A Price Discrimination and a Single-Pricing Strategy Essay

A Price Discrimination and a Single-Pricing Strategy - Essay Example Instead of charging a uniform price to everyone, the cable TV company can think in terms of charging the customers with respect to the number of paid channels they would like to watch. For some customers may not like sports channels and some others may not like movie channels. The cable TV company can think in terms of allowing the customers to select the channels they would like to watch and based on that the company can decide the prices of the service. Thus customers will get much more flexibility in selecting channels and controlling their budget for watching television channels. At the same time, it should be noted that the cable TV company may not lose any revenue since more customers will come forward to purchases such services because of the increased flexibility in selecting channels. In a perfectly competitive market, sellers may not get the freedom to fix the price. If they set a price above the market price, nobody will buy their product in a competitive market. In short, they will get only a normal profit in the long run. Some firms may fix higher prices for their products if the competition is less. Such firms will get abnormal profits in the short run. The abnormal profit earned by a single firm in a market will encourage other forms to enter the market and therefore supply will increase and the price would come down. Long run average cost curves represent the economies of scale and diseconomies of scale as far as a firm is concerned. Economies of scale mean the ability of a firm to reduce the unit price of a product with the help of bulk production.

Sociology and Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sociology and Anthropology - Essay Example Since most people know that smoking is hazardous to people’s health, just a limited number really understands what other social problems smoking can cause to both the people and the entire society. As stated, smoking results in death. According to the World Health Organization, smoking holds responsibility for every single death in five. Extent of Effects of Smoking as a Social Problem Apart from deaths, smoking extended illnesses such as cancer, respiratory and heart diseases among others. Facts maintain that continuous smoking can lead to cancer, which is a killer in both the contemporary United States and the world. Furthermore, smoking claims a higher percentage of heart diseases and respiratory illnesses in America. Smoking also causes liver cirrhosis, which, in turn, results in death if not treated early enough (McEachern, 2010). As people continue to wonder about the direct effects of smoking, research observations reveal that passive smoking, which is a common phenomen on among most Americans, causes lung cancer. Passive smoking is as endangering as it has links with cot death and asthma in children as well as glue gear (Barrett, 2009). Therefore, it is agreeable to say that smoking does not only affect whoever is smoking but also affects those around him. Additionally, contemporary United States, among other countries, is part of the largest producers of tobacco leafs. Tobacco planting results in deforestation as planters must clear the bushes before they replace them with tobacco trees (Gobo, 2004). This shows that the need for smoking leads to deforestation, which in the end results in lack of land for other agricultural purposes. Consequently, people suffer from poverty and other social problems due to tobacco plating in the contemporary United States. Further, the level of crime is on the increase in contemporary United States (Delamater & Myers, 2010). Criminal investigations record the habit of smoking among the youth as one of the most com mon motives of indulging in crime. This is because smoking among teenagers in contemporary United States goes hand in hand with other substance abuse. As a result, the need for more of these substances and lack of resources to acquire them among this generation accounts for their involvement in criminal activities (Barrett, 2009). Sociological Theory That Explains Smoking Interestingly, sociologists and other great thinkers tend to theorize almost everything. Through theorizing, they believe they can set forth better platforms where people can understand certain phenomena. The theory of structural functionalism explains smoking by aiding in establishing the factors that lead to smoking (McEachern, 2010). Additionally, it tries to expound on matters relevant to ways of stopping the habit of smoking. Sociologists in the criminal department have made the use of structural functionalism as a core element in trying to establish the type and amount of smokes, and the time consumed by smok ers. The theory of structural functionalism tries to provide empirical and modified range of type of cigarette that a particular person has been smoking (Evans, 2009). This symbolic dialect also encompasses the application of the theory of symbolic interactionalism which is a social psychological instrument used by sociologists in establishing the amount of smokes consumed by the subject. Essay Two The Nature-Nurture Debate The nature-nurture controversy has been and still is a

Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Purchasing and Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Austin Wood Products (AWP) is a successful company located at Austin Texas and specializes in manufacturing custom made wooden doors. Its current turnover is $ 25 million per annum. Maximum sales take place during February to November but the productivity is hampered by unregulated inventory system. Sadly, until the inventory is physically checked at the warehouse, production is not certain of its availability. In half the cases the material required is unavailable and has to be ordered. This effects both production and delivery. The company expects an increase in turnover by 20% in the coming year but with such erratic and uncontrolled inventory management, the production manager is apprehensive of meeting schedules and is worried about loosing customers. It is an established fact that the Just-in-Time (JIT) based System is the answer to manufacturing operations. JIT has lead to the development of what is known as Lean Manufacturing. It offers scope for reducing inventories and introducing ways and means to improve productivity by planning optimal use of resources. Today manufacturing faces new challenges and has been offered a variety of solutions to manage these. Most prominent among them are the Material Planning Method (MRP) and Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) adopted by many leading solution providers like SAP. But the Theory of Constraints (TOC) is the culmination of the above and a better answer to industry needs. MRP uses fixed lead times to calculate the Bill of Material, often resulting in surplus stock of raw materials. It does not take into consideration materials available in hand. In other words the Purchase Process is built around orders in hand. There is little or no Production Planning and Production just follows availability of raw materials to plan its own executions. The focus is on orders in hand and essentially MRP plays safe ensuring that raw material is always available to Production. But this is both wasteful and ties up huge

INTERPROFESSIONAL WORKING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

INTERPROFESSIONAL WORKING - Essay Example Any illness or medical condition always worsens with the advancement of age, and thus it is very necessary that the patients should be given proper treatment as and when the time is abundant. But while looking at the case study of Mrs. Ivy, it is hard not to notice the negligence of various authorities and the mention of lexis such as â€Å"waiting list† and â€Å"Social services would not get involved without proper†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Selfishness is really a very amazing temperament of a human being – My point being, since Mrs. Ivy needed tremendous care and a supervisory body while she developed her Dementia, her daughter should have let Mrs. Ivy stay at her home rather than looking for a flat or government’s care centers. And there is not a mention of what her son did for her after the part that â€Å"he lives far away†. A person can not always expect the government to stand by their ‘parent’s’ side at their time of need. After all, it is logical to say, that the government can not possibly cater all the dying people. We as humans should also realize our responsibility and thus her children should have favored her to stay with either one of them. The government of Britain has set up various trusts and policies to help the elderly (particularly with mental problems such as Alzheimer, Dementia, etc. Some of the current active policies are as follows: As Mr. Tisdall notes in his book â€Å"Children, Young people and social inclusion: Participation for What?† (2006), the chief motive behind this policy states that it is really hard for children of mentally disabled parents to cope up with their parents, economic conditions and personal lives. Therefore, the government has set up this program to help the mentally disabled parents of such children to pass along the troubled times. This program by the government is basically focused on health related issues of asylums, refugees, minorities, and

Individual report 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individual report 2 - Essay Example This site has vast information about the company. The challenges that were experienced in the process of collecting information about the company was separating relevant information from irrelevant information. This is mainly because of the amount of information which is accessible in this site. Because of the amount of information, I experienced challenges in time management. This is because I found myself taking most of the time looking at the amount of information instead of starting the project. In the future projects, I would improve on the time management issue by developing and following strictly a personal timetable. I would also try to read severally the requirements of the project in order to ease my ability locate key points for the project. Time management would also help save time that can be useful in case of any unexpected delays. The general information about the decision making process that mainly looked at the decision making process was retrieved from published books. Although the information on this section is straight forward from the published books, it was crucial to read a huge amount of information and write the section in my own opinion while avoiding using direct quotes (Lunenburg, 2010). This was crucial so as to relate the theoretical part of the paper and the topic being discussed. In future research that I will work on, I will gather all the information in time in order to have enough time to look at all the document. In normal cases, just like any other student, I assumed that there is plenty of time to complete the project. Even though there is enough amount of time provided by the lecturers, there is always the tendency of postponing the assignment until the last minute because of other engagements in the university. In order to make improvements, it is crucial to develop a personal time ta ble indicating the timeliness of

Business and administration Essay Example for Free

Business and administration Essay You should use this file to complete your Assessment. The first thing you need to do is save a copy of this document, either onto your computer or a disk Then work through your Assessment, remembering to save your work regularly When you’ve finished, print out a copy to keep for reference Then, go to www. vision2learn. com and send your completed Assessment to your tutor via your My Study area – make sure it is clearly marked with your name, the course title and the Unit and Assessment number. Please note that this Assessment document has 5 pages and is made up of 4 Sections. Name: Section 1 – Understand the purpose of information technology in a business environment 1. In relation to your current business environment (or one that you are familiar with), identify at least two different types of information technology that may be used when completing work tasks. Bookings/Appointments Clients details, address, phone number, name 1. Presentation software 2. Databases 2. What are the benefits to businesses (and others) of using information technology for doing work tasks? Two main important aspects to information exchange using IT are; Sending and receiving, emails are useful as the sender can attach documents to the email they sent. These can be word documents, spreadsheets, sound files or images. Bearing in mind when sending an email its important to know the competence of the recipient for that email there is no point in sending email if the person receiving it can’t understand or doesnt know how to open it! Using the Internet to find information, its important to use a search engine to find the information that you need on the Internet. Search engines look for websites based on the criteria a person enters into the search box. The best-known search engine is Google, other popular search engines include Yahoo! search, Bing and Ask Jeeves. Always be specific when you do Internet research as this will help you to get the correct information more quickly, if you are not specific you might end up with the results that are meaningless or lead up to the wrong path. Whenever using your search engine be precise in your search criteria. Section 2 – Understand how to manage electronic and paper-based information 1. Explain the purpose of agreeing objectives and deadlines when researching information. If possible, refer to specific examples from research tasks you have worked on to support your answer. Research is very important in a business, and to provide information that will inform business decisions. If any information is not collected or is only partially collected, and this can lead to poor-quality decisions being made. Getting research right can be tough but it helps to have objectives and deadlines for what you want the research to achieve. Getting research rights can be tough it helps to have objectives and deadlines for what you want the research to achieve. When I was working at the salon I was asked to research a few different companies that sold products that we used, I had to write down the information for my boss so that he could decide who to go with and who was the best prices. Meeting deadlines is very important, as you could potentially lose clients. 2. Identify the different ways of researching, organising and reporting information. Organising When conducting research it is important that the information being collected is kept well organised, I do need the information should be kept in clearly marked files. Information can be organised in a few different ways, this can be done by sorting alphabetically or numerically, the most important thing is that the research is able to find the information that they need quickly, it helps to have an idea of the information that will be reported. Reporting There are several types of documents listed that may be used to report information such as, business letter, email, fax, formal report, informal reports, memo, notes, text. If a member of staff has a clear brief on what is to be researched and how it is to be presented, then it is possible to organise the research appropriately. Researching When researching information, there are a few things that needs to be done if the research is to be successfully completed. These are as follows: Ensure the researcher knows what they are looking for Discover how the information should be presented Source the correct document Confirm the document is up to date Use documents efficiently Read relevant information carefully. 3a) for your own organisation (or one you know well), describe the procedures that need to be followed when archiving, retrieving and deleting information. Your answer should cover procedures for both electronic and paper-based information. When something is our achieved is put into storage, this is associated with paper based files. Finding these documents often has problems. To avoid storage problems, a business can periodically review its information systems and take appropriate actions such as, removing and deleting duplicate documents and leave in a single copy, removing and deleting unimportant documents that will never be used again or are achieving files that have to be retained. Most businesses will specify in their procedure is when I achieving and deleting can take place and who is able to do this. When i worked in the salon we never used to our achieve we mainly stored addresses, names, appointment dates and phone numbers, we would only delete information if asked by a client is not the clients information would be stored correctly this helps with marketing services so if your client havent come back for a while youre able to collect the information i. e. telephone number so you can contact your client to maybe offer them a discount to bring them back to your salon. if a client wanted their information to be deleted this is easy enough all we have to do with On the delete button and then their information would be erased and if we had any paper information on them i. e. colour codes for their hair or information on manicures etc. then this will all get shredded. 3b) When following the procedures outlined in Question 3a above, are there any legal requirements to consider? When storing information there are some important legal requirements to consider such as, the data protection act 1998, retention periods or industry-specific legal requirements. All businesses must carefully consider the way information is managed. The requirement to keep important records and respect the privacy of people places considerable responsibility on businesses and organisations. Failure to get it right may result in the business breaking the law. The only legal requirements really to consider when I was working in the salon was to never ever give out the clients information to anybody ringing up or asking for this in person. 4. Why is confidentiality critical when managing information? Most businesses keep a lot of information, some of this information is sensitive or confidential, and so it can be viewed or accessed by everyone in the business. Access to confidential information should be strictly limited and secure. You can differentiate between levels of confidentiality such as, confidential contracts, confidential negotiations, business secrets or internally sensitive documents. Information concerning individuals can also be confidential. This includes things like medical records, personnel files and employment contract details. There is certain information that is kept confidential for several reasons. These include: Legal requirements, including complying with legislation such as the data protection act or the content of legally enforceable contracts. Commercial requirements, such as keeping confidential information secret. A lack of confidentiality can show a lack of competence and/or trust. Moral requirements, there is a strong moral obligation to respect people’s privacy and confidentiality. If this is broken and then people will withhold information and lack of trust. People need to know what they can and cannot access and the repercussions that may follow if confidence and trust are broken. Section 3 – Understand the purpose of producing documents that are fit for purpose 1. Identify at least two reasons for producing documents that are fit for purpose. The information that goes into a document can make all the difference in the effectiveness and efficiency of a business. You should agree in advance with all who is involved what the document should contain within it. 2. Use the table below to describe some of the different types and styles of documents that are produced in a business environment, and then explain when these different options may be used. Documents When they are used Email Less formal, Documents easily attached, Can be sent instantly worldwide Fax Faster than letters, Once good for sending graphics and images, Being superseded by emails, Cumbersome if large quantities of information are being delivered Formal Report Can give clear account of things, Can present more complex and linked information Text Immediate, Best suited for small chunks of information Section 4 – Know the procedures to be followed when producing documents 1. In most organisations, time is taken to agree the purpose, content, layout, quality standards and deadlines for the production of documents. What are the reasons for doing this level of planning? It’s very important that you know exactly what your clients want – both internal and external. If this information is unknown or guessed, its likely that customers will not get what they want. Time should be taken to agree on the specification of a document. This way, many potential problems can be avoided. A failure in one or more areas may significantly undermine all the work that has been done in other areas. For example, an ‘outstanding’ report that delivers on purpose, content, layout and quality standards but is three weeks late (poor on deadlines) may be worthless. Likewise a document that is fine on purpose, layout, and quality standards and deadline but misses some key content would also be of very little or no use. 2. Businesses will spend time checking finished documents for accuracy and correctness. a) How is this done? A finished document will always have to be checked in some way or another for accuracy and correctness before it can be given to the customer. If the document doesn’t get done or completed then mistakes may happen. b)Why is this done? This is done to ensure the document is fit-for-purpose. If the checking phase is not completed, then there is a good chance that mistakes and incorrect or insufficient information may make their way in to the final document. This could result in inefficiencies and dissatisfied customers. 1. Have a copy of the final draft document awaiting approval. 2. Have the document specification available. This may be the business specified way for producing documents such as letters or minutes. Or it may be the specification agreed between a supplier and a customer. 3. Compare the document with the specification agreed between a supplier and customer. 4. Check the spelling and grammar in the document. The first person to check the document is likely to be the author. But best it’s to have someone else to have a look over the document as they wouldn’t have been working with it as closely as the author has been. On word processing systems they have a spell checking and grammar checking facilities, which can be used to check over the accuracy of what has been written. However, these spell checkers dont pick up everything and its best to use them as well as with reading a printed version of the document 3. Explain the purpose of following confidentiality and data protection procedures when preparing documents. In all businesses should have clear procedures on data protection and confidentiality when producing document. They are required by law to do so and it is also good, ethical business practice. If people thought that a business could not respect their confidentiality, they would withhold information or look for an alternative business. The business should make it very clear to their clients who has access to which items of data and for which purposes. The issues of access may apply to people other than staff – it can apply to people outside the organisation. 4. In business environments, there is often a requirement to use notes as the basis for text and documents. a) Compare the different types of documents that can be produced from notes and include a description of the format of each document. Notes that have been taken down tend to be, key points of information, key dates/times and also key names. MEMO -The format will include, To, From, Reference, Date and then the relevant information being communicated. LETTER Printed on company headed paper, listing ref, date, name, address, subject, letter content, yours faithfully/yours sincerely, signature, name ; job title. Also if the letter is confidential this must be stated. REPORT Title, introduction, body of report, a conclusion, consistency of format is essential i. e. using the same paragraph spacing and font style/size throughout content of report. b) Explain the procedures to be followed when preparing text from notes. 1. Establish the purpose for why you are note-taking. 2. Establish the format for the document needed. 3. Check that all the notes for clarity and make amendments if you feel its necessary. 4. Check that the detail in the notes is sufficient for producing the document. 5. Check over all the facts. 6. Produce the document. 7. Check the final document. 1. Don’t write down everything that you read or hear. Be alert and attentive to the main points. Concentrate on the meat of the subject and forget the trimmings. 2. Notes should consist of key words, or very short sentences. As a speaker gets side-tracked you can go back and add further information. 3. Take accurate notes. You should usually use your own words, but try not to change the meaning. If you quote directly from the author, quote correctly. 4. Think a minute about your material before you start making notes. Don’t take notes just to be taking notes! Take notes that will be of real value to you when you look over them later. 5. Have a uniform system of punctuation and abbreviation that will make sense to you. Use a skeleton outline, and show importance by indenting. Leave lots of white space for later additions. 6. Omit descriptions and full explanations. Keep your notes short and to the point. Condense your material so you can grasp it rapidly. 7. Don’t worry about missing a point. Leave space and try to pick up the material you miss at a later date, either through reading, questioning, or common sense. 8. Don’t keep notes on oddly shaped pieces of paper. Keep notes in order and in one place. 9. Shortly after making your notes, go back and rework (not recopy! ) your notes by adding extra points, spelling out unclear items, etc.. Remember, we forget quickly. Budget time for this vital step just as you do for the class itself. 10. Review your notes periodically. This is the only way to achieve lasting memory. Once you have completed all 4 Sections of this Assessment, go to www. vision2learn. com and send your work to your tutor for marking.

Descriptive Research Vs Analytical Research Economics Essay

Descriptive Research Vs Analytical Research Economics Essay Malaysia began develop its construction industry since independence. More than half of capital formation consists of work in construction (Lewis, 1955). Hence, the expansion of capital is a function the rate at which the construction industry can be expanded. This can be seen in the initial economic plan (1956-1960) where it was basically a development expenditure plan. The primary concern was developing infrastructure during independence because of its inadequacy. In order for the nations economy to prosper, the construction industry has to be developed first for the economy to take a one step further (Abdul Razak Bin Ibrahim, 1999). The Malaysian construction industry is generally separated into two areas: General construction It comprises residential construction, non-residential construction and civil engineering construction. Special trade works It comprises activities of metal works, electrical works, plumbing, sewerage and sanitary works, refrigeration and air-conditioning works, painting works, carpentry, tiling and flooring works, glass works and etc. The construction industry makes up an important part of the Malaysian economy due to the amount of industry linked to it such as those for basic metal products and electrical machinery. Hence, the construction industry could be described as a substantial economic driver for Malaysia (Abdul Razak Bin Ibrahim, 1999). According to Productivity Report 2011/2012, analysis of productivity growth over three year intervals (2007-2009 and 2009-2011) showed that Malaysia achieved higher productivity growth during the later period (2.8%) as compared to the earlier period (1.9%). However, over a five year period, the growth was 3.2% as showed in Table 1.1. Figure 1. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Employment and Productivity Growth, 2007-2011 Table 1. Productivity and GDP Growth, 2007-2011 Productivity growth of the construction sector grew by 3.1% to RM 24,635 in 2011 from RM 23,898 in 2010 (Figure 1.2). The implementation of Industrialised Building System (IBS) in major projects, residential and non-residential sub-sectors contributed to the productivity of the construction sector (Malaysia Productivity Corporation, 2012). Figure 1. Productivity Level and Growth of the Construction Sector, 2007-2011 Through the Productivity Report 2011/2012, it reflects that the construction sector is in a rapid growth phase, having expanded by nearly 19% on an annual basis in the first half of 2012. According to the governments figures, the sector will manage growth of 15.5% in 2012 as a whole, up from 4.6% in 2011. In 2013 it is forecast to grow by a further 11.2%, a projection that is in line with Timetrics forecasts (Richards, 2012). Construction industry plays an important role in generating wealth and improving the quality of life for Malaysian through the translation of governments socio-economic policies into social and economic infrastructure and buildings. The demand for property or housing is increasingly from times to times either due to increase in population, immigration or investment purpose. In order to fulfil the demand, supply of housing or other property has to be increased. Besides, after the announcement regarding My First Home Scheme by the Government in Budget 2011, the desires of the youngsters to own a house are stronger. As the demand is higher, the construction industry has to embark more projects such as residential development to meet the demand. The construction industry creates a multiplier effect to other industries, including manufacturing, financial services, and professional services. In order to run a project, human resources such as labours and the professionals like Quantity Surveyor, Architect, and Engineer are required. Although there is increase in number of human resources, construction productivity is one of the issues to be concerned. Construction labour productivity is often influenced by variations in work conditions and management effectiveness. It is substantially important to understand the nature and extent to which individual parameters affect productivity. Rationale for the Research The construction industry plays a significant role in all developed and developing countries. Due to its critical importance to the profitability of most construction projects, productivity is regarded as one of the most frequently discussed topics in the construction industry (Hancher DE, 1998). Construction productivity is always related to how well, how quickly, and at what cost buildings and infrastructure can be constructed. It will directly affect prices for homes and consumer goods and the robustness of the national economy. Construction productivity will also affect the outcomes of national efforts resources; to develop high-performance green buildings; and to remain competitive in the global market. Construction productivity has been steadily on the decline over the last decade and construction labour efficiency has often been cited as poor (Stokes, 1980). The level of productivity in construction showed a decreasing rate compared to other sectors (Bernstein, 2007). Many studies have attempted to improve construction labour productivity via different ways for examples, studying the factors affecting construction labour productivity, measuring and evaluating labour productivity; modelling construction labour productivity; and comparing labour productivity based on economic considerations or costs. Construction workers are not machines, always behaving the same way under the same conditions. Even under apparently identical work conditions, different productivity values might be obtained. The productivity for the same work item is not constant throughout the construction period, and varies at different stages of the production (Lam, 2001). Variability is shown to be a key factor in the behaviour of construction labour productivity (Thomas Hr, 1999). In addition, the effect of the factors on productivity may vary from task to task. Although some factors could have similar influences on the productivity of a number of tasks, their rate of impact on productivity may be different (Sonmez R, 1998). Labour productivity is said as the factor affecting the construction productivity. In order to further improve construction productivity, continuous efforts have to be put in from times to times to identify the factors affect labour productivity, the effects of poor labour productivity and the ways to improve labour productivity. Are labourers the main cause in affecting construction productivity? Are the factors caused by labourers themselves or their superiors or surrounding environments or other reasons? Have anyone do really put in their efforts to improve the construction labour productivity? How labour productivity affect the entire construction productivity? Queries on construction labour productivity are appearing continuously. Throughout this research, readers should have a depth understanding on construction labour productivity. Aim and Objectives In order to find out the answer of queries on construction labour productivity, the aim for this report is to study the issues on construction labour productivity in Malaysia. This can be achieved by study the objectives below: To investigate the factors affect the construction labour productivity. To identify the consequences caused by construction labour productivity. To recommend ways for improvement on construction labour productivity. Scope and Limitation This research is delimited to construction labour productivity and will focus on Malaysian construction industry. The data for this research will made up of general construction workers, site supervisors, contractors, quantity surveyors and developers mainly in Kuala Lumpur area. Respondents are expected to have varying levels of construction experience, training and knowledge so that a data that closely mirrored the current make-up of the construction workforce can be collected. 100 sets of survey forms will be distributed and 50 sets of survey forms expected to be completed. Chapter Outline This report consists of 5 chapters. There are: Chapter 1: Introduction In this chapter, roles of construction industry towards economics and construction productivity will be described. Besides, in this chapter, aim and objectives will be discussed as well as overview of current construction labour productivity. Chapter 2: Literature Review The literature on the performance approach will be reviewed in this chapter. It will illustrate existing literature and research work related to construction labour productivity. Definition of labour productivity, factors affect labour productivity, its effects and solutions will be described. Chapter 3: Research Methodology In this chapter, introduction and definition of research, type of research, data collection methods, research design and data analysis method will be discussed in order to achieve the aim and objectives of this study. Chapter 4: Findings and Discussions Results from survey questionnaires will be analyzed and discussed in this chapter. The survey questionnaire is aimed to obtain labour, consultants, contractors and developers or clients view of opinion on construction labour productivity in Malaysian construction industry. In addition, personal interview will be conducted to obtain more information on construction labour productivity. Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations This chapter will outline the research findings, summary of this study, and recommendations for future study. Literature Review Research Methodology Introduction Based on Oxford Dictionaries, research is defined as a systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions (Oxford Dictionaries). The Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English defines the meaning of research as a careful investigation or inquiry specially through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge (The Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English, 1952). Redman and Mory had defined research as a systematized effort to gain new knowledge (Mory, 1923). In this chapter, types of research, data collection methods, research design and data analysis will be discussed. The research method for this study to achieve the aim and objectives will be described in this chapter. Types of Research Generally, the basic types of research are as follow: Applied/ Action Research vs Fundamental Research Descriptive Research vs Analytical Research Quantitative Research vs Qualitative Research Conceptual Research vs Empirical Research Applied/ Action Research vs Fundamental Research Applied or action research is carried out to find solution to solve problems facing by a society or a business or industrial organisation. However, fundamental research which is also known as basic or pure research is mainly concern on gathering of knowledge for knowledges sake without any intention to apply it in practice. Descriptive Research vs Analytical Research Descriptive research is a surveys and fact-finding investigation. It is aims to describe the characteristics of individual, situation or a group or the state of affairs as it exists at present. Researcher has no control over the variables and researcher has to report the actual conditions. On the other hand, analytical research is a critical evaluation based on information that is available and primarily concerned with testing hypothesis; specifying and interpreting relationships by analyze the facts or existing information. Quantitative Research vs Qualitative Research Quantitative research is objective in nature. It is defined as an inquiry into a social or human problem, based on testing a hypothesis or a theory composed of variables, measured with numbers, and analysed with statistical procedures, in order to determine whether the hypothesis or the theory hold true (Creswell, 1994). Quantitative data are hard and reliable; they are measurements of tangible, countable, sensate features of the world (Bouma and Atkinson, 1995). In short, quantitative research is measuring the quantity or amount of particular phenomena by the use of statistical analysis. On the other hand, qualitative research is subjective in nature. It is a non-quantitative type of analysis which is aimed at finding out the quality of a particular phenomenon. It emphasises meanings, experiences, description and etc (Naoum, 1998). Conceptual Research vs Empirical Research Conceptual research is related to some abstract ideas or theories. It is generally used by philosophers and thinkers to develop new concepts or to reinterpret existing ones, whereas, empirical research relies on experience or observation alone. Empirical research is aimed at coming up with conclusions without due regard for system and theory. Empirical research is appropriate when proof is sought that certain variables affect other variables in some way. Data Collection Statistical tools are used to transform data into useful information. However, data must be available before the decision maker can use the statistical tools. Data are available from many sources, both within the company or site. There are several ways of collecting appropriate data which differ considerably in context of money costs, time and other resources at the disposal of the researcher. The sources of data collection can be categorized into primary data and secondary data. Primary data refers to the raw data that collected through experiments or questionnaire surveys, where secondary data refers to the data obtained from site daily, progress report, progress payment, national productivity statistics. The major advantage of primary data is accuracy of data because it is collected by the researcher but it is costly and time consuming. Secondary data is quicker and cheaper as compared to primary data but the data may not meet the specific needs. If the researcher conducts an experiment, he can observes some quantitative measurements or data with the help of the truth in hypothesis that has made earlier. However in the case of survey, data can be collected through observation, personal interview, telephone interview, survey questionnaire or case studies. Observation is the simple way to gather data without interviewing respondents. The information obtained relates to current condition and is not complicated by either past behaviour or future intentions or attitudes of respondents. Undeniable, this method can obtain accurate information but it is time consuming, costly, and sometimes, people reluctant to cooperate. During personal interview, interviewer follows a rigid procedure and seeks answers to a set of pre-conceived questions through personal interviews. The data obtained through personal interview is usually carried out in a structured way where output depends upon the ability of the interviewer to a large extent. Telephone interview can obtain data rapidly with relatively low cost compared to others and do not require travelling for face-to-face contact. It can reach wide range of respondents. However, as this method is carried out through telephone, the respondents might not will to share opinions with strangers or they may tell lie. Thus, this is not suitable for long survey as respondents might feel annoying and difficult to prove the validity of survey. Survey questionnaire can be posted to the respondents together with self-stamped answer sheets or via on-line survey. This method is widely used. This the cheapest way to obtain data and can reach respondents working outstation. The survey question can be set up to 5 pages. However, the cons are that the rate of response is low, answers may be biased and respondents take longer time to respond. For case studies, cross comparison of cases have to be done in order to have fully understanding on clients experiences in a program. It fully depicts clients experience in program input, process and results. It is powerful means to portray program to outsiders. However, it is time consuming either to collect, organize or describe. It represents depth of information rather than breadth. In short, there are different types of method to collect data with their own pros and cons. Time, cost and accuracy are the main constrains to choose an appropriate data collection method. Few data collection methods can be chosen at the same time to obtain maximum accuracy. Research Design Data Analysis Conclusion