conclusive that stakeholder management within the project lifecycle is critical for the success of any construction project. Thus failure of a project manager to manage the concerns of a construction project stakeholder over the years has resulted in a countless number of construction project failures (Atkin and Skitmore 2008; Bourne and Walker, 2005). It must also be noted that stakeholder in the construction industry have the capability to terminate a construction project (Atkin and Skitmore 2008; Lim et al. 2005). A report to the House of Commons by the Committee of Public Accounts (2004) on the issues of Wembley stadium has shown that inadequate planning in the initiation phase of the project lifecycle has lead to stakeholder conflict. Managing stakeholders from the initiation phase of a construction project or any project is essential. Where there is effective stakeholder management, benefits are realised at the end of the project on time, within budget and quality. Due to suggestions made in the previous section by Walker (2007) and McElroy and Mills (2007) that the term stakeholder is difficult to identify, defining stakeholder management will still pose the same difficulty identified by the above authors. Stakeholder Management can be defined as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦as the continuing development of relationships with stakeholders for the purpose of achieving a successful project outcome (McElroy and Mills 2007 p.760) It could be suggested that for stakeholder management to be successful, it must be strategic; various literatures have suggested a process called the Stakeholder management process; this approach is applicable to both internal and external stakeholder (OGC 2010),the stakeholder process(McElroy and Mills 2007 p.772) are listed below and represented in the figure below: Identification of project success criteria. Identification of Resources Requirement. Identify Stakeholders and level of interest Conduct stakeholder Analysis Develop Strategy for Each Stakeholder identified. Table! : Stakeholder Process Explanation Identification of project success criteria McElroy and Mills (2007) suggested that sponsors success criteria should be in terms of time, cost and performance. Identify Resource Requirement Resource requirement maybe classified as tangible item which could include materials and finance (Burke 2007) and intangible resource such as support and emotions (McElroy and Mills 2007). For a project to be successful it could be suggested that a project manager need access to all this resources both tangible and intangible. Identify Stakeholders and interest Levels To identify project stakeholders McElroy and Mills (2007) have suggested that brainstorming key stakeholders and recording all stakeholders and there level of interest into a stakeholder register. To Conduct Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholder Attitude varies from one person to another. Some maybe in support and some in opposition of the project . Using a stakeholder commitment map the project team will be able perform a more effective assessment of current attitude of each stakeholder during the lifecycle phases. McElroy and Mills (2007) Develop Strategy for each Stakeholder After a stakeholder analysis has been carried out, the project team can build its strategies from the analysis. Such strategies can be the communication plan; this would include all the methods of communication to be used and frequency of the communication between the project team and project stakeholders. Stakeholder Management and Project Lifecycle The body of knowledge in project management (PMBOK) have suggested that: Because projects are unique and involve a certain degree of risk, companies such as the construction industry will generally subdivide their projects into several project phases to provide better management control Stakeholder management could be linked to project lifecycle, according to McManus (2004). Jawahar and Mclaughlin (2004) suggested that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦at any given stage in the project lifecycle certain stakeholders will be more important than other Turner (2007) suggested the following phases; the definition phase where the initial objectives are defined by various stakeholder; the design phase according to Turner (2007) would be the matching the objectives with resources; the execution phase, would involve implementation of the actual work and monitoring and controlling of the project by key stakeholders which also include the project manager and finally the closeout phase involves the commissioning and hand over to key stakeholder. Belout and Gauvreau (2003) suggested that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the effect of the critical factors on success varies as the project cycle stages change This can be seen in Figure used to link criterias for success and lifecycle by Belout and Gauvreau (2003) this is illustrated in the Figure below and can be linked to project success as seen below: Figure! : A Link Between Criterias for Success and Lifecycle PROJECT SUCCESS The word project success is an indefinite word to say the least; this has lead to a set of definitions and perspectives by different professionals and academic in the field of project management. According to McManus (2004), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The most successful projects always involve both direct and indirect stakeholders While Yu et al. (2005) suggests that a Project  is a success if its created product adds value to the client, considering the cost to the client at the point of acceptance Ika (2009 p.6) suggested that project success be defined in terms of concepts such as efficiency and effectiveness, Lock (2007 p.5) argues that project success should be defined using the three objectives listed below: Project Completion within the Budget. The project delivered or handed over to customer on time. Good performance, requiring all components of the project to meet the sponsors requirements. Source: Lock (2007, p.5) The author is invariably suggesting that we use the project management triangle seen below in Figure 4 to determine if a project is successful. Figure 3- Success triangle by Lock 2007 (Author) While Lock (2007) and Ika (2009) have presented various ways in which project stakeholders should be defined in the context of project management, Assudani and Kloppenborg (2010) have preferred to summarise their definition of project success in terms project stakeholders. It was suggested that for a project to be successful, it must meet the customers requirements and manage their relationships though effective communication. Accordingly Pinto (2004) went from the Iron triangle suggested by Lock (2007) in Figure 4 and linked it to the benefits gained by the organisation and the project stakeholder(s) at the completion of the project. In a study carried out by Sofia (2003) titled project success in relation with organizational roles and project managers skills and capabilities, the author identified the following in Table 3: Table 1- Project success definition, Source : Sofia (2003) Definition Of Project Success Percentage It meets the target cost, schedule, quality and functionality 88.5% It meet the customers satisfaction 85.9% It creates organisational improvement with the learning from failures and successes (lessons learned) 44.9% It was performed efficiently and effectively 43.6% It succeeds in executing the desired changes because one cannot expect every project to proceed exactly as planned 37.2 Others 7.7% The above table has indicated that studies carried out by Sofia (2003) are in accordance with Lock (2007) and Ika (2009) definitions. This report would define project success as: The satisfaction of stakeholders needs in teams of time, cost, and quality/performance (Lock 2007; Sofia (2003); Ika 2009; Assudani and Kloppenborg 2010; ApmBok 2009). The satisfaction mentioned in the above definition could be suggested to mean the benefit realised at the handover phase of the project. Since projects are unique endeavours (ApmBok 2009), it is right to suggest that satisfying stakeholders requirements using the criterias set aside by the stakeholder should be what success should be measured against. Critical Success factor (CSFs) for construction projects Achieving success is the goal of any project; the construction industry is not different from other industries in achieving success (Yu et al.200). The Apm Bok (2009, p.2) suggested that to satisfy stakeholders, one must have measurable criteria (OGC 2010) to measure success. Since Construction projects have been identified as having issues such as lack of trust, lack of cooperation and ineffective communication which have lead to adversarial relationship among all project stakeholders (Chan et al.2004), partnering with various stakeholders and identifying their view on CSFs using questionnaires (Jing et al. 2010) is important because it gives the project manager a clear view of each stakeholder expectations. Milosevic and Patanakul (2005) suggested that Critical success factors are correlated to a construct of an aggregate measure of  project success According (PMI 2008; Wang and Huang 2009); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Project success  criteria shall include the golden triangle and key  project stakeholders satisfaction of the  project The following CSFs have been identified from literature and can be employed in the construction industry (Yu et al. 2004; Lock 2007; Hill et al., 2008), these CSFs are listed below: Clear and agreed upon objective. Project requirement must be carefully thought out. Trusting relationship between all members of the project Support from top management Availability of sufficient funds and other resource Technical competence with the project team. Good communication Benefits and Challenges of Stakeholder Management Stakeholder management has both benefits and challenges to construction organisations which are determined by the role played by each stakeholder organisation during the execution of project (Zutshi and Sohal 2002, p.371). The benefits of effective stakeholder management can be linked to an organisation or a countrys financial success (Zutshi and Sohal 2002; Reed et al 2009). Since the construction industry is copious with a sizeable number of stakeholders across the political, social, cultural and economic sector (Moodley et al.2008), identifying those benefits and challenges faced by the construction industry will be a priority for any project manager. Benefits The benefits of stakeholders in the construction industry are explored below thus: Stakeholder Analysis Vollans (2002 p.50-15) suggested that a key benefit of stakeholder management is the principle of analysing stakeholder which simply put is: a technique used to identify and assess the importance of stakeholders Guarded with knowledge gained from analysing various project stakeholders, it could be inferred that the knowledge will be used to make judgement regarding how each stakeholder could help or hinder the project (McElroy and Mills 2007). This early assessment of stakeholders at the planning stage of the project life cycle would identify and improve quality (Vollans 2002) by increasing the level of support from stakeholders and reducing opposition (ApmBok 2009). By identifying each stakeholder and analysing their various interests it could be suggested that this would reduce conflict by resolving issues at an early stage of the project. This analysis must be reviewed throughout the project life cycle phase (ApmBok 2009). Monitoring and Control McElroy and Mills (2007) identified better monitoring and control as a benefit of effective stakeholder management. It is suggested that management of stakeholders with regards to their ever changing interest using project management tools such as change control process and configuration management in conjunction with stakeholder management theories, should enable the project manager manage changes (Zutshi 2004). In the area of cost management, stakeholder management has been able to reduce ambiguity, duplication and waste of resources as a result of conflicts and legal issues (Zutshi 2004; Atkinson 1999) Project Governance Turner (2007) have suggested that Project are governed on behalf of stakeholders which includes owners and contractors The above author also suggested two paradigms of project governance as it relates to organisations. This paradigm suggests that projects are governed on behalf of all stakeholders, which will include both primary and secondary stakeholders. The author suggested that the responsibility of managing this relationship is that of the project manager and project team. This relationship will be managed using the principles of stakeholder management. Challenges In discussing challenges facing stakeholder management in the construction industry the following were identified: Globalization Carson (2002) defined globalisation as: a multidimensional process whereby national resources become more and more internationally mobile while national economies become increasingly interdependent Moodley et al. (2004) in recent studies identified globalisation as a challenge faced by the construction industry and argues that with the ever changing construction industry, recent issues that exists in stakeholder management such as (Communication and Scope Management ) falls within a global context. Since major construction companies in the world including UK construction companies undertake projects in various parts of the world (Steger 2003) and source for materials globally (Moodley et al. 2004), adopting stakeholder management principles and strategies from one region into a new region or culture may lead to failure due to gaps in culture and communication (Tone et al. 2009 p.27). An example of this can be seen in stakeholder management practices adopted during the construction of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai (reference). Effective Knowledge Transfer Some professionals in project management discipline may refer to this as Lessons Leaned. The Ontario health care information (reference) described knowledge transfer as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a process of developing, identifying, and disseminating best practices, and planning, producing, disseminating, and applying existing or new research in stakeholder managementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Senaratne and Sexton (2008) stressed the importance of sharing knowledge within the area of stakeholder management and also noted the role of knowledge in managing change in the construction industry. Egbu (2003) also went further to identify change as the key cause of knowledge production in construction projects. It could be suggested that though knowledge is been transferred in projects through journals in project management and the construction journals, key issues concerning individual project and stakeholder management issues and how this issues are resolved are still kept as confidential documents within various organisations resulting in a gap in the management of stakeholders within the construction sector. Organisational Policy Kamann (2007) suggested that; Organizations usually adapt or adjust their objectives and strategy in order to minimize strategic drift These objective and strategy may impact the project adversely (Aaltonen 2010), the stakeholder defines the scope of the work (ApmBok 2009), if this scope is adjusted or strategy changed as suggested by Kamann (2007) on a regular basis, the ApmBok (2009) has suggested that it would lead to what is known as a Scope Creep. The construction industry is known to be complex and full of different stakeholder with different level of power, the policy of organisation can either help to manage stakeholders more effectively or it may result in difference of option and invariably conflict. 2.7 Relationship between Stakeholder Management and Project Success A survey involving 109 professionals on how best to define project success, shows that 88.5% of respondents agreed that project success should be judged on the basis of cost, schedule, quality, functionality (Sofia 2003), the link between stakeholder management process and success cannot be overemphasised (Bones 2007). McElroy and Mills (2007) illustrated the various stakeholder management processes to project success as seen in the figure!!! below : Project Stakeholder Success Criteria Resources Requirement Stakeholder Identification Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholder Strategy Project Success (Author) Figure!! : The Relationship between Stakeholder Management Project Success While (Wit 1988) suggested that: When measuring project success, one must consider the objectives of all stakeholders throughout the project life cycle and at all levels in the management hierarchy The above author also suggested that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is unlikely that a project can be a complete success for all stakeholders during the entire life of the projectà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The above statement is reinforced by Aaltonen et al. (2008) when the author proposed critical success factors for stakeholder management in the construction industry. Although the depth of literature linking stakeholder management to project success in the construction industry is minimal, but a general literature into the link between stakeholder management and project success (McElroy and Mills 2007), the (ApmBok 2009; OGC 2010) suggested that to satisfy stakeholders, one must have measurable criteria to measure success.

Impact of the Discovery of Homo Floresiensis

Impact of the Discovery of Homo Floresiensis The discovery of Homo Floresiensis has profound implications for what it means to be human; it raises questions about the uniqueness of human lineage which is the foundation of our society and our religions. The three great problems for nineteenth century ethnology and prehistory were identified by Latham in Man and his Migrations (1851) as: the unity or non-unity of the human species; its antiquity; and its geographical origin. This shortlist has formed the basis for research into human origins ever since. The ambiguity surrounding each question has been reduced to every generation’s satisfaction, then thrown open again as changes in opinion about the world and its people have led to revisions. This cyclical process has provided the spur to fieldwork and the development of new techniques of classification, analysis and dating. Latham was writing at an interesting time in scientific progress of thought, eight years before the Origin of Species was published. This was the foundation text for the biogeography of Darwin and Wallace which accounted for the distribution of life on the plant. The importance of these studies was their contribution to the scientific investigation of variation via the principle of natural selection. Individuals were the units under selection with the evolutionary results measured by their differential reproductive contribution to the next generation. The notion of a cradle for mankind, a discrete geographical centre for human origins, is an ancient idea. The Garden of Eden is the best known example. Adam and Eve might be replaced, as they were in the last century, but the idea of an ancestral homeland continued. The study of human origins now starts from a very different set of assumptions than it did when Latham penned his three questions. It is also extremely well-informed about process and patterns in the data compared to 150 years ago. The celebration of progress has fallen from the agenda. Living peoples are no longer regarded as living representatives of a past which the Western world once possessed.   But for all these apparently fundamental changes the questions on the agenda remain the same. Why should the study of human evolution be restricted, because of the search for cradles, to some continents. What it means to be human The fascination with humanity’s African origins, singular or otherwise, remains unabated. Great strides in understanding the development of modern human beings are currently being taken at the very southern tip of Africa. While much of the press attention over the past few decades has been on the scholarly debate on whether humans evolved once in Africa, universally known as the Out of Africa theory, or several times all over the world, the multiregional hypothesis, a quiet revolution has occurred centred on what it means to be human (Stringer and Gamble, 1993). Within twentieth century archaeology and palaeontology, probably since the discovery of the Lascaux Caves in France, archaeologists have continually believed that, while anatomically modern Homo sapiens evolved somewhere between 100,000-150,000 years ago, humans didnt actually develop modern behaviours and thought processes until around 50,000-40,000 years ago (Wood, 1992). This event, known in some scientific circles as the creative explosion, was announced by what researchers saw as an abrupt blossoming of symbolic thought; the ability to identify and create representations of entities. Thus, according to the creative explosion theory, H. sapiens displayed a recognisable intelligence equivalent to other hominids of the time, identifiable by the cave artwork at Lascaux. Further evidence of the initiation of modern human behaviour is alleged to include fishing, the manufacture of bone tools, and the use of decoration. Following the initial interest in Africa during the early decades of the twentieth century, the majority of archaeological research moved to Europe. The overwhelming concentration on the visible prehistory of Europe, including both cave and portative artwork, resulted in a deficit of research into human origins in Africa. The research of the past forty years has indeed been remarkable in yielding up a great many fossil and cultural remains from a broad range of African environments. After a period of relative neglect, however, increasing attention was being given to the biological and behavioural changes that led to the evolution of H. sapiens, the last major even in human evolution.   The triumph of archaeological research into the earliest prehistory of Africa was trumpeted by the archaeologist Desmond Clark in the Huxley Memorial Lecture of 1974. Titles â€Å"Africa in prehistory: peripheral or paramount?† it pointed to the overwhelming evidence from Africa for the origi n of hominids, which overthrew the previous view â€Å"that the history of Europe is emphatically the prehistory of humanity.† (Clark,1975). Eventually, evidence of an earlier flourishing of the creative mind began to appear, south of the Zambezi River, and dated to the Mesolithic, the earliest date approximating 70,000 years ago. Similar artefact assemblages known as Howiesons Poort and Still Bay had been found at sites such as the Klasies River Caves, Boomplaas, and Die Kelders Cave I in South Africa (Grine et al., 2000). These sites included sophisticated bone tools, backed blades, a careful selection of raw material for stone tools and the use of a punch technique; however, most of these were controversial in one respect or another, until the discovery of Blombos Cave. Research into the Blombos Cave assemblages have been undertaken since 1991, and artefacts identified have include sophisticated bone and stone tools, fish bones, and an abundance of used ochre (Leakey and Lewin, 1993). Ochre has no known economic function, and it is virtually universally accepted as a source of colour for ceremonial, decorative purposes. The Blombos Cave layers containing used ochre are dated 70,000 to 80,000 years BP, and, in 2004, a cluster of deliberately perforated and red-stained shell beads dating to the Mesolithic was found (Aiello and Dean, 1990). Without any obvious practical purpose these artefacts are currently interpreted as personal ornaments or jewellery, possibly belonging to the occupants of Blombos. The most persuasive interpretation of these finds, and numerous others throughout Africa, within the parameters imposed by previous and current discoveries and research, is that the growth of the human symbolic thought was a slow process that continued t hroughout the Mesolithic in Africa. Symbolism, and its deliberate representation, is a phenomenon previously unidentifiable in any extant species other than H. sapiens, despite the genetic and predominantly behavioural similarity between humans and other primates, and can therefore be interpreted as a distinctly human trait (Spencer, 1876-96). Symbolism, in all its forms, however has not always been strictly the prerogative of H. sapiens.   Many investigators of Neanderthal culture believe that H. neanderthalensis was the earliest species of hominid to ritually bury their dead, and important evidence to support this statement originates from Shanidar Cave, located in the Zagros Mountains of northern Iraq (Solecki, 1971). Between 1951 and 1960, excavations in and around the mouth of the cave were undertaken, allowing the recovery of a range of Mousterian tools, and the analysis of eight burials, relating to the remains of seven adults and one child. While four of these individuals appear to have been killed by rockfalls, four others may have been deliberately buried (Gargett, 1989). Soil samples taken around one particular burial, known as Shanidar IV, revealed the presence of pollen grains and small amounts of vegetable matter. While there was very little pollen in most of the soil samples taken around the skeleton, two samples from the burial itself contained a large number of pollen grains representing a total of 28 plant species (Leakey and Lewin, 1993). This evidence was used to support the hypothesis that more than 50,000 years ago the body was deliberately and ritualistically buried on a bed of woody branches and flowers sometime during the months of May through July, during the blooming season for the plant species. Excavations of the cave over the next decade yielded cultural data as well as skeletal remains of Middle Palaeolithic Neanderthals and Proto-Neolithic modern humans, representing two periods renowned for the scarcity of such material (Solecki, 1975). According to subsequent research, the Neanderthal and Proto-Neolithic people of Shanidar Cave potentially followed culturally-defined methods for burying their dead in a base camp, possibly increasing the groups ties to a traditional home site. They practiced both primary burial (interment of a mostly intact body shortly after death) and secondary burial (final interment of disarrayed or isolated bones or of a body that had undergone some other burial process as a first stage) (Aiello and Dean, 1990). Offerings placed in the grave included bead ornaments and assumed favoured personal objects, but no obvious symbols of rank. The variety of materials included reveals an extensive long-distance exchange trade, and the mortuary practices are comparable to those of other contemporary Near Eastern cultures (Leakey and Lewin, 1993; Solecki et al., 2004). The material culture of the cave and the surrounding Zagros area is characterized by chipped stone industry and such innovations as a variety of ground stone tools, worked bone tools and abundant personal ornaments. These suggest growing cultural richness and elaboration, a semi-sedentary lifestyle and a mixed subsistence strategy based both on wild species of plants and animals and early domesticates (Gargett, 1989). Though the interpretation of deliberate and ritualistic H. neanderthalensis burials remains contentious, with opponents suggesting the presence of flower pollen within the grave is a result not of deliberate adornment of the corpse but of the accidental deposition of flower and plant matter from burrowing rodents, until the theory of ritualistic burial is conclusively disproved it remains a highly persuasive hypothesis for cross-species traits of ‘humanity’. Although much has been made of the Neanderthals burial of their dead, their burials were less elaborate than those of anatomically modern humans. The interpretation of the Shanidar IV burials as including flowers, and therefore being a form of ritual burial, potentially evidence for the acknowledgement of a theoretical afterlife, has been questioned (Sommer, 1999). In some cases Neanderthal burials include grave goods such as bison and aurochs bones, tools, and the pigment ochre. Neanderthals performed a sophisticat ed set of tasks normally associated with humans alone. For example, they constructed complex shelters, controlled fire, and skinned animals. Particularly intriguing is a hollowed-out bear femur with four holes in the diatonic scale deliberately bored into it. Estimated to date at approximately 43,ooo up to 82,ooo years old, this ‘flute’ was found in western Slovenia in 1995 near a Mousterian Era hearth used by Neanderthals. Its significance is still a matter of dispute, however, its perfect fit to bother modern and antique diatonic scales implies the deliberate manufacturing of a musical note making device (Aiello and Dean, 1990). Music beyond the percussive, in addition to ritual and symbolism, is another previously assumed trait of H. sapiens alone, and the Slovenian flute suggests a rethink of what it means to be human may be required. Similarly, the concept of prolonged care of community individuals is a trait usually attributed to the H. sapiens species. While other species present evidence of a rudimentary form of care, the deliberate attention paid to the prolonging of life of an individual with no primitive value to a community, such as providing nutrition to an elderly community member for an extended period of time, is peculiarity associated primarily with H. sapiens. It has been previously believed that this trait, in addition to being singular to the human race, can be interpreted as a definition of what it means to be human. However, similar to the evidence presented above, there has been strongly influential evidence of ‘care in the community’ from Neanderthal societies. Following a 6 year excavation season beginning in 1899, the site of the Krapina caves, Republic of Croatia, yielded a number of osteological Neanderthal specimens. Radiographs undertaken in 1997 indicated a number of surpris ing conclusions. While the overall picture of Neanderthal health, based on the radiographs, was impressive, not all the specimens showed perfect health. Archaeologists were able to document one of the earliest benign bone tumours ever discovered and identified, and one individual may have had a surgical amputation of his hand (Leakey and Lewin, 1993). In addition, several individuals had examples of osteoarthritis ranging in severity, and it is suggested that the extended survival of these individuals following surgery or the onset of debilitating arthropathies indicates a sophisticated level of care from the healthy population. Humans are a striking anomaly in the natural world. While we are similar to other mammals in many ways, our behaviour sets us apart. Our unparalleled ability to adapt has allowed us to occupy virtually every habitat on earth using an incredible variety of tools and subsistence techniques. Our societies are larger, more complex, and more cooperative than any other mammals. Evolutionists, and scientists from other fields of study, argue that only a Darwinian theory of cultural evolution can explain these unique characteristics. The twentieth century is offering a radical interpretation of human evolution, arguing that Homo sapiens ecological dominance and singular social systems stem from a psychology uniquely adapted to create complex culture. Richerson and Boyd (2004) illustrate that culture is neither superorganic nor the handmaiden of the genes. Rather, it is essential to human adaptation, as much a part of human biology as bipedal locomotion. Drawing on work in the fields of anthropology, political science, sociology, and economics, Richerson and Boyd (2004) convincingly attest that culture and biology are inextricably linked, and their interaction yields a richer understanding of human nature. Discovery of Homo floresiensis Currently, it is widely accepted that only one hominid genus, Homo, was present in Pleistocene Asia, represented by two species, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens. Both species are characterized by greater brain size, increased body height and smaller teeth relative to the Pliocene Australopithecus genus present in Africa (Brown et al., 2004). But it was the most spectacular fossil find of a generation that has marked twentieth century studies into human evolution. The discovery that a mysterious and apparently ingenious human species may have shared the planet with our own less than 15,000 years ago captured the imagination of palaeontologists and public alike. Excavations at Liang Bua, a large limestone cave on the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia, have yielded evidence for a population of tiny hominids, sufficiently distinct anatomically to be assigned to a new species, Homo floresiensis (Morwood et al., 2004). An excavation team under the leadership of Australian and Indonesian scientists have unearthed the remains of eight human beings of relatively restricted stature and reduced brain volume, comparative to previously understood parameters for anatomically modern humans. In recognition of the combination of primitive and derived features, and their subsequently assumed status as a species distinct from Homo sapiens, the fossils were ascribed the name Homo floresiensis (Flores Man) after the island on which they were discovered. One skeleton, estimated to be that of a woman in her 30s and calculated to be approximately 18,000 years old, was only 1 metre tall, and the endocranial volume of the skeleton in question was a mere 380 cc, significant as it may be regarded as small even for a chimpanzee (Beals et al., 1984) and equal to the smallest-known australopithecines (Brown, et al., 2004). Investigations into the specimens, estimated to belong to at least eight individuals, show that H. floresiensis inhabited the cave at Liang Bua for an extended period of time ranging between 95,000 and 12,000 years ago. The common opinion of the archaeologists responsible for examining the tools and animal bones unearthed in the cave is that H. floresiensis individuals exhibited complex behaviour requiring the capacity for speech, and can therefore be regarded as social and intelligent human beings with creative ability. Stones carved and sharpened for particular purposes, and animal bones discovered in the cave, indicate t hat these people were successful hunters, capable of catching animals larger than themselves, and associated deposits contain stone artefacts and animal remains, including Komodo dragon and an endemic, dwarfed species of Stegodon. There has been some speculation that the stone tools found with it were actually made by Homo sapiens, mainly because it is hard to believe a creature with such a small brain could make such sophisticated stone tools. There is no other evidence in support of this, however, and if it were not for the small brain size, there would be no hesitation about assuming floresiensis made the tools because of the close association between the tools and the fossils. The same tools are found through the entire deposit (from 90,000 to 13,000 years ago) and, interestingly, they are not like any stone tools made by Homo erectus (Kaifu et al., 2005). The finds comprise the cranial and some post-cranial remains of one individual, as well as a premolar from another individual in older deposits. Dating by radiocarbon (C14), luminescence, uranium-series and electron spin resonance (ESR) methods indicates that H. floresiensis existed from before 38,000 years ago (kyr) until at least 18  kyr (reference). It is alleged, with much research still yet to be undertaken, that H. floresiensis originated from an early dispersal of Homo erectus, including specimens referred to as Homo ergaster and Homo georgicus, that reached Flores, and then survived on this island refuge until relatively recently. The most likely explanation for its existence on Flores is long-term isolation, with subsequent endemic dwarfing. H. floresiensis overlapped significantly in time with Homo sapiens in the region, however, interactions between the two species currently remain unknown. Importantly, H. floresiensis shows that the genus Homo is morphologically more va ried and flexible in its adaptive responses than previously thought (reference). The finds further demonstrate that H. floresiensis was not simply an aberrant or pathological individual, thereby interpretable as anomalous and inconsequential within the field of human evolution, but is representative of a long-term population that was present on the island for approximately 80,000 years. According to the dwarfism scenario, it is assumed that the H. floresiensis line descended from Homo erectus. The justification for that belief, however, is currently experiencing much debate within the archaeological academic arena, and relies on the comparison between tool assemblages uncovered from the Liang Bua cave, and thus associated with H. floresiensis, and a series of assemblages reported by Morwood in 1998, and dating to approximately 800,000 BP (Morwood et al., 1998). The similarities between these assemblages resulted in the assumption that H. floresiensis was a descendent of the manufacturer of the older collection of tools, H. erectus. H. floresiensis facial anatomy also generally resembles that of H. erectus, and, in addition, the East Asia region in which the island lies is one of the regions where H. erectus was extant for a long period. One article published in Science journal in 1996 listed evidence that H. erectus had survived on Java, an Indonesian island like Fl ores, until as recently as 27,000 years ago. (Swisher et al., 1996) Implications: Society, religion and politics Despite an academic and generic fascination with the process of human evolution, the creationist arguments in disagreement with evolutionary research remain influential. According to many creationist proponents, the reason why scientists have elected to give the fossils in question the name H. floresiensis is that researchers, who have accepted the idea that humans initially developed through evolution, cannot afford to imply a hypothesis that does not accord with the evolutionary ‘myth’ they have presented. Evolutionists are accused of naming ‘old human races’ by a methodology that relies on exaggerated interpretation of the variations presented between hominids, and in comparison with anatomically modern man, and thus results the declaration of the fossils as a new species. According to current creationist advocates, the H. floresiensis fossils are also a product of this methodology, and their description as a new species rests solely on evolutionist †˜preconceptions’. Predominant creationists have gone further to attest that the description of H. floresiensis as a new human species provides no support at all for the theory of evolution, but, on the contrary, reveals how forced the claims regarding it actually are (reference). The concept of the biological species is used in the present day for organisms included in the same category that are able to mate and successfully produce healthy offspring. This definition is based on mutual reproducibility as setting out the boundary criterion between species. According to creationist proponents, however, there is no means of knowing, simply by analysing and categorising the fossilised bones of organisms that lived in the past, which were able to reproduce with which. Classification based on degrees of similarities between bones, and the variations exhibited among these, may not reveal scientifically definite conclusions as some species, such as the dog, exhibit wide variation, others, such as the cheetah, are known to exhibit only narrow variation. Accordingly, when fossils belonging to extinct species are discovered, creationists attest, the variation observed may stem from one of two reasons. This variation either belongs to a species exhibiting wide variation or to a few separate species exhibiting narrow variation, yet there is no way of knowing which of the two actually applies. Indeed, Alan Walker, palaeoanthropologist and evolutionist, admits this fact by claiming that one cannot know whether or not a fossil is representative of the community to which it belongs. He further states that one cannot know whether it comes from one of the ends of the species range, or from somewhere in the middle (Locke, 1999). Evolutionists define the H. floresiensis fossils as a separate species, and regard its small endocranial volume and short skeleton as characteristics of that species. However, creationists contest this by asserting that individuals may not carry all the features in the population gene pool, and, therefore, the features exhibited by individuals may not be those generally exhibited in a given population. Therefore, the smaller the quantity of fossils analysed the greater the risk of error in assuming that their features are those of the general population. Locke (1999) has elucidated this with a simple analogy: if a palaeoanthropologist of the future discovers bones belonging to a professional basketball player, then twenty-first century man may well seem to have been a giant species. He further stated that if the skeleton belongs to a jockey, on the other hand, then humans will seem to have been short and lightweight bipeds (Locke, 1999). According to creationists, therefore, the defi nition of H. floresiensis as a separate species based on its small brain volume and short skeleton, and the assumption that all individuals possessed those same features, is a mistake, and that these fossils may well be regarded as variations seen in old human races living at that time. In relative support for the creationist viewpoint, the real surprise for evolutionists came from learning that a hominid with such a small brain volume lived not millions of years ago but only 18,000 years BP. Chris Stringer, from Londons Natural History Museum, admits this surprise to the archaeological community; that the very existence of a creature with a brain the size of a chimpanzees, but apparently a tool-maker and hunter, and perhaps descended from the worlds first mariners, illustrates how little is currently known about human evolution (Wood, 1992). Peter Brown, one of the leaders of the research team at Liang Bua, describes the bewilderment within academic circles as a result of the cranial measurements, and admits that H. floresiensis is totally incompatible with evolutionary accounts; that small stature is easy to accommodate within the evolutionary theories, but small brain size is a bigger problem to account for. According to the creationist theory advocates, the evol utionists own statements reflect the ‘heavy blow’ the fossil in question has dealt to the ‘illusory’ scenario of human evolution (Wood, 1992). The confusion with regards to the interpretations of H. floresiensis is not restricted to the disparities in hypotheses between evolutionists and creationists. Scientists have been unravelling the mysteries of when early hominids first left Africa, where they went, how many hominid species there were, and how they relate to modern humans, for more than a century. The H. erectus skull recently found in Indonesia adds a valuable piece to the fossil record, but scientists differ about where it fits in the human family tree. One particular specimen of cranium, known as Sambungmacan 4 (Sm 4), was found in the Sambungmacan district of central Java, Indonesia. It is that of a middle-aged or slightly younger male Homo erectus who had probably suffered and recovered from head wounds. Two partial skulls and the fragment of a tibia had previously been discovered in the area. It is assumed that H. erectus, and perhaps other early hominid species, began leaving Africa approximately 2 million year s ago, and fossil remains have been found in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, indicating a widespread global distribution of individuals and communities. In addition to the media-friendly discovery of H. floresiensis, given the moniker of â€Å"The Hobbit† by the press, Indonesia, an island nation in southeast Asia, is the site of some of the earliest Homo erectus remains yet found. The relatively abundant fossil material provides scientists with an opportunity to study the evolution of the species and how it relates to modern humans. Anthropologists from the National Science Museum in Tokyo, analyzed the Sm 4 skull using digital visualization techniques, and compared it with other skulls found in Java. It is argued that morphological characteristics of early H. erectus in Java, represented by fossil finds from Trinil/Sangiran, more closely resemble those of modern humans (Baba et al., 2003). Fossil material from Ngandong, which has been dated to anywhere between 25,000 to 50,000 years old, suggests that Java H. erectus had gone off on an evolutionary tangent of its own, developing distinct features that are not shared by modern humans. It is concluded by this research that Javanese populations became progressively more isolated from other Asian H. erectus populations, and made minimal contributions to the ancestry of modern humans (Kaifu et al., 2005). At one time scientists considered it possible that modern humans were the direct descendants of Asian Homo erectus. That idea has been discarded by many scientists who now think that while African H. erectus may be ancestral to H. sapiens, Asian H. erectus was an evolutionary dead end, similar to earlier theories regarding H. neanderthalensis, rather than the immediate precursor to modern humans (Kaifu et al., 2005). However, debate continues and other specialists believe that the African version of H. erectus is dissimilar enough to belong in a separate species category called Homo ergaster. The geological complexity of the Indonesian islands makes precise dating of the fossil material difficult and controversial. Fossils found at Trinil and Sangiran range in age from approximately 1.8 million years old to maybe as young as 780,000 years old (Swisher et al., 1996). Comparatively, fossils found at Ngandong have been dated at approximately 50,000 years old. The Sm 4 specimen is believ ed to fit somewhere between these two groups in age, and therefore may be contemporary with H. sapiens.   The uncertainty of Sm 4s age lies in part with current disagreement as to whether or not all fossils from Sambungmacan represent a single fauna or are composites being derived from various age strata. Whether there is enough difference between the early fossils and the later fossils that they should be considered two separate species or a sub-species is also controversial. Based on variations in skull shape, and a lack of diversity among Javanese populations living 25,000 to 50,000 years ago, it has been concluded that Sm 4 is a transitional form, an evolutionary step taking the later Javanese populations farther away from classical Homo erectus remains found at Trinil and Sangiran (Baba et al., 2003). However, this conclusions is debated on the basis that the larger brain sizes of later materials, fossils dated at 25,000 to 50,000 years ago, are different enough that they sho uld be considered a different species or at least sub-species. Sm 4 phenotypically appears to be a lot of the other material found in Indonesia. The material is morphologically very consistent, and shows continuity within Indonesian Homo erectus. There are some features, particularly around the jaw joint that may be unique to the Ngandong fossils, however it is not clear whether the features are taxonomically significant or useful as species indicators (Baba et al., 2003).The disparities in the skulls seen in Indonesia may be a function of normal variability in any species, illustrated particularly well when considering the variations in height between ‘normal’ humans and those suffering from achondroplasia; both remain within the species of H. sapiens, however difference in stature can be remarkable. The claim by Desmond Morris, that the existence of â€Å"The Hobbit†, or H. floresiensis should destroy religion (Tattersall, 1986), is one which has been made before. Indeed, Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist, still cannot understand why religion survived Darwin (Tattersall, 1986). Yet as science progresses, despite the decline of allegiance to traditional Christian churches in Western Europe, religion continues to grow world-wide in many different forms. Contemporary science, far from solving every question, often highlights the big questions which are central to human existence. This is the case with the discovery of LB1, the 18,000-year-old specimen of the new species Homo floresiensis. The find of this so-called Hobbit on Flores Island excites many academics within many fields, not least archaeology and theology, as it poses the unresolved question of what it means to be human. LB1 becomes part of this contemporary question alongside developments in science, su