Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Telling Stories Sequencing for ESL Students

Telling stories is common in any language. Think of all the situations in which you might  tell a story in everyday life: Talking about last weekend to a friend.Giving details about something that happened during a job interview.Relating information about your family to your children.Telling colleagues about what happened on a business trip. In each of these situations—and many others—you provide information about something that happened in the past. To help your audience understand your stories, you need to link this information from the past together. One of the most important ways to link ideas is to sequence them. The passages below are good examples of sequenced ideas. Read the examples and then measure your understanding with a quiz. The answers are at the bottom. EXAMPLE PASSAGE: A Conference in Chicago Last week, I visited Chicago to attend a business conference. While I was there, I decided to visit the Art Institute of Chicago. To start off, my flight was delayed. Next, the airline lost my luggage, so I had to wait for two hours at the airport while they tracked it down. Unexpectedly, the luggage had been set aside and forgotten. As soon as they found my luggage, I found a taxi and rode into town. During the ride into town, the driver told me about his last visit to the Art Institute. After I had arrived safely, everything began to go smoothly. The business conference was very interesting, and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the institute. Finally, I caught my flight back to Seattle. Luckily, everything went smoothly. I arrived home just in time to kiss my daughter goodnight. Sequencing Steps Sequencing refers to the order in which events happened. Sequencing is often made easier by the use of transition words. Following are some of the most common words and expressions used to sequence when writing or speaking. Beginning your story Create the beginning of your story with these expressions. Use a comma after the introductory phrase. First of all,To start off with,Initially,To begin with, Examples of these beginning phrases in use include: To begin with, I began my education in London.First of all, I opened the cupboard.To start off with, we decided our destination was New York.Initially, I thought it was a bad idea. Continuing the story You can continue the story with the following expressions, or use a time clause beginning with as soon as or after. When using a time clause, use the  past simple  after the time expression, such as: Then,After that,Next,As soon as / When full clause,...but thenImmediately, Examples of using these continuing phrases in a story include: Then, I started to get worried.After that, we knew that there would be no problem!Next, we decided on our strategy.As soon as we arrived, we unpacked our bags.We were sure everything was ready, but then we discovered some unexpected problems.Immediately, I telephoned my friend Tom. Interruptions and Adding New Elements to the Story You can use the following expressions to add suspense to your story: Suddenly,Unexpectedly, Examples of using these interrupting phrases or turning to a new element include: Suddenly, a child burst into the room with a note for Ms. Smith.Unexpectedly, the people in the room didnt agree with the mayor. Ending the Story Mark the end of your story with these introductory phrases: Finally,In the end,Eventually, Examples of using these ending words in a story include: Finally, I flew to London for my meeting with Jack.In the end, he decided to postpone the project.Eventually, we became tired and returned home. When you tell stories, you will also need to give reasons for actions. Review tips on  linking your ideas  and providing reasons for your actions  to help you understand how to do so. Events Occurring at the Same Time The use of while and as introduce a  dependent clause  and  require an  independent clause  to complete your sentence. During is used with a noun, noun phrase, or noun clause and does not require a subject and object. The construction for this kind of sentence is: While / As subject verb dependent clause or independent clause while / as subject verb An example of using while in a sentence is: While I was giving the presentation, a member of the audience asked an interesting question.Jennifer told her story as I prepared dinner. The construction for using during in a sentence is: During noun (noun clause) Examples of using during in a sentence include: During the meeting, Jack came over and asked me a few questions.We explored a number of approaches during the presentation.   Test Your Knowledge! Provide an appropriate sequencing word to fill in the blanks. The answers follow the quiz. My friend and I visited Rome last summer. (1) ________, we flew from New York to Rome in first class. It was fantastic! (2) _________ we arrived in Rome, we (3) ______ went to the hotel and took a long nap. (4) ________, we went out to find a great restaurant for dinner. (5) ________, a scooter appeared out of nowhere and almost hit me! The rest of the trip had no surprises. (6) __________, we began to explore Rome. (7) ________ the afternoons, we visited ruins and museums. At night, we hit the clubs and wandered the streets. One night, (8) ________ I was getting some ice cream, I saw an old friend from high school. Imagine that! (9) _________, we caught our flight back to New York. We were happy and ready to begin work again. Multiple answers are possible for some  of the blanks: First of all / To start off with / Initially / To begin withAs soon as / WhenimmediatelyThen / After that / Next  Suddenly / Unexpectedly  Then / After that / Next  DuringWhile / As  Finally / In the end / Eventually

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

A Comparative Analysis Of Official Crime Statistics And...

To claim that crime is increasing or decreasing in New Zealand is a statement with various inbuilt assumptions. Crime is not a simple notion to define, nor is it easy to measure. This essay will perform a comparative analysis between ‘Official Crime Statistics’ and unofficial measures, highlighting that both methods are limited in reflecting the true nature and scope of crime, as the notion of crime is contested. Official crime statistics follow a positivist approach, assuming that crime is a static fact to observe and measure. Looking at the statistics in isolation, there is a gradual decrease in the overall crime rate (Police National Headquarters, 2014). Trends for specific offences fluctuate, as violent crimes such as sexual assaults are increasing, while property offences are decreasing. However, this data has various limits. Official statistics only account for crime that is detected and recorded. Crimes incorrectly filtered out of the system or miscoded fall into the grey figure (Bradley Walters, 2011), distorting specific crime trends. Crucially, because these statistics only reflect when a person is captured, the dark figure – all crime experienced by victims, but hidden from police (MacDonald, 2002) - is unaccounted for. Secondly, the data is measured using a legal definition of crime. Yet the law is constantly changing, as it is contingent on the society it is found in. The introduction of the Sentencing Act 2002 saw an increase in charging violent offendersShow MoreRelatedThe Social Impact of Drug Abuse24406 Words   |  98 Pages. . . . . . . . . . . Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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Monday, December 9, 2019

Company Performance Balanced Scorecard

Question: Discuss about theCompany Performance forBalanced Scorecard. Answer: Introduction: A company operating in any industry has certain goals to achieve if it wants to successfully compete with its peers while remaining relevant to its customers. In order to sustain its performance it has to closely monitor itself with respect to various industry benchmarks and peers. One such tool which can effectively perform this task is balanced scorecard. The company of concern in this report is IQTech and it elaborates about its performance with the help of balanced score card. Balanced Scorecard: Balanced scorecard is a holistic approach to measure the performance of a company which is IQTech in the present context. It classifies the performance measure parameters into different clusters namely financial performance, market performance, marketing effectiveness, investment in future, wealth, human resource management, asset management, manufacturing productivity and financial risk. At last all these attributes are summed up in a single parameter which represents the total performance of IQTech (Varia, 2005). The total performance indicator is a means to reflect upon the holistic performance of IQTech wherein all the individual parameters are integrated to have a single performance measure. It is a quantitative measure to understand the performance of the management of the company in terms of utilization of resources. It takes into account the past performance as well as the ability of the company to excel in the future. In terms of total performance the company has fared quite well with 5.339 points which is quite above the industry average of 1.068 in which IQTech works. Financial Performance Financial performance is the most important measure in any companys balanced scorecard and IQTech is no exception. It reflects the performance of the management of the company towards increasing the wealth of the shareholders in terms of profits. It can be deemed to have done well if it is a positive number and bigger it is the better. Several mathematical calculations are computed with the help of information available from the annual reports like operating profit, etc. which give the performance of the company with respect to revenue it generated through sales activities. Financial performance of IQTech seemed to be quite outstanding with a high positive figure of 8.558 which has outperformed the industry average which is in negative. Market Performance This parameter is a measure of managements ability to create demand for its products in the primary and secondary market. The demand is projected and then it is expected that the company will be able to meet the demand. If there are stock outs then it is considered as a negative for the company. The market share of IQTech seems to be average in both primary and secondary market with a score of 0.271 which is moderately high over the mean figure. Wealth It is expected that the performance of the company will add value to the investors upon their initial investment. The type of wealth that is created depends on the stage at which the company is. IQTech has done quite good in this respect with an above average score of 0.661. Human Resource Management It talks about the efficiency of the organization with respect to acquiring, training and retaining a talented pool of employees. IQTech has achieved average performance in this aspect with a score of 0.685. Asset Management IQTech has performed quite well in this respect with a high score of 0.912 which reflects an efficient use of resources by the company. Manufacturing productivity Manufacturing productivity is highest for IQTech with a score of 1.00 which tells that the manufacturing process of IQTech is best in class. Financial Risk A perfect score of 1.00 indicates that IQTech has properly hedged its financial risk and is safe as far as financial fluctuations are concerned. Investment in future This parameter identifies the performance of the companys leadership team in terms of new opportunity identification and investment in those opportunities so that it can create new revenue streams for the company. IQTech has performed poorly in this segment with a low score of 8.058 (Pfaff, Badura, and Ltticke, 2004). There are other parameters as well like marketing effectiveness, wealth, human resource management, financial risk, etc. Reference Pfaff, H., Badura, B. and Ltticke, J. (2004) Balanced scorecard,Public Health Forum, 12(3). Doi: 10.1515/pubhef-2004-2105. Varia, K. (2005) A balanced approach [balanced scorecard],Manufacturing Engineer, 84(2), pp. 4043. Doi: 10.1049/me:20050207.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Louise Nevelson Sky Cathedral Essay Example

Louise Nevelson Sky Cathedral Paper Louise Nevelson— Sky Cathedral Presence Survey of World Art The sculptress Louise Nevelson was a towering figure of American modernism. Born in 1899, she came to prominence in the late ‘50s, gaining renown for monochromatic structures built out of discarded wood. Critic Arthur C. Danto wrote, â€Å"There could be no better word for how Nevelson composed her work than bricolage—a French term that means making do with what is at hand. (Danto 2007) Her pieces evolved and expanded in size across the latter 20th century, moving from smaller pieces to wall-sized ones, and the plays of volume therein, between light and mass, generated comparisons to numerous different movements. The following paper will examine these links by discussing Nevelson’s work, Sky Cathedral (1982), in conversation with seven others: the Stela of Mentuwoser (ca. 1955 B. C. ), the Grave Stele of a Little Girl (c. 450-440 B. C. ), the Imperial Procession from the Ara Pacis Augustae (13-9 B. C. ), the Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons (ca. A. D. 260-270), Duchamp’s Bicycle Wheel, 1913/1951, MoMA, Mondrian’s Composition (1921), and Pollock’s One (Number 31, 1950). To set up these conversations, it is necessary to locate Nevelson’s significance. Picasso’s pioneering, early 20th century sculpture of accumulation was the foundation of Junk art—an impulse utilizing found objects. Nevelson had started assembling discarded wood in the mid ‘50s (she was then in her early 60s), and doing so linked her to many younger peers. However, Nevelson was not ideologically linked to either. Similarly, Nevelson’s monochrome reliefs invoked sacred and public tableau from centuries earlier. What is centrally different, though, is the lack of single, true perspective—her larger installations invite consideration from a variety of perspectives. To place her in a particular mode or tradition always seems to run up against these tensions. Starting with the Stela of Mentuwoser (Fig. 2), one has a good example. Like Nevelson’s mature works, it is a rontally-oriented relief, and one might go further, taking the Stela’s funerary function as a link to the commanding monochromes—most obviously the blacks. However, Nevelson herself did not use monochromes to connote anything, stating that the association of black and death was basically a Western cultural association and that for her, â€Å"it may mean finish, completeness, maybe eternity. † Moreover, it would betray cultural projectio n to assume that the Egyptians were attempting abstraction, per se. We will write a custom essay sample on Louise Nevelson Sky Cathedral specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Louise Nevelson Sky Cathedral specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Louise Nevelson Sky Cathedral specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer According to Panofsky The ancient Egyptians, who tried to reproduce things in their rigorously objective appearance, surely thought they were proceeding as naturalistically as possible. The Greek artist, in turn, would have thought of his own works as naturalistic only in comparison to those of the Egyptians. {Panofsky 2000) Krauss, in her essay â€Å"The /Cloud/†, reminds us that, â€Å"The Egyptian relief†¦both enforces a shadowless linearity and is projected as if seen from no vantage at all. (Kraus 1992) By contrast, Nevelson’s Sky Cathedral (Fig. ), even in a 2-D rendering, is replete with nooks and shadows—this invites the changing of position which itself multiples its vantages. The Stela is relatively thin; its funerary purpose makes one recall Alois Riegl’s analysis The Egyptian method of employing a theory of proportions clearly reflects their Kunstwollen [artistic intention or â€Å"the will to form†], directed not toward the variab le, but toward the constant, not toward the symbolization of the vital present, but toward the realization of a timeless eternity (Riegl 1957) By inviting the viewer to re-engage Sky Cathedral from multiple approaches, Nevelson is clearly trying to achieve something else. Looking next at the Grave Stele of a Little Girl (Fig. 3), one can see not only the formal advancements to which Panofsky gestured in the quote above but also the metaphysical shift from the perspective Riegl described. Although this Stele, too, is connected to death, it is not concerned with the timelessness of the afterlife—it quite strikingly grasps towards a felt instant of its young subject’s life. The poignancy of this girl’s untimely death and the instant of life the Grave Stele captures are both magnified by the weight and constancy of the marble. By contrast, Nevelson achieves something like suppleness in Sky Cathedral by her use of multiple layers and multiple â€Å"new† spaces that emerge from different vantage points. From the Attic Greek to the Augustan age brings one to the Imperial Procession, located on the North frieze of the Ara Pacis Augustae (Fig. 4). The first two sculptures put into conversation with Sky Cathedral were mortuary, but the Imperial Procession is celebratory. The first two are both smaller than four feet, but the Procession is life-sized, so its visual force is thus magnified. Finally, the individuals therein are not idealized types, in contrast to earlier Greek modes of statuary—they naturalistic depictions of many actual people in the line of the Caesars. The Ara Pacis took four years to build, due to its desired scale and quality, and that scale points to a salient evolution from the Greeks to the Romans. Riegl claimed this vector went from what he call[ed] the haptic objectivism of the Greeks—the delineation of the clarity of the object through an appeal to and a stimulation of the tactile associations of the viewer—to the optical objectivism of Roman art, in which the need to set the figure up in space as radically freestanding led to the projection of the rear side of the body and hence the use of the drill to excavate the relief plane. (Riegl 2004) This magnification in both size and realism fascinates, certainly evoking an interest in multiple planes of and vantages on the Procession. But what is notably absent here that exists in Sky Cathedral are the recesses and pockets—the shaping inner spaces that create shadows and enigmas and that are themselves changeable things, as exterior light shifts. The transition from Augustan to late Roman sculpture finds this crucial transition. From contemporaneous perspectives, Late Roman art was judged to have declined from earlier Greco-Roman standards. However, Riegl argued that the development of an â€Å"optical† mode of representation in the late Roman period—manifested, for example, in the play of light and shadow in the deeply cut sarcophagus reliefs—actually prepared the ground for highly spiritualized Christian painting and ultimately for the idealizing and subjective art of modern Europe. (Riegl 2004) The representative piece from this period is the Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons (Fig. 5). This piece returns us to mortuary work, but—distinctly from the preceding three—brings us to the first work that does not concern mundane human beings. Carved in high relief, Dionysos rides a panther and is flanked by four young men personifying the Seasons. Additionally, other mythic figures, such as Mother Earth and a Nereid, finish filling out the sarcophagus. It’s worth noting the concrete links between Riegl’s assertion about the play of light and the rise of the subjective. There is a bridge from mystery as a function of light and shadow (visual play) to mystery as visual and religious idealization; similarly, there is a bridge from mystery as personal reaction to mystery in subjectively experienced art (as opposed to art that necessitates some reaction or stance). The name â€Å"Sky Cathedral† prefaces or prepares someone to experience the piece, and the piece is very evocative, even without any human-type figures. By contrast, the once-maligned techniques evident in the high-relief are not independent of the mythic-narrative elements on it. Of course, the obvious next step is to start putting Sky Cathedral in conversation with sculpture that has risen after the rise of the subjective and that has moved past representation. It’s well worth asking what—aside from Nevelson’s demurring—should make someone separate her from Dada, Surrealism, etc. The first candidate is Duchamp’s altered readymade, Bicycle 1913/1951 (Fig. 6). One might disregard Picasso’s use of found objects, used as often as they were for representational pieces, but why shouldn’t one consider Duchamp and Nevelson kindred spirits? The first answer, in experiential terms, is the brute intellectual force of readymades, compared to Nevelson’s work—the best way to explain that is tor refer to the titular semiological device of Krauss’s â€Å"The /Cloud/. In this essay, Krauss cites Hubert Damisch’s Theorie du /Nuage/, which uses a perspective-viewing machine created by Brunelleschi as a point of departure, first to cite /cloud/ as a marker inserted †¦between those two planes of the perspective apparatus†¦slipped into the construction as though it were measurable†¦but which gave the lie†¦to this†¦possibility of definition†¦Perspective was thus understood from the first to be a matter of architectonics, of a structure built from delimited bodies (Krauss 1992) If, to this grounding of perspective and perception, one can add Breton’s definition of readymades as manufactured objects raised to the dignity of works of art through the choice of the artist, the problem becomes clear. Duchamp’s readymades are goal-oriented works, works that live by the putative volition of the artist; therefore, there is nothing conceptual slipped between the two planes above—everything announces itself. By contrast, at first a physical and then a perceptional level, Nevelson’s work interferes and entices. They do not live â€Å"through the choice of the artist,† but rather through the choices of the investigating viewer. Sky Cathedral operates not as a manifesto or an act of will but as a dynamic, growing system. Furthermore, although Nevelson has had pieces such as White Vertical Water, which recalls Arp’s works, she has never taken on the label, Dadaist. The notions of interference and physicality that were present in Krauss’s essay above move the conversation with Sky Cathedral towards Mondrian’s Composition 1921. The most obvious surface differences are Nevelson’s use of curves and irregular lines and her lack of dogmatism, relative to the proponents of Neoplasticism. However, there are just as obviously very exciting parallels. Mondrian’s grids simultaneously organize and disorient space, and one might make the analogy that his use of color parallels Nevelson’s use of the volumes, the fullnesses of Sky Cathedral. Krauss might assert that this was to be expected, discussing how the influence of phenomenology ushered in early 20th century paintings’ concern with, â€Å"†¦the logical grounds of possibility, for the purely subjective phenomenon of vision itself†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and the subsequent ascendance, conceptually, of the grid. Krauss 1992) She goes on to cite Mondrian as the, â€Å"prime figure† in the â€Å"classical period of the modernist grid† (Krauss 1992), and this is entirely reasonable. Mondrian deals with this tension by creating lines without shadows, by using flatness, and by building images straightforwardly, in the mode of objectivism. But if one does not use this strategy to address the phen omenological issues above, the big /cloud/ that slips into the work and sight planes is tactility. Krauss describes the choice as one between, †¦materializing the grid, as when Ellsworth Kelly constructs†¦Colors for a Large Wall†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or between †¦mak[ing] the optical a function of the tactile†¦field of its viewer, that is to say, the succession of those viewing distances the viewer might assume. † (Krauss 1992) It is at this verge, then, that the relationship between Mondrian and Nevelson becomes most provocative—the pure question of sight. Regarding how to engage Nevelson’s work, Danto recalls a term from Hegel To experience an Aufhebung, one must experience something on three levels of consciousness. One must see something is preserved but at the same time that it is negated and that it is transcended. This is the way the mechanics of wood, black and sculpture operate in the experience of Nevelson’s work—or the way she hoped they would operate. (Danto 2007) If Nevelson and Mondrian are antipodes on the spectrum of the phenomenology of vision, it is not surprising that their works are formally antipodal. Danto’s assertion is striking, though, because the physical engagement of Nevelson’s work operates very similarly to that of her final peer. Although Jackson Pollock did not work with found wood, or monochromes, or large reliefs, his work easily triggers the same multivalent observations and interactions that Nevelson’s does. Like her’s, his work generates heightened, shifting, and fragmented awarenesses even as it restructures an apparent totality. The reasons for this are numerous and well-worth examining, especially after an exploration of the fundamental basis of vision. First, Pollock achieves the quality of depth, thus instigating a viewer’s investigation thereof. Whereas Nevelson achieves this quality through physical volumes, arrays of lines, and seeming barrier of monochromes, Pollock does so with line, color and layering. Furthermore, both artists operate within a mode of subjectivity—that is to say, both are creating arenas in which every spectator is playing with and against their own shifting experience of some artwork. To the extent that Danto is correct, to the extent that Nevelson’s (and possibly Pollock’s) works are built to engender Aufhebung experiences, they can do so because of the interplay between shifting perceptual, conceptual, and emotional engagements. Moreover, this space seems open partly because of the aleatory or unconscious impulses within these artists’ processes. This is not to negligate intention in either party’s works—for instance, one quality of Pollock’s opticality is the perception of shadows, despite the absence of (significant) volume—which quality Nevelson’s work obviously generates. Finally though, it’s important to recognize the considerable gulfs between Sky Cathedral and Pollock’s One (Number 31, 1951). There are several qualities which distinguish Nevelson from Pollock and other Abstract Expressionists. There is, in a literal, physical sense, nothing abstract about Nevelson’s work; even though there is nothing representational, per se, her great monochrome masses are amalgams of things that are somewhat recognizable and of regular space. Furthermore, even though Nevelson’s work process cannot be said to have been structured, there was no ideology or impulse towards revealing or expressing a subconscious. Although there are numerous intellectual and personal influences to credit for Nevelson as an artist and thinker, these seven conversations have, hopefully, made clear the uniqueness of Louise Nevelson’s body of work. Bibliography Websites â€Å"Picasso—Biography. † Guggenheim Collection, n. d. http://www. guggenheimcollection. org/site/artist_bio_126. html. (accessed May 2, 2010) â€Å"Mondrian—Biography. † Guggenheim Collection, n. d. http://www. guggenheimcollection. org/site/artist_bio_112. html. (accessed May 2, 2010) â€Å"Arp—Biography. † Guggenheim Collection, n. d. http://www. guggenheimcollection. org/site/artist_bio_8. html. (accessed May 2, 2010) Rapaport, Brooke Kamin. â€Å"The Sculpture of Louise Nevelson:Constructing a Legend. † Jewish Museum (May 2007). http://www. thejewishmuseum. org/site/pages/onlinex. php? d=150. (accessed May 2, 2010) Books Adams, Laura Schneider. A History of Western Art. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2008. Barnet, Sylvan. A Short Guide to Writing about Art. New York, NY: Longman, 2005. Danto, Arthur. â€Å"Black, White, Gold: Monochrome and Meaning in the Art of Louise Nevelson. † In The Sculpture of Loui se Nevelson:Constructing a Legend, ed. Brooke Kamin Rapaport, pp 39-48. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007. Krauss, Rosalind. â€Å"The /Cloud/. † In Agnes Martin, ed. Barbara Haskell, pp 151-165. New York, NY: Whitney Museum of American Art and Harry N. Abrams, 1992. Panofsky, Erwin. Politics and Art Historical Method in the 1930s. New York, NY:Zone Books, 2000. Rapaport, Brooke Kamin. The Sculpture of Louise Nevelson:Constructing a Legend. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007. Riegl, Alois. Historical Grammar of the Visual Arts. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2004. Riegl, Alois. Meaning in the Visual Arts. New York, NY: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1957. [pic] Fig. 2. Stela of Mentuwoser, ca. 1955 B. C. Limestone, paint, 104. 3 cm x 49. 7 cm x 8. 3 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Reproduced from www. metmuseum. org. (accessed May 1, 2010) [pic] Fig. 3. Grave Stele of a Little Girl, c. 450-440 B. C. Marble, Parian, 80 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Reproduced from www. metmuseum. org (accessed May 1, 2010) [pic] Fig. 6. Marcel Duchamp, Bicycle Wheel 1913/1951, 1951. Metal wheel mounted on painted wood stool, 129. 5cm x 63. 5cm x 41. 9 cm. Museum of Modern Art. Reproduced from www. moma. org. (accessed May 1, 2010) [pic] Fig. 7. Piet Mondrian, Composition, 1921. Oil on canvas. 59. 5cm x 59. 5 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Reproduced from www. abcgallery. com (accessed May 1, 2010) [pic] Fig. 1. Louise Nevelson, Sky Cathedral, 1982. Painted wood. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Reproduced from http://www. rtst. org/ (accessed May 1, 2010). [pic] Fig. 4. Imperial Procession, North wall of the Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan Peace), 13-9 B. C. Rome. White Marble. Reproduced from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ara_Pacis. (accessed May 1, 2010) [pic] Fig. 5. Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons, ca. 260-270 A. D. Marble, 86. 40cm x 92. 10 x 215. 90cm. Metropolitan Museum o f Art. Reproduced from www. scholarsresource. com (accessed May 1, 2010) [pic] Fig. 8. Jackson Pollock, One (Number 31, 1950), 1950. Oil and enamel paint on canvas, 269. 5 x 530. 8 cm. MoMA. Reproduced from www. moma. org (accessed May 1, 2010)

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on Roman Art And Architecture

Roman Art and Architecture, the art and architecture of Rome and its empire, which at its apogee extended from the British Isles to the Caspian Sea. The earliest Roman art is generally associated with the overthrow of the Etruscan kings and the establishment of the Republic in 509 BC. The end of Roman art and the beginning of medieval art is usually said to occur with the conversion of the emperor Constantine to Christianity and the transfer of the capital of the empire from Rome to Constantinople in AD 330. Roman styles and even pagan Roman subjects continued, however, for centuries, often in Christian guise. Roman art is traditionally divided into two main periods, art of the Republic and art of the Roman Empire (from 27 BC on), with subdivisions corresponding to the major emperors or imperial dynasties. When the Republic was founded, the term Roman art was virtually synonymus with the art of the city of Rome, which still bore the stamp of its Etruscan art; during the last two cent uries, notably that of Greece, Roman art shook off its dependence on Etruscan art; during the last two centuries before Christ a distinctive Roman manner of building, sculpting, and paining emerged. Never-the-less, because of the extraordinary geographical extent of the Roman Empire and the number of diverse populations encompassed within its boundaries, the art and architecture of the Romans was always eclectic and is characterized by varying styles attributable to differing regional tastes and the diverse preferences of a wide range of patrons. Roman art is not just the art of the emperors, senators, and aristocracy, but of all the peoples of Rome's vast empire, including middle-class businessmen, freedmen, slaves, and soldiers in Italy and the provinces. Curiously, although examples of Roman sculptures, paintings, buildings, and decorative arts survive in great numbers, few names of Roman artists and architects are recorded. In general, Roman monuments we... Free Essays on Roman Art And Architecture Free Essays on Roman Art And Architecture Roman Art and Architecture, the art and architecture of Rome and its empire, which at its apogee extended from the British Isles to the Caspian Sea. The earliest Roman art is generally associated with the overthrow of the Etruscan kings and the establishment of the Republic in 509 BC. The end of Roman art and the beginning of medieval art is usually said to occur with the conversion of the emperor Constantine to Christianity and the transfer of the capital of the empire from Rome to Constantinople in AD 330. Roman styles and even pagan Roman subjects continued, however, for centuries, often in Christian guise. Roman art is traditionally divided into two main periods, art of the Republic and art of the Roman Empire (from 27 BC on), with subdivisions corresponding to the major emperors or imperial dynasties. When the Republic was founded, the term Roman art was virtually synonymus with the art of the city of Rome, which still bore the stamp of its Etruscan art; during the last two cent uries, notably that of Greece, Roman art shook off its dependence on Etruscan art; during the last two centuries before Christ a distinctive Roman manner of building, sculpting, and paining emerged. Never-the-less, because of the extraordinary geographical extent of the Roman Empire and the number of diverse populations encompassed within its boundaries, the art and architecture of the Romans was always eclectic and is characterized by varying styles attributable to differing regional tastes and the diverse preferences of a wide range of patrons. Roman art is not just the art of the emperors, senators, and aristocracy, but of all the peoples of Rome's vast empire, including middle-class businessmen, freedmen, slaves, and soldiers in Italy and the provinces. Curiously, although examples of Roman sculptures, paintings, buildings, and decorative arts survive in great numbers, few names of Roman artists and architects are recorded. In general, Roman monuments we...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Early History of African American Inventors

Early History of African American Inventors Thomas Jennings, born in 1791, is believed to have been the first African American  inventor to receive a patent for an invention. He was 30 years old when he was granted a patent for a dry-cleaning process. Jennings was a free tradesman and operated a dry-cleaning business in New York City. His income went mostly to his abolitionist activities. In 1831, he became assistant secretary for the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Slaves were prohibited from receiving patents on their inventions. Although free African American  inventors were legally able to receive patents, most did not. Some feared that recognition and most likely the prejudice that would come with it would destroy their livelihoods. African American Inventors George Washington Murray was a teacher, farmer  and U.S. congressman from South Carolina from 1893 to 1897. From his seat in the House of Representatives, Murray was in a unique position to bring into focus the achievements of a people recently emancipated. Speaking on behalf of proposed legislation for a Cotton States Exhibition to publicize the South’s technological process since the Civil War, Murray urged that a separate space be reserved to display some of the achievements of Southern African Americans. He explained the reasons why they  should participate in regional and national expositions, saying: Mr. Speaker, the colored people of this country want an opportunity to show that the progress, that the civilization which is now admired the world over, that the civilization which is now leading the world, that the civilization which all nations of the world look up to and imitatethe colored people, I say, want an opportunity to show that they, too, are part and parcel of that great civilization. He  proceeded to read the names and inventions of 92 African American  inventors into the Congressional Record. Henry Baker What we know about early African American innovators comes mostly from the work of Henry Baker. He was an assistant patent examiner at the U.S. Patent Office who was dedicated to uncovering and publicizing the contributions of African American inventors. Around 1900, the Patent Office conducted a survey to gather information about these  inventors and their inventions. Letters were sent to patent attorneys, company presidents, newspaper editors and prominent African Americans. Henry Baker recorded the replies and followed up on leads. Baker’s research also provided the information used to select those inventions exhibited at the Cotton Centennial in New Orleans, the World’s Fair in Chicago and the Southern Exposition in Atlanta. By the time of his death, Henry Baker had compiled four massive volumes. First African American Woman to Patent Judy W. Reed may not have been able to write her name, but she patented a hand-operated machine for kneading and rolling dough. She is probably the first African American woman to obtain a patent. Sarah E. Goode is believed to have been the second African American woman to receive a patent. Race Identification Henry Blair was the only person to be identified in the Patent Office records as a colored man. Blair was the second African American inventor issued a patent. Blair was born in Montgomery County, Maryland, around 1807. He received a patent on October 14, 1834, for a seed planter, and a patent in 1836 for a cotton planter. Lewis Latimer Lewis Howard Latimer  was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in 1848. He enlisted in the Union Navy at the age of 15, and upon completion of his military service he returned to Massachusetts and was employed by a patent solicitor where he began the study of drafting. His talent for drafting and his creative genius led him to invent a method of making carbon filaments for the Maxim electric incandescent lamp. In 1881, he supervised the installation of electric lights in New York, Philadelphia, Montreal, and London. Latimer was the original draftsman for Thomas Edison and as such was the star witness in Edison’s infringement suits. Latimer had many interests. He was a draftsman, engineer, author, poet, musician and, at the same time, a devoted family man and philanthropist. Granville T. Woods Born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1856,  Granville T. Woods  dedicated his life to developing a variety of inventions relating to the railroad industry. To some, he was known as the Black Edison. Woods invented more than a dozen devices to improve electric railway cars and much more for controlling the flow of electricity. His most noted invention was a system for letting the engineer of a train know how close his train was to others. This device helped cut down accidents and collisions between trains. Alexander Graham Bell’s company purchased the rights to Woods’ telegraphony, enabling him to become a full-time inventor. Among his other top inventions were a steam boiler furnace and an automatic air brake used to slow or stop trains. Wood’s electric car was powered by overhead wires. It was the third rail system to keep cars running on the right track. Success led to lawsuits filed by Thomas Edison. Woods eventually won, but Edison didn’t give up easily when he wanted something. Trying to win Woods over, and his inventions, Edison offered Woods a prominent position in the engineering department of Edison Electric Light Company in New York. Woods, preferring his independence, declined. George Washington Carver When you can do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.   George Washington Carver. He could have added fortune to fame, but, caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world. George Washington Carver’s epitaph sums up a lifetime of innovative discovery. Born into slavery, freed as a child and  curious throughout life, Carver profoundly affected the lives of people throughout the nation. He successfully shifted Southern farming away from risky cotton, which depletes the soil of its nutrients, to nitrate-producing crops such as peanuts, peas, sweet potatoes, pecans, and soybeans. Farmers began rotating crops of cotton one year with peanuts the next. Carver spent his early childhood with a German couple who encouraged his education and early interest in plants. He received his early education in Missouri and Kansas. He was accepted into Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, in 1877, and in 1891 he transferred to Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) where he earned a bachelor of science in 1894 and a masters in science in 1897. Later that year, Booker T. Washingtonfounder of the Tuskegee Instituteconvinced Carver to serve as the school’s director of agriculture. From his laboratory at Tuskegee, Carver developed 325 different uses for peanutsuntil then considered lowly food fit for hogsand 118 products from the sweet potato. Other Carver innovations include synthetic marble from sawdust, plastics from woodshavings and writing paper from wisteria vines. Carver only patented three of his many discoveries. God gave them to me, he said, How can I sell them to someone else? Upon his death, Carver contributed his life savings to establish a research institute at Tuskegee. His birthplace was declared a national monument in 1953, and he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1990. Elijah McCoy So  you want the real McCoy? That means you want the real thing- what you know to be of the highest quality, not an inferior imitation. The saying may refer to a famous African American inventor named  Elijah McCoy. He earned more than 50 patents, but the most famous one was for a metal or glass cup that fed oil to bearings through a smallbore tube. Machinists and engineers who wanted genuine McCoy lubricators may have originated the term the real McCoy. McCoy was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1843the son of slaves who had fled Kentucky. Educated in Scotland, he returned to the United States to pursue a position in his field of mechanical engineering. The only job available to him was that of a locomotive fireman/oilman for the Michigan Central Railroad. Because of his training, he was able to identify and solve the problems of engine lubrication and overheating. Railroad and shipping lines began using McCoy’s new lubricators, and Michigan Central promoted him to an instructor in the use of his new inventions. Later, McCoy moved to Detroit where he became a consultant to the railroad industry on patent matters. Unfortunately, success slipped away from McCoy, and he died in an infirmary after suffering a financial, mental and physical breakdown. Jan Matzeliger Jan Matzeliger  was born in Paramaribo, Dutch Guiana, in 1852. He immigrated to the United States at age 18 and went to work in a shoe factory in Philadelphia. Shoes then were handmade, a slow tedious process. Matzeliger helped revolutionize the shoe industry by developing a  machine that would attach the sole to the shoe in one minute. Matzeligers shoe lasting machine adjusts the shoe leather upper snugly over the mold, arranges the leather under the sole and pins it in place with nails, while the sole is stitched to the leather upper. Matzeliger died poor, but his stock in the machine was quite valuable. He left it to his friends and to the First Church of Christ in Lynn, Massachusetts. Garrett Morgan Garrett Morgan  was born in Paris, Kentucky, in 1877. As a self-educated man, he went on to make an explosive entry into the field of technology. He invented a gas inhalator when he, his brother and some volunteers were rescuing a group of men caught by an explosion in a smoke-filled tunnel under Lake Erie. Although this rescue earned Morgan a gold medal from the City of Cleveland and the Second International Exposition of Safety and Sanitation in New York, he was unable to market his gas inhalator because of racial prejudice. However, the U.S. Army used his device as gas masks for combat troops during World War I. Today, firefighters can save lives because  by wearing a similar breathing device they are able to enter burning buildings without harm from smoke or fumes. Morgan used his gas inhalator fame to sell his patented traffic signal with a flag-type signal to the General Electric Company for use at street intersections to control the flow of traffic. Madame Walker Sarah Breedlove McWilliams Walker, better known as  Madame Walker, together with  Marjorie Joyner  improved the hair-care and cosmetics industry early in the 20th century. Madame Walker was born in 1867 in poverty-stricken rural Louisiana. Walker was the daughter of former slaves, orphaned at the age of 7  and widowed by 20. After her husband’s death, the young widow migrated to St. Louis, Missouri, seeking a better way of life for herself and her child. She supplemented her income as a wash woman by selling her homemade beauty products door-to-door. Eventually, Walker’s products formed the basis of a thriving national corporation employing at one point over 3,000 people. Her Walker System, which included a broad offering of cosmetics, licensed Walker Agents, and Walker Schools offered meaningful employment and personal growth to thousands of African American women. Madame Walker’s aggressive marketing strategy combined with relentless ambition led her to be labeled as the first known African American woman to become a self-made millionaire. An employee of Madame Walker’s empire, Marjorie Joyner, invented a permanent wave machine. This device, patented in 1928, curled or permed women’s hair for a relatively lengthy period of time. The wave machine was popular among women white and black allowing for longer-lasting wavy hairstyles. Joyner went on to become a prominent figure in Madame Walker’s industry, though she never profited directly from her invention, for it was the assigned property of the Walker Company. Patricia Bath Dr.  Patricia Bath’s  passionate dedication to the treatment and prevention of blindness led her to develop the Cataract Laserphaco Probe. The probe, patented in 1988, is designed to use the power of a laser to quickly and painlessly vaporize cataracts from patients’ eyes, replacing the more common method of using a grinding, drill-like device to remove the afflictions. With another invention, Bath was able to restore sight to people who had been blind for over 30 years. Bath also holds patents for her invention in Japan, Canada, and Europe. Patricia Bath graduated from the Howard University School of Medicine in 1968 and completed specialty training in ophthalmology and corneal transplant at both New York University and Columbia University. In 1975, Bath became the first African American woman surgeon at the UCLA Medical Center and the first woman to be on the faculty of the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute. She is the founder and first president of the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness. Patricia Bath was elected to Hunter College Hall of Fame in 1988 and elected as Howard University Pioneer in Academic Medicine in 1993. Charles Drew - The Blood Bank Charles Drew- a Washington, D.C., native- excelled in academics and sports during his graduate studies at Amherst College in Massachusetts. He was also an honor student at McGill University Medical School in Montreal, where he specialized in physiological anatomy. It was during his work at Columbia University in New York City where he made his discoveries relating to the preservation of blood. By separating the liquid red blood cells from the near solid plasma and freezing the two separately, he found that blood could be preserved and reconstituted at a later date. The British military used his process extensively during World War II, establishing mobile blood banks to aid in the treatment of wounded soldiers at the front lines. After the war, Drew was appointed the first director of the American Red Cross Blood Bank. He received the Spingarn Medal in 1944 for his contributions. He died at the early age of 46 from injuries suffered in a car accident in North Carolina. Percy Julian - Synthesis of Cortisone Physostigmine Percy Julian  synthesized physostigmine for treatment of glaucoma and cortisone for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. He is also noted for a fire-extinguishing foam for gasoline and oil fires. Born in Montgomery, Alabama,  Julian had little schooling because Montgomery provided limited public education for African Americans. However, he entered DePauw University as a sub-freshman and graduated in 1920 as class valedictorian. He then taught chemistry at Fisk University, and in 1923 he earned a master’s degree from Harvard University. In 1931, Julian received his Ph.D. from the University of Vienna. Julian returned to DePauw University, where his reputation was established in 1935 by synthesizing physostigmine from the calabar bean. Julian went on to become director of research at the Glidden Company, a paint and varnish manufacturer. He developed a process for isolating and preparing soybean protein, which could be used to coat and size paper, create cold water paints and size textiles. During World War II, Julian used a soy protein to produce AeroFoam, which suffocates gasoline and oil fires. Julian was noted most for his synthesis of cortisone from soybeans, used in treating rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. His synthesis reduced the price of cortisone. Percy Julian was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1990. Meredith Groudine Dr. Meredith Groudine was born in New Jersey in 1929 and grew up in the streets of Harlem and Brooklyn. He attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and received a Ph.D. in engineering science from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Groudine built a multimillion dollar corporation that is based on his ideas in the field of electrogasdynamics (EGD). Using the principles of EGD, Groudine successfully converted natural gas to electricity for everyday use. Applications of EGD include refrigeration, desalination of seawater and reducing the pollutants in smoke. He holds more than 40 patents for various inventions. In 1964, he served on the President’s Panel on Energy. Henry Green Parks Jr. The aroma of sausage and scrapple cooking in kitchens along the east coast of America  has made it a little easier for kids to get up in the morning. With quickened steps to the breakfast table, families enjoy the fruits of the diligence and hard work of Henry Green Parks  Jr. He started the Parks Sausage Company in 1951 using distinctive, tasty Southern recipes he developed for sausage and other products. Parks registered several trademarks, but the radio and television commercial featuring a child’s voice demanding More Parks Sausages, mom is probably the most famous. After consumer complaints about the youngster’s perceived disrespect, Parks added the word please to his slogan. The company, with meager beginnings in an abandoned dairy plant in Baltimore, Maryland, and two employees, grew into a multimillion-dollar operation with more than 240 employees and annual sales exceeding $14 million. Black Enterprise continually cited H.G. Parks, Inc., as one of the top 100 African American firms in the country. Parks sold his interest in the company for $1.58 million in 1977, but he remained on the board of directors until 1980. He also served on the corporate boards of Magnavox, First Penn Corp., Warner Lambert Co. and W.R. Grace Co., and was a trustee of Goucher College of Baltimore. He died on April 14, 1989, at the age of 72. Mark Dean Mark Dean and his co-inventor, Dennis Moeller, created a microcomputer system with bus control means for peripheral processing devices. Their invention paved the way for the growth in the information technology industry, allowing us to plug into our computers peripherals like disk drives, video gear, speakers, and scanners. Dean was born in Jefferson City, Tennessee, on March 2, 1957. He received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee, his MSEE from Florida Atlantic University and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Early in his career at IBM, Dean was a chief engineer working with IBM personal computers. The IBM PS/2 Models 70 and 80 and the Color Graphics Adapter are among his early work. He holds three of IBM’s original nine PC patents. Serving as vice president of performance for the RS/6000 Division, Dean was named an IBM fellow in 1996, and in 1997 he received the Black Engineer of the Year President’s Award. Dean holds more than 20 patents and  was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1997. James West Dr.  James West  is a Bell Laboratories Fellow at Lucent Technologies where he specializes in electro, physical  and architectural acoustics. His research in the early 1960s led to the development of foil-electret transducers for sound recording and voice communication that is used in 90% of all microphones built today and at the heart of most new telephones being manufactured. West holds 47 U.S. and more than 200 foreign patents on microphones and techniques for making polymer foil-electrets. He has authored more than 100 papers and contributed to books on acoustics, solid state physics, and material science. West has received numerous awards including the Golden Torch Award in 1998 sponsored by the National Society of Black Engineers, the Lewis Howard Latimer Light Switch and Socket Award in 1989, and was chosen New Jersey Inventor of the Year for 1995. Dennis Weatherby While employed by Procter Gamble, Dennis Weatherby developed and received a patent for the automatic dishwasher detergent known by the trade name Cascade. He received his master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Dayton in 1984. Cascade is a registered trademark of the Procter Gamble Company. Frank Crossley Dr. Frank Crossley is a pioneer in the field of titanium metallurgy. He began his work in metals at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago after receiving his graduate degrees in metallurgical engineering. In the 1950s, few African Americans were visible in the engineering fields, but Crossley excelled in his field. He received seven patents- five in titanium base alloys that greatly improved the aircraft and aerospace industry. Michel Molaire Originally from Haiti, Michel Molaire became  a research associate at the Office Imaging Research and Development Group of Eastman Kodak. You can thank him for some of your most treasured Kodak moments. Molaire received his bachelor of science degree in chemistry, a masters of science degree in chemical engineering and M.B.A. from the University of Rochester. He has been with Kodak since 1974. After receiving more than 20 patents, Molaire was inducted into Eastman Kodak’s Distinguished Inventor’s Gallery in 1994. Valerie Thomas In addition to a long, distinguished career at NASA, Valerie Thomas is also the inventor of and holds a patent for an illusion transmitter. Thomas’ invention transmits by cable or electromagnetic means a three-dimensional, real-time imageNASA adopted the technology. She  received several NASA awards, including the Goddard Space Flight Center Award of Merit and the NASA Equal Opportunity Medal.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Marketing Implementation, Evaluation and Control, and Monitoring Research Paper

Marketing Implementation, Evaluation and Control, and Monitoring Procedure - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that KFC is a functional marketing organization. In KFC stores, each and every activity is grouped on the basis of function. All the functions in the KFC are sub-divided into different sub-functions. All the sub-functions are supervised by the different managers and all those managers are controlled by the marketing manager of the company. In the last 11 years, KFC has sponsored all the Twenty20 international cricket tournaments in Australia. For the last 5 years, the organization was the main sponsored by the Australian Big Bash. In between 1998 to 2000, the organization was significantly related to the different gaming and entertainment related companies. During this time KFC US tied up with Game Freak, Nintendo, and 4 Kids Entertainment. In the last 16 years, Kentucky Fried Chicken Foundation has fulfilled different responsibilities. Starting from 2006 to 2012 the organization has continued with Colonel’s Scholars program. In this program, the organiz ation awarded $12.5 million educational grants. This responsible activity awarded scholarships to almost 500 brilliant students in the US. Since 2005 to 2013 the organization has donated almost 200,000 meals whenever any disaster struck the US. Sponsoring Twenty20 International in Australia has been significantly successful for the organization. This sponsorship has helped the growth of the company in Australia and it also has sparked the business growth in neighboring New Zealand. Overall performance standards are satisfactory and the company is considering continuing with it. The decision to tie up with the different gaming companies has increased the popularity of the brand among the children and youth. In the case of this activity also the company maintained superior performance standard. Colonel’s Scholarship program and donation of meals impacted the minds of the US people. Citizens of the country were emotionally attached to all these programs.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Human Resources Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Human Resources Development - Essay Example ny other LSBM or appointed staff member I shall be bound by the decision of that lecturer and/or staff member as well as the terms of the Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy. Human resources development (HRD) can be considered as one of the essential part of any organisation’s growth. HRD can be described as a framework that assists the workforce of any organisation to develop their personal as well as organisational skills, abilities and knowledge. This procedure provides various opportunities to the workforce of any organisation such as employee training, learning assistance, performance development and management, mentoring and coaching. The HRD procedure assists organisations to develop a superior workforce by providing proper learning opportunities through various training and development plans. This framework also ensures the proper evaluation of the training outcomes to assess the impact of training on the employees (Armstrong and Taylor 2014). Further discussion in the study will evaluate various theoretical aspects and organisational applications of the different approaches of human resources development such as learning, training and eva luation of training procedure. The report will also illustrate the importance of different approaches of human resources development program in the growth and success of any organisation. This study will also explain the role of government in the training and development procedure of any organisation. Finally, it will evaluate the contemporary training programmes designed by the UK government and its efficacy within the organisation. Learning process in any organisation defines the act of gaining new knowledge, skills, behaviour or values through different experiences. Learning also emphasises on reinforcing and modifying the acquired knowledge that enforces changes within the behaviour of the workforces. Learning style depicts the preferred method of an individual in terms of gaining knowledge and approaching learning

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Miss Essay Example for Free

Miss Essay Compare two psychological approaches to health and social care service provision. Kathryn Lamb Tuesday 14th May 2013 In this assignment, I am going to be comparing the humanistic perspective and the biological perspective in a health and social care service provision. The humanistic perspective is â€Å"an innate tendency we all possess as human beings to become the best that we can be in all aspects of personality and intellectual, social and emotional life. † Moonie, N (2010) Health and Social Care Level 3 Book 1, p. 348. Whereas the biological theory looks at the genes of people and also says that it is what determines who a person is and how they develop, so development is more drawn to nature (or genetics) rather than nurture (or the environment). In health and social care settings, the humanistic and the biological approaches contradict each other and can also affect a person’s health in different ways. For example, if someone is diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, the humanistic approach says that for someone to develop, a person must follow through Maslow’s hierarchy of needs where they must achieve the basic necessities of life fists such as good housing, good quality food and health which are all included in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Cystic fibrosis is an incurable disease, which means that once an individual has been diagnosed with the disease, they will have it for the rest of their life, which would make it impossible for them to develop and reach their full potential, although there are medications that can help the sufferer of the disease have a more decent health status, but it will be much harder for them to reach and achieve the self-actualisation stage of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs because of the nature of the disease and the short life expectancy it causes. They may also be affected emotionally, as they will be going to several hospital visits which may make them feel depressed which will affect the second level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as they will not feel safe if they are aware of the genetic disease they have. The biological perspective also influences the sufferer of cystic fibrosis but in a different way. This is because the perspective feels that each person goes through a set stage of development in their life drew to genetics, for example include the steps of development that a fertilised egg goes through in the womb; the heart is the first organ to form, followed by the rudimentary nervous system and so on, or puberty for both girls and boys throughout adolescence. But, since cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease, it can decrease or sometimes stop development in several ways for example, sufferers of cystic fibrosis have a short life expectancy of there thirties. The biological perspective also says that development in general is due to genetics â€Å"rather than being dependant upon the environment to mature. † Moonie, N (2010) Health and Social Care Level 3 Book 1, p. 351. This would mean that medication would not help the sufferer develop. Because of this, cystic fibrosis sufferers may start to become depressed and may need counselling or treatment from their doctor at the hospital to help them feel good about themselves and keep a good outlook, despite what is happening to them. Doctors and equipment in the hospital will be required from the hospital to help more for sufferers to keep concentrating on their health so they can develop to the best of their ability.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

warriors of god :: essays research papers fc

Warriors of God by James Reston Jr. is a non-fictional view of the third crusade. This particular crusade spanned from 1187-1192, containing many gruesome battles and a lot of intense moments between Islam and Christianity. Reston supplies the reader with a little background to the third Crusade when he talks about the first Crusades happening since 1095. Reston gives a fairly impartial view of this holy war. He discusses the battles, politics, and emotions of the Crusade as an outside party and if he takes any side at all it is with the Muslims. He often speaks badly of King Richard and he speaks well of Saladin, the sultan. He portrays Richard as a greedy, anti-Semite, who is intolerable of other religions, while he shows Saladin as tolerant to the Jews, reasonable, and an overall good leader. Reston wrote this book mostly to inform readers about the third Crusade but also to add some of his own insights. His thesis was a little unclear but he stated that the Crusades were the most violent event in history all the way up to Hitler’s rein. Reston did a good job in proving this when he told of battles and then analyzed them. He told of a time when King Richard had twenty thousand Muslims executed and when Saladin had Reginald of Chatillon beheaded along with many other Christian prisoners.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reston is a well established writer, his most famous work being Galileo. Reston made a very extensive bibliography with many primary and secondary sources. He had about forty-five primary sources and about ninety secondary sources so I would say that he is now an authority on the third Crusade and probably all of them for that matter. Saladin says straight out in this historical book that Richard the Lionheart, King of England is a homosexual. This has been debated and so one really knows for sure one way or another so to call him an unquestionable homosexual is a little unusual. Reston says that Richard was gay with his childhood friend who in the future would rule France, Phillip Augustus. This relationship would later come into play in the book when they have to work side by side to overthrow the Islamic Empire.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The way that Reston told the story in Warriors of God was very well done. He would tell a chapter from Richard’s point of view and then one from Saladin’s.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Moment in the play Essay

What do you think makes this conversation between Biff and Linda so moving and sad at this moment in the play?  In the play â€Å"Death of a salesman†, Arthur Miller have made this conversation between Biff and Linda so moving and sad in the manner of which by displaying Linda’s unwavering devotion to her husband Willy, in stark contrast to the nature of the conflicting relationship between Biff and Willy. These points are skillfully heightened by Miller’s use of language and techniques such as characterization, dialogue and stage direction. Miller have made this conversation between Biff and Linda so moving through the context of Linda’s unwavering devotion to her husband, Willy. Whenever Biff goes against Willy, Linda seems to always be the person to stand up for her husband against her own son. This is shown through the quote â€Å"Biff, a man is not bird, to come and go with the springtime.† We can see that Linda in a sense, an infinite moral voice in the play- a woman with a good will at heart. However, here the readers can clearly see through her comparison of Biff to a bird, she is strongly against her son’s freedom not only within her own thoughts, but in the context of Willy’s false values. Linda conforms to the standard of her husband lifestyle and thoughts, and therefore preventing Biff from what he truly wants to become, to have a freedom in life. This therefore make Biff [evasively] says: â€Å"I’m not hateful, mom.† Biff is pressurized by the weight of hopes and expectations his father gave him since he was young, thus this even make the reader feels even more moving and sad due to Biff’s parents weighing him down while he himself desperately says â€Å"I’m trying Mom,† revealing the misery of the Loman family under the influence of the American Dream. Miller have also made this conversation between Biff and Linda so sad and moving through Biff’s caring attitude towards Linda through dialogue and stage direction. Here the reader can acknowledge how much Biff cares for Linda when he [touches her hair]. This action of tenderness have proven his love for his mother whose her life, have been taking care of Willy, who is a disillusioned husband.†Your hair got so grey† he said, and when Linda replied back with â€Å"Oh it’s been grey since you were in high school†. This fact gives a glimpse to the past that due to Linda’s faithful nature, she’s been suffering since the early days-and this signifies how moving all of Linda’s actions when taken into consideration, when Willy himself have been chasing the American Dream this whole time bringing Biff along with him when he â€Å"blows him full of hot air.† The audience can really inspect this from afar and sympathise the disconnection between Biff and Linda when there really shouldn’t be harmony. The audience would feel even more moving when all of this facts is caused by the ruthlessness of the capitalist system, led along by the American society. In conclusion, Arthur Miller is able to weave an intricate web of different intepretations and ideas and brings out the most sympethatic emotion could expressed for the audience during this conversation between Biff and Linda-while Linda pours all of her heart out for Willy and introduces the theme of denial where she follows along with what Willy does. Biff has become the victim of the environment, where to an extent, is forced to conform to the ideals that Willy, the American society, has created. I think what most driven the audience to feel so sad is that through this conversation, they can see how the American Dream represents false hopes and values and it’s in fact an unattainable dream that causes destruction for the Loman family- the only thing that can keep us alive.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Free time Essay

Some people think that it is important to use leisure time for activities that develop the mind, such as reading and doing crossword puzzles. Others feel that it is important to give one’s mind a rest in leisure time. Discuss. Relaxing our mind has been a vital part of spending our free time for thousands of years. Most of the people find relaxing activities like reading a book while others love to stay in the park, just see a boring TV channel or discuss with friends in front of a cup of tea or coffee. Even if maybe some persons will not totally agree with me, I consider that two of the most important activities that should eat our free time are the reading of a book and outdoor activities with family or friends. Reading has always been one of the activities that fascinated the human mind and as long as we read books written in a language that we do not find difficult to understand, we should find reading a relaxing activity. Of course, as long as the books we are reading are not too technical to make us realize that we are not reading for fun but for study. For example I remember when my sister told me that by reading for relaxation she found God and that changed her life. She was reading mostly religious books. Another activity which I personally consider that can have an important effect in our life are outdoor activities with family members or friends. This activities will help us be in a good shape for a long period of time and in the same time will help us develop strong close relationships with the persons we are spending our time with. And strong and close relationships are vital to have with people we would like to have around us for longer periods of time. For example I remember that we when I was younger I was going a lot for fishing with my father and over the years this activity become very important for us and made us to have have a very special relation. In conclusion spending our time is very important and we should have a really clear idea between spending some time and loosing some time. I strongly believe that reading a book will help our mind and develop our vocabulary and when we have more time and weather is with us, spending some time outside with family or friends will help our relations. I just hope that less and less people will find important activities like playing computer games and watch television series.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Sarah goodwin Essays

Sarah goodwin Essays Sarah goodwin Essay Sarah goodwin Essay Stakeholder analysis Secondary social stakeholders Primary social stakeholder Government Sarah Other buyers and department store chains Convenience store Ghetto community Prestigious department store chain Maria Sarah is a primary stakeholder because she holds the decision whether or not to call the ghetto community In Southern California. Thus, she holds high power, legitimacy, and urgency. Although she Is Just an assistant to the buyer, Maria gave Sarah the duty to call the convenience store, so it is ultimately up to Sarah to call or not. She olds a lot of power in this case because her decision can result in: potential issues with the law, diseases among the people In the ghetto, a scarred conscience, or even an end to her career. She also holds legitimacy because she works directly in the department and is holding the decision to operate. If she decides to give the infected wafers to the convenience store and inspectors find out, the blame will not only be on Sarah, but It will be on the entire chain. The people that would benefit from this are the store because they are trying to get back the money lost. The people that would be harmed are the customers of both stores and the store with the infestation. The people whose rights are being more certain are the store that has the infestation because the manager wants to get back the $9,000 by selling them to the Ghetto store. The people who are being wronged are the store who the product Is being sold too. They are under the Impression that they are getting a quality product but they are not. The moral problem is should Sarah sell the bug infested wafer product to the other store in the Ghetto. The economic outcomes are to gain back $9,000. There are not really any legal requirements against this. There are several ethical duties that this case violates. This violates the self ?Interest, personal virtues, religious injunctions, universal duties, and the distributive justice ethical principal. In the long term this action may result in higher profit but may cause future retaliation from customers, make them lose credibility, trust, and respect from customers. Many of the customers may not come to the store ever again (self-interest). People should be open, truthful, honest, moderate, and proud. This idea will not result in honesty, truthfulness, being proud, and moderate (personal virtues). This idea is not kind, compassionate, and doesnt create a sense of community (religious injunctions). Every person should be treated with diddling and respect. The customers In the Ghetto are not being treated this way (universal duties). Actions should never harm the least of us which would be the poor; this action doesnt follow this (distributive justice). Sarahs manager wants her to call this store in the Ghetto and sell these insect Infested wafers to gain back the profit. The manufacturer would not give a refund because they felt It was not their fault. If Sarah doesnt follow the command of her manager seen could lose near Jon. IT I were In tans position I would not sell ten products to the Ghetto store. My values cant let me be dishonest and I would look for a new job because I couldnt work with a manger that solves problems this way. Regardless f the legal dimension, which entails the sale of wafers, which will result in cases of poisoning and complaints and prosecutions legal may result in compensation a cash huge short-term as well as long-term, the companys reputation will be damaged, which negatively affects the results of the company and its financial performance values greater than the value that will sell the wafer. Must take into account the human and moral dimension of the impact on the process of the sale of the wafer where the affected category is likely to be the biggest beneficiary of the class. Some attitudes and situations may need to interpret and analyze even reach the employee in which the moral decision and those cases are very complicated either in such a case all the evidence suggests that in the case of approval on the sale, it means that the decision is not a moral consequent harm to others. Sarah said to be refusing to contact and try to convince Maria risk impact on it and describes the effects of the economic, legal and ethical implications, If Maria is not convinced that Sarah must go top management and explain the situation.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Frankfurt School of Critical Theory

The Frankfurt School of Critical Theory The Frankfurt School refers to a collection of scholars known for developing critical theory  and popularizing the dialectical method of learning by interrogating societys contradictions and is most closely associated with the work of Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno, Erich Fromm, and Herbert Marcuse. It was not a school, in the physical sense, but rather a school of thought associated with some scholars at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt in Germany. The Institute was founded by Marxist scholar  Carl Grà ¼nberg  in 1923, and initially financed by another Marxist scholar, Felix Weil. However, the Frankfurt School is known for a  particular brand of culturally focused  neo-Marxist theory- a rethinking of classical Marxism to update it to their socio-historical period- which proved seminal for the fields of sociology, cultural studies, and media studies. Max Horkheimer receiving the chain of office by former Rector Prof. Rajewski. Dr. Horkheimer left Germany in the early days of the Third Reich when his institute for Social Research fell under the Nazi ban. Bettman/Getty Images In 1930 Max Horkheimer became the director of the Institute and recruited many of those who came to be known collectively as the Frankfurt School. Living, thinking, and writing in the aftermath of  Marxs failed prediction of revolution, and dismayed by the rise of Orthodox Party Marxism and a dictatorial form of communism, these scholars turned their attention to the problem of rule through ideology, or rule carried out in the realm of culture. They believed that this form of rule was  enabled by technological advancements in communications and the reproduction of ideas. (Their ideas were similar to Italian scholar-activist  Antonio Gramscis theory of cultural hegemony.)  Other early members of the Frankfurt  School included Friedrich Pollock, Otto Kirchheimer, Leo Là ¶wenthal, and Franz Leopold Neumann. Walter Benjamin was also associated with it during its mid-twentieth  century heyday. One of the core concerns of the scholars of the Frankfurt School, especially Horkheimer, Adorno, Benjamin, and  Marcuse, was the rise of what Horkheimer and Adorno initially called mass culture (in  Dialectic of Enlightenment).  This phrase refers to the way technological developments had newly  allowed for the distribution of cultural products- like music, film, and art- on a mass scale, reaching all who were connected by the technology in society. (Consider that when these scholars began crafting their critiques, radio and cinema were still new phenomena, and television had not yet hit the scene.) Their concern focused on how technology-enabled both a sameness in production, in the sense that technology shapes content and cultural frameworks create styles and genres, and also, a sameness of cultural experience, in which an unprecedented mass of people would sit passively before cultural content, rather than actively engage with one another for entertainment, as they had in the past. They theorized that this experience made people intellectually inactive and politically passive, as they allowed mass-produced ideologies and values to wash over them and infiltrate their consciousness. They argued that this process was one of the missing links in Marxs theory of the domination of capitalism, and largely helped to explain why Marxs theory of revolution never came to pass.  Marcuse took this framework and applied it to consumer goods and the new consumer lifestyle that had just become the norm in Western countries at mid-twentieth century, and argued that consumerism functioned in much the same way, through a creation of false needs that can only be satisfied by the products of capitalism. Given the political context of pre-WWII Germany at the time, Horkheimer chose to move the Institute for the safety of its members. They first moved to Geneva in 1933, and then to New York in 1935, where they affiliated with Columbia University. Later, after the war, the Institute was re-established in Frankfurt in 1953. Later theorists affiliated with the School include Jà ¼rgen Habermas and Axel Honneth, among others. Philosopher Herbert Marcuse in 1968 while he was a Professor of Philosophy at the University of California at San Diego. Bettman/Getty Images Key works by members of the Frankfurt School include but are not limited to: Traditional and Critical Theory, Max HorkheimerDialectic of Enlightenment, Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. AdornoCritique of Instrumental Reason, Max HorkheimerThe Authoritarian Personality, Theodor W. AdornoAesthetic Theory, Theodor W. AdornoCulture Industry Reconsidered, Theodor W. AdornoOne-Dimensional Man, Herbert MarcuseThe Aesthetic Dimension: Toward a Critique of Marxist Aesthetics, Herbert MarcuseThe Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Walter BenjaminStructural Transformation and the Public Sphere, Jà ¼rgen HabermasTowards a Rational Society,  Jà ¼rgen Habermas

Sunday, November 3, 2019

24-Hours of Listening Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

24-Hours of Listening - Essay Example Throughout the rest of the day I recorded every instance of music I heard. The following constitute a journal and reflection on my observations. As I made my way to the living room and plopped down on the couch I turned on the television. Immediately a commercial came on for a free credit report. There was a band singing a song where the harmony was ‘free credit report dot com dot com’. I noted this music in a journal for the day, as well as the two sounds I heard while still in bed. The following commercial, however, also had a song; the commercial following this commercial had another song; finally, the television show credit sequence came on and another song was running. I noted all three of these instances of music down, recognizing that tracking all instances of music during the day might be more challenging than I originally imagined. I turned the television on after a few minutes and got ready to leave for the day. As I walked outside of my apartment and onto the sidewalk two children were dancing and singing. They jumped in and out of a chalk circle, singing each time they did it. After passing the children outside I walked to my car and got in. I turned on the radio immediately and a listened to a number of songs on my way to the library. Carly Rae’s ‘Call Me Maybe’ played, then a song with the chorus ‘never never getting back together’, and then a Katy Perry song. There were a few other songs that played in the meantime. For a moment I reflected on the reason so many people listen to songs in the car. Undoubtedly they provide a calming effect. Still, I considered that in many ways they unite people. Each song expresses a certain emotion or perspective on the world and that in relating to that song the individual is engaging in a communal action. While all the cars on the road are separated by metal, glass and noise, all the drivers can

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Classical political economists Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Classical political economists - Assignment Example Karl Marx (1818-1883) is considered one of the most influential thinkers of his time, and a lot of modern day economics are based on his theories. One of his notable contributions is the modern political economic theory. Karl Marx spent a lot of time studying the capitalist system, after which he viewed it as one that deprives the working class off their rights and advocated for a commun ­Ã‚ ­ist system (Hunt 17). One of the most notable characteristics of Marx’s theories is the influence Smith and Ricardo had especially when it came to theories about value and profits. According to Marx, most thinkers lacked historical perspective. He held the idea that production was a social activity taking various forms and modes based on the formation of social organization as well as their corresponding production techniques (Hunt 36). All epochs of production had similar characteristics, and their failure to differentiate what they had in common and what they did not have led to confusions and distortions among the thinkers. Most important among them was the claim that capital among all production systems it was a universal element and that all economic activity could be reduced to a series of exchanges. This was because capital had one feature that was universal in all production and one feature particularly specific to capitalism â€Å"production†. Marx admitted that the claim (capital was a universal production element) was not possible without an instrument of production nor their production without stored up past labour. Capital is among other things, also an instrument of production, also objectified past labour. Therefore capital is a general, eternal relation of nature; that is, if I leave out just the specific quality, which alone makes â€Å"instruments of production† and â€Å"stored up labour† into capital†(Hunt 73). Karl used this dialectal materialism theory to describe capitalism in that, within the dominance of the social class their

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Architectural History, Theory & Criticism Essay

Architectural History, Theory & Criticism - Essay Example In all the dialogue, we need to distinguish the terms and notions of postmodernism. Even so, according to Jencks (2010), Postmodernism is deepening of modernism. It is a combination of modernism and other things, a slide away from its parent rather than an act of parricide. It is considered a loyal opposition rather than a movement that is anti-modern. On the other hand, Ronald Nash refers to postmodernism as a present-day movement that rejects dogmas, allegedly taught during the age of enlightenment by thinkers, and by proponents of those ideas, who assisted in producing the movement we now know as modernism (Proctor, 2012). Post-modernism has returned as a major movement in the arts since the millennium post-modernism. This has happened with the revisiting of landmark sculptures and the explosive growth in iconic buildings, and ornaments and pattern making in architecture and the arts. Most post-modern concerns of the 1970s and the 1980s have become central to the society (Jencks, 2012). Jencks states that a typical post-modern building is one that is hybrid and one that dramatizes opposing trend mixtures, of the past, present and future to create a miniature city. Thus, it is based on numerous codes, combining modern universal technology and local culture, in a double coding that is characteristic. A typical building that is post-modern speaks at once on several levels to both high and low culture. It also recognizes the global situation where no single culture can speak for the whole world. Conferring with Vartola (2012), postmodernism concept is in three-fold. First, postmodernism is quoting Umberto Ecos the age of the lost innocence that is characterized by double-coding, ambiguity and irony and a transition to a post-industrial or late-capitalist social order in the Western culture in the late 20th century. However, its temporal borders are disputable. Next, postmodernism, is a thought orientation and acts as a headline for numerous critical

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Shareholder Vs Stakeholder Theory Management Essay

Shareholder Vs Stakeholder Theory Management Essay His views reflect Adam Smiths view that firms operate solely for the purpose of making a profit which contributes to the overall well being of society. Any business activity is justified as long as it increases the value of the firm to its shareholder (Cochran, 1994). Friedman (2005) acknowledges one reason for the existence of firms and that is to make a profit for its shareholders. According to Friedman, firms do not exists to change the world or to do good. He pushes the Shareholder Theory to the extent that he declares as theft or violation of management responsibility any form of donation by the firm, be it in time, in kind, or in monetary measures, by the managers from the investors o the firm (Ruf et al, 1998). Shareholder theory has been widely misinterpreted and quoted in its extreme sense. Carroll (1998) qualifies that although Friedman does insist that the only responsibility of the firm is to record profits for its shareholders, he goes on to state that the firm must operate within acceptable legal and societal parameters. The Shareholder perspective of a firm has been widely challenged over the past years. Authors such as Low and Cowton (2004) and Agatiello (2008) argue that the sole mission of firms to be profit maximisers is incorrect and inappropriate. Todays modern organisation is so complex that reducing it to such simple terms and motivations oversimplifies the same nature of the commercial organisation. Spence (2001) writes that the Stakeholder Theory has emerged as an alternative for the Shareholder Theory of the firm. According to Freeman (1984), the term stakeholder can be traced back to management literature of 1963 when the term was defined as those groups without whose support the organisation would cease to exist. Stakeholder theory recognises that firms have a much wider base of interested parties other than the shareholders and holds that the firm must honour its duties and responsibilities towards all of the parties. The shareholders are simply one group of the several groups which has a claim on the firm (Heath and Norman, 2004). Deck (1994) gives an interesting interpretation of the Stakeholder Theory. While he recognises that the objective of an organisation is to create wealth and distribute this amongst its investors, he explains how the investors are not only represented by the shareholders, but, in fact can and do take the form of other groups such as employees and the society in general, who invest knowledge and skills in the firm. Indeed Halal (2000) argues that the resources invested by stakeholders are roughly tenfold that invested by the shareholders. Post et al (2002) claim that risk is not only limited to financial exposure but also includes risks to employment, career opportu nity, environmental impact and quality of products and services. If a firm fails, employees lose their jobs and possibly also their retirement plans. In line with this argument, firm benefits should not only be distributed to the financial investors, but profits should be divided amongst all those bearing risk within the organisation. 2.2 The Triple Bottom Line A win-win outcome for organisations and stakeholders is that created by the Triple Bottom Line (Elkington, 1998). This is an attempt to shift business towards a stakeholder-based approach. The idea behind the 3BL paradigm is that a corporations success should be measured not just by the traditional financial bottom line, but also by social/ethical and environmental performance (Norman and MacDonald, 2004). The People, Planet, Profit triangle postulates how profit is to be perceived from three perspectives. A positive triple bottom line reflects an increase in the companys value, including both its profitability and shareholder value and its social, human and environmental capital (Savitz, 2006). Even if the three aspects of sustainability environmental, social and economic already existed, Elkingtons principle played a crucial role in shaping initiatives such as the Global Reporting Initiative and the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (Berkovics, 2010). The novelty of the 3BL lies i n the contention of its supporters that the fulfilment of its obligations to communities, employees, customers and suppliers should be measured, calculated, audited and reported, just like financial performance had been for the past hundred years. The major fallacy of the 3BL approach is that whilst authors speak of the benefit of measuring the benefits accruing from three perspectives, no one has suggested how to use the data on social performance to calculate some form of net social bottom line. Adding up the financial pluses and deducting the minuses is much easier than summing up the environmental achievements and shortcomings of a firm (MacDonald and Norman, 2004). 2.3 Defining CSR In his seminal work entitled Social Responsibilities of the Businessman, Bowen (1953) defined CSR as the entrepreneurs obligation to pursue those policies, to make those decisions or to follow the lines of action which are desirable in terms of the objectives and values of society. It is because of this work that authors such as Carroll (1999) and Windsor (2001) have declared Bowen to be the Father of CSR. In todays world of increased globalisation, environmental awareness, recessionary pressures and high insecurity, there are increasing pressures on entrepreneurs and organisations to deliver increased societal value (Jenkins, 2006). Weber (2008) posits that although the concept of CSR is widely discussed, a universally accepted definition still needs to emerge (Turker, 2009). Further Van Marrewijk (2003) claims that a one solutions fits all explanation of CSR is virtually impossible as the concept takes on a different meaning for each organisation, depending on the levels of awareness and ambition of the firm itself. In the 1970s authors of the subject began to indicate that the emphasis on responsibility implied accountability. That, according to Carroll (1979) was too narrow and static an interpretation in order to fully picture the social efforts of the firms. As a result of this criticism two new concepts emerged: Corporate Social Responsiveness (CSR2) and Corporate Social Performance (CSP). CSR2 links CSR with strategic management and stresses the proactive approach required from companies. CSP offered a managerial framework to deal with CSR and attempted to measure it. Frederick (1994) refers to CRS2 as a conceptual transition from the philosophical aspect of CSR to the more action-oriented approach. Several authors such as Ackermann and Bauer (1976), Vallentin (2009), Sethi (1979) also support this view. Others like Carroll (1979) however argue that the term responsiveness is not an appropriate replacement for responsibility. He argues that any action which is not the fruit of reflection and responsibility is not exactly a refinement of a concept which merely encourages responsibility. Firms may indeed be responsive and irresponsible! CSP emerged as a multidimensional concept which embraced the interaction of social responsibility, social responsiveness and the policies corporations designed to address such issues (Watrick and Cochran, 1985). CSP therefore focuses attention from corporate motivations to corporate action and implementation. Although the term CSP tends to give a more dynamic and pragmatic interpretation of the concept it has not been left uncriticised. Authors such as Davenport (2000) look at CSP as a theoretical creation of the scholars. The terms CSR, CSR2 and CSP are often used interchangeably and today, much of the literature simply uses the single term CSR to mean both the firms acceptance of responsibilities and the actions and policies it undertakes in the area (Ciliberti et al 2008). The writings of McGuire (1963), Davis (1960), and Sethi (1975) all concur that CSR describes the responsibilities of a firm which extend beyond what is the legal obligations of the firm. In other words, CSR starts where the law ends. Carroll (1979) is also in support of this view and in his work in 1991 presents a Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibilities to include all, economic, legal, ethical and discretionary responsibilities which emanate from the existing operations of organisations. Although Carroll presents his model in the form of a pyramid with the economic concerns of the firm as the base, he tells us that his model does not, in fact portray a continuum and that the four facets of organisational responsibility are not mutually exclusive. Discretionary Responsibilities Be a good corporate citizen Ethical Responsibilities Be ethical Legal Responsibilities Obey the Lay Economic Responsibilities Be profitable Figure 2: The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility Carroll (1991) In 2003 Schwartz and Carroll presented the different facets of CSR in a different format. This time they moved away from the pyramid structure which seems to have implied some form or natural progression from one level to another and presented their model in the form of a Venn diagram. Furthermore they only included three of Carrolls earlier CSR aspects. Schwartz and Carroll (2003) represented the economic, legal and ethical responsibilities but omitted the discretionary category. Indeed it is inappropriate to regard discretionary and philanthropic activities as responsibilities. Purely Ethical Purely Legal Purely Economic Ethical / Legal Legal / Economic Ethical / Economic Legal / Economic / Ethical Figure 3 : The Three-Domain Model of CSR Schwartz and Carroll (2003) 2.4 A Modern Interpretation of CSR In 2001 The European Union presented a Green Paper entitled Promoting a European Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility. In this paper CSR was defined as a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis. Pivato et al (2008) argue that this is one of the most common interpretations of CSR and it is consistent with recent academic literature. Stakeholder theory gained importance in the 1990s and continues to maintain its position as a focused area of study in CSR (Wang, 2008). More recently, in October 2011, the EU Commission published a new policy on CSR wherein it states that for a firm to meet its social responsibility it should have in place a process to integrate social, environmental, ethical and human rights concerns into their business operations and core strategy in close collaboration with their stakeholders . The EU also put forward a new definition of CSR as the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society. The EU intends that firms will abide by their responsibility when they respect the applicable legislation and aim for collective agreements between social partners. Another important aspect of the new EU approach to CSR is the fact that the emphasis is not only on the private sector firms only, but the maximisation of the creation of shared value for society is now also expected of public sector firms. This new policy advances an action agenda for the three year period up to 2014 covering eight distinct areas which detail how the EU intends ensuring that firms embrace this CSR concept. This action plan aims to enhance the visibility of CSR and the dissemination of good practices; improve and track levels of trust in business; improve self-and co-regulation processes; enhance market reward for CSR; improve company disclosure on social and environmental information; further integrate CSR into education, training and research; emphasise the importance of national and sub-national CSR policies and better align European and global approaches to CSR. The EU commission reports that small and medium sized firms are the predominant form of enterprise in the European Union (EU Commission, 2012). The EU further claims that if Europe and its enterprises are to reap the full benefit of CSR, then it is imperative that SMEs engage fully in CSR and are recognised for their initiatives. This is very challenging as CSR has traditionally been the domain of the corporate sector, but recognition of the increasing importance of the SME sector has led to an emphasis on their social and environmental impact (Jenkins, 2004) 2.5 CSR and SMEs Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are the engine of the European economy. They are an essential course of jobs, create entrepreneurial spirit and innovation in the EU and are thus crucial for fostering competitiveness and employment (Verheugen, 2005). In 2003 the EU revised its 1996 definition of an SME and within the 27 member states, today an SME is a firm with fewer than 250 employees and with a turnover of less than à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬50 million or balance sheet totals of less than à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬43 million. Apart from these quantifications, firms must be independent, i.e. separate from an economic group that is stronger than itself. Medium Sized Firms Small Firms Micro Firms Enterprise Category Head Count (Annual Work Unit Turnover Balance Sheet Totals à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬10 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬10 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 50 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬43 million OR OR OR OR Figure: 4 EU Definition of an SME Source: EU Commission (2003) The EU reports that even in 2012 SMEs have kept their position as the backbone of the European economy, with around 20.7 million firms accouting for more than 98% of all enterprises of which 92.2% are firms which employ fewer than 10 people (Wymenga et al 2012). Wymenga (2012) reports that in 2012 SMEs accounted for 67% of total employment, at around 87 million people and 58% of gross value added. The Maltese economy is one of the smallest economies in the EU: this implies that the relevance of SMEs for the domestic economy is indeed crucial. There are a little less than 30,000 firms in Malta, and with the exception of 44 large firms, the rest employ less than 250 workers. In fact, the economy is dominated by micro-sized firms (95.1%). Small and Medium-Sized firms in Malta account for 4.7% of business organisations, employ 41.8% of the labour force and account for 38.3% of the islands value-added. Micro firms employ 34.4% of the labour force in Malta and account for 26.3% of the value added (EU Commission, 2012). Medium Sized Firms Small Firms Micro Firms Enterprise Category Head Count (Annual Work Unit Turnover Balance Sheet Totals à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬10 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬10 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 50 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬43 million OR OR OR ORFox (2005) contends that all organisations impact on society and the environment in a number of ways through their operations. For this reason, CSR is important in large and small firms alike (Moore and Spence, 2006). The importance of SMEs in CSR literature has, however been overlooked (Perrini and Minoja, 2008; Ciliberti et al, 2008, Moore and Spence, 2006 ). A study carried out by Jenkins in 2004 reveals that much of the thinking about CSR in SMEs is based on unfounded assumptions. It is erroneously assumed that large companies are the norm and therefore, as a consequence all CSR approaches have predominantly been designed and are intended for large firms. Further, it has been presumed that small firms are little large firms differentiating themselves from large corporations merely on the basis of size (Jenkins, 2004). It is clear that SMEs are not miniature large companies, and as such the same practices which have been designed for large firms are difficult to fit to small org anisations (Williamson et al, 2006). A study of Swiss multinational companies (MNCs) and SMEs reveals that contrary to what is perceived by much of the literature on the subject, small firms possess several organisational characteristics that could promote the integration of CSR practices as core business functions, while MNCs possess the disposition to enhance communication and reporting on CSR. CSR is therefore not a function of company size, but rather of company characteristics (Spence, 2011 et al). Structure is one of the factors that distinguishes large from small firms. While large firms tend to organise themselves with a bureaucratic structure and formalisation, small firms are characterised by loose informal working relationships (Perez-Sanchez, 2003). The behaviour of small firms is strongly dependent on the characteristics and management style of the owner himself, whilst in large firms this is not so strongly felt (Tilley, 2000). Perrini (2006) argues that small firms are mostly owner-managed and are run on personal relationships. Gond and Igalens (2008) pin the level of CSR commitment by SMEs as directly dependent on the personality and personal convictions of its managing director. Age plays a significant role here, with the younger owner/managers display greater CSR awareness; gender has no impact on CSR deployment (Ede et al, 2000). Some authors are in disagreement as to whether the educational background of the owner/manager has any bearing on the level of CSR activ ity. (Ede et al, 2000; Spence et al, 2000). Spence et al (2007), confirm this claim and go one step further by asserting that it is the directors vision for the future of his business and his understanding and perception of internal resources which determine CSR engagement in SMEs. Bonneveux et al (2012) report that the capacity of a director to locate and integrate new resources is fundamental to the integration of CSR measures and initiatives. The correlation between CSR engagement by SMEs and the perception and motivation of the firms director and how he sees and reacts to CSR issues is thus reinforced. Ownership and management in large firms are more separate and distinct than they are in small firms. In small firms, control remains in the hands of one of the owners, possibly putting him in a position where he can make personal choices with respect to the allocation of resources (Spence and Rutherfoord (2001). Given this particular management characteristic, the choice of CSR engagement in SMEs is mostly determined by the personal attributes of the owner/manager. A study of US SMEs employing between 5 and 500 workers suggests that efforts to influence owners and managers to implement environmental CSR initiatives such as for example waste reduction need great focus on changing individual attitudes (Bennington et al, 2012). Stewart et al (2011) also confirm the link between leadership and the successful uptake of CSR and sustainability in SMEs. According to the shareholder perspective postulated by Friedman (1970) the owner of a small business has the right to follow their own ethical beliefs in the allocation of organisational resources as they own the business and therefore it follows that they are using their own funds to finance any CSR activity. This is not so in large firms where ownership and control are separate and the investor of the funds does not have any say on how the funds he has contributed are being divested. In support of CSR engagement even based on a shareholder perspective of the firm, Stewart et al (2012) report measurable results in terms of business performance which can be directly attributable to the SMEs greater social and environmental engagement. The study highlights the relationship between learning, the development of organisational values that underpin CSR and improved business performance within the SME context. Perrini (2006) contends that SMEs are, at many times stretched by multitasking, troubled by the limited cash available, and controlled by an informal mechanism. On the other hand, large firms are more likely to engage in carefully planned, formal, strategic management (Jenkins, 2004). Jenkins (2004) tells us that most SMEs are more likely to be concerned about the day-to-day survival then by understanding concepts such as CSR. He contends that the term CSR alienates some of the small firms and that the language used needs to be simpler. In this respect, the European Commission has propo9sed the term Responsible Entrepreneurship in lieu of social responsibility of SMEs. Jenkins research however reveals that small firms regards CSR as an all embracing concept involving three pillars: sustainability; awareness of and responsibility towards a range of stakeholders, the relative importance of whom varies from one firm to another. This implies that most SMEs describe CSR on the lines of the stakeholder theory. Jenkins (2004) reveals that SMEs are consistent in their identification of stakeholders and point towards the environmental management, employees, the community/society, and the supply chain. It is not at all surprising that SMEs focus their initiatives on the loc al community. SME owner/managers usually live in the same area in which the firm operates (CSR Europe, 2003). SMEs, in fact, rely much more that large firms on the prosperity of the community in which they operate as most of their customers and employees come from the surrounding area. Castka et al (2004) confirms that SMEs and large firms are not only different in nature but also in the way in which they approach CSR. They found that small businesses approach CSR informally and do not usually have pre-determined objectives or formal procedures for measuring the performance of objectives to external stakeholders. Further, large firms are more likely to adopt formal instruments to design CSR initiatives such as codes of conduct, ISO certification and social reporting (Graafland et al (2003). Large firms tend to integrate CSR as part of their business operations whilst SMEs consider CSR as an add on activity (Jenkins, 2004) and conduct CSR on an ad-hoc basis usually unrelated to their business strategy. Jenkins (2004) argues that the motivation for CSR engagement differs between large and small firms. Jenkins (2006) explains that the growing visibility and the increased impact of large firms globally have called for greater accountability and transparency. On the other hand, small firms remain largely invisible and are not driven by external pressures, but rather by an internal drive to do the right thing or putting something back or showing entrepreneurial spirit (Jenkins, 2004). The force which drives SMEs to engage in CSR activities is therefore more ethical rather than commercial. Gupta et al (2012) conducted a study of Indian SMEs in which they highlight the many benefits which accrue to SMEs engaging in CSR initiatives. Small and medium-sized firms actively engaging in CSR were reported to enjoy an endless list of advantages amongst which were improved image, reputation, trust and understanding. Firms also secured a better market position and improved financial performance; in creased attractiveness to potential recruits, increased employee motivation, cost savings and increased efficiency, efficient risk management systems and more business overall. CSR can be the stimulus for increased motivation and productivity amongst a firms workforce (Salquin et al, 2007; Berger-Douce, 2008). An awareness and understanding of the challenges posed by CSR can actually form an excellent basis for organisational differentiation and competitive advantage (Kechiche et al, 2012). Not all academics concord and Jenkins (2006) asserts that SMEs undertake CSR simply for its own sake and refrain from using it as a method of self promotion as the large firms do. According to Fassin (2008), CSR is a rather informal action, and therefore more intuitive rather than strategic and for this reason, SMEs will hardly enjoy all the benefits that CSR engagement implies. Jenkins (2004) emphasises that owner/managers of small firms are mainly preoccupied with the economic viability of their firms and spend a large part of their time and energy focusing on this aspect of their business. One main feature of SMEs is that the owner/manager is the person who deals with the day-to-day operations of the firm as well as other projects. This is distinct from large firms, where there is a dedicated CSR department with resources being specialised for this function. For this reason, time and resources are identified as the greatest constraints which SMEs face with respect to investing in CSR initiatives. Gupta et al (2012) also claim that the initial cost of CSR is at times higher for SMEs as they conduct small business and they justified request for government assistance and support in the implementation of CSR in the firm. The owner/managers of the UK firms studies by Jenkins revealed that they difficulties trying to convince reluctant employees to involve them selves in CSR activities. Furthermore, the excessive number of short term projects, the lack of information (Berger-Douce, 2008), the problems with measuring intangible benefits and the difficulties of making connections in a small community where other common adversities faced by SMEs. SMEs also meet difficulties which are related to the market, particularly restrictions in applying environmental and/or societal legislation because of its complexity and the rigidity of procedures. SMEs complain of the lack of adequate support services and infrastructure (Kechiche et al, 2012). Despite the adversities faced, Castka et al (2004) reveal that SMEs acknowledge that there is a need for them to conduct business in a socially responsible manner. When researching Swedish SMEs, Pettersson et al (2012) found that CSR activities become more important for some stakeholders, particularly in times of difficulties and revealed an increased need for CSR engagement. They report that SMEs can strategically use CSR activities in order to develop a competitive advantage through differentiation by creating societal advantage. They claim that CSR activities become more important for some stakeholders, particularly in times of difficulties. Jenkins (2004) posits that SMEs are often active members in their community. In support of this Perrini (2006) reports that 50% of European SMEs are engaged in socially responsible activities. He explains how there is a positive correlation between the degree of involvement and the size of the enterprise with 48% of very small firms, 65% of sm all and 70% of medium sized firms being engaged in CSR activities. A study of Danish SMEs carried out in 2005 (Danish National Labour Market Authority) identified seven areas of CSR deployment, namely, the workforce, the environment, stakeholder engagement, marketplace activities, supply chain activities, internal management activities and charitable and voluntary activities. The study revealed that work-force related CSR activities were most diffused with 54% of all CSR activities, environmental activities occupied 51% of all initiatives and supply chain activities only occupy 22% of all initiatives. On the other hand, the barometer of sustainable development within French SMEs (CROCIS, 2007) reports that 96% of firms in the Paris area had implemented sustainable development measures while 47% of these firms had good links with the community through sponsorship deals, charitable events, back-to-work/employability schemes etc. Other academics, (Saulquin et al, 2005; Berger-Douce, 20 08) are in support of this picture and confirm that employees appear to be well treated in the majority of SMEs. Fox (2005) reports that the most likely reason for SMEs to engage in environmental management is when this becomes critical in attracting and retaining business either locally or internationally. Saulquin et al (2010) affirm this by reporting that there is great sensitivity by SMEs to the wellbeing of their employees and their community links. In support of this, other authors claim that large companies influence the behaviour of small firms in their supply chain in particular in relation to environmental protection, labour and human rights, health and safety (Jorgensen and Knudsen, 2005). Worthington et al (2006) tells us that UK SMEs invested in a range of CSR activities and the most common forms of CSR deployment ranged from donating to local causes and charities, sponsorships of local events and organisations, support for local schools and colleges, environmental init iatives, ethical purchasing and staff related activities. 2.6. Capability Maturity Model Fassin (2008), contends that most SMEs regard CSR as rather informal action and refers to it as an intuitive initiative rather than strategic process. On the other hand, Spence et al (2011) affirm that MNC are often seen to assume responsibility by implementing CSR-related organisational practices and structures which permit them to interact directly with civil society. Further, however, MNCs are often accused of using CSR as a front to cover up the more real business practices. Indeed it is important to analyse the depth and effectiveness with which organisations embed CSR within their operations so as to distinguish between CSR talk and CSR practice (Spence et al, 2011). The Capability Maturity Model is an organisational model which describes five evolutionary stages in which a firm manages its processes. An organisation which treats CSR as an ad hoc activity will be at the initial stage. As the firm matures in its approach to CSR and embraces CSR more and more as part of its core business practice it starts to progress through the next four levels, namely: managed, defined, qualitatively managed, optimizing. The maturity levels offer a structure to the discipline needed for continuous improvement. This paradigm is useful to determine the reason behind different levels of organisational CSR commitment and what it takes for a firm to progress to the next level of commitment. Level 1 INITIAL Level 2 MANAGED Level 3 DEFINED Level 4 QUANTITATIVELY MANAGED Level 5 OPTIMIZING Process unpredictable, Poorly controlled and reactive Processes characterised for projects, and is often reactive Processes characterised for the Organisation and is proactive Process measured, and controlled Focus on process improvement Figure 5: The Capability Maturity Model Humphrey, 1989