Mayan Art Architecture Essay

Art for the Mayans was a reflection of their lifestyle and culture. For the Mayans art took several forms including: painting paper, plaster, carvings in wood and store, clay, stucco models, and terra cotta figurines from molds. Metal was very scarce and so it wasn’t commonly used. Mayan Art during the period, 200 to 900 has been considered the most sophisticated and beautiful of the New World. There is few remaining Mayan Art, which includes funerary pottery, ceramics, a building in Bonampak (which is around Chiapas, Mexico), has several murals. What is interesting is that Mayan art gave almost free reign to the artist. The artist was not required to produce a work that fit any particular rules. The art usually didn’t depict anonymous priests and unnamed Gods. Some archaeologists believe that art was only produced by the wealthy. Most of the people who lived were farmers who had to work hard to make a living. It is presumed that most of the art was done by sons of kings, and the artworks made were given as gifts or sold to other wealthy landowners. An interesting fact is that Mayans were one of the few civilizations that the artists signed their name to their work. ARCHITECTURE The Mayan architecture is the method the men spoke to the gods. The first Mayan pyramid was said to be built in Uaxatan, Guatemala, just before the birth of Christ. The Mayan architecture is one of the most recognizable. Each pyramid was dedicated to a deity whose shrine was at the peak. At the height of the Mayan civilization, cities like Chichen Itza, Tikal, Uxmal were created. URBAN DESIGN Mayan cities were spread all throughout Mesoamerica. Locations of cities were  not planned to a great extent. In fact, most cities seem to be placed haphazardly. The Mayans easily adapted their cities to their surroundings. Cities that were in northern Yucatan existed on flat limestone plains, while cities built in the mountains or on hills such as, Usumacinta, used the topography to raise their towers and temples very high. At the centre of all Mayan cities were large plazas, which held governmental and religious buildings such as the pyramid temples and ball-courts. Although it seems that most planning was done in a haphazard manner, the Mayans placed very special attention to the directional orientation of temples and observatories. They were always constructed in accordance with Maya interpretation of the orbits of the stars. Outside of ritual centers were the formation of lesser nobles, smaller temples, and individual shrines. These less sacred structures had much more privacy. Outside of the urban core were the less permanent and modest homes of common people. In essence, it was the most sacred and noble buildings in the centre and the further one got from the center the lower of importance the dwelling was in the Mayan hierarchy. In the classic Era the Mayans focused on great monuments (such as temples), public plazas. Interior Space was entirely secondary. In the later-post classic era the Greater Mayan cities developed into more fortress-like defensives structures that lacked plazas. The Mayans actually developed several unique building innovations, including the corbel arch which was a false arch achieved by stepping each successive block, from opposite sides, closer to the center, and capped at the peak. MATERIALS The Mayans lacked many construction technologies. They didn’t have metal tools, pulleys, and even the wheel – or at least they didn’t use the wheel as a means to help in work. Mayan architecture was based on manpower. All  stone was taken from local quarries, and they mostly used limestone. It wasn’t only used because there was an abundance of it but because it was easy to be worked with. The mortar generally consisted of crushed, burnet, and mixed limestone that is similar to cement, and it gave a stucco finishing. PROCESS The King or priests would supervise the labour of the common people. The peasants would work on the construction projects as a method to pay homage to the king and the state, and the construction typically took place when they were unable to do their agricultural work. The laboureres would carry loads of materials on their backs of roll them on logs to get them from the source, usually a quarry, to the site. The Mayans also had specialized workers such as architects who would oversee the construction of the buildings. STYLE Mayan architects did not build in right angles. They relied on bilateral symmetry meaning if you were to cut the building right down the middle, each half would look like a mirror image of the other side. They would also build temples on top of temples. This is one method on how they made some pyramids so large. COMMON STRUCTURES Ceremonial Platforms These were made of limestone, and less than 4 meters in height. Public ceremonies and religious rites were performed here. The buildings were often accented by carved figures, altars and sometimes a tzompantli. A tzompantly is a stake used to display the heads of victims, or defeated Ball game opponents. The word comes from the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs, however,  it has been applied to many other civilizations. The general interpretation is skull rack or wall of skulls. Palaces Needless to say, palaces were large and highly decorated. They were usually located at the center of the city and housed the city’s elite. Often, they were one-story and consisted of many small chambers and at least one courtyard. Sometimes, palaces were home to various tombs. E-groups Still a mystery today. The appeared on the western side of a plaza and they are a pyramid temple facing three smaller temples across the plaza. Some believe that these E-Groups are observatories due to precise positioning of the sun through the small temples when viewed during solsites and equinioxes. Pyramids and temples Most religious temples say atop very high Maya Pyramids – one theory stating that it was the closest place to the heavens. Most temples had a roof comb which is a superficial grandiose wall, they say the temples served as a type of propaganda. It was very occasional that these walls would exceed the height of the jungle. The roof combs would be carved with representations of rulers that could be seen from vast distances. Beneath the temple were a series of platforms split by steep stairs that would allow access to the temple. Observatories The Maya were very intelligent people, and they were keen astronomers, they had mapped out phases of planets. The method they learned about this is through their observatories. The Mayans had these round temples, often dedicated to Quetzalcoatl or what they called him Kukulcan, and if you go on tours many guides will say that they are observatories but realistically  there is no evidence to prove this. Ball Courts An integral part to any Mesoamerican lifestyle. This ins’t specific to just the Mayans but to basically every Mesoamerican civilization. Enclosed on two sides by stepped ramps that led to the platforms. The ball court was found in all but the smallest of Mayan cities. Explanation of The Game It was the first team sport in history and began over 3,500 years ago. The game wasn’t just for competition, the survival of the players and the spectators depended on the outcome.

Duties and Responsibilities of Stakeholders

For managers, a scholarly theory that other stakeholders should have some duties— towards the firm, in particular—should be a pleasant relief. However, key lessons for managers are that responsibilities towards the firm require that managers first conduct themselves morally; and that other stakeholder responsibilities often involve moral and citizenship duties requiring collective action, for which business leadership may be crucial. Mutual and joint responsibilities of stakeholders separate into four general categories: with the firm; among stakeholders themselves; common pool resources (especially nature); and the commonwealth. Stakeholder responsibilities are thus separable into those of interdependent actors, moral individuals and citizens. Interdependent responsibilities are arguably weaker than moral and citizenship responsibilities, and may amount only to benevolence in the stakeholder context absent those other responsibilities. 1.Stakeholdersuch of business ethics boils down to exhortation concerning proper managerial conduct, in various circumstances, or defences of managerial practices generally based on the economic development benefits of markets (see Wilson 1989). Thinking about ethics from a manager’s perspective is perhaps more difficult. 2.To perceive, or propose, imbalance in the prevailing conceptualisation of business responsibilities. The idea is to establish the responsibilities of stakeholders other than managers and owners, including duties to the firm. There is substantial merit in the proposed thesis. Constructs such as corporate social responsibility, corporate social responsiveness, corporate social performance and global corporate citizenship all emphasise—as they were intended to do—the duties of and constraints on the motives (or goals) and conduct (or actions) of firms: i.e. the managers and owners of joint-stock public corporations or privately held companies. 1 In an effort to rebalance conceptualisation of responsibilities, this special issue considers the duties of and constraints on the motives and conduct of stakeholders (other than managers and owners, themselves stakeholders) defined in relationship to both the focal firm and other stakeholders of that firm. Stakeholders also have a collective impact on nature, and either collectively or in national groups joint responsibility for one or more commonwealths. For managers, that other stakeholders should have some duties—towards the firm, in particular—should presumably be a pleasant relief from widespread assault, on various grounds, by business critics and calls for greater corporate responsibilities and global citizenship activities. This author suggests, however, that there are some key lessons for managers in the proposed reconsideration of stakeholders’ responsibilities. Responsibilities towards the firm will require that managers first conduct themselves morally, and existing notions of corporate responsibility and citizenship do not necessarily obtain that pattern of conduct. Other stakeholder responsibilities often involve moral and citizenship duties requiring collective action, such that managers will often need to lead the way—as in child labour and environmental protection issues. The stakeholder role cannot be readily separated from general considerations of moral reflection and citizenship. A difficulty is that the stakeholder role must be considered by case and circumstance. While responsibilities towards other stakeholders are arguably stronger than responsibilities to the firm (such that managers must demonstrate by moral conduct worthiness to be the object of such responsibilities by others), those responsibilities, while interdependent, often do not occur at first hand but rather often through a chain of distant repercussions. It is therefore an additional step, conceptually and practically, to add accountability for specific outcomes beyond simple notions duane windsor

Management paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Management paper - Essay Example The book is a collection of various case stories that are divided into two parts labeled Opportunity and Legacy. From these stories Malcolm Gladwell draws his conclusions. The book has attracted both strong support and strong criticism, but many of the author’s ideas are extremely interesting and thought provoking. 1) The Introduction to the book deals with small town of Roseto in Pennsylvania that had a far lower incidence of heart disease than neighboring towns. The better health of the population was unrelated to diet or other lifestyle reasons or genetics. The reason was identified as the strong family ties amongst the people represented by several generations living together. These ties were ingrained in the people from the practice in the Italian region from where they immigrated. 2) The first chapter of the book is titled â€Å"The Mathew Effect† from a biblical quotation that says that those that have shall be given even more while those that do not have will have even the little that they have taken away from them (Gladwell, 2008, p15). Gladwell quotes a study in the mid-1980s of Canadian hockey players which found that in any team, the majority of the players were born in January, February or March compared to the later months of the year. The reason for this was found to be the system from the school age where age group teams were formed with a cutoff date of January 1. The children born in the first quarter of a year are on average bigger and more developed than children born six months later. The older children get selected into teams and given coaching in preference to younger children. 3) Chapter two of this section is titled â€Å"The 10,000- Hour Rule† and makes two separate points. Software pioneers like Bill Joy and Bill Gates had the opportunity to work on software programming for over 10,000 hours. The then expensive computer access time was made possible due to

Theory used in Social Work Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theory used in Social Work Practice - Essay Example The social scientific texts, which focus on culture does not make it abstract and hence culture is important in social sciences. Narrative theory is also important in describing every aspect including the looking after the people who lost lives of their near and dear ones. The narrative realities include individual emotions, psychic realities as referred by Freud and thus evade all narrative formalizations. The point in this paper is about 'tragic' news narratives of an Asian Lady suffering from depression due to sudden death of her mother. In the above aspect, style holds the important place as it depends on both culture and nature of the individual. In some cases of tragic narratives style can define the culture and the extent of depression of the subject. As the present situation is about the Asian lady suffering from depression, understanding the differences in narration due to culture can help in understanding her. Though some writers feel that the narratives reduce personal and social meanings to glib fables, the other writers emphasize on cohesion and repetition (Corinne Squire, 2000). 1 The application of theory depends on the subject chosen. The subject here is an Asian lady suffering from depression due to loss of her mother due to sudden death. ... The psychological orientation in social service and work can be fulfilled by applying narrative theory to the subject in the present context. The changes that occur in the work of a social service practitioner will be from the expressions of the subject and narrative theory helps in understanding them in a clear manner. The notions of expertise in narrative theory can influence work education and can enable direct change in the subject with the help of research of the practitioner. In addition to above mentioned aspects, narrative theory helps in reshaping qualitative enquiry, which helps in recovery of a subject in depression. The thematic, structural, dialogic and visual things in the research will critically analyze the data and thus the researcher can choose the approach to deal with the subject. The subject in the context of the paper needs pragmatic approach and narrative theory is suitable for the meant treatment and to modify the social work contexts. The narration in the cou rse of treatment helps the researcher to collect different types of data and to compare it in different ways to know Th exact point of the treatment (Jan Fook, 2002). 2 Advantages in Applying the Theory The important advantage in using the narrative theory is avoiding suicide by the subject by the treatment that involves narration. As the depression in United States is substantial and it is more in Asian population, the qualitative research in narrative theory helps in coping up with depression motivated suicide. As the lady in the present context is suffering from the depression of sudden death of mother, there is every chance of attempting suicide and narrative theory helps in avoiding it. The subjects of depression of above mentioned

Personal Internship Journal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Internship Journal - Personal Statement Example Credit that would be awarded to me after the successful completion of my duties for the internship and whatever report that would come back to the leaders of my program from my Supervisor at the condominium. My expectations were to learn about the administrative and managerial skills that come with working in the real estate industry. I hoped to gain some knowledge of daily operations of the building system, property management, as well as the implementation of the budget. I also hoped to improve my communication skills with coworkers in different levels. In addition, I hoped to be able to adapt myself to a multicultural environment. This would have been the first experience for me to be fully involved with not just the language, but also the English culture outside of my personal home. While it was my hope to improve my skills in English and understand the multicultural aspects of the business world, I chose to have my internship be at a site that would offer a vastly different level of learning that had been different in comparison to anything I had ever done before. Answer: Answer: I work for xxxx. My position is to be an assistant to operations manager. Most of my job duties are clerical. My expectations are to learn about administrative and managerial skills that come with working in the real estate industry. I hope I can gain some knowledge of the daily operations of the building system, property management, and budget implementation. Also, I hope to improve my communication skills with coworkers in different levels. In addition, I hope I can adapt myself to a multicultural environment. This is the first time with the culture and language directly in English outside of school ad home. While it can be quite an experience to be in a different environment than one I had been personally used to, it was my desire to step outside of my personal boundaries and experiences things which, had it not been for choosing an internship, I would not have known or experienced before. By deciding to pursue my education, I wanted to have the opportunity to learn as much as I can about as many things as I can. To be exposed to a wide variety of events that can be a great learning experience in their own right. Week Two: How is it working with your co-workers Did you have all the skills you needed when you arrived day one.. or are there skills you still need to learn to succeed in your position Answer: All of the co- workers are very helpful and knowledgeable of their job duties. I have the skills to do this job. On the first day of work, I have assisted my manager on writing leasing contracts and making spreadsheets of monthly bills. I also handled calls regarding maintenance and building improvement. My duties are not very challenging because I have done this type of work in my previous job. However, I still have skills which I need to improve on, such as my communication skill in English language. Another skill I feel I need to improve on is to deal with multi-cultural environment. This is the first

Disscusion 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Disscusion 3 - Essay Example The sources are imperative as they help in offering fast facts and information with regard to the health status of the children living in the US. In addition, they offer sound information, gathers, and shares data on injuries that has caused violent deaths among children. Consequently, this offers the stakeholders with a more accurate comprehension of various causes of tragic deaths among children, ensuring that the policy makers as well as the societal leaders make sound decisions on ways in which violence and injuries can be minimized. Moreover, with such sources, there is high likelihood of coming up with related programs to prevent injuries and address issues of children maltreatment. In addition, the WISQARS is an essential source of data since it offers up to date information on national injury oriented mortality as well as morbidity. In that case, such data is used in research work as well as making sound decisions on public health and ways to reduce related cases and improve on the health of the children (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). In that case, with such a database, the media, researchers, medical professionals, and the public can learn about the children’s health and some of the economic burdens that are associated with violence oriented or unintentional injuries. On the same note, it helps the users to sort, search, create reports, maps, and charts, as well as view injury based data on the intent of the injuries, the causes, the regions in the body, nature, geographic location and the sex of the victims. Furthermore, under the CDC sources, there is the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP). It is an informative database that offers factual information on the causes as well as the types of non-fatal injuries that are treated in the American hospitals. Therefore, the CDC databases are imperative

The Idea of God in Buddhism & Its Implications for Human Life Essay

The Idea of God in Buddhism & Its Implications for Human Life - Essay Example While in some polytheist religions, the concept of God may differ slightly, but in all primary religions of the world, the God is one powerful being who has no partners and neither does he require any helpers to assist him in his numerous tasks. The concept of God does not exist in Buddhism well at least not in the same sense as what other religions of the world associate with as God. Buddhism does not deny the existence of supernatural beings but it disagrees with the theory that these supernatural beings (or Gods as referred to in many religions) have power for creation, salvation or judgment. Buddhism is not a single, unified religion but exists in a variety of forms. All these forms however have at least one thing in common: an emphasis above all on the transitory nature of human life as one knows it. Although in one's heart one may long for eternity the unavoidable fact is that humans are temporary beings, and true spirituality begins with acknowledging that. Towards the close of the sixth century BC there was a teacher who founded an order of yellow robed monks and nuns and was called by them the "Buddha," or "He who is awake or enlightened."1One knows little for certain about the historical facts of his life and teaching (Chen, 1968). The traditional stories about him were written much later and the Buddhist scriptures, which purport to give his teaching, are often of doubtful authenticity2. One can be reasonably sure of some things. His name was Siddharta Gautama (this is its Sanskrit form: Siddhattha Gotama in the dialect of the earliest Buddhist texts, Pali) and h e was the son of a chief of the Shakya tribe, which lived not far from the city of Kapilavastu. He became an ascetic and teacher and his doctrines attracted many disciples. He spent a long life teaching in the region north of the Ganges, and died around 486 BC at the age of eighty. For the rest one must be content with the stories told by his followers (Conze, 1959). Buddhism does not believe in an entity having a separate existence. An important aspect of Buddhism which is different from various other leading religions is that a follower of Buddhism does not exercise his followings to please a particular "God" on the other hand the followers or "Buddhists" as they like to be called follow the preaching's of Buddha to achiever a higher plain of existence for themselves without the necessary purpose of pleasing a creator. As per Buddhism every living thing has a dharma nature, which is basically enlightened nature that different all forms of life entail. Buddhism instils belief in the circle of life as per which life goes through birth, growth, decay and death. Life according to Buddhism focuses on forms that are in a continuous process of change and decay, which indicates that life is a just a phenomena in this magnificent religion. Nevertheless both religious and nonreligious individuals often agree on the fact that religion is all about the supernatural and that it is inseparable from belief in an external, personalised deity. Others believe that religion encourages escapist fantasies that cannot be established. The sudden increase in terrorism (which is wrongly given a religious

English Final Exam Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English Final Exam Questions - Essay Example The loathing he has for the common people is evident when his English teacher comes to see the show at Carnegie Hall, where he is the usher, and he wonders, offended, what business she had there â€Å"among all these fine people and gay colors.† Somehow, for Paul, there is no redemption for common people. He is so self absorbed that he thinks that only people he idealizes are actually good people. He does not care whether his family loves him or are concerned about him, because to him they are not worthy of his attention as they do not come up to his standards of worthy people, so to speak. A classic narcissist, he does not care about anyone other than himself. When he is stealing money, he does not concern himself with who would have to pay it back, or whether anyone would come after his father – the thought does not even cross his mind. Similarly, when he discovers that his father ended up paying the money Paul had stolen and had now started to search for his son, he was concerned about himself: he did not want to go back as he still wanted to enjoy the pseudo life he was living. It seems as if he is always trying to impress those around him, trying to set himself apart from them. Whether it is by his insolence towards his teacher, or his flat out lying amongst his peers, it is clear that he does not want them to see him as one of their own. He does not want to belong to them – he looks down on them. Yet, this same feeling causes him to get depressed because he feels like a stranger in his own milieu. His suppressed sexuality has added to his depression and disenchantment with his real life and those around him. Although there is nothing overt, however, Paul does seem to have certain homosexual tendencies. Whether it is how he hangs around Charley Edwards of the stock company, or a hint about how badly his night out with a rich boy from Yale ends, or his repulsion at getting married, it seems as if Paul is secretly a homosexual, which cau ses him to further disenfranchise himself from the social scene he belongs to. It is precisely because he does not relate to those around him and cannot be part of those he wants that, rather than go back to lead a â€Å"normal† life, that he kills himself. Sonny Blues Sonny and his brother were born about seven years apart, which seem like a chasm to the latter. What is more, both brothers are quite different temperamentally as well. The elder brother seems to be more accepting of his circumstances, and does not try to escape them, but rather try to make his life within them. He left Harlem, and yet has taken residence in a project, with his wife and children. Moreover, after retiring from the army he has taken up a job as an algebra teacher – a solid, respectable sort of job by society’s standards. Sonny, on the other hands, seems to be rebelling against his circumstances. Whether it is drugs or his music, he seems to want to break free from Harlem both in bod y and in spirit. In music, he seems to have found his escape, and ironically, drugs play a part in that too, despite him wanting to leave Harlem to avoid becoming an addict. Musicians are never considered to be the â€Å"solid respectable type† in society, and what is more, Baldwin depicts how Sonny actually did not even have much idea about how to make a living by music. The young African-American men are up against the two â€Å"darknesses† according to Baldwin. The first being the reality of

Discuss inequality in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme Essay

Discuss inequality in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SAWP) in relation to employment and citizenship - Essay Example The employment for immigrant seasonal agricultural workers is fast rising as the industry expands. However, there had been many complaints of abuses and practices of inequality in the treatment of the seasonal-hired workers even if the manual tasks in the farm for the farm growers were rejected by Canadians and residents themselves. This paper will discuss how SAWP and non-citizenship of workers lead to practices of inequality and abuse. Discussion The SAWP has good intensions: to fill in the need for more workers for economic growth, and provide employment for foreigners who need them. They were chosen for gender (mostly males), have commitment at home or dependents to make them want to return (temporary) and from needy countries without lands to till and poor (Preibisch and Ecalada Grez, 297). However, many of these seasonal workers report negative experiences of inequality from their employers and local co-workers. The documentary film El Contrato of Min Sook Lee showed the stark condition of Mexican contract workers in Canada under the SAWP. The film through the accounts of several workers narrates allegations of exploitation to the point of slavery for these short-termed workers. Accusations ran from seven-days a week of continued work, taxed salaries which were said to be provided to them in full at $7/hour of work time, cramped living quarters, farm factory kitchens without chairs for dining, forced work more than the specified hours in their contract (Preibisch and Ecalada Grez, 298) and even reduced salaries. The film also showed how the workers sought to have dialogue with their employers and consulate, and sought help whichever way they can. However, despite the promises, the abusive practices of the workers’ supervisors of yelling, physical attack, reduced compensations, health hazards and accidents, lack of medical assistance, among others, were sustained. Preibisch and Ecalada Grez (297) spoke of other abuses on workers that include segrega tion of workers, and preference for majority of males for manual and work requiring carrying of loads, while females for fruit handling and packaging. These practices were seen to be reinforced by their status as non-migrants and non-citizens who have no legal option to become migrants and citizens. The SAWP was an answer to the refusal of residents and Canadians to tackle agricultural work for reasons of low wages, unsafe and unacceptable working conditions, its seasonal character, and poorly regulated labor environment (Sharma, 248). The farm jobs given the SAWP workers have been described as 3D- dirty, dangerous and difficult (Villegas, 9 Lecture notes). Another unacceptable practice is the lack of safety among workers such as the absence of information of the dangers posed by pesticide exposures, farm machineries and equipment. Seasonal workers are not aware that these are threats to their health. Where there was harm done, medical attention was also delayed if provided at all. Since, these workers live in the farm, their employers provide housing. However, most of these housing units were substandard (Lee, film; Sharma, 249). These has been seen to be promoted in part by Bill C-11 introduced in March 2001 of which there is increased security in Canadian borders, provision of flexible employment terms for

Response to Coments on DQ1 JS and DQ2 MBw7 Essay

Response to Coments on DQ1 JS and DQ2 MBw7 - Essay Example As you mentioned a company can wipe off the balance sheet a portion of its debt by converting the bonds. The bondholder also benefits in case of a conversion because the investor benefits from all the coupons payments that were received and from the equivalent value in stocks which can be converted into cash by selling them in the open market. DQ2 I agree with you that convertible bonds are a win-win proposition. The bondholder benefits when the bonds are converted into common stocks because the investor would be trading in a principal bond balance which was not liquid for an asset that is extremely liquid due to the fact that common stocks can be sold in the open market instantly. I once owned some common stock of Wal-Mart. When I needed some money I called my broker and he sold my common stocks the same day I placed the sale order. Common stocks are a liquid asset. The cash in the form of coupon payments that the bondholder received represents an added benefit for the bondholder. T he company that issues convertible bonds benefits from the flexibility that convertible bonds provide. Convertible bonds are great investments options that provide the investor with the best of both the equity and debt market (Little, 2011). References Investopedia.com (2011). Convertible Bonds: An Introduction. Retrieved May 18, 2011 from http://www.investopedia.com/articles/01/052301.asp Little, K. (2011).

Development in Moroccan Economy Essay Example for Free

Development in Moroccan Economy Essay Economic Environment Development of the Moroccan Economy The Moroccan economy is known for its macroeconomic stability. Inflation rates have always been relatively low, mainly due to the country’s restrictive currency regime. Morocco has been characterised by moderate to high growth rates. The country has benefited from its low labour cost and strategic location near the European mainland. Morocco has experienced a stronger growth than usual since the year 2000, caused by improved weather conditions, a strong export growth and various liberalizing policies. These liberalizing policies have been introduced by King Mohammed VI in 2003. He came up with a number of economic reforms resulting in a growth of the small modern manufacturing sector and the development of the tourism industry. He has put his main focus on the European Union since the Free Trade Agreement in the year 2000. Morocco’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has steadily gone up since 2002. According to statistics of â€Å"Datamonitor 360† the GDP in 2002 was about 40 billion dollar, in 2010 the GDP had grown to approximately 60 billion dollar. That is a rise of 50% in only eight years time. The World Factbook from the CIA mentions that in 2010 Morocco ranked number 58 in the world when it comes to the GDP. The real GDP growth rate has not been negative since 2002. In 2010 Morocco ranked number 77 in the world of real GDP growth. The lowest growth rate was about 2,5% in 2005 and 2007 and peeked with 7,5% in 2006. This could have possibly been caused by the Free Trade Agreement with the United States of America, which was introduced in 2006. I will further explain the results of the Free Trade Agreement with the EU and the USA later on in this chapter. The three main sectors: industry, service and agriculture, all grew steadily the past ten years. In 2009 the service sector was the biggest sector and contributed 49,4% to the GDP, the industry sector came second with 31,3% followed by the agriculture with 19,2%. Morocco has a profitable industry sector, mainly because of its large amounts of phosphate. Tourism plays a big role in the service sector. The tourism industry has remained vibrant despite the Casablanca bombings in 2003 and 2007. Morocco’s external trade has also been increasing steadily, with only a slight decrease in 2009. However, the total external trade still grew from 25,7 billion dollars in 2002 to 77,6 billion dollars in 2009. This is a growth of 51,9 billion dollars, which is a growth percentage of approximately 202%. Even though Morocco’s economy has been doing well the past decade, the unemployment rate is still relatively high. During the period from 2002 to 2008 the unemployment rate was at least 11%. In 2007 a small decrease of unemployment of 300 thousand took place, still leaving 1,1 million people unemployed. By the end of 2008 the unemployment rate was 9,6%. In 2009 a total of 93,000 new jobs got created resulting in a decrease to 9,1% by the end of 2009. We can conclude that the overall Moroccan economy has shown a fairly good development, but there is still a lot more to improve. The government has been working on new reforms that should lead to better business conditions in the country. International Financial Crisis Morocco together with Algeria and Tunisia has been one of the least affected countries by the international financial crisis. The international financial crisis started with the credit crunch in the US. Morocco has not been affected by this so-called credit crunch, because Morocco does not have the kind of credit that caused the American credit crunch. Besides this Morocco had minimal exposure to foreign assets. Morocco did however get affected by the international financial crisis as soon as it hit Europe. The Western European crisis resulted in diminishing growth rates. The crisis in Europe did not only slow down Moroccan export rates, but also the tourism industry. As European unemployment rates increased, many Moroccans working abroad lost their jobs, causing a decline in remittances. Morocco has been able to keep the negative effects of the international financial crisis to a minimum due to its good macroeconomic policy, an open economy, clear trade policies and several investment opportunities with emerging countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Because of the effects the financial crisis has had in Europe and the US, Gulf investors are expected to invest in African countries and the Middle East. At the end of 2008 Gulf investors announced a 1,7 billion US dollar investment in real estate in Morocco. These investments and planned reforms will make sure the Moroccan economy will continue to grow in the future. Effects FTA US and EU Morocco’s economy has largely benefited from the free trade agreements it has made with the European Union and the United States. In 1996 Morocco signed an association agreement with the European Union. The association became effective on March 1, 2000. The free trade agreement with the EU is mainly applied on industrial products and hardly any agricultural products. The objective is to have completely free trade between Morocco and the EU by 2012. In 2010 the EU proposed a new trade deal with Morocco to include duty-free trade in agricultural, food and fisheries products. On June 15, 2004 Morocco also signed a free trade agreement with the USA, which became effective on January 1, 2006. For America this was the second Arab-US free trade agreement and the first African-US free trade agreement. During a video of the ‘Moroccan American Trade and Investment Council’ the counsellor to King Mohammed VI for financial and economic affairs says about the FTA with the US: â€Å"We want to put Morocco as a platform for business with Europe, with the US, with Asia, China, Africa, Middle East. It was part of a global vision of Morocco. † Mr. Hassan, the president of the Moroccan Business Association says during the same video â€Å"The Morocco – US free trade agreement is a great opportunity for the Moroccan economy. † Due to the free trade agreements many American and European businesses have opened establishments in Morocco. These businesses have employed thousands of Moroccans causing a decline in the unemployment rate of the country. Both free trade agreements have been a huge step in the right direction for Morocco. The country still has a lot of poverty and unemployment; much more is needed to solve the country’s issues. However, the country is one of the most stable African and Arab nations. Current Economic System Morocco has a relatively liberal market economy regulated by supply and demand. From 1993 onwards there has been a policy of privatization. The heritage foundation, a research and educational institution, has come up with an index of economic freedom. This index makes it possible to measure the economic freedom in countries around the world. The world average score on the index of 2011 is 59. 7 out of 100 points. Morocco’s overall score is 59. 6, only a tenth point under the world average. Morocco is the 93rd country on the 2011 world rank of economic freedom. The regional average of the Middle East and North Africa is 60. 6, which makes Morocco the 10th country on the list of 17 regional countries. The overall score is determined by ten economic freedoms. In figure below the ranking of all ten separate economic freedoms of Morocco compared to the world average is shown. The most important economic freedom for this specific country report is business freedom. The business freedom represents the procedures for setting up and registering a private enterprise and the possibilities of private investment and production. In figure you can clearly see the Moroccan business freedom compared to the Dutch business freedom. King Mohammed VI has come up with many economic and non-economic reforms over the years. The two largest current reforms are the â€Å"Plan Maroc Vert† (Green Plan) and the â€Å"Plan Emergence†.

Overview Of Vowels And Consonants

Overview Of Vowels And Consonants Language is an organization of sounds, of vocal symbols-the sounds produced from the mouth with the help of various organs of speech to convey some meaningful message. Language has a very important social purpose, because it is mainly used for linguistic communication. It is the most powerful, convenient and permanent means and form of communication. A language can be used in two ways for the purposes of communication. It can be spoken or written but the medium of speech is more important than writing. This is because speech comes first in the history of any language community in fact, it came centuries before writing in the history of any language community. Secondly, speech comes first in the history of any individual. We started speaking long before we started writing. Speech as a medium of communication is used much more than the medium of writing. I n every language, a letter of the alphabet represents a particular sound. Lastly, modern technology has contributed tremendously t o the importance of speech- modern inventions like the telephone, the radio, the tape recorder and several such devices have raised problems of communication primarily concerned with speech. Linguistics is a systematic study of language. Phonetics is a branch of linguistics and it is the branch dealing with the medium of speech. It deals with the production, transmission and reception of the sounds of human speech. For the production of speech sounds, we need an air-stream mechanism. There are three main air-stream mechanisms, such as, pulmonic, glottalic and velaric air-stream mechanisms. When the air-stream mechanism is used to push out, it is called egressive and when it is used to draw air in, it is called ingressive. Most sounds of most languages in the world are produced with a pulmonic egressive air-stream mechanism. The author described in detail the various organs that are responsible for converting the lung-air into speech sounds before it escapes into the outer atmosphere. For instance, if we say a prolonged ssss, a prolonged zzzz, a prolonged ffff and a prolonged vvvv, we see at once two things. We recognize these as speech sounds because these sounds occur i n the various words we use in our English speech. The other thing we notice is that each one of these sounds is different from the others. Speech sounds are very broadly divided into two categories, namely, Vowels and Consonants. If we say the English word shoe, we realize that this word is made up of two sounds, one represented by the letters sh and the other represented by the letters oe. When we produce the sound represented by the letters sh slowly, we realize that during the production of this sound, the air escapes through the mouth with friction. On the other hand, when we produce the sound represented by the letters oe, the air escapes through the mouth freely and we do not hear any friction. The sound is represented by the letters sh in the word shoe is a consonant and the sound represented by the letters oe in the word shoe is a vowel. All sounds during the production of which we hear friction are consonants, but not all consonants are produced with friction. If we say the words, she, shoe, shy, show, ship and shout, we will realize that when we produce the sounds represented by the letters e, oe, y, ow, i and ou in these words, the air escapes through the mouth freely without any friction. All these sounds are therefore vowels but each one of them sounds different from the others. These sounds should therefore be sub-classified. Similarly, if we say the words shoe, see, zoo and who, we will hear friction during the production of the sounds represented by the letters sh, s, z and wh. All these sounds are therefore consonants. But once again, we will see that each of them sounds different from the others. The sounds that are called consonants also need to be sub-classified. Description of Consonants: The word consonant has been derived from the Greek word consonautem, which means the sound produced with the help of some other sound (vowel). A consonant is usually described, taking into account whether it is voiceless or voiced, its place of articulation and its manner of articulation. Manner of articulation refers to the stricture involved and plosive, affricate, nasal, fricative, etc; are labels given to consonants according to their manner of articulation. Place of articulation just means the two articulators involved in the production of a consonant. Consonants can be described according to their places of articulation. The label used is normally an adjective derived from the name of the passive articulator. The places of articulation that we frequently come across are bilabial, labio-dental, dental, alveolar, post-alveolar, palato-alveolar, retroflex, palatal, velar, uvular and glottal. The classification of sounds into vowels and consonants is customary irrespective of phonetic, phonological, or orthographic references. The current classification following Pike divides the sounds into vocoids (vowel sounds), contoids (consonant sounds) and semi-vocoids or semi-contoids (for example; /w/ and /j/ in English). The terms contoids and vocoids refer to phonetic form only, without any reference to phonological function. A vocoid, according to Pike, is a segment formed with an open approximation of the articulators, with or without a velic closure, and with central passage or air-stream. All other segments are contoids. In English, there can be syllabic vocoids, non-syllabic vocoids, syllabic contoids and non-syllabic contoids. Syllabic vocoids are all vowel sounds; they function as syllable nuclei. Phonetically, the vocoids are vowels and their phonological function is that of a syllabic vocoid. Non-syllabic vocoids are the sounds which are phonetically vocoids but phonologically are contoids. Syllabic contoids are the sounds which are phonetically contoids but their phonological function is that of syllabic nucleus, that is, they represent the V element in the structure of a syllable. Non-syllabic contoids are the sounds that phonetically are contoids and phonologically represent the C element in the structure of a syllable. A description of consonantal sounds, according to A.C.Gimson, must provide answers to the following questions:- Is the air-stream set in motion by the lungs or by some other means (pulmonic or non-pulmonic)? Is the air-stream forced outwards or sucked inwards (egressive or ingressive)? Do the vocal cords vibrate or not (voiced or voiceless)? Is the soft palate raised or lowered? Or, does the air pass through the oral cavity (mouth) or the nasal cavity (nose)? At what point or points and between what organs does the closure or narrowing take place (Place of articulation)? What is the type of closure or narrowing at the point of articulation (Manner of articulation)? Thus, the description of a consonant will include five kinds of information: 1.) The nature of air-stream mechanism, 2.) The state of the glottis, 3.) The position of the soft palate, 4.) The articulators involved- the active articulator and the passive articulator and 5.) The nature of stricture involved regarding its production. The Nature of Air-Stream Mechanism: All English sounds, vowels as well as consonants, are produced with a Pulmonic egressive air-stream mechanism, that is, the lung-air pushed out. The State of the Glottis: Speech sounds can be classified as voiceless or voiced, depending upon whether the vocal cords are wide apart and the glottis is wide open (voiceless) or the vocal cords are kept loosely together and they vibrate (voiced). The Position of the Soft Palate: Speech sounds can be classified as oral or nasal, depending upon whether the soft-palate is raised so as to shut off the nasal passage of air (oral) or it is lowered to open the nasal passage of air simultaneously with an oral closure (nasal). Sounds can also be nasalised. The Articulators Involved-the Active and Passive Articulators: Of the various articulators described in the chapter, at least two are required for the production of any speech sound; some articulators move during the production of speech sounds. These are termed as active articulators. Certain other articulators remain passive and the active articulators move in the direction of these. These are termed as passive articulators. The Nature of Stricture Involved: The term stricture refers to the way in which the passage of air is restricted by the various organs of speech. The stricture may be one of complete closure, that is, the active and passive articulators come into firm contact with each other, thus preventing the lung-air from escaping through the mouth. Simultaneously, there is a velic closure, that is, the soft palate is raised, thereby shutting off the nasal passage of air. Thus, the lung-air is blocked in the mouth. When the oral closure is released, that is, when the active articulator is suddenly removed from the passive articulator, the air escapes with a small explosive noise. Sounds produced with a stricture of complete closure and sudden release are called plosives. If the active articulator is removed slowly from the passive articulator, instead of the explosive noise that is characteristic of plosive consonants, friction will be heard. Description of Vowels: Vowels may be defined with an open approximation without any obstruction, partial or complete, in the air passage. They are referred to as vocoids in phonetics. They can be described in terms of three variables: Height of tongue. Part of the tongue which is raised or lowered. Lip-rounding. So vocoids are normally classified according to these three criteria: tongue-height (high, mid, low, or close, half-close, half-open and open), tongue-advancement (front, central, back) and lip-rounding (rounded and unrounded). In order to describe the vowels, we usually draw three points in the horizontal axes: front, central and back, referring to the part of the tongue which is the highest. So, we have : Front vowels, during the production of which the front of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate. For example; / i, i: , e: , a / in Hindi, and / i, i: , e , à ¦ / in English as in sit, seat, set, and sat respectively. Back vowels, during the production of which the back of the tongue is raised towards the soft palate. For example; / o: , u , u: ,/ in Hindi, and / a: , Ɇ , ɆÃƒâ€¹Ã‚  , u , u: / in English as in cart, cot, caught, book and tool respectively. Central vowels, during the production of which the central part of the tongue ( the part between the front and the back) is raised. For example; / Éâ„ ¢ / in Hindi, and / Éâ„ ¢ , Éâ„ ¢: , ÊŒ / in English as in about, earth and but respectively. O n the vertical axis, we usually draw four points: close, half-close, half-open, and open. They are also referred to as high, high mid, mid (middle), low mid, and low by some phoneticians, especially the American phoneticians. On the basis of the vertical axes, we have the following types of vowels. A close vowel is one for which the tongue is as close to the roof of mouth as possible. For example; / i: / in sea and / u: / in zoo. An open vowel is one which is produced with the tongue as low as possible and the jaws are wide open. For example, / a: / in card and / Ɇ / in hot. We can describe a vowel by using a three term label, indicating the height, the direction (advancement) of the tongue, and the position of the lips. For example; / a: / in the English word, arm, back, open, unrounded vowel. / Ɇ / in the English word, hot, back, open, rounded vowel. / i: / in the English word, need, front, close, unrounded vowel. / u / in the English word, tooth, back, close, rounded vowel. To describe the vowel sound, we mention whether it is open or close, half-close or half-open, front or back or central, long or short, whether the tongue is tense or lax while the vowel is being pronounced, and whether lips are spread, neutral, open rounded, or close rounded. All English vowels are voiced. So, for every vowel, we must state that it is voiced. Hence, to sum up, the main point of a language is to convey information. Nowadays, language can take various forms. It can be spoken or written. Peter Ladefoged also talked in his book that speech is the common way of using language. Another aspect of speech that is not part of language is the way speech conveys information about the speakers attitude to life, the subject under discussion and the person spoken to. The final kind of non-linguistic information conveyed by speech is the identity of the speaker. You can often tell the identity of the person who is speaking without looking at them. But then again, we may be wrong. Whenever we speak, we create a disturbance in the air around us, a sound wave, which is a small but rapid variation in air pressure spreading through the air. Speech sounds such as vowels can differ in pitch, loudness and quality. We can say the vowel a as in father on any pitch within the range of our voice. We can also say it softly or loudly without altering the pitch. And we can say as many different vowels as we can, without altering either the pitch or the loudness. The pitch of the sound depends on the rate of repetition of the changes in air pressure. The loudness of the sound depends on the size of the variations in air pressure. The third way in which sounds can differ is in quality, sometimes called timbre. The vowel in see differs in quality from the first vowel in father., irrespective of whether it also differs in pitch or loudness. Thus, Peter Ladefoged in his book has discussed the principal constraints on the evolution of the sounds of the worlds languages, which are ease of articulation, auditory distinctiveness, and gestural economy. He also discussed the differences between speech and language, and has also outlined some of the main acoustic distinctions among sounds; and how one of the acoustic distinctions, that corresponding to pitch, is used in the worlds languages.

Understanding crowd behaviour

Understanding crowd behaviour There are many vague definitions of the term a crowd one of which is defined as by the Oxford Dictionary() as a large number of people gathered together, usually without orderly arrangement and Le Bon (2006:15) defines a crowd as a gathering of individuals of whatever nationality, profession or sex and whatever be chances that have brought them together. The Oxford Dictionary() also defines behaviour as a manner of behaving or the response of an organism to a stimulus in regards to this literature the stimulus could be the emotions of others, or a shared experience within the crowd, or factors contributing to emotions within individuals in a crowd. Getz (2007:293) states that understanding crowd emotions and behaviour is essential for most events But Crowd management, however, is not simply achieved by attempting to control the audience, but by trying to understand their behaviour and the various factors which can affect this. (HSE, 2009:46) It is also noted in the HSE (2009) that the behaviour of crowds at events is determined by their own personal goals and motivations. This literature review will look at the frameworks behind three theories of crowd behaviour, as it is imperative to understand the psychological behaviour of crowds (Kendall 2008:545). The theories concerned are:- -Classic theories Contagion Theory Convergence Theory -Emergent- Norm Theory It will seek to identify key factors that can change behaviour within crowds and the impacts these can have on outdoor events. The literature underpinning research into crowd behaviour stems from disciplines such as psychology and sociology, with an apparent lack of recent research into crowd behaviours at large outdoor events. Crowd Behaviour Theories It is noted that the two classical theories that are reviewed, are the foundations of what has been formed today, they have evolved over time, but it is provided as an overview of crowd behaviour theories. Contagion Theory There are two key authors of the Group Mind theory, Le bon Freud It is important to recognise that the widely cited works of Gustave Le Bon, from his 1895 book, The Crowd was based on his observations of crowds during the French revolution, and are a long way from the crowds that are experienced today. Le Bon (2006) stated that crowds were protected by the anonymity of crowds and that individual responsibility was discarded, consequently forgetting their normal values and ability to think and to reason. He also assessed that ideas and emotions within the crowd became contagious and spread rapidly. However Reicher (2003:186) suggests that contagion theory is an affect of suggestibility, and that an individual sacrifices personal interest in favour of the collective interest of the crowd It is then understood that Individuals within crowds are more likely to involve themselves in antisocial behaviour as the anonymity provided makes them feel invulnerable, it is this collective behaviour that is understood to be irrational and that individuals will undertake actions within a crowd environment that they would normally resist. Freud believed that the crowd Unlocks the unconscious and that in normal daily situations moral standards are maintained because they are installed in the human psyche as the super ego. However in a crowd situation the leader of the group surpasses the super ego and now controls the unconscious, leading to uncivilised impulses (Hewstone Manstead, 1996:152) Criticisms My understanding of this theory is that it does not identify as to why some crowds become violent and other remain passive. 2. Convergence Theory Convergence theorists such as, Reicher (1984), and McPhail (1991), argue that individuals within a crowd do not loose personal identity, as stated in the contagion theory, but they communicate personal beliefs and values so that the crowds behaviour is that of similar feeling. It is understood that convergence theory is more rational as it focuses on the shared beliefs and emotions within a crowd. It is possible that individual can exploit the protection of being in a crowd to participate in behaviours that would normally be repressed. Criticisms However it does not give way to why individuals in this crowd, who share similar beliefs, behave differently. Emergent-Norm Theory Key Authors identified:- Turner and Killian Turner and Killian (1993) as cited in Kendall (2008:547) concede that crowds are understood to develop their own definition of a situation and therefore establish their own norms -social rules that specify appropriate and inappropriate behaviour in given situations (Sharpe, 2007:508 )that reflect the occasion and provide standards that allow decisions to be made about how people will interact with each other. (Sharpe,2007) Adang et al (2004) identifies that in every crowd you can spot individuals doing such things as initiating chats, shouting directions and in extreme cases initiating violence. FIND THEORY IN TURNER AND KILLIAN Emergent-Norm Theory argues that the appearance of unanimity among the participants in incidents of collective behaviour accompanies the emergence of dominant norms and according to this theory, once a dominant norm emerges group members disagreeing with it keep quiet out of fear of group censure (Aguire et al, 1998) rephrase Analysis of theories Factors of Crowd Behaviour Berlonghi (1995) argues that by simply saying a crowd is a large number of people gathered closely together is a mistake and that it essential to distinguish one individual from another. By being unable to make distinctions about the crowd it leaves crowd control and crowd management ineffective. He also recognises those events that are a success, that never become publicised are they the consequence of effective planning, or simply the result of good luck. Crowd Catalysts It would appear that there are a multitude of factors that can influence behaviours between individuals in a crowd. Berlonghi (1995) has identified factors that may contribute to, or trigger a crowd from being one that is managed to one that needs to be controlled. Operational Circumstances Lack of parking, sold out event, and no show of performers are all examples of factors that can modify a crowds behaviour, an example of how crowd behaviour changed can be identified by The Rage Factor a Rage Against The Machine gig, which took place in Finsbury Park in 2010. Tickets were available by Ballot to celebrate the campaign that got the band to number one the previous Christmas. 180,000 people had applied for tickets with only 40,000 being available. It is reported that several hundred fans scaled the fence. (Gittins, 2010) Reading Festival has been forced to apply for extension to the number of early bird tickets allowing 20,000 people to arrive before the stated start of the event; this was due to an ever-increasing amount of festival goers arriving at the festival entrance prior to the event over the last few years. (Reading Borough Council, 2010) Event Activities Fireworks, video replays, and lasers may provoke actions within the crowd. Performers Action Sexual or violent gestures towards the crowds, Latitude festival 2010 witnessed an attack on the crowd, with Crystal Castles front women appearing to lash out after allegedly being groped by a male fan as she was crowd surfing. The singer repeatedly threw punches into the crowd and subsequently she stormed off stage before the allotted time, with widespread booing from the back of the fields (NME, 2010) The HSE (1999) states that event organisers should be aware of the history of the performers and also the audience which they attract. Spectator factors Anti social behaviour can impact a crowd not just the individual, and is having an impact in how events are being delivered (Connell, 2009). Kemp et al (2007) as cited in Connell (2009) have identified that alcohol and drugs are a major factor in determining crowd behaviour. The Guardian (2010) reported that at T in the Park festival in Kinross-shire, Scotland, there were 2 rapes and an attempted murder. Some festival goers believe a major part of the problem is a changing demographic among those attending, with drinking and drug taking surpassing the music. Security or Police Use of excessive policing, arguments with attendees and abuse of authority can spark aggression within the crowd. It has become increasingly accepted that the outcome of crowd events cannot be explained solely on what crowd members do, but must also address police actions (Adang, 2004). It is usual to use police to control a crowd but this often then leads to confrontation with the police (Argyle, 1992). Man Made Disasters Structural failure can be problematic not just for those directly injured, but by crowd surges fleeing the event. Crowd surges are often reported at both small and large events, and can be catastrophic. Conclusion The primary focus of this review is to understand crowd behaviours and factors which can impact the outcome of a crowds behaviour. Once the variable factor has caused an impact, it is then the individuals within the crowd that will react to the stimulus, and form themselves into the parameters of crowd behaviour that have been outlined by theorists. It is evident that there are factors within all three theories that can be imparted into observations within crowds at music festivals it is possible to envisage actions at outdoor music events that can be explained by these theories, however much of the recent literature simply reiterated these theorists with an apparent lack of observation towards currents trends and attitudes in society. The effects of crowd behaviour within outdoor music events can be catastrophic should event managers not take into consideration the factors that can affect the behaviour of both small and large crowds. If event managers fail to understand individuals within a crowd, and the potential that they have to physically change the dynamics of the crowd around them, they face disastrous consequences. Recommendations In 2010 there were over 450 music festivals alone in the UK (Winterman, 2010) and there has been little research into Anti Social Behaviour at events including the motives of gatecrashers at events attendees attempting to enter events without a ticket and the consequences that such actions can have on crowd safety at events. None of the theories above draw attention to why some crowds are organised and others spontaneous, by looking at the motivations of individuals at music festivals we may begin to further understand anti social behaviour at these events.

A Comparison of Classical Management Theorists and Contingency Theorist

A Comparison of Classical Management Theorists and Contingency Theorists The management field is characterised by a wide variety of theories, schools and directions. This essay examines the classical and contingency schools of thought -- the approaches to organization that have had the greatest impact on management today. Firstly the essay delineates and criticises the important theories propounded by classical writers. The essay continues with an account of the contingency school, and finally evaluates its impacts on managerial thought. Up until about the late 1950s academic writing about organisational structure was dominated by the classical management school. This held that there was a single organisational structure that was effective in all organisations. (Clegg & Handy, 1999). According to Holt (1999), the classical school is characterised by ?being highly structured, with emphasis on the formal organisation with clearly defined functions and detailed rules, autocratic leadership, a rigid chain of command and control by superiors? (Holt, 1999, p.137). The three greatest proponents of classical theory were Taylor, Fayol, and Weber. Each identifies detailed principles and methods through which this kind of organisation could be achieved. Taylor (1947) developed a systematic approach to called ?Scientific Management?, which focused on efficient production. Through the study of task movements, or ?time and motion studies? as it was known, he recognized matching the correct worker to the task was crucial to increasing work efficiency. Under this so-called Taylorism, emphasis is placed on power confered to those in control. According to Morgan (1997), this approach to work design is found in traditional forms of assembly-line manufacturing and in production processes. Another major sub-field within the classical perspective is ?Administrative Management,? set forth by Fayol (1949). While Scientific Management took a micro approach, Fayol saw the macro concepts, a body of knowledge which emphasised broad administrative principles applicable to large organizations. In Fayol?s account, management is conceptualised as consisting of five elements, namely planning, organizing, command, co-ordination, and control. He also developed 14 principles of management or organisation, the best-known being division of work, unit... ...ure. Academy of Management Journal, 25 (3), 553-566. Luthans, F. (1973). The Contingency Theory of Management: A path out of the jungle. Business Horizons, 6, 67-72 Meyer, M.W. (1972). Size and the structure of organizations: A causal analysis, American Sociological Review, 37, 434-441. Pugh, D., Hickson, D., Hinings, R. & Turner, C. (1969). The context of organization structures. Administrative Science Quarterly 14:91-114. Pugh, D. & Hickson, D. (1996). Writers on organisations. London: Penguin. Robbins, S. & Barnwell, N. (2002). Organisation Theory: Concepts and cases. Victoria, Australia: Pentice Hall. Taylor, F.W. (1947). Scientific Management, Harper & Row. Watz, T. (1996). Technology rules OK? A review of technological determinism and contingency theory. Creativity and Innovation Management, 5(1) 13-21. Weber, M. (1947). The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. A.H. Henderson and Talcott Parsons (eds.). Glencoe, IL: Free Press. Woodward, J. (1980). Industrial Organization: Theory and Practice, second edition. New York: Oxford University Press --------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Pugh et al.

The Significance of Chapter 34 in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Ess

The Significance of Chapter 34 in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice 'Pride And Prejudice' is a 19th Century romantic novel written by Jane Austen in 1813, it presents a true representation of society's expectations towards marriage and love at the time. It focuses on two central characters Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy and their love-hate relationship. Elizabeth the second eldest daughter of five sisters is an intelligent woman with a lively disposition, strong-minded determination and a woman who religiously sticks to her principles. As Mr Bennet says describing his daughter, "'Lizzy has something more of a quickness then her sisters.'" Mr Darcy on the other hand is an extremely handsome man but unfortunately very proud and detached and his character is considered rather aloof and disagreeable. "He was the proudest most disagreeable man in the whole world." In 'Pride And Prejudice' Jane Austen shows the reader how Elizabeth overcomes her prejudice of Mr Darcy's pride. Marriage at the time when the novel was written was perceived very differently to how it is thought of today. Getting married was seen as a necessity to gain financial security for the female, it was more of an arrangement, a business proposal to benefit both sides of the party. Love was not a prerequisite and nor was being in love a suitable reason to get married. As in the marriage talks with Elizabeth and her friend Charlotte Lucas, Charlotte sums up her view and every other woman's view on marriage. "'Happiness in marriage is purely a matter of chance.'" The reason for this being is that after a father died in the family the house and the land were meant to go to the oldest son, or in Mrs Bennet's case Mr Bennet's cou... ...ion is the incentive for Mr Darcy to write the letter to Elizabeth to try and change her opinion of him. "'Did it soon make you think better of me?'" Even at the end of the novel Elizabeth admits the profound effect that the letters had on her. "She explained what its effect had on her had been, and how gradually all her former prejudices had been removed." After the events of chapter 34 Mr Darcy's character changes significantly, because of Elizabeth he has overcome all his selfish and overbearing character traits which prevented her from loving him which was what he truly wanted as he was attracted to the "'liveliness'" of her mind. "'You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled.'" This lesson he would have never learnt or experienced if it weren't for her refusal in the proposal of Chapter 34.

The Key To Master Writing is to Write a Lot :: English Writing Teacher Student

â€Å"Write a lot.† Could this idea be the foundation of a sound writing pedagogy? It seems almost too simple. It also seems solidly in line with Peter Elbow’s ideas for the â€Å"teacherless class†and therefore, if we believe Berlin’s formulation from â€Å"Rhetoric and Ideology in the Writing Class†, perhaps part of a pedagogic philosophy that can easily marginalize certain students or be â€Å"co-opted by the agencies of corporate capitalism† (697; in Cross-Talk). But I’m thinking more in terms of establishing writing for students as something that ought to be done in volume in order to build it as a habit. In my own experience as a student, this never happened. Nor did I hear about the social implications of writing or the power structures inherent in the classroom, ideas that might pique student interest in writing’s possibilities and demystify the classroom enough to make students want to write more. Now I think these elem ents could be the keys to better writing. Elbow opines, â€Å"If you are serious about wanting to improve your writing, the most useful thing you can do is keep a freewriting diary† (9). When I recently read Writing Without Teachers for the first time, the assertion that writing a lot is a good thing hit me as if it was completely new. And I think of myself as a writer! But some reflection showed me that my education, from grade school through college, had done very little to actually encourage me to write with any sort of regularity, or to revise what I did write. And so I produced little actual writing - just enough to get by. If this was the case for me, it may well have been the case for others. And if, regardless of our particular philosophical approach to instruction, we are in agreement as teachers of writing that we are trying to get students to write †better† (however we understand that), then shouldn’t establishing writing as a habit be a priority? It is unlikely that any teacher of writin g thinks that less, and not more, practice makes a better writer. How might we encourage regular writing for students? Are daily journal entries a good idea, as Elbow suggests? Anecdotal evidence from our class suggests that some teachers find journal writing effective, while others are convinced that assigning a ten-minute freewriting exercise really would tend to produce pages full of the sentence â€Å"I hate this assignment† repeated over and over. The Key To Master Writing is to Write a Lot :: English Writing Teacher Student â€Å"Write a lot.† Could this idea be the foundation of a sound writing pedagogy? It seems almost too simple. It also seems solidly in line with Peter Elbow’s ideas for the â€Å"teacherless class†and therefore, if we believe Berlin’s formulation from â€Å"Rhetoric and Ideology in the Writing Class†, perhaps part of a pedagogic philosophy that can easily marginalize certain students or be â€Å"co-opted by the agencies of corporate capitalism† (697; in Cross-Talk). But I’m thinking more in terms of establishing writing for students as something that ought to be done in volume in order to build it as a habit. In my own experience as a student, this never happened. Nor did I hear about the social implications of writing or the power structures inherent in the classroom, ideas that might pique student interest in writing’s possibilities and demystify the classroom enough to make students want to write more. Now I think these elem ents could be the keys to better writing. Elbow opines, â€Å"If you are serious about wanting to improve your writing, the most useful thing you can do is keep a freewriting diary† (9). When I recently read Writing Without Teachers for the first time, the assertion that writing a lot is a good thing hit me as if it was completely new. And I think of myself as a writer! But some reflection showed me that my education, from grade school through college, had done very little to actually encourage me to write with any sort of regularity, or to revise what I did write. And so I produced little actual writing - just enough to get by. If this was the case for me, it may well have been the case for others. And if, regardless of our particular philosophical approach to instruction, we are in agreement as teachers of writing that we are trying to get students to write †better† (however we understand that), then shouldn’t establishing writing as a habit be a priority? It is unlikely that any teacher of writin g thinks that less, and not more, practice makes a better writer. How might we encourage regular writing for students? Are daily journal entries a good idea, as Elbow suggests? Anecdotal evidence from our class suggests that some teachers find journal writing effective, while others are convinced that assigning a ten-minute freewriting exercise really would tend to produce pages full of the sentence â€Å"I hate this assignment† repeated over and over.

Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male

Between 1932 and 1972, the United States Government engaged in a scientific study in which approximately 400 African-American men infected with syphilis were diagnosed but left untreated. The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis was led by the United States Public Health Service (PHS). It took advantage of uneducated, poor African-American farmers from Macon County, Alabama. The movie â€Å"Miss Evers’ Boys† reveals that the Tuskegee Study was conducted by a group of Southern doctors, and tells the story of the 400 African-American men who were the uninformed subjects of this study, which sought to determine whether untreated syphilis affects African-American men in the same way that it does white men. Further data for the study were to be collected from autopsies. Although originally projected for completion within six months, the study actually remained in progress for 40 years. At first, these African-Americans were treated for the disease, but once funding for the study was cut, treatment ceased. The study proceeded without informing its subjects that they were no longer being medicated. Miss Evers was told that once the Government realizes that the study has remained in progress, new funds will be made available within a year. But the study went on for forty years, without the researchers resuming the men’s treatment at any point. The men were simply given placebos, then observed. They were even given spinal taps (â€Å"back shots†) to give them the impression that they are receiving treatment. Penicillin became available, but it was not administered to them, partly because of a rumor that it could kill them, but mostly because the researching doctors did not want the study’s outcomes jeopardized by this unforeseen variable. Most of the men died, and some went crazy; very few were alive at the end of the forty-year research period. The eventual finding was that untreated syphilis affects African-Americans and whites alike. The study began with good intentions. In 1929, prior to its inception, the blood-testing of African-Americans was funded by The Rosenwald Foundation for Black Community Development in the South. These blood tests were intended to locate the presence of syphilis, after which treatment could begin. When it transpired that treating all the infected men would be monetarily unfeasible, Dr. Taliaferro Clark, director of the PHS, proposed the study of the effects of untreated syphilis (in its late stages) in the black male. This study was to be an initiative of the Tuskegee Institute in Macon County, Alabama. After Dr. Clark retired in June of 1933, Dr. Raymond Vonderlehr succeeded him as Director of the Division of Venereal Diseases. The true nature of the study had to be kept from the subjects, to ensure their cooperation. Its goal was to discover how syphilis affects blacks as distinct from whites—the theory being that whites experience more neurological complications from syphilis, whereas blacks are more susceptible to cardiovascular damage. How this knowledge was to be useful in the clinical treatment of syphilis is uncertain. Regulations for using human beings in medical experiments are strict, and require that patients have a full knowledge and clear understanding of the experiment’s health risks and benefits. Yet the government doctors associated with the study refused even to use the term â€Å"syphilis. Instead, they misled their subjects by simply informing them that they had â€Å"bad blood. † Even when penicillin became available in 1947, these men were denied access to it, because its administration would interfere with the findings of the study. Local physicians, draft boards and PHS venereal disease programs were given as information nothing more than a list of â₠¬Å"subjects. † The only treatment the men received was aspirin and iron supplements. Since none of them had ever had more than a little healthcare, they believed that what they were getting as treatment was very effective cure for bad blood. In exchange for taking part in the study, the men received free medical examinations, free hot meals, a certificate signed by the Surgeon General, and a $50 burial stipend. Syphilis is a highly contagious disease caused by the spirochete Treponema Pallidum. Acquired T. Pallidum enters the body through skin mucous membranes, usually during sexual contact. Congenital Syphilis (CS) is transmitted to the fetus from the infected mother when the spirochete penetrates the placenta. Syphilis is a systemic disease, attacking tissues throughout the body. After initial penetration, the spirochetes multiply rapidly. First they enter the lymph capillaries, where they are transported to the nearest lymph gland. There they multiply, and are released into the blood stream. Within days the spirochetes invade every part of the body. A multi-organ infection, CS may result in a the neurologic or musculoskeletal handicap, or death, of the fetus when not properly treated. Trends in the CS rates of women of childbearing age follow by approximately one year the rates of primary and secondary syphilis. Racial/ethnic minorities continue to be affected disproportionately by CS. No biologic association exists between race and the risk of delivering an infant with CS; race serves as a marker of other factors, such as poverty and access to health care, in communities with high syphilis rates (5-7). Individual factors, such as illicit drug use and the â€Å"wanted† status of a pregnancy, also influence the chances of a mother delivering an infant with CS. In acquired syphilis, the organism rapidly penetrates intact mucous membranes or microscopic dermal abrasions, and, within a few hours, enters the lymphatics and blood to produce systemic infection. The central nervous system is invaded early in the infection. Examinations demonstrate that there are abnormal findings in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of more than 30% of patients in the secondary stage of the infection. In the first 5-10 years of contracting the infection, its principal involvement is with the meninges and blood vessels, resulting in meningovascular neurosyphilis. Later, the parenchyma of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, resulting in parenchymatous neurosyphilis. Three stages mark the progression of the disease: primary, secondary and tertiary. The primary stage commences 10-60 days after infection. Lesions usually appear at the point of contact, which is typically the genitals. After that, a painless, somewhat raised round ulcer appears. This chancre may be so small that it goes undetected. Leading into the secondary stage, the chancre will heal within 30-60 days without any treatment, leaving a scar that can remain for months. The secondary stage lasts from approximately 6 weeks to 6 months. During this time, a rash similar to measles or chicken pox appears on the skin. Fever, indigestion and headaches may accompany the rash. Bones and joints may be painful, and cardiac palpitations may also develop. In some cases, highly infectious, spirochete-laden ulcers may appear in the mouth. Scalp hair may drop out in patches, creating a moth-eaten appearance. Syphilis in the tertiary stage manifests as gummy or rubbery tumors on the skin, which is the result of spirochete concentration in body tissue. These sores band together into large, encrusted ulcers that consist s of several layers of dry matter. â€Å"Tumors may also attack and weaken the walls of heart or blood vessels. Heart valves may no longer open and close properly, resulting in leakage. The stretching vessel walls may produce an aortic aneurysm, a balloon-like bulge. If the bulge bursts, as often is the case, the result is sudden death† (Pyle). Many factors declare the destructive Tuskegee experiment wrong, regardless of whether it contributed to the fight against syphilis. There were 28 deaths directly attributable to the syphilis experiments, 100 deaths due to the complications of the disease, 40 wives of experiment subjects were infected by the disease, and 19 children were born with congenital syphilis. Risks have to be taken in science for the sake of advancement, and risks always have some negative consequences. But scientific experimentation on people selected on the basis of their skin color and social class, then kept ignorant of their condition and its danger to themselves and to others, and misled to believe that they are receiving curative treatment, is nothing short of a conspiratorial act of pure evil. The Tuskeegee experiment went on until 1972, close to thirty years after penicillin was discovered during the ’forties. Syphilis, the deadly bacterium Treponema pallidum, had reached epidemic proportions in the past. Science should strive to make the world a better environment to live in. It is to be applauded when its research efforts make great strikes to this end. But in the case of the Tuskegee Study, the wrong done in the name of scientific research far outweighs the right. This study made victims of its subjects, and of people connected with them, knowingly and unnecessarily. It wantonly lied to the subjects who had volunteered in good faith, first by refusing to disclose the exact nature of the medical condition, then by pretending to them that they were receiving curative treatment, then again y withholding the apt curative treatment that became available. This study sought out African-American men who had been infected by syphilis, then proceeded to treat them like purpose-serving injected lab rats. Even after the whistle was blown in 1972, in a Washington Star article by Jean Heller, the public health service remained unrepentant, insisting that the men had freely volunteered to become the subjects of the study. An Alabama state health official even tried to make light of Heller’s revelation of gross abuse and deception: â€Å"People are making a mountain out of a molehill. Science is a necessary part of life. But for its great achievements, mankind would still be in the Dark Ages. However, pursuit of the advancement of scientific knowledge must never cross the well-marked line between that which is necessary, and that which is cruel and unnecessary. The Tuskegee syphilis experiment did cross that line, and that besmirched scientific research and the integrity even of its ethical practitioners. Work cited Pyle, Kevin C. â€Å"Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. † Available at: http://www. dreamscape. com/morgana/adrastea. htm.

My Oedipus Complex by Frank O’Connor

â€Å"My Oedipus Complex† by Frank O'Connor â€Å"My Oedipus Complex† is a story about a young boy of 5, Larry, who grows up in his own safe world with just himself and his mother. He is attached to his mother and wants her to belong only to him and considers his father a rival ? for her attention. However, when his father returns from WWI, a man whom Larry hardly knows, it is a constant battle between the two for the mother's love and attention. Larry is jealous of losing his mother’s undivided attention, and finds himself in a constant struggle to win back her affections. There are tree main characters in the story: Larry, his mother and father. Larry is a creative and imaginative boy. He gives his legs names Mrs. Right and Mrs. Left and invent „dramatic situations for them in which they discussed the problems of the day. â€Å" They discuss what mother and he „should do during the day and what presents Santa Claus should give a fellow for Christmas. He is full of joy, â€Å"feeling rather like the sun, ready to illuminate and rejoice. † He is a kind-hearted boy, thinking about his mo†¦. The novel My Oedipus Complex written by the famous Irish short storywriter Frank O’Conner, in my opinion, is more a spiritual exploration of the problems of youth and growing-up than just a simple story told by a little kid. The dramatic experience of Larry (both the narrator and the protagonist of the novel) seems to be the representation of part of our childhood stories. So let me have a brief analysis of the theme of the passage by looking into Larry’s character and what Larry went through in his heart in this story. While his father was fighting in the WW1 and rarely went back home, Larry was enjoying himself and relishing all of his mother’s attention and care, just as what he said in the third paragraph—â€Å"the war was the most peaceful period of my life†. However, things started to turn bad when his father came back and stayed at home: his mum’s love for him was shared by a â€Å"stranger†, he was told to shut up when the â€Å"stranger† was either talking or sleeping, and perhaps worst of all, he forfeited the right of climbing into the big bed and sharing his schemes with his mum every morning. These changes so upset and saddened him that, eventually, the boy became rebellious and declare an â€Å"open and avowed† war against his father, in which the two just contended for the mother’s attentions and care. As we know, to Larry’s disappointment, however hard he tried or whatever he did, he proved to be always on the disadvantaged side in the â€Å"war†. Then the author depicted an interesting dialogue between Larry and his mother, which may be construed as a reflection of the title â€Å"My Oedipus Complex†, but, according to me, it also perfectly reveals a change and maturation of Larry’s inner heart, for to be a husband means loads of responsibilities. What brought about the next big change in this family as well as the climax of the story was the birth of little sonny.

A Sorrowful Woman by Gayle Godwin

â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman† by Gayle Godwin Once upon a time there was a wife and mother one too many times One winter evening she looked at them: the husband durable, receptive, gentle; the child a tender golden three. The sight of them made her so sad and sick she did not want to see them ever again. She told the husband these thoughts. He was attuned to her; he understood such things. He said he understood. What would she like him to do? â€Å"If you could put the boy to bed and read him the story about the monkey who ate too many bananas, I would be grateful. † â€Å"Of course,† he said. Why, that's a pleasure. † And he sent her off to bed. The next night it happened again. Putting the warm dishes away in the cupboard, she turned and saw the child's grey eyes approving her movements. In the next room was the man, his chin sunk in the open collar of his favorite wool shirt. He was dozing after her good supper. The shirt was the grey of the child's trusting gaze. She began yelping without tears, retching in between. The man woke in alarm and carried her in his arms to bed. The boy followed them up the stairs, saying, â€Å"It's all right, Mommy,† but this made her scream. Mommy is sick,† the father said, â€Å"go and wait for me in your room. †    The husband undressed her, abandoning her only long enough to root beneath the eiderdown for her flannel gown. She stood naked except for her bra, which hung by one strap down the side of her body; she had not the impetus to shrug it of. She looked down at the right nipple, shriveled with chill, and thought, How absurd, a vertical bra. â€Å"If only there were instant sleep,† she said, hiccupping, and the husband bundled her into the gown and went out and came back with a sleeping draught guaranteed swift.She was to drink a little glass of cognac followed by a big glass of dark liquid and afterwards there was just time to say Thank you and could you get him a clea n pair of pajamas out of the laundry, it came back today. The next day was Sunday and the husband brought her breakfast in bed and let her sleep until it grew dark again. He took the child for a walk, and when they returned, red-cheeked and boisterous, the father made supper. She heard them laughing in the kitchen. He brought her up a tray of buttered toast, celery sticks and black bean soup. â€Å"I am the luckiest woman,† she said, crying real tears. Nonsense,† he said. â€Å"You need a rest from us,† and went to prepare the sleeping draught, and the child's pajamas, select the story for the night. She got up on Monday and moved about the house till noon. The boy, delighted to have her back, pretended he was a vicious tiger and followed her from room to room, growling and scratching. Whenever she came close, he would growl and scratch at her. One of his sharp little claws ripped her flesh, just above the wrist, and together they paused to watch a thin red line materialize on the inside of her pale arm and spill over in little beads. Go away,† she said. She got herself upstairs and locked the door. She called the husband's office and said. â€Å"I've locked myself away from him. I'm afraid. † The husband told her in his richest voice to lie down, take it easy and he was already on the phone to call one of the babysitters they often employed. Shortly after, she heard the girl let herself in, heard the girl coaxing the frightened child to come and play. And now the sleeping draught was a nightly thing, she did not have to ask. He went down to the kitchen to mix it, he set it nightly beside her bed.The little glass and the big one, amber and deep rich brown, the flannel gown and the eiderdown. After supper several nights later, she hit the child. She had known she was going to do it when the father would see. â€Å"I'm sorry† she said, collapsing on the floor. The weeping child had run to hide. â€Å"What has happened to me. I'm not myself anymore. † The man picked her tenderly from the floor and looked at her with much concern. â€Å"Would it help if we got, you know, a girl in? We could fix the room downstairs. I want you to feel freer,† he said, understanding these things. We have the money for a girl. I want you to think about it. †Ã‚   The man put out the word and found the perfect girl. She was young, dynamic and not pretty. â€Å"Don't bother with the room. I'll fix it up myself. † Laughing, she employed her thousand energies. She painted the room white, fed the child lunch, read edifying books, raced the boy to the mailbox, hung her own watercolors on the fresh-painted walls, made spinach souffle, cleaned a spot from the mother's coat, made them all laugh, danced in stocking feet to music in the white room after reading the child to sleep.She knitted dresses for herself and played chess with the husband. She washed and set the mother's soft ash-blonde hair and gave her neck rubs, offered to. The girl brought the child in twice a day, once in the later afternoon when he would tell of his day, all of it tumbling out quickly because there was not much time, and before he went to bed. Often now, the man took his wife to dinner. He made a courtship ceremony of it, inviting her beforehand so she could get used to the idea. They dressed and were beautiful together again and went out into the frosty night.Over candlelight he would say, â€Å"l think you are better, you know. † â€Å"Perhaps I am,† she would murmur. â€Å"You look. . . like a cloistered queen,† he said once, his voice breaking curiously. One afternoon the girl brought the child into the bedroom. â€Å"We've been out playing in the park. He found something he wants to give you, a surprise. † The little boy approached her, smiling mysteriously. He placed his cupped hands in hers and left a live dry thing that spat brown juice in her palm and leapt away. She sc reamed and wrung her hands to be rid of the brown juice. â€Å"Oh, it was only a grasshopper. said the girl. Nimbly she crept to the edge of a curtain, did a quick knee bend and reclaimed the creature, led the boy competently from the room. â€Å"The girl upsets me,† said the woman to her husband. He sat frowning on the side of the bed he had not entered for so long. â€Å"I'm sorry, but there it is. † The husband stroked his creased brow and said he was sorry too. He really did not know what they would do without that treasure of a girl. â€Å"Why don't you stay here with me in bed,† the woman said. Next morning she fired the girl who cried and said, â€Å"l loved the little boy, what will become of him now?But the mother turned away her face and the girl took down the watercolors from the walls, sheathed the records she had danced to and went away. â€Å"I don't know what we'll do. It's all my fault. I know I'm such a burden, I know that. †    †Å"Let me think. I'll think of something. † (Still understanding these things. )    â€Å"I know you will. You always do,† she said. With great care he rearranged his life. He got up hours early, did the shopping, cooked the breakfast, took the boy to nursery school. â€Å"We will manage,† he said, â€Å"until you're better, however long that is. He did his work, collected the boy from the school, came home and made the supper, washed the dishes, got the child to bed. He managed everything. One evening, just as she was on the verge of swallowing her draught, there was a timid knock on her door. The little boy came in wearing his pajamas. â€Å"Daddy has fallen asleep on my bed and I can't get in. There's not room. †    Very sedately she left her bed and went to the child's room. Things were much changed. Books were rearranged, toys. He'd done some new drawings. She came as a visitor to her son's room, wakened the father and helped him to bed. Ah, he sh ouldn't have bothered you,† said the man, leaning on his wife. â€Å"I've told him not to. † He dropped into his own bed and fell asleep with a moan. Meticulously she undressed him. She folded and hung his clothes. She covered his body with the bedclothes. She clicked off the light that shone in his face. The next day she moved her things into the girl's white room. She put her hairbrush on the dresser; she put a note pad and pen beside the bed. She stocked the little room with cigarettes, books, bread and cheese. She didn't need much. At first the husband was dismayed. But he was receptive to her needs.He understood these things. â€Å"Perhaps the best thing is for you to follow it through. † he said. â€Å"I want to be big enough to contain whatever you must do. †    The woman now spent her winter afternoons in the big bedroom. She made a fire in the hearth and put on slacks and an old sweater she had loved at school, and sat in the big chair and stare d out the window at snow-ridden branches, or went away into long novels about other people moving through other winters. All day long she stayed in the white room. She was a young queen, a virgin in a tower; she was the previous inhabitant, the girl with all the energies.She tried these personalities on like costumes, then discarded them. The room had a new view of streets she'd never seen that way before. The sun hit the room in late afternoon and she took to brushing her hair in the sun. One day she decided to write a poem. â€Å"Perhaps a sonnet. † She took up her pen and pad and began working from words that had lately lain in her mind. She had choices for the sonnet, ABAB or ABBA for a start. She pondered these possibilities until she tottered into a larger choice: she did not have to write a sonnet.Her poem could be six, eight, ten, thirteen lines, it could be any number of lines, and it did not even have to rhyme. She put down the pen on top of the pad. In the evenings , very briefly she saw the two of them. They knocked on her door, a big knock and a little, and she would call Come in, and the husband would smile though he looked a bit tired, yet somehow this tiredness suited him. He would put her sleeping draught on the bedside table and say, â€Å"The boy and I have done all right today,† and the child would kiss her. One night she tasted for the first time the power of his baby spit. I don't think I can see him anymore,† she whispered sadly to the man. And the husband turned away but recovered admirably and said, â€Å"Of course, I see. †    So the husband came alone. â€Å"I have explained to the boy,† he said. â€Å"And we are doing fine. We are managing. † He squeezed his wife's pale arm and put the two glasses on her table. After he had gone, she sat looking at the arm. â€Å"I'm afraid it's come to that,† she said. â€Å"Just push the notes under the door; I'll read them. And don't forget to lea ve the draught outside. †    The man sat for a long time with his head in his hands. Then he rose and went away from her.She heard him in the kitchen where he mixed the draught in batches now to last a week at a time, storing it in a corner of the cupboard. She heard him come back, leave the big glass and the little one outside on the door. Outside her window the snow was melting from the branches, there were more people on the streets. She brushed her hair a lot and seldom read anymore. She sat in her window and brushed her hair for hours, and saw a boy fall off his new bicycle again and again, a dog chasing a squirrel, an old woman peek slyly over her shoulder and then extract a parcel from a garbage can.In the evening she read the notes they slipped under her door. The child could not write, so he drew and sometimes painted his. The notes were painstaking at first; the man and boy offering the final strength of their day to her. But sometimes, when they seemed to have had a bad day there were only hurried scrawls. One night, when the husband's note had been extremely short, loving but short, and there had been nothing from the boy, she stole out of her room as she often did to get more supplies, but crept upstairs instead and stood outside their doors, listening to the regular breathing of the man and boy asleep.She hurried back to her room and drank the draught. She woke earlier now. It was spring, there were birds. She listened for sounds of the man and the boy eating breakfast; she listened for the roar of the motor when they drove away. One beautiful noon, she went out to look at her kitchen in the daylight. Things were changed. He had bought some new dish towels. Had the old ones worn out? The canisters seemed closer to the sink. She inspected the cupboard and saw new things among the old. She got out flour, baking powder, salt, milk (he ought a different brand of butter), and baked a loaf of bread and left it cooling on the table. The force of the two joyful notes slipped under her door that evening pressed her into the corner of the little room; she had hardly space to breathe. As soon as possible, she drank the draught. Now the days were too short. She was always busy. She woke with the first bird. Worked till the sun set. No time for hair brushing. Her fingers raced the hours. Finally, in the nick of time, it was finished one late afternoon. Her veins pumped and her forehead sparkled.She went to the cupboard, took what was hers, closed herself into the little white room and brushed her hair for awhile. The man and boy came home and found five loaves of warm bread, a roast stuffed turkey, a glazed ham, three pies of different fillings, eight molds of the boy's favorite custard, two weeks supply of fresh-laundered sheets and shirts and towels, two hand-knitted sweaters (both of the same grey color), a sheath of marvelous watercolor beasts accompanied by mad and fanciful stories nobody could ever make up again, and a tab let full of love sonnets addressed to the man.The house smelled redolently of renewal and spring. The man ran to the little room, could not contain himself to knock, flung back the door. â€Å"Look, Mommy is sleeping,† said the boy. â€Å"She's tired from doing all our things again. † He dawdled in a stream of the last sun for that day and watched his father roll tenderly back her eyelids, lay his ear softly to her breast, test the delicate bones of her wrist. The father put down his face into her fresh-washed hair. â€Å"Can we eat the turkey for supper? † the boy asked.