Road Project Management Essay Example for Free

Road Project Management Essay In any project, there should be proper management of the project to be successful. Different projects have different fulfillment conditions, and in our case, it is not spared. Construction of the road requires a great deal of designing and application of various guidelines to make it fulfill the requirements and suite future generations, and their relevant application plus its effects to the social-economic and culture-political nature of situation. Project Management Body of Knowledge, PMBOK, contains a tailored five phases that guide implementation of a project even though these phases sometimes overlap: Initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing processes are the five phases (James 2006, pp. 66 – 70). Initiating process is usually important; this is because the necessary details that are required for successful completion of the project are devised. At this time, features like the Activity Completion Report (ACR), should be considered and developed through out of the project (John 1992, pp. 23 45). The idea of refining and defining the objectives of the project should be analyzed in the planning process. Other conditions such as project plans and sub-plans should be developed and obtaining the required funding should be a forefront issue before the project begins. The longest and most important phase is the executing process. This is when the project plan is implemented; this is through coordinating different human resources and other resources that are required to lead into successful completion of the project plans. Another important phase is controlling the general process. This is ensuring that the project objectives are met; this can be checked by use of measuring and monitoring the project development through regular inspections. This phase overlaps the different phases to enable it in tracking variances and changes that may occur (Subhankar 2003, pp. 56 – 70). The last phase is the closing process phase. This stage ensures that the project is brought into an orderly end. This can be obtained by formalizing, and then communicating the conclusion of the project and passing over the completed project to the accountable sector. Other activities that are common in this part of phase are completion of the Activity Completion Report and since this is a major project, it requires post implementation review. When the project phases are under control, the main issue is how the project will be managed. Various issues are brought into consideration to successfully manage the project. Issues such as contracting, environmental impacts, maintaining the project within the plan and human resource distribution are common. Project contracting is the most important in management since it allows the delivery of the materials, equipments and services to the road region. Contracting is usually affected by the funds that are available and engineering considerations. This may result into poor coordination between the different contractors. This can be prevented when each contract process is well defined in advance. Project safety and environmental considerations should be monitored at each step of the project. Human resource that is within the area including the inhabitants of the area should be ensured that they will be safe throughout the project, and if possible safety measures and parametric should be on stand by. The environment should be preserved and maintained to reduce issues that are related to pollution. This may be due to factors such as disposing of the excess amount of soil that was dug out, oil that the machines use as examples of environmental sensitivity in this case (Subhankar 2003, pp. 56 – 70). Risk is inevitable; it is like a natural thing. The risky areas run from contracting to the process at the scene should be analyzed and techniques such as SWOT, brainstorming should be applied in developing a risk matrix. This when applied will reduce issues such as late delivery by contractors and collision of project interest. Project control process comes into plan when trying to maintain the objective of the project. Issues such as the width of the road, road signs, vertical cross-section and environmental should be maintained within the original plans. All project steps should be maintained into the most original proposal plan. Human management is the tricky part since the required human resource should be at the right place at the right time, and it includes issues like team building and delegation of responsibilities. In addition, issues like how leadership should be accorded e. g. authoritative should be checked. In delegation of duties the use of X – Y theories may be applied so result into satisfaction of the human resource that are involved (James 2006, pp. 66 – 70). Total quality management (TQM) is a strategy that is employed by management in ensuring that the quality is observed. This brings around the issues of the type of materials that are used and the level of human expertise. The material quality should meet the required standards and during the executing of the process the right mixture of various materials should be observed. An example is the mixture between sand and cement, or the types of beams and steel that is used in construction of the required bridges and culverts (Dwigt 1990, pp. 96 100). After the completion of the project, project close out process is brought into light. The key elements that are associated with this stage of development are: Completion of the Post Implementation Evaluation report (PIER) †¢ Completing and archiving the project records. †¢ Disbursing the resources e. g. facilities and staff. †¢ In addition, recognizing outstanding achievements When the project is completed an issue arise, was the project successful and what was used to measure the level of success. Like quality that requires conformance to the requirements or specifications and fitness for use in the project, also, project success usually requires a combination of project management and product success. Three means that are frequently used to show that the project was successful are; cost, schedule and scope objectives. The cost that was required in the completion of the project is within the standards that was set; Budget. This means that the amount of funds that was used did not pass the estimate. Another issue is the schedule – time. The question arises whether the project was completed within the time scale that was proposed. If this was met, then the project is successful in terms of time. Lastly, the issue that relates to the product which in our case the road. A question such as whether the road was able to accommodate the different types of tracks that are supposed to access it and the traffic issue, if all the conditions that were initially set are met then in terms of project scope is successful. In success of any project, various issues are brought into focus. Starting from the project phases to the success of the project should be managed well, and viewed through different angles. Various issues should be brought into focus, which results in meeting the original plans of the project, and at the same time meets the required quality level.

Lewis Ranis-Fei Model of Economic Development

Lewis Ranis-Fei Model of Economic Development William Arthur Lewis, with his most famous published work, â€Å"Economic Development with Unlimited Supplies of Labour† (Manchester School, May 1954) and â€Å"The Theory of Economic Growth† (Allen and Unwin, 1955), made a great contribution to the theories of economic development. Based on his findings, Ranis and Fei succeeded to extend the initial Lewis model and assessed the changes in the agricultural and industrial labour in more detail. I will start this paper by introducing the foundations of the model before following with the implications, basing the majority of my arguments on the analysis by Ranis and Fei in â€Å"A Theory of Economic Development† (1961). The central idea behind the Lewis model is fairly simple. Lewis divided labour force into two differentiated groups â€Å"subsistence sector† and â€Å"capitalist sector† where the former is assumed to contain unlimited supply and consequently, a pool of surplus labour[1] that sets labour-supply conditions for the latter. The concept of a dual economy is heavily criticised. As Leeson (1982) pointed out, â€Å"dual economy† models are â€Å"held to imply a false picture of the nature of the historical process of change in underdeveloped countries†. In this paper, I will not assess the strengths or weaknesses of the model, but instead, for the sake of simplicity and clarity, assume that the sectors are agricultural and industrial, respectively. Subsequently, Ranis and Feis extension to Lewis model can be analysed. They observed the model by reading it from left to right and assessed the changes in the output and wage as more and more people moved from agriculture to the industry. A new concept was added namely, disguised unemployment, which appears in the traditional subsistence sector. The marginal product of labour, which is observed as the slope of the production function, in agricultural sector is lower than in industry in fact, it is zero before point B on Figure 1.3. Under competitive assumptions, the real wage rate would fall to zero, but due to the presence of institutional or non-market forces, the institutional wage is sustained. Therefore, there are gains to be had by switching resources away to the industrial sector. Nevertheless, it is generally not likely to happen because the market, left on its own, does not change. If the industrial sector does pay according to marginal product, then, as noted by Ray (199 8), there would be efficiency gains available as long as the marginal product of the agricultural labour is less than the wage, whether it is zero or not. By decreasing the labour force in agriculture by a small amount (whilst still remaining in the surplus labour area), the total wage bill in agriculture falls along the diagonal straight line in Figure 1.3 , provided that the wage in agriculture does not rise. Since output does not fall, the reduction in the total wage bill gives an economy an agricultural surplus. Only at point C will this process come to an end because there is no more disguised unemployment it only appears at points at which the marginal product of labour is less than the institutional wage. Hence, condition for the existence of disguised unemployment is: W > MPL Ranis and Fei subsequently claimed that the average wage bill in agricultural sector is no longer measured as a straight line. At point C, the slope of the production function is parallel to the wage bill line, yielding that the disguised unemployment is no longer observed. Furthermore, beyond point C (when the disguisedly unemployed have been absorbed) the marginal product of labour exceeds the traditionally given wage rate (Ranis and Fei, 1961). The wage in agriculture begins to rise, because it becomes profitable to bid for labour[2]. As a result, wage bill falls more slowly. This brings me to the central point of the paper capturing the â€Å"turning points† in the Lewis-Ranis-Fei model. Ranis and Fei divided the model into three phases[3]. I have used Figure 1.1. to illustrate this issue. This figure contains the demand curves for labour by industry (downward sloping). The supply curve is initially a vertical line, because of surplus labour. Hence, the intersection of the labour and demand curves gives the equivalent quantity of labour and wage rate x and w*, respectively. Since the economy is in the surplus phase, there will be a certain quantity of labour transferring from agricultural to industrial sector, which explains the increase of the labour in industry from x to y whilst keeping the wage rate constant. The wage rate remains constant as long as there is surplus labour in the agriculture that can be employed more productively in the industry at a constant subsistence wage rate (Berry, 1970). It must be noted though that for any further investment, the demand curve for labour is going to shift to a point where the compensatory wage must rise. The phase where the supply wage of labour tilts upwards is referred to as the â€Å"first turning point†. At this point, redundant labour disappears altogether (Jorgenson, 1967). Employment in the industry would have risen as far as point z had the turning point not occurred. However, since it did and since the wage rate began to rise as demand was pushed upwards, employment can only rise up to z where demand meets supply. As I briefly mentioned earlier, it is evident that as more and more agricultural workers are withdrawn and no longer demand a portion of the agricultural goods, the surplus of agricultural goods begins to appear. It must be noted that each individual that moves from agricultural sector to the industry carries their own subsistence bundle together with them, meaning that they must be compensated for the transfer. Ranis and Fei named the portion of total agricultural output in excess of the consumption requirements of the agricultural labour force at the institutional wage as the total agricultural surplus TAS (Ranis and Fei, 1961). They described the TAS (captured in Figure 1.3) as the vertical distance between the straight line OX and the total physical productivity curve (with the exception of phase 3 where the distance will be reduced). In order to find out the required minimum industrial wage, the average wage must be multiplied by the relative price between agriculture and industry. In the surplus phase, it remains constant, because the average agricultural surplus is not changing (captured in Figure 1.2.). At this point, an expansion in the industrial sector would not drive up the wage rate. If an individual that moves from agriculture to the industry when labour in agriculture is at the surplus phase, there will be no compensation needed for that particular individual, as he carries his own food basket to the industry. In fact, industrial wage is constant and this individual is not worse off as a result. At the second phase, however, the average agricultural surplus begins to decline, because there will not be sufficient agricultural output to feed all the new industrial arrivals at the institutional wage level (Ranis and Fei, 1961). In other words, the same wage would not compensate them for the move anymore, b ecause the agricultural surplus has fallen below the average wage (A.W.) and it is not possible for them to buy A.W. units of food. As a result, the supply curve tilts up. There appears to be a worsening of the terms of trade. The relative prices begin to increase and in order to compensate for this price effect and facilitate the move, the industrial wage must rise. The wage must also compensate for the declining agricultural surplus and a movement of the terms of trade against industry. Put differently, the shortage of agricultural goods measured in agricultural surplus lead to a rise in the industrial wage measured in terms of industrial goods. Simultaneously, the agriculture gains some extra resources, because the agricultural output is divided between less people as more and more people move away from agriculture. If it happened that the individuals at the surplus zone wanted to consume more than the average, the government could step in and tax them to restrict their consumption. That surplus could then be used up in the investment to feed those individuals that move to the industry. In addition, it could also be used to support the new industrial arrivals as the wage rate in industry is set to increase. During phase three, this process becomes even more apparent as the now commercialized wage in agriculture becomes operative. Hence, there is an even sharper decrease in the agricultural surplus. What is more, beyond the â€Å"commercialization† point, the contribution from a worker is greater than the wage (as MPL > W). This, on the other hand, increases agricultural wage rate as was seen in Figure 1.3. From the p revious results, it is clear that after a second turning point the industry would have to compensate even more to get the workers. As a result, it gives an incentive to bargain for a worker. According to Chen (2005), Lewis-Ranis-Fei model should be considered a classical model because of the usage of industrial wage. However, Jorgenson claims that once the commercialization point is reached, instead of the classical approach, the neo-classical theory of growth for an advanced economy is to be observed (Jorgenson, 1967). Berry came to a significant conclusion of the Lewis-Ranis-Fei model. In effect, a shift in the terms of trade has a negative effect on the industry, forcing capitalist employers to pay a higher wage and thus generating less profits and less investment (Berry, 1970). However, there is a role of interdependence between the two sectors (Ranis and Fei). In fact, raising the price of goods in agriculture would give an agricultural sector an incentive to raise the output, thus encouraging investments in agriculture, leading to a decline in the terms of trade, which in turn lowers wages, increases profits and generates more investment in the industry. Consequently, there will be a balanced expansion in both, agriculture and industry. In other words, what Ranis and Fei observed was that the allocation of investment funds must be such that as to â€Å"continuously sustain investment incentives in both sectors of the economy†. The terms of trade should not deteriorate substantially agai nst either sector. I have illustrated this in Figure 2. The lower diagram in Figure 2 contains a supply curve S and a demand curve D1. Initially, the size of industrial labour force is OB and the industrial sector is making a profit equal to the area B0. This profit can be considered as an investment fund and could be allocated in part to both sectors. Consequently, the demand curve shifts up and there will be a new intersection point which lies on the balanced-growth path and this new equilibrium allows the economy to enjoy even further profits. After the first turning point, there will be a small proportion of profit that will be forgone because the first turning point occurs, yet the overall amount of profit increases. Nevertheless, it becomes clear that it is reasonable to have a policy to invest in both sectors as the economy will then maintain the balanced growth path. To conclude, I have shown the main ideas behind the Lewis-Ranis-Fei model and used the consecutive analysis of the model to explain why it is important to invest in both sectors in order to remain on the balanced growth path and maintain the rate of industrialization. The existence of surplus labour in agriculture allows the industry to continue to pay the institutional wage and therefore enjoy further profits and continued investment. At the same time, as more and more people are moving away from agriculture, there will be some amount of agricultural surplus that can be used up to fuel further development. This process continues until the surplus labour is absorbed. Hence, saving and investment are a crucial part in the Lewis-Ranis-Fei to support economic development.

Socio Cultural Factors In Child Development Education Essay

Socio Cultural Factors In Child Development Education Essay Children are the future of every nation and people have always strived for helping them to reach the most of their potential in the life span. Todays children have more complex needs which should be fulfilled for their proper level of development. In this work we will try to overview three well-known theories of child development and analyze the similarities and differences between them, as it is very topical to know already existing theories to evaluate properly modern approaches to child education; and find out the essence of interaction of cognitive, physical and emotional development of children to realize the importance of knowing o their needs. Lev Vygotsky focused on the socio-cultural factors in child development which he considered the most valuable. He stated that most of knowledge which every child gets in the course of his development is provided by a wise and experienced tutor (mostly parent or teacher). The tutor provides the child with both verbal and nonverbal instructions which the child is meant to follow. And natural curiosity of the child helps him to do this. Vygotsky believed that higher mental processes in the individual have their origin in social processes.  [1]  Moreover Vygotsky maintained that that social learning had a tendency of preceding development. Vygotsky was sure that learning was a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, specifically human psychological function.  [2]   Also Vygotsky developed a system of higher mental functions. These functions are developed from the cultural tool, which are got by children unconsciously, in the process of getting the cultural, historical and other information through the verbal and nonverbal interaction with a tutor. In the process of development children learn how to use these cultural tools. Higher mental functions include: attention, verbal thinking and memory. It is interesting that among all the mental tools Lev Vygotsky considered language as the most specific and important one. On the one hand it is a necessary mean to provide children with verbal instructions, while on the other hand it serves as an effective means for intellectual adaptation of a child. Private speech according to Vygotsys theory helps children to make needed strategies to their activities  [3]  . Thus, language is nothing else, but a boost for thinking and understanding. Jean Piaget Jean Piagets theory of child development is cognitive and is based on the system of stages of cognitive development of a child. Following this system we may recognize such stages as: Sensorimotor stage (0 -2 years). At this stage children investigate the environment around them with the help of their sense. They also start learning how to master the things around them. For example, they get to know that if to throw an object it will fall and make some kind of noise. During this stage children realize that even if the object is not near them it still doesnt stop existing. Preoperational stage (2 7 years). This stage is mainly characterized by childrens inability to see things from the different point of view, but their own one they are very ego-centric. At this stage children learn how to use language to describe objects in the world. Concrete operational stage (7-11). During this stage children can already think logically and predict the sequence of their actions. They also can classify objects into several categories. Formal operational stage (11+ years). At this stage children may think abstractly and can plan their actions through hypothesis. Moreover they are deeply concerned about the future. The key concept of the developmental theory of Jean Piaget is that nature is dominant over nurture.  [4]  Out of his system of stages of cognitive development of children we see that the first stage is sensorimotor one. At this stage the infants movements, physical and intellectual lack precision and his activities and attention are dominated by external stimulation  [5]  Piaget underlines that the initial instincts including the influence of sight, taste, touch, and hearing- of people are the most powerful and it is they which make their personalities on the whole. Jean Piaget believes that children are no less intellectual than adults, but they think differently. From the very moment of birth of each child he has to do a lot of things: to understand how people interact and how the whole world works, therefore we suppose that they are less mentally powerful. Indeed, children have more intricate brain abilities than adults, so if to take this suggestion as a starting point it is possible to overestimate our methods of teaching and educating. Arnold Gesell The maturational theory of Arnold Gesell, which is characterized by biological perspective, is based on the belief that every child has a specific plan or programme within his body as for his development. Gesell was convinced that heredity or nature has a primary influence on the development of a child. Gesell is known for establishing certain norms for children at every stage of their growth and developed the so-called gradients of growth. Among them we may find: motor characteristics, personal hygiene, fears, emotional expression, play, school life, ethics, and philosophic outlook  [6]  . Gesell believed that the development of the child through either education or play should be spontaneous. He suggested that through the course of evolution children inherited some kind of code which prescribed their actions and needs, so if a parent wants to help his child o find his life path the most effective way would be to let the child choose it himself. The key similarity in the developmental theories of Jean Piaget and Arnold Gesell lies in their belief in the dominance of nature over nurture  [7]  . Both theorists also developed original systems of measuring either the stages of child development or the indicators of their growth. Moreover it is needed to point out that all the three theories are promoting effective interaction of tutors and children in the process of their development although according to each of the theories their work is differently directed. Unlike Vygotskys thought that social learning should obviously precede the development Piaget considered that learning was less important thing in the child development the main influence instead he saw in nature. Also it is necessary to mention that Vygotsky paid much more attention to the socio-cultural factors in child development than other theorists  [8]  . Although the theories of Gesell and Piaget are alike in many aspects, the difference is that Piaget underlined the major influence of sensorimotor stage on child development while Gesell believed much in heredity, i.e. Piaget maintained that the child cannot enter the next stage until he fulfills the previous one, while Gesell was sure that child would be whom he ought to be due to the biological scheme within his body. Analyzing the theories of child development makes us ponder over importance of effective interaction of cognitive, physical and emotional interaction in the process of development of children. In the matter of fact unless all these aspects are properly accomplished the child has fewer chances to realize him or her in life as it is needed. Cognitive development refers to memory, concentration, attention and imagination  [9]  . It helps children to do well at school, dream, pretend what they will be in future, model different life situations, understand and use symbols, count and even write compositions. On the whole cognitive development is necessary for a child to solve their problems at every stage of their development. Proper physical development is responsible for childrens coordination, motor abilities and other physical skills. Emotional development helps children to possess such traits as self-regulation, self-sufficiency, self-concept and proper self-esteem  [10]  . If only the previous aspects of development are in proper level child has chances to make a positive and healthy self-image. The main point is that poor physical development may influence badly the level of attention or even memory of a child which would certainly lead to problems at school and thus to under-self-estimation. And vice versa: if a child is poorly developed emotionally he may be passive and ignorant which will lead to poor physical and cognitive development  [11]  . Therefore interaction of physical, emotional and cognitive development is of primary importance both for tutors and children. Evidently knowing the principles of forming of the childs personality is of great importance both for parents, teachers and psychologists. Unless we know the needs of the child or an adolescent at the particularly stage of his development we will hardly be able to help him. Knowing the key milestones of the development at childs age group it is possible to evaluate his or her physical, cognitive and emotional development and find the best way fro every concrete child to improve each aspect. It is far more important nowadays, when children have access to the media, computers and Internet and can themselves find all the answers(as it seems to them) to their questions, so they seldom ask their tutors how to solve their problems instead they make decisions by themselves, often no the most reasonable ones. In such situations it is particularly valuable to be aware of the peculiarities of development of children at this age and what problems most of them usually face. It goes without sayi ng that knowing norms of children and adolescents will help to find adequate advice to promote children to reach their potential in life. All the three theories of child development proved to be reasonable and useful. We found out that Lev Vygotskys theory was based primarily on socio-cultural factors of development. The theorist believed that learning preceded development and that made the main difference between his theory and the theory of Jean Piaget who was sure that the childs potential depended on the development of his senses and instincts first of all. Another prominent theorist Arnold Gesell was sure that nature dominated over nurture too and his key concept was that heredity was absolutely responsible for the development of particular child. Gesell and Piaget even developed their own systems of evaluating of either the stages of child development or the indicators of their growth. Although the theories differ in many aspects, every of them is directed on effective interaction between tutors and children and that is the key value of every of them. It is important to be able to realize the needs of children an d adolescents to help them in reaching their potential. In this process it is necessary to each a well-organized interaction between cognitive, physical and emotional development of children.

Punishment :: essays research papers

Effective Punishment for America Violence in our world is getting ever more vicious. We see people brutally killing other people. In every country this is a problem. The real problem is that ninety percent of the ones committing these crimes are children. The question is discipline. We need to take the necessary steps in effective discipline for children. Children should be disciplined by strict punishment in cases such as murder, rape, and drugs. The disciplining of children has come a long way from where it has been. We as society, have lost the idea of effective discipline. That is discipline that teaches a person how wrong the action was. It should also teach a person not to every want to do the action again. We as society must stand up for the cause of discipline. For example, if a sixteen-year old walks into a school and opens fire on students, strict punishment should be acted upon by the courts. Our jails have become more of a hotel for criminals. Murder is a vicious crime and the consequences of this crime, especially if it is a child, should have serious attributes to these crimes. Rape has become a serious crime in America today. We hear of rape crimes at least one every five minutes here in America. Like murder most of these crimes are committed by teenagers. I think that convicting a young teenager of this crime and declaring them mentally insane is ludicrous. They should ban such ways for escaping the punishment of such a brutal crime. As the saying from the Bible goes, "Spare the rod and spoil the child." We must stop the ways of escaping the system and get back to the basics of disciplinary action. Drugs is a problem no matter where one goes in America. We see them in schools, colleges, homes, streets, everywhere. The actions taken against drug abusers are not cruel ones. We usually give them a second chance. This second chance is fine, but when the second time comes action must take place. To effectively get rid of this problem, parents need to effectively punish if they catch there kids. If the authorities catch the children, then parents need to come and take the punishment out after they get home. We need to stop these crimes and the only way to let someone know the extent of punishment they deserve is to punish one the first offense.

Sex & Violence in the Media Essay -- Essays Papers

Sex & Violence in the Media On February 1, 2004, millions of Americans sat down around their television sets with their family and friends to watch the biggest sports event of the year: Super Bowl XXXVIII. Inside the Reliant Stadium of Houston, Texas, the New England Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers 32-29 in one of the closest games in recent history; but this year it wasn’t the football game or even the commercials that had people talking. It was an incident that occurred during the halftime show that involved pop singers Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake that ended in millions of Americans having the privilege to see the left breast of Janet Jackson for a few moments. This single issue may not have been a huge ordeal in itself, but it brought to surface some very pertinent questions about how far was too far in the media, what the government should do to control it, and what effects sex and violence in the media were having on American culture. The events that took place during the halftime show of the Super Bowl may have shocked and angered many parents for exposing such sexual behavior and nudity to their children, but there were also a great number of people who questioned why people were so upset over a few seconds of screen time that Janet Jackson’s left breast received. After all, it was simply part of the female anatomy. Many people argued that it wasn’t just nudity, that it was â€Å"softcore† pornography because of the sexual conduct that was behind the performance. It is understandable that Jackson and Timberlake’s routine was full of sexual innuendo, but the majority of young children usually don’t pick up on such behavior and thus a simple â€Å"wardrobe malfunction.† Whether the performance during the halftime ... ...ildren, teenagers, and adults in many different ways. While some people were outraged by the Super Bowl incident and others believed it was merely an accident that could have been prevented, the event put to the test some fundamental questions concerning how much power the media should have. Because the FCC is on a rampage right now trying to put an end to these problems, many networks are implementing new features such as the ten second delay, and others are trying to promote the use of V-chips (prevent children from viewing objectionable material) and reminding Americans of the rating system that is on the television. But the fact is, television is free to the public, and the public is watching. As sex and violence increasingly fill our television sets, our minds become more adjusted to such behaviors and we forget to grasp reality and focus on the important things.

Dysfunctional Relationships Between Sonny’s Blues and Shiloh

Jeremy Raymond Professor Gazzara ENG 102-109 April 6th, 2013 It Takes Two To Tango What makes a relationship dysfunctional? Is it the changes one sees in another whether they be physical, emotional, or financial? Is it a change in their own personality that is now changing their views on their family member or significant other? Tina B. Tessina defines a dysfunctional relationship as this:Dysfunctional Relationships are relationships that do not perform their appropriate function; that is, they do not emotionally support the participants, foster communication among them, appropriately challenge them, or prepare or fortify them for life in the larger world. (Tessina 1) In â€Å"Sonny's Blues† and â€Å"Shiloh†, we see two different types of dysfunctional relationships. In â€Å"Shiloh† we see a marriage relationship between Norma Jean and Leroy Moffit. In â€Å"Sonny's Blues†, we see a brotherhood relationship between Sonny and his brother.These relationshi ps are considered dysfunctional based on the actions and lack of actions based on those involved. In Mason's â€Å"Shiloh†, the relationship between Leroy and Norma Jean was off to a good start. They have been married sixteen years and had a kid named Randy. Randy passed away from sudden infant death syndrome at a very young age. We can infer through the text that both Norma Jean and Leroy were left traumatized by this. The death of a child can leave a person traumatized and shook-up for the rest of their lives. The couple's relationship takes a turn south due to numerous reasons.One reason being Norma Jeans newfound lifestyle. Ever since Leroy suffered his accident, She has morphed into the manly figure of the household. She's starting to lift weights to strengthen herself up. Leroy is now observing changes in Norma Jean he has never seen before. In addition to lifting weights at home, she is now attending a body building class which puzzles Leroy. Through Leroy's eyes, she is already a changed woman. Besides for Norma Jeans' newfound physical changes in herself, she is also attending night classes.Norma Jean is also developing sleep patterns that concern not only Leroy but also Mabel, her mother. Mabel in a conversation with Leroy states â€Å"She used to go to bed with the chickens. Now you say she's up all hours. † (73). The quote shows how both Leroy, her husband who's loved her for the past sixteen years and Mabel, her own mother are worried and confused by her new patterns in life. In addition to changes in Norma Jean, Leroy has undergone changes as well. Since he had his accident, he is unable to drive tractor trailers across the country anymore.He is now cooped up inside of the house because of his injury. He has developed a hobby for building crafts and has turned that into a plan with blueprints to build a full scale log cabin. The thought of the cabin disgusts Norma Jean, where in a conversation between Leroy, Norma Jean, and Mabel, L eroy states, â€Å"I'm aiming to build us a log house† (70). Norma Jean quickly responds to Leroy with â€Å"Like heck you are† (70). She clearly shows her disapproval with his plan. We as readers can interpret that Leroy is a man stuck in the past and Norma Jean has evolved into a new woman.We see an attempt at resolving the dysfunctional couples relationship when they take a trip to Shiloh. Leroy is trying to hold onto the love of his life while Norma Jean is trying to free herself and move on to bigger and better things in life. She has changed her life, physically and mentally and Leroy has done nothing with his life which is why she is leaving him. The attempt at reconciliation fails terribly and Norma Jean and Leroy split paths and go on with their separate lives. In â€Å"Sonny's Blues† we see another dysfunctional relationship, this time between brothers. The narrator of the story, is the brother of Sonny.A schoolteacher in Harlem, he has grown up around men and women who have suffered from alcoholism, drug addictions and many more problems. Similar to Leroy from â€Å"Shiloh†, he is a family man also reeling from the loss of their youngest child, Grace. The death of their child spurred the brother into writing to his troubled brother Sonny. Sonny was the younger brother of the two who has been through many difficult life lessons throughout his short life so far. Sonny has suffered from a heroin addiction which landed him in a local jail which further weakened the bond between the two brothers.Sonny's brother has lived in Harlem and has seen heroin addicts and victims of alcoholism and has showed no remorse for them. We see Sonny's brothers intolerance for the men around Harlem who suffer from an addiction when he is talking to an old friend of Sonny's after he leaves the school one day. â€Å"Look. Don’t tell me your sad story, if it was up to me, I'd give you one. † (294). This shows how Sonny's brother is in different regarding people who have suffered from a addiction. While Sonny was in jail, the relationship continued to dwindle. After Sonny's release from prison, their relationship began to heal.In addition to his drug addiction, Sonny's inability to decide on a career in life irritates his brother. Sonny's aspirations spread as far as India, a military job stationed throughout the world , and/or landing a job as a musician in his hometown of Harlem. This inconsistency of Sonny enrages his older brother, who has made a promise with their mother to look after him and make sure he grows up to be a proper man. In contrast to the relationship between Norma Jean and Leroy, Sonny and his brothers relationship is able to rebuild after a time of hardship between the two.Sonny is able to recover fully from his heroin addiction and begin to get his life back on track. In addition to cutting his heroin addiction, he makes a life decision regarding his future and chooses to become a musician in Harlem. The theme of dysfunctional relationships is present in both stories with very different endings. In â€Å"Shiloh†, we see a relationship between two married people end abruptly. Leroy, the man stuck in the past and holding on to what he knows and Norma Jean, the woman who has changed everything about herself.Opposites do not attract and the marriage ceased to continue after their visit to the Shiloh battlefield. In â€Å"Sonny's Blues†, the brotherhood relationship between Sonny and his brother is able to recover and progress due to the changes Sonny has made with himself. Works Cited Tessina, Tina. â€Å"What Is A Dysfunctional Relationship? †Ã‚  What Is A Dysfunctional Relationship? N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013 Mason, Bobbie Ann. Shiloh. N. p. : Flamingo, 1988. Print. Baldwin, James. Sonny's Blues. Mankato, MN: Creative Education, 1993. Print.

Project Report for Dairy Farms

PROJECT REPORT FOR DAIRY FARM WITH FOUR CROSS-BRED /INDIGENOUS DESCRIPTIVE DAIRY BREED COWS   Dairy farming is a profitable business. It provides an excellent opportunity for self employment of unemployed youth. It  Ã‚   is also an important source of income generation to small/marginal farmers and agricultural labourers. India is the largest milk producer of the world. The demand of milk & milk product is increasing rapidly There is immense scope of dairy farming in our country. The increasing cost of feed ingredients and its seasonal variability   can be reduced by undertaking fodder cultivation.Before starting a dairy farm the entrepreneurs/ farmers are advised to under go  Ã‚  Ã‚  training on dairy farming. They must check the following points before starting a dairy farm. 1. Availability of good quality dairy breed cows  Ã‚  in nearby livestock market 2. Nearness of the Farm to  Ã‚  Veterinary Hospital, Artificial Insemination Center/livestock Aid Centers, MPCS 3. Ma rketing facility of milk and milk product in non MPCS area 4. Availability of concentrates ,fodder & medicine in that locality. This project report is based on following assumption:- 1.Freshly calved crossbred/indigenous descriptive  Ã‚  (dairy Breed)cows in 1st or 2nd lactation will be purchased in two batches of  Ã‚  two  Ã‚  animals each at an interval of 5 to 6 months. 2. Availability of 0. 75 to 1(one)  Ã‚  acre of irrigated land is prerequisite for the project, in absence of irrigated land provision of well and pump set has to be included in the project report. 3. Cost of labour has not been taken into consideration since full time labour is not required for the small unit. Family labour will be utilized for maintenance of the dairy farm. 4. Cow dung produced will be utilized as Manure for fodder cultivation. . Cost of rearing calves not considered as it will be repealed by their sale 6. In case of death of cow new cow will be purchased from insurance claim money.  ·   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The scheme will be successful on the above guidelines if run by the dairy farmer on scientific lines. Housing for cows Floor  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ it should be Pucca, smooth strong concrete cemented, impervious to moisture ,and have slope 1 in 60 towards gutter. Plinth should be 2ft. higher than ground. Walls-3ft. high lengthwise brick or wall on sides, End wall should be solid made of bricks. Roof–  Ã‚  it should be 14-16ft. igh at the center and 8-9 ft. high on the side wall . there should be  Ã‚  hang over 3ft  Ã‚  beyond wall to prevent rain water  Ã‚  entering cow shade. Roof may be of asbestos,  or tile. thatched  Ã‚  roof can replace asbestos in low cost housing. Techno economic parameters|   | Type of Animal| CB Jersey CowOr indigenous descriptiveMilch breed| No. of Animals| 4| Cost of Animal (Rs. /animal) including transportation| 27000/cow| Average Milk Yield (litre/day)| 10| Floor space (sqft) per adult animal| 40| Floor spac e (sqft) per calf| 20| Cost of construction per sqft (Rs. )| 200| Cost of equipment per animal (Rs. | 1000| Cost of fodder cultivation (Rs. /acre/season)| 5000| Insurance premium (% per annum)| 5| Veterinary aid/animal/ year (Rs. )| 750| Cost of concentrate feed (Rs. /kg)| 12| Cost of dry fodder (Rs. /kg)| 1| Rate of interest (%)| 12| Repayment period (years)| 6| Selling price of milk/litre (Rs. /kg)| 21| Sale price of gunny bags (Rs. per bag)| 10| Lactation days| 280| Dry days| 150| DAILY FEEDING AND COST CHART FOR DAIRY COWS  | Item| FEEDING STUFF| COST/KGRs. | During lactation period| During dry period| | | | Quantity (kg)| Cost (Rs. )| Quantity (kg)| Cost (Rs. | i| Concentrate feed| 12| 3. 5| 42| 1| 13| ii| Green fodder| 1| 20| Home grown| 12| Home grown| iii| Dry fodder| 2| 5. 5| 11| 5| 10| | Total|   |   | 53|   | 22| Lactation chart/Dry chart| Sr. No| Particulars|   |   | Years|   |   | | |   | I| II| III| IV| V| Vi| i)| Lactation Days| |   |   |   | à ‚  |   | a)| First batch| 500| 560| 500| 420| 420| 500| b)| Second batch| 360| 420| 420| 420| 420| 420| | Total| 860| 980| 920| 840| 840| 920| ii)| Dry Days|   |   |   |   |   |   | a)| First batch| 220| 160| 220| 300| 300| 220| b)| Second batch| -| 300| 300| 300| 300| 300| | Total| 220| 460| 520| 600| 600| 520| Project cost and bank loan| Cost. In Rs. | I. | Capital cost|   |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  II. | Cow shed for 4 cows 40sq. ft/cow @200/sqft  | 32000|   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  III. | Calf pen for 4 calves 20 sq. ft. /calf @200/sq. ft. | 16000|   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  IV. | Cost of 2 CB cows with minimum average 10 liter milk  Ã‚  yield /day @27000 with transportation| 108000|   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  V. | Cost of one chaff cutter hand operated| 10000|   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  VI. | Cost of dairy appliances @ 1000/cow| 4000|   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  VII. | Cost of electrification of dairy farm with two electric fans| 10000|   | Tota l| 18000| Recurring cost to be capitalized| 1. Cost of feed for first batch of  Ã‚  one cows for one month as  per feed chart| 3180| 1. | Cost of insurance  Ã‚  2 animals @5% of animal cost| 5400| 1. | Cost of fodder cultivation in one  Ã‚  acres of land| 10000| 1. | Cost of medicine vaccine, electricity for the first  Ã‚  cow| 1500| 1. | Total recurring expenditure| 20080  | 1. | TOTAL PROJECT COST  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Say| 200080200000| 1. | Margin money 10% of project cost| 20000| 1. | Bank loan 90% of project cost| 180000| Item| Particulars| . Project period|   | 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 1. | Feeding during lactation per iod vide yearly lactation days and feed cost as per chart| 45580| 51940| 48760| 44520| 44520| 48760| 1. | Feeding during dry period vide dry days and feed cost as per feed chart enclosed| 4840| 10120| 11440| 13200| 13200| 11440| 1. | Medicine vaccine veterinary aid| 3000| 3000| 3000| 3000| 3000| 3000| 1. | Insurance @5% of animal cost /year| 5400| 5400| 5400| 5400| 5400| 5400| 1. | Cost of fodder cultivation| 10000| 10000| 10000| 10000| 10000| 10000| 1. | other miscellaneous expenditure| 2000| 2000| 2000| 2000| 2000| 2000| 1. Total| 70820| 82460| 80600| 78120| 78120| 80600|   | INCOME|   |   |   |   |   |   | I. | Sale  Ã‚  of milk @Rs. 21/liter during lactation days with average milk yield /10  Ã‚  liter/day| 180600| 205800| 193200| 176400| 176400| 193200|   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  II. | Sale of gunny bags| 640| 780| 740| 700| 700| 740|   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  III. | Manure will be utilized in own farm|   |   |   |   |   |   |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  IV. | Value of closing stock of 3cows(Depreciation on animal cost @10%/year)|   |   |   |   |   | 43200|   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  V. | Value of building(Depreciation on [email  protected]%/year)|   |   |   |   |   | 19200|   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  VI. Value of equipments(Depreciation on equipments @15%/year)|   |   |   |   |   | 2400|   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  VII. | Total income| 181240| 206580| 193940| 177100| 177100| 258740|   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  VIII. | Gross profit| 110420| 124120| 113340| 98980| 98980| 178140|   | 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| Capital Costs| 180000|   |   |   |   |   | Recurring Cost| 70820| 82460| 80600| 78120| 78120| 80600| Total Costs| 250820| 82460| 80600| 78120| 78120| 80600| Benefit| 181240| 206580| 193940| 177100| 177100| 258740| Net Benefit| -69580| 124120| 113340| 98980| 98980| 178140| PW Costs @ 15%| 451802. 8| PW Benefits @ 15%| 742490. 80| NPW| 290688. 62| B. C. Ratio| 1. 64:1| | | I. R. R. (%)| >25%| Year| Loan Outstanding| Gross Surplus| Interest| Principal| Total Repayment| Surplus| 1| 180000| 110420| 21600| 20000| 41600| 68820| 2| 16000| 124120| 19200| 40000| 59200| 64920| 3| 120000| 113340| 14400| 30000| 44400| 68940| 4| 90000| 98980| 10800| 30000| 40800| 58180| 5| 60000| 98980| 7200| 30000| 37200| 61780| 6| 30000| 178140| 3798| 30000| 33798| 144342| |