Audio Transcription Technology

Audio Transcription Technology AUDIO TRANSCRIPTION The aim of this assignment is to outline key areas for Audio Transcription. Audio Transcription, in its simplest form it is the transformation of verbal and audio materials onto a text document.ÂÂ   The typist has the use of Headphones to hear the recording and uses a foot pedal to control the speed and stop/play of the audio and also rewind and fast forward.ÂÂ   The typist has to record the audio as they hear it and follow any instructions given by the speaker. There is a lot of reference material which can be used to ensure accuracy when doing audio transcription. Below is a description of some: Spell Checker:ÂÂ   This is used to check the accuracy of the spelling of an electronic document with the use of a software program that compares words in the document with a list of acceptable spellings.ÂÂ   You can also permanently put a new word into the dictionary if its not already there so spell check wont continuously show it up as incorrect spelling. Thesaurus:ÂÂ   Is a reference work that lists words grouped together according to similarity of meaning (containing synonyms and sometimes antonyms), in contract to a dictionary, which provides definitions for words, and generally lists them in alphabetical order.ÂÂ   The main purpose of such reference works is to help the user to find the word, or words, by which an idea may be most fitly and aptly expressed to quote Peter Mark Roget, architect of the best known thesaurus in the English language. Mims: MIMS or monthly Index of Medical Specialities is an independently edited publication designed as a prescribing guide for the general practitioner.ÂÂ   It is aimed at healthcare professionals, including general practitioners (GPs), pharmacists, nurses and secondary care specialists.ÂÂ   It is considered dangerous practice to refer to old editions.ÂÂ   Concise drug monographs form the core of MIMS; these include key safety information (contraindications, warnings, interactions and adverse effects) and details of the active ingredient, presentations, price, indication, dosage and manufacturer.ÂÂ   Entries are independently compiled by the MIMS editorial team based on the full Summary of Product clinical guidance.ÂÂ   The MIMS website features a predictive search function that allows users to search the drug listings by brand, generic ingredient or drug class.ÂÂ   Online versions of the comparison tables and guideline summaries are supplemented by addi tional web only resources including clinical calculators and patient fact sheets.ÂÂ   Al the content is freely available except the drug listings.ÂÂ   Registrations is free for GPs but other users much subscribe. [ii] [iii] It is very important to ensure accuracy is met at all times when doing Audio Transcription. You are dealing with sensitive information and also you run the risk of e.g. putting the wrong medicine name on a prescription or wrong information on the doctors notes which can have catastrophic results. The main screen of the Olympus Dictation Management System Software which is used for Audio Transcription is shown below: This is the changing of the Layout of the Page/document that is being used through the Page Layout on the Toolbar.ÂÂ   There are many ways to change the Layout and here is a breakdown of a few. Page Layout:To change the Orientation (direction) of the Page/Document, click on the Page Layout icon on the top left hand side of the Toolbar. From there click on Orientation with your mouse Portraitor Landscape will appear then click on the icon that is required and it will change. SPACING:To change the spacing (bigger or smaller) between each line, click into Page Layout on the top right hand corner of the toolbar. The spacing column is in the centre of the Page. The spacing can now be adjusted between each line of the wording. FONT:Changing the Font type and size by manually going into the top right hand side of your toolbar and clicking on the drop down arrow beside the Font style, scroll down the list and click on the chosen one. This can be done for both Font Type and Size.ÂÂ   The shortcut to this is to right click on the mouse and the same toolbar options pop up and the same actions can be completed. BOLD:Changing the font to bold, click on the B on the top right hand corner of the Toolbar by clicking on the B or the shortcut to it is Ctrl and B. Ensure to unclick the letter B on the Toolbar menu or re-click the shortcut Ctrl and B or it will keep writing with Bold. ITALICS:Changing the font to Italics, this can be accessed on the top right hand corner of the toolbar by clicking on the Ior the shortcut to this is Ctrl and the letter I.ÂÂ   Ensure to unclick the letter Ion the toolbar or re-click the shortcut Ctrl and I or it will keep writing in Italics. Shannon Medical Centre Memo To: Melinda McCarthy From: Yvonne Wesley Cc: Alexandra Hughes Date: January 13, 2017 Re: Andrew Williams Personal Please organise the chest x-ray for the above lady at your earliest convenience. You might copy Margaret in on the outcome. The basic business letter format is the same across a range of industries, with few variations for content and style.ÂÂ   The letter should be left-aligned, single-spaced with a one-inch margin and a standard 11-or 12-point type size.ÂÂ   The top line below the letterhead should be the correct date, followed by one line of space followed by Our Ref space and Your Ref (if relevant) and the address of the recipient.ÂÂ   Following this Urgent/For attentions of in bold (if relevant).ÂÂ   Place one line of space after the recipients address and use a simple, professional greeting and another line of space. Each following paragraph should be separated by a line. Insert one line after the last paragraph, followed by a closing. Leave four lines of space for your signature, and type your name and title.ÂÂ   It is important do either use Full Punctuation or Open Punctuation. Ennis Hospital, Ennis, Co Clare. 18 July 2017 Our Ref: VR/CR Dr Raefel Jones, St Johns Hospital, Alberton Road, Dublin 4. Re: Mrs Helen Brindsley DOB 02/10/65 2 The Maltings, Ennis, Co Clare. Dear Dr Raefel, This lady was admitted to this hospital on 29th June last for investigation of early dementia.ÂÂ   As you know she is vague and disorientated and an abnormal behaviour pattern has been noted both at work and by her family.ÂÂ   There were no abnormal signs on examination.ÂÂ   The investigations arranged showed normal Vitamin B12 metabolism but the results of thyroid function studies are meaningless in view of previous therapy with Tabs Thyroxine. The most significant finding was some cortical atrophy demonstrated by an air encephalogram.ÂÂ   The cerebrospinal fluid examined at the time of the radiological procedure showed a raised protein content of 74 mg per 100 million; there were no cells in the fluid and the sugar content was normal. I think the dementia is the pre-senile variety and I fear the condition will deteriorate.ÂÂ   I have interviewed her husband and made him aware of the prognosis but no doubt you will be seeing him to discuss the matter further and to give him all possible support. Yours sincerely, __________________________ Viictor Radetski FRCP DPM Consultant Psychiatrist It is very important to give special attention when dictating numerical figures and units of measurements.ÂÂ   A minor change in numerical values or units of measurements can harm the patient. Its important that dictated numbers are easily understood by the transcriptionist.ÂÂ   The teen numbers can be confused with ty2 numbers, as in 13/30, 14/40, 15/50, 16/60, 17/70, 18/80 and 19/90.ÂÂ   For example, when you dictate 14, say Fourteen, thats one, four, or 50, say Fifty, thats five, zero.[T1] [iv] Full stops, colons, question marks, dashes, semi colons and exclamation marks are usually dictated. The start of a new paragraph is indicated by the word paragraph. Words to be underscored are dictated and then followed by the instructions underscore; e.g., Please send me details of your personal (underscore personal) computers. Initial capitals are not usually indicated, but if there is a doubt, the following method is used: initial capital/initial capitals e.g., I have a current account with the (initial capital) National Irish Bank. The 24-hour clock is dictated as spoken; e.g., thirteen hundred hours (typed without a full stop) 1300 hours. If you are using open punctuation, there are no full stops in abbreviations.ÂÂ   Even with full punctuation, certain abbreviations do not have full stops.ÂÂ   If for some particular reason the dictator wants stops inserted, he would say, capital letters N stop U stop R stop N.U.R. Bullets are normally used when ranking and order are not important and will not be referenced later.ÂÂ   For example: Application Form Proof of address Numbering is usually used when you need to reference them.ÂÂ   For example: All applicants must provide the following documents: a) Application form b) Proof of address Item b) can be any utility bills, bank statements or letters from government agencies. And if ranking or order (e.g. steps to bake a cake) is important, then it makes sense to use numbering. You can access the Bullet/Numbering key on the Toolbar on the main screen of your Microsoft Word document as show below. [v] Tables are used to lay out information in individual columns and rows within a Word Document.ÂÂ   The point where the column intersects with the row is known as a cell.ÂÂ   To create a table first click onto the Toolbar menu at the top of the page, click on Insert. Below is an example of when at table can be used in Audio Transcription Medical Term Meaning 1 Blood Pressure (BP) The pressure of the blood in the Circulatory System 2 Complete Blood Count (CBC) A blood test used to evaluate overall health and detect any health issues 3 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Lung disease characterized by chronic obstruction of lung airflow that interferes with normal breathing and is not fully reversible 4 Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) Blood clot in large vein 5 Fracture (FX) Complete or incomplete break in a bone resulting from the application of excessive force 6 Pulse (P) The rhythmic dilation of an artery that results from beating of the heart 7 Rebound (REB) Rebound tenderness of the abdomen when pushed in and then released. 8 Three times daily (TID) As in taking medicine three times daily 9 Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) Any number of viral or bacterial infection 10 Vital Signs are stable (VSS) From the standpoint of the temperature, blood pressure, and pulse, the patient is doing well. To create a table first click onto the Toolbar menu at the top of the page, click on Insert. Next Click on Tables. i Pull the mouse over the box and it will show up as many columns as needed, when there is enough of the box highlighted just click on the left hand side of the mouse and it will insert a table as below. Now all data can be filled into each column or row as required. Columns are used in a Word Document to change the layout of the page into sections or columns across the page.ÂÂ   This is beneficial if you want to save space on a page and fit more text in.ÂÂ   To set up the columns you go to the page Layout on the Screen and click into it. Click into columns From here select as many columns as you need. Medical Term Meaning 1 Blood Pressure (BP) The pressure of the blood in the Circulatory System 2 Complete Blood Count (CBC) A blood test used to evaluate overall health and detect any health issues 3 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Lung disease characterized by chronic obstruction of lung airflow that interferes with normal breathing and is not fully reversible 4 Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) Blood clot in large vein 5 Fracture (FX) Complete or incomplete break in a bone resulting from the application of excessive force 6 Pulse (P) The rhythmic dilation of an artery that results from beating of the heart 7 Rebound (REB) Rebound tenderness of the abdomen when pushed in and then released. 8 Three times daily (TID) As in taking medicine three times daily 9 Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) Any number of viral or bacterial infection 10 Vital Signs are stable (VSS) From the standpoint of the temperature, blood pressure, and pulse, the patient is doing well. [vi] [i] http://www.nthdegreeservices.co.uk/audio-transcription-in-newcastle.html [ii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monthly_Index_of_Medical_Specialities [iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thesaurus [iv] https://www.2ascribe.com/articles/dictation-tips/dictating-numbers-and-dates [v] http://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/16246/in-formal-writing-when-to-use-bullets-and-when-the-numbers [vi] http://www.medicinenet.com/list_of_common_medical_abbreviations_and_terminology-page6/views.htm [T0]The spacing in this letter is too big keep example on one page [T1]This is irrelevant you are writing about the transcriptionist [T2]This is not about word processing you need to describe what tables and columns might be used for in audio transcription

attendace is it necessary? Essay -- essays research papers

Does it Matter how its Taught?: Is Attendance Necessary?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first thing that I began to think about is my own personal experience with this question in the first day of class. The reason being is that I have been in college for now 4 years and I am severely behind in terms of a 4-year degree at this point. I have had my times to think about what I like in terms of teaching style, but never had the right teacher to make me believe in the style. In this essay I hope to convince you (the reader) that it is mostly the way the student looks for flaws in the teaching style instead of embracing it. Also I will explain that in certain places across the country that certain teaching styles are easier to students in certain environments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In my early years at school there are many different teaching styles that I encountered. First being the large lecture hall, then the small freshman writing classes, the hands on theatre classes and the many other different style and size classes. The larger lecture style classes were already over filled due to the university’s demand for these classes. The teacher would come in and just sit down, take role and call on the same students who usually understood the material a little better that the rest of the class and then we would leave. Repetition I have learned is a nightmare to some students, this is no learning environment for most students, even in our class the larger percentage of students couldn’t wait until time was up. Only a few got the time and effort of help from the professor, who normally didn’t even answer our question stating that â€Å"This is a lecture class format and if you can’t figure it out I can’t help you†. Now this may not be true for some professors, and perhaps this professor just didn’t have the time or knowledge but the question is how is it taught, and this is not the right way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second style of teaching that I will point too is the smaller more group-oriented classes where discussion is more prevalent. Question and answer from the instructor is more common and group exercises help students understand the basis for argument. Argument is a small tool to help students take different sides to a topic is one of the greatest teaching tools but has a few opponents however. Gerald Graff writes in the Yale University P... ...t colleges, they skate though classes without ever finding their true calling. Without these teachers drawing students into their classes then most of us wouldn’t finish school, we as students have to have something to look forward to something too, in going to class. If it’s a good looking girl, the funny teacher, that guy that sits next to you, whatever it is the most important thing is to listen to what the teacher has to say. These teachers even if their boring, take pride in what they do even if we don’t like it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some say that teaching is an art form, some may like the art it others don’t. What we have to consider is that they way professors teach us isn’t always the right way for the right people. Numerous studies have been conducted as to how teaching styles affects certain students, with this in mind how it’s taught is a direct correlation to how we think.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As we draw the line back to the beginning, the way its taught has everything to do with what I like to learn. If we as students get the opportunity to skip class, because some students like to learn on there own, than that’s a choice we should be able to take.

The Hidden Meaning of Robert Frosts Mending Wall :: Mending Wall Essays

The Hidden Meaning  of Robert Frost's Mending Wall   "Mending Wall" is a poem written by the poet Robert Frost. The poem describes two neighbors who repair a fence between their estates. It is, however, obvious that this situation is a metaphor for the relationship between two people. The wall is the manifestation of the emotional barricade that separates them. In this situation the "I" voice wants to tear down this barricade while his "neighbor" wants to keep it. "Neighbor" is here a metaphor for two people who are emotionally close to each other. "Good fences make good neighbors", is a line the author emphasizes by using it two times. The "neighbor" says the line while the main character does not agree with it. He can not see that there is something between them they need to be "walling in or walling out". The "I"-voice sees himself as a good spirited person. He is obviously worried because a person he cares about is shutting him out. He thinks that his "neighbor" is of a dark disposition. "He is all pine and I am apple orchard", the poem says. Pine is a dark tree while apple trees have white flowers. In "Mending Wall" the main character finds gaps in the fence. I believe the emotions between the characters make these gaps. He informs the neighbor and together they repair the fence with boulders. When they meet they argue or have communication problems. This is why they manage to repair the barricade between them. However, I would say that their emotions, especially the main character’s, try to get the boulders off balance so the wall can be leveled with the ground. The balancing of boulders is a symbol of their meetings; "We have to use a spell to make them balance". "We wear our fingers rough", the author writes about the handling of the boulders. One may interpret this to signify that the meetings between these two "neighbors" are very hard on them. This is a long one-stanza narrative poem. All the lines have five stresses and are written in iambic pentameter or blank verse, which was also Shakespeare's chosen meter in his plays.

A Brain Drain Essay examples -- Biology Essays Research Papers

A Brain Drain Anthrax, arteriovenous malformation (cerebral), chronic inflammatory, polyneuropathy, dementia due to metabolic causes, encephalitis, epilepsy, febrile seizure (children), generalized tonic-clonic seizure, Guillain-Barre syndrome, hydrocephalus, inhalation anthrax, treatments involving leukemia and neuroblastoma, malignant diseases involving the brain or spinal cord, meningitis, multiple sclerosis, normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), pituitary tumor, polio, Reye's syndrome, subarachnoid brain hemorrhage, syphilis, tertiary, etc. Seems like quite an extensive list, and yet the list goes on to include hundreds of dehabilitating diseases which can affect the central nervous system. One thing that all of these conditions have in common is the potential to be discovered with the evidence from a procedure know as the lumbar puncture (spinal tap or cisternal puncture). Over spring break, I had the wonderful opportunity to intern with a neurologist. During this time, I viewed the lumbar puncture. As painful and invasive as I had imagined it, it was not. I learned that the lumbar puncture is actually a quite simple and absolutely amazing procedure, much less painful than an intravenous or drawing blood. There is an exorbidant amount of information which can be obtained from the cerebrospinal fluid. Lumbar punctures are an outpatient procedure, usually performed by a neurologist, pediatrician, or family doctor and lasting only a few minutes. The goal of the tap is to collect and measure the pressure of the cerebro spinal fluid (CSF) which surrounds, cusions, and protects the brain and spinal cord. The CSF is a dense water-like fluid secreted by the brain and "flows through the skull and spine into the subara... ...e question and answer bulletin board. http://209.67.220.19/mayo/askphys/qa990215.htm 3)Picture of Lumbar Puncture Tray. http://www.neocare.com/_borders/lpk.ht1.jpg 4)Image of Lumbar Puncture http://night.medsch.ucla.edu/problem/wwid95/SPINLTP2.gif 5)Lumbar Puncture Procedures, For med students. http://www.medstudents.com.br/proced/lumbpunc.htm 6)Ask the Mayo Physician, More responses from the bulletin board. http://www.healthanswers.com/database/ami/converted/003515.html 7)Healthanswers medical research library. http://www.healthanswers.com/database/ami/converted/003526.html 8)Health central, More information from healthcentral, with image. http://www.healthcentral.com/mhc/img/img2930.cffm 9) Medical review., An informative site with lumbar puncture information. http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/news/review/archives/medrev_v1n1_0010.html

The short story ‘The Bath’ Essay

?The short story ‘The Bath’ by Janet Frame tells of an old lady who has been widowed and now lives alone. It tells of the small, meaningless tasks that now make up her existence. She grieves for lost loved ones and frequents their graves. In this particular story, the mediocre activity of having a bath becomes a hugely difficult task for the woman as she struggles to get out once finished. The main themes portrayed in this story are: loneliness, the plight of the elderly and helplessness. The theme of loneliness is shown through the graves. One of the only things the old woman can do now is visit the graves of her loved ones as she has no other way to remember them and no people left in her life to provide company for her. She plants flowers on their graves showing tender care and talks to the graves as if they were living people. These actions make the reader feel sorry for the old lady, and the companionship she gets from the graves shows just how lonely she really is. This leads to the next theme, the plight of the elderly. Partway through the story it becomes apparent that the old woman cannot get herself out of the bath as a result of her weakened, elderly body. This proves to be incredibly frustrating for the old woman as this really is a very simple task but try as she might she simply cannot get out of the bath. As well as feeling sorry for the old woman the reader also begins to feel scared for her as she is all alone and cannot call for help. The author also uses symbolism to help get across the message of the old woman’s plight. The bath is described as being in a dilapidated state and this parallels the state of the woman’s frail body as she struggles to pull herself out of the bath. This in turn leads to the last and possibly most important theme; helplessness. In the prior paragraphs I have talked about all the things that have happened to the old woman but the one important factor that links them all together is that she is powerless to change any of it. Her body is failing her and she can’t help it, all her loved ones are dead and she can’t help it, and most of all, she is dying too, and she can’t help it. Symbols of death are all around her. The cemetery, a decaying house, and the bath. Being trapped in the bath makes it coffin-like, representing where she will eventually lie forever. The story of the old woman makes us fully aware of what growing old is really like. It is not graceful or fun, it is scary and lonely.

Merchant of Venice and the Crucible Comparison

All communities run successfully with qualities of fairness and equality. The well-being of the citizens depends on the support and guidance they receive from those with power and influence in their society. When the people become corrupt and start having intentions that do not contribute back to the community, the society will fall apart and be unable to maintain balance and stability. In William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the reader sees examples of injustice inflicted on the victims within the plays through the people with power within the community.The Christians in The Merchant of Venice mock Shylock the Jew countless times while the high court in The Crucible believe citizens are practicing witchcraft without a proper testimony. In both situations, the Christians and the court see themselves doing the right thing and believe they are contributing to the society when in reality, they break apart the community by persecutin g those that are different.The victims in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible suffer from injustice as power being placed in the wrong hands leads to the formation of biased decision, the limited free will of citizens and severe punishments. The limited free will of the victims within the societies due to the manipulative mannerisms of the Christians and court subjects them to injustice. The way the Christians hate Shylock makes him have limited free will in the Venetian community.Shylock is unable to interact with the Christians due to his reputation as a moneylender. Shylock is unable to choose his occupation and as a moneylender, his only source of income is the interest he gains from it, resulting in the Christians hating him. This injustice forces him to be shunned from society and he ends up losing everything that he owns. The Jews only had moneylenders as their occupation and this injustice forces them to be unable to re late and communicate with society. â€Å"I am as like to call thee [dog] again, / To spit on thee again, to purn thee too† (1. 3. 126-127) demonstrates the abuse Shylock receives. His limitedness in his occupation highlights the lack of orientation in their community and the need to force those that are different away. Solanio is â€Å"sure the duke will never grant this forfeiture to hold† (3. 3. 24-25) and as the play continues, Shylock faces a losing battle in which the power is evident in contributing to his destruction. He is faced with injustice every time he meets a Christian and this is limiting him in his performance in the community.Similarly, the court exerts limited free will on all citizens of Salem when they stay a devout Christian. All citizens need to be part of the theocracy and if one strays away from it, they are accused of being affiliated with the devil. â€Å"No crack in a fortress may be accounted small† (Miller 64) demonstrates the limite d possibility of people in Salem to have another choice of religion. The power of the court forces those that were not part of the theocratic government to be eliminated from society. These are all landholding farmers, members of the church†¦ they’ve known the women many years and never saw no sign they had dealings with the Devil†¦ should be summoned† (Miller 86-87) shows how those that wanted to prove the innocence of the accused are taken in to court to be questioned. Regardless of the many times the citizens of Salem tries to tell the court about the absurdity of witchcraft, the court would not listen. John Proctor goes â€Å"twenty-six time in seventeen month† (Miller 61) and it was not enough, thus he is accused of trying to overthrow the government.The injustice causes many people to die without being at fault. The flaws in the ruling of the government are evident throughout the play as the court refuses to listen and uses its power to determine the rules of society on its own. Due to the injustice in the communities of Venice and Salem put by the power in the wrong hands, severe punishments are placed on the victims. The punishments determined by the Christians affect Shylock severely and he ends up losing all that he has.The injustice Shylock receives is more than enough to prove his continuous suffering throughout the play. Antonio â€Å"call[s him] misbeliever, cut-throat dog,† (1. 3. 107), demonstrating the abusive treatment he receives as the Christians make fun of him and throw hateful words at him. Shylock has no one to stand up for him, appearing alone in most scenes whereas the Christians always arrive in groups. This â€Å"ganging up† gives the Christians power over Shylock and when they use this power to hurt Shylock emotionally, the injustice and damage created is exponential.The court is already in favour to Antonio winning as shown by the Duke saying he â€Å"think[s] so too, / That [Shylock] b ut lead’st this fashion of [his] malice to the last hour of act. † (4. 1. 17-19) the power is unequal and this ruling forces Shylock to surrender and accept his defeat. It is unjust for this to happen as Shylock does not get a fair trial and ends up losing everything. Likewise, the court overuses its power and ends up killing the entire community. The power of the court enforces theocracy to a degree that results in the citizens being accused of not following them correctly and turning to witchcraft.John Proctor succumbs to saying he is associated with the devil and â€Å"sign[s himself] to lies† (Miller 133) by confessing to an act he did not commit. The unequal treatment of the accused shows how the court enjoys abusing the abundance of power it has in its hands. The accused have no one to turn to and â€Å"God send[s] his mercy on [them]† (Miller 129) when they admit to witchcraft. The court takes pleasure in watching the citizens get accused and delved in the fact the power they owned is essential in the sufferance of the citizens. It is this cruel act of the community that makes the entire community suffer.The punishments are apparent due to the contrast between the victims and the authoritative power in the Christians and the court, ultimately affecting the overall injustice within each society. When decisions are influenced and become biased, the opposite side of the party becomes affected. While one party might benefit and receive a positive bias, the reverse will happen for the other, resulting in the victims being wrongly accused. The choices the Christians make end up harming Shylock when he loses all of his wealth and property and is converted to a Christian.The biased decision causes injustice on Shylock as he is shunned and hated in the Venetian community. As Shylock begins his famous speech â€Å"Hath not a Jew eyes? † (3. 1. 54) he demonstrates that he feels the same pains and joys that the Christians feel and should be treated equally but the biased views the Christians have of him eliminates him from any form of respect he deserves. When Jessica robs him and leaves with a Christian Solanio, pretending to be Shylock, cries out â€Å"My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter! † (2. 8. 15) in a mocking manner, creating a bias on Shylock in which readers are able to agree with.Shylock is portrayed as a cruel and revengeful character and as Solanio imitates him, no sympathy is felt for his loss. The Christians are only able to see Shylock as the Jew and do not relate any emotions to him. Similarly, the opinion of the court forces the whole town of Salem to follow suit. The young girls are able to gain power and with the help of the court, they are able to hang those they dislike. Their innocence and sense of vulnerability enables the court to believe and support them. Abigail’s â€Å"name is good in the village† (Miller 12) makes her able to easily accuse those not in favo ur with the court.The court believes her and only hears her side of the story, taking all that she says as the truth. Once Abigail accuses the citizens, their chance of redemption is next to none. Proctor stands up for himself, questioning why they never â€Å"wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? Is the accuser always holy now? † (Miller 73). The biased opinion of the court made many innocent people wait to be proven guilty. The power of Abigail and her friends inflict injustice on the citizens they disliked, forcing many families to die in Salem.Their lack of consideration for others makes for a bias against the accused. The communities in which abused power is present as a result is torn apart, compelling the victims to suffer. The biased decision of the Christians and the court result in injustice in their society, playing a crucial role in splitting up the community. The formation of biased decisions, the limited free will, and severe punishments is a result of injus tice in the communities when power is placed in the wrong hands in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Miller’s The Crucible.The biased decisions of the Christians and the court help them to form favoured decisions and prefer one group over another. The limited free will Shylock and the citizens receive result in the lack of choices they make in their daily lives. The severe punishments the victims in both texts receive cause the injustice in the community to grow as those with power abuse their ability and use it to harm those that did not need to be harmed. The injustice shows the need to fix problems in societies, teaching one that power used properly is essential for a community to function.

Standard Forms of Building Contract

Furthermore, procedures for selecting main contractor and sub-contractor was reviewed and comparison was prepared to show differences between two procedures. A flow-chart diagram was attached in the Appendix to show the procedures. 2 Introduction 2. 1 Background of the Projects The project we are going to bid is a private development, which to construct a 24- storey residential apartment. The form of contract that the client decided to use in the captioned project is Hong Kong Standard Form of Building Contract 2005-WithQuantities, which is published by HKIS, HKIA & HKICM. The client preferred a single stage selective tendering approach and we are now going to enter the bid. 2. 2 Objectives (i) Understand the procurement strategy adopted (it) Understand the form of contract adopted (iii) Understand how the Client will appoint our company (iv)Understand how our company will appoint a subcontractor (v) Identify differences in tendering procedures 2. 4 Procurement Strategy Figure 1 Orga nizational structure ofa traditional strategy (RICS, 2013) Based on the above scenario, we assumed the project adopting the traditional rocurement.Traditional procurement is most commonly used approach in the construction industry. It's standard practice in the industry since 19th century. (RICS, 2013) Therefore, roles and responsibilities of contractors and different project consultants are well understood. In traditional procurement, design process is kept separate from the construction process. (RICS, 2013) The design have to be completed first and full documentation including drawings, specifications are needed before tendering process. In view of the client, he can remain his control over the design and ensuring quality.A contract dministrator will also appointed to monitor the projects, usually the architect or the engineer. In view of cost and contracts, all returned tenders are based on same intormation, the tender prices can be easily analyzed, and no need tor the Contracto r to build in a risk premium in the tender sum. If the designed is fully completed, construction costs can be determined with reasonable certainty given that there are no changes in the construction stage. OCT, 2008) However, this procurement method may take longer time because the scheme has to be more or less fully designed before seeking tenderers.Also, fragmented design nd construction process can leads to disputes between the Contractors and the designers, rather than single responsibility in â€Å"design-and-build† method. (RICS, 2013) 2. 5 Contract Choice Since the client has adopted traditional approach, â€Å"Hong Kong Standard Form of Building Contract Private Edition-With Quantities 2005 Edition† (HKSFBC05) has been chosen by the client to use in this tender. This contract is commonly used in private developments in Hong Kong. (KPK, 2010) It is a lump sum contract in which payment will be made at monthly interval.It's suitable for adopt in medium-large size building orks designed by the Employer, or someone on behalf of the Employer. Drawings and bills of quantities have to provide by the Employer to define the quantity and quality of the work for Contract to price for it. OCT, 2008) The HKSFBC05 contains detailed conditions which regulates the rights and obligations of the Employer and Contractor. Moreover, under Article 3&4 of the HKSFBC05, an Architect and a Quantity Surveyor have to be named to administer the contract conditions, their power and duties are also described in the Contract.The Architect will be the contract administrator whereas the quantity surveyor will assist im to prepare valuations for interim payments and variations, calculating liquidated damages (LD) and prepare final account, etc. Generally, the price is bases on lump sums and payment to be made in monthly interval. OCT, 2008) 3 Tendering Procedures 3. 1 Definition Tendering is the process by which bids are invited from interested contractors to carry out spe cific packages of construction work. The process aims to ensure achieving of true competition.Procurement strategy and forms of contract should have decided and confirmed in precedence to execute the tendering process. 3. 2 Main-contract The whole tendering procedures for main contract can be divided at 3 sections as follows:- 3. 2. 1 Establishment of Tender List At the very beginning of the process, the client should have compile a tenderer list, in order to ensure every contractor chosen to tender will be able to meet specified eligibility, if they are appointed. To form the tenderer list, pre-qualification mechanism may adopted.Interested contractors should prove that they meet minimum standards in certain criteria like financial conditions, project experience, protessional competence, etc during pre-qualitlcation. Sometimes, the consultant quantity surveyors will also give advice to prepare a potential tenderer list, depends on the clients need. Generally, 4 to 8 tenders is enou gh, depends on value and nature of the work. Once the tenderers list is compiled, preliminary enquiry should be made to those contractors on list, asking those potential contractors whether they are interested to bid the project before formal invitation.The outcome of the tender would be more satisfactory if the Contractor can decline at the earlier stage, and saving excessive papers for tender documents. 3. 2. 2 Tender Invitation and Submission During the compilation of the tenderers list, the consultant quantity surveyors should prepare the tender documents concurrently. So, as soon as the tender documents ready to be issue out (i. e. bill of quantities, drawings, specifications and client's specific requirements), the tender will be issue to the tenderers with the invitation.The good practice in the industry for the tendering period would be a minimum of 28 days in private sectors. This is a suggested fgure for traditional contract with no design responsibility from the contracto rs. For easier to analyze the capability of each contractor, usually the Employer will ask he tenderers to submit their own qualifications such as preliminary programme for the work, organization chart, etc. Details of those documents should be listed in the form of tender and also in the â€Å"Invitation to Tender† 3. 2. 3 Tender Assessment and Award All tenders should have received on the tender submission date.Sometimes the Employer maybe request the tenderers to submit non-price material such as Job reference, organization chart, financial statement, etc. These materials should be evaluated independently of the examination of the priced documents. OCT, 2012) To xamine the tenders efficiently, an assessment criteria should have established by the Employer. Price-oriented or quality-oriented? The answer should affect the examination process of tenders. For the priced documents (i. e. bill of quantities or schedule of rates), it should be checked to detect any arithmetical e rrors.Professional practice is that the tendered prices should never be altered without Justification. If there are any errors or discrepancies between BQ pages and the tender sum wrote in the form of the tender. There are procedures set out to deal with the above situation. Details of the errors should be given to the tenderers. If the said errors are rather minor in the contract sum, the tenderers may confirm the errors and abide his tender. Or the tenderers can withdraw his tender if he thinks the errors are unaffordable. However, it's depend on the tenderer's commercial decision.Under this procedure, correction of the overall tender price is not permitted. OCT, 2012) It the tenderer decided to stand by his submitted tender and confirmation nas been reached with the Employer, the gross amount of errors should be converted into a discount factor, usually express in percentage of the corrected tender sum. In Hong Kong projects, this factor is usually endorsed together in the letter of intent or letter to acceptance to the Main contractor. Then the factor will be applied to the variation account where related to the BQ or SOR, except those preliminaries, prime cost rates, provisional sums. WSCC, 2010) After checking errors, if there are any changes affecting prices or design, tender queries should be issued to all tenderers and carry out a second tender exercise. All replied tender queries should bind into the contract document as contract correspondences and forming part of contract, especially those with cost mplications. Upon completion of evaluation of returned tenders and tender queries, the consultant quantity surveyor should prepare a tender report and recommend the tenderer which he preferred.Then, the letter of intent or letter of acceptance should be sent out to complete the whole awarding process. 3. 3 Sub-contract The whole tendering procedures for sub contract can be divided at 3 sections as follows:- 3. 3. 1 Selection for a Specific Project When the contract was awarded to the Main Contractor as described above, the Main Contractor takes up total responsibility for the contract work. He cannot complete the hole work using only his own labour and worker. Sub-contractors is therefore needed, especially for E;M services, which require specialist sub-contractors.Each structured main contractor should have his own domestic sub-contractors (DSC) list, the criteria for being qualified into the list depends on different main contractors. Common criteria includes work quality, safety and health record, financial conditions, insurance cover, etc. (CIB, 1997) To appoint sub-contractors for specific project, a preliminary tenderer list should be prepared by drawing up suitable sub-contractors in the company approved list. Confirmations should be seek from potential tenderers if they are interested to tender.Numbers of tenders in the list should between four and six, for â€Å"construct only' sub-contract. (CIB, 1997) Same as appointin g main-contractor, upon complication of tender list, preliminary enquiry should be made with sufficient project details given to the proposed tenderers. Information including conditions of contracts, payment terms, amounts of retention, commencement date and completion date of main contract, etc. Clearly state all necessary information helps to reduce disputes between the main contractor and sub-contractors. CIB, 1997) 3. 3. Tender Invitation and Submission As a formal and good practice, a tender documents for acquiring prices is recommended. By using formal tender documents, offers from different sub- contractors are more easily to be analysed. In contrast, some main contractors may preterred simpler procedures such as asking sub-contractors to submit quotation themselves based on information received. However, in this report, formal tendering procedure are referred. For content of the tender documents, it's basically the same with those described above in the Main contract section .The tenders are to be sent out with the nvitations and date for submission of tenders should have stated in the invitations. The time for tendering should be 6 weeks for â€Å"construct only' tenders. In case of any queries, the tenderers should submit in writing to request for clarifications from the main contractors. (CIB, 1997) Method statements may be requested to submit from the tenderers to better assess their capability for the work and cost incurred by the main contractor for providing temporary working platform and storage space, etc. 3. . 3 Tender Assessment and Awa rd Like the procedure of selecting Main-contractors, only tenders submit by the ubmission date would be evaluated. Non-price material like method statements should be assessed independently, different methods may affect potential costs incurred by the main-contractor. The priced document will be go through checking process first, any arithmetical errors are to be notified to the tenderer and ask whether he wi ll stands by his tender price, procedures are generally same with those above described for main-contract.If it's possible, the tender prices should never be changed if the scope of works remain unchanged. (CIB, 1997) Subcontractors should then be chosen on the basis of the assessment criteria set own before issuing tender documents. The main contractor may arrange tender interview if he think it is necessary to clarify or amplify the submitted documents. Especially those preliminary items, such as provision of site office, storage, lifting equipment, insurance policy, etc. Responsibility for these items should clearly state and agree before awarding contract.Any matters agreed during the interview should be recorded in writing for further reference. If the main contractor has decided to appoint the tenderers as his subcontractors for the projects, the letter of acceptance should be sent as a formal record here. (CIB, 1997) In case the tendering process for sub-contractors start bef ore the award of main- contract and the preferred sub-contractor's tender are to be used for main tender submission, the sub-contractor should be notified so the sub-contractor can arrange his resources more efficiently.Upon the acceptance of the main contract tender, the main contractor should also accept that sub-contract tender price agreed before and notify the sub-contractor formally. Letter of acceptance should be sent to the preferred tenderers as a formal contractual record. (CIB, 1997) Conclusions Tendering procedures for main contract and sub contract has been briefly laborated in above passage. Major differences is illustrated by Figure 2 below.Description Sub-contract Compilation of Tenderer List Consultant QS or Employer Main Contractor Tendering Period 8 weeks minimum 6 weeks minimum Nos. of Tenderers Figure 2 Comparison of Tendering Procedures For the tenderer list, the one used for tendering for main contract are usually recommend by the consultant quantity surveyors or the client have its own preferred list, based on reputation. In contrast, each main contractor have its own sub- contractors list based on their specialized trade.For the tendering period, the codes suggested 8 weeks minimum for main contractors to prepare their tender for the Employer while 6 weeks minimum was suggested for sub-contractors to prepare their tender for main contractors. For numbers of tenderers, it is necessary to have sufficient numbers of tenderers to enable a fair competition. It's suggested 4-8 tenders will be enough for tendering of main contracts, depends on the value and nature of the projects. Fewer numbers of tenderers would be enough for selecting sub-contractors, 4-6 tenderers is suggested in the Codes, depends on different trades.