Cognitive Behavioural and Psychodynamic Approaches Essay

Coping with the death of a loved one often means that the bereaved must develop a new way of viewing themselves and the world around them without the presence or influence of the deceased. In general, reactions to the loss of a loved one are considered intense in the initial period following the death, but on average, these feelings lessen over time (Parkes, 1975; Rando, 1993; Sanders, 1989, 1993, cited in Malkinson, 2001). Some bereaved individuals can successfully cope with this transitional phase and are capable of returning to â€Å"an adaptive level of functioning† within the time frames expected (Marwit & Matthews, 2004) without experiencing severe impairments. However, some grievers can experience severe affects to their physical and psychological well-being (Gallagher-Thompson et al., 1993; Ott, 2003; Stroebe & Stroebe, 1987, cited in Marwit, et al, 2004); cases in which the bereaved is demonstrating prolonged irrational beliefs and/or behaviours about the loss can be an indication of an emotional disturbance (e.g. complicated grief). Complicated grief (CG) can be defined as â€Å"the intensification of grief that does not lead to assimilation of the loss but instead to repetitive stereotypic behavior as well as impaired functioning† (Malkinson & Witztum, in press, cited in Malkinson, 2001, p. 672). The discourse of this paper will compare and contrast psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral theories with examples of models used to facilitate grief work in situations of complicated grief as well as a brief explanation of what is considered grief resolution. Let us begin with a brief explanation of the core principles of each approach. Psychodynamic counseling is concerned with the role of the unconscious, childhood experiences and how they can ultimately effect our mental processes which in turn manifest in our actions. According to this approach in order to deal with conflicts certain defensive actions or mechanisms instinctively come to our rescue whenever we feel vulnerable or as if our view of reality is being challenged. For example in bereavement cases, clients will often use denial as a defense mechanism and coping strategy in order to avoid the intense pain that comes with acceptance of loss. However effective this may be for short-term relief, in the long run, the client runs the risk of developing symptoms of complicated grief (Hough, 2010). Contrariwise, cognitive-behavioral approaches place almost no emphasis on the past and childhood events, unless it directly relates to difficulties of the present day, in such cases it acknowledges but does not focus on this factor. Rather it concentrates on present day thinking/behavioral patterns exhibited by the client, ways to recondition the client’s cognitive processes and how to eliminate unwanted or destructive cognitions and behavior. Additionally, (and specific to aspects of behavior) this approach adheres to empirically sound principles and procedures that have been tested for their effectiveness and reliability (Hough, 2010), whereas the psychodynamic approach is theory based. The rationale behind CBT being, since negative patterns of thinking and behaving are learned they can be unlearned. We now examine established beliefs about grief and grief resolution. Grief has traditionally been seen as a healthy process aimed at decathexis, abandoning or letting go of commitment to one’s relationship to the deceased (Freud, 1917/1957, cited in Malkinson, 2001) as well as the ability to form new relationships (Malkinson, 2001). During most of the 20th century, leaders in bereavement research followed Freud’s (1917/1957, cited in Marwit, et al., 2004) theoretical model of decathecating grief in which he believed that the bereaved invested a great deal of mental energy into maintaining the attachment to the deceased and in order to reach a resolution of grief it was vital to release this attachment, i.e. to exhaust the energy. To facilitate the process of grief work, the survivor must confront the feelings of loss and allow himself to express the emotions associated with the loss by revisiting the events leading up to and during the death. However, the notion held by Freud (accepting the loss is a sign of grief resolution) is not supp orted by empirical evidence (Artlet & Thyer, 1998, cited in Malkinson, 2001). Cognitive-behavioral models have expanded to include treatment of loss and grief, specifically complicated grief (Fleming & Robinson, 1991, 2001; Florsheim & Gallagher-Thompson, 1990; Malkinson & Ellis, 2000; Neimeyer, Prigerson, & Davies, 2002; Reynolds,1996,1999; Stubenbort, Donnelly, & Cohen, 2001, cited in Marwit & Marwit, 2004). Researchers maintain that more consideration must be given to other processes of grieving which allows for a continued connection between the survivor and the deceased as opposed to decathecting. Additionally, modern day research criticizes the need for finality and closure as a sign of resolution, and instead views the bereavement process as an on going modification of preexisting cognitions and emotional reactions to the â€Å"new reality† (Malkinson, 2001). As opposed to severing ties to the deceased, the maintenance of bonds is now being proposed (Malkinson & Bar-Tur, 1999; Rubin & Malkinson, 2001; Silverman, Klass, & Nickman, 1996, cited in Malkinson, 2001). Klass (1999, cited in Marwit, et al., 2004) reasoned that resolution is achieved â€Å"by integration of the deceased into the ongoing life of the griever† (p.852). Research involving grieving parents reveals a common element of prolonged association and connection with the deceased. As a result of this theory Stroebe and Schut (1999, cited in Marwit, et al., 2004) put forward the Dual-Process Model (DPM), which allows the bereaved to confront painful feelings and cognitions involved in mourning, but to avoid them as well. They maintain that clinicians and researchers must understand the cognitive processes experienced by the griever, and also, the regulation of these cognitions during the bereavement process (ibid.). According to this model, there are two types of stressors: loss-orientation and restoration-orientation. Loss-oriented coping focuses on dealing with the actual loss itself and cognitions such as â€Å"He was too young to die†. Also, addressing the aching desire for the person, for example allowing the emotional expressions to flow, i.e. crying over pictures of the deceased as well as recalling happy moments shared. Alternatively, restoration-oriented coping deals with the task of successfully continuing life and developing a new identity without the deceased and at times, even having to take on those duties and responsibilities, which were previously held by the deceased. Some examples of these potential challenges may include, identity shifts such as â€Å"homemaker† to â€Å"employee† or â€Å"daughter† to â€Å"orphan† and new responsibilities such as entering into the work force for the first time and learning to manage finances. In this way the bereaved goes through a process of learning and coping with new cognitions and realities, such as â€Å"I am the breadwinner now.† (Marwit, et al., 2004). The bereaved must learn to process such new cognitions as a part of moving forward. The DPM is concerned with the interaction of a myriad of cognitive process. According to Bower, et al (1998, cited in Marwit, et al, 2004) in this instance cognitive refers to â€Å"the process of actively thinking about a stressor, the thoughts and feeling it evokes, and its implications for one’s life and future†. Cognitive processes taking place among the bereaved can therefore be described as split between implicit and explicit processes (Marwit, et al, 2004). There is evidence to suggest that exposure therapy can do more harm than good, also that complete avoidance is not always successful in grief resolution, Stroebe & Schut (2001, cited in Marwit, et al, 2004) use an approach referred to as oscillation which allows the griever the balance of both confrontation and avoidance in both loss- and reorientation-coping. This is similar to psychodynamic approaches in which the client has control in directing the course of the therapy (we shall see below). Oscillation gives the client a break from dealing with intense painful emotions for a long period of time. To begin the process of grief work in a psychodynamic setting involves establishing an explicit therapeutic agreement between the therapist and the client whereby the client makes the decision to focus on the loss when he is ready (Lamb, 1988). Once the agreement is made, the therapist explains what the client can expect during future sessions and continues to reassure the client that the pace of the therapy, area of exploration and subject matter discussed will be entirely at his discretion (Lamb, 1988). This gives the client a sense of control during a crisis where he may feel helpless. The therapist can now guide the bereaved through the process of actually acknowledging the loss, reawakening reminiscences, adjusting to their existence in the world without the lost one and to experience all of the pain and emotions associated with this actuality (Worden, 1982, cited in Lamb, 1988). This is achieved through interventions such as, instructing the client to bring memorabilia to sessions like pictures, belongings of the deceased and other â€Å"linking objects† (Volkan, 1972, cited in Lamb, 1988); also the application of such techniques as role-reversal, â€Å"the empty chair† and keeping a dream diary (Lamb, 1988). Another way to elicit emotional response is by encouraging the survivor to talk about positive as well as negative features of the relationship with the deceased (Lamb, 1988). It is also important to allow the client the opportunity to tell their story as often as they wish as this not only assists the griever to confront painful feelings associated with the loss, but it also affords the therapist the opportunity to point out underlying issues which may be the source of the pain. Hough (2010) describes a case study in which a young woman, Linda, sought grief therapy after suffering with depression stemming from the death of her grandmother two years prior. During one session Linda mentioned having to move in with her grandparents after her parents divorced and showed avoidance and discomfort at the mention of this point (i.e. left that particular session early, arrived late for next session). Through â€Å"listening, observing, interpreting, linking, giving reflective response and looking at defences and resistance† (Hough, 2010) the therapist was able to address and draw attention to an underlying issue, which was the actual source of the depression; one that Linda had never been able to identify on her own. Wogrin (2008) explains her approach to this process as listening for what she calls the client’s quieter voice, the one that even the client himself is unaware of. Another form of psychodynamic intervention is group therapy, during which grievers are encouraged to try and understand how unresolved conflicts beneath the surface may be hindering their abilities to cope with loss (Kipnes, et al, 2002; MacNair-Semands, 2004; Piper et al, 2001, cited in Para, 2009). Let us consider two operational forms of group therapies: interpretive and supportive groups. Interpretive group therapy provides a forum for individuals suffering from complicated grief, to gain insight into trauma and recurring internal struggles that impede the griever’s ability to mourn in a normal way (Piper, et al, 2001, cited in Para, 2009). This form of therapy also aims to assist the client’s understanding and acceptance feelings of ambivalence toward loved ones lost (Para, 2009). The counsellor refrains from praise with the purpose of promoting tolerance of stress and uneasiness (Para, 2009). The most important objective of supportive group therapy, however, is to enhance acclimatization of the bereaved to their current situation of loss and grief (Piper, et al, 2001, cited in Para, 2009). The counsellor promotes a pleasurable environment for grievers to express shared experiences and emotions common among the bereaved (Para, 2009). During supportive group therapy the counsellor is non-interpretive and less probing as opposed to interpretive therapy(ibid). So far, we have discussed the two approaches separately, but there are occasions where integration of the two may be necessary and beneficial to the client. For instance, in situations where the survivor suffers from nightmares relating to the death, it may be practical in integrate behavioural exposure techniques as well as symbolism and imagery. Reynolds (1996) asserts â€Å"Drawing as well as verbal representation could also be regarded as an effective form of exposure therapy, helping the client to stay with the anxiety-provoking death-related images† (p.1) To conclude According to the cognitive perspective, suffering a loss through death is a very difficult external occurrence that completely changes one’s belief system and consequently all related sentiments and actions. Internal feelings and beliefs are challenged in CBT as the therapist attempts to show the client other ways of thinking about and adjusting to their loss, this is not unlike the psychodynamic approach. However, in psychodynamic models, internal belief systems are challenged with regards to unconscious conflict resolutions. CBT seeks to inform the client of what can happen as a result of grief due to a loss, to identify different reactions which may be normal responses to loss and to reveal new or better coping skills. Again, this is similar to psychodynamic therapies in as much as the therapist explains emotions which may arise during therapy sessions. Additionally, exposure techniques are used by both theories as a way to encourage the client to face the death head-on. This can be achieved by using emotional cues of the loss i.e. sorting through the personal belongings, talking to them in an empty chair this allows the client to experience a sense of connection to the deceased. The aims of psychodynamic and cognitive behavioural approaches to grief are similar and may at times be integrated in order to provide the best possible intervention for the bereaved. (2242 Words) References: Para, E. A. (2009) Group Counselling for Complicated Grief: A Literature Review. Graduate Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1(2). Article 10100-112. Malkinson, R. (2001) Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy of Grief: A Review and Application. Research on Social Work Practice, 11, 671-698. Lamb, D. H. (1988) Loss and Grief: Psychotherapy Strategies and Interventions. Psychotherapy, 25(4), 561-569. Marwit, L. T. & Marwit, S. J. (2004) Complicated Grief and the Trend Toward Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy. Death Studies, 28, 849-863 Neimeyer, R. A. & Wogrin, C. (2008) Psychotherapy for Complicated Bereavement: A Meaning-Oriented Approach. Illness, Crisis & Loss, 16(1) 1-20. Reynolds, F. (1996) Laying Mother to Rest: Working with Grief-Related Nightmares Through Exposure Therapy and Imagery. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 9(3) 1-7 Hough, M. (2010) Counselling Skills and Theory 3rd Ed, UK: Hodder Education

The Aquilealand Accounting Standard Board Accounting Essay

This intent of this study is to give advice on the development of an accounting criterion for employee benefits. Five different jobs sing employee benefits will be examined and each job will be related to an accounting construct. Recommendations will be suggested for these jobs every bit good. All employees work in outlook of being rewarded afterwards, or in progress in some instances. Beam and Mcfadden ( 2001 ) specify employee benefits as â€Å" all benefits and services, other than rewards for clip worked that are provided to employees in whole or in portion by their employers † . These benefits include ill foliages, medical disbursals, holiday fillips and many others. Therefore, it is necessary that there are certain regulations sing these benefits that will keep the rights of the employees. In the underdeveloped state of Aquilealand, we do non hold our ain conceptual model, and hence we adopt the IASB ‘s model. Aquilealand Accounting Standards Board should use a new criterion for employee benefits and this will be used by all companies in Aquilealand. There are several jobs refering employee benefits which need to be looked into in deepness, some of them will be discussed in the undermentioned paragraphs.Problem ( 1 ) : Recognition of net incomes and losi ngss originating from program assetsOne of the jobs mentioned during the making the accounting criterion for Aquilealand is the acknowledgment of expected return of program assets. In the attack V IASB expected return should be recognized and excluded from the assets service cost. However, anticipation of any future return involves a large sum of uncertainness ( Pastor, 2001 ) . Harmonizing to Pastor it is really difficult to foretell expected return even utilizing mathematical theoretical accounts objectively. The ground is that subjectiveness and opinion have a large impact on this procedure ( Pastor, 2001 ) . This fact is interrupting the objectiveness construct of the Regulatory Framework. Harmonizing to this construct, histories should be free of opinion and should be measured by all people in the same manner ( Alexander et Al ) . In add-on, acknowledgment of expected return, which is unfulfilled return, may be misdirecting information for the users of fiscal statements. As it is non possible to extinguish the opinion factor in the procedure of computation of expected return, companies should non recognize the expected return on program assets until it is truly gained. That will forestall the breakage of the objectiveness construct. This may besides assist to supply more accurate information about the fiscal state of affairs of the company to the users of fiscal statements. Merely realized return on program assets should be recognized. In add-on, companies should be required to unwrap the information about alteration of program plus in the one-year study ; non as the portion of the statement of comprehensive income but as a separate subdivision.Problem ( 2 ) : DisclosuresThere are three basic affairs that can be of import to be disclosed in fiscal statements. First, explain in inside informations the characteristics and hazards connected with its defined benefit programs. Next, show the consequence of defined benefit programs on the entity ‘s f uture hard currency flow and which related to timing, uncertainty and sums. Finally, explain the numerical information that is involved in the fiscal statements bring forthing from its defined benefits program ( PWC, 2011 ) . However, there are many demands for revelations which might be hard to use. A company has to supply elaborate information about the fiscal events in order to run into three things because the users of fiscal statements need to measure numerical information ( KPMG, 2011 ) . Furthermore, sensitivity analysis revelation is given simply on the defined benefit duty, although IASB provinces that, ‘sensitivity analysis on the net defined benefit liability ( assets ) ‘ can be more utile. However, it is far more hard and complicated to transport out ( ibid. ) . Furthermore, revelations for multi-employer programs are presently extended because more information linked with multi- employer should be disclosed such as support agreement ( PWC, 2011 ) . Harmonizing to the materiality construct, fiscal statements are prepared to function the users to do the right determination. Therefore, all information that may impact their determination should be involved in fiscal statements. As a consequence, revelation rule is significantly associated with materiality because all the quantitative and qualitative information should be involved in fiscal statement such as accounting policies and important events ( Jan, O. , 2010 ) . As mentioned before, there are some recommendations that should be considered for employee benefits revelation. First, the companies required to unwraping the of import information involved in fiscal statements to fulfill the external users and assist them to understand information and do right determination ( PWC, 2013 ) . In add-on, the companies should utilize narrative description of fiscal information such as liabilities fiting so the readers can understand written information.Problem ( 3 ) : Termination benefitsBased on the definition in IAS 19, expiration benefits are the benefits for those employees whose employments are voluntarily or involuntarily terminated before the normal retirement day of the month. Therefore, expiration benefits should be recognized as a liability and an disbursal in entity ‘s fiscal study. For case, voluntary expiration benefits should be recognized when they are provided as ‘a consequence of an offer made in order to promote voluntary re dundancy ‘ ( Alexander, Britton & A ; Jorissen, 2011: 525 ) . On the other manus, as the name implies, nonvoluntary expiration benefits should be recognized when the employment is terminated involuntarily, such as dismissal. However, for acknowledgment in fiscal accounting, it is indispensable to foremost make up one's mind when and how much it should be recognized. Therefore, the disbursal of the expiration benefits should be able to be expressed in money, which is besides known as one of the fiscal accounting conventions named ‘monetary measuring ‘ ( Alexander, Britton & A ; Jorissen, 2011 ) . Furthermore, besides the sum to acknowledge, it is besides necessary to find the clip to acknowledge. For case, to acknowledge the nonvoluntary expiration benefits every bit shortly as the employees are cognizant of the expiration or at the clip they leave the entity should be regulated. Based on the counsel of fiscal accounting conventions, the sum and the clip for the acknowledgment could be easy determined. First, taking history of the pecuniary measuring convention, entity should guarantee the expiration benefits in its dismissal program could be measured. Similarly, the benefits included in the offer that entity provides for voluntary expiration should besides be mensurable. Furthermore, harmonizing to the accumulations convention, the disbursal of the entity should be recognized and recorded every bit shortly as the use of the disbursal is determined ( Alexander, Britton & A ; Jorissen, 2011 ) . Therefore, nonvoluntary expiration benefits should be recognized at the clip when entity officially notice the employees affected in its dismissal program. However, for those who have exchanged their expiration benefits for future services, the liability of their benefits should be recognized over the future period. At last, voluntary expiration benefits should be recog nized when the employees accept the offer made in other to promote voluntary redundancy.Problem ( 4 ) : Post-employment benefitsPost-employment benefits means the staff Begin having retirement benefits, for illustration, retirement benefits and other post-employment benefits after completed an employment relationship ( BDO, 2013 ) . Besides, there are two classs of post-employment benefits programs. One is defined part programs, another is defined benefit programs ( ibid. ) . In general, DCP ( which stand for defined part programs ) means employees ‘ retirement program benefits was reserved financess from the company ‘s one-year net income ( Investopedia, n.d. ) . Accounting intervention is comparatively simple. But the duties undertaken of the employee is non rather clear. Therefore, the item of the handling is the employer ought to do the part towards the present service and have no duty to give excess part for past service ( Towers Watson, n.d. ) . For DBP ( which sta nd for defined benefit programs ) , it is a retirement program that employee benefits are classified harmonizing to a expression utilizing factors such as length of service and salary history, which was sponsored by the employer ( Investopedia, n.d. ) . Harmonizing to Towers Watson [ n.d. ] , owing to actuarial additions and losingss and anterior service costs are deferred, ensuing in the pension liability that are non really required to bear the duties. The solution is instantly acknowledgment of actuarial additions and losingss and anterior service cost. The undermentioned specific patterns are: canceling actuarial additions and losingss utilizing the corridor attack, take actuarial additions and losingss that are recognized in net income and loss commissariats and necessitate all actuarial additions and losingss should be recognized instantly in other comprehensive income ( OCI ) . Furthermore, past service cost should non be deferred amortisation and besides necessitate to be re cognized instantly when incurred ( ibid. ) . Besides IAS 19 alterations in the method of look, service cost and net involvement income or disbursal recognized in net income or loss, Re-measurable part recognized in OCI ( BDO, 2013 ) .Problem ( 5 ) : Immediate acknowledgmentImmediate acknowledgment in other comprehensive income will hold an impact on organisations which recognizes additions and losingss at the same time in net income and loss. The standard requires acknowledgment of defined benefit duty and program assets in the statement of comprehensive income and in the statement of fiscal place. Harmonizing to IASB, ‘immediate acknowledgment provides more relevant information to users of fiscal statements and provides more faithful representation of the fiscal consequence of defined benefit programs ‘ ( KPMG 2011, p 5 ) . There are some looks of immediate acknowledgment which eliminated by AASB as the criterion of employee benefits. Among them are past service cost and disposal costs and other disbursals. As an illustration of immediate acknowledgment jobs, past service costs will be explained in item. Past service costs used to depict service costs different from current service costs and additions or losingss on the colony. It is defined as ‘the alteration in the present value of the defined benefit duty for the employee service provided in anterior periods ( KPMG, 2011: 18 ) . We should specify whether past service costs is positive or negative. When the alterations improve employee benefits, it is positive ( Deloitte, 2011 ) . While it is negative if the alteration consequences in decrease of the bing benefits ( ibid ) . The following measure is to acknowledge them into the entities ‘ fiscal statements. Harmonizing to the prudence concept footing, it is besides necessary to describe the accounting minutess. Therefore, the method used to acknowledge a vested yesteryear service costs should differ from the one used to acknowledge an unvested yesteryear service costs. Based on the consistence concept footing, it states that ‘accounting methods one time adopted must be applied systematically in future ‘ ( Jan, I. , 2012 ) . Therefore, the accounting intervention for both vested and unvested yesteryear service costs should be severally kept the same in several accounting periods. As it has been shown in the old paragraph, we recommend that the methods used to acknowledge vested and unvested yesteryear service cost should be different. Vested past service costs should be recognized instantly while ‘unvested past service costs should be recognized on a straight-line footing over the staying vesting period ‘ ( Ernst and Young, 2011: 4 ) . Furthermore, the methods used to acknowledge past service costs should follow a consistence footing. To reason, the Aquilealand Accounting Standard Board examined jobs sing employee benefits such as: acknowledgment of net incomes and loss originating from program assets, revelations, expiration benefits, post employment benefits, and immediate acknowledgment. Each of these jobs relates to an accounting construct, and recommendations were suggested in order to make a suited criterion that fit a state which has an active stock market.

Achieving Competitive Advantage In The Biotechnology Sector Commerce Essay

Achieving Competitive Advantage In The Biotechnology Sector Commerce Essay Biotechnology can be generally defined as the use of living things to create products or to do tasks for human beings. Biotechnology or biotech is used in industry, medicine and agriculture to produce foods, medicine, and test for diseases and remove wastes. (Biotechnologyonline, n.d) As such, there are different types of biotech such as green technology, red technology, and white technology and Bio fuels. In this report, we will have an insight into each of these branches of biotech and use various analytical tools to evaluate how knowledge management is playing a role in creating competitive advantage for companies in the sector. In so doing, we shall look at the Green biotech, Red biotech, White biotech and bio fuel respectively. Green Biotechnology Green technology, otherwise known as plant or agricultural technology is a branch of biotechnology (biotech) which â€Å"involves the introduction of foreign genes into economically important species, resulting in crop improvement an d the production of novel products in plants†. (123biotech, n.d.). To better understand the role of knowledge management in harnessing a competitive advantage in this branch of biotechnology, we will take Monsanto as case example. Monsanto is the world’s leading green technology company ahead of rival such as DuPont. (SmartMoney, 2009). The company specialises in breeding (improving the genetic base through technology of crops thus increase yield and genetic engineering (by enhancing generic traits in crops such as insect resistance, herbicide tolerance and drought-tolerance). (SmartMoney, 2009 and Monsanto, n.d.) As with its sister braches such as bioinformatics, white technology(industrial biotechnology), red technology(pharmaceuticals) as well as biofuels, green technology and companies associated with it like Monsanto, are not left unscathed by critics. For instance, Monsanto and its counterpatrs , through its use of plant technology has been criticised of endangeri ng human, the environment and socio-economic.( Friends of the earth, 2006). Significance of Green Technology However, the following advantages are beign celebrated by its supporters: Protection of Crops: for instance, the AT-DBF2 gene from Arabidopsis Thaliana crop injected into plants to enable them withstands Osmotic stress such as drought, salt and stress. (PNAS, n.d.) Increase Crop yield: during the teething years of biotechnology in term of Genetically Modified Food, there has been a widespread criticism of GMO claiming that GM Crops do not increase crop yield, that on the contrary it, reduces it. (Truth about Trade and Technology, 2009). These claims were dismissed by the then USA president Jimmy Carter who stated that, â€Å"responsible biotechnology is not the enemy; starvation is.† (Biotechnology Industry Organisation, n.d.)His favourable stance towards green biotechnology because of organisms like the Bacillus Thuringiensis used to produce the BT-corn. Introduces in 1996, the â€Å"Bt corn has the potential to simplify management and effectively control corn borers throughout the season† thus increasing its yield. (College of Agriculture, n.d.) Improved Food Quality: an example of this was the invention of the Golden Rice by Prof Potrykus and Prof. Beyer of ETH-Zurich and University of Freiburg respectively. The Golden rice is believed to alleviate Vitamin A deficiency in young people especially in the developing world. (Golden Rice, n.d.) Another example is the Maltogenic Amylase used for â€Å"Retardation of staling in baked food†, such as bread and cakes. (Food and Agriculture Organisation, 1997)

The Effects of Immigration on Wages and Employment Essay

The Effects of Immigration on Wages and Employment - Essay Example The essay "The Effects of Immigration on Wages and Employment" analyzes the effect of immigration on the wages and employment rates of a particular area in terms of the effects for each city outmigration and reduced in-migration. Suffice to say, the mobility of workers both domestically and internationally has become commonplace thus altering the composition of the workforce in various places. Legal migrants form a substantial portion of the workforce in the United States. It is important to evaluate the impact of both the international migrations to the US and the domestic migrations on the native workers. According to Card (2005), immigration does not have a notable impact on the wages of both the natives and the immigrant workers. Card indicates that large differences in the proportions of immigrants do not cause differences in the relative wages. In order to investigate the effect of immigration on wages and employment, Card compared cities with large versus small numbers of immigrants. He also factored in the effects for each city outmigration and reduced in-migration. Card found out that immigration had a negligible effect on skilled and unskilled wages. Peri (2010) took a task analytic approach to investigate the study in focus. According to Peri, workers are in different occupations. For instance, natives have a better command of English language and therefore more suited for communication-oriented tasks compared to immigrants who specialize in jobs that are manual oriented. Peri also indicates that native born workers take on managerial tasks while educated immigrants are likely to work in specialized roles as engineers, doctors or scientists. Ultimately, a large a number of immigrant workers could lead to increased productivity of the natives and thus increase their wages and employment rate rather than decreasing them. Card, Borjas and Peri used fundamentally different methods to study the effects of immigration on wages and employment. Borjas’ findings were based on an intrinsic grouping of people based on social factors and comparing their wages and employment rate vis a vis proportion of immigration in their cities. It is imperative to not that Card used the same groupings and made findings to the effect that immigration had negligible effects on wages and employment. The difference in findings between Borjas and Card can be attributed to the fact the Borjas failed to consider the effect of capital investments changes to the production function. Peri a task oriented approach to evaluate the differences in terms of jobs that natives and immigrants undertook. It is notable that the findings of Card, Peri and Borjas are based on the methods that they used to conduct their studies. It is not possible to arrive at a generalized conclusion on the effects of immigrants on the wages and employment rates. However, both Peri and Card tentatively agree that the immigrants do not necessarily cause a negative impact on employment rates and wages. 2. Worker mobility is an important factor in market economies since it allows for free movement of workers to obtain employment of their choice. The

Micro-structure of ceramic, polymer and composite material Assignment

Micro-structure of ceramic, polymer and composite material - Assignment Example According to Whitney (2000), ceramic structures come in a variety and each structure has its own unique properties. For instance, some are very high thermal conductors while some don’t conduct heat at all but they possess other properties. Micro structures of Ceramics also vary in nature as some are pure glass, some crystalline and others are a combination of the two. Ceramics with glassy structures have properties that differ from metallic structures, and the difference in these properties is the atomic structure of the glass (Russell, 2009). Silica is the most common products that makeup glass where when it is fused together then placed in cold temperatures; the glass is formed. The main advantage of ceramic glass is its ability to be made into different shapes when it is still a soft plastic. Ceramics in crystalline form have the metallic and non-metallic atoms which should be balanced for the crystals to be made. During the crystallization, the arrangements in ions mainly determine the manner in which cells will be arranged. Whitney (2000) outlines that crystal structures are neutral in nature and the structures are closely parked together. These ceramics combines the properties of other materials to create a complete product, and they are hard in nature and mechanically stable. According to (Russell, 2009) Nitride ceramics are mainly used to cut wood materials due to their hardness. The process of making nitride ceramics is an irreversible process because of the arrangement in the lattices that are interchangeable. One of the main disadvantages of ceramics is the presence of impurities in the metals, and this affects its formation. There are also some defects that affect the neutrality of the atoms and these defects are, as a result displacement of atoms from their positions, therefore, creating a vacuum. Other shortcomings of ceramics are the formation of solids that lack clear chemical formulae due to their

Green Buildings in Saudi Arabia Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Green Buildings in Saudi Arabia - Dissertation Example The researcher of this dissertation chapter states that it has been expected that regulation of Green Buildings would become obligatory in Saudi Arabia in the recent times. The government and the industry have been obtained to work together in this regard such that a common standard may be incorporated and applied in the process. Water and energy savings in buildings have also been considered significantly where the Ministry of Electricity is effectively involved with the Green Building Council and other associated companies. The researcher describes that green building that practices the creation of structures and use of processes intending to increase the effectiveness of use of resources like energy, water, and materials, at the same time plummeting the impacts of building on human health and the surroundings during the lifecycle of the building, with the use of enhanced design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal, has been considered in the strategic plan by the Gul f countries like Dubai. The researcher also analyzed and discussed the availability of using different regulations in the country, energy efficiency of Saudi Arabia, air and indoor environmental quality of green houses and causes leading to increased demand of power and electricity in Saudi Arabia today. In conclusion, it is stated by the researcher that It can be expected that in the near future the country would be able to successfully achieve the green building constructions for the purpose of living and work in the country.

How does the Study of Heat Relate to the Kinetic Theory of Matter Essay

How does the Study of Heat Relate to the Kinetic Theory of Matter - Essay Example If an equal amount of heat is supplied to all of them, the gas will be the first matter to break apart because of its loosely bound particles. On the other hand, a liquid substance would break due to the stretching ability of its particles reacting against the forces of attraction. However, solids take time to break apart and hence, possess the ability to break apart slowly as compared to liquids and gases. Ans. Heat is a form of energy. It is formed in a substance due to the movement of its atoms and molecules in a random motion. When energy is induced in an object, it causes the atoms and the molecules of an object to move at a higher speed thus causing heat in the object. It has also been found out that even the cold objects possess some degree of heat in them because of the movement of their atoms and molecules. Joules is used as a standard unit to measure heat. Ans. The average heat or thermal energy of the particles in an object is known as the temperature of that substance. It is important to know that, since temperature is the average measurement of the heat or the thermal energy, therefore, it is not dependent on the quantity of the particles present in an object. It is the physical property of an object which differentiates between the degree of hotness and coldness. Temperature has three standardized temperature scales such as Kelvin (K), Celsius (C), and Fahrenheit (F). However, Celsius is widely used around the world to measure temperature. Ans. Heat and temperature are closely interrelated with each other. Their relationship is dependent on the change in the state of the matter from solid to liquid and then to gas. We know that heat is a form of energy whereas, the temperature is the effect produced by the heat.  

Movie Reflection Paper - Contact Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflection Paper - Contact - Movie Review Example The paper "Movie Reflection Paper - Contact" provides a review of the film "Contact". The movie is about a young scientist who is obsessed with finding some kind of extra terrestrial being. She, Judie Foster, eventually become aware of signals that seems to be coming from the some non human living entities residing far in space on a planet called Vega. This discovery shocks the world and everyone is panicked to a certain extent. The message sent by the space being is decoded with the help of a rich billionaire, but eccentric, inventor. The message is about building a machine that can take a single person to the planet. After a long process one person is selected to take seat in the machine but after a blast the main character gets an opportunity to take the most important journey ever taken by a human being. The journey is quite eventful for the scientist but NASA could not verify anything she says to have experienced. Finally the whole world realizes that this was a hoax by the ecce ntric inventor who helped decipher the message of the space beings. But top government officials of USA found, in the end, that there was little proof for the experience of the scientist who travelled in the machine. In Contact we find many themes that are explained in our text book. When the world becomes aware of the existence of an extra terrestrial entity, a mass religious hysteria breaks out and many people come out with their own interpretation. Scientists attempt to explain the phenomenon by objective facts. while others think that this journey should not be taken as it will be a step against God. The reason behind the suicide bomb attack in the movie was also to stop the ‘ungodly’ actions of human beings. Other educated theologians believed that discovery of an intelligent species would straighten the idea of God. The Second Chapter of our text books talks about the non religious explanations of religion or religious beliefs. In the film too we can identify some of the explanations that are given in the text book. There seems to be an intellectual motivation for the theologian to believe in God because he thought that the discovery of a new intelligent being further ensures that a God exists. He was actually trying to explain and indentify the cause of the new being and in turn satisfying his intellectual thirst of inquisition. Many people do the same when encountering with complex phenomena that cannot have a rational justification. In the case of the movie Contact there was no rational explanation of how the intelligent specie came into existence and how did it acquire intelligence superior to human beings. When there seems no explanation then people associate it with supernatural beings, and this is what the theologian in the movie is doing. He is rationalizing the cause of existence of the nonhuman living species. There is another religious side in the movie. A religious extremist group’s leader argues that building of the machi ne is not moral because we are not sure whether the aliens believe in God or not. This may sound nonsensical to educated people but it is an extremely important dimension of the film. In the text book author explain that primitive people believed in rituals that had important social functions like sustaining peaceful family life, and preventing fights (37). Now the same idea is

Reacher paper about A rose for Emily Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reacher paper about A rose for Emily - Essay Example This world of the present with its absence of social propriety is strange and unrecognizable to Miss Emily, who has always been kept strictly within the bounds of Old South expectations. Miss Emily’s relationship with the town is therefore one of superior distance because of her social position and isolation as a result of her strangeness. To more fully understand this unique position she was placed in, it is helpful to understand the various cultures involved and how they each served to influence the other. To demonstrate how Miss Emily was a woman trapped by her society, it is necessary to examine the Southern culture as well as the Northern culture before it is possible to compare the two and understand the differences in approaches taken by the characters in the story. Faulkner introduces Miss Emily Grierson as a woman who has been strictly contained within the boundaries of her father’s old Southern ideals. â€Å"None of the young men were quite good enough to Mis s Emily and such. We had long thought of them as a tableau; Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip, the two of them framed by the back-flung front door† (437). This created a situation in which Miss Emily â€Å"got to be thirty and was still single† (437). ... â€Å"Attitudes about class shaped in southern England and in the border regions of Britain coupled with the appearance early on of race-based slavery would produce a class system that consigned blacks to the bottom and that paradoxically appeared to foster both the idea of equality for whites and large differences between upper and lower class whites in terms of power, privilege and wealth† (Beck, Frandsen & Randall, 2007: xxvii). The Griersons become the town’s image of the Old South and, as a result, the town cannot think of Miss Emily in any way other than in her association with the values and traditions of these old ways, meaning she is not able to mingle with the common white people of the town and must always be seen to be upholding the ideals of the past for the rest of the community. After her father’s death, Miss Emily is seen to attempt to break out of the mold he has placed her in through her willingness to date Homer Barron and begin adopting more N orthern ideals. The North was founded and characterized by its mostly Puritan founders who had fled England with a vision of a more equal and less socially rigid and materially oriented society (Woodworth, 2000). Once the Civil War was over, the North had little to rebuild and plenty of factories ready to go to work, with increasing numbers of Southerners fleeing the poverty of the war-ravaged South to find work in the Northern cities. Thus, the North was characterized by growth, progress, energy and new ideas such as women’s suffrage. When Miss Emily is seen in public following her father’s funeral, â€Å"her hair was cut short, making her look like a girl, with a vague resemblance to those angels in colored church

Sales Engineering Division Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sales Engineering Division - Essay Example In this scenario, one can conceive that while Terrill is trying to accomplish the responsibility of being a good leader, he also makes it a point that he listens to what his subordinates will say, an indication that he wants his decisions to be reasonable enough for the welfare of his followers. Terrill belongs to Leadership Era 4, where relational theories were being applied to stabilize organizations. Terrills commitment to improve the status of productivity and to inhibit himself, as well as the management from intervening in the work of the sales engineering division, shows his dedication to turning around what has been the usual practice which is being spearheaded by those in the top management. He wanted to bring out the best among his followers, and that is the reason why he wanted to let them work as a team and use their expertise as engineers, and not as mere pencil pushers. Diversely, the headquarters belong to leadership era 2, where rules were set by management. They have forced employees to follow not what they think is proper, but what the management thinks is right for them (Daft 21). In other words, employees were being treated as followers alone, depriving them with the right to influence management decisions. If in the same position as Terrill, the most appropriate approach to consider would be to adopt the relational theories. Disputes arise between management and employees that would cause conflict obliging leaders to mediate and implement actions that will not cause harm to both parties. The manager, who serves as a leader, should also act as a follower who will bridge the gap between the management and the sales engineering division through means of establishing relationships and regular communication. When healthy working relationships are built, eventually all things will follow e.g. increase in productivity, performance

John Locke on Property Essay Example for Free

John Locke on Property Essay Natural reason suggests that human beings have the right to preserve themselves the moment they are born. An individual can utilize everything that he sees around him to preserve himself. He can drink if he is thirsty; he can eat if he is hungry. Nature, which God gave to the world, is the individual’s source of materials for his preservation. Locke emphasized that the world was given to the whole humanity by God. This, for Locke, is nothing but common knowledge (Locke 11). Locke questions how an individual can actually own a thing. He finds it difficult to understand why, when God has given the Earth to His children, men would search for things on earth and label it as their own. Since it is difficult to find a part of the Earth which an individual can own and call it his â€Å"property†, then the only easy way to solve this dilemma is to have the world owned by a universal monarch. This, then, would only be possible upon the belief that Adam owns the world because god gave it to him. As Adam has the world, it also means that his heirs own the world, too (Locke 11). Since this clearly is not the case in today’s world and in today’s society, Locke promises that he will explain how an individual claim a part of what God has given mankind, and that, with no single express compact of all people (Locke 11). As God has given mankind a whole world, it also means that along with this, He has given mankind a reason to use this world to their convenience and best advantage. The world are has everything that a man needs to survive. It has air, water, food and shelter. It contains that things that an individual needs to live a comfortable life. Whatever is found in this world all help in supporting the life of an individual (Locke 13). Although the food found on earth, including the animals or the predators that feed on them, are all qualified as properties of mankind (since nature produces all them), the fact alone that they are included as part of the earth means that even the predators are necessary for the survival of mankind – even when these beasts harm the quality of living of an individual. There will always be a way for a man to know how a harmful beast may help him. Whatever way this is, he has yet to figure out, but the fact remains that a harmful beast is indeed beneficial since it is a part of the world that God gave him (Locke 14). For Locke, the meat and the fruit which an individual feeds on are both considered occupants of the earth. No other individual will have the right to own that particular meat or particular fruit before it can support his life. No one has a right to something if the benefits are yet undiscovered (Ishay 116). The earth is indeed common to all the people living in it – to all its occupants. Then again, each individual has a property of his own. He is the only person who can practice his rights on that certain thing since he is the only person owning it. His hands do the working. His body does the laboring. Because of all these, whatever he produces rightfully becomes his property. Whatever thing nature has provided, which he, in turn, takes away from the state, becomes his property, as soon as he mixes his labor with it. Whatever it is that he takes away from the state which was placed there because of nature eliminates the right of other men, as long as he was able to own it through his hardships and labor (Ishay 116). Labor is indeed an important factor in this case, since labor is something that mankind cannot question. Labor is the unquestionable property of the man who is laboring. The man laboring is the only man who has the right to his products (Ishay 116). Whoever is being supported and benefited by the fruits of his labor has definitely appropriated these fruits for him. The question of Locke now, is when exactly did this fruit became his own? If, for example, an individual harvests the apple that came from the tree he himself planted, when exactly did he own the apple? Was it from the time when he digested the apple, since it is believed that as he is nourished by the fruit of his labor, he can start calling this his own? Or was it from the time when he picked the apples from the tree (Ishay 117)? What marks the difference between the common man and himself is labor. Labor defines what nature cannot. If an individual makes use of what nature has given him, and he, in turn, starts to benefit from it, then he owns the fruit. The man is able to own things as he extends what a nature can do to support his life. Here is where the concept of private right comes in (Ishay 118). Another dilemma is realized from this perspective, since will one not have a right to that apple which he appropriated for himself if mankind did not allow him to? Does he need the consent of other men to make the apple his property? Would this be considered robbery, since whatever is found on this earth is a property of all men (Boaz 123)? Then again, John Locke argued that consent from other men is not even necessary in the first place. If an individual always waits for a go-signal from other men so that he can start owning and eating an apple, then he will end up being starved. What is common in mankind, or common in â€Å"commoners†, is the act of taking something away from this world to make it his property. Nature leaves something in the state, and commoners remove it out from there. As an individual removes it from the state, it starts to be his property. Without such property, then the individual will be of no use to the world. Taking something which an individual may consider his property is not dependent on whether or not commoners will allow him to (Boaz 123). The grass is in the lands to be eaten by a horse. A servant sees a turf which he may cut. All people can see ores, and all of them have right to the meat. An individual can do everything that he can, and thus exhibit acts of labor, to produce something that can benefit him. As a product of his labor, his prize is to own it as its property. He does not need to consult other men; more so, need their consent. The moment an individual removes something from the state is already a manifestation of a labor being enacted. There is a struggle, a difficulty, and an action taking place as an individual takes something away from the state. From this point exactly, an individual owns a thing (Boaz 123). John Locke’s main argument when he said that property is prior to the political state; he was referring to the law of reason. This law is what makes the deer a proper of an Indian, only if this Indian went his way into killing the deer. Once he exerted effort and enacted labor into killing the deer, then he has every right to eat the deer. The deer used to be a property of the world, and of everyone. Killing it is also a right of every person. Then again, whoever has the reason to go first and bestow his energy, labor and power to kill the deer, is the same person who owns the meat. Reason is what defines a person’s property, according to John Locke. Whatever it is that is found in this earth is a property of everyone, and everyone has the right to owning it. Then, again, labor, when fueled with reason, is what makes and what allows a person to own something and start calling it his property (Boaz 124). For John Locke, it is effortless to imagine and think how labor can start and prescribe a person’s property, considering the fact and the supposed challenge that may be faced since this property used to be a property of all mankind, and this property of mankind is coming from nature – the nature itself being an entity that belongs to everyone. The limits of a property are defined by how we spend it. For John Locke, arguments and conflicts regarding property and owndership may be eliminated if we see things his way (Boaz 125). Through John Locke’s view in property, he suggests that convenience and right go along together. He has his right which is his reason enough to employ his labor on a property common to mankind. Once he goes through challenges to own it to his convenience, then there should be no room left for conflict and quarrel. Whoever went his way to experience challenges just to reap what he saw, has every right to own the fruits of his labor (Boaz 126). Works Cited Boaz, David. The Libertarian Reader: Classic and Contemporary Readings from Lao-tzu to Milton Friedman. Free Press, 1998. Ishay, Micheline. The Human Rights Reader: Major Political Essays, Speeches, and Documents from Ancient Times to the Present. CRC Press, 2007. Locke, John. Two Treatises of Government. Kessinger Publishing, 2004.

Satisfaction of Occupants in PV 10 Condominium

Satisfaction of Occupants in PV 10 Condominium The Study of Satisfaction Level of Occupants towards the Maintenance and Facilities in PV10 Condominium Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1  Background The population in Malaysia is on a rapid growth and this can be seen in the last three (3) years, 2007 – 2009. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, the population growth was from 27.17 million (2007) to 28.31 million (2009). That shows an increase of 1.14 million within three (3) years. This population figure was last updated on the 31 st July 2009. (Department of Statistics Malaysia Official Website, 2009) According to the International and National Context of Growth from the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020, the figure below illustrates the function of Kuala Lumpur and its conurbation (KLC). The figure illustrates ‘functional pyramid’ for the KLC with more specialised urban functions towards the apex of the pyramid, which represents Kuala Lumpur and more general functions towards its base, representing the remainder of the KLC. (DBKL International and National Context of Growth, 2009) From Figure 1, it is shown that the number of population increases. However, the land area still remains the same. Land scarcity is faced by the people of Kuala Lumpur as more construction works are carried out to meet the demand of the increasing population. The relationship between population and living standard is obvious as the graph shows that the living standard is proportional to the population. According to Datuk Michael Yam (2009), Kuala Lumpur’s 1.7 million population is expected to expand by 30% within the next decade and that the market is getting more sophisticated with consumers demanding more facilities, convenience and built quality to improve their quality of life. (The Star, 28 March 2009) Condominiums are on high demand in a high density area like Kuala Lumpur due to the population increase and at the same time this highly populated area is facing scarcity of land. However, the satisfaction of the occupants in a condominium is important to ensure that developers will be able to continue to expand such projects in their firm. This is because, liberalization or opening up of the market gives wider choices of goods or services for consumers which contribute to their satisfaction. (The Star, 6 July 2009) Therefore, the facilities and maintenance provided in a condominium are important to meet the occupants’ satisfaction towards the condominium they are staying. 1.2  Problem Statement In Malaysia, as the population rises through the years, the construction of condominium development also has to increase to meet the demand of increasing residents. As the latest statistic stated that there is a population of 28.31 million (in 2009), there will also be an increase in land use. (Department of Statistics Malaysia Official Website, 2009) In Kuala Lumpur, despite the softer conditions in the property market construction will still be an on-going process. According to one of the top companies like Sunrise Sdn. Bhd, they expect to perform well in the next two to three years due to its high unbilled sales of RM 1.36 billion. As at July, Sunrise had sold 93% of 10 Mount’ Kiara (MK10) units, 45% of 11 Mount’ Kiara (MK 11), 92% of Solaris Dutamas, 9% of The Residence Phase 2B, 90% of Mont’ Kiara Meridin, 95% of Mont’ Kiara Banyan, and 100% of Kiara Designer Suites-Kiara Walk. (The Star, 29 October 2008) As Sunrise is focusing more on the condominium residential type of construction, it is shown that condominium is still in high demand despite the slow economic flow at the moment. However, there must be certain factors which cause the homebuyers to set their mind on purchasing the condominium of their choice. To successfully compete in the long term, the company must be sure that existing customers are satisfied. Providing superior quality and keeping customers satisfied are rapidly becoming the ways for companies to stand out among the other companies. (Zeljko M. Torbica  and  Robert C. Stroh., 2001) According to the National House Buyers Association, management and maintenance ranked second in the types of complaint in the complaints statistics. (National House Buyers Association, 2006) The complaints statistics is as illustrated in Figure 2. Therefore, it is important to carry out the research about the satisfaction of the occupants in the aspect of the maintenance and facilities provided in a condominium. Besides that, ways of improving the maintenance and facilities from the occupants’ point of view will also be carried out in this research. 1.3  Aim Objectives Aim To look into the satisfaction levels of occupants towards the maintenance and facilities of the condominium. Objectives To determine the satisfaction of occupants in PV 10 Condominium with the maintenance and facilities provided. To determine the ways to improve the maintenance and facilities to increase the satisfaction of occupants in PV10 Condominium. 1.4  Benefits/Importance of Study This study will benefit three parties; consisting of the developer, the management of the condominium and the occupants of condominiums. The developers will be able to plan their construction wisely to increase the demand in houses and preserve the developer’s reputation as it is one of the essential key to success for a developer. On the other hand, occupants or homebuyers will benefit when they are able to purchase and stay in the type of house they wish to have, and to own a worth buying piece of property. Besides that, the management of the condominium will be able to plan their management in the maintenance and facilities offered to the occupants as this is the key to customer satisfaction. 1.5  Scope of Study This case study will be carried out in PV 10, Jalan Genting Kelang, Setapak. There are 4 blocks of condominium in PV10 and they will be taken into consideration for this research. This place is chosen because it is one of the latest condominiums built in one of the highly populated area. Maintenance and facilities offered will be further looked into. The maintenance in the condominium will cover the cleanliness and collection of rubbish maintenance, the lifts operation and lighting maintenance and water maintenance. On the other hand, the facilities in the condominium will cover the recreational facilities such as play ground for children, health facilities and the safety facilities. In addition, another facility which will be looked into will be the car parks provided. Maintenance of facilities will also be explained. 1.6  Research Methodology 1.6.1  Introduction The increase in condominium construction is proportional to the rapid growth of the population in Malaysia. Besides that, land scarcity in high density areas of Kuala Lumpur forces the people to go further into the development of condominiums. 1.6.2  Literature Review Data collected will be secondary type of data collection. They consist of: Books Relevant books will be from the Tunku Abdul Rahman Library and National Library. The type of books will be those under building maintenance, facility management, economy, development, research and dissertation studies, property management and other relevant books to the research study. Magazines and Newspapers Magazines and newspapers used will be from local newspapers and magazines. Newspapers search will be the online type of newspaper. News and updates will be taken based on current issues regarding construction, development, property, and maintenance and facilities management that are reported in the newspapers and magazines. Online resources and Journals Online resources will be from reliable sources which provide reference of research papers such as online journals and articles. Relevant sources to the research studies will be taken into consideration through these websites. Online journals will also be those which are regarding with the research study and are available through the college library website which linked to reliable sources such as Emerald.   1.6.3  Background PV10 will be the place of case study for this research. This condominium is situated at Jalan Genting Kelang. Resources will be obtained from the management of the condominium and the developer of the condominium. 1.6.4  Analysis Primary data will be used in this research and data through this type of data will be analysed. Questionnaire will be selected in order to scrutinize the feedback from the respondent. First, a set of questionnaire will be set. After that, the set of questionnaire will be distributed to occupants in PV10 to get their responds. A selected sample size of 200 will be chosen randomly. SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software will be used to analyse the data. Snowball sampling type will be used to determine the satisfaction of occupants in PV10. This type of sampling is chosen as this sampling design will be given out randomly. Besides that, this study design will increase the number of participants in process. 1.6.5  Conclusion Recommendation Ways of improving the condominium will be suggested base on the data that will be collected. References Author unknown, Department of Statistics Malaysia Official Website. 2009. Population (updated 31 July 2009). Viewed on 2 August 2009. Available from: Author unknown, DBKL. 2009. Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020: International and National Context of Growth. Viewed on 10 July 2009. Available from: Ng, A. 2009. Raising KL’s living standards. Viewed on 10 July 2009. Available from: Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Mamat, 2009. Making sense of liberalisation. Viewed on 10 July 2009. Available from: Author unknown, 2009. Sunrise is confident RM1.3bil in unbilled sales can sustain performance over three years. Viewed 10 July 2009. Available from: Torbica, Zeljko M. and Stroh., Robert C. 2001. ‘Customer satisfaction in home building’. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. 127(1), pp.82. Author unknown, 2006. Complaints Statistics. Viewed on 10 July 2009. Available from: Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1  Introduction Looking into the population of the world, it is clear that the population will increase as the years go by. The population in the urban areas will increase while the population in the rural areas will decrease through the years. This can be proven when the United Nations (2008), when the World Urbanization Prospects the 2007 Revision corroborates that the world population will reach a landmark in 2008 for the first time in history, as the urban population will equal the rural population of the world and, from then on, the world population will be urban in its majority. The United Nation (2008) also stated that from the year 2007 to 2050, the world population is expected to increase by 2.5 billion, passing from 6.7 billion to 9.7 billion. At the same time, the population living in urban areas is to gain 3.1 billion in 2007 to 6.4 billion in 2050. Thus, the urban form has interdependently affected the development and the governance of the city. Generally, the population in Malaysia will increase as the years go by. The population in the urban areas will increase and this can be seen in the increasing population of the World – Class City of Kuala Lumpur. The Draft Kuala Lumpur (KL) City Plan 2020 has five (5) core guiding principles that will frame the draft, and one of these principles is Planning ‘For and With’ the People (DBKL, 2009). Density Structure of Kuala Lumpur Strategic Zones Area Sq. Kms Population 2005 Density 2005 (person/ sq. km) Population 2020 Density 2020 (person/ sq. km) City Centre 17.7915 143,000 8,038 245,611 13,805 Figure 4 shows the density structure of Kuala Lumpur. The figure also shows that Wangsa Maju – Maluri which is within the Setapak area, rank the highest in the 2005 data on population. At the same time, the population is expected to increase and become the third highest in population by the year 2020. According to the DBKL (2009), Kuala Lumpur is a city that houses 2.2 million populations and provides employment to 1.4 million people. The City will thus ensure whatever its plans, builds or develop are based on the wants and needs of the people. Furthermore, the Future Population of Kuala Lumpur in DBKL (2009) stressed that Kuala Lumpur must be liveable in order to encourage people to live in the City comfortably and through the plan allows for an additional 600,000 people in the next 12 years. From the Draft KL City Plan 2020, it shows that the satisfaction of the occupants is also taken into consideration when planning of the city is done. Therefore, this research will focus on the satisfaction level of occupants in one of the most populated area, Setapak. In this chapter, there will be reviews on some key words definition regarding the research study from various sources and the various maintenance and facilities which may also include explanation on some of the types of maintenance and function of maintenance. Reports and case studies on maintenance and facilities will also be included in this chapter. 2.1.1  Definitions The satisfaction level of occupants towards the maintenance and facilities in a condominium can be defined as the repair works and the upkeep of a condominium together with the functional things and services provided which fulfil the needs, claim or desire that gives gratification to the occupants or residents of the condominium. Further clarification of this statement can be found through the definition of the key words such as satisfaction, occupants, maintenance, facilities and condominium. 2.1.1.1  Satisfaction Finch (2004) proposed that customer satisfaction with facilities is determined not only by technical performance, but also by â€Å"an intricate set of exchange process†, such as effective communication and management of expectations.  Salleh and Abdul Ghani (2008) also mentioned that residential and neighbourhood satisfaction is an important indicator of housing quality and condition, which affects individuals’ quality of life. Besides that, according to the MSN Encarta Dictionary (2009), satisfaction means happiness with arrangement, which can refer to the happiness with the way that something has been arranged or done. On the other hand, Compact Oxford English Dictionary (2009) defined satisfaction is the state of being satisfied and by the law, it is the payment of a debt of fulfilment of an obligation or claim. In addition, Longman English Dictionary Online (2009) further defines that satisfaction is a feeling of happiness or pleasure when someone gets something that they want, need or have demanded. 2.1.1.2  Occupant The Longman English Dictionary Online (2009) defines occupants as someone who lives in a house, room etc. Meanwhile, MSN Encarta Dictionary (2009) defines occupant as a resident of a place. The Compact Oxford English Dictionary (2009) further clarifies that occupant as a person who occupies a place at a given time. Besides that, according to the Laws of Malaysia (2007), occupier means the person in actual occupation of the building, but, in the case of premises for lodging purposes, does not include a lodger. 2.1.1.3  Maintenance Maintenance is synonymous with controlling the condition of a building so that its pattern lies within specified regions as defined by Lee (White, 1969). The MSN Encarta Dictionary (2009) defines maintenance as the continuing repair work where work that is done regularly to keep a machine, building or piece of equipment in good condition and working order. Compact Oxford English Dictionary (2009) further defines maintenance as the process of maintaining or being maintained. Longman English Dictionary Online (2009) also clarifies in depth that maintenance is the repairs, painting etc. that are necessary to keep something in good condition. In fact, Chanter and Swallow (1996) identified maintenance as actions that relate not only to the physical execution of maintenance work, but also those concerned with its initiation, financing and organisation, and the notion of an acceptable condition. This implies an understanding of the requirements for the effective usage of the building and its parts, which in turn compels broader consideration of building performance from the definition of BS3811 (1984), as it defines maintenance as a combination of any actions carried out to retain an item in, or restore it to an acceptable condition. Besides that, Singh (1996) further defined building maintenance as work undertaken in order to keep, restore or improve every facility, i.e. every part of a building, its services and surrounds to a currently accepted standard, and to sustain the utility and value of facility. 2.1.1.4  Facilties The MSN Encarta Dictionary (2009) defines facility as something with particular function, in which something is designed or created to provide a service or fulfil a need. Besides that, Compact Oxford English Dictionary (2009) defines facility as a building, service, or piece of equipment provided for a particular purpose. Longman English Dictionary Online (2009) further defines facility as a place or building used for a particular activity or industry, or for providing a particular type of service. With these definitions explained from the dictionaries, facilities can be define as services or equipments provided to improve the effectiveness of a building. However, facilities are further clarified by the Charted Institute of Building (CIOB) with the definition that facilities management is an umbrella term under which a wide range of property and user – related functions may be brought together for the benefit of the organisation and its employees as a whole (Flanagan et al., 1995). Meanwhile, Alexander (1996) mentioned in his paper that facilities management is first and foremost about organizational effectiveness. 2.1.1.5  Condominum The House Buyers Association (2009) mentioned that the word â€Å"condominium† comes from the Latin word â€Å"con† which means â€Å"together† and â€Å"dominium, meaning â€Å"property†. There are two parts in this type of property ownership. They are the ownership of the individual unit and joint ownership of the common property, in which the property is shared with other unit owners in the project. The MSN Encarta Dictionary (2009) defines condominium as an individually owned apartment, which is an individually owned unit of real estate, especially an apartment or town house, in a building or on land that is owned in common by the owners of the units. Meanwhile, the Compact Oxford English Dictionary (2009) further defines condominium as a building or complex containing a number of individually owned flats or houses. Longman English Dictionary Online (2009) later defines that condominium is one apartment in a building with several apartments, each of w hich is owned by the people living in it. 2.2  Maintenance In Condominium For the maintenance in condominium in Malaysia, there is an act that was specially gazetted on 12th April 2007 for the purpose of maintaining the condominium and its surrounding, together with the facilities available in the condominium. According to the Laws of Malaysia (2007), under the act 663 building and common property (maintenance and management) act 2007, the act is to provide for proper maintenance and management of building and common property, and for matters incidental thereto. Maintenance in the condominium comprises maintenance of all the common property area in the condominium. The building and common property (maintenance and management) act 2007 further defines common property as development area not comprised in any parcel, such as the structural elements of the building, stairs, stairways, fire escapes, entrances and exits, corridors, lobbies, fixtures and fittings, lifts, refuse chutes, refuse bins, compounds, drains, water tanks, sewers, pipes, wires, cables and ducts that serve more than one parcel, the exterior of all common parts of the building, playing fields and recreational areas, driveways, car parks and parking areas, open spaces, landscape areas, walls and fences, and all other facilities and installations and any part of the land used or capable of being used or enjoyed in common by all the occupiers of the building. Charges which means any money collected by the owner, developer, Body or managing agent from the purchaser for the maintenance and management of the building or land intended for subdivision into parcels and common property, will be taken from the building maintenance account which is also known as building maintenance fund after the account is passed to the Joint Management Body (Laws of Malaysia, 2007). 2.2.1  Types of Maintenance According to Gurjit Singh (1996), generally, maintenance management can be approached in the following ways: Cyclical maintenance: this is maintenance for recurring items such as redecoration. Non-cyclical maintenance: this will apply to the items identified in the condition survey and includes items that need major repairs and replacements. Planned preventive maintenance: this is maintenance which is carried out on regular basis to prevent breakdowns. It has the advantage of predicting the loss of facility to the owner and down-time. Emergency maintenance: this is maintenance which is carried out only when there is a breakdown. It is normally expensive and increases the amount of non – productive time. Chanter and Swallow (1996) further explained the types of maintenance according to definitions given in BS 3811 and produced flow charts to summarise the types of maintenance and decision based types of maintenance as below: (1)  Planned maintenance: This is maintenance organised and carried out with forethought, control and the use of records to a predetermined plan. (2)  Unplanned maintenance: Ad hoc maintenance carried out to no predetermined plan. (3)  Preventive maintenance: Maintenance carried out at predetermined intervals, or corresponding to prescribed criteria, and intended to reduce the probability of failure, or the performance degradation of an item. (4)  Corrective maintenance: Maintenance carried out after failure has occurred, and intended to restore an item to a state in which it can perform its required function. (5)  Emergency maintenance: Maintenance which it is necessary to put in hand immediately to avoid serious consequences. (6)  Condition – based maintenance: Preventive maintenance initiated as a result of knowledge of the condition of an item from routine or continuous monitoring. (7)  Scheduled maintenance: Preventive maintenance carried out to a pre – determined interval of time, number of operations, mileage, etc. Figure 5  Decision based types of maintenance Source: Chanter and Swallow (1996) 2.2.2  Maintenance Function Miles and Syagga (1987) mentioned that the function of maintenance can be divided into three groups. These three groups consist of cleaning and servicing, rectification and repair, and replacement. Both authors also added that cleaning and servicing should be carried out regularly and may be combined with a system of reporting faults, so that repairs can be carried out soon after faults become apparent, thereby avoiding the need for more expensive repairs or even replacement at a later stage. 2.2.3  Malaysias Report On Poor Maintenance According to the report from National House Buyers Association (The Star, 2005), residents of Mount Karunmas Condominium fret over cracks in car park. Residents want the developer or maintenance company of the building to rectify the cracks that have appeared on the beams in the car park. Besides the cracks, there was a water leak from the extension joints which were connected to the slabs. In this case, the developer and the maintenance parties did not deliver their duty and responsibility well despites the complaints from the residents and had pin point each other to take hold of the work. In such case, the matter was brought to the press and the local council and the developer in the end stood up rectify the defects and mentioned that defects were only minor cracks.   In another report regarding to maintenance, there was a statement stating that one of the many issues of public concern is how to develop a strong maintenance culture in Malaysia in the interest of public safety and convenience. There was also an addition stating that Malaysia is known as a country which prides itself on the provision of First World infrastructure but not in terms of its maintenance (The Star,24 June 2009) The Star (2009) also mentioned that poor maintenance of children’s playground can result in accidents and injuries. Besides that, poor maintenance of public buildings and infrastructures can also cause accidents, injuries and also flash floods when roads and public drains are not properly maintained. (The Star, 24 June 2009) When maintenance are not done properly, image of the country is also not preserved as tourist would come to Malaysia to visit and this give a bad image to the country when maintenance are poorly done. According to the Star (24 June 2009) improving a country’s image is not only the responsibility of the Government but also the duty of each citizen who must be civic – minded. According to the Star (7 May 2009) former squatters moved into the Putri Laksamana apartments in Batu Caves had to deal with poor maintenance, cracking tiles, water leakages, sewage problems and even snakes entering their houses for four years. According to Sundramoorthy Veerasamy (2009), when they moved into the apartment which comprises of 400 units, many of the units had cracked floor tiles and water leaking from the roof and pipes. There were also drainage and garbage problem, and even though the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) promised to solve the problem, it has been eight months since the problem have not been solved (Sundramoorthy Veerasamy, 2009). Sundramoorthy (2009) also mentioned that they are losing faith in the councillors and state government finding a solution. From this, Government should be able to come out with a solution to help these residents as they are also the citizens of Malaysia and deserve to live in a properly maintained place. Poor maintenance can also lead to criminal activities. According to the Star (7 May 2009) criminal activities like snatch thefts, break-ins, and motorcycle and car thefts are rampant there and drug addicts and pushers also haunt the area of the apartment. MPS councillor Gopalan Krishnan Rajoo (2009) also mentioned that because there is no Joint Management Body (JMB) for the apartment, it is difficult to solve the problems and residents were urged to form the JMB to bring up the residents’ problems so that they can be solved easily. From this report, it is shown that forming a JMB in a community is important to solve certain problems and that increase in poor maintenance also would increase the crime rate in the area. 2.2.4  Case Study of Poor Maintenance Abdulmohsen Al – Hammad, Sadi Assaf and Mansoor Al – Shihah (1997) in their research which outlines the defects and faults during the design stage that affect building maintenance in Saudi Arabia and their relative degree of importance, came out with a table on the level of importance of design defects on building maintenance. The following tables show the result from the questionnaire done from their research on the defects. From the table above, the maintenance practicality and adequacy which is one of the defect groups rank the highest among the owners. When maintenance are not planned and done adequately, there will be defects and the defects will worsen causing the building to be not safe for the occupants and even aesthetically affected. 2.3  Facilties In Condominium In Malaysia, there are many types of facilities available in a condominium. The National House Buyers Association (2009) mentioned that there are many facilities and services in a condominium, such as lifts, swimming pool, gym, tennis court, landscaped gardens and even security services. Further explanation was that these facilities and services are expensive to maintain. Facilities are actually one of the important key aspects which purchasers will look into when buying a condominium. This is because purchasers have to understand that they when purchasing a unit of the condominium, two things are bought. These two things are the individual unit and the common property which includes all the facilities available in the condominium. Nowadays, facilities play a big role in portraying the image of the condominium. Besides that, facilities available in a condominium also determine and set a standard to the condominium. This can be seen when the low – end condominiums and high – end condominiums are being compared. Types of facilities available will be very different for both types of condominium, where the facilities in the high – end condominiums are more and much better than those of low – end condominiums. 2.3.1  Malaysias Report On Facilities National House Buyers Association (The Star, 2008) reported that hairline cracks have appeared on pillars and car park areas of the Sri Gotong apartment block in Batu Caves for the past year. One of the occupants, Abd Rahman Suraiman, mentioned that the management company Benih Kencana Sdn. Bhd. Should act fast to prevent the situation from getting worse. According to Rahman, who is secretary of the Sri Gotong Apartment Batu Caves Pro – tem Committee, the apartment was supposed to have condominium facilities like swimming pool, recreational area and sauna, but such facilities were lacking and the place was not properly maintained. Rahman also mentioned that the sauna room is locked, the gymnasium equipment is damaged and ever since he started staying there, one of the lifts stopped working and has yet to be repair. This report shows that lacking of facilities in a condominium will also cause dissatisfaction to the occupants. Thus, this kind of problem gives the condominium a bad image. In another report from the National House Buyers Association (The Star, 2004) stated that the local authorities are often hampered in their efforts to build sports facilities when developers, in fulfilling the requirement of providing open areas, allocate land that is too small or narrow. The report also added that local authorities wanted to provide more recreational facilities, especially in housing estates, but were unable to do so in some areas due to the lack of land. Developers would usually tell local authorities that they had carried out their responsibility by providing recreational through building playgrounds which are meant for younger children and this leaves teenagers without a proper place for recreation. According to the report, this could more likely cause teenagers. Therefore, it is wise that the developers to allocate Satisfaction of Occupants in PV 10 Condominium Satisfaction of Occupants in PV 10 Condominium The Study of Satisfaction Level of Occupants towards the Maintenance and Facilities in PV10 Condominium Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1  Background The population in Malaysia is on a rapid growth and this can be seen in the last three (3) years, 2007 – 2009. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, the population growth was from 27.17 million (2007) to 28.31 million (2009). That shows an increase of 1.14 million within three (3) years. This population figure was last updated on the 31 st July 2009. (Department of Statistics Malaysia Official Website, 2009) According to the International and National Context of Growth from the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020, the figure below illustrates the function of Kuala Lumpur and its conurbation (KLC). The figure illustrates ‘functional pyramid’ for the KLC with more specialised urban functions towards the apex of the pyramid, which represents Kuala Lumpur and more general functions towards its base, representing the remainder of the KLC. (DBKL International and National Context of Growth, 2009) From Figure 1, it is shown that the number of population increases. However, the land area still remains the same. Land scarcity is faced by the people of Kuala Lumpur as more construction works are carried out to meet the demand of the increasing population. The relationship between population and living standard is obvious as the graph shows that the living standard is proportional to the population. According to Datuk Michael Yam (2009), Kuala Lumpur’s 1.7 million population is expected to expand by 30% within the next decade and that the market is getting more sophisticated with consumers demanding more facilities, convenience and built quality to improve their quality of life. (The Star, 28 March 2009) Condominiums are on high demand in a high density area like Kuala Lumpur due to the population increase and at the same time this highly populated area is facing scarcity of land. However, the satisfaction of the occupants in a condominium is important to ensure that developers will be able to continue to expand such projects in their firm. This is because, liberalization or opening up of the market gives wider choices of goods or services for consumers which contribute to their satisfaction. (The Star, 6 July 2009) Therefore, the facilities and maintenance provided in a condominium are important to meet the occupants’ satisfaction towards the condominium they are staying. 1.2  Problem Statement In Malaysia, as the population rises through the years, the construction of condominium development also has to increase to meet the demand of increasing residents. As the latest statistic stated that there is a population of 28.31 million (in 2009), there will also be an increase in land use. (Department of Statistics Malaysia Official Website, 2009) In Kuala Lumpur, despite the softer conditions in the property market construction will still be an on-going process. According to one of the top companies like Sunrise Sdn. Bhd, they expect to perform well in the next two to three years due to its high unbilled sales of RM 1.36 billion. As at July, Sunrise had sold 93% of 10 Mount’ Kiara (MK10) units, 45% of 11 Mount’ Kiara (MK 11), 92% of Solaris Dutamas, 9% of The Residence Phase 2B, 90% of Mont’ Kiara Meridin, 95% of Mont’ Kiara Banyan, and 100% of Kiara Designer Suites-Kiara Walk. (The Star, 29 October 2008) As Sunrise is focusing more on the condominium residential type of construction, it is shown that condominium is still in high demand despite the slow economic flow at the moment. However, there must be certain factors which cause the homebuyers to set their mind on purchasing the condominium of their choice. To successfully compete in the long term, the company must be sure that existing customers are satisfied. Providing superior quality and keeping customers satisfied are rapidly becoming the ways for companies to stand out among the other companies. (Zeljko M. Torbica  and  Robert C. Stroh., 2001) According to the National House Buyers Association, management and maintenance ranked second in the types of complaint in the complaints statistics. (National House Buyers Association, 2006) The complaints statistics is as illustrated in Figure 2. Therefore, it is important to carry out the research about the satisfaction of the occupants in the aspect of the maintenance and facilities provided in a condominium. Besides that, ways of improving the maintenance and facilities from the occupants’ point of view will also be carried out in this research. 1.3  Aim Objectives Aim To look into the satisfaction levels of occupants towards the maintenance and facilities of the condominium. Objectives To determine the satisfaction of occupants in PV 10 Condominium with the maintenance and facilities provided. To determine the ways to improve the maintenance and facilities to increase the satisfaction of occupants in PV10 Condominium. 1.4  Benefits/Importance of Study This study will benefit three parties; consisting of the developer, the management of the condominium and the occupants of condominiums. The developers will be able to plan their construction wisely to increase the demand in houses and preserve the developer’s reputation as it is one of the essential key to success for a developer. On the other hand, occupants or homebuyers will benefit when they are able to purchase and stay in the type of house they wish to have, and to own a worth buying piece of property. Besides that, the management of the condominium will be able to plan their management in the maintenance and facilities offered to the occupants as this is the key to customer satisfaction. 1.5  Scope of Study This case study will be carried out in PV 10, Jalan Genting Kelang, Setapak. There are 4 blocks of condominium in PV10 and they will be taken into consideration for this research. This place is chosen because it is one of the latest condominiums built in one of the highly populated area. Maintenance and facilities offered will be further looked into. The maintenance in the condominium will cover the cleanliness and collection of rubbish maintenance, the lifts operation and lighting maintenance and water maintenance. On the other hand, the facilities in the condominium will cover the recreational facilities such as play ground for children, health facilities and the safety facilities. In addition, another facility which will be looked into will be the car parks provided. Maintenance of facilities will also be explained. 1.6  Research Methodology 1.6.1  Introduction The increase in condominium construction is proportional to the rapid growth of the population in Malaysia. Besides that, land scarcity in high density areas of Kuala Lumpur forces the people to go further into the development of condominiums. 1.6.2  Literature Review Data collected will be secondary type of data collection. They consist of: Books Relevant books will be from the Tunku Abdul Rahman Library and National Library. The type of books will be those under building maintenance, facility management, economy, development, research and dissertation studies, property management and other relevant books to the research study. Magazines and Newspapers Magazines and newspapers used will be from local newspapers and magazines. Newspapers search will be the online type of newspaper. News and updates will be taken based on current issues regarding construction, development, property, and maintenance and facilities management that are reported in the newspapers and magazines. Online resources and Journals Online resources will be from reliable sources which provide reference of research papers such as online journals and articles. Relevant sources to the research studies will be taken into consideration through these websites. Online journals will also be those which are regarding with the research study and are available through the college library website which linked to reliable sources such as Emerald.   1.6.3  Background PV10 will be the place of case study for this research. This condominium is situated at Jalan Genting Kelang. Resources will be obtained from the management of the condominium and the developer of the condominium. 1.6.4  Analysis Primary data will be used in this research and data through this type of data will be analysed. Questionnaire will be selected in order to scrutinize the feedback from the respondent. First, a set of questionnaire will be set. After that, the set of questionnaire will be distributed to occupants in PV10 to get their responds. A selected sample size of 200 will be chosen randomly. SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software will be used to analyse the data. Snowball sampling type will be used to determine the satisfaction of occupants in PV10. This type of sampling is chosen as this sampling design will be given out randomly. Besides that, this study design will increase the number of participants in process. 1.6.5  Conclusion Recommendation Ways of improving the condominium will be suggested base on the data that will be collected. References Author unknown, Department of Statistics Malaysia Official Website. 2009. Population (updated 31 July 2009). Viewed on 2 August 2009. Available from: Author unknown, DBKL. 2009. Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020: International and National Context of Growth. Viewed on 10 July 2009. Available from: Ng, A. 2009. Raising KL’s living standards. Viewed on 10 July 2009. Available from: Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Mamat, 2009. Making sense of liberalisation. Viewed on 10 July 2009. Available from: Author unknown, 2009. Sunrise is confident RM1.3bil in unbilled sales can sustain performance over three years. Viewed 10 July 2009. Available from: Torbica, Zeljko M. and Stroh., Robert C. 2001. ‘Customer satisfaction in home building’. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. 127(1), pp.82. Author unknown, 2006. Complaints Statistics. Viewed on 10 July 2009. Available from: Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1  Introduction Looking into the population of the world, it is clear that the population will increase as the years go by. The population in the urban areas will increase while the population in the rural areas will decrease through the years. This can be proven when the United Nations (2008), when the World Urbanization Prospects the 2007 Revision corroborates that the world population will reach a landmark in 2008 for the first time in history, as the urban population will equal the rural population of the world and, from then on, the world population will be urban in its majority. The United Nation (2008) also stated that from the year 2007 to 2050, the world population is expected to increase by 2.5 billion, passing from 6.7 billion to 9.7 billion. At the same time, the population living in urban areas is to gain 3.1 billion in 2007 to 6.4 billion in 2050. Thus, the urban form has interdependently affected the development and the governance of the city. Generally, the population in Malaysia will increase as the years go by. The population in the urban areas will increase and this can be seen in the increasing population of the World – Class City of Kuala Lumpur. The Draft Kuala Lumpur (KL) City Plan 2020 has five (5) core guiding principles that will frame the draft, and one of these principles is Planning ‘For and With’ the People (DBKL, 2009). Density Structure of Kuala Lumpur Strategic Zones Area Sq. Kms Population 2005 Density 2005 (person/ sq. km) Population 2020 Density 2020 (person/ sq. km) City Centre 17.7915 143,000 8,038 245,611 13,805 Figure 4 shows the density structure of Kuala Lumpur. The figure also shows that Wangsa Maju – Maluri which is within the Setapak area, rank the highest in the 2005 data on population. At the same time, the population is expected to increase and become the third highest in population by the year 2020. According to the DBKL (2009), Kuala Lumpur is a city that houses 2.2 million populations and provides employment to 1.4 million people. The City will thus ensure whatever its plans, builds or develop are based on the wants and needs of the people. Furthermore, the Future Population of Kuala Lumpur in DBKL (2009) stressed that Kuala Lumpur must be liveable in order to encourage people to live in the City comfortably and through the plan allows for an additional 600,000 people in the next 12 years. From the Draft KL City Plan 2020, it shows that the satisfaction of the occupants is also taken into consideration when planning of the city is done. Therefore, this research will focus on the satisfaction level of occupants in one of the most populated area, Setapak. In this chapter, there will be reviews on some key words definition regarding the research study from various sources and the various maintenance and facilities which may also include explanation on some of the types of maintenance and function of maintenance. Reports and case studies on maintenance and facilities will also be included in this chapter. 2.1.1  Definitions The satisfaction level of occupants towards the maintenance and facilities in a condominium can be defined as the repair works and the upkeep of a condominium together with the functional things and services provided which fulfil the needs, claim or desire that gives gratification to the occupants or residents of the condominium. Further clarification of this statement can be found through the definition of the key words such as satisfaction, occupants, maintenance, facilities and condominium. 2.1.1.1  Satisfaction Finch (2004) proposed that customer satisfaction with facilities is determined not only by technical performance, but also by â€Å"an intricate set of exchange process†, such as effective communication and management of expectations.  Salleh and Abdul Ghani (2008) also mentioned that residential and neighbourhood satisfaction is an important indicator of housing quality and condition, which affects individuals’ quality of life. Besides that, according to the MSN Encarta Dictionary (2009), satisfaction means happiness with arrangement, which can refer to the happiness with the way that something has been arranged or done. On the other hand, Compact Oxford English Dictionary (2009) defined satisfaction is the state of being satisfied and by the law, it is the payment of a debt of fulfilment of an obligation or claim. In addition, Longman English Dictionary Online (2009) further defines that satisfaction is a feeling of happiness or pleasure when someone gets something that they want, need or have demanded. 2.1.1.2  Occupant The Longman English Dictionary Online (2009) defines occupants as someone who lives in a house, room etc. Meanwhile, MSN Encarta Dictionary (2009) defines occupant as a resident of a place. The Compact Oxford English Dictionary (2009) further clarifies that occupant as a person who occupies a place at a given time. Besides that, according to the Laws of Malaysia (2007), occupier means the person in actual occupation of the building, but, in the case of premises for lodging purposes, does not include a lodger. 2.1.1.3  Maintenance Maintenance is synonymous with controlling the condition of a building so that its pattern lies within specified regions as defined by Lee (White, 1969). The MSN Encarta Dictionary (2009) defines maintenance as the continuing repair work where work that is done regularly to keep a machine, building or piece of equipment in good condition and working order. Compact Oxford English Dictionary (2009) further defines maintenance as the process of maintaining or being maintained. Longman English Dictionary Online (2009) also clarifies in depth that maintenance is the repairs, painting etc. that are necessary to keep something in good condition. In fact, Chanter and Swallow (1996) identified maintenance as actions that relate not only to the physical execution of maintenance work, but also those concerned with its initiation, financing and organisation, and the notion of an acceptable condition. This implies an understanding of the requirements for the effective usage of the building and its parts, which in turn compels broader consideration of building performance from the definition of BS3811 (1984), as it defines maintenance as a combination of any actions carried out to retain an item in, or restore it to an acceptable condition. Besides that, Singh (1996) further defined building maintenance as work undertaken in order to keep, restore or improve every facility, i.e. every part of a building, its services and surrounds to a currently accepted standard, and to sustain the utility and value of facility. 2.1.1.4  Facilties The MSN Encarta Dictionary (2009) defines facility as something with particular function, in which something is designed or created to provide a service or fulfil a need. Besides that, Compact Oxford English Dictionary (2009) defines facility as a building, service, or piece of equipment provided for a particular purpose. Longman English Dictionary Online (2009) further defines facility as a place or building used for a particular activity or industry, or for providing a particular type of service. With these definitions explained from the dictionaries, facilities can be define as services or equipments provided to improve the effectiveness of a building. However, facilities are further clarified by the Charted Institute of Building (CIOB) with the definition that facilities management is an umbrella term under which a wide range of property and user – related functions may be brought together for the benefit of the organisation and its employees as a whole (Flanagan et al., 1995). Meanwhile, Alexander (1996) mentioned in his paper that facilities management is first and foremost about organizational effectiveness. 2.1.1.5  Condominum The House Buyers Association (2009) mentioned that the word â€Å"condominium† comes from the Latin word â€Å"con† which means â€Å"together† and â€Å"dominium, meaning â€Å"property†. There are two parts in this type of property ownership. They are the ownership of the individual unit and joint ownership of the common property, in which the property is shared with other unit owners in the project. The MSN Encarta Dictionary (2009) defines condominium as an individually owned apartment, which is an individually owned unit of real estate, especially an apartment or town house, in a building or on land that is owned in common by the owners of the units. Meanwhile, the Compact Oxford English Dictionary (2009) further defines condominium as a building or complex containing a number of individually owned flats or houses. Longman English Dictionary Online (2009) later defines that condominium is one apartment in a building with several apartments, each of w hich is owned by the people living in it. 2.2  Maintenance In Condominium For the maintenance in condominium in Malaysia, there is an act that was specially gazetted on 12th April 2007 for the purpose of maintaining the condominium and its surrounding, together with the facilities available in the condominium. According to the Laws of Malaysia (2007), under the act 663 building and common property (maintenance and management) act 2007, the act is to provide for proper maintenance and management of building and common property, and for matters incidental thereto. Maintenance in the condominium comprises maintenance of all the common property area in the condominium. The building and common property (maintenance and management) act 2007 further defines common property as development area not comprised in any parcel, such as the structural elements of the building, stairs, stairways, fire escapes, entrances and exits, corridors, lobbies, fixtures and fittings, lifts, refuse chutes, refuse bins, compounds, drains, water tanks, sewers, pipes, wires, cables and ducts that serve more than one parcel, the exterior of all common parts of the building, playing fields and recreational areas, driveways, car parks and parking areas, open spaces, landscape areas, walls and fences, and all other facilities and installations and any part of the land used or capable of being used or enjoyed in common by all the occupiers of the building. Charges which means any money collected by the owner, developer, Body or managing agent from the purchaser for the maintenance and management of the building or land intended for subdivision into parcels and common property, will be taken from the building maintenance account which is also known as building maintenance fund after the account is passed to the Joint Management Body (Laws of Malaysia, 2007). 2.2.1  Types of Maintenance According to Gurjit Singh (1996), generally, maintenance management can be approached in the following ways: Cyclical maintenance: this is maintenance for recurring items such as redecoration. Non-cyclical maintenance: this will apply to the items identified in the condition survey and includes items that need major repairs and replacements. Planned preventive maintenance: this is maintenance which is carried out on regular basis to prevent breakdowns. It has the advantage of predicting the loss of facility to the owner and down-time. Emergency maintenance: this is maintenance which is carried out only when there is a breakdown. It is normally expensive and increases the amount of non – productive time. Chanter and Swallow (1996) further explained the types of maintenance according to definitions given in BS 3811 and produced flow charts to summarise the types of maintenance and decision based types of maintenance as below: (1)  Planned maintenance: This is maintenance organised and carried out with forethought, control and the use of records to a predetermined plan. (2)  Unplanned maintenance: Ad hoc maintenance carried out to no predetermined plan. (3)  Preventive maintenance: Maintenance carried out at predetermined intervals, or corresponding to prescribed criteria, and intended to reduce the probability of failure, or the performance degradation of an item. (4)  Corrective maintenance: Maintenance carried out after failure has occurred, and intended to restore an item to a state in which it can perform its required function. (5)  Emergency maintenance: Maintenance which it is necessary to put in hand immediately to avoid serious consequences. (6)  Condition – based maintenance: Preventive maintenance initiated as a result of knowledge of the condition of an item from routine or continuous monitoring. (7)  Scheduled maintenance: Preventive maintenance carried out to a pre – determined interval of time, number of operations, mileage, etc. Figure 5  Decision based types of maintenance Source: Chanter and Swallow (1996) 2.2.2  Maintenance Function Miles and Syagga (1987) mentioned that the function of maintenance can be divided into three groups. These three groups consist of cleaning and servicing, rectification and repair, and replacement. Both authors also added that cleaning and servicing should be carried out regularly and may be combined with a system of reporting faults, so that repairs can be carried out soon after faults become apparent, thereby avoiding the need for more expensive repairs or even replacement at a later stage. 2.2.3  Malaysias Report On Poor Maintenance According to the report from National House Buyers Association (The Star, 2005), residents of Mount Karunmas Condominium fret over cracks in car park. Residents want the developer or maintenance company of the building to rectify the cracks that have appeared on the beams in the car park. Besides the cracks, there was a water leak from the extension joints which were connected to the slabs. In this case, the developer and the maintenance parties did not deliver their duty and responsibility well despites the complaints from the residents and had pin point each other to take hold of the work. In such case, the matter was brought to the press and the local council and the developer in the end stood up rectify the defects and mentioned that defects were only minor cracks.   In another report regarding to maintenance, there was a statement stating that one of the many issues of public concern is how to develop a strong maintenance culture in Malaysia in the interest of public safety and convenience. There was also an addition stating that Malaysia is known as a country which prides itself on the provision of First World infrastructure but not in terms of its maintenance (The Star,24 June 2009) The Star (2009) also mentioned that poor maintenance of children’s playground can result in accidents and injuries. Besides that, poor maintenance of public buildings and infrastructures can also cause accidents, injuries and also flash floods when roads and public drains are not properly maintained. (The Star, 24 June 2009) When maintenance are not done properly, image of the country is also not preserved as tourist would come to Malaysia to visit and this give a bad image to the country when maintenance are poorly done. According to the Star (24 June 2009) improving a country’s image is not only the responsibility of the Government but also the duty of each citizen who must be civic – minded. According to the Star (7 May 2009) former squatters moved into the Putri Laksamana apartments in Batu Caves had to deal with poor maintenance, cracking tiles, water leakages, sewage problems and even snakes entering their houses for four years. According to Sundramoorthy Veerasamy (2009), when they moved into the apartment which comprises of 400 units, many of the units had cracked floor tiles and water leaking from the roof and pipes. There were also drainage and garbage problem, and even though the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) promised to solve the problem, it has been eight months since the problem have not been solved (Sundramoorthy Veerasamy, 2009). Sundramoorthy (2009) also mentioned that they are losing faith in the councillors and state government finding a solution. From this, Government should be able to come out with a solution to help these residents as they are also the citizens of Malaysia and deserve to live in a properly maintained place. Poor maintenance can also lead to criminal activities. According to the Star (7 May 2009) criminal activities like snatch thefts, break-ins, and motorcycle and car thefts are rampant there and drug addicts and pushers also haunt the area of the apartment. MPS councillor Gopalan Krishnan Rajoo (2009) also mentioned that because there is no Joint Management Body (JMB) for the apartment, it is difficult to solve the problems and residents were urged to form the JMB to bring up the residents’ problems so that they can be solved easily. From this report, it is shown that forming a JMB in a community is important to solve certain problems and that increase in poor maintenance also would increase the crime rate in the area. 2.2.4  Case Study of Poor Maintenance Abdulmohsen Al – Hammad, Sadi Assaf and Mansoor Al – Shihah (1997) in their research which outlines the defects and faults during the design stage that affect building maintenance in Saudi Arabia and their relative degree of importance, came out with a table on the level of importance of design defects on building maintenance. The following tables show the result from the questionnaire done from their research on the defects. From the table above, the maintenance practicality and adequacy which is one of the defect groups rank the highest among the owners. When maintenance are not planned and done adequately, there will be defects and the defects will worsen causing the building to be not safe for the occupants and even aesthetically affected. 2.3  Facilties In Condominium In Malaysia, there are many types of facilities available in a condominium. The National House Buyers Association (2009) mentioned that there are many facilities and services in a condominium, such as lifts, swimming pool, gym, tennis court, landscaped gardens and even security services. Further explanation was that these facilities and services are expensive to maintain. Facilities are actually one of the important key aspects which purchasers will look into when buying a condominium. This is because purchasers have to understand that they when purchasing a unit of the condominium, two things are bought. These two things are the individual unit and the common property which includes all the facilities available in the condominium. Nowadays, facilities play a big role in portraying the image of the condominium. Besides that, facilities available in a condominium also determine and set a standard to the condominium. This can be seen when the low – end condominiums and high – end condominiums are being compared. Types of facilities available will be very different for both types of condominium, where the facilities in the high – end condominiums are more and much better than those of low – end condominiums. 2.3.1  Malaysias Report On Facilities National House Buyers Association (The Star, 2008) reported that hairline cracks have appeared on pillars and car park areas of the Sri Gotong apartment block in Batu Caves for the past year. One of the occupants, Abd Rahman Suraiman, mentioned that the management company Benih Kencana Sdn. Bhd. Should act fast to prevent the situation from getting worse. According to Rahman, who is secretary of the Sri Gotong Apartment Batu Caves Pro – tem Committee, the apartment was supposed to have condominium facilities like swimming pool, recreational area and sauna, but such facilities were lacking and the place was not properly maintained. Rahman also mentioned that the sauna room is locked, the gymnasium equipment is damaged and ever since he started staying there, one of the lifts stopped working and has yet to be repair. This report shows that lacking of facilities in a condominium will also cause dissatisfaction to the occupants. Thus, this kind of problem gives the condominium a bad image. In another report from the National House Buyers Association (The Star, 2004) stated that the local authorities are often hampered in their efforts to build sports facilities when developers, in fulfilling the requirement of providing open areas, allocate land that is too small or narrow. The report also added that local authorities wanted to provide more recreational facilities, especially in housing estates, but were unable to do so in some areas due to the lack of land. Developers would usually tell local authorities that they had carried out their responsibility by providing recreational through building playgrounds which are meant for younger children and this leaves teenagers without a proper place for recreation. According to the report, this could more likely cause teenagers. Therefore, it is wise that the developers to allocate