What role does Lex Mercatoria Play in international commercial Essay

What role does Lex Mercatoria Play in international commercial contracts - Essay Example XX century was marked by the rapid surge in international economic relations, which led to an increase of the world trade volume and accelerated the trade turnover between partners from different countries. But amid the dynamic changes of relations in the international commercial turnover, the legal regulation of these relations did not undergo a radical transformation. Such means as collision and substantive rules of national legislation of parties in dispute or the provisions of international contracts were traditionally used. However, in recent years the existence of a certain group of relations, which regulation goes beyond the specified levels, manifested itself. These are relations developing in the process of international trade implementation. Trade has always been a key element in international relations. Due to trade, the exchange of knowledge, customs and traditions among different peoples occurred. Trade also encouraged the development of other economic activities (e.g., banking, insurance and so on.) Any actively developing phenomena require adequate regulation; otherwise, it is impossible to achieve the objectives, pursued by members of the international commercial trade. In this case, the mechanism of regulation must meet, on the one hand, the interests of the market, and, on the other - the needs of the participants of trade relations (Selden, 1995). Objective reality of today is the inability of national legislations to fully resolve the whole range of problems, arising in the process of international commercial

Pizza Hut Case Study Essay Example for Free

Pizza Hut Case Study Essay Create awareness for the introduction of the new pizza crust ‘Freshizza’, highlighting FRESHNESS of the dough as a key ingredient for a perfect pizza. Situation Analysis Each Pizza Hut restaurant prepares fresh dough several times a day on premise, unlike competing brands whose stores receive crusts from a few central commissaries making the dough older by 1- 2 days. This fact had not been leveraged by Pizza Hut in the past. In the course of product development, Pizza Hut had commissioned research to evaluate the proposition of ‘Fresh’ among consumer focus groups. The key findings here revealed that ‘Freshness’ in the context of Indian bread (chappati’s) implied kneading fresh dough daily. Consumers preferred chappati’s made from freshly kneaded dough as they were softer and tastier than those made from two day old dough. This was unlike the perception on pizza’s where ‘Freshness’ was only understood as a piping hot pizza. Strategy The PR programme decided to use both the insights gained from the commissioned research, to present an all new pizza crust and focus on leveraging editorial opportunities to create awareness for freshness and differentiate the product on taste. In order to add credibility to product claims and influence media on the freshness of the product, PR Pundit considered it vital to get a leading food critique to endorse the product. Through dialogue and product sampling, the PR programme earned the support of India’s leading food writer Rashmi Uday Singh, a lady whose name is synonymous with good food in India, to demonstrate the freshness of the Pizza Hut’s pizzas, through a unique ‘Freshizza Cookery Show’. The Challenge The challenge was to garner media support to create awareness for freshness and differentiate the product on taste. CASE STUDIES Execution Tactics. The PR Campaign was conceptualised to create a dramatic launch to highlight the freshness of the product, while subtly suggesting that the competition’s product is not so fresh. The PR Plan rolled out with a cookery show and food sampling at New Delhi’s oldest Pizza Hut, which received nationwide media coverage. The programme was extended to the keenly competitive markets of Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai. In Chennai and Bangalore a photo call was created with the in-store presence of local celebrities to launch Freshizza, while senior management addressed the media on the process followed at each restaurant to prepare fresh dough for pizza’s. The Mumbai launch was timed to coincide with the introduction of the television commercial (TVC) featuring one of India’s top model – Malaika Arora Khan. Consumer media was invited for a preview of the TVC and to the restructured cookery show ‘Get Fresh with Malaika’ featuring the top model and Rashmi Uday Singh at a local Pizza Hut. This resulted in yet another nation wide photo opportunity. In Kolkata and Pune, consumer and city press were invited to sample the new crust, while a press release with attractive product pictures was issued in Hyderabad and Chandigarh. HINDUSTAN TIMES ECONOMIC TIMES CASE STUDIES DIVYA BHASKAR The ‘Freshizza Cookery Show’ was fashioned to demonstrate the freshness of the pizza crusts from Pizza Hut in the form of a cookery show. The delightful repartee of actor Zayed Khan (Bollywood celebrity and brand ambassador of Pizza Hut) and food writer Rashmi Uday Singh was appreciated for its uniqueness and provided a live and interactive demonstration of the dough preparation process – from the blending stage to the final pizza making for the media. The sight of the duo rolling out fresh pizza crusts made for a perfect photo opportunity. Freshly baked Freshizza’s were served to the media for sampling In Mumbai too, the entire dough making process was recreated with the new face of the Freshizza campaign -Malaika Arora Khan paired with food writer Rashmi Uday Singh on the ‘Get Fresh with Malaika Show’. The launch was followed up by special Freshizza deliveries to key media offices to ensure broadest possible reach. Results and Impact. The launch events at the four major cities of the country received an enthusiastic response from nearly 150 journalists. The photo opportunity made it possible for product and brand to be carried across all major print, electronic and online media in India. In less than two months of the launch, one out of every four customers at Pizza Hut had tried out Freshizza, i. e. almost half a million customers have already sampled the product and the growth of sales grew by about 12–15 per cent per restaurant.

Track :: essays research papers

Track My heart beating loudly in my chest is the only sound I can here. The air, whipping past my face, tries to curb my inertia but I just press on harder and harder. As I make my turn to go into the straight-away, the next man in the relay team comes into sight. I push my legs harder and harder, but I cannot make them move any faster. There is only one hundred meters left to go before the instant I have to pass the baton the next runner. As I am speeding down the lane like a jet about to lift off, I see the fans cheering in my peripheral vision but I remain focused on my objective ahead of me. I move closer and closer to the red zone, now counting my steps and pacing off the distance in my mind to the sprinter ahead of me. I ready myself and keep telling myself "be patient, wait" then ....."Go," I yell as he harnesses his adrenaline for a good start. I again have to make another critical, split second decision. When should I give him the baton? There can be no mistakes on the hand off. If I miscalculate my steps, it could be disastrous for the team. As I sprint at his newly energized heels, I yell "Stick!" He reaches his arm back in a robotic- like manner and I slam the baton in his hand, so he will not lose a handle on it. It is a successful hand-off and my body jars, as I try to bring myself to a quick stop. My journey is over but the next runner's has just begun. Track is a big part of my life and it holds much more significance to me than just running. I would not even get the opportunity to set foot on the track if I did not practice several hours a day, running the same stretch of track twenty times over. This may seem like insanity to others but to me it is a way to focus my energy and discipline my mind, as well as my body. Running a race to me is like life; you have to pace yourself and being better than the next guy is a must. Like one who does not receive a promotion in business for not working to their potential, I will not make varsity if I do not strive to be the best I can be, on and off the track. The Baton is my hopes and aspirations and Track :: essays research papers Track My heart beating loudly in my chest is the only sound I can here. The air, whipping past my face, tries to curb my inertia but I just press on harder and harder. As I make my turn to go into the straight-away, the next man in the relay team comes into sight. I push my legs harder and harder, but I cannot make them move any faster. There is only one hundred meters left to go before the instant I have to pass the baton the next runner. As I am speeding down the lane like a jet about to lift off, I see the fans cheering in my peripheral vision but I remain focused on my objective ahead of me. I move closer and closer to the red zone, now counting my steps and pacing off the distance in my mind to the sprinter ahead of me. I ready myself and keep telling myself "be patient, wait" then ....."Go," I yell as he harnesses his adrenaline for a good start. I again have to make another critical, split second decision. When should I give him the baton? There can be no mistakes on the hand off. If I miscalculate my steps, it could be disastrous for the team. As I sprint at his newly energized heels, I yell "Stick!" He reaches his arm back in a robotic- like manner and I slam the baton in his hand, so he will not lose a handle on it. It is a successful hand-off and my body jars, as I try to bring myself to a quick stop. My journey is over but the next runner's has just begun. Track is a big part of my life and it holds much more significance to me than just running. I would not even get the opportunity to set foot on the track if I did not practice several hours a day, running the same stretch of track twenty times over. This may seem like insanity to others but to me it is a way to focus my energy and discipline my mind, as well as my body. Running a race to me is like life; you have to pace yourself and being better than the next guy is a must. Like one who does not receive a promotion in business for not working to their potential, I will not make varsity if I do not strive to be the best I can be, on and off the track. The Baton is my hopes and aspirations and

The Political, Economic and Social Aspects of the Enlightenment

The Political, Economic and Social Aspects the Enlightenment The Enlightenment, also known as Age of Reason, was a cultural movement that spread through England, France, Germany, and other parts of Europe. The Enlightenment mainly focused on mathematics, science, art, philosophy, politics and literature in the 1700s. This movement took away the fear of the world and the medieval views that were placed upon the people for so many years, and it also opened their eyes to new ideas and reason.Old beliefs such as French monarchy (the privileges that were given to the French nobility) political power, and the authority of the Catholic Church were torn down. They were replaced by political and social orders that followed along the ideas of freedom and equality that came from this period. The Enlightenments main purpose was to reform society using reason instead of tradition. The Enlightenment started after the scientific resolution in the 1500s and was effected by many events that shaped it into what we now look back to.There where many aspects of the enlightenment that can be broken down into three key factors that contributed to this movement: Political, Economical and Social. Political covers the transition from a monarchy to a political order, as well as the three political revolutions. Economical covers the export and import of trade in Europe, and social deals with the art, theater, music and cultural parts of the movement. The Enlightenment is best identified by its political accomplishments and outcomes. This movement was marked by three political revolutions, which all helped lay the foundation for modern republican and constitutional democracy.The first revolution was the English Revolution which took place in 1688. The English Revolution was defined by two different revolutions, the Glorious Revolution in 1688 which was the overthrow of King James II of England by the English Parliamentarians and the Dutch Stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau. After Kin g James II was overthrown, his Protestant daughter, Mary, and her husband William became joint-monarchs of England. The Glorious Revolution established the supremacy of Parliament over the crown. This also established the first constitutional monarchy, and made it so the power was shared between the monarchs and the nobles.It also took part because of the growing fear of Catholic tyranny, and because at the time, England was under the control of an all powerful Catholic monarch. Marxist historians have also used the term â€Å"English Revolution† to describe the period of the English civil wars and commonwealth (1640-1660). The English civil wars were a series of armed conflicts and political plotting between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The commonwealth was the republic that ruled England, Ireland and Scotland. The second revolution that happened during the Enlightenment was the American revolution which took place from 1775 to 1783.This revolution was the political uphea val during the last half of the 18th century towards the end of the enlightenment in which the thirteen colonies that were formed in North America, and joined together to break away from the British Empire and form the United States of America, rejecting the authority of the Parliament of Great Britain. The last political revolution of the Enlightenment was the French Revolution which happened from 1789 to 1799. This revolution was fought to balance the inequalities in French society.Louis XVI was a weak leader and the monarchs were in debt although only commoners paid taxes. The England government was about to go bankrupt so the king tried to raise taxes, leading to the formation of the National Assembly and the imprisonment of the royal family after France went to war against other European countries. Not until the mid 1800s did a democracy form in France after a monarchy and dictatorship. The second aspect of the enlightenment was the economic section and how it affected the enli ghtenment. Peasants under feudalism where kept bound to disadvantageous occupations.The occupations that peasants where assigned was under the control of tradition and class assignment. The most disadvantaged occupation was mercantilism, which was a very closely monitored economic system that allowed the government to monitor their kingdoms import-to-export ratio. They could step if needed and maintain a favorable balance of trade for their kingdom. French economist Francois Quesnay explained in his book Tableau Economique, written in 1758, that a natural order of trade with only limited government intervention would be more beneficial to the individual and the society.This idea was expanded by Scottish economist Adam Smith in his landmark Wealth of Nations written in 1776. This established the nature of economics into three laws, people work more productively with self interest is involved, competition leads to balance and that true supply and demand are a product of free trade. Th e third and final aspect of the enlightenment was social and cultural interpretation. In opposition to the intellectual historiographical approach to the Enlightenment this aspect examines the changes that occurred during the Enlightenment in European society and cultures.One of the primary elements of the social aspect of the enlightenment was the development of the public sphere, a social group in town where individuals could come together to discuss and identify societal problems, and then discuss political actions. This was a place where people could come together and discuss about matters of mutual interest and try to reach a common judgement. The Enlightenment also cultivated the arts, including music, art, and literature. Learning about art and music became more widespread and common during the enlightenment especially in the middle class and the general public.Learning to read became more common and people where able to afford books because of the recent invention of the pri nting press. Philosophy can be traced back to 600 BC but 17th century philosophy in the Western world is normally regarded as being the start of modern philosophy, this was also known as the Age of Reason. This was also generally regarded as a departure from scholasticism and the medieval approach. The 17th-century philosophy started with the work of Rene Descartes, who set the methodology for many philosophers from the Age of Reason.Philosophers in this era mostly focused on systems of epistemology, metaphysics, logic, ethics, politics and physical sciences. The Enlightenment helped develop and innovate philosophy, literature, mathematics and science in countries throughout Europe. It encompassed new thoughts and developments in a variety of other academic, artistic and social fields like economics, law, industrial technology, humanitarianism and fine arts. It also changed the way that people saw the world and their government. The enlightenment helped the separation of powers thro ugh out Europe and developed natural rights and a democracy in place of monarchy in France.

Prison Violence Essay

Prison violence is something that has been an ongoing problem and can be seen in many different forms. It happens in men, woman and juvenile facilities. The level of violence and severity can differ but it is all categorized as prison violence and has become an increasingly major issue on the U.S. It is safe to say people tend to believe males are more prone to violence making violence in male prisons have higher rates than female prisons. Some research indicates women prisoners, unlike men prisoners, do not engage in physical violence (Trammell 2009). They engage in relational violence which is like gossiping and spreading rumors to make each other feel isolated and outcast. Another type is sexual violence such as assault/rape/harassment experiences reported by both male and female prisoners. Male sexual violence involves more force due to the fact of strength and more aggressiveness which is male nature. Male prisoners are subjected to more physical injury and have more excessive f orce used on them so in return the level of aggressiveness is heightened. This is a main factor as to why they try to stop being victims and become the perpetrators and also why violence rates are higher in male prisons. The third issue that contributes in the understanding which gender has higher violent rates in prison is prisoner confrontations and the search for respect. From all of the factors this factor is very unique because it deals with the physiological part of violence. Furthermore, this issue is very important because it shows that physical straight is not the only thing that contributes to violence in prisons, but the psychological factor has a lot to do with it as well. Research has found that prisoners engage in violence for varies reason. I addition, prisoners who have a positive and a stable social interaction tend to engage the least in fights. On the other hand those who have weak and problematic social interaction have more fights with others prisoners (Butler, 2008). In addition, Butler (2008) pointed out found that prisoners that engage in act violence tent to think they have to prove their masculinity by showing their aggression. Furthermore, these types of prisoners have the psychological need to defend this identity. Theses prisoners will react taught when they feel that they are being ostracized, embarrassed, or disrespected. This issue relates to the topic because depending how the inmates feels, the rate of violence can go up or it can come down. The Butler (2008) study presented reasons as to why do  male prisoners are violent in prison. In contract it illustrated what are some of the reason why might male prisons have more violent rates than female prisons. Victimization rates Research done by Wolff, Blitz, Shi and Siegel (2006) found that similar information to other studies. They point out that inmate on inmate sexual victimizations were higher in women prisons than men prisons during the first 6 months of research. Furthermore, nonsensical sexual acts (e.g. forced sex acts) were not as common as abusive sexual contact (e.g. intentional touching), between prisons and staff in the correctional facility. In addition, the scholars point out that depending on the rates of victimization that is how violent the inmate will become. It all depends on which gender is being victimized. In this study the prison staff was victimizing the males. Similarities All of the articles I used to answer the research question had similar founding’s. In addition, all of the empirical articles I found contributed to finding an answer to my research question, which made the date very applicable. However, there were differences and similarities between literatures. Some of the similarities were that most of the articles used a larger size sample of the male prisoners than for the female prisoners in their research. However, with the exception of Trammell (2008) study since it only dealt with female prisoners. Another similarity I found was between Wolff, Shi, and Siegel (2009) and Wolff, Shi, and Bachman (2009) both of these study used the same sample size, 12 adult correctional facilities and one female adult correctional facility. In addition, both studies collected their data in the same state. Furthermore, both study used the same method of research, which was using the Administered Survey Instruction (CASI) to collect their data. Furthermo re, the other empirical literature I used anonymous written assessments, interviews and self-narratives to gain their data (Butler, 2008) Relationship to research All of the scholarly articles I used for this paper were related to one another. Whether it was in a psychological way, victimization rates, respect in prison, or relational violence. All of these issues tied up nicely to  answer the research question. Wolff et all (2006), Wolff et all (2009) and Wolff et al (2008) studies can be put together because they all focused on the rates of victimization in prisons and how it affects the inmates. All of the articles found that depending on the rates of victimization of the behalf of the male and female prisoners, it will show how much aggression the prisoner will engage in. Furthermore, they found that the prison staff victimizes men unlike women; As a consequence the men get in to more fights, which increase the violent rates in male prisons. Research indicates that male inmate have the physiological idea that they need to protect their identity in prison. As a consequence this leads the prisoners to get into more confrontations with other prisoners and with staff at times. In addition, when male inmates feel that they are being embarrassed or ostracized they will act aggressively. However, female inmates are completely opposite instead of physical altercations they will engage in gossip to hurt each other (Butler, 2008) Trammell (2008) research only was based on women correctional facilities, which made it very unique and significant to my paper. Most of the scholarly articles I found were only based on men prisons, but this study focused only on what type of violence is females more consistent with, which was spreading rumors. The theme that is being discussed in this paper is comparing the violent rates between women and men prisons. However, relational violence is not included in the rate of violence unlike aggression is. As a result this lowers the rates of violence in the female prisons. Research conducted Johnson and Johnson (2006) compared the sexual coercion experience between male and female prisons. This factor contributes to the violent rates in correctional facilities. The scholars found that depending on how many experiences of sexual coercion the prisoners take part of, the more it leads to violence making him or her perpetrator. This study also found that men are face more violence sexual coercion compared to women. Consequently the rates of violence in male prisons rise up. Discussion All empirical research provided good data analyses that collaborates with the founding’s. In my opinion the most interesting article I found during my research was the study conducted m Johnson and Johnson (2009) because this study point out that sexual coercion is more commend in male prisons rather  than female prisons. Before doing the research I always thought it was the other way around. My original thoughts about this information I researched were that it was good information to answer the research question. During my research I was trying to find some variables that can help explain what encourages both male and female prisoners to engage in violence. I concur with most of the empirical information I found. All of the articles had something in commend for example, the number male prisons that took part in the study and/or the sample sizes. In addition, as I kept on reading the literature all of the data found were corroborated. Furthermore, all of the scholars found similar information such as, male are more aggressive because they have to go through more violent sexual coercion and as a consequence they fight to protect their â€Å"masculinity†. Moreover all of the information I found has important key issues that proved that male prisoners have more violent rates than female prisons. As a result, all of the articles contribute in answering the research question. However, what I didn’t like about the empirical articles is that the scholars hardly research female prisons. For example, the scholars would use 12 male prisons and only one female prison to compare their violent rates. In my opinion this is extremely unfair because the researcher collects more data for male inmates and not enough for female inmates. Moreover in order, to have more applicable information there needs to be the same number of male and female prisons studied. What I learn doing this research is that in female prisons r ape is very rare. However, this does not necessary mean that female prisoners do not engage in any sexual activities. Research indicated that instead of actual force penetration, the inmates touch breasts and generals. Furthermore, female prisoners do not get molested buy the staff, but rather by the other prisoners (Trammell, 2009). Moreover what I also learn from this research is that females engage in trash talking and spreading rumors to hurt the other prisoners. Before doing this paper I thought that female inmates engage in physical fights like male inmates, but to my surprise they rather spread rumors. Some female inmates reported that spreading rumors hurt more than actual punches. Furthermore, I learn that female inmates fight over guards. They treat the guarders has their boyfriends this gives them extra privileges such as, better jobs and more food. In addition, if the female seeing other female flirting with her â€Å"boyfriend†(guard) she will  spread rumors about that female to get her in trouble. (Trammell, 2009) Conclusion The topic being discussed in this paper was the rate of violence in male and female prisons. All of the empirical articles that I found contribute in finding the answer to my research question. Furthermore, the main focus of this paper was to report if the rates of violence were higher in male or female prisons and why that was the case. After doing all of the research, I found that men prisons have higher violent rates of violence rather than women prisons. It was proven that a lot of variable contribute to higher rates of violence in men prisons such as males under go more sexual coercion, have high rates of victimization, and they look to gain respect in prison. Moreover overall the articles regarding this topic were helpful and applicable. In addition, the articles illustrated the variable of why? How? , And when? do prisoners engage in violence and how does this raise the violent rates in the correctional facility. Even though all of the studies were helpful in writing this paper, more research should be performed regarding this topic. There should be more research that only focuses on female inmates. This can give the general public a better understanding on female prisons. In addition, it can inform on what type of violence female inmates engage in with more detail. Limitation I was only allowed to use six empirical articles to answer my research question. In addition, none of my friends or family members has spend time in prison. So I was not able to interview someone that has witness violence while in prison. Furthermore , in all of the literature I found authors focused more in the male prison rather then the female prisons. As a consequence this could off manipulate the data that indicates that male prisoners engage in more violence. I think if the authors would of concentrate in male and female prisons equally the findings would off probably show that the rates of violence for both male and female inmates are somewhat the same.

Daniel Essays - Christian Eschatology, Book Of Daniel, Free Essays

Daniel Essays - Christian Eschatology, Book Of Daniel, Free Essays Daniel BOOK REPORT The book used for this study: Daniel Verse by Verse Study Oliver B. Green THE GOSPEL HOUR, INC. Fourteenth printing, May 1981 508 pages Class: Old Testament Literature 2 Grade rec'd: A Word count=2375 THE STUDY OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL IS THE STUDY OF PROPHECY, AND AS SUCH, DEALS WITH THE FUTURE. IN STUDYING THESE, WE, AS CHRISTIANS, CAN GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE BIBLE AND OF GOD. THROUGH THIS STUDY AN UNDERSTANDING IS OBTAINED OF THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE FORCES OF GOOD AND EVIL, AND THE ULTIMATE TRIUMPH OF JESUS. THE PROPHETIC SYMBOLS OF DANIEL MUST BE INTERPRETED BY THE BIBLE ITSELF. MAN-MADE INTERPRETATIONS HAVE NO VALIDITY AT ALL. THE COMPREHENSION OF THE PROPHECIES OF DANIEL GIVE US A CLEARER UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS. DANIEL, ALTHOUGH WRITING IN THE THIRD PERSON, GAVE A PERSONAL HISTORY, AS HE LIVED IT, IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL. JESUS ATTESTED TO DANIEL'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WORDS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL, AS HIS THIRD POINT, WHEN HE TOLD HIS FOLLOWERS TO UNDERSTAND THE PROPHECIES OF DANIEL, THE FIRST TWO BEING: TO STUDY THE PROPHECIES, AND THEY COULD BE UNDERSTOOD. DANIEL IS SET DURING THE REIGN OF KING NEBUCHDREZZAR OF BABYLON, WHICH BEGAN IN 605 B.C., AND EXTENDS INTO THE MEDO-PERSIAN REIGN, WHICH BEGAN IN 538 B.C. WE CAN DETERMINE, THEN, THAT THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN SOMETIME DURING THOSE YEARS. BECAUSE OF THEIR DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD, THE NATIONS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH FOUND THEMSELVES CONQUERED BY NEBUCHADREZZAR AND THEIR PEOPLE TAKEN CAPTIVE TO A HEATHEN COUNTRY. ALTHOUGH, THE BOOK OF DANIEL WAS WRITTEN WHILE GOD'S PEOPLE WERE CAPTIVE IN BABYLON BECAUSE OF THEIR SINS, THE FOCUS OF THE BOOK IS NOT ABOUT THE CAPTIVITY, BUT ABOUT THE END TIME. THIS DISCOVERY ABOUT THE BOOK, GIVES DANIEL RELEVANCE FOR US TODAY. THERE ARE TWO DISTINCT PERSPECTIVES FOUND IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL: THE HISTORICAL, WHERE WE SEE STORIES ABOUT DANIEL'S TIME; AND THE PROPHETIC, WHERE WE SEE PROPHECIES POINTING TO THE END TIME. THE STORIES OF DANIEL ARE NOT JUST GIVEN AS SIMPLE STORIES, THEY ARE GIVEN TO ILLUSTRATE WHAT THE PROPHECIES PREDICT. REMEMBER, THE POINT OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL IS THE END TIME...THE ERA OF THE ENDING OF THE CONFLICT BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. WE STUDY THE HISTORICAL PASSAGES TO DISCOVER THE MESSAGE THERE FOR THE END TIME, AND THEN WE DISCOVER HOW THE PROPHETIC SECTIONS HAVE PREDICTED THOSE VERY CONDITIONS IN THE LAST DAYS. THE BIBLE SAYS THAT PROPHECY IS CERTAIN, AND THAT REAL ANSWERS CAN BE FOUND ONLY IN PROPHECY. OUR PATH IS LIT BY THE LIGHT OF PROPHECY, AND THROUGH IT'S STUDY WE FIND JESUS PLACED IN OUR HEARTS. MUCH OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL IS WRITTEN IN SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE. THE FORM THAT DANIEL USES IS CALLED 'OUTLINE PROPHECY', IN WHICH HISTORY IS OUTLINED FROM DANIEL'S DAY TO THE END TIME. WE CAN SEE THAT WE ARE LIVING IN THE STREAM OF HISTORY BECAUSE DANIEL BEGINS HIS PROPHECIES IN HIS OWN DAY, CONTINUES THROUGH HISTORY AS THEY UNFOLD, AND THEN FOCUSES ON THE END TIME. WE SEE THE PROPHECIES OF DANIEL ARE CONSISTENT WITH BIBLICAL EVIDENCE, THEY SPAN THE AGES, ROOTED IN HISTORY BUT FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE. THE BOOK OF DANIEL OPENS WITH THE APPARENT DEFEAT FOR GOD'S PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE DELIVERED INTO THE HANDS OF THE KING OF BABYLON AND TAKEN INTO CAPTIVITY. THESE EVENTS ARE SYMBOLIC OF THE FINAL CONFLICT THAT WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE END TIME, WHEN, IN THE LAST DAYS, SATAN'S FORCES ARE AT WORK TRYING TO DESTROY THOSE WHO ARE FAITHFUL TO JESUS. THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL IS EVIDENCED WHEN NEBUCHADREZZAR HAD DANIEL'S THREE FRIENDS THROWN INTO THE FIERY FURNACE. HE CLEARLY SAW A FOURTH PERSON IN THE FIRE, TO PROTECT AND DELIVER THE HEBREW CHILDREN, AND HE KNEW SOMETHING SUPERNATURAL HAD OCCURRED. NEBUCHADREZZAR IS SHOWN OVER AND OVER THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL OF HUMAN EVENTS NO MATTER WHAT. THIS SAME DELIVERER IS WITH US TODAY. WHEN CHRISTIANS GO THROUGH TRIBULATIONS, THEIR OWN 'FIERY FURNACE', THE SON OF GOD IS RIGHT THERE TO GO THROUGH THE FIRE WITH THEM. THERE ARE TWO ISSUES THAT ARE AT THE FORE OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL...WORSHIP AND OBEDIENCE. THROUGHOUT THE BOOK OF DANIEL WE SEE HOW HIS OBEDIENCE TO GOD AND WORSHIP OF GOD ARE THREATENED AND

Alexander Surname Meaning and Origin

Alexander Surname Meaning and Origin The Alexander surname means repulser of the enemy or defender of men. It derives from the personal name Alexander, derived from the Greek AÃŽ »ÃŽ µÃŽ ¾ÃŽ ±vÃŽ ´poÏ‚ (Alexandros),  made up of alexin, meaning to defend and andros, meaning man. Although derived from a personal name of  Greek origin, the Alexander surname is most commonly found in Scotland as an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name MacAlasdair.  MACALLISTER is a common derivation. Alexander is the  104th most popular surname in Scotland, just dropping out of the top 100 during the past decade.   Surname Origin:  Scottish, English, Dutch, German Alternate Surname Spellings:  ALEXANDRE, ALESANDER, ALESANDRE, ALAXANDAIR, ALASDAIR, ALEXANDAR, ALEKSANDER, MACALEXANDER Where in the World is the ALEXANDER Surname Found? Perhaps surprising, but the Alexander surname is found in the greatest frequency in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada, where one in 52 people bears the surname. According to Forebears, it also ranks among the top 20 surnames in several other Caribbean countries, including St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Alexander is also popular in Scotland and the United States; it ranks just out of the top 100 surnames in both countries. WorldNames PublicProfiler  highlights Alexander as an especially popular surname in Australia and New Zealand, followed by the United States and Great Britain. Within Scotland, Alexander is found most frequently in South Ayrshire.   Famous People with the Last Name ALEXANDER Harold Alexander -  British commander who fought in both World WarsNathaniel Alexander - inventor of the folding chairJason Alexander - American film, theater and television actor, most well known for his role as George in Seinfeld.Archibald Alexander - Protestant clergyman and educator Genealogy Resources for the Surname ALEXANDER Clan Alexander and North AmericaA history of Clan Alexander and its ties to North America by Lord Stirling, the current clan chief. Alexander Surname Y-DNA ProjectOver 340 members belong to this Y-DNA surname project at FamilyTreeDNA, organized to connect individuals with the Alexander surname interested in DNA testing. Alexander Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Alexander surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Alexander query. FamilySearch - ALEXANDER GenealogyExplore over 3.5 million historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Alexander surname and its variations on the free FamilySearch website. ALEXANDER Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Alexander surname. DistantCousin.com - ALEXANDER Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Alexander. The Alexander Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the popular last name Alexander from the website of Genealogy Today. Looking for the meaning of a given name? Check out First Name Meanings Cant find your last name listed? Suggest a surname to be added to the Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins. - References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005. Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back to Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins

Using Historic Context in Analysis and Interpretation

Using Historic Context in Analysis and Interpretation Historical context is an important part of life and literature and without it, memories, stories, and characters have less meaning. What exactly is historical context? Its essentially  the details that surround an occurrence. In more technical terms, historical context refers to the social, religious, economic, and political conditions that existed during a certain time and place. Basically, its all the details of the time and place in which a situation occurs, and those details are what enable us to interpret and analyze works or events of the past, or even the future, rather than merely judge them by contemporary standards. In literature, a strong understanding of the historical context behind a works creation can give us a better understanding of and appreciation for the narrative. In analyzing historical events, context can help us understand what motivates people to behave as they did. Put another way, context is what gives meaning to the details. Its important, however, that you dont confuse context with cause. Cause is the action that creates an outcome; context is the environment in which that action and outcome occur.   Words and Deeds Whether dealing with fact or fiction, historical context is important when interpreting behavior and speech. Consider the following sentence which, devoid of context, sounds innocent enough: Sally hid her hands behind her back and crossed her fingers before she answered. But imagine that this statement comes from a transcript of court documents in Salem, Mass., in 1692, during the famed Salem Witch Trials. Religious fervor was at an extreme, and villagers were nearly obsessed with the devil and witchcraft. At that time, if a young woman were to tell a lie, it was fodder for hysteria and a violent reaction. A reader would assume that poor Sally was a candidate for the gallows. Now, imagine youre reading a letter from a mother that contains this sentence: My daughter will be heading to California shortly after she marries. How much information does this statement give us? Not much, until we consider when it was written. Should we discover that the letter was written in 1849, we will realize that one sentence can sometimes say a lot. A young woman heading for California in 1849 might be following her husband on a treacherous treasure-seeking expedition for the gold rush. This mother would probably be quite fearful for her child, and she would know that it would be a very long time before shed see her daughter again, if ever.   Bettmann/Getty Images Historical Context in Literature   No work of literature can be fully appreciated or understood without historical context. What may seem nonsensical or even offensive to contemporary sensibilities, might actually  be interpreted in a completely different manner by considering the era it is from. A good example is Mark Twains  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, published in 1885. It is considered an enduring work of American literature and a biting social satire. But it is also criticized by modern critics for its casual use of a racial epithet to describe Hucks friend Jim, an escaped slave. Such language is shocking and offensive to many readers today, but in the context of the day, it was​ the commonplace language for many. Back in the mid-1880s, when attitudes toward the newly liberated African-American slaves were often indifferent at best and hostile at worst, the casual use of such racial epithets wouldnt have been considered unusual. In fact, what is actually more surprising, given the historical context of when the novel was written, is Hucks treating Jim not as his inferior but as his equal- something rarely portrayed in the literature of the time. Similarly, Mary Shelleys Frankenstein  cannot be fully appreciated by a reader who is unaware of the Romantic movement that took place in art and literature in the early 19th century. It was a time of rapid social and political upheaval in Europe when lives were transformed by the technological disruptions of the Industrial Age.   The Romantics captured the publics sense of isolation and fear that many experienced as a result of these social changes. Frankenstein becomes more than a good monster story, it becomes an allegory for how technology can destroy us.   Other Uses of Historical Context Scholars and educators rely on historical context to analyze and interpret works of art, literature, music, dance, and poetry. Architects and builders rely on it when designing new structures and restoring existing buildings. Judges may use it to interpret the law, historians to understand the past. Any time critical analysis is required, you may need to consider historical context as well. Without historical context, we are only seeing a piece of the scene and not fully understanding the influence of the time and place in which a situation occurred.

The key to success ( grit) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The key to success ( grit) - Essay Example It is true from the talk that positive psychology linked to perseverance are part of grit. This is for the reason that changing one’s mid-set is pertinent to changing his or her grit. It is also important to note that these two aspects are key to realizing deliberate practice, a type of effortful activity that improves skills. Her belief that success can only be predicted by hard work is however questionable. For instance, a teacher who wants to predict success in her students would wonder how to get his kids to try harder. It is not that easy for a teacher to get learners determined and make them work hard if they lack a positive attitude. Secondly, there are so many more determinants of success, such as self-drive and self-motivation, which do not necessarily need hard work but the inner push and confidence in oneself. I totally agree with her that without grit, success cannot be achieved. This is because of her definition of the term as a multidimensional concept that involves so many learner-centered characters like perseverance, struggle, and self-determination. The other reason is that her research concerning grit is relevant in a way that it assures brilliant students that only those who set goals and stay focused to those goals even when life gets harder and even when inconvenience comes will achieve

Competition-MicroEconomics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Competition-MicroEconomics - Term Paper Example A large number of firms, product differentiation and easy entry and exit are the main characteristics of monopolistic competition. Competition is one of the important market forces. There are mainly two types of competition exist: price competition and non-price competition. Price competition is mainly experienced in a highly competitive market where perfect competition takes place. On the other hand, non-price competition occurs mostly in monopolistic market situations in which competing firms offer different attractive offers and special discounts with an aim of attracting and retaining customers. Competition provides an environment in which not only buyers benefit but also sellers enjoy normal profits. For the buyers, competition is a source to obtain reasonable but competitive prices for goods and services and they do not need pay additional charges for the goods and services. This mostly occurs in perfectly competitive market in which buyers have perfect information about the goods and services and homogenous products are sold. Monopoly is form of market structure in which there is only a single seller who controls the entire supply of goods or services. Monopolistic competition is a combination of both perfect competition and monopoly. In which, there are certain characteristics of both monopoly and perfect competition remain functional. In the following parts of the paper, first definition of competition has been provided and it is followed by types of competition. After defining each type of competition, a conclusion part has been included to sum up the paper. Firms observe two types of competition: price competition and non-price competition. The firms compete with each other to attract and retain customers. For this purpose, they adopt different competition strategies to entertain their business objectives. Diminishing the price of their product below the price of competitors is one way to increase

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example As revealed, Bill Gates’ philanthropic thrusts extends to his applying concepts of CSR in his organizations; including the establishment of Bill & Melinda Gates’ Foundation. On the contrary, Steve Jobs’ main thrust was focused on coming up with innovative ideas on Apple’s products and little emphasis in applying CSR was exemplified. The differences in ideals and philosophies on CSR as exhibited by Apple and Microsoft actually revealed inconsistent conclusions with that advocated by the concept. It was revealed from the concepts presented in class about CSR that the benefits of organizations for investing in CSR include: customer loyalty, workforce satisfaction, community support, and exhibiting a better corporate image. From the experiences of both Apple and Microsoft, it was confusing to realize that despite Microsoft’s application of CSR, the organization was surpassed by Apple (the organization that has not invested in CSR) in term of leadership, popularity, and financial returns. In analyzing the comparative thrusts of each organization regarding investing in CSR, one actually expected that the organization that aptly invested in CSR should exhibit greater popularity and financial returns. However, from the experience and from the information revealed in the video, the opposite effect was noted. It was therefore concluded that comparing one to the other in terms of their investment in CSR could be insufficient to validate that this factor alone was contributory to the financial success of Apple. From the perspectives of the owners, it determining factor was that the investment and application of CSR had been instrumental to the feeling of fulfillment that Bill and Melinda Gates have experienced. Their main thrust for Microsoft was not merely to generate financial returns, nor to project a positive corporate image. For Bill and Melinda Gates, the self-actualization

Architecture and culture in italy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Architecture and culture in italy - Essay Example For this reason, even authors such as Ernest Hemingway, notorious for his brevity and deceptively simple-sounding stories, can reveal much about the areas they write about. In the novel Across the River and Into the Trees, written in 1950, Hemingway provides a great deal of detail about Italy both in what he says and in what he doesn't say. The story begins with a morning of duck hunting. The protagonist emerges slowly, simply called the shooter at first. His personality is the first thing that becomes known about him as it is revealed through his words with the boatman, his thoughts and his actions. Although coarse and irritable, he is also gentle in his treatment of others and his appreciation of beauty. This is seen in his irritation with the boatman as they work through the ice of the canal, "Get your back in it, jerk" (3) as compared to his understanding of the same man at the end of the book once the Colonel realizes it was his military jacket that set the man off. Throughout t he novel, most of which is a flashback to the days just prior to the duck hunt, the people of Italy are consistently referred to as polite and more honest than people elsewhere: "It's a tougher town than Cheyenne when you really know it, and everybody is very polite" (35). Yet there are continual hints that things are not quite as idyllic as the Colonel wants to picture it. Such an instance is introduced in scenes such as the one where the Colonel, then a general, knocked two men unconscious for having the impertinence to whistle at Renata at an even earlier time period or the scene in which he finds it necessary to scare two punks away from him by pretending to be carrying pistols in his pockets as he walks around Venice with Renata's family emeralds in his pocket. The Colonel's ability to appreciate the beauty of the landscape around him also helps to reveal the character and geography of Italy. This initial landscape is seen as particularly inhospitable, though, full of icy canal s and tall grasses - giving an impression of a frozen marshland. It is expanded as the Colonel and his driver make their way across country as "one farm blended, almost blurred, into another farm and you could only see what was far ahead and moving toward you" (14) and given texture as the driver starts to talk about the artists of the country, such as Titian: "if he painted any pictures of that country up around there, with those sunset color rocks and the pines and the snow and all the pointed steeples" (15-16). This glimpse of the country is also given a dual nature as the Colonel approaches the city, looking out at the flat canal-lined boulevard that they're following and remembering the ghastly scene of soldiers bodies, bloated and floating on unmoving water in those canals and yet also observing the peaceful, gentle motion of a sail from one of the barges moving slowly through one of those canals. This image of Italy finally opens up into the streets of Venice with the mention of St. Mark Square and the Colonel relives his last day with his girl, a 20-year-old native beauty in a segment that takes up most of the bulk of the book. In this consistent representation of the dual nature of both the people and the place, the book is very much in keeping with the historical era in which it was written. The second World War had just ended in which many of the older men fighting had already seen their share

Basel Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Basel - Assignment Example Basel is unique and the greatest cities in Europe because of its exclusive culture and geographical location making it different from German and France cities (Bouvier, Craig, and Gossman 66). Humanism has to do with what someone believes in, for example, if a person is a Christian, his or her moral values are defined by Christianity. Reformation took place in Basel after an iconoclastic riot. The riot took place on the eve of Ash Wednesday 1529 though the transition of Basel was less violent. It all began with the need for balance between Catholics and evangelicals in 1520s. However, in 1529, it emerged that a significant percentage of Baslers were Evangelical, and so this was the beginning of iconoclastic riot (Grace). Basel City was a destination for refugees and immigrants from Northern Italy and France. The immigrants were traders and operators of business related activities such as dyeing, spinning, and weaving. Employment was high due to the growth of the mentioned business activities. The developers of the said businesses employed workers within the city. As such, this saw the development of Basel city in 16th century. On the other hand, Mayor Wettstein played an important role in the neutrality of the Swiss neutrality. The Mayor saw the need for negotiation with the German Empire during the Swiss Confederation in 1948. He successfully agreed with the Germans to recognize Swiss as a sovereign state. Bitterness arose among the country people of the region of Basel and the citizens. Their differences led to war between the peasants and the townsmen in Liesthal. As a result of the fight, the canton was divided based on the Act passed by the Helvetic Confederation. The results of the division were Basel town and Basel-Country. Yes, there was close collaboration between Piano and Beyeler. It is their close relationship that led to the design of the most famous museums in the world

Why do Marian sites become pilgrim shrines Essay

Why do Marian sites become pilgrim shrines - Essay Example is that Marian sites, those places where it is held or believed that a Holy Christian supernatural presence, that of Mary, Mother of Jesus, has revealed itself, soon become sites to where an influx of people travel on a regular basis satisfy their need for a religious experience. They are, too, sites that take on a significance in the iconology and doctrine of the Catholic Church; and this document will attempt to explore the reasons why Marian sites become pilgrim shrines for the various groups and individuals who make pilgrimages to those places. Considering for a moment one of the modern day sites, Medjugorje, a place where, in June, 1981, six young teenagers reported to villagers and local church authorities their shared experience taking place atop a hill located near their village. The experience the children reported was that of having seen the vision of the Mother of Jesus, the Holy Mother of the Catholic Church, Mary, atop the hill where, dressed in a veil, she â€Å"hovered† initially advising the children to pray for â€Å"personal and world peace, payer, faith, conversion Christianity, fasting, penance, and the necessity of praying the rosary to avert world disaster.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢.1 A simple enough message, â€Å"pray for peace,† which, in June, 1981, could be interpreted to apply to any number of current world events, but at the time, at the forefront of international concern, in 1981, was the subject HIV/AIDS, the disease that has yet to be cured today, and that since that time spread and devastat ed populations around the world regardless of the socio-economic status of those populations.2 1981 marked the year that Lady Diana Spencer would wed England’s Prince Charles, subsequently becoming the Princess of Wales and, after that, one of the most influential and controversial figures in the royal family.3 And while there was no shortage of events about which to be concerned or that would call for prayers of peace in 1981, there would come to be, some 10

Basel Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Basel - Assignment Example Basel is unique and the greatest cities in Europe because of its exclusive culture and geographical location making it different from German and France cities (Bouvier, Craig, and Gossman 66). Humanism has to do with what someone believes in, for example, if a person is a Christian, his or her moral values are defined by Christianity. Reformation took place in Basel after an iconoclastic riot. The riot took place on the eve of Ash Wednesday 1529 though the transition of Basel was less violent. It all began with the need for balance between Catholics and evangelicals in 1520s. However, in 1529, it emerged that a significant percentage of Baslers were Evangelical, and so this was the beginning of iconoclastic riot (Grace). Basel City was a destination for refugees and immigrants from Northern Italy and France. The immigrants were traders and operators of business related activities such as dyeing, spinning, and weaving. Employment was high due to the growth of the mentioned business activities. The developers of the said businesses employed workers within the city. As such, this saw the development of Basel city in 16th century. On the other hand, Mayor Wettstein played an important role in the neutrality of the Swiss neutrality. The Mayor saw the need for negotiation with the German Empire during the Swiss Confederation in 1948. He successfully agreed with the Germans to recognize Swiss as a sovereign state. Bitterness arose among the country people of the region of Basel and the citizens. Their differences led to war between the peasants and the townsmen in Liesthal. As a result of the fight, the canton was divided based on the Act passed by the Helvetic Confederation. The results of the division were Basel town and Basel-Country. Yes, there was close collaboration between Piano and Beyeler. It is their close relationship that led to the design of the most famous museums in the world

A rose for emily Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

A rose for emily - Essay Example At the time Emily remains indoors, Tobe’s hair is used in place of Emily’s to tell time in the town. The reader knows about this symbolism following the change in timing of events every time hair is used. Pocket watch has also been used a symbol of time in the story. Board of Aldermen members visited Emily to deliberate on tax issues ten years before her death (Faulkner, 2007). During this visit, a pocket watch that was invisible ticked within Emily’s clothing. â€Å"Then they could hear the invisible watch ticking at the end of the gold chain† (Faulkner, 2007).This represents that Emily was aware of time factor in her life, and that time acted as an invisible force that compelled her to become self-conscious about her life and the people around. At this time, time is ticking down towards happiness chances for Emily. The reader knows about this symbolism from the flashbacks presented in the story. Pocket watch is literally used to observe time, and each event in the story is time conscious. This is more so in relation to Emily’s

Decision to drop atomic bomb Essay Example for Free

Decision to drop atomic bomb Essay The decision was made from the president that they were going to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 6, 1945. They chose to drop the bomb because if they didn’t there would have been more casualties than necessary in the continued fighting in the Asian theater of the war . Dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, the president at that time, Harry S. Truman, made the right choice. The atomic bomb was definitely a political conflict for the United States and Japan. The event which initiated the ultimate bombing began with Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, according to History.com. When the A-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, instantly â€Å"Little boy† destroyed 90% of the city, even though it exploded at an altitude of 580 meters. Since the city of Hiroshima only had 298 doctors and 270 of them died, this was rough for the citizens in Hiroshima since the people had no medical help. When they were looking for food and clothes and such it was very rare for them to find the materials they need. However in Nagasaki it was easy to get meds from the naval hospitals out there. Well in September in Hiroshima it was very hard for the people to heal faster because it was so cold and rainy outside for them to fully recover. According to Cacpeaceday. Before dropping the bombs, Japan was refusing to surrender, their emperor insisted on fighting on. Everyone thought that japan had lost but they didn’t know that they refused to surrender and kept fighting. So more and more American’s were dying. The US felt like if they don’t defeat japan soon that they will gain more advantage over Asia or even in japan. Japan ended up shortly surrendering after US dropped two atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan was occupied by allied powers under the American general, MacArthur. Reference According to ibiblio.com pg. 24. http://cacpeaceday.wikispaces.com/3.+The+impact+and+short+term+effects+of+the+dropping+of+the+atomic+bombs U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey: The Effects of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki June 1946

The Relationship Between Mass And Acceleration

The Relationship Between Mass And Acceleration Mass is a property of matter equal to the measure of an objects resistance to changes in either the speed or direction of its motion. The mass of an object is not dependent on gravity and therefore is different from but proportional to its weight. Speed is the time rate of change of position of a body without regard to direction. Linear speed is commonly measured in such units as meters per second, miles per hour, or feet per second. Velocity represents speed but according to the bodies direction. We can calculate from a distance time graph with dy/dx.    Acceleration describes the time rate the velocity is changing at. The relationship between acceleration and velocity is like the relationship between velocity and displacement. Acceleration is a vector quantity. For uniform velocity, a = 0. If a is a non-zero constant, the object is said to be uniformly accelerated. The average acceleration of an object is defined as: Average acceleration = change in velocity / time taken In my investigation, I will aim to find the relationship between mass and acceleration. Method I will do this be setting up an apparatus which will measure the rate of acceleration. First, I will set up a height of 15cm and length of 227cm ramp. At this height, I do not have to apply a force to the trolley to accelerate the trolley because it will be able to slide down due to the force of gravity. This way, the force of gravity can be kept constant. Then, I will use a ticker machine and ticker tape to measure the rate of acceleration. I will stick the ticker tape into a trolley of 850g and let it fall. Each 10 mark on the ticker tape represents 0.2 seconds so I will cut the ticker tape in strips of 10 marks. By plotting the strips onto a graph, it would tell us the speed in which the trolley travelled. From this, we can calculate the acceleration of the trolley: Acceleration = final velocity initial velocity =    D v   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Time  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     t I used a ticker machine to calculate the rate of acceleration because it would show the rate in which acceleration changes. If we just timed how long it takes for the trolley to reach the end of the trolley, it would only give us the average acceleration. It would not be possible to measure the change in acceleration. I chose 15cm height ramp because from our preliminary results we found the marks on the ticker tape appeared most clearly at this height. Previously, the height of the ramp was 43cm and it was too high of the marks to appear clearly and because of this, my results werent as accurate. The average angle of the ramp was 3.87  ÃƒÅ'Ã…  . I chose this angle because I found from preliminary results that if the angle is too high, the marks on the ticker tape would not print accurately. Before, the average angle was 10.7  ÃƒÅ'Ã…   and we found it difficult to read the ticker tape. I clamped the ramp in place because this way, the height of the ramp is less prone to change so it acceleration will only be affected by the mass of the trolley. This will make our results more accurate. I added 400g of mass each time because from preliminary tests, I found that the ranges of the results were too close to each other to see a correlation when we added 100g each time. So to make the results more clear to see if mass affects acceleration, I decided to add more weights. This way, there would be a greater difference in the results and it would be clearer to distinguish a correlation. I chose a trolley of 850g because the trolley was light weight and the wheels were fairly smooth. Because it was light weight it would be easier to add mass on and be less affected by friction. Because the wheels were smooth, the frictional force would be less. This will make our results more accurate. To keep my investigation fair, I will only change one factor- the trolleys mass. I will keep everything else the same such as the height of the ramp and the ramp itself because these factors would affect the results if theyre are not kept the same. Prediction I predict that the mass of the trolley will not affect the rate of acceleration. This is because according to Galileos laws of motion, all bodies accelerate at the same rate regardless of their size or mass. For example, the fact that a feather falls slower than a steel ball is due to amount of air resistance that a feather experiences (a lot) versus a steel ball (very little). Also according to Newtons second law, the acceleration and gravitational force of a body is directly proportional to each other. He adds to Galileos law of motion by saying everything falls at the rate of 9.8m/s. He calculates this by: (F=force, m=mass of Earth (), a=acceleration, r=radius of Earth, G=gravitational constant (6.7-10†¾Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¶Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¶Ã‚ ¥ Nm ²/kg ²), g=gravitational force) If F=ma and F=gm ma=gm So you can cancel m to get a=g Factors which affects the rate of acceleration: Friction would affect the rate of acceleration because it increases the reluctant force by griping on the wheels and increasing the time it takes for the wheels to turn. Sometimes this can be good because it makes cars easier to manoeuvre. To show that friction affects the acceleration, we could carry out the same experiment, but instead of changing the mass, we would add different materials to the ramp. This would show us how surface area affects acceleration. The gradient in which the body is travelling would also affect the acceleration because some of the force would go into the other direction instead of going down so it experiences more drag. This would increase the time it takes for the body to fall. We can show this in our experiment by increasing the angle of the ramp instead of mass. The shape of the body will also affect its acceleration because the more wide it is the more air resistance/ drag it will have. Air resistance slows down an object because it opposes a force in the opposite direct to gravity, so the force of gravity is less. We can show this by changing the size of the surface area of the trolley but keeping mass the same. Results Average Acceleration From the graph, we can see that generally, as the mass increases, so does the acceleration. Theres a steep liner gradient from 850g-1650g, and acceleration increased by 4.82ms†¾Ã‚ ². Even though the actual results shows a decrease in acceleration between 1650g-2100 by 0.53 ms†¾Ã‚ ², the line of best fit tells us it is actually increasing. Overall, acceleration increased by 0.2m/s†¾Ã‚ ² every 100g that was added. Average Speed The average speed shows as the mass increased, so does its speed. There is a liner gradient between 850g-1250, and the speed increased by 1.7cm/s. From 250g-2050g, the speed decreases by 0.75cm/s ². However, from 2050g-2450g, the speed increases again by 0.66cm/s ². Overall, although it decreases, the line of best fit shows that it increases greatly from 850g-1250, then the line starts levelling out from 1250g-1450g. Accuracy Rating The accuracy rating generally shows that as the mass increases, the level of accuracy also increases. This graph shows the higher the number of accuracy, the lower the level of accuracy. There is a huge fall in the number of accuracy rating between 850g-2050. It went from 38.67 to 29, a difference of 9.67. From 850g-2050g, the number of accuracy kept decreasing and overall, it decreased by 14.3. However, from 2050g-2450g, it increased by 2. This may be because as mass increases, the bigger the friction is on the wheels. The larger the friction the better the wheels can grip on the surface so travels more accurately and is less likely to skid. This tells us, the results of acceleration and speed for 850g is very likely to be an outlier because the level of accuracy is very low. Comparison: When we compare the results of the average acceleration to its speed, we can see its directly proportional because as the acceleration increased, so did the speed. This is because acceleration shows how speed changes. When we compare the level of accuracy to the acceleration and speed, it tells us the results for 850g is very likely to be anomalie and possibly 1250g as well. If that were true, the graphs would show that there is no connection an objects mass to its acceleration. This would prove Galileos law of motion and Newtons second law that the rate of acceleration is constant and is not affected by size or mass. However, our experiment does prove their theories are correct because our experiment shows that the less resultant forces oppose to gravity (more friction in this case), the faster the body accelerates and does not depend on its mass. Evaluation I believe my experiment went fairly well because I felt I could justify the reasons why I obtained these results and although I have some anomalies, most of the results were fairly accurate. However, there were some flaws in my experiment such as: I found it hard to set off the trolley at the position on the ramp each time because it was not marked clearly. I did not wipe/grease the ramp after each experiment, doing this would have make the friction of the ramp more consistent When I plotted the strips of ticker tape on the graph, I did not line them accurately on the squares. This made some of my results inaccurate. Improvements To improve my experiment, I would have made the height of the ramp lower because it would experience more friction for the wheels to grip on. I would have also used trolleys with different masses but the same density. This way, drag/air resistance be more likely to be the same so there would only be one factor affecting the results. This would make out results more accurate. To obtained accurate results, we can perform this experiment in a vacuum. This is because in a vacuum, you would not experience any resultant force as you do in Earth so you could accurately calculate acceleration. However, we can only experience a vacuum in space. In earth, to decrease resultant forces, we can carry out this experiment in: Under water High altitude Air tight conditions

Operatic Modernism Essay -- Opera Modernism Music Essays

Operatic Modernism The profound modernist ruptures of the 20th Century questioned, displaced, and reconfigured the way humanity regards itself. Within the fine arts, literature, architecture, and music, artistic revolutions occurred at an unprecedented rate and, within the rubric of modernism, deliberately broke with the bases of Western art, culture and society. While working within the operatic institution, Strauss' Salome, Weill's Die Dreigroschenoper, and Berg's Wozzeck profoundly challenge the generic conventions of the operatic tradition. Through their careful combination of innovation in music, text, structure, and staging, their questioning of traditional morality, and pointed social and historical commentaries, these three operas facilitate criticism of the traditional operatic institution as well as society; they are exemplary of the tensions--painfully evident within operatic modernism--between the will to modernity, innovation, and progress and the past. Opera falls, despite e fforts to the contrary, away from the tremendous potential of innovation and rupture back to its conservative tradition. As the classical tradition all too often relies on, glorifies, and mythologises its past, the failure of modernism in opera is a result of the distance--projected, assumed, and interpolated--between the often stagnant classical and operatic institutions and innovative and modernist contemporaries. Too reified to permit the flourishing of innovation, dissent, and/or rupture, the operatic institution is weighed down by its past (as well as its patrons), remaining steadfastly resistant to the revolutionary influences of modernism. While it is clear an essay on opera and modernism (or, indeed, a cou... .... "Modernism and Postmodernism." In A Glossary of Literary Terms. 7th edition. M.H. Abrams, Ed. New York: Harcourt, 1999. 167-168. Clements, Andrew. "Wozzeck." Volume IV. Stanley Sadie, Ed. London: MacMillan, 1992. 1176-80. Hinton, Stephen. "Die Dreigroschenoper." The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Volume I. Stanley Sadie, Ed. London: MacMillan, 1992. 1243-46. Kennedy, Michael. "Opera." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. Third edition. Michael Kennedy, Ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1980. 463-64. Morris, Mark. "A Brief Introduction to the 20th Century History of Music in Austria." Pimlico Dictionary of Twentieth Century Composers. Pimlico, 1999. On-line. Available http://www.humanities.ualberta.ca/mmorris/402/Austria2.htm Murray, David. "Salome." The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Volume IV. Stanley Sadie, Ed. London: MacMillan, 1992. 146-49.

My Name Is Chimezirim Amadi

Being the Curious four year old that I was, I darted reading the dictionary not even knowing what the words said or meant. The reason I did that was because I liked looking at the words, wondering what It said, I was too preserved to ask anyone to teach me how to read, so I tried to teach myself. I never wanted anyone to see me reading because I did not understand anything I was reading. At night when everyone went to sleep, I snuck out of my bed, went and got the dictionary, and started looking and reading the words out loud one by one. One night I snuck out, and my father heard a little voice talking.He snuck over behind me ND asked what I was doing. I tried to hide the dictionary but he grabbed it and asked what was I doing with it, I was stunned and speechless, I was so speechless that I started mumbling. I mumbled all the way to my room. The next morning, right before he went to work he told my mom what happened. My mom decided to sit me down and ask me about the situation, fina lly I was ready to face the truth. That was when I told her, I wanted to learn how to read. She smiled and told me I did not have to be shy about It, so she bought me some easy to read books with pictures and theseHUGE words. It was excellent to read books with so much art. I loved reading and everything thing about it, so much that by the age of eight I started making my own fiction books. First I told my mom to buy me a big composition book with brand new colored pencils, crayons and markers so that I could make an Illustrated book, she said no, I should Just use blank paper and the art supply I already had. I begged her so many times and I kept getting the same answer â€Å"NO†. When my dad came home from work. Asked him and he said yes, so he took me to Wall-Mart and bought me a full set.I as so excited to make my own book. But the only thing was that I could not really think of anything to write about. I sat in my room for twenty minutes thinking, so I started drawing th is huge monster and that was when I figured out what my story line was. I loved to write and draw, so every year until the age of thirteen, I made an Illustrated book. When I was thirteen, there was a contest for junior writers and whoever won the contest gets five hundred dollars. Immediately when I heard of the contest, I joined. The end result was that I lost.I was so disappointed in myself cause I thought I was a good writer. Even though I did not win, my teacher read my story and gave it to the Literary Magazine In my school and they loved It. They put It as a flirt page story so that everyone can see what a great writer I was. I did not think I was a good writer after I lost that contest, even though I did make 1 OFF stories. I thought I was not going to write for pleasure again, until I got to sophomore year of high school. When I became a sophomore, I Joined the year book club. Our teacher assigned each person a Job to do.I really wanted to be the one to take all the strictu res, but she decided to put me in charge of writing the cover letter and some photo captions. I told her that I was a terrible writer and she should reassign me, but she disagreed. I stalled on writing the cover letter for two months because not only could I not think of anything to write, but I did not want to write for pleasure. One boring day, I decided to sit down and write my cover letter, It went from it being a requirement to pleasure. When I started writing the cover letter, I could not stop.I had so many ideas running through my head that I Just kept writing and it felt good. The next day I handed the cover letter to my teacher, she read it and she thought it was remarkable. It was so remarkable that she had to read it to the whole class. I felt like I accomplished something. My senior year of high school, we started learning about Shakespearean most extraordinary play, Hamlet. The longest play Shakespeare ever wrote and also one of the greatest story in English literature. The story of Hamlet is about a prince who grieves of his father's death.His mother Queen Gertrude marries his uncle Claudia, who killed his father. The ghost of the late king kept appearing to Hamlet to tell him that Claudia poisoned him in the garden so that he could become king. Hamlet decides to get revenge on his uncle. He killed Polonium because he was eavesdropping. Aphelia, Polonium's daughter drowns herself because Hamlet drove her to madness with his confusion of his love for her. Polonium's son Alerts returns to Denmark for revenge of his father and his sister's death. A battle took place in the castle, to end with the death of Hamlet, Gertrude, Alerts, and Claudia.Hamlet was such an influential play to me because Hamlet was hell bent on revenge and his wit and determination reminded me of myself. I was so influenced, for my senior paper in high school, I wrote a 21st century story similar to Hamlet. English as a subject has had an ongoing role in my life. From Reading th e dictionary and not knowing anything it said, to making my own illustrated stories and to Just writing for pleasure. English has had a remarkable influence in my life. I always had a personal connection with English since my childhood to the present.

Ethics Essay Essay

The theories of virtue, utilitarianism, and deontology are similar in some aspects but for the most part are very different. Each of the theories will be explained to show their differences and the type of person that would gravitate towards that theory. Through the explanations one would also be able to consider where there morals or ethics may lie but can also see themselves in each theory. The Virtue Theory, also know as Virtue Ethics, refers to the character of each person. This theory states that every person should try for excellence. The characteristics of each individual are made up from their environment that they are a part of. The theory would further suggest that it is not defined as a single moment in each individual’s life but their entire life as a whole. In thinking about the Virtue Theory, it can be explained by stating that each person needs to be the best they can and avoid the need or ability to hurt others. In Basic ethics: Basic ethics in action it talks about Aristotle and his view on virtue ethics to include characteristics or virtues of an individual. There are some that Aristotle would suggest to be the median or virtues such as courage, self-control, proper emotion, and friendliness to name a few. Reviewing these ideals of what characteristics a person should posses would or could be considered common traits of most individuals in the world today. In the simplistic form the virtue theory is about better one self and the other individuals that are around them. Deontology Theory states that there is a moral duty for one to act no matter the circumstances. This theory is furthered by the thought process of not thinking through any actions or the consequences but because it is action that is taken is right. â€Å"The word â€Å"deontology† comes from two Greek words, deion+ logos. Deion comes from the particle dei which means â€Å"must. † Logos (in this context) means â€Å"the account of† (Boylan, 2009). In breaking this down, it shows that is the account of the musts. In meaning one must act on the account of others or for themselves. Deontology theory can be seen within those persons that provide protection for another without question no matter the inherent danger. The will to act is shown through this theory such as that would be considered of the Spartan Army. The Spartan Army would not ask how many strong are the enemy but where the enemy is. Utilitarianism Theory is one that embodies the thought of taking care of the whole group and not the individual. This theory is a moral theory as we see wanting to make the group better. It can only be our morals to drive us to want what is best for a group. If one person is stronger in writing than another during the course of the project, then the weaker writer may ask the stronger one to take over. It is knowing your personal weakness and asking or foregoing your own glory to better the group that you are part of. One that can set aside their pride is a far better person and shows their true sense of morals. In thinking about a personal experience to be discussed in combination with one of these theories, I keep coming back to the theory of utilitarianism. The reason being that I know I have an alpha personality, meaning that I like to be in control and have the control. I tend to leave this part of me outside the classroom to have a clear head and to allow the learning teams to work more cohesive with the other members. It has been my experience that issues have arisen in each of the groups that I have been a part of. This is either due to lack of participation, inability to communicate or the plain fact of laziness. I have stopped from confronting the team member numerous times in order to keep the team moving in the right direction. Later in the class the issues continue to build and that is when I will confront the person and attempt to deal with the issue. I feel that in setting aside my alpha mentality and waiting to confront the individual is a way for the betterment of the learning team as whole.

Evolution of Management Essay

As long as there have been human endeavors, there have been people willing to take charge—people willing to plan, organize, staff, and control the work. One might say that nature abhors a vacuum and thus someone will always step forward to fill a leadership void. Probably the natural emergence of leadership grew out of our instinct for survival. In the hostile world of early humankind, food, shelter, and safety needs usually required cooperative efforts, and cooperative efforts required some form of leadership. Certainly leadership was vested in the heads of early families via the patriarchal system. The oldest member of the family was the most experienced and was presumed to be the wisest member of the family and thus was the natural leader. As families grew into tribes and tribes evolved into nations, more complex forms of leadership were required and did evolve. Division of labor and supervision practices is recorded on the earliest written record, the clay tablets of the Sumerians. In Sumerian society, as in many others since, the wisest and best leaders were thought to be the priests and other religious leaders. Likewise, the ancient Babylonian cities developed very strict codes, such as the code of Hammurabi. King Nebuchadnezzar used color codes to control production of the hanging gardens, and there were weekly and annual reports, norms for productivity, and rewards for piecework. The Egyptians organized their people and their slaves to build their cities and pyramids. Construction of one pyramid, around 5000 BC. , required the labor of 100,000 people working for approximately 20 years. Planning, organizing, and controlling were essential elements of that and other feats, many of them long term. The ancient Egyptian Pharaohs had long-term planners and advisors, as did their contemporaries in China. China perfected military organization based on line and staff principles and used these same principles in the early Chinese dynasties. Confucius wrote parables that offered practical suggestions for public administration. In the Old Testament, Moses led a group of Jewish slaves out of Egypt and then organized them into a nation. Exodus, Chapter 18, describes how Moses â€Å"chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, and differentiated between rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties and rulers of tens. A system of judges also evolved, with only the hard cases coming to Moses. The city-states of Greece were commonwealths, with councils, courts, administrative officials, and boards of generals. Socrates talked about management as a skill separate from technical knowledge and experience. Plato wrote about specialization and proposed notions of a healthy republic. The Roman Empire is thought by many to have been so successful because of the Romans’ great ability to organize the military and conquer new lands. Those sent to govern the far-flung parts of the empire were effective administrators and were able to maintain relationships with leaders from other provinces and across the empire as a whole. There are numerous other ancient leaders who were skillful organizers, at least as indicated by their accomplishments, such as Hannibal, who shepherded an army across the Alps, and the first emperor of China, who built the Great Wall. Many of the practices employed today in leading, managing, and administering modern organizations have their origins in antiquity. Many concepts of authority developed in a religious context. One example is the Roman Catholic Church with its efficient formal organization and management techniques. The chain of command or path of authority, including the concept of specialization, was a most important contribution to management theory. Machiavelli also wrote about authority, stressing that it comes from the consent of the masses. However, the ideas Machiavelli expressed in The Prince are more often viewed as mainly concerned with leadership and communication. Much management theory has military origins, probably because efficiency and effectiveness are essential for success in warfare. The concepts of unity of command, line of command, staff advisors, and division of work all can be traced back at least to Alexander the Great, or even earlier, to Lao Tzu. The Industrial Revolution created a need for new thinking and the refinement of old thinking. Time and motion studies intensified the division of work, as did centralized production and research and development. Modern management theory prevails afterwards. The preceding historical review indicates that thinking about management and leadership is in large part situational and that practices evolved to deal with new situations that arose. It also indicates that yesterday’s principles and theories are surprisingly contemporary and surprisingly sophisticated. Some overlap occurs, of course, and some gaps. Today’s theorists have attempted to fill in the gaps and adapt the theories to current situations. Yet, like in other areas of thought, not much is of recent origin in the field of management theory. The Evolution of Management Changes in management practices occur as managers, theorists, researchers, and consultants seek new ways to increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness. The driving force behind the evolution of management theory is the search for better ways to utilize organizational resources. Advances in management theory typically occur as managers and researchers find better ways to perform the principal management tasks: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling human and other organizational resources. In this paper, we will try to examine how management theory concerning appropriate management practices has evolved in modern times, and look at the central concerns that have guided its development. First, we look into the so-called classical management theories that emerged around the turn of the twentieth century. These include scientific management, which focuses on matching people and tasks to maximize efficiency; and administrative management, which focuses on identifying the principles that will lead to the creation of the most efficient system of organization and management. Next, we consider behavioral management theories, developed both before and after the Second World War, which focus on how managers should lead and control their workforces to increase performance. Then we discuss management science theory, which developed during the Second World War and which has become increasingly important as researchers have developed rigorous analytical and quantitative techniques to help managers measure and control organizational performance. Finally, we discuss business in the 1960s and 1970s and focus on the theories that were developed to help explain how the external environment affects the way organizations and managers operate. At the end of this paper, one will understand the ways in which management theory has evolved over time. One will also understand how economic, political, and cultural forces have affected the development of these theories and the ways in which managers and their organizations behave. Figure 1. 1 summarizes the chronology of the management theories that are discussed in this paper. Scientific Management Theory The evolution of modern management began in the closing decades of the nineteenth century, after the industrial revolution had swept through Europe, Canada, and the United States. In the new economic climate, managers of all types of organizations—political, educational, and economic—were increasingly trying to find better ways to satisfy customers’ needs. Many major economic, technical, and cultural changes were taking place at this time. The introduction of steam power and the development of sophisticated machinery and equipment changed the way in which goods were produced, particularly in the weaving and clothing industries. Small workshops run by skilled workers who produced hand-manufactured products (a system called crafts production) were being replaced by large factories in which sophisticated machines controlled by hundreds or even thousands of unskilled or semiskilled workers made products. Owners and managers of the new factories found themselves unprepared for the challenges accompanying the change from small-scale crafts production to large-scale mechanized manufacturing. Many of the managers and supervisors had only a technical orientation, and were unprepared for the social problems that occur when people work together in large groups (as in a factory or shop system). Managers began to search for new techniques to manage their organizations’ resources, and soon they began to focus on ways to increase the efficiency of the worker–task mix. Job specialization and division of labor The famous economist Adam Smith was one of the first to look at the effects of different manufacturing systems. 7 He compared the relative performance of two different manufacturing methods. The first was similar to crafts-style production, in which each worker was responsible for all of the 18 tasks involved in producing a pin. The other had each worker performing only 1 or a few of the 18 tasks that go into making a completed pin. Smith found that factories in which workers specialized in only 1 or a few tasks had greater performance than factories in which each worker performed all 18 pin-making tasks. In fact, Smith found that 10 workers specializing in a particular task could, between them, make 48 000 pins a day, whereas those workers who performed all the tasks could make only a few thousand at most. Smith reasoned that this difference in performance was due to the fact that the workers who specialized became much more skilled at their specific tasks, and, as a group, were thus able to produce a product faster than the group of workers who each had to perform many tasks. Smith concluded that increasing the level of job specialization— the process by which a division of labour occurs as different workers specialize in different tasks over time—increases efficiency and leads to higher organizational performance. Based on Adam Smith’s observations, early management practitioners and theorists focused on how managers should organize and control the work process to maximize the advantages of job specialization and the division of labour. F. W. Taylor and Scientific Management Frederick W. Taylor (1856–1915) is best known for defining the techniques of scientific management, the systematic study of relationships between people and tasks for the purpose of redesigning the work process to increase efficiency. Taylor believed that if the amount of time and effort that each worker expended to produce a unit of output (a finished good or service) could be reduced by increasing specialization and the division of labour, then the production process would become more efficient. Taylor believed that the way to create the most efficient division of labour could best be determined by means of scientific management techniques, rather than intuitive or informal rule-of-thumb knowledge. This decision ultimately resulted in problems. For example, some managers using scientific management obtained increases in performance, but rather than sharing performance gains with workers through bonuses as Taylor had advocated, they simply increased the amount of work that each worker was expected to do. Many workers experiencing the reorganized work system found that as their performance increased, managers required them to do more work for the same pay. Workers also learned that increases in performance often meant fewer jobs and a greater threat of layoffs, because fewer workers were needed. In addition, the specialized, simplified jobs were often monotonous and repetitive, and many workers became dissatisfied with their jobs. Scientific management brought many workers more hardship than gain, and left them with a distrust of managers who did not seem to care about their wellbeing. These dissatisfied workers resisted attempts to use the new scientific management techniques and at times even withheld their job knowledge from managers to protect their jobs and pay. Unable to inspire workers to accept the new scientific management techniques for performing tasks, some organizations increased the mechanization of the work process. For example, one reason for Henry Ford’s introduction of moving conveyor belts in his factory was the realization that when a conveyor belt controls the pace of work (instead of workers setting their own pace), workers can be pushed to perform at higher levels—levels that they may have thought were beyond their reach. Charlie Chaplin captured this aspect of mass production in one of the opening scenes of his famous movie, Modern Times (1936). In the film, Chaplin caricatured a new factory employee fighting to work at the machine imposed pace but losing the battle to the machine. Henry Ford also used the principles of scientific management to identify the tasks that each worker should perform on the production line and thus to determine the most effective way to create a division of labour to suit the needs of a mechanized production system. From a performance perspective, the combination of the two management practices— (1) achieving the right mix of worker–task specialization and (2) linking people and tasks by the speed of the production line—makes sense. It produces the huge savings in cost and huge increases in output that occur in large, organized work settings. For example, in 1908, managers at the Franklin Motor Company redesigned the work process using scientific management principles, and the output of cars increased from 100 cars a month to 45 cars a day; workers’ wages increased by only 90 percent, however. From other perspectives, though, scientific management practices raise many concerns. The definition of the workers’ rights not by the workers themselves but by the owners or managers as a result of the introduction of the new management practices raises an ethical issue, which we examine in this â€Å"Ethics in Action. † Fordism in Practice From 1908 to 1914, through trial and error, Henry Ford’s talented team of production managers pioneered the development of the moving conveyor belt and thus changed manufacturing practices forever. Although the technical aspects of the move to mass production were a dramatic financial success for Ford and for the millions of Americans who could now afford cars, for the workers who actually produced the cars, many human and social problems resulted. With simplification of the work process, workers grew to hate the monotony of the moving conveyor belt. By 1914, Ford’s car plants were experiencing huge employee turnover—often reaching levels as high as 300 or 400 percent per year as workers left because they could not handle the work-induced stress. 15 Henry Ford recognized these problems and made an announcement: From that point on, to motivate his workforce, he would reduce the length of the workday from nine hours to eight hours, and the company would double the basic wage from US$2. 50 to US$5. 00 per day. This was a dramatic increase, similar to an announcement today of an overnight doubling of the minimum wage. Ford became an internationally famous figure, and the word â€Å"Fordism† was coined for his new approach. Ford’s apparent generosity was matched, however, by an intense effort to control the resources—both human and material—with which his empire was built. He employed hundreds of inspectors to check up on employees, both inside and outside his factories. In the factory, supervision was close and confining. Employees were not allowed to leave their places at the production line, and they were not permitted to talk to one another. Their job was to concentrate fully on the task at hand. Few employees could adapt to this system, and they developed ways of talking out of the sides of their mouths, like ventriloquists, and invented a form of speech that became known as the â€Å"Ford Lisp. † Ford’s obsession with control brought him into greater and greater conflict with managers, who were often fired when they disagreed with him. As a result, many talented people left Ford to join his growing rivals. Outside the workplace, Ford went so far as to establish what he called the â€Å"Sociological Department† to check up on how his employees lived and the ways in which they spent their time. Inspectors from this department visited the homes of employees and investigated their habits and problems. Employees who exhibited behaviours contrary to Ford’s standards (for instance, if they drank too much or were always in debt) were likely to be fired. Clearly, Ford’s effort to control his employees led him and his managers to behave in ways that today would be considered unacceptable and unethical, and in the long run would impair an organization’s ability to prosper. Despite the problems of worker turnover, absenteeism, and discontent at Ford Motor Company, managers of the other car companies watched Ford reap huge gains in efficiency from the application of the new management principles. They believed that their companies would have to imitate Ford if they were to survive. They followed Taylor and used many of his followers as consultants to teach them how to adopt the techniques of scientific management. In addition, Taylor elaborated his principles in several books, including Shop Management (1903) and The detail how to apply the principles of scientific management to reorganize the work system. Taylor’s work has had an enduring effect on the management of production systems. Managers in every organization, whether it produces goods or services, now carefully analyze the basic tasks that must be performed and try to devise the work systems that will allow their organizations to operate most efficiently. The Gilbreths Two prominent followers of Taylor were Frank Gilbreth (1868–1924) and Lillian Gilbreth (1878–1972), who refined Taylor’s analysis of work movements and made many contributions to time-and-motion study. Their aims were to (1) break up into each of its component actions and analyze every individual action necessary to perform a particular task, (2) find better ways to perform each component action, and (3) reorganize each of the component actions so that the action as a whole could be performed more efficiently—at less cost of time and effort. The Gilbreths often filmed a worker performing a particular task and then separated the task actions, frame by frame, into their component movements. Their goal was to maximize the efficiency with which each individual task was performed so that gains across tasks would add up to enormous savings of time and effort. Their attempts to develop improved management principles were captured—at times quite humorously—in the movie Cheaper by the Dozen, which depicts how the Gilbreths (with their 12 children) tried to live their own lives according to these efficiency principles and apply them to daily actions such as shaving, cooking, and even raising a family. Eventually, the Gilbreths became increasingly interested in the study of fatigue. They studied how the physical characteristics of the workplace contribute to job stress that often leads to fatigue and thus poor performance. They isolated factors— such as lighting, heating, the colour of walls, and the design of tools and machines—that result in worker fatigue. Their pioneering studies paved the way for new advances in management theory. In workshops and factories, the work of the Gilbreths, Taylor, and many others had a major effect on the practice of management. In comparison with the old crafts system, jobs in the new system were more repetitive, boring, and monotonous as a result of the application of scientific management principles, and workers became increasingly dissatisfied. Frequently, the management of work settings became a game between workers and managers: Managers tried to initiate work practices to increase performance, and workers tried to hide the true potential efficiency of the work setting in order to protect their own well-being. Administrative management theory Side by side with scientific managers studying the person–task mix to increase efficiency, other researchers were focusing on administrative management, the study of how to create an organizational structure that leads to high efficiency and effectiveness. Organizational structure is the system of task and authority relationships that control how employees use resources to achieve the organization’s goals. Two of the most influential views regarding the creation of efficient systems of organizational administration were developed in Europe. Max Weber, a German professor of sociology, developed one theory. Henri Fayol, the French manager who developed a model of management introduced earlier, developed the other. The Theory of Bureaucracy Max Weber (1864–1920) wrote at the turn of the twentieth century, when Germany was undergoing its industrial revolution. To help Germany manage its growing industrial enterprises at a time when it was striving to become a world power, Weber developed the principles of bureaucracy—a formal system of organization and administration designed to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. A bureaucratic system of administration is based on five principles (summarized in Figure 1. 2). †¢ Principle 1: In a bureaucracy, a manager’s formal authority derives from the position he or she holds in the organization. Authority is the power to hold people accountable for their actions and to make decisions concerning the use of organizational resources. Authority gives managers the right to direct and control their subordinates’ behaviour to achieve organizational goals. In a bureaucratic system of administration, obedience is owed to a manager, not because of any personal qualities that he or she might possess— such as personality, wealth, or social status—but because the manager occupies a position that is associated with a certain level of authority and responsibility. †¢ Principle 2: In a bureaucracy, people should occupy positions because of their performance, not because of their social standing or personal contacts. This principle was not always followed in Weber’s time and is often ignored today. Some organizations and industries are still affected by social networks in which personal contacts and relations, not job-related skills, influence hiring and promotional decisions. †¢ Principle 3: The extent of each position’s formal authority and task responsibilities, and its relationship to other positions in an organization, should be clearly specified. When the tasks and authority associated with various positions in the organization are clearly specified, managers and workers know what is expected of them and what to expect from each other. Moreover, an organization can hold all its employees strictly accountable for their actions when each person is completely familiar with his or her responsibilities. †¢ Principle 4: So that authority can be exercised effectively in an organization, positions should be arranged hierarchically, so employees know whom to report to and who reports to them. Managers must create an organizational hierarchy of authority that makes it clear who reports to whom and to whom managers and workers should go if conflicts or problems arise. This principle is especially important in the armed forces, CSIS, RCMP, and other organizations that deal with sensitive issues involving possible major repercussions. It is vital that managers at high levels of the hierarchy be able to hold subordinates accountable for their actions. †¢ Principle 5: Managers must create a well-defined system of rules, standard operating procedures, and norms so that they can effectively control behaviour within an organization. Rules are formal written instructions that specify actions to be taken under different circumstances to achieve specific goals (for example, if A happens, do B). Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are specific sets of written instructions about how to perform a certain aspect of a task. A rule might state that at the end of the workday employees are to leave their machines in good order, and a set of SOPs then specifies exactly how they should do so, itemizing which machine parts must be oiled or replaced. Norms are unwritten, informal codes of conduct that prescribe how people should act in particular situations. For example, an organizational norm in a restaurant might be that waiters should help each other if time permits. Rules, SOPs, and norms provide behavioural guidelines that improve the performance of a bureaucratic system because they specify the best ways to accomplish organizational tasks. Companies such as McDonald’s and Wal-Mart have developed extensive rules and procedures to specify the types of behaviours that are required of their employees, such as, â€Å"Always greet the customer with a smile. † Weber believed that organizations that implement all five principles will establish a bureaucratic system that will improve organizational performance. The specification of positions and the use of rules and SOPs to regulate how tasks are performed make it easier for managers to organize and control the work of subordinates. Similarly, fair and equitable selection and promotion systems improve managers’ feelings of security, reduce stress, and encourage organizational members to act ethically and further promote the interests of the organization. If bureaucracies are not managed well, however, many problems can result. Sometimes, managers allow rules and SOPs—â€Å"bureaucratic red tape†Ã¢â‚¬â€to become so cumbersome that decision making becomes slow and inefficient and organizations are unable to change. When managers rely too much on rules to solve problems and not enough on their own skills and judgment, their behaviour becomes inflexible. A key challenge for managers is to use bureaucratic principles to benefit, rather than harm, an organization. Fayol’s Principles of Management Working at the same time as Weber but independently of him, Henri Fayol (1841–1925), the CEO of Comambault Mining, identified 14 principles (summarized in Table 2. ) that he believed to be essential to increasing the efficiency of the management process. Some of the principles that Fayol outlined have faded from contemporary management practices, but most have endured. The principles that Fayol and Weber set forth still provide a clear and appropriate set of guidelines that managers can use to create a work setting that makes efficient and effective use of organizational resources. These principles remain the bedrock of modern management theory; recent researchers have refined or developed them to suit modern conditions. For example, Weber’s and Fayol’s concerns for equity and for establishing appropriate links between performance and reward are central themes in contemporary theories of motivation and leadership. Behavioural Management Theory The behavioural management theorists writing in the first half of the twentieth century all espoused a theme that focused on how managers should personally behave in order to motivate employees and encourage them to perform at high levels and be committed to the achievement of organizational goals. The â€Å"Management Insight† indicates how employees can become demoralized when managers do not treat their employees properly. Management Insight – How to Discourage Employees Catherine Robertson, owner of Vancouver-based Robertson Telecom Inc. , made headlines in February 2001 for her management policies. Robertson is a government contractor whose company operates Enquiry BC, which gives British Columbians toll-free telephone information and referral services about all provincial government programs. Female telephone operators at Robertson Telecom must wear skirts or dresses even though they never come in contact with the public. Not even dress pants are allowed. As Gillian Savage, a former employee, notes, â€Å"This isn’t a suggested thing, it’s an order: No pants. † Brad Roy, another former employee, claims a female Indo-Canadian employee was sent home to change when she arrived at work wearing a Punjabi suit (a long shirt over pants). The no-pants rule is not the only concern of current and former employees. Roy also said, â€Å"I saw some people being reprimanded for going to the washroom. While Robertson denied Roy’s allegation regarding washrooms, she did confirm that company policy included the no-pants rule, that employees were not allowed to bring their purses or other personal items to their desks, and that they were not allowed to drink coffee or bottled water at their desks. The company does not provide garbage cans for the employees. A g roup of current and former employees recently expressed concern with the number of rules Robertson has in place, and claimed that the rules have led to high turnover and poor morale. A current employee claims that many workers do not care whether they give out the right government phone numbers. Robertson said that she knew of no employees who were discontent, and was shocked that the policies had caused distress among employees. She defended the dress code as appropriate business attire. Robertson may have to make some adjustments in her management style. The cabinet minister responsible for Enquiry BC, Catherine MacGregor, ordered an investigation of the contractor after being contacted by The Vancouver Sun about the allegations. She noted that the skirts-only rule for women is not appropriate, and that, â€Å"All of our contractors are expected to fully comply with the Employment Standards Act, Workers Compensation rules and human rights legislation. † Additionally, Mary-Woo Sims, head of the BC Human Rights Commission, said dress codes can’t be based on gender. Thus, an employer can’t tell men they must wear pants (as Robertson does), but tell women they can’t. â€Å"On the face of it, it would appear to be gender discriminatory,† Sims said. The Work of Mary Parker Follett If F. W. Taylor is considered to be the father of management thought, Mary Parker Follett (1868–1933) serves as its mother. 28 Much of her writing about management and about the way managers should behave toward workers was a response to her concern that Taylor was ignoring the human side of the organization. She pointed out that management often overlooks the multitude of ways in which employees can contribute to the organization when managers allow them to participate and exercise initiative in their everyday work lives. Taylor, for example, relied on time-and-motion experts to analyze workers’ jobs for them. Follett, in contrast, argued that because workers know the most about their jobs, they should be involved in job analysis and managers should allow them to participate in the work development process. Follett proposed that, â€Å"Authority should go with knowledge †¦ whether it is up the line or down. † In other words, if workers have the relevant knowledge, then workers, rather than managers, should be in control of the work process itself, and managers should behave as coaches and facilitators—not as monitors and supervisors. In making this statement, Follett anticipated the current interest in self-managed teams and empowerment. She also recognized the importance of having managers in different departments communicate directly with each other to speed decision making. She advocated what she called â€Å"cross-functioning†: members of different departments working together in cross-departmental teams to accomplish projects—an approach that is increasingly utilized today. Fayol also mentioned expertise and knowledge as important sources of managers’ authority, but Follett went further. She proposed that knowledge and expertise, and not managers’ formal authority deriving from their position in the hierarchy, should decide who would lead at any particular moment. She believed, as do many management theorists today, that power is fluid and should flow to the person who can best help the organization achieve its goals. Follett took a horizontal view of power and authority, in contrast to Fayol, who saw the formal line of authority and vertical chain of command as being most essential to effective management. Follett’s behavioural approach to management was very radical for its time. The Hawthorne Studies and Human Relations Probably because of its radical nature, Follett’s work was unappreciated by managers and researchers until quite recently. Instead, researchers continued to follow in the footsteps of Taylor and the Gilbreths. One focus was on how efficiency might be increased through improving various characteristics of the work setting, such as job specialization or the kinds of tools workers used. One series of studies was conducted from 1924 to 1932 at the Hawthorne Works of the Western Electric Company. This research, now known as the Hawthorne studies, began as an attempt to investigate how characteristics of the work setting—specifically the level of lighting or illumination—affect worker fatigue and performance. The researchers conducted an experiment in which they systematically measured worker productivity at various levels of illumination. The experiment produced some unexpected results. The researchers found that regardless of whether they raised or lowered the level of illumination, productivity increased. In fact, productivity began to fall only when the level of illumination dropped to the level of moonlight, a level at which presumably workers could no longer see well enough to do their work efficiently. The researchers found these results puzzling and invited a noted Harvard psychologist, Elton Mayo, to help them. Subsequently, it was found that many other factors also influence worker behaviour, and it was not clear what was actually influencing the Hawthorne workers’ behaviour. However, this particular effect— which became known as the Hawthorne effect—seemed to suggest that workers’ attitudes toward their managers affect the level of workers’ performance. In particular, the significant finding was that a manager’s behaviour or leadership approach can affect performance. This finding led many researchers to turn their attention to managerial behaviour and leadership. If supervisors could be trained to behave in ways that would elicit cooperative behaviour from their subordinates, then productivity could be increased. From this view emerged the human relations movement, which advocates that supervisors be behaviourally trained to manage subordinates in ways that elicit their cooperation and increase their productivity. The importance of behavioural or human relations training became even clearer to its supporters after another series of experiments—the bank wiring room experiments. In a study of workers making telephone switching equipment, researchers Elton Mayo and F. J. Roethlisberger discovered that the workers, as a group, had deliberately adopted a norm of output restriction to protect their jobs. Workers who violated this informal production norm were subjected to sanctions by other group members. Those who violated group performance norms and performed above the norm were called â€Å"ratebusters†; those who performed below the norm were called â€Å"chiselers. † The experimenters concluded that both types of workers threatened the group as a whole. Ratebusters threatened group members because they revealed to managers how fast the work could be done. Chiselers were looked down on because they were not doing their share of the work. Work-group members disciplined both ratebusters and chiselers in order to create a pace of work that the workers (not the managers) thought was fair. Thus, a work group’s influence over output can be as great as the supervisors’ influence. Since the work group can influence the behavior of its members, some management theorists argue that supervisors should be trained to behave in ways that gain the goodwill and cooperation of workers so that supervisors, not workers, control the level of work-group performance. One of the main implications of the Hawthorne studies was that the behavior of managers and workers in the work setting is as important in explaining the level of performance as the technical aspects of the task. Managers must understand the workings of the informal organization, the system of behavioural rules and norms that emerge in a group, when they try to manage or change behaviour in organizations. Many studies have found that, as time passes, groups often develop elaborate procedures and norms that bond members together, allowing unified action either to cooperate with management in order to raise performance or to restrict output and thwart the attainment of organizational goals. The Hawthorne studies demonstrated the importance of understanding how the feelings, thoughts, and behaviour of work-group members and managers affect performance. It was becoming increasingly clear to researchers that understanding behaviour in organizations is a complex process that is critical to increasing performance. Indeed, the increasing interest in the area of management known as organizational behaviour, the study of the factors that have an impact on how individuals and groups respond to and act in organizations, dates from these early studies. Theory X and Theory Y Several studies after the Second World War revealed how assumptions about workers’ attitudes and behaviour affect managers’ behaviour. Perhaps the most influential approach was developed by Douglas McGregor. He proposed that two different sets of assumptions about work attitudes and behaviours dominate the way managers think and affect how they behave in organizations. McGregor named these two contrasting sets of assumptions Theory X and Theory Y (see Figure 1. 3). THEORY X According to the assumptions of Theory X, the average worker is lazy, dislikes work, and will try to do as little as possible. Moreover, workers have little ambition and wish to avoid responsibility. Thus, the manager’s task is to counteract workers’ natural tendencies to avoid work. To keep workers’ performance at a high level, the manager must supervise them closely and control their behaviour by means of â€Å"the carrot and stick†Ã¢â‚¬â€rewards and punishments. Managers who accept the assumptions of Theory X design and shape the work setting to maximize their control over workers’ behaviours and minimize workers’ control over the pace of work. These managers believe that workers must be made to do what is necessary for the success of the organization, and they focus on developing rules, SOPs, and a well-defined system of rewards and punishments to control behaviour. They see little point in giving workers autonomy to solve their own problems because they think that the workforce neither expects nor desires cooperation. Theory X managers see their role as to closely monitor workers to ensure that they contribute to the production process and do not threaten product quality. Henry Ford, who closely supervised and managed his workforce, fits McGregor’s description of a manager who holds Theory X assumptions. THEORY Y In contrast, Theory Y assumes that workers are not inherently lazy, do not naturally dislike work, and, if given the opportunity, will do what is good for the organization. According to Theory Y, the characteristics of the work setting determine whether workers consider work to be a source of satisfaction or punishment; and managers do not need to control workers’ behaviour closely in order to make them perform at a high level, because workers will exercise selfcontrol when they are committed to organizational goals. The implication of Theory Y, according to McGregor, is that â€Å"the limits of collaboration in the organizational setting are not limits of human nature but of management’s ingenuity in discovering how to realize the potential represented by its human resources. It is the manager’s task to create a work setting that encourages commitment to organizational goals and provides opportunities for workers to be imaginative and to exercise initiative and self-direction. When managers design the organizational setting to reflect the assumptions about attitudes and behaviour suggested by Theory Y, the characteristics of the o rganization are quite different from those of an organizational setting based on Theory X. Managers who believe that workers are motivated to help the organization reach its goals can decentralize authority and give more control over the job to workers, both as individuals and in groups. In this setting, individuals and groups are still accountable for their activities, but the manager’s role is not to control employees but to provide support and advice, to make sure employees have the resources they need to perform their jobs, and to evaluate them on their ability to help the organization meet its goals. Henri Fayol’s approach to administration more closely reflects the assumptions of Theory Y, rather than Theory X. Management Science Theory This theory focuses on the use of rigorous quantitative techniques to help managers make maximum use of organizational resources to produce goods and services. In essence, management science theory is a contemporary extension of scientific management, which, as developed by Taylor, also took a quantitative approach to measuring the worker–task mix in order to raise efficiency. There are many branches of management science; each of them deals with a specific set of concerns: Quantitative management utilizes mathematical techniques—such as linear and nonlinear programming, modelling, simulation, queuing theory, and chaos theory—to help managers decide, for example, how much inventory to hold at different times of the year, where to locate a new factory, and how best to invest an organization’s financial capital. Resources in the organizational environment include the raw materials and skilled people that an organization requires to produce goods and services, as well as the support of groups including customers who buy these goods and services and provide the organization with financial resources. One way of determining the relative success of an organization is to consider how effective its managers are at obtaining scarce and valuable resources. The importance of studying the environment became clear after the development of open-systems theory and contingency theory during the 1960s. The Open-Systems View One of the most influential views of how an organization is affected by its external environment was developed by Daniel Katz, Robert Kahn, and James Thompson in the 1960s. 38 These theorists viewed the organization as an open system— a system that takes in resources from its external environment and converts or transforms them into goods and services that are then sent back to that environment, where they are bought by customers (see Figure 1. 4). At the input stage, an organization acquires resources such as raw materials, money, and skilled workers to produce goods and services. Once the organization has gathered the necessary resources, conversion begins. At the conversion stage, the organization’s workforce, using appropriate tools, techniques, and machinery, transforms the inputs into outputs of finished goods and services such as cars, hamburgers, or flights to Hawaii. At the output stage, the organization releases finished goods and services to its external environment, where customers purchase and use them to satisfy their needs. The money the organization obtains from the sales of its outputs allows the organization to acquire more resources so that the cycle can begin again. The system just described is said to be â€Å"open† because the organization draws from and interacts with the external environment in order to survive; in other words, the organization is open to its environment. A closed system, in contrast, is a self-contained system that is not affected by changes that occur in its external environment. Organizations that operate as closed ystems, that ignore the external environment and that fail to acquire inputs, are likely to experience entropy, the tendency of a system to lose its ability to control itself and thus to dissolve and disintegrate. Management theorists can model the activities of most organizations by using the open-systems view. Manufacturing companies like Ford and General Electric, for example, buy inputs such as component parts, skilled and semiskilled labour, and robots and computer-controlled manufacturing equipment; then, at the conversion stage, they use their manufacturing skills to assemble inputs into outputs of cars and computers. As we discuss in later chapters, competition between organizations for resources is one of several major challenges to managing the organizational environment. Researchers using the open-systems view are also interested in how the various parts of a system work together to promote efficiency and effectiveness. Systems theorists like to argue that â€Å"the parts are more than the sum of the whole†; they mean that an organization performs at a higher level when its departments work together rather than separately. Synergy, the performance gains that result when individuals and departments coordinate their actions, is possible only in an organized system. The recent interest in using teams comprising people from different departments reflects systems theorists’ interest in designing organizational systems to create synergy and thus increase efficiency and effectiveness.