The History Of Bitumen Engineering Essay

The History Of Bitumen Engineering Essay Bitumen is described as mankinds oldest engineering material. This fact is supported by some evidence. Back at the time, nearly 3000 years BC, the Sumerians in Mesopotamia used bitumen to fasten ivory or pearl into the eye sockets of their statues. They also sculptured votive offerings which the mixture of their sculpture is originally from bitumen and clay. From the finding, it is proven that some thousand years later, bitumen was being used by the early Babylonians as a building material because of its properties as a cement and water proofing agent. Later, bitumen became the standard material and being used in civil engineering and architectural projects to hold bricks and stones together which used to line drains, watercourses and grain storage. It was also being used to create damp courses and seal the flat roofs of the houses in the same way as it is used today. It is also important in paving (Ask.com, 21 Dec 2010). Other Evidence found that, about 600 BC King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon rebuilt the city wall, which he intends to restrain the water of the Euphrates with burnt bricks and bitumen because the old wall which is made of dried clay bricks had failed to keep the waters at the bay. The Babylonians had developed a technique using layer of bricks, bitumen and clay which they reinforced with reed for construction purposes. The system was so successful whereas they were able to build towers up to twelve storeys high. The evidence is proven when archeologists excavating the site of the ancient city and they found traces that bitumen had been used for the construction of the building. Instead of using bitumen for construction, the reason why bitumen was widely used in this area was its availability in various forms. It can be found in certain places where we can find it easily. It was also available as a solid material in the form of bituminous limestone, which was used as the basis for small carvings. Because of its availability, bitumen has taken parts in many great legends of Biblical and pre-Biblical times. It is said that, bitumen has being used in the building of the Tower of Babel and for the waterproofing of Noahs Ark and Moses wicker basket (Zayn Bilkadi, Dec 1984). The Romans used bitumen for medicinal purposes whereas they use bitumen for preventing and curing a number of ailments including boils, toothache and ringworm. Meanwhile, Roman ladies used bitumen for cosmetic purposes whereas they used bitumen as a means of beautifying their eyebrows. Bitumen also was being used for maritime usage whereas Christopher Columbus and Sir Walter Raleigh found that the lakes of asphalt in Trinidad are useful for re-caulking their ships for the return voyage. Apart from maritime usage, bitumen was used mainly for medicinal, cosmetic and crop protection purposes. On the other hand, the German metallurgist Georg Agricola was writing in the early part of the sixteenth century that Bitumen is produced from mineral waters containing oil, also from liquid bitumen and from rocks containing bitumen. Liquid bitumen sometimes floats in large quantities on the surface of wells, brooks and rivers and is collected with buckets or other pots. Small quantities are collected by means of feathers, linen towels and the like. The bitumen easily adheres to these objects and is collected in big copper or iron vessels and the lighter fractions evaporated by heating. The residual oil is used for different purposes and some people mix it with pitch, others with used axle oil to make it thicker. On the other hand, the entry for bitumen in Blounts Glossary published in 1656 defined it as a kind of clay or slime naturally clammy, like pitch, growing in some countries of Asia. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the usage of bitumen for the road construction is to solve the problem of the dust raised by the horse-drawn traffic in towns. The availability of supply of tar from local coal-gas works led to the use of tar for treating streets and pavements. They started to realize the important of streets and road which would lead to the unimagined standard of smoothness and durability for the elements needed for their creation in the future. Rock asphalt and the Trinidad Lake were the sources of bitumen first used to bind mixtures of aggregates in road building in the modern style. (Asphalt Origin,) Nowadays, a small scale of high quality bitumen can be exploited from petroleum which is a readily available source of low cost. The production of bitumen grew with the rise of the motorcar and the universal demand for paved highways. The proportion of bitumen which is resulted from petroleum refining whereas lead that today most bitumen sources is from the distillation of crude petroleum oil. (BP , 2010). 2.2 Bitumen Bitumen is a versatile material that is widely used in civil engineering. Bitumen is a mixture of organic liquid that are black, oily, highly viscous that is a naturally occurring organic product by product of decomposed organic materials. This basically consists of hydrocarbons ,carbon hydrogen the rest becomes oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen and trace the various metals such as nickel, vanadium, lead, chromium, mercury and also arsenic, selenium and other toxic elements. Bitumen can provide good preservation of plants and animal fossils. Bitumen and asphalt is two different things. In American asphalt used to mean bitumen but outside American asphalt refers to the mixture of bitumen and aggregate laid as a road surface. H:TOPEKBitumen Definition_filesBitumenInBeaker2.gif Figure 2.1: Bitumen 2.3 Sources of bitumen Bitumen can be derived from different type of sources. It occurs naturally, but for most occasions, the world relies on petroleum for the supplies of bitumen. The bitumen consists of crude petroleum oil that normally varies between 25% and 40%, but content of crude oil can vary between 15% and 80% (BP 2010). There are three categorization for crude oil bitumen that is bitumen based, paraffin based or bitumen and paraffin based. Bitumen present in the form of colloidal dispersion or in a true solution based on the type of crude petroleum oil. In the refining process, the proportion of oil to bitumen particles changes because of petroleum oil is taken away by distillation. Relatively in few numbers, this particle become closer to one another and their size increase when it is dispersed. At the time the distillation process stopped, the petroleum becomes a colloidal dispersion of black solid known as asphaltenes. This asphaltenes are dispersed in an oily brown yellow liquid, known as the maltenes fraction. It also react as a stabilizing agent to keep the asphaltenes in suspension are another group of hydrocarbon known as resins. Normally bitumen is found in a few forms, from the hard, easily crumbled bitumen in rock asphalt to the softer, more viscous material found in tar sands and so-called asphalt lakes. It is normally consist of varying proportions of mineral and vegetable impurities that need to be extracted before in can be used as engineering material. Bitumen also can be found as asphaltite. It is natural bitumen without an impurity that varies in the amount the asphaltite can be dissolve in carbon disulphide. Natural petroleum like bitumen naturally occurs as the result from the special decompositions of marine debris. After thousands of years it has been move through porous rock such as limestone and sandstone often by volcanic action. In certain areas notable for their petroleum resources, like in the Middle East, semi fluid bitumen can be found oozing out of fissures near hot spring or seeping out of the ground. Rock asphalt, it is more costly to move around and to process. This is because its variable and relative low content of bitumen and tends to be found away from the places where bitumen needed. It is important to distinguish between bitumen and coal tar. Even though coal tar is black and viscous like bitumen, it is obtained from the carbonization of coal that why it is very different chemical properties. Many part of the world in engineering project, from the construction of transcontinental highways to the waterproofing of flat roof surfaces, depending on the specific nature of asphalt. Petroleum crude oil processed by the industry to provide all but a small part of this material is important.(BP, 2010) 2.4 Manufacturing process Manufacturing of bitumen consist of three processes which is refinery process, storage and distribution. 2.4.1 Refinery process In oil refinery process, the crude oil is divided into different groups based on their boiling range. The first stage of refinery process is atmospheric distillation. In this process the crude oil is heated about 3000 C to 3500 C and the more volatile components in the crude oil such as petrol and kerosene are distilled off. Residue from this process called atmosphere residue, which is need further distilled under vacuum. Because of the applied vacuum, the effective distillation point is 5000 C 5600 C. this vacuum distillation process produce more volatile products called as vacuum distillates and leaves vacuum residue which is a non volatile residue of high viscosity. Based on the crude oil origin, the vacuum residue can be used directly as bitumen and for some cases of crude oil it needs additional process to meet certain specification such as air blowing of the residue. To ensure consistent product, the air blowing needs careful selection and control of process temperature, air rate and residence time. In other hand bitumen are produced by blending vacuum residue with asphaltenes which is derived from the production of lubricating oils. The selection of crude is the most important element of bitumen manufacture because it is required expertise and experience to yield a satisfactory product. 2.4.2 Storage Large permanent tank made of mild steel plate use to stored bitumen at refineries with capacities of between 100 and 10000 tones. To make sure the bitumen remain fluid, steam or hot oil is pumped during heating oils in the heavily insulated tanks. 2.4.3 Distribution To make sure the bitumen not cool and unworkable the product must be kept between 150 °C-190 °C throughout the supply chain.  The temperature of bitumen can fall about 7oC to 10oC when it is loaded into a road tanker and it will continue to fall further while in transit. Most of the bitumen will be transferred from the refineries using the road tankers with capacities of 10 to 40 tones. The road tanker is insulated by single-compartment tanks, normally with some kind of heating such as heating tubes. Insulated rail cars are sometimes used to transport bitumen to intermediary depots with reheating facilities. 2.5 Properties of Bitumen Bitumen is a durable and strong adhesive use as a binder in many applications with other material without affecting their properties. Its durability is important to major engineering part such as road and water ways. Bitumen is insoluble in water and can be used as an effective water proofing sealant. Bitumen can be used to line watercourses because it resist and do not react with acid, alkalis, salt and does not contaminate water. Bitumen is soften and thermoplastic material. Bitumen becomes liquid when heated and hardens when it cools. Bitumen can used easily in the area where its need to used because it can readily be liquefied by one of three methods thats applying heat, dissolving it in petroleum solvents or dispersing it in water (emulsification). Total production of bitumen is larger use in road construction. This is because bitumen gives flexibility to the mixed mineral aggregates that been used in road construction. It is available with economic cost all around the world. 2.6 Types of Bitumen There are several types of the bitumen below based on BP bitumen 2010: 2.6.1 Paving grade bitumen This type of bitumen considered as a parent bitumen of the other form of bitumen produced below. It is refined and blended to fulfill the industrial and road engineering specification that considered different climate condition. 2.6.2 Cutback bitumen This type of bitumen has lower viscosity than other types of bitumen. This bitumen has been diluted in order to make it more flow able and suitable for application. Cutback bitumen mostly is used for cold weather bituminous, road construction and maintenance. In cutback bitumen suitable solvent is used to lower the viscosity of the bitumen. Fluidity of bitumen depends on the proportion of solvent and degree of hardness of the bitumen base. Cutback bitumen classified based to the time it takes to become solid, as rapid curing (RC), medium curing (MC) or slow curing (SC). RC is recommended for surface dressing and patchwork. MC is recommended for premix with less quantity of fine aggregates. SC is used for premix with appreciable quantity of fine aggregates. The solvent used for preparation of cutback of bitumen are white spirit commonly used for RC grades, kerosene for MC grades and diesel for SC grades. In view of the environment, health and safety cutback bitumen cause a problem because the solvent used evaporates and currently the evaporation is regarded as a potentially undesirable characteristic. 2.6.3 Bitumen emulsions Frequently the bitumen that been applied to mineral aggregates substrates in road construction is in the form called bitumen emulsion. Bitumen emulsions are the dispersion of bitumen in an aqueous continuous condition and been stabilized by the addition of emulsifier. Bitumen emulsions are the ideal binder can be used in hill road construction which the process of heating the bitumen or aggregates are not easy in that area. Rapid setting emulsions usually used for surface dressing work, Medium setting emulsions use for premix jobs and patch repairs work and slow setting emulsions are ideal use during rainy season. Around 60% of bitumen content in the emulsion and the left over is water (Tom V. Mathew and K V Krishna Rao, 2007). During the road construction, these emulsions will breaks down resulting in released of water and the mix will starts to set. Grade of bitumen affect the time of setting. Bitumen emulsion is ideal for used in road construction because it have low viscosity and workable in ambient temperatures. But to apply this bitumen in road making process, it requires controlled breaking and setting. Bitumen should not break before it is laid on the surface of road but, once it placed, it should break quickly. This implies that the road can be in service without delay. 2.6.4 Modified bitumen Modified bitumen is bitumen treated with modifiers. Certain additives added as bitumen modifiers to improve the service performance by changing such properties as their durability and hardness. Natural rubber, polymer and thermoplastic are commonly used to modify bitumen. This is an exciting development of growing importance due to the ability of modem technology to satisfy the demands of the bitumen and international market. Modified bitumen will contribute towards a longer road life and lower cost maintenance. 2.6.5 Multi-grade Bitumen This type of bitumen is chemically modified bitumen. It has multi properties that are properties of hard paving bitumen at high service temperature with the properties of soft paving grades bitumen at low temperature. Multi-grade bitumen gives improvement in resistance to deformation 2.6.6 Industrial bitumen Industrial bitumen also known as oxidized bitumen. This bitumen is made by blowing air through hot paving grade bitumen called blowing process. The result from blowing process is a product that softens bitumen at higher temperature than provide by paving grade bitumen softens. It also has rubberlike properties and its viscosity is less affected by changes in temperature than is the case with paving grade bitumen. 2.7 Requirement of Bitumen The some requirement properties of bitumen depend on the mix type and construction. In general, Bitumen should fulfill the following properties: (Prof. Tom V. Mathew, 2009) The bitumen should not be highly temperature susceptible: during the hottest weather the mix should not become too soft or unstable, and during cold weather the mix should not become too brittle causing cracks. The viscosity of the bitumen at the time of mixing and compaction should be adequate. This can be achieved by use of cutbacks or emulsions of suitable grades or by heating the bitumen and aggregates prior to mixing. There should be adequate affinity and adhesion between the bitumen and aggregates used in the mix. 2.8 Modification of bitumen Many studies have been conducted in order to improve the performance of bitumen used in road pavement by modified bitumen with other material. Additional materials such as rubber, polymer and epoxy resin have been used as modifier in bitumen in the previous research. This study stresses on the usage of fly ash as an additive in bitumen. 2.9 Coal combustion products Fly ash is one of the coal combustion residues. Coal combustion residuals are formed during coal-burning processes in power plants. Coal combustion product consists of several materials: (R.  Majko, 1996). 2.9.1 Fly ash Fly ash is the fines ash of coal ash particles from combustion of coal. It is called fly ash because it is transported from combustion chamber by exhaust gases. Fly ash is a fine powder produce from the mineral contain in coal. It also consists of noncombustible mater in coal and a small amount of carbon thats remains because of incomplete combustion. Fly ash is usually light tan in color. It is commonly consists of silt sized and clay sized glassy spheres which is gives fly ash a consistency somewhat like talcum powder. The property of the fly ash varies based on coal composition used and plant operating system.http://www.undeerc.org/carrc/Assets/FlyAsh1.JPG Figure 2.2: fly ash 2.9.2 Bottom ash Bottom ash and fly ash is two different materials in physical, mineralogical and chemical. Bottom ash is a coarse, granular, and incombustible material which is collected from the bottom of furnaces of combustion of coal in generation of electricity. Different with fly ash, bottom ash coarser than fly ash with grain sizes spanning from fine sand to fine gravel. The type of the bottom ash depends on type of furnaces used to burn a coal. http://www.undeerc.org/carrc/Assets/BottomAsh1.JPG Figure 2.3: bottom ash 2.9.3 BOILER SLAG Boiler slag is normally a black granular material with numerous engineering uses. It is formed in cyclone boilers which form a molten ash thats cooled with water. Boiler slag is coarser than fly ash.http://www.undeerc.org/carrc/Assets/BoilerSlag1.JPG Figure 2.4:boiler slag 2.9.4 FGD GYPSUM Flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum is also can be defined as scrubber gypsum. FGD gypsum is the product from an air pollution control system which is removes sulfur from the flue gas in calcium based scrubbing systems. It is composed of calcium sulfate and produced by employing forced oxidation in the scrubber. FGD gypsum is most usually used for agricultural activity and for wallboard production. http://www.undeerc.org/carrc/Assets/FGDMaterial1.JPG Figure 2.5: FGD gypsum 2.10 Production of fly ash Fly ash normally produced from burning of coal for power generation.   Normally coal is pulverized and blown with air into the combustion chamber. In this part the coal will be ignites, generating heat and producing a molten residue. Then the boiler tubes will extract heat from the boiler and then cool the gas in the chimney. This make the residue from the combustion of coal harden and produce ash known as coal combustion products. The coarse ash kwon as bottom ash and  it will fall at the bottom of coal furnaces. In the other hand, the light ash will the light ash will remain suspended in the flue gas and will be collected by electrostatic precipitators, baghouses, or mechanical collection devices such as cyclones. C:Documents and Settingsto_pekDesktopproduction of fly ash.gif Figure 2.6: production of fly ash (ACAA, 1997) 2.11 Utilization and benefit of fly ash Fly ash have been used many part of the engineering application around the world. The table below shows the utilization of fly ash in the engineering part. (Fly ash facts for highway engineers, 2003). Application Benefit used in Portland cement concrete (PCC) -improved workability -decrease water demand -reduced bleeding -improved durability used in stabilized base course -provide a strong and durable mixture -lower cost -suitable for using recycled base material -increased energy efficiency used in flowable fill -allows placement under freezing conditions -reach 100% density with no compactive effort -increase soil bearing capacity -increase the speed and ease of backfilling operations Used in soil improvement -eliminates need for expensive materials -expedites construction works by improving unstable subgrade By improve subgrade conditions, cost saving through reduction in required pavement thickness. Used in asphalt pavement -reduce potential of asphalt stripping due to hydrophobic properties of fly ash -reduce stripping because fly ash consist of lime -a lower cost than other filler Used in grouts for pavement subsealing -develop high ultimate strength -accomplished quickly with minimum effect to the traffic flow. -used to correct undermining without 2.12 Type of fly ash Fly ash is collected use electrostatic precipitators or bag houses and then transferred to large silos for shipment. Fly ash divided base on precise particle size requirement, thus assuring a uniform and quality of product. There are 2 different type of fly ash from combustion of coal in large power plant which is class C and class F. 2.12.1 Class C Class C fly ash is produced usually from lignite and sub-bituminous coals and normally contains significant amount of Calcium Hydroxide (CaO) or lime (Cockrell et. al., 1970). Fly ash class C will harden when exposure to the water. Class C normally contains more than 15% of lime and can reach until 30% of the composition (Dr. Kamar Shah Ariffin, 2007). Higher of CaO in class C fly ash make it more special with self hardening characteristic. This is because calcium is a good adhesive agent. The existence of pozzolan properties in the fly ash class c make it different from fly ash class F. 2.12.2 Class F Class F fly ash is produced from bituminous coals and burning anthracite .Class F is normally contains greater combination of silica, alumina and iron about 70% of the composition but low in lime content usually under about 15% of the composition (Dr. Kamar Shah Ariffin, 2007). This fly ash has Siliceous and aluminous material, which itself possesses little or no cementitious value but in finely divided form and in the presence of moisture, chemically react with Calcium hydroxide at ordinary temperature to form cementitious compounds (Chu et. al., 1993). 2.13 Characteristic of fly ash 2.13.1 Size and shape Fly ash consist of powdery and fine particle that are in spherical shape, either in solid or hollow and mostly glassy in nature. The carbonaceous in fly ash consist of angular particles. The particle size distribution of bituminous coal fly ashes is usually similar to the silt which is less than a 0.075 mm or No. 200 sieve. Sub bituminous coal fly ashes are similar to the silt size and it is slightly coarser than bituminous coal fly ashes. A coarser particle can result in a less reactive ash and could contain higher carbon contents. Figure 2.7: Fly ash particles at 2,000x magnification 2.13.2 Color By depending on the amount of unburned carbon in the ash, the color of fly ash can be found and vary from tan to gray to black. If the fly ash contains low carbon, the color will be lighter. Lignite or sub bituminous fly ashes are typically light tan to buff in color, representing relatively low quantities of carbon in addition to the presence of some lime or calcium. However, bituminous fly ashes are usually some shade of gray, with the lighter shades of gray generally indicating a higher quality of ash.    Figure 2.8: typical fly ash colors 2.13.3 Specific gravity The specific gravity of fly ash is generally varies between 2.1to 3.0 whereas the specific surface area are varies in range from 170 to 1000 m2/kg that been measured by the Blaine air permeability method. 2.13.4 Loss of ignition Loss of ignition is a measured of remaining unburned carbon in a coal. It is a critical property of fly ash need to be measured, especially for concrete applications. High carbon levels, the type of carbon, the interaction of soluble ions in fly ash, and the variability of carbon content can cause air entrainment problem in fresh concrete and can affect the durability of the concrete. In some application of fly ash are not affected by the loss of ignition such as filler in asphalt and flowable fill can accept fly ash with high content of carbon. 2.13.4 Chemistry Chemical compositions of the coal mainly affect the chemical constituents of fly ash. Depending on the coal combustion technology used, the fly ash can be significantly different even though they are produced from the same source and similar chemical composition. Therefore the ash hydration properties with the leaching characteristic can vary a lot between generating facilities. The combustion and glassification process used at certain power plant will affect the quantity of crystalline material versus glassy phase material because these two substances were depends on these two process. When the maximum temperature of the combustion process is above approximately 12000 C and the cooling time is short, the ash produced is mostly glassy phase material (McCarthy et. al., 1987). Crystalline phase calcium compounds are formed where boiler design or operation allows an extra gradual cooling of the ash particles. The factors that affect the hydration and leaching properties of fly ash such as the relative proportion of the spherical glassy phase and crystalline materials, the size distribution of the ash, the chemical nature of glass phase, the type of crystalline material, the nature and the percentage of unburned carbon (Roy et.al, 1985). Generally, the most important factors that influenced the mineralogy of coal fly ash are (Baker, 1987): Chemical composition of the coal Coal combustion process including coal pulverization, combustion, flue gas clean up, and fly ash collection operations Additives used, including oil additives for flame stabilization and corrosion control additives. The minerals present in the coal dictates the elemental composition of the fly ash. The boiler design and operation dictated the mineralogy of the ash. 2.13.5 Chemical Requirements for Fly Ash Classification (Dr. Kamar Shah Ariffin, 2007) Properties Fly Ash Class Class F Class C Silicon dioxide (SiO2) plus aluminum oxide (Al2O3) plus iron oxide (Fe2O3), min, % 70.0 50.0 Sulfur trioxide (SO3), max, % 5.0 5.0 Moisture Content, max, % 3.0 3.0 Loss on ignition, max, % 6.0 6.0

Importance of Effective Communication in Nursery Environment

Importance of Effective Communication in Nursery Environment Explain why it is important to maintain effective communication within the nursery environment mentioning the barriers that may be experienced by some staff members Maintaining effective communication? I believe that it is important to maintain effective communication as this is the channels in which the nursery will be run. Effective communication is a two way process which can be verbal or written. Managers must firstly know their staff and what type of communication works best for them, for example do they prefer a more direct approach or are they the sort of person who prefers a team briefing that allows them to communicate with other staff around them or do they prefer to have all the communication written down for them and then given a chance to write their reply. Barriers to communication could be caused by the environment as it could be too noisy or too much information to take in at any one time as a person can loose concentration if they are being over loaded with info or the actual language being used is too hard to understand, keep it simple which again comes back to knowing your staff or audience. Also the time of day should be considered before communicating with staff as they may have their own appointments to keep or other personal business to attend to so they could become distracted with the time and not hear what is being said to them. Noise within the nursery environment could also be a barrier as again if it is too noisy only partial communication may occur so the area in which the communication is to take place should also be considered. Sometimes the office itself can be the barrier because if you as the manager do not make yourself available but instead hide away in the office for the majority of the day then this would not help. Phones can also be a barrier as not everyone likes to talk on the phone but prefers a more personal approach but also things can be misheard on the phone. As well as these physical barriers there can be perceptual barriers too because you think the person doesn’t understand you before you even speak to them and that can come across in your body language as well. There are emotional barriers too which some people don’t like to speak out etc. As managers we must consider the cultural and language barriers as the society that we work and live in is much more culturally diverse than ever. A barrier to communication is also the manager’s inability to actually listen as well!!! To me the bottom line to effective communication is to know your staff on a personal level, know what makes them tick therefore you can adapt your style of communication to suit the individual staff member. Also to be approachable to your staff and to listen to verbal and non verbal communication Discuss the importance of the appraisal process for staff and managers and how it can be carried out The performance appraisal provides employees with the recognition of their work efforts. It shows that bosses are interested in the development of their staff and not just getting their ‘monies worth’ that it is more that just a job. The appraisal process for staff and managers is a period of time out from the daily tasks of the running of the nursery in order to focus on work related activities and to correct any existing problems and encourage better performance. Managers should make an appointment with the staff member at a time which suits both and there will be no distractions. A blank appraisal form should be issued to the staff member for them to complete and comment on how they have performed throughout the year, this is then discussed with the Manager. The Manager and staff member will then discuss the information written on the form and what areas need to be improved upon and agree on what training is required. It’s also a good time to discuss any other outstanding issues not necessarily related to the appraisal itself. When setting the goals, managers should be specific at what is to be achieved. The goals should be measured against what is to be achieved. Set a time frame in which to achieve the goal, make sure the time frame is realistic. The goals should also be relevant to the role in which the staff member is working. Make sure the goal that is being set has a purpose and not just for the sake of it. It is best to carry this out on the anniversary of when the staff member has joined and then goals can be set for the coming year. Managers should get behind the appraisal process and sell it to their staff. Explain the disciplinary and grievance procedure, paying particular attention to how the manager should conduct the process The policy documentation for this process should be made accessible for all staff. The processes are necessary to ensure that all staff are treated fairly and are protected. If there are good procedures in place and good communication then the risk of tribunals are minimised. If possible managers should try and resolve the issues first and a disciplinary and grievance procedure should be the last resort. A letter should be issued to the employee at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting. Additional staff should be present in the meeting to take notes. Time should be given for an appeal if necessary. All records, emails, telephone calls should be kept in order to act as a reference and evidence to what steps the manager has taken to try and resolve the issue from the beginning. A meeting should be set up to include additional staff for note taking. Managers should remain impartial and if necessary can call witnesses to strengthen the evidence. Enough time should be given in the meeting for the employee to put their case forward. Should new evidence come to light in the course of the meeting then it should be adjourned. When a decision is reached it should be given in writing and include information on the appeals process. The outcomes from the meeting can be no action, warning or dismissal. There can be a verbal warning administered, a first written warning or a final written warning. The informal grievance procedure should be displayed and available to all staff, to be honest early intervention limits the need for a disciplinary procedure. Evaluate the recruitment and selection process making reference to policies nurseries are required to hold The recruitment and selection process within the nursery setting is straight forward; vacancies should be advertised at the same time in various locations making sure under-represented groups within the community also have an equal chance of applying. Completed applications should be scored by the manager and another person either the deputy or the new employees line manager this gives a fairer approach to the scoring process. It is then up to the manager how many persons should be interviewed. The scoring sheets should be kept a minimum of three months after the application process should any unsuccessful applicants contact the manager for feedback it also shows transparency in the process. All persons involved in this process should be equal opportunity trained prior to the commencement of the process again this is a fairer why to carry out the process. Once the interviewing stage is completed and the new employee chosen then it is a good idea that prior to them starting they should be given a copy of the nursery policies and sign to say they have received them. They should also be made aware of the Health and Safety policy, fire safety and child protection issues and the policy on arrival and departure. It is important that they are made aware of whatever medication the children may be taking and what allergies they may have. This can be done in the staff induction morning and then they should spend the rest of their time shadowing a staff member who can show them the daily running of the nursery. This shadowing will ensure that the new employee sees first hand what is expected of them on a daily basis and what standards they are to achieve. I think this is a much better way of settling anyone in and they can take much more in during this â€Å"hands on† approach then they could just being told about it. It also gives the ne w employee a chance to ask questions which may not arise during interview. Barbara Gamble

Downsizing And Reengineering The American Public And Private Sector Ess

Downsizing And Reengineering The American Public And Private Sector Wheels of Industry Over the past decade, more and more American organizations are downsizing and reengineering as a means of eliminating excesses in corporate staffing, bureaucracy, and expenditures. This is true today whether it’s a for-profit company or not-for-profit company. Constant change is a new way of life as companies strive to meet customers needs and the ability to successfully innovate, time after time to achieve competitive advantages. Moreover, American companies are facing a fierce global environment and are downsizing to achieve cost-lowering efficiencies to render their firm more fit to combat tenacious global competitors. American organizations are also downsizing in an effort to cope with fundamental and structural changes in economies and markets.1 Because downsizing and reengineering is excessively used in today’s organizations, we must not mistakenly confuse the two terms, and since American organizations are faced with the problem of massive overhauling, we must understand the meaning and the purpose of both. We must also consider the fundamental approaches organizations use in implementing downsizing. In addition, we must look at the cost benefits to the organizations, as well as the competitive advantages are that achieved. Moreover, while little emphasis of the employee is considered in terms of workforce reduction, there is a need to look at the adverse affects on the employee and the personnel problems that organizations incur due to the aftermath of downsizing. Downsizing is associated and often confused with numerous terms. The term "downsizing" was coined to define the scaling down of the car by sizes by automobile manu... ...ture. AMACOM American Management Association, 1987 (Pg. 55-67). 6Cohen, Steven and Eimicke, William. The New Effective Public Manager. Jossey-Bass Publishers. San Francisco, 1995 (197-199) 7Tomasko, Robert M. Downsizing: Reshaping the Corporation for the Future. AMACOM American Management Association, 1987 (Pg. 88-89). 8Tomasko, Robert M. Downsizing: Reshaping the Corporation for the Future. AMACOM American Management Association, 1987 (Pg. 40). 9Tomasko, Robert M. Downsizing: Reshaping the Corporation for the Future. AMACOM American Management Association, 1987 (238-245). 10Cohen, Steven and Eimicke, William. The New Effective Public Manager. Jossey-Bass Publishers. San Francisco, 1995 (Pg. 103-109). 11Cohen, Steven and Eimicke, William. The New Effective Public Manager. Jossey-Bass Publishers. San Francisco, 1995 (Pg. 109-111). Downsizing And Reengineering The American Public And Private Sector Ess Downsizing And Reengineering The American Public And Private Sector Wheels of Industry Over the past decade, more and more American organizations are downsizing and reengineering as a means of eliminating excesses in corporate staffing, bureaucracy, and expenditures. This is true today whether it’s a for-profit company or not-for-profit company. Constant change is a new way of life as companies strive to meet customers needs and the ability to successfully innovate, time after time to achieve competitive advantages. Moreover, American companies are facing a fierce global environment and are downsizing to achieve cost-lowering efficiencies to render their firm more fit to combat tenacious global competitors. American organizations are also downsizing in an effort to cope with fundamental and structural changes in economies and markets.1 Because downsizing and reengineering is excessively used in today’s organizations, we must not mistakenly confuse the two terms, and since American organizations are faced with the problem of massive overhauling, we must understand the meaning and the purpose of both. We must also consider the fundamental approaches organizations use in implementing downsizing. In addition, we must look at the cost benefits to the organizations, as well as the competitive advantages are that achieved. Moreover, while little emphasis of the employee is considered in terms of workforce reduction, there is a need to look at the adverse affects on the employee and the personnel problems that organizations incur due to the aftermath of downsizing. Downsizing is associated and often confused with numerous terms. The term "downsizing" was coined to define the scaling down of the car by sizes by automobile manu... ...ture. AMACOM American Management Association, 1987 (Pg. 55-67). 6Cohen, Steven and Eimicke, William. The New Effective Public Manager. Jossey-Bass Publishers. San Francisco, 1995 (197-199) 7Tomasko, Robert M. Downsizing: Reshaping the Corporation for the Future. AMACOM American Management Association, 1987 (Pg. 88-89). 8Tomasko, Robert M. Downsizing: Reshaping the Corporation for the Future. AMACOM American Management Association, 1987 (Pg. 40). 9Tomasko, Robert M. Downsizing: Reshaping the Corporation for the Future. AMACOM American Management Association, 1987 (238-245). 10Cohen, Steven and Eimicke, William. The New Effective Public Manager. Jossey-Bass Publishers. San Francisco, 1995 (Pg. 103-109). 11Cohen, Steven and Eimicke, William. The New Effective Public Manager. Jossey-Bass Publishers. San Francisco, 1995 (Pg. 109-111).

The Narrator Merges with Ottilie in Porter’s Holiday :: Porter’s Holiday

The Narrator Merges with Ottilie in Porter’s Holiday â€Å"Ottilie, now silent, was doubled upon herself, slipping loosely on the edge of the seat. I caught hold of her stout belt with my free hand, and my fingers slipped between her clothes and bare flesh, ribbed and gaunt and dry against my knuckles. My sense of her realness, her humanity, this shattered being that was a woman, was so shocking to me that a howl as doglike and despairing as her own rose in me unuttered and died again, to be a perpetual ghost. Ottilie slanted her eyes and peered at me, and I gazed back. The knotted wrinkles of her face were grotesquely changed, she gave a choked little whimper, and suddenly she laughed out, a kind of yelp but unmistakably laughter, and clapped her hands for joy, the grinning mouth and suffering eyes turned to the sky.† (Page 434) This passage shows how the narrator finalizes her exile from the story by merging with Ottilie. The storyteller excludes herself throughout the tale by never being identified with a name or origin; she is in a state of â€Å"perpetual exile.† The narrator allies herself with Ottilie halfway through the story when she describes a filament connecting them â€Å"so that her life and mine were kin, even a part of each other† (427). Here, they become one so that the narrator and her personal life safely disappear from the story. Ottilie â€Å"doubled upon herself† represents the doubling of the two women. In the next sentence, the words â€Å"her† and â€Å"my† are used back-and-forth five times, almost as if one possessive pronoun could be exchanged for the other. In this sentence, the narrator’s fingers slip between Ottilie’s clothing and flesh, and thus their bodily contact merges the two physically. The following sentence describes Ottilie as a â€Å"shattered being,† perhaps because her new being is mixed with the narrator’s presence. The narrator never feels real in her own right, and it’s only when she senses the â€Å"realness† and â€Å"humanity† of Ottilie that she feels a breakthrough. However, she no longer has thoughts/feelings/sounds of her own; her reactionary howl is described as being Ottilitie’s as it rises unuttered and dies again. Therefore, the narrator finds her own identity when allied with Ottilie. She is hereafter described as a â€Å"perpetual ghost† because she no longer exists in and of herself, but in Ottilie.

Organization transformation Essay

The need for a change is almost there on a daily basis in corporations. This is accentuated by particularly by the advent of new technology like the internet and new management methods and new technologies (Wallace, 2007). This brings in new ways of doing jobs within the company and thus the workers are affected. Companies which initially used to have the traditional organization model have increasingly adopted they are better and more efficient and modern transformed organizational models. An organization provides a mean of utilizing individual capabilities within a team to accomplish what cannot be achieved by the aggregate attempts of team members working in isolation. The aims of forming corporations and organizations are to deliver goods or services to consumers in a way that at the conclusion of the deal profits and not losses can be realized. Organizational change is geared at achieving this and thus winning the hearts and minds of the target population while concurrently bringing about a changed behavior and work culture to the partakers. In response to this Organizational transformation, roles, skills, job descriptions and structure of the workforce need to be re-designed. The Southwest Gas Corporation Such a company that has embraced organizational change from the traditional one to the modern organization transformation is the southern gas corporation of Nevada. Having realized that all organizations and corporations are unique due to unique environment in which they operate and their mode and ways of operations they should be structured to accommodate unique problems and opportunities Southwest Gas Corporation is a company engaged in the business of purchasing, distributing and transporting natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers in Nevada state of the southwestern United States. The Gas Corporation has employed about 2,500 workers who serve at least 1. 8million customers in Arizona, Nevada and parts of California states. The company is an investor owned utility whose shares are traded in the New York Stock Exchange and the pacific stock exchange (South West Gas Corporation, 2007). The company has been implementing a five year organizational transformation with an aim of offering better services to the customers and improving the quality of he workers. With respect to transformation certain areas should be prioritized for instance in redefining the business model, integrating acquisitions, building infrastructure, reframing markets and managing talents. The southern gas corporation has taken comprehensive plan to change from the traditional to the transformed organizational model studies done on this company indicated that a positive correlation between the working conditions and the productivity of the workers exists . the results of the studies revealed that innate forces of human behavior may have a greater influence on organizations than do mechanistic incentive systems. In response to that study southern gas corporation have done an almost complete overhaul in areas to do with transport, billing, the accounting system, meter reading systems and the whole organization structure of the company since 2002. Effects Having undergone the organizational change to a more better and modern one saw a number of transformations in the work force. Every member of the workforce was subjected to month long refreshment training as a way of crating a new working atmosphere and as a way of orientating them to the new working tools. The remuneration package was revised to increase the morale of the workers. On the part of the infrastructure the offices and other working areas were renovated. The total reorganization of the offices this was to cater for the psychological aspect of the workers The Organizations adopted a vertical division of labor practice involving the administrators then below them the managers and supervisors and lastly at the base we have the workers. The principal function of top level administrators or executives generally is to plan long-term strategy and administer the middle managers whose work is to guide the day to day activities of the corporations and oversee implementation of the top level strategy. Low-level supervisors and laborers put the made strategy into action and carry out the immediate tasks needed to keep the corporation running. Thus, the South west gas corporation has become a formal with reference to the extent of formalization of rules that have been adopted within the organization structure. In formal organizations, a mild impersonal relationship between the workers and the company is viewed as the best environment suitable for achievements of organization’s objectives by the managerial staff. Here subordinates duties more clearly defined and workforce with different applicable skills are dispensed duties to their areas of specialization in the corporation. It is the duties of workers at the bottom level to perform the essential duties of the corporation with supervisory assistance from the managers. Subordinate staff deals generally with supply and production chain of the corporation . The managerial needs of the whole business process is overseen by the higher cadre staff that includes the supervisors and the administrators. Two important implications into the change in the organization procedure there was equity due to just fair and impartial treatment of all workers, the organization was more orderly since employees were arranged where they would be of most value to the corporation. Initiative was fostered by encouraging the employees to act on their own. Similarly the employees cultivated more attributes and etiquettes (South West Gas Corporation, 2007). Motivation should come from different incentives rather than letting monetary rewards be the sole motivators. The spirit of comradeship among the workers fostered devotion to a common cause. The behavioral change by the managers that allowed greater latitudes stimulated the workers. In general, transformation made workers to become more productive. Having been provided with the best working conditions the workers employees have become capable of effective self-direction yielding self-actualization and this was among the biggest rewards that organizations has provided to its employees. Similar the shares of the southern gas company at the New York stock exchange gained value. Use of improved service delivery systems for instance the better gas safety management systems reduced the number of gas accident cases recorded prior to the five year period. Due to a liberalized approach towards the workers in the by the management they were able to create their labour organization to looks for their own interests, thus enhancing growth of the labour union organizations. This amounted to increase in vocal power of the workers to demand their rights. Conclusion In the world today organizations are operating in an increasingly complex platform. Changing multiple dimensions and high rates globalization trends and the implications of the post-industrial information age are driving these corporations to revolutinalize themselves (Wallace, 2007). The end product of this transformation is a successful company with competent work force. However, organizational transformation should not stop with the end of the project duration. During the benefit realizations stage of the lifecycle, emphasis should be continued on the need to encourage the workers and the community to adapt to the new ways of working and get the most from the system change.

Policing in America Society Paper

Individual Paper (Policing in America Society Paper) Jesus K. Martes Santos CJA/214 February 27, 2013 Jon Holman Individual Paper (Policing in America Society Paper) In the following paper I will be discuss the Policing in America Society, This paper examines the changing relationships between police and other government agencies, in the context of recent experience between State, Federal and local government departments. The police in the United States forms part of the law enforcing agencies according the Federal law. Apart from the national police force, there are a number of policing organizations.There are two levels of police in the United States namely the Federal police and the State police. The policing organizations that serve at the Federal level include Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Immigrations and Customs Department (ICE), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and many other Federal Law enforcement agencies. (Betchtel, 1995)   Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts.Those accused of crime have protections against abuse of investigatory and prosecution powers. The Federal Law enforcement agencies hold their power from the constitution of the United States in Article 1 section 8. Their operations extend beyond the State borders, for instance, the FBI have the authority to apprehend an offender who has gone beyond the boundaries of the State and the country. The State level policing organizations are divided into three basic categories: State Troopers, who are sometimes referred to as the State police, county sheriffs and the city police.State police, under the laws that govern the State have the policing authority across the whole of the State (Wadman, 2009). However, their jurisdiction is only limited to patrol areas and facilities that a re under the State level authorities. Such areas include government buildings within the State and highways. County sheriffs are limited to operating within unincorporated areas, but are they have no policing authority within the city.City police have the power to serve within the cities and they are restricted to only serving in the cities (Marks, 2009). The relationship between the police and government is determined by the level of the police organization. Federal policing organizations are subject to being controlled by the congress and have the responsibility of going after tax-related laws and criminals who operate between the States. State policing organizations are under the control of the State government. They are subject to the limitations of the State law.This implies that the State policing organizations are under the Federal police organizations (Marks, 2009). The sovereignty of the State and the sovereignty of the Federal government play a significant role in determin ing the relationship between the policing organizations in the US and the government. Despite limitations in the constitution in terms of State sovereignty, there have been scenarios whereby the different policing levels have clashed due to a different State and Federal interests (Walker, 2010).Grouping policing organizations basing on Federal and State levels questions the unity between the State government and the Federal government. The restrictions in terms areas of operation by the policing organization does not enhance efficiency in policing. This poses the risk of increase of criminal activities, being attributed to the inefficiency of the policing organizations. State priorities can be different from the Federal priorities in one way or another. Such differences can be extended to the policing organizations.Such conflicts are not health in law enforcement practices (Kelling, 2002). Usually, the division that exists between the State law and the Federal law is confusing, the gravity of the crime is usually downplayed on grounds of interstate crime, an instance is a murder crime which occurs within the state can be considered as state crime, on a similar account, petty crimes involving the crossing of the state boundaries can be termed as state crime. The divisions are also making the government to focus more on interstate crime than local crime.The government is concentrating more on the Federal Law enforcement agencies at the expense of local police who play a pivotal role in combating crime at the grass root (Betchtel, 1995). That means the relationship between local and federal authorities combating the crime bring only division and focus only in budgets and no the real problem. References http://www. bechtel. com/BAC-Chapter-7. html www. justice. gov/archive/†¦ /principlesofgoodpolicingfinal092003. pdf en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act

Research Task for Childcare

Unit 4 – Keeping Children Safe Hand in Date – 21st May 2012   Explain how strategies to establish and maintain healthy, safe and secure environments in early years settings are supported by legislations. E1. Identify legislation which influences healthy, safe and secure environments for early years settings. List 10 of the main laws that underpin the provision of healthy, safe and secure environments for young children. Give the full title and date. D1.Explain how legislation can support strategies to establish and maintain healthy, safe and secure environments in early years settings. Write about how relevant laws support ways to keep the environment of settings healthy, safe and secure. At least 3 ways which may include: having policies and procedures, regulatory body inspections, staff ratios, CRB checks, working with parents and other professionals, training, resources. ——————————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Task 2 Describe the environment and procedures necessary to keep children safe who: * Receives a bump on the head Has an asthma attack * Has sickness and diarrhoea * Shows symptoms and signs of meningitis E2. Describe the procedures which will keep a child safe for each accident, illness or emergency. For each accident, illness or emergency listed in the assignment task, describe the procedures that will keep the child safe. State the main aims of the procedures, e. g. asthma attack – Administration of medicines procedure will clearly set out what the practitioner should do. D2. Explain how establishing a safe environment can support the procedures necessary for accidents, illnesses and emergencies. Associated essay: Childcare Level 2, Unit 2 AssignmentWrite about how creating an environment in the setting which is safe will help appropriate procedures for accidents, illnesses and emergencies to be written, implemented and understood by everyone in the setting. Produce a booklet covering all these accidents and emergencies. ————————————————- Task 3 Plan the care for a child aged 1 year and a child aged 3 years for a full day in the setting AND: * Consider ways to maintain the security and privacy of the children and to respect their wishes. E3. Plan the appropriate care of a child aged 1 for a full day in the setting.Provide a care plan that shows understanding of how to meet the overall care and development needs of a child aged 1 year for a full day in the setting. E4. Plan the appropriate care of a child aged 3 years for a full day in the setting. Provide a care pla n that shows understanding of how to meet the overall care and development needs of a child aged 3 years for a full day in the setting. B1. Consider possible ways to maintain the safety and privacy of children and respect their wishes. Think about and give information about how the practitioner can maintain safety, privacy and respect for children's wishes.Give 4 examples which could include: following policies/procedures, understanding children's rights, consulting children, sensitive understanding, confidentiality, working with parents, multi-agency team working. Must include a reference. ————————————————- Task 4 Write a handout for a staff meeting to consider how the practitioner can provide an enabling physical environment for children. The handout should include: * The issues that affect the planning of a challenging environment for children. * An evaluation of TWO in itiatives that influence the provision of challenging environments for children. The importance of helping children to manage risk and challenge in their environment. E5. Describe the issues that affect planning of a challenging environment for children. Write about what affects the planning of a challenging environment for children. Give 5 issues which may include: policies/procedures, children's rights, type of setting, resources, health and safety, supervision, age/stage/abilities of children, consulting children. E7. Explain the importance of helping children to manage risk and challenge in their environment. Give reasons why it is important for children to be helped to learn to assess and manage risk and challenge.Reasons could include: why children need adult help, the benefits of risk and challenge – develop life skills, understand consequences of actions, explore limits in a controlled environment, learn to take responsibility/ balance their rights against those of ot hers, make choices/decisions, effects on holistic development. E6. Describe the initiatives which influence the provision of challenging environments for children. Write about an international, national and local initiatives/schemes that influence the provision of challenging environments for children, e. g.Forest Schools, children's play initiatives, local play policies. C1. Evaluate how the TWO initiatives contribute to the provision of an enabling environment for children. A development of E6. Consider how TWO (2) of the initiatives described in E6 help to ensure the environment for the children supports their development through appropriate experiences and empowerment. ————————————————- Task 5 Include in the handout an explanation of the ways that meeting the care needs of children can affect practitioners and possible sources of support for practitioners.A1. Discuss t he effect on practitioners of meeting the care needs of children. 5 detailed considerations of how and why practitioners may be affected when meeting the care needs of children and the range of support available. Effects must be positive and negative. Task 4 and 5 will be in form of a handout. Remember throughout to include: E8. Show an understanding of diversity and inclusive practice. This criterion will be met if throughout you show understanding of the importance of identifying and meeting the individual needs and rights of children and their families.AND E9. Include references and a bibliography. At least TWO (2) references must be made in the text to relevant books, articles, magazines or websites. These are sources of information and the sources used should be listed at the end of the assignment in a bibliography. Sources of background reading can also be included in the bibliography. YOUR COMPLETED WORK SHOULD NOT EXCEED 3500 WORDS. THERE IS NO LOWER WORD LIMIT. WORK THAT IS MORE THAN 10% ABOVE THE WORD LIMIT WILL NOT BE MARKED. REFERENCES AND QUOTATIONS WITHIN THE TEXT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE WORD LIMIT.