Assignment 1a (Descriptive Assignment: Vegetables)

i. Aims and Accomplishments
The expected learning outcome of this assignment is the ability for each students to analyse and evaluate reading texts carefully. This assignment required the class to write a descriptive essay of our journey discovering a chosen vegetable. To complete this assignment excellently, experiment was needed to be done, along with detailed imaginations.

ii. Reflection
In this assignment, thorough and detailed imagination was needed to write the essay. Every step of your journey in discovering the chosen vegetables needed to be recorded and nothing was to be left out. This assignment has forced me to catalog every detail of my actions in completing the essay. From the moment of choosing the vegetable, taking the vegetable out of the fridge, feeling the vegetable and so on.. I was irritated at first because I hate taking down notes. When it came to the part of writing the essay, then I realised that all the cataloging has actually made writing the essay easier.

Misunderstood Melon

English 2 (ENGL 0205)

Assignment 1, Observing The Familiar:

Vegetable

Quinnie Tan (0311888)

Misunderstood Melon

As night fell upon this part of the world, I laid on my bed, trying to sleep. However, sleep eluded me. After tossing and turning for half an hour, I decided to contemplate the activities and events of the day. Travelling down my memory, I stumble upon the thought of an assignment given to me a couple of days ago. “Choose a vegetable, only one!” said the lecturer, immediately, without giving it a thought, I choose bitter gourd.

“So, why bitter gourd?” I thought to myself, “Why did I automatically choose bitter gourd?”. It is not as crunchy as broccoli, fragrant like shitake mushroom or sweet like Japanese cabbage. It is bitter, it kills whatever flavour enhancer that you add in. It is hated by almost everyone due to it’s bitter “characteristic”. Deciding that sleep has truly abandoned me, I got up, determined to examine the bitter gourd I bought from the market earlier.

Since my housemates were all fast asleep, I had to creep quietly into the kitchen. As I open the fridge, then and there I saw in the corner, my bitter gourd. I took it out and placed it on my chopping board. Taking my knife out of the drawer and ready to cut it in half, then I realised I must observe the surface. I picked it back up, and felt the coldness because it was in the fridge the whole day. As I ran my fingertips on the surface of the bitter gourd, I felt the bumps on the bitter gourd; each bump ran along the oblong vegetable. Holding it out in arm length, I noticed that a bitter gourd can give us the impression that it looks like a bumpy road or even old. Giving it a hard squeeze, I could actually feel the toughness of bitter gourd. It was not as hard as a carrot, at the same time not as soft as cherry tomatoes.

Holding up to my ear as one would normally do with a sea shell; I noticed that bitter gourd does not produce sound. But when tapped on, it began to emit a type of sound one would normally hear when tapping on watermelons. Then again I wondered, would bitter gourd produce sound when rubbed against each other?. Because I only had one bitter gourd, I had to cut the bitter gourd into half. And again I brought both parts of bitter gourd to my ears and rubbed them on each other. I heard squishy sound, like the sound you hear when hand-washing your clothes.

Observing the cross-sectional cut of the bitter gourd, I noticed that it has multiple shades of green. In the outer-most layer, it was a darker shade of lime green, as it moves towards the centre; I noted that the green gets lighter, and the last colour was yellow. There is a hollow section in the centre of the bitter gourd. this is where the seeds are found. I noticed that the seeds are red. Treating the bitter gourd like a scientific specimen, I further dissected the bitter gourd into half. I immediately saw that the seeds were not actually red. The seeds were actually brown in colour and the red I saw was actually the colour of the pulp covering each of the seeds.

I took a spoon and scooped all the seeds out. I touched the hollow base once occupied by the seeds; it was slippery. Slicing the bitter gourd into thin slices, I rubbed a slice in between my fingers. Somehow, it felt sandy and watery. Breaking that particular slice, I heard a crunching sound. I decided that this sound indicates that bitter gourds are crunchy. Felling bold and crazy, I placed a slice of the bitter gourd in my mouth and started chewing. The moment my tongue senses the bitter taste, I was instantly alert. What was I thinking? Putting a piece of raw bitter gourd into my mouth, knowing how bad it would taste.

After that experience, I decided that I have done enough physical study on the bitter gourd. I quickly bag the dissected bitter gourd and kept them in the fridge, and went back into my room. Active and alert after tasting the bitterness of bitter gourd, I resolved into reading some information of bitter gourd from the internet. As a normal person living in this technology savvy era, I just googled bitter gourd. Reading through a few articles about bitter gourd, I found that in most parts of the world, bitter gourd is known as bitter melon. To my surprise, there are many varieties of bitter gourd, and they exist in many parts of the world. It is also known as karavella in different places.

Scanning through the article, I stumbled upon an interesting piece on the health benefits of bitter gourd. The nutrients from bitter gourds were actually proven to control cancer by killing the cancer cells and stopping them from multiplying. In many Asian and African countries, bitter gourd is used to prevent malaria, however this has yet to be scientifically established, although it is proven that there are antimalarial content in bitter gourds. This disliked bitter melon is also used to cure viral diseases such as chicken pox and measles in Togo. Bitter gourd has been proven to be beneficial to our cardiovascular system and used to reduce blood glucose concentration, hence it is tremendously beneficial to diabetics. To boast it’s benefits even more, bitter gourd is traditionally used to help reduce weight.

After reading this article, it struck me that bitter gourds are actually beneficial to us. It has multiple benefits to us. People can actually be healthy without needing to eat manufactured vitamins and drugs. Just because of it’s bitterness, people overlook the good that it can bring to their body. Therefore, I conclude that bitter melon is a misunderstood melon.

Assignment 1b (Comparative Essay )

MUSICAL MOVIES / HISTORICAL MOVIES

i. Aims and Accomplishments
The aim of this assignment is to analyse and evaluate reading texts critically. To accomplish the learning outcome of this assignment successfully, I first had to watch and analyse the movies I chose to compare. the Movies I have chosen are "The Producers" (2005) and "Moulin Rouge" (2001). These movies are from the same genre, musical. Planning the point of comparison is essential in the completing the essay. And supporting the points with examples and extracts from the movies are also essential in completing the essay successfully.

ii. Reflections
This assignments was easier to complete because I am a "couch potato" and I have been watching these movies since they were first released. I memorized the lyrics and the scenes. However, when it came to comparing the movies in details, it was not as easy as I thought it would be. CIting and referencing the movies' lyrics and scripts was quite complicated as I need to choose the right lines and scenes to prove and support my points. This assignment has taught me more on my referencing skills.

The Producers

Moulin Rouge

A Contrast Essay

English 2 (ENGL 0205)

Class 1 : Assignment 2

Quinnie Tan (0311888)

Academy Award, Emmy Awards, Golden Awards. Every year, we are bombarded with a media frenzy of Who wore who?, Who is dating who?, Best-dressed, Worst-dressed. Blinded by these, we forget the true meaning of the awards. These awards are awarded to acknowledge the talents of those who bring us movies, without whom, our mode of entertainment will be limited. Movies are powerful enough to convey life lessons and entertain us at the same time. They are divided into multiple genres. However, musical will be the main focus. A musical movie is a type of cinematography which features singing, dancing, songs or choreography (Dirks, 2013).

Moulin Rouge is a story between two lovers Christian, a penniless but strong believer in the Bohemian way of life and Satine, a renowned courtesan in the Moulin Rouge, who longs to be a real actress. Christian and Satine had an affair, although Satine was already promised to the duke. After a whirlwind romance, Satine succumbs to tuberculosis and dies. Meanwhile The Producers, features Max Bialystock a Broadway producer who was successful and Leo Bloom, a timid accountant. Together, they formed a plan to con their investors to make money. They were caught, but Leo escaped to Brazil and spent the money while Mas is in prison. However, when the court hearing for Max came, Leo came back and defended Max. Although under one genre, there are still apparent differences which distinguish one musical with another. Choosing the musicals Moulin Rouge and The Producers, I will contrast these musicals three aspects; characteristics of the main characters, type of songs and messages conveyed in each movie.

Moulin Rouge presents 2 main characters Christian and Satine who in turn became lovers. Christian, is a penniless but strong believer in the Bohemian way of life. He moved from England to France to pursue his passion, to write. Satine in the other hand is a renowned courtesan in the Moulin Rouge, who longs to be a real actress. Christian believes that love is everything. When asked whether he believes in love, he replies without hesitation, “Love. Above all things I believe in love. Love is like oxygen. Love is many splendored a thing. Love lifts us up to where we belong. All you need is love!” (Luhrmann, 2001). Satine however is a practical person. She chose to be a courtesan to survive, as she claimed “Being on the streets is terrible!” (Luhrmann, 2001). On the contrary, The Producers introduced two main characters Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom who eventually became best friends and business partners. Max Bialystock is a renowned Broadway producer and has produced endless successful shows. However in the recent years, the shows he produced has opened and closed on the same night. Being persuasive person that he is, Max managed to persuade rich and older women to finance his shows. He succeeded in persuading Leo to adjust the account by saying “It's not cheating ... It's charity. Bloom, look at me ... look at me! I'm drowning. Other men sail through life. Bialystock has struck a reef. Bloom, I'm going under. I am being sunk by society that demands success, when all I can offer is failure. Bloom I'm reaching out to you. Don't send me to jail. Help! Help!” .Leo Bloom in comparison is a very shy man. He works as a public accountant and was sent Bialystock’s office to audit the books. But all these time, Leo has been dreaming of becoming a producer. He admitted it by singing “I want to be a producer!” (Brooks, I Want To Be A Producer, 2005) in the Public Accountant Office. Through producing a play together, they finally became best friends.

In addition to the differences of the main characters, there are also differences in the songs used for both musicals. In The Producers, all the songs used are original songs written by Mel Brooks. Songs are composed and written to suit the conversation taking place. In a scene where Bialystock and Bloom began their casting, an attractive Swedish actress came in and began singing about her talents and her gorgeous figure through a song entitled “If you got it, flaunt it” (Brooks, If You Got It, Flaunt It, 2005). Different when compared to Moulin Rouge. Moulin Rouge features songs that have been sung by other singers before. Suitable songs are sung in the right scene. When Christian was trying to win Satine’s heart, he began singing a particular medley that combines a few songs together. In an attempt to rebut Satine’s opinion on love he started his song with “All you need is love” sung by The Beatles.

Finally, the third aspect that will be contrasted is the message conveyed in the movie. Moulin Rouge tells us about love.. In Moulin Rouge, love is taught to be the most valuable possession in life. As Christian continuously talks about his opinion on love, claiming that love is the same as oxygen. Without love, people would not be able to survive and truly be happy. He said that love promises wonderful thing. Hence all you need is love (Luhrmann, 2001). Moulin Rouge is telling us that for love will face many trials and tribulations, but once overcome, one will be truly happy. The Producers in the other hand tells us about friendship. It tells us that real friends will help us in moments of need. In the end, Leo came back to defend Max in the trial. He gave a defensive speech and told everyone that Max Bialystock thought him to stand up for himself and chase his dreams. He pleaded that Max never hurt anyone. All he did was con rich people of their money to survive.

Watching movies are often labelled as a waste of time and money, there is nothing to be learned from movies. On the contrary, movies are actually beneficial to everyone. It provides us a topic to talk about with others, it conveys hidden messages that teach us a few lessons in life and it entertains us. Hence, it is important for us to appreciate and acknowledge movies.

Works Cited

Bedford St. Martins. (n.d.). Elements Of Fiction. Retrieved March 14, 2013, from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/fiction/elements.asp?e=1

Brooks, M. (2005). I Want To Be A Producer. (S. Stroman, Director, & M. Broderick, Performer) Retrieved March 8, 2013

Brooks, M. (2005). If You Got It, Flaunt It. (U. Thurman, Performer) Retrieved March 8, 2013

Dirks, T. (2013). Main Film Genre. Retrieved March 13, 2013, from filmsite.org: http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html

Baron, F., Brown, M., Luhrmann, B. (Producers), & Luhrmann, B. (Director). (2001). Moulin Rouge [Motion Picture]. Retrieved March 8, 2013

Brooks, M. (Producer), & Stroman, S. (Director). (2005). The Producers [Motion Picture]. Retrieved March 8, 2013

Bibliography

Langan, J. (2008). College Writing Skills with reading Seventh Edition. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies.

Assignment 1c (Class Debate)

i. Aims and Accomplishments

This assignment tests the students on their listening and speaking ability. The ability of each student to identify the speaker's role, expression, relationship and attitude as conveyed through stressing of words and intonation as well as develop and deliver fluency in speaking and listening in preparation for a tertiary programme. To complete this assignment well thorough research on the motion had to be made. Group discussion was also made multiple times to divide the points that each speaker was suppose to talk about.

ii. Reflections

This assignment required me to brush up on my skills as a debater. The topic given to us was a controversial topics. As the opposition,our group had to support the controversial Lynas project in Gebeng, Kuantan. We had to support the project even though we knew that the processing plant will emit radioactive rays that will harm the living thing surrounding the area. However, we had to try our best to convince people that the motions should be opposed and the project has no harmful effects to the surrounding. We tried our best and thankfully manage to get an average grade.

Assignment 2 (Research Assignment)

Comparative Research based on businesses of the same trade of different geographical locations

i. Aims and Accomplishments

The aim of this assignment is to exposed students to conduct a thorough research and write well developed and well organised critical essay with the correct format and referencing techniques. It is also aimed to develop student's interviewing skills, public presentation skills and also apply argumentative strategies in specific situations. in this assignment, students were asked to choose a trade to compare in both Penang and the Klang Valley. The trade I have chosen in the Quantity Surveying trade. Weeks before leaving Penang, my groupmate and I called and made an appointment with a firm in Penang.

ii. Reflections

In completing this assignment, I actually learnt the correct way to conduct interviews and research. I also learnt the to plan the proper questions needed to be asked in the interviews to get the information needed to write the comparative essay. Being my first trip to Penang, this assignment was a memorable assignment. And it taught me skills that I have never learnt before.

COMPARATIVE RESEARCH

QUANTITY SURVEYING FIRMS

DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL

LOCATIONS

FOUNDATION IN NATURAL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

ENGLISH 2

SEMESTER 2 (JULY 2012 INTAKE)

Comparative Research

English 2 (ENGL 0205)

Assignment 2

AZMIRA MD YAAKOB (0312011)

QUINNIE TAN (0311888)

CONTENTS

NO.	CONTENTS	PAGE(1)
1	Introduction	3-12
2	Origins of Quantity Surveying	13
3	Penang	14
4	Subang Jaya	15
5	Report	16-20
6	Conclusion	21
7	Appendix	22-36
8	References	37

INTRODUCTION

A research was carried out to study the Quantity Surveying industry in two different geographical locations and comparisons of the firms were made. There are three firms chosen to be compared. One is located in Sungai Nibong, Penang, while the other two are located in Subang Jaya, Selangor. The chosen firms are Nor Azah Consultant, Jurukur Bahan Antara and Juruukur Bahan Annor.

METHODOLOGY

The first method used in this research is reading. Thorough reading on the geographical locations, the quantity surveying industry and the firms were done. The information was read from books and internet. This method was done before the interview to get an overview of the industry and the places.

The second method is through interview. A series of questions were prepared before the interview to ensure all the necessary information needed for comparison is obtained. This is also to ensure that the interview goes smoothly.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

The questions asked during the interview are as follow:

PERSONAL INFROMATION (INTERVIEWEE):

Name

Job Position

Phone Number

E-mail Address

COMPANY BACKGROUND:

Company Name

Founder(s)

Year founded

Location(s)

Number of Branch(es)

Number of Employees

Company Mission

Company Vision

BUSINESS INFORMATION:

Estimated Number of Client(s)

Notable Clients (Name 3)

Business Accomplishment(s) in the last 3-5 year

Estimated Number of Competitor(s)

Name of Competitors (Name 3 top competitors)

MARKET INFORMATION (ECONOMICS):

Company’s Business Strategy (eg: how do you attract customers; lower prices, advertisements, etc..)

Obstacle(s) Faced By Company (eg: too many competitors, problems with employee, etc..)

Is the business currently facing intense competition?

Is the business’s pricing affected by the competition?

Is the company affected by the current economic downfall?

Generally, Do You Feel It’s Easy To Enter The Quantity Surveying Market? (Strong/Weak Barrier-To-Entry)

EXTRA INFORMATION:

Is The Business Planning To Open Another Branch

Advice For Future Quantity Surveyors

CONCLUSION

The first part of the project concluded with the interview done in three different firms; Nor Azah Consultant (Penang based), Jurukur Bahan Antara (Klang Valley based) and Jurukur Bahan Annor (Klang Valley based)

The responds towards the interview are as follow :

(Please Refer To Next Page)

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

PERSONAL INFORMATION (INTERVIEWEE)

1) NAME : Nor Azuwa Abd Rashid

2) JOB POSITION: Senior Quantity Surveyor

3) PHONE NUMBER: 012-2226482

4) E-MAIL ADDRES: nacqs.pg@gmail.com

COMPANY BACKGROUND

5) COMPANY NAME: Nor Azah Consultant

6) FOUNDER(S): SR.Nor Azah Mohd Salleh

7) YEAR FOUNDED: 2006

8) LOCATION(S): Sungai Nibong, Penang

9) NO. OF BRANCH (ES): -

10) NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 6

11) COMPANY MISSION: -

12) COMPANY VISION: -

BUSINESS INFORMATION

13) ESTIMATED NO. OF CURRENT CLIENT(S):

14) NAME 3 NOTABLE CLIENTS:

JKR, UDA LAND (NORTH) SDN.BHD, BERTAM PROPERTIES SDN.BHD

15) BUSINESS ACCOMPLISHMENT(S) IN LAST 3-5 YEARS:

Profitable

16) ESTIMATED NO. OF COMPETITOR(S):

More than 10 companies

17) NAME OF COMPETITOR(S): (name 3 top competitors)

Every Firm

MARKET INFORMATON (ECONOMICS

18) COMPANY'S BUSINESS STRATEGY: (eg : how do you attract customers; lower prices, advertisements, etc..)

Based on good performance, lower fees, maintain good relationship with the clients.

19) OBSTACLE(S) FACED BY COMPANY: (eg: too many competitors, problems with emplyee, etc.. )

Communication with other team player ie: engineers and architects and supplier in term of giving hugh price for PTE purpose.

20) IS THE BUSINESS CURRENTLY FACING INTENSE COMPETITION?

Yes

21) IS THE BUSINESS'S PRICING AFFECTED BY THE COMPETITION:

Yes

22) IS THE COMPANY AFFECTED BY THE CURRENT ECONOMIC DOWNFALL? Yes

23) GENERALLY, DO YOU FEEL ITS EASY OR HARD TO ENTER THE QUANTITY SURVEYING MARKET? (Strong/weak barriers-to-entry)

For now it is still easy.

EXTRA INFORMATION

24) IS THE BUSINESS PLANNING TO OPEN ANOTHER BRANCH?

Upgrade to SDN.BHD

25) ADVICE FOR FUTURE QUANTITY SURVEYORS?

-Quick to register to be a Registered Quantity Surveyor

-Remember what you learned. Don’t be an exam oriented student

26) NAME FEW PROJECTS: -

Cadangan Pembangunan Institut Kemahiran Mara (IKM), Penang Airport

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

PERSONAL INFORMATION (INTERVIEWEE)

1) NAME: Md Yaakob Bin Md Shariff

2) JOB POSITION: Director

3) PHONE NUMBER: 03-56336748

4) E-MAIL ADDRES: juba@juba.com.my

COMPANY BACKGROUND

5) COMPANY NAME: Juruukur Bahan Antara

6) FOUNDER(S): SR. Md Yaakob

7) YEAR FOUNDED: 1983

8) LOCATION(S): Subang Jaya, Selangor

9) NO. OF BRANCH (ES): -

10) NO. OF EMPLOYEES: ±25

11) COMPANY MISSION: To provide quality service to the industry

12) COMPANY VISION: Sustainability

BUSINESS INFORMATION

13) ESTIMATED NO. OF CURRENT CLIENT(S):

˂ 10

14) NAME 3 NOTABLE CLIENTS:

MAB, JKR, DRB

15) BUSINESS ACCOMPLISHMENT(S) IN LAST 3-5 YEARS:

Good/ Satisfied

16) ESTIMATED NO. OF COMPETITOR(S):

˃ 200

17) NAME OF COMPETITOR(S): (name 3 top competitors)

NIK FARID &LOH SDN, ARH CONSULTANT, PAKATAN ISHAK DAN RAKAN-RAKAN INTERNATIONAL

MARKET INFORMATON (ECONOMICS)

18) COMPANY'S BUSINESS STRATEGY: (eg : how do you attract customers; lower prices, advertisements, etc..)

Quality Service at reasonable price

19) OBSTACLE(S) FACED BY COMPANY:

Job happening and lack of staff with more than 2 years experience (eg: too many competitors, problems with emplyee, etc.. )

20) IS THE BUSINESS CURRENTLY FACING INTENSE COMPETITION? Reasonable

21) IS THE BUSINESS'S PRICING AFFECTED BY THE COMPETITION:

Yes

22) IS THE COMPANY AFFECTED BY THE CURRENT ECONOMIC DOWNFALL? Maybe but not as crucial

23) GENERALLY, DO YOU FEEL ITS EASY OR HARD TO ENTER THE QUANTITY SURVEYING MARKET? (Strong/weak barriers-to-entry)

Reasonable on the service industry .Job service at satisfaction and project is available.

EXTRA INFORMATION

24) IS THE BUSINESS PLANNING TO OPEN ANOTHER BRANCH?

Not really. As it is not necessary

25) ADVICE FOR FUTURE QUANTITY SURVEYORS?

Well be professional on getting intricate which quality expect and be software available. The QS should be futuristic.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

PERSONAL INFORMATION (INTERVIEWEE)

1) NAME : Azmil Muzhafar

2) JOB POSITION: -

3) PHONE NUMBER: 03-5631 0464

4) E-MAIL ADDRES: jubannor@yahoo.com

COMPANY BACKGROUND

5) COMPANY NAME: Juruukur Bahan Annor

6) FOUNDER(S): SR.Ahmad Norizan Mohd Jelan

7) YEAR FOUNDED: 1995

8) LOCATION(S): Petaling Jaya

9) NO. OF BRANCH (ES): -

10) NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 8

11) COMPANY MISSION:

To offer best personalised cost consultant service to client.

12) COMPANY VISION:

To grow bigger with opening of other branches

BUSINESS INFORMATION

13) ESTIMATED NO. OF CURRENT CLIENT(S):

14) NAME 3 NOTABLE CLIENTS:

KGNS, Univesity Malaysia Pahang (UMP), MARA

15) BUSINESS ACCOMPLISHMENT(S) IN LAST 3-5 YEARS:

Relocate & Expand Firm Size.

16) ESTIMATED NO. OF COMPETITOR(S):

Other small quantity surveying firms

17) NAME OF COMPETITOR(S): (name 3 top competitors)

MARKET INFORMATON (ECONOMICS)

18) COMPANY'S BUSINESS STRATEGY: (eg : how do you attract customers; lower prices, advertisements, etc..)

Quick & Reliable respond rate to clients

19) OBSTACLE(S) FACED BY COMPANY: (eg: too many competitors, problems with employee, etc.. )

Lack resource to go for big projects. E.g: RM 1 Billion scale.

20) IS THE BUSINESS CURRENTLY FACING INTENSE COMPETITION?

Yes, always by new small quantity surveying firms

21) IS THE BUSINESS'S PRICING AFFECTED BY THE COMPETITION:

Not so, But scale of fee lesser but more service provided

22) IS THE COMPANY AFFECTED BY THE CURRENT ECONOMIC DOWNFALL?

Yes 1-2 years slow down. 2013 recovering

23) GENERALLY, DO YOU FEEL ITS EASY OR HARD TO ENTER THE QUANTITY SURVEYING MARKET? . (Strong/weak barriers-to-entry)

Challenging to obtain new clients in private sector

EXTRA INFORMATION

24) IS THE BUSINESS PLANNING TO OPEN ANOTHER BRANCH?

In 5 years (East Coast)-Kelantan, Terrenganu

25) ADVICE FOR FUTURE QUANTITY SURVEYORS?

Equip yourself before embracing to pen up QS Firm is not just service but it must be a profitable margin.

ORIGINS OF QUANTITY SURVEYING

The Quantity Surveying field emerged in the early nineteenth century England. Back then, a quantity surveyor used to be known as “measurer”, “custom surveyor” or “surveyor”.

Before the nineteenth century, in the time of ancient empires such as China, Babylon, Egypt and Rome, the role of a quantity surveyor is played by an architect, surveyor and master artificer. This caused a commotion in because the roles were confusing (Sanders, 2008). After a series of incidents in England, the quantity surveying field emerged.

A quantity surveyor is a person who is usually associated with the construction industry along with architects, engineers and contractors. Quantity surveyors are people who advise clients on the financial cost, contractual arrangements and to prepare contract documents (The Association of South African Quantity Surveyors).

Nowadays, a quantity surveyor’s job specification is much more complicated than of those in the nineteenth century. Not only does a quantity surveyor calculates cost and, reads contractual arrangements and prepare contract documents, instead they now need to prepare the cost plans, advise on property development, control the finance of a project, evaluate the work in progress, list and value materials and so on.

PENANG

“The Pearl of the Orient”, or also known as Penang has long been a tourist attraction in Malaysia. Penang is a state rich in history and cultures. Being the first place taken by the British in the South East, Penang still shows most of the marks of being colonised before. Francis Light developed Penang and made it culturally and historically diverse as the Penang we now know. Clearing up the island, he attracted merchants from all around the world. The Chinese, Arab, Siamese, Burmese, Filipino, Ceylonese merchants all flock to trade in Penang. To experience the nostalgia of the colonial times, Penang is the place to go.

Source : Google Maps

SUBANG JAYA

Subang Jaya is a suburban development located in Klang Valley, Selangor. It is about twenty-five kilometres away from the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Subang Jaya comprises of SS12, SS13, SS14, SS15, SS16, SS17, SS18, SS19, Bandar Sunway, USJ, Putra Heights and Batu Tiga Being a light industrial area and university area, Subang Jaya attract residents of different nationality from all over the world. Aside from the usual residents Malay, Chinese and Indian, Subang Jyaa is also the home to many foreign workers from Myanmar, Indonesia, and Philippines. In addition to that, the residents of Subang Jaya also comprise of students studying in renowned universities such as Taylor’s University, Monash University, INTI College, Sunway University and many more.

Source : Google Maps

REPORT
The first firm interviewed is Nor Azah Consutlant. It is located in Lebuh Bukit Kecil 1Taman Sri Nibong, Sungai Nibong, Pulau Pinang. They have no other branches; however they plan to upgrade the firm into a limited liability company. There are currently six employees working for the firm. The main services provided by the company is quantity surveying consulting.

The estimated current number of customers for Nor Azah Consultant is five clients. Their clientele consists of mainly construction or a development company who seeks their services in cost planning, project management and tender documentations and contracts. Nor Azah Consultant was started in 2006 by Nor Azah Mohd. Salleh. The motive for stating this business is remains unknown. In the recent years, the company has been doing well, as quoted from the interview; the company has been “profitable”. Some of their notable clients are Uda Land (North) Sdn. Bhd. , Bertam Properties Sdn. Bhd. and JKR.

Nor Azah Consultant is still a small firm; it still needs nurturing to be rooted deeply into the quantity surveying trade to ensure the firm’s survival. The firm has many reputable competitors. Most of Nor Azah Consultant’s competitors are established firms in the quantity surveying trade and they are well-connected with the playmakers in the construction industry. To overcome this problem, Nor Azah Consultant advertises itself by building a good relationship with their clients, in the hopes that by the word of mouth, they will attract more clients at the same time rooting the firm in the market. Nor Azah Consultant also charges their clients appropriate fees as a strategy to maintain customer loyalty.

The second firm is Jurukur Bahan Antara. Jurukur Bahan Antara is an established company in the quantity surveying market in Klang Valley. It is currently located in No. 25 Pent, Jalan SS 15/8A, Subang Jaya, Selangor. Jurukur Bahan Antara is now employing over twenty-five employees. However, it has no other branches. The main services provided by Jurukur Bahan Antara is quantitative surveying and cost planning. In addition to that, they also provide other services such as building economics, project management, turnkey projects and arbitration consultancy. Their estimated current number customers are less than ten.

According to the interviewee, Jurukur Bahan Antara was founded in 1983 by Md. Yaakob bin Md. Shariff. The company was started to provide quantity surveying services to the industry. In the recent years, the company has acquired a few projects and the owner is satisfied with the company’s performance. Some of their notable clients are MAB, JOR, and DRB.

Having been in the trade for around 30 years, unlike Nor Azah Consultant, Jurukur Bahan Antara has built an irrefutable status in the trade. They have done a number of notable projects in the country. Some of the notable project Jurukur Bahan Antara has done are Light Rapid Transit Project In Kuala Lumpur, Upgrading For New Large Aircraft (A380) Operations At KLIA International, and Residential Development in Kuala Lumpur for UDA. This shows that the firm attracts prestigious clients. These clients are all well known in the country

The third firm is Juruukur Bahan Annnor. This firm is located at No 42-2, PJS 8/6, Subang Jaya Selangor. Juruukur Bahan Annor was founded in 1995 but Sr. Ahmad Norizan Mohd. Jelan. The company currently has eight employees working for them. Juruukur Bahan Annor offers cost consultation to their clients. Their main clientele are firms form the construction industry. The firm’s mission is to offer best personalised cost consultant service to the clients. And as for their mission, it is to grow bigger with opening of other branches.

Being in the trade for almost twenty years, Juruukur Bahan Annor has just got themselves rooted in the trade. They are staying afloat even though the company has faced a few financial difficulties throughout the years. Nevertheless, they are still trusted by construction firms. Among the projects were KGNS, University Malaysia Pahang (UMP) and MARA. According to the interviewee, the company has been recovering recently and has already relocated to expand the firm’s size.

Juruukur Bahan Annor advertises their firm by giving the clients quick and reliable response rate to the clients. When a project is offered to them, they usually get the work done fast and the product of is always reliable. Hence, when time is of the essence, client will be drawn to seek their consultation. Juruukur Bahan Annor is currently looking into opening more branches, mainly in the East Coast such as Kelantan and Teregganu in the next five years to come.

When asked who their top three competitors are, Nor Azah Consultant and Jurukur Bahan Annor did not name the competitors. Howver, Jurukur Bahan Antara did.

The top competitors 3 competitors named by Jurukur Bahan Antara are Nik Farid & Loh Sdn. Bhd, ARH Consultancy, and Pakatan International Md Isahak & Rakan-Rakan Sdn Bhd. Nik Farid & Loh Sdn. Bhd., also known as “PNFL”, and previously known as Juru Ukur Bahan Berakan is a charted quantity surveyors company. It was founded in 1972 by Hj. Mohd Tahir Majid (left 1974, deceased 1992), Tengku Zainal Rashid (left July 1972), S.K. Loh and Nik Farid Kamil. The charted quantity surveying firm is well known to give services such as Quantity Surveying/Cost Consultancy services, as well as Project Management, Facilities Management, Value Engineering, Technical Auditing and Contractual Advice. Some of their notable projects are Petronas Industrial Training Institute, Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange H.Q, Kuala Lumpur, and Wisma Sime Darby, Kuala Lumpur. The second competitor, ARH Consultant is a company founded by Ahmad Azhar Rouse and Dato' Hisham Hj Jafrey. The company was founded in 1955. ARH Consultant provides services such as development procurement processes and project managements. Some of their notable projects are Suruhanjaya Tenaga Office Building Putrajaya Wilayah Persekutuan, Majlis Perbandaran Pasir Gudang
Johor, and Yayasan Pahang Kuantan Pahang. As for the third competitor, Pakatan International Md Isahak & Rakan-Rakan Sdn Bhd, little is known about them. The only thing known is that their headquarters is located in Jalan Pandan Prima 2
Dataran Pandan Prima, Kuala Lumpur. And they have 3 other branches located in Kota Kinabalu Sabah, Kuching, Sarawak and Pulau Pinang. To compete with their competitors, Jurukur Bahan Antara promotes their services by giving their clients quality services and offering them reasonable fees.

During the 2008 economic downfall, none of the companies faced financial difficulties. However, Jurukur Bahan Annor has stated that their business declined in the past two years. Although business slowed down, the company is slowly recovering this year.

The rapid development of technology did not affect quantity surveying field in a negative way. But instead, it brought modernised the field and made it better. The quantity surveying field has adapted and integrated technology into the industry (Cartlidge, 2002). According to Cartlidge, technology should not be viewed as a threat to the industry. Instead, it should be seen as an opportunity to put quantity surveying industry on par with all the other modernised and technologically advanced industries.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the quantity surveying field in Penang and Subang Jaya, Selangor are quite similar with each other. They reputation in the trade is affected by the experiences and the number of years they have been in the industry.

Although most businesses are affected by the advancement of technology, the quantity surveying field remains strong. In fact, technology has made the industry even better. All they need to do to stay afloat in the field is to adopt different strategies and increase their service quality.

Team Meeting

1^st April 2013

1pm – 2 pm

Classroom (D8.17)

Meeting called by:

Azmira Yaakob

Type of meeting:

Discussion

Facilitator:-

Note taker:

Quinnie Tan

Timekeeper:-

Attendees:

Azmira Yaakob, Quinnie Tan

Please read: -

Please bring:

Minutes

Agenda item:

Firms to contact

Presenter:

Azmira Yaakob

Discussion:

Firms chosen to contact to set up interview

Conclusions:

Meeting was successful

Action items

Person responsible

Deadline

ü Call and set up appointment with the firm in Penang

Quinnie

5.4.2013

ü Call and set up appointment with the firms in Klang Valley

Quinnie

10.4.2013

Agenda item:

Presenter:

Discussion:

Conclusions:

Action items

Person responsible

Deadline

Agenda item:

Presenter:

Discussion:

Conclusions:

Action items

Person responsible

Deadline

Agenda item:

Presenter:

Discussion:

Conclusions:

Action items

Person responsible

Deadline

Other Information

Observers:-

Resources:

Bqsm.gov.my

Special notes:

Speak nicely to the firms!

Team Meeting

9^th April 2013

10 am -12 pm

Classroom (D8.17)

Meeting called by:

Quinnie Tan

Type of meeting:

Discussion

Facilitator:-

Note taker:

Quinnie Tan

Timekeeper:-

Attendees:

Azmira Yaakob, Quinnie Tan

Please read: -

Please bring:

Minutes

Agenda item:

Prepare and finalize interview questions

Presenter:

Quinnie Tan

Discussion:

Questions to ask during the interview were discussed and finalized and to be emailed to the firms

Conclusions:

Meeting was successful

Action items

Person responsible

Deadline

ü Finalized and email questions to the firms

Azmira Yaakob

9.4.2013

Agenda item:

Presenter:

Discussion:

Conclusions:

Action items

Person responsible

Deadline

Agenda item:

Presenter:

Discussion:

Conclusions:

Action items

Person responsible

Deadline

Agenda item:

Presenter:

Discussion:

Conclusions:

Action items

Person responsible

Deadline

Other Information

Observers:-

Resources:

Special notes:

Make sure questions are understandable.

Team Meeting

26t^h March 2013

10 am -12 pm

Classroom (D8.05)

Meeting called by:

Azmira Yaakob & Quinnie Tan

Type of meeting:

Discussion

Facilitator:-

Note taker:

Quinnie Tan

Timekeeper:-

Attendees:

Azmira Yaakob, Quinnie Tan

Please read: -

Please bring:

Minutes

Agenda item:

Market Research

Presenter:

Discussion:

Do a thorough research on Quantity Surveying markets and the chosen firms online and books

Conclusions:

Meeting was successful

Action items

Person responsible

Deadline

ü Read about the trade

Quinnie Tan

ü Read the profile of chosen firms

Azmira Yaakob

Agenda item:

Presenter:

Discussion:

Conclusions:

Action items

Person responsible

Deadline

Agenda item:

Presenter:

Discussion:

Conclusions:

Action items

Person responsible

Deadline

Agenda item:

Presenter:

Discussion:

Conclusions:

Action items

Person responsible

Deadline

Other Information

Observers:-

Resources:

New Aspects of Quantity Surveying Practice, www.bqsm.gov.my, etc…

Special notes:

Remember to list the sources!

REFERENCES

www.myhomedeco.com. (2013, May 22). Retrieved from Pakatan International Md Isahak Dan Rakan Rakan Sdn Bhd: http://www.myhomedeco.com/company/385/Pakatan-International-Md-Isahak-Dan-Rakan-Rakan-Sdn-Bhd

www.bqsm.gov.my. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2013, from Jurukur Bahan Antara: http://www.bqsm.gov.my/bqsm/a_public/images/folder/jbantara/index.html

www.tutor2u.net. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2013, from Globalisation : International Competiveness: http://www2.delta-search.com/?q=www.tutor2u.net%2Fbusiness%2Fstrategy%2Fglobal-business-comVPakatan+International+Md+Isahak+Dan+Rakan+Rakan+Sdn+Bhdpetitiveness.html&affID=119292&tt=gc_&babsrc=SP_ss&mntrId=DA17B639E5B07C6D

Cartlidge, D. (2002). New Aspects of Qunaitty Surveying Practice. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Sanders, T. L. (Ed.). (2008). The History of Quantity Surveying in Australia. Napier Close, Deakin West, ACT, Australia: Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors.

The Association of South African Quantity Surveyors. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2013, from What is a Quantity Surveyor?: http://www.asaqs.co.za/?page=what_is_QS

www.bqsm.gov.my. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2013, from Jurukur Bahan Antara: http://www.bqsm.gov.my/bqsm/a_public/images/folder/jbantara/index.html

Mr. Nat, English 2 and EPC lecturer
(Amazing facial expressions :D )

Foundation Of Natural and Built Environment: Quinnie Tan 0311888

Saturday, 8 June 2013

English 2

Assignment 1a (Descriptive Assignment: Vegetables)

Assignment 1b (Comparative Essay )

MUSICAL MOVIES / HISTORICAL MOVIES

Assignment 1c (Class Debate)

Assignment 2 (Research Assignment)

Comparative Research based on businesses of the same trade of different geographical locations

Team Meeting

Minutes

Other Information

Team Meeting

Minutes

Other Information

Team Meeting

Minutes

Other Information

No comments:

Post a Comment