Recruitment And Selection At Tesco Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Recruitment And Selection At Tesco - Assignment Example It discusses human resource planning as a means to address these fundamental issues. Lastly, this paper outlines the recruitment and selection processes that support the growth and development of the company. Tesco’s local and international expansion has given rise to demands for employees who will fill numerous managerial and non-managerial positions. The company is driven to offer its customers with high-quality products and services. It recognizes the importance of retaining old customers and attracting new ones. Thus, the company is confronted with the need to look for individuals that possess the behaviors and skills necessary for the current growth and development of the company. Tesco has six work levels. The first work level involves front-line jobs that directly deal with customers. These jobs require the ability to enthusiastically interact with customers. Meanwhile, work level 2 encompasses individuals that train the group of employees who directly interact with customers. Individuals with this job need to possess the ability to set targets, motivate, and manage others (â€Å"Recruitment,† n.d.). Work level 3 involves running a particular operating unit. This particular job necessitates management skills which include target setting, reporting, and planning. Work level 4 focuses on individuals that are relegated to the responsibility of recommending strategic change and providing aid for each operating unit (â€Å"Recruitment,† n.d.). Work level 5 encompasses jobs that are mainly concern with the overall performance of the company. This job necessitates the ability to manage and lead others. Lastly, work level 6 involves jobs that are mainl y responsible for outlining values, goals, and purposes of the company. Individuals relegated to this job must possess the ability to forecast the long-term condition of the company and propel the company towards success (â€Å"Recruitment,† n.d.).

Academic And Non Academic Writing English Language Essay

Academic And Non Academic Writing English Language Essay Writing may be categorised as either academic or non-academic. Academic writing is generally used in items such as scholarly essays, business reports and textbooks. In contrast, non-academic writing is commonly employed in newspaper reports, Internet postings and novels. This analysis defines these categories and contrasts them in terms of readership, structure and style. Two extracts, each of which offers perspectives on privacy in the modern world, are utilised to illustrate these differences. The introduction from the book, The Privacy Advocates: Resisting the Spread of Surveillance by Colin J. Bennett is an academic source of writing. Siva Vaidhyanathans online Guardian article, Our Digitally Undying Memories is an exemplar of a non-academic text. The two authors address relatively different readerships. This is reflected in the nature of the publications. Bennetts book is published by Cambridge, a recognised scholarly printing company, while Vaidhyanathans writing appears on a newspaper Website; branding it as non-academic. It is also clear that Vaidhyanathan targets a general audience highlighting a privacy issue which is of everyday public concern, while Bennett is writing for a narrower readership. Bennetts audience would include people who are already familiar with the content of the piece. In this instance, with knowledge of privacy in the modern day including, [] biometric identifiers, the retention of communications traffic data, the use of cookies and spyware by Websites []. Unlike Bennett, Vaidhyanathan addresses a readership of anyone with access to the internet. He does not assume the reader has any prior knowledge of the topic and shares the information around as he invites the reader to form their own opinions an d conclusions. Bennetts extract achieves the opposite. He is directly telling the audience what to think and leaves no time for the reader to develop an opinion. This is done by the utilisation of the impersonal, distant third person. Vaidhyanathan employs first person to include the reader; to draw them in. He uses terms such as, we can be and many of us. This forms a personal relationship between the author and the readers, a hallmark of non-academic writing. Structural differences reinforce the inter-personal nature of non-academic writing. These can be observed at the sentence and paragraph level. Bennetts academic piece incorporates fully-developed and cohesive sentences that combine to create long and logically progressed paragraphs. These paragraphs are made up of a topic sentence, followed by elaboration and then a concluding sentence that links to the next paragraph. This can be seen when Bennett uses phrases such as, surveillance is, therefore and thus to determine. The paragraphs themselves are equally ordered in a hierarchy and the title, Introduction is extremely functional. Finally Bennett uses at least eight sources in the extract and gives multiple references for examples; seven being the largest number appearing together. In Vaidhyanathans writing, the non-academic style becomes highly apparent; the article is more like a conversation. The sentences are commonly fragmented with several alternate lengths. The shortest senten ce at four words, They dont choose us is dwarfed by the longest sentence at forty-two words. This demonstrates the variety that non-academic writing entails. Topic and concluding sentences are rare and there is no real hierarchy or specific logical progression and, while Vaidhyanathan mentions a range of sources, he rarely refers to them directly to back up his ideas. Additionally the title of the piece could not be more different to Bennetts dry, Introduction. Our digitally undying memories is a title that motivates a person to read on. Stylistic contrasts are also apparent in the body of the texts. Bennetts writing maintains a formal tone and often uses technical language. This includes terms such as, ubiquitous realities of contemporary surveillance, journalistic parlance, and culturally and historically contingent. The language is also generally theoretical and concise seen in the example: Privacy advocates operate within a range of institutions. However in Vaidhyanathans article, the general tone is conversational and unlike Bennetts there are attempts at humour throughout the piece. An example of this humour appears when he says, [] yep, I Googled it to find the date []. Also frequent in this extract are contractions such as cant and dont which reinforce the informality of the writing. Colloquialisms such as, most of our stuff are also apparent. The language employed by Vaidhyanathan emphasises casualness. He uses everyday terms that are modern and well known such as Googled, YouTube, and How cool is that? Fina lly, Vaidhyanathan is at times verbose. The information conveyed in the sentence, Judge Sonia Sotomayor discovered the cost of warped perception fed by the permanent archive of trivia when her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court was saddled by the exploitation of one small YouTube clip [], would have been presented much more concisely in an academic text. Academic and non-academic writing each have their own specific readership, structure and style. The contrasts between the two are evident at the word, sentence and paragraph levels. Academic writing usually incorporates a more formal structure and style and is commonly directed toward a narrow and specific audience. Non-academic writing incorporates a simpler and conversational tone in both structure and style. And while academic readers may need some prior knowledge on the topic, the targeted readers of non-academic writing are a more general group with everyday knowledge.

What Do You Use to Write With? :: Technology Technological Essays

What Do You Use to Write With? How would you feel if paper and pen were never invented? Furthermore, if Bill Gates the wizard behind Microsoft and the computer never reached they’re full potential and allowed us to begin to write brilliantly using computer technology as a tool? Many of us take for granted the basic tools we today use for writing never fully appreciating what has been given to us by people of the past. When can never truly begin to imagine not actually being able to use basic tools developed over time that help us to write because we have not really ever been faced with those circumstances. â€Å"The computer is simply the latest step in a long line of writing technologies.† (Baron 37) Even after the readings we read in class I did not understand how hard people worked to invent various ways to perfect tools in writing, or how various ways of actual writing like penmanship were perfected through military-like behavior. Such as, the example from the reading implying the tactics used by Platt Rogers Spencer known as the Spencerian method on how to perfect your own penmanship. Also, the examples displayed of different techniques the students used showed how important writing became. â€Å"Like coaches of synchronized swimming teams, teachers using Spencer’s system counted out loud or barked commands (‘up,’ ‘down,’ ‘left curve,’ ‘quick’) as pupils performed their handwriting exercises.† (Baron 59) Then again, Plato on the other hand detested even the use of writing thoughts and analogies. However, unlike Plate through our class I have learned that using basic tools to write with is some thing that should be appreciated. After completing the first class assignment I realized that paper and pen, or even the computer is god sent. When we first were given this assignment I could not begin to imagine what I would use that could actually be considered all â€Å"natural.† At first, I thought I would use something out of the kitchen. I had ambitions to maybe make some spectacular one-word masterpiece out of bread/dough, but after careful consideration, and reviewing my skills in the kitchen that idea was a bust.

Community Development

Community Development Planning Lecture 1: Understanding the key concepts of Community, Community Development & Economic Development Course Learning Outcomes †¢ Explain the key concepts of social infrastructure in spatial planning †¢ Analyze social infrastructure issues in spatial planning †¢ Identify the various challenges of social infrastructure in spatial planning practices Community †¢ Various definitions: ? People who live within a geographically defined area and who have social and psychological ties with each other and with the place where they live (Mattessich and Monsey, 2004) ?A grouping of people who live close to one another and are united by common interests and mutual aids (National Research Council 1975) †¢ These definitions refer to people and the ties that bind them, then only to geographic locations †¢ It means, without people and the connections/ties, community will be only a collections of buildings and streets. †¢ However commun ity does not necessarily means â€Å"living physically close to one another†.It also refers to social connections at other than living place such as workplace, sports centre, clubs or groups, or political affiliations. †¢ Community can also be created through special interest or conditions such as disability, gender, belief †¢ In this era of social media (such as FB, Twitter) madness, communities can be created on virtual platform. Community Development (CD) †¢ Community Development is defined and described as.. – the process of developing stronger communities of people and the social and psychological ties they share. The educational process to enable citizens to address problems by group decision-making – Involvement in a process to achieve improvement in some aspect of community life – All these processes will result in an outcome which is the improvement of community capital. Community Capital Human Capital †¢ Labour supply, skills , experience, capabilities Physical Capital †¢ Buildings, streets, infrastructure Financial Capital †¢ Community financial institutions, micro loan funds, community development banksEnvironmental Capital †¢ Natural resources, weather, recreational opportunities Social Capital Social Capital †¢ Social Capital refers to the ability of residents to organize and mobilize their resources for the accomplishment of consensual defined goals †¢ It refers to the extent to which members of a community can work together effectively to develop and sustain strong relationships, solve problems and make group decisions, and collaborate effectively to achieve common goalsSocial Capital †¢ Some scholars make distinction between bonding capital and bridging capital †¢ Bonding capital refers to ties within homogenous groups (e. g. races, gender, people with the same economic background) †¢ Bridging capital refers to ties among different groups Community developme nt chains Capacity building process Developing the ability to act Social capital Ability to act Community development outcome Taking action Community improvement Development ready communityEconomic development †¢ Community development and economic development is highly sinergistic. †¢ Community development – a planned effort to produce assets that increase the capacity of residents to improve their quality of life. The assets include: physical, human, social, financial, environmental †¢ Economic development – the process of creating wealth through the mobilization of human, financial, capital, physical and natural resources to generate marketable goods and services. The definitions are clearly parallel : community development is to produce and improve assets, economic development is to mobilize these assets which will bring greater benefits for the community ie. more goods, services, jobs etc. †¢ Both types of development are highly dependable on ea ch other as most businesses will look for development-ready communities that are equipped with strong and established communities, good infrastructure, abundant supply of labour, safety, telecommunication etc.Community and economic development chains Community development outcome Taking action Community improvement Development ready community Economic development outcome Job creation Increased income and wealth Increased standard of living Capacity building process Developing the ability to act Social capital Ability to act Economic development process Creating and maintaining ED programs Mobilizing resources The end Community Development Community Development Planning Lecture 1: Understanding the key concepts of Community, Community Development & Economic Development Course Learning Outcomes †¢ Explain the key concepts of social infrastructure in spatial planning †¢ Analyze social infrastructure issues in spatial planning †¢ Identify the various challenges of social infrastructure in spatial planning practices Community †¢ Various definitions: ? People who live within a geographically defined area and who have social and psychological ties with each other and with the place where they live (Mattessich and Monsey, 2004) ?A grouping of people who live close to one another and are united by common interests and mutual aids (National Research Council 1975) †¢ These definitions refer to people and the ties that bind them, then only to geographic locations †¢ It means, without people and the connections/ties, community will be only a collections of buildings and streets. †¢ However commun ity does not necessarily means â€Å"living physically close to one another†.It also refers to social connections at other than living place such as workplace, sports centre, clubs or groups, or political affiliations. †¢ Community can also be created through special interest or conditions such as disability, gender, belief †¢ In this era of social media (such as FB, Twitter) madness, communities can be created on virtual platform. Community Development (CD) †¢ Community Development is defined and described as.. – the process of developing stronger communities of people and the social and psychological ties they share. The educational process to enable citizens to address problems by group decision-making – Involvement in a process to achieve improvement in some aspect of community life – All these processes will result in an outcome which is the improvement of community capital. Community Capital Human Capital †¢ Labour supply, skills , experience, capabilities Physical Capital †¢ Buildings, streets, infrastructure Financial Capital †¢ Community financial institutions, micro loan funds, community development banksEnvironmental Capital †¢ Natural resources, weather, recreational opportunities Social Capital Social Capital †¢ Social Capital refers to the ability of residents to organize and mobilize their resources for the accomplishment of consensual defined goals †¢ It refers to the extent to which members of a community can work together effectively to develop and sustain strong relationships, solve problems and make group decisions, and collaborate effectively to achieve common goalsSocial Capital †¢ Some scholars make distinction between bonding capital and bridging capital †¢ Bonding capital refers to ties within homogenous groups (e. g. races, gender, people with the same economic background) †¢ Bridging capital refers to ties among different groups Community developme nt chains Capacity building process Developing the ability to act Social capital Ability to act Community development outcome Taking action Community improvement Development ready communityEconomic development †¢ Community development and economic development is highly sinergistic. †¢ Community development – a planned effort to produce assets that increase the capacity of residents to improve their quality of life. The assets include: physical, human, social, financial, environmental †¢ Economic development – the process of creating wealth through the mobilization of human, financial, capital, physical and natural resources to generate marketable goods and services. The definitions are clearly parallel : community development is to produce and improve assets, economic development is to mobilize these assets which will bring greater benefits for the community ie. more goods, services, jobs etc. †¢ Both types of development are highly dependable on ea ch other as most businesses will look for development-ready communities that are equipped with strong and established communities, good infrastructure, abundant supply of labour, safety, telecommunication etc.Community and economic development chains Community development outcome Taking action Community improvement Development ready community Economic development outcome Job creation Increased income and wealth Increased standard of living Capacity building process Developing the ability to act Social capital Ability to act Economic development process Creating and maintaining ED programs Mobilizing resources The end

Our Earth Essay

Our earth is made up 78 percent of water, and rest of it is land. Because of this, there is ample number of living organisms in land as well as water. It has plains, plateaus, mountains, valleys, deserts, forests, grasslands, oceans, seas, rivers, lakes etc. As there are various kinds of regions on earth, every region has its own kind of wild life as well as plant life. Earth has undergone a gradual change in its environment through its years of evolution. Our earth and its diverse environment: Plateaus, plains and valleys Plateaus: A plateau is a large highland area of fairly level land separated from surrounding land by steep slopes. Some plateaus, like the plateau of Tibet, lie between mountain ranges. Others are higher than surrounding land. Plateaus are widespread, and together with enclosed basins they cover about 45 percent of the Earth’s land surface. Plains: plains are broad, nearly level stretches of land that have no great changes in elevation. Plains are generally lower than the land around them; they may be found along a coast or inland. Coastal plains generally rise from sea level until they meet higher landforms such as mountains or plateaus. Inland plains may be found at high altitudes. Valleys: A valley is a hollow or surface depression of the earth bounded by hills or mountains, a natural trough in the earth’s surface, that slopes down to a stream, lake or the ocean, formed by water and/or ice erosion. Systems of valleys extend through plains, hills, and mountains. Rivers and streams flowing through valleys drain interior land regions to the ocean. At the bottom of many valleys is fertile soil, which makes excellent farmland. Most valleys on dry land are formed by running water of streams and rivers.

ghandi a great leader essays

ghandi a great leader essays Few men have ever had as much of an effect on our world as Mohandas Gandhi, though he used the message of peace and love, rather than war and destruction. One time a prominent lawyer in South Africa, Gandhi gave up practicing law and returned to India in order to help ease the suffering of the repressed people of his homeland. Gandhi's love for people and his religious passion made him a revolutionary in many of his ideas and actions. On October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India, a region of Queen Victoria, Mohandas Gandhi was born to Kaba Gandhi and his wife. Although his father, Kaba, was the chief Minister for the Maharaja of Porbandar, he and his family lived in a small house and belonged to a Hindu caste of merchants called "banjas" (Iyer, 34) As he grew, Mohandas became a small, shy and skinny boy, afraid of others' opinions. At the age of thirteen, he was married to Kastaurbai, a pretty yet strong willed girl of the same caste. Kaba Gandhi died when Mohandas was sixteen. At eighteen he traveled to England to study law and secretly to see for himself what made the English so powerful. In 1888, he traveled to England to become a barrister-at-law. There were several important influences that he encountered here: the Western material style of life, which he decided not to follow, and in the simple Russian way of living he found: the New Testament, and the Bhagavad-Gita, the bible of the Hare Krishna movement (Fischer, 54). It was here that he developed a sense of the presence of God in his life and the lives of men. Gandhi then returned to India and studied law in Bombay but quickly denounced it, feeling that it was immoral and could not satisfy one's conscience (Shirer, 69). His personal experiences, including being ejected from a train in Maritzburg, of not being allowed the same rights as others lead him to begin a movement to help his people. While in South Africa, Gandhi made himself poor so that he could identify wi...

Cultural Exchange via trade in the sixteenth century

Cultural Exchange via trade in the sixteenth century Cultural exchange refers to the exchange of values, ideologies, beliefs and interests between two or more ethnic groups. Cultural exchange is inevitable in any circumstance that involves human interaction.Advertising We will write a custom annotated bibliography sample on Cultural Exchange via trade in the sixteenth century specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More De Vries (1979) argues that, in the sixteenth century, which is also termed as the golden age, the human activity that people consider having played the biggest part in enhancing cultural exchange is trade (p.12). This happened through the human contacts that people had established in the leading trade routes in the sixteenth century. This paper, therefore, keenly examines the activities of the principal trade routes in the sixteenth century and the cultural exchange that took place. The trade routes provide an unduobtable evidence of human achievement in an effort to expand and cha nge for the better. Regardless of the commodities of a given trade route, there were traces of the cultural interactions that people had left even years after the trade network declined (Bentley et al., 2008, p.17). The main trade routes that were in existence in the 16th century include the Tran-Saharan gold trade network that linked the north and western African to Europe and Asia. This trade route majorly involved itself in the trading of gold, which was mainly from West Africa. Cultural beliefs introduced by the interactions that arose from this trade include the exchange of religious beliefs. This is evident based on the spread of Islam. Traders mostly from Arabic countries utilized the opportunity that they encountered to spread their religious faith to the people with whom they traded (Sanders et al., 2006, p.26). People also exchanged cultural values in bulk during trading activities in the sixteenth century. They embedded some of these values in the religious faith transfer ring others through other means. For instance, certain communities influenced the manner in which other communities they traded with conducted their rituals, as well as how they generally behaved. For instance, the communities to whom the Islam religion was in touch with adopted the life styles of the Arabs (Van Tielhof, 2002, p.39). Henceforth, they conducted marriages and other cultural celebrations according to the Islamic values. Other prominent trade routes were the spice routes that majorly connected Europe with Asia and Africa. The commodities that people traded included exotic spices majorly from Asian civilizations and North Africa. These trade routes necessitated the spread of art and other cultural artifacts.Advertising Looking for annotated bibliography on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More ome of these artifacts were used as a medium of exchange between the traders while others were items of trade. In these trade routes also, the desire to communicate while trading led to the development of languages such as Mandarin Chinese and Swahili (Pirenne, 2006, p.72). The later acted as a trading language, which incorporated African words with clear Arabic words to make the trading activities more effective. With this development also came the birth of the Swahili culture, which drew aspects from both the Arabic culture and the East African culture. The Silk Road is another extremely influential trade route that contributed to the exchange of cultural values in the sixteenth century. The trade route exists even today even though it has suffered political instability experienced in some countries along the route. The commodities of this trade route included artifacts, slaves, minerals and salt (Clark, 1999, p.45). However, this trade route was not extremely active in the sixteenth century considering that it had reached its apex during the Tang Dynasty in the 8th century. Buddhism spre ad because of this trade through either written or oral works. There was also an evident exchange of Ideologies between the communities that existed during the time of this trading activity. The principal trading activity that people considered having contributed immensely to cultural exchange was the Middle Passage also known as the Atlantic slave trade. This trade route connected the west coast of Africa to the Americas and Europe (Aksel, 1941, p.97). The leading commodity involved in this trade was slaves. Millions of Africans had to abandon their cultures by force following the introduction of new ways of living in America, the Caribbean islands and in Europe where they were then slaves working in plantations and homes. Cultural aspects such as religious beliefs, language, art cultural beliefs among others were a result exchanged between the people who were involved in the trade. For people to agree upon the transactions, there was the need to devise a language that would facili tate the trade. The Creole English is an example of the language devised to enable the trading in the Atlantic slave trade (Aksel, 1941, p.28). Intermarriages that either came during that period or afterwards involved communities. Further, it encouraged cultural exchange.Advertising We will write a custom annotated bibliography sample on Cultural Exchange via trade in the sixteenth century specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More By considering the manner in which traders interacted in the trade routes that existed in the sixteenth century and the nature of the circumstances during the period, it becomes clear that trade played a significant part in enhancing cultural exchange between people of diverse ethnicities. People adopted new ways of living and new religions because of the interactions they made while trading. Annotated Bibliography Aksel, C. (1941). â€Å"Dutch Trade to the Baltic about 1600.† Journal of culture, 23(1), 1-100 . The journal article describes the Dutch trade of 1600 and compares it to other major trade activities of the period. The trade activities described in this article contributed to the birth of new cultural activities that came as a way of facilitating the trade. The article is relevant in this study in that it explains how the integration of some cultural values led to the emergence of new cultures which is highlighted in the study. Bentley, J., Ziegler, H., Streets, H. (2008). Traditions and encounters: A brief global history. New York: McGraw Hill. This book gives an account of how different traditions were passed from one society to the other through human interactions. Trading activities form part of these interactions. The book is important in this study in that it portrays the ways in which different people from different ethnic entities adopted new cultures through trade encounters. Clark, S. (1999). Trade and Empire. London: Zed Books. Clark examines how trading activities in the 16th century influenced in the strengthening of existing kingdoms. The book gives details of the spread of forms of government such as democracy to different regions. The form of government and leadership ideologies as elaborated in this book are cultural aspects. This book is used is relevant in this study since it shows how cultural values passed from one society to the next via trade help build the empires.Advertising Looking for annotated bibliography on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More De Vries, J, (1976). â€Å"The Economy of Europe in an Age of Crisis, 1600-1750.† Journal of Economics, 34(4), 12. The journal article analyses how the different trading activities in which European nations were involved in the 16th and 17th Century contributed to the shaping of the counties economies. Rather than the physical trading commodities, the trades enabled the exchange of ideologies in either written form or oral, which helped in the governance of the nations. The article is important in this study since it considers trade as being the major thing that necessitated these beneficial interactions Pirenne, H. (1987). â€Å"The Place of trade in the Cultural History of Medieval Europe.† Economic History Review, 2(1), 72. Pirenne Henri in this article analyses the role played by trade in the Medieval Europe. It is through trade activities that inter-marriages occurred, languages, art and religious beliefs spread. In this study, the article helps strengthening the claim that trade was among the major interactions that enhanced cultural exchange in Europe and other parts of the world. Sanders, T., Nelson, S., Morillo, S., Ellenberger, N. (2006). Encounters in world history:  Sources and themes from the global post volume one: to 1500. New York: McGraw Hill. This book gives an evaluation of how various interactions led to the spread of some cultures. One of the major ways in which people interacted as portrayed in this book was through trade. The book is important in that it shows the ways in which trade enabled the exchange of cultural values. Van Tielhof, M. (2002). The Mother of all Trades: The Baltic Grain Trade from the Late Sixteenth to the Early Nineteenth Century. Leiden: Brill. The book describes the Baltic grain trade of the sixteenth century and provides a proof why people consider it the most important trade involving the Netherlands. This trade had other added benefits such as the adoption of beneficial cultural values from othe r societies that practiced them. The book is important in this study since it helps in the understanding of how cultural values are passed through trading interactions.

Causeway - Ancient Man-Made Ritual and Functional Roads

Causeway - Ancient Man-Made Ritual and Functional Roads A causeway is a human-constructed functional and/or ceremonial roadway or a set of roadway fragments. In ancient history they are made of earthen or rock structures that typically- but not always- bridged a waterway. Causeways may have been constructed to cross defensive structures, such as moats; irrigation structures, such as canals; or natural wetlands, such as marshes or fens. They often have a ceremonial element to them and their ritual significance can include symbolic passages between the mundane and the sacred, between life and death. Key Takeaways: Causeways Causeways are early types of human-made roads which have practical and ritual functions.The oldest causeways are about 5,500 years old, built to cross ditches and provide access to peat bogs.The Maya people created causeways up to 65 miles in length, crossing miles of forests in a nearly straight line. Causeways are remarkably different in function. Some (like those of the classic Maya) were almost certainly used for parades for diplomatic visits between communities; others such as the 14th-century Swahili coast were used as shipping lanes and ownership markers; or, in the European Neolithic, as trackways assisting navigation through uncertain landscapes. Some causeways are elaborate structures, elevated several feet about the ground such as at Angkor civilization; others are built of planks that bridge peat bogs, those of the Irish bronze age. But all of them are human-constructed roadways  and have some foundation in the history of transportation networks. Earliest Causeways The earliest known causeways are Neolithic bridges, constructed in Europe and dated between 3700 and 3000 BCE. Many Neolithic enclosed settlements had defensive elements, and some had concentric ditches or moats, generally with one or two at most bridges with which to cross. In some special cases, more causeways were built across the ditches then seems necessary, usually at the four cardinal points, allowing people to cross into the interiors from several directions at once. Since such configurations would not be easily defended, enclosed settlements with multiple causeway entrances are considered likely to have had a ceremonial or at least a shared communal aspect. Sarup, a Funnel Beaker site in Denmark occupied between 3400–3200 BC, had a ditch that encircled an area of about 21 acres (8.5 hectares), with several causeways which allow people to cross the ditches. Bronze Age Causeways Bronze Age causeways in Ireland (called tochar, dochair, or togher) are trackways which were built to allow access across and into peat bogs where peat might be cut for fuel. They varied in size and construction material- some were built as a line of planks laid end to end, flanked on each side by two round timbers; others were made of flat stones and gravel laid on a foundation of brushwood. The earliest of these date to about 3400 BCE. Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom pyramids in Egypt often were constructed with causeways connecting the various temples. These causeways were explicitly symbolic- there was no obstacle to be crossed- representing a route that people could use to travel from the Black Land (the land of the living and a place of order) to the Red Land (a place of chaos and the realm of the dead). Beginning in the Old Kingdoms 5th Dynasty, pyramids were built with an orientation following the daily course of the sun across the sky. The oldest causeway at Saqqara was paved with black basalt; by the time of Khufus rule, causeways were roofed and the internal walls were decorated in fine relief, frescos that depicted pyramid construction, agricultural scenes, craftsmen at work and themes of battles between Egyptians and their foreign enemies, and the pharaoh in the presence of gods. Classic Period Maya (600–900 CE) The sacbe (white lane) that leads to the Palacio, Labna, Puuc, Yucatan, Mexico. Mayan civilisation, 7th-10th century. De Agostini / Archivio J. Lange / Getty Causeways were a particularly important form of connection in lowland areas in North America such as those settled by the Maya civilization. There, causeways (known as sacbeob, singular sacbe, connected Maya cities for distances up to about 63 miles (100 kilometers) such as the Late Classic Yaxuna-Coba sacbe. Maya causeways were sometimes built from the bedrock up and can rise as high as 10 feet (3 meters; their widths range from 8 to 40 ft (2.5 to 12 m ), and they connect major Maya city-states. Others are barely above ground level; some cross wetlands and have bridges constructed to cross streams, but others are clearly only ceremonial. Medieval Period: Angkor and the Swahili Coast Short round pillars support the causeway leading to the Baphuon, in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Jeremy Villasis, Philippines / Moment / Getty Images At several sites of the Angkor civilization (9th–13th centuries CE), elevated causeways were constructed as later additions to the immense temples by king Jayavarman VIII (1243–1395). These causeways, perched above the ground atop a series of short columns, provided walkways connecting the major buildings of the temple complexes. They represent only one part of the enormous Khmer road system, a network of canals, pathways and roads which kept the Angkor capital cities in communication. During the height of the Swahili coast trading communities on the east coast of Africa (13th–15th centuries CE), numerous causeways were constructed out of blocks of reef and fossil corals along 75 mi (120 km) of coastline. These causeways were pathways, elevated just above sea level, that extended out perpendicularly from the coast into lagoons at Kilwa Kisiwani Harbor, ending in circular platforms at the seaward side. The fishermen today call them Arab Roads, which is a reference to the oral history which credits the founding of Kilwa to the Arabs, but like Kilwa itself the causeways are known to have been African constructions, built as navigational aids for ships plying the trade route in the 14th-15th centuries and complementing the Swahili urban architecture. These causeways are built of cemented and uncemented reef coral, up to 650 ft (200 m) long, 23–40 ft (7–12 m) wide and built up above the seafloor up to 2.6 ft. (8 m) high. Selected Sources Abdallatif, T., et al. Discovery of the Causeway and the Mortuary Temple of the Pyramid of Amenemhat Ii Using near-Surface Magnetic Investigation, Dahshour, Giza, Egypt. Geophysical Prospecting 58.2 (2010): 307-20. Print.Abramiuk, Marc A. The Discovery of an Ancient Maya Causeway System in the Southern Maya Mountains of Belize. Antiquity 91.357 (2017): e9. Print.Chase, Arlen F., and Diane Z. Chase. The Ancient Maya City: Anthropogenic Landscapes, Settlement Archaeology, and Caracol, Belize. Belize: Institute of Archaeology, NICH, 2016. Print.Chinchilla Mazariegos, Oswaldo Technologies of Urbanism in Mesoamerica: The Pre-Columbian Bridges of Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala. Antiquity 92.362 (2018): 456-71. Print.Pollard, Edward. Safeguarding Swahili Trade in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries: A Unique Navigational Complex in South-East Tanzania. World Archaeology 43.3 (2011): 458-77. Print.Uchida, E., et al. A Reconsideration of the Construction Period of the Cruciform Terraces and the Elevated Causeways in the Angkor Monuments, Based on the Magnetic Susceptibility of the Sandstone Blocks. Archaeometry 55.6 (2013): 1034-47. Print.

International Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

International Human resource management - Essay Example The enterprises that are able to effectively manage the human resources are the ones that are capable of competing well in the dynamic global market. Scholz & Zentes (2009) points out that even with the increased awareness on the global trends, multinationals are still having a lot of problems in expatriation and repatriation processes. This is basically as a result of the fact that the different countries in which such organizations are operating has diverse factors and concerns that determine how effective and profitable a business will be. The factors may be economical, political, social, legal, technological and social. One of the main areas of concern is on the pay and conditions of the employment (Ferner & Quintanilla, 2001). Multinationals rely on two management approaches in the global arena to manage employees. They are the standardization and the adaptation approaches. The multinationals which use the standardized model of operations employ similar strictures for the employee remuneration and conditions of employment in all their areas of operations. The standardized structure is aimed at streamlining all the operations of the business in the various markets and regions where it is operating in. Hilton Hotel is one of the corporations which uses this approach in all its branches worldwide. Ferner & Almond (2004) notes that adaptation, on the other hand, entails restructuring the human resources operations and approaches so that they conform to the prevailing conditions in the market or country where an enterprise is operating in. Such businesses, therefore, consider the various social, political, economic and cultural factors that may affect their human resource operations and integrate them in their operations. Aguilera (2004) adds each of these approaches has its own pros and cons. Despite this being the case, multinationals

Types of Divorce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Types of Divorce - Essay Example Although it has been a common understanding that getting a divorce is tedious and expensive process, knowing the different ways of how to get one would make each of the couples avoid being caught off-guard should they decide to break of from their marriage. In the same way, knowing the different grounds for divorce would allow each of the couple to go through the process in an emotionally and psychologically convenient manner. During the early days when divorce was not a common trend in the society, in order for a spouse to get out of the marriage, he or she has to prove that the other has neglected the solemnity of their marriage. Such marital negligence or abuse includes adultery, physical abuse or desertion (Doskow, n.d.). Unless either of the spouses was able to provide sufficient evidence that their husband or wife commits such grave condition, they will not be able to obtain their freedom from their marital status. On the other hand as more and more matrimonies continue to seek liberation from their spouses for grounds that are not are not covered by fault divorce, another option was passed and recognized by the law in order for the couples to be separated legally from their spouses. No-fault divorce is another option for married couples whose relationship does not involve any of the conditions above. This type of divorce rather recognizes the couples’ "irreconcilable differences" where any issues that surround both of them could no longer be solved. Mediated and collaborative divorce may be similar.

The oil and gas industry in Canada Research Paper

The oil and gas industry in Canada - Research Paper Example Most of Canada’s, which is about 283,000 cubic meters per day, is exported. Most of it is imported to the United States. The production of oil and gas in Canada is very efficient. For instance, over 25,000 new oil wells were sunk in 2005. In Alberta province, over 100 new wells are dug every day. Production operations include upstream (mainly, exploration and production of gas and oil), and downstream (here oil and gas is refined, distributed and sold). Most exploration happens in the province of Alberta with many operations in British Columbia and Saskatchewan (Daniel, 2012). Oil fields that have been of paramount importance to Canada economically include, Athabasca Oil Sands in Alberta, White Rose oil field, Terra Nova oil field and Hamburg oil field in Alberta. The oil and gas industry in Canada works within a complex framework of regulations and laws that govern and guide industry operation in terms of the environment, safety, hiring and personnel, land access, landowner rights, surface and mineral rights and many more. For instance, every gas and oil activity must be applied for and given approval before any work can begin. Some major federal players in the Canadian oil and gas industry include National Energy Board and Natural Resources Canada (Ballem, 2011). National Energy Board established by parliament of Canada in 1959 is mandated with the regulation of international and interprovincial aspects of the gas, oil and electric utility industries. It therefore regulates energy development, pipelines and the public interest of the Canadian citizens as concerns matters of oil and gas. The At the provincial level, there is BC Oil and Gas Commission, Saskatchewan Energy and Resources, Energy Resources Conservation Board (Alberta), Ontario Energy Board, Newfoundland and Labrador Natural Resources, and Nova Scotia Energy. The legislation in the oil

Implications of the 2012 US elections for the policy making bodies in Essay

Implications of the 2012 US elections for the policy making bodies in the US federal government - Essay Example Furthermore, the analysis will seek to at least minimally explain to what extent the election results have impressed upon the shareholders (inclusive of the President and legislators) of the need to either seek compromise or push single-mindedly towards a highly partisan solution to each and every issue that may face them in the coming years leading up to the next election. As a means to understand this, the key changes that have been effected before and after the November 2012 election will be analyzed. Due to the intrinsically liked nature of the way that the Electoral College and the popular vote within a given state or region is linked, the two have a way of tracking with one another; albeit representing two somewhat different variants (Brown 419). For instance, the 2012 presidential election saw Mr. Romney accrue around 47% of the popular vote and carry 23 states whereas President Obama obtained 51% of the vote and carried 27 states. This of course translated to a victory for Pr esident Obama and the subsequent plurality of Electoral College votes that propelled him to re-election. Naturally, as compared to the two other forms of election results which will herein be discussed, the election for president does not have the same level of nuance. For instance, the overall total number of states won is not important; overall victory of course is. Unlike the Senate or the House of Representatives where an increasing number of seats gives another party a proportionate increase in the power it yields within such a chamber, the victory of the president is less nuanced. In this way, the overall nature of whether the president won in a landslide or won election by a very small margin matters little for the direction that the given president might chose to pursue policy goals and implementation within his term. Of course this is not to say that a first term president will not be mindful of the extent to which he experiences broad based support; quite the contrary. Rat her, it is merely meant to serve as an indication that the presidential election is a much different type of election than those which take place to make up the two houses of legislature. With respect to the Senate, a great deal of change was not incorporated as a result of the election results of 2012. For instance, the 2012 elections incrementally bettered the Democratic position in the Senate by increasing their majority by two seats (53 as compared to 51 previously), it did not provide a fundamental shift in power such as would allow either party to approach issues from a primarily different method of action. Conversely, the result of the US House of Representatives was somewhat different than the result that has thus far been discussed in the Senate. Compared to the last election, the Republicans lost 8 seats to settle at 234 whereas the Democrats of course picked up these 8 seats to settle their total at 201. This of course combined to ensure that the Republican party still ma intained a majority within the House; however, it is of course not a super majority or one that can be used in concert with the Democratically controlled Senate to affect any real level of partisan goals. With respect to the overall policy implications that the aforementioned situation is likely to entail, it will necessarily be a divergence from

Introduction of Computing in Aviation Assignment - 1

Introduction of Computing in Aviation - Assignment Example The activity involves creating of a social media page, in both facebook and twitter, for class members, and encouraging the members to engage in one or both of the social media actively and honestly engage with information that the involvement will be used for learning purposes. A class member is then asked to make anonymous posts with different research topics in both social media. The Action Social media Monitoring tool is then used to collect data on the responses by class members per research topic and frequencies of the responses from both media recorded for further analysis. This will identify the effectiveness of research topics in generating responses (Actionly, p. 1). Â  The activity is important to the course because of the scope of the course the development of computer-based applications in aviation that should consider users’ opinions before developments. The activity and its later report to the students will, therefore, prepare the students to appreciate the significance of research in developing products and the need to develop appropriate research topics in research.

An Engineering Product Development Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

An Engineering Product Development Plan - Essay Example An approximate potential size (volume) reduction of 20-30% can be achieved in notebook devices and up to 70% in desktop PCs. There are fewer security threats since the device is memoryless once its power supply is turned off and there is a clear privacy edge since a user's full computer would reside in the user's pocket, key chain, or the like depending on the used storage medium. The development does not target major hardware and enclosure re-designs. It is in the proof of concept's advantage to virtually eliminate hardware re-design and minimize same for enclosures. Motherboards designed for desktops can be used with minor adaptation for the reduced desktop configuration as well as a desk/kiosk mountable configuration for public use. The laptop motherboard layout would still be used for smaller laptops, possibly with more creative enclosure design to reduce the overall carry-on size, while maintaining a reasonable screen size. The product development plan is organized as follows. ... The laptop motherboard layout would still be used for smaller laptops, possibly with more creative enclosure design to reduce the overall carry-on size, while maintaining a reasonable screen size. The product development plan is organized as follows. Section 2 provides a topical product description that caters for the main newly introduced issues by the UC concept. Section 3 discusses specifics of alternative technologies to be used in the implementation. Section 4 presents the business case and market segmentation. The development plan and the related funding and financial plan are described in Sections 5 and 6, respectively. Section 7 discusses potential economic and technological risks. A conclusion is provided in Section 8. Product Description The UC physical architecture is similar to that of a desktop or a laptop, except that in either case the processor box is much smaller. Other peripheral input and output devices; namely screen, keyboard, and mouse are not subject to change; but may be subject to subsequent creative adjustments that could take advantage of the size reduction. The processing box may consist of one PCB (we may still call it a mother board) with the following components: Processor with cache memory RAMs NVRAM containing machine language device drivers VGA card or equivalent Audio drivers and outlets A minimum of 4 USB 2.0 or Firewire interfaces: one for each of the mouse and keyboard, and 2 for portable external storage units (alternatively Bluetooth could be used for the mouse and keyboard) Network drivers for Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth The following devices are taken outside of the box: The hard disk(s)-replaced by external

Introduction of Computing in Aviation Assignment - 1

Introduction of Computing in Aviation - Assignment Example The activity involves creating of a social media page, in both facebook and twitter, for class members, and encouraging the members to engage in one or both of the social media actively and honestly engage with information that the involvement will be used for learning purposes. A class member is then asked to make anonymous posts with different research topics in both social media. The Action Social media Monitoring tool is then used to collect data on the responses by class members per research topic and frequencies of the responses from both media recorded for further analysis. This will identify the effectiveness of research topics in generating responses (Actionly, p. 1). Â  The activity is important to the course because of the scope of the course the development of computer-based applications in aviation that should consider users’ opinions before developments. The activity and its later report to the students will, therefore, prepare the students to appreciate the significance of research in developing products and the need to develop appropriate research topics in research.

Discuss the need for volunteers to serve in the community and evaluate Essay

Discuss the need for volunteers to serve in the community and evaluate your own experience - Essay Example The US military and medical filed has a long tradition of using the services of volunteers (Ellis). Moreover, community volunteering is essential for parish services, eradicating superstitions from the society, giving awareness to illiterate people about the needs of education, giving aids to the people when they faces some kind of natural or manmade disasters, giving aid to the physically or mentally disordered persons etc. Community volunteer services are of two kinds. In some cases the volunteers get remuneration whereas in some other cases, the volunteers extend their services free of cost. In any case, the need for community volunteers and their services are increasing in the current world as the governments have limitations in serving the public to their utmost satisfaction. This paper briefly explains the need for community volunteering and my own experience as a community volunteer. â€Å"The United Nations proclaimed the year 2001 as the "International Year of Volunteers" to celebrate the vital contributions of volunteers worldwide† (Kimberley et al). Community volunteering is taking place in almost every country in different forms. At the time of writing this report, reports from Haiti shows that more than 100000 people dead and many injured due to a severe earthquake happened there a couple of days before. Reports show that many people are still alive under the destructed building struggling to get out from there. Community volunteers can contribute a lot in giving aid to the people of Haiti. As the Haiti administration have lot of limitations in assisting these people, the services of international community workers are essential for Haiti at present.   Rescue teams from countries including China and France have already reached the capital of Haiti (UN chief "heartened" by scale of global response to help Haiti quake victims). Haiti disaster is one

Quality management systems

Quality management systems INTRODUCTION This chapter reviews and peruses various quality management systems (QMS) and other literature work in the area of research. It will try to inquire into the view points and thoughts of scholars and academicians in relation to the field of study. It will also give an overview of Information Systems (IS). Quality and QMS Defined Quality is defined by ISO 9000 series as the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils requirements. In other words, quality can be regarded as fitness for purpose or conformance to users expectations since the user determines whether a product is of the desired quality. (Ghana Standards Board, International Trade Centre, P 109) The quality of goods and services results from many interrelated activities. These activities need to be coordinated through a Quality Management System. As indicated by John Ruskin, â€Å"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort. In order to survive in todays competitive marketplace, an organization has to consistently satisfy its customers needs and anticipate their future needs. This can be achieved by providing customers with the products they want, â€Å"getting it right first time†, without the need for rework. To satisfy customers, one must go higher along the production chain, right up to the suppliers not forgetting employee morale and commitment. Suppliers provide the raw materials or products for further processing by employees; if suppliers and employees do what is expected of them, â€Å"getting it right first time,† customers will be satisfied. As defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO): TQM is a management approach for an organization, centered on quality, based on the participation of all its members and aiming at long-term success through customer satisfaction, and benefits to all members of the organization and to society. (ISO 8402:1994) A quality management system in the enterprise, based on prevention rather than cure, minimizes waste and rework by ensuring that products are made right first time and every time. In adopting a preventive approach by investing in plants and equipment, training staff and purchasing the appropriate raw materials/inputs, an organization can reduce inspection cost and more specifically, the costs of failure and/or delays. These costs arise from rework or discarding non-conforming in-process material and finished products. Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Management (QM) Models The publication of the ISO 9000 series of standards in 1987 heightened awareness of the benefits of QA requirements among SMEs, many of which implemented ISO 9000 QA models to improve their competitive position as well as to join the ranks of suppliers to large companies. While both the 1987 and 1994 versions of ISO 9001, ISO 9002 and ISO 9003 were based on a QA model, the revised standard (ISO 9001) published in 2000 is based on QM principles (Ghana Standards Board, Export quality management, 2009) The broad relationships between inspection, quality control, quality assurance and quality management are summarized in the table below. System Objective Activities Applicability Nature Inspection Product conformance by screening out conforming products from nonconforming products Visual checks/ measuring; then testing and reporting the results. Generally, Production-related activities, such as checking incoming goods, in-process or final product, pre-dispatch, etc Detection after the event. Quality control Product Conformance by Eliminating causes of nonconforming products Inspection followed by appraisal of results and feedback to the process being controlled As above Detection and-or off-line correction. Quality assurance Generating confidence in product conformance Comprises all QC activities, plus documented quality systems and quality audits All functions of the company from design to after-sales service. Prevention. Quality Management Continual improvement of product conformance Continual improvement of processes in addition to all QA activities As above Prevention and improvement. What are the ISO 9000 series of Standards The ISO 9000 series consist of four primary standards supported by several other documents. The four primary standards are ISO 9000, Quality management systems Fundamentals and vocabulary; ISO 9001, Quality management systems Requirements; ISO 9004, Quality management systems Guidelines for performance improvements ISO 19011, Guidelines on quality and/or environmental management auditing. ISO 9000 is a starting point for understanding the standard, as it defines the fundamental terms used in the ISO 9000 family or set of standards for quality management. ISO 9001 specifies the requirements for quality management systems which enable you to demonstrate your ability to provide products that fulfil customer and applicable regulatory requirements; it also aims to enhance customer satisfaction. ISO 9004 provides you with guidance on the continual improvement of your quality management system so that the needs and expectations of all interested parties are met. These interested parties include customers and end-users, directors and staff in the organisation, owners and investors, suppliers and partners, and society at large. ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 are consistent pair of standards that relate modern quality management to processes and activities of an organization, and emphasize the promotion of continual improvement and the achievement of customer satisfaction. ISO 9001, which focuses on the effectiveness of the quality management system in meeting customer requirements, is used for certification or for contractual agreements between suppliers and buyers. By contrast, ISO 9004 cannot be used for certification as it does not prescribe requirements but provides guidance for the continual improvement of an organisations performance. ISO 9001 focuses on effectiveness, i.e. doing the right thing in the right way. The ISO 9000 quality management system is generic in nature: it is applicable to both the manufacturing and services sectors, and to enterprises of all sizes, including the single entrepreneur. ISO 9001 specifies what an enterprise is required to do, but it does not indicate how this is to be done thus giving the enterprise much flexibility in running its business. (Crosby, 1992) Worldwide use of ISO 9000 The ISO 9000 standards are widely used around the world. A survey conducted by ISO indicated that at least 4008,631 ISO certificates were awarded in 158 countries in 2000, up by 64, 988 certificates over the figure for end of December 1999, when the total stood at 343,643 for 150 countries. The figures were also significantly higher than the 27,816 certificates issued in 48 countries by 31st January 1993, when the survey was first conducted. The number of certificates issued in Europe in 2000 was 220,127 or 53% of the total. The Far East had 20.05%, North America 11.82%, New Zealand and Australia 6.68%, Africa and West Asia 4.94%, and Central and South America 2.64%. Information on the sector covered by the certificates at the end of 2000 was obtained for 317,126 certificates. The highest number recorded was for basic metal products (40,713 certificates or 12.84% of the total), and the smallest number for nuclear fuel (115, 0.03%) The figures for various other sectors are as follows: electrical and optical equipment, 38,148 (12.0%); food products, beverages and tobacco, 11,440 (3.6%); information technology, 11,067 (3.5%); textiles and textile products, 5, 178 (1.6%); and hotels and restaurants, 1,187 (0.4%) Is quality management an issue only for management? A glance at the definition of quality Management-â€Å"coordinated activities to direct and control an organisation with regard to quality† gives an impression that it is an issue for management only. This impression is reinforced by the fact that the eight quality management principles that form the basis of the ISO 9000 series are all used by senior management as a framework for guiding the organisation towards improved performance. The eight management principles are: Principle 1 Customer focus Principle 2 Leadership, Principle 3 Involvement of people Principle 4 Process approach Principle 5 System approach Principle 6 Continual improvement, Principle 7 Factual approach to decision-making, and Principle 8 Mutually beneficial supplier relationships Herbert Simon argued years ago that the core of managing lies in decision making, which is best thought of as process comprising three phases: Finding occasions for making decisions, Finding possible courses of action, and Choosing among courses of action Looking at the quality management principles again, but from Simons point of view, one finds that some of them provide workers with ample scope for making decisions that influence quality. It would appear that the principles related to customer focus, leadership, system approach to management, and development of mutually beneficial supplier relationships are issues for management only. The other principles apply to employees at all levels in the organisation. Employees accept ownership of problems and their responsibility for solving them. The process approach is applicable to everyone, each person having a triple role (i.e. everyone in an organisation is seen as a customer, processor and a supplier). Continual improvement is within the reach of employees at all levels as they can be trained in the methods of continual improvement and the tools involve. Everyone can base his or her decision on accurate and reliable data, this being made available wherever decisions have to be taken. If everyone looks at quality management as managing of quality, then quality management is within the decision-making scope of both managers and workers. There is a Japanese rule that attributes quality problems to poor product design (40%), errors made during the manufacturing process (30%), and nonconforming materials purchased from suppliers (30%). Generally design and purchasing problems can be solved only through managerial intervention. One can say that quality problems in manufacturing are caused in equal proportion by managers (e.g. inadequate training of workers) and workers (e.g. inadequate attention to machine setting). One can conclude that 85% of the problems come under management control and 15% are under worker control. This ratio of 85:15 has been substantially documented in the literature of quality management. Only 15% of defective products can be attributed to production operators while the other 85% are caused by management. System problems like inadequate maintenance of equipment and faulty raw materials/components can be resolved only by top management. Quality management is regarded in ISO 9000 as comprising four elements: Quality planning, Quality control, Quality assurance and Quality improvement While all four elements are within the purview of management, workers are directly responsible for quality control conducted at the operational level. It should be noted that workers could also contribute to quality improvement if they have been trained in simple problem-solving techniques. FOOD SAFETY QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Food safety is related to the presence of food-borne hazards in food at the point of consumption, (intake by the consumer). As the introduction of food safety hazards can occur at any stage of the food chain, adequate control throughout the food chain is essential. Thus food safety is ensured through the combined efforts of all the parties participating in the food chain. The following are generally recognised key elements to ensure food safety along the food chain, up to the point of final consumption: Interactive communication; System Management; Prerequisite programmes; HACCP principles Communication along the food chain is essential to ensure that all relevant food safety hazards are identified and adequately controlled at each step within the food chain. This implies communication between organizations both upstream and downstream in the food chain. Communication with customers and suppliers about identified hazards and control measures will assist in clarifying customer and supplier requirements (e.g. with regard to the feasibility and need for these requirements and their impact on the end product). Recognition of the organisations role and position within the food chain is essential to ensure effective interactive communication throughout the chain in order to deliver safe food products to the final consumer. The most effective food safety systems are established, operated and updated within the framework of a structured system and incorporated into the overall management activities of the organization. This provides maximum benefit for the organisation and interested parties. ISO 22000:2005 has been aligned ISO 9001 in order to enhance the compatibility of the two standards. ISO 22000 integrates the principles of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system and application steps developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. By means of auditable requirements, it combines the HACCP plan with prerequisite programmes (PRPs). Hazard analysis is the key to an effective food safety management, since conducting a hazard analysis assists in organising the knowledge required to establish an effective combination of control assist in organising the knowledge required to establish an effective combination of control measures. ISO 22000 requires that all hazards that may be reasonably expected to occur in the food chain, including hazards that may be associated with the type of process and facilities used, are identified and assessed. Thus it provides the means to determine and document why certain identified hazards need to be controlled by a particular organisation and why others need not. BUSINESS PROCESSES AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS In order to operate, businesses must deal with many different pieces of information about suppliers, customers, employees, invoices and payments, and of course product and services. They must organise work activities that use this information systems to operate efficiently and enhance the overall performance of the firm. Information systems make it possible for firms to manage all their information, make better decisions and improve the execution of their business processes. (Laudon and laudon 2006). BUSINESS PROCESSES Information systems are all about improving business processes which lie at the very heart of a business. So it is important to understand what is meant by â€Å"business processes† Business processes, refer to the manner in which work is organised, coordinated, and focused to produce a valuable product or service. Business processes are workflows of materials, information, and knowledge-set of activities. Business processes also refers to the unique ways in which organisations coordinate work, information and knowledge, and the ways in which management chooses to coordinate work. Every business can be seen as a collection of business processes. Some of these processes are part of larger encompassing processes. For example, almost every business has a way to hire employees. The process of hiring employees is a business process in the sense that it is a set of activities that a firm uses to hire new employees. To a large extent the performance of a business firm depends on how well its business processes are designed and coordinated. A companys business processes can be a source of competitive strength if they enable the company to innovate or to execute better than its rivals. Business processes can also be liabilities if they are based on outdated ways of working that impede organisational responsiveness and efficiency. Information systems enhance business processes primarily in two ways: Increasing the efficiency of existing processes and Enabling entirely new processes that are capable of transforming the business TYPES OF BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS There are different systems depending on the different business processes but all the systems could be viewed from two different perspectives: a functional perspective identifying systems by their major business function, and a constituency perspective that identifies systems in terms of the major organisational groups that they serve. Systems from a functional perspective From a historical perspective, functional systems were the first kinds of systems developed by business firms. These systems were located in specific departments, such as accounting, marketing and sales, production, and human resources. There are four main types of information systems that serve different functional systems: Sales and marketing information systems help the firm with marketing business processes (identifying customers for the firms products or services, developing products and services to meet their needs, promoting products and services) and sales processes (selling the products and services, taking orders, contacting customers, and providing customer support). Manufacturing and production information systems deal with the planning, development, and production of products and services, and controlling the flow of production. Finance and accounting information systems keep track of the firms financial assets and fund flows. The typical finance and accounting information systems found in large organizations. Senior management uses finance and accounting systems to establish long-term investment goals for the firms and to provide long-range forecasts of the firms financial performance. Middle management uses systems to oversee and control the firms financial resources. Operational management uses finance and accounting systems to track the flow of funds in the firm through transactions, such as paychecks, payments to vendors, securities reports, and receipts. Human resources information systems maintain employee records, track employee skills, job performance and training, and support planning for employee compensation and career development. The system can produce a variety of reports, such as list of newly hired employees, employees who are terminated or on leaves of absence, employees classified by job type or educational level, or employee job performance evaluations. Systems from a Constituency Perspective This is a perspective that examines systems in terms of the various levels of management and types of decision that they support. Each of these levels has different information needs given their different responsibilities, and each can be seen as major information constituents. Senior managers need summary information that can quickly inform them about the overall performance of the firm. Middle managers need more specific information on the results of specific functional areas and departments of the firm. Operational managers need transactional-level information, such as number of parts in inventory each day. Knowledge workers may need access to external scientific databases or internal databases with organisational knowledge. Production or service workers may need access to information from production machines, and service workers may need access to customer records in order to take orders and answer questions from customers. There are four main categories of systems from a constituency perspective. Transaction processing systems (TPS) are basic business systems that serve the operational level of the organization by recording the daily routine transactions required to conduct business, such as payroll and sales receipts. Management information systems (MIS) serve middle managers interests by providing current and historical performance information to aid in planning, controlling, and decision making at the management level. MIS typically compress TPS data to present regular reports on the companys basic operations. Decision Support Systems (DSS), or business intelligence systems, help managers with non-routine decisions that are unique, rapidly changing, and not easily specified in advance. DSS are more analytical than MIS, using a variety of models to analyze internal and external data or condense large amounts of data for analysis. Executive support systems (ESS) provide a generalized computing and communications environment that help senior managers address strategic issues and identify long-term trends in the firm and its environment. ESS addresses non-routine decisions requiring judgment, evaluation, and insight because there is no agreed-on procedure for arriving at a solution. ESS present graphs and data from many internal and external sources through an interface that is easy for senior managers to use. Often the information is delivered to senior executives through a portal, which uses a Web interface to present integrated personalized business content. INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND TQM The importance of information technologies and the information systems function is no longer of debate among business people. The question, rather, is how an organization can take best advantage of IT in order to support its operations, add value to its products and services, and gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. To be able to perform up to such high expectations, the IS function must develop an intimate understanding of the expectations of its varied clientele. As organizations embark on their journey to be more responsive to their customers and to continuously improve the quality of their products and services, IS must do the same. Unfortunately, it seems that despite the importance of IT to the success of most organizations, the function is not proactive when it comes to actively pursuing and implementing quality principles. Surveys of IS managers found that a minority of IS managers (41%) understood the basic principles of Total Quality Management (TQM), and thought the y will beuseful to the IS function. Even in the cases where TQM principles were understood, they often were not implemented in the IS function. Total IS quality is a multidimensional concept. (Antonis C. Stylianou and Ram L. Kumar, September 2000) Dimensions Of Information Systems Quality Infrastructure Quality: The quality of the infrastructure (hardware and enabling software) that is fielded and maintained by IS—includes, for example, the quality of the networks, and systems software. Software Quality: The quality of the applications software built, or maintained, or supported by IS. Data Quality: The quality of the data entering the various information systems. Information Quality: The quality of the output resulting from the information systems. In many cases, the output of one system becomes the input of another. In that respect, information quality is related to data quality. Administrative Quality: The quality of the management of the IS function—Includes the quality of budgeting, planning, and scheduling. Service Quality: The quality of the service component ofthe IS function—includes the quality of customer support processes such as those related to a help desk. These dimensions overlap considerably, and what impacts one dimension will in many cases impact other dimensions as well. For example, a decline in infrastructure quality (for example, persistent network service interruptions) is likely to cause real or perceived problems with data and service quality. And even though in the eyes of some IS customers the distinction may be insignificant, it is nevertheless important in being able to respond appropriately. An appropriate response may include actions to address infrastructure quality (such as replacing a defective network component), data quality (such as more frequent backups), and service quality (such as improved communication on cause and resolution of the problem). So far, research on IS quality has addressed individual components of quality and not the big picture. Pearson et al.s framework for introducing TQM into the IS function, although broad, does not provide an integrated and detailed enough perspective for managing quality in key processes and products. Also, Pitt et al. present a model of IS success that is broad but incomplete. That model does not capture the variety of stakeholders affected, the interaction between IS and business processes, the administrative component of IS quality, and environmental influences on quality. An extensive literature exists on data and information quality, and software quality. Administrative IS quality, although it has not received as much attention on its own, is very similar to the quality of other management processes examined in the general concept. INFLUENCES ON INFORMATION SYSTEM QUALITY While IS quality is a general concept, there may be significant differences between organizations in terms of how quality is defined. Different organizations may emphasize different dimensions of IS quality. Environmental factors, such as industry type and the nature of competition, affect the importance of IS in the organization. Managing IS quality is more complicated in IT-intensive industries such as banking because of the large number of IS-supported processes and the high degree of integration between IS and business processes. The impact of organizational investments in IT on IS quality may vary depending on organizational factors such as culture, politics, and senior management support. Stakeholder perceptions of what constitutes acceptable quality may also vary depending on those factors. Departmental factors such as differences in leadership style, employee skills, and IT intensity also impact IS quality perceptions and management. These environmental, organizational, and d epartmental factors impact the relative importance of different stakeholder groups, the weights assigned by each stakeholder group to different quality attributes, and the metrics used to measure them. As a result, deciding how to configure and manage the IS quality program requires sensitivity to these factors. (Antonis C. Stylianou and Ram L. Kumar, September 2000) HOW INFORMATION SYSTEMS IMPROVE QUALITY Reduce Cycle Time and Simplify the production Process Studies have shown that probably the best single way to reduce quality problems is to reduce cycle time, which refers to the total elapsed time from the beginning of a process to its end. Shorter cycle times mean that problems are caught earlier in the process, often before the production of a defective product is completed, saving some of the hidden cost of producing it. Finding ways to reduce cycle time often means finding ways to simplify production steps. The fewer the steps in a process the less time and opportunity for an error to occur. Information systems help eliminate steps in a process and critical time delays. A company selling flowers by telephone or over the Web, used to be much smaller company that had difficulty retaining its customers. It had poor service, inconsistent quality, and a cumbersome manual order-taking process. Telephone representatives had to write each order, obtain credit card approval, determine which participating florist was closest to the delivery location, select a floral arrangement, and forward the order to the florist. Each step in the manual process increased the chance of human error, and the whole process took at least a half hour. A new information system that downloads orders taken in telecenters or over the Web to a central computer and electronically transmits them to local florists was installed. Orders are more accurate and arrive at the florist within two minutes Benchmark Companies achieve quality by using benchmarking to set strict standards for products, services, and other activities, and then measuring performance against those standards. Companies may use external industry standards, standards set by other companies; internally developed high standards; or some combination of the three. An outdoor clothing company used benchmarking to achieve an order-shipping accuracy of 99.9 percent. Its old batch order fulfillment system could not handle the surging volume and variety of items to be shipped. After studying Germans and Scandinavian companies with leading edge order fulfillment, the company redesigned its order fulfillment process and information systems so that orders could be processed as soon as they were received and shipped within 24 hours. Use Customer Demands to improve Products and Services Improving customer service, making customer service the number one priority, will improve the quality of the product itself. Improve Design Quality and Precision Computer aided design (CAD) software has made a major contribution to quality improvements in many companies, from producers of automobile to producers of razor blades. A computer-aided design (CAD) system automates the creation and revision of designs, using computers and sophisticated graphics software. Improve Production Precision and Tighten Production Tolerances For many products, quality can be enhanced by making the production process more precise, thereby decreasing the amount of variation from one part to another. CAD software often produces design specifications for tooling and manufacturing processes, saving additional time and money while producing a manufacturing process with far fewer problems. The user of this software is able to design a more precise production system, a system with tighter tolerances, than could ever be done manually. IMPLEMENTING AND MANAGING INFORMATION SYSTEM QUALITY In instituting an Information System quality program, lessons could and should be drawn from both successes and failures in quality programs implem

Rock Music and Creativity :: Creative Creativity Essays

Rock Music and Creativity As the reader may verify by looking at my name, I originate from Cyprus, a Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea. As I grew up in a Greek environment, Greek music predominated in my listenings with a glimpse of classical music added when my studies in the piano encouraged it. My short stay in the States has, apart from many other things, introduced me to rock music. According to Google.com, "rock 'n' roll can be defined as a genre of popular music originating in the 1950s; a blend of Black rhythm-and-blues with White country-and-western; rock is a generic term that evolved out of rock 'n' roll." The purpose of this essay is not, however, to provide an analysis on rock music. I know I have much to learn, many hours of listening to be able to be considered a `rock fan'. Nevertheless, rock provides a perfect example where Margaret Boden's three domains of creativity appear explicitly. Margaret Boden, Dean of School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences and professor of philosophy and psychology at the University of Sussex, has written many essays on creativity. In The Creative Priority she divides creativity into three main branches. The first involves `making unfamiliar combinations of familiar ideas', new ways to join already existing ideas in order to generate a completely novel creation, be it a poem, a painting or a scientific invention. The `exploration of conceptual spaces', searching for possibilities in an area that no one has thought about before and realizing the potential those may have, entails the second branch. Finally, the third includes `transforming conceptual spaces in people's minds', pushing and altering the limits previously imposed to result in the triumph of creation. This classification provides a summary of what various authors have illustrated in their works on the creative process. As the definition of rock music states, rock emerged from the combination of black rhythm-and-blues and white country-and-western. Those two kinds of music prevailed on the music scene since the beginning of the 20th century. Both were familiar to the audiences of the time. What Elvis did that shook the waves and initiated a revolution in music, was to combine those two familiar ideas in an unfamiliar way. The result was a new – for the time – music genre, which as such had a lot to offer and a lot to explore within.

J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace: Post-Apartheid South Africa Essay -- South Afr

Through the perspective of an unconventional college professor, J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace addresses the transition into post-apartheid South Africa, societal acceptance and rape through David Lurie and Lucy Lurie’s complex father-daughter relationship. While living in his daughter’s countryside home, David Lurie’s experiences reveal that despite the powerful political reform, crime continues to dominate the African people. Aspects of South African history are used to emphasize racial tension and the shift from a white to a black dominated South Africa. Coetzee also suggests the instability of the African society through constantly depicting his characters as emotionally unable to adapt to adverse situations. Although David and Lucy were initially introduced as polar opposites, their value of privacy and refusal to endure public humiliation and shame draw a parallel between the predator and prey of the novel. David Lurie ultimately evolves from his sexual en counters with Soraya, Melanie and Bev Shaw by realizing the traumatizing implications of his actions after the Lucy’s rape. J.M. Coetzee, a white South African writer, was strongly influenced by his personal experiences while he witnessed the social barriers during the apartheid. As the novel begins, Coetzee describes the sexual relationship between the protagonist David Lurie and Soraya, a prostitute that David routinely indulged in every Thursday. â€Å"For a man of his age, fifty- two, divorced, he has, to his mind, solved the problem of sex rather well† (Coetzee 1). In his mind, however, he did not put into perspective the thoughts of Soraya. He satisfied his desires at the expense of another’s emotional wellbeing. Despite Soraya’s acceptance of prostitution, her reaction towar... ...Originally, David uses his status as a white male in South Africa as his leverage and source of power, however, this tactic quickly fails and causes him to seek a new lifestyle. Lucy’s farm life introduces David not only to natural beauties but the strength people have to provide the services that they do such as managing a last resort animal aid center. By the end of his experiences, he learns that he does not belong in the environment that he used to surround himself with in the city, but that he enjoys himself when he has the company of animals and his daughter. His shift in standards of living and customs demonstrates the racial impacts of the apartheid. The connection between Lucy’s disgrace as the victim and David’s shame as the rapist demonstrates hardships both flaws. Each aspect of these flaws represents the difficulties of the apartheid in South Africa.

Isolation and Resentment in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Essay

Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, deals with two very distinct individuals: the young-but-foolish Victor Frankenstein and his creation, the â€Å"Monster†. Victor is the main focus of the novel for the beginning chapters, while the rest of the work focuses more on the development and actions of the Monster. The characters of Victor and the Monster are first brought together during the Monster’s creation in Chapter 4 (34). It was Victor’s isolation from both his family and his peers that ultimately lead to his creation of the Monster, and it was the Monster’s feelings of isolation and resentment towards Victor that lead to his violent episodes. While these feelings are evident in both characters’ actions throughout the majority of the novel, it was during the Monster’s statements to Captain Robert Walton towards the end of the story that drives home the fact that the Monster’s actions were products of his repeated rejections when he attempted to be accepted by society and as such are not indicative of his inherent nature. It was these feelings of loneliness and resentment that drove both Victor and the Monster to their actions, and it is safe to assume that some of Shelley’s personal feelings of abandonment and resentment towards her mother bled through into her characters. These feelings are made evident by way of the diction of the characters, both elements of and deviations from the Gothic stereotype, the development of the characters throughout the story and the lack of any definite closure to the text. Shelley’s use of eloquent and elaborate language by the main characters could be construed as ironic, in that such well-spoken characters have sunken into committing the most terrible of sins, namely those of murder and hubris. It is this irony that makes the isolation and resentment that Victor and the Monster feel stand out in the reader’s mind; two characters that are so articulate in their speech are reviled for their differences from the rest of society. The sophisticated diction of the Monster in the final pages of the novel helps to lend a feeling of bitterness and remorse to the text. However, the Monster’s eloquent speech does not sway the Captain, as evidenced in the first line â€Å"I was at first touched†¦indignation was rekindled within me. † (154). This shows that no matter how well-spoken an individual is and how sympathetic that person might be, normal society tends to shun those that are viewed as different, whether these differences are physical or in the way that they communicate. Such eloquence, as evidenced in the Monster’s speech â€Å"Once I falsely hoped to meet†¦thoughts of honor and devotion† (154), is a direct product of how a person was raised; those that are raised in an environment where they are kept isolated, whether by choice or through the influence of society tend to develop such oratory skills as a way of hopefully being accepted by those around them. However, more often than not, such well-defined articulation of one’s thoughts leads to such a person being further isolated from society, and as such feeds feelings of isolation and resentment. It was due to realistic depictions of societal reactions like these that helped to solidify Frankenstein’s place as a Gothic novel. Shelley uses many common elements of the Gothic novel in Frankenstein, and the themes of resentment and isolation can be connected to the characters through these elements. Victor is depicted as a â€Å"weak hero†, whose isolation from the world in the development of his creation leads him from an otherwise successful career as a scientist. It could be inferred that Victor’s resentment towards his creation, whom he subsequently abandons, stems not only from his disgust with himself and what he has created, but also from the opportunities denied to him as a result of his irresponsible pursuit of bestowing life upon that which should remain lifeless. Although Victor knew that creating life through artificial means would be considered taboo by his peers, he decided to proceed with the project regardless, letting his scientific curiosity overtake his rational intellect. After he brought the Monster to life, he was realized the irresponsibility of his actions. During this time, Victor had severe difficulties connecting to other people, and he gradually worked to further distance himself from the rest of society, which lead him into an extremely depressed state (. Although there were points in the novel where Victor was able to experience a very temporary reprieve from his mental torments, in his mind he would never be able to fully experience mental peace until one of them was dead. In contrast to Victor’s rather weak characterization, the Monster could be depicted as the â€Å"hero† of the story, in that even while he is committing murders that should sicken the reader, he is still portrayed as a sympathetic character, whose actions are driven by his feelings of abandonment, betrayal and resentment that Victor engenders in him through his various actions, as well of those of human society in regards to the Monster [i. e. The Monster’s episode with Felix]. It is understandably unclear if any the characters can be definitively labeled as a hero or villain, for even though they both have committed acts worthy of abhorrence and disgust, in a sense, they could be considered to be victims of abuse and neglect as well. Due to this, it can be argued that both Victor and the Monster are accurate representatives of the Gothic hero/villain. A final example of Gothic elements that Shelley incorporates into her novel is that of the heroine in distress, in this case Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a good example of a heroine because she is a strong female character who is independent and dedicated, especially to the Frankenstein family after Victor’s mother dies. However, she breaks the classic Gothic mold of a heroine by the fact that she is a patient woman who almost never takes action for herself, and it is for this reason as well as Victor’s negligence on their wedding night that she ends up being killed by the Monster in the novel. Victor’s neglect towards Elizabeth on their wedding night could be due to his isolation during his developmental years, and as such was not comfortable in being tied down to Elizabeth. Victor appeared to have developed in a fairly normal manner, due to the fact that he had experienced a childhood that would be considered normal for the noble class in that time. This continues to be the case until he takes it upon himself match the power of God and attempt to bestow life. From this point, his experiments and eventual creation become his only obsession, and he can no longer interact with other people, even those that he sees on a daily basis while at the college. Victor is unable to communicate with other in any meaningful way during this time, as his mind is always preoccupied with thoughts regarding the monster he is responsible for giving life to. Based on this behavior, it gives credence to the question if Victor ever matured any further as an individual once he arrived at the college. In contrast, the Monster’s experiences during the period of his mental and emotional development were always abrupt and sometimes violent. This occurred when he realized that he would forever be rejected by the human race, as his physical appearance was so ghastly that all those that came in his presence were immediately stricken with fear as evidenced by Even his creator, Victor, who to the Monster’s understanding should love him even if others refused to, was so terrified of the Monster that he refused to fulfill his romise in making the Monster a companion. It is understandable that from that point on, â€Å"all joy was but a mockery† (116) to the Monster, and he decided that the sole purpose in his life was to destroy any and all the things that brought pleasure or comfort to his creator. These events are similar because they both represent periods in which these characters no longer are able to have significant social interactions with those around them. Dur ing his development, the monster was able to have many of the same experiences as a human would. For example, he was able to feel a wide range of emotions, from pleasure to hate, even pride and remorse; he developed intellectually through both his learning from books and his [unpleasant] interactions with society; he learned [much in the way that a child does] to use his physical senses to tell him about his environment. However, because of his grotesque appearance, he was made to feel that he would never accepted as a member of human society, and many of his interactions with humans gave no reason to dissuade him from such a belief. In Captain Walton’s final letter to his sister (154), he recounts the words that the monster speaks to him over Victor’s dead body. The eruption of angry self-pity the Monster displays brings into question the injustice of how he has been treated and compellingly captures and portrays the feelings of isolation and resentment he has experienced in regards to his interactions with society, providing both Walton and the reader a glimpse into the suffering that has motivated his actions. It was these feelings that lead the Monster to disappear with Victor’s corpse, presumably to avoid contact with any others of mankind until he eventually dies; however, the ending of the text is rather ambiguous, so it is possible that the Monster decided to return to revenge himself upon mankind. At the closure of Frankenstein, Shelley does not provide a well-defined ending. The last line, reading â€Å"He sprung from the cabin-window†¦lost in darkness and distance† (156), leaves the reader responsible for deciding how they believe the story concluded. The ending can be regarded as having been left open because although the story does provide a conclusion [in that it may be assumed that the creature took his own life after departing Walton’s ship], there is not enough concrete evidence provided in the text to prove beyond a doubt that this is indeed what occurred. It is entirely possible that the Monster would be unable to let go of his hatred of Victor, and by extension, mankind due to his isolation. Just because his â€Å"creator† died does not necessarily mean that he could let his emotions go, and it is this possibility that shows just how differently people view things; the reader can make of the ending what they will, but they will never know for sure how Shelley would have ended it otherwise. Through the speech of the characters, the Gothic elements applied in the text, the characters’ developments and the rather obscure ending of Frankenstein, it is evidently clear that Mary Shelley believes that isolation and resentment play key roles in how people relate to others, and how they develop their own behaviors. It is through the medium of her novel that allows her to express these beliefs, and she provides plenty of evidence in her text to back up these beliefs. The feelings of isolation and resentment that Victor and the Monster both felt towards society were key aspects of their personalities, and were the main driving forces behind their various actions made through the course of the text.