Thorn Queen Chapter Thirteen

Ysabel couldn't be coaxed out of her room, no matter how hard I tried. I even sent Shaya to do it, seeing as she tended to be a bit more personable than I was. No luck. Ysabel remained firmly entrenched and would only ramble over and over about how she was going to tell her lord about me and escape this accursed place. Evening wore on, and I couldn't drag myself back to Tucson. My feelings were in turmoil. I'd never expected to feel guilty about anything pertaining to Ysabel, but there it was. And as more time passed, I didn't just feel bad about inadvertently suffocating her. As soon as I'd realized what I had done, I knew I had to cease practicing this kind of magic immediately. Storm King had used it to kill his enemies in horrible ways. Kiyo had warned that delving further and further into my powers would put me on a path I might not be able to turn away from. And yet†¦that was the problem. I knew I had to stop†¦but I didn't want to. Sure, I didn't want to learn air magic to kill. But after touching that power†¦I couldn't stop thinking about it. I found my mind spinning, analyzing the air around me and how easy it would be to manipulate it. What had started as a seemingly small lesson from Ysabel was quickly moving into larger and larger implications as I grasped more of air's patterns and how it worked. It was like I didn't even need a teacher. My own nature and pull toward magic was running away and creating its own lessons. My conflicted ruminations were interrupted when a letter arrived via the Otherworld's equivalent of the Pony Express. It was from Leith. As I'd suspected, he'd devoured the engineering books. What I hadn't expected was that he'd already developed a plan for how to implement some of the irrigation systems and was going to accompany some workers out to Westoria in the morning to get started-unless I had any objections, of course. If I didn't, then he would be honored if I would come out to meet them. He also added in his letter that he had investigated the towns near the Yellow River crossroads. None of them had any reports of missing girls. It figured, I thought. I either had enough bad luck to be the only monarch with runaway girls-or I possibly had an enemy specifically targeting me. Considering the number of gentry who resented my rule, the latter wouldn't have surprised me. Regardless, I decided I had to go out to see Leith tomorrow. Even if it was just an elaborate attempt to woo me, he was still going to an awful lot of trouble with this. Plus, I hoped that if I spent the night here, Ysabel might finally emerge. So, I stayed over, giving me the opportunity to meditate with the land. While I noticed no ostensible difference in the morning, there was a strange, intangible feel to it†¦. It seemed healthier. Like always, I couldn't exactly articulate why. Perhaps most disturbing of all, I found that staying over wasn't quite the agonizing ordeal it used to be. I was preparing to head out to see Leith when a guard announced that a rider was approaching. I wondered if it was a messenger-or possibly Leith himself. Instead, it was someone quite unexpected. Dorian. The castle servants fell all over themselves to welcome the Oak King, and he swept inside as though perfectly entitled to it. Which, I guessed, he was. Nonetheless, I had no time for his antics today and greeted him with hands on my hips. â€Å"Not today, Dorian. I have things to do.† â€Å"As do I,† he said. He had that typically laconic tone to his voice, but there was an oddly serious-and impatient-look in his eyes. It was not an expression I'd seen very often. â€Å"I've come to see my subject. I knew you wouldn't welcome her with open arms, but honestly, my dear, your attempts at murder shock even me-no small feat.† My jaw nearly dropped to the floor, both because of his assumption and the fact that she'd somehow gotten a message out to him. â€Å"Wha-? Dorian, it's not true! It was an accident. I didn't realize what I was doing.† â€Å"May I see her?† he asked, not acknowledging my plea. I could hardly deny him that, and he hurried off to her room without another word. She admitted him-no surprise there-and I found myself pacing the entire time they were together. It had been bad enough that Ysabel had thought me capable of assault. But somehow†¦the idea of Dorian thinking badly of me? Well, it struck me harder. I shouldn't have cared what he thought-God knew I was mad at him more often than not. Yet, I realized that deep inside I wanted his good opinion. I felt sick to my stomach that I might have lost it. When he emerged, his face was still serious. â€Å"I believe I have convinced her that your intentions weren't murderous.† I sagged in relief-more, I think, because he appeared to believe me. â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"The question now is: do you want her to stay?† â€Å"Will she?† I asked, startled. â€Å"She obeys me,† he said simply. â€Å"She'll stay and continue to teach if I tell her to.† â€Å"I don't want anyone here against their will†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I've assured her of her safety. She won't live in-much-fear of you. So, that's no longer the issue. The issue instead is if you want to continue with her teachings.† â€Å"I can't-not after†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stopped, realizing I was unsure of the words leaving my lips. I didn't want to be like Storm King. I didn't want a natural affinity for learning ways to kill people. And yet†¦I couldn't stop thinking about the way I'd felt wielding that kind of power. Controlling water had given me a rush; air had doubled it. Dorian's gold-green eyes were watching me very carefully. â€Å"I see,† he said. â€Å"Then I'll tell her she'll be staying a little longer.† I started to protest but couldn't. He returned to her, stayed a few more minutes, and then joined me in my parlor where I had resumed pacing. â€Å"Well, then,† he said briskly, â€Å"that is that.† The grim set to his face was gone, and I found myself grateful to see the return of his usual mien. â€Å"I noticed you were about to leave. Off to free humans from your subjects?† â€Å"Off to free my subjects from me.† I explained my task, and his features lit up with interest. â€Å"How convenient that I'll be traveling in the same direction. Unless you'd like me to wait here until you return?† No, the last thing I wanted was to encourage Dorian to make himself at home in my castle. So, I grudgingly conceded that he could go with me, partly because I still felt guilty and grateful over his intervention in the Ysabel incident. One bright side to him being with me was that Rurik decided I didn't need an entire retinue for the trip. He alone accompanied us, and I wondered idly how Dorian managed to go wherever he wanted without an entourage. I didn't like to think he was a more authoritative ruler than me. â€Å"Don't give me a hard time about this air thing,† I warned. â€Å"I don't want any spiels about how I'm embracing my heritage and approaching my destiny.† Dorian smiled, eyes on the road ahead of us. â€Å"I don't need to tell you things you already know.† â€Å"Of course†¦I suppose if I did get a better grip on my magic, I might be able to get rid of those fucking fire demons.† â€Å"You see? I told you I don't need to say anything. You're finding ways to rationalize your use of magic all on your own.† â€Å"Hey, this is a serious threat. You can't tell me you'd be all casual if you had demons running loose in your kingdom.† I frowned. â€Å"Or would you? I got the impression a lot of rulers don't bother themselves with that kind of thing.† Dorian's eyes took on that serious glint again, despite the small smile on his face. â€Å"Aeson didn't bother. Don't generalize to all of us. You know better. If I had demons in my land, I'd lead a group out myself to obliterate them.† I wondered if Dorian could. My potential power might be greater than his, but at the moment, his control and skill made him a more dangerous force than me. A ruler in the Otherworld had to be powerful, or else the land wouldn't accept them. It was a wonder I'd been found worthy. â€Å"Do you want me to help you?† he asked when I remained silent. â€Å"I'll go with you the next time you strike.† â€Å"What would that cost me?† I asked with an eye roll. â€Å"Why do you assume everything I do has an ulterior motive? Isn't it enough I'd want to help you?† â€Å"I don't know,† I said, not liking how his words made me feel bad. Was I attributing more insidious motives to him than he deserved? â€Å"I don't trust anyone around here.† Westoria was looming in the distance. â€Å"I don't even trust Leith's engineering generosity. He's not doing this for the sake of trade.† Dorian's eyes lifted to the approaching village. â€Å"That,† he said, â€Å"we can both agree on. No matter how much you beat yourself up over those demons, you have more than enough strength to bind the land to you.† I hated his uncanny ability to guess my thoughts. â€Å"When Katrice dies, the Rowan Land will either pass in entirety to someone with the power to control it, or it will divide itself and be subsumed into other kingdoms.† â€Å"Shaya said the same thing-and that Leith thinks being hooked up with me would help keep it in the family.† I shook my head. â€Å"One land's bad enough. I don't have the power to control two.† â€Å"You'd be surprised,† he said ominously. Our arrival was greeted with the same wonder and awe I'd had before the demon incident. Apparently, yesterday's food shipments and Leith's presence today had reestablished my awesome reputation. Dorian seemed to have an effect as well. As we dismounted and walked through the village, the residents' eyes followed both of us, filled with admiration and wonder. Glancing at Dorian, I could understand their feelings. He strode through the dusty town just as he had my castle, confident and majestic, even after a hot and wearying ride. He looked like, well, a king, and even I couldn't help but admire his good looks. Beside him, I felt frumpy and insignificant. Then, I tried to pull back out of my glum thoughts and imagine what we must look like to these people, both of us tall and red-haired. We looked good together, I knew. I was in jeans, but I'd cleaned up this morning, and my hair was down. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see where the sun lit it up, giving the red a golden hue that complemented Dorian's truer red. My tank top was blue, a good color for me, and I had on my usual gemstone jewelry. Perhaps most importantly, we carried our titles as king and queen, and to these people, I realized we were probably the equivalent of a Hollywood couple on the red carpet. â€Å"Your majesty! I'm so glad you could-† Leith had come running up to us and came to a total standstill when he saw Dorian. After a few stunned moments, he made a polite bow to the Oak King. â€Å"Your majesty. Also a pleasure.† I could tell Dorian was delighted to have ruined Leith's plans for a romantic interlude. â€Å"Well, I hated to part from Eugenie this morning, so I thought I'd come along and see what's new.† I had to restrain myself from elbowing him. His wording implied that we'd woken up together. Our former relationship was no secret, and Dorian had pitched his words loudly, so that some of the gathered villagers would hear. No doubt this would be all over the Otherworld by tonight. Leith looked even more dismayed than before, and I tried to smooth things over. â€Å"Why don't you show us the project?† I asked him. â€Å"I don't think I can thank you enough for what you've done.† Leith brightened and eagerly led us forward. As we walked, Dorian murmured in my ear, â€Å"Believe me, he's more than sure you could thank him enough.† â€Å"How come you can allegedly do things for me without ulterior motives but no one else can?† I hissed back. Dorian only grinned as Leith headed toward the village's edge and showed us his handiwork. There was little to see of his irrigation system at this point. Mostly people were digging and laying out the foundation. Leith did his best to explain what it would develop into and even showed us blueprints-quaintly written on parchment. I followed them a little but could tell they were gibberish to Dorian, despite his polite and confident smile. Zealous or not, a prince of the Rowan Land was not about to do manual labor, and once the tour was done, he sat down with Dorian and me at the mayor's house. Davros seemed only too happy to keep offering his home as my hangout and eagerly served us wine before leaving his esteemed guests to discuss whatever it was royalty talked about. â€Å"This is only the beginning of what we can do,† Leith said, positioning himself so that Dorian wasn't in his line of sight. â€Å"I'd love to come visit and discuss more ways to work through this. I've got some ideas on how to construct buildings that will reflect light better. Have you ever considered redesigning your castle?† â€Å"Yikes,† I said. â€Å"No. That'd be a big feat.† â€Å"Not as big as you think. Not with the right help.† I shook my head with a smile. â€Å"Let's just focus on the people first.† Leith smiled back. â€Å"Sure. But I will come by some day to show you some palace ideas-just in case you change your mind. Or, better yet, you should come visit us. Mother would love to show you the hospitality of the Rowan Land.† â€Å"Or, better yet, you should throw the Thorn Queen a party,† said Dorian, deadpan. â€Å"I'm sure she would love it.† This time, I did elbow Dorian. Leith didn't notice. Dorian knew perfectly well I dreaded Otherworldly social events-particularly when the focus was on me. â€Å"Really,† I began. â€Å"That's not-â€Å" â€Å"Of course!† said Leith. â€Å"We haven't had a grand ball in quite a while. We could invite hundreds of people†¦.† I decided then that elbowing wasn't severe enough. It was with great restraint that I didn't actually kick Dorian. He placed his own elbow on the table, resting his chin in his hand, appearing quite entertained. â€Å"You'd have to outdo Maiwenn's party, to truly show Eugenie honor,† said Dorian. â€Å"That's going to be hard to do. Of course, Maiwenn has an unfair advantage with her maternal glow, eh? Eugenie was just telling me on the way here how all this baby talk is kindling longings of her own.† I choked on my wine. â€Å"I love children too,† Leith told me. â€Å"I can't wait to have some-once I find the right woman.† I was spared more of this when one of Leith's workers came in, anxious over some mishap. Leith looked devastated at the thought of abandoning me-and also embarrassed over me witnessing a flaw in his grand plans. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he said. â€Å"I hate to leave you. I'm sure this will only take a moment.† â€Å"Actually,† I said, rising. â€Å"We should probably get going as well.† â€Å"Must you?† he asked, face falling further. â€Å"I'm sure I'll see you soon.† â€Å"Yes,† agreed Dorian. â€Å"You should get moving on that ball. Or maybe I should just throw one for her†¦.† Leith totally fell for the baiting. â€Å"No, no. I would be more than honored to.† He swept me a bow, and I let him kiss my hand. â€Å"I'll have news for you soon, I promise.† I smiled and expressed my thanks and allowed him to kiss my hand again when he insisted. As soon as he was gone, I turned on Dorian. â€Å"Are you trying to push me into his arms or away?† â€Å"Ironically, doing one causes the other.† He stretched and stifled a yawn. â€Å"Were you telling the truth? Are you ready to leave?† â€Å"Yeah, I think so-â€Å" â€Å"Your majesty?† Davros stuck his head into the room, wearing his usual apologetic look. His eyes flicked nervously from Dorian to me. â€Å"I'm so sorry to bother you†¦I know you must be busy and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"She's been found, your majesty. The missing girl? Her parents tracked her down last night but were afraid to tell you†¦she seemed so distraught. I only just found out myself. I told them you'd want to know-â€Å" â€Å"Of course, I do.† I was already moving toward the door, Dorian fast on my heels. â€Å"Where are they?† Still bobbing his head in obeisance, Davros hastily led us to a small home on the opposite side from Leith's construction. He beat impatiently on the door. â€Å"Open up! The queen is here.† Almost a minute passed before the door opened. The woman who had accosted me on my first visit peered out, eyes wide. â€Å"Your majesty,† she said humbly, inclining her head. She didn't seem to recognize Dorian. â€Å"We-we didn't know you were here.† â€Å"I want to see her,† I said impatiently. â€Å"Let me talk to her.† The woman hesitated, fearful of me but also fearful of something else, apparently. Davros was undeterred. â€Å"This is the Thorn Queen! Let her in.† With a gulp, the woman stepped aside. I found myself in a small but clean cottage, dimly lit thanks to all the curtains being drawn, though all the windows were open to allow a breeze. The woman's husband met us as we walked through the kitchen, his face pale and afraid. â€Å"Your majesty†¦forgive us. We were afraid to tell you. We were afraid she'd run away again.† â€Å"I'm not going to hurt her. I just want to talk to her.† It was a bit depressing, between Ysabel and this family, knowing everyone was terrified of me. Ironically, before I'd known about my gentry heritage, I'd been proud of the fear I inflicted on Otherworldly inhabitants. â€Å"Please take me to her.† I felt Dorian's hand on my shoulder and his breath warm against my ear as he whispered, â€Å"You do not need to say please.† With a quick exchange of looks, the couple led us to the back of the cottage, into a tiny bedroom. It too was darkened, and I could make out a slim girl lying on a bed. There was a washcloth on her forehead that fell off when she sat upright at our approach. She cringed against the wall. â€Å"Who is it? I told you I didn't want to see anyone†¦.† â€Å"It's all right, Moria,† said her mother. â€Å"This is the queen. She's come to talk to you. She's not going to hurt you.† The girl wilted even more, blond hair covering half of her face. â€Å"No, no†¦She's come with the others, come with her human blood to bind us and kill us and-â€Å" â€Å"Moria,† I said gently, holding my hands out as one would under a white flag. â€Å"She's right. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk to you. It won't take long.† â€Å"They all say that,† Moria said, eyes wide with tears. â€Å"They all say they won't hurt you†¦all the humans†¦you're no different†¦they all say they aren't†¦.† She lapsed into muttering too low for me to hear, her hands clinging to the covers. â€Å"I think,† Dorian murmured to me, â€Å"that her experience has left her†¦ah, a little touched. I doubt you'll get anything useful from her. There's a healer at Maiwenn's court who's particularly good with sickness of the mind. You should send for her.† I had a feeling he was right but had to make one more attempt. â€Å"I just want to know where you've been. Who took you. I want to make sure it doesn't happen again. Tell me who it is, and I'll stop them.† â€Å"No,† she breathed. â€Å"You're the same†¦the same as him†¦the Red Snake Man.† â€Å"Red Snake†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I still had demons on the brain, and an image of their red and black mottled skin came to mind. Were they snake-like? â€Å"Moria, were you taken by demons? Or some kind of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hell, in the Otherworld, any monster you could imagine pretty much existed, as Smokey had shown us. â€Å"†¦um, snake monster?† She shook her head frantically. â€Å"Our own kind don't hurt us. It's only yours†¦you're all the same†¦the human blood†¦all marked the same†¦.† Her eyes left my face and lowered. For a disorienting moment, I thought she was staring at my chest until I realized her gaze was on my arm. I absentmindedly touched the spot. It was where my snake tattoo coiled around my arm. Moria squeezed her eyes shut. â€Å"All the same†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stiffened. â€Å"Did he†¦are you saying the person who took you had a tattoo like this on his arm?† â€Å"The Red Snake Man,† she whispered, still refusing to open her eyes. â€Å"Did he banish you? Did he force you to this world? Or did you come back on your own?† â€Å"Iron†¦iron everywhere†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stared off at nothing for several seconds. â€Å"I'm done,† I said, turning to her parents. â€Å"She can rest now.† I left the house as swiftly as I'd come in, Dorian matching my pace. â€Å"What's going on? That meant something to you.† I nodded, heading toward where Rurik stood with our horses. â€Å"I think I know who took her-and maybe the others. Not bandits or a monster. It was a human.† â€Å"How do you know that?† â€Å"Because of the tattoo.† The Red Snake Man. I'd seen a red snake tattoo just the other day-on Art. He'd had that on one arm and a raven on the other. â€Å"It's another shaman, one who lives very close to where the crossroads around here opens up in my world.† He was also the shaman who had told me to my face he knew nothing about gentry girls. I came to a halt by the horses and absentmindedly stroked the side of mine. She looked back and sniffed me. â€Å"But why? Why would he take a gentry girl? Or more than one? His job is to get them out of our world. I could see him banishing them out of the human world†¦.That might traumatize her, but that doesn't sound like what happened. She disappeared from this world. She made it sound like she didn't want to be in the human world.† Dorian snorted. â€Å"Eugenie, where in your jaded existence did you pick up this naà ¯vete? If a human took one of our girls, it'd be for the same reason we'd take one of theirs. For the same reason any man would abduct a girl.† I blanched at his implications. â€Å"But more than one?† â€Å"He wouldn't be the first man to prefer-ah, how shall we say it? Variety.† I couldn't see it of Art, not the Art who happily tended his garden and offered us beer and pop. He'd known Roland for years. They'd worked together. Was Art truly a kidnapper and rapist? Or was the girl just traumatized from being banished? It could be a pretty horrific experience. I grimaced, feeling a sharp twisting in my stomach. I'd come too close to rape already in my life to treat even a hypothetical situation lightly. Was Moria a victim? Were there others like her out there? Maybe it wasn't truly Art†¦and yet, her words had dark implications. The human blood. A mark like mine. The Red Snake Man. The crossroads to Yellow River. He had to be involved; I just didn't know how. I gave the horse one last pat and then mounted. â€Å"I have to get home,† I said, turning back to Dorian and Rurik. There was some mistake here, some mix-up. Art wasn't involved in this. He couldn't be, at least not in the way Dorian had suggested. â€Å"I have to talk to someone. Immediately.† I waited for the requisite Dorian joke, but none came as he mounted his own horse. â€Å"Then we go different ways. Be careful, Eugenie.† For some reason, frankness and concern from Dorian was more disconcerting than his usual banter. â€Å"If I'm right about this, then it's a human matter. Should be a cakewalk compared to what I deal with around here.† Dorian shook his head. â€Å"I'd have to disagree. Give me demons and restless spirits any day over human deceit. But if you need help, I'm here. Just ask.† Again, there should have been a joke here. I glanced away, troubled by the way he looked at me. â€Å"Thanks. Hopefully it'll be a simple matter.† How exactly? That I didn't know. I wasn't sure that roughing Art up would really accomplish anything-if he truly was at fault here. â€Å"See you later, Dorian.† He nodded by way of a farewell. Then: â€Å"And of course, my dear, you may kill as many humans as you like, but please try not to harm any more of my subjects. If you can help it.† There it was, at last. The joke. â€Å"Noted,† I said. I attempted a glare, but there was a smile on my lips as I did. I set a hard pace back to my castle and the gateway that would bring me back to my own world. Crossing over at the Yellow River one would have been faster, but I needed to go to my home in Tucson and prepare myself before facing Art. Rurik matched my pace easily and mercifully stayed silent. He'd watched me and Dorian together the way a child watches his or her divorced parents, in the hopes that Mommy and Daddy might make amends someday. My whirling thoughts made the trip go fast-as did the land's quick route today-and we were greeted with a commotion when we reached the castle's outer borders. A group of guards came tearing toward us, and my heart seized. What now? A siege? Demons? Kiyo? Yet as they got closer, I could see that the guards almost looked†¦enthusiastic. â€Å"Your majesty! My lord! We found her.† Rurik and I drew our horses to a halt and climbed down. I felt my legs scream and knew I'd be sore later. I wasn't so practiced a rider that I could ride like that without consequences. I ignored the pain and turned to the guards. â€Å"Who?† I demanded. â€Å"We have her. The girl. The runaway girl from Westoria,† said the guard, clearly pleased at his success. Rurik and I exchanged puzzled glances. â€Å"That's impossible. We already saw her.† The guard shrugged. â€Å"We found her out near the steppes, by the Rowan Land border. She matches the description and was clearly afraid of us. She tried to run away.† â€Å"Take me to her,† I said helplessly. Had my guards found another of these kidnapped girls? It would certainly provide more information. He led us inside toward one of the little-used rooms, explaining that they hadn't wanted to put her in the dungeon-although her fear and desire to escape had required a guard. His expression turned uncomfortable. â€Å"We, um, also had to bind her in iron. She kept attempting magic. They're still not able to fully stop her.† A guard like this could never handle iron shackles without causing himself intense pain. Sometimes, though, prisoners would be bound in bronze cuffs with a tiny bit of iron affixed to them. It required delicate handling by the captors but was usually enough to stunt the prisoner's magic. We reached the room, and the men on duty stepped aside for us to enter. There, across the room, a slim young woman had her back to us. Long blond hair cascaded down her back, and I had a weird, disorienting sense for a moment as my brain grappled with the possibility that Moria had somehow made it here before us. Then, as the girl slowly turned around, the torchlight began bringing out glints of red in the golden hair that little Moria hadn't had. I realized what was happening even before I fully saw my prisoner's face. â€Å"You have got to be kidding me,† I said. It was Jasmine.

The Asian Carp Cake (Boong-uh Bbang)

Korea is indeed known for its colorful history and rich culture and tradition. Each and every component of the country plays an important role in the development of Korea’s culture and tradition even its foods and cuisines. Aside from Kimchi- Korea’s best known cuisine, Korea is also famous for its fish-shaped pastry which is known as Boong-uh Bbang or Bungeobbang. Boong-uh Bbang literally means goldfish since the pastry resembles the Asian carp fish bungeobbang where the pastry gets its unique shape. Boong-uh Bbang was believed to be introduced by the Japanese during their occupation on Korea in 1930’s.The Japanese originally called the fish-shaped pastry as taiyaki and right after the Japanese colonization the Koreans used the name Boong-uh Bbang to refer to the fish-shaped pastry. From then on, the fish-shaped bean filled pastry had become a favorite street food in the country of Korea (Nation Master). Boong-uh Bbang does not contain actual fish or any fish pr oducts; in fact it is filled with sweet azuki bean paste known as pat. The batter is poured into both side of the fish-shaped mold. The read bean paste which is made from azuki bean is then put on one side of the mold and the mold is then closed.The batter is toasted until it is golden brown. The pastry is toasted in an appliance which has a carp fish shape. This equipment performs like a waffle iron which gives the pastry its unique fish shape. The exterior of the pastry when toasted has soft and light cakey appearance with a nice texture while the thin edges of the pastry are very crispy. Like most Asian desserts, the flavor of Bungeobbang is barely sweet. Boong-uh Bbang is usually sold in the street of Korea during winter (Nation Master). Koreans have developed an ice cream version of bungeobbang which is filled with vanilla ice cream and sweet red beans known as Sshaman-ko.There are also other varieties of Bungeobbang such as Gukhwappang and Gyeranppang. The former is also fille d with sweet red beans; however its shape is not like a goldfish but rather like a sunflower. Meanwhile, gyeranppang is filled chicken egg and has a rounded rectangular shape (Reference. com). Knowing the story behind a particular cuisine of a country is very significant as it plays a significant role in the development of the country’s culture and tradition. The recipe in particular of the cuisine tells the ingredients of the dish and how the dish is done.The manner of how the food is prepared and the ingredients used in preparing the dish may give us an idea on what tradition and culture does the country has. Moreover, each single ingredient of the dish and the dish as a whole may even tell the history of a particular country. The era on when it is first introduced or developed can tell in particular the important events in the history of the country. It is indeed important that before eating a particular food, one should have at least an idea on what he or she is eating an d how the food is done or processed for safety reasons.One might have an allergy on one of the ingredients of the food and he or she might avoid the attack of the allergy if he has some knowledge on the contents of the food he is eating. Furthermore, one might be mistaken on eating a particular food that is against their norm, beliefs and religion such as those who are not eating pork meat or any other animal meat. As for the vegetarians, they may avoid eating foods that contain even little animal meat if they have knowledge on the ingredients and contents of the food they are eating. References Reference. com. (2008). Bungeoppang.Retrieved July 28, 2008 from Reference. com database. NationMaster. com. (2005). Bungeoppang. Retrieved July 28, 2008 from NationMaster. com database. Bungeoppang is the name of a Korean fish-shaped pastry. Bungeoppang consists of sweet azuki bean filling known as pat, which is encased in batter and then toasted in a special appliance that performs like a waffle iron. This appliance is specially molded to create the fish shape of bungeoppang. It is then toasted golden-brown and served. Bungeoppang is usually sold as a snack by open-air food vendors throughout Korea during the winter season.Crispy thin edges meet a soft and light cakey exterior with an inner pouch holding the maroon azuki bean filling. Surprisingly, it’s barely sweet like most asian desserts but has a nice texture with the nearly whole beans. Hardly unusual for someone who has grown up supping red bean soup or eating sesame paste balls for dessert, it’s pleasant but I can’t imagine craving its flavours. I love the novelty of the bungeoppang but much prefer the hoddeok, a dense and round pancake with a thin layer of sugar and cinnamon through the middle.It's called Boong-uh Bbang (literally means goldfish bread because it looks like a gold fish). There's an ice cream version of it, filled w/ vanilla ice cream and sweet red beans called Ssah-man-ko. Bungeobbang (lit. â€Å"crucian carp cake/bread†) is the name of a Korean fish-shaped pastry. Bungeoppang consists of sweet azuki bean filling known as pat (? ; see red bean paste), which is encased in batter and then toasted in a special appliance that performs like a waffle iron. This appliance is specially molded to create the unique fish shape of bungeoppang.It is then toasted golden-brown and served. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. †¦ Taiyaki (e? †ºc„? a ) is a Japanese waffle-like cake traditionally filled with sweet azuki bean paste (although it can be filled with other things such as sweet custard), fried and molded into the shape of a fish; as Tai means sea bream in Japanese. †¦ Hangul also refers to a word processing application widely used in Korea. †¦ A domestic Belgian waffle iron A waffle iron is a cooking appliance used to make waffles. †¦Bungeoppang is usually sold as a snack by open-air food vendors thr oughout Korea during the winter season. It is usually sold in quantities of four or more. Although the pastry is shaped like a fish, it does not contain any fish or fish products. Korea (Korean: (i?  °i„ or i†¢? e µÃ‚ ¬, see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. †¦ There are also bungeoppang-shaped waffles filled with ice cream and pat. koreanfood. about. com/od/snacksanddesserts/a/bungeoppang. htm www. nationmaster. com/encyclopedia/Bungeoppang Bungeoppang (lit.â€Å"crucian carp cake/bread†) is the name of Korean fish-shaped pastry. Bungeoppang consists of sweet azuki bean filling known as pat (? ; see red bean paste), which is encased in batter and then toasted in a special appliance that performs like a waffle iron. This appliance is specially molded to create the fish shape of bungeoppang (see Asian carp for the fish's significance in East Asian culture). It is then toasted golden-br own and served. History Bungeoppang was first introduced into Korea by Japanese during Korea under Japanese rule in the 1930s; although there it is known as taiyaki.How to get Bungeoppang is usually sold as a snack by open-air food vendors throughout Korea during the winter season. The vendors sell them in a similar way to Korean eomuk or Japanese kamaboko. It is usually sold in quantities of four or more. Although the pastry is shaped like a fish, it does not contain any fish or fish products. There are also bungeoppang-shaped waffles filled with ice cream and pat (sweetened and boiled red beans or azuki beans). www. reference. com/browse/Bungeobbang

Labor Force

In any industry or company service workers do raise some complaints due to the way their employers treat them or due to the condition of working place.   These are some of the complaints most of workers do raise.   Service workers at times complain about low pay, no benefits and lack of effective communication from their employers.   Other issues such as workers being treated like slave laborers with no breaks and sexual harassment by he employers.   Problems such as political, height and weight discrimination are also faced by workers.   Some workers are mocked either because they are too short, tall or overweight.   Last problem is failure by employer to provide safety gadgets to its employees. In order to solve the above issues raised by workers, unions have been found to be of help.   Unions always try to analyze workers problems and try to protect them against threats from their employers.  Ã‚   In a case where safety gadgets are to be provided, unions do assist them in obtaining these safety measures.   Just like in oil mining fields gumboots and helmets are necessary because of accidents. Most workers tend to run away from jobs because there is no safety at the work place (Gus, 1995). Some of the reasons why new collar workers would not want the same benefits and clout that Blue collar workers were able to get by unionization are:   New collar workers get more benefits while blue collar workers get less benefits.   This makes collective bargaining become very hard because of the difference.   The more benefits you receive the stronger the bargaining power.   Blue collar workers are paid less and retirement age is always a bit early. Since blue collar workers are influenced by their employers they are always afraid especially in presenting their grievances. They fear threats of being sacked by their employers, which may make them loose their jobs (Gani, 1996). New collar workers may be hesitant to join a union especially when they realize that there are no benefits in what the union has to offer.   Normally workers need benefits that collective bargaining can bring but if the union is found to have no teeth to protect their interest then unionization is seen as useless.   Another reason why new collar workers may be reluctant to join unions does come from the influence of employers. Some employers use divide and rule tactics where they hold meetings with individual employee.   In this case they send messages of threats in the workforce cautioning workers that they risk suspension.   New collar workers also become reluctant to join unions because of lack of patience.   Most of them lack that time to wait long when it comes to fighting to achieve what they want (Michael, 2003). The future prospects of union in service industry according to my feeling are that it may end up fading with time.   This is because most of these unions do not commit to their core objectives why they were formed.   Workers are withdrawing from the unions because they feel they are cheated where by the system that is suppose to help them protect there is doing no job. References Gani, A  Ã‚   (1996). International Journal Manpower: Who Joins the Unions and Why (pp54 – 55) Mc B. up Ltd. Gus, T. (1995).   Look for the Union Label. Me Sharpe Publishers. New York Michael, D. (2003).   Why Unions Makers.   Amazon.com Books Publishers. New York.   

Darwin had during the Voyage of the Beagle that led to each of the Essay

Darwin had during the Voyage of the Beagle that led to each of the component parts of his Theory of Evolution (Descent with Modi - Essay Example Darwin’s inspiration came from a five-year voyage of a ship known as the Beagle, during which he was the ship’s geologist. The voyage gave him many changes to observe the distribution of both wildlife and fossils, and he eventually collected these ideas into an extensive theory of natural selection, which he published in his book, The Origin of Species . Prior to Darwin’s theory, the predominant belief was that animals and plants were as God had created them, there were no differences. If change had been observed across time then this was explained that, for example, a generic bird had given birth to a woodpecker, with no apparent reason other than the will of God. Darwin considered that this did not match what he saw during the voyage, and what he considered and theorized over the time following. Darwin’s theory of evolution consisted of four parts, each of which was supported by observations that Darwin had made during the voyage of the Beagle. Variation within Species One of the key observations that Darwin made during the voyage of the Beagle, was the wide ranging variation within members of the same species. There were almost limitless types of variation, such as beak type and size in birds, amount of hair, eye color, and number of offspring produced, ability to conceal and success at mating. Species that had wide ranges, occupied a number of variable habitat types and were common had the most variation. Likewise, species that were in larger genera had more variation than those in smaller genera. Inheritance of Traits Darwin observed that many of the traits that varied among individuals of the same species were passed from a parent to its offspring. For example, a bird with a distinct beak shape passes this on to some or all of their offspring. Not all variation was heritable; some variation was not passed on from parent to offspring, but was a result of environmental changes, such as hair color as a consequence of exposure to s unlight. This was important for Darwin’s theory of evolution, as for traits to change over time; there was a need for the ability for them to be passed from one generation to the next. High Population Growth When individuals produced offspring, they generally produced many more than would survive. Darwin observed this in a wide range of species, including both animals, bird and plant species. The effect was particularly strong in plants which often produce hundreds of offspring, but only a handful survive to maturity due to competition, predation and other externals factors. This led Darwin to predict that the presence of different traits in the individuals in the population would increase the survival of some, and decrease it in others. Struggle for Existence and Differential Survival Darwin observed that there was a constant struggle for individuals and species to survive. Species occupied areas that were not ideal to them in order to avoid competition or predation, and ind ividuals were constantly exposed to a fight to survive. This struggle was not limited to different species, but was equally strong between members of the same species. What species were struggling against, varied widely among species, for example a plant in the desert struggles to acquire enough water to survive, while plants in the tropics struggle for their offspring to acquire enough sunlight and resources due to intense inter- and intra-specific competition. It was this

Change Plans and Projects with an Organization Essay

Change Plans and Projects with an Organization - Essay Example The first element that should be considered is whether the plan being explored will bring more benefit than problems to the company (Wands, 2001). This might seem a self-evident factor, but at times change plans take on an inertia of their own. Time should be taken to see whether the change is really worth it. The second element will be the influence that the changes will have on the employees of the company, from the lowest entry-level employee to the CEO. As already outlined, such influence is essential to consider. The third element will be to brainstorm possible problems that may occur on implementation and to have contingency plans in place to deal with them. Internal human elements that may force an organization to change are many and varied in nature. First, the retirement or other departure of leading personnel, such as the CEO, a long-term manager or other key personnel, may bring about the need for change. This "forcing" of change should in fact be seen as an opportunity for new ideas, systems and outlooks to be instituted within the company. Another internal element may be dissatisfaction expressed, either individually or as a group, by a large proportion of the employees. External elements, like the internal, are many and... Other external factors may be the availability of workers, maybe locally, but perhaps on the other side of the world, that can offer outsourcing possibilities in order to reduce costs. Thus many IT operations can be handled by offshore, outsourcing options such as the numerous software companies in India. General changes in worker habits outside of the company, including Union activities, may also influence a company to change. As with the internal factors, the changes need should be seen as an opportunity rather than a weakness or necessity. Positive things may come out of apparently negative circumstances. The first task of the leader will be to explain the change in as coherent and sympathetic a manner as possible. It is likely that many employees are largely technically illiterate and so a good degree of coaxing will need to be done. This explanation should not be conducted in a condescending or paternalistic manner, but rather as if the employees were equals within a team. Indeed, this is the way the leader should regard them anyway. Workers who are treated as drones have the natural tendency to act that way. Second, an excellent training program will need to be implemented that will enable all employees to become as efficient as possible on the new technology. One idea would be to have departmental leaders who are trained to train others on the technology. These should not be at the managerial level, but rather be experienced store-level employees who are trusted by the others. This way the employees can 'fail' while learning and not feel the need to hide their failures or not explore the reasons why they have failed. The training program will be developed at the corporate level, but implemented at the

Selected Family Health Promotion Assessment and Initiative Essay - 1

Selected Family Health Promotion Assessment and Initiative - Essay Example In most first world countries, health visitors offer spontaneous public health service in accordance to the actions taken by the government to promote health and provide preventive care among families and communities. These health visitors maintain a number of cases to be dealt with, particularly families within a certain area with children of 5 years old and below, to supply health services through specialized home visiting that focuses on individual health care needs, clinic contacts, as well as health-related activities at a community level. Since the early 1990s, the British National Health Service has aimed to implement policies that will address health inequalities (Greater London Authority 2002), reduce all health-related gaps, and improve the living standards of those experiencing the worst health conditions in the society (Department of Health 2001). Initially, the pressure in decreasing the amount of time allocated for home visiting was consequently followed by the increase d emphasis on disadvantaged families. Owing to such priorities, major decisions were made with regards to the assessment of health needs when families are first visited by health visitors to identify the appropriate frequency of possible contacts in the future. There is not a single approach that is accepted as the sole tool for assessing health needs; there is also no established agreements regarding the applicability of various approaches with which decisions about the frequency, level, and types of services to be provided are to be made. Elkan, Robinson, Williams, and Blair (2001) asserted that the main decision lies on the judgment of health professionals in ascertaining the frequency of communication and contact with families. There have been an increased number of studies that examine the processes integrated within health visitor needs assessment, especially in settling on the necessary contact frequency between the family and health visitor (Appleton 2002); however, there ar e fewer studies that highlight the structure the implementation of structured health needs assessment approaches. Nonetheless, majority of health institutions responsible for health visitors have implemented a type of structured guidance that can help make appropriate decisions about service provision in health visiting. The current study, then, focuses on the Developmental Model of Health and Nursing (DMHN) which emphasizes the development of healthy attitudes and behaviors that take place in the family. The DMHN generally pays attention to how family members create the strategies necessary for them to live a healthy life, focusing on the role of the entire family in developing the responses to health-related situations which can generally affect the family at an individual and group level (Ford-Gilboe 2002).Due to the model’s strengths-based direction, the DMHN can be very much applicable for evaluating and gaining insight especially about vulnerable groups of people. The f ollowing sections will then examine the application of the Developmental Model of Health and Nursing (DMHN) initially proposed by Alen (1977) to restructure health care systems and make them

The main character Hester Prynne experiences a metamorphosis in Research Paper

The main character Hester Prynne experiences a metamorphosis in Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter due to the act of adultery she - Research Paper Example In the case of The Scarlet Letter, the main protagonist of the story, Hester Prynne, is convicted of adultery and is chastised by the Puritan community. As punishment for her crime, she is forced to where a scarlet â€Å"A† on her chest for everyone to see. In the initial part of the novel, the identity of the father is unknown due to the fact that Hester’s husband is overseas in England; therefore he could not be the father. As a result, she refuses to reveal the identity of the true father, but is convicted of adultery. In this aspect, she is branded so that no one will associate with her due to the fact that she broke the Ten Commandments. It has the â€Å"effect of a spell† or a plague in that it causes the inability for her to associate with anyone in the town. Even travelers who come to visit the town soon learn the truth behind her sins. Because of the mark that she wears, it causes her to become isolated from the rest of the community. Therefore, she does not develop the typical relationships and social connections that would normally be experienced in Puritan society. This is due to the fact that religion is the bond, which ties the entire community together and that connection with Hester was severed when she was convicted of adultery. In this case, she creates her own world for both her and her daughter Pearl. In addition, by closing herself off to the rest of society, it protects the identity and questioning of who is the true father of Pearl. As a result, her â€Å"imprisonment† by society is used in terms as more of a social barrier, than as physical imprisonment. The aspect of her being in prison also transcended other bounds. She was not able to be with the man that she really loved. Chillingsworth tormented her about the whereabouts of her lover, and eventually set out on a vendetta to take revenge on that individual. In spite of all animosity and negative feelings toward her, she is able to maintain and create a saf e environment in which both her and Pearl can live in. Because of the animosity that Hester experiences, there are a great deal of effects of both living and emotion that she has to deal with through the course of the novel. The first main effect on Hester is dealing with Pearl. She is an extremely unruly child that Hester has a hard time controlling. Because the child was conceived out of sin and because of the eccentric and misbehavior, many of the townspeople began to regard the child as a child of hell. In this respect, many of the community attempts to take away Pearl from Hester so that she may be saved and raised in a proper Puritan manner, however the minister of the town, Authur Dimmesdale protests saying that the daughter must remain with the mother. Also, Pearl served as a walking reminder of the sin that Hester committed along with complementing the scarlet â€Å"A† on her chest. Hester lived in this political and social prison for a very long time. Not willing to divulge the other adulterer, she was condemned to living a cursed life. The inability of her to form relations with anyone inside the town as well as raise a child by herself gave her a sense of hopelessness. All of Hester’s struggles and misery is derived from the structure of the Puritan religion. They often did not tolerate those who did not worship

Strategic management. read article then answer questions Essay

Strategic management. read article then answer questions - Essay Example This confounding hinders the fact that resource-based concept is only one of the various strategic logics within heterogeneous firms that leads to intra-industry performance differences. The influence of environments on company performance has been a key theme in strategy and has become a function of the fit between organizational structure and the environmental setting (Porter, 1996). Extrapolating this argument to inter-organizational level, researchers argue that the influence of network position on firm performance is controlled by the environmental context. Essential to the argument is that changes in the environment influence the nature of skills and capabilities needed for competitive advantage. Since network positions are crucial to firms in an attempt to acquire appropriate skills and capabilities, firms are compelled to strategically design their networks to acquire skills and capabilities in a changed environment. Nevertheless, any mismatch between needs of the environment and the firm’s position could have serious performance implications (Bingham and Eisenhardt, 2008). Position strategy has various advantages like constructing an impressive empire surrounding an attractive market that offers long-term competitive advantage. In addition, competitive advantage relies on valuable strategic position within an industry and linking the various resources to defend the position, since strategic positioning drives huge profitability (Peteraf, 1993). Often companies defend their position by combining resources that their competitors find difficult to imitate; therefore, position strategy links resources to successfully defend an organization from challengers. Nevertheless, like any strategy, the position strategy has its vulnerability factor which is change since when industries change relocating a business empire locked in a strategic position is tough. The weaknesses of this strategy include dismantling synergies in case of change that management wo rked hard to put in place and exposing the organization to risks in transition to a fresh strategy. Thus, change forces managers to dismantle their resources in position strategy and reassembling them in fresh strategic positions, which consumes time and potentially lethal because performance may stall until all pieces are reassembled (Siggelkow, 2001). Currently firms are leveraging on social media tools in an attempt to attract consumers to engage in their interactive online social environment (Shadkam and O'Hara, 2013). In environments of moderate change, leverage strategies outperform position strategies because change is incremental and conventional which ensures that managers rotate strategically important resources in the industry. Although position strategy bases on the empire analogy, leverage strategy resembles chess in that competitive advantage results from having valuable pieces and ensuring smart moves with the pieces. Organizations pursuing leveraging strategy attain competitive advantage through their strategically essential resources within the existing as well as new industries at a rate consistent with market change. For instance, Pepsi owns various strategically important resources; however, the company has leveraged the resources to

Divorce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Divorce - Essay Example This increasing rate of divorces can be blamed on an imbalance between understanding the other person and maintaining one’s own self-esteem at the same time. The inability of the couples to appreciate their partner and the values of marriage has led to the soaring statistics of divorces (Kramer). With the advent of the same-sex marriages and state laws permitting them, a difference can be seen in couple behaviors and relationship attitudes between the same-sex and heterosexual couples. A very intriguing concept put forward by Peter D. Kramer, analyses the values of autonomy and mutuality amongst the couples and the importance of their equivalent preservation. Autonomy is one of those values that is imprinted in the American psychology and even in marriages the couples are emphasizing on maintaining their self-beliefs and their true identity against whatever the circumstances. Carl Roger states that, â€Å"a successful marriage is one that increases the self-actualization of each member†. In olden times, only men were privileged with this right of self-governance, however 1970’s introduced this ideology to the women as well. It is important to note here, when both members of the couple assert their self-importance and individuality, it is a step forward towards progress and social evolvement. But the irony of this concept is that it leads to a greater number of divorces. Therefore it is of most importance that this ideology should be in a state of equ ilibrium with mutuality and acceptance of the other person. Mutuality is a virtue that is not commonly practiced in our society and the attention of an individual is mainly directed towards self-enhancement, self-help and self-esteem. It is not something that can be taught or practiced spontaneously; rather it needs to be incorporated in our society just like the concept of autonomy is. Marriages will not be able to thrive in a healthy manner until and unless

Deontological ethics Essay Example for Free

Deontological ethics Essay Deontological ethics is too rigid in its emphasis on duties, utilitarian ethics too keen to override basic human rights. Deontology and utilitarianism are both types of ethics referring to how one reacts in a certain situation. Deontology is based on following a set of duties and sticking to these duties no matter what the consequences whereas utilitarianism is based on choosing the best outcome over a short term and long term even if it means depriving people of basic human rights for example. However does this mean that deontological ethics is too rigid in its emphasis on duties and that utilitarian ethics is too keen to override basic human rights? According to a deontologist ones actions must be determined by a set of duties regardless of whether the long term consequences are good or bad. A deontologist believes in human morals and that every human has certain rights and these morals and rights should not be betrayed no matter what the cost for example sacrificing one life to save one hundred lives would be unacceptable to the deontologist despite the fact the consequences would be better overall. The biggest problem with deontology is knowing which set of duties to follow, there could be a great variation in systems between people from different backgrounds, different social classes, different religions and people from different cultures. For example a Protestant English Lord would have different morals and a different set of duties than a lower class Indian Hindu. It is very difficult to tell which set of duties, if any, is the right one. Deontologists suffer many problems when their duties seem to conflict with themselves or with other duties. One has a duty to save lives but what if in order to do this one must betray another duty for example a husbands sick wife needs life saving medicine but the husband cannot afford to buy it, should he steal the medicine in order to save his wives life or should he not betray his morals and allow his wife to die. This raises the question as to how do we tell which duty is the most important and which is the least? If the consequences o f each are to be considered then this would make it a consequentialist view and not a deontological one. Single duty conflicts cause just as many problems such as two people imminently need a heart transplant but only one organ is available, a deontologist has a duty to save lives but on this occasion only one out of the two can be saved. This is known as the doctrine of double effect and is said that since it is impossible to save both lives, ones duty to save lives has not been broken. Deontology does encounter many problems but also has a number of merits. Since deontologists refuse to betray human rights, every human is guaranteed these rights will not be broken. Deontology would also normally let justice prevail and this is a good quality indeed. According to Utilitarianism On Liberty by John Stuart Mill, mankind is under the governance of two sovereign masters one being pleasure and the other being pain and this in itself determines what we should do and what we actually do. By the principle of utility is meant that principle which approves or disapproves of every action whatsoev er, according to the tendency which it appears to have to augment or diminish the happiness of the party whose interest is in question. (J.S. Mills). According to utilitarian ethics the community at large is considered to be the party in question and so the interest of the community is the sum of the interests of the individual or the sum total of the communities pleasures against the sum total of its pains. A man may be said to be a utilitarian when his actions are determined by the consequences which will increase the total amount of pleasure throughout the parties involved or to reduce the total amount of pain throughout the same parties. J.S. Mills also claims that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to promote the reverse of happiness The major problem with utilitarianism is the conflict it creates with ordinary morality for example sacrificing innocent lives in order to save a greater number of people. The problem with morality in this case is obvious as no one has the right to take another human life, however the long term consequences will be better as more lives are save d. Another serious problem is the difficulty in determining the consequences of a certain action. It is impossible to predict the future with this sort of accuracy and so how do we know if one action will bring better consequences than another action. This is why determining the long term consequences is a lot more difficult than the short term consequences and is another serious problem with Jeremy Benthams utilitarian theory. Utilitarianism is based on the total amount of happiness of everyone concerned, but whose happiness counts? Every human or only those with sound body and mind? It is this problem that creates extreme difficulty in determining the total amount of happiness for those concerned. J.S. Mill claims that both mental and physical pleasure counts with intellectual activities giving the most pleasure despite his godfather, Jeremy Benthams, theory claiming the opposite. However this gives rise to another problem as it is impossible to quantify happiness and so there is no way to guarantee that one action will bring a greater amount of happiness than another action. However utilitarianism is not all bad and Benthams beliefs did have some good qualities. Since utilitarianism represents the community as a whole and not just individuals it is a very selfless way of thought as a utilitarian would consider causing himself a small amount of pain in order to give everyone a large amount of happiness as worth it. Deontological and utilitarian ethics both have a lot of problems as I have shown. Deontological duties often mean that the action with the best outcome is not selected and these duties themselves often conflict with each other causing even more problems with which action should be taken. On the other hand Utilitarianism often betrays human rights and morals in order to achieve the best consequence to such an extent that betraying these rights may not even be worth it. Also consequences are very difficult to predict and often unforeseen things can happen changing the long term outcome for the worst. So I would have to agree that Deontological ethics is too rigid in its emphasis on duties and Utilitarian ethics too keen to override basic human rights.

Concept of Competitive Advantage | Literature Review

Concept of Competitive Advantage | Literature Review Abstract:- This article addresses the issues of the development of the concept of competitive advantages. It is based on theories of different writers, their explanation and a literature review of these theories. Competitive advantages arises from different firms attributes and characteristics that allow one firm to create better customer value than do others. Competitive advantage includes ownership of assets and their positions. To achieve and sustain competitive advantage, a firm or industry need to create creativity. Strategic management theories give the concept of competitive advantage and explain the performance and ability of the firm and describe how we can run the firm in the right direction. Introduction :- The concept of competitive advantage are quiet same in different industries or firms and writers are explain in different ways but they rotate on same point for example superior performance of the firm in a decent manner. There are various theoretical framework are used to explain competitive advantage. Competitive advantage arises from the differential among firms along any dimensions of firm to create better customer value against the competitors. The basic purpose of this coursework to indicate how firm can gain their position in the market. This coursework can help to analyse different theories of management and give an integrative framework that helps management practitioners systematically analyse the nature and cause of competitive advantage in a different manner. LITERATURE REVIEW:- There are basically five forces to develop basic foundations include competitors, threat of new entrants substitute products, bargaining power of suppliers and bargaining power of buyers. Companies are fighting with each other and some of them are defend itself against these competitive forces (Porter 1998). The resources and capabilities of a firm are the central consideration in formulating its strategy. The resource based theory approach to strategy formulated understands the relationship between resources, capabilities, competitive advantage and profitability. According to writer there are four factors which are useful for the firm to increase their depth i.e. strategy, competitive advantage, capabilities and resources (Grant 1991). According to writer he relates the competitive advantage with a theory of comparative advantage. According to his theory he say that the comparative advantage theory suffer from the same weakness as a neoclassical theory of the firm. So according to writer the idea of competitive advantage gives explanatory power of strategy and organization. The success of firm in the market depends upon the organisation work of firm, sector and their interrelationship. They sought where a competitive advantage could be established by devolving organizational superiority (Bagnoli. et. al; 2003). There can be a heterogeneity or firm level differences among firms that allow some of them to sustain competitive advantage. The main concept of theory are based on four points i.e. valuable, rare imperfectly unite able, without strategically equivalent substitutes (Barney 1991). The ability of the firm is stay ahead of competition with the help of their superior performance and leaderships. So competitive advantage is directly proportional to competition either it is in different departments or in different firm throughout the world. Manager could understand the current position of the firm. In short porter argues that strategy is a race to get an ideal position in the market and differentiate itself for targeting customer (Porter 1998). Scholars in the strategy field are concerned fundamentally with explaining differential firm performance. As strategy scholars have searched for sources of competitive advantage. Two prominent views have emerged regarding the source of supernormal returns. Primarily a function of a firm membership in an industry with favourable structural characteristics and secondly is that differential firm performance is fundamentally due to firm heterogeneity rather than industry structure (Rumlet et.al; 1994). Competition in any industry does not stem only for competitors and it also influenced by the underlying structure of the industry. Additionally author stresses competitive advantage, which is created and hence can be controlled by individual firms and not comparative advantage (access to factors of production like cheap or natural resources), which is mainly inherited (Porter 1985). The purpose of the industrial organization was the internal competition of the industry. This aim was inverted to produce models aim at helping firms realize supernormal returns by surreptitious way of competition (Barney 1986). The development and implementation of new ideas by people who overtime engage in transactions with other within an institutional context (Van 1989). The generation, acceptance and implementations of new ideas, processes, products and services to create a market and competition against the competitors (Kanter 1983). Different researchers attempt to explain the superior performance of the firm. They explain how firm can gain their better position in the market. Some of them say, the leading hypothesis is that sustained superior performance coming from sustained competitive advantage Barney (1997). But on the other hand Grant (1998) can relate the superior performance of the firm with competitive advantage. According to them competitive advantage and superior performance of the firm are different unit to each other. Theories are different as the source of competitive advantage. Because some time firm gain their superior performance by using different tactics like monopoly, because they want to maintain their position or protect their position against the compotators. This is the best point according to the big firms, because they create monopoly in the market and try to protect their position (Caves et. al; 1977) Sometimes the superior performance of the firm depends on the level of the firm, business unit, corporation or industry. Because in big firms the power of gaining is more as compare with small firms. So small firms cannot compete the large firms (Powell et. al; 1997). Better explanation for superior performance may exist, it has specifiable causes and these causes are tied to perform distributors may be fellow simple heuristics or stem for a single process such as problem solving Popper (1972). According to Powell (1996), strategic management has not told us the significant debate on the competitive advantage. According to writer there are two proportions are important to increase the performance of the firm. First one is the dependent variable (superior performance) of the firm and secondly independent variables include competitive advantage. He separates these two proportions and gives the relationship between them. On the other hand if we examine this theory with other theories like Porter (1998) theory. His attention toward the firm and how much firm create competition in the market and how much effort put by firm to stay ahead against the competitors. But according to Robert (1999) sustainable competitive advantage is not necessary or important for the superior performance of the firm. But on the other hand Barney (1996) can relate sustainable competitive advantage with the performance of the firm. There is substantial agreement with in the literature on the price, cost and differentiation definition of competitive advantage. But according to Reed (1990) competitive advantage does not play a vital role for making the firms strategy. He creates a link between competitive advantage and competence. He says competitive advantage can be derived from numerous sources and advantage can come from competence and this competence can control by firm and can be manipulated with in the strategy to generate advantage for performance. On the other hand Porter (1998) says superior performance of the firm is due to the competitive advantage. He relates competitive advantage directly with the competition, so the ability of the firm to stay ahead of competition with help of their superior performance. But the major development comes when Hofer (1978) described competitive advantage the unique position of an organization developed against the competitors through its patterns of resources deploymen ts. He suggesting that competitive advantage ensues from competencies. They also say that competitive advantage as something can be used with the firm strategy. As such competencies and competitive advantage are independent variables while a firm performance is the dependant variables. (Mahoney et. al; 1992) suggests in his article about the special issue in his article. He says firm physical resources and its capabilities interact to create competitive advantage. He seeks to reconcile the resources and capabilities based theories of competitive advantage through the theory of invisible assets. This theory was proposed by (Itami et. al; 1987) holds that experience and constitute the principle source of sustainable competitive advantage. If we talk about the competitive advantage then we cannot neglect the overall progress of the country. Some governments can support their industrial sector because industrial sector is directly proportional to the economy of the country especially we can see in china and in of United States of America. So according to Porter (1998) specific elements condition the international success of an enterprise in a certain segments. He figures out that the enterprises of an inferior cost or differentiated product to assert them worldwide. According to them through the globalization of the economic game enterprise to improve their competitive advantage. The same thing can explain by other writers. To create a competitive advantage, the enterprise is required to progress to innovate and to discover the best competitive opportunities and exploit them. So create an opportunity against the competitors Robert (1999). According too many writers and their theories, why a country is more competitive than others. The national competitiveness comes from macro-economic phenomena directed by change rate, interest rate, deficit of the national budget. On the other hand some of them Robert (1999) says some companies or industrial sector are try to compete with cheap work force of with cheap raw material. The big example of this point is China. In china the work force is very cheap and there is no tax on any import and export. Chines government are support their industrial sector and improve their economy. According to the writer, the creation and capture of private and social value by firm that adopt corporate social responsibility strategies. So to achieve a competitive advantage is a responsibility of a manager to accomplish their objective. He relates this theory with the economics such as hedonic pricing, contingent valuation and the new literature on the economics of industrial organization. The same kind of things was discuss by Barney (1986) in his journal and also by porter (1998) in his book. Sometime researchers are not depending on the same point. Because in every case they have a different task and every case of superior performance is unique, extreme and non-generalization Starbucks (1992). But according to (Bowen et. al; 1999), competitive advantage has generated a large volume of scholarly output, both theoretical and empirical. So strategic management researchers has not produced a same effect on the competitive advantage. Most empirical studies infer the existence of competitive advantages. Examples of competitive advantage:- The most powerful example of achieving competitive advantage against the competitors is an Apple company. First this company based on computers but after that Apple has established a stellar reputation for developing products that there customer needs and want. The iPhones, iPods and iPads each combine functionally, ease of use, which not merely satisfy but delight the customers. They promote their products in a different manner like music for iPods and application software for iPhones. The competitors of Apple Company try to compete by using different hardware features, sometime same features like touchscreen and applications but they cannot compete the Apple Company. The main reason of this happening because Apples instance secrecy about its product development makes it hard for imitation to begin before the product is launched, thats why Apples Company takes advantage over others. Secondly Apple Company gives useful applications like iTunes by being first on attractive fixed charg es. So finally prove itself all over the world with their outstanding performance and services. Chinas is the second most powerful country economically now a days, because of their industrial sector. Chines government support their industry in a decent way and help to improve their strength. In textile sector China play a vital role throughout the world. In 2005 china controlled one third markets of garments in Europe and one fourth markets in United States of America. More than 50% of the market capture by China all over the world in textile sector. There are few reasons why china is dominant in the market. Firstly the inflation rate is increased all over the world and due to this reason the prices are going up. Secondly low labour cost as compare with Europe and United States of America. In china the utility cost is very low due to the support of their government to their industrial sector. On the other hand Pakistan, India and honking are try to give some competition but they are given so much competition and the market are increased very dramatically. The same thing was dis cuss by Robert (1999) in his article. He says how much cheap labour and material are affected the overall progress of the company (Brambilla. et. al; 2007). In 2004, when Danish maker of interconnecting brick toys had lost money each of the previous six years, its survival as an independent company was in jeopardy. Lego had been harmed by falling birth-rates in many developed countries, by low-cost imitations, and by their many boy customers switching from traditional toys to video games and personal computers. This is very interesting thing when your business will decrease due to birth rate. Because the A poorly-conceived attempt at diversification followed. When Jordan Knudstorp was appointed CEO, in addition to divesting noncore businesses and cutting costs, he worked to enhance Legos competitive advantages. Because of its philosophy of learning through play, Lego had avoided toys about fighting or violence, despite the interest of boys in both. By leveraging Legos strong brand name, design capability and quality reputation into products based on Star Wars, Batman, and Ferrari race cars, Legos turnaround gained traction. Knudstorp als o grew Legos Mindstorms buildable, programmable robot line to the point that it and other non-interlocking-brick products exceed 33 percent of sales. Sometimes when your strategy maker or upper level management was unclear about the strategy then sometimes the firms are clash. The same thing happening with the Teco Bell company. The CEO John Martin strategy was unclear and performance was medicore. Understanding with his customer thing and their needs and desires was outstanding; he commissioned a major study employing conjoint analysis. On his first attempt he changes the customer services value with fast service, accurate order filling. But more surprising was that the customer considered the condition captured in the fact formula to be more important than having an authentic ethnic food experience. Taco Bell wasnt competing with Tex-Mex restaurants because competitors are fast food provider but Taco Bell is not. Now John Martin develops a value base strategy and tries to give a better service in low cost. Now he cut down the prices and reducing store size with better facilities. He upgraded the restaurants by using new data ent ry equipment; improve store layout and the job profile for store managers and for manager assistants emphasized customer service. Due to these changing in his strategy now Teco Bell has 5000 restaurants. So we can easily analyse for this example, if we increase the customer value and give good services with the help of competitive advantage theories then we improve our input in a decent manner. Conclusion:- In this assignment I studied different types of competitive advantage theories and write a literature review on these theories with the help of different journals and papers. From all of these theories I develop my idea about firms performance and conclude how firm are ahead against the competitors. Firstly a firm has to look deeply into what it has, what it can do, what it can get. Secondly the competition is not between or within the industry or firm but sometimes the competition is all over the world where firm need to support about nationally (government) as well as internationally (suitable polices for international companies). For internationally success it is required to be able to transform a domestic position into a global one. Finally to create a competitive advantage the company required a continuous progress to innovate and to discover the competitive opportunities and exploit them. Firm should not stop improving the quality of its products and its methods. History of Art: From Middle Ages to Modern Times History of Art: From Middle Ages to Modern Times   Yodaniz Rodriguez Style: Early Renaissance Title: Madonna with Child Artist: Giovanni Bellini Date: 1450 1455 Material: oil on wood Location: Civico Museo Malaspina, Pavia Reference: (Madonna with Child 1450-55, n.d.) The Madonna and Child images introduces one of the most amazing characteristic subjects in Bellinis art. However, this kind of work was not only used by Bellini. (Stokstad Cothren, 2013) Minor and medium to small holy images designed for isolated and domestic ownership were unique features of art during the beginning 15th-century. Bellinis depictions are famous due to a gentle pressure that unceasingly stalemates the mother and child in an association of thoughtful bleakness. (Madonna with Child 1450-55, n.d.) The replicas for these depictions of a Madonna were frequently done by Byzantine and Graeco-Cretans and were distributed in Venice. The unmoving, severe-looking Madonna and Child is comparable to Bartolomeo Vivarinis work. The slender limbs and motionlessness reveal the effect of Jacopo as well. However, the positively defined line of the Child and his transparent clothing conceivably originates from Squarcione, who was definitely an inspiration to Bellini during the creations of his work. (Madonna with Child 1450-55, n.d.) The presence of light and shadow are evident in this particular work of art. The artist used color to contrast against a dark base showing composition of the figures. Facial features are not sharp yet there are shadows present on the face and limbs implying that there is light coming from their right side, illuminating them. Style: High Renaissance Title: Madonna of Belvedere Artist: Raffaello Sanzio Raphael Date: 1505 1506 Material: oil on wood Location: Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna Reference: (Madonna of Belvedere, n.d.) The three individuals demonstrating immobility are depicted in an olive green field. These figures are accompanied by gentle facial expressions and impassioned hands. The Virgin Mary is depicted in a contrapposto posture. The artist seems to have used colors to signify specific details of the painting. The blue on Marys robes indicates the ecclesiastical and the red represents Christs passing. The Madonna stands still as the Mother Church with Christs martyr. Her eyes are fixed on the young Christ that sits on her lap while John the Baptists attention is also on the boy. I believe this is signifying his importance. The crown that sits upon her head seems to be curved to the left and slightly inclined as she holds up Christ while he rests tracing the small cross held by John. (Madonna of Belvedere, n.d.) Raphael truly congests the reality of Mother Nature in this work and also in many of his other works. His style consisted of more real and natural figures. (Stokstad Cothren, 2013) Distinct from previous depictions created during the Renaissance, this Madonna is illustrated within nature where most were illustrated sitting on a chair during this period. This painting provides a beautiful and impressive perspective in the contextual aspect as if to imply that the countryside itself is her chair. (Madonna of Belvedere, n.d.) Although the figures are depicted as immobile, shadows exist under the figures and also within the hands of the Madonna as she holds Christ. Unlike Bellini, Raphael gave his subjects some more realistic and natural facial expressions. The use of light and color really brings out the joy of the characters. Style: Baroque Title: Madonna with Child Artist: Simon Vouet Date: First half of the 17th century Material: oil on canvas Location: Crozat de Tierra, Paris Reference: (Madonna with Child, n.d.) This preparation by Vouet was appropriately recognized and widespread. It was a recurrent style used by him during this period. The facial expressions of the Virgin consist of the outline of the artists wife, who had unfortunately expired before. It could be that Vouet created this illustration during a nostalgic and emotional period. (Madonna with Child, n.d.) Nevertheless, the image generates the proof of a massive effort due to the amount of natural detail presented. The character of the Madonna seems to be chiseled from a large rock, she is smooth and angular. It seems this painter struggled to highlight the spiritual tenderness of the Madonna and the Child. The child is displayed with the creases of the Madonnas clothing as his mother gazes upon him with affection and allows him to explore her face and clothing. (Madonna with Child, n.d.) The color used in this painting provides a contract to its dark background. The composition of the figures are evident through their position and color. This image inspires deep emotions of sadness and joy as they are depicted in a dark environment but are somewhat lively. The details of the lines of the characters are extraordinary. The childs body consists of natural bodily features as he sits upon the Madonna. The shadows used on the body of the child and the clothing of the mother are so realistic and imply more movement than the previous images discussed in this paper. The commencement Renaissance provided the emergence of more realistic portrayals of nature and human figures by artists who were stimulated by ancient Greek and Roman art and culture. (Stokstad Cothren, 2013) The works illustrated during the Early Renaissance (14th and 15th century) demonstrate some of the severe medieval features, whereas masterpieces created during the High Renaissance period (late 15th and early 16th century) expose the wonderful scopes and balanced configurations related to the standards of the Classical world. (Stokstad Cothren, 2013) The art created during the Baroque period (17th century) personified a lively energy that reflected the edgy essence of its era. In paintings, theatrical descriptions of faith motivated by the Catholic Churchs Counter-Reformation contrasted with animated demonstrations of the secular world normally created in the Protestant north. (Stokstad Cothren, 2013) This was a period that consisted of more emotional and detailed works of the natural world. During this period, it seems that medieval influence was completely eradicated unlike the previous creations of the renaissance age. References Madonna of Belvedere. (n.d.). Retrieved from Khunts Historisches Museum Wien: https://www.khm.at/en/korean/ Madonna with Child. (n.d.). Retrieved from Arthermitage: http://www.arthermitage.org/Simon-Vouet/Madonna-with-Child.html Madonna with Child 1450-55. (n.d.). Retrieved from Religious Art: http://www.religious-art.org/Madonna-with-Child-1450-55.html Stokstad, M., Cothren, M. (2013). Art History Volume 2, 5th Edition. [South University]. Retrieved from https://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/#/books/9781256992356/

Construction Site Safety in Malaysia

Construction Site Safety in Malaysia The coverage of the construction industry is very wide-ranging; it consists of residential construction, commercial building construction, heavy engineering construction, civil engineering, industrial construction and infrastructure. Construction site is considered to be the most hazardous working place. In the construction site, safety and quality are always concerns by the people. In the recent years, construction industry is facing environmental problem due to the pollution and the hazards mostly establish by the construction activities. In Malaysia, the construction industry is acknowledge generating the country development and also improves the country economic. The frequencies of site accidents and property damage which create a great impact to the construction organization. During construction period, when happening of accidents and injuries or deaths of workers will cause delays to the construction project. The delay of the project directly and indirectly will incur the cost. As a result, all the construction organization must provide a good and safe working environment for the workers. 1.3 Background Working in the construction site is very dangerous. Most of the accidents happen in construction site are caused by lack of training, carelessness, communication problem and not following basic safety rule during working in the site.  The company need to comply with any requirements in addition to any security policy is to create them to meet federal, state and local laws. Safety policy and regulations are use to train the construction worker for safety practices and to warning about hazards on the site during construction period. Nowadays, construction site accidents became serious and known is an important to the organization involved. Most of the construction activity is difficult, dangerous, dirty, and considered as dangerous occupations compared with other type of industries. Most of the construction workers need to work in adverse conditions during rain, heat, dust, noise and at night. Some of the construction site accident happen is obvious work with the heavy machinery and scaffolding high above from the ground level. The most serious accidents happen are resulting in injuries and death. The machinery need to be seriously handle and timely monitoring as it may affect the organization in high cost to repair and maintenance the machinery. Beside that the construction company will become bad reputation and need to pay for medical treatment for the construction workers that involved in accident during construction period. When an accident happens, it should be immediate report to the office of Safety and Health department to ensure that the suitability action could be taken by the relevant organization. For the inspection also need to be taken to identify the factors which cause the accident and the way to prevent it from happen again in the future. Construction worker need to report any injuries or accidents to their supervisors or Safety and Health Department. 1.4 Problem Statement Site accident is one of the significant and key issues that seriously happen in the construction site that control its daily operation using machineries at the construction site. The numbers of site accident occurred each year at the construction site and also increasing from every year resulted in variable cost items of the project. If the construction company no way taken for prevention, it can become more serious and bad reputation to the construction company. 1.5 Aim and Objective To study the site safety in construction site during the construction period In the scope of this research, it contains the following objectives: To analysis of type of accident occurrence and causes of accident in the Malaysia construction site To study safety management and hazard in Malaysia construction site To identify the duties of various party of the site safety in construction site Research Methodology A study on site safety in Malaysia construction site To study safety management and hazard in Malaysia construction site To identify the duties of various party of the site safety in construction site To analysis of type of accident occurrence and causes of accident in the Malaysia construction site Stage 1 Literature Reviews (Secondary source) Stage 2 Technique of Data Collection (Primary source, Questionnaires) Stage 3 The Result of Analysis and Findings A case study about the fire protection system in commercial building A set of question will be distribute to the commercial buildings users to dertermine theier knowledge about fire safety An interview would be carry out to the fire safety professional Stage 4 Conclusion and Recommendation Before conducting this assignment, an appropriate method to get the information is determined. Interview We also carry out interview to achieve our research goal. This is reason because it takes place with interviewees known to have been involved on the previous experience on the site safety in construction site in Malaysia. However, it needed to focus on the interviewers that have experiences regarding the site safety. The interview will be carried out face-to-face with 1-10 consultants who having previous experiences of this site safety in construction site. The data collected of interview will be summary and comprise in appendix of my dissertation. Questionnaires The general research approach is based on questionnaires. This is chosen because it will enhance the knowledge for my research topic. The questionnaires will be given out to 1-15 respondents who are the contractor, supervisor, etc that involve in the site safety in construction site. Besides that, this is an effective alternative to interviews because it is enabling to increase the information in my research. Literature Review A literature review is a critical and in depth evaluation of previous research. The main purposes of applying literature review method in my research are to achieve my goal and to convey the knowledge and ideas have been established with regarding to my topic. The literature review serves to demonstrate and more understanding and knowledge of theoretical and research issues related to my topic. Related literature refers to writing in publication such as books, journals, magazines, articles, newspaper and finding information on the internet. Furthermore, literature review helps and guide me to discovered more knowledge and helpful in my research. Case Study Case study consists of a detailed investigation, often with data collected over a period of time, of phenomena, within the context. This method is useful for trying to test theoretical models by using them in real world situations. Basically, a case study is an in depth study of particular situation rather than a statistical survey. The case study is also useful for testing whether scientific theories and models actually work in the real world. Furthermore, I will plan and design how I am going to address the study and make sure that all collected data is relevant to my research topic which is site safety in construction site. 1.7 Scope limitation of study This study focuses on site safety in a Malaysian construction site. On the primary research, I will focus on the case study of according to my objectives which are review the history of accident and study safety management in construction site, and literature review of types of accident and hazard in construction site, duties of various party of the site safety in construction site. For my secondary research, I will do a questionnaire to TAR college SOT lecturers and Construction Company (related to site safety on construction site) in Kuala Lumpur only. The scope of this study is many types; there is literature review due to the quantity of published journals, article, textbooks and the information on the internet so that can find out the information according to my objectives within the limited time frame. Besides that, the construction company which related to site safety in construction site in Malaysia need to get permission so that can go there to visit and get the information about site safety in construction site. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction The construction site involves a lot of operations which may be dangerous, risky and unhealthy. The number of injuries, accident, and work related illness will contribute to additional costs and delays on projects. Construction site is the most dangerous and hazardous compare with other type of industry. Nowadays, site accident is keep happened in construction site and the accident percentage is kept rising every year. When accident happens in construction site it will cause the project delay and loss of project cost. In this chapter will discuss about the review accident occurrence and safety management in Malaysia construction site. Site safety is very important because when accident happen on construction site not only people injury and also will affect the project in term of cost and time. 2.2 Type of accidents occurrence in Malaysia construction site Site accident is an unplanned, unexpected and uncontrollable occurrence, which results in injury or death to the construction workers damage the equipment. All accidents, regardless of the damage or loss of the nature, should be concerned about. The accidents that not result damage to materials or equipment or injury to worker may presage future of unexpected accidents. Although site accident could not totally prevent from happening but still need to find the way to minimize the rate of accident by providing a safe working conditions and insisting on the use of safe working methods and procedures. In Malaysia, the number of accident occurring at the construction site is keep increasing every year due to the unpredictable reported. So the site accident has captured the attention and concern from the relevant organization. The table 1 show in below is the summary of major accident happen in Malaysia construction site. 2005 2006 2007 2008 1) Tower crane  broke into two  and fell onto  four  Indonesian  construction  workers at a  construction  site building  apartment  located at Batu  14, Puchong. 1) Landslide  occurred at a  construction  site located at  Taman Desa,  Kuala Lumpur  buried; killed a  35 year old  Indonesian  man at about  3.30pm while  he was  working on  some iron steel  beam  foundations  for the five block  609  units  condominium  complexes. 1) Death of two  workers and  severe injuries  on ten workers  at The Pavillion  Kuala Lumpur,  Jalan Bukit  Bintang  construction  site where the  cables of the  workmens lift  at the posh  condominium  and shopping  complex project  snapped and  plummeted 15  metres to the  ground. 1) Two  Malaysian  construction  workers  were buried  alive by  excavated  sand pile in a  3.6m-deep  sewer trench  at Taman  Merbau  phase two  construction  site in  Changlun 2) Iron mould  weighing  almost two  tonnes fell  from 20 storey  condominiums  under  construction  onto Dr. Liew  Boon Horngs  BMW; killed  him and  severely  injured his  wife and the  driver at Plaza  Damas located  along Jalan  Hartamas. 2) Negligence  of three  construction  companies, led  to the death of  another  Indonesian  worker on 15  May 2006  located at Lot  206, Section  63, Lorong  Binjai where a  32-storey of  100 units  apartment was  to be built. 2) Death of two  Malaysian  construction  workers, buried  alive four  meters deep in  a landslide  while working  on the fencing  located at  Taman Merbau  2, Fasa III at  Kubang, Pasu. 2) Twenty  five foreign  workers  escaped  without  major  injuries  when the  structure  they were  standing  gave way in  one of the  construction  sites in  Kuching. 3) Two sides  collapsed of a  bridge that  was under  construction at  3.2 kilometers  of the Klang  Valley  Highway that  caused the  death of two  Bangladesh  workers. 3) One foreign  construction  site worker  died; another  colleague  severely injured  at the  construction  site of the  prestigious KK  Times Square  commercial  complex after  piles of sand  fell on them in  Kota Kinabalu. 4) Three  Indonesian  construction  workers fell  from  scaffolding to  their deaths  when they  slipped from  the top floor of  a 21-storey  condominium  under  construction  and landed on  the fifth floor at  Taman Tampoi  Indah 5) Bricks fell  from the  construction  site in Taman  Bukit Angkasa,  Kerinchi on  several cars  parked at the  nearby flats  during a threehour  downpour 6) Eight huge  concrete beams  with a  measurement of  at least 40m  long and 70  tonnes weight  of an  uncompleted  flyover near  Nilai collapsed,  which narrowly  missed a  motorist and his  aged parents In the construction site, it can be said that there are many different types of accidents occurred at the construction sites everyday during the construction period. The types of accident in construction site, which are scaffolding, fall of people, struck by falling objects and so on. The Department of Occupational Safety and Health Ministry of Human Resources find out the rise of accident occurring almost every month in the year 2007 and 2008. Falling of people Falling of people also is the one of higher percentage happening accidents in the construction site. People working in the construction site has the risk exposed to fall in any place of the site especially at the high level. Most of the worker fall from the higher level mostly resulted in death. The type of accident is always happen in construction which is fall from scaffolding. Causes The people who falling from the higher level because lack of safety measure at the construction site. The workers will not be protected by safety measure when accident occurs. According to the Vincent G. Bush in his Safety in the Construction Industry: OSHA, an incident can result in an accident if fright makes a man take unsafe action. For an example, if one scaffold rope fails, the man may be saved if he just hangs on. The other common causes are: Improper netting for scaffolding cause workers falls from the scaffold. The used of timber ladder is in poor condition. The ladder may broken and cause the worker fall down The ladder is not securely fixed to prevent against slipping and slide movement. Inadequate lighting during construction of basement had caused many falling of construction workers. Cases Cases 1 http://cdn.theborneopost.com/newsimages/A2537.jpg Source: Borneo Post Online December 29,2011, Thursday Construction site Kuching Event The workers body injury after falling down from the scaffolding .The accident happened at around 4pm when his colleague foot support him was standing on suddenly broke, causing him fall to the ground. Consequences: A construction worker was killed. 2.2.3 Prevention For the prevention of fall of people, there are two areas that must be emphasized during construction period. The two areas are: Scaffold protection Every construction worker on a scaffold more than 2 meter above a lower level must be protected from falling to that level; workers on a walkway situated within a scaffold must be protected by the use of a personal fall arrest system or guardrail system. It is important for those workers performing plastering and painting operation for using the scaffold. The guardrail system must be installed along all open sides and end of platforms, and they must be installed completely before the scaffold use by workers. Safety net The safety net must be provided when the workplaces are more than 25 ft above the surface where the use, scaffold, catch platforms, temporary floors and so on. The safety net is required, shall not operate until the net is in place and has been tested. The safety net must extend about 8 ft outside the edge of the work. The employer should provide a safety training program for every worker who might be exposed to fall hazards. The safety training must let every worker to be familiar the hazards of falling order to minimize these hazards. So that employer must assure that every construction worker been trained. Some critical hazard areas at the high-rise building construction like lift shaft and edge of the structure must also provide with a proper guardrail system. 2.3 Struck by falling objects It can be said that the events of struck by falling objects are quite same with the fall of people. The only thing different is falling objects may not necessary cause injured or fatality. Whereas, in fall of people it definitely caused injury or fatal of people. Causes Not proper netting for the scaffolding. Some workers may not hold the tools and equipment properly during superstructure work and cause the tools and equipment fall out from the netting. Falling of scaffolding components during the erection and dismantling. Not carry the work the proper manner. For instance, the workers throw the rubbish directly from the edge of the building at the high level as shown in Appendix. Material fall during handling by the crane due to improper stacking The too heavy load to carry in the handling will cause the broken of rope, where the rope is not able to withstand the loading. Thus falling of material occur. The ropes used in the handling not securely tied are always cause the material fall during the operation. 2.3.5 Causes of Accident Accident dont just happen, they are caused. According to Ridley 99 per cent of the accident are caused by either unsafe acts or unsafe conditions or both (Ridley, 1986). As such, accidents could be prevented. The unsafe act is a violation of an accepted safe procedure which could permit the occurrence of an accident. The unsafe condition is a hazardous physical condition or circumstances which could directly permit the occurrence of an accident. Most accident results from a combination of contributing causes and one or more unsafe acts and unsafe condition. Accident theories and models discussed in the previous section have evolved from merely blaming workers, conditions, machineries into management roles and responsibilities. Nowadays, accident models are being used to better explain the causes of accident so that appropriate actions could be taken to make improvement. However, in order to effect permanent improvement, we must deal with the root causes of accident. A review of the l iterature indicates that finding the factors and causes that influence construction accidents has been the passion of many researchers. Kartam and Bouz (1998) did a study in Kuwaiti construction and noted that the causes of accidents were due to worker turnover and false acts; inadequate safety performance; improper cleaning and unusable materials; destiny; low tool maintenance; supervisory fault; and misplacing objects. Abdelhamid and Everett (2000) conducted a more comprehensive study in the USA and classified the causes into human and physical factors. Human factors were due failed to secure and warn; Failed to wear personal protective equipment (PPE); horseplay; operating equipment without authority; operating at unsafe speed; personal factor; remove safety device; serviced moving and energized equipment; took unsafe position or posture; used defective tool or equipment; and other unsafe action. While, physical factors were due to; unsafe act of another person(s); disregard know n prescribed procedures; defects of accident source; dress or apparel hazard; environmental hazard; fire hazard; hazardous arrangement; hazardous method; housekeeping hazard; improper assignment of personnel; inadequately guarded; public hazard; and other unsafe conditions. Lubega et al (2000) did a study in Uganda and concluded the causes of accidents were mainly due to lack of awareness of safety regulations; lack of enforcement of safety regulations; poor regard for safety by people involved in construction projects; engaging incompetent personnel; non-vibrant professionalism; mechanical failure of construction machinery/equipment; physical and emotional stress; and chemical impairment. Pipitsupaphol and Watanabe (2000) did a study in Thailand construction sites and classified the causes into the most influential factors i.e. unique nature of the industry; job site conditions; unsafe equipment; unsafe methods; human elements; and management factors. They further concluded that major immediate causes were due to failure to use personal protective equipment; improper loading or placement of equipment or supplies; failure to warn co-workers or to secure equipment; and improper use of equipment. Toole (2002) also did a study in the USA and suggested that the causes of accidents were due to lack of proper training; deficient enforcement of safety; safety equipment not provided; unsafe methods or sequencing; unsafe site conditions; not using provided safety equipment; poor attitude toward safety; and isolated and sudden deviation from prescribed behavior. Tam et al (2004) did a study in China and noticed that the causes of accidents were due poor safety awareness from top leaders; lack of training; poor safety awareness of project managers; reluctance to input resources for safety; reckless operation; lack of certified skill labor; poor equipment; lack of first aid measures; lack of rigorous enforcement of safety regulation; lack of organizational commitment; low education level of workers; poor safety conscientiousness of workers; lack of personal protective equipment (PPE); ineffective operation of safety regulation; lack of technical guidance; lack of strict operational pro cedures; lack of experienced project managers; shortfall of safety regulations; lack of protection in material transportation; lack of protection in material storage; lack of teamwork spirits; excessive overtime work for labor; shortage of safety management manual; lack of innovative technology; and poor information flow. 2.3.1 Accident Causation Models The accident causality model is not a new model to determine the root causes of safety problems in the construction and other industries. The accident causation model is a tool that providing better industrial accident prevention program. As described by Heinrich (1980) accident prevention is an integral program, a series of coordinate activities, directed to the control of unsafe personal performance and unsafe mechanical conditions, and based on certain knowledge, attitudes, and abilities. The famous models that were developed that relate to accident causation are namely domino theory that was invented by Heinrich in 1930 and multiple causation theory that was developed by Petersen in 1971. 2.3.4 Human Error Theories The practice of this theory is pointed out that the worker as a major factor in the accident. This theory as mentioned by Abdelhamid (2000) studies the tendency of humans to make mistake in a variety of conditions and circumstances, with the blame mostly fall on human characteristics. This theory does not mean to blame the workers as the main problem for accident, other factors such as workplace design and tasks without considering the limitation of the worker as the reason why accident happened in construction site. The objective of human error theory is to establish a good design of workplace, tasks, and tools that suitable with human limitation. The theory is that it comes to human error theory, which is a model of patterns of behavior and human factors. Most of these theories describe that the human (worker) is the main problem caused an accident happen, which is permanent feature of human and human capacity overload and human conditions that often make mistake. 2.4 Root Causes of Accident The root causes mean the main causes of accident happen in the construction site. There are some roots causes of accident happen in the construction site. The causes of accident can separate in 4 parts, which are: Peoples role Organization and management Nature of construction industry Material and Equipment 2.4.1 Peoples Role 2.4.1.1 Worker Attitude and Behaviour One of the roots causes of an accident is the poor attitude and bad behaviour of the workers which difficult to control (Teo et al., 2005). The original manual workers in the industrialization of agriculture, and reduce the risk of awareness with the construction industry. Furthermore, most of the workers are low educated. Most of them are only concern with the contract wages than importance of personal safety. This negative attitude and behaviour have stimulated most workers not to use the personal protective equipment during working on construction site. The reason of not putting their protective equipments is inconvenient for their operation. Rasmussen (1997) identified that 70%-80% of accidents happened arise from worker attitude and behaviour. 2.4.1.2 Worker Attitude and Behaviour Previous studied have pointed out that the designer play an important role in determined causation of an accident (Gibb, (1999, 2001); McKay et al., 2002; Loughborough University UMIST, 2003; Wright et al., 2003). The accident was mainly due to the widespread use of manual handling. As a result, it introduces a lot of manual handling hazards. For examples, cast in-situ method. Furthermore, the design complexity has dedicated to the causation of accident. The design complexity is referring to the intricate aesthetic qualities. Base on Loughborough University and UMIST (2003) studied, the more complexity of design tend to have a greater potential to influence accident occurrence in workplace. 2.4.2 Organization and Management 2.4.2.1 Poor Management Commitment After the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), (2009b) conducted a survey, the result shown 75% of all fatal accidents in the building and civil engineering industries in the United Kingdom are caused by the ineffective of management. Nowadays, the contractor is more reliance on the insurance, contractor tends to passed most of the damages and liability to insurance company (Lingard H, Rowlinson S, 1997). As a result, contractor may not provide appropriate training and focus on workplace safety and health issues. The workers involved in site activities may not be aware of the danger zone. In some cases, safety and health officers are threatened by their employer no to report an accident to Department Safety and Health (DOSH, 2011). Many accidents do not report because the project manager is trying to cover up their own fault and protect company image. Normally, the safety management process require site supervisor to carry out on-site inspection and prepare a number of safety and health checklist. However, many contractors only put in commitments on paper, act differently in the site (Ding et al., 2000). For examples, the OSHA 1994 personnel protective equipments record in Malaysia. 2.4.2.2 Poor Communication and Coordination In the construction site, the effective communication and information transfer between management and staff are the effective way to reduce the number of accidents. However, there are many site workers came from foreign country. Some of the workforce does not speak and understand native language. As a result, the safety committee need to convey the danger zone and potential accidents may occur on the site. Furthermore, Debrah YA, Ofori G (2001), the large number of involvement of sub-contractor, the possibility of accidents occurrence is increase as well. It is because going to increase the complexity in coordinate and control among the sub-contractor. Besides that, the main contractor may shift the safety responsibility toward sub-contractor without ensure the sub-contractor is capable to provide the safety workplace (Wilson, Kohen E, 2000). 2.4.2.3 Company Size The company size has determined the implementation of safety and health within an organization. The big company has more budget and systematic system in allocation of resources for each department. As a result, the safety and health department have sufficient resources to implement and promote the importance of safety and health at the construction site. Unfortunately, the small company has limited and lack of budgets to implement the effective safety and health approaches within the construction site (Abel Pinto et al., 2001). For examples, a small contractor company cannot afford to provide a set of standard safety equipments for every workforce. A studied by McVittie et al. (1997) indicated that accident rates decrease as the sizes of firms increase. 2.4.2.4 Poor Organization Safety Culture The contractor fails to introduce the culture of safety among the members of the organization. The safety organization chart setup due to the purposes of the law require by the government. However, the safety and health officer does not have mandatory requirement for autonomy in the workplace (Construction Research Institute of Malaysia (CREAM)). It is because some of the safety officer is employee for the contractor and developer. The researchers Diaz and Cabrera (1997) pointed out that an organizational climate is built up through the interaction of organizational factor and individual factors. Many studies had conducted (Coyle, Sleeman, Adams, 1995; Diaz and Cabrera, 1997; Felknor, 1997; Krispin, 1997; Seppala, 1992) the lower the score of a safety climate, the worst the safety performance. It is because the members within an organizational will never pay attention to the safety and health level. Beck Woolfson (1999), emphasize that it is important in control workforce beliefs, attitude and behaviours with regard to safety. As a result, poor organization safety culture is one of the roots causes lead to the occurrence of an accident. 2.4.3 Nature of Construction Industry 2.4.3.1 Economic and Time Pressure Economic and time pressure had come from the high demand in property market (Abel Pinto et al., 2001). The developer required contractor to complete a construction project within a short period of time. In order to complete the project on time, the contractors relax rules and procedure for safety and health. For example, carry out reckless operations. Furthermore, the workforce is required to work overtime. It is easy to cause the accident due to the fatigue of worker (Haslam et al., 2005). 2.4.3.2 Constantly Changing Worksite The construction industry is not same to others type industry. For the manufacture industry, the workers repeat and control the machine every day. However, construction industry involves the movement of manual workers in the workplace (Abel Pinto et al., 2009). The more movement in the site, the possibilities of accident will be keep increasing. 2.4.3.3 Site Restriction A restricted site has implied insufficient space on site. Thus, there is limited space for machine, plant and storage of building material. The restricted site will have been introduced as an unexpected persistent cause of accidents (Gibb, (1999, 2001); McKay et al., 2002; Loughborough University UMIST, 2003; Wright et al., 2003). A congested site condition not only implied of dual processing of work. However, it causes an accident as a result of a worker struck by a moving vehicle (HSE, 2009b). 2.4.3.4 Worker Specialization Every construction project is involved structural, architectural, brick wall, ME and plumbing work. Each kind of