The Brady Training Program

The problem in the article appears to be employee dissatisfaction, leading to the character Bill Flynn to engage in improper behavior in order to meet his work needs. Bill appears to be very ambitious, which causes him to quit a job that does not satisfy his desires. He left a sales position even before he had been accepted for the training position in the technical field of computers. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Brady Training Program specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is an indication that Bill is a person who knows what he wants and is not tied to job security, or afraid of not getting a job. He is rather confident for someone with less than one year work experience. The problem identified in the article involves the behavior of a person who is ambitious and willing to go to great heights to achieve his targets. Bill is provided with the opportunity to train for a whole year in the technical field, after which he can obtain employment at the firm. The problem is that there are ten other people, who threaten his chances of success, whereby success is finishing the one year training program and being offered permanent employment. There are a maximum of four vacancies, which means that at least seven people will be eliminated. This leads Bill to come up with strategies that will ensure that he makes it to the last day of the competition. Due to the intensity of the training, some trainees result to dysfunctional behavior, which is expected when the competition gets stiff. The trainees had been advice to work individually, but there are a few people who work in groups, assisting each other, and at times steal reference material from previous groups to get direction. According to Charles Darwin, survival of human beings and other creatures has been based on natural selection, whereby only the strongest can survive. One channel of survival is adaptation. Similarly, the work enviro nment is very competitive, and with increasing cases of unemployment, people tend to do whatever it takes, to make good use of available opportunities. Bill is aiming at increasing his computer knowledge base, and succeeding in the program would be very advantageous for him. The other trainees have the same views, and since the organization will only hire the best, the trainees decide to go on an all out war. Group work was discouraged but the trainees know that individual efforts are futile and therefore form discussion groups to assist them through the courses. Some people result in stealing of reference material from previous groups. The policies outlined, especially those involving individual work are likely to be overlooked in any organization. This is because people are social, and tend to create friendships, and companionship. Companionship leads to sharing problems, as was seen in the growth of Bill’s discussion group. Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One way for organizations to pose such competitions would be based on creating group tasks, whereby people are forced to succeed in groups or face elimination. Duties in organizations require coordination with other people, and as much as individual talent and skill may be beneficial, the individual must be a team player. The three bosses seemed to identify this trait in Bill, as he went the extra mile to create friendships with them in other fields beside the work place. His involvement in sports must have pleased them too, since it showed his ability to work with others, and probably led to the pay rise, in his last interview when he was offered the job, but informed them of better pay elsewhere. Another solution to avoid cheating and stealing of material during challenges is to provide assessment teachers to assign the groups at least one experienced person to guide them in their cours e of the training. Providing such a person would save them on time spent trying to figure out what is required of them, and convert it into meaningful time spent working on providing the most suitable solution or response. Behavior problems can best be controlled by providing mentors, who can guide and encourage positive behavior, since achieving something by yourself is bound to attract negative means of attaining success. This essay on The Brady Training Program was written and submitted by user Maxx Serrano to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sparta after the Peloponnesian War essays

Sparta after the Peloponnesian War essays After the Peloponnesian War, Spartan hegemony of Greece would seem to have been assured. A single generation, though, would have seen Sparta at the peak of its power, and its defeat by the Thebans at Leuctra, effectively turning it into a second rate power. The victory in the Peloponnesian War was a significant factor in bringing about this change in fortune, but other long term factors have also been identified which suggest that Spartan undoing had long been in the pipeline. Victory in the Peloponnesian War brought about Spartan hegemony and the establishment of a Spartan Empire. The Spartan slogan of liberation was dropped. Around 400, for example, King Agis led an army north to punish Elis for earlier disloyalty. Lysanders puppet oligarchies were tied to Sparta far more firmly than any of Athens subjects had been during the time of her empire. They were hated in their states both as puppets and as oligarchs, and Sparta came to be hated through them. This power of Sparta bred fear among her more independent and stronger allies. The Corinthians and Boiotians who would have welcomed Athens destruction in 404, saw oligarchic Athens as just the Spartan satellite they feared, and so Boiotia assists the returning Athenian democrats, Corinth and Boiotia refuse to join in the campaign against Elis, and a few years later a Corinthian, Boiotian and Athenian alliance was formed. After the war, Sparta began, in 401, to meddle in Persian affairs. This revolved around Lysander and Cyrus. Cyrus wanted the Persian throne and tried to enlist Spartan help. Sparta gave support, but Cyrus was defeated by Artaxerxes. Then Sparta, in 400, remembered her slogan of liberation and began a war with Persia on behalf of the Asian Greeks. This was a distraction which encouraged Spartas enemies at home, and, three years later, she was at war with Athens, Corinth and Boiotia. Lysander was killed at Haliartos...

Mechanism Of Trade Dispute Settlement In The Light Of International Dissertation

Mechanism Of Trade Dispute Settlement In The Light Of International Trading System - Dissertation Example Dispute settlement is one of the fundamental components of these. This research will identify these dispute settlement mechanisms and examine whether these are effective, problematic or insufficient. In order to achieve the primary objective, the secondary objectives, which follows, would also be pursued: 1. identify and define the types of dispute settlement mechanisms; 2. cite actual cases that has been acted on and formed part of the global system’s trade jurisprudence; and, 3. examine the efficacy and the success of each identified mechanisms in dispute resolution. Methodology This study is primarily a descriptive research. Hence, it will exclusively use the qualitative method of inquiry with the idea that such approach would be able to reveal a comprehensive and credible picture that would contribute to the achievement of the study’s objectives. The qualitative approach is important because of the study’s focus on examining issues related to the efficacy of dispute settlement mechanisms in relation to the needs and interest of each trading nation. There is a need to deal with the dispute mechanisms by investigating through specific individual cases of disputes and settlement. This researcher is of the opinion that, in this context, the method is the best tool to uncover weaknesses and unique strengths among the dispute settlement mechanisms. An important component of the research methodology is the case study. According to Katsirikou and Skiadas (2010), it is the preferred strategy in order to answer how and why research questions and that it is a well-suited method to empirically investigate contemporary phenomena.1 Following the... This study is primarily a descriptive research. Hence, it will exclusively use the qualitative method of inquiry with the idea that such approach would be able to reveal a comprehensive and credible picture that would contribute to the achievement of the study’s objectives. The qualitative approach is important because of the study’s focus on examining issues related to the efficacy of dispute settlement mechanisms in relation to the needs and interest of each trading nation. There is a need to deal with the dispute mechanisms by investigating through specific individual cases of disputes and settlement. This researcher is of the opinion that, in this context, the method is the best tool to uncover weaknesses and unique strengths among the dispute settlement mechanisms. An important component of the research methodology is the case study. According to Katsirikou and Skiadas, it is the preferred strategy in order to answer how and why research questions and that it is a well-suited method to empirically investigate contemporary phenomena. Following the descriptive and exploratory parameter cited earlier, case studies will be employed in order to explain in detail a particular case and that it could provide the basis for comparison and theory building. The Literature Review section will play an important role as well. For example, policy- and decision-making are likely to employ more than one synthesis method. This, would lead to different types of evidence identified as relevant to the range of research objectives outlined.

Ink Painting - Lingnan School of Painting Essay

Ink Painting - Lingnan School of Painting - Essay Example The paper "Ink Painting - Lingnan School of Painting" analyzes how the Lingnan School of Painting contributed to the innovations of the traditional Chinese ink painting, and how it influenced the traditional Chinese ink painting; what were the dissatisfactions articulated by the emerging Lingnan School; how the Lingnan style distinguished itself, in both their underlying philosophy and the art through which they expressed it; and in what direction(s) has the Lingnan school led, in its influence on Chinese ink painting. There were a number of defining characteristics of traditional Chinese ink painting, prior to the emergence of the Lingnan School. These defining characteristic might be arranged into the categories. With respect to the audience, traditional Chinese ink paintings were not created for common people or for a mass audience, but were generally privately-commissioned and intended for an elite audience only. Because the usual form of the painting included calligraphy and poe try, as well as painting and signets, it was done by educated scholars, for whom it was their esoteric passion. As such, the traditional Chinese ink paintings were often too lofty to comprehend. For this reason, they had a limited appeal, though very beautiful. The painter was, in a mystic way, the subject of his/her own painting, whether the apparent subject was landscape, flowers, or animals. The painting expressed the sentiment of the painter, but it was more intimate than that. The painting expressed the personality.... It can be understood that all painting, by artists, should develop their skills. Traditional Chinese ink painting was understood to be more profound than this. The painter painted and developed intellectually and spiritually. It was about the deepest aspects of being and the sensitivity of consciousness 5. Landscape paintings, for example, were lovely and set a mood. More than that, they communicated the emotion that the scholar-poet-painter experienced in that environment. Beyond that, the mountain or waterfall or other landscape setting shown, revealed the personality of the painter, for those who understood how to read the clues. It was not merely a painting for an audience, but it was an opportunity for the painter to reflect and develop personality and spirit. It was this painted high being-ness that the elite audience of traditional Chinese ink painting was looking for and paying for. In appreciating a painting, then, the audience appreciated Spirit and Consciousness. It was co nceptual, rather than visual 6. The subject of traditional Chinese ink painting was always painted in an abstract manner. From the 10th century to the 20th, it was thought that realism somehow cheapened the aesthetics of a painting. So, Chinese traditional ink painting was always expressionist, and not realist, and eventually even the selected subject itself was abstract. For example, a favorite subject of traditional Chinese ink painting, by the nineteenth century, was Taoist and Buddhist teachings. It is no wonder that the subjects of the paintings, for 800 years, were considered by later painters to be aloof from worldly affairs 7. The subjects painted were human figures, landscapes, flowers and birds. These three categories, however, are more

Was the United States genuinely neutral during the first years of Essay

Was the United States genuinely neutral during the first years of World War I, - Essay Example to remain neutral throughout the war. At the war’s beginning (August, 19 1914), Wilson, along with congressional and public opinion was adamantly opposed to intervention by U.S. military personnel. He, as most Americans, did not want to get entangled in what seemed was a perpetual European conflict. In 1916, Wilson won re-election principally as a result of the campaign slogan ‘He kept us out of war.’ â€Å"Between 1914 and the spring of 1917, the European nations engaged in a conflict that became known as World War I. While armies moved across the face of Europe, the United States remained neutral† (Duffy 2002). Because of diplomatic, economic and cultural ties to the U.K., the U.S. began supplying the military needs of the allied forces. Public opinion had swayed toward the allies during the war as word spread of alleged horrific acts committed by German troops. U.S. exports to the U.K. and France rose quickly and sharply while U.S. shipping to Germany de creased by similar proportions during this same time. Germany viewed this action as all but an act of war though the U.S. was officially neutral and still strongly opposed to sending its troops (Duffy 2002). The U.S.

Mathematics In The Game Of Chess Maths Essay

Mathematics In The Game Of Chess Maths Essay INTRODUCTION: Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64  squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. Each player begins the game with sixteen pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. The object of the game is to checkmate the opponents king, whereby the king is under immediate attack (in check) and there is no way to remove or defend it from attack on the next move. The games present form emerged in Europe during the second half of the 15th century, an evolution of an older Indian game, Shatranj. Theoreticians have developed extensive chess strategies and tactics since the games inception. Computers have been used for many years to create chess-playing programs, and their abilities and insights have contributed significantly to modern chess theory. One, Deep Blue, was the first machine to beat a reigning World Chess Champion when it defeated Garry Kasparov in 1997. Matches between individuals took place as early as the 9th century. The tradition of organized competitive chess started during the 16th century. The first official World Chess Champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, claimed his title in 1886; the current World Champion is Viswanathan Anand from India. In addition to the World Championship, there is also the WomenHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Womens_World_Chess_ChampionshipHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Womens_World_Chess_Championships World Championship, the Junior World Championship, the World Senior Championship, the Correspondence Chess World Championship, the World Computer Chess Championship, and Blitz and Rapid World Championships (see fast chess). The Chess Olympiad is a popular competition among teams from different nations. Online chess has opened amateur and professional competition to a wide and varied group of players. Chess is a recognized sport of the International Olympic Committee and international chess competi tion is sanctioned by the FIDE. Today, chess is one of the worlds most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments. Some other popular forms of chess are fast chess and computer chess. There are also many chess variants which have different rules, different pieces, different boards, etc. History Iranian chess set, glazed fritware, 12th century. New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Knights Templar playing chess, Libro de los juegos, 1283. Chess is commonly believed to have originated in North-West India during the Gupta empire, where its early form in the 6th century was known as caturaà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ga (Sanskrit: four divisions [of the military] infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariotry, represented by the pieces that would evolve into the modern pawn, knight, bishop, and rook, respectively). The earliest evidence of Chess is found in the neighboring Sassanid Persia around 600 where the game came to be known under the name chatrang. Chatrang is evoked inside three epic romances written in Pahlavi (Medium Persian). Chatrang was taken up by the Muslim world after the Islamic conquest of Persia (633-644) where it was then named shatranj, with the pieces largely retaining their Persian names. In Spanish shatranj was rendered as ajedrez, in Portuguese as xadrez, and in Greek as zatrikion (which directly comes from Persian chatrang), but in the rest of Europe it was replaced by versions of the Persian shÄ h (king ), which was familiar as an exclamation and became the English words check and chess. Murray theorized that this change happened from Muslim traders coming to European seaports with ornamental chess kings as curios before they brought the game of chess. The game reached Western Europe and Russia by at least three routes, the earliest being in the 9th century. By the year 1000 it had spread throughout Europe. Introduced into the Iberian Peninsula by the Moors in the 10th century, it was described in a famous 13th-century manuscript covering shatranj, backgammon, and dice named the Libro de los juegos. Another theory contends that chess arose from the game xiangqi (Chinese Chess) or one of its predecessors, although this has been contested. ___________________________________________________ Mathematics In The Game Of Chess Legend has it that the game was invented by a mathematician in India who elicited a huge reward for its creation. The King of India was so impressed with the game that he asked the mathematician to name a prize as reward. Not wishing to appear greedy, the mathematician asked for one grain of rice to be placed on the first square of the chess board, two grains on the second, four on the third and so on. The number of grains of rice should be doubled each time. The King thought that hed got away lightly, but little did he realise the power of doubling to make things big very quickly. By the sixteenth square there was already a kilo of rice on the chess board. By the twentieth square his servant needed to bring in a wheelbarrow of rice. He never reached the 64th and last square on the board. By that point the rice on the board would have totalled a staggering 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 grains. Playing chess has strong resonances with doing mathematics. There are simple rules for the way each chess piece moves but beyond these basic constraints, the pieces can roam freely across the board. Mathematics also proceeds by taking self-evident truths (called axioms) about properties of numbers and geometry and then by applying basic rules of logic you proceed to move mathematics from its starting point to deduce new statements about numbers and geometry. For example, using the moves allowed by mathematics the 18th-century mathematician Lagrange reached an endgame that showed that every number can be written as the sum of four square numbers, a far from obvious fact. For example, 310 = 172 +42 + 22 + 12. Some mathematicians have turned their analytic skills on the game of chess itself. A classic problem called the Knights Tour asks whether it is possible to use a knight to jump around the chess board visiting each square once only. The first examples were documented in a 9th-century Arabic manuscript. It is only within the past decade that mathematical techniques have been developed to count exactly how many such tours are possible. It isnt just mathematicians and chess players who have been fascinated by the Knights Tour. The highly styled Sanskrit poem Kavyalankara presents the Knights Tour in verse form. And in the 20th century, the French author Georges Perecs novel Life: A Users Manual describes an apartment with 100 rooms arranged in a 1010 grid. In the novel the order that the author visits the rooms is determined by a Knights Tour on a 1010 chessboard. Mathematicians have also analysed just how many games of chess are possible. If you were to line up chessboards side by side, the number of them you would need to reach from one side of the observable universe to the other would require only 28 digits. Yet Claude Shannon, the mathematician credited as the father of the digital age, estimated that the number of unique games you could play was of the order of 10120 (a 1 followed by 120 0s). Its this level of complexity that makes chess such an attractive game and ensures that at the Olympiad in Russia in 2010, local spectators will witness games of chess never before seen by the human eye, even if the winning team turns out to have familiar names. ________________________________________________________ Rules The official rules of chess are maintained by the World Chess Federation. Along with information on official chess tournaments, the rules are described in the FIDE Handbook, section Laws of Chess.[2] Setup Pieces at the start of a game A b C d e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 A b C D e f g h Initial position: first row: rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, and rook; second row: pawns Chess is played on a square board of eight rows (called ranks and denoted with numbers 1 to 8) and eight columns (called files and denoted with letters a to h) of squares. The colors of the sixty-four squares alternate and are referred to as light squares and dark squares. The chessboard is placed with a light square at the right hand end of the rank nearest to each player, and the pieces are set out as shown in the diagram, with each queen on its own color. The pieces are divided, by convention, into white and black sets. The players are referred to as White and Black, and each begins the game with sixteen pieces of the specified color. These consist of one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. ___________________________________________________________________________ Movement White always moves first. After the initial move, the players alternately move one piece at a time (with the exception of castling, when two pieces are moved). Pieces are moved to either an unoccupied square, or one occupied by an opponents piece, capturing it and removing it from play. With the sole exception of en passant, all pieces capture opponents pieces by moving to the square that the opponents piece occupies. A player may not make any move which would put or leave his king under attack. If the player to move has no legal moves, the game is over; it is either a checkmate-if the king is under attack-or a stalemate-if the king is not. Each chess piece has its own style of moving. In the diagrams, the dots mark the squares where the piece can move if no other pieces (including ones own piece) are on the squares between the pieces initial position and its destination. The king moves one square in any direction, the king has also a special move which is called castling and also involves a rook. The rook can move any number of squares along any rank or file, but may not leap over other pieces. Along with the king, the rook is also involved during the kings castling move. The bishop can move any number of squares diagonally, but may not leap over other pieces. The queen combines the power of the rook and bishop and can move any number of squares along rank, file, or diagonal, but it may not leap over other pieces. The knight moves to any of the closest squares which are not on the same rank, file or diagonal, thus the move forms an L-shape two squares long and one square wide. The knight is the only piece which can leap over other pieces. The pawn may move forward to the unoccupied square immediately in front of it on the same file, or on its first move it may advance two squares along the same file provided both squares are unoccupied, or it may move to a square occupied by an opponents piece, which is diagonally in front of it on an adjacent file, capturing that piece. The pawn has two special moves, the en passant capture, and pawn promotion. Moves of a king a B c D e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a B c D e f g h Moves of a rook a B c D e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a B c D e f g h Moves of a bishop a B c D e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a B c D e f g h Moves of a queen a B c D e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a B c D e f g h Moves of a knight a B c D e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a B c D e f g h Moves of a pawn a B c D e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a B c D e f g h * Pawns can optionally move two squares forward instead of one on their first move only. They capture diagonally (black xs); they cannot capture with their normal move (black circles). Pawns are also involved in the special move en passant (below). Check When a king is under immediate attack by one or two of the opponents pieces, it is said to be in check. A response to a check is a legal move if it results in a position where the king is no longer under direct attack (i.e. not in check). This can involve capturing the checking piece, interposing a piece between the checking piece and the king (which is possible only if the attacking piece is a queen, rook, or bishop and there is a square between it and the king), or moving the king to a square where it is not under attack. Castling is not a permissible response to a check. The object of the game is to checkmate the opponent; this occurs when the opponents king is in check, and there is no legal way to remove it from attack. End of the game Although the objective of the game is to checkmate the opponent, chess games do not have to end in checkmate-either player may resign if the situation looks hopeless. It is considered bad etiquette to continue playing when in a truly hopeless position. If it is a timed game a player may run out of time and lose, even with a much superior position. Games also may end in a draw (tie). A draw can occur in several situations, including draw by agreement, stalemate, threefold repetition of a position, the fifty-move rule, or a draw by impossibility of checkmate (usually because of insufficient material to checkmate). As checkmate from some positions cannot be forced in less than 50 moves (see e.g. pawnless chess endgame and two knights endgame), the fifty-move rule is not applied everywhere,[6] particularly in correspondence chess. White is in checkmate a B c D e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a B c d e f g h White is in checkmate. He cannot escape from being attacked by the Black king and bishops. Stalemate a B c d e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a B c d e f g h Stalemate if Black is to move. The position is not checkmate, and since Black cannot move, the game is a draw. Time control A modern digital chess clock Besides casual games without any time restriction, chess is also played with a time control, mostly by club and professional players. If a players time runs out before the game is completed, the game is automatically lost (provided his opponent has enough pieces left to deliver checkmate). The duration of a game ranges from long games played up to seven hours to shorter rapid chess games lasting usually 30 minutes or one hour per game. Even shorter is blitz chess with a time control of three to fifteen minutes for each player, or bullet chess (under three minutes). In tournament play, time is controlled using a game clock which has two displays, one for each players remaining time. ________________________________________________________ Notation for recording moves Naming the squares in algebraic chess notation Chess games and positions are recorded using a special notation, most often algebraic chess notation. Abbreviated (or short) algebraic notation generally records moves in the format abbreviation of the piece moved file where it moved rank where it moved, e.g. Qg5 means queen moves to the g-file and 5th rank (that is, to the square g5). If there are two pieces of the same type that can move to the same square, one more letter or number is added to indicate the file or rank from which the piece moved, e.g. Ngf3 means knight from the g-file moves to the square f3. The letter P indicating a pawn is not used, so that e4 means pawn moves to the square e4. If the piece makes a capture, x is inserted before the destination square, e.g. Bxf3 means bishop captures on f3. When a pawn makes a capture, the file from which the pawn departed is used in place of a piece initial, and ranks may be omitted if unambiguous. For example, exd5 (pawn on the e-file captures the piece on d5) or exd (pawn on e-file captures something on the d-file). ScholarHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholars_mateHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholars_mates mate If a pawn moves to its last rank, achieving promotion, the piece chosen is indicated after the move, for example e1Q or e1=Q. Castling is indicated by the special notations 0-0 for kingside castling and 0-0-0 for queenside castling. A move which places the opponents king in check usually has the notation + added. Checkmate can be indicated by # (occasionally ++, although this is sometimes used for a double check instead). At the end of the game, 1-0 means White won, 0-1 means Black won and  ½- ½ indicates a draw. Chess moves can be annotated with punctuation marks and other symbols. For example ! indicates a good move, !! an excellent move, ? a mistake, a blunder, !? an interesting move that may not be best or ?! a dubious move, but not easily refuted.[1] For example, one variant of a simple trap known as the ScholarHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholars_mateHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholars_mates mate, animated in the picture to the right, can be recorded: e4 e5 Qh5?! Nc6 Bc4 Nf6 Qxf7# 1-0 ________________________________________________________ Strategy and tactics Chess strategy consists of setting and achieving long-term goals during the game for example, where to place different pieces while tactics concentrate on immediate manoeuvre. These two parts of chess thinking cannot be completely separated, because strategic goals are mostly achieved by the means of tactics, while the tactical opportunities are based on the previous strategy of play. A game of chess is normally divided into three phases: opening, typically the first 10 to 25 moves, when players move their pieces into useful positions for the coming battle; middlegame, usually the fiercest part of the game; and endgame, when most of the pieces are gone, kings typically take a more active part in the struggle, and pawn promotion is often decisive. Opening A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a game (the opening moves). Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings and have been given names such as the Ruy Lopez or Sicilian Defence. They are catalogued in reference works such as the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings. There are dozens of different openings, varying widely in character from quiet positional play (e.g. the Rà ©ti Opening) to very aggressive (e.g. the Latvian Gambit). In some opening lines, the exact sequence considered best for both sides has been worked out to more than 30 moves. Professional players spend years studying openings, and continue doing so throughout their careers, as opening theory continues to evolve. The fundamental strategic aims of most openings are similar: Development: To place (develop) the pieces (particularly bishops and knights) on useful squares where they will have an optimal impact on the game. Control of the center: Control of the central squares allows pieces to be moved to any part of the board relatively easily, and can also have a cramping effect on the opponent. King safety: Keeping the king safe from dangerous possibilities. A correct timing for castling can often enhance this. Pawn structure: Players strive to avoid the creation of pawn weaknesses such as isolated, doubled or backward pawns, and pawn islands and to force such weaknesses in the opponents position. Most players and theoreticians consider that White, by virtue of the first move, begins the game with a small advantage. This initially gives White the initiative. Black usually strives to neutralize Whites advantage and achieve equality, or to develop dynamic counterplay in an unbalanced position. Middlegame The middlegame is the part of the game which starts after the opening. There is no clear line between the opening and the middlegame, but typically the middlegame will start when most pieces have been developed. (Similarly, there is no clear transition from the middlegame to the endgame, see start of the HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_endgame#The_start_of_the_endgameendgame.) Because the opening theory has ended, players have to form plans based on the features of the position, and at the same time to take into account the tactical possibilities in the position. The middlegame is also the phase in which most combinations occur. Combinations are a series of tactical moves executed to achieve some gain. Middlegame combinations are often connected with an attack against the opponents king; some typical patterns have their own names, for example the BodenHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodens_MateHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodens_Mates Mate or the Lasker- Bauer combination. Specific plans or strategic themes will often arise from particular groups of openings which result in a specific type of pawn structure. For example, the minority attack, that is the attack of queenside pawns against an opponent who has more pawns on the queenside. The study of openings should therefore be connected with the preparation of plans that are typical of the resulting middlegames. Another important strategic question in the middlegame is whether and how to reduce material and transform into an endgame (i.e. simplify). For example, minor material advantages can generally be transformed into victory only in an endgame, and therefore the stronger side must choose an appropriate way to achieve an ending. Not every reduction of material is good for this purpose; for example, if one side keeps a light-squared bishop and the opponent has a dark-squared one, the transformation into a bishops and pawns ending is usually advantageous for the weaker side only, because an endgame with bishops on opposite colors is likely to be a draw, even with an advantage of a pawn, or sometimes with a two-pawn advantage. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Endgame a B c D e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a B c d e f g h An example of zugzwang: the side which is to make a move is at a disadvantage. The endgame (or end game or ending) is the stage of the game when there are few pieces left on the board. There are three main strategic differences between earlier stages of the game and endgame: During the endgame, pawns become more important; endgames often revolve around attempting to promote a pawn by advancing it to the eighth rank. The king, which has to be protected in the middlegame owing to the threat of checkmate, becomes a strong piece in the endgame. It is often brought to the center of the board where it can protect its own pawns, attack the pawns of opposite color, and hinder movement of the opponents king. Zugzwang, a disadvantage because the player has to make a move, is often a factor in endgames but rarely in other stages of the game. For example, the diagram on the right is zugzwang for both sides, as with Black to move he must play 1Kb7 and let White promote a pawn after 2.Kd7; and with White to move he must allow a draw by 1.Kc6 stalemate or lose his last pawn by any other legal move. Endgames can be classified according to the type of pieces that remain on board. Basic checkmates are positions in which one side has only a king and the other side has one or two pieces and can checkmate the opposing king, with the pieces working together with their king. For example, king and pawn endgames involve only kings and pawns on one or both sides and the task of the stronger side is to promote one of the pawns. Other more complicated endings are classified according to the pieces on board other than kings, such as the rook and pawn versus rook endgame. Origins of the modern game (1000-1850) A tactical puzzle from LucenaHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Ramirez_de_LucenaHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Ramirez_de_Lucenas 1497 book Around 1200, rules of shatranj started to be modified in southern Europe, and around 1475, several major changes made the game essentially as it is known today. These modern rules for the basic moves had been adopted in Italy and Spain. Pawns gained the option of advancing two squares on their first move, while bishops and queens acquired their modern abilities. The queen replaced the earlier vizier chess piece towards the end of the 10th century and by the 15th century, had become the most powerful piece; consequently modern chess was referred to as Queens Chess or Mad Queen Chess. These new rules quickly spread throughout western Europe, with the exception of the rules about stalemate, which were finalized in the early 19th century. To distinguish it from its predecessors, this version of the rules is sometimes referred to as western chess or international chess. Writings about the theory of how to play chess began to appear in the 15th century. The Repeticià ³n de Amores y Arte de Ajedrez (Repetition of Love and the Art of Playing Chess) by Spanish churchman Luis Ramirez de Lucena was published in Salamanca in 1497. Lucena and later masters like Portuguese Pedro Damiano, Italians Giovanni Leonardo Di Bona, Giulio Cesare Polerio and Gioachino Greco or Spanish bishop Ruy Là ³pez de Segura developed elements of openings and started to analyze simple endgames. Franà §ois-Andrà © Danican Philidor, 18th-century French chess Master In the 18th century the center of European chess life moved from the Southern European countries to France. The two most important French masters were Franà §ois-Andrà © Danican Philidor, a musician by profession, who discovered the importance of pawns for chess strategy, and later Louis-Charles Mahà © de La Bourdonnais who won a famous series of matches with the Irish master Alexander McDonnell in 1834. Centers of chess activity in this period were coffee houses in big European cities like Cafà © de la Rà ©gence in Paris and SimpsonHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simpsons-in-the-StrandHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simpsons-in-the-Strands Divan in London. As the 19th century progressed, chess organization developed quickly. Many chess clubs, chess books and chess journals appeared. There were correspondence matches between cities; for example the London Chess Club played against the Edinburgh Chess Club in 1824. Chess problems became a regular part of 19th-century newspapers; Bernhard Horwitz, Josef Kling and Samuel Loyd composed some of the most influential problems. In 1843, von der Lasa published his and BilguerHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Rudolf_von_BilguerHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Rudolf_von_Bilguers Handbuch des Schachspiels (Handbook of Chess), the first comprehensive manual of chess theory. ________________________________________________________ Competitive play Contemporary chess is an organized sport with structured international and national leagues, tournaments and congresses. Chesss international governing body is FIDE (Fà ©dà ©ration Internationale des Échecs). Most countries have a national chess organization as well (such as the US Chess Federation and English Chess Federation), which in turn is a member of FIDE. FIDE is a member of the International Olympic Committee, but the game of chess has never been part of the Olympic Games; chess does have its own Olympiad, held every two years as a team event. The current World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand (left) playing chess against his predecessor Vladimir Kramnik. The current World Chess Champion is Viswanathan Anand of India. The reigning Womens World Champion is Alexandra Kosteniuk from Russia but the worlds highest rated female player, Judit Polgà ¡r, has never participated in the WomenHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Womens_World_Chess_ChampionshipHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Womens_World_Chess_Championships World Chess Championship, instead preferring to compete with the leading men and maintaining a ranking among the top male players. Other competitions for individuals include the World Junior Chess Championship, the European Individual Chess Championship and the National Chess Championships. Invitation-only tournaments regularly attract the worlds strongest players and these include Spains Linares event, Monte Carlos Melody Amber tournament, the Dortmund Sparkassen meeting, Sofias M-tel Masters and Wijk aan Zees Corus tournament. Regular

Discrimination in the Workplace of Individuals Living with A Disease or

Discrimination in the Workplace of Individuals Living with A Disease or Illness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This research paper is a case study focusing on the discrimination of workers living with a disease or illness. I chose this topic based on the need to educate others on the signs of workplace discrimination. Job discrimination in the workplace can effect many people in many different situations. This particular study chooses to focus on those individuals living with a terminal illness. Discrimination in the workplace can occur more frequently than many expect in this advanced society. The history of job discrimination in general is vast and covers many different areas. In America, the history of discrimination in the area of employment options is a sobering one that reaches far beneath the surface of what many want to know about our seemingly â€Å"fair† society. Broad prejudices against people with illnesses survive at the threshold of the new millennium. Those prejudices, infecting those familiar and unfamiliar with the severity of functional illnesses determine the way â€Å"non-ill† people view and act toward people living and working with illnesses. Many people, however, still fail to recognize the pervasive and damaging nature of â€Å"affliction† prejudice. Deep-seated psychological and sociological mechanisms give rise to prejudice against people with illnesses. While some or all of these mechanisms also contribute to discrimination against other minority groups, their operation in the context of illness has unique characteristics that make affliction prejudice extremely difficult to identify and eradicate. Workplace screening for predisposition to illness was championed during the 1930’s, as it became clear that some workers exposed to toxins on the job became ill while others did not. Such screening is an increasingly frequent though highly controversial practice in industry today. Screening prior to employment can help individuals avoid jobs that could be hazardous to their health. But testing workers for genetic susceptibility after they become ill could be a way for employers to avoid responsibility for workers’ safety and compensation claims, shifting the blame to â€Å"genetically predisposed† workers while ignoring workplace hazards. Bailey House is an organization that was started by West Village area business people, activists and clergy members as a ... ...e insight after learning the background on the program. As with the INVEST NYC program, Bailey House has some other very well established programs that need as much support as possible and there is always a need for more participation and education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This organization is very innovative and outstanding in the right that it possesses a zeal that is continuously making breakthroughs for clients that propel the organization to higher heights and also helps the organization grow in size and experience. The work that Bailey House has done in the community and for the community affected by the illnesses related to HIV/AIDS is remarkable and pushes them to strive toward unspeakable goals. Hopefully some of the landmark cases that have come through this organization will help to dispel stereotypes and stigmatism’s of those living with terminal illnesses that still insist on being a part of the workforce. Until then, Human Resource Management will continue to play a role in mandating fair and just treatment of those living with illnesses that are thrust into the workforce. This study has shown that barriers can be broken and optimism for a brighter future may still exist.

The Indigo Spell Chapter Sixteen

I GAVE MS. TERWILLIGER a full report on our trip to the inn the next morning. We met at Spencer's, and in a rare show of early rising, Adrian joined us. â€Å"I've got a study group meeting soon,† he explained. His mood was a lot better, with no mention of yesterday's . . . indiscretion. Even though there wasn't much to tell, lines of worry creased her face as she heard our story. The true panic came when I mentioned my dream. Ms. Terwilliger's eyes went wide, and she gripped her coffee cup so tightly, I thought it would break. â€Å"She found out,† she murmured. â€Å"Whether it was that Alicia girl or some other way, Veronica found out about you. I should never have sent you. I thought you'd slip underneath her radar if the other girls were charmed, but I was wrong. I was selfish and naive. It would've been better if she knew I was on to her from the very beginning. You're sure you were masking Sydney's appearance?† That was to Adrian. â€Å"Positive,† he said. â€Å"Everyone we talked to, all the girls and even Alicia . . . none of them would have a clear idea of what Sydney looks like.† â€Å"Maybe she's been spying on you,† I suggested. â€Å"And saw us together. I haven't been in disguise around here.† â€Å"Maybe,† Ms. Terwilliger conceded. â€Å"But we also know she was active in Los Angeles. She would have to spend considerable time stalking her victims, which wouldn't give her the chance to come here and watch me extensively. Even with her powers, she can't teleport.† Her expression hardened with resolve. â€Å"Well, there's nothing to be done now but damage control. She doesn't seem to know exactly where you are yet or that you're even connected to me. I'll make you another charm to try to boost this one, but it may not work if she's found a way to reach out to you. And in the meantime, don't worry about offense anymore. You need to focus on defense – particularly invisibility spells. Your best protection against Veronica at this point is for her simply not to find you if she comes looking around Palm Springs.† I'd continued reading the advanced offense spells, despite her warnings. With this new development, though, I knew she was right about defense being more important. Still, I couldn't shake the worry that Veronica had discovered me by watching Ms. Terwilliger, which in turn made me fear for my teacher's safety. â€Å"You keep saying she's not after you . . . but are you really sure?† â€Å"She'll avoid me if she can,† said Ms. Terwilliger, sounding confident. â€Å"I have the power but not the youth and beauty she's after. And even she would draw the line at taking on her sister. It's the only remnant of human decency she has left.† â€Å"Will she still have that attitude when you confront her?† asked Adrian. Ms. Terwilliger shook her head. â€Å"No. Then anything goes. I'd like to meet with you tonight to practice a couple other defensive tactics.† I eyed her carefully. â€Å"Are you up for that? No offense, ma'am, but you already look exhausted.† â€Å"I'll be fine. Meet me at the park again around ten. I'll get Weathers to let you go. We must keep you safe.† She stared off into space for several moments and then focused on me again. â€Å"In light of this development . . . it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to find some, ah, more basic means of defense as well.† â€Å"Basic?† I asked, puzzled. â€Å"She means like a gun or a knife,† supplied Adrian, catching on to what I hadn't. Ms. Terwilliger nodded. â€Å"If you ever confront Veronica, it'll most likely come down to magic fighting magic . . . but, well, one can never say. Having something else for backup might prove invaluable.† I wasn't a fan of this idea. â€Å"I have no clue how to knife fight. And I don't like guns.† â€Å"Do you like being put into a coma and aging before your time?† asked Adrian. I shot him a glare, surprised he'd be on board with this. â€Å"Of course not. But where would we even get one on such short notice?† From the look on his face, he knew I had a point. Suddenly, he became enthusiastic again. â€Å"I think I know.† â€Å"I'm sure you two will figure it out,† said Ms. Terwilliger, her mind already moving to something else. She glanced at her watch. â€Å"Almost time for classes.† We all stood up, preparing to go our own ways, but I held Adrian back. I couldn't imagine how in the world he would know where to get a gun on no notice. He wouldn't elaborate and simply said he'd meet me after school. Before he left, I remembered something I'd wanted to ask. â€Å"Adrian, did you keep my cross?† â€Å"Your – oh.† Looking into his eyes, I could practically see yesterday's events playing through his mind – including us rolling around on the bed. â€Å"I dropped it when – ah, well, before we left. Yo u didn't pick it up?† I shook my head, and his face fell. â€Å"Shit, I'm sorry, Sage.† â€Å"It's okay,† I said automatically. â€Å"It's not okay, and it's my fault. I know how much it means to you.† It did mean a lot to me, but I almost blamed myself as much as him. I should've thought of it before we left, but I'd been a little preoccupied. â€Å"It's just a necklace,† I told him. This didn't comfort him. He looked so dejected when we parted ways that I hoped he wouldn't forget about us meeting up later to visit his mysterious gun source. There was nothing to worry about, though. When classes ended, he was outside my dorm in the Mustang and looked much more upbeat, with no more mention of the necklace. When he told me his gun plan, I was shocked, but after a few moments of thought, I realized he might be on to something. And so, a little less than an hour later, we found ourselves far outside the city, driving up to a forlorn-looking home on a large, barren piece of land. We had reached the Wolfe School of Defense. â€Å"I never thought we'd be here again,† I remarked. Wolfe's house had no windows, and there were no cars in sight as we walked up to the door. â€Å"He may not even be home,† I murmured to Adrian. â€Å"We probably should have called first.† â€Å"Wolfe never struck me as a guy who leaves the house very much,† said Adrian. He knocked on the door, and almost instantly, we heard a flurry of barking and scampering feet. I grimaced. Wolfe, for reasons I would never be able to understand, kept a herd of Chihuahuas in his house. He'd once told us that they could kill a man upon a single command. We waited a few minutes, but the barking was the only sign that there was any sort of life inside. Adrian knocked one more time (driving the dogs into an even greater frenzy) and then shrugged. â€Å"I guess you were – â€Å" The door suddenly opened – just a slit – and one gray eye peered out at us from underneath a chain. â€Å"Oh,† came a grizzled voice. â€Å"It's you two.† The door closed, and I heard the chain being unlocked. A moment later, Wolfe slipped outside, careful not to let any of the dogs out. He had a patch over his left eye, which was probably just as well since his other eye alone seemed to peer straight through me. â€Å"You should've called,† he said. â€Å"I nearly turned the dogs on you.† Wolfe was dressed in his favorite pair of Bermuda shorts as well as a T-shirt showing a bald eagle riding on a monster truck. The eagle held an American flag in one set of talons and a samurai sword in the other. That seemed a weird weapon choice for such a patriotic shirt, but we'd long since learned not to question his wardrobe. That had come after he'd kicked a woman out of our class who'd dared to ask if he only had one pair of shorts or several identical ones. â€Å"What do you kids need?† he asked. â€Å"Next classes don't start until after New Year's.† Adrian and I exchanged glances. â€Å"We, um, need a gun,† I said. â€Å"I mean, just to borrow.† Wolfe scratched his beard. â€Å"I don't lend them out to students who haven't taken my gun class. Safety first.† I found it promising, however, that he lent out guns at all. It was a sign of his character that he didn't even bother asking why we wanted one. â€Å"I've already had training,† I said. That was true. It was mandatory for all Alchemists. I'd done well in it, but as I'd mentioned to Adrian, I really didn't like guns at all. At least a knife had other uses. But a gun? It was only there to injure or kill. Wolfe arched an eyebrow, the one over his good eye. Clearly, he didn't believe me. â€Å"Can you back that up?† â€Å"Do you have a shooting range?† I returned coolly. He almost looked offended. â€Å"Of course I do.† He led us to a building beyond the garage we'd trained in. I'd never been inside this building before, but like his house, it had no windows. The door was covered in enough locks to meet with Alchemist security standards. He let us inside, and I gaped when I saw not only a practice range but also a wall covered in various types of guns. Wolfe gave the small holding space a once-over. â€Å"Earmuffs must be in the house. Be right back.† I continued staring at the wall, knowing my eyes were wide. â€Å"There's no way those are all legal.† Adrian's response was unexpected. â€Å"Did you notice his eye patch?† I dragged my gaze from the arsenal. â€Å"Um, yes. From the day we first met him.† â€Å"No, no. I mean, I swear it was on his other eye last time.† â€Å"It was not,† I said immediately. â€Å"Are you sure?† asked Adrian. I wasn't, I realized. Words and numbers were easy for me to memorize. But other details, like clothing or hair – or eye patches – were sometimes easy for me to miss. â€Å"That doesn't make any sense,† I finally said. â€Å"Why would he do that?† â€Å"He's Malachi Wolfe,† said Adrian. â€Å"Why wouldn't he do that?† I couldn't argue against that. Wolfe returned with ear protection. After examining his wall, he selected a small handgun and then unlocked a cabinet containing ammunition. At least he didn't leave a bunch of loaded guns around. â€Å"I'll do that,† I told him. I took the gun from him and effortlessly loaded it. He made a small grunt of approval. He gestured toward the far end of the range, to a large paper cutout showing a human silhouette with various targets marked on it. â€Å"Now then,† he said. â€Å"Don't worry about hitting the – â€Å" I fired, perfectly emptying the clip into the most difficult targets. I handed the gun to him. He handed it back. Behind him, I could see Adrian staring at me with enormous eyes. â€Å"Keep it,† said Wolfe. â€Å"You passed. You've gotta buy your own ammunition, but as long as you fill out the rental agreement, you're good to go.† As it turned out, the â€Å"rental agreement† was a piece of paper where he wrote the gun type on one side and I put my initials on the other. â€Å"Really?† I asked. â€Å"That's all I need to do? I mean, I'm glad, but . . .† I didn't really know what else to say. Wolfe waved off my protests. â€Å"You're a good kid. If you say you need a gun, I believe you. Someone giving you trouble?† I slipped the gun into my messenger bag. â€Å"Something like that.† Wolfe glanced over at Adrian. â€Å"What about you? You need a gun too?† â€Å"I'm good,† said Adrian. â€Å"Besides, I haven't had the training. Safety first.† Wolfe opened up the ammunition cabinet again and produced a long wooden tube and a sandwich bag of what looked like small darts. â€Å"You want to borrow my blowgun? Not much of a learning curve on this. I mean, you'll never be able to match the skill and cunning of the Amazonian warriors that I stole this from, but it can get you out of a pinch.† â€Å"Thanks, but I'll take my chances,† Adrian said after several long moments. He almost sounded as though he'd considered it. I was still hung up on Wolfe's other words, not sure I believed what I'd heard. â€Å"You were in the Amazon?† This time, Wolfe arched the eyebrow above his eye patch. â€Å"You don't believe me?† â€Å"No, no, of course I do,† I said quickly. â€Å"It's just, you've never mentioned it before.† Wolfe gazed off beyond us. â€Å"I've been trying for years to forget my time there. But some things, you just can't escape.† A very long and very uncomfortable silence followed. At last, I cleared my throat. â€Å"Well, thank you, sir. We should get going. Hopefully I won't need the gun for very long.† â€Å"Keep it as long as you need,† he said. â€Å"If I want it back, I'll find you.† And on that disturbing note, Adrian and I left. Although I understood Ms. Terwilliger's reasons for â€Å"old-fashioned† defense, I was in no way comfortable having a gun around. I'd have to keep it in my car in case school authorities ever did a search of my room and discovered it. My Alchemist and magical kits were already a liability. I was pretty sure there'd be no talking my way out of a gun. Adrian returned me to Amberwood. I started to open the door and then paused to glance over at him. â€Å"Thanks,† I said. â€Å"For everything. Going to the inn. Suggesting we see Wolfe.† â€Å"Hey, that was worth it just to know Wolfe owns a blowgun.† I laughed. â€Å"Actually, I'd be more surprised if he didn't. See you later.† Adrian nodded. â€Å"Sooner than you think.† â€Å"What's that mean?† I asked, suspicion rearing up in me. He dodged the question and reached underneath his seat. â€Å"I called Alicia,† he told me, producing a small box. â€Å"She couldn't find your cross. Her housekeeping service had already gone through and cleaned the room, but she says she'll check to see if it got caught up in the bedding. Oh, and I also asked about Veronica. She hasn't been back.† That was disheartening news, but I was touched he'd called. â€Å"Thanks for trying.† He opened the box and pulled out a necklace with a tiny wooden cross on it. â€Å"I got you a replacement. I mean, I know there's no real substitute, but I wanted to get you something. And don't start about not being able to accept some fancy gift,† he said, guessing the protest I was about to make. â€Å"It cost me five dollars from a street vendor, and I'm pretty sure the chain is brass.† I bit off my words and took the necklace from him. The cross barely weighed anything. Studying it more closely, I could see a tiny pattern of silver flowers painted on its surface. â€Å"The vendor didn't do that. That's your handiwork.† â€Å"Well . . . I know you're into simple stuff, but I've always got to have some embellishment.† I ran my finger over the cross's surface. â€Å"Why'd you choose morning glories?† â€Å"Because I'm not the biggest fan of lilies.† I smiled at that. When I returned to my dorm room, I laid the necklace out on my dresser. I gave it one last fond look and then tried to decide how best to spend the rest of my day. Our trip to Wolfe actually hadn't taken that long, so I had plenty of time to catch dinner and make sure I was up to date on my homework. I actually ate with Kristin and Julia for a change, which was kind of a nice break from the drama of my other friends. Of course, most of the meal consisted of Julia gushing about â€Å"Dave.† By the end, both she and Kristin were demanding to know when I'd bring him by again. As the evening pushed on, I began to prepare for my meeting with Ms. Terwilliger. I wasn't sure what kind of magic we'd be practicing outdoors but figured I should be ready for anything. I packed a wide variety of items from my kit and even had the foresight to bring a granola bar for post-magic fuel. Once everything was in order, I headed back downstairs. I was nearly out the dorm door when Mrs. Weathers called out to me. â€Å"Sydney?† I paused to glance back. â€Å"Yes, ma'am?† â€Å"Where are you going? It's nearly curfew.† Frowning, I walked over to her desk. â€Å"I'm doing an assignment for Ms. Terwilliger.† Mrs. Weathers looked troubled. â€Å"Yes, I know you do that a lot for her . . . but I haven't received authorization from her to let you out after hours today.† Her expression turned apologetic. â€Å"I'm sure this is all on the up-and-up, but, well, rules are rules.† â€Å"Of course,† I said. â€Å"But she said she'd let you know. Are you sure you didn't get anything? A note? A phone call?† She shook her head. â€Å"Nothing. I'm sorry.† â€Å"I understand,† I murmured, though I wasn't sure I did. Despite her perpetually scattered nature, Ms. Terwilliger was usually good about this sort of thing. Mrs. Weathers assured me she'd let me go if Ms. Terwilliger gave the okay by phone, so I returned to my room and attempted to call her. I went straight to voice mail, and my text went unanswered. Had something happened to her? Had that magical confrontation I'd been dreading finally gone down? I kicked around my dorm room for the next hour or so, letting all my worries eat at me. Veronica. Marcus. St. Louis. Ms. Terwilliger. The dream. Over and over, I kept imagining the worst outcome for all of them. Just when I thought I'd go crazy, Ms. Terwilliger finally returned my call. â€Å"Why didn't you show up?† she asked as soon as I answered. I felt relieved. She'd gone to the park. That explained the lack of contact since there was no signal out there. â€Å"I tried! Mrs. Weathers wouldn't let me out. You forgot to give me permission.† â€Å"I most certainly didn't. . . .† Her words trailed off uncertainly. â€Å"That is, I thought I did. . . .† â€Å"It's okay† I said. â€Å"You've had a lot on your mind.† â€Å"It's not okay.† She sounded angry but it was at herself, not me. â€Å"I need to be on top of this.† â€Å"Well, you can call Mrs. Weathers now,† I said. â€Å"Too late. I'm already back home. We'll have to attempt this again another time.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said. â€Å"I tried.† Ms. Terwilliger sighed. â€Å"I know you did. It's not your fault. It's mine. I'm letting all of this wear me down, and now I'm getting sloppy. I've already taken too many risks at your expense, and it's put Veronica on your trail. I can't let her get any farther.† A chill ran through me as I thought of those comatose girls – and the possibility of me joining them. I'd been able to stay cool and collected while investigating, but last night's dream had driven home the dangers I faced. That image of the girl in the newspaper hovered in my mind as I held the phone and paced my room. I stopped in front of a mirror and tried to picture myself like that, aged before my time. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned away. I couldn't let that happen to me. I just couldn't, and I needed Ms. Terwilliger if I was going to stay safe. Maybe I was a prodigy, but I was nowhere near being able to take on someone like her sister. â€Å"Get some rest, ma'am,† I said at last. â€Å"You sound like you need it.† â€Å"I'll try. And you be careful, Miss Melbourne.† â€Å"I will.† Being careful was the only thing I could do on my own for now. I just hoped it would be enough. When we got off the phone, I didn't want to sleep again. I was afraid to, and it wasn't just because of the sheer terror I'd felt in last night's dream. Ms. Terwilliger had explained there was a type of searching spell that sought people in their sleep, and I worried that if Veronica reached out to me again, she might get a fix on my location. The problem was that after last night's sketchy sleep, I was now even more exhausted. My usual coffee and distraction tricks failed, and before I knew it, I was asleep. I don't know how much time passed before I dreamed. One moment I was lost in the oblivion of sleep. The next, I found myself standing in the room that had hosted Sonya and Mikhail's reception. It looked exactly the same: flowers everywhere, tables covered in white linen and crystal glasses . . . The only difference was that the room was empty and silent. It was eerie, seeing all that richness and glamour with no one to enjoy it. I could've been in a ghost town. I looked down and saw that I wore the same dress from that evening as well. â€Å"I could've made it red, you know. That's a better color for you – not that blue looks bad on you.† Adrian strode toward me, dressed in the same dark blue suit. Understanding hit me. I was in a spirit dream. It was another of that element's incredible feats, the ability for a spirit user to intrude on someone's dreams. No – not intrude. The user was actually able to create the dream itself, controlling every detail. â€Å"It's been a long time since you pulled me into one of these,† I said. â€Å"And look at the progress you've made. Last time you were kicking and screaming.† He held out a hand. â€Å"Want to dance?† â€Å"No music,† I said, not that I had any intention of dancing. He had a point about my reaction, though. I hadn't exactly been kicking and screaming, but I had kind of freaked out. I'd been in full possession of all my fears about vampires and magic, and being surrounded in a world completely constructed of that magic had left me frightened and unhinged. And now? Now I had apparently become so comfortable that my biggest concern was that he'd put me in this dress. I gestured to it. â€Å"Can you change me out of this?† â€Å"You can change yourself out of it,† he said. â€Å"I'm letting go of the control. Just picture yourself the way you are in reality.† I did exactly that, and a moment later, I wore jeans and a pale blue knit top. This obviously disappointed him. â€Å"That's what you sleep in?† â€Å"No.† I laughed. â€Å"I was trying not to sleep at all. It didn't work. Why'd you bring me here?† He strolled around and picked up one of the crystal goblets, nodding in approval as though he were some sort of glassmaking expert. â€Å"Exactly that reason. I saw how much that dream bothered you. I figured if I pulled you into one of these, it'd keep you from one of Veronica's.† I'd never thought of that. Vampire magic was certainly preferable to hers. Looking around, I gained a new appreciation for the room. It became a sanctuary, a place where she couldn't reach me. At least, I hoped not. We really didn't know how her magic would work against Adrian's. For all I knew, she might come walking through the door, carrying Sonya's bouquet. â€Å"Thank you,† I said. I sat down at one of the tables. â€Å"That was nice of you.† It was another one of those incredible moments when Adrian had had the insight to guess my thoughts – or in this case, my fears. â€Å"Well, it was also selfish. I wanted to see you in the dress.† He reconsidered. â€Å"Actually, I wanted to see you in that red Halloween dress again, but I figured that would be pushing my luck.† I looked away as an image of that dress returned to me. Lia DiStefano had created the costume for me. She'd loosely based it on an ancient Greek dress and ended up with a gauzy confection of red and gold. That was when Adrian had said I was the most beautiful creature walking the earth. It had happened before he expressed his feelings for me, but even then, his words had undone me. I thought about what he was doing for me now and decided to give him a small compensation. I focused again on my clothes, and the blue dress returned. â€Å"Better?† I asked. His face lit up in a way that made me smile in return. â€Å"Yes.† Hoping I wasn't setting myself up for some suggestive answer, I asked, â€Å"So what are we going to do?† â€Å"You sure you don't want to dance? I can make some music.† My silence spoke for me. â€Å"Fine, fine. I don't know. We could play a game. Monopoly? Life? Battleship? Twister? Whatever we do, I am not playing Scrabble with you.† We warmed up with Battleship – I won – and then moved on to Monopoly. That took a little work to set up because Adrian could only create things that he could imagine. He couldn't remember all the streets and cards, so we made our best attempt to re-create them. Neither of us could remember one of the yellow streets, so he named it Jet Way. We proved surprisingly well matched, and I became engrossed in the game. The power shifted back and forth between us. Just when one of us seemed to have all the control, the other would seize it back. I had no doubts about my ability to win – until I lost. I sat there, dumbstruck, staring at the board. â€Å"Have you ever lost a game before?† he asked. â€Å"I . . . yes, of course . . . I just didn't think . . .† â€Å"That I could beat you?† â€Å"No, I just . . . it doesn't happen very often.† I looked up at him and shook my head. â€Å"Congratulations.† He leaned back in his chair and laughed. â€Å"I think beating you just improved your opinion of me more than anything else I've ever done.† â€Å"I've always had a high opinion of you.† I stretched out, surprised to feel kinks in my body. It was strange how these dreams could have such a realistic physical component. â€Å"How long have we have been here?† â€Å"I don't know. It's not morning yet.† He appeared unconcerned. â€Å"What do you want to play next?† â€Å"We shouldn't play anything,† I said. I stood up. â€Å"It's been hours. I'm asleep, but you aren't. You can't stay up all night.† â€Å"I'm a vampire, Sage. A creature of the night, remember?† â€Å"One who's on a human schedule,† I chastised. He still didn't seem worried. â€Å"Only one class tomorrow. I'll make it up.† â€Å"What about the spirit?† I began to pace restlessly as more of the implications hit me. â€Å"You have to be using a lot of it. That's not good for you.† â€Å"I'll take my chances.† There was an unspoken for you at the end of his sentence. I returned to the table and stood in front of his chair. â€Å"You have to be careful. Between this and the Veronica hunt. . . .† I suddenly felt bad. I hadn't thought twice about asking him to help with that. I'd forgotten the risks. â€Å"Once we've stopped her, you need to lay off the spirit.† â€Å"Don't worry.† He grinned. â€Å"Once we've gotten rid of that bitch, I'll be celebrating so much that I won't be sober for days.† â€Å"Ugh. Not the healthiest way to do it. Have you ever thought about antidepressants?† I knew they helped some spirit users by blocking the magic. His smile vanished. â€Å"I won't touch those things. Lissa took them and hated them. Being cut off from spirit nearly drove her crazy.† I crossed my arms and leaned against the table. â€Å"Yeah, but using it will drive you crazy too.† â€Å"No lectures tonight, Sage. It mars my stunning Monopoly victory.† He was far too casual for such a serious matter, but I knew him well enough to recognize when he wouldn't yield. â€Å"Fine. Then let's end on a high note. Send me back, and get some sleep.† â€Å"You sure you'll be okay?† His concern was so intense. I didn't think anyone had ever worried about me that much. Well, maybe Ms. Terwilliger. â€Å"Probably she gave up for the night.† I really didn't know, but I couldn't let him keep exerting himself. The thought of Veronica reaching out again terrified me . . . but the thought of Adrian endangering himself almost scared me more. He'd risked so much for me. Could I do any less? â€Å"You can check on me tomorrow night, though.† Adrian's face lit up as though I'd just accepted a date. â€Å"It's a deal, then.† And like that, the reception hall dissolved around me. I returned to peaceful sleep and just barely heard him say, â€Å"Sweet dreams, Sage.†

How does Starbucks deal with 5 management principles Essay Example

How does Starbucks deal with 5 management principles Essay Example How does Starbucks deal with 5 management principles Paper How does Starbucks deal with 5 management principles Paper Management has been defined in various ways by different authors and scholars; however most of these definitions converge towards one definition. Management is the process that entails planning, organising, leading and controlling all efforts of members of an organisation and the use of other organisational resources to accomplish organisational goals. Management is, therefore, a systematic process that utilizes resources efficiently through the effort of others to achieve specific stated goals (Dale 4). Managers whether chief executive officers, departmental heads or supervisors must perform certain functions and process which pertain to management. These functions also known as principles include: planning and strategy, decision making, organizing and control, leadership, communications, teamwork, HR and employee motivation, global management, organizational change and ethics. This paper aims to discuss the application of these management principles to Starbucks Corporation. Starbucks Corporation began in 1971 with a single store undertaking as a retailer and roaster of ground and whole bean tea, coffee and spices. Currently, it has millions of customers in over 50 countries world wide. Starbucks mission is ‘to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighbourhood at a time. ’ Starbucks specialises in coffee and believes in serving the best quality coffee possible through ensuring high standards in coffee growing and rich flavouring of coffee beans at its roasting plants. Its range of products include: coffee, merchandise, hand crafted beverages, fresh food and consumer products. It is listed on NASDAQ as common stock (Starbucks 1-3). This large corporation which has existed successfully over the decades would form a good case in the analysis of how management principles are applied to the organisation which has seen its successful growth and survival. Planning and Strategy The planning and strategy formulation processes of organisations are closely intertwined. Planning is the process of setting objectives and putting in place strategies to ensure the fulfilment of the set objectives. Starbuck has a clearly set mission statement which forms the starting point in planning or strategic management process. Its mission is ‘To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighbourhood at a time. ’ Being a global brand, planning occurs at the corporate level head quarter and at the level of the specific stores. The top management sets the global overall strategy, which is copied across the continent while taking into consideration particular needs of each licensee store and their operating environment. The strategies set by the top management include site selection, design and creative concepts for their global stores. Organization and Control Managerial organization is the process of grouping organisational activities and forming the relationships of authority among them (Kuttyta par. 3). Starbucks is organised by having a top management then managers of various business units like Digital ventures. The top management whose chair is the Chief executive officer (the company president) is the ultimate authority. There are two managers after the CEO one responsible for Starbucks US and the other responsible for Starbucks Coffee International. The main functions of Starbucks stores are managed centrally for all its global outlets. The management consists of a global: marketing manager, supply chain manager, human resources manager, administrative and finance manager and public affairs manager. These managers liaise directly with regional store managers. Its global presence makes it almost impossible for employees to interact personally with the senior managers (Starbucks). Control on the other hand entails process and practices that managers use to ensure that performance is congruent with before stated plans (Kuttyta pars 4). The main control mechanisms at Starbucks are governance principles, committee policies and charters that guide decisions made in the organisation. Performance reviews done on all stores and regions also ensure compliance to strategic objectives. Human Resources and Employee Motivation Human resources and employee motivation involves the decisions and activities that enable an organisation to attract and retain qualified personnel in the organisation. These activities include selection, training, development, compensation and appraisal (Duening and Ivancevich 5). To begin with, in 2009 Starbucks was ranked among the 100 Best Companies to work for by Fortune. Employees are highly valued and as known as partners due to the open and direct relationships with them and Starbucks. Partners are offered comprehensive benefits such as health care benefits and flexible working hours. The optimal scheduling program implemented in 2008 allows partners to work for regular schedules and more hours. Additional benefits include savings plan and stock purchase plan. The selection process is open and acknowledges workforce diversity. The most qualified people are hired in an open process that allows competitive selection. Being an equal opportunity employer Starbucks looks at qualifications regardless of the race, origin, religion, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and marital status. The same policy applies to transfers, compensation, promotion and termination benefits. Team work is an essential part of employee motivation as well as an element of organisation. Team work satisfies the employee’s need of wanting to belong to a group or a team, on the other hand it promotes good decision making in an organisation. At Starbucks team works is applies from top management to employees. Decisions are made and work assignments done in a team to promote the spirit of community and team work which is a core value of Starbuck. Leadership Leadership is a means of inspiring organisational members to achieve organisational goals, because the leader makes the members believe in what they are doing. The style of leadership in an organisation is a determinant of staff morale and is key to effective communication (Wanish pars 3-4). The managers of Starbuck are transformational leaders who believe in change and in the value of their employees, the reason why they consider their employees partners. The transformational nature of leadership has enabled the organisation to embrace environmental friendly practices like in monitoring their supplier farmers and to be socially responsible for the communities affected by their business. Changes in the organisation originate with the managers who support the change and help their partners to effect change (Starbucks). Globalization  Starbucks has a global presence in over 50 countries. Globalisation has brought a number of challenges to managers; the advances in technology have made it possible even for small firms to compete in the universal arena. Starbucks is a Multinational Corporation having significant operations each of it’s over 50 countries. The need to increase sales drove the company to China with population of 1. 3 billion many of which prefers tea. According to Degree Dictionary (pars1-2), global management is the capacity and business value needed by a multinational to operate effectively and efficiently. To properly manage its diverse staff, due to its policy of inclusion, equity and accessibility, Starbucks has created global communities and networks which serve the specific needs of its employees (partners). The partner networks help promote inclusion amidst diversity and foster professional and personal development, an example of its partner networks is Starbucks Black Partner Network, whose role is to reinforce connections among the community and assist in the professional development of partners of African descent. Starbucks operates licensing agreements for its global business. It licenses its brand name, coffee manufacturing technology and trademarks to business in air travel, retail, health care, college/ university, recreation, lodging and healthcare (Starbucks). Starbucks has global operations and products for its licensee stores. The stores have standardized operations worldwide in terms of beverage and food preparation. Decision Making A typical decision making model has six steps: problem definition, objective and criteria setting, generation of alternatives, analysing and selecting the best alternative, planning and implementation of decision and controlling the decision (Lussier 53). Decisions at Starbucks are made at various level of management. Strategic decisions are made by the top management who in turn allow business unit and operational managers to make decisions for their various units. The governance principles, committee policies and charters dictate that decisions are made after gathering sufficient information and generating alternatives. The policies are a mechanism to ensure decisions are made in the best interest of Starbucks (StarBucks). Ethics Business ethics are standards of right and wrong that influence behavior. Starbucks is concerned about its ethical behavior and has put in place ethical standards to ensure its compliance with ethics. It has long term relationships with its coffee supplier farmers worldwide to ensure the maintenance of quality and ethical standards in growing and trading by 2015. The ethical philosophy at Starbucks states that, they are aiming for a better cup of coffee which also aids in the creation of a better future for farmers and a more stable climate. By partnering with Conservation International, Starbuck have been enabled to develop guidelines on ethical sourcing which helps in purchasing coffee that is grown responsibly and traded in an ethical manner. Starbucks works closely with farmers in developing growing methods that are responsible as well as investing in coffee production communities for sustainable supply of coffee. Tea and cocoa sourced by Starbuck is also monitored to ensure ethical standards. For instance El Triunfo Reserve in Mexico is home to some of the rare bird species in Latin America at the same time the source of coffee for Starbucks. At this forest farmers protect the biodiversity and birds by using traditional shade growing and organic agricultural methods. Further the ethics campaign extends to the procurement of store products such as aprons, shelves and tables. Consideration is given to the manner in which such products are manufactured in comparison to the Supplier Social Responsibility Standards for goods. Goods and services are procured from suppliers who comply with the ethical standards and who share in Starbucks’ commitment to environmental and social responsibility. Just to show the seriousness of Starbuck to ethics by the end of 2009 they had assessed 114 factories to determine their performance as well as engaging in 37 improvement programs. Starbucks through Starbucksâ„ ¢ Shared Planetâ„ ¢ partners with non-governmental organizations to realise its objectives of community involvement, environmental stewardship and ethical sourcing. The NGO’s that are associated with Starbucks include: Conservation International, Earthwatch Institute, Fair Trade, United States Green Building Council (USGBC), Sustainable Food Lab, African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), and Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), Ceres, Save the Children, Product (RED) â„ ¢, International Youth Foundation (IYF), Ashoka Youth Ventures and Mercy Corps (Starbucks). Starbucks is an organisation with global presence and has embraced the principles of management. The planning and strategy formulation process starts with senior management then tickles down the organisation. The employees are a valued asset; they enjoy various benefits and their diversity is taken into consideration. The company is organised to have top management and business unit managers that are supported by functional managers based at the head quarters. To ensure that the organization meets its objectives periodic appraisals are carried out as a control mechanism. The transformational leadership at Starbucks has spear headed the inclusion of business ethics and social responsibility among its corporate strategies.

Zebra Muscles in the Hudson River Essays

Zebra Muscles in the Hudson River Essays Zebra Muscles in the Hudson River Essay Zebra Muscles in the Hudson River Essay Essay Topic: At the Bottom Of the River Zebra Mussels in the Hudson River There is a large population of zebra mussels in the Hudson River. The zebra mussel migrated from Europe on the bottom of boats. This organisms population has greatly increased in the last few years and is causing many problems for the environment. The zebra mussel has a very negative effect on the environment surrounding the Hudson River because they are depleting the food supply of the fish, causing changes in the water, and taking up a lot of room. The Zebra Mussel is rapidly decreasing the food supply for fish in the river. There are many microorganisms in the river whos numbers have been affected by the ntroduction of the Zebra Mussel. For instance, the number of phytoplankton has been decreased by eighty two percent since the mussels were introduced in 1992 (river ecology pg. 8). With the decrease of these organisms, the fish species are suffering from a shortage of food. This is causing them to die off, decreasing the numbers of species that habitat the river. If the river loses all of its fish, it will cause a huge change in the environment surrounding it. With the phytoplankton at the lower end of the food chain, the small fish feed on them; the large fish feed on the small ish, and the larger animals in and around the river feed on the large fish. With the decrease of all of these food supplies, there will be a decrease of all of the species in the area. Not only is the decreased food supply an issue, but the zebra mussels are causing changes in the water of the Hudson River. For example, there are three main Abiotic factors, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and suspended solids. Dissolved oxygen is a very important factor in the survival of organisms in the river. Studies show that Both producers and consumers (like zebra mussels) take up oxygen during respiration causing oxygen levels to drop. Zebra mussels also reduce oxygen levels by eating producers (like phytoplankton) that release 02 during photosynthesis (river ecology pg. 5). This effect that the zebra mussels have is a very negative effect. The reduced oxygen levels will make it so animals can no longer live in the river. This causes the area to lose a major food supply to the larger animals surrounding it. This will have a huge impact on the environment and the food chain. Along with the decreased food supply, and the changes to the water, zebra mussels also take up a lot of room in the river. Since they have been introduced, there have een a decreased number of other organisms for many reasons, with one being that there Just isnt enough room for all of the different species. Scientists say that if you had a huge balance and put zebra mussels on one side, they would outweigh all the other consumers in the ecosystem combined. (River ecology pg. 6). With the zebra mussels taking up over half of the population of the river, there isnt much room left for other organisms. The lack of diversity in the river is a huge problem to the food chain, because once a species no longer exists, it is hard for larger animals to find a ew supply of food. This again will cause a decrease in surrounding animals, and could even cause some animals to become extinct. In conclusion, the zebra mussel has a very negative effect on the environment surrounding the Hudson River because taking up a lot of room. If the number of zebra mussels isnt decreased, the Hudson River could be facing a huge problem. It is slowly losing its specie variety, the 02 levels are decreasing, and the river is being filled with more and more of this organism. If this isnt controlled, this area could have a large problem on their hands in the near future.

Baby Boomer's Clinic Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Baby Boomer's Clinic - Research Paper Example Women with maternity HMO coverage include the wellness visit of the baby’s first year. Weakness: - Patients without any HMO coverage will most likely default on their payment. Most employers do not carry maternity and extended coverage for family members. The number of potential patients with HMO coverage may not reach critical mass. Parents may not be receptive to the idea of having their infants undergo dieting and exercising at a very early age. Developing a wellness program for every infant may require expensive diagnostic evaluation to ensure that it will not be adverse to the infant’s medical condition. Opportunities: - Providing OB-GYN services can create a natural market for the Wellness baby services. Being a Vaccination Center for the State or Federal Government can create awareness for the clinic’s wellness program. A generic wellness program that will work across a wider infant population without the need for expensive diagnostic testing will be a valuable asset that can be sold to the public. Strategy to address weakness: - During the patient pre-screening, HMO coverage detail will be obtained and verified. If there is no coverage, payment can be demanded outright before the patient is seen by the doctor. Sign-up to be an HMO accredited clinic to ensure steady and guaranteed revenue from covered patients. The HMO itself will do the marketing for the clinic amongst each member. Parents should be informed of the benefits of a wellness program its effect on the financial health of the family. The medical benefits of the wellness program to the infant itself should be highlighted. A generic wellness program can be formulated and continuously improved so that it will be applicable to a wider cross section of the infant population. Continuous testing of infants that are admitted to the wellness program should be noted. The data will be added to the

Government intervention in global business Outline

Government intervention in global business - Outline Example Different economic forces, such as, booms, recessions or different forms of crisis such as financial crisis, create different situations that need different forms of government intervention. In this paper, the issue of government intervention would be studied with respect to the various measures that governments in different nations of the world adopt. This research work would follow inductive approach and use secondary data for the analysis of data. The research process would involve preparation a research proposal, designing the research method, identification of reliable sources of information, collection of data from secondary sources, analysis of the data and the inferring the results from the discussion of the facts gathered through review of literature. Research studies have been made in the past and are also being made in the current times to assess the motivations behind government intervention in the global economy. Many of the research results reveal that one of the most important and commonly observable intentions of the government behind intervening in the economies is to boost up the economies (Tragakes, 2011). In the developing economies, governments emphasize on increasing level of economic activities in the economy, while in the developed countries, the intention of the government is to maintain stability in the economy and also enhance future growth prospective. According to some researchers, the policies developed by the governments are, essentially, either directed towards covering their economies against outside economic forces or regulating the performances of internal economic forces operating in their countries (P. J. Welch and G. F. Welch, 2009). The varieties of policies of the governments at the global level, fu ndamentally, are guide by these two basic motives of intervention. Partnership has become a buzzword in the current economic context. Until the past few decades, the