Family theories Essay

In this answer, I am going to discuss about the conjugal relationship in modern industrial societies. This means I will assess the claim that conjugal relationships are based on equality in modern industrial societies. I plan to structure my answer from housework and childcare, power and money management. The hours worked between husband and wife become more equal by the increased participation by women in the labour market have led to more equality in modern family life. This view is highly supported by many sociologists like Young and Willmott who suggest that the family is becoming more symmetrical and therefore, is in fact becoming more egalitarian via a ‘march of progress. ’ They suggest that the family is gradually improving in terms of equality as there has been a trend away from segregated conjugal roles and more of a shift towards joint ones. This they argue is due to major social changes in that women are more financially dependant with employment opportunities and so there is less of a need to rely on extended kin. This is further explained by Gershuny who suggests that because women have these employment opportunities, they are more likely to do less domestic work. This is shown by the item as it suggests that ‘men were making more of an effort to do housework when their wives were in full-time employment. By this change of position for women, it has meant that men are now more responsible for different household tasks therefore suggesting that equality within modern family life is evident and so this view seems correct. He emphasises the change in social values as a reason for this which is also supported by Sullivan’s study (2000) which found an increase in equal division of labour. This supports Young and Willmott’s ‘march of progress’ view that conjugal roles are becoming more symmetrical; thus suggesting that the view of equal gender roles and relationships is likely. Also, due to post-modern society, there are better living conditions compared to those during industrialisation and so this has drawn the men back into the family and thus has enabled them to help with housework and childcare as well as providing leisure time; enhancing equality in relationships. The social changes have meant that equality is becoming evident and so the statement seems highly likely. However, the functionalist view of equality in modern family life has been highly criticised particularly by feminists like Ann Oakley (1974). Oakley rejects the ‘March of progress’ view described by Young and Willmott as she suggests that this is simply exaggerated as we still live in a patriarchal society where women do most of the housework. She suggested that the methodology used by Young and Willmott was hardly convincing as their questions lacked in detail. In Oakley’s research, she found only 15% of husbands had a high participation in housework, showing how the statement is flawed as this clearly does not show evidence of equality in relationships and gender roles. Despite Gershuny suggesting that paid work entitled equality for women, Oakley suggested that this was only an extension of the housewife role. Therefore, unlike Parsons claim of a ‘natural’ role, feminists argue that this was socially constructed to enforce dependence on men which became worse with industrialisation as it forced women to stay within the home. Thus, it is clear that joint conjugal roles are not as ‘joint’ as functionalists initially suggested they were as the social changes have only exacerbated the role of women suggesting this so called equality does not exist. Besides, other feminists like Elsa Ferri and Kate Smith (1996) suggest that the changed position of women in terms of employment has only created a dual burden as they now have to undertake paid work as well as the unpaid housewife role. Ferri and Smith suggest that unlike Gershuny, increased employment has had little impact of the domestic labour as fewer than 4% of families had a father responsible for childcare. Therefore, women still remain responsible for the children as well as their employment responsibility; clearly suggesting that modern family life is not as equal as it seems. The dual burden is also supported by Dunscombe and Marsden’s theory of a triple burden in that women are expected to do the double shift of housework and paid work but also the caring of the emotional welfare of the family. This clearly disputes Gershuny’s idea that women are more equal due to employment as the triple burden means that they in fact gain more responsibilities than losing them. Next, feminists ‘point to inequalities of power and control that persist in modern family relationships’ as a key reason for inequality; again challenging the statement. Allan suggests that ideological factors limit women’s power in that they are ‘disadvantaged from the start. ’ This suggests that the family is always going to be founded on inequality; thus suggesting that the view of equality is limited. This is supported by Barrett and McIntosh who suggest that men gain far more from women’s domestic work than they give in financial support and that in turn this support often comes with ‘strings’ attached. Also, men are usually the ones who make decisions about finances despite some families being dual-earners. This is due to the fact that women are statistically still paid on average less than men; enhancing male economic power. Therefore you can question the extent of equality in modern family life. Resources are also said to be shared unequally like Kempson’s (1994) study among low-income families. This leaves women in poverty and so restricts their power in the family which creates an atmosphere of inequality in conjugal relationships. This is further explained by feminists Pahl and Vogler (1993) who focused on the effects of decision making within the family through ideas like ‘pooling’ and ‘allowance systems. They found a 31% increase in pooling where both partners have joint decision responsibility as well as a decline in allowance systems. However, it was still evident that men usually made huge financial decisions. Edgell also supports this as the levels of decision making are not equal due to the male economic power that still exists. Therefore, women have less say in the decisions and thus it is obvious that the view that gender roles and relationships are becoming more equal is incorrect as inequality in pay and decisions still exist. Similarly, this inequality of power has led to domestic violence which clearly shows how inequality is evident in that relationships are being gender dominated. Radical feminists like Millett and Firestone (1970) use domestic violence as a way to show that society is primarily founded on patriarchy and that men oppress and exploit women. They suggest that the inequality of power within the family maintains men’s power and so domestic violence is inevitable. Similarly, Dobash and Dobash suggest that marriage legitimises violence against women as it provides the male with power and the women with dependency, therefore evidently showing no signs of equality. Thus, this disputes the statement of gender roles and relationships becoming more equal with 1 in 4 women being assaulted in their lifetime according to Mirrlees-Black. Finally, childcare which is essentially about exercising responsibility for another person who is not fully responsible for herself and it entails seeing to all aspects of the child’s security and well-being, her growth and development at any and all times. Mary Boulton ( 1983 ) argues the exaggeration in the extent of men’s involvement in childcare and she denies that questions about who does what give a true picture of conjugal roles. She also claims that although men might help with particular tasks, it is their wives who retain primary responsibility for children. It is the wives who relegate non-domestic aspects of their lives to a low priority. This shows that there is still inequality in terms of childcare in conjugal relationships. In addition, Elsa Ferri and Kate Smith provide some empirical support for Boulton by conducting a study based on National Child Development Survey. The survey found it was still very rare for fathers to take primary responsibility for childcare. In both the sample of mothers and the sample of fathers it was very rare in dual-earner families, no-earner families or families where only the mother worked, for the man to be normally responsible for the children or to look after them when they were ill. In almost every category the man was the main carer in 4 percent or less of families. This is also supported by the radical feminist idea of ‘gender scripts’ in that there are expected norms in terms of gender roles and so patriarchal relationships are inevitable. Therefore, they suggest that equality without burdens will only be reached through same-sex relationships as this eliminates the ‘gender script’ idea. Thus, this enhances the inequality of the family, and suggests that the view that conjugal relationships are becoming more equal is in fact incorrect as the inevitability of patriarchal relationships means that equality cannot be established. In conclusion, I have discussed and assessed the view that conjugal relationships are based on equality in modern industrial societies by evaluating three sections which are hours worked, power and childcare. With all of the statement, I believe that conjugal relationships in modern industrial societies are not based on equality.

Organizational behavior of HK Disneyland Essay

Introduction Hong Kong Disneyland, opened to visitors in 2005, is one of the two largest theme parks in Hong Kong. It successfully brings magical experience of Walt Disney to all the visitors just like other Disneyland around the world. Hong Kong Disneyland has created a culture for their employees with open communication with their managers and subordinates, professional training, and rewards. This philosophy of treating employees well has long been adopted by Walt Disney for many years. The belief of Walt Disney is that you can have joyful guests as long as you have employees who enjoy working for Disneyland and bringing happiness to visitors. With the comprehensive training for each employee, they make all visitors  experience a memorable magical moment. No matter the cast of Disney characters, or the people working in Disneyland’s restaurants or hotels, all of them receive comprehensive training. This training can ensure that every Disney employee can work together as a team, and provide excellent customer services to cater for their customers’ needs. In this report, we will illustrate how Disneyland incorporates organizational behavior concepts to create a culture for their employees where they feel satisfactory for their work environment and feel that they are important to the team. Motivation and learning are two main focuses in our research. We will also provide suggestions on how Disneyland can further improve in terms of organizational culture. Motivation Hong Kong Disneyland has many ways to motivate its employees to work. Our team is going to apply Theory X and Theory Y, Herzberg’s two-factor theory, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need these three theories to analyze the employee motivation methods of Hong Kong Disneyland Theory X and Theory Y Here is a brief introduction on the Theory X before the application on Disneyland. Theory X based on pessimistic assumptions. It is impediment to employee morale and productivity. For example, it assumed that labors are inherently lazy and avoid to work, only interested in money and in need of close supervision. Also, they would have little ambition without incentive programs, avoid responsibility and need to be driven through control systems. So, once the manager adopting this theory, they will end everything in blame without evaluating the situation, structure the work, energize the employees and also in authoritarian style based on the threat of punishment. Here comes to the application on theory X. According to the spokesperson of Disneyland, Angela Bliss, Disney employees have to adhere to strict guidelines and rules for their behavior and appearance. Once hired, they have to maintain the â€Å"Disney Look, and the Disney look is a fresh, clean and  approachable look, ensuring that every guest feels comfortable with our entire cast. Therefore, â€Å"Cast members,† Disney’s way of referring to their employees, receive a â€Å"Disney look book† that details all of the requirements, emphasizing a natural look with natural hair color and makeup. The purpose in doing this is to keep the focus on the ‘show’ and not on the individual cast member. Besides, a cast member with purple hair may not appear approachable to all of their guests. According to Disney rules, anytime a cast member confronts a guest who appears lost or frazzled, the employee must offer their help and point them in the right direction. Pointing must always be done with either two fingers or the full hand. So, the above showed that the workers in Disney are suffered serious and high intensive instructions and rules by the theory X style managers. What’s more, with reference to the article by Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel on November 16, 2010, The Walt Disney Co. has issued a new policy banning employees from texting while driving on the job. The ban applies to all of the Burbank, Calif.-based entertainment giant’s worldwide employees — including its roughly 60,000 workers at Walt Disney World. The policy, which recently took effect, also prohibits employees from making or receiving phone calls while driving on the job unless they use a single earpiece. It applies to workers who are either driving company vehicles or using their own vehicles while on the job. Disney punishments for workers caught violating the driving policy will be decided on case-by-case basis. The policy does not apply to employees during their drives to or from work. In short, the evidences above status that the management of theory X style, use to set up regulations and punishments to motivate their ‘‘actors’’. On the other hand, here comes to the theory Y. On the contrary, it based on positive assumptions, and also more positive view of workers and the possibilities that create. For instance, they assumed that employees are ambitious, self-motivated and anxious to accept greater responsibility. Employees exercise self-control, self-direction, autonomy and empowerment,  also exercise creativity and become forward looking. So, once the managers are adopted this theory, they believes that people want to do well at work, have a pool of unused creativity and that the satisfaction of doing a job is in itself motivating. Here comes to the application on theory Y. The Walt Disney Co focuses on creating a culture in which employees can flourish and find meaning in their work. Together with more than 10,000 online reference materials and resources, instructor-led classes, performance support systems, and education reimbursement for job-related degree programs, The Walt Disney Company offers an array of tools. From the website of The Walt Disney Co., they claimed that ‘It takes a special kind of person to work at The Walt Disney Company. Our employees and cast members contribute to the success of our many brands in a way no other company can match. That is why our employees and cast members are the most valuable part of our organization. But we know your life isn’t just about work. You have additional things going on – family, friends, personal interests, education and more. The Walt Disney Company offers a comprehensive total rewards package that helps you live your best life, grow p ersonally and professionally, and get rewarded for the results you deliver. The programs, benefits and perks you receive as an employee or cast member may vary based on where you live and work. But when you add it all up, the total package provides the same results: your total rewards support you throughout all stages of your life and career.’ Herzberg’s two-factor theory The two-factor theory states that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, while a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction. The theory suggests that to improve job attitudes and productivity, administrators must recognize and attend to both sets of characteristics and not assume that an increase in satisfaction leads to decrease in not pleasurable dissatisfaction. Two-factor theory distinguishes between motivators and hygiene factors based on the notion that the presence of one set of job characteristics or incentives leads to worker satisfaction at work, while another and separate  set of job characteristics leads to dissatisfaction at work. Therefore, satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not on a continuum with one increasing as the other diminishes, but are independent phenomena. Motivators such as challenging work, achievements, recognition, responsibility, or anything else that given positive satisfaction, arising from intrinsic conditions of the job itself, which is based on the long lasting working environment but not short-lasting achievement. The Walt Disney Company offers a comprehensive total rewards package that helps employee live better life, grow personally and professionally, and get rewarded for the results they deliver, for example, there are incentive and special recognition programs which includes quality of work, length of service, community volunteerism and employee of the month recognition. Reward will be varied by company, job status, location and/or the terms of any applicable collective bargaining agreement. The company have a diverse workforce is critical to the business. Variety of opinions, ideas and perspectives to ensure staff and their managers continue to top the performance and represent the company’s global marketplace. When employee reflects the communities, it can enhance the way for them connect to guests, audiences and consumers. Employee can feel that they work toward an inclusive environment that fosters creativity, innovation and camaraderie across all of the Disney companies. The c ulture can also inspire the workers. For instance, they are committed to a tradition of innovation and technology. Employee can be easily given job satisfaction from setting a high standard of excellence and maintain high-quality standards across all product categories. Apart from that, working in The Walt Disney Company can always enjoy in the joyful atmosphere as the entertainment is about hope, aspiration and positive outcomes, they can create positive and inclusive ideas about families and provide entertainment experiences for all generations to share. The rewarding, inclusive and supportive work environment is committed by the company. Thus, the staffs are able to gain satisfaction from working in Disney. Hygiene factors, for example, status, job security, salary, work conditions,  the benefits for employee, that do not give positive satisfaction, though dissatisfaction results from their absence. The Walt Disney Company provides employee base salaries with the total compensation opportunity and health and wellness benefits which includes medical, Disney Health Pursuits Wellness resources, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), behavioral health, prescription drug coverage, dental, healthcare and dependent day care flexible spending accounts, accident and disability Insurance, long-term care insurance. Besides, the employee can have enough time off working in Disney. They can have 11 paid holidays per year, vacation, sick pay and short-term disability, leaves of absence, bereavement and jury duty, personal life resources, group legal plan, adoption assistance program and onsite childcare centers. Moreover, they can also enjoy the retirement and financial benefits. 401(k) savings plan wi th company match, retirement savings plan for salaried employees and employee stock purchase program would be included. Also, they can enjoy special extras which are complimentary theme park admissions, employee discounts, merchandise discounts at Disney-owned stores, company-sponsored events and services, Disney employee matching gifts, commuter assistance program and many other unique advantages. Last but not least, some world-class training programs are customizable for employee to join such as professional development, management and leadership development, computer skills, business immersion programs and individual career development as the company encourages staff to learn and reach their goals. To sum up, the Herzberg’s two-factor theory can be applied into The Walt Disney Company as motivators and hygiene factors can be found in the policy of the company and working environment. It can satisfy both motivators and hygiene factors of employee and that is the reason staffs enjoy to work there. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need Maslow’s theory relates motivation to a hierarchy of needs. At the bottom are essential physiological needs such as air, food, shelter and clothing. As individuals satisfy one level of need, their motivations change as they aspire to reach the higher order needs. Therefore, to motivate an individual Maslow suggests that it is necessary to know where within the hierarchy each  employee is placed so that these factors can be taken into account. Physiological needs – Hong Kong Disneyland offers competitive salaries. This gives employees the means to acquire the basic needs for living. Also, provide benefits programme to employees which suit them. These benefits and competitive salaries help workers’ pay go further and so motivate them to be loyal to the company. In Hong Kong Disneyland, empolyees can earn more than just a pay-check and will receive a total rewards package that consists of different types of compensation and benefits, such as: Cast exclusive MTR discount scheme Comprehensive group medical insurance, including outpatient, hospitalisation, specialist, Chinese herbalist and dental services Group life and group personal accident insurance Discretionary gratuity Paid annual leave, maternity leave, marriage leave and examination leave Overtime payment for frontline overtime eligible positions Overnight shift premium Laundry services for uniforms and costume Safety needs – Hong Kong Disneyland values the safety of all employees. It is committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment to prevent accidents. Hong Kong Disneyland provides a clear rule and regulation to employees. For example, how to access the control of the machines; therefore employees are accountable to create a safe working environment too – that means they have to take responsibility for observing the health and safety rules and practices. Hong Kong Disnetland also offers employees a range of working patterns. For example, it provide a flexible working schedule, some employees may want to work as a part-time, they can choose among the schedule. This helps employees to choose the best option for a healthy work-life balance. Social needs – These are associated with a feeling of belonging. These provide informal opportunities for employees to get along with each other. This helps strengthen teams and enhances workers’ sense of belonging. Having an open approach to communication keeps everybody focused on the Hong Kong Disneyland’s aims helps individuals contribute to the company. In Hong Kong Disneyland, there is a RACE Club which provides a variety of interest programs, instructor-led courses and outdoor recreational activities for cast members and their family and friends. The RACE Club strives to promote diversity and work-life balance for cast members. It is also a platform for passionate and talented cast members to unleash their potential by being program instructors. Esteem – All employees in Hong Kong Disneyland have a need to be respected and to respect themselves. Esteem is the normal employees desire to be accepted and valued by others. Employees need to engage themselves in activities, to gain recognition and a sense of contribution. Esteem needs can intersect with motivation in the Hong Kong Disneyland too. For example, employees’ voice will be heard at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. Cast members are welcome to share any feedback employees may have with the Cast Advisory Council (CAC). The CAC meets regularly to listen to cast member feedback and make suggestions to improve the working environment. Self-actualisation – Hong Kong Disneyland provides employees with the opportunity to take on challenging and stimulating responsibilities. This enables them to develop and improve. Hong Kong Disneyland offers more than 100 instructor-led programs to all cast members, including the Operations and Professional Teams. As a full time cast member, Employees can receive an average of 35 training hours per year to help them excel in their career. Typical instructor-led training courses include: Classes for All Cast Members: Disney Traditions Training Communicating Effectively in the Workplace Giving and Receiving Feedback in Disney Style Influencing Team Members as a Role Model Good Show Begins with Me Classes for All Managers: Coaching for Win-Win Outcome Problem Solving & Decision Making Skills Time Management Seminars and conferences hosted by Guest Speakers Learning Organizational Learning in Disneyland Learning in Disneyland take parts in three aspects, it includes Disney University, DU Learningland and Emerging Leader Program. 1. Disney University The Disney University (DU) offers more than 100 instructor-led programs to all cast members, including the Operations and Professional Teams. As a full time cast member, people can receive an average of 35 training hours per year to help them excel in their career. This also acts as a guide to providing world-class service to our guests. Typical instructor-led training courses include: Classes for All Cast Members: -Disney Traditions Training -Communicating Effectively in the Workplace -Giving and Receiving Feedback in Disney Style -Influencing Team Members as a Role Model Classes for All Managers: -Coaching for Win-Win Outcome -Problem Solving & Decision Making Skills -Time Management -Seminars and conferences hosted by Guest Speakers 2. DU Learningland The DU Learningland provides a wide variety of self-learning materials to study at workers own pace. There are about 1,000 collections including Disney feature films and books on career development as well as personal growth. 3. Emerging Leaders Program Hong Kong Disneyland Emerging Leaders Program can help workers develop for future leadership roles at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. The six-month program focuses on developing your core leadership competencies. During the training, workers and other cast members work on group projects, attend classroom training and do on-the-job shadowing with a Guest Service Manager. Current situation of learning aspects in Hong Kong Disneyland 1. Explicit knowledge Explicit knowledge is Knowledge that is articulated through language, such as documents. Hong Kong Disneyland provides training to its workers. With the aim to progress along a steep learning curve, Disneyland offers learning opportunities for the trainees, including classroom training that give workers guidelines of the way workers should behave. 2. Tacit knowledge Tacit knowledge refers to knowledge acquired through observation and direct experience. From the recruitment post of Hong Kong Disneyland, it suggests that previous work experience at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (e.g. Part Time Host / Internship) or any other Disney theme parks will be considered as an added advantage. This proves the workers are likely to have some experience of welcoming guest before they enter the firm. Moreover, abundant mentorship and mentoring workshops are offered to colleagues so that that new workers can have deeper understanding about Hong Kong Disneyland more easily. 3. Skills Most of the job offered in Hong Kong Disneyland requires that applicants should have excellent command of English and Chinese, including spoken Cantonese and Mandarin. Despite the language requirement, Hong Kong Disneyland further requires candidates have the ability to demonstrate strong computer proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, familiarity with Apple presentation products, and willingness to learn new software programs Generally, Language skills and computer skills are the two fundamental skills that Hong Kong Disneyland is looking for. 4. Attitude Hong Kong Disneyland demands that workers should demonstrate outgoing personality with good communication skill. Moreover, applicants should be those that are energetic, strong team-players and passionate about Disney. That is to say, Hong Kong Disneyland tries to let co-workers to imagine working for an organization that brings smiles to millions every year, or working with people whose passion for what they do is simply indescribable. Problems of Disney Learning Style From the above description, we find that Disneyland provide extensive training program to their employees. These training programs have equipped their employees with basic knowledge on facilitating daily operation of Disneyland; however, these training programs do not equip employees with creativity on how to make their service better. In other word, the training programs of Disneyland do not give enough reinforcement to their employees. Reinforcement is classified into two categories: positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement occurs when positive consequence is presented to a desired behavior while negative reinforcement refers to the presentation of negative consequence to undesired behavior. Both operant conditioning and classical conditioning state that extinction of particular behavior will occurs if reinforcement is no longer presented upon the completion of behavior which is previously reinforced. Moreover, social learning theory also suggested that human will learn though observing because of self-reinforcement. In other words, reinforcement has played a very important role in every types of learning. Without reinforcement of desirable behavior and severe punishment of misbehavior, employees may not have any incentive to perform better. Some of them may even lose their incentive to maintain their expected performance and withdraw from Disneyland. This may lead to severe consequences Disneyland in a few aspects. First, with employee losing their work incentives, there will be a reduction of average customer service quality. As Disneyland aims to bring the greatest experience to its customer, their reputation as the world most famous theme park may be harmed. Moreover, if employees resign from Disneyland frequently, the turnover rate of staff is high. In this case, not  only the cost of training newly join staff will increase, the time of training new staff will also be boost as every Disneyland staff needs to receive sufficient training before they become available to work. With the total c ost increase in a great proportion, this will lead to a loss of comparative advantage of Disneyland. To solve the problems mentioned above, Disneyland may need to provide enough external reinforcement and self-reinforcement to their employees. Suggestions 1) Since Disneyland is a service industry, their staffs are required to provide high-quality customer services. And this kind of customer service is not only an explicit knowledge, but also a tacit knowledge. That is, knowledge acquired through observation and direct experience, it cannot be obtained directly through knowledge, such as document. Explicit knowledge is provided by Disney University, while tacit knowledge can be learnt from on-job training, new worker are asked to observe their mentor and learn. At the same time, employees are required to deal with different scenarios to obtain customer satisfaction, and they can only learn through real-time experience since there are many unexpected situations happened in reality. So, extensive training can just provide the existing and past experience to their employees and after they obtained the explicit knowledge from Disney University, they can apply it to customers and make a change to satisfy customers with different needs. And this implies practice makes perfect, only through dealing with actual cases with continuing improvement to obtain a high-quality customer service and that is a tacit knowledge. 2) Positive reinforcement can be used since it occurs when a positive outcome follows a desired behavior. In this case, desired behavior will be the high quality service provided by employees, positive outcome can be bonus and commissions. It is the common way for manager to create learning among their employees, and it becomes the motivator for employees to provide a better service in order to achieve the target set by Disneyland. Before the positive outcome launched, employees will less be motivated since they think there is no problem to work as usual. But after having this positive  outcome, it will motivate employees to provide a better customer service as they want to get the bonus based on the checkpoint set by Disneyland which is related to themselves, the monetary benefit. So, it can create a win-win outcome that Disneyland can continue to have a positive reputation and a continuing improvement on customer relationship through the effort provided by employees, at the same time employees can receive bonus as rewards to affirm their effort directly. Employees can learn from social learning theory. First, behavioral modeling and learning behavior consequences are observing and modeling behavior of others and its consequences afterwards; Since one department have lots of employees who have their own method to deal with customer matters, like the ways to deliver customer service when dealing with customers with different tempers, so everyone can be a role model towards the others. For example, for a host at Chef Mickey (Food and Beverage), there are many staff to serve customers, such as ordering, serving, and cleaning up. They can first observe how the other staffs perform their job responsibilities to get customers’ satisfaction, and then the consequence is they can improve themselves to provide a smoother customer service after observation and modeling. For self-reinforcement, it is a conclusion that employees should reinforce their behavior with consequences within their control after the learning from observation. Disneyland can carry out the performance management through defining the criteria: define what is high-quality customer service by the management department, items may include customer preferences, establishing rapport, dealing with complaints, promoting and up-selling; measuring and appraising employees’ performance: how often to carry out quality assessment and when will have appraisals based on the needs with the current situation, like the peak season for Christmas or The Lunar New Year; providing them either positive or negative feedback: using face-to-face approach in order to deliver their feedback directly: self-reinforcement will occur if the feedback is positive, employees can accumulate a higher marks for the overall performance in order to get the bonus and rewards from achieving the checkpoint set by Disneyland. And their performance can be  improved through providing a better service to achieve the bonus and rewards, learning from colleagues, personal development, such as the goals and schedule set by an individual to provide a better customer service. 3) Using a reward allocation decisions can shape ones behavior in Disneyland. Which people to reward: who meet the requirement of providing high-quality customer service, how to reward them: whether using monetary or non-monetary term. When to reward them, depending when will the appraisals be released. Since Disneyland is a service industry, using team reward systems will be more appropriate as employees should have a good interpersonal and communication quality, and this reward approach can emphasize cooperation and joint efforts, also employees can share their experience to others in order to achieve a better performance and gain a higher reward through cooperation. At the same time, competency-based reward should be used as a financial reward practice as it is the fundamental part of employment relationship. The pay has multiple meanings, such as symbol of success which provides high-quality customer service performance, reinforcement and motivator, reducing anxiety that the worries about how is their own customer service providing performance. Competency-based reward is a pay increases with competencies acquired and demonstrated. It is a skill-based pay which means how well is the customer service provided, pay will be increased with skill modules learned. The advantages is having flexibility on the workload with a better quality, since different employees will provide different customer service, they can learn from dealing with real-time cases in order to adjust how can the customer service be delivered better. Not only is this reward focusing on individual rewards: commissions, but also team rewards: gain sharing and the most important part – organizational rewards: profit sharing, stock options, balanced scorecard. 4) It is suitable to use the job rotation in Disneyland. The existing one is  called the Internal Transfer Process, which is eligible to regular full time cast members who have been employed at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and held their current position for at least six months. And the purpose is to provide Cast Members with cross-functional transfer opportunities and equip them to be multi-functional and multi-tasked. Cast members can first have six-months experience in their department, after being familiar with its job responsibilities and they feel it is time for them to experience the different challenges, they can submit the application for internal transfer without getting a supervisor’s approval. They can transfer within a Single Team, across different teams or between Operations Team and Professional Team with the same career path. And they can have job rotation after their demonstrated performance, education background, as well as work experience being assessed. Undoubtedly, it has a slightly difference with the job rotation approach since cast members need to submit their application and be assessed. However, the goal is actually similar that offers their employees a chance to have internal transfer. It can minimize repetitive strain injury and reduce the job boredom after staying as the same position for a long time; it is good for employees to experience different customers’ needs through working in different department and it is the only way for them to obtain a real experience through working by their own but not on books or documents. At the same time, there will be some drawbacks that cannot be ignored, such as the extra resources on training as some employees may only work for six months and have internal transfer, that means they need another training which lead to an extra cost on training, the extra training cost will be much higher for employees transferring between Operations Team and Professional Team because the trainin g criteria are totally different; also employees may not be an expert in all fields, this problem may occur frequently also in the case of transferring between Operations Team and Professional Team, since the job requirement will be totally different and they need more theoretical knowledge to manage employees or work out for a win-win outcome and also have decision making which will have a significant influence of Disneyland’s market share or status. Conclusion Hong Kong Disneyland has demonstrated how a world class theme park creates a working atmosphere for its employees. As motivation and learning are always two most important aspects of employee management, so our team has taken these two factors for study. In motivation aspect, we have introduced Herzberg’s two-factor theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need to explain the motivation of employees. The two factor theory and the hygiene factors can be applied in the ways that how Hong Kong Disneyland motivates its employees. The Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need explains how Hong Kong Disneyland motivates its employees according to the five stages of needs, that is, physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem, and self-actualization. In learning aspect, currently, Hong Kong Disneyland provides Disneyland University and mentoring sections for its employees to acquire both explicit and tacit knowledge. Its problem is that is does not give enough reinforcement to the employees on bettering the services, resulting in lower incentives and even job resignation. Therefore, we have suggested Hong Kong Disneyland to provide positive reinforcement such as bonus and team reward to boost their motivation and arrange job rotati on to keep the employees’ passion about the company as well as their job. In a nutshell, Hong Kong Disneyland is an international level organization hiring thousands of employees for operation. Its employee management method is a great model for studying but there are still rooms for improvement.

Dear Professor Wiesel

Dear Professor Wisest, My name is (name here), a (grade) at Esters (School). My English class had Just finished your book â€Å"Night†, and I must say it was one of the most interesting books I've read in awhile. I was extremely excited when my teacher first proposed the idea of reading a survivors story of the Holocaust. I had found it very fascinating to hear a story coming from you, being a survivor of the Holocaust. First, after analyzing details of the book â€Å"Night†, I feel several things need to be read and acknowledge by every human being in order to prevent future mass encodes such as the Holocaust.It seems to me that genocide starts as Just a small idea and in no time it spreads Just as a wild fire would, it grows rapidly. It's absolutely disgusting to know discrimination amongst differences still exists in today's society and eventually leads to the same conclusion. â€Å"Night†, I feel is a great attempt to end discrimination and genocide which is why I truly admire what you have done by reliving your horrific experience in order to teach the world more about the Holocaust from a different perspective.Next, having to live in such a such confined place such as Auschwitz with little food and water is hard enough, but having to cope with such pain from seeing your whole family die along with friends and family for no reason is Just speechless. I had a real tough time coping with a family member death who passed away from old age. Just thinking of what I'd do if I found out my parent's or sister were dead is unimaginable, let alone seeing them die. I honestly don't know how you did it. What did you look up towards? What were you thinking of doing?Being alive now must be official at some points from the terrifying memories that run through your head. In conclusion, I really want to thank you for having the courage to write this story in such great details. You've not only changed others perspectives on discrimination and genocide, you've change mine as well. There was so many details that I feel I could reread this book multiple times and pick up something new each time. Thanks for facing the terrible time in your life in order to teach others and giving us a closer look at humanity's darkest hours. Thanks, (name here) Dear Professor Wisest By motorbike

A study of male Emiratis risks of suffering from diabetes Essay

A study of male Emiratis risks of suffering from diabetes - Essay Example r research carried out among Gulf Cooperation Council nations, it has been identified that the leading and most prevalent diseases are Type 2 diabetes and obesity, which have made the region to be the leading in the world (Glass 2008). Indeed, WHO records shows that Saudi Arabia leads GCC nations as having the highest rate of obesity at 35.6 per cent while UAE comes fourth with 33.7 per cent of its population been identified to be overweight (Glass 2008). With regard to diabetes, UAE leads other GCC nations with 19.5 per cent of the population in the country estimated to have the disease while Saudi Arabia is the second (Glass 2008). Overall obesity is identified as the biggest contributory factor to prevalence of diabetes. Currently, UAE assumes the second position in the entire world to record the highest number of diabetes cases after the Pacific island of Narau, which is the world’s number one to record high cases of diabetes (El-Sharkawy, n.d). Studies on the prevalence of diabetes among the UAE citizens remain scanty, but from the few done in the past, the problem and associated statistics concerning diabetes have been studied. For example, Dun and colleagues conducted a research on the disease between 1997 and 1999 on a sample of UAE citizens, and their findings indicated that on overall, diabetes prevalence in the country was estimated to be about 20 per cent, with urban areas prevalence being 25.4 per cent and rural areas recording prevalence rate of 14.1 per cent (El-Sharkawy, n.d). iii) Lastly, the study will be essential in that it will produce recommendations and other observations about diabetes, which in turn will become necessary information in spreading health awareness about the disease. Current and satisfied statistics by the Imperial College London Diabetes Center indicate that among the UAE population, about 19.5 per cent are victims of diabetes (Shammaa, 2008). Further, figures released by the Research Center shows that prevalence rate

The Transparency in Corporate Governance Essay

The Transparency in Corporate Governance - Essay Example Shareholders and investors are being defrauded and deceived on the real status of earning and expenses within the firm through financial statements that are not entirely accurate. Such failures of corporate governance have produced a negative impact on investor confidence and made them question the integrity of information that is provided in the financial statements of a corporate entity.1 The development of corporate governance codes has as its primary objective, the restoration and increase of investor confidence through increased accountability and transparency in corporations2. Effective corporate governance enhances investor confidence, enhances competitiveness and ultimately contributes to economic growth. Transparency in corporate governance implies a lack of opacity or secrecy in financial operations and is thus associated with full disclosure of financial and operational information. Transparency implies that there are no hidden agendas and that clear information is provided, not only on financial and operational aspects but also on the internal processes of management overseeing and control systems. It is on the basis of such complete disclosure of information that a meaningful analysis of the Company can be made and outside investors who put their money into an organization can understand its operations clearly and make good investment decisions. Transparency can therefore mitigate the risks associated with corporate governance and the potential for corporate scandals. In countries such as the USA and the UK, ownership of shares in corporations extends over a widespread shareholder base. This leaves scope for potential conflict, arising between the interests of the stakeholders in the corporation and the Boards of Directors who could allow their own self-interest to influence organizational decision-making.

Managing the Environment (MEWK3 DQ1) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managing the Environment (MEWK3 DQ1) - Essay Example In other words, the bank had successfully created a holistic marketing strategy and was able to follow through. As it is building "the world's local bank" brand, the bank is very vulnerable to making that brand work. Hence, it must focus on acquiring local knowledge in each area it operates in, and put that local knowledge to customizing the bank's marketing activities to the locality's preferences and characteristics. Another vulnerability is that competitor banks might leverage on their being 'local' in designing marketing activities and compete head on with the bank's "the world's local bank" strategy. This will surely questions the integrity of such campaign - say, hw can HSBC be that area's local bank wherein the competitor bank is truly local in every sense Going forward and aligned with the company's "the world's local bank" image, a more decentralized structure with regard its marketing department should be adopted. This way the branch is given the authority to design and implement its marketing plans.

Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Review - Article Example The previous three models of strategic change were based on the preferred methods indicating how companies can bring about fundamental changes in their work in the best manner. The first model emphasized almost exclusively over the senior management for the planning and implementation of change. This planning oriented model had several issues in the implementation phase of the planned change, such as time, speed, resources, etc. which were often found to be inadequate in comparison with the previously considered options during the planning phase. Also, the middle managers were often not committed to the planned change since they were not involved in the planning process and thereby, have difficulties in understanding the proposed plan. Though, these middle rank managers have important information and ideas to contribute to the planning of the desired change. Hence, the second model was developed that focused on the implementation phase by including the middle managers in the formulat ion of strategic change plans, where detailed execution schemes were also discussed and developed. However, the organizations still experienced a number of implementation issues such as inadequate progress, broad systemic issues (norms, culture, policies, rewards, management styles, etc.), unexpected delays and organizational resistance. Thus, the third model came into existence focusing on the readiness for change but still there were problems like broad scale resistance, time limits, and emergence of new problems not been anticipated before during the planning phase. The unusual aspect of this model had been the involvement of employees, customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders in the implementation process. Due to the drawbacks of the previous three models, the fourth model of strategic change that is called ‘the learning organization’ is under development right now. This new model engages everyone, involved in origination, in the identification and resolution of the problems, all of the time. Summary of the Author’s Conclusions and/or Recommendations The plans developed under the learning organization model are not just the concepts of top management but are also completely shared and supported by the people involved in the development of these plans. The learning organization model improvises change by means of small rewards, experiments and institutionalization of success across the organization instead of just executing plans by the numbers. The true form of the change is gradually revealed by the creative and spontaneous actions of the people across the organization. Accomplishments and successes are bolstered and institutionalized with the passing time, which changes or augments the formal structures, systems, and procedures of the organization. This model selects the action, reflects and modifies the course as it goes that improves the speed and effectiveness of the implementation of the planned change. However, there is a danger that this model will lead to its own quick fix solutions in a box and that this model will be recognized as the ultimate solution for the problems like surprise and stagnancy. Thus, this new model recognizes that any specific plan or program can be unsuccessful. Even

Britains Role In 20th Century International History Essay

Britains Role In 20th Century International History - Essay Example The Australian colonies were united into an autonomous Dominion in 1901 with the federal government located at Melbourne before being moved to Canberra in 1927. New Zealand became a Dominion in 1907. All four South African colonies were federated into autonomous Dominion Union of South Africa in 1910 (Reynolds 127). The granting of autonomy to the Irish Free State reduced the territory of the United Kingdom to Great Britain in 1921. It can be argued that the British Empire was at its peak in the 1920s after World War One when it Gained most of the German territories in Africa and Ottoman provinces including Palestine and Iraq in the Middle East by mandate granted by the League of Nations (Reynolds 127).At the Balfour Declaration in 1926, Britain and its Dominions agreed that they were not subordinate to each other another in aspects of both domestic and external affairs though united by common allegiance to the crown and freely associated as members of the British Common Wealth Of Na tions. They were also granted the right to secede (Reynolds 127). World War Two (1939-45) demonstrated the royalty of the Dominions to the empire as in 1939 the Australian prime minister acknowledged his country’s involvement in war by virtue of Britain’s declaration of war on Germany and as a result, Australia was at war, again in 1940 gold in millions of pounds was shipped to Canada in preparation for relocation of the British Royal Family if the situation of war escalated (Reynolds 127).... New Zealand became a Dominion in 1907. All four South African colonies were federated into autonomous Dominion of Union of South Africa in 1910 (Reynolds 127). The granting of autonomy to the Irish Free State reduced the territory of the United Kingdom to Great Britain in 1921. It can be argued that the British Empire was at its peak in the 1920s after World War One when it gained most of German territories in Africa and Ottoman provinces including Palestine and Iraq in the Middle East by mandate granted by the League of Nations (Reynolds 127). At the Balfour Declaration in 1926, Britain and its Dominions agreed that they were not subordinate to each other another in aspects of both domestic and external affairs though united by common allegiance to the crown and freely associated as members of the British Common Wealth Of Nations. The Statute of West Minister in 1931 granted full autonomy to The Dominions of Canada, union of South Africa, Irish Free states Australia and New Zealand they were collectively referred to as the British common wealth. They were also granted the right to secede (Reynolds 127). World War Two (1939-45) demonstrated the royalty of the Dominions to the empire as in 1939 the Australian prime minister acknowledged his country’s involvement in war by virtue of Britain’s declaration of war on Germany and as a result, Australia was at war, again in 1940 gold in millions of pounds was shipped to Canada in preparation for relocation of the British Royal Family if the situation of war escalated (Reynolds 127). The empire was to further expand in 1945 after the war, occupying most of Italian territories in Africa and huge areas of the Middle East to secure

The Concept of Leadership in the media Assignment - 1

The Concept of Leadership in the media - Assignment Example It further elaborates the benefits of ethic and social responsibility in customer in company operations. The article looks into a new workplace diversity system to assist employers to create fairer and diverse workplace. The article explains further the need to have diversity in workplace in relation to economy and performance of the firm (DuBrin, 2011). Promotion of diversity in workplace makes employees from minority feel secure and become more productive. This type of platform for training on diverse employment assists in improving ability of employees working together and productivity. The article comes from women agenda website that which reports only facts. Article gives a good tool in improving and managing diversity at workplace. Saly, J. (March 05, 2015). Workplace diversity. It makes cents. Women’s Agenda.Web. March 14, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.womensagenda.com.au/talking-about/top-stories/workplace-diversity-it-makes-cents/201503045395#.VQQZf-T4VKo Vanderhorst, D. (March 6, 2015). FPAA summit emphasizes social responsibility. The Packer. Web. March 14, 2015. Retrieved from

Basic LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Basic LAW - Essay Example The business that has been decided to be set up is that of transport business. This business operation will deal with lending car on rental basis to the tourists’ companies which operates with planning trips for the tourists. Australia is an attractive location for the tourists and thus holds good scope for the business. The cars will be bought new for providing them on rental to the tourists’ companies. The business will operate on the type of â€Å"sole trader†. Thus the aim of this paper is to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of sole trading business along with the other forms for comparing and thus to justify this choice of the business form. The name of the business would be â€Å"Lark Travels†. Lark is the name of a songbird. The benefits and the drawbacks of registering names for business will also be evaluated in this paper. Sole Trader Business: Advantages, Disadvantages, Legal Requirements and Liabilities of the Party Sole trader which h as been selected as the form of the business is known to be as the most inexpensive and the simplest structure to be set up. The best way to have a business name is to have it by the trader’s own name; otherwise the trader needs to register the business name with Consumer Affairs Victoria. The sole trader holds the entire liability of the business. The liability holding does not vary in case if the business is registered with a name other than his or her name. An income declaration is essential to be included by the sole trader; the income which is earned from the business. A business plan is required in case the sole trader is opting for taking loan from any of the financial institutions. The tax is paid by the sole trader at a rate of personal tax, although he or she may be required to pay provisional tax. The liability of sole trader business is unlimited and can even broaden up to sole trader’s personal assets inclusive of any assets which are owned jointly with an other person. The advantage of sole trader business is that it bears low fees of establishment. The entire control over the business lies with the sole trader and he enjoys the entire profit from the business. During low business profits, there exist taxation advantages. There is applicability of less legislation in this business form. The only two legislations applicable are Contract Law and Tax Assessment Act. Despite the advantages, the sole trading business can pose as a risk towards the trader’s personal finances. The capital deems limited by the sole trader’s personal assets and also there prevails limited expertise of the trader. He is subjected to unlimited legal liability and he is solely responsible for all the debts and liabilities. At times, it may become hard to ‘pass on ownership’1. Partnership Business: Advantages, Disadvantages, Legal Requirements and Liabilities of the Parties Partnership businesses are similar to the sole trader busin

Maya Angelou Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Maya Angelou - Essay Example This paper will discuss her style of writing and highlight how she manages to inspire people with her works. Getting a basic understanding of Angelou’s life is essential in order to understand her poetry. She has explored the world of literature widely and is a writer, poet, actress, dancer, and producer. Due to her insurmountable experience in literature of different genres, she excels in presenting unique poetry (Kuhlman 12). From her autobiography, it is evident that Angelou managed to exhibit resilience despite the challenges she faced as a black woman. Her poetry highlights some aspects of her life. Background information on her life indicates that she spent her early childhood with her grandmother after her parents divorced. In her teen age, she lived with her mother. Other challenges in her life included rape and teenage pregnancy. Her life experiences ands the strength she manages to gather from the circumstances in her life inspire her poetry. Maya Angelou has an incredible style of writing that makes her stand out among many poets. Her poetry exhibits a constant use of strong language. She brings out power in her arrangement of power and ideas making her poetry highly inspirational. Angelou explores several themes in poetry, and manages to utilize the power of language in communicating with her audience. It is evident that her good command and use of language makes her poetry much more interesting. For example, in her poem ‘still rise’, there is evidence of her expertise in language use. An analysis of Angelou’s style in this poem will serve as a benchmark in getting highlights about its uniqueness. In this poem, she makes use of the usual English words to bring out an intense theme. In addition, she augments her good command of language with numerous literary devices. Angelou uses both short and long lines in her stanzas. However, she creates a rhythmic version in her

Belonging Related Texts Essay Example for Free

Belonging Related Texts Essay What do you think the most powerful influences that impact on an individual’s sense of belonging? * Strictly Ballroom by Baz Lurhmann * The Red Tree by Shaun Tan * Who you are by Jessie J You will almost always find where you belong if you search for it. So ultimately a sense of belonging comes down to perception. This starts from places and/ or relationships, which potentially alter your understanding or you and the world around you, so you can accept the person you are and your individual identity by creating this sense of belonging. In strictly ballroom by Baz Lurhmann, The Red Tree by Shaun Tan and who you are by Jessie J the composers use a wide range of techniques to convey the ideas belonging through forcible authority, challenging authority and alienation. These are illustrated through the concept of belonging to a person or place. These three ideas demonstrate what the most powerful influences are that can cause someone to feel a part of something or not. Forcible authority is illustrated in the film ‘Strictly Ballroom’ by Baz Lurhmann. Forcible authority is when a person or group has the power to make you feel a certain way that you may not agree on and make you feel as though you do or don’t belong. This is conveyed in the film when Barry Fife the president of Australian Dance Federation (ADF) forces Scott Hastings to dance a particular way. The forcible authority is demonstrated in Strictly Ballroom with close ups and bright lighting on Barry’s face. This creates attention and power to the audience’s concept on Barry. Scott then feels isolated from the ADF as a result of Barry’s ideas for the ADF. Forcible Authority is also shown in ‘The Red Tree’ by Shaun Tan. This is conveyed through visual techniques of the little girl standing alone in many pages of the book. The concept of a powerful influence is a little red leaf with â€Å"without sense or reason† this demonstrates herself as a symbol of the ‘little red leaf’ with many factors contributing to that idea. E. g. ‘The little girl with the red hair’ The little girl becomes frustrated by society and not being able to find her place or where she feels she belongs without sense or reason. Here the most powerful influences that influence the little girl is her on mind set on other people and how she see’s everyone trying to conform and belong to a place she hasn’t been nor understands. Forcible authority is again conveyed in the song ‘who you are’ by Jessie J through the singers lyrics. Jessie illustrates a strong opinion on society’s sense of belonging when she states â€Å"forget how to fit the mold, yeah! † this informs the audience that society’s conception of belonging is based on a mould and she feels out casted because she doesn’t know how to find her place in society anymore. Jessie feels as though society has clung to a certain way of thinking and living, this is because of the forcible authority, which is the society as a powerful influence on Jessie’s sense of belonging. Challenging Authority is another idea shown in ‘strictly Ballroom’ this can be when you choose to do something about following other rules from a higher authority. This is illustrated when Scott is introduced to Fran’s grandmother Ya Ya. She explains that dancing comes from the heart. The close ups of Ya Ya’s hands beating the traditional rhythm of the Paso Doble on Scott’s chest gives both Scott and Fran the inspiration to dance their own moves which demonstrates to the Audience how they are challenging authority and now have somewhere to belong to. Challenging authority is illustrated in ‘The Red Tree’ when the little girl struggles to find herself in society; this becomes an issue throughout the whole book, always feeling as though she didn’t belong. The very last page is her standing in her room with a large Red Tree filled with lots of red leaves and you can see that she has accepted herself in the society. She has done this because she has a glowing smile on her face. Jessie demonstrates challenging authority in â€Å"Who you are† by giving advice to other people to be yourself instead of living a lie and following society’s rules. This is illustrated when Jessie sings â€Å"Don’t lose who you are in the blur of the stars! † Alienation is the estrangement of somebody who is forced or unforced to distance people from each other or of people from what is important or meaningful to them. Strictly Ballroom demonstrates many moments of alienation, one particularly is Scott feeling as though he doesn’t belong in the ADF because he doesn’t confine with the ballroom dancing rules. This is illustrated when himself and Fran dance their own steps and cause a stir in the ADF judging, this is a powerful impact on belonging because if you don’t follow the rules you are forced to feel neglected. Alienation is also illustrated in The Red Tree through pictures and descriptive language. The visual technique as quoted, â€Å"nobody understands†, It is raining and the brushstrokes are soft but distinctive nd the colours are dull and dark creating the audiences idea of how the girl is feeling. The girl is a seclusion to society showing her being an ‘outsider’, the visual techniques are a powerful influence to belonging and clearly demonstrate how the girl feels alienated by society. Jessie J also shows alienation in ‘Who you are’ b y the visual technique in the film clip, Jessie sings â€Å"Sometimes it’s hard to follow your heart. † In this particular part she is sitting in an empty bathroom with dim lighting, this demonstrates her feelings of loneliness and confusion. Jessie feels confused because she doesn’t know what the right thing to do is and this causes her alienation to the environment she is in, this particular songs provides proof with her excluding herself from society until she makes up her mind. Jessie being the most powerful influence as she is the only one making the decision to alienate herself. Strictly Ballroom by Baz Lurhmann , The Red Tree by Shaun Tan and Who you are by Jessie J all convey powerful influences such as authority to demonstrate people belonging and not belonging . This is conveyed through the techniques of forcible authority, challenging authority and alienation.

Social Work And Assessment To Framework Social Work Essay

Social Work And Assessment To Framework Social Work Essay Assessments have been a key element to the social work practice and we have seen many changes and developments within assessments over the years. The Childrens Act 1989 and other legislation such as Criminal Justice Act 1991 and NHS and Community Care Act 1990 all contributed towards the changes made within the assessment process. The objective has been refined based on two key factors. First being the public enquiries that indentified shortcomings in legislations, policy and practices within social work and secondly the governments agenda for modernisation. (Wilson, et al.2008). Historically the objective of assessments was primarily to consider the risks factors to children and families in accordance to legislation. However, since the framework for assessments was introduced in 2000, practitioners have been steered towards evaluating not only risks, but also needs and strengths of service users. Assessments are carried out to help both service users and Social Workers identify and understand the nature, rationale and degree of professional involvement. Although there are numerous definitions of assessments from social work academics, however, there is no one conclusive definition. Coulshed and Orme define assessments as; An on-going process, in which the client participates, the purpose of which is to understand how people relate to their environment; it is a basis for planning what needs to be done to maintain, improve or bring about change in the person, the environment, or both. (Coulshed and Orme, 1998, pp21). There is a debate amongst academics as to whether assessments are an art or a science; Bradley and Parker (2007) have explored the different assessment definitions and have concluded: A balance approach would suggest that social work assessment is both an art and a science since it involves wisdom, skills, appreciation of diversity and systematic applied knowledge in practice. (Parker and Bradley, 2007, p4) Although there are many definitions of assessments the objective remains the same, it is to identify needs and have a plan of interventions, which meets the objectives of all concerned. Assessments are a working document that can be legally binding, which need assessing, reviewing and planning. Assessments are a systematic process that include various components and involve methods such as, gathering of information, analysing objectively, collaborating with service users and other professionals including sharing of information with colleagues, assessing the eligibility and recording information accurately. (Thompson Thompson, 2008). There are many vital interpersonal and communication skills that are required when gathering information such as, good listening skills and have the ability to observe and absorb information correctly. Pamela Trevithick (2005) emphasise on the importance of verbal and none verbal communication, as well as listening and observation skills, before embarking on the assessment process. (Trevithick, 2005). Assessments are not just about gathering information, but are about having the ability and knowledge to make correct judgments and analyse objectively. Milner and O Byrne (2009) suggest that when analysing data, social workers will use knowledge and the theoretical perspectives which have been identified to expand their analysis. ( Milner and OByrne, 2009). In addition, upon analysing information consideration must be given to service users social, economical, cultural and ethnic background. Although assessment involve making informed judgement, it is vital to assess an individual need in relation to their environment. Milner and OByrne (2002) stress that it is crucial while making judgements social workers must avoid any form discrimination, such as labelling or judging peoples behaviour according to common stereotypes. Assessments are not a one way dialogue but rather a joint venture between service user and social worker. Although there can be the issue of power imbalance, it is crucial that there remains a shared power relationship whenever possible. Middleton (1997) has emphasised the importance of respecting individuality of service user during the assessment process, so that it can empower and help them manage and identify their individual strengths. In addition it is essential that social workers build a good relationship with service users, as they, must collaborate and share information with other agencies. There has been a heightened awareness that multi agencies collaboration is vital; however there are many barriers which have often contributed to the lack of communication between agencies. Sharkey (2000) has noted the underlying causes as being the different structure and values of the individual organisation. Social workers undertake assessments on behalf of the local authority therefore; eligibility depends upon a few factors, which include, need, the organisations criteria, resources and funding. Throughout the entire assessment process social workers must keep clear and accurate records of all the work undertaken and their findings. Social work assessments can be broken down into two types, one which is on-going and will change according to need and information, and the second being specific to the issues and will be limited to a particular time. However, these two components will often exist simultaneously in most assessments. Coulshed and Orme (2006) clarify that assessments are not a one off practice but are a process that continues even after a piece of work has been carried out. An on-going assessment process could be the result of subsequent changes that may occur in the service users life, and then responded to accordingly. By implementing this method of practice it ensures that the service users needs are adequately assessed and evaluated at all times. Pincus and Minahan (1973) have described assessment as a process that can be altered and adapted after obtaining new information and data, enabling the assessor to reassess the situation and review the effectiveness of their chosen cause of action. (Pinus and Minahan, 1973). Assessments that are carried out for a specific issues and are time limited, such as a court report or a case conference, are usually conducted in accordance to legal obligations. This formula is focussed on making judgements and identifying what is needed and how it can be achieved. This may not always be an accurate presentation of the service user life and may not hold any relevance in the future, but will target the issue within a particular the timescale. Furthermore, the level of assessment can be determined through the two types of assessments mentioned and by identifying the need and response levels of intervention, will give the service user a well structured and focussed base service. The importance of carrying out assessments is widely recognised in the area of social work practice and is a fundamental component in professional interventions. By carrying out assessments effectively and systematically, there are more chances of interventions to prove to be successful. At the heart of an excellent assessment there is careful planning, evaluating and applying appropriate professional involvement. Sutton (1999) has emphasised on the nature of assessment process with the ASPIRE model, Assessment, Planning, Intervention, Review and Evaluation. It is important that when discussing assessments, to be aware that this is not a singular action, but is also complemented by good interpersonal and communication skills. Due to the significance assessments have in social work practice, it is vital that the entire process is carried out with an objective and factual thought process. As inadequate preparation can lead to a catastrophic results as we have seen over the years.

Design of Earthquake and Cyclone Proof House for Poor

Design of Earthquake and Cyclone Proof House for Poor Introduction Background The population of the world is constantly increasing; it currently lies at 6.7 billion people and is predicted to increase to 9.2 billion in the next forty years. Majority of this growth will occur in urban areas and it is predicted that by the year 2050 urban areas alone will contain 6.4 billion people (United Nations, 2008). This continuous growth of urban areas is known as urbanization and is mainly occurring in developing countries, in particular in the peri-urban regions (the outer fringes of larger towns/cities also known as slums, shanty towns or favelas depending on the region). Much of these peri-urban areas however are already highly populated with inadequate living conditions, therefore any increase in population is a major problem and in turn means an increase in poor housing, health and services (Mara, 2008). This report is going to specifically look at the peri-urban regions and housing of Latin America. Latin America is generally defined as those countries in the Americas where Spanish or Portuguese is spoken. This includes Mexico and the countries of Central America, South America and the Caribbean (Bumgarner, 2008), as shown in figure one. It currently has a combined population of approximately 590 million people, 470 million of this total are found in urban areas (United Nations, 2008). South America is the region of the world with the largest proportion of its population living in slums at 26% and these numbers continue to increase (SASI Group and Newman, 2006). Many of its countries are frequently subjected to natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and flooding. This is particularly due to the diverse topography of the region; oceans, mountains, rainforests, volcanoes and fault lines can all be found throughout the area (Bumgarner, 2008). â€Å"In addition, the twenty largest cities of Latin America are in areas with steep slopes, swamps, floodable land or seismic activity. As a result many of the regions worst disasters have hit cities† (World Bank, 2005). In 1985 Mexico City was hit by a major earthquake, killing approximately 9,500 people and thousands more were injured and left homeless. In 1970 an earthquake hit Peru that destroyed many areas in particular affecting cities such as Lima, Casma and Chimbote. In total 20,000 people died and major damage to the cities occurred, according to preliminary reports building collapses caused most of the fatalities. The worlds largest recorded earthquake hit Chile in 1960, thousands were killed or injured and over 2 million people were left homeless with $550 million of damage caused in Southern Chile alone (USGS, 2009). Other cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Caracas have seen major destruction through landslides (World Bank, 2005) and areas in Venezuela (such as Caracas) and Southern Brazil have been affected by cyclones. Hurricane Mitch tore across Central America and Southern Mexico in 1998 and left a path of destruction killing over 10,000 people and leaving millions more either homeless , missing or severely affected. The poor are put at particular risk from natural disasters because of the hazardous locations and poor quality of their dwellings (World Bank, 2005). As previously mentioned the living conditions of much of the urban population, in particular in the peri-urban regions is less than satisfactory, usually densely populated and often unfit for human habitation. Figures 1.2 and 1.3 below show images of peri-urban areas in Latin America, as can be seen the shelters are poorly made and very densely spaced. The social, physical and mental health of an individual is majorly influenced by the environment in which they live (Tinker, 2008) poor housing results in poor health and this is particularly evident in the peri-urban regions of Latin America for example the Neza Chalco Itza barrio of Mexico City and slums of Peru, Brazil and Chile. Many of the low-cost settlements are overcrowded and lack basic but vital amenities such as clean water, sanitation, access to work and shelter. This in turn leads to a high rate of disease and low life expectancies with many people dying at a young age. A major problem is poor sanitation and contaminated water supply resulting in faeco-oral diseases such as salmonellosis, viral diarrhoea (rotavirus) and cholera. Diarrhoea alone is a major problem in developing countries especially in children; killing 1.3 million children aged under five, globally, per year (Mara, 2008). Housing related diseases are also often of major concern, the poorly constructed shelters and overcrowding leads to many insect and rodent related diseases, such as plague and Chagas disease both of which often result in death. Aims And Objectives â€Å"Gaining access to housing that provides adequate shelter and physical safety is one of the greatest challenges confronting the urban poor. Most poor people live in informal housing, often located in marginal areas that are vulnerable to natural disasters and poorly served by public services or utilities.† (World Bank, 2005) This quote taken from the book â€Å"The Urban Poor in Latin America† published by the World Bank, perfectly describes the issues confronting the urban poor of Latin America. It highlights the main problems they face and summarizes the key objectives of this report. The initial brief of this report is to design a suitable house for the peri-urban poor of Latin America. It needs to be able to resist earthquake and cyclone forces but also be low cost and feasible for the local area. Listed below are the key aims of this report and these will help to ensure the final solution to the brief is met successfully. Gain an understanding of earthquakes and cyclones and their effects. Gain an understanding of existing earthquake and cyclone resistant designs. Ensure the final design is both earthquake and cyclone resistant. The design must be of low-cost and suitable for peri-urban regions. The design needs to provide adequate shelter which in turn will help to reduce housing related diseases. The design needs to provide a water source and adequate sanitation which in turn will help to reduce diseases. Throughout the world housing construction is increasing, including areas affected by natural hazards, such as cyclones and earthquakes. This increase in population increases the risks of structural damage and loss of life when natural disasters strike. Therefore to ensure that the number of fatalities and damage caused, in areas subject to hazards, are minimal, special precautions and design standards must be adopted (United Nations, 1975). This report will follow a specific structure in order to obtain an understanding of these precautions and design standards to ensure that the final design meets all the objectives. It will begin by analysing the title in more depth and collecting information that will help to establish the necessary details for designing a low cost earthquake and cyclone resistant house. Earthquakes â€Å"An earthquake is a spasm of ground shaking caused by a sudden release of energy in the earths lithosphere (i.e. the crust plus part of the upper mantle)† (Dowrick, 1987) â€Å"They are among the most destructive natural events [on the planet]† (BBC News, 2005). Causes, Type And Strength Earthquakes can vary significantly in their strength, way they are caused and effects they have on the surrounding landscape. They may originate from natural processes such as tectonic activity or human processes such as mining or bomb detonation. Some are very powerful causing large scale damage, injury and/or death whilst others are much weaker. As suggested by Bolt (2004) there are a number of different types of earthquake and it is useful to classify them in their mode of generation. Each type varies in their strength, how often they occur and level of hazard they pose. Earthquakes Generated Through Human Processes Collapse Earthquakes These relatively small earthquakes involve the collapse of underground mines or caverns. They may be generated through two different processes, either the roof collapses or mine bursting occurs. Mine burst is a process in which the stresses around the cavern or mine cause large pieces of rock to explosively fly off the underground rock face. Both processes induce seismic waves and thus ground shaking. Explosion Earthquakes When chemicals or nuclear devices are detonated they can cause the surrounding ground to shake significantly. When nuclear devices are detonated in boreholes beneath the ground enormous nuclear energy is released. This energy then vaporizes the surrounding rock and induces seismic waves and so can generate relatively significant earthquakes. Impact Earthquakes Although not so common these earthquakes are generated from the impact of meteorites on the Earths surface. They strike with such a powerful force that they can generate seismic waves, which travel great distances, such as the 1908 meteorite impact in Siberia that caused a moderately large earthquake. Earthquakes Generated Through Natural Processes Land Sliding Earthquakes Massive landslides can produce substantial earthquakes. For example in Peru, 1974, a large landslide triggered seismic waves comparable to a moderate earthquake. As the soil and rock falls with significant speed the movement is converted to seismic waves and thus an earthquake is generated. Volcanic Earthquakes These are simply earthquakes that occur in conjunction with volcanic activity. Earthquakes and volcanoes often accompany each other and both originate through tectonic forces. Sometimes however they do occur individually. Tectonic Earthquakes These are the most common type of earthquake. They are produced through various geological processes and are of great social significance because they pose the greatest hazard. The Earth is made up of a number of layers, the inner and outer core, mantle and the crust that ‘floats on top. The crust and upper mantle form a strong layer known as the lithosphere and this is broken up into a number of different plates that are moved in different directions through convection currents (BBC News, 2005). Convection currents are caused due to the heating of rock in the lower part of the mantle. As the temperature of the rock increases it becomes less dense and so begins to rise to the outer region of the mantle, the cooler higher density rock above sinks due to gravity. The cooler rock is then heated as it gets closer to the core of the earth and the rising hot rock cools as it moves further away. The process then continues in the same cycle over millions of years gradually moving the tectonic plates around on the surface. Figure 2.1 shows a diagram of the layers making up the earth and the convection currents and heat loss present. Subdivisions of the Earths interior and heat loss via convection in the mantle and outer core. The plates that make up the Earths surface are all interconnected much like a jigsaw, as shown by figure 2.1. As they are moved in different directions they are forced into or away from one another at their boundaries. It is at these plate boundaries that most earthquakes occur. Tectonic Plate Boundaries There are three main types of plate boundary each with different characteristics, (Platetectonics.com, 2005). 1. Convergent Boundaries: At these boundaries the two plates collide with one another. They are also known as destructive boundaries because the crust is destroyed as one plate is forced beneath the other, forming a subduction zone. There are three types of convergent boundary Oceanic-Oceanic, Continental-Oceanic and Continental-Continental. Oceanic-Oceanic: This involves two oceanic plates converging (e.g. The Pacific and Mariana Plates). A deep oceanic trench is then formed due to one of the plates sinking beneath the other. Often with this type of convergence volcanoes are formed below the ocean surface and over millions of years of eruptions they build up eventually to be exposed above the surface as volcanic islands usually in chains called island arcs. Figure 2.3 shows a diagram of oceanic-oceanic convergence. Oceanic-Continental: This involves an oceanic and continental plate colliding, the older and heavy oceanic plate then sinks below the continental forming a trench. An example of this is the Peru-Chile Trench (also known as the Atacama Trench) this is formed due to the oceanic Nazca Plate being subducted beneath the South American Plate. Often deep in the subduction zone the oceanic plate breaks up into smaller pieces and these pieces are locked in place for long periods of time then may suddenly move forming large earthquakes. Figure 2.4 shows a diagram of oceanic-continental convergence. Continental-Continental: This involves two continental plates, when the two plates collide neither is subducted because they both resist the downward motion. Instead they buckle upwards forming extensive mountain ranges such as the Himalayas, which continue to grow throughout millions of years of convergence. Figure 2.5 shows a diagram of continental-continental convergence. 2. Divergent Boundaries: At these boundaries the tectonic plates are pushed apart as convection currents move them in different directions. This process then leads to a large separation between the plates and new crust is formed as molten rock rises up from the Earths core, for this reason they are also known as constructive boundaries. The process can separate whole landmasses over millions of years, into two singular landmasses. This is currently happening throughout Iceland as the Eurasian and North American Plates diverge. 3. Transform-Fault Boundaries: This type of boundary also known as conservative plate boundaries involve two plates sliding past one another. For example the San Andreas Fault between the Pacific and North American Plates. As the plates move in different directions they grind against each other and the friction between them can build up and be released suddenly generating an earthquake. It is through the geological processes of convergence and divergence that earthquakes are generated. As the plates move elastic strain builds up in the crustal rock and when a fault ruptures the energy stored in the rocks is released, partly as heat, partly in cracking underground rocks, and partly as elastic waves. These waves are the earthquake (Bolt, 2003). This is the theory of elastic rebound; the elastic strain in a block of the Earths crust over a long period of time can suddenly be released by the movement along a fault, causing an earthquake (Eiby, 1967). Latin America lies upon five tectonic plates, the Cocos, Caribbean, Nazca, South American and Scotia plates. Together these plates converge and diverge generating many earthquakes throughout Latin America. Seismic Waves Although there is a number of ways that earthquakes may be generated the same kind of seismic waves are present in each quake. An earthquake emits its power as two main types of waves of energy these are body waves and surface waves. Both have different characteristics in the way they travel throughout the earth and damage they cause. Body Waves These waves travel through the inners layers of the earth, they arrive before the surface waves and are of a high frequency. There are two types of body wave, primary and secondary. Primary waves also known as P waves or compressional waves are the fastest type of wave they are able to travel through solid and fluid masses. This means they are the first to be felt during an earthquake, they cause particles to move backwards and forwards in a push and pull motion. Secondary waves or S waves are slower than primary and can only travel through solid masses. They are the second to be felt during an earthquake and cause particles to move in a side-to-side or up and down motion. Surface Waves These waves are only able to travel through the Earths outer crust. They have a lower frequency than body waves and arrive after. Although they are slower, nearly all damage caused from an earthquake is due to the surface waves. Like body waves there is two types of surface wave, Love and Rayleigh. Love waves named after A.E.H Love who predicted their existence in 1911 are the fastest type of surface wave and move particles in a side-to-side motion. Rayleigh waves named after Lord Rayleigh who predicted their existence in 1885 roll across the ground much like a wave in an ocean. They cause particles to move in a side-to-side or up and down motion. Majority of the shaking felt during an earthquake is from the Rayleigh waves (Michigan Tech, 2007). Strength When an earthquake occurs both types of wave are emitted as previously discussed, the strength of these waves however varies significantly with each earthquake and so the damage and effects each event has on the surrounding areas can be very different. The strength of an earthquake is defined in two ways, the intensity of the earthquake (i.e. the strength of shaking at any given place) and the magnitude of the earthquake (i.e. the actual size or total strength of the event). For each type of measurement a scale has been devised, these can then be used to determine the actual specifics of each earthquake. Intensity measures the severity of the seismic ground motion at a specific point (Dowrick, 1987). This is determined by the Modified Mercalli (MM) Scale, which is the most widely used scale for this type of measurement. It is composed of twelve increasing levels of intensity and at each level a type of response is listed for example damage to windows, people awakening or at higher levels, structures totally destroyed. Appendix A gives a detailed description of the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. Magnitude measures the size of an earthquake at a specific point. It is established using seismographs, which record the various amplitude changes of the ground oscillations below. They record a zig-zag trace and this is then used to determine the magnitude which is found from the logarithm of the amplitude of waves recorded. The data recorded by a seismograph can be used to establish the time, location and magnitude of an earthquake (USGS, 2009). The Richter scale ranges from 3.5 and below up to 8 and above, the lower the value indicates a weaker earthquake and so higher indicates a much stronger one. The magnitude of the earthquake does not indicate damage however (the Mercalli scale is used for this) because a high magnitude earthquake may occur in a remote region therefore little damaged is caused, on the other hand a weaker event may occur in a densely populated region and thus the damage is greatly increased. Appendix B gives a detailed description of the Richter scale. Understanding the strength, causes and types of earthquake helps to determine appropriate designs for specific areas of the world. Latin America is in a region that is subjected to earthquakes of varying strengths from frequent occurring events of small magnitudes to much larger events of greater magnitudes and intensity. For example, more recently in Peru (2007) an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 occurred and in 1960 the largest earthquake to be recorded in the world to date, with a magnitude of 9.5, hit Chile. Therefore structures need to be designed to be able to resist forces of varying levels. Effects Of Earthquakes â€Å"Although a great deal is known about where earthquakes are likely, there is currently no reliable way to predict the days or months when an event will occur in any specific location† (Ludwin, 2004). Likewise the actual magnitude and intensity of an earthquake cannot be predicted and are only established once the event has taken place. For this reason it is important to know the effects of earthquakes on buildings and thus appropriate methods can be adopted during their design to ensure damage is minimized. When an earthquake occurs the ground is subjected to various types of seismic waves (as previously mentioned), these waves cause the ground to move in all directions. The most damaging effects on structures are from the horizontal movements of the ground because the majority of structures are designed to withstand vertical loads. Therefore when designing structures to resist earthquake forces the main effect of an earthquake is considered in terms of horizontal forces, similar to wind forces (Ambrose J. Vergun D, 1995). Each time a major earthquake occurs an advance in design technology can be made. This is because when an event occurs that results in major structural damage, the effects on the buildings in that area can be investigated. Buildings that have withstood the earthquake forces can be established and the design methods used for these particular buildings used again in the future. Other structures that have failed to withstand the earthquake forces can be investigated and the reason for their failure can be determined, improvements on their design can then be made. There are a number of hazards that arise from earthquakes and each has different damaging effects (Dowrick, 1987) Direct Movement of Structures This is due to the ground shaking beneath the structure, it can cause general destabilization of the building and various levels of damage. Ground Displacement Along a Fault As the ground moves, displacement along a fault may be caused. This in turn can lead to cracking of the ground, settlement of an area, land/mud slides and avalanches. Flooding, Fires, Gas Leaks When the ground moves various services and structures may be damaged, such as dams, underground piping, river levees and so on, this in turn can cause various types of disaster. Tsunamis The energy released during an earthquake can cause large tidal waves, which in turn can have devastating effects when they reach the mainland. Liquefaction When an earthquake is generated it may compact the soils beneath a building, this in turn causes an increase in pore water pressure and causes a loss in shear strength. The soil changes to a liquefied state, this process can have disastrous effects when it occurs below a building. These hazards in turn have two main physical consequences, death and injury to human beings and damage to the constructed and natural environments. The area is then affected socially and economically because of these physical effects. This can include, cost of damage, losses to businesses and cost of healthcare and aid. Financially and technically it is only possible to reduce these consequences (Dowrick, 1987) and design considerations (Section 4) must be made to ensure that they are reduced. Although there are a number of effects caused by earthquakes this report is specifically going to look at the effects on structures and how they influence the design. Tropical Cyclones Tropical cyclone is the generic name given to warm core, low pressure storm systems that develop over tropical or sub-tropical waters and have organized circulation (NWS JetStream, 2008). The warm central core makes them differ from mid-latitude cyclones and because of this warm-core structure the strongest winds occur at ground levels therefore having the potential to cause significant amounts of damage (Gray, 2003). These rapidly revolving winds can reach speeds of over 160mph and unleash 9 trillion litres of rain a day. They begin as tropical disturbances in warm ocean waters and their wind speeds increase as they are fed from the warm ocean waters. At wind speeds of 38mph they become known as tropical depressions, at 39mph and above they become known as tropical storms and are assigned a name (National Geographic, 2009). Once the system reaches wind speeds of 74mph and above they become classified as hurricanes, typhoons or cyclones depending on the region of the world they occur and can sustain these conditions for several days. In the Eastern Pacific and Atlantic they are known as hurricanes, Western Pacific as typhoons and Indian Ocean as cyclones. Therefore in Latin America they are referred to as hurricanes, during this report however the generic term tropical cyclones will be used (Tinker, 2008). Every year approximately 80 tropical cyclones occur, two thirds of which attain hurricane intensity and one eighth of this global total occur in the Atlantic alone (to the east of Latin America). Tropical cyclones have a significant effect on the globe. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) estimates from 1963-1992 tropical cyclones caused almost three times as much damage globally compared to earthquakes and influenced the lives of almost five times as many people. They also account for approximately 50% more deaths than earthquakes (Gray, 2003). Due to the significant impact that tropical cyclones have on the globe socially, economically and physically it is vital that their formation, characteristics and effects are clearly understood. This in turn can help to ensure structures are correctly designed to resist the forces that they may encounter during a cyclone. Cause, Structure And Strength Cause And Structure The conditions must be just right for a tropical cyclone to form, there are various trigger mechanisms required to transform more frequent storms and tropical depressions into significant tropical cyclones. Cyclones derive their energy from warm moist air, as warm water evaporates from tropical seas energy is transferred into the storm system. The energy is stored within the water vapour of the moist air, as it ascends and condenses the energy is released and causes large cumulus clouds and rain. As previously mentioned tropical cyclones begin as tropical disturbances (clusters of thunderstorms) over tropical waters, with a minimum temperature of 26 °C, they then begin to grow as energy is drawn from the ocean. Warm ocean waters heat the air above their surface, which in turn rises as a current of warm moist air, leaving an area of low pressure at the ocean surface. This low pressure causes trade winds to rush in and these along with the rotation of the Earth cause the storm to begin spinning around a cylinder of relatively still air known as the eye, (spinning clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere and anti-clockwise in the Northern, due to the rotation of the Earth). The rotating winds begin to ascend and release heat and moisture energy before beginning to descend. As heat and moisture energy is released the pressure begins to drop further and at higher altitudes, air then begins to rise faster to fill the area of low pressure and so the amount of warm air drawn from the s ea increases. Therefore the storm begins to increase in size and speed developing into a much higher intensity (wind speeds of 74mph and above) (BBC, 2009). Once a tropical cyclone has formed there are three main parts to the storm, the eye, eye wall and rain or feeder bands. Figure 3.1 and 3.2 show the structure of a tropical cyclone and the three sections present, each section has its own properties and effects on the storm and surrounding areas. The Eye this is located at the centre of the storm it is the calmest part with a low pressure and light winds no more than 15mph. Air descends in the eye clearing the skies of clouds and produces relatively calm conditions. It can range from 20-30 miles in diameter and usually develops when maximum sustained winds exceed 74mph. The Eye Wall is a complete or partial ring shaped wall of high velocity winds which surrounds the central eye. It consists of tall thunderstorms that produce the fastest and strongest winds and intense rains, making it the most destructive part of the storm. Feeder/Rain Bands these are the found at the outer regions of the storm they include bands of gusty winds and rain and indicate the first signs of a storm. They can spread over very large surrounding areas and so can increase the diameter of the storm to distances of 340 miles. Another feature associated with tropical cyclones is a storm surge. They are caused by the high speed winds and low pressures of a tropical cyclone, as the storm travels across the ocean the winds push water towards the shore. This surge of water then combines with the natural tide to increase the mean sea levels up to 18 feet or more. In turn this has a tremendous impact on coastal areas as large scale flooding occurs. It is the storm surge that causes the greatest loss of life (NOAA, 2007). Strength Tropical cyclones can vary significantly in size and strength, some may cause little structural damage or injury whilst others cause major destruction and death, such as Hurricane Mitch in 1998. It is therefore particularly important to be able to measure the scale of cyclones for both prediction purposes and prevention of loss of life and structural damage. The most widely used and recognised method of measurement for the intensity of tropical cyclones is the Saffir/Simpson scale. This scale was originally developed by Herbert S. Saffir in 1969 to measure the structural effects of tropical cyclones at different wind speeds ranging from 74mph to more than 155mph. It was then added to during the early 1970s by Robert Simpson the then-director of the National Hurricane Centre who also applied storm surge levels and central pressures to the scale (Saffir, 2003). The scale consists of five levels of intensity based on the wind speeds, structural damage and storm surge levels of a cyclone. Wind Speeds are sustained values of one-minute duration at elevations of 10m above the surface. Storm Surge values measured from mean sea level. Expected Structural Damage (NOAA, 2007) Category 1 No real damage to buildings. Damage to unanchored mobile homes and some damage to poorly constructed signs. Also, some coastal flooding and minor pier damage. Category 2 Some damage to doors, windows and roofing materials of buildings. Considerable damage to mobile homes. Flooding and damage to piers, small crafts in unprotected anchorages may break their moorings. Some trees blown down. Category 3 Some structural damage to small residences and utility buildings. Large trees blown down. Mobile homes and poorly built signs destroyed. Flooding near the coast destroys smaller structures with larger structures damaged by floating debris. Terrain may be flooded well inland. Category 4 All trees, shrubs and signs blown down. More extensive curtain wall failures with some complete roof structure failure on small residences. Major erosion of beach areas and terrain may be flooded well inland. Category 5 Complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. Flooding causes major damage to lower floors of all structures near the shoreline. Massive evacuation of residential areas may be required. The scale shows the level of destruction cyclones are capable of and properties that they attain at different levels of intensity. Latin America has been subjected to storms of varying levels throughout history, from tropical storms and hurricanes of category 1 or 2 to much stronger and destructive hurricanes such as Hurricane Dean in 2007 and Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 both reaching a level of category 5. Therefore appropriate design methods need to be considered to ensure that the low-cost structure will be able to resist the forces associated with intensities of these levels. Although tropical cyclones can be predicted and an idea of their strength and location establis