Examining a Witness; Memory Refreshing - Free Essay Example

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The rules relating to refreshing memory allow a witness, who has forgotten everything about an incident, to still provide testimony. To that extent it subverts the purpose of examining a witness as it means they cannot be properly questioned about their recollection since they are testifying about what they are reading and not what they rememberà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . To what extent do you agree with this statement? Introduction The general rule is that witnesses are not permitted to give oral evidence by reading out written statements that were prepared at an earlier time.[1] However, a witness may be permitted to refresh his/her memory from a document whilst testifying, particularly if his/her memory of an event is poor.[2] This essay considers whether the rules relating to refreshing memory subvert the purpose of examining a witness. The essay starts by considering the common law and statutory rules relating to the refreshment of memory. Finally, the essay considers whether the rules relating to the refreshment of memory subvert the very purpose of examining a witness. The rules relating to refreshing memory The law allows for witnesses to refresh their memories if they become forgetful. Such law is a combination of common law and statute. The common law makes a broad distinction between refreshing memory out of court and in court. At common law, a witness may refresh his/her memories from documents out of court before testifying.[3] Indeed, it is common practice for a witness to be shown his/her statement before giving evidence. It is courtesy to also inform the other side that this has happened. However, refreshing memory out of court must not represent an opportunity for witnesses to compare their statements or get their heads together to decide what to say[4] or to discuss the evidence they may give eve n if this takes place under the guise of a case conference by the police.[5] In Da Silva,[6] the Court of Appeal held that a judge has discretion to decide whether to allow a witness to refresh his/her memory out of court after commencing his/her testimony, provided that certain conditions were satisfied. However, in South Ribble Magistrate Ex. p. Cochcrane,[7] the court held that the conditions were not prerequisites to be fulfilled. In G. (Joel) (a Juvenile) (No. 1),[8] Henry, L.J. stressed that there were no fixed or immutable rules which must be followed before a witness may refresh his/her memory from an earlier document. This process has now been simplified by section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“CJA 2003à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ), considered below, which merely requires any document to have been made at an earlier time rather than contemporaneously. At common law, a witness may refresh his/her memory in court from a document, provided that the document wa s made contemporaneously with the events in question, and was made or verified by the witness.[9] This does not mean that the document must have been made simultaneously with the event(s) at the first subsequent opportunity. For the purpose of the rule, it is sufficient, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“if the writing was made or verified at a time when the facts were still fresh in the witnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s memory.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ [10] The common sense principle underlying the common law rule for refreshing memory whilst testifying from a statement in a document is that the quality of the witnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s evidence is likely to be improved if the witness is allowed to use a statement made near the time as an aide-mÃÆ' ©moire. The same principle underlines section 139(1) of the CJA 2003, which sets out a different rule for refreshing memory. In criminal proceedings, the common law rule has not been repealed, but has in effect been replaced, and relaxed, by section 139(1) of the CJA 2003. Section 139(1) drops the common law requirement that the statement should be contemporaneous with the matters it deals with. It provides that a witness giving oral evidence in criminal proceedings about any matter may at any stage refresh his/her memory from a document made or verified by him/her at an earlier time if two conditions are satisfied. The witness must state in his/her oral evidence that the document records his/her recollection of the matter at the earlier time, and that his/her recollection of the matter is likely to have been significantly better at that time than it is at the time of his/her oral evidence. Section 139(2) has also supplemented the common law rule by providing for the refreshing of memory from a transcript of a sound recording. Under both the common law and section 139(1), the evidence is the witnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s oral testimony, not the document used to refresh. Where the use of the document does not in fact revive a hazy or forgotten m emory, there is no artificiality involved in maintaining this position. However, the common law doctrine of refreshing memory also extends to the case where the witnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s memory of the event does not revive, but the witness is prepared to testify to it on the basis that the contemporaneous record is accurate.[11] The doctrine of refreshing memory operates as a benevolent fiction in type of cases such as Maugham v Habbard.[12] The court in effect permits the witness to give reliable hearsay evidence, on the basis that the witness is prepared to vouch for the accuracy of the contemporaneous record. It is consistent with this function that the common law requires a document used in this type of case to refresh memory to be original.[13] In other cases, the witness may revive memory from any contemporaneous document made or verified by him/her. Section 120 of the CJA 2003 contains a useful provision to take account of this point about the hearsay use of documents whe re the witnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s memory is not in fact refreshed by reference to the document. This eliminates some of the need to rely on the fiction just described. Section 120 creates a new rule of admissibility of statements of past recollection recorded. This applies only to statement made by the witness, not to statement verified by him/her. When the statutory provision applies the witnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s statement will be the oral testimony plus the earlier hearsay statement. However, section 120 is not without interpretative difficulty as it omits to spell out in exactly what circumstances documents employed to refresh memory will become admissible as evidence of matters stated, either when the attempt to refresh the witnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ memory is unsuccessful or where portions of the document are not used for that purpose.[14] Do the rules relating to refreshing memory subvert the purpose of examining a witness? The purpose examination-in-chief is to elicit f rom the witness facts that support that partyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s case.[15] Cross-examining the witness provides the accused with an opportunity to confront the evidence against them. Its purpose is to elicit facts that are favourable to the cross-examiner and to test the veracity of, or discredit, the witness.[16] Re-examining re-establishes the credibility of the witness if this was shaken by the cross-examination.[17] Thus, examination of a witness enables the trier of facts to ascertain the witnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s knowledge as to the facts in dispute between parties. Its major purpose is to discover the truth about the event in question. It has been argued that cross-examination is not a means of getting to the truth.[18] However, such criticisms must be placed alongside the importance of putting the defence version of events to witnesses and to the court.[19] Cross- examining a witness is within the notion of a fair trial by which the accused has a right to examine, or to hav e examined, witnesses who are used to against them.[20] The assumption of examining a witness is that by observing and listening to a witness, the trier of facts is more able to assess the weight to be attached to the witnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s evidence than by reading from a document.[21] Thus, when examined in chief, the witness would generally be expected to answer the questions from memory without the benefit of any written statements. However, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“it would be unrealistic to expect the witness to recall every detail of the event with precision without assistance.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ [22] Originally, the common law tended to regard giving evidence as a memory test and frowned on the idea that a witness should be able to refresh his/her memory from his/her earlier statement.[23] Given that it may be many months between the incident and trial and the fact that witnesses such as police officers gave evidence in many different cases, such an approach made no sense and the co mmon law retreated from it during the second part of the last century.[24] The rationale for permitting reading a statement before testifying is that, if refreshing the memory were prohibited, testimony in the witness box would have become little more than a test of memory rather than of truthfulness. It would have been impossible to police and this would have created difficulties for honest witness but do little to hamper dishonest witnesses.[25] In Richardson,[26] Sachs L.J. approved some concise comments of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Testimony in the witness box becomes more of a test of memory than truthfulness if witnesses are deprived of the opportunity of checking their recollection beforehand by reference to statements or notes made at a time closer to the events in question.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ [27] Thus, the willingness of the courts to permit refreshment of memory out of court is understandable. However, Choo argues that there is a danger for the pra ctice in this area to become too unregulated.[28] He suggests for the need to introduce a Code of Practice that would govern practices and procedures in the area. Contemporaneous notes made by a witness are likely to be fuller and more accurate than his/her memory at a trial many months after the event. Moreover, contemporaneous notes, if referred to, may help to stimulate the memory to recall further facts not contained in the notes which would not otherwise have been recalled. However, there may be dangers involved. The notes may create a spurious impression of a vivid recollection.[29] Inaccuracies in perception and memory may become crystallised. The witness may believe s/he remembers the incident but in truth only remembers his/her record of it.[30] The testimony of an untruthful witness may be given an enhanced credibility and s/he may be able to tailor his/her evidence to fit in with his/her notes.[31] Of course, in certain circumstances, it should be possible for a per son to refresh their memory of events. The difficulty is that it is more often used by professional witnesses who are generally not the ones who are most problematic. This practice was commonly used by police officers who produced and read from their notebooks, which contain the information about the incidents that they wrote down at the time. The problem is that notebooks and other such documents are hearsay and not admissible as evidence in their own right. This bizarre process attempts to avoid the consequences of the hearsay rule more than an aid to recollection.[32] This is particular in cases where the document does not stimulate the witnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s present recollection at all but where the witness accepts that his/her past recollection must have been as recorded in the document.[33] However, in civil proceedings, these contortions are unnecessary as the notes would be admissible evidence under the Civil Evidence Act 1995. In criminal proceedings, this is now gov erned by section 139 of the CJA 2003. However, this provision does not replace the common law. Rather, it affects the conditions that have to be met before the witness can use the document as an aide-memoire whilst testifying. The common law requirement of contemporaneity was not strict but, despite its justifications, it has been jettisoned by section 139 which merely requires that the statement was made or verified at an earlier time. Thus, the police officer who observes an incident and a short time later in the station writes up the observations in a notebook will always be allowed to refer to them. The rules relating to refreshing memory may not necessarily subvert the purpose of examining a witness because the primacy of oral testimony and the principle of confronting oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s accusers have both been chipped away in recent years. In civil proceedings, there is less emphasis on oral testimony as only those matters in dispute need to be proved. There is greater reliance on documentary evidence and hearsay evidence has become generally admissible so that the witness does not need to be present in court unless required to be there for cross-examination. Further, even where the witness is in court, a witness statement can be adopted as his/her evidence in chief.[34] In criminal proceedings, there are more circumstances where written statements or recordings can be admissible as evidence.[35] Conclusion Given the difficulty often experienced by witnesses in recollecting the events to which their evidence relates, the common law evolved to allow a witness to refresh his/her memory from a document made or verified by him/her at an earlier time. The common law rules have been supplemented and, in part, superseded by the section 139 of the CJA 2003.The rules relating to refreshing memory does not subvert the purpose of examining a witness. The process of testifying should not be treated as a test of memory but a process designed to test the honesty and reliability of a witness. Nonetheless, the scope of use of the rules relating to memory refreshing has diminished by the reason of the growth in the categories of admissible hearsay and the introduction of rules permitting a witness statement to stand as a witnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s evidence-in-chief unless the court orders otherwise. 1 [1] G. Durtson, Evidence: Text and Materials (OUP 2008) 292 [2] Ibid 293 [3] Richardson [1973] 2 Q.B. 484 [4] Ibid [5] Skinner (1994) 99 Cr. App. R. 212 [6] [1990] 1 ALL ER 29 [7] [1996] 2 Cr. App. R. 544 [8] [2002] EWCA Crim. 01 [9] A. Keane, J. Griffiths and P. McKeown, The Modern Law of Evidence (8th edn, OUP 2010) 163 [10] Attorney-Generalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Reference (No. 3 of 1979) (1979) 69 Cr. App. R. 411, 414; see also Simmonds [1969] 1 Q.B. 685 [11] See Maugham v Habbard (1828) 8 B C. 14; Topham v McGregor (1844) 1 Car. Kir. 320 [12] (1828) 8 B C. 14 [13] Doe d Church and Phillips v Perkins (1790) 3 Term Rep. 749; Harvey (1869) 11 Cox C.C. 546 [14] R. Munday, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Refreshing Memory: Previous Statements that fails to Revive Witnessesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (2012) 176 JPN 213; P. Mirfield, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Evidential Memory, Forgetfulness and Identificationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (2013) 129 LQR 157 [15] J. Linda and M. Ramjohn, Unloc king Evidence (Hodder Education 2009) 134 [16] Ibid [17] Ibid [18] See J. Spencer and J. Flin, The Evidence of Children: The Law and Psychology (2nd edn, Blackstones 1993) 278-79 [19] S. Uglow, Evidence: Text and Materials (2nd edn, Sweet Maxwell 2006) 472 [20] See European Convention on Human Rights, Art. 6(3)(d) [21] Uglow, Evidence: Text and Materials (n. 19) 437 [22] Linda and Ramjohn, Unlocking Evidence (n. 15 ) 135 [23] P. Huxley, Evidence: The Fundamentals (2nd edn, Sweet Maxwell 2010) 56-57 [24] Keane, Griffiths and McKeown, The Modern Law of Evidence (n. 9) 163; P. Murphy, Murphy on Evidence (11th edn, OUP 2009) 571 [25] Linda and Ramjohn, Unlocking Evidence (n. 15) 140 [26] [1971] 2 Q.B. 484 [27] Lau Pak v R [1966] Crim. L.R. 443 [28] A. Choo, Evidence (3rd edn, OUP 2012) 76 [29] M. Newark and A. Samuels, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Refreshing Memoryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (1978) Crim. L.R. 408 [30] Ibid [31] Ibid [32] Uglow, Evidence: Text and Materials (n. 19) 443 [33] See Maugham v Habbard (1828) 8 B C. 14; Topham v McGregor (1844) 1 Car. Kir. 320; Kelsey (1982) 74 Cr. App. 213 [34] See Civil Evidence Act 1995, s. 6 [35] See, for example, Criminal Justice Act 1967, s. 9 and 10; CJA 2003, ss. 116 and 117

Biology Science Fair Project Ideas

Science fair projects give you the opportunity to experience science and biology through hands-on activities. In order to ensure that you have a great biology project, it is important that you first understand biology and the scientific method. Simply put, biology is the study of life. Life is all around us which means that there are enormous possibilities when considering a biology science project. We use the scientific method as a means of studying science and biology. Scientific inquiry starts with an observation followed by the formulation of a question about what has been observed. Then comes designing a scientific experiment to answer the question posed. How to Find Science Project Ideas JGI / Jamie Grill / Getty Images So where do you get ideas for biology science fair projects? The answer is from almost anywhere. The key is to start with a question that you would like to find an answer to and use the scientific method  to help you answer it. When choosing a science fair project topic, make sure that you select a topic that you are interested in. Then narrow this topic down to a specific question. Below you will find science fair project ideas primarily related to biology. Remember that these samples are meant to give direction and ideas. It is important that you do the work yourself and not just copy the material. Also, be sure that you know all of the rules and regulations for your particular science fair before you begin your project. Plant Project Ideas Some soil bacteria stimulate brain neuron growth and increase learning capacity. JW LTD/Taxi/Getty Images Plants are important to life as we know it. They provide everything from food, clothing, and shelter to medicine and fuel. Plant projects are popular because plants are abundant, inexpensive, and relatively easy to study during experimentation. These experiments allow you to learn about plant processes and environmental factors that impact plant life. Plant-based science projects: Find more than 20 ideas for science fair projects involving plants.Soil chemistry: Learn about soil chemistry with these example projects about plant science and the chemical composition of soil.Popcorn studies: Enjoy these fun, easy, and interesting experiments with popcorn. Human Body Project Ideas Illustration of the arterial system in the human body, shown in a standing figure. Note the feathery network of blood vessels in the left and right lungs (next to the heart). Arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to the bodys tissues. JOHN BAVOSI/Science Photo Library/Getty Images If you have ever wondered how the body works or about all the biological processes that keep the body functioning, then you should consider a science project on the human body. These projects allow you to gain a better knowledge of how the body functions and also provide insight into human behavior. Human body projects: If your interest is in biological processes and human behavior, this resource has several ideas for projects on the human body, including the study of the effects of music, temperature, and video games on mood.Kids neuroscience experiments: This is a nice collection of experiments relating to neuroscience. It includes projects dealing with reflexes, the nervous system, biological rhythms, and more.Human hair projects: Find several ideas for doing projects about hair. Topics include hair growth rates and hair loss management. Animal Project Ideas Fernando Trabanco Fotografà ­a/Moment/Getty Image Animal science projects allow us to understand various aspects of animal life. They provide information about animal anatomy, behavior, and even provide insight into human biological processes. Before deciding to do an animal project, be sure that you get permission and avoid animal cruelty. Some science fairs do not allow animal experiments, while others have strict regulations for animal usage. Animal projects: Find great ideas for projects involving insects, birds, amphibians, fish, and mammals. Discover how light, pollution, and magnetic fields affect animals. Researching Your Science Project Ideas Catherine Ledner / The Image Bank/ Getty Images After you have come up with an idea and topic for your science project, you must research your topic. Research involves finding out everything you can about the scientific principles involved with your project idea. There are several resources available for researching your science fair project. Some of these include your local library, science books and magazines, internet science news sources, and teachers or educators. The most helpful thing that you can do when researching for your project is to take excellent notes. Record references for the books and other materials you have used in your research.Take notes on simple experiments on which to base your experiment.  Keep notes on diagrams used in similar experiments.  Record observations from other experiments.Keep notes on samples of logs and other means for collecting data.  Make lists of materials that you might want to order and their suppliers. It is important that keep track of all the resources used in your research as these source materials will be required for listing in the bibliography for your science fair project report.

Should The New Laws Be Abolished - 901 Words

Even though every type of discrimination can’t be eliminated, there are certain factors that are unavoidable and should be stopped. Discrimination is still something that is common in the U.S. Those with criminal records have a much harder time finding a decent job because companies look at the application and instantly throw it out because of their criminal past. Most companies also don’t have any kind of parental leave for new parents. That leads to them having to making the hard choice of leaving their new born away from their mother. Another option is leaving their job with an unpaid leave that hopefully won’t lead to financial problems. People are constantly being turned away from a job because of race, child care, previous incarceration, and many more things that are unavoidable. New laws need to be implemented to keep up with the changes in today’s society. I am writing about this because I find it terrible that someone might be starving out in the streets with no job owing to the fact that someone just did not like them. This is something that we have hear of since our youth. I have never truly seen it, but reading about it in The Working Poor made me realize that it might happen to me in the future because of where I come from. I am a minority that grew up with a low income household. I do not want to be discriminated against in the future when I try to get a good career. I will argue that it is necessary for people to stop the discrimination of people who hadShow MoreRelatedThe Origin of the Doctrine775 Words   |  4 Pagesdoes, in some cases, cause parties to experience injustice, sometimes something that the courts fail to resolve, consideration is a crucial element to the formation of a legally binding contract. This paper will not only explain why the High Court should not abolish the requirement for consideration but will also highlight its usefulness in contract formation. Origin of the Doctrine of Consideration The origin of the doctrine of consideration can trace its roots back to the 16th century when itRead MoreEssay on Capital Punishment in America1180 Words   |  5 Pagessociety. The basic issue is whether capital punishment should be allowed as it is today, or abolished in part or in whole. My argument is that: 1) Capital punishment is not an effective deterrent for heinous crimes. 2) Life imprisonment can be worse of a punishment than death, not as costly as execution, and better for rehabilitation. 3) The innocent can be wrongly put to death. Conclusion: Capital punishment should be abolished. Though capital punishment might seem like the onlyRead MoreCapital Punishment1186 Words   |  5 Pagessociety. 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Labor Crunch of Construction Sector in Singapore

Question: Develop a research proposal (it may be real or hypothetical) which would satisfy the requirements of the MBA Project. It should therefore address a practical problem which organizations face. Answer: Literature Review Historical Overview During late 50s, construction industry in Singapore experienced both structural and systemic problem like present developing countries. In the post-independence period, construction industry is booming nature strengthens overall numbers of the economy. However, by the end of 1984, the construction industry became saturated. This has resulted into recession of 1985 (Eresources.nlb.gov.sg 2014). Construction industry is a major sector that plays key role in national and economic development. This sector is highly labor-intensive in nature, this indicates that construction firms require more labor relative to capital. Labors are required to operate the tools and machineries for the construction purpose. This sector engaged 114,500 workers during 2003 that were significantly lower than 200,000 in 1999 (Stjobs.sg 2012). The GDP of this country declines due to fall in employment. The unemployment rate in 2003 was highest in this country and most of the unemployment has been found in the co nstruction and manufacturing sector. In 2014, the employment rate has fallen by 0.5% between first half of the year. This has led to drop in production by 0.4% during the same time (TODAYonline 2015). The manpower crunch in the construction sector has been leading to closure of the firms. The winding up of the construction firms started since 2007. In 2013, the 27 firms and in 2014, 51 firms filed application for liquidation (Heng 2015). The following diagram represents how decline in the labor caused fall in productivity. Source: Todayonline.com 2015 Research Theory The theory of general demand and supply can be used in the context of labor crunch in Singapore. It is interesting to note that, there are sufficient numbers of jobs but there is no one to take that opportunity. The following diagram can represent this. Source: Created by Author At the prevailing wage rate, the workers are not willing join the construction sector, as a result of this the demand for labors in the construction market is less that supply for construction labor. This has generated shortage of labor in this industry. Theoretically, the shortage of supply will be eliminated by providing higher wage. However, here the market fails to increase the labor supply as the supply curve for the construction industry is highly inelastic. The review of the past and current performance of this industry in Singapore also supports that Okuns law, which states that one percentage rise in unemployment causes fall in the production by two percent. This theory is evident in the case of Singaporean construction industry (Kim, Park and Jei 2015). This is because; lack of labor engagement in this sector is leading to closure of the firms that adversely affecting the economic growth of the country. The relationship between unemployment and output level is thus negatively related. The following diagram can represent this. Source: Created by Author Common Problems Faced By Construction Industry There are various challenges that are faced by the construction industries in Singapore. Labor crunch in Singapore leads to deficit in labors in the construction industries. Singapore being a developing country, the people of Singapore get proper education than their ancestors. These educated people prefer to do white collar jobs (Hwang et al. 2014). They do not want to get perform any labor class work and subject themselves to physical exhaustion. This had led to decrease in number of labors in the construction industry of Singapore. Construction sector used to recruit labors from the foreign market and relied significantly on the supply of foreign labors. However, due to tighter foreign labor policy regarding hiring foreign workers, companies are limited to get necessary labors from the foreign market. Labors of construction industry get less payment than the people who do white collar jobs. The payment criteria attracts more youths into better jobs than the jobs of labor in construction industry. Moreover, there are various dangers being a labor in the construction industry. The labors of the construction industry in Singapore had to work in various dangerous situations (Hwang et al. 2014). They have to work in unhealthy situations and they risk their lives to do their work. The labors of construction industry face various physical damages, which sometimes cost their lives. This had been a serious fear among the youths of Singapore and they do not want to risk their lives and work in unhealthy situations in Singapore. Another disadvantage that the youths of Singapore face in construction industry is the political influence and the presence of union. These influences land them into various troubles and can destroy their career as well (Ofori and Toor 2012). They do not want to fall into trouble and instead live a peaceful, happy and comfortable life. Thus, these disadvantages of the position of labor in construction industry in Singapore, do not encourage the youths to get a job in this industry. This leads to lack of efficient labors in the construction industry of Singapore. Research Methods Adopted by Other Researchers There has been few literature has been found that has conducted studies regarding the labor crunch in the construction sector of Singapore. However, within the limited research papers, it has been found that to measure the decline of labors and its impact on the productivity, quantitative research has been conducted (Yi and Chan 2013). By looking at the correlation coefficient, it has been evident that the relationship negative. However, to be sure about the significance of their association, the studies have conducted regression analysis. The shortage of labor has been obtained through personal interrogation with the higher authority of the respective firms (Tan 2015). In addition to this, productivity can be obtained in the annual reports of the respective companies. Hence, researches are mostly conducted based on both primary and secondary data. Previous research philosophy follows positivism as they relied on the fact and the figures obtained, rather than any subjective human foc uses. The research approaches of the studies are exploratory in nature, as they are not postulating any theory at the end of the research (Panneerselvam 2014). The research designs of the other researchers are mostly inductive in nature, as they focuses on answering the questions like how construction industry is affected due to labor crunch; what are the reasons for labor crunch in this industry; how much foreign labors are engaged in this industry and so on. However, some of the articles are also deductive as they tested hypothesis like: there is no significant relationship between labor engagement and productivity. Recommendations From the literature review, it can be concluded that labor crunch in the construction sector has mostly caused due to youths interest in the white-collar jobs rather than work that is physically strenuous, like the one in the construction sector. They are becoming highly educated due to the higher standards of education level. Moreover, the remaining workers are unskilled to join the construction sector. Hence, it is recommended that, the low skilled workers should be given proper training so that they can get a job in the concerned sector (Finkel 2015). It is also recommended to increase the wage rate potentially in order to attract the labor force to join this sector. Another thing that can be suggested is that, policy that tightened the foreign labor engagement should be relaxed to a certain level to increase migration in the construction sector. References Eresources.nlb.gov.sg. (2014). Singapore experiences its first post-independence recession - Singapore History. [online] Available at: https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/9f9489cf-5432-4797-bf66-fd1b3bab7a2b [Accessed 15 Jul. 2016]. Finkel, G., 2015.The economics of the construction industry. Routledge. Heng, J. (2015). More construction firms join winding-up list. [online] The Straits Times. Available at: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/manpower/more-construction-firms-join-winding-up-list [Accessed 15 Jul. 2016]. Hwang, B.G., Zhao, X. and Goh, K.J., 2014. Investigating the client-related rework in building projects: The case of Singapore.International Journal of Project Management,32(4), pp.698-708. Hwang, B.G., Zhao, X. and Toh, L.P., 2014. Risk management in small construction projects in Singapore: status, barriers and impact.International Journal of Project Management,32(1), pp.116-124. Kim, M.J., Park, S.Y. and Jei, S.Y., 2015. An empirical test for Okuns law using a smooth time-varying parameter approach: evidence from East Asian countries.Applied Economics Letters,22(10), pp.788-795. Ofori, G. and Toor, S.U.R., 2012. Leadership and Construction Industry Development in Developing Countries.Journal of Construction in Developing Countries,17. Panneerselvam, R., 2014.Research methodology. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. Stjobs.sg. (2012). 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