Risk Management In Construction Industry Of India Construction Essay

Risk Management In Construction Industry Of India Construction Essay Risk management is something related to uncertainty as it is not fixed and it is a part of daily life, or it is something we cannot predict and may result in negative outcome (Helmen and Shen Li, 2001). However its a process of analyzing exposure of risk and determining how to best handle such exposure. Some firms may use risk assumption, risk avoidance, risk retention, risk transfer or any other combined strategies for proper organized management of future events. Risk is somewhat calculable, since it has to do with probabilities, whereas uncertainty has no previous history to relate any probabilities to. Uncertainty is rather an epistemic uncertainty, since it has to do with uncertainty of outcome and related to system performance (Aven, 2003). However, as an extent previous research also suggests that construction industry is likely to have more risk than to any other business activity mainly because of complexity of project, unskilled labor, climate calamities et cetera. Above all, It often seen that lack of practices and development of risk assessment and management techniques for Indian construction projects. The Construction industry is one of the most dynamic, risky and challenging businesses. However, the industry carrying bad impression in order to manage or deal with risk, along with many giant projects failing to reach its pre determined financial goals. Mainly because of change in weather, unskilled or absence of workers or other labors, improper productivity inside the plant with low level of quality and its raw material. Whenever risk arises whether it gets ignored or dealt with a completely arbitrary way simply adding 10 percent contingency onto the estimated cost of a project is typical. In a business as complex as construction, such an approach is often inadequate, resulting in expensive delays, litigation and even bankruptcy (Hayes et al, 2007). Further supporting this, as per Burchett (2000) risk management is an important part of the decision making process of all construction companies. Risk and uncertainty can potentially have damaging consequences for some construction p rojects. Risk can affect productivity, performance, quality and the budget of a project. Risk cannot be eliminated, but it can be minimized transferred or retained. In addition to this (Flanagan and Norman, 2008) also claims that In Construction industry, Risk includes the processes concerned with identifying, analyzing and responding to project risk, It includes maximizing the results of positive events and minimizing the consequences of adverse events. The characteristics of construction projects usually depends on their transparent nature, value of their business partner and the strong dependability on the basis of their local natural and human environment, which indeed highlights the difficulties of risk management in construction industry. Management of risks in building construction projects has been identified crucially at very best of the processes with respect to achieve project objectives which are in the form of time, cost, quality, safety and environmental Sustainability (Zou et al., 2007). Further as per (Baloi and Price, 2003) the role of above project objectives becomes more vital when a particular organization merges up with the overseas firm and the risk exposure becomes higher due to lack of information and knowledge about the international partner and their local environment. Hence Lipsy, (2008) suggest that global factors of risk are affecting more to the construction firms specially to contractors, because they are the victim who are less familiar with them. However, (Dikmen et al, 2007) argues that the success of construction companies carrying out projects in international markets significantly depends on how the risks that stem from the host country conditions are managed. Many practices and implementations have been aims to develop a risk model that contains the risks of doing business in international markets and handle the global risk. Indian construction organizations have increasingly played a vital role in the world wide market in the last two decades. Indian industry minister had a visit to eight African countries in early 2006 which indeed helped to boost up the involvement of Indian construction organization in an African continent as billions of dollars are poured into infrastructural investments (The Business Times, 2007). Indian construction organizations were able to give up the competitive and effective fight with the contractors against the other developed countries (Low et al, 2006).Above all, (Luther and Hensen 2006) mentions that identified the risks prolonged by overseas construction organizations and different ways of facing those risks while undertaking the construction projects at the outside soil. The manageable corporate scenario always needs to improve their approach to risk management and abilities to learn the lessons from both success and failure cases in order to avoid similar mistakes in the future (McGill et al., 2004) and (Luther and Hensen, 2006). Hence, it enables Indian constructors to improve their way of handling construction management ability in an unseen environment turns in to priority issue. In addition to this (Hastak and Shaked, 2006) describes the construction scenario into three different levels which are country, market and level of project. They further explain the economy stability which linked to the project policy and probability of countrys economy break down. Overall construction market level risk, specifically for an overseas organization does helps in to technological advancement which helps to open up more resources for construction proves and also simplifies complexity of construction process this all indeed turns in heavy competitor against local competitor and also helps to minimize the chances of financial risk. (Dubois and Gadde, 2006) claimed that complications in construction projects Always arises from the two formal sources which are interdependence of tasks and uncertainty. Further, Uncertainty has four sources where first and foremost is managements inexperience nature with local resources and local environment lack of knowledge with regards to what exactly happening at construction site, which includes material placement, the current work status and specialized team with regard to place and time, lastly, unpredictability of environment. Again, Dubois and Gaddes studys main conclusion was that the unstable and changing network is a major cause of the short-term sub optimization hampering a longer-term productivity, innovation and learning. To reduce this uncertainty, a firm should consider at least four different types of coordination inside the network and think relationships longer than just one projects perspective. Risk management is one of the knowledge junction which presented by the US PMI, (Project Management Institute) in the year of 2004. Addition to this Kloman (2004) observed that risk Management is simply good common sense in coping with possible and actual daily Mishaps, and the occasional major disasters that may lead to financial losses and unfulfilled plans for individuals and organizations, and indeed for society as a whole. Furthermore, risk management in the construction industry could be a Systematic way of identifying, analyzing and dealing with risks associated with a project in an order to achieve the project objectives (Zou et al, 2007). The Project Management Institute (2004) characterized risks in to four categories which are; Technical Risks, Organizational Risks, Project Risks and External Risks (abbreviated as TOPE risks). These four categories of risks are regularly faced by an Indian construction firms due to lack of risk management approach towards basic construction objectives and other activities. Specifically while working with the overseas firms which are previously merged with the local firms and invested huge amount of funds as a financial risk that too in metro cities of India. However it is obvious that appears reasonable for the firms, to inevitably face by Indian construction firms when they operate in the domestic firms due to high level of varieties. Against, the Project Management Institute (2004) (Markand and Aury shake, 2005) presents another risk assessment model specifically for an international construction project which is known as ICRAM-1, further they describes the model for risk assessment which shows potential risks with the identification at all three levels such as project level, market level, macro level. Further, results are obtained from the analysis of ICRAM-1 in the form of potential risk indicators, the overall impact of those risks into market as well as countrys environment where specific projects are under process. Furthermore, according to (Densen et al, 2008) states that Risk management systems and other guidelines are not new to implement. It jus requires reasonable and effective awareness of risk uncertainty, the way of qualifying the risk, procedure of controlling the certain possible controllable risk along with minimizing the impact of uncontrollable risk with the help of properly allocating those risk by risk allocation or apportionment. However, According to (Tah and Carr, 2005) the ineffective implementations of risk management are often caused by: A lack of formalized risk management procedures, which includes identification of risk followed by the risk analysis and risk control A lack of continuity of risk management in the various stages of the project life cycle, including conceives, project design, planning of project, allocation, plan execution, delivery of certain core areas, review and support Weak integration between risk management and other key processes, including design, estimating, planning, production, logistics, cost analysis, manufacturing, quality assurance, reliability, schedule analysis, support such as maintainability, and testing and evaluation A lack of interaction among different parties, which includes customers, insurers, contractors and suppliers. All the different parties indulged in a project usually have different conception with regard to risks according to their own background and interests. Customer always needs and expects proper scope and objectives of projects and the financial resource. Contractors take the major responsibility to deal with risks during on time construction process. Contractor has to finalize in order to what exactly they needs such as to maintain, minimize, transfer or avoid risks. However, they frequently use three methods to transfer a risk which are as follows:- 1) Firstly, with the help of insurance to insurance companies. 2) Secondly, through handling over or giving subcontract to subcontractor, else through making changes in the contract and in the certain rules and regulations at customers and other parties (Chapman and Ward, 2004; Luther and Hensen, 2006). Further, Insurance companies does not only helps with the insurance to contractors by transferring risks, but also provides special panel of expertise as a mentor to the contractors in order to managing the risk and identifying the potential risk along with reducing chances of probable risk. Again, (Williams et al., 2005) advised that the willingness of insurer to write an insurance coverage reflects favorably on insureds efforts at risk prevention. The improved understanding and interaction among clients, contractors, and insurers will help in the effective management of risks that will benefit the construction industry (Choy et al., 2006; Liu and Flanagan, 2005). Further in addition to this much has been mentioned on how risk exposure may be an alyzed and managed as per the project management institute. However it also reflects that the risk management study also has been done and gives out some points on an Indian construction industry which is booming along with the overseas partners. Model for Risk management (2005) states that the implementation and information regarding the risk management are not up to the mark or limited mainly in Indias construction industry. This is specifically vital as further it mentions regarding Indias overseas exporting services where rational approach is in action while dealing at first time. The rational approach always seeks a balance or trade-off between the chances of risks occurring and the severity of risk once it has been affected, the aftermath steps to follow. This indeed helps to know whether risks may be managed, but at a cost depending on whether the construction firms decide to mitigate, accept, avoid or transfer (also known as the MAAT) the identified risk. Finally, Baloi and Price (2003) both argued that having a deep knowledge and discipline of continuous development of the risk management seems that practitioners have not fully appreciated its importance. Further it was concluded that the main barriers to effective compliance are cost of implementing management plan, language, educational barriers employees and other labor staff. Therefore, the main barriers to improvement of risk management may be low awareness of risk management of Indian contractors and the difficulties in implementing such a system. In addition to this H.R Pitale (2005) suggests that, the better the tools used to communicate during a project to all parties involved will have a lesser risk. This approach provides for better understanding at every stage in the process. The owners can better understand what they are getting, estimators can have a much higher chance of estimating correctly, schedule planners can receive significantly more information to make a better schedule, contractors can better understand their assignments in the context of the overall project, and laborers on the site, who often cannot read drawings, can quickly understand the task at hand when it is described in a model. Now models are being brought to the construction site to ensure that the communication risk is dramatically reduced. The overall construction needed to be taken care by the group of upper level expertise which indeed requires a good Contract management staff because it includes highly critical functional services such as Cons ultancy service, Project control, Resource scheduling etc. As per the Indian construction industry and its financial condition along with organizations internal risk and outside risk Davendra Surji (1999) states that financial risk is always depends upon the resources to be utilize, the amount of time a project may take, material, and labor cost. If uncertainty occurs in any of this its increases the financial risk. However Technical staff and Human resource, Environmental control and other Government policies are also plays a key role in overall risk of project. In which environmental control and government policies in India have the highest vulnerable risks. However, (Mishel, 2007) argues that risk analysis and management in Indian construction industry depend basically on intuition judgment and experience. Formal risk analysis and management techniques are rarely used due to a lack of knowledge and to doubts on the suitability of techniques for construction industry activities. (Alfredo et al, 2005) states that as far as owners point of view the overall process of risk management has to be particularized for each and every construction projects which could be undertaken by the owners consultant. Further, author puts more emphasize on complete and generic process of risk management which must be used at construction projects where maturity level of risk is large and more complicated. Author also suggests a Delphi method of identifying the risk and how to deal with that risk as a final validation of the project risk all the identified processes simplified and proposed as a summarization where methodology and final results has to be presented. As per (Kenn and Y. Ling, 2002) the most of the project risk and failure of construction project depends on the nature of the project, method and documents of contract. However to mitigate this author suggests that appropriate contracting method coupled with clear and equal contract documents which ultimately turn down the uncertainty and complexity of risk against diverse and conflicting agendas. This means attitudes of the contracting partners and co-operative relationships among the project participants are crucial in order to make a successful project B. Vegamally, (2004). Despite the improvements in the project risk management practices across the construction industry, many contractors still not having proper holistic approach where risk is fully integrated into every aspect of the construction life cycle (right from the project contracting to project completion). This is evident from the fact that still notice construction projects suffering from ill defined scope, design and constructability issues and mismanaged vendors. As a consequence there are clear time-cost quality gaps, add to that a considerable tying up of valuable resources when you shift to fire fighting mode (Edward, 2003). Further, Vegamally (2004) mentions on the basis of Indian construction industries survey that fostering co-operative relationships and better teamwork always turns in to fruitful and riskless completion of project. Again, in order to assessing the risk (Falgun and Rashid, 2001) said that the development of a construction project from the concept, feasibility study and real design which indeed takes huge amount of time and also accommodates many different phases along with it seeks involvement of huge staff which are of different skills and interests, also requires a good amount of materials procurement system and the use of equipment. All of these situation can only possible to handle while skilled staff able to co-ordinate well with a smooth flow of each and every small activities. Above all it becomes important to identify the risk if occurred in between the process, mainly compounded by many external, uncontrollable factors that can generate risk. Risk can manifest itself in numer ous ways, varying over time and across activities. To judge the criteria, whether the level of risk is high or low (Kumaraswamy and Ali, 2005) mentioned that the first is the probability of risk occurrence where chances of an undesirable risk occurrence should be specified then secondly, the degree of risk impact, which is the degree of seriousness and the scale of the impact on other activities if the undesirable even occurs and subordinate issue that should be noticed is that a large number of small losses, caused by risks with little impact, could have a similar effect on a balance sheet to those resulting from a single loss caused by a higher impact. Therefore, degree of risk should be seen both from the probability of occurrence and the degree of risk impact because each will affect the degree of risk. As per (Mills, 2004) three of the most important risks in construction projects include weather, productivity of labor and plant and quality of material. For example these areas are not easily controllable by a contractor before the project execution. (Cohen and Palmer, 2005) identified risk trends in construction projects. They found that typically, risks are determined at the very early phases of the project (feasibility and planning) while the impacts are not experienced until the construction and production start-up phases. Further, as per (Hari and Subra, 2004) mentions that process of risk management must be implemented at the beginning of the project life cycle, hence it allows to make basic fundamental changes at project life cycle. Later overall project must be carefully analyzed in order to check the each phases and respective method is being use, if needed it should be customized as per individual characteristics. The underlying reason for risk management is to identify and ensure the well- grounded and unbiased decision making. However, (Artto and Kahkonen, 2006) concludes that risk management processes mainly includes only three core processes which are identification of risk, estimation of risk, and planning of risk response and execution. Further they highlights about five different accessory processes of risk such as risk management planning, risk communication, risk ownership development, risk management strategy and risk management control. As per (Artto and Kahkonen, 2006) the identification phase is stressed by many researchers (Turner, 2006). Further Turner says that It is quite obvious that if we are unaware of the risks, its difficult to manage them, though this view is limited to the event-type scope of risk management. In addition to this (Turner, 2006) presented the concept of risk from different perspectives, which forcing puts more emphasize on risk in a wider level, moving from single even-scope to wide uncertainty-scope. According to (Chapman,2005) the risk management process builds majorly on the initial identification phase, he explains the reason that success of later risk management phase is directly comparable to the quality of the first identification phase. Further, (D. Ramanand, 2005) explains the detailed steps and methods in order to identifying and differentiates the risks which are presented. He states that, the methods generally include brainstorming, risk checklists, expert analysis/interviews, modeling and analyzing different scenarios and analyzing project plans. In addition to this, author further says, Sources of risk or uncertainty and sources of known unknowns should be listed. In support of this, (Ward and Chapman, 2006) emphasizes using an uncertainty perspective in the project risk identification phase, since they consider such an approach to be the best way to determine all possible sources of opportunities (positive risks), not just threats. The identification lists need to be followed and updated as our knowledge and understanding of the project environment increases. As per (Artto and Kahkonen, 2006) Risk response planning and the execution- phase must have an effective control process by its side to confirm that the risk management processes are iterative and running successfully, are not dismissed as project starts and it follows that decisions are implemented and have the expected results. Monitoring and controlling usually means writing and checking documents and conducting meetings. Further, Author puts emphasize on the importance of team work and communication as a means of risk management. Monitoring should also include evaluating the basis of earlier decisions, and assessing whether the assumptions made at the beginning are still relevant. According to Saari (2005) suggests a simple tool for monitoring the risk management process. She proposes using risk status as an indicator of the process phase under every recognized risk. Risk status describes the current situation of a certain risks. Risk monitoring involves monitoring known risks, identifying new risks, reducing risks, and evaluating the effectiveness of risk reduction. The main output at this stage is associated with corrective actions and project change requests. Project risk continuous reassessment involves periodic reviews of project risk status to identify new risks, and to examine changes in probabilities or impacts and Changes in the contractors project risk responses. (Floricel and Miller, 2008) developed five risk strategies for projects, which are mainly for the large scale projects like construction projects, which further elaborated how risks in large scale projects should be handle. Author further state that strategies of every level of projects. A number of institutional anchoring elements must be put in place to tie project strategy to organizational strategy. It means that all organizations projects (called project portfolio) should be treated as stock portfolio. Also (Ward and Chapman, 2006) promoted the corporate scale view on risks rather than just a project scale view. They introduced the concept of risk efficiency as a prerequisite of the holistic risk management process and formed a decision rule for efficient risk management.

The Importance of Crime Scene Investigation

Crime scene investigation is often a challenging and difficult line of work for even the most experienced law enforcement agent. There are some crimes that are more difficult to handle spiritually and emotionally than others. Crimes against children and the elderly are often most difficult to excuse and most difficult for crime scene investigators to process psychologically (Swanson, Chamelin & Territo, 1999: 313). Such investigations often result in tremendous psychological burden with time (O'Hara, 2003: 178). Homicide in generally is often difficult to recover from emotionally, and often requires the investigator become deeply involved in the forensics model or inner workings of the mind of the criminal to help solve a case (O'Hara, 2003). This can result in increasing psychological stress with time. This paper will review a recent criminal investigation of homicide to two young children and the psychological and emotional effects the crime had on the family of the victims and the criminal investigator. In this case the researcher probes into how a crime scene investigation can result in significant emotional, spiritual and in some cases physical trauma to both the victims family and the crime scene investigator. Here the crime scene demonstrates how emotionally vulnerable crime scene investigators are, much like crime victims in many circumstances. In this particular case two children were murdered by their mother who suffered from severe PPD or post partum depression. The event occurred in the middle of the night and was not revealed until 24 hours later when the father returned from a late night work shift and morning binge. The crime was reported to authorities immediately upon discovery. In this case the two boys, twins, appeared to be suffocated by the mother while sleeping one night. The crime scene was not overly violent. The victims home appeared unkempt however, with trash piling up in the kitchen and littering other rooms of the house. The children were dressed in unclean clothing and the house looked as though it had not been cleaned or attended to in several months. Walking into the family area there was a noticeable lack of children's toys. There were multiple bottles of alcoholic substances and other paraphernalia suggesting one or both of the parents suffered from substance abuse problems. This crime had a particularly devastating effect on me, as I could imagine what it would be like if my family had suffered a similar crime, if my brothers or sisters had been murdered by a family member. Homicide is never an easy crime to cope with. In this case multiple law enforcement agents that were also present at the crime scene had a difficult time coping with the tragic loss of two unique and innocent lives. Not helping the fact were family members that were present wailing and crying out regarding the injustices of the world. Each of the family members present was blaming him or herself for the crime, having recognized the potential for disaster early on but taking no action to prevent it. The father in this case once located and grandparents appeared noticeably distraught. The grandparents were particularly upset, blaming themselves for the incident. The father seemed to waffle between disbelief, shock and terror. The father clearly suffered some sort of substance abuse problem and reportedly was at work when the murders occurred (he works a night shift). Spiritually I found myself questioning how this could happen to two innocent children. The children were not more than a year old. Both were tiny and innocent victims and for moments I considered these parents unworthy of such blessings. Emotionally I wondered what such a tragedy might do to my own family, possibly destroying my motivation for living. There is some indication that the father in this case might be placed on suicide watch, suffering psychologically from these deaths and the death of his wife (who it seems from the investigation took a lethal dose of prescription pills after suffocating the children). The individual lost his life partner but also his children. This crime is in no way justifiable and reveals just how cruel the world can sometimes be to even the most innocent of victims. Even in cases where evidence exists that the perpetrator of a crime was not of sound mind or spirit, there is little justification in cases of homicide. There are in many cases explanations for individual's behavior, as may be the case in this particular instance. The crime scene investigation here suggests that there is evidence to support the idea that the mother in this case was not psychologically fit for parenting at the time in question. There is also evidence to suggest she lacked the support necessary to cope with a difficult situation. That does not excuse her actions nor her substance abuse behavior, but does help explain how a crime like this could have happened. If I were in this particular case I would have ensured early medical intervention and increased familial support to prevent the severe depression that ensued and forced the mother to kill herself and her children. Clearly she was also suffering emotionally and physically, and did not feel she had the resources or support necessary to seek help and solve her problem without resorting to drastic measures. It is possible she suffered from some sort of psychosis. In this case other family members should have stepped in to facilitate earlier intervention and prevent this horrendous crime from occurring. Crime scene investigations are often difficult for crime scene investigators to handle emotionally and psychologically. While the job seems straightforward at first, with time crime scene investigators come to realize how difficult managing the psychological, spiritual and emotional aspects of the job are. Of particular challenge are homicide investigations. It is vital when handling such cases that the investigator separate himself from the investigation so he or she does not associate what is going on in the investigation with any personal situations or circumstances. This can exacerbate the stress experienced by a crime scene investigator. Fortunately there are a number of support mechanism in place that can help crime scene investigators cope with the devastating and trying scenes they encounter from day to day. It is important that these resources be made readily available in the cases where crime scene investigations involve violent criminal activity. While familial support is encouraging and helpful, support among peers and even counselors may be warranted to help crime scene investigators deal with the day to day. Stress management and other relaxation inducing techniques also may help alleviate some of the burden crime scene investigators face when handling difficult or violent cases.

Humanity Essay

People not only have a responsibility to others in the world, but an obligation to follow through,a s much as is possible, to shape a future world where conditions provide the best opportunities for all people to secure safety and happiness. Such a belief has often been regarded as â€Å"utopian† or highly idealistic, but it may be the case that actual conditions on the planet earth will reveal that utopianism is actually a form of pragmatism and that idealism, at least to some degree is a necessary component of social and political thinking. I regard this belief as a form of social responsibility. Social responsibility can be defined as â€Å"†balancing the pursuit of one’s individual goals with the needs of others in establishing a safe and just world and ensuring the continuation of a democratic society. † (Robinson, and Hayes, 2002, p. 6). The challenges of the twenty-first century, whether economic or environmental, cultural or biological will require new methods of thinking and behaving at both the individual and social levels. There must be an emphasis on changing the perceptions, particularly in twenty-first century America, which many people have about the nature of personal responsibility and personal empowerment. While it seems obvious enough to say, as President Barack Obama asserted in his book The Audacity of Hope, that new generations of Americans are â€Å"waiting for a politics with the maturity to balance idealism and realism, to distinguish between what can and cannot be compromised† (Obama, 2004. . 42) the ramifications of such a politics of maturity and realism extend to many important areas of American society including economics, technology, and philosophy and religion. What is necessary for America to meet the challenges of the future is a social cultural acceptance of the fact that responsibility, and not merely the pursuit of self-interests, is a path to personal empowerment. This last statement may seem contradictory to many Americans. A great number of people view themselves in purely materialistic terms and want what they can get out of society without taking any personal responsibility for the consequences. For some people, life holds no meaning outside of its material dimension and this loss of meaning in American culture has consequences beyond the immediately personal: â€Å"We have no choice, we are constantly told, because of economic forces, our unconscious, or our genes. Yet, at the same time, we live in a world that presents us with endless choices† (Sardar, 2006, p. ). As strange as it sounds, the only way to break the cycle of endless anxiety over our limitless freedom is by accepting responsibility for the choices we make. This is a kind of paradox in American society, â€Å"We want to have it both ways, and so we end up confused and cynical. Our obsession with individuality and self-interest further erodes personal and collective responsibility† (Sardar, 2006, p. 3) which means, the les s one begins to value their own existence the less responsibility they will feel for their actions. To accept responsibility is, in itself, to accept that life is meaningful and to accept that life in meaningful is an act of self-empowerment. we must learn to understand that â€Å"Freedom is both a gift and a challenge. It has value only when we respect it and enhance it individually and collectively. And when we exercise it with responsibility. † (Sardar, 2006, p. 3 ). In this way, a change in the basic philosophical vision present in American culture may help us to begin to make inroads against the challenges which face us in the new world. Wendell Berry’s persuasive argument that many modern conceptions of progress and happiness are rooted in ignorance and self-deception finds substantial validation in even a cursory glance of modern media and political discourse. Looked at more closely, the misconceptions ably identified by Wendell Berry in the Western (and particularly American) vision of life and life responsibilities, cast an illuminating light on contemporary government, American foreign policy, and many urgent social crises. Most obvious is the relationship between Berry’s observation that â€Å"The higher aims of â€Å"technological progress† are money and ease† and the recent almost epidemic instances of corporate corruption (and corruption in government) whereby CEO’s have garnered massive bonuses and pay-increases whilst robbing their shareholders and workers of profits and pensions. The corresponding downfall of powerful political figures in the United States Congress, as well as their lobbyist counterparts for racketeering, bribery, and other financial crimes indicates how widespread is the oligarchical strain of political morals in contemporary society. Wasteful projects such as the â€Å"†Big Dig† in Massachusetts (estimated at $2. 5 billion in 1985, over $14. 6 billion had spent in federal and state tax dollars by 2006), as well as the highly-publicized Tyco and Enron financial scandals affirm Berry’s contention that far from securing a worthy future, the immediate greed and gratification of â€Å"big money† has motivated corporate and political leaders to sacrifice the future and well-being of myriad other individuals and the nation as a whole in favor of selfish, personal gain. This type of greed, based on the fallacious assumption of preserving one’s future extends throughout the social hierarchy of America, with most, if not all industries and pursuits subordinated to it; as Berry remarks â€Å"Surely the aim cannot be the integrity or happiness of our families, which we have made subordinate to the education system, the television industry, and the consumer economy† (Berry,1990. p206). The reality is that most families are useful to the controlling interests of the American economy as charted demographics which allow individual economic resources to be targeted at â€Å"tapped† by the said controlling interests. Corporate America, the media, and the governments themselves function as subsidiaries of the overall obsession with wealth and the increase of personal fortunes. The quest for personal enrichment, the acquiescence to greed, predicated on the unknowable future is self-rationalizing behavior. Ironically, it is also self-destructive behavior and also portends the possible destruction of the global environment. Were humanity truly concerned for the future, Berry argues, we would embrace the good things we know about the present such as water, oxygen, trees, oceans, mountains, and wildlife, and see to it that these good things endure â€Å"If we take care of the world of the present, the future will have received full justice from us. A good future is implicit in the soils, forests, grasslands, marshes, deserts, mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans that we have now† (Berry,1990. 16) One implied irony in Berry’s observations is that technology, the science which is supposed to bring our society to a great modern crest, has actually pushed us further into primitive superstition and savagery. Our modern totems are money and power; and we rape the environment rather than protecting it. We use our knowledge to destroy rather than preserve, and, at its pinnacle, technology, so Berry insinuates, has as one of its outcomes, the utter destruction of human thought. If one’ motives are money, ease, and haste to arrive in a technologically determined future, then the answer is foregone, and there is, the fact, no question, and no thought† (Berry,1990. p17). The most philosophically dense and relatively unsupported point which Berry attempts to make is the connection between a rejection of dehumizing technology and religious faith. â€Å"If one’s motive is the love of family, community, country, and God, then one will have to think, and one may have to decide that thee proposed innovation is undesirable† (Berry,1990. p17). With this conclusion, Berry seems to depart from the more linear and persuasive argument he previously offered. After all, if, as he insists, â€Å"We cannot think about the future, of course, for the future does no exist: the existence of the future is an article of faith† (Berry,1990. p17) then surely the substantiation of God or any moral or political belief predicated on the existence of God is similarly â€Å"an article of faith. † Taking Berry’s comments another way: that religious â€Å"faith† comprises a panacea to an abiding though sorely misplaced faith in technology, the argument seems more tenable if no less anecdotal and emotionally based. However, it is the emotion of Berry’s remarks which lends them a convincing and urgent air, which is suitable for the topics at hand. Unfortunately, outside of a faith in God, a dedication to one’s family, and a respect and love for the earth and its environment, Berry offers very few insights into how the prevailing destructive beliefs and practices he describes may be combated or changed. His arguments about selfishness and the hollow pursuit of material wealth as opposed to communal or national prosperity seem well reasons and are substantiate by contemporary facts. His arguments against technology seem a bit less well-reasoned and incomplete, based on emotional rather than evidential criteria. Though Berry’s imploring tone seems to fall short of providing even the slightest recommendation of pragmatic applications to reverse or undo the environmental and cultural damage that has come from America’s mortgaged future, his overall diagnoses of the problems facing our â€Å"Plutocracy† are persuasive and articulated with aplomb. As Barack Obama points out, economics in the twenty-first century no longer function along the same models they had embodied for years. He writes that â€Å"In this more competitive global environment, the old corporate formula of steady profits and stodgy management no longer worked† (Obama, 2004, p. 156). What Obama is driving at with this statement can be considered an aspect of â€Å"humanizing† economics, a must-needed step for America in the twenty-first century. By accepting responsibility for our actions we will understand the connections between the injustices and disparities in society and the damages which have been inflicted upon the environment. Though some of our challenges may be economic and some may be based in moral and ethical issues, the unifying factor is always: human responsibility. We begin to understand ourselves much more clearly and understand our challenges more clearly when we admit that we live in a world which â€Å"desperately needs fixing and in which denial is seductively easy and cheap, at least for a time. We must acknowledge and seek to understand the connection between poverty, social injustice, and environmental degradation. † (Orr, 2002, p. 89) Barack Obama’s insistence that the new economics has paved a way clear of the old economics which stressed only self-interests and profits is a key to understanding the kind of view of business and corporate responsibility which will have to be embraced in American society as we move forward to accept our responsibilities and meet the challenges of the future. Instead of viewing purely money and material growth as the only forms of â€Å"profit† in business, corporations of the future will begin to realize that â€Å"business behavior and government policy toward business requires, more than ever, an appreciation of the firm’s human dimensions, the dimensions left out of the neoclassical theory† (Tomer, 1999, p. 1). The future corporation will accept responsibility for its actions and view itself as shaped by not only â€Å"market forces but by societal ones† (Tomer, 1999, p. 9) and in so recognizing other forms of â€Å"success† and â€Å"profit† namely, the maintaining of ethical and environmental standards which contribute to the overall growth and well-being of humanity may over-ride present-day obsession with self-interest and materialistic profit. If Barack Obama’s writings in â€Å"The Audacity of Hope† are any real indication of the politician of the future — or the President of the future — it si clear that America still has the capacity to grown and recognize leaders who can summon a bold-enough vision as well as present workable solutions to meet the challenges we have at least partially created for ourselves. Obviously, I disagree with the suggestion that all the worlds problems and injustices can be eliminated, but I do believe that positive change can be made and that better conditions can be achieved. Here is why. My generation faces so many different challenges, ranging from war to global poverty, from the impact of technology to the scarcity of natural resources, that it is difficult to assign a single challenge as most crucial or important. However, because the challenges of the twenty-first century, whether economic or environmental, cultural or biological will require new methods of thinking and behaving at both the individual and social levels, the biggest challenge that faces my generation is one of changing the perceptions which many people have about the nature of personal responsibility and personal empowerment. I see changing this essentially self-perceptive issue as a key for facing the specific, concrete challenges that we will face in the future. In my opinion, it is not only possible, but morally imperative, that the social inequalities and injustices of the world be addressed with an eye toward influencing productive change in the world. It is, in fact, possible to make the world a better place. The most important factor, in my opinion, regarding the formation of an ideal society, would be the individual liberties of each of the citizens in that society. To me, a society which contained too may laws or rules, whether intended to ensure liberty or simply to oppress people, would be contrary to a utopia. Any ideal society must ensure the freedom of its citizens while simultaneously preserving their safety and the productivity of the society as a whole. Therefore, although it may sound somewhat far-fetched, the most important reform in my ideal society would be concerned with educational reform. In my vision of utopia, knowledge would be considered the most important â€Å"possession† or accomplishment. Instead of testing people for aptitude in a hierarchical fashion, I belive IQ and other tests should be sued early on in someone’s life to determine where their particular strengths and talents are centered and then that person would be encouraged to pursue these talents and aptitudes without regard of race, sexual orientation, religion, political or cultural biases. Due to the fact that individual liberty is the keystone of my utopian beliefs, no-one in an idealized society should be forced to pursue any endeavor whether they have aptitude for it or not, but all should be encouraged to find their inner-talent and special interests as the highest achievable goal in life. That and respecting the rights of all others to pursue their individual talent and skills and interests. Because I realize that the first and foremost plank of my utopian platform necessitates changing deeply rooted racial, gender-based, and cultural prejudices, it is worth pointing out that â€Å"utopias† are defined, not in terms of practicality and pragmatism, but on imaginative depth and vision, so that â€Å"the influence of utopian writings has generally been inspirational rather than practical. † (â€Å"Utopia, 2004†) This allows for utopian thinkers to â€Å"dream away,† as it were, and this liberty allows me to offer my second most critical element in an ideal society. This second point falls squarely under the category â€Å"economic utopia. † In my vision of an idealized society, money would be completely eliminated. The reason that money would be eliminated is because economic interests traditionally have displaced moral ideals in capitalist societies. Corporation work to obfuscate moral responsibility: â€Å"levels of complexity are added by confusion between descriptions and prescriptions of social responsibility, between what is and what ought to be, and between moral obligation and legal obligation† (Besser, 2002, p. 4). In my ideal society, religion would be primarily left to the individual and there would be no government sanctioning or endorsement of any single religion. Again, this is an impossible social requirement, but the vision of utopia I have would not contain the existence of exclusionary religions, religious ideas taught in public schools or religious ideas being used as a basis for common morality. Instead, a civi l ethic would replace what has in the past been seen as a religious ethic. Because my ideal society would contain neither organized religion or money, I believe that the two most important barriers to personal liberty and happiness would be removed from most people’s lives. Because self-determination would be the highest priority in my utopia, family conflicts and other interpersonal relationships would also play a less-permanent role in people’s lives,encouraging them to view all people as equal rather than those of their family or race or region being more â€Å"familiar† and subsequently more preferred or sympathized with. Most of the social changes in my utopia are probably unachievable and yet I believe by making only a few, albeit radical, changes in social vision and structure, a better world could be realized and a wider spread of happiness and contentment might be embraced; it is the idea that these changes could happen, even if they are unlikely, that defines a utopia.

Scholary vs. Popular Media Focus on Sexuality Paper

SCHOLARY VS. POPULAR MEDIA FOCUS ON SEXUALITY PAPER By: Akirra It’s a Quick Way to Get What You Want†: A Formative Exportation of HIV Risk Among Urban Massachusetts Men Who Have Sex with Men(MSM) Who Attend Sex Parties was an article retrieved from the AIDS Patient Care and STD Journal it was published in October of 2010. The authors of this article are Matthew J. Mimiaga, Sari L. Reisner, Sean Bland, Kevin Cranston, Deborah Isenberg, Maura A. Driscoll, Rodney VanDerwarker, and Kenneth Mayer. The main focus of the research was to investigate the HIV sexual risk behaviors of MSM who reported attending and/or hosting sex parties in Massachusetts in the past 12 months. Men who have sex with men at these sex parties are at greater†¦show more content†¦This article gives a very detailed brief account of what a sex party full of men on crystal meth is like other wise known as â€Å"Party and Play†, or PnP for short. The authors describe the sex party scene as a room full of about 30 to 40 men paying 20 dollars a pi ece to the host of this party, they put all their belongs in hefty bags for safe keeping while they walk around in the nude having sex with multiple partners unprotected and using illegal drugs. The authors mention several factors that were putting these men at risk such as drug usage, multiple partners, and unprotected sex. They talk about how one person on meth and having hundreds of unsafe sexual encounters could have been the result in a powerful drug-resistant strain of HIV. Leaving health officials and the community leaders to take a long look on how crystal methamphetamine is playing an enormous role in the spread of the AIDS Virus and HIV(Jefferson, Breslau, Darmen, Childress, amp; Juarez, 2005). The authors depict how crystal meth leaves its users with a euphoric and hypersexual feeling, leading in binges with multiple partners for several days. In the article, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men that are high on crystal meth are four times more likely to engage in unprotected sex than those who are not high. The article also reveals that many men pop Viagra to