Perception of Various Performance Criteria by Stakeholders in the Construction Sector in Hong Kong

Construction Management and Economics (April 2010) 28, 377–391 Perception of various performance criteria by stakeholders in the construction sector in Hong Kong IVAN K. W. LAI1* and FRANKIE K. S. LAM2 1 2 Faculty of Management and Administration, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau International Graduate School of Business, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia Taylor and Francis Received 8 March 2009; accepted 1 December 2009 10. 1080/01446190903521515 All construction projects in Hong Kong have in common a cast of key contract participants, consisting of clients, consultants (designers) and contractors. The aim of this research is to examine, from different points of view, these practitioners in regard to the importance of perceived performance criteria and their respective performance outcomes in a construction project. A research model is structured based on nine performance criteria and their respective performances. The data were collected from 324 practitioners who have participated in construction projects in Hong Kong. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and repeated measures ANOVA are used to analyse the data. The relative importance of nine performance criteria and their performances are measured. Timely completion of the project is the most important performance criterion, followed by profit, environmental protection and quality. There are differences in the importance of the performance criteria with respect to performance. The differences in the perceptions of performance that are identified are: (i) among different practitioners in a construction project; (ii) due to different project types; and (iii) between different functional roles in the partnering organizations. In order to further understand the importance of the performance criteria with respect to performance, the status quo of roject partnering and congeniality problems in the construction industry is reviewed. It is intended to stimulate interest in the further exploration of solutions to improve the overall performance of the construction industry in Hong Kong. Keywords: Performance improvement, performance evaluation, partnering, supplier relationship, performance criteria. Introduction At the beginning of con struction projects, various targets are set as ‘performance criteria’ to be achieved among the key contract participants, consisting of clients, consultants (designers) and contractors. However, different participants have their own perceptions of various performance criteria, and they perform differently according to their perceptions. The aim of this study is to examine, from different points of view, these participants in regard to the importance of the perceived performance criteria and their respective performance outcomes in a construction project. The differences between the levels of importance of the performance criteria and their respective performance outcomes represent areas for the improvement of performance, which these participants should address. Author for correspondence. E-mail: [email  protected] edu. mo In the present study, nine specific performance criteria are used; they are: (1) profit; (2) time; (3) no claims or contractual disputes; (4) job satisfaction; (5) quality; (6) safety; (7) environment; (8) generation of innovative ideas; and (9) effectiveness. A research model was formulated to test the significant difference between these perfo rmance criteria with respect to their performance. There are also tests available to assess the performance of these performance criteria from the perspective of the respondents in different roles (i. . clients, consultants and main contractors); the types of construction projects (i. e. government, public/private utility and private development); and different functional roles of the staff within the organization (i. e. managerial, frontline supervisory and consultancy staff). This research was conducted through a questionnaire survey with construction practitioners in Construction Management and Economics ISSN 0144-6193 print/ISSN 1466-433X online  © 2010 Taylor & Francis http://www. informaworld. com DOI: 10. 1080/01446190903521515 378 Hong Kong. The overall discussion that follows is based on the results of the statistical analysis of the performance criteria and their respective performances as well as the major differences between the different perspectives of the participants. There are significant differences between the performance criteria with respect to performance, and conclusions are drawn from patterns noted in these results. This study indicates some areas for the improvement of performance. The limitations of this research and further research opportunities will be identified. Lai and Lam eam considers to be relevant in the pursuit of successful project delivery (Swan and Khalfan, 2007). Construction delays not only result in cost overruns and poor quality, but lead to increased disputes (Al-Khalil and Al-Ghafly, 1999). Odeh and Battaineh (2002) observed that most claims cases are related to the time of the project delivery. No claims or contractual disputes. It has been observed that the adaptive ability to man age changes without unnecessary claims is often critical in the routine assessment of subcontractors’ performance (Mbachu, 2008). The absence of claims or contractual disputes is a fair indicator of project success (Chan and Chan, 2004). Job satisfaction. Job satisfaction refers to the extent to which persons gain enjoyment or satisfaction from their efforts at work (Fogarty, 1994). It is a ‘soft’ measure, and has often been benchmarked with a company’s performance (Beatham et al. , 2004). Pinto and Pinto (1991) advocated that measures for project success should include project psychosocial outcomes, which refer to the satisfaction of interpersonal relations among project team members. Quality. Quality is defined as the degree to which general conditions promote meeting the project’s established requirements for materials and workmanship (Bubshait and Almohawis, 1994). The improvement of quality can reduce the resources and costs that must be devoted to reworking, which, when reduced, increases profitability (Ling et al. , 2009). The costs of rectifying defects and reworking have been estimated to be as high as 6. 2% and 12%, respectively, of the profit for a construction project (Thomas et al. 2002). Safety. Safety is defined as the degree to which general conditions promote the completion of a project without major accidents or injuries (Bubshait and Almohawis, 1994). Accidents during a project can be detrimental to the project in terms of time, costs and the reputation of the company (Chan and Chan, 2004). Environment. Environmental issues, such as waste management and public nuisance, have been regarded as negative environmental impacts on construction ( Shen et al. , 2000). Considerable attention has been directed towards finding out how to minimize construction waste and restrict environmental nuisance (Wong and Chan, 2000). Companies invest in the improvement of environmental protection because of cost factors (Tam et al. , 2001; Shen (3) Theoretical background Definition of performance criteria ‘Performance criteria’ are commonly shared mechanisms for monitoring and demonstrating project success (Krima et al. , 2007). Their use allows practitioners to understand their competitive position better and potentially to improve their performance (ElMashaleh et al. 2001). By looking at the deviations between the levels of importance of the performance criteria and performance outcomes, practitioners can review whether certain criteria underperform or overperform (Soetanto et al. , 2001). Ideally, performance outcomes of the performance criteria should be on a par with their normal performance, or, even better, their so-called ‘optimum per formance’, which are satisfactory to practitioners. Performance criteria of a construction project Atkinson (1999) stated that time, cost and quality make up the ‘iron triangle’ for project success. Loosemore et al. (2003) highlighted the importance of job satisfaction for the well-being of the construction industry. Fenn (2006) listed the typical performance criteria of commercial projects: time, cost, quality, project delays, delay claims, scheduling, monitoring and control. Lam and Wong (2009) argued that safety is a measure of project performance, as well as time, cost and quality. After reviewing the literature, nine performance criteria were selected: (1) Profit. Norris (1990) measured profit as the increment by which revenues exceed cost. Profit in terms of cost benefits has been identified as a key performance indicator (KPI) (Beatham et al. , 2004). Cost benefits can typically be achieved by savings and the early completion of projects (Soetanto et al. , 2001). Time. Time refers to the duration for completing a project (Chan and Chan, 2004). Time, cost and quality are the key factors a project (4) (5) (6) (7) (2) Performance criteria and Tam, 2002). For example, energy-efficient design allows both environmental friendliness and cost effectiveness across the project life cycle (Yao et al. , 2006). Generation of innovative ideas. Innovation is the actual novel use of a non-trivial change and improvement in a process, product or system (Slaughter, 1998). Innovation in construction leads to the improvement of working conditions, lowering construction costs, and decreasing construction time (Eaton et al. , 2006) so as to improve efficiency in the industry (Egbu, 2004). Effectiveness. Effectiveness is a characteristic of the overall performance of a project, in terms of whether it is being carried out within the budget, performed on schedule, and maintaining quality (Love et al. , 2004). Project effectiveness is dependent on conceptual level, skills and communicative abilities (Goodwin, 1993), which are important factors that affect project success (Krima et al. , 2007). Practitioners always intend to continually improve the effectiveness of the work process (Naoum, 2003). 379 importance of the performance criteria and their respective performance outcomes in a construction project in Hong Kong (as shown in Figure 1). In this study, three questions were addressed about the life of a construction project: Figure 1 A research model of importance of the performance criteria and their performance outcomes 8) (1) (2) (3) (9) What are the relative levels of importance of the performance criteria from the practitioners’ perspectives? What are the differences between the levels of importance of the performance criteria and their respective performance? What are the differences in the perception of performance from the practitioners’ perspectives? Research hypot heses The following hypotheses are formulated based on two variables: the importance of the performance criteria and their respective performance outcomes. Owing to the different dimensions of business-driven benefits and the degree of objective alignment (Thompson and Sanders, 1998), the levels of importance of the performance criteria may be different. H1: There are significant differences within the importance of the performance criteria. Research method Research model and research questions A research model is developed to examine, from different practitioners’ points of view, the levels of There are always levels of difference in the performance elements for construction (Soetanto et al. , 2001). The levels of importance of the erformance criteria may vary with respect to their performance outcomes. Figure 1 A research model of importance of the performance criteria and their performance outcomes 380 H2: There are significant differences between the importance of the performance criteria and their performance. Lai and Lam such as Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited; and a private development project may include somethin g like a residential development project. The respondents include a staff of clients, architectural and engineering consultants who represent clients, and main contractors. The respondents are also classified into three functional roles (i. e. managerial, frontline supervisory and consultancy staff). This study only focuses on the performance of the key contract participants—neither suppliers nor subcontractors are included in this survey. Questionnaire development and administration A questionnaire is designed to gather information from people engaged in partnering projects in Hong Kong. A pre-test of the questionnaire was conducted in July 2006 with academics and construction practitioners in order to confirm the general validity and reliability. After the initial pre-test, a further pilot test was undertaken to check the suitability and appropriateness. The final questionnaire consists of two sections. Section 1 is about the background of the respondents and Section 2 is concerned with the views of the respondents on the levels of importance of the performance criteria of the project and on their performance outcomes. Respondents are asked to pick a rating using a five-point Likert scale, ranging from ‘1’ (the least important, or very unsatisfied) to ‘5’ (the most important, or very satisfied) in respect of the criteria and the outcomes. A total of 850 questionnaires were distributed in person to the respondents in August 2006. From the 209 questionnaires that were collected, 71. 8% were from the main contractors during the first three months. Thereafter, another 100 questionnaires were distributed only to accessible clients and consultants in October 2006. Statistical analyses are conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 12. 00 software package. Different stakeholders have different views and expectations of performance in a construction project (Newcombe, 2003). Different roles (i. e. clients, consultants, and main contractors) in a construction project may have different views on the same performance. H3: There are significant differences among incumbents in different roles in a construction project in the perception of performance among partners. There are differences between government and private projects in the respective business procurement and the relationship with contractors (Burnes and Coram, 1999). Different types of construction projects (i. e. overnment projects, public/private utility and private development) may require different types of performances. H4: There are significant differences in the perception of performance due to different types of construction projects. Partnering involves teamwork and collaborative activities for achieving goals and resolving problems (Pheng and Hong, 2005; Ingirige and Sexton, 2006). Staff in different functional roles (i. e. managerial, frontline supervisory and consultancy staff) may have different views on performance. H5: There are significant differences among staff in different functional roles in the partnering organizations in the perception of performance. Sampling method In Hong Kong, more than 500 construction companies are certificated with ISO 9001 (HKQAA, 2007). Because of the large number and different types of construction firms, the different sizes and types of construction works that are undertaken and the constraints of time and resources for the research, purposive sampling (Sekaran, 1996) is used to focus on the respondents who have participated in a partnering project. Contractors, consulting firms, government departments and private developers who are active participants in the construction market in Hong Kong are selected. Government departments and private developers are classified as clients of the construction projects. There are three types of project: a government project is a public project that is initiated from a government department such as the Housing Authority; a public/private utility project is usually an infrastructure project, for example, one initiated by a mass transportation services provider, Performance criteria of the construction project Research samples Over the six months prior to March 2007, 950 sets of questionnaires were distributed, from which a total of 324 were collected. The response rate is 34. 1%. The backgrounds of the respondents are shown in Table 1. Statistical analysis Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) can be used when sample members have been matched Performance criteria Table 1 The background of the respondents Numbers of response Role in a construction project Clients Consultants Main contractors Others Total Type of construction project Government projects Public/private utilities Private development Others Total Functional role in the organization Managerial Frontline supervisory Consultancy Others Total Percentage Table 2 The rating of performance criteria Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Performance criteria Timely completion of project Profit to all involved parties Improvement of environmental protection Improvement of quality Improvement of safety Effectiveness of the construction process No claims or contractual disputes Job satisfaction of staff Generation of innovative ideas for construction design and method Mean 4. 2778 4. 2037 4. 1265 4. 1173 4. 1019 3. 9105 3. 8920 3. 8395 3. 7747 381 Std. deviation 0. 65127 0. 69174 0. 60904 0. 61846 0. 60350 0. 72634 0. 74903 0. 68068 0. 74350 123 51 149 1 324 112 121 87 4 324 131 157 21 15 324 38. 0 15. 7 46 . 0 0. 3 100 34. 6 37. 3 26. 9 1. 2 100 40. 4 48. 5 6. 5 4. 6 100 ccording to some important characteristic (ACITS, 1997). In this study, sample members are matched, and measurements across conditions are treated like repeated measures. Therefore, repeated measures ANOVA is used to find the rating among the performance criteria. Table A1 in the Appendix shows Mauchly’s test of sphericity. This is a test of compound symmetry or the homogeneity of covariance, an important assumption for this statistical test. If the test of sphericity is significant (i. e. , p-value < 0. 05), then the assumption H0 is met. Consequently, the univariate (more powerful) output (Tests of Within-Subject Effects) can be used. In this test, the p-value is less than 0. 5 and H1 is therefore accepted. This means that there are significant differences in the performance criteria. In order to elucidate the differences between them, Bonferroni’s test (see Table A2 in Appendix) is applied. The relati ve rating of the performance criteria is shown in Table 2 where time has the highest mean score, followed by profit, environment, quality, safety, effectiveness, no claims, job satisfaction, and the generation of innovative ideas. An individual paired-samples T-test is used to determine whether there are significant differences among the levels of importance of the performance criteria and their respective performances. The mean scores and standard deviations of the importance of the performance criteria and their performance outcomes are reported in Table 3. It shows that all of the factors have significant differences. The p-value is less than 0. 05. Therefore, H2 is accepted. Time has the highest positive paired mean difference, suggesting that the timely completion of a project, among the other performance criteria, seriously underperforms. One-way ANOVA is used to determine whether, among partners in different roles in a construction project (i. e. clients, consultants and main contractors), there are significant differences in the perception of performance. Table 4 indicates that there are significant differences in the perception of performance— with the exception of quality—among the three groups. The p-values for all of the factors (except for quality) are less than 0. 05. Therefore, H3 is accepted. The comparisons of the different groups are made using post hoc tests, after an overall significant difference has been obtained. The Tukey HSD table (Table 5) compares each group with every other group to determine the significance of the difference. Table 6 indicates that there is no significant difference (p-value > 0. 05) in the perception of performance due to the types of projects and between staff in different functional roles in the partnering organizations. Therefore, H4 and H5 are rejected. Discussion The levels of importance of the performance criteria The relative ratings for the highest levels of importance of the performance criteria are: (1) time; (2) profit; (3) environment; (4) quality; (5) safety; (6) effectiveness; (7) no claims or contractual disputes; (8) job satisfaction; and (9) generation of innovative ideas. Time, cost 382 Table 3 Mean scores and paired-samples t-test for the levels of importance of the performance criteria and their performance outcomes Mean scores and standard deviations (N = 324) Mean Mean 4. 2037 3. 4568 4. 2778 3. 4568 3. 8920 3. 3117 0. 6173 0. 6574 0. 6636 0. 6698 0. 74903 0. 72870 0. 04161 0. 04048 0. 5803 0. 90221 0. 65127 0. 81091 0. 03618 0. 04505 0. 8210 0. 91024 0. 69174 0. 70028 0. 03843 0. 03890 0. 7469 0. 94631 Std. deviation Std. rror mean Paired differences Std. deviation Std. error mean 0. 05257 14. 207 0. 000 t Paired-samples t-test (df = 323) Sig. (2-tailed) 0. 05057 16. 235 0. 000 0. 05012 11. 577 0. 000 0. 81500 0. 81201 0. 77 566 0. 82841 0. 04528 0. 04511 0. 04309 0. 04602 13. 633 14. 573 15. 399 14. 553 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 3. 8395 3. 2222 4. 1173 3. 4599 4. 1019 3. 4383 4. 1265 3. 4568 3. 7747 3. 2130 3. 9105 3. 2901 0. 71755 0. 72634 0. 76843 0. 74350 0. 04131 0. 03986 0. 04035 0. 04269 0. 68068 0. 69049 0. 61846 0. 65003 0. 60350 0. 65781 0. 60904 0. 72204 0. 03782 0. 03836 0. 03436 0. 03611 0. 03353 0. 03654 0. 03384 0. 04011 0. 5617 0. 94388 0. 05244 10. 712 0. 000 Pair 1 Profit to all involved parties Profit to all involved parties with good performance Pair 2 Timely completion of project Timely completion of project with good performance Pair 3 No claims or contractual disputes No claims or contractual disputes with good performance Pair 4 Job satisfaction of staff Job satisfaction of staff with good performance Pair 5 Improvement of quality Improvement of quality with good performance Pair 6 Improvement of safety Improvement of safety with good performance Pair 7 Improvement of environmental protection Improvement of environmental protection with good performance Pair 8 Generation of innovative ideas for construction design and method Generation of innovative ideas for construction design and method with good performance Pair 9 Effectiveness of the construction process Effectiveness of the construction process with good performance 0. 6204 0. 93157 0. 05175 11. 987 0. 000 Lai and Lam Performance criteria 383 Table 4 One-way ANOVA on signi? a nt differences in perception of performance among participants in different roles in a construction project Performance criteria Profit to all involved parties Timely completion of project No claims or contractual disputes Job satisfaction of staff Improvement of quality Improvement of safety Improvement of environmental protection Generation of innovative ideas for construction design and method Effectiveness of the construction process Total 3. 4582 3. 4551 3. 3127 3. 2198 3. 4582 3. 4365 3. 4551 3. 2105 3. 2879 Client 3. 5772 3. 6423 3. 4715 3. 4228 3. 5203 3. 5691 3. 6098 3. 3415 3. 4797 Consultant 3. 5098 3. 4706 3. 4510 3. 0588 3. 3137 3. 0980 3. 1961 2. 9216 3. 0000 Main contractor 3. 423 3. 2953 3. 1342 3. 1074 3. 4564 3. 4430 3. 4161 3. 2013 3. 2282 F-statistic 4. 024 6. 374 8. 684 9. 120 1. 830 9. 752 6. 529 6. 408 8. 208 p-value 0. 019 0. 002 0. 000 0. 000 0. 162 0. 000 0. 002 0. 002 0. 000 Table 5 The Tukey HSD table of the post hoc tests on the performance among partici pants in different roles in a construction project Performance criteria Profit to all involved parties Timely completion of project No claims or contractual disputes Job satisfaction of staff Improvement of safety Improvement of environmental protection Generation of innovative ideas for construction design and method Effectiveness of the construction rocess (I) Your role in the construction project Client Client Client Consultant Client Client Client Consultant Client Client Consultant Client Client (J) Your role in the construction project Main contractor Main contractor Main contractor Main contractor Consultant Main contractor Consultant Main contractor Consultant Consultant Main contractor Consultant Main contractor Mean difference (I – J) 0. 23495* 0. 34697* 0. 33732* 0. 31675* 0. 36394* 0. 31538* 0. 47107* ? 0. 34491* 0. 41368* 0. 41989* ? 0. 27977* 0. 47967* 0. 25149* Sig. 0. 016 0. 001 0. 000 0. 018 0. 004 0. 000 0. 000 0. 003 0. 002 0. 001 0. 040 0. 000 0. 018 Note: * The mean difference is signi? cant at the 0. 05 level. and quality are always described as the ‘holy trinity’ (Swan and Khalfan, 2007). Krima et al. 2007) also noted that the importance of time performance is widely accepted. Most construction projects in Hong Kong are developed on a fast track schedule, completed in two to three years (Chan, 1999). The top concern in the construction industry in Hong Kong is always time. Profit generated from partnering normally derives from cost savings and incentives (Soetanto et al. , 2001). Incentives are normally introduced by offering a bonus to contractors achieving the KPIs set for the project (Swan and Khalfan, 2007). Moreover, profit sharing is very popular in construction projects. It is surprising that the improvement of environmental performance is the third most important performance criterion. Zhang and Shen (2000) observed that clients are often concerned with immediate or short-term results and care little about the potential benefits of improving environmental performance. This finding directly contradicts a previous study performed by Swan and Khalfan (2007), who found that time, cost and quality are the key elements for a successful project. Although the improvement of environmental performance is an important performance criterion, compared with the improvement of quality, this finding still needs to be clarified by further studies. The improvement of quality is always referred to in terms of less re-working or no abortive work (Thomas et al. 2002). Quality is also defined as conformity and client satisfaction (Soetanto et al. , 2001). It is always among the top priorities in construction. Safety has always been an issue in construction because of the routinely high accident rate involving deaths and property damage. The creation of the built environment in 384 Table 6 One-way ANOVA on signi? cant differences of performance due to the types of project and between those staff in different functional roles in the partnering organizations Due to the types of project Sum of squares df 2 317 319 2 317 319 2 317 319 2 317 319 2 317 319 2 317 319 2 317 319 1. 021 161. 666 162. 688 0. 595 185. 93 186. 388 Between groups Within groups Total 2 317 319 2 317 319 1. 049 0. 415 0. 909 0. 426 0. 728 0. 518 0. 511 0. 510 0. 297 0. 586 0. 527 0. 471 1. 118 0. 087 0. 537 0. 162 0. 851 0. 080 0. 648 0. 124 0. 883 0. 697 201. 872 202. 570 1. 234 162. 403 163. 638 0. 328 1. 972 143. 064 145. 036 2. 528 0. 081 0. 254 129. 889 130. 142 2. 133 0. 120 1. 522 129. 623 131. 146 1. 407 0. 246 0. 309 159. 710 160. 019 1. 001 0. 369 1. 166 158. 989 160. 155 0. 507 0. 603 1. 295 182. 770 184. 065 2 306 308 2 306 308 2 306 308 2 306 308 2 306 308 2 306 308 2 306 308 2 306 308 0. 056 0. 472 0. 119 0. 887 1. 560 145. 333 146. 893 2 306 308 Mean square F Sig. Sum of squares df Between groups Within groups Total Between groups Within groups Total Between groups Within groups Total Between groups Within groups Total Between groups Within groups Total Between groups Within groups Total Between groups Within groups Total Between groups Within groups Total 1. 456 164. 094 165. 550 1. 819 135. 169 136. 987 2. 098 131. 524 133. 622 1. 053 149. 294 150. 347 0. 174 170. 198 170. 372 0. 161 205. 389 205. 550 0. 113 149. 634 149. 747 Mean square 0. 78 0. 475 0. 349 0. 660 0. 617 0. 531 0. 986 0. 468 0. 127 0. 424 0. 761 0. 424 0. 155 0. 522 0. 583 0. 520 0. 648 0. 597 1. 084 0. 339 1. 122 0. 327 Between those staff in different functional roles in the partnering organizations F 1. 642 Sig. 0. 195 Performance criteria Profit to all involved parties with good performance Timely completion of project with good performance 0. 529 0. 590 No claims or contractual disputes with good performance 1. 163 . 314 Job satisfaction of staff with good performance 2 . 109 0. 123 Improvement of quality with good performance 0. 299 0. 742 Improvement of safety with good performance 1. 797 0. 168 Improvement of environmental protection with good performance 0. 296 0. 744 Generation of innovative ideas for construction design and method with good performance Effectiveness of the construction process with good performance Lai and Lam Performance criteria 2003 in Hong Kong involved 18% of the total injuries of employees among all industries (OSHC, 2003). Policy makers and the general public always pay great heed to construction safety (Teo et al. , 2005). Effectiveness in construction has received negative commentary (CIRC, 2001). A rating solely on effectiveness itself is taken ordinarily to be insufficient and does not usually prevail. Claims in a project can involve extension of time (EOT), for example, because of inclement weather, or a variation order (VO), for example because of changes of design (Yeo and Ning, 2002). Contractors lose out from not being granted a claim. Although some previous studies suggest that job satisfaction is a measure of project success (Beatham et al. , 2004; Swan and Khalfan, 2007), an analysis of the data fails to find evidence suggesting job satisfaction is a priority in a construction project. Innovative ideas can contribute to cost savings and process expediting, and generating them should be encouraged through reimbursement or benefits sharing (Naoum, 2003). Nevertheless, innovative ideas about construction design and method are very rarely implemented in a construction project because of the relatively short timeline for completion. The differences of performance outcomes with respect to importance The relative ratings for the highest difference in performance with respect to the importance of the performance criteria are: (1) time; (2) safety; (3) quality; (4) environment; (5) profit; (6) job satisfaction; (7) effectiveness; (8) no claims or contractual disputes; and (9) generation of innovative ideas. All of the performance criteria clearly underperform. Timely completion of the project displays the highest difference. To a project owner, delay means loss of revenue due to slackened production and rentable space. To a consultant, delay means either the failure of progress monitoring of contractors or faulty design, or both. To a contractor, delay means penalties and higher overhead costs. It is thus very worthwhile to investigate the cause of delay, the parties who are responsible, and the preventive measures for avoiding it (Assaf and Al-Hejji, 2006). Owing to stringent legal and contractual requirements in Hong Kong, there are ever-increasing demands, expectations and emphasis on safety, quality and environmental protection. Naoum (2003) has argued that there should be a comprehensive incentive scheme to simulate the overall site performance in these categories. Profit is a basic goal for running a business, but in a project, it is always governed by the traditional re-measured contract at a fixed price. 385 Participants in a construction project can only benefit from cost savings or bonuses awarded by accelerating the process for early completion (Tam, 2002). Job satisfaction is among the performance criteria displaying a low performance outcome. Not only are staff members not happy about job satisfaction, but this variable is also in fact rated as the second least important performance criterion (see Table 2). The effectiveness of a construction process needs both good planning and coordination. Given the inherently fragmented nature of construction, work is always accomplished in sequential and unique stages handled by different contractors. Since the design and building processes are normally divided between consultants and contractors (Naoum, 2003), the original designers would thus not help the performance outcome or effectiveness of the construction process once it is underway. No claims or contractual disputes are part of the second-lowest performance outcome. Claims or contractual disputes in a project are very often raised among clients and contractors (Yeo and Ning, 2002). The generation of innovative ideas for construction design and method received the lowest rating concerning performance outcome. In fact, adopting new ideas in construction is always inhibited by the fact that there are always prior specifications governing construction activities (Naoum, 2003). Winch (2003) noted that construction is commonly characterized as a ‘backward industry’, that is, one that fails to innovate in comparison to other sectors. The strong categorical division of responsibility for design and building worsens this situation. The performance perceived by practitioners in different roles in a construction project Profit There are significant differences between clients and the main contractors in the perception of the performance of profit. Clients are more satisfied than are the main contractors (see Table 5). Clients typically set out the budget for a project at the beginning of project planning, whereas contractors concentrate on cost savings (e. g. reducing the opportunity for claims). Time There are significant differences between clients and main contractors in the perception of performance for the timely completion of projects. Clients are more satisfied than are main contractors (see Table 5). They are normally proactive and generally push for timely completion. Main contractors prefer a contract designed with a reasonable duration for the construction 386 time and fair treatment of claims for EOT (Assaf and Al-Hejji, 2006). Any completion delay for a project will be the subject of a penalty for liquidated damages to a contractor (PAH, 2008). In general, clients would consider an incentive bonus for the contractor who completes the project on time or ahead of schedule (Naoum, 2003). Contractors prefer these bonuses as an incentive for finishing on time or early. No claims or contractual disputes There are significant differences between clients, consultants and main contractors in the perception of the performance of no claims or contractual disputes. Clients and consultants are more satisfied than are main contractors (see Table 5). When initiating a contract, clients normally would have a contingency plan to provide additional money for any claim, for a delay in the project or for a change of design. In general, clients and main contractors take a different stand on claims. Clients suffer from claims, while the main contractors benefit. Traditionally, clients are perceived as distrustful and suspicious, while the main contractors are perceived as opportunistic and greedy (Kadefors, 2004). Consultants tend to have a passive attitude to claims, and do not like to see any claims or contractual disputes, as they might be taken to reveal their own faulty design or their failure to perform their duty of supervising the main contractors’ performance. Job satisfaction There are significant differences between clients, consultants and main contractors in the perception of the performance of the job satisfaction of staff. Staff members, as consultants and main contractors, are less satisfied than are clients (see Table 5). Staff from clients may participate in the partnering projects more than do the staff from consultants and main contractors. Since the levels of participation for different parties are different, they show differences in regard to this issue. Quality There is no significant difference between clients, consultants and main contractors in the perception of the performance of quality. This seems to illustrate that all partners in the construction project hold consistent views on the performance of quality. Safety There are significant differences between clients, consultants and main contractors in the perception of the performance of safety. Consultants are less satisfied than are clients and main contractors (see Table 5). Clients simply do not like to see any accidents. The Environment Lai and Lam responsibility for onsite safety is therefore ascribed to the consultants and the contractors (Teo et al. , 2005). Consultants take a passive role in safety during the operations (Teo et al. , 2005); they like to have sufficient planning and budgets for the design of safety at the beginning of a project (Wong and Chan, 2000). The main contractors bear most of the legal liability for safety performance (Chan and Chan, 2004); they commit to ensuring safety under a contractual requirement. There are significant differences between clients and consultants in the perception of the accomplishment of environmental performance. Consultants are generally less satisfied than are clients (see Table 5), who showed less concern in improving environmental performance. This empirical finding agrees with Yao et al. ’s (2006) basic argument. The design of environmentally friendly projects involves reduced use of natural resources, recycling of construction waste, and the avoidance of being a nuisance in the neighbourhood (Tam et al. , 2004). The green construction concept demands that, at the inception of a project, approval is sought from the client. Although consultants are reactive on this specific issue, they can propose some guidelines for administering a contract’s environmental requirements (e. g. contractors should prepare a comprehensive onsite waste management plan). Clients should consider covering all of the costs incurred in those contract specifications satisfying these environmental requirements. On the other hand, contractors do not totally disagree with this concept and are usually willing to follow some guidelines, such as avoiding environmental hazards and following safety procedures. Indeed, clients should regularly take the initiative to monitor and closely inspect contractors’ performance of environmental management. Generation of innovative ideas There are significant differences between clients, consultants and main contractors in how they perceive the accomplishment of innovative ideas about the construction design and method. Consultants are less satisfied than are clients and main contractors (see Table 5). In general, consultants play a significant role in generating new ideas about the construction method and the design (Bresnen and Marshall, 2000). The main contractors usually do not put too much effort into promoting innovative ideas unless it is a designand-build project. However, consultants are reluctant to accept a contractor’s design proposal (Bresnen and Marshall, 2000). In fact, the best innovative ideas for construction design and method should be developed by consultants during the planning phase. However, Performance criteria given the zero-growth budgets and tight schedules for construction projects, consultants seldom take the initiative to generate innovative ideas even though they should. Effectiveness There are significant differences between clients, consultants and main contractors in the perception of the relative effectiveness of a construction process. Clients are more satisfied than are consultants and main contractors (see Table 5). Consultants, as designers, play an important role by providing good, reliable and complete designs that are buildable. Main contractors play an active role in the construction process (Arobos, 2002; Errasti et al. , 2007), dealing with most of the problems raised during the construction stage along with the consultants. Most of the problems generated at the site level and the effective solutions do not involve the clients. The performance of important aspects of different types of construction project There is no significant difference between the three groups in the perception of the performance of government project, public/private utility and private development. This means that there appears to be no relationship between performance outcomes and the types of projects. The performance perceived among staff in different functional roles in partnering organizations There is no significant difference between the three staff groups: managerial, frontline supervisory and consultancy, in terms of the perception of performance. This means that there is no relationship between the performance outcomes and the staff in different functional roles in the partnering organizations. 387 and management of, a project, exacerbate the adverse effects of the fragmented nature of construction. There are many methods for trying and overcoming the barriers to optimum performance. For example, the ideas of the public–private partnership (PPP) and the private finance initiative (PFI) projects, which create a favourable partnering atmosphere between clients and the main contractors (Li et al. , 2005), could help diminish the abovementioned problems. PPP and PFI embrace all of the elements in a successful construction project of design, build and finance, which means a longer project timeframe and a contract sum sufficiently large so as to sustain the partnering atmosphere. Other methods, such as awarding contracts based on quality bids, as well as prices and partnering frameworks, are also recommended. Limitations Owing to the large numbers of the sample size and frame and the limited time and resources available, the selection of questionnaire respondents was based on the rationale of purposive sampling, aiming to select some specific categories in the populations. This may cause bias and error. The collected data were mainly from the main contractors and clients (84% of the total respondents) and may have led to biases that render the result inaccurate. A holistic supply chain must be expansive, embracing the vertical networks of subcontractors and suppliers for better partnering. There were also geographical limitations in this study. The survey was only carried out in Hong Kong. It would be beneficial to have the opportunity to test the theory elsewhere. Further research opportunities The results indicate that timely completion of a project is both the most important performance criterion and the highest in terms of the difference in the outcome of the performance with respect to importance. Future studies should seek to elaborate on this factor, exploring how to improve the time actor in a construction project. A new research tradition can be built on a more detailed model that specifies not only the relationships between the independent and dependent variables, but also the relationships between the independent variables. This means an investigation of the correlation between the factors of two variables as well as within the factors. In such a study, there should be a deeper focus on the correlation among the performance criteria. Regarding the significant difference from the perspectives of clients, consultants and main contractors about the performance outcomes, further additional research is necessary in order to elaborate on the Implications, limitations and further research Implications The present results reveal that, in order to achieve optimum performance, a company should improve its operations by managing the presence of the nine performance criteria. The differences in the perceptions of performance among the key contract participants in a construction project reveal the congeniality problems in the construction industry. The rule of the contract game, or that the lowest price wins, still very much dominates the final decision on the selection of contractors. The division of roles between designing and building, and the distinct roles of consultants for 388 more subtle rationale of these differences. A more qualitative data collection method through intensive interviews with participants would provide richer and more in-depth data. Lai and Lam more fairly when claims are made. Practitioners have less concern about the generation of innovative ideas for a construction method and design that make least deviations from performance. Finally, there is no difference in the perception of performance due to the types of projects, or between those staff in different functional roles in the partnering organizations. This study in Hong Kong examined, from the points of view of practitioners, the levels of importance of the performance criteria and their respective performance in construction projects. The research reviews the status quo of partnering and the congeniality problems in the industry, and it is intended to stimulate interest in Hong Kong for further exploration of solutions for improving the overall performance of the construction industry. Conclusions Here, we rate the performance criteria in a construction project in Hong Kong. The order of importance of the performance criteria is: (1) time; (2) profit; (3) environment; (4) quality; (5) safety; (6) effectiveness; (7) no claims or contractual disputes; (8) job satisfaction; and (9) generation of innovative ideas. There are differences among the levels of importance of the performance criteria with respect to performance. The positive differences between the levels of importance of the performance criteria and their performance outcomes indicate a common pattern: all of the performance criteria underperform. The results of the greatest differences are, in order, (1) time; (2) safety; (3) quality; (4) environment; (5) profit; (6) job satisfaction; (7) effectiveness; (8) no claims or contractual disputes; and (9) generation of innovative ideas. Timely completion of the project is the most important performance criterion, but it displays the highest deviation of its performance when compared with its importance. This implies that time management is the most critical factor for the performance of a construction project. In Hong Kong, events pertaining to quality, safety and environmental issues during construction always generate a great deal of publicity. In fact, there are quite regular incidents regarding substandard work, serious accidents on construction sites, and complaints regarding pollution and nuisance generated from construction activities. The performance of these three performance criteria can be improved by providing a greater budget during the planning of the project, or by allowing a larger budget for design and incentives to achieve good performance. Most clients are satisfied with the performance of profit, although the main contractors are less happy, reflecting the fact that, with the prevailing lowest-pricewins and the procurement practice in construction, the main contractor still stands to lose. In general, most respondents are not satisfied with job satisfaction. The job satisfaction of staff should be enhanced through personal development, job security and encouragement from colleagues and superiors. Most clients are satisfied with the performance of the effectiveness of the construction process. Consultants should strive to improve the effectiveness of the construction process early in the design stage of a project and should suggest adopting more design-and-build types of contracts. Clients are satisfied with fewer claims and contractual disputes. However, contractors would like to be treated References ACITS (1997) Repeated measures ANOVA using SPSS MANOVA. Usage Note: Stat-38, ACITS, The University of Texas at Austin Statistical Services, 475-9372, available at http://www. utexas. edu/cc/docs/stat38. html (accessed 12 January 2010). Al-Khalil, M. I. and Al-Ghafly, M. A. (1999) Important causes of delays in public utility projects in Saudi Arabia. Construction Management and Economics, 17(5), 647–55. Arobos, L. (2002) Design of a rapid response and high ef? ciency service by lean production principles: methodology and evaluation of variability of performance. International Journal Production Economics, 80(2), 169–83. Assaf, S. A. and Al-Hejji, S. (2006) Causes of delay in large construction projects. International Journal of Project Management, 24(4), 349–57. Atkinson, R. (1999) Project management: cost, time and quality, two best guesses and a phenomenon, its time to accept other success criteria. International Journal of Project Management, 17(6), 337–42. Beatham, S. , Anumba, C. , Thorp, T. nd Hedges, I. (2004) KPIs: a critical appraisal of their use in construction. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 11(1), 93–117. Bresnen, M. and Marshall, N. (2000) Partnering in construction: a critical review of issues, prelims and dilemmas. Construction Management and Economics, 18(2), 229 œ37. Bubshait, A. A. and Almohawis, S. A. (1994) Evaluating the general conditions of a construction contract. International Journal of Project Management, 12(3), 133–5. Burnes, B. and Coram, R. (1999) Barriers to partnerships in the public sector: the case of the UK construction industry. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 4(1), 43–50. Chan, A. nd Chan, A. P. L. (2004) Key performance indicators for measuring construction success. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 11(2), 203–21. Chan, K. L. (1999) Home building quality: collaborative effort in enhancing building quality, in Proceedings of Housing Performance criteria Conference—Better Homes in the Next Millennium, Hong Kong Housing Authority, Hong Kong, 24–25 November, available at http://www. housingauthority. gov. hk/eng/ events/conf/conferen/pdf/echankl. pdf (accessed 12 January 2010). CIRC (2001) Construct for Excellence, Report of the Construction Industry Review Committ ee, Hong Kong, available at http://www. devb-wb. gov. k/FileManager/EN/ archives/rpt_construction_ind_review_committee/reporte. pdf (accessed 12 January 2010). Eaton, D. , Akbiyikli, R. and Dickinson, M. (2006) An evaluation of the stimulants and impediments to innovation with PFI/PPP projects. Construction Innovation, 6(2), 63–77. Egbu, C. O. (2004) Managing knowledge and intellectual capital for improved organisational innovations in the construction industry: an examination of critical success factors. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 11(5), 301–15. El-Mashaleh, M. , O’Brien, W. J. and London, K. (2001) Envelopment methodology to measure and compare subcontractor productivity at the ? m level, in Proceedings of the 9th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 6–8 August. Errasti, A. , Beach, R. , Oyarbide, A. and Santos, J. (2007) A process for developing par tnerships with subcontractors in the construction industry: an empirical study. International Journal of Project Management, 25(3), 250–6. Fenn, P. (2006) Con? ict management and dispute resolution, in Lowe, D. and Leiringer, R. (eds) Commercial Management of Projects, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, pp. 234–69. Fogarty, T. (1994) Public accounting experience: the in? uence of demographic and organisational attributes. Managerial Auditing Journal, 9(7), 12–20. Goodwin, R. S. C. (1993) Skills required of effective project managers. Journal of Management in Engineering, 9(3), 217–26. HKQAA (2007) Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency Buyer’s Guide, Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency, Hong Kong, available at http://hkqaa. org/index. html (accessed 12 January 2010). Ingirige, B. and Sexton, M. (2006) Alliance in construction: investigating initiatives and barriers for long-term collaboration. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 13(5), 521–35. Kadefors, A. (2004) Trust in project relationships—inside the black box. International Journal of Project Management, 22(3), 175–82. Krima, N. A. Wood, G. , Aouad, G. F. and Natush, Z. (2007) Assessing the performance of Libyan supervising engineers. Construction Management and Economics, 25(5), 509–18. Lam, P. and Wong, F. (2009) Improving building project performance: how buildability benchmarking can help. Construction Management and Economics, 27(1), 41–52. Li, B. , Akintoye, A. , Edwards, P. J. and Hardcastle, C. (2005) Perceptions of positive and negative factors in? uencing the attractiveness of PPP/PFI procurement for construction projects in the UK. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 12(2), 125–48. 389 Ling, F. Y. Y. , Low, S. P. , Wang, S. Q. and Lim, H. H. 2009) Key project management practices affecting Singaporean ? rms’ project performance in China. International Journal of Project Management, 27(1), 59–71. Loosemore, M. , Dainty, A. and Lingard, H. (2003) Human Resource Management in Construction Projects: Strategic and Operational Approaches, Spon Press, London. Love, P. E. D. , Irani, Z. and Edwards, D. F. (2004) A seamless supply chain management model for construction. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 9(1), 43–56. Mbachu, J. (2008) Conceptual framework for the assessment of subcontractors’ eligibility and performance in the co nstruction industry. Construction Management and Economics, 26(5), 471–84. Naoum, S. 2003) An overview into the concept of partnering. International Journal of Project Management, 21(1), 71–6. Newcombe, R. (2003) From client to project stakeholders: a stakeholder mapping approach. Construction Management and Economics, 21(8), 841–8. Norris, W. E. (1990) Margin of pro? t: teamwork. Journal of Management in Engineering, 6(1), 20–8. Odeh, A. M. and Battaineh, H. T. (2002) Causes of construction delay: traditional contracts. International Journal of Project Management, 20(1), 67–73. OSHC (2003) Occupational safety and health survey of injured employees in Hong Kong, Occupational Safety and Health Council, Research Committee, Hong Kong, available at http://www. oshc. org. k/download/research/2/ 2/Report% 20Injured%20Workers_2003_English. pdf (accessed 12 January 2010). PAH (2008) Project Administration Handbook for Civil Engineering Works, 2008 Edition, Civil Engineering and Development Department, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, available at http:// www. cedd. gov. hk/eng/publications/standards_handbooks/ stan_pah. htm (accessed 12 January 2010). Pheng, L. S. and Hong, S. H. (2005) Strategic quality management for the construction industry. The TQM Magazine, 17(1), 35–53. Pinto, M. B. and Pinto, J. K. (1991) Determinants of crossfunctional cooperation in the project implementation process. Project Management Journal, 22(2), 13–20. Sekaran, U. (1996) Research Method for Business, John Wiley & Sons, New York. Shen, L. Y. and Tam, W. Y. (2002) Implementation of environmental management in the Hong Kong construction industry. International Journal of Project Management, 20(7), 535–43. Shen, L. Y. , Bao, Q. and Yip, S. L. (2000) Implementing innovative functions in construction project management towards the mission of sustainable environment, in Proceedings of the Millennium Conference on Construction Project Management—Recent Developments and the Way Forward, Hong Kong, 24 October, pp. 77–84. Slaughter, E. S. (1998) Models of construction innovation. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 124(3), 226–32. Soetanto, R. , Proverbs, D. G. and Holt, G. D. (2001) Achieving quality construction projects based on harmonious 390 working relationships—clients’ and architects’ perceptions of contractor performance. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 18(5), 528–48. Swan, W. and Khalfan, M. A. (2007) Mutual objectives setting for partnering projects in the public sector. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 14(2), 119–30. Tam, A. (2002) The Development of the MTR Tseung Kwan O Extension, Hong Kong, MTRC. Tam, C. M. , Tam, V. W. Y. and Tsui, W. S. 2004) Green construction assessment for environmental management in the construction industry of Hong Kong. International Journal of Project Management, 22(7), 563–73. Tam, V. , Bao, Q. and Wu, D. (2001) Experience gained in implementing ISO 14000 in Hong Kong construction industry, in Proceedings of 2001 CRIOCM International Research Symposium on Development of Construction Management, Shenzhen, China, 17–18 November, pp. 99–113. Teo, E. A. L. , Ling, F. Y. Y. and Chong, A. F. W. (2005) Framework for project managers to manage construction safety. International Journal of Project Management, 23(4), 329–41. Thomas, R. , Marosszeky, M. , Karim, K. , Davis, S. and McGeorge, D. (2002) The importance of project cultures in achieving uality outcomes in construction, in Proceedings Lai and Lam of 10th Annual Conference on Lean Construction, Gramado, Brazil, 2–8 August, available at http://www6. ufrgs. br/norie/ iglc10/papers/98-ThomasEtAl. pdf (accessed 12 January 2010). Thompson, P. J. and Sanders, S. R. (1998) Partnering continuum. Journal of Management in Engineering, 14(5), 73–8. Winch, G. (2003) How innovative is construction? Comparing aggregated data on construction innovation and other sectors—a case of apples and pears. Constructi on Management and Economics, 21(6), 651–4. Wong, W. S. and Chan, E. H. W. (2000) Building Hong Kong: Environmental Considerations, The Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong. Yao, H. Ou, X. and Shen, L. Y. (2006) Review on environmental management performance in construction business, in Shen, L. Y. (ed. ) Key Issues of Sustainable Performance for Construction Projects, SDP Research Group, Department of Building & Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, pp. 55–72. Yeo, K. T. and Ning, J. H. (2002) Integrating supply chain and critical chain concepts in engineer-procure-construct (EPC) projects. International Journal of Project Management, 20(4), 253–62. Zhang, Z. H. and Shen, L. Y. (2000) Promoting urbanization towards sustainable development in China. Journal Tsinghua University, 40(1), 2–6. Appendix Table A1 Mauchly’s test of sphericityb Within Subjects Effect Mauchly’s W Approx. chi-square df Sig. Epsilon a Greenhouse-Geisser Huynh-Feldt Factor 0. 049 966. 660 35 0. 000 0. 682 0. 695 Lower-bound 0. 125 Notes: Test the null hypothesis that the error covariance matrix of the orthonormalized transformed dependent variables is proportional to an identity matrix. a May be used to adjust the degrees of freedom for the averaged tests of signi? cance. b Design: Intercept Within Subjects Design: factor. Performance criteria Table A2 Bonferroni test on rating of performance criteria (pairwise comparisons) (I) factor (J) factor Mean difference (I – J) Std. error Sig. a 391 5% confidence interval for differencea Lower bound Upper bound 0. 033 0. 474 0. 507 0. 227 0. 243 0. 219 0. 583 0. 441 0. 534 0. 576 0. 281 0. 300 0. 278 0. 661 0. 502 0. 206 ? 0. 070 ? 0. 052 ? 0. 073 0. 279 0. 140 ? 0. 146 ? 0. 125 ? 0. 145 0. 198 0. 069 0. 073 0. 061 0. 481 0. 337 0. 020 0. 470 0 . 330 0. 498 0. 355 ? 0. 012 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 4 5 6 7 8 9 5 6 7 8 9 6 7 8 9 7 8 9 8 9 9 ?0. 074 0. 312* 0. 364* 0. 086 0. 102 0. 077 0. 429* 0. 293* 0. 386* 0. 438* 0. 160* 0. 176* 0. 151* 0. 503* 0. 367* 0. 052 ? 0. 225* ? 0. 210* ? 0. 235* 0. 117 ? 0. 019 ? 0. 278* ? 0. 262* ? 0. 287* 0. 065 ? 0. 071 0. 015 ? 0. 009 0. 343* 0. 207* ? 0. 25 0. 327* 0. 191* 0. 352* 0. 216* ? 0. 136* 0. 033 0. 050 0. 044 0. 044 0. 044 0. 044 0. 048 0. 046 0. 046 0. 043 0. 037 0. 038 0. 039 0. 049 0. 042 0. 048 0. 048 0. 049 0. 050 0. 050 0. 049 0. 041 0. 042 0. 044 0. 041 0. 043 0. 018 0. 022 0. 043 0. 040 0. 014 0. 044 0. 043 0. 045 0. 043 0. 038 0. 969 0. 000 0. 000 10. 000 0. 731 10. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 001 0. 000 0. 005 0. 000 0. 000 10. 000 0. 000 0. 001 0. 000 0. 705 10. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 10. 000 10. 000 10. 000 10. 000 0. 000 0. 000 1. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 017 ?0. 182 0. 150 0. 221 ? 0. 054 ? 0. 039 ? 0. 065 0. 275 0. 145 0. 238 0. 300 0. 040 0. 052 0. 25 0. 345 0. 232 ? 0. 101 ? 0. 381 ? 0. 368 ? 0. 396 ? 0. 044 ? 0. 177 ? 0. 410 ? 0. 399 ? 0. 430 ? 0. 069 ? 0. 211 ? 0. 042 ? 0. 079 0. 204 0. 076 ? 0. 069 0. 184 0. 053 0. 206 0. 077 ? 0. 260 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Notes: Based on estimated marginal means. * The mean difference is signi? cant at the 0. 05 level. a Adjustment for multiple comparisons: Bonferroni. Copyright of Construction Management & Economics is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

Film & Ideology – Milk

Assignment 2 – Film and Ideology The definition of the word ideology can be represented in many ways. Today’s basic understanding of the word can be defined as â€Å"the body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture† (Farlex, 2009). Gus Van Sant’s exceptional biopic Milk (Gus Van Sant, 2008) depicts the story of Harvey Milk, the slain gay-rights activist who became the first openly gay man elected to any substantial political office in the history of the planet. Harvey Milk’s life changed history – his courage still motivates people today, his ideals still teach people today and his hope still inspire people today. The release of Milk in 2008 has helped to bring back a new sense of appreciation for the hope and passion that Harvey Milk died for. Milk beautifully shows the fights and struggles Harvey Milk had to go through to gain the trust of the people and in order for his ideologies of a brighter tomorrow for all queer people to be fully appreciated by everyone. Harvey Milk was an individual who did not die in vain; his efforts in fighting for gay rights left a lasting impact on the people of this planet and his hope still lives on to this day. Simply put Harvey Milk’s ideology of fighting on and instilling hope in the fight for gay rights when no one else would, immortalized him – â€Å"Without hope, life's not worth living† (Milk, 2008) It is now June 7th 1977, the sun has set on the Castro district of San Francisco, and the crowd that has gathered in the street outside Harvey Milk’s camera shop is becoming more and more, impatient and angry. We know watching that the reason that everyone is angry is due to the reports about voters in Dade County, Florida, having voted to overturn a local gay-rights ordinance, giving momentum to a backlash whose most visible public face belongs to Anita Bryant. We know we have reached the climax of the movie. So much is happening all at once in the life of Harvey Milk that you wonder how he has not yet lost his head. His impish upbeat attitude and overly positive optimism in the face of multiplying frustrations makes you look up in awe at the wonderment that is Harvey Milk. The gay residents of the Castro are angry and looking to Harvey for leadership. Though not yet elected to office and having lost 3 years consecutively, Harvey rises to the occasion and leads the angry crowd to city hall where he picks up a bullhorn and address the crowd in a way only Harvey Milk can – turning an angry mob on the verge of a violent riot to a enthusiastic mass willing to fight for their rights the proper way. In the space of a few minutes Harvey goes from a whisper to a shout, from an intimate message of consolation and support to a defiant public speech. Milk shows us that it is these moments, these distinct modes of address, are connected, and that the link between them is what defines Harvey Milk’s aspirations and ideals. According to Dr. Harry M. Benshoff, an associate professor of Radio, Television, and Film at the University of North Texas, queer theorist focus on how sexuality was and is a product of culture, not some sort of biological given. In Milk it is clearly stressed that Harvey too did not believe that homosexuality was a genetic disease. In the scene of the 1977 June 7th march, just before he leaves the store to lead the mob to city hall, Harvey answers the telephone only to be greeted by a scared and confused teenager whose parents believe him to be ill because he is gay. Harvey’s disregard of homosexuality as a genetic disorder is abundantly clear in this scene when he reassures the teenage boy that he isn’t ill and that being gay is perfectly normal. Dr. Benshoff goes on to day that following the work of Alfred Kinsey and Sigmund Freud, queer theorists argue that human sexuality—or indeed, race, gender, class, etc. are not either/or propositions, but are rather fluid and dynamic socially-defined positions. To suggest that there is one norm (straight white man on top sex for procreation and nothing else) is grossly misleading and only serves to foster rule by the same and persecution of everything else. Throughout Milk we can see that Harvey, though a very passionate gay-rights activist, is not only looking out for the queer folk. He holds dear to the ideal that everyone is equal. In a way he embodies what Kinsey and Freud say. He did not believe in just one norm. In his fight for gay-rights he isn’t trying to one-up the vast heterosexual majority by over throwing them and getting homosexuals to run the world, he is merely trying to get them to see that homosexuals are no different from any other person. Harvey Milk was trying to break down the social barriers that led to narrow minded thinking of just one social norm. In Milk during one of the public rally’s he had, Harvey said that â€Å"all men are created equal. No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words† – he believed these words with all his heart. To Harvey Milk, he wasn’t just fighting for gay-rights; he was fighting for a way of life that did not constrict its citizens to conform to just one social norm. Milk, Gus Van Sant’s film project that was close to two decades in the making, was released on the 26th of November 2008 and marks the 30th anniversary of Harvey Milk’s death and the brief but brilliant political career he led. Harvey Milk was unfortunately gunned down on November 27th 1978, three weeks after his biggest political victory. The San Francisco city supervisor had been in office less than a year when he spearheaded a statewide campaign to defeat Proposition 6, a ballot initiative that called for the mandatory firing of gay teachers in California. Milk however arrived in theaters three weeks after the biggest political setback the American gay rights movement has suffered in years: the passage of Proposition 8, which reversed the California Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. As untimely as the events that unfolded prior to the theatrical release of Milk, it begs the question on how did Proposition 8 change the meaning—the symbolic and ideological significance as well as the real-world function—of Gus Van Sant’s Milk. The passing of proposition 8 transformed Milk from a delicate, serious-minded period biopic that was directed by the brilliant Gus Van Sant into something much more urgent. Milk was suddenly this shinning beacon of hope that reinstated the hope and passion that was Harvey Milk into today’s gay-rights activist. There are some moments in the film that in retrospect seem as though it is speaking directly to the audience of the present. As the Proposition 6 results start to roll in, Harvey tells his followers: â€Å"If this thing passes, fight the hell back. † Those eight words speak volumes to the people who are fighting against the proposition 6 of today, proposition 8. â€Å"Somehow, when 8 passed, something else happened that was even more intense than the campaign, which is good. It was an inspiring reaction that showed strength to the people who were against Prop 8. So yeah, it seems to have an effect on something that's similar to it: Prop. 6, that appears in our movie†, Milk director Gus Van Sant was quoted during an interview with IFC. com. The activist understood the message Harvey Milk stood for in the day, and opted not to let his valiant efforts go to waste. To judge from the numerous rallies that have sprung up across the country since Prop 8 passed, many gays and lesbians are doing just that, refusing to go down without a fight. Gay rights advocates have been quoted saying that they hope to capitalize on Milk's fortuitous topicality. The film's Oscar winning screenwriter, Dustin Lance Black, and veteran activist Cleve Jones published a manifesto for equality in the San Francisco Chronicle on November 14th 2008 and launched a nationwide campaign of mass protests and civil disobedience. The endnote of their manifesto read, â€Å"Remember always, and reflect in all your actions, that we are not fighting against anyone, or anything. We are struggling for equality†. Harvey Milk was the one that picked up the flag when no one else would. He was the one that led the suppressed minority on to recognition and acceptance. All who wear his badge, or speak his words, or hold strong to his ideals, keep him alive. Milk managed to revitalize Harvey and in a strange twilight zone sort of way enlisted today’s newly radicalized generation to find their figurehead in the movie-hero version of a long-dead hero. In Milk we see that Harvey’s main arsenal in his fight for equality was that he rejected secrecy and shame in favor of openness and visibility. He insisted that the fight against homophobia begins with the act of coming out – â€Å"If they know us, they don’t vote against us†. Harvey Milk realized this earlier than many of his contemporaries. He understood that in order to gain true equality gays and lesbians should serve as their own civil advocated instead of merely relying on pacts and promises made with their straight allies in high and powerful places. Though he was seen as a radical at the time, in retrospect Harvey Milk is an optimist, an idealist, a true believer in the possibilities of American democracy. Gus Van Sant understood where Harvey was coming from with his ‘come out of the closet ideology’. In the interview with IFC. om Gus Van Sant sheds some light on the ideology and how it affected him. â€Å"It was Harvey's one idea that would have worked and probably did help the â€Å"No on Proposition 6† campaign†¦ultimately, it's an interesting concept, and that was the way he thought had a huge effect on Proposition 6. If it's not an unknown, it's not scary. If it's a known, it's friendly and you understand, ‘Oh t hat person that I know is gay, and this other person I know is gay’. That's partly how it works†. The openly gay Hollywood director went on to say, â€Å"But people did come out. It was his drive to just come out of the closet, lock the closet, and stay out, which was followed by many people. And really, it was his death request. If a bullet should enter his brain, may it knock down every closet door — that was his last request, his will, which probably extended to many people, including me, because I came out after he was killed†. This is just one of the millions of example on how Harvey Milk’s ideals and aspiration for equality for homosexuals touched and affected the lives of many closeted ones. Milk’s screenwriter Dustin Lance Black was quick to praise Harvey Milk’s ‘come out of the closet’ ideal a really good solution to a problem that tons of people had diagnosed but had yet to offer any answers to in an interview with ABC Radio. In the same interview he said, â€Å"In the years that Harvey put that into place, that sort of philosophy into the campaign, he won an election and a month later he was able to defeat one of the biggest, most popular anti-gay pieces of legislation in our country. He was able to defeat it, very unexpectedly, with that philosophy†. The recent anti-Prop 8 movement however seemed to embrace the opposite tactic. It was a closeted campaign, devoid of a public face, largely dependent on straight spokespeople, and run with a wary defensiveness that would have driven Harvey Milk mad. The story and context of Milk, and of the times in which Harvey Milk lived and led, make clear the continuation of this struggle we still find ourselves in. As soon as you lose a battle, another one looms before, giving you another opportunity to try to win. You win a battle, and before you can catch your breath, another struggle is on the horizon. We fall down only to pick ourselves back up again. Nothing about progress allows for much in the way of rest, but nor does it allow for much to remain stagnant. Harvey Milk’s thoughts were ones that changed the world. His thoughts turned into full out ideologies and his ideologies in turn morphed into a revolution. The ever brilliant Gus Van Sant who has a certain knack for merging the lines between now and then delivers to us a biopic that brings back to life its subject. In the post-proposition 8 viewing of this film, we can now see the rise of a new generation of activist – ones that have been instilled with a new sense of hope. Just as Harvey Milk’s assassination, which he repeatedly foretold, has meant that he remains frozen in time as a martyr, the Proposition 8 result has, for now, has redefined Milk as a cause. Gus Van Sant’s 20 year long journey of bringing to life this culturally epic subject has cemented Harvey Milk’s position as an ideological leader. â€Å"Lives of great men all remind us; we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time† (Longfellow, 1838). Harvey Milk’s footprints would have never been forgotten, but Milk has in a way reaffirmed this stand. Gus Van Sant brought about a hero that was long gone and risen him from six feet under to be celebrated again as if he was never gone. Harvey Milk believed in one thing above all else and that was hope, Gus Van Sant brought back that hope. â€Å"I ask this†¦ If there should be an assassination, I would hope that five, ten, one hundred, a thousand would rise. I would like to see every gay lawyer, every gay architect ‘come out’ – If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door†¦ And that's all. I ask for the movement to continue. Because it's not about personal gain, not about ego, not about power†¦ it's about the â€Å"us's† out there. Not only gays, but the Blacks, the Asians, the disabled, the seniors, the us's. Without hope, the us's give up – I know you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. So you, and you, and you†¦ You gotta give em' hope†¦ you gotta give em' hope. †, were the last lines of Milk. (2435 words) References: 1. Black, D. L. (2008) Interview with Dustin Lance Black, writer, ‘Milk’, viewed May 2009, 2. Doty, A. 1998) The Oxford Guide To Film Studies: Queer Theory, Oxford University Press Inc, New York 3. Dr. Benshoff, H. M. (2006) Notes on Gay History/Queer Theory/Queer Film, viewed May 2009, < http://www. unt. edu/ally/queerfilm. html> 4. Milk, 2008. Film. Directed by Gus Van SANT. USA: Focus Features 5. Sant, G. V. (2008) Interview: Gus Van Sant on â€Å"Milk†, viewed May 2009, < http://www. ifc. com/news /2008/11/gus-van-sant-on-milk. php> 6. TheFreeOnlineDictionary. Com By Farlex (2000) The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston

Saving the Publishing Industry Using Technology Case Study

Saving the Publishing Industry Using Technology - Case Study Example The case study also entails what the book publishers and newspaper industries have done, to ensure that there is no phasing out of their products due to internet use. Many opinions are in this case study which leads to change in their business models (Hendricks, 2011). The measures that the industries have taken to gain from the internet and e-books are in consideration, in the case, and the role that technology plays in ensuring that the newspaper and book publishing industries do not fail due to the internet are in the case study. Considering product design and sales following the value chain model, there is consideration of the internet which helps in the reduction of over 60 percent of new staff and another 60 percent of the newspaper on sale. There has been a decline in readership; this also applies to the number of advertisements. This is because there are alternative online sources including Yahoo, social blogs, and Google. This is according to the research by Martin & Tian (2 010). Considering the research and development aspect, the internet through online newspapers and books is a disruptive technology that has led to the destruction of traditional models of business that involve physical distribution and physical products. The book publishing industries and newspaper are changing their business models by sharing revenue with the partners of the internet including Yahoo and Google, so as to ensure that they generate some revenue as a result of their content is on the internet. There is fee charge for newspaper content delivered to news reading devices including e-readers, Smartphone, tablets, and IPads enabling online newspapers to read at any place according to Brown (2002). The book and newspaper industries are charging fees for news and opinion which are premium. Placing advertisements on online newspaper has been on the rage so as to increase the revenue from advertising.

Theatre Arts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Theatre Arts - Essay Example The Tempest has been chosen as a topic of relevance in the current study on theatre arts as it the production of ‘The Tempest’ provides a valuable insight into the work of an individual across several fronts. In this case, Julie Taymor has taken on many responsibilities apart from the core role of directing the play such as designing the costumes and make up of actors, designing puppets to be used during various scenes as well as creating masks to be used by the actors. In all these various roles, Taymor has gone on to use her extensive experience of showcasing the stage using adaptations from representations across different streams and cultures and in doing so, she has brought these unknown forms of drama to the forefront. The current essay is an effort in this direction aimed at studying all these influences that have played a prominent role in the design and creation of various elements of the play. Different theatrical approaches such as the use of the ‘Bunraku’ style from Japan. Additionally, Indonesian styles of drama as well as the use of the styles adopted by the mud men of Papua New Guinea will be extensively discussed. In this world where there are several mediums for expressing feeling and emotions in so many distinct ways, a common question arises if there is any unique form of art that enables the combination of the human, physical, emotional and the spiritual forms of expression. What have some of the most prominent people in the profession been doing and drawing inspiration from as part of their exposure to different approached would be an interesting question in this context and is the prime purpose of this paper. One of the most special faculties that combine different forms of expressions to life in a real sense is the world of theater arts. Theatre or Drama is a notch higher than most other forms of expression and falls

The Regulation of International Capital Doctrine Dissertation

The Regulation of International Capital Doctrine - Dissertation Example There is support for the view that the evolving standard of fair and equitable treatment is living up to its predictions and expectations. It can therefore be argued that contrary to popular belief in the literature, the standard for fair and equitable treatment in international investment treaties has evolved around a lot of uncertainty and inconsistencies. The uncertainty attending the application and interpretation of the doctrine of fair and equitable treatment is further compromised by whether or not there is a universally accepted standard relative to the minimum standard of treatment under customary international law. This research study proposes to rebut the argument that the doctrine of fair and equitable treatment standard has the potential to create a cohesive body of customary international law relative to the movement of foreign investment via BITs. This research study essentially aims to provide a critical analysis of the literature relative to existence and interpretat ion of the minimum standard treatment under customary international law, its consequences for the evolving concept of fair and equitable treatment standard as well as its development. It is argued that the number of treaties, the lack of a uniform standard under customary law, the need for protecting foreign investors and the need for resolving disputes give way to two opposing factors. First, a standard is necessary for sustaining the movement of capital across borders in an increasingly interconnected, but diverse world.

Evaluation a movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evaluation a movie - Essay Example ng, imaginative direction, able performances and stunning visual effects which have all contributed to create a unique impression on the viewer’s mind. Christopher Nolan has written and directed Inception. The film’s chief protagonist, the thief: Dom Cobb (enacted by Leonardo DiCaprio) is endowed with a special power of invading people’s dreams and stealing their ideas. Instead of stealing things, he steals people’s visions. Cobb is able to enter the subconscious levels of the mind of his victims and gather information about their deepest thoughts, ideas and imaginations. Therefore, he is a valued resource in the domain of corporate spying activities since Cobb can access information which cannot be gathered by even computer hackers. However, by a sudden turn of events, the thief loses all his possessions. In a frantic effort to seek redemption, Cobb engages himself in a final mission along a group of specialists. However, this time they are require to implant an idea in a human mind instead of stealing one from it. The success of this mission would add a new dimension in the domain of psychological surveillanc e. Realizing the importance of their mission, Cobb and his team plan their actions intricately and gather all the instruments for executing the operation. However, their efforts are countered by an evil enemy who seems to possess all prior information about their plan of action and has devised suitable methods to thwart the assignment. The film portrays the altercations between the two groups and who finally emerges successful in completing their respective mission. Though it is mainly a science fiction, Inception has â€Å"drama, adventure, mystery, suspense, action as well as fantasy† skillfully weaved into its plot. Being a psychic science fiction, Inception relies heavily on special effects to create the desired impact on the viewer’s mind. Paul Franklin was the visual effects supervisor of the movie. He has utilized computer-generated imagery

Teams and organizations lead by two leaders Essay

Teams and organizations lead by two leaders - Essay Example Of course, initiating and sustaining morale among teams are not an easy task to do. Organizations need great leaders such as participative and transformative types of leaders to ensure sufficient levels of morale abound. Teams led by both transformative and participatory leaders have their morale bolstered. On the one hand, participatory leaders inspire creativity and encourage members of a team to engage in both decisions and projects. As a result, team members develop high levels of morale, job satisfaction, and productivity. Participatory leaders can motivate them to work hard by making team members feel in control, (Montero, 2013). On the other hand, transformation leaders inspire teams since they expect the best results from them. This leads to high engagement and productivity from all the people in the organization or teams (Donna, Middleton, Montana, & Simpson, 2006). Therefore, both participatory and transformative leadership spur open communication that develops team motivation. To this end, transformative leaders and participatory leaders can work together to motivate teams within an organization. Although both transformative and participatory leaders can work together seamlessly, evidence shows that transformative leaders serve organizations better than participatory leaders. Police heads who choose to inspire, give intellectual stimulation, and set a vision, are more effective than those who do not do that. Also, evidence shows that transformative leaders can have a greater positive impact on their subordinates than other directors. On the other hand, limited evidence exists regarding the impact of shared leadership initiatives exhibited by participatory leaders (English, 2006). In my view, transformational leaders are more influencing compared to participatory leaders. If directors apply transformational leadership styles with integrity, they can

ICECREAM AND FRUIT PUNCH Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ICECREAM AND FRUIT PUNCH - Article Example censure revocation, and prohibition of an individual to participate in care delivery (Minimum standards and guiding principles for collegiate schools of nursing in Maryland, 2005). The disciplinary and guarantee action that has been taken by the states board of nursing council for duration of may 1 2010 to July 10 2010 were about 200 cases. Previous to the states board arrives to the concluding verdict on individual’s case, there are measures, which are stated and followed in order to arrive at the final decision. If the board receives a case or information that a nurse has violated the stipulated laws, the nursing board will eventually carry out investigation on complain. Before the verdict is determined about nitpick, the nurse is given a room to a due process that requires availing of enough notice, the description of the charges, and the chance for a hearing (Maryland State Board of Nursing, 2009). If the evidence provided does not support the allegation, complains putted forward will be dismissed. On the other hand, when the evidence matches or support the allegations, the disciplinary measures to be given to the nurse will include reprimand, denial, probation, fine, suspension, and the revocation of the nurse certificate. The penalty given or disciplinary measures given will depend on the recency of the offence and severity, the degree to which an individual diverted from the required standard, previous disciplinary history, individual ability to practice safely, and the mitigating factors (Nurse Practice Act: chapter 632: Maryland revised statutes and administrative code, 2008). According to the disciplinary action given to Rogers Michelle license number R131222, his license was canceled for duration of five years. The main reasons to the disciplinary action give to the nurse was that; he violated the stipulated nurses act, being involved in unprofessional conduct, and use of drugs while at duty. According to the board, the nurse has been screen

Factors Contributed to the Great Famine in Ireland Research Paper

Factors Contributed to the Great Famine in Ireland - Research Paper Example The political, social and economic reasons for the famine have long been the subject of historical discussion and debate. The fact that from 1801, under the Act of Union, Ireland was governed as part of the United Kingdom, with executive power in the hands of British officials, is a damning reality and one that casts primary blame for this historically horrific event squarely on Britain. The role of in the tragedy cannot be denied. ...That an island which is said to be (following quote from the Act of Union, repeated in the Continental Congress of America Address from its inclusion in Mitchel’s The Last Conquest of Ireland )an integral part of the richest empire on the globe—and the most fertile portion of that empire;—with British Constitution, Habeas Corpus, Members of Parliament, and Trial by Jury—should in five years lose two and a half millions of its people (more than one-fourth) by hunger, and fever the consequence of hunger, and flight beyond sea to escape from hunger,—while that empire (Britain) of which it is said to be a part, was all the while advancing in wealth, prosperity, and comfort, at a faster pace than ever before ,—is a matter that seems to ask elucidation.2 Elucidation of the subject comes to a great degree from John Mitchel, political writer and Irish patriot whose The Last Conquest of Ireland provides valuable and extensive information to support the thesis that Britain, while not entirely responsible for the causes that created the famine, was largely responsible for the extent to which the Great Famine, as it is called, devastated the country. Other primary and secondary resources support the information covering the two major elements involving the British government that contributes powerful and devastating evidence of British nonchalance in the face of the tragedy, collusion with powerful entities.  

Smart Phones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Smart Phones - Essay Example Smartphones are increasingly important in the modern consumer world, and reports have shown that up to 31% of young people in the UK have a smartphone (Agger, 2011), as well as nearly a quarter of all subscribers in the US. The market is projected to grow over 19% between 2009 and the end of 2011 (Fung, 2010). As well as a growing demand for smartphones in general, the technology that the smartphone boasts has become increasingly important, with many people desiring the best and latest technology (Agger, 2011). Many phones continually upgrade both their hardware and operating system, with larger screen size and better processors being two of the most important aspects of the modern smartphone (Fung, 2010). Smartphones typically have touchscreens, as seen in the very first smartphone (the IBM Simon) as well as the most popular Android and iOS (iPhone) models (Agger, 2011), although Blackberry and other manufacturers do continue to use the standard QWERTY keyboard (Wong, 2010). One of the most important emerging technologies in the smartphone market is the availability of GPS and related applications. The main difference between a smartphone and a computer is portability, and the benefits of this are reaped through GPS technology. GPS, or Global Positioning System, allows a user to very precisely pinpoint their location, allowing many smartphone users to double-up their phone as a satellite navigation system for their car. Another important aspect of this GPS technology is the increasing use of check-in applications such as FourSquare, which can be used to record ones location and broadcast it to friends and local users (Agger, 2011). This technology is widely open to abuse, but is increasingly popular, with around a fifth of smartphone users noting that they have checked in using this software in the past (Wong, 2011). Another important part of smartphone ownership is the use of Twitter, which broadcasts short ‘blogs’, sometimes with a location usin g GPS technology, using the same amount of characters as a standard SMS message. This is true integration of phone and internet technology. Each of the available operating systems have their own benefits and each of them varies in popularity internationally (Agger, 2011). Probably the most famous is Apple’s iOS, which runs on the various iPhones available on the market. Apple is considered to be a particularly groundbreaking and innovative company, and this is reflected in the technology displayed in their mobile phones. Google, one of the largest multinational companies in the world, is one of the more recent evolutions in software and is far more open-source than the competition (Wong, 2011). Open-source operating systems have been growing in demand in recent years (Kennedy, 2010), and Android offers software developers ample chance to develop and market applications for their phones. This is considered one of the main reasons why the Android OS is now the most popular in t he smartphone market in many countries (Wong, 2011). Symbian is the OS found on Nokia handsets, and was the market leader for some time, although it is currently

Bohol, in the Eyes of a First-Time Beholder Essay Example for Free

Bohol, in the Eyes of a First-Time Beholder Essay Perched on a very young palm tree, the tarsier fidgeted as I aimed my camera on its direction. It was only a few centimeters away, so easy to touch and yet I reminded myself to avoid the temptation. I read in an article how traumatizing it can be for these velvety creatures to be held, that they would hurt themselves to death after being â€Å"violated† by curious tourists who are never content with taking pictures. So imagine my surprise when it landed very near me to catch the cricket hiding behind the leaves. Without even thinking, I brushed my fingers on its brown fur in what seemed to be a second or two; it didn’t flinch, but the click of the camera (there was no flash since it was daytime) alerted it, and it darted back to its highest hiding place in the palm tree. Like that unlikely encounter with the tarsier, my trip to Bohol was something worthy to remember. Thanks to the invitation of a friend, poet and journalist Michael Ortega Ligalig, my memory of Bohol was not limited to beaches, Chocolate Hills, and yes, tarsiers. But there is no denying that Bohol is teeming with natural and man-made assets. If you are artsy and into culture, Bohol can offer you a lot with its cultural and historical riches. If you are into nature and adventure, there are surprises that the island can offer. Churches and Heritage Houses For somebody like me who is fascinated with old things and history, Bohol is like a gold mine with its old churches and heritage houses. Almost all of the 47 towns have old, massive, stone churches that have survived natural ravages, wars and even climate change. I asked to be brought to some of the most fascinating ones, like the Baclayon and Loboc churches. The Church of the Immaculate Conception or the Baclayon Church is one of the country’s oldest churches. First built in 1595, the Jesuit frailes built the Neoclassic structure piece by piece using adobe and coral that were joined together by adhesive made from egg whites (imagine all the chicken eggs used to build such a magnificent structure!). From the front door, one could see the marble tombstones that were embedded on the walls and pylons, the names of the dead intricately written in Spanish. The retablo or the church altar was also an imposing piece of art, though we were unable to see the church’s pipe organ. It also has a museum similar to that of San Agustin in Intramuros. The fee is not very expensive, but cameras are not allowed. Still, one can take pictures of the saints on the ground floor joining the museum and the church, where they kept a coterie of human-size religious images or statues. St. Peter Parish Church or Loboc Church is the second oldest church in Bohol. Originally built in 1602, a stronger one was built in 1638. Located near the famous Loboc River cruise, it has survived a number of floods. Inside the church, murals depicting religious events can be found on the dome right on top of the main altar. A Spanish coat-of-arms can be found near the entrance of the convent which today houses the Museo de Loboc. This museum houses a few religious images and artifacts, like registry books from the 1800s and choir books. There is also a magnificent bell tower adjacent the church. One can also find a bridge that was never completed; it would have joined the two parts of the town separated by the river, but it would mean demolishing part of the church. It is also the home of the famous Loboc Children’s Choir. There are also plenty of heritage houses all over Bohol, particularly in Baclayon and Dauis. Owned mostly by merchant families and old political clans, its interiors are characterized by wide and thick wooden floor planks and wide stairways with wooden balusters. The interiors often feature wooden sala and table sets, cabinets and dressers and rocking chairs, while the walls often hold portraits of its departed residents. Some of the houses include the ancestral houses of the Clarin, Villamor, Malon, Luza, Sofia and Abueva, and some of them actually accommodate tourists for a bed-and-breakfast experience. Beaches and Diving Bohol is getting its fair share of tourism fame with its pristine white sand beaches, the most famous of which is Panglao Island and Dauis, although there are plenty of other beaches minus the flock of tourists and expensive. The most famous is Alona Beach, an 800-meter stretch of white powdery sand located south of Panglao Island. Many full-service beach and dive resorts reside there. The sea around Pamilacan Island is frequented by whales and dolphins, as it is also a favored breeding and feeding site of tuna, snappers, groupers, mackerel and surgeonfish, making it a perfect spot for those who want to see the teeming natural fish population at work. There are a number of diving spots that offer priceless views of the sea beneath. Balicasag is known for its rare, beautiful seashells and its beds of corals are considered one of the best dive spots in the country. On the other hand, Danajon Bank is the only double barrier reef in the Philippines and is one of only three such sites in the Asia-Pacific region, spread across almost 130 kilometers of seabed and consist of three large reefs. Flora and Fauna Because of its geographical features, Bohol’s endemic flora and fauna makes it a hot spot for nature lovers. The Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella town is a 134-hectare land that has been set aside as a protected area for its most celebrated creature considered the world’s smallest primate. However, there are many mini-â€Å"tarsier zoos† that are maintained by resorts. These resorts or mini-zoos often put these tarsiers in small cages and crowded, considering the wild nature of these animals. While my friend assured me that these resorts have â€Å"adoption certificates† from the local environmental offices, I still find it disturbing to find these magnificent creatures caged like birds. In the town of Albuquerque, there is a mini-zoo that claims to hold the biggest python in captivity ever known. Its name is Prony, approximately almost 30 feet and an estimated weight of about 300 kilograms. They also have a variety of birds species like parakeets, pigeons and other avians. However, a star attraction would be the entertainer which we humorously call â€Å"Kakambal ni Prony.† Clad in shiny gaudy costumes, she would dance near the snake’s spectators. We were also fortunate to visit the Mahogany Man-Made Forest in the town of Bilar, a two-kilometer stretch of densely planted mahogany trees located in the border of Loboc and Bilar. River Cruises The ultimate part of our trip would be the scenic Loboc River Cruise. We took the nighttime cruise as my friend advised because of the lamps that would light up as our boat would pass by. The boat fee includes a buffet meal that included seafood, meat and desserts. As the boat commenced its trip, a man with his electric guitar started to sing, his repertoire including American hits from the seventies. My companions and I found the lineup rather distracting as he started with Don McLean’s Vincent then to assorted songs from Bread and Air Supply. However, as the colored lamp posts began glowing from the sides, we were already transfixed and astonished. We briefly stopped on a floating raft that has a big group of singers belting their original songs. We all got off and started clapping. I interviewed some of the children and the adults who actually make a living from the song and dance number, and it ended with them selling their very own musical CD to the tourists. The visit to Bohol was short and partly fulfilling. I am decided to pursue this island more and look forward to seeing more of its assets very, very soon.