Civil Engineering Management Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Civil Engineering Management Portfolio - Essay Example Management is a leading science domain and routine in managing building companies. It is one of the oldest human activities; it activates human abilities on building investment objects in order to assure necessity for civil engineering purposes. It is good enough reason to take place in management development in civil engineering. As there are too many definitions of management depending on an author, only the most important are offered, namely the most acceptable in civil engineering domain. Remarkable attention is given to managing tasks in civil engineering as well to their correlationsIf we speak about management in civil engineering then the total quality management must be proposed. Total quality management is a business philosophy and accessible way of modern companies around the whole world. It is the most contemporary idea of developing and advancing in all life and work domains. The growing urge of efficient use of the earth's resources such as land, air, water and raw mate rials as well as concentration on efficient design, analysis and maintenance of civil structures requires a better insight in the spatial and temporal patterns of resources and activities (Bean, A.L., 2007). In view of the fact that the parameters of civil engineering today are not only confined to design and construction of structures but due to globalization and privatization of civil engineering organizations now civil engineering emerges as a study, which not only pay attention on construction.... Inspection is the activity that assesses by measurement or testing whether an element has conformed to specifications. Corrective work is then ordered to rectify any non-conformance in the element. QC builds upon the inspection efforts and relies largely on statistical techniques to determine trends and detect problems in the processes. Such techniques are being used routinely in manufacturing. With respect to the construction industry, concrete cube testing is one rare example. Both QA and TQM are focused on meeting customer requirements, and this is at the top of the agenda. It may be said that if TQM is necessary for all businesses, it becomes more crucial and critical in case of civil engineering because structures and constructions are the phenomena afford no repetition or revision after completion. In this way, civil engineering project management becomes a dynamic multi-dimensional and multi-pronged strategic field. (Pyzdek, Thomas, (2000) 1.1 Objective of the Study In general and widely adopted sense, civil engineers are considered to design and manage the construction of roads, railways, buildings, bridges, tunnels, dams, airports, water supply and sewage systems. They must have to look into several factors in the design procedure from the production costs and expected lifetime of a project keeping in view the government policies and possible environmental hazards such as hurricanes and earthquakes. Civil engineering, considered one of the oldest engineering disciplines, assimilates many specialties. The most common and crucial fields of civil engineering include structural, water resources, construction, transportation, and geotechnical engineering. (Bean, A.L., 2007) Most of the civil engineers hold administrative or supervisory

Ethics Games Dilemmas Essay Example for Free

Ethics Games Dilemmas Essay The Baird Method based on the four ethical lenses and the four plus one decision-making method. In taking previous classes it was determine that no one lens fits the values of student Nayeli Trejos. The professor shocked with the results, and no student prior to Nayeli received that score in the lens test. This has to do with the fact that a person is not a particular lens all the time but shifts into a lens, depending on the situation. Two dilemmas were presented to the student after coaching in each lens the best decision based on the lens was chosen. The student had the opportunity to make the decision based on core values of the individual. Ethical Issues of Simulation and Decision making steps The first ethical issue presented in the simulation was a concern of an employee with a possible sexual harassment case. This employee had voiced concern about feeling uncomfortable in certain situations. The director of sales made aware by a third party regarding the situation of the employee receiving extra attention. The director received an e-mail from the employee stating the employee wanted to meet but for the director to keep everything confidential. The director of sales used the four plus one step decision-making plan known as the Baird method. The steps are be attentive, be intelligent, be reasonable, be responsible and be reflective (Ethicsgame, 2012). The best decision was based on the rights/responsibility lens and the results lens. The ethical issue presented in the second situation discusses tampering with research data results. The marketing director received a request to review the data to be submitted by the division medical director for publication. After reviewing the report the marketing director noticed inconsistencies form the first report drafted. The medical director removed data that was not favorable for the research and replaced with favorable data. The four plus one decision method was to address ethical issues. The marketing director chose the best option based on the results and reputation lens. Ethical Lenses used and  Lens Influence on Decision There are four ethical lenses that influenced the decision of the simulated ethical issues. The simulation offered the perspectives of the lenses to make the best decision based on the lens tools. The lenses are rights/responsibility lens, results lens, relationship lens, and reputation lens (Ethicsgame, 2012). Each dilemma presented offered two lenses to make a decision based on the tools of each lens. The simulation gave the best answer based on the lens and after the reader had the choice based on the individuals core values. After identifying the best choice for all lenses the students choice was rated for risk. Concepts Relating to the Workplace A lifeguard on duty needs to be easily identifiable for that reason employers require uniforms. Lifeguards uniform includes a bathing suit or trunk at all times while on duty. Females have an option of wearing trunks and a shirt over the bathing suit. Males have the option of wearing a shirt. The facility sees approximately 1,200 patrons a day. The probability of sexual harassment in this environment is higher. There are employees under age working alongside employees who are much older. Some females expressed feeling uncomfortable in certain situations. These concerns were addressed immediately to protect the employee as well as the organization. It is a requirement for employees to attend regular training and meeting to discuss policies and procedures. In these meetings a manual is issued to employees stating policies, procedure, and legal rights. The protocols were outline for the individuals in case of any situation. In addition to employee trainings supervisors are sent to an additional management meeting. This meeting addressed how to follow proper protocol to protect the individual filling the report as well as the organization. Conclusion Knowledge is power and educating employees will reduce risk of ethical issues. In these simulations different ethical issues were addressed. The opportunity to view two different perspectives before making a decision is beneficial. This allows the decision maker to reduce risk and keep the best interest of all parties involved. Know that the decision maker will not only stay in one lens but also will mold, depending on the situation at hand. References EthicsGame (2012). Retrieved from http://ethicsgame.com/Exec/CorpGame/BairdDecisionModel.aspx

Journal Writing and Adult Learning Essay -- Teaching Writers Authors E

Journal Writing and Adult Learning The value of journal writing to a course with adult students cannot be overemphasized. (Sommer 1989, p. 115) Journals and diaries have a long history as a means of self-expression. Several themes prevalent in adult learning--coming to voice, developing the capacity for critical reflection, and making meaning--are reflected in the way journals can be used in adult education. Journals are useful learning tools in a variety of adult education settings. Dialog journals, for example, have become popular in adult literacy and English as a second language classrooms. This digest focuses on several types of journals, exploring their value in assisting adults through their learning journey and summarizing advice from the literature on effective ways to use journals. Types of Journals One type is the reader response journal or literature log, in which learners record their responses to readings. Used on all levels from adult basic education through graduate study, such logs enable readers to enter the literature in their own voice (Perham 1992), placing themselves in relation to the text and discovering what they think about it. Over time, the log itself becomes another primary text to which they can respond (Perl 1994). Usually, entries are shared with the class, stimulating discussion. In one variation described by Perham, a looseleaf notebook accessible to the whole class becomes a collaborative journal in which learners and teacher make ongoing comments. Both Perham and Perl feel that these response journals have the power to build a community of learners though the process of critical co-reading and co-writing. The learning journal is a systematic way of documenting learning and col... ...462) Roe, M. F., and Stallman, A. C. "A Comparative Study of Dialogue and Response Journals." Presented at the American Educational Research Association conference, 1993. (ED 359 242) Schatzberg-Smith, K. "Dialogue Journal Writing and the Initial College Experience of Academically Underprepared Students." Presented at the American Educational Research Association conference, 1989. (ED 308 737) Schneider, P. The Writer as an Artist. Los Angeles: Lowell House, 1994. Sommer, R. F. Teaching Writing to Adults. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1989. Surbeck, E.; Han, E. P.; and Moyer, J. "Assessing Reflective Responses in Journals." Educational Leadership 48 (March 1991): 25-27. (EJ 422 850) \ Walden, P. "Journal Writing: A Tool for Women Developing as Knowers." New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education no. 65 (Spring 1995): 13-20. (EJ 502 496)

Electronic Security Essay -- Internet Technology Essays

Electronic Security Have you ever wondered what happens to your credit card number when it's sent through a "secure" server to Yahoo or Amazon? Have you ever wondered: Is my data safe? Unfortunately no activity on the Internet is private or secure. Anything stored on a home system is completely vulnerable to the outside world (unless of course the system is isolated from the Internet). Another thing to think about is the fact that any data on any type of disk can be salvaged. So if a corrupt disk is discarded, the data can be recovered with the right tools. The same is true with computer hard drives, flash memory, compact Disks etc... There are actually people who recover data for their income. These people usually don't discriminate against one customer or another they just extract the data and hand it to them on a silver platter. In the movie The Net Ms. Bennett (Sandra Bullock) works for a software company. She beta tests and de-bugs programs. She finds dangerous information that ultimately launches her into an epic battle against a group of terrorist hackers, the stakes: her life and identity. Could this really happen? In theory, someone's life could be screwed up and/or stolen. To gain control of a whole country's databases and networks would require a better-laid plan than the plot in the movie. In order to have access to secure national data; a very powerful decrypting program would be needed, as well as a way to cover up the point of ingress. Having a contact on the "inside" wouldn't hurt either. The movie plot seems a little far-fetched. World domination is not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be. In the real world most network hacking is used to cover up secret events and information, which could pos... ...oice is to be careful with the information released to the public, forcing anyone who wishes harm to work for the information. Electronic security is a false notion, due to the fact that humans created the code or encryption in the first place. So other humans could also think up ways to break or modify other People's work. It is impossible to make a code so amazing that it is unbreakable. If it is invented by a human mind, it can be understood and used by another human mind, in time. Works Cited The Net. Screenplay by John Brancato, Michael Ferris. Dir. Irwin Winkler. Perf. Sandra Bullock, Ray McKinnon, Jeremy Northam. Columbia Pictures, Winkler Films. 1995. Holeton, Richard. Composing Cyberspace: Identity, community, and knowledge in the electronic age. New York, San Francisco, St. Louis: Stanford University, 1998 (Wolves of the plateau. 132-142)

Introduction to Business Law and Ethics

Introduction to Business Law and Ethics Susana Silvestri Grand Canyon University BUS-340 October 17, 2010 Introduction to Business Law and Ethics Statutory interpretation was critical to the Supreme Court of Colorado’s resolution of a 2007 case, Pringle v. Valdez. Using an online source or sources, locate the Pringle decision. Then do the following: 1. Read Justice Bender’s majority opinion and prepare a case brief of the sort described in this chapter’s appendix on â€Å"Reading and Briefing Cases. 2. Read the dissenting opinion authored by Justice Coats. Then prepare a one-page essay that (a) summarizes the principal arguments made in the dissenting opinion; (b) sets forth your view on which analysis—the majority opinion’s or the dissenting opinion’s—is better; and (c) Provide the reasons for the view you have expressed in (b). 1. Case Briefing Pringle v. Valdez 06SC92 (2007) Court: Supreme Court Class: Civil Facts: Pringle lost con trol of the vehicle while taking Valdez home.Valdez was not wearing his seatbelt causing a series of injuries when ejected of the vehicle. Valdez requested compensation for impairment and disfigurement, and noneconomic losses. The argument lays on the â€Å"Noneconomic losses† which might fall under the â€Å"pain and suffering† under the seatbelt defense. Issue: The wording used involving â€Å"pain and suffering† and â€Å"noneconomic damages† referred to in the Seatbelt defense provision Holding: Awarding of $400,000 for physical disfigurement and impairment. Rule:The wording in dispute â€Å"pain and suffering† and â€Å"noneconomic damages† will be further evaluated. Analysis: â€Å"Pain and Suffering† and â€Å"noneconomic damages† are many times considered to be similar and by studying the demand of the case it can be ruled as been the same but using a different name. Conclusion: Non-award of $100,000 for noneconomic dam ages. Award of $400,00 for physical impairment and disfigurement. Pringle v. Valdez is obviously at first a case of Majority Opinion which in an appeal court was turned into a dissenting opinion.Part of the case held while the other was discussed, studied and adjust for an accurate ruling, in order to explain and grant a decision by the jurors and the judge according with the Statutory Interpretation of the case. Mallor, J. P. , Barnes, A. J. , Bowers, T. & Langvardt, A. W. , 2010, p. 24 http://www. courts. state. co. us/Courts/Supreme_Court/opinions/2006/06SC92. pdf Jerrie Gray worked at a Tyson Foods plant where she was exposed to comments, gestures, and physical contact that, she alleged, constituted sexual harassment.Tyson disputed the allegation, arguing that the behavior was not unwelcome, that the complained about conduct was not based on sex, that the conduct did not affect a term, condition, or privilege of employment, and that proper remedial action was taken in response t o any complaint by Gray of sexual harassment. During the trial in federal court, a witness for Gray repeatedly volunteered inadmissible testimony that the judge had to tell the jury to disregard. At one point, upon an objection from the defendant’s counsel, the witness asked, â€Å"May I say something here? The judge told her she could not. Finally, after the jury left the courtroom, the witness had an angry outburst that continued into the hallway, in view of some of the jurors. The jury awarded Gray $185,000 in compensatory and $800,000 in punitive damages. Tyson believed that it should not have been liable, that the awards of damages were excessive and unsupported by evidence, and that the inadmissible evidence and improper conduct had tainted the proceedings. What courses of action may Tyson pursue? Tyson Foods entered a trial in a Federal Court after a sexual harassment case was filed.Tyson Foods follow protocol and tried to solve the issue ahead of time. During trial t he witness continued to make comments that were dismissed which were then awarded based on comments made after the hearing was completed and the company was liable to pay almost $1,000,000. 00. Based on Tyson Foods believes they should appeal the Federal Court decision due to the fact that the claims were unsupported by evidence. Also they should add the fact that the inadmissible evidence and improper conduct of the witness had tainted the proceedings issuing an unfair ruling.You own a consulting firm with 32 employees and annual billings of $29,000,000. One of your clients, whom you bill an average of $1,200,000 annually, has asked you to hire her grandson. You know that the grandson has been recently graduated from a top-20 business school. He is 31 years old, has a solid academic record, and possesses the personal and professional skills to be successful as a consultant. You also know, however, that he is a recovering cocaine addict, having struggled with the addiction for five years prior to his attending business school.Your firm has a strict no-drugs policy, which you usually interpret to exclude those who previously abused drugs. Using justice theory, justify a decision to exempt the grandson from your firm’s no-drugs policy. Could you make the same decision as a profit maximizer? This decision can doors to law suits for discrimination to previous applicants which applications had been denied. On the other hand, the company has the risk to loose a good client. As owner, I will first make sure to read, examine and adjust any clause related to hiring and the no-drugs policy. The words â€Å"recovering† and â€Å"recovered† are different.Hiring someone in the recovering stage, the company is breaking the no-drugs policy. If adjustments are made to the policy to accommodate applicants from this point on that are â€Å"recovering† or â€Å"recovered† drug addicts, it will be to implementing random drug tests weekly. This w ill be costly to the firm but will guarantee the no-drug policy to remain unbroken; the potential new employee must agree to this practice and the consequences based on the results. Justice Theory is based on â€Å"the protection of those who are least advantaged in society† (Mallor, J. P. , Barnes, A. J. , Bowers, T. & Langvardt, A. W. , 2010, p. 5), making changes and adjusting the policy will fall under this category. Giving a second chance to those in disadvantage in society. Maximizer â€Å"requires a decision maker to maximize a business’s long-run profits within the limits of the law†(Mallor, J. P. , Barnes, A. J. , Bowers, T. & Langvardt, A. W. , 2010, p. 95) if this potential employee is capable to obey the policy and continue a successful recovery it could mean a win-win situation. You are assigned by your employer, Jay-Mart Corporation, an international discount retailer, to supervise the construction of ten new retail superstores in Shanghai, China.A ll construction is being done by a Chinese-owned contractor in compliance with Ja to those iny-Mart’s construction standards. After an earthquake in China kills over 70,000 people, China’s legislature passes a statute requiring new buildings to have a greater ability to withstand a large earthquake. The Chinese contractor has approached you and suggested that the new Chinese construction standards are unnecessarily high, that Jay-Mart’s construction standards are sufficient to protect against any earthquake likely to occur, and that the cost of complying with the new Chinese construction standards will increase construction costs 20 percent.What do you do if you believe that ethical behavior requires you to maximize Jay-Mart’s profits? A â€Å"profit maximization results in ethical conduct because it requires society’s members to act within the constraints of the law. A profit maximizer, therefore, acts ethically by complying with society’s mores as expressed in its laws. † (2) (Mallor, J. P. , Barnes, A. J. , Bowers, T. & Langvardt, A. W. , 2010, p. 7) With this in mind the supervisor of the construction site, the decision has to be made were the company’s profit could be reduced to 20% due to the increase of the construction. This change should be shown to the company’s finance department. The profits at short term could be affected by going with the construction based on the laws standards. By actually continue with the original plan the company could be liable to law suits if another natural disaster occur and the construction standards were not followed, this could affect the long run profits of the company.There are many ways to cut expenses; one that could be proposed can be to build 8 stores instead of the 10 originally proposed, this will absorbed the 20% increase to maintain the project under the stipulated budget without affecting the short term profit.References Mallor, J. P. , Barnes, A. J. , Bowers, T. & Langvardt, A. W. (2010). Business Law (14th ed. ). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Irwin http://www. courts. state. co. us/Courts/Supreme_Court/opinions/2006/06SC92. pdf (Retrieved October 12, 2010)

Analyzing Guy de Maupassants The Necklace

Analyzing Guy de Maupassant's 'The Necklace' The Necklace is a short story by  19th-century French author Guy de Maupassant, who is regarded as one of the early masters of the short story. Its often studied in English and world literature classes. Maupassant is known for writing about the travails of average people in French society and their efforts to get ahead, often with unhappy results. Read on for a summary and analysis of The Necklace. Characters The story centers on three characters: Mathilde Loisel, Monsieur  Loisel,  and Madame Forestier. Mathilde, the main character, is beautiful and social, and she wants expensive items to match her  sophisticated taste. But she was born into a clerks family and ends up marrying another clerk, so she cant afford the clothing, accessories, and household items that she wants, which makes her unhappy. Monsieur Loisel, Mathildes husband, is a man of simple pleasures who is happy with his life. He loves Mathilde and tries to mitigate her unhappiness by getting her an invitation to a fancy party. Madame Forestier is Mathildes friend. She is wealthy, which makes Mathilde very jealous. Summary Monsieur Loisel presents Mathilde with an invitation to the Ministry of Educations formal party, which he expects will make Mathilde happy because she will be able to mingle with high society. Mathilde is immediately upset, however, because she doesnt have a gown that she believes is nice enough to wear to the event.   Mathildes tears sway Monsieur  Loisel into offering to pay for a new dress despite their money being tight. Mathilde asks for 400 francs. Monsieur Loisel had planned to use the money he had saved on a gun for hunting but agrees to give the money to his wife. Near the date of the party, Mathilde decides to borrow jewelry from Madame Forestier. She picks a diamond necklace from her friends jewelry box.   Mathilde is the belle of the ball. When the night ends and the couple returns home, Mathilde is saddened by the humble state of her life compared with the fairy-tale party. This emotion quickly turns into panic as she realizes she has lost the necklace Madame Forestier lent her. The Loisels search unsuccessfully for the necklace and ultimately decide to replace it without telling Madame Forestier that Mathilde lost the original. They find a similar necklace, but to afford it they go deeply into debt. For the next 10 years, the Loisels live in poverty. Monsieur  Loisel works three jobs and Mathilde does heavy housework until their debts are repaid. But Mathildes beauty has faded from a decade of hardship. One day, Mathilde and Madame Forestier meet on the street. At first, Madame Forestier doesnt recognize Mathilde and is shocked when she realizes it is her. Mathilde explains to Madame Forestier that she lost the necklace, replaced it, and worked for 10 years to pay for the substitute. The story ends with Madame Forestier sadly telling Mathilde that the necklace she had lent her was fake and worth almost nothing. Symbols Given its central role in the short story, the necklace is an important symbol of deception. Mathilde had dressed for the party in expensive clothes and a sparkling but borrowed accessory to briefly escape her humble life by pretending to a station she did not hold. Similarly, the jewelry represents the illusion of wealth in which Madame Forestier and the aristocratic class indulge. While Madame Forestier knew the jewels were fake, she did not tell Mathilde because she enjoyed the illusion of appearing wealthy and generous in lending a seemingly expensive item. People often admire the wealthy, aristocratic class, but sometimes their wealth is an illusion. Theme The short storys theme involves the pitfalls of pride. Mathildes pride in her beauty prompts her to buy an expensive dress and borrow seemingly expensive jewelry, which triggers her downfall. She fed her pride for one night but paid for it over the next 10 years of hardship, which destroyed her beauty. Pride also prevented her friend from acknowledging initially that the necklace was a fake, which would have prevented Mathildes downfall.

Using Command-Line Arguments in Java

Using Command-Line Arguments in Java Command-line arguments can be a way of specifying configuration properties for an application, and Java is no different. Instead of clicking on an application icon from the operating system, you can run the Java application  from a terminal window. Along with the application name, a number of arguments can follow which are then passed to the applications starting point (i.e., the main method, in the case of Java). For example, NetBeans has a number of startup parameters that can be passed to the application when it is run from a terminal window (e.g., specifies a version of the JDK to be used instead of the default JDK associated with the NetBeans application). The Main Method Lets examine the main method  to see where the arguments passed to an application appear: The command-line arguments can be found in the called For example, lets consider an application called whose only action is to print out the command-line arguments passed to it: public class CommandLineArgs {   Ã‚  Ã‚  public static void main(String[] args) {//check to see if the String array is emptyif (args.length 0){System.out.println(There were no commandline arguments passed!);}   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  //For each String in the String array//print out the String.for(String argument: args){System.out.println(argument);}}}   Syntax of Command Line Arguments The Java Runtime Engine (JRE) expects arguments to be passed following a particular syntax, like so: java ProgramName value1 value2 Above, java invokes the JRE, which is followed by the name of the program you are calling. These are followed by any arguments to the program. There is no limit to the number of arguments a program can take, but the order is critical. The JRE passes the arguments in the order in which they appear on the command line.  For example, consider this code snippet from above: public class CommandLineArgs2 {​   Ã‚  Ã‚  public static void main(String[] args) {if (args.length 0){System.out.println(There were no commandline arguments passed!);} When arguments are passed to a Java program, args[0] is the first element of the array (value1 above), args[1] is the second element (value2), and so on. The code args.length() defines the length of the array. Passing Command-Line Arguments In NetBeans, we can pass command-line arguments without having to build the application and run it from a terminal window. To specify the command-line arguments: Right-click on the project folder in the Projects window.Choose the Properties option to  open  Project Properties window.  In the Categories list on the right-hand side, choose RunIn the Arguments textbox that appears, specify the command-line arguments you want to pass to the application. For example, if we enter Apple Banana Carrot in the Arguments textbox and run the CommandLineArgs program listed above, we will get the output: Parsing the Command-Line Arguments Typically, a command line argument is passed with some information about what to do with the value being passed. The argument informing the application what the argument is for typically has a hyphen or two before its name. For example, the NetBeans example for the startup parameter specifying the JDK path is This means youll need to parse the command-line arguments to figure out what to do with the values. There are several Java command-line frameworks for parsing command-line arguments. Or you could write a simple command-line parser if the arguments you need to pass are not that many: The code above either prints the arguments or add them together if they are integers. For example, this command line argument would add the numbers: java CommandLineArgs -addnumbers 11 22 33 44