Nano Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nano - Assignment Example Tompkins has been titled the CEO because his background closely fits the position. He is likely to be doing more work than the other founders. Since he is doing more work he deserves a different salary and equity level. The other founders are fair with the equity but not fair about the salary that Tompkins receives. The decisions made regarding split equity and compensation is unfair and leaves no room to share equity amongst other employees. Without being able to share equity amongst other employees, the new employees may not be as driven to get the company where it needs to be. The founders are the creators of the company and share in ownership. All though they may share in ownership it does not mean that they should share equity and compensation if there job duties are not the same. A change is equity and compensation needs to be made to create a real fairness and ability to offer equity to other employees. The size of the founding team is five men that are all from the same company. Don Rupert is the head of AMSL. He is a co founder of NanoGene. Will Tompkins is a bio chemist and founder along with three other scientist and biologist. Mark Masterson and Ravi Rhoota were former AMSL scientist and an important asset to NanoGene. Gary Garfield who was also important to NanoGene is a doctor in biology. Each founder is vital to NanoGene in a way that the type of development for NanoGene requires each founder to make it work. Having five founders starting up a company can cause problems early as well as later on in the company life. Having five founders requires the need to receive acceptance from each of the five founders each time an issue arises. It is unlikely that all five founders will agree on each issue. When issues come up of importance it is likely that a vote will need to take place. Being a founder of a company is an important role. Founders are the

Character and Setting in Emma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Character and Setting in Emma - Essay Example Jane Austin’s novel concentrates on human relationship revolving around the main character Emma and the importance of Highbury setting to the characterization of the Heroine. Relationship between Emma and Harriet With the witty and charming heroin Emma, Jane Austen’s work was flawless with exploration of human relationship. The major subject of Jane Austen’s Emma revolves around the natural power of human relationship. Austen in this novel compares the healthy and unhealthy relationship between Emma and Harriet. The relationship between Emma and Harriet was an epitome of unhealthy relationship where the teacher Emma exploited, manipulated and neglected her student Harriet. Emma took Harriet under her wings and wanted to teach how to adjust with her choices of acquaintances. Emma was more concerned about her own desires rather being concerned about what would be best for Harriet. Chapter seven of the novel lays special reinforcement to the relationship between Emm a and Harriet Smith. Harriet depend upon the decision and suggestion of Emma whether to marry or reject Robert Martin. Though she had some opinion and decisions of her own but could not go by them since Emma’s opinion was more important. This shows how much important role Emma plays in the life of Harriet. They had friendship but between unequal. When Emma advised her to reject Robert Martin, Harriet was disappointed and said â€Å"You think I ought to refuse him, then† (Austen, 44) but did not have the courage to go against Emma’s decision. This clearly reveals that Harriet was totally dependent on Emma’s decision and trusted her blindly. ... Elton developed theme like reason versus thoughts, social responsibility versus selfishness and arrogance. Settings The Novel of Jane Austin, Emma has its setting in a provincial community, which involved the gentry of the region. She chose a small tiny town named Highbury where everybody knew everything about anyone staying over there. This revealed that everyone was aware of the peculiarities and odd habits of each individual in the town. One was unaware of the local’s geography. The closeness of the town Highbury to its estates â€Å"Hartfield, Donwell Abbey and Randalls† were clearly revealed in the novel as the fact that London was sixteen miles away. However the description of the physical aspects of the town was not given except that of the Donwell, which was given with a purpose to portray Emma’s reaction. The presence of â€Å"Richmond road† can be felt from the description that Harriet met the gypsies on the Richmond Road but no other details wer e found. The presence of an embankment over where the companions scuttles was also derived from the description. Emma and Mr. Woodhouse’s house was the geographical center around which the whole novel revolved. The drawing room or something equivalent was the primary setting of the novel. The scene of Box Hill or even the shrubbery walk where George proposed Emma was simply an open-air drawing room. The novel mainly concentrated on the social involvement and human relations. It did not give any clear description of the vegetation or terrain or any connection that leads to the description of the geography of the place. Instead the novel had an evident presence of the description of drawing and dining rooms, rooms for dancing and scenes of carriage and equipment of

Application of Nursing Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Application of Nursing Theory - Assignment Example As a result, nurses often turn to nursing theory in order to make sure that they are able to help the patient in the best possible way. Part II: The Problem Nursing theory and Rehabilitation Around the world, the issue of rehabilitation is becoming a very big issue which many nursing centres have to deal with. The number of individuals who need to be rehabilitated every year is increasing every year. And so has the severity of the cases because people are now indulging more deeply in harmful drugs and alcohol. Rehabilitation is becoming an issue and many nursing professionals working in rehabilitation centres are finding it harder to be able to treat the individuals (Strong, 2013). As a result, there is an increasing need for all the stake holders to come together and develop a solution. In the United States, the problem of ineffective rehabilitation is being blamed on so many stakeholders including the following; Policy makers have been accused of making ineffective and irreverent h ealthcare policies which make it harder for rehabilitation of addicts to be effective. Policy makers are accused of failing to recognize addiction as a healthcare problem and therefore this offers very little government help for addicts, thus leaving them to have to pay the expensive costs of rehabilitation which are in often cases prohibitive and thus always leads to the patient relapsing to their vices. Justice system is also accused of failing to recognize addicts as patients and in most cases sends them to prison instead to rehabilitation centres. For instance, most addicts who are arrested with drugs are sentenced to prison terms where they end up using these drugs even more because they are readily available in the prison environment. However, it is the nursing professionals in the rehabilitation centres who end up getting the largest blame especially when they are not able to rehabilitate individuals who are struggling with addiction (Strong, 2013). Needless to say, there nee ds an overhauling of the rehabilitation process in order to help the individuals who find themselves in this deadly health problem to be able to live life again. While the policy makers and the justice system have their shares to do, the nurses should use the available resources in order to be able to help these patients and give their lives back to them. To be able to solve this issue, it will be necessary to be able to come up with ways to handle as many rehabilitation patients as possible within the limited resources available for nurses. The nurses will need to know how to deal with the patients and help them to overcome their issues without failing. Part III: Using Nursing theory to address the problem Self-care deficit nursing theory (Orem B Model of Nursing) The self-care deficit nursing theory was developed by Dorothea Orem between 1959 and 2001 and is postulated upon the argument that patients are more likely to get their health back if they are allowed to participate in th eir own healthcare. This theory is important in the treatment of rehabilitation patients due to the very nature of these patients. More than any other type of patients, a rehabilitation patient needs to relearn how to depend on himself and become self efficacious. Failing to restore this ability in the patient will also mean that the patient will relapse back to their old habit (Johnson & Roberson, 2012). Unlike most healthcare issues that nurses

Edgar Allen Poe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Edgar Allen Poe - Essay Example Montresor presents himself as an honorable man from a high social class. He tells that his family has deep roots, that "the Montresors, were a great and numerous family" (Poe, n.d.). To add significance of his social position, he tells the motto of his family which is "Nemo me impune lacessit" Poe. N.d.). Montresor presents himself as a good-natured man who does everything to protect his dignity. This is in itself perhaps not the most exalted of literary ambitions, though it is remarkably difficult for an author to avoid crossing the boundary from the terrifying to the merely laughable. It seems that Montresor has a perfect breeding and tries to prove his position protecting his good name. Montresor presents himself as a judge who condemns his friend Fortunato to death. Taking into account his appearance and costume, it is evident that his representation of himself does not coincide with his true nature. Poe depicts him in black silk mask which symbolizes evil nature of Montresor: "thus speaking, Fortunato possessed himself of my arm; and putting on a mask of black silk and drawing a roquelaire closely about my person, I suffered him to hurry me to my palazzo" (Poe. N.d.). Montresor tries to persuade readers and himself that the death of Fortunato is the only possible way to avenge. Poe depicts that the character of Montresor does not show remorse for his thoughts and plans trying to kill his friend. Poe underlines that the experienced world in this sense is a human creation, the product of the activity of the mind, Montresor's personality. Montresor explains that: "I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong" (Poe, n.d.). Poe's secure grasp of the subtleties of his environment is evident, but it is far more than a mere transcription of particulars. For while deploying descriptive detail in the conventional realistic way to build up a rich and convincing impression of the murder and the world he creates, Poe uses realism. Montresor himself shows only a desire to be alone. This suggests that Montresor's view of his own cruelty is a fearful one, that he is terrified and disgusted by it. "The clues are part of the larger "system" or "demonstration" motif of the story: Montresor, the diabolical rationalist, systematically demonstrates again and again that the arriviste, Fortunato, does not know, cannot distinguish" (Bloom, 1987, p 55). The plan of getting revenge consists of several stages in order to avoid suspicion and possible punishment. The date of the revenge has been carefully thought. Carnival is a time when people (servants) do not care much about their duties. For this reason, Montresor sends the servants away to the celebration. Montresor knows that Fortunato admires good wine and for this reason he ensnares him proposing to taste Amontillado. Montresor tells Fortunato "You have been imposed upon. And as for Luchresi, he cannot distinguish Sherry from Amontillado" (Poe. N.d.). this base flattery helps Montresor to pursued his victim to join him and drink little wine. The next step planed by Montresor is to astonish his victim. "The Amontillado!" ejaculated my friend, not yet recovered from his astonishment" (Poe, n.d.). After these words, Montresor

Global Setting Essay Example for Free

Global Setting Essay With the rapid expansion of globalization coupled with an amazing digital revolution, the civilization has taken a quantum leap to land in an era where the world seems to be a global village. Consequently, this new era demands a matching code of conduct from humans, of which the format would be new but the content would be based on ancient values. This is because, the modern lifestyle is full of all kind of communications 24/7, ranging from home, office, family, business associate, society, etc. Human activities have risen to a great height these days, thanks to the state-of-the art communication systems, which expanded and fastened the entire communication process, all the while wiping away physical boundaries of regions and creating a cross-cultural platform for the civilization. All of the above clearly show how much important it is to be culturally competent in the modern world to make the most of the advancement of science and technology. However, at the core of cultural competency remains the ancient set of values, which acts like the steering wheel of human mind and thus the set of values commands primary attention, which contains the elements like personal values, organizational values, cultural values and ethics. This essay explores the nuances of the above elements before analyzing how an individual can reconcile them in a global setting. Background Even as the personal, organizational and cultural values and ethics sound somewhat similar, each of them is unique in its own way. For example, Ethics is the study of the choices people make regarding right and wrong (Paul Elder, 2003, p. 11). Accordingly, it is open to individual interpretation, since determination of right and wrong or good and bad is subjective. This is where the humans need some set principles that would guide them especially in the modern global setting, where people from various cultures work together. It is here the organizational values and ethics differ from the personal ethics – which adopts its own set of values and ethics that would suit their multicultural workplace environment. Accordingly the researchers opine, Organizations are often considered monoliths that have their own persona, values and ethics†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Kruckeberg, 1998, p. 47). However, the universally accepted premise of ethics like doing maximum good for maximum people maintains its place – though again there may be different interpretation of that concept due to different cultural connotations – for example if a vegetarian considers eating non-vegetarian food as unethical, then that would be personal interpretation or choice of the person, besides being a subject of private practice. Now the global setting might bring in the said person with said set of values in such a workplace where most people like non-vegetarian dishes, thereby presenting another interpretation of personal value. However in both the cases the central idea would remain common – that food is our source of sustenance. It is because of such situations amid global setting, the researchers stress on maintaining ethical guidelines in the workplace or in a multicultural society. Accordingly the companies adopt ethical models to establish their ethical culture that would dictate its ethical norms and the employee behavior (Trevino, 1986; Hunt and Vitell, 1986). According to Paul Elder (2002, p. 13), this helps individuals to lessen their attention to the importance of individual judgment in ethical decision-making and instead, concentrate on the organizational ethics. Another important aspect of such models is that they help the members of the organizations to avoid the role-conflict arising out of the differences between organizational ethical culture and personal ethical philosophies. Personal Ethical Perspective Personal ethical perspective depends on the degree of ethical awareness in a person, where s/he might base it either on what it is good to be or what it is good to do, towards attaining moral excellence. However, there are more dimensions to it, since there are various theories that explain the issue in their own way. For example, utilitarian concept can influence a person to see ethics from any of the four angles like Pleasure concept of Jeremy Benthan, Happiness concept of John Stuart Mill, Ideals concept of G. E. Moore, or Preference concept of Kenneth Arrow (Utilitarianism, 2008). However, all of the above dimensions carry the basic insight of utilitarianism, which suggests that the purpose of morality is to make the world a better place and therefore, humans should work towards that direction (Ethics, 2006). Organizational Code of Ethics Organizational code of ethics is a set of standards, rules, guidelines, and values that govern and guide ethical business behavior in a company, profession, or organization of its employees, interactions among the employees, and interactions between the employees and the general public (12MANAGE, 2009). Thus it is distinctly different from the personal code of ethics in the sense that it evolves from the organizational culture – as Trevino would put it, ethical culture is a subset of organizational culture, representing a multidimensional interplay among various formal and informal systems of behavior control that are capable of promoting ethical or unethical behavior (Trevino et al. , 1995, p. 12). Thus here the values are imposed and the employees have the responsibility to align them with their own set of values. However, it is always expected that the code of ethics maintained in a company would never miss the central theme of ethics, i. e. , maximum good for maximum number of people. Mechanism of Personal Ethical Philosophies An understanding on the mechanism of individual difference in personal ethical philosophies is very important towards reconciling the values. The above can be framed by two factors like idealism and relativism, says Forsyth (1980), where he underpins idealism as the indicator of the magnitude of an individuals concern regarding an action, and how the consequence of that action affects the welfare of others. For example, a low idealistic individual might endorse harmful action with the belief that such action would bring greater good, while a high idealistic individual would always believe the opposite and pass on only those actions that would lead to positive consequences. (Forsyth, 1980; Forsyth, 1992). Forsyth (1980) takes relativism as the indicator of the magnitude of an individuals concern regarding accepting or rejecting the universal moral principles. For example, high relativistic individuals would be open to admit that there are more than one ways to perceive the concept of ethics and moral actions, since ethics are dependent on the nature of the situation. On the other hand, low relativistic people would believe in moral absolutes, and would base their ethical decision making process on fixed principles (Forsyth, 1992). The above understanding generates the idea that towards reconciling all values, the individuals need to accommodate the facts like there are many ways to perceive ethics as different situations influence human perception. However, here comes the issue of role conflict, or the fear of losing ones own personal set of values and ethics, since the theories on ethics suggest that organizational code of conduct or norms of ethics affect the personal ethical philosophies of its members, and eventually re-shape their ethical judgment and behavior (Hunt and Vitell, 1986; Baucus and Near 1991). While role conflict emerges when humans find themselves incompatible to the requests, policies and expectations of others (Rizzo et al. , 1970), it is here Forsyths (1980) concept comes in handy, as one can exploit it to find what type of people would go for what – for example, a high-relativistic individual may excuse an unethical decision if that serves their self-interest – since they are the ones who accommodate multiple concept of ethics and believe that ethical actions depend on the specific situations (Barnett et al. , 1996). This shows that high-relativists are less likely to suffer from role conflict due to their adaptive attitude regarding ethics. On the other hand, high-idealists, who prefer to operate on fixed principles of ethics, stand to suffer from role conflict, since the values that their organizations prescribe to maintain may go beyond their fixed set of values (Schermerhorn et al. , 2002, p. 63). Cultural Values Cultural values may influence the making of an idealist or relativist of different magnitudes, yet it has its limitation, since it is mostly confined by geographical boundaries. Therefore, multiculturalism can always extend ones perception of values much in the mold of Chinese delicacies that have become a common feature across the globe. There is another reason – no one is actually forced to remain within the boundaries of ones own culture and thus, the positive sides of other cultures have enough potential to convert even the high-idealists to high-relativists! The above state of affairs clearly shows that reconciliation of personal, organizational, and cultural values and ethics depends on several factors like below: 1. Ones own personal state of belief; 2. Ones own understanding of the concept of ethics; 3. The intensity of it in the persons decision-making process; 4. The nature of the value-set prescribed by the organization; 5. Proximity and involvement to the primary culture; 6. Appropriate training of cultural comepetency. Conclusion While managing cultural values does not seem to be a daunting task (one can easily maintain a good chunk of them in private), the issue of managing personal and organizational values amid global setting may be difficult if people dont prepare them accordingly. And, going by the theorists, this journey seems to start from high-idealist point to high-relativists, and thus, it can also be assumed that there is always the possibility to misjudge the situation or to be driven by the philosophy of convenience. Therefore, the individuals themselves should set their line of control on the scale of high-idealist to high-relativist. A balance in them is always desirable to get the maximum out of the current global setting. For that matter, members of organizations need to learn and practice decision-making in real-life situations. There are several cultural competency training modules available, like Kwongs Model (Kwong, 2008) or Griggs Model (2005) that work towards developing the cultural sensitivity and awareness among the subjects. Apart from that, good knowledge on applicable ethics theories, such as Dialogic Theory (Buber, 1955) can come in handy, because it helps to underpin the state of communication and to act accordingly. Therefore, in todays multicultural global setting, humans require to trade cautiously on the multidimensional sphere of ethics to achieve happiness, peace and prosperity. References 12MANAGE. (2009). Web document. Retrieved June 21, 2009, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.12manage.com/description_code_of_ethics.html Barnett, T., Bass, K., Brown, G.. (1996). Religiosity, personal moral philosophy, and intentions to report a peers wrong doing. Journal of Business Ethics, 15, 1161-  Ã‚   1174. Baucus, M. S., Near, LP. (1991). Can illegal corporate behavior be predicated? An   Ã‚  Ã‚   event history analysis. Academy of Management Journal, 34 (1): 9-36. Buber, M. (1955). Dialogue. In Between Man and Man. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. Ethics Matters. (2006). Web archive. Retrieved June 21, 2009, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://ethics.sandiego.edu/theories/Utilitarianism/

Overview Risk Management On Construction Company Construction Essay

Overview Risk Management On Construction Company Construction Essay Rapid industrialisation has brought in its wake several problems. One of them is industrial risk, which is taking newer and newer forms ever. With mechanical, electrical, chemical and radiation hazards besetting the industrial world, the Risks to Life, Limb, Health and Wealth are common in this sphere of economic activity. Risks are present in every corner and under every stone. Industrial risks may arise while handling, storage or because of operational errors and violation of accepted safety procedures. The industry, therefore, has to be always prepared for such eventualities. An industrial risk is the one that may affect several areas within the factory or may cause serious injuries, loss of life, and extensive damage to property and disruption to manufacturing activities. Such risks may occur in any industry in spite of best efforts to prevent them. The suffering and damage as a result of the accident is determined by the potential for loss surrounding the event. However, the ris k can be largely avoided if effective action is taken as per pre-planned and practised procedures, utilising the combined resources of the factory and outside emergency services. The construction industry has changed rapidly over the past ten years and some companies are faced with more risk and uncertainty than before. Clients are more likely to engage in litigation when things go wrong. Risk in construction has been the object of attention because of time and cost overruns associated with construction projects. Risk can be defined as an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on a project objective. As the conclusion, most construction company have to analyses their project to eliminating a specific threat, usually by eliminating the cause. The project management team can never eliminate all risks, but specific risk events can often be eliminated. Other than that, from the analysing, it can reduce the expected monetary value at risk events by reducing the probability of occurrence (e.g., using new technology), reducing the risk event value (e.g., buying insurance), or both. Objective Risk Management on Construction Company Most of consultants help business owners and entrepreneurs develop the business objectives necessary to achieve the organizations service, social, profit and growth goals by interviewing the principal leaders. Talking through the vision for an organization helps the leaders vocalize where they want the organization to go. A business objective provides a specific, measurable, realistic, action-oriented and time sensitive statement that, once achieved, propels the organization closer toward meeting one of its goals. The business goals and objectives form the foundation of its business plan. Business owners can follow the same process on their own to develop workable goals, objectives and actions to help their business succeed. There are 2 objective categories in Construction Company which are short term objective and long term objective. Short-term refers to one-year goals and objectives. For instance, if the goal is to open a real estate business, some short-term objectives include obtaining a realtors license, renting office space and purchasing a computer and MLS subscription. Long-term refers to three to five year goals and objectives. Following the real estate start-up example, these may include sales goals and objectives in terms of number of properties sold or dollars, and opening a second office location. One objective for meeting a sales goal of 24 homes in the second year of business would be advertising to reach a larger clientele. As the conclusion, the main objective of risk management is to protect the property, earnings and personnel of the organisation against losses and legal liabilities that may be incurred due to various risks. It minimises cost of the risk and maximises the pro ¬Ã‚ tability. The accidental risks may not only result in unexpected costs to a company but threaten its survival altogether. Thus, it is essential for the management to do some exercise to know about the possibility of a risk event, sources of such event and impact of such event beforehand and consider ways and means of preventing, reducing or minimising the loss . Terms of Reference This report is about the research on issue that relates to Risk Management in Construction Company. The research is focusing on Industrial Construction Company. The report about the research was requested by Miss Kwan Jing Hui. This report is prepared by five students undergoing the subject Corporate Risk Management in Multimedia University Cyberjaya who is Erda Nurakma Binti Zharani, Muhammad Adi Arzri Arshad, Thania Nasiha Md Shariam, Nurul Farahin Husin, Tiara Citra and Nur Atiqah binti Adam. We will like acknowledge Ziestech Company because the cooperation that they have been given to us in the process of completing this assignment. This report is submitted on 16 January 2013. Methods In this report about Risk Management in Construction Company, we are using two methods using the primary data and secondary data. The primary data is based on the interview that we have done based on an industrial construction company that we have chosen for more understanding in the research. The company that we have chosen is the Ziestech Company where we trying to get more information to support our research. We create a short questionnaire to understand more about the risk management of the company. On the other hand, we are doing our research also using the secondary data where we found some journals and other sources that can be helpful to support our purpose in completing this report. Findings Based on Research : Risk Management on Construction Company Risk Management in Construction Industry Risk in construction project is highly related to type of risks that may delay the performance of the project itself. In order to eliminate risks, in construction project should have effective risk management as mentioned by Lee Chun Siang and Azlan Shah Ali (2012). Effectiveness of risk management basically depends on how the project leader identifies and construct anticipation actions to risk that may occur during the life cycle of construction project. In addition, risk have to be analysed and listed out throughout project life cycle, otherwise poor risk management would affect in low performance of project. Refer to effective risk management, it enables to determine assessment of project risk, as well as control potential barrier to the success of the project completion. Construction projects value sometimes reflects to its risk management. Variable risks that related to construction project make it different from other industry. Its due to various variables such as engineering, procurement, technical (The Association of Project Management, 2000). In Malaysia, construction risk management has not been a priority and shows bad reputation based on Hamimah Adnan et al (2008). An attitude from contractor that attend to make simple project, fast process and less expensive methods while they identify risks. Even though in construction industry, its projects might be different from project to project, thats why risk identification also might be different. For the project leader, personal experiences, training speciality on risk management would be needed. However, Norazian Mohd Yusuwan (2008) found that Malaysian Construction Company is not paying much attention on reporting, reviewing and monitoring its risk management activity and still consider unfamiliar method among Malaysian Construction Company. Limited knowledge for risk management in construction project again related to limited budget and they found it will only add for operational cost of project. There is different treatment related to risk management that based on size o f Construction Company. Most of companies that is stable in financial status, well known in public, and hold a big construction project that will have formal risk management. Relationship Between Risk Management And Project Performance Maintain good performance during the project activity in construction will result in less risky for the project and closer to its successful. However, if happen to have failure in risk management it will cause increase in operational financial cost, capital structure amendment, delaying for building activity, overrun budget / higher risk in insolvency, lost in cash inflow, bad quality for final product possible to redo work after completion and many more (Sundararajan 2004). Various potential factors in construction project activity according to Flanagan and Norman, 1993; Akintoye and MacLeod, 1997; Smith, 2003, there are long period, complicated processes, abominable environment, financial intensity and dynamic organization structures. These variables of risk management hold important rule and reflects how the projects performance will be. Researchers found construction project performance determinations can be concluded to cost, time and safety (Chen et al., 2000; Shen, 1997; Tam et al., 2004). People Involve in Construction Project According to one of construction insurance for the Construction Design Management (CDM) 2007, players who involved in construction projects are clients, CDM co-ordinator, designers, principal contractors, contractors and workers. Property developer, and company who has construction project consider as clients. CDM co-ordinator will be chosen to lead the project and as advisor on health and safety issues during project time. Next is designers such as engineers and architects who prepared for building drawings in and out. Person in charge to plan, manage and co-ordinate health safety while project is happening will be the principal contractors. Contractors are people who involved in business construction i.e. civil engineering, mechanical, electrical, demotion maintenance companies. Lastly, workers are anyone who directly carries out the work during project construction, i.e. plumber, electrician and scaffolder. Risk Faced By Construction Industry There is no line item on a construction companys income statement titled Cost of Risk, but this is actually one of the industrys largest and most volatile expense items. Some construction companies pay 5 per cent or more of their gross income for risk related costs. In an industry with tight profit margins, effectively managing risk can sometimes make the difference between making a profit or not, and in some cases, the survival of the business. There are many kinds of risks faced by a construction company. One of the examples is economy slowdown. Recessions usually happen where there is a widespread drop in spending. Recession can give a very big impact to construction companies. This may be triggered by various events, such as a financial crisis, and external trade shock, and adverse supply shock or the bursting of an economic bubble. The other risk face by Construction Company is increasing competition, where, economic growth is the increase in the amount of the goods and services produced by an economy over time. Economic growth is generally distinguished from development economics. The other factor is that increasing in population can get same ideas or product from different people. The same construction will increase in competition such as quality, price, quantity and etc. The other risk the construction company faced is regulatory or legislative changes. Regulatory changes are controls imposed on a company by an authority (usually the government) that generally restricts the natural direction in which the company is moving. Legislative Authority or the power to make laws at the Federal level is vested in the Parliament, which comprises the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Other than that, Construction Company also facing the risk of injuries to the workers. Occupational injury rates among construction workers are the highest among the major industries. While several injury control strategies have been proposed by various organisations, their effectiveness for reducing the rate of injuries in the construction industry remains uncertain. Cash flow risks also one of risk that Construction Company faced. Some companys available cash will not be sufficient to meet its financial obligations. That is because of the any mismatch asset or quality in the constructions. In construction site, managing the work in time is necessary to avoid any delays and for the companys and investors good. However, employees sometimes forget to put safety first, by doing short cut and due to this result in accidents. Examples of common fatal accidents are falling from fragile roofs, ladders scaffolds, being stuck by excavators, lift trucks, collapsing structures. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/j8IikJzDRP7KvSYHgn8FVcLGb40uxe1QwXN1EVR8Xp8ktrZEejeGb4yFSUlSxhxT9_H32_uziQYf3fnfEDjQiFSLZ8OetFhOBINTQuGVSJ4PoJCcWsM Based on reported data below from Malaysia Ministry of Human Resource period 1994-2008, major accidents caused in construction held the fifth position on last 2008. Numbers of accidents finally had decreased in 2008 as its lowest number within 12 years. Scope of Policy and Coverage in Construction Industry For purpose of this assignment, we will touched on the two types of risks faced by construction companies, that is, third party liability claims and injuries to workers and on how the insurance policy works to minimized possible monetary loss to the company. Third party liability claims can be in two forms, amongst others:- Claims made by the party whom have awarded the contract to the construction company. It can be a government or private company contract. One of the conditions in the contract agreement will be that the contractor must issue a performance bond to the awarder. Performance bond, normally in the form of an insurance policy gives an undertaking to the awarder of the contract that they will pay the amount stated in the policy in the case that the contractor fails to complete the contract or breached the specifications of the contract. In Malaysia, performance bond is normally within the range of 2.5% to 5% of the contract value. The other type of a third party claims is where claims made by a third party be it an individual or a company to the contractor due the suffering incurred by them which arise from the contract implementation, for example, damages to their property, sound pollution and also loss of earnings. There is normally no specific percentage on the coverage. However, it will be decided by the contractor base on his assumption on possibility and probability of its happening by looking at the nature of the job. Referring to Department of Occupational Safety Healthy Malaysian, below are Occupational Acts summary: Factories and Machinery Act 1967. 2. Employees Social Security Act 1969. 3. Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994. 4. Occupational Safety and Health (employers safety and health general policy statements) (Exception) Regulations 1995. 5.   Occupational Safety and Health (control   of   industrial major accident hazards) Regulations 1996. 6.   Occupational Safety and Health (safety   and   health committee) Regulations 1996. 7.   Occupational Safety and Health (Classification, Packaging and Labeling of Hazardous   Chemicals) Regulations 1997. 8. Occupational Safety and Health (Use and Standards of Exposure of Chemicals Hazardous to Health) Regulations 2000. 9.   Occupational Safety and Health (Notification of Accident, Dangerous Occurrence, Occupational Poisoning and Occupational Disease) Regulations 2004-NADOOPOD. Relation to current practice in Construction Industry in Malaysia Construction industry indeed one of the highest accident occur not only Malaysia but all over the world. Construction is one of the valuable asset to our nation since it brings Malaysia through the world by the recognizance of our building such as Petronas Twin Towers which is one of the highest building in the world, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and Formula One Sepang circuit. This construction is an important part of our economy; it helps our economy by attracting the investors to invest in our country. News reported that incidence of injuries and fatalities rates are high in Malaysia. The company may lose their valuable employees if this frequently occurs. Employers responsibility to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employee The quote of safety first is a common quote that used to ensure that every employee aware of their safety while working. There are several or awareness that have been given to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employee. This is to ensure the company will be able to complete their project on time. When one of their employees injured while performing their work, it is considered as a liability for their company causing their work in progress slowing down. The amount spending for the purpose of safety is beneficial as the consequences are the company would enjoy an effective safety than suffering with the cost. There are several current practices to reduce the risk of accident. There are several effects that the company can get when they ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employee. This can be seen by the company can reduce the accidental cost, when they doesnt have to pay huge amount of money to pay for their employee if accident occur at their working place. The company will enhance the image of company by showing that their company is aware of their employees and following the rules of (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series) OHSAS 18001. The company also can increase their business opportunity which can be seen when their workers are efficient to finish their project on time. Increase overall profit of project were also the benefit of ensure the safety and health of workers this can be seen when theres no accident occur on their employee, the workers operation run smoothly and employer doesnt have to pay more on accident and get more profit instead. Companies can refer to the authority such as Department of Safety and Health (DOSH), National Council of Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH), National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) and Local authority about the safeness. Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) For example like Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) under the government was established by Act 520 of Lembaga Pembangunan Industri Pembinaan Malaysia Act 1994 in July 1994 as a statutory body under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works Malaysia, with CIDB they offered a provide training for the construction companies. The board ensures the company with the responsibility of coordinating the needs and wants of the construction industry, planning the direction of the Malaysias construction industry, addressing the pertinent issue and problems faced by the construction industry, making recommendation in the formulation of policies for the construction industry Department of Safety and Health (DOSH) The board will ensure that their customer would be provided sufficient information on safety and health. Their responsibility are responsibility of administrating and enforcing related to occupational safety and health to ensure that safety, health and welfare of people at work as well as others are protected from hazards resulting from occupational activities in the various sectors which include manufacturing; mining and quarrying; construction; agriculture, forestry and fishing; utilities (gas, electricity, water and sanitary services); transport, storage and communication; wholesale and retail trades; hotels and restaurants; finance, insurance, real estate and business services; public services and statutory authorities. National Council of Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH) The board was established under Section 8 of Occupational Safety and Health which is their responsibility is to Investigate and make report and also to recommend to the Minister any matters whatsoever related to the objectives of OSHA. To amend or make any change deem necessary for legislations of OSHA. To improve administration and enforcement of OSH legislation. To foster cooperative consultation relationship between management and workers with regards to OSH and well-being of workers. To resolve any particular problems related with OSH and well-being of workers consist of women, handicapped and other group of people in the society. To formulate adequate methods and procedures of controls at workplace for chemical industry. To analyze statistics related to occupational fatality and injury which happen at workplace To provide facilities for health care a workplace. To foster development plans and public acceptance of good industrial codes of practices related to OSH. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) The board main vision is to be the Leading Centre of Excellence in Occupational Safety and Health. NIOSHs responsibility is providing training; consultation services inseminate information and conduct research and development to employees, employers and those responsible, either directly or indirectly in the field of occupational safety and health. Example of companies following the health and safety management guidelines Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSH-MS) guidelines promotes a safe and healthy working environment by providing a framework that helps organizations to consistently identify and control health and safety risks, reduce the potential for accidents, aid legislative compliance, and improve overall performance. Sime Darby Engineering Sdn Bhd, oil and gas construction industry which practiced the OSH guidelines they are fully concern on the safety health and environment. This company is certified by ISO 9001 OHSAS 18001 and others. Their main objective is to establish a safety and health committee to upgrade the level of occupational safety and health in their company. They are committed to comply with all relevant environmental, safety and health legislation, prevent pollution and accidents, minimize usage of hazardous materials, chemicals and gases, and minimize release of pollutants to air, water and land. , reduce consumption of natural resources., reduce, reuse and recycle of waste, promote environmental, safety and health awareness to all employees, clients, sub-contractors, suppliers and visitors Sustainable Construction practices in Malaysia Several efforts has been given to the construction industry which it lead several changes. Construction waste causes environmental problem towards Malaysia such as water pollution, environmental pollution and others. The concern toward environment has been given only less attention before this however with the increasing awareness of global environment has lead the construction to increase the protection and sustainable towards our environment. This practice may lead to the structure which will enhance our lifes quality, protect the environment and at the same time maintaining a balance between growth in economy and preserving the natural resources and ecosystem. Problems in current practice of Malaysian Construction Industry Malaysian construction industry depends heavily on unskilled foreign labor worker as they considered as cheap, widely available and flexible. Majority of construction industry choosing this way as this might lead to a problem such as insufficient, slow and labor intensive. Growth of policy in Insurance Market of Construction Company Based on daily routine of a firm activity, they might encounter numerous kind of risk on during performing their job. The risk can be predicted before it might actually happen but the firm cant assume that all risk can be eliminated. Thus it comes to consideration of firm to have a proper way to manage their risk. There are three main insurances coverage in todays construction industry, which are: Contractors All Risk Insurance. Contractors All Risk insurance is precisely designed for the purpose of managing risk against any loss and damage during the construction work takes place. This kind of insurance covers any loss related to works, construction plant and any damage arising from the construction process. It a simpler word, this type of insurance policy helps to manage against unforeseen and accidental physical loss or any damage happens to the property during the period of insurance. Contractors all risk Insurance is best to cover all works executed by the contractor whether it is temporary type of work or construction type of work that takes a longer period to accomplish. The basic Contractors All Risk insurance gives protection coverage whether under construction period or maintenance period against: Material damage during the work under construction Loss and damage towards contractors machinery, plant and equipment. Loss and damage on principals existing property. Third party property damage or any bodily injury happens during the contract of work. The insured parties include the principal, main contractor and the sub-contractor. Examples of types of construction project that can be insured under Contractors All Risk Policy are: Civil works such as dams, power plants. General building construction such as industrial, halls, stadiums and residential. Towers, silos Railway line, roads, tunnels, bridges. Electrical equipment installation. Other miscellaneous work. Bonds / Insurance Guarantee. Bonds are widely being used and almost every interaction between inter-personal and inter-corporation use it to guarantee the project accomplishment. The insurance company actually works as a middle person between the two parties because the fact that insurance companies are financial institutions. Thus interference of insurance companies in bonding businesses can generate other type of business such as Contractors All Risk, Public Liability and Workmens Compensation policies. There are few features of bonds, which are; Once bonds are given, it cant be cancelled until its expiry date. Most of government project demand bonds and are worded, thus bond need to be issued by the contractors to satisfy the requirement of tender. Furthermore the demand of bond in such way enables the ability to invoke the bond by the holder without any reason and explanation. Any demand nevertheless any dispute or protest by the insurer, contractor or any third party needs to be settled by the insurer. Workmens Compensation Insurance This policy is being design to give protection for any employee insured against injury, accident or any disease caused from the employment. The employer is the one who need to pay such compensation based on the law set up in the schedule of the policy and common law. Demand for workmens compensation insurance usually comes from: Contractors who are required to have insurance under the requirement of contract with the Principal. Employers that are having foreign workers which are not eligible to contribute to SOCSO but because of (a) above, they usually include these workers in their insurance based on the wage roll of 15% of total contract value. The employer or their sub-contractor should also take note that they are also required to be under the provision of the Workmens Compensation. Findings Based on Interview : Risk Management on Construction Company In this part of findings, we refer to an industrial construction company that has been involved in this industry for a long time. Ziestech Enterprise has been kindly to provide the information needed about their risk management. The company located in Kulim Kedah. Basically, they are an electrical industrial construction company that offer customer electronic and air conditioner service. The manager, Mr Arshad Bin Tasselim has been exposed to us the risk management that company has applied for the workers and business. Ziestech Enterprise is a company that can be categorized as industrial construction. The company has been in the industry almost 10 years. Ziestech Enterprise has been humble in the industry where they have started small then eventually they had grown to become a very successful electrical industrial construction company. Based on our interview session with Mr Arshad, he explains that the company is very high skilled in electrical and wiring for the industrial construction where they have the ability to involve their business in handling heavy electrical job. Furthermore, to perform this kind of task, the company require a very special certificate such as Wireman from Suruhanjaya Tenaga Malaysia. As an electrical construction company, Mr Arshad is aware that their company is facing a very high risk especially the workers safety. The operational task is related with electrical usage and appliances, where they might face the risk of having accident, loss, damage or injury during the construction works takes place. The industrial task is far more dangerous because the workers are exposed to a very high voltage. Mr Arshad explains more about the usage of electrical equipment that has been used in industrial works where it involves with 240V to 450V. Workers that involved in this kind of job, they will be supervised by the expertise that has been hired by the company. Mr Arshad is very aware with the risk that their facing every working day. Ziestech Enterprise is well prepared in managing the risk and decided to buy some of the insurance policies that can reduce the level of riskiness in performing the task. Mr Arshad explains more about the loss and damage during the construction work for example damage to machinery,plant or third party damage that has been insured by Contractors All Risk. The company also concern about the workers that may injured and accident during performing tasks where they pay for Workmens Compensation to insure the employee. Risk management is very beneficial for the company and the current insurance coverage satisfy the needs for the Ziestech Enterprise. Conclusion Risk Management in Construction Industry can be very beneficial to the companies that are applying this because the internal organizations such as staff, supervisors, middle and senior management have a heightened awareness of risks within their work environment. In addition, risk can be identified, assessed and controlled in accordance with the legislative requirements of OHS Act. Besides that, risk management becomes a part of the organizational corporate culture. It reduces the severity of an accident results in an associated reduction in pain and suffering. Moreover, risk management also reduce in the severity and incidence of workers compensation claims, leading to a reduction in associated and hidden costs (such as loss of staff morale, loss productivity, etc.). To conclude, it is a known fact that risk management is a very important tool to be applied by companies in order to ensure their survival. Both the contractor and the insurance company try their level best to reduce their own risks. Wrong judgment may be a fatal blow on the survival of the company. Recommendation The construction industry is a vehicle

An Overview Of The Date Palm Environmental Sciences Essay

An Overview Of The Date Palm Environmental Sciences Essay Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is known as tree of life plays an imperative role in the life of the people living in scorched regions of the world. It is an ancient and valuable fruit, as the dates name has been and is mentioned in holy books like the Quran, Torah and Buddha (Belarbi et al., 2000; Falade and Abbo, 2007). Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is reported to have said that the best assets is the date palm, that it is used for curing many disorders, and He (PBUH) urged Muslims to consume dates (Zaid and de Wet, 1999). Muslims deem it as a virtue to eat dates at Iftar in the month of Ramadan. It has been cultivated in the Middle East since at least 6000 BC (Al-Qarawi et al., 2003). At least 2000 or more different cultivars of date palm exist all over the world (Ali-Mohamed and Khamis, 2004). The Date fruit provides a good source of carbohydrates, fibre, minerals, and vitamins, but it contains a minute amount of fat and protein (Baloch et al., 2006; Al-Farsi et al., 2005; Mohamed, 2000). Date fruit is also suitable for hypertensive persons because of its high amount of potassium and low content of sodium (Al-Hooti et al., 2002). New studies have reported that date fruit has antimutagenic and anticancer action (Ishurd and Kennedy, 2005; Vayalill, 2002). The ripening of the date fruit is considered by four different stages/phases based on color, softness, moisture, and sugar content. (1) Kimri stage: at this phase the fruit is quite hard, the color is green and it is not fit for edible purpose. At this phase the fruit attains a rapid increase in weight, volume and build up of reducing sugars that will weaken at the end of this stage. (2) Khalal stage: at this stage, date fruit gains its maximum weight and size. The dates total sugar and acidity will boost as its water content decreases. At the end of Khalal stage, the fruit is physiologically mature and hard. (3) Rutab stage: ripening of date fruit starts at this stage. Its colour changes and its texture become soft. It begins to lose astringency and starts acquiring a darker and less attractive colour than the previous stage. (4) Tamar stage: the date fruits are fully ripe at Tamar stage and texture of the flesh is soft. At this stage, date fruit contains its maximum total solids an d it is in the best condition for storage. Some references have mentioned another a very early stage named called Hababauk. This term is used for the female flower and also used for the period after pollination, in which the young fruit is still creamy before gradually turning green at the Kimri stage. Generally, date fruit is harvestable and marketable at three stages including Khalal, Rutab and Tamar that depend on cultivar characteristics, especially soluble tannins levels (Ismail et al., 2001; Hong et al., 2006; Awad, 2007). Although there are many cultivars of dates, some have become pre eminent in the world market (Krueger, 2001; Nixon, 1950). Deglet Noor, meaning date of the light in Arabic, comes from the Algerian Sahara and is one of the leading cultivars grown in North Africa and California. Halawy, meaning sweet in Arabic, is a soft, high-quality date with rich flavour from Iraq. Khadrawy, meaning green in Arabic, is a short and moderately productive tree with soft fruit from Southern Iraq. Climate is one of the major factors that affect all aspects of life and realistic crops cultivation depends on proper understanding of climatic condition. Proper understanding of climatic condition can help farmers in doing cultivation at an opportune time and supplying plants needs during growth period. The ripening season of date palm starts with the rise in summer temperature with July and August, which is the peak production period. Unfortunately, the monsoon rains also falls within these months of the year, which is a real bottleneck for this crop. Hillawi and Khadrawi are the major varieties cultivated in Punjab. These varieties are semi dry and ripened early in July and face a huge problem of monsoon rains. The coincidence of date ripening period with the monsoon season means the crop receives heavy damage by rain and a few minutes of rain can destroy upto 80% of the date crop (ASF, 2010) The fruit during this period is at eatable (Khalal/Rutab) stage and prone to infestation by insects/birds and diseases that invade at a rapid rate under the favourable climate of relatively reduced temperature with high humidity. This adverse situation persists for several weeks. The extent of the losses contributes to accumulate so long as the fruits stay on the trees for want of Dong formation until the end of July (Saleem et al., 2005). Rain and high humidity may cause physical damage to the fruit in period preceding the ripening. When this happens, cracks appear on the fruit surface through fungi and bacteria may enter causing fermentation and souring of the fruit rapidly (Olin, 2002). It is worth mentioning that the amount of any particular rain is of less importance than the conditions under which it occurs (Nixon and Carpenter, 1978). Traditional methods of date fruit ripening/curing are popular in many areas of the country, in which fruit at the Dong stage are spread on the mats or plastic sheets and exposed to sun in an open air. The quality of sun dried product under dusty condition becomes very poor and non-uniform with a low yield. Due to persistent rain and stormy conditions a large amount of the harvested dates become mouldy, fermented, and dusty, damaged by the birds and insects. The present study will be therefore conducted on the ripening aspects and fruit quality of date palm with respect to monsoon rains, by evaluating the potential of preharvest ethephon application on ripening enhancement and fruit quality of date palm at Kimri and Khalal stages, studying the role of different chemicals on the ripening behaviour and fruit quality and ripening and quality assessment of date fruit will also investigated by the influence of hot water treatment by harvesting the fruit at the physiological maturity (Doka/Khalal) stage. V) REVIEW OF LITERATURE: Fruits should be harvested at the correct physiological maturity and state of ripeness (Harman and Patterson, 1984). They are self sufficient with their own catalytic machinery to maintain an independent life, even when detached from the parent plant. Based on their respiratory pattern and ethylene biosynthesis during ripening, harvested fruits have been classified as climacteric and non-climacteric based on the respiration pattern and ethylene production during ripening. Climacteric fruits, harvested at physiological maturity, can be ripened off the parent plant. The respiration rate and ethylene formation though minimal at maturity, raise dramatically to a climacteric peak, at the onset of ripening, after which it declines (Gamage and Rehman, 1999). In climacteric fruit, onset of ripening is accompanied by a sharp increase in respiration and ethylene production. The climacteric ethylene is thought to regulate fruit ripening by inducing the expression of many ripening-related genes responsible for autocatalytic ethylene production, cellwall metabolism, chlorophyll degradation, synthesis of carotenoids and volatiles, and conversion of starch to sugar (Gray et al., 1992; Theologis, 1993; Alexander and Grierson, 2002). Non-climacteric fruits are not capable of continuing their ripening process, once they are detached from the parent plant. Also, these fruits produce a very small quantity of endogenous ethylene, and do not respond to external ethylene treatment. Such fruits show comparatively low profile and a gradual decline in their respiration pattern and ethylene production, throughout the ripening process (Gamage and Rehman, 1999). In non-climacteric fruit, there is no dramatic change in the rate of respiration, and ethylene production remains at a very low level. However, in some plant species, some aspects of ripening, such as chlorophyll degradation and fruit softening, are controlled or at least partially controlled by ethylene (Goldschmidt et al., 1993; Wills and Kim, 1995). Ethylene is biosynthesized from methionine via a welldefined pathway in which 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase (ACS) and ACC oxidase (ACO) function as key enzymes. Fruit ripening: Ripening is defined as changes that occur from the latter stages of growth and development through the early stages of senescence and result in characteristic aesthetic and/or food quality (Watada et al., 1984). It is a highly co-ordinated, genetically programmed, and an irreversible phenomenon involving a series of physiological, biochemical, and organoleptic changes that lead to the development of a soft and edible ripe fruit with desirable quality attributes. A wide spectrum of biochemical changes such as increased respiration, chlorophyll degradation, biosynthesis of carotenoids, anthocyanins, essential oils, and flavor and aroma components, increased activity of cell wall-degrading enzymes, and a transient increase in ethylene production are some of the major changes involved during fruit ripening (Brady, 1987). The color change during fruit ripening is due to the unmasking of previously present pigments by degradation of chlorophyll and dismantling of the photosynthetic apparatus and synthesis of different types of anthocyanins and their accumulation in vacuoles, and accumulation of carotenoids such as ÃŽÂ ²-carotene, xanthophyll esters, xanthophylls, and lycopene (Tucker and Grierson, 1987; Lizada, 1993). The increase in flavor and aroma during fruit ripening is attributed to the production of a complex mixture of volatile compounds such as ocimene and myrcene (Lizada, 1993), and degradation of bitter principles, flavanoids, tannins, and related compounds (Tucker and Grierson, 1987). The taste development is due to a general increase in sweetness, which is the result of increased gluconeogenesis, hydrolysis of polysaccharides, especially starch, decreased acid-ity, and accumulation of sugars and organic acids resulting in an excellent sugar/acid blend (Lizada, 1993; Grierson, Tucker, and Robertson, 1981; Selvaraj, Kumar, and Pal, 1989). The metabolic changes during fruit ripening include increase in biosynthesis and evolution of the ripening hormone, ethylene (Yang and Hoffman, 1984), increase in respiration mediated by mitochondrial enzymes, especially oxidases and de novo synthesis of enzymes catalyzing ripening specific changes (Tucker and Grierson, 1987). Alteration of cell structure involves changes in cell wall thickness, permeability of plasma membrane, hydration of cell wall, decrease in the structural integrity, and increase in intracellular spaces (Redgwell, MacRae, Hallet, Fischer, Perry, and Harker, 1997). Fruit softening is associated with cell wall disassembly (Seymour and Gross, 1996) and modifications to the pectin fraction are some of the most apparent changes that take place in the cell wall during ripening (Marin-Rodriguez, Orchard, and Seymour, 2002). The general observation is that softening is accompanied by solubilization of pectin, involving the action of enzymes pectinesterase (PE), polygalacturonase (PG) and pectate lyases (PL) (White, 2002) and hydrolysis of starch and other storage polysaccharides (Selvaraj et al., 1989; Fuchs, Pesis and Zauberman, 1980). This notion was supported by reports of changes in cell wall pectic material in ripening mango (Roe and Bruemmer, 1981), tomato (Besford and Hobson, 1972) and pear (Ahmed and Labavitch, 1980). Fruit ripening and ethylene: The gaseous hormone ethylene regulates a number of plant growth and developmental processes, including fruit ripening. Ethylene plays a major role in fruit ripening in a wide range of plant species (Abeles et al., 1992; Lelievre et al., 1997; Giovannoni, 2004). It is a fruit ripening phytohormone, in minute amounts can trigger many events of cell metabolism including initiation of ripening and senescence, particularly in a climacteric fruit. A number of reviews have been published on the role of ethylene in fruit ripening, particularly in mangoes as well as its biogenesis (Adams and Yang, 1979; Kende, 1993). The pathway for ethylene biosynthesis has been elucidated in apple, and other fruits such as avocado, banana, and tomato (Kende, 1993; Yang and Hoffman, 1984). The first step is the conversion of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to 1- aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (ACC) by the enzyme ACC synthase. At the onset of fruit ripening, expression of multiple ACC synthase genes are activat ed, resulting in increased production of ACC. In most cases, it is the ACC synthase activity, which determines the rate of ethylene biosynthesis. ACC is then oxidized to ethylene by ACC oxidase. Potential of ethephon in fruit ripening: Fruit ripening has been described as an oxidative phenomenon that requires a turnover of active oxygen species, such as H2O2 and superoxide anion (Jimenez et al, 2002). Ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid), releases ethylene in plant tissues, has aroused interest because of its physiological effects in many fruit species (Cooke and Randall, 1968; Warner and Leopold, 1967). The responses to ethephon appear to be mainly caused by the action of ethylene (Anderson, 1968). Now ethephon is widely used in agriculture for promotion of flowering, fruit ripening, defoliation and so on. Orange, grapefruit, tangerine and green lemon fruits dipped in ethephon solutions for a few seconds to several minutes developed satisfactory marketable color in seven to ten days after treatment. (Fuch and Cohen, 1969; Yong et al., 1970). In pomegranates, however pre-harvest application of ethephon decreased the soluble solids, pH and vitamin C content of the fruit juice (Shaybany and Sharifi, 1973). Rouhani and Bassiri (1977) reported that when date fruits were treated with 0, 125, 250, 500, 1000 or 2000 ppm ethephon and stored in sealed bags or bags with 10 holes. The percentage dry weights of pulp and seed, titratable acidity, soluble solids and respiration rates increased, whereas pH, firmness and astringency decreased with greater maturity. The application of ethephon increased respiration and titratable acidity significantly. Although ethephon concentration and bag type affected ripening, their effects were relatively small; endogenous factors controlling ripening were more important. Ethephon application at 1500 ppm shortly after full bloom on Zaghloul and Samani date palms grown in Egypt advanced fruit ripening by about one month (Kamal, 1995). Musa (2001) reported that effectiveness of ethrel in enhancing the fruit ripening of Mishrigi Wad Khatib and Mishrigi Wad Lagi dates grown in Khartoum, Sudan, was 2-3 fold higher by injecting 2ml of ethrel (480 g/l a.v.) into a pit made in the peduncle compared with 1000 ppm of ethrel spraying over the fruit. Preharvest ethrel application significantly increased the Rutab fruit yield per bunch (7 kg) as compared to the control (4.5 kg) and postharvest dipping of fruit at khalal stage in ethrel at 4.2ml/l and abscisic acid at 1.0 mM significantly enhanced the ripening, compared to the control (Awad, 2007). Ethephon accelerates ripening and improves the peel color of the mangoes (Lakshminarayana et al., 1975). Mixture of ethephon, sodium hydro oxide and water, kept in the vicinity of mango fruit, facilitate the ripening in natural way (Sudhakar, 2006). Nair and Singh (2003) reported that fruit quality in terms of TSS, TSS/acid ratio, sugars and eating quality of mango cv. Bocado was found to improve with ethrel at 2000 ppm. Increase in salt concentration progressively increased the Dong/Rutab formation of khadrawi and shamran date cultivars, and addition of acetic acid enhanced the effect, but acetic acid alone was ineffective (Kalra et al., 1977). Ethephon treatment stimulated the decrement of titratable acidity, anthocyanin accumulation and fruit softening four days after treatment in rabbiteye blueberry. The ripening promotion effect of ethephon on total soluble solids content was observed only eight days after treatment. Ethephon treatment did not affect the fruit enlargement during the investigation period. They concluded that ethephon application for rabbiteye blueberry promote the fruit ripening, but the stimulatory effects of ethephon on fruit ripening were different in degree on each ripening characters (Ban et al., 2007). The stimulatory effect of ethephon on blueberry fruit ripening has been reported by some researchers (Eck, 1970; Forsyth et al., 1977; Lewis and Ju, 1993; Warren et al., 1973). The skin color enhancement effect of ethephon has been noted for apple and cranberry (Eck, 1972; Murphey and Dilley, 1988). In Jonagold apple, ethephon application stimulated the anthocyanin accumulation in the skin, but did n ot affect the total soluble solids content, acidity and fruit firmness (Awad and Jager, 2002). From these results, it is concluded that ethephon application for fruit promotes ripening, but the stimulatory effect of ethephon on fruit ripening differs in degree for each fruit ripening character. Ethylene released by the breakdown of Ethrel ® is the cause of softening of fruit and hastens the onset of ripening of several fruits, including mango, as reported by researchers (Rupinder, Poorinima, Pathak, Singh and Dwivedi, 2007). Role of hot water, sodium chloride and acetic acid in fruit ripening: Recently, wide international interest in heat treatment for quality maintenance and disease control has reflected in a range of literatures. With exposure of fresh agricultural commodities to high temperature, heat shock proteins transcripts and protein levels in such commodities have been shown to increase (Lurie, 1998). Further more, a wide range of fruit ripening processes are affected by heat, such as color (Cheng et al, 1988; Tian et al., 1996), ethylene synthesis (Ketsa et al., 1999), respiration (Inaba and Chachin, 1988), fruit softening and cell wall metabolism (Lurie and Nussinovich, 1996), volatile production. Postharvest heat treatment also can reduce chilling injury in many kinds of fruits during subsequent low temperature storage as well as reduce pathogen level and disease development. Agricultural commodities are large and respond differently by applied heat treatment. Inappropriate heat treatment can also lead to ripening acceleration or heat damage (McDonald et al., 1999; Lurie, 1997). The influence of hot water treatment on the ripening/curing of Dhakki dates with 70 oC performed better than 35 and 93 oC furnishing with 55% product yield of acceptable quality. The yield of improved quality product is further increased to 70% on the optimization of treatment time to 3 minutes. They concluded that Dhakki dates does not require to stay on tree beyond fully mature doka stage for want of dong formation and hence saves at least two weeks hang-on period Saleem et al. (2004). When fruits of Khadrawi and Shamran treated with 2% NaCl alone achieved 72 and 75% ripening by weight, similar studies were also conducted on Khadrawi, Shamran, Zaidi and Thoory date varieties at the doka stage. Sodium chloride (0.5-3.0%), actic acid (0.5-2.0%), or sodium chloride at 1.0% + acetic acid. With Khadrawi and Shamran increased concentration of NaCl resulted in a progressive increase in the ripening percentage of fruits (Kalra and Jawand, 1974; Kalra et al., 1977). Shamshiri and Rahemi (19 99) reported that sodium chloride and acetic acid either separately or combined, significantly increased the TSS and reduced fruit firmness and moisture content. Acetic acid at 2% had a better effect on fruit ripening and sodium chloride, but the fruits with sodium chloride were better in appearance. Mirza and Meraj-ud-Din (1988) treated the fruits of Dhakki and Basra cultivars in doka stage with 3% brine solution, 0.25% acetic acid solution and 0.25% citric acid solution for five minutes and sulfuring them for five hours. Different chemical treatments significantly enhanced the ripening percentage of fruits, brine solution was found to be superior ripening agent.