Creative Industries of New Zealand

Introduction Creative industries of New Zealand (NZ) have the potential to create not only knowledge but also goods and services in several fields. These include screen production, television, music, design, fashion, publishing, textiles and digital content. The creative industries have been built on the unique aspects of NZ’s culture.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Creative Industries of New Zealand specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These industries contribute to the economy of the country and they have become a vibrant feature in the international profile of the country. The potential of the creative industries extends to add to the productivity and contribute to the growth in other manufacturing areas as well as education. The importance of the creative industries can be understood from the fact that the sector was responsible for providing jobs to more than 121,000 people at the time of 2006 census, wh ich was 6.3% of the total employment and these industries have generated revenue of $ 10.5 billion in March 2006 (Andrews et al., 2009). The NZ government has formulated cultural policies and policies regulating the creative industries and these policies have been related to the well-being of the NZ people and the growth in the economy of the country. There have been many changes in these policies relating to the creative industries. The objective of this portfolio is to make an in-depth study of the policies relating to creative industries in the NZ and to present a critical analysis of the policy development in this area during the last 10-15 years. This portfolio also focuses on analyzing the metadiscourse of sustainable development in relation to the creative industries in Aotearoa New Zealand. The purpose of this portfolio is to present an analytical report on the policies of New Zealand relating to creative industries in the country. The portfolio is structured to have differe nt sections dealing with policies relating to creative industries, policies relating to national heritage including monuments and national archives, policy changes in New Zealand during last decades and critical analysis of the policy developments relevant to the creative industries. Context In any country, the creative industries assume substantial cultural importance. With the present trend of increasing economic globalization, the magnitude of the importance of creative industries is progressively enhancing. With the economic emphasis, moving towards the knowledge economy the existence and sustenance of creative industries have become crucial to the development of any nation as well as its economy. Creative industries have been identified to be a vital part of the economy of NZ, with the intrinsic value of the sector established beyond doubt.Advertising Looking for essay on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn Mo re In NZ, the creative industries occupy a prominent place because of their substantial influence on the economy and for increasing the growth opportunities in other industries. Since the government of NZ has made economic objectives as the backbone of the promotion of creative industries rather than the social and cultural objectives, this country differs extensively from other welfare economies in the world. The policies of the NZ government with respect to creative industries consider â€Å"design† as an important element in the promotion of export and resultant economic progress. This uniqueness and the approach of the government in the promotion of creative industries make this study interesting and significant. The cultural policies of NZ and their implementation are also worth studying as the country has strategized its cultural priorities and objectives and the performance is measured against the preset goals. Creative Industries in New Zealand In the year 2002, the NZ government recognized the creative industries as a â€Å"leading potential contributor to [the] future economic growth and global positioning of the country† (de Bruin, 2005, p. 2). According to the NZ Heart of the Nation report, creative industries are â€Å"a range of commercially driven businesses whose primary resources are creativity and intellectual property and which are sustained through generating profits† (Heart of the Nation Working Group, 2002, p.5). The definition of creative industries as acknowledged by the NZ government includes â€Å"advertising, software and computer services (including interactive leisure software), publishing, television and radio, film and video, architecture, design, designer fashion, music, performing arts and visual arts (arts, crafts, antiques) (New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, 2002). The creative industries have been identified to be the key sectors for the economic transformation of NZ, since there is a huge p otential of these industries for the economic growth of the country both in the domestic and global context. â€Å"The creative sector also includes niche industries which are not only vertically integrated entities, capable of standing as an economic industry on their own, but also horizontal enablers. Horizontal enablers are apparent in industries with a basis in design,† (Beattie, 2009: P 9). Horizontal enablers are industries, which act to develop other industries through their contribution in any form. Other industries receive substantial support from the creative industries in the form of advertising, web design and new product development. The creative industries also help other industries through aiding in innovations and branding of the products (Smythe, 2005). The economic, social and cultural values of a country are enhanced with the help of the activities in the creative industries. In other words, the creative industries have the potential to enhance these values (see e.g. Bilton, 2007; Santagata, 2005). A strong creative economy represents the creativity and dynamism of the country. The dynamism is reflected in all the industries and it indicates the strength of the creativity of the industries and their innovative capabilities (Bilton, 2007).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Creative Industries of New Zealand specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The NZ government has recognized the economic contribution of the creative industries and has been using the potential of the creative industries to cultivate and shape the national identity of the country, especially at a time when there are significant changes in the global economy. The government is investing in creative industries to boost the image of the country as an innovative, intellectual and creative country (Heart of the Nation Working Group, 2000). NZ has used the creative industries extensively in both external and in ternal branding through campaigns like â€Å"PURE† launched by Tourism NZ and the Website â€Å"NZ Edge†. Painting of the images from the movie Lord of the Rings on the body of Air New Zealand aircrafts and the architectural design of the Rugby Ball Venue in Britain are some of the instances where NZ has been using the creative industries to highlight the uniqueness of the country. Cultural policy and Well-being The concept of well-being is closely associated with the transformation of places and economies affecting the lives of the people. Most of the Western countries have now taken on priority the agenda of notions of quality of life and the related concept of well-being and its sustainability. Well-being is considered as the most desired outcome of the service delivery in mainstream activities. Similarly the concept of well-being takes the center-stage in the realms of education, healthcare, social services more specifically related to disabled and elderly citizens and it is evidenced by a number of different projects in public sector partnerships at all levels (Ager, 2002). One of the main constituents of well-being is the culture and the quality of life and well-being is mingled with an emerging â€Å"therapeutic ethos† (Mirza, 2005). The cultural policy-making in the country of New Zealand is influenced largely by the notion of the increased role of culture in improving the well-being of the people (New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 2006). The sustenance of well-being underpins the developments in cultural social indicators. In this context, the definition of ‘cultural well-being’ as adopted by the New Zealand government is worth noting. The definition goes as â€Å"The vitality that communities and individuals enjoy through: participation in recreation, creative and cultural activities; and the freedom to retain, interpret and express their arts, history, heritage and traditions† (New Zealand Minist ry for Culture and Heritage, 2005, p.1).Advertising Looking for essay on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In order to promote the cultural well- being of the people, Section 10 of the Local Government Act, 2002 enables the local governments to take actions to promote social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of communities. Cultural well-being is considered as one of the four forms of well-being, which are interconnected with each other. The other forms are (i) economic, (ii) social, and (iii) environmental. Specific instructions have been passed on to the local authorities in New Zealand to â€Å"integrate and balance these four types of well-being in planning and practice† (New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 2005, p.3). The provision contained in the Local Government Act, 2002 was influenced by the necessity to consider the well-being of the Maori community. â€Å"More recent migrants to New Zealand from the Pacific and from Asia are also seeking public acknowledgement of important cultural values. A widespread acceptance in New Zealand has now emerge d that culture is an essential component of individual and community well-being,† (Dalziel et al, 2006). From this point of view, there is deficiency in defining the cultural well-being objectives, as there is no statutory list of such objectives. Cultural Policies of New Zealand Creative New Zealand is a crown entity, which is established under the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Act, 1994. The entity is made responsible for the development of arts in the country of NZ (Creative NZ). The function of the entity is to provide support to the professional artists and organizations promoting arts. The entity extends the required support by organizing funding programmes. Creative NZ also provides special initiatives like audience and market development and assisting to form partnerships and in conducting research. The Arts Council governs the entity and other agencies including the Pacific Arts Committee that takes the funding decisions. The government through Vote Arts, c ulture and Heritage and the NZ Lottery Grants Board provides the major funding for Creative NZ. There are four strategic priorities, which guide the work of Creative NZ. The strategic plan Te Mahere Rautaki 2007-2010 outlines these priorities, which are as follows: People of NZ are engaged in different arts Superior quality NZ arts are promoted and developed People of NZ are to have access to experiences in superior quality arts Arts of NZ arts to gain international recognition and success The above priorities prescribe the focus for Creative NZ for the next three years of the planning period. The priorities outline the framework for planning and decision-making by Creative NZ in the matters relating to arts and culture. The following table explains the objectives for each priority. Priority Objectives New Zealanders are engaged in the arts Strong Maori Arts: Creative New Zealand will invest in Maori communities strengthening and building cultural identity through the arts St rong Pacific arts: Creative New Zealand will invest in New Zealand Pacific communities strengthening and building cultural identity through the arts Community Arts Participation: Creative New Zealand will support diverse, local and ethnic communities participating in and developing their art High-quality New Zealand art is developed Innovative quality artists: Creative New Zealand will invest in dynamic New Zealand artists, practitioners and organizations, acknowledged for innovation and quality Innovative Work: Creative New Zealand will invest in quality art that commands attention nationally and internationally Develop Potential: Creative New Zealand will invest in and support quality New Zealand artists, practitioners to reach their potential New Zealanders have access to high-quality arts experiences Delivery of the arts: Creative New Zealand will invest in opportunities for New Zealanders to access quality arts experiences on a regular basis Audience Development: Creative N ew Zealand will invest in opportunities for New Zealanders to experience high-quality New Zealand work that is innovative challenging and culturally diverse Developing Potential: Creative New Zealand will invest in providers of quality arts experiences to broaden, deepen and diversify, their audiences New Zealand arts gain international success New Zealanders distinctive voices heard overseas: Creative New Zealand will invest in the distinct expressions of New Zealand’s diverse areas and culture at key international events and markets Market development: Creative New Zealand will invest in an arts sector that generates new Zealand artists making world class work that delivers to targeted markets Developing Potential: Creative New Zealand will invest in New Zealand artists, practitioners and organizations to build their capacity, profile, relationships and work in order to have enduring overseas success. Source: Creative New Zealand (2007) The strategic plan of Te Mahere Rautaki 2007-2010 represents a marked change in the focus from the previous cultural policies of the NZ government. The plan can be considered a significant improvement as it provides the framework for measuring the progress against preset goals and priorities in the areas of arts and culture and their promotion. â€Å"The Strategic Plan 2007-2010, outlined in Part One, sets out the specific priorities and objectives Creative New Zealand is seeking to achieve or contribute to over the three-year period. Creative New Zealand has also developed a set of long-term outcomes that are expected to endure beyond the period of the plan. For each long-term outcome, a set of contributory outcomes have been identified† (Wahangr Aua Statement of Intent 2007-2010). According to the Statement of Intent for Tauaki Whakamaunga atu 2008-2011, the entity of Creative NZ has â€Å"implemented an improved performance measurement framework,† (Creative New Zealand, 2008: P 20). This framework is likely to enable Creative NZ to demonstrate the ways in which its activities contribute to the strategic priorities and objectives against each priority and the relevant outcomes. The framework has emphasized developing various measures â€Å"across the areas of quality, quantity, responsiveness and efficiency† (P 20). In addition to developing these measures, Creative NZ is working towards development of key indicators, which will â€Å"provide further information on trends internally or externally that may influence investment decisions and or the development of specific activities, programmes or strategies† (P 20). Policies relating to Creative Industries in New Zealand The creative industry strategy of NZ is relatively young and the Government’s Innovative Framework (GIF) formulated it. This entity was set up in the year 2001, which was meant to take care of the economic recession that hit the country few years prior to 2001. During that period, the Mini stry of Economic Development identified three strategic areas, which needed the support from the government for their development – biotech, InfoTech and creative industries. The government chose to work on the subareas of creative industries such as â€Å"screen production, games, publishing, music, fashion, textiles, furniture, digital media and design.† The government considered design as the â€Å"main enabler across the wider business community† (New Zealand Trade and Enterprise 2005: 1). In NZ, the cultural and social dimensions of creative industries are not considered as part of the policies and strategies of the government. This is unique to NZ and it is a deviation from other welfare state countries. Therefore, the creative industries are promoted solely by innovation policies and economic policies. In the year 2003, the NZ government undertook new policy measures on design and formulated a design policy. The government created an entity New Zealand Tr ade and Enterprise (NZTE), with the overall objective of creating a link between the designers and the innovation process in the business. The government released a grant of Euro 6 million for integrating design in to the innovative process during the planning period from 2003 to 2007. The approach of NZ to creative industries takes an exclusive economic approach. The governmental agencies working with the creative industries such as the NZTE and the Growth and Innovation Framework are driven purely by economic objectives. The Ministry of Culture and Heritage has played relatively small role in the promotion of creative industries. In NZ, the national economic development agency, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise integrate the activities of two other organizations Industry New Zealand and Trade New Zealand. The country employs exclusive economic arguments for promoting creative industries. The government views the creative industries from a more general perspective of innovation. In this context, the vision of NZTE states â€Å"New Zealand will activate international excellence in creativity, design and innovations to radically re-position itself in global markets and value-chains† (New Zealand Trade and Enterprise 2005: 2). The government has emphasized that the industry should be a part of the policy formulating process. This is evidenced by the statement that â€Å"the intention of the framework is for the private sector to shape the direction of the development of specific strategies† (Ministry of Economic Development, 2003: 21). In NZ, the economic potential of the creative industries has been taken to the area of export promotion. The program â€Å"Better by Design† aims at improving the export performance of the companies in NZ through integrating design in the innovative processes in every type of business. According to NZTE, who initiates the program, the goal of the program is to achieve higher export revenue by making the product s and services of New Zealand differentiate themselves by incorporating world-class design into them. The government through the Better by Design program encourages the upcoming exporters by offering them (i) free of cost advice on the implementation of design, (ii) funding to the extent of 50% of the cost of the design project subject to a maximum of $ 50,000 with the objective of building design capacity and (iii) education internships aimed at helping the businesses to get access to better skills available to work with then design capabilities of the company. New Zealand is the only country, which has accommodated the use of design in its export promotion activities. In NZ, the creative industries and culture are not financed by the tax expenditure, as in the case of UK or United States. However, the state acts as the facilitator in these two areas. The role of the state as the facilitator is explicit from the statement of the new plan for NZTE, which goes â€Å"NZTE is a facili tator and a catalyst. We’re there to help make things happen. We don’t do the deals ourselves. They’re done by smart business people who are passionate about taking their ideas to international markets† (New Zealand Trade and Enterprise 2003: 3). This statement shows that the policies supporting creative industries are solely aimed at correcting market failures instead of a whole framework to cover the entire activities of the creative industries. â€Å"It also shows that the NZ state has no intention that the promotion of creative industries should serve democratic, social or cultural goals† (Birch, 2008:96). Policies relating to National Heritage including Monuments and National Archives The government of NZ in accordance with its commitment, created a new Ministry for Culture and Heritage in the year 2000. The government provided NZ $ 80 million for the promotion of arts, culture and heritage sector with a programme for increasing the funds in th e next three years. The government considers the maintenance of the national archives and monuments as a significant part of its overall duties and ensures that the heritage values are considered, while various policy stances are taken. The government has adopted a best practice approach in order to â€Å"respect and acknowledge the importance of the historic heritage in its care; foster an appreciation of and pride in the nation’s heritage; ensure that its historic heritage is cared for and, where appropriate, used for the benefit of all New Zealanders; ensure consistency of practice between government departments; set an example to other owners of historic heritage, including local government, public institutions and the private sector; contribute to the conservation of a full range of places of historic heritage value; ensure that places of significance to MÄ ori in its care are appropriately managed and conserved in a manner that respects mÄ tauranga MÄ ori and is consistent with the tikanga and kawa of the tangata whenua; and contribute to cultural tourism and economic development† (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 2010). The government has recognized that there are various constraints in managing the historic heritage. For example, there are the operational needs of specific departments like for arranging for the security of buildings under the custody of Department of Culture and Heritage and for arranging for the facilities to carry out research. Similarly, the societal or cultural practices, which may have to changed to other places physically like the provision of facilities for immigrant groups may also pose significant problems in managing the heritage values. In addition, meeting the requirements of various statutes like the Building Act, 1991 needs striking a proper balance between different policy stances of the government. There are only limited resources with the government to meet the competing demands of this sector. Under its policies to protect national heritage including monuments and national archives, the government has passed various legislations including (i) Historic Places Act, 1993, (ii) Building Act, 1991, (iii) Reserves Act, 1977, (iv) Conservation Act, 1987 and (v) Resource Management, Act, 1991. The government has created the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT), which is the leading national historic agency in NZ. The trust functions as the guardian of Aotearoa New Zealand’s national heritage. An Act of Parliament established the trust in the year 1954 and it became an autonomous Crown Entity under the Crown Entities Act, 2004. The trust has the full support from the government and its functions are funded through Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage through the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Historic Places Act, 1993 regulates the works, powers and functions of the NZHPT. The government is reviewing the Historic Places Act and various other pieces of legislations to br ing changes in the operation of the NZHPT and to revise the archaeological provisions in the Historical Places Act. The proposed changes include â€Å"combining the two main types of  archaeological authority to create one authority with a single administrative process reducing the statutory processing times for authorities from three months to 20 days (in most cases) ensuring the NZHPT’s Maori Heritage Council is involved in considering all applications that affect sites of Maori interest, and creating a new ‘simplified’ process for authorities of a more minor nature whereby the applicant is not required to provide an archaeological assessment with their application† (New Zealand Historic Places Trust, 2010). The objective of these proposed changes is to bring better alignment between the Historic Places Act and the Resources Management Act. There are various other proposals concerning the revamping the NZHPT under consideration of the government to e nsure better protection to the historical places and monuments. Table: Partial Listing of Heritage Protection Mechanism in New Zealand Source: Allen (1998:10) Thus, the framework for the protection of heritage sites and monuments in NZ is designed under various pieces of legislations like Conservation Act, Resource Management Act and the Historic Places Act. Various parliamentary Acts relating to the operation of territorial authorities also govern the management of historical places. The above table exhibits the major mechanisms available and the primary agencies responsible for ensuring the working of the mechanisms. Even though there are various legislations govern the management of historical sites, a clear definition of the linkages among the major Acts has not been established which is a deficiency in the management of the historical places. However, the practices and policies of the agencies and institutions involved promote the integration in the activities. â€Å"Function s at the two levels of government, central and local, are complemented by semi-governmental organisations such as the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and by non-governmental organisations such as Maori tribal authorities. It is common in colonial countries for the government to carry out functions that might elsewhere be the province of private organisations. New Zealand has retained such structures longer than many countries and hence it has no private and fully independent national trust organisation but rather the NZ Historic Places Trust, which uncomfortably straddles the divide between being a government agency and a national trust,† (Allen, 1998:9). The structure of organization and divide in carrying out the functions is another weakness observed in the management of historical places and national archives in NZ. The government applied a moratorium on the further acquisition of properties by NZHPT in the year 1982. The Trust Board undertook a review of the properties in its possession in the year 1994 with the objective of rationalizing the Trust property portfolio. Based on this review, the Trust had to take decisions on the extent to which any Trust property would assist the Trust to meet its statutory obligations and such decisions were subjected to the available finances with the Trust. However, the government has not provided any additional funds to the Trust in respect of this aspect of the work of the Trust. The Trust had to rely on a lottery grant for this purpose. The government announced a further 50% cut on the grants to the Trust, which severely constrained the property management work of the Trust. It is to be noted that NZ’s system of local government and planning has more similarities with the systems followed in England. These similarities existed until such period the reforms were carried out in this area between 1988 and 1994 (Bush, 1995:1-81). The planning for the protection of historical places and monuments has been t aken in new directions with the new concepts introduced in the Resource Management Act, 1991 and the new organizational structure planned for the territorial local authorities by the Local Government Act, 1992. However, there has not been a complete transformation of the systems in NZ in respect of the management of heritage sites and national archives. The agencies in the county have been endowed with the problems of resourcing and have been struggling to meet the ends. In addition, there are the problems of multiplicity of agencies, problems with assessment and nomination of places for scheduling and questions of preservation versus salvage excavation. Policy Changes in New Zealand during the last Decades The programme of comprehensive economic reforms in NZ was undertaken between the years 1984 and 1994. The reforms were undertaken in view of the recognition that the country did not achieve the same rate of economic growth as that of other OECD countries, since the country implem ented economic policies that relied much on the regulatory controls. Therefore, the successive governments have to undertake reforms in â€Å"monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade policy, domestic industry policy, employment law policy, public sector policy and social security policy within a reasonably consistent framework intended to promote macroeconomic stability and microeconomic competition† (Dalziel et al, 2008:104). Nevertheless, the decade of reforms witnessed considerable social dislocation and distress. Against the loss of social well-being the government introduced reforms aimed at promoting environmental well-being with the formation of the Ministry for the Environment and the passing of the Environment Act, 1986 (Young, 2007). In the year 1991, the government passed the important legislation of the Resource Management Act, which can be considered significant for its recognition of the conjoint objectives for government policy. This piece of legisla tion recognized the need for social, economic, cultural and environmental well-being. The inclusion of â€Å"cultural well-being† though unusual in international legislation can be understood with the recent history of New Zealand, which exhibits the pressure on the government to recognize the cultural treasures of Maori legally. When the Labour-led government headed by Helen Clark took charge, the government announced the change of direction in the policies of the government (Dalziel et al., 2006). The government acknowledged that the economic reforms undertaken during 1980s and 1990s were insufficient and there was the need for further economic transformation. The government also understood the need to sustain the national identity and culture and the two themes of economic transformation and promotion of national culture became the central focus of Clark’s government. Critical Analysis of Policy Developments relevant to the Creative Industries This portfolio argues that although NZ has made significant changes to its understanding of economic policy and cultural well-being over the last 15 years, there has been no interaction between the two policy frameworks. Combining economic policies with the cultural well-being may not produce the desired results as the use of cultural capital for economic well-being may damage cultural well-being. It is essential that the cultural capital should be kept connected with the cultural context for promoting the cultural well-being of the country. This argument is supported by the following explanation on the tension between the policies of economic transformation and cultural well-being. In order to analyze the incongruity between the policies, first there is the need to have an overview on the work of NZ Trade and Enterprise that strives to strengthen the creative industries as a mechanism for taking advantage of the culture of NZ to create economic wealth. This section also presents the examples of creation of intellectual property or a market brand out of cultural capital for an effective economic transformation and its real impact. The economic reform of NZ can be considered to have ended with the passing of the Fiscal Responsibility Act in the year 1994. The governments after this period focused only on consolidating the economic reforms undertaken earlier but not extending any of them. The incoming government in 1999 concentrated on three projects – An innovation Framework for New Zealand, Catching the Knowledge Wave and Facilitating Economic Transformation – to achieve its objective of economic transformation. The outcome of these three projects was â€Å"Growing an Innovative New Zealand† which led to the formation of â€Å"Growth and Innovation Framework (GIF). Based on this framework, the government decided to focus on creative industries among the three sectors selected by it. The government initiated two task forces – one focusing on the screen p roduction industry and the second focusing on design as the basis for promoting exports. It was the conclusion of the taskforce on screen production that creativity alone cannot lead the industry to grow. This was conveyed through a report produced in the year 2003. The government formed New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) in 2003, by merging the agencies responsible for trade promotion and industry policy with the objective of implementing national development policies. NZTE positioned NZ as creative, innovative and technologically advanced under its â€Å"New Zealand New Thinking† objective, which aimed to drive economic transformation of the country based on the aspects of the history, heritage and culture. Based on these considerations and with the objective and focus of NZTE it emerges that the culture of NZ has become only a means to meet an end. Culture has not been regarded as an objective having equal priority as the economic advancement. â€Å"The end in this c ontext is economic well-being, with culture subsumed as a form of intellectual property that can be used to promote New Zealand exports, tourism, services and investment to global audiences,† (Dalziel et al., 2008: 111). It may be recalled that cultural well-being is one among the four well-beings projected by Section 10 the Local Government Act, 2002, which has not been given due consideration by the NZTE. Based on the approach of NZTE and the government’s policy objectives, the future policy development is most likely to be guided by the following three major elements. â€Å"Cultural well-being requires access to resources, to fund support infrastructure for recreation, creative and cultural activities, to preserve history and heritage, to protect cultural freedom and to provide income opportunities to creative artists at the forefront of cultural development Recreation, creative and cultural activities make significant contributions to economic well-being by offeri ng employment and income opportunities in industries such as screen production, fashion and cultural tourism Economic transformation can be enhanced by drawing on a country’s cultural assets to improve the design and marketing of its goods and services and to create a strong country brand for international trade and investment,† (Dalziel et al., 2008:115). These points present a strong association and positive synergy between cultural well-being and economic transformation of NZ (Eames 2006). However, this portfolio argues that such association produces some tension, as there is likely to be significant overlap between economy and culture in areas like knowledge and cultural capital. â€Å"It suggests considerable overlap between economy and culture in areas such as knowledge, social capital, cultural capital, customary rights, property rights, institutions and values. These areas of overlap are influenced by, and in turn influence, the economic and the cultural spher es† (Dalziel, 2008:115).This paper argues that while such overlaps may act to reinforce each other they bound to create tensions too. One of the examples that can be cited in this respect is the use of traditional Maori design â€Å"koru† by Air New Zealand. The design â€Å"koru† symbolizes the Maori concept of how the life can change and can remain the same. Shand (2002:48) identifies koru as the central design feature of many of the artistic practices of Maori. To add cultural image to its brand, Air New Zealand wanted to add the koru design to its carpets in the airport lounges. The Maoris objected to this idea saying that it is offensive to walk on their sacred symbol of life. The carpets were finally removed by the airline (Solomon, 2000: par 58; Shand 2002: P 51-51). The symbol became the cultural capital of the country. Air NZ recognized the symbol as an economic advantage to increase its brand image. The cultural capital was protected in its original con text, as customary right by the Maori people. When such cultural capital is considered as an economic opportunity in the Western market and legal system, the use of rights is treated in two different ways. â€Å"First, the traditional use rights typically have no standing in the Western legal system, so that to those outside the culture, the cultural capital is effectively treated as a common resource; that is, a resource from which no one can be excluded. While there may be cultural sanctions against the misuse of a cultural treasure, and while there may be social implications from causing cultural offence, there is little legal protection. Second, an outsider may seek to use the Western legal system to create a private ownership right using intellectual property law. As intellectual property, the original knowledge may become separated from its cultural context. It is possible for the original community to lose control over its own cultural capital; and people may become alienate d from their own cultural artefacts,† (Dalziel et al., 2008: 116-117). So long as the cultural capital remains in the form of a common resource, there is the risk of privatizing the resource. This is true because the ability to make use of knowledge with profit motive provides an incentive to privatise the cultural capital. Another instance that substantiates the argument for showing the intersection between cultural well-being and economic policy can be seen from the points under the consideration of Waitangi Tribunal, which was formed to make recommendations on claims brought by the Maori people. The point of contention by the Maoris include claims to protect knowledge concerning Maori arts, to protect against the exploitation and misappropriation of traditional artefacts, and carvings, to protect Maori intellectual and cultural property rights (as these were affected by the intellectual property legislation of NZ) and to protect the environment and natural resources. These points of contention were at the heart of the overlapping between cultural well-being and economic policy of NZ. There is another example where there is a clash between economic objectives and cultural imperatives. NZ has accumulated substantial cultural capital in their national rugby team â€Å"All Blacks†. Even though this team was beaten in the quarterfinal match in the Rugby World Cup, 2007 the team could manage to create substantial commercial opportunities including the sponsorship from Adidas. On the review by the New Zealand Rugby Football Union, it was pointed out that the All Blacks brand continued to be one of the successful brands and Adidas insisted that the team should continue their extraordinary winning record and ranking in the world rugby. The review also pointed out that Adidas viewed this as a successful business relationship (Heron and Tricker, 2008: 38). However, the NZ Rugby Football Union is aware that the commercializing the All Blacks brand is likel y to disturb its cultural affiliation. The union ensures that the team maintains its cultural roots intact. This might affect using the brand for economic gains in the future. These examples clearly point out that use of cultural capital for achieving economic benefits is likely to impact the objective of cultural well-being if the cultural capital is not allowed to keep connection to its cultural context. Critical Analysis of the Metadiscourse of Sustainable Development in relation to the Creative industries in Aotearoa New Zealand â€Å"The complexity of discourse analysis presents a challenge to the researcher in respect of the limitations of the research. It is essential that the researcher have to take into account, the limitations of their own possibilities amidst the presence of a number of interconnections of every piece of the available text or discourse with lot of others† (Roggendorf, 2008). According to Wodak (1996) â€Å"[†¦] every discourse is related to m any others and can only be understood on the basis of others. The limitations of the research area therefore depend on a subjective decision by the researcher, and on the formulation of the questions guiding the research.† (p. 14) This section outlines the premises that guided the concept of this portfolio and explains the data resources and the method followed for further analysis. As it may be observed, this portfolio used textually oriented discourse analysis. It dealt with publicly available materials drawn from the electronic resources and government Websites apart from professional journals. The necessary information was retrieved from the recent experiences of New Zealand under its Growth and Innovation Framework, Local Government Act introduced in the year 2002 for examining the link between the economic policies and cultural well-being in the country. The portfolio highlighted the manner by which economic transformation objective of the government has aimed at buildin g up the part expected to be played by the creative industries in contributing to increase the economic advantage of the country with the changed policy objectives. The portfolio addressed changes in the policy stances of the government in making the cultural well-being a statutory objective of the local government and the way it has been made the responsibility of the local governments. The portfolio based on few examples argued and highlighted the point that the necessity to use the cultural capital for sustained economic development may not lead to the desired results in increasing the cultural well-being of the country. It is essential that the cultural capital must maintain its association with its cultural context for ensuring cultural well-being of the people of NZ. The portfolio also drew from the policies relating to historical places and from the works, functions and policies of the NZHPT. In the process of analyzing the policy framework relating to the protection of natio nal monuments and archives including historical places, the portfolio highlighted the weak alignment among different legislations governing the protection of historical places and the problems and challenges faced by the agencies in maintaining sustained protection of the historical places. This portfolio argues that since there is interdependence of the economic, environmental, social and cultural well-being, there is the necessity to formulate future policies that integrate the four well-beings together. The portfolio presents the point that such integration becomes essential in view of the fact that the policymakers use the cultural capital of the country to promote economic transformation. This point is important for the future policy formulation to ensure sustained development of creative industries and to achieve the desired economic transformation since the current infrastructure for policy advice is not conducive for the integration of the well-beings, which are separate. It is also important that the government have a thorough relook into the legislations governing the protection of the historical places, national monuments and national archives to attempt for possible integration among the statutes and to regulate the funding and functioning of the various agencies and institutions made responsible for looking after the important function of protecting the historical places. In this area also, the present infrastructure for policy framework does not provide for a concerted effort by the associated agencies and they all struggle in the absence of proper coordination. After all, the government cannot neglect the protection of its national heritage and monuments. References Ager, A, 2002. ‘’Quality of Life’ Assessment in Critical Context’, Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 369-376. Allen, Harry (1998) Protecting Historic Places in New Zealand Retrieved from http://www.nzarchaeology.o rg/elecpublications/HARRY2.pdf Andrews Grant, Yeabsley John and Higgs Peter L (2009) The creative sector in New Zealand: mapping and economic role: report to New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. New Zealand Institute of Economic Research. (Unpublished) Retrieved from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/31133/ Bilton, C. (2007). Management and creativity: From creative industries to creative management. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Birch Sofie (2008) The Political Promotion of the Experience Economy and Creative Industries ISBN 8770710023, 9788770710022 Bush, G., 1995. Local Government and Politics in New Zealand. Auckland: Auckland University Comparison of Cultural Policy Models Umbrella Policy Framework: Comparison of Cultural Policy Models in Australia and Internationally Retrieved from http://www.dca.wa.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0017/21716/Comparative_Analysis_of_Cultural_Policy.doc. Creative New Zealand (2007) Strategic Plan and Statement of Intent Retrieved from http://www.creativenz.g ovt.nz/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=xlxzvwzBXcg%3Dtabid=4771language=en-NZ Creative New Zealand (2008) Statement of Intent Retrieved from http://www.creativenz.govt.nz/Portals/0/publications/Statement%20of%20Intent%202008-2011-%20Website%202008-07-03.pdf Dalziel Paul, Matunga Hirini, Saunders Caroline., (2006) Cultural Well-being and Local Government: Lessons from New Zealand Australian Journal of Regional Studies 12 (3) pp 267- 280 Dalziel Paul, Matunga Hirini, Saunders Caroline., (2008) Economic Policy and Cultural Well-being: The New Zealand Experience Proceedings of 32nd ANZRSAI Conference Nov-Dec 2008 pp 103-123 De Bruin, A. (2005). Entrepreneurship in the creative industries: The New Zealand experience (Working Paper 05.04). Auckland, New Zealand: Massey University, Department of Commerce. Eames, P. (2006b) Cultural Well-Being and Cultural Capital. PSE Consultancy: Waikanae Heart of the Nation Working Group. (2000). The heart of the nation: A cultural strategy for Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.mcdermottmiller.co.nz/projects/hotnation/hotn_summary.pdf Heron and D. Tricker (2008) Independent Review of the 2007 Rugby World Cup Campaign. Wellington: New Zealand Rugby Union. Retrieved from http://files.allblacks.com/comms/mb/Independent_Review_2007_Rugby_World_Cup_campaign.pdf Ministry for Culture and Heritage (2010) Policy for Government departments’ management of historic heritage 2004 (August 2004) Retrieved from http://www.mch.govt.nz/research-publications/publications/ministry-reports/policy-government-departments-management-histori Ministry of Economic Development (2003) Response to GIF Taskforce: Overview Paper Office of the Ministry of Economic Development Mirza, M., 2005. The therapeutic state. Addressing the emotional needs of the citizen through the arts. International Journal of Cultural Policy 11(3): 261-273. New Zealand Historic Places Trust, (2010) Review of the Historic Places Act 1993 Retrieved from http://www.historic .org.nz/en/AboutUs/HPAReview.aspx New Zealand Institute of  Economic Research, (2002). The creative industries in New Zealand: Economic contribution.  Retrieved from http://www.nzte.govt.nz/section/13608/10947.aspx New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage (2005) Cultural Well-Being and Local Government. Report 1: Definitions and Contexts of Cultural Well-Being. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved from http://www.mch.govt.nz/cwb/resources.html#litreview New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage (2006) Cultural well-being and local government. Report 1: Definitions and contexts of cultural well-being, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved from http://www.mch.govt.nz/cwb/pdfs/report1.pdf New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (2003) Strategic Plan New Zealand Trade and Enterprise July 2003 Success by Design New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (2005) Creative Sector Engagement Strategy New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Roggendorf (2008) How New Zealand Universities Present Themselves to the Public: An Analysis of Communication Strategies Retrieved from http://repositoryaut.lconz.ac.nz/bitstream/10292/472/4/RoggendorfN.pdf Santagata, W. (2005). Creativity, fashion and market behaviour. In D. Power A. J. Scott (Eds.), Cultural industries and the production of culture, (pp. 75-90). New York: Routledge. Shand, P. (2002) Scenes from the Colonial Catwalk: Cultural Appropriation, Intellectual Property Rights and Fashion. Cultural Analysis, 3, pp. 47-88. Smythe, M. (2005). The creative continuum chapter seven: Going global.  Retrieved from www.betterbydesign.co.nz Solomon, M. (2000) Strengthening Traditional Knowledge Systems and Customary Law. Paper prepared for the UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Systems and National Experiences for Protecting Traditional Knowledge, Innovations and Practices, Geneva, 30 October – 1 November. Wahangr Aua Statement of Intent 2007-2010 Part Two Page 20 Retrieved from www.dca.wa.gov.au/__†¦ /Comparative_Analysis_of_Cultural_Policy.doc Wodak, R. (1996). Disorders of discourse. London/New York: Longman. Young, D. (2007) Keeper of the Long View: Sustainability and the PCE. Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment: Wellington This essay on Creative Industries of New Zealand was written and submitted by user Leighton Hill to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Thermogravimetric Analysis on The Pyrolysis essays

Thermogravimetric Analysis on The Pyrolysis essays Two varieties of Philippine rice hulls, R-302 and R-19 were pyrolyzed at three heating rates of 10, 20 and 50 K/min using a dynamic thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) in a nitrogen environment. Results show that the decomposition of hemicellulose starts at lower temperature than cellulose. Lignin decomposes at higher temperature than hemicellulose and cellulose. An abrupt weight loss can be noticed at second peak of active pyrolysis. As the heating rate is increased, there is a shift to higher temperature and total percentage weight loss showed a very slight change. Likewise, the rates of degradation of the two varieties are practically similar. Kinetic parameters were obtained using Arrhenius law and global mass loss kinetic models. Results show that the major components of the rice hulls have the following order of activation energy: cellulose>hemicellulose> lignin. Key words: rice hulls, thermogravimetric analysis, pyrolysis Rice hull or husk is the thin but tough outer sac of the rice grain. It accounts for about 20% by weight of the whole rice (Grist, 1975; Beagle, 1978). It is considered a major agricultural waste in rice producing countries like the Philippines. An estimated 150 thousand metric tons of rice hulls are available for utilization. This estimate is based on a projected 7.28 million metric tons of rice produced in the Philippines for this year up to year 2000 (Manila Star, July, 1999). At present, uses of rice hulls in the Philippines are in minor applications such as insulating materials; extenders for construction materials and as landfill. Direct combustion is also practiced mainly for domestic source of heat for cooking in special stoves. Commercial applications of rice hull are limited too. It is used as a source of heat for drying corn, palay, tobacco and handicrafts. Burning of rice hulls is not encouraged anymore with the passing of the Philippine Clean Air Act in 1999. Hence, many are left to rot and ...

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Quality Assessment System in Construction

Quality Assessment System in Construction 1.0 Introduction Quality assessment system in construction industry is a system or method to measure and evaluate the quality of workmanship of a construction work based on the relevant approved standard. This assessment sets out the standard on quality of workmanship for various construction elements of building and infrastructure construction work. The quality of workmanship of a construction work is assessed according to the requirement of the relevant standard, and marks are awarded if the workmanship complies with the standard, (CIDB, 2011). According to Wong, (2007), one of the hallmarks of a developed construction industry is in the output of quality buildings and structures. It is therefore critical to inculcate among professionals, contractors and end-users the awareness of quality products and good designs, not only to raise the standard of the industrys products, but also to reduce wastage arising from rework. The Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC) developed by CIDB is an independent method to measure and evaluate the quality of workmanship and finishes of construction works based on objective comparison through a sampling and statistical approach. The Malaysian construction industry stakeholders are looking forward to action plans by CIDB in implementing QLASSIC with incentives as has been the case for the Construction Quality Assessment System (CONQUAS) in Singapore. Mahmood. et al. (2010) stated the quality management system is being increasingly applied to the construction company to solve quality problem. The implementation of this system required a culture change and change in management behaviour. The organization need to shift from their current culture to a quality management system culture that focuses on quality as a key strategy. A review of literature identifies ten important culture elements that contribute to successful implementation of quality management system, which include leadership and top management commitment, customer management, training and education, teamwork, people management and empowerment, supplier partnership, quality planning and strategic, process management, rewards and recognition and effective communication. 2.0 Problem Statements Nowadays, the quality of the building becomes an issue when many accidents occurred related to the building failure such as building collapse. Many criticisms received from public about this quality of the building. This has proven when Mahmood et al. (2010) stated that construction industry in Malaysia has been viewed as one of the sectors that have a poor quality compared to other sectors such as agriculture or automotive sector. This is supported by Said et. al. (2009) when he claims that there were misunderstandings among the organization player on Quality Management System (QMS) concepts has become a stumbling block for its successful implementation. Said et. al (2010, c.f SIRIM 2005) also found that QMS could be implemented either at the organization level or at the project level itself. Looking at the construction industry scenario in Malaysia, there are approximately 4000 ISO 9001:2000 QMS certified organizations in the Malaysian construction related industry. However, the number is still relatively small when compared to the total number of 63,204 organizations in this industry. Looking at the current scenario in the Malaysian construction industry, QMS compliance is a required factor to improve the quality of the Malaysian Construction Industry. Keng and Hamzah (2011, c.f Haupt et al. 2004) also found several problems found in implementing the quality assessment system on construction site such as too much paperwork, transient nature of workforce, field employees regard quality management as irrelevant, difficulty in measuring results, and subcontractors and suppliers not interested in assessment 3.0 Aim and Objectives of the Study The aim of this research is to study the impacts of implementation of quality assessment system in construction projects. Objectives: To identify the advantages from implementation of Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC) system in construction project. To determine the challenges in implementing quality assessment system in construction project. 4.0 Scope and Limitation Among the parties involved in construction, the contractors are the one who know the real situation in the construction compared to others. Beside that, the contractors also know the whole process in construction starting site possession until the projects is completed. Therefore, this research will be conducted with focusing: Only to contractor G6 or G7 (CIDB) that already engaged with high cost construction project that focus on quality of the building and clients satisfaction as a main priority. The limitation of the research survey only focus on Klang Valley area because this area was highly developed with new buildings design. 5.0 Research Methodology Primary Data A set of questionnaire will distribute to collect valuable data for this research. This interview may conduct to the targeted group in construction projects or organization. Secondary Data The researcher found literature review as his secondary resources with aim to investigate the previous research and body of knowledge about the quality assessment system in Malaysian construction industry. Problem statement Objective 2 To determine the challenges in implementing quality assessment system in construction project. Objective 1 To identify the advantages from implementation of Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC) system in construction project. Literature review Questionnaire Case study Comments and conclusion Impacts of implementation of quality assessment system in construction projects. Figure 1.1: flow chart of research process CHAPTER II:Â  LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Quality Assessment in Construction (QLASSIC) 2.1.1 Introduction According to CIDB (2006), Quality Assessment System for Building Construction Work (QLASSIC) is an independent method to assess and evaluate the quality of workmanship of building projects based on the standard stated as a guideline. Yin (2012), added that Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC) is a system to measure and evaluate the quality of workmanship of a construction work based on the relevant approved standard. QLASSIC enables the quality of workmanship between construction projects to be objectively compared through a scoring system. The purpose of this scheme is to enable a construction project to be undergone in standard of procedure in order to ensure the quality of workmanship in the works The construction industry and the private sector plays an important role in creating wealth and improving the quality of life of Malaysians through interpretation of socio-economic policy of the governments social and economic infrastructure and buildings. In addition, the construction industry creates multiplier effects to other industries, including manufacturing, financial services, and professional services. The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) (2006), has published a special guideline for measuring the quality of construction and become As a parameter for the level of quality achieved in a construction project in Malaysia. Rating of the workmanship will be made through site inspections. Assessments will be conducted by a qualified evaluator of QLASSIC registered, trained and have passed the training conducted by the CIDB 2.1.2 Objectives of QLASSIC Masters Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM) (2006), stated that CIDB list down objectives of the QLASSIC system: To elevate the level of quality in the construction industry. To have a standard quality assessment system as a benchmark for quality of construction works. To assist contractors to achieve defect-free when carrying out construction work. To be used as criteria to evaluate the performance of contractors based on quality of workmanship. To be used for data compilation for statistical analysis in estimating the level of quality and productivity of the construction industry. 2.1.3 Scopes of QLASSIC CIDB (2006), stated that this assessment is set out for the quality of workmanship for the various aspects of the construction elements for the general building works. It will cover four main components which is, Structural works, Architectural works, Mechanical and Electrical (M E) works and External works. Assessments on the workmanship are carried out based on this standard and marks are awarded if the workmanship complies with the standards. These marks are then summed up to give a total quality score (%) for the building project. However, the assessment excludes works such as piling, foundation and sub-structure works which are heavily equipment-based and called under separate contracts or sub contracts. The building is assessed primarily on workmanship standards achieved through site inspection and field testing. The assessment is done throughout the construction process for structural and M E works. For completed building projects the assessment is done for architectural, M E fittings and external works. Apart from site inspection, the assessment also includes field tests, test results on the material and the functional performance of selected services and installations. These tests help to safeguard the interest of building occupants in relation to safety, comfort and aesthetic; these defects may surface only after sometime. In addition, MBAM (2006), stated that QLASSIC sets out the standards for various construction elements in building work and other infrastructure work. The quality assessment on the workmanship and finishes of the construction work is based on these standards and points are awarded if the workmanship and finishes comply with the standards. These points are then summed up to give a total quality score called the QLASSIC Score (%) for a project. The assessment is conducted at the construction site through inspection and field testing. The score will be done on construction works that are inspected for the first time. Construction works that are rectified and corrected after the assessment will not be rescored. The objective of this practice is to encourage contractors to do things right the first time and every time 2.1.4 Components to be assessed According to QLASSIC (2006), the quality standards for building construction work are divided into four main components:- a) Structural works The structural integrity of the building is of paramount importance as the cost of failure and repairs are very significant. The assessment of structural works comprises: Site inspection of formwork, steel reinforcement, prefabricated or pre-cast elements, etc. during construction. Laboratory testing of compressive strength of concrete and tensile strength of steel reinforcement. Non-destructive testing of the uniformity and the cover of hardened concrete. b) Architectural works Architectural works deal mainly with the finishes. This is the part where the quality and standards of workmanship are most visible. Architectural works are works such as floors, internal walls, ceiling, door and window, fixtures and fittings, external wall, roofs, driveway, porch and apron. c) Mechanical and Electrical (M E) works The quality of M E works is important in view of its increasingly high cost proportion and its impact on the performance of a building. The assessment covers electrical works, air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation works (ACMV), fire protection works, sanitary and plumbing works, lifts, escalator and other basic M E fittings. d) External works External works cover the general external work elements in building construction such as the linkways/ shelters, drains, road works, car parks, footpaths, turfings, playgrounds, gates and fences, swimming pools, hardscapes and electrical substation. 2.1.5 Assessment approach In general, the assessor determines the samples or elements to be assessed to each assessment. The samples are selected from drawings and plans. The selected samples shall be distributed as uniformly as possible throughout the project and construction stages. All locations are to be offered for the assessment. The scoring will be done on the works that are inspected for the first time. When an assessed item does not comply with the corresponding QLASSIC standards, it is considered failed and an X will be noted in the assessment form. Likewise a v is given for an item meeting the standards. A - will be given to indicate that the item is not applicable. The score is computed based on the number of v over the total number of items assessed. (CIDB, 2006) MBAM (2006) stated that, it is impractical to assess all elements in a construction project, QLASSIC assessment uses a sampling process to carry out the assessment. The samples are selected from drawings and plans of the relevant construction project. a) Structural Works The assessment is carried out throughout the various construction stages. The numbers of samples are determined based on the gross floor area (GFA) of the building with a minimum and maximum number of samples. b) Architectural works The assessment is carried out upon completion of the building project and before handing over of the project. The samples are determined based on the gross floor area (GFA) of the building with a minimum and maximum number of samples. c) Mechanical and Electrical (M E) works The samples are determined based on the gross floor area (GFA) of the building with a minimum and maximum number of samples. For completed projects the assessment is carried out upon completion of the building project and before handing over of the project. For projects in progress the assessment is carried out throughout the various construction stages. d) External works The assessment is carried out upon completion of the building and before handing over of the project. The numbers of samples are determined based on (10m length section/ location) with a minimum number of samples. 2.1.6 Evaluation process of QLASSIC START Architectural work Structural work ME work External work Developers / contractors shall made application APPLY TO CIDB SCOPE OF EVALUATION Numbers of sample is based on guideline in CIS7 Samples are identified before assessors make an evaluation SAMPLING FROM ASSESSOR Qualified assessors will assess the samples. The quality standard based on CIS7. SAMPLING ON SITE QLASSIC SCORE (%) Report from CIDB based on the evaluation by assessors. FINISH 2.1.7 QLASSIC assessor To be an assessor, the persons must attend the QLASSIC training course before being qualified to carry out the actual assessment at the construction sites. The QLASSIC assessors are continuously updated to ensure consistency and effective implementation of the assessment. Requirements of QLASSIC assessor; Malaysian citizen Age: 25-60 years Possesses an academic qualification in construction related fields such as architectural/civil/mechanical/electrical engineering/quantity surveyor or other fields Successfully completed the QLASSIC Assessor Certification Programme. Posses minimum working experience in the construction industry according to academic qualification as follows. 2.2 Quality philosophy 2.2.1 Quality concept Many definitions had been made in order to explain the terms of quality. Hoyle (1998), defined quality as a degree of excellence, conformance with requirements, the totally of characteristic of an entity that bear its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs, fitness for use. In addition, he also stated quality as freedom from defects, imperfections or contamination. In other words, quality is focus on satisfaction needs and costumers demand as a first priority. In construction industry, the offer from clients to contractor to do projects with a terms and conditions need to be followed by contractors and if the projects is completed according the requirements given is a quality products. According to Besterfield (1998), quality cannot be measured by with number or it intangible and it only can be measure by personnel perception. Quality only can be quantified as follows: Q = P/E Where, Q=Quality P=Performance E=Expectations According to the formula, if quality is greater, the costumer has a good feeling about the products deliver. 2.2.2 Quality parameter According to Hoyle (1998), difference in design can be classified or group into different class and the results can be good or poor. It is not enough to produce product only conform to the specification or supply services that meet managements requirement. Quality can be classified in three parameters which is: Quality of design is the extent to which the design reflects a product or services that satisfies costumer needs. All the necessary characteristics need to be designed into the product or service at the outset. Quality of conformance is the extent to which the product or service conform to the design standard. The design has faithfully translating the clients need and it depends on the processes to realize the design into an actual end products. Quality of use is the extent which the user able to secure continuity of use from the product or service. Products need to have a low cost of ownership be safe and reliable and maintainable in use. 2.2.3 Quality management According to Juran (1989), basic purpose of quality management is to eliminate failure in services or products. Failure not only that products, process or services but it would be fail in their function or their function not satisfy to customer demand. Hence, the quality management consist of planning, organizing, controlling and preventing the products or services from failure. All the methods and technique that use in quality management must be useful to improve and increase the quality of the products or services. This quality management include inspection process. Inspection is a process where quality is measured before deliver the products or services to the costumer. However, inspection alone is not enough to deliver quality products or services, it must adopt with the other practice to prevent failure. Quality management is both technical and behavioural subject. Therefore, the management of quality involves many aspects of an organization and the organization must make sure all its function inter-related and work efficiently and effectively because whenever any function fail to perform, they will effect to another. 2.2.4 Quality control Quality control is the operational activities or techniques used to fulfil the requirement for quality. In other words, it is a process to maintain standards and prevent from failure. Standard can be control by process of selection, measurement and correction of work. Quality control can be applied in the processes that produce products by measuring the overall quality performance of the organization.(Juran, 1989) There are steps to control the quality; Determine what elements need to be controlled. Determine whether it needs to be control before, during or after the result. Establish details for the parameter to be controlled. Establish plans for control which specify the means by which the characteristics will be achieved and variation detected and removed. Organize resource to implement the quality control. Install sensor at an appropriate point in the process. Collect the data. Analyze the results. Propose solutions and decide the technique to overcome the problems. Take the action and check again whether it has been corrected or not. 2.2.5 Quality improvement Quality improvement can be defined as an action taken by the organization to increase and improve the effectiveness of activities or processes to provide satisfaction to the costumer. (ISO,2000). In other words, process of changing the quality for the products or services that can improve the level of satisfaction to the costumer. This can be done by control or increase the standard. Control approach can be done by improving the rate at which an agreed standard is achieved. The second approach is by increase the standard and setting new level. New standard can be created by making research and development to a products and services. 2.2.6 Quality assurance ISO (2000), defined the quality assurance as a planned and systematic action necessary to provide adequate confidence that an entity will fulfil the requirements for quality. Costumers and managers need a quality assurance, as they cannot oversee the operation for themselves. The assurance of quality can be gained by testing a products or services against prescribed standards to establish in capability to meet them. This approach can give confidence only to the tested products. Quality assurance not controls the quality, it establish the extent to which quality will be, is being or has been controlled. 2.2.7 Quality system Hoyle (1998), stated that system is a set of function or activities that operate together to achieve the aim. A success quality system will lead the organization to achieve, sustain and improve the quality. It is a planning, well evaluates and organized to produce a required quality performance. A quality system is the approach to achieve all desire quality goals. Quality system focus on the quality of the organization produces, the factors which will cause the organization to achieve its goals, the factors influencing the customer satisfaction and identify nonconforming product. Quality system needs to possess certain characteristics for them to be fit for their purpose. Robustness ability to withstand variation in the way operation are carried out without failure Complexity the number of interconnections, routings, pathways, variations, options, etc, which give rise multiple procedure. Maintainability the ease and economy with which system changes can be made. Flexibility ability of the system can handle the changes in circumstances. Consistency the ability of the documented system unifies communication both within itself and the organizations. 2.3 Challenges faced by construction project team in implementation of QLASSIC 2.3.1 Introduction CIDB (2008) stated that like any other countries around the world, Malaysian construction industries face the problems that affect the development of construction sector. If these problems not managed and addressed effectively it become worst. The construction sector will continue play an important role as a main contributor to the Malaysia economy. To make sure the construction sector become stronger, Malaysia introduced many ways and one of the ways by introducing the QLASSIC system by CIDB. Although it was introduced several years ago, the implementations of this system still not achieve the target. Only few projects were applied this system. This because there are few problems and challenges regarding implementing this system faced by construction team. 2.3.2 Fragmentation and Disintegration of the Construction Industry The construction industry has remained a very fragmented industry where different activities in the entire value chain of the construction processes are being undertaken by different parties, often undertaken in isolation, thus resulting in inefficiencies. In particular, the segregation of design and construction activities which is widely practiced does not encourage consideration for factors like savings in labour utilisation, ease of maintenance, construction safety and the practicality of construction methods.(CIDB,2008) As a result of the lack of such integration considerations in the industry, the process to implement the QLASSIC system to the construction projects is difficult. The different players are also become conflict and the implementation of this system become unsuccessful. This because there are many parties involved in construction projects. Thus, some of the parties will implement the system and some are not. So, the systems are not applied on the overall parts or elements that need to be assess in the construction projects. 2.3.3 Foreign labour Labour-intensive conventional methods of construction that are still prevalent in Malaysia. The adoption of such methods are encouraged by the cheaper cost of employment of foreign workers with lower wages and the availability of such workers for short-term periods of work.. Another reason for the heavy dependency on foreign labour involves the fact that the local workforce is reluctant to be employed as construction workers in the wet trades, where the image of the construction industry has always been one that is Dirty, Dangerous and Difficult. (CIDB, 2008) As a result, the implementation of QLASSIC system in construction projects becomes a problem because foreign workers do not understand this system. They are not expose about this system by the authorities. Thus, it become challenges for construction team to make sure the construction projects meet the standard that need in the QLASSIC system. 2.3.4 Lack of RD CIDB (2008) mentioned, the local construction industry is characterised as one that is labour-intensive, which has resulted in numerous challenges as highlighted previously. There is a need for the construction industry to progress towards one that is more focused on innovation and automation. However, the pace of innovation through RD and automation through the adoption of new construction methods are relatively low due to the abundance of cheap foreign labour. Despite the lack of RD initiatives in the Malaysian construction industry, there has been progress on the local front to encourage and stimulate RD activities in the construction industry. As a result, one of the factor this system did not get attention from construction team is because lack of RD. Before this system introduced to the construction sector, the responsible authorities that doing this research must make sure that the information gather from the research is enough and the opinion from all the parties involved in construction project is taking into consideration. This is because the construction parties are the main target as they will use this system. So, opinion from construction parties is the first priority to suite with construction projects when implementation this system. 2.4 Effective strategies in implementing QLASSIC 2.4.1 Stepping up research and development Wong (2007), stated that Research and Development (RD) is critical to productivity and quality. Improvements in the construction industry such as better materials, more cost-effective design and construction methods and labour-saving equipment are often introduced by way of RD initiative. However, for RD to be useful there is a need to ensure that new technologies and capabilities are efficiently shared and adopted by players in the industry to enhance the quality of the building. At the present moment, the amount of Malaysian construction RD ranges from negligible to non-existent. On the other hand, RD conducted by local institution of higher learning is often perceived as not been able to meet industry needs. Hence, there is a need for stronger collaboration between academia and the industry in stimulating RD efforts in order to produce quality of the building. 2.4.2 Raising the Skills Level According to Wong (2007), the reality is that so long as the industry has a ready access to a large number of foreign workers, there is very little incentive for the industry to upgrade itself. While recognizing that the industry will continue to rely on foreign workers in the near and medium term, there is a need to reduce the number of unskilled foreign workers. CIDB, in collaboration with the National Vocational Training Council of Malaysia (MLVKM) ha s developed the National Occupational Skill Standards (NOSS) for the construction industry, for the purpose of developing skilled manpower in the industry by development of training module for the various trades as well as for skill accreditation for career development of construction personnel. The Malaysian construction industry at present is largely dependent on low skilled foreign workers. As introduce new technologies and push for higher quality the demand for manpower especially foreign workers should be reduced. 2.4.3 Enhancing professionalism Enhancing professionalism of the industry can be achieved at three levels, namely the individual, trade association or professional institution, and the industry. At the individual level, the curriculum of institution of higher learning should be enhanced to include common modules and soft skills. At trade association or professional institution level, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programme should be made mandatory for the renewal of professional membership as is currently practised by the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM), Board of Architect Malaysia (BAM) and Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia (BQSM). To synchronize professional practice and thinking, it is also necessary for each profession to draw up its own set of code of conduct. (Wong, 2007) This will help to lay the foundation for constructional skills needed for construction players. Hence it must constantly promote, recognise and reward creativity, quality work, and innovation to integrate the various processes in the industry, but also to project a more progressive image. 2.4.4 Training and Education Firms that establish workplace education programmes report noticeable improvements in their workers abilities and the quality of their products (Cebeci and Beskese, 2002). The importance of training is to ensure that the skills of the workforce do not become obsolete in an environment of change and an understanding and attitude of quality is developed and maintained. Training should be directed at all levels of the organization to understand the QLASSIC process. 2.4.5 Integrated approach to construction According to Wong (2007), the construction industry is highly fragmented due to the sequential nature of the construction process. One of the major causes of low productivity and quality is the lack of integration of activities across the construction value chain. Consequently, mistakes in the construction stage resulting low quality of the building. So, through integration focus on effective interpersonal relationships, jointly planned work, identifying and solving problems will produce better quality. QLASSIC is one of the methods that need the integration by all the construction players to implement it. 2.4.6 Rewards and recognition An important feature of any quality improvement programme is showing due recognition for improved performance by any individual, section, and department or division within the company considers recognition as one of the most important steps of the quality improvement proce

Nuclear Waste Management Essay -- essays research papers

Nuclear Waste Management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nuclear energy harnesses the energy released during the splitting or fusing of atomic nuclei. This heat energy is most often used to convert water to steam, turning turbines, and generating electricity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, nuclear energy also has many disadvantages. An event that demonstrated this was the terrible incident at Chernobyl'. Here on April 26, 1986, one of the reactors of a nuclear power plant went out of control and caused the world's worst known reactor disaster to date. An experiment that was not properly supervised was conducted with the water-cooling system turned off. This led to the uncontrolled reaction, which in turn caused a steam explosion. The reactor's protective covering was blown off, and approximately 100 million curies of radionuclides were released into the atmosphere. Some of the radiation spread across northern Europe and into Great Britain. Soviet statements indicated that 31 people died because of the accident, but the number of radiation-caused deaths is still unknown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The same deadly radiation that was present in this explosion is also present in spent fuels. This presents special problems in the handling, storage, and disposal of the depleted uranium. When nuclear fuel is first loaded into a reactor, 238U and 235U are present. When in the reactor, the 235U is gradually depleted and gives rise to fission products, generally, cesium (137Cs) and strontium (90Sr). These waste materials are very unstable and have to undergo radioactive disintegration before they can be transformed into stable isotopes. Each radioactive isotope in this waste material decays at its characteristic rate. A half-life can be less than a second or can be thousands of years long. The isotopes also emit characteristic radiation: it can be electromagnetic (X- ray or gamma radiation) or it can consist of particles (alpha, beta, or neutron radiation).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Exposure to large doses of ionizing radiation causes characteristic patterns of injury. Doses are measured in rads (1 rad is equal to an amount of radiation that releases 100 ergs of energy per gram of matter). Doses of more than 4000 rads severely damage the human vascular system, causing cerebral edema (excess fluid), which leads to extreme shock and neurological disturba... ...relatively low in cost compared to storage in a pool of water and can be moved around if necessary. Another way to dispose of radioactive wastes is through geologic isolation. This is the disposal of wastes deep within the crust of the earth. This form of disposal is attractive because it appears that wastes can be safely isolated from the biosphere for thousands of years or longer. Disposal in mined vaults does not require the use of advanced technologies, rather the application of what we know today. It is possible to locate mineral, rock, or other bodies beneath the surface of the earth that will not be subject to groundwater intrusion. A preferred place would be at least 1,500 feet below the earth's crust, so that it may avoid erosion for the specified period of time. None of the preceding methods offers a complete solution to the problem of nuclear waste. They only bury it, temporarily shoving it out of our current view for a latter generation to solve. Maybe the future inhabitants of this world will find a solution to this problem, for as we chose to continue the use of nuclear power, more and more waste will be accumulated, emitting deadly radiation long after we pass away.

Pearl Harbor Battle Analysis Essay

On a pleasant and beautiful Sunday, December 7, 1984, Japan implemented a surprise attack on the US Naval Base in Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii which gave United States a door to enter into World War II. Even though Japan did not follow through with the attack causing the third wave of bombers to break contact from dropping bombs to finish off the rest of the fleet docking in Pearl Harbor, it was a well prepared, and carefully orchestrated attack on the Americans because the Japanese followed almost all the nine Principles of War. However there was one principle that the Japanese did not executed causing them to surrender later on in World War II. There are nine Principles of War, that is; unity of command, mass, objective, offensive, surprise, economy of force, maneuver, and security. The attack include mass–concentrating the combat power at the decisive place and time. The objective was clear and directed every military operation towards a clearly defined, decisive attainable objective. The attack was clearly offensive where it seize, retained, and exploited the initiatives. Surprise was the definitely the most important principle used striking Pearl Harbor on a given time when it was unprepared. Economy of force was allocated to the wave of attacks where essential combat power was given as a secondary effort. The maneuvers were clearly executed where Japan placed United States in a position of disadvantage through the flexibility application of combat power. There was unity of command in which the Japanese ensured each objective had a responsible commander. Unity of command was visible within the Japanese fleet. The commander for the December 7th 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor was Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (People–Japan, ). Yamamoto was responsible for the combined Japanese fleet where he devised the strategy for the attack, and because of his careful, organized, and educated planing, Pearl Harbor was almost fully destroyed. Under Yamamoto is Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumoto who was in command of the First Air Fleet. Nagamuto relied heavily on the experience of his subordinates Comander Minoru Genda, and Rear Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka. â€Å"No one can truly understand what happened at Pearl Harbor without at least a nodding acquantance with these men, for the plan’s inception, preparation, execution, and stunning success were shaped by the personalities and experience of these men† (Goldstein, 1991). By element of mass with in the nine Principles of War, the Japanese attack forces was well equipped for the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Japan understands that their country cannot defeat United Staes in a â€Å"conventional war, lacking as it did sufficient man power and raw materials (notably oil) for such a sustained effort however Japan was able to put together combined fleet large enough to go toe to toe with the United States Navy in Hawaii† (Long, 2007). Japanese air attack forces consisted of six carriers named Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku, and Zuikaku. Support forces consisted of two battleship and two heavy cruisers known as Tone and Chikuma. Screening forces consisted of one light cruiser and nine destroyers named Akuma. Patrol forces had three submarines. In addition, the supply forces ha eight oilers. Together these combined fleet was named the Kido Butai, or task force which was the largest number of aircraft carriers ever to operate togeth er (Carlisle, 114). Admiral Yamamoto and the Kido Fleet’s objective was to destroy the naval ships in Pearl Harbor and knock out the U.S. Pacific Fleet. In retrospect, this attack is also an offensive attack as a significant Japanese fighting force so that the Americans could not oppose on Japan’s conquest of South East Asia and the Pacific Islands. Another reason for the attack is because President Roosevelt had banned all exports of scrap iron, steel and oil to Japan. The reason for the embargo was the Japanese invasion of China. Japan had lost more than 90% of its oil supply (Carlisle, 2006). The economic isolation crippled their economy and military. In addition, Japan were keen on expanding their empire and had to make a decision between surrendering or going to war with the United States. Lastly, United States had not yet entered the Second World War, because they were still reeling from depression due to the First World War. United States did, however, still possess the strongest naval fleets. In that perspective, the Japanese were almost as strong as the American navy. As time passed, America favored more and more towards joining the war. The Japanese anticipated a full-blown naval war with America and therefore, decided to act first by bombing Pearl Harbor which was a key terrain feature in the Pacific due to it’s massive and deep harbor for naval ships. The element of economy of force was also present during the attack on Pearl Harbor. This allowed Japans zero bomber to allocate minimum essential combat power towards the attack. With the economy of force, the element of maneuver also played abig role towards the raid. There were two aerial attack waves, totaling 353 aircraft that was launched from the six Japanese aircraft carriers. In actuality, Admiral Yamamoto’s plans consisted of three waves of attack. The first wave of attacked was launched at 0740 with 163 aircrafts that was coming from the North Shore. Their objective was to destroy airfields at Wheeler, Ewa, Hickam, and Pearl Harbor. The second wave was launched an hour later to the Windward side of the island with 167 aircraft bombers. Their mission was also to destroy airfields in Kaneohe and Bellows, Hickam, and Pearl Harbor. Admiral Yamamoto called off the third wave because he believed the second strike had essentially satisfied the main objective of his mission which was to cripple United States Pacific Fleet. In addition Admiral Yamamoto did not wish to risk further losses. With Admiral Yamamoto’s careful planning of the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan was successful on completing their objective in the Pacific by destroying the Naval fleet. However, they failed to follow through with the element of security. Security states that Japan should have never permitted United States from acquiring an unexpected advantage. With Admiral Yamamoto calling off the third wave, this allowed United States to get back up on its feet. Japan may have won the battle on Pearl Harbor, however that decision â€Å"woke up the sleeping giant† causing Japan to surrender the war to the Americans. The biggest impact on the Japanese attack was the element of surprise which was Japans key tactic on Pearl Harbor and other military bases on Oahu that struck Americans as a â€Å"dastardly attack† — â€Å"stab in the back.† On December 7th, 1941, everyone went about their daily routine. Naval and military commands in Hawaii did not suspect that this day would be the day they would get a huge surprise by getting attacked. Washington and Honolulu were aware of the Japanese threats to attack areas in Southeast Asia but they didn’t think a surprise attack at Pearl Harbor was in the plans. The commands in Washington and Honolulu had no idea because based on their intelligence they received mostly from U.S radio intelligence and diplomatic code breaking, the intelligence received told them that the Japanese were moving south and they weren’t going to be in â€Å"danger†. Washington received intelligence from the office of naval intelligence a few hours before the attack indicating that the all of Japan’s fleet carriers were in their home waters. This was one way how the Japanese completely fooled and the U.S. intelligence and surprised them with a damaging attack on Pearl Harbor and other military installations. Sunday mornings are normally a time of leisure for military personnel, and during this time, especially in the morning, some are still asleep, or at church with their families. With the Japanese knowing this, this was the best time to launch their surprise attack because they knew people would not be able to respond to the attacks quick enough to fight back and it would be the perfect opportunity to destroy all of their fleets and aircrafts Japan’s careful and well orchestrated attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, destroyed almost all the American Naval fleet in the Pacific. This allowed Japan to continue its imperialism towards Southeast Asian without United States interference. Even when Japan failed to follow through with the element of security towards United States, they still followed almost all the nine Principles of War in order for them to have a successful raid. The third wave of attack could have the destroyed the fuel storage, maintenance, and dry dock facilities that would have crippled the U.S. Pacific Fleet far more seriously than the loss of its battleships. If they had been wiped out, United States could not have been able to bounce back, join the war, and eventually forced Japan to surrender. Work Cited Carlisle, Rodney P. December 7, 1941: One Day in History : The Days That Changed the World. New York: Collins, 2006. Print. Long, Tony, July 27, 2007. â€Å"Dec. 7, 1941: Attack at Pearl Harbor a Bold, Desperate Gamble.† Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/12/dayintech_1207 Goldstein, Donald M. The Way It Was Pearl Harbor. The Original Photographs. Washington: Brassey’s, 1991. Print. â€Å"Global Research.† Pearl Harbor: A Successful War Lie. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. http://www.globalresearch.ca/pearl-harbor-a-successful-war-lie/22305 â€Å"How Did Japan View the Pearl Harbor Attacks?† ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0214300/nzjapaneseview1.html Hoyt, Edwin Palmer. Pearl Harbor Attack. New York: Sterling Pub., 2008. Print. Kam, Ephraim. Surprise Attack: The Victim’s Perspective. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1988. Print. â€Å"People-Japan–Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, IJN, (1884-1943).† People-Japan–Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, IJN, (1884-1943). N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/prs-for/japan/japrs-xz/i-yamto.htm â€Å"The Attack by the First Japanese Wave.† The Attack by the First Japanese Wave. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. http://www.pacificwar.org.au/pearlharbor/FirstWaveAttack.html Tures A. Tures, LaGrange. â€Å"William ‘Billy’ Mitchell, the Man Who Predicted the Pearl Harbor Day Disaster.† Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 06 Dec. 2011. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. Wisniewski, Richard A. Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial: A Pictorial History. Honololu, Hawaii (P.O. Box 8924, Honolulu 96830): Pacific Basin Enterprises, 1986. Print.