Case Study of Qantas Airways-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Case Study of Qantas Airways. Answer: Introduction Human resource frame of a corporation focuses on recruiting employees as well as deciding their role, responsibilities, duties, values, interests, and interactions; in other words, it manages the human capital of an organisation. The human resource frame is administered by the HR department of a company that performs various actions relating to human capital such as recruitment, training, development, retention, compensation, and others. An effective human resource frame efficiently manages employees requirements and increases their productivity through motivation, training, incentives, maintaining a positive organisational environment and removing the conflict between workers and company. In modern business environment, corporations focus on maintaining an effective human resource frame since it provides them a competitive advantage over their competitors; the insightful understanding of human resource frames strengths and weaknesses allow top-level management to formulate policies that improve the productivity of employees and sustain future development of the company. This report will focus on analysing the strengths and weaknesses of human resource frame maintained by Qantas Airways. Further, the report will provide suggestions to reduce the drawbacks of human resource management and to improve the effectiveness of human capital in Qantas Airways. Qantas Airways The Qantas Airways was founded on 16th November 1920, and it is the third oldest airline company is the world; currently, it is the flag carrier and largest airline of Australia based on international destinations offers, overseas flights, and fleet size. The Qantas is an acronym made by the corporation for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services. The company started its international passenger flights services in May 1935; now the company has a total of 118 fleets, and it provides services in more than 85 countries (Qantas, 2017). The head office of Qantas is situated in Mascot, Sydney, Australia and its secondary hubs are in Dubai International Airport, Adelaide airport, and Perth airport. In 2015, the corporation accumulated revenue of AU$16.2 billion and an operating profit of AU$1.03 billion (Ong and Letts, 2016). Qantas Airways has more than 33,826 employees. The subsidiaries of the company include Impulse airlines, Qantas link, Australia Asia airlines, Jetconnect, Jetstar Airways and Network aviation. Qantas Airways is one of the top ten largest airlines in the world, and it is the number one domestic airline in Australia (Rosen, 2017). The company comprises multiple activities through its front and backstage operations. Qantas Airways human resource department focuses on recruiting professionals and providing them extensive training to ensure that they provide excellent services. The productivity and performance of the workers are refined by exceptional training programs that are arranged by the organisation. Qantas management hierarchy includes three levels which are top level, secondary level, and ground level. The top-level management consists of eight members that are headed by a president; the apex level is divided into various departments that manage and formulates policies for various functions such as nomination, audit, recruitment, remunerations, environment, health, security and many others (Day, 2009). The secondary level comprises various executives that look after the policies established by the top level management. This level is divided into 12 central departments which include IT, legal, domestic, finance, loyalties, resources, and others. These departments include managers and air professionals that provide necessary training to workers from ground level in order to develop their skills and abilities. The ground staffs consist of employees that work at ground level such as runways, airports, planes and other places. The diligence and hard work of ground staff allow organisation to provide a high level of service to its customers and sustain their future growth (Sarina and Wri ght, 2015). Strengths of Human Resource Frame Qantas Airways focus on attracting the best talent and developing their skills to ensure they perform at their maximum capacity and provide high-quality services to its customers; the human resource department of the company is highly efficient while selecting professionals and providing them appropriate training (Latemore, 2013). Following are some strengths of Qantas Airways human resource frame. Effective recruitment process Qantas Airways has a robust recruitment process that focuses on hiring professional and qualified candidate for different posts. The HR department thinks outside the box while selecting candidates for the job; they look for extra value in employees rather than just focusing on their credentials (Weller, 2007). To assess unique qualities of candidates, HR department conduct various exercises that provide necessary information which can be utilised while assigning candidates in different positions. Below is a diagram of Qantas Airways recruitment process: Recruitment Process of Qantas Airways Submission of Online Application Interview Psychometric Testing: numerical reasoning, personality tests, verbal reasoning, etc. Assessment Centre In-Tray Exercises Reference Background Checks: Citizenship, Visa, Residency and Medical Check Selection Diversity in Qantas According to Hewett (2016), the CEO of Qantas Airways Alan Joyce provided that maintaining diversity in top-level management assisted them in remaining strong during difficult times. The HR department is committed to maintaining a diverse environment which provides equal respect, value, and compensation to people from different background and gender. The HR department also establishes policies to promote and support recruitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples in Australia. As per the diversity report of Qantas Airways, following are the diversity policies of the company (Qantas, 2016): Training employees to treat each other with dignity and respect. Developing inclusive leaders that promote and value diversity in team and environment. Developing diversity programs to ensure employees work at their highest potential. Communicating organisational diversity policies and its growth with workers. Identifying and creating new partnerships that promote and develop diversity in the organisational Building an including culture that is flexible and provides services to all employees. Women Workers Qantas Airways has a long history of promoting and nurturing their women workers and providing various services for their development. Following facilities are provided by HR department to women employees (Qantas, 2016): Equal opportunity, harassment, and anti-discrimination policies Talent management in order to put women in leadership positions Increasing female engineers Female pilots in advertisement and promotion for recruitment Women @ Qantas development program Flexible work, safety, and other benefits Employees Talent Programs Qantas Airways human resource department has implemented various talent and education programs that are focused on improving knowledge and skills of its employees. The company provides scholarships and loans to employees who decided to study further in order to enhance their knowledge (Bamber, 2015). These programs attract a large number of qualified candidates in the recruitment procedure of Qantas Airways. Following are few programs provided by the corporation to its workers: Harvard leadership program Graduate program Women @ Qantas Development Program Emerging Leader program Indigenous careers @ Qantas team University cadetships and School-based traineeships Training and Development Qantas Airways provide world-class training to its employees and professionals to improve their productivity. The company focus on self-learning policies and foster it by establishing a flexible environment. The self-assessment assignments, tasks, and evaluation techniques help the employees to dwell deep and enhance their capabilities and skills (Gittell and Bamber, 2010). The training programs are divided into four main sections to fulfill the requirements of each trainee; this segregation allows employees to learn comfortably, and it reduces the feeling of discrimination. The trainers provide training based on the readiness of employees and motivate them to improve their performance. Weaknesses of Human Resource Frame Along with several strengths, there are few weaknesses in HR frame of Qantas Airways due to various challenges faced by them. Lack of New Talent More than 95 percent of the Qantas Airways operations are situated in Australia, in order to reduce cost; the company hires workers from local cities (Haynold and Rosander, 2006). The use of local recruitment policy narrows down the scope of the organisation to select talented and skilled employees. The number of airlines professionals is also low, which increases their bargaining demand at the time of recruitment. Qantas Airways provide training to improve the performance of employees, but workers without any knowledge or degree in airline find it difficult to learn new topics. New and talented employees bring new ideas with them that are beneficial for a corporations growth. Therefore, lack of talented employees is significant weaknesses of HR frame of Qantas Airways. High Employee Turnover Qantas Airways is known for the benefits provided by them to their employees, but in return, they constantly put high pressure on them to perform better. Especially in peak season, the employees face a high level of workload that can be dangerous for their physical and mental health. The company also provide flexible hours to its employees, but still, many workers do long shifts during both day and night (Pauka, 2016). These factors increase the employee turnover ratio, and HR department find it difficult to retain workers in the organisation. Employee Engagement In Qantas Airways, most of the employees find it difficult to engage with top-level management due to lack of effective HR policies; it is difficult for low-level workers to communicate their problems directly to the senior management of the company (Oxenbridge, Wallace, White, Tiernan and Lansbury, 2010). The HR staff also failed to effectively assess the requirements and needs of their workers which made employees disconnect from the organisation and it reduced their productivity as well. Lack of Ability to Change The human resource frame of Qantas Airways lacks the ability to change their policies as per the marketing requirements. The HR frame has rigid traditional policies that are not enough to fulfill the requirements of modern employees (Healey, 2016). The company has implemented various modern policies regarding diversity and discrimination, but there is still space for more. The HR department did not incorporate modern technology into their functions which reduces their ability to assess qualities of candidates using digital methods, it increases the time of recruitment and did not analyse the full potential of candidates (Allen, 2006). Recommendations Overall Qantas Airways has an efficient Human resource frame, but it includes few weaknesses as well. Following suggestions can assist the company in reducing their weaknesses and improve the effectiveness of their processes. The company should start international recruitment processes that allow them to attract and hire talented employees from all over the world. Using this strategy will widen the choices for company, and they will be able to hire employees as per their specific technical requirements. The company should recruit part-time employees during their peak season to reduce the pressure from their employees. They should also establish a positive environment in the workplace by assessing the requirement of their workers and fulfilling them. The senior-level HR management should enhance their engagement with low-level staff; the employees must be able to tell their problems and feel like a part of the family. A quarterly meet up program should be established which allow workers to give their feedback to top-level management, and in return, management motivates the employees. The HR department should implement modern technology into its operations to enhance their efficiency. For example, using digital assessment methods to measure capabilities and knowledge of the candidates will reduce the recruitment time and assist in selected of suitable candidates. Conclusion From the above observations, it can be concluded that human resource frame deals with human capital of an organisation. Effective management of human capital is necessary to sustain future development of a corporation. The HR frame of Qantas Airways has several strengths along with few weaknesses. The strengths include diversification in the workplace, equal opportunities to women, effective recruitment process that focus on selecting the best talents, talent programs for workers and high-quality training programs. The weaknesses include high turnover ratio, lack of implementation of modern technology, shortage of new talent, and low employees engagement. The company can adopt various policies to reduce its weaknesses such as international recruitments, hiring part-time workers, quarterly employees engagement program and using modern technologies in recruitment procedure. These strategies will benefit organisation by increasing the effectiveness of HR frame and sustain their future growth. References Allen, J., 2006. How to adjust to a new corporate culture after a merger.Keeping Good Companies,58(1), p.51. Bamber, G.J., 2015. Low-cost airlines product and labor market strategic choices: Australian perspectives.Members-only Library. Day, Q.I., 2009. Alan Joycee, Ceo Qantas.Retrieved July,5, p.2010. Gittell, J.H. and Bamber, G.J., 2010. High-and low-road strategies for competing on costs and their implications for employment relations: international studies in the airline industry.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,21(2), pp.165-179. Healey, B., 2016. How did Qantas improve its human resources management?. [Online] HRM Online. Available at: https://www.hrmonline.com.au/section/strategic-hr/qantas-improve-human-resources-management/ [Accessed on 18/11/2017] Hewett, J., 2016. Alan Joyce says management diversity was key to getting Qantas through turbulent times. [Online] The Australian. Available at: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/in-depth/perpetual/alan-joyce-says-management-diversity-was-key-to-getting-qantas-through-turbulent-times/news-story/5afe123042f7d2e20b8d3a5f001477b8 [Accessed on 18/11/2017] Heynold, Y. and Rosander, J., 2006. A new organizational model for airlines.The McKinsey Quarterly. Latemore, G., 2013. Restoring Trust in Two Australian Organizations: The Cases of Herron and Qantas. InIntegrity in Organizations(pp. 119-145). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Ong, T. and Letts, S., 2016. Qantas posts record profit of $1b, first dividend in seven years. [Online] ABC. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-24/qantas-posts-underlying-profit-of-$1.5b,-announces-share-buyback/7779398 [Accessed on 18/11/2017] Oxenbridge, S., Wallace, J., White, L., Tiernan, S. and Lansbury, R., 2010. A comparative analysis of restructuring employment relationships in Qantas and Aer Lingus: different routes, similar destinations.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,21(2), pp.180-196. Pauka, C., 2016. Qantas makes a big profit but where did the money come from?. [Online] Transport Logistic News. Available at: https://www.tandlnews.com.au/2016/08/24/article/qantas-makes-a-big-profit-but-where-did-the-money-come-from/ [Accessed on 18/11/2017] Qantas., 2016. Our Company. [Online] Qantas. Available at: https://www.qantas.com/travel/airlines/company/global/en [Accessed on 18/11/2017] Qantas., 2016. Qantas Annual Report 2016. [Online] Qantas. Available at: https://www.qantas.com.au/infodetail/about/corporateGovernance/2016AnnualReport.pdf [Accessed on 18/11/2017] Qantas., 2016. Qantas Diversity and Inclusion Statement 2016. [Online] Qantas. Available at: https://www.qantas.com/infodetail/about/corporateGovernance/diversityStatement.pdf [Accessed on 18/11/2017] Rosen, E., 2017. The 2018 List Of The World's Best Airlines Is Out. [Online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericrosen/2017/11/03/the-2018-list-of-the-worlds-best-airlines-is-out/#4243caa15ed7 [Accessed on 18/11/2017] Sarina, T. and Wright, C.F., 2015. Mutual gains or mutual losses? Organisational fragmentation and employment relations outcomes at Qantas Group.Journal of Industrial Relations,57(5), pp.686-706. Weller, S.A., 2007. Discrimination, labour markets and the labour market prospects of older workers: what can a legal case teach us?.Work, employment and society,21(3), pp.417-437.

Essay Writing Tips For Medical School - Medical School Sample

Essay Writing Tips For Medical School - Medical School SampleThe process of writing a leadership essay can be extremely challenging, especially when you don't have much experience with it. It takes years of practice and experience to learn how to write a good essay.At first glance, it is not easy to know where to start when you are writing an essay on leadership. The reason why is that most people are not really clear about what leadership actually is. So, here are some tips on how to write an essay that will really impress your faculty at the medical school you are applying to.If you want to do something that is difficult and challenging, think about hiring a professional writing service to help you out, and give you one-on-one assistance. You can find one of these services online or you can call a local copy shop.Another thing you can do is look for an essay at the Medical School in your area. Most of the time, the essay is written by one of the faculty members who is assigned to t he students. It would be very helpful if you are also writing the essay for yourself. Since this is one of the most important parts of the application process, you must be able to make a good impression.There are two different essay forms that you should use. You can either use an essay form found in the application package that you got from the school or you can use the Common Application essay questions form. The only difference between the two is that the latter form is basically used for college applicants whereas the former form is more for the medical school application.Finally, make sure that you present all the information well in your essay. In fact, if you want to impress your faculty, you must have everything straight in your essay.It is important that you understand how to do this correctly in order to get a strong essay that will get you into the top medical schools in your field. Remember, you are the one that has to provide information for the essay, so don't forget t his important detail!

Royal Printing and Packaging company free essay sample

The new manager â€Å"Jose† being a fresh graduate knew new trends, ideas and tactics beneficial to the company. He has lots of ideas and plans for the future which makes the company adaptive and globally competitive to the business world. -The company has no substantial liabilities. Thus the company has enough financial capability to run business. Having no liabilities means that all sales they have generate goes directly to their net income. -Equipments being a high quality and first hand use, will last long. With its equipments being branded and first hand use, the life span of these will sure last long, which means that the company doesn’t need to purchase new machineries rather spend for maintenance that cost less rather than purchasing a new one. -The value of the machine increases as time passes by. As time goes by the equipments residual value increases, it doesn’t mean that there is a need to sell these to generate income rather, if time came that the machine was already obsolete, sales that would be coming from these will give a gain for the company’s future benefit. We will write a custom essay sample on Royal Printing and Packaging company or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page -The company is a sole proprietorship. Being with this type of business, the owner doesn’t need to consult with its other partners with regards to the decision-making for the company. Wherein there will only be a one- man decision for the entity. -Jose, being the son of the owner, knows the nature of their business. Who else can be suitable to manage the business? Having their business running for almost two decade, he already knew how he can manage it, nonetheless, can seek help and advices from his father. Weakness -Company depends solely with the drugs company. Generally, the company is only dependent from the income they generate from its clients which happens to be the Drug Company only. How can the new management reach its goal if they will only depend from their sales from these? -Too many expenses which lessen the net income. From the data cited on Exhibit B, it can be seen that almost half of their Income goes along with all their Operating Expense, especially from the Materials/Supplies Expense. If it can be lessen, it would be a good start for the company to generate a higher net income. -It has a bad net margin. For the past years, the net margin of the company doesn’t even reach 10% which measures the profitability of the entity. If this doesn’t increase, as time goes by may lead to bankruptcy. -The new manager lacks with experience being a fresh graduate. A fresh graduate lacks with experiences on how he would manage the company. A neophyte on the â€Å"real world† won’t survive if he would hold the company’s highest position, thus may lead to failure. -Machines were purchased long time ago which may lead to inadequacy and obsolescence. The machineries along was stated on the data given that to have a useful life at least 20 years. Almost all of its machineries used for operation were purchased long time ago, which may affect the productivity of the company’s output. Opportunities -There is an on-going structural reform. With the coming of the new management head, there would be reforms in the organization -Demand for basic school textbook increases. The population of pupils and students are increasing, thus, having more need for printed learning materials. -Restoration of democratic process. Restoration of democratic process will generate business from local companies as it achieves political stability. -The entity can accept prints for newspapers, journals, and periodic for them to advertise their company. During this time, a paid advertisement is a great help for the company to gain clients. Threat -More competitors rather than clients. -Economic change. -Technological advancement. During this time, technology ease the burden of most company’s thus inability to adapt with these changes, there would be a big gap between the entities with the other counterpart business establishments. -Natural calamities. Because Philippines a tropical country and a typhoon belt. It is also a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire; we cannot get rid of the possibility that this may affect the company’s operation. ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION (ACA) 1. Regain previous clients and give them discount or promo to gain their partnership again. Advantages: You would regain previous clients that would give and generate the entity a higher profit. Sales will increase. Many would acquire the discount/promo to have partnership with you. Disadvantages: Inability to meet deadlines. Higher demand for supplies needed for production. 2. Borrow money from creditors to finance larger scale operations. Advantages: There would be more capital for expanding the business Less taxes may be paid Disadvantages: There would be the presence of substantial liabilities. Inability to pay debt 3. Advertise Advantages: Attract buyers Informs potential buyers Disadvantages: Additional costs from advertisements 4. Do nothing. Advantages: No plan of action would be done Disadvantages: There would be no progress Recommendations Nos. 1 3

Animal Dreams essays

Animal Dreams essays People dream about whatever they do when theyre awake. Dreams, what [one] hopes for, [are] not separate from [ones] life (133; ch.12). In Barbara Kingsolvers novel, Animal Dreams, each characters hopes, aspirations, and hardships are intricately woven throughout their lives and intertwined in their dreams. In the case of Codi Noline, the novels central character, foresight played both the role of the adversary and the desired. With the help of those surrounding her, such as her ailing father, Dr. Homero Noline, her adventurous sister, Hallie, a colorful local, Dona Althea, and her naturalist, hog-head boyfriend, Loyd, Codi finds closure and a place in her heart for the love that has forever been bestowed upon her. Each of these characters dreams reflects their innate and cultural instincts. For some, lack of faith and fear of rejection blockaded the gates to happiness, while other characters in the novel displayed courageous and directed efforts in order for their dreams to be come realized. In search of a place in the sun, a place to belong, Codi Noline set out on a journey to return to her hometown of Grace where during her childhood she had felt like an outcast. Lacking both sleep and dreams, she attempted to search for her life, her past, and any hint of connection with her distant, ailing father. Due to the lack of male influence and attention from Dr. Noline, Codi sought solace in the arms of her lovers. This constant desire for companionship left her helpless and alone. Her attempts to be brave were reinforced by her restablished relationship with Loyd Peregrina (200; ch.17). Codis main goal in life since she was young was to fit in, but unfortunately she was always an oddity in Grace, forced to wear orthopedic shoes and read encyclopedias (219; ch.18). After the death of her mother and the miscarriage of her baby, Codi feare...

CONTRACT LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

CONTRACT LAW - Essay Example Consideration moves from the promisee, not the third party and thus the third party cannot sue upon the contract (Tweddle v Atkinson [1861]2. As imagined, this was done in the interest of certainty in law but it did have the potential of leading to unfairness for a party to whom the benefit was provided, such as that witnessed in Dunlop and Shanklin Pier v Detel Products3. This is where the Law Commission came in with its reforms in 1996. The resulting Contract (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 brought into force that report of the Law Commission (1996) which allows third parties to enforce the contract and be able to sue for breaches subject to a few conditions. Needless to say, this brought forth a welcome wave of statutory protection for third parties which previously were entitled to benefits under that contract but still could not enforce it due to lack of consideration. Section 1 of the Contract (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 provides that a third party may be able to enfo rce the terms of the contract if â€Å"the contract expressly provides that he may† (s.1(1)(a)) and â€Å"the term purports to confer a benefit on him† (s. 1(1)(b)) (except where on proper construction   of the contract it appears that the parties did not intend the term to be enforceable by the third party (s.1(2)). Thus if A agrees to pay C $100 on the performance of an obligation by B, C can enforce that payment if A fails to pay in breach. This was not the case earlier, as seen in Beswick v Beswick4 where the nephew made a contract with his uncle which involved payment of weekly maintenance to the aunt. The House of Lords held that Mrs. Beswick could not enforce the contract since she was not privy to it. In light of the Contract (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 today, it is clear that the case would have been decided differently. The third party may also rely on exclusion clauses in order to protect its interest. However, simply conferring a benefit to the thi rd party may not be enough to grant him a right to sue. Where there is doubt as to whether the parties designed the agreement to avoid conferring a right to sue on the third party, s.1(2) applies and the courts will, on a proper construction of the contract, seek to determine the actual intention of the parties. This presents certain problems if the contract does not expressly state the intention of the parties. In Nisshin Shipping Co Ltd v Cleaves & Co Ltd [2003]5, the burden of proof to counter a right granted to a third party to sue under s.1(2) was placed on the party that alleges that such a right has been wrongfully applied (as per Colman J). Thus, in a neutral contract, where there is no language barring the third party to sue, it would usually follow that the statute often grants a right to sue to the third party. This safeguards the third party a little too broadly, and it has been applied differently where the chain of sub-contracts is long. In cases where the contract con sist of sub-contracts that purport to confer a benefit to a third party, it is more likely for courts to construe that parties privy to a sub-contract lower down the chain did not intend to enable the third party benefitting under that contract to sue up the hierarchy the original contractor (see Junior Book v. Veitchi & Co Ltd [1983]6. Of course, it must be noted that the Act does not allow the right to a third party in all cases and the parties may explicitly bar him to sue on it. In addition, there must be some identification

Advertising is the backbone of a business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Advertising is the backbone of a business - Essay Example However different types of people get attracted to different types of approaches as portrayed by the brands and businesses. which I was tempted only to buy after watching the different advertisements given by them. Nike has adopted a universal approach to hiring superstars in their advertisements and this adds to an advantage to the brand. The brand not only shows professionalism in its advertisements but also adds humour to them. Both these approaches amalgamated together to tempt the people to buy its products. I personally had no interest in playing sports prior to watching the advertisements of Nike. However, after watching Roger Federer in the ads of Nike I was tempted to buy products from Nike. The ad in which a fake coach barges in the house of Federer and makes him practice has a tinge of humour in it which forced me to buy not only the racket but also the shoes of Nike. Humor should be an important part of the advertisements given out by brands and businesses as it forces on e to watch the ad continuously. Furthermore, after watching this ad continuously, one is forced to buy the product. The most effective form of advertisement which tempts me to buy products is of humour and professionalism. The ads of Nike show the professionalism of stars and show us the reality of this world. Shoes, rackets, balls and apparels attract me the most through advertisements. Advertising plays a major role in my life as it tells me about the products I am looking for.

The Golden Ratio: Importance

The Golden Ratio: Importance The great architect of age and every culture, the basis of which is Golden Ratio. Thesis statement: What is the Golden Ratio? How can one number be so important that countless historical figures have spent many years of their lives studying it and proving its existence? And why is it still so relevant in todays design and architecture? Introduction What is the most satisfying proportion in today design? The Greeks thought they knew. Their temples were designed according to certain rules relating to the golden section. (Which is what we, layman, know as the Divine Proportion, the Golden Proportion, the Golden Number or even the Golden hat Mean.) In the 13th century, Fibonnaci, an Italian mathematician, put it all down on paper. He said, the golden section or perfect proportion was 0.618034 to 1 (about 5 to 8). The Parthenon (a temple in the Athenian Acropolis that the Greeks built, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena) fits into Fibonnacis Golden rectangle. Incidentally, so do the pyramids at Giza. Does this make the Golden proportion a necessary rule to follow in design? In the 16th century, Leonardo Da Vinci wrote a book on geometric recreations called Divine Proportion. In 1948 Le Corbusier also wrote a book on mathematical proportioning. Others who have benefited this ratio are biologists, artists, psychologists and even mystics have pondered and debated on the basis of ubiquity and appeal. It is fair to say that the Golden Ratio has inspired thinkers of all disciplines like no other numbers in the history of mathematics. Throughout the generations, many architects have also searched for the golden rule of design, thinking that it is that of the Golden Ratio. However, their search is far from over. This is because mathematics alone will not tell you what the most eye-pleasing proportion for a buildings structure is. Proportion must be generically correct and determined by the nature of the material. In other words, it is one thing for stone, another for concrete, and something else for steel. This, we would discuss further in another segment. Present technology has also given architects and engineers unlimited range to compose new forms of design and exciting spaces. My stand is that the Golden Ratio is an important aspect in designing a building but it is not the most crucial. Besides having proportion in a building, functionality is also important. A creative design through the creative intuition of a designer will make the building outstanding. History Background Renaissance Period The Golden Ratio is related to many things in the world today, not only during the times of Renaissance, Le Corbusier and Alberti. It exists in architecture, art, music, design and even fashion. Since Renaissance, many artists and architects have proportioned their works to the Golden Ratio, especially in the form of golden rectangle, in which the ratio of the longer side to the shorter in the Golden Ratio, causing this proportion to be aesthetically pleasing. Mathematicians have studied this because of its unique and interesting properties applying it to geometry. Since then, it has opened up doors for me how I view design and architecture and how it balances harmony to architecture design in this modern world. Others who have benefited this ratio are biologists, artists, psychologists and even mystics have pondered and debated on the basis of ubiquity and appeal. It is fair to say that the Golden Ratio has inspired thinkers of all disciplines like no other numbers in the history of mathematics. B Body The Golden Ratio in the Past Firstly, let us consider what the ancients were trying to achieve by including the Golden Proportion in their design. Taking the building of the Parthenon temple as an example, the Greeks have shown a clear example of proportioned Golden Ratio and design, with it being circumscribed by golden rectangles. Some scholars, however, denied that the Greeks had any aesthetic association with Golden Ratio. It could have been just pure sense of good proportion by the architects at that time. Making a building pleasing to ones eyes and creating harmony in space was the main objective. the Greeks simply wanted to achieve perfection that pleases their God, Athena. The Parthenons facade is, or? Unlikely I feel, as it is seen from the pictures, the measurements and the superimpose golden rectangles, these choices are so well made that there must be some work of the mathematical calculations to derive such proportioned structure of a building. They feel that it was not until Euclid that mathematical properties were studied. Before Elements (308BC) the Greek merely regarded the number merely as an interesting irrational numbers, with regular pentagons and decagons and dodecahedron (a regular polyhedron) and regular pentagons. But one thing for sure, it was the Euclid where it is showed how to calculate the value. Vitruvius (a Roman writer, architect and engineer) discussed proportions where it can be expressed in whole numbers, as opposed to irrational proportions. Secondly, Are modern designers concerned with the issue of Golden Ratio to architectural design? Whether they still apply Golden Ratio? Le Corbusier is said to have contributed to many modern international style architecture, centering on harmony and proportion. Its faith in the mathematical order was closely bound by the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci series. He uses the Golden Ratio in his modulor system for the scale of architectural proportion. He saw this system as a continuation of the long tradition of Vitruvius, and others who used the proportions of the human body, to improve the appearance and function of architecture. In addition to Golden Ratio, Le Corbusier based the system on human measurements, Fibonacci numbers and the double unit. He took Leonardos suggestion of the Great Ratio in human proportions to an extreme, he sectioned his model human bodys height at the navel with the two sections in the Golden Ratio, then subdivided those sections in Golden Ratio at the knees and throat; he used these Golden Ratio proportions in the Modulor system. The Villa Stein in Garches exemplified the Modular system. The Villas rectangular ground, elevation and inner structure closely approximate golden rectangles. Thirdly, Fractal Dimensions in Modern Architecture Recently, fractal dimensions have been calculated to be used frequently for Frank Lloyd Wrights and Le Corbusiers buildings. It can be found that both architects use the method of increasingly smaller rectangular grids. Frank Lloyd Wrights buildings display a self-similar characteristic over a wide range of scales (far and spaced versus micro small sizes), so those buildings are intrinsically fractal. However for this specific project, Wright was following the brilliant example of his teacher, Louis Sullivan. By contrast, Le Corbusiers architecture displays a characteristic over only two or three of the largest scales. In more detail, Le Corbusiers architecture is flat and straight, and therefore has no fractal qualities. A fractal dimension between one and two characterizes a design that has an infinite number of self-similar levels of scale, whereas the fractal dimension of Le Corbusiers buildings immediately drops to one. (Bovill, 1996. Salingaros, 1999.) Golden Ratio has also proven in the Art and Nature Leonardo da Vincis illustrated yet another divine proportion in the infamous painting of Mona Lisa. Other equally well known painting which has made use of the Golden Ratio is The Sacrament of the Last Supper by Salvador Dali. The Golden Ratio is expressed in the arrangement of branches along the stems of plants and of veins in leaves and even to the skeletons of animals including their veins and nerves, to the proportions of chemical compounds and the geometry of crystals, to the use of proportion in artistic endeavours. From this, the Golden Ratio has become a universal law in strive to create completeness and beauty, with both nature and art, in structure, forms and proportions, organic and inorganic, in the human form. According to Volkmar Weiss and Harold Weiss the Golden Ratio also affects the clock cycle of brain waves, known as psychometric data. Golden Ratio is Relevance in Present Times Modernising the Traditional Intimate Relationship Between Architecture and Mathematics The traditional intimate relationship between architecture and mathematics has changed in the 20th century. Architecture students no longer need to have a mathematical background according to the article Architecture, Patterns and Mathematics by Nikos Salingaros. It may be promoting an anti-mathematical mindset. Mathematics is a science of patterns, the presence or absence of patterns in our surroundings influences how easily one grasp the concepts that rely on patterns. However, it has been seen that an increase in technological advances, rather especially in the area of environmental factors, has made mathematics almost redundant in architecture. Environmental psychologists know that our surroundings influence the way we think, so if we are raised in an anti-mathematical environment, then we would deem to subscribe more human qualities. This is not an argument about preferences or styles, it concerns more about a trained functionality of the human mind! An example to illustrate the meaning of functionality in the human mind is made by Christopher Alexander where: the need for lights from two sides of a room; a well-defined entrance; interaction of footpaths and car roads; hierarchy of privacy in different rooms of a house and etc. It speaks about specific building types, about building blocks that can be combined in an infinite number of ways. This implies a more mathematical and combinatoric approach to design in general. Alexandrine patterns represent solutions which repeat itself in time and space, thus relating to visual patterns transforming into other dimensions. A new concept: Organic Architecture In recent years, there has been a shift in architecture looking away from Golden Ratio to other ways in which design can still have a sense of proportion by looking at nature for inspiration; the term given is Organic Architecture. The term organic architecture was coined by the famous modern architect, Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), though never well expressed by his cryptic style of writing: So here I stand before you preaching organic architecture: declaring organic architecture to be the modern ideal and the teaching so much needed if we are to see the whole of life, and to now serve the whole of life, holding no traditions essential to the great TRADITION. Nor cherishing any preconceived form fixing upon us either past, present or future, but instead exalting the simple laws of common sense or of super-sense if you prefer determining form by way of the nature of materials Frank Lloyd Wright, written in 1939. While Organic Architecture does describe some form of individuality, it also expresses our need to connect the designs, we create, to Nature. Using Nature as a fundamental for design, from there a building or design must grow, as Nature grows, from the inside out. Many architects design their buildings as that similar to a shell and force their way inside. Nature grows from the idea of a seed and reaches out to its surroundings. A building thus, is akin to an organism and mirrors the beauty and complexity of Nature. Where the Golden Ratio Fits In However, in the research that I have done on this topic, many of the historic scholars who devoted their entire lives to studying the Golden Ratio has always studied nature for inspiration and they derived the Golden Ratio from nature itself. Modern architects who claim to move away from the Golden Ratio as it is too conformist and look towards nature for their inspiration for proportion instead still end up following the Golden Ratio as it was from studying nature that led to the discovery of Golden Ratio. Hence, the continuing relevance of Golden Ratio in todays architecture. How the Golden Ratio is evident in our everyday lives The Golden Ratio seen in Music Rhythm is everywhere in nature, at every scale from cosmic phenomena to the oscillations of atoms. Our every cell has its own clock, governing its own repetitive rhythms. Time itself, once measured by the motion of earth, sun and stars, is now defined, less memorably, as 9,192,631,770 oscillations of a single atom of an obscure metal. At the scale of the biosphere, the fidelity of replication in the genetic system is such that no more than about 200 errors are made in copying the 300 million bases strung into the chromosomes that hoard the design of our bodies. Without those errors, however, there could be no change and so no evolution. With this is mind, we shall now look at how rhythm ties in with the Golden Ratio. Much of the rhythm and movement and design of our bodies and normal everyday life experiences all tie in with the Golden Ratio, how we perceive an object and whether we find it pleasing all goes back to the Golden Ratio. Because it is the one of the universal constants that allow for the interactions between all things on earth, it continues to hold relevance in our lives, regardless of the advancements in technology, which in fact is actually discovering more and more how life and design is so intimately associated with the Golden Ratio. Architectural evidence of the Golden Ratio Take a look at modern architecture and you will soon realize that the last decades have produced an increasing number of buildings with exotic shapes. Of course, also in earlier times the design of buildings has been influenced by mathematical ideas regarding, for instance, symmetry. Both historical and modern developments show that mathematics can play an important role, ranging from appropriate descriptions of designs to guiding the designers intuition. C Case study Case Study One: Republic Poly Technology of Singapore by Fumihiko Maki Fumihiko Maki designed the new campus attempting to preserve the green qualities and the topography of the original site introducing landscape elements that contrast with the natural widerness and strengthen the sense of place based on Golden Ratio. Case Study Two: AL Mukminin Mosque In Jurong East by Forum Architects built in 1987 The adoption of the Fibonacci sequence as a design generator is the intriguing concept of this Mosque, a strong arithmetic pattern. The architects involved with questions of context and the sense of harmony is gathered from the aspiration. Case Study Three: Palladios Villa Rotunda. The Villa Rotonda design is completely symmetrical on all axes under a modern teminology, including diagonals. Case Study Four: Taj Mahai Taj Mahai in India contains the golden ratio in its design and it was completed in 1648. Case Study Five: CN Tower in Toronto The CN Tower in Toronto, the tallest tower structure in the world, has contains the also has golden ratio in its design. 342 meters was the ratio of observation deck and total height of 553.33 is 0.618 or phi, the reciprocal of Phi! Case Study Six: California Polytechnic State University The College of Engineering was also designed based on the Fibonacci number What I have perceived until this moment In my analysis, Golden Ratio forms the basis of understanding of architecture, however it is not the entirety. Because form follow function, function plays an important part of the architectural design because without understanding the functionally of form, it is not possible to develop a building of good use, for example a good architect must be able to understand the utility of function. For example, the architect must know how many rooms a house needs, whether a swimming pool is required or a badminton court needed. After a form is selected and function must go beyond the concerns of biotechnical materialism. The creative architects must go beyond utility technical knowledge to an awareness of experiential associations and symbolic meanings that lies behind the visible form. Beauty in design is not guaranteed when all of the above is satisfied. Some intuition is required by the architect and an outstanding design depends also in skill and intuition with functionality. Therefore, the great architect of age and every culture, the basis of which is mathematical. Word count : 2953