Critical Analysis Of Research Paper (Current Practice in Project

Critical Analysis Of (Current Practice in Project Managementan Empirical Study by Diana White & Joyce Fortune) - Research Paper Example The paper was aimed to throw comprehensive light on the causes for disparity between the objectives defined by the managerial techniques and the results obtained. For this purpose, the writer focussed this paper on the data and results of a contemporary survey which was plannedâ€Å"to capture the `real world' experiences of project managers† aiming at finding out the levelâ€Å"to which those involved in the management of projects actually make use of the methods and techniques that are available and how effective the methods and techniques used are felt to be† (White & Fortune, 2004). ARTICLE’S SUMMARY The paper aimed at explaining the disparity between the objectives and conclusions reported in the contemporary survey planned to observe the real-life active participation of project managers. The survey was conducted with the help of questionnaires which were referred to 995 Project Managers. However, the response rate was mere 23.7%.The chief activity in the questionnaire was the description of a recent project and the factors influential on its conclusive outcomes. The emphasis was laid on the extent to which these influential factors modify the project outcomes and the researcher has directed the respondents to relate them with the available tools and techniques used in the methodology for a specific project management.... Article’s Summary The paper aimed at explaining the disparity between the objectives and conclusions reported in the contemporary survey planned to observe the real-life active participation of project managers. The survey was conducted with the help of questionnaires which were referred to 995 Project Managers. However, the response rate was mere 23.7%.The chief activity in the questionnaire was the description of a recent project and the factors influential on its conclusive outcomes. The emphasis was laid on the extent to which these influential factors modify the project outcomes and the researcher has directed the respondents to relate them with the available tools and techniques used in the methodology for a specific project management. The researcher had also asked for the respondents’ own critical evaluation of the tools and techniques that they had used so far and to relate any limitation that they have to face or any drawback that they noticed for using them. The results of this survey revealed the narrow range of tools and techniques which are frequently and commonly used in the project management including the project management software and Gantt charts. Nearly 50% of the participants testified against these tools and techniques. The results also revealed that the most implied criteria to judge the project success include three widely used factors: time, budget, specifications. Moreover, the suitability between the project and the organization as well as the success of the business also proved to be the determining factors of the project success. Critical Analysis of the Article The overall presentation of the paper is quite impressive as it appears to be quite a critically comprehensive analysis of the survey that was conducted contemporarily to

Public Relations Essay Example for Free

Public Relations Essay The term public relations (PR) is a campaign anticipated to establish benevolence for an individual or organization appearance. According to Tye (1998, p. 13), one of the initial descriptions of PR was formed by Bernays which claims that PR is an institutional operation which organizes public manners and characterizes the rules, measures and activity of an association after carrying out a course of action to obtain public consideration and acknowledgment. Cases in point of patrons of PR consist of firms employing â€Å"marketing public relations (MPR)† to communicate knowledge concerning the goods that they produce and services that they make available to prospective clientele so as to sustain their immediate selling labors (Stauber Rampton, 1995). On average, they confirm transaction in the short to long term, setting up and improving the firm’s trademark for a sturdy, continuing market. Another example is business entities utilizing PR as a means to access members of parliament, in search of complimentary levy and other dealing. Likewise, they can apply PR to depict themselves as progressive managers in favor of staff engaging agenda. Another case is non-profit institutions, comprising academies, infirmaries, and community service groups, may operate PR for consciousness agenda, fund-raising activities, personnel hiring, and to enhance support of their services. Furthermore, elected officials intending to draw votes and create funds once those operations are doing well at the poll, this assists in upholding their service in the workplace, with discernment to the subsequent ballot vote or, at an occupation’s outcome, to their bequest. In the present day, public relations is defined as an arrangement of managerial, administrative, and mechanical functions that promote an institution’s capability to advantageously pay attention to, recognize the value of, and act in response to those people whose equally favorable relations with the association are essential if it is to realize its tasks and principles. Basically, it is an administrative action that concentrates on mutual interaction and development of jointly useful affairs between an association and its publics. It is so difficult to define since it is associated with publicity and marketing. The concept of public relations is not synonymous with the concept of publicity. Publicity is the dispersal of information to achieve communal familiarity in an item for consumption, service, and the like. It is a condition of being public with a sense of making something known† or advertising. Marketing on the other hand is the promotion of an industry’s products or services. Technical and industrial parts, which nowadays revolutionize at a rapid rate, is covered by marketing through advertisements that can be seen everywhere. According to Whiteley (2000, p. 34), novel procedures, new-fangled merchandise, and innovative markets for earlier unlikely manufactured goods are the standard or custom. PR is also difficult to define since it includes the idea of ethics. To facilitate the perception of what is considered essential in PR ethics, people must initially be made acquainted with the range of roles of PR, especially in decision- making. These cases are possible problems to the field due to the following reasons. Soon after, PR practitioners were and are even frequently engaged from the lines of reporting. A number of correspondents involved with ethics, critique previous contemporaries for making use of their inner comprehension of information media to facilitate patrons obtain constructive media exposure. In spite of several factors of distress to reporters in the area of public relations, profitable PR statuses stay an admired preference for correspondents enforced into a profession alteration by the unsteadiness and frequently less economic prospects supplied by the print and electronic media commerce. Even though PR specialists are conventionally regarded as business servants, the reality is that roughly any institution that has an interest in how it is exposed in the public field provides work for no less than a single PR supervisor. Big associations may even hold devoted connections sectors. Administration bureaus, commerce alliances, and other non-profit organizations usually perform PR actions. As business merging happens to be more customary, lots of associations and persons are deciding to preserve boutique businesses (Macnamara, 2005) contrary to professed international interactions companies. Those minor businesses normally focus in merely a pair of training parts and therefore, frequently retain a better insight of their customer’s concern. And since they handle particular reporters with greater regularity, specialty enterprises habitually hold greater media links in the subjects that are of importance to their patrons. Additional advantages of minor, specialty businesses take account of more special consideration, responsibility, as well as expenditure funds This is not to express that smaller is constantly superior; however, there is an increasing consent that specialty businesses bid more than just on one occasion contemplated. The most principal query for PR ethics is the dilemma of separated reliability that is innate in the custom. The question â€Å"How can we equalize the good of the institute with the welfare of its publics, in addition to the wellbeing of society and of the PR line of work? † is at hand (Stoykov Pacheva, 2005). Neither genuine sponsorship nor absolute fidelity to the patron group is the solution to this drawback. Rather moral values that aid in balancing separated allegiance and keeping in proportioned exchange of ideas offer an improved remedy. It must be kept in mind that PR practitioners are at all times ethically compelled to themselves primarily, which is to safeguard their personal uprightness. The next is to their customers who are to honor agreements and to apply their proficient capability on their patron’s behalf. The third is to their association or manager which is to stick to managerial objectives and strategies. Another is to their occupation and their work contemporaries to maintain the principles of the job and, by extension, the repute of their associate practitioners. The last is to society—to reflect on communal wants or demands. The matter for those involved in PR is to do their responsibility and not to be anxious on whether anyone observes them or not. The existing definitions which seem to be the most useful to the concept of public relations are the following. Bernays identified PR as an applied social science that utilizes viewpoints from psychology, sociology, along with other branches of learning to systematically deal with the philosophy and behavior of a groundless and herdlike public (Tye, 1998, p. 317). Taking part in 1950, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) authorizes the initial Professional Standards for the Practice of Public Relations, a precursor to the existing Code of Ethics, most recently amended in 2000 to comprise the six main standards and system conditions. As stated by Tymson and Lazar (2006), the six principal standards are â€Å"Sponsorship, Integrity, Proficiency, Sovereignty, Allegiance, and Equality. † The six code provisions consulted with are â€Å"Open stream of knowledge, Competition, Disclosure of Information, Assurance, Divergence of concerns, and Improving the work. † Contemporary public relations applies different methods incorporating the abovementioned principles with outlook survey and focus clusters to assess public view, shared with a range of advanced procedures for disseminating knowledge on behalf of their patrons, together with the Internet, database-driven transmission faxes, and many more to employ followers for a patron’s basis. As indicated by the PRSA, information that may be necessary in the certified routine of PR consists of the different fields such as â€Å"communication arts, psychology, sociology, political science, economics, and the principles of management and ethics†. Scientific familiarity and skillfulness are mandatory for outlook study, public affairs examination, media associations, organizational promotion, motion picture making, exclusive proceedings, and productions. With the purpose of recognizing what is considered necessary in PR ethics, there must be an initial familiarity with the variety of tasks of PR and its part in assessment composition. There are two major functions related with PR and these are the sending of message and administrating transmission. The moral conduct in PR can be observed in three modes. These are from a societal accountability viewpoint, from an expert outlook, and from an individual point of view. Societal accountability is the indication that institutions are obliged to the community as they are existent at the will of the people. As a result, they are indebted of gratefulness to the public. Its types are the implementation of the institution’s fundamental duty, apprehension with the end results of those pursuits on other groupings exterior to the institute, and interest with facilitating to answer the common societal troubles not related with the institution’s chief task. The first two can be looked at as civic duty, which is constantly required on the side of the institution. The third type could then be categorized as societal accountability, which is not binding for the institution. For any job to develop into a profession, it must come across four decisive factors. The first is proficiency which is the specific familiarity and skillfulness that are very important to carry out its purpose in society. The second is sovereignty which permits the practitioner to function with no external intervention. The third is dedication which is the effect of expertise, entails attachment to the pursuit of superiority exclusive of highlighting on the returns or compensations. The last is accountability which signifies that the influence given by proficiency involves a reliance connection between the expert and his or her patrons. One of the most central concerns when speaking on the subject of PR ethics is the function of PR in the principled management of associations. There is inadequate study on the most usual ethical obstructions in PR, and a small amount of, if any, conventional ethical assumptions to handle them. Studies on outstanding public relations proposes that PR can be the moral principles of an association—the organization task chiefly in charge for establishing ethical standards and communal duty into managerial pronouncements. PR can be the recognized means that integrates inquiries of moral principles and conscientiousness into managerial assessment determination. It is also the task that leads into the difficulties of stakeholders into premeditated choices and that sets up a just factor to those choices. For PR practitioners to work as ethics representatives for associations, it is basic to attend to the principles of PR as a career and to assimilate ethics and collective duty into the normative theories of how PR should play a role to the planned decisiveness procedures of associations. Most significantly, theories of ethical PR must be constructed from reputable idealistic theories of moral values. Ethicists all through the past have formed two main types of theories namely the consequential hypotheses, which give emphasis to the outcomes of an individual’s manners on other people, and the non-consequential or rules-based assumptions. Consequential speculations are an appropriate preparatory situation for PR ethics for the reason of the vital function of effects in PR. In any case, a PR dilemma is present once an institution has effects on a public or a public on an association. Additionally, associations hold a communal duty when they exhibit upshots on the general public or on community as one. On the contrary, Pearson (1989) formed a non-consequential philosophy of PR ethics established on the notion of a prime example of interaction circumstances. He suggested set of laws of PR ethics. It is a proper requirement to create and sustain communication dealings with the entire publics influenced by governmental procedures. It is also an ethical obligation to enhance the characteristics of these transmission affairs that is, to cause them to be progressively more proportioned. The first of these policies broadly indicates that it is basic for an association to acquire corollaries on publics in consideration when it creates tactical decisions. The second asserts that associations enclose the ethical responsibility to communicate with the publics although the association cannot continuously provide accommodation to the public. Grunig (1996) recommended that Pearson’s two ethical rules can be interpreted into a moral premise of PR that assimilates both a teleological and a deontological view. In consequentiality, moral PR professionals look for what results possible directorial choices comprise on publics. Non-consequentiality on the other hand, concerns principled PR experts in that case control the ethical responsibility to reveal these results to publics that are affected and to take part in conversation with the publics regarding the probable choices. Cutlip and Broom (1994) created a deontological hypothesis of moral decisiveness in public relations centered on Kant’s idea of definite essential and wide-ranging conferences with PR experts in situation study of two exceedingly moral associations. Her model progresses in phases. Stage 1 raises whether people are taking action on the center of sense only and not for the reason of political pressure, financial control, or natural self-centeredness. Stage 2 employs the â€Å"Categorical Imperative† and poses queries like, â€Å"Would the association acknowledge a particular verdict if it were on the accepting edge? † Stage 3 invites the association to reflect on its responsibility, its purpose, and nobility and regard for the association, publics, and the social order. Stage 4 then appeals for balanced interaction in relation to the consequences of the creation of evaluation procedure. In application to the real life situation, the problem of PR is that diverse age groups perceive the dissimilar principles in different areas or aspects. The PR practitioner dilemma is to get hold of the collective standards to assist association to perform more efficiently. As an example, the setting can be of younger personnel and baby boomers. As said by Wilcox, et al. (2002), they retain diverse standards such as chain of command, legitimacy, fairness, direct demands, stability and safety, and future targets. The different generations such as â€Å"Gen X and Gen Y† are enthusiastic to view the accumulation of merit to the group. Professor Smith recommends appointing a counselor to mingle with recent staff to the principles of a business. Younger recruits favor part-time occupations and adaptable program or agenda. They are not generally fascinated in investing on monetary or capital industries. Nevertheless, those people who submit an application for these occupations may become accustomed to commerce habits faster than other Generation-X and Gen-Y jobseekers. The appropriate discussion may appear as follows. The course of adjustment is a complicated matter. In contending with staff affairs, it must be considered that people are constantly coping with distinctive age groups. Dissimilar generations entail diverse principles, as it can be viewed in the situation. The common ethics are a foundation of a group civilization. A corporate background is obtaining more significance in the recent period. Occasionally, commercial customs is subsidiary to a business’ task and purposes. However, business traditions frequently influence objectives and undertaking. This result turned out to be prevalent as modern economy appeared. Contemporary economy creates innovative regulations even in the largest companies. The function of PR practitioner these days is to regulate workers’ relationships to existing business customs that implies that individuals must be handled consistent with what kind of company customs exist in the association (Crifasi, 2000, p. 18); although fundamental standards are still vital. If people are managing workers, the main concerns do not vary. The human resources would like to be notified, valued well, must receive responses, and have certain independence. It is attractive to see, though, that baby boomers are apt to enjoy dictatorial rule in associations, whereas people belonging to GenX and Y are more open-minded (Hall, 2007). That goes along with the additional coursework for PR practitioner which is to hand over knowledge for those staff in several modes of communication. The recommendations would be that the interactions in the prevailing corporation relatively fulfill the abovementioned conditions. Business networks are adaptable for person wants. As indicated by Dube and Manchanda (2005), senior citizens may possibly come across information in relation to medication, indemnity and many more, whereas young workers might get hold of a few prospects for self-realization inside an industry, publications of forthcoming dealings and so on. An instance of website is www. bsu. edu which offers the opportunity to log in as present scholar or teaching staff (Nelson, 1989). It is renowned that lots of periodicals are available in several editions, in accordance with demographical traits of purchasers. The commercial bulletin can be available in assorted adaptations as well. A PR practitioner regularly stands in front of the trouble of dissimilar morals among workers. In this instance, a PR executive is supposed to work as HR administrator, acting upon the transmission of messages between distinctive groupings of staff (Carlton Perloff, 2005. It can be a kind of mingling, similar to classifying of serving unfamiliar persons to be acquainted to the business customs. It is occurring every now and then that firms are dealing with dilemma in managerial communications not between people but between departments, especially in companies with extended structure. PR practitioner handles this problem as well, organizing committees and work meetings with participation of people from different departments. Problems in organizational communications are discussed on those meetings. Lastly, one of the most difficult matters at business customs is the responsibility of CEO as mentioned by Center and Jackson (1995, p. 14). His or her discourses facilitate individuals to be aware of the business’ objectives more openly. It must not be taken for granted that company executives also handle foreign affairs. The regulation of the conferences with the upper administration is an exceedingly crucial PR work. As a conclusion, public relations must be viewed as an organizational operation in any institution or association. A successful exchange of ideas, or public relations arrangement for a management is advanced to correspond to addressees whether inner or outer publics in such an approach that the implication matches with the managerial objectives and seeks out to profit shared wellbeing at any time feasible. PR can be of assistance by conveying to the association what a range of publics consider to be conscientious deeds, and then impart to the publics what the association has made. References: Carlton, D. W. Perloff, J. M. (2005) Modern Industrial Organization. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman and Company. Center, A. H. Jackson, P. (1995) Public Relations Practices. 5th ed. , Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle, N. J. , p. 14. Crifasi, S. C. (2000) Everythings Coming Up Rosie. Public Relations Tactics, September, Vol. 7, Issue 9, Public Relations Society of America, New York, p. 18. Cutlip, S. M. , Center, A. H. Broom, G. M. (1994) Effective Public Relations, 7th Ed. , Prentice Hall, Inc. A Simon and Schuster Company, Englewood Cliffs, N. J. 07632. Dube, J. P. Manchanda, P. (2005) Differences in Dynamic Brand Competition Across Markets: An Empirical Analysis. Marketing Science. 24 (1), p. 81. Hall, P. (2007) The New PR. Mount Kisco, NY: Larstan Publishing. International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). Macnamara, J. (2005) Jim Macnamaras Public Relations Handbook. 5th ed. , Melbourne: Archipelago Press. Nelson, J. (1989) Sultans of Sleaze: Public Relations and the Media. Toronto: Between The Lines. Stauber, J. C. Rampton, S. (1995) Toxic Sludge is Good for You: Lies, Damn Lies, and the Public Relations Industry. Monroe, ME: Common Courage Press. Stoykov, L. Pacheva, V. (2005) Public Relations and Business Communication. Sofia: Ot Igla Do Konetz. Tymson, C. Lazar, P. (2006) Public Relations Manual. Sydney: Tymson Communications. Tye, L. (1998) The Father of Spin: Edward L. Bernays the Birth of Public Relations. New York: Crown Publishers, p. 13, 317. Wilcox, D. L. et al. (2002) Public Relations Strategies and Tactics, 7th ed. , Allyn Bacon, Boston, MA. Whiteley, R. C. (2000) The Customer Driven Company: Moving From Talk to Action. Pfeiffer Company, p. 34. The key ideas of the critical theory approach to public relations thinking can be applied to PR practice in the following sets of circumstances. Critical theory is societal hypothesis linked headed for assessing critically and transforming the social order in totality, contrary to conventional hypothesis linked barely to comprehending or elucidating it. Calhoun (1995) aimed to differentiate critical theory as an extremist, liberated type of Marxian assumption, evaluating both the standard of science present ed by rational positivism and what he and his contemporaries perceived as the hidden positivism and dictatorship of traditional Marxism and communalism. Fundamental ideas are the following. The first is that critical social theory must be intended for the whole public in its past certainty or on how it happened to be constituted at an exact instance. And the second is that it must develop awareness of the general public by incorporating each and every chief social science, consisting of â€Å"history, sociology, economics, political science, anthropology, and psychology† as stated by Te’eni (2006, p. 65). For the transcendental view, critical theory signifies setting and evaluating the boundaries of the authenticity of a mass of information, particularly in the course of taking into consideration the limits constituted by the basic concepts at hand in that particular information scheme. In the early periods, the idea associated with critical theory is with the breakdown of wrong and non-approvable, philosophies since the motive included in hypothesis was entwined with the development of principled sovereignty and the Enlightenment assessment of unreasonable power. Marx clearly expounded this idea into the analysis of philosophy and related it with the concept of societal transformation with the quotation that â€Å"theorists have merely construed the world in particular means; what must be done is to alter it† (Cutlip, 1994). This meaning of critical theory originated entirely within the social sciences, and there are works of critical social theory and critical social science which show no awareness of the literary/humanities version of critical theory. The subsequent denotation of it is that of hypothesis employed in well-educated review and in the study of writing. This structure of critical theory is not essentially familiarized for extremist societal transformation or even for the study of the public, but as an alternative focuses on the scrutiny of transcripts and text-like occurrence. This form of this hypothesis develops from the idea of literary analysis as setting up and improving the appropriate knowledge and assessment of public relations. This sense of this theory began exclusively in the humanities. To use an epistemological peculiarity, critical theory in public relations analysis is eventually a type of hermeneutics wherein the data by means of understanding the sense of individual wordings and figurative language whereas critical societal theory is a kind of self-reflective facts relating both discernment and hypothetical account to decrease setup in schemes of control or reliance, complying with the liberate attention in increasing the extent of self-sufficiency and sinking the scale of control (Stoykov Pacheva, 2005). From this perception, critical theory is directed on understanding and description rather than on communal revolution. This theory as applied in public relations generally does not essentially entail a normative aspect, while critical societal hypothesis does, either in the course of appraising the social order from various broad assumptions of principles or in analyzing it in terms of its individual advocated standards. Critical realization was realized as awareness that facilitated people to liberate themselves from types of rule through self-reflection and procured psychoanalysis as the example of it. From the PR part, PR practitioners responds particularly in opposition to the New Criticism of the earlier periods, which attempted to examine merely transcripts, started to feature into their scrutiny and explanations of publications originally linguistic and interpretive hypothesis, followed by structuralism. Accordingly, PR critique turned out to be very hypothetical and some of those putting it into practice embarked on indicating to the speculative aspect of their effort as analytical assumption. And so this theory in the social implication additionally developed into one of the many pressures upon the lines within critical assumption in the public relations significance. Moreover, together with the extension of the mass media and popular culture as well as the unification of societal and public relations critique, the approaches of both types of critical theory system, would be instituted in the similar explanatory composition. Both aspects were existent in the range of modes of hypothesis. In verbal communication, the two points at which there is the shared concept of the two account of critical theory are in their interconnected aspect on expression, representation, and in their focal point on creation. Critical theory is as well characterized as a system of exchange of ideas wherein expansive proficiency and open reasonableness conversely, indistinct interaction on the other, the two adaptations of this premise started to extend beyond to a much larger level than previously. Both adaptations of critical theory have directed on the procedures of creation by which the occurrence and matters of personal interaction, civilization, and political perception take place. Whether it is in the course of the changing systems by which the organization of verbal communication grows to be its apparent configuration, the general realistic ideologies in which common discernment is produced, the semiotic conventions by which things of every day use of implications, there is a general concern in the course of a figurative category that mounts to evident incidents. With this, there is a major shared control among features of the diverse adaptation of critical theory. In accordance with the Critical Approach to Organizational Communication theory, the persons concerned in the interaction course are engrossed in a setting where they form the set of laws in their association (Babos Peterson, nd. ). Deetz believes as a lot of lots of place of working environment have turned out to be very political, which in turn, depressingly influences the employees and the welfare of the associations. He as well thinks that the interaction processes all over the firms and institutions are defiling the agency setting. This critical theory has realistic usage in usual groupings like in associations and industries. This theory is morally reliable and if employed appropriately will generate constructive moods in these daily backdrops. This would have been unfeasible to visualize without its underpinning in critical theory. The implementation of critical theory supplies a way of regarding once more the idea of information managing in terms of the moral principles of human interaction and permits the inquiring of the vitality of logical decision making as the foundation of organization (Vary, 2002). From the basis of critical theory produced four systems of administrative rule and the consequences they entail on the individuals functioning under these schemes. When running under the critical theory, a cluster will achieve collaboration and this will create a better-off general result. Deetz (1982) views authority as an unconstructive influence that brings about conflict between workers and their manager. Supremacy is an exceedingly chaotic, contentious idea in the societal studies and remarkably in the organization context. Deetz is as well a supporter in interpretative study techniques. The fundamental goal of interpretative study is to create a rational explanation of daily proceedings which is credible to clerical associates (Koch Deetz, 1981, p. 14). For that reason, interpretative researchers consider that hypotheses are not made for circumstances, but are created because of personal reactions in all parts of a condition. As an alternative in creating and circulating innovative views to the communal area, interpretative researchers focus more in conditional features that are settled in the diverse characters of distinct individuals. As stated by Koch and Deetz (1981), interpretive study techniques do not adjoin original information to a growing basis of facts (p. 15). Rather, they position or relate foundations of information by explaining the indirect potentials innate in present circumstances and undertakings. A critical theory presents the explanatory and normative foundation for public question intended at lessening power and growing autonomy in all their structures. It denotes that know-how is power and with it appears control over people. If a person gets sufficient expertise or authority in a matter, he or she can be liberated to control the circumstances that he or she is in. Deetz (2003) states that â€Å"critical theories have been functional as they have acknowledged the character of the members in the argument as the main troubles (p. 606). † He became conscious that in any case, organizations have to formulate resolutions; however he sensed that the workers and other stakeholders are supposed to speak in what is happening as they may view in the organizations. If staffs are granted this authority, they would have some bearing on the firm and may eventually sense more fulfillments in their occupation. He does not believe that human resources must possess all the authority; they simply have to maintain equilibrium between the power of executives and personnel to facilitate growth of firms. Within the critical theory, Deetz (1982) illustrates some interaction processes in which firms can generate resolutions. There are four distinct processes in how businesses undergo decision-making and convey their decisions to their staff. The first technique is by means of stratagem which is under administrative jurisdiction. With this approach, power goes beyond personnel thoughts and they obtain their influence and exercise it to as much scope as workable even if it signifies generating a depressed environment among employees. When applying administrative power, the board esteems their degree of domination over workers and occasionally takes advantage of their liberties (p. 132). The second technique under administrative rule is consent. Consent is when a member of staff acts as they are informed devoid of any inquiring. An instance of this was with the Manhattan venture throughout World War II. Employees were assembling the grenades to be released in Japan although they had no notion of what they were really creating. Conceivably, if the workers of the industry are familiar with what they were making, they may have not preferred to work in that setting. By means of this approach in creating a business resolution, personnel will be discontented by reason of their lack of participation in the pronouncements presented. â€Å"The short term yearning for construction has headed it to becoming accustomed to the public transformation rather than being concerned in it on a mindful degree† (Varey, 2002, p. 229). Co-determination is considerably an enhanced means for a business to make pronouncements. By applying this, both the administrators and employees collaborate and fo

The Age of Computers :: Essays Papers

The Age of Computers Believe it or not, but the age of computers is upon us. I believe Computers are not only here to stay, but in my opinion computers are the wave of the future. Only a device like the computer can change the way we work, live, and think. I see computers taking us places where no man has gone before. Twenty years ago people were just not up to date with computers back then. I mean if you ask someone about a computer, they probably would say something like, what in the world our you talking about, or what the hell is a computer. Today just about anybody you ask, can tell you something about a computer. Papia Bhattacharyya , says: "Technology has bounded onto the center stage in the last few years"(59). The earliest existence of the modern day computer's ancestor is the abacus. The abacus dates back to almost 2000 years ago. It is simply a wooden rack holding beads which are strung on wires. The next step in computers took place in 1694 when Blaise Pascal invented the first digital calcu lating machine, which was designed to help Pascal's father who was a tax collector. Now we look at Charles Babbage, who many say is the father of computers. Charles Babbage was a professor of mathematics. In the 1800's Babbage designed an automatic calculation machine. This machine was steam powered and could store up to 1000 50-digit numbers. Charles Babbage was so ahead of his time, that the machines that were used back then were not even precise enough to make the parts for his computer. Gulliver, states: The first major use for a computer in the US was during the 1890 census. Two men, Herman Hollerith and James Powers, developed a new punched-card system that could automatically read information on cards without human intervention (Gulliver 82). In the 1930's punched-card machine techniques had become so well established that Howard Hathaway Aiken, together with engineers at IBM, came up with the automatic computer called Mark I. The Mark I ran by using prepunched paper tape. The Mark I was slow, and required 3 to 5 seconds to perform multiplication.

Tacit Oligopoly of the Original Supermarkets of Bogor

Extended Essay in Economics Tacit Oligopoly of the Original Supermarkets of Bog Written By B Diploma Candidate #: Session Word Count: Abstract The grocery market of Bog has been facing a significant change during the past several years. Sudden emergence of new suppliers has more than doubled the number of existing supermarkets. I took interest at the fact that despite of the sudden increase in the number of suppliers, there never was a price decrease. This signifies that the market is experiencing Over Supply.I decided to investigate whether the strain caused by the over supply have hanged a particular part of the market structure of the supermarkets of Bog. I took to compete against new competitors. My first step was to investigate whether the supermarkets shows characteristics of an oligopoly. Several factors are apparent; the number of firms in the market is small, their size is relatively big, their products are slightly differentiated, and the entry barriers are high. To further strengthen my claim concerning the barrier, I have studied a small portion of two legal documents that concerns starting a supermarket business.Afterwards, I have recorded product prices and performed statistical analysis to determine whether the price range is narrow. I then compare the prices of the new supermarkets and all the supermarkets of Bog as a whole. The result shows that indeed there is an oligopoly; yet it extends to reach the new supermarkets. This meaner that the original supermarkets have not segregated themselves to attempt gain business power (e. G. In pricing). New questions are formed based on the results. Among them is whether the oligopoly intentional or has competition with other suppliers, e. G. The traditional markets, caused the price range to be limited?These questions require further researches that are likely to orientate to the Business Studies disciplines. Word count: 295 Table of Contents Part 1: An Introduction to the Essay Part 2: The Present Marke t Profile Part 3: Review of Relevant Theories 2 3 5 7 Part 4: Hypothesis and Methodology of Research Part 5: Data Collection and Analysis Part 6: Conclusion and Evaluation 17 10 12 Bibliography 18 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Acknowledgements Part 1: An Introduction to the Essay 20 21 Bog is a minor city that is founded over two centuries ago, thus by now it is well known by its surrounding cities and villages.The city was established as a center of trade for local agricultural industries (Incarnate). As a citizen of the city ever since birth, I know well that the grocery market of the city is massive. The vast and well known open air market of fresh produces called Papas Bog (or the Market of Bog'), numerous minor grocers, five notable supermarkets, and the easily accessible shopping centers in Jakarta have supplied the household demands of the 3,696,848 citizens residing in Bog (the figure was recorded at a 1997 census) (Incarnate). The market status, however, have taken a significant tu rn during the last 10 years.Numerous new suppliers entered the market; among them are as much as five new supermarkets (doubling the present number), two hypermarkets, and two new mini- market chains. Among the very basic principles taught to economics students is the Market Equilibrium law. It states that the demand and supply of a product is dependent of the price level. The consumers prefer lower prices while the suppliers prefer higher prices. Where the two quantities met, it is called the Equilibrium point. (Collier, 201) Diagram 1. 0 shows this point of importance as (SQL, Pl). Diagram 1. 0.The Micro Economic Model of the Grocery Market shift in the Supply line. Diagram 1. 0 portrays this scenario by having the line labeled ‘Supply 1' shift to become ‘Supply 2'. This shift will cause the equilibrium to increase in quantity but decrease in price (Collier, 191). However, there never was a significant price decrease in the grocery market of Bog. The supply line may sh ift, but the price is maintained at Pl, and theoretically this must result in an Over Supply. An Over Supply occurs when the quantity of supply exceeds the quantity of demand. (Collier, 203) [pick] Diagram 1. 1 . Illustration of the market experiencing Over SupplyThe Over Supply strains the suppliers, since it meaner that some of their stock will remain stagnant and inevitably experience depreciation -which in turn will result in business failure. Despite, logically thinking, the side that was experiencing the biggest lost of consumers will be the suppliers (supermarket, etc. ) in Jakarta; inevitably the local suppliers of Bog too will share part of the strain. However, the pressure will not be as hard on the new competitors as it would be to the original suppliers since all new competitors belong to a nationwide company (details are located in part 2: the Present Market Profile).There is the possibility that the demand line has shift along (or even preliminary) to the shift of the supply line. However, through observation I have noticed that there never was an apparent change in the factors that may trigger a shift of the demand line. Those factors are: price of substitute products, price of complementary goods, general income and taste (preference), the population, and advertisements (Galilee, 24). The original supermarkets (from this point this term will be used to refer to the supermarkets that have existed before the sudden emergence of new competitors) concerned me the most.The Market of Bog and other minor suppliers surely offered the least prize, thus they have a separate market segment. My concern would be whether the business pressure is strong enough for the original supermarkets to from a tacit oligopoly. Thus was formed the research question: Did the original supermarkets of Bog form a tacit oligopoly to compete against the new competitors? The next part of the essay will reveal the present market profile. Following it will be a review of relevant theories, which serves as a base for the hypothesis.After discussing my methods of research to verify my hypothesis, the ATA collected will be presented and analyzed. Thus, a conclusion will be formed, along unanswered questions and possible sources of error. Part 2: The Present Market Profile Original Supermarkets: Ingest Supermarket (3 outlets) Grand Supermarket Shanghai-La Supermarket New Supermarkets: Hero Supermarket Matriarch Marketplace A;G Groceries DAD Supermarket Ramadan Supermarket New Hypermarkets: Giant Hypermarket Hypermarket Hypermarket.New Mini-markets: Intimidator Alfalfa's Other competitors: The Market of Bog Minor Grocers Suppliers (supermarket, etc. ) of Jakarta A ‘minor grocer' is a reference towards traditional Indonesian grocery suppliers, known locally as Warnings'. It tends to be a small store, not often would you found one the size of a typical bathroom. The goods it sells are usually minor needs, such as cigars, sweets, and hygiene products. The app earance of the outlets tends to be ignored and they could be found dispersed around the vicinity of the city.However, the term ‘mint-markets' refers towards literal small supermarkets. Its design and facilities equal those of a supermarket and thus it presents its customers with every benefits of a supermarket besides variety of product. The mint-markets belong to a nationwide chain and they have an outlet in seemingly every residential area of the city. Despite being under the same brand, the three outlets of Ingest Supermarket belong to different people. It originated as a Private Limited company, but now the three branches are run separately by three children of the original founder. Note: ‘Opt†¦ Tab is the Indonesian label for a Public Limited company) Hero Supermarkets and Giant Hypermarket belong to OPT. Hero Supermarket Tab. Matriarch Market Place (a supermarket) and Hypermarket (a hypermarket) belong to OPT. Matriarch Putter Prima Tab. ? Ramadan Supermarket belongs to OPT. Ramadan Alistair Santos Tab. GAG Mart Groceries and DAD Supermarket belong to different companies but both own more than one outlet situated in different cities of the country. The mint-market chain Intimidator belongs to OPT.Indicator Prismatic (a Limited company that belongs to the Indoors group, whose owner once so far as become Indonesian richest entrepreneur). The Alfalfa's mint-market chain belongs to OPT Summer Alfalfa Trinity Biding Shah (a Limited company) and is about to be integrated to OPT Ramadan Alistair Santos Tab that owns the Ramadan Supermarket (see above). Art 3: Review of Relevant Theories Sisters Paramus Sisters Paramus is an assumption that every factor other than the one being discussed remains constant (Galilee, 10). Every part of this essay is written on Sisters Paramus.To investigate whether the original supermarkets of Bog have formed an oligopoly, first the characteristic of that particular market structure and other alternatives must be p re-determined. 1). A Monopoly This is a market where there is a single seller. It has absolute control over the prices of the market due the unavailability of substitute products. Due to this fact, often times monopolies are placed under strict control of the government. (Galilee, 120) A monopolized market requires the highest forms of barrier of entry.This meaner that people interested in entering the market ought to proceed through many difficult requirements which often was impossible to attain. The highest barrier that one may encounter is governmental laws, and indeed it was often intentionally employed to create monopolies. (Collier, 269) A good example would be Indonesian PLAN, its sole electricity supplier for the whole nation. It was the only entity n the market for mass electricity and legal laws forbid any enterprise to enter the market. In this particular case, the government owned the company. This grants them maximum control over the market.The huge sales volume was di rected towards the government's fund. 2). Assumptions of an Oligopoly An oligopoly is a market situation where there are few sellers and each firm may be aware of the activities of another. There are high barriers of entry -but these are lower than those of a monopoly. The products they offered tend to be differentiated goods, this refers to goods that are derived from an original form (e. . Shampoos may be differentiated to anti-hair-loss, scalp oil controlling, etc). (Galilee, 140) The few firms in the market collude together and act like a monopoly formed by many entities.A formal collision is called a cartel, and the original supermarkets of Bog do not belong to a formal cartel. An unofficial collusion is referred to as a tacit oligopoly. (Galilee, 140) The colluding firms will have an agreement about price range, advertising, market share, and possibly corporate business strategies. Their semi-monopoly allows the firm sizes to be big. (Galilee, 140) 3). Assumptions of a Monopol istic Market A monopolistic market is when many firms compete in the same market, selling similar yet differentiated goods or services.The barrier of entry is relatively low compared to the previous two market structures discussed. (Galilee, 114) each other but are differentiated. A consumer may switch his preference from one brand to another and will not experience a significant change in utility. Note however, that when talking about such products, there are several items on the market with very distinguished feature (special brand of clothing, etc. ) that belongs to ice markets. These products are not part of a monopolistic market.The degree of price control (however weak) of a monopolistic market is attributed towards this slight differentiation. If the product is entirely homogeneous, no firm will have control over its prices, turning it into a Perfect Competition Market. (Galilee, 114) 4). Assumptions of a Perfect Competition Market A perfect competition market houses extreme amounts of producers, none of which possessing a high rate of market share. The products are homogeneous (exactly the same), and the barrier of entry is near to non-existent. No firm has any influence over the market's price.The homogeneity of the product does not allow selling above market price (since it will result in severe loss), and the fierce amount of competition did not allow the firms to engage in a price war strategy (setting price lower), since the market price is already set as close to the cost of production as it could be. If indeed the current price is a degree above the average cost of producing the goods, then a firm may employ a price war strategy and enjoyed supernormal profit for a period of time, but other competitors will follow suit immediately.Part 4: Hypothesis and Methodology of Research My hypothesis is the original supermarkets of Bog have formed a tacit oligopoly that is separate from the new supermarkets to gain business power. As discussed in the intr oduction and the market profile section of this essay, it is unquestionable that the original supermarkets experience a degree of pressure from the sudden establishment of new competitors. I believe that it is only logical for them to attempt making the overall competition more endurable by forming a segregated oligopoly.This way, they may attempt corporate business strategies, especially on the matter of racing. To prove this hypothesis, I must attempt to correlate the supermarkets with characteristics of an oligopoly. Those are: Number of firms: few. Products are slightly differentiated (as in groceries). Big. High barrier of entrance. C] Similar price range. Size of firms: relatively The first three characteristics are theoretical and apparent. There are a small number of firms (compared to the monopolistic food and beverage business or the perfect competition green grocers, for example).All supermarkets sell many identical products (common brand and package size) and the nature of these products is in neural only slightly differentiated. The size of the firms too is relatively big, proven to us by the existence of mint-markets which are smaller representatives of supermarkets. As of the barrier of entering the market, it is only logical that it is high. A supermarket is visibly a large scale business -meaning that it requires a big amount of capital to start. Furthermore, the products offered by a supermarket are numerous in variety.For every single product they would have to prepare legal methodologies of payment, storage, delivery, and shelf placement -this surely is a significant entry to the supermarket business is high. The last missing information is their product prices. I will record the prices of all supermarkets and perform statistical analysis to determine their price range. If the prices posed by the original supermarkets are similar to each other, then it is proven that they indeed do form a tacit oligopoly.The next part of the research would be comparing the price of the original supermarkets to the new supermarkets. Afterwards I shall perform identical mathematical analysis as before. If indeed the two results (the first being the price range of the original supermarkets alone and the second data being the price range f all supermarkets) are different, then indeed we would know that the original supermarkets of Bog have formed an oligopoly that segregated them.Diagram 4. 0 shows the Market with the original supermarkets segregating themselves and formed an entirely new team (oligopoly). This way, possibilities to compete better will open to them, e. G. A corporate pricing strategy. However, if their price range is similar, then we may conclude that all the supermarkets as a whole is an oligopoly and so the original supermarkets have not segregated themselves by making an oligopoly of their own. Diagram 4. Wows an oligopoly that includes both the original and the new part 5: Data Collection and Analysis Before proceedin g with the price analysis, I would like to strengthen my claim concerning the high entry barrier. Here are parts of two legal documents that concern opening a new supermarket business. Note that the documents are written in the Indonesian language (Bass Indonesia), thus the translations present are my personal attempt. Here is a transcript from the ‘Peered tenting Pentagonal Shah Industry Separate Bog [Regional Regulation Concerning the Managing of Industries in the Bog Region]':

Manage Performance

As a Human Resource Performance Management Implementer, discuss the prior training you would give to line the four group head with reference to Identifying performance gap? Training Is the most Important factor In order to achieve goals more effectively. Head of groups need to be able to develop a AMPS by setting objectives and standards. They should also be able to monitor these AMPS and Identify the weaknesses.Once these weaknesses Identified, they must have the skill to monomaniac effectively with the staff when Glenn Instructions and providing feedback. B. Determine the possible reasons for Panel's poor performance. What would be your recommended solution to each of these possible causes? 1. Frustration and lack of motivation Pamela has been working as the assistant of the head of department for more than eight years. She had lots of responsibilities and had owned the respect of the other employees.The authority that she had, has been removed and she must be engendering her prese nt secretary Job as not important or too simple for her. Giving her more responsibilities would make her feel more important in the organization. 2. Lack of supervision She has been sharing the same office with Frank for eight years and even if she did not want to work, she was under the close supervision of her manager. A AMPS must be put in place in order to monitor her performance and identify what Is the problem. 3. Poor performance from secretaries The secretaries working with Pamela might not be performing as required.The clapped-out equipment' and errors left In the documents brought down Panel's performance. Training should be provided to the staff of Pamela and appropriate equipment must be bought so that they can work effectively. C. As an HER advisor, what steps would you recommend to Ben that he take In order to lift Pamela level of lob performance? I would recommend Ben to introduce a performance management system which he will have to develop in order to monitor the pe rformance of Pamela. With this system, he will be able to identify the weaknesses and the strengths of Pamela.He must set key performance indicators and explain clearly in a planning discussion what is expected trot near and what are the goals that sane needs to achieve . At the end to the year, she will be evaluated in appraisal discussions and they will see together if the goals have been met and what are the actions to be taken. D. Assuming that the final outcome is the termination of Panel's contract, discuss the measures [setup and documentation that would need to be in place in accordance to organizational policy and law?The first step would be to seek for legal advice before terminating contract. If the performance improvement plan has not brought its results, the collected evidences can be used during the dismissal process. The information obtained must be analyses, and appraised. Pamela should be given a written warning if she has not been able to reach the agreed improveme nt requirement. Upon issue of three written warnings, she must be terminated. The federal workplace relations act 1996 must be taken into consideration so as to avoid unfair dismissal.

The eNotes Blog Top 10 Most Recommended Books of2012

Top 10 Most Recommended Books of2012 Do give books for Christmas. They’re never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal.   ~  Lenore Hershey So many books, so little time If you are still floundering about for a good Christmas gift, here is a list that may help.   Recently,   Flavorwire  complied a list of the most recommend books from fifteen respected magazines and newspapers and determined how many times works had been recommended to readers.    You can read their full list of dozens of titles here, but here are the top ten of all those titles with the most mentions: 1.  Bringing Up the Bodies  by Hilary Mantel (Nine recommendations) The sequel to Hilary Mantels 2009 Man Booker Prize winner and  New York Times  bestseller,  Wolf Hall  delves into the heart of Tudor history with the downfall of Anne BoleynThough he battled for seven years to marry her, Henry is disenchanted with Anne Boleyn. She has failed to give him a son and her sharp intelligence and audacious will alienate his old friends and the noble families of England. When the discarded Katherine dies in exile from the court, Anne stands starkly exposed, the focus of gossip and malice.At a word from Henry, Thomas Cromwell is ready to bring her down. Over three terrifying weeks, Anne is ensnared in a web of conspiracy, while the demure Jane Seymour stands waiting her turn for the poisoned wedding ring. But Anne and her powerful family will not yield without a ferocious struggle. 2.   Billy Lynns Long Halftime Walk  by Ben Fountain  (Seven recommendations) A finalist for the National Book Award!   Three minutes and forty-three seconds of intense warfare with Iraqi insurgents has transformed the eight surviving men of Bravo Squad into Americas most sought-after heroes. Now theyre on a media-intensive nationwide tour to reinvigorate support for the war. On this rainy Thanksgiving, the Bravos are guests of the Dallas Cowboys, slated to be part of the halftime show alongside Destinys Child.Among the Bravos is Specialist Billy Lynn. Surrounded by patriots sporting flag pins on their lapels and Support Our Troops bumper stickers, he is thrust into the company of the Cowboys owner and his coterie of wealthy colleagues; a born-again Cowboys cheerleader; a veteran Hollywood producer; and supersized players eager for a vicarious taste of war. Over the course of this day, Billy will drink and brawl, yearn for home and mourn those missing, face a heart-wrenching decision, and discover pure love and a bitter wisdom far beyond his years. 3.   Behind the Beautiful Forevers:   Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo  (Seven recommendations) While the distance between rich and poor is growing in the U.S., the gap between the haves and have-nots in India is staggering to behold. This first book by a New Yorker staff writer (and Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter for the Washington Post) jolts the reader’s consciousness with the opposing realities of poverty and wealth in a searing visit to the Annawaldi settlement, a flimflam slum that has recently sprung up in the western suburbs of the gigantic city of Mumbai, perched tentatively along the modern highway leading to the airport and almost within a stone’s throw of new, luxurious hotels. We first meet Abdul, whose daily grind is to collect trash and sell it; in doing so, he has â€Å"lifted his large family above subsistence.† Boo takes us all around the community, introducing us to a slew of disadvantaged individuals who, nevertheless, draw on their inner strength to not only face the dreary day but also ponder a day to come that will, perhaps, b e a little brighter. Sympathetic yet objective and eloquently rendered. Brad Hooper, Booklist    4.    Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayed (Seven recommendations) A powerful, blazingly honest memoir: the story of an eleven-hundred-mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe- and built her back up again. At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mothers death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State- and to do it alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker, and the trail was little more than â€Å"an idea, vague and outlandish and full of promise.† But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone.   Ã‚  5.   The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers  (Seven recommendations) The war tried to kill us in the spring. So begins this powerful account of friendship and loss. In Al Tafar, Iraq, twenty-one-year old Private Bartle and eighteen-year-old Private Murphy cling to life as their platoon launches a bloody battle for the city. Bound together since basic training when Bartle makes a promise to bring Murphy safely home, the two have been dropped into a war neither is prepared for.In the endless days that follow, the two young soldiers do everything to protect each other from the forces that press in on every side: the insurgents, physical fatigue, and the mental stress that comes from constant danger. As reality begins to blur into a hazy nightmare, Murphy becomes increasingly unmoored from the world around him and Bartle takes actions he could never have imagined. 6.   Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn   (Six recommendations) On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Nicks wife Amy disappears. There are signs of struggle in the house and Nick quickly becomes the prime suspect. It doesnt help that Nick hasnt been completely honest with the police and, as Amys case drags out for weeks, more and more vilifying evidence appears against him. Nick, however, maintains his innocence. Told from alternating points of view between Nick and Amy, Gillian Flynn creates an untrustworthy world that changes chapter-to-chapter. Calling  Gone Girl  a psychological thriller is an understatement. As revelation after revelation unfolds, it becomes clear that the truth does not exist in the middle of Nick and Amys points of view; in fact, the truth is far more dark, more twisted, and more creepy than you can imagine.  Gone Girl  is masterfully plotted from start to finish and the suspense doesnt waver for one page. Its one of those books you will feel the need to discuss immediately after finishing because the endi ng doesnt just come; it punches you in the gut.  Caley Anderson 7.   Iron Curtain:   The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Anne Applebaum (Five Recommendations) At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union to its surprise and delight found itself in control of a huge swath of territory in Eastern Europe. Stalin and his secret police set out to convert a dozen radically different countries to Communism, a completely new political and moral system. In  Iron Curtain, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anne Applebaum describes how the Communist regimes of Eastern Europe were created and what daily life was like once they were complete. She draws on newly opened East European archives, interviews, and personal accounts translated for the first time to portray in devastating detail the dilemmas faced by millions of individuals trying to adjust to a way of life that challenged their every belief and took away everything they had accumulated. Today the Soviet Bloc is a lost civilization, one whose cruelty, paranoia, bizarre morality, and strange aesthetics Applebaum captures in the electrifying pages of  Iron Curtain. 8.   This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz   (Five recommendations) On a beach in the Dominican Republic, a doomed relationship flounders. In the heat of a hospital laundry room in New Jersey, a woman does her lover’s washing and thinks about his wife. In Boston, a man buys his love child, his only son, a first baseball bat and glove. At the heart of these stories is the irrepressible, irresistible Yunior, a young hardhead whose longing for love is equaled only by his recklessnessand by the extraordinary women he loves and loses: artistic Alma; the aging Miss Lora; Magdalena, who thinks all Dominican men are cheaters; and the love of his life, whose heartbreak ultimately becomes his own. 9.   Ã‚  The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson  by Robert A. Caro   (Five recommendations) The Passage of Power  follows Lyndon Johnson through both the most frustrating and the most triumphant periods of his career- 1958 to1964.   It is a time that would see him trade the extraordinary power he had created for himself as Senate Majority Leader for what became the wretched powerlessness of a Vice President in an administration that disdained and distrusted him. Yet it was, as well, the time in which the presidency, the goal he had always pursued, would be thrust upon him in the moment it took an assassin’s bullet to reach its mark.By 1958, as Johnson began to maneuver for the presidency, he was known as one of the most brilliant politicians of his time, the greatest Senate Leader in our history. But the 1960 nomination would go to the young senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy. Caro gives us an unparalleled account of the machinations behind both the nomination and Kennedy’s decision to offer Johnson the vice presidency, revealing the extent of Rob ert Kennedy’s efforts to force Johnson off the ticket. 10.   Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity by Andrew Solomon (Four recommendations) Solomon’s startling proposition is that diversity is what unites us all. He writes about families coping with deafness, dwarfism, Down syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, multiple severe disabilities, with children who are prodigies, who are conceived in rape, who become criminals, who are transgender. While each of these characteristics is potentially isolating, the experience of difference within families is universal, as are the triumphs of love Solomon documents in every chapter. All parenting turns on a crucial question: to what extent parents should accept their children for who they are, and to what extent they should help them become their best selves. Drawing on forty thousand pages of interview transcripts with more than three hundred families, Solomon mines the eloquence of ordinary people facing extreme challenges.

The Complete List of NCAA Division 1 Colleges (Most Recent)

The Complete List of NCAA Division 1 Colleges (Most Recent) SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The NCAA, the major governing body for intercollegiate sports, separates its member institutions by divisions. Division I colleges are generally the biggest. They have the largest athletic department budgets and their sports teams generate the most revenue. All of the schools that participate in bowl games and March Madness are Division I schools. However, there are some regional colleges and smaller private schools you may not be familiar with that are also classified as Division I.In this article, I’ll give you a basic understanding of Division I and a complete list of current Division I schools by state. Why Are There NCAA Divisions? NCAA Divisions exist to create parity and level the playing field. With divisions, schools should be competing against other schools of a similar size and with similar resources. However, in the climate of today's NCAA sports, there can be huge disparities between schools in the same division, especially in Division I. For example, from 2006-2011, the athletics revenue for the University of Alabama was $124,498,616. During that same period, the athletics revenue for Alabama State University was $10,614,081. Both are Division I schools. What Makes Division I Unique? Compared to NCAA Division II and III schools, NCAA Division I schools have the biggest student bodies, the largest athletic budgets, and the most athletic scholarships. All of the major sports conferences, including the Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12, and ACC, are composed of Division I colleges. While Ivy League colleges are Division I, they don't offer athletic scholarships. Division I Fun Facts Stanford University has the most Division I NCAA championships with 117. On average, only 6% of the student bodies at Division I schools participate in NCAA sports. Stanford has won the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup awarded to the most successful Division I athletics program every year since 1994-1995. The University of Oregon won the very first NCAA men's basketball championship in 1939. Louisiana Tech won the very first NCAA women's basketball championship in 1982. The 1982 Louisiana Tech women's basketball team How Should You Use This List? If there's a college you're considering, you can determine if it's a Division I institution. If you're interested in a particular sport, check to see which colleges are Division I in that sport. Some schools are Division I in one or two sports and Division II or III in the rest. For example, Colorado College is Division I in men's ice hockey and women's soccer, but the rest of their varsity sports are Division III. If you're interested in football, you should also check to see if a particular school is FBS, FCS, or if it even has a football program. Division I Colleges By State Alabama University of Alabama Alabama AM University Alabama State University University of Alabama at Birmingham Auburn University Jacksonville State University Samford University University of South Alabama Troy University Arizona University of Arizona Arizona State University Northern Arizona University Grand Canyon University Arkansas Arkansas State University University of Arkansas, Fayetteville University of Arkansas at Little Rock University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff University of Central Arkansas California California Polytechnic State University California State University, Bakersfield California State University, Fresno California State University, Fullerton California State University, Northridge California State University, Sacramento University of California, Berkeley University of California, Davis University of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Riverside University of California, Santa Barbara Long Beach State University Loyola Marymount University University of the Pacific Pepperdine University Saint Mary's College of California University of San Diego San Diego State University University of San Francisco San Jose State University Santa Clara University University of Southern California Stanford University Colorado University of Colorado, Boulder Colorado State University University of Denver University of Northern Colorado U.S. Air Force Academy Connecticut Central Connecticut State University University of Connecticut Fairfield University Quinnipiac University Sacred Heart University Yale University Delaware University of Delaware Delaware State University District of Columbia American University George Washington University Georgetown University Howard University Florida Bethune-Cookman University University of Central Florida University of Florida Florida AM University Florida Atlantic University Florida Gulf Coast University Florida International University Florida State University Jacksonville University University of Miami (Florida) University of North Florida University of South Florida Stetson University Georgia University of Georgia Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Southern University Georgia State University Kennesaw State University Mercer University Savannah State University Hawaii University of Hawaii, Manoa Idaho Boise State University University of Idaho Idaho State University Illinois Bradley University Chicago State University DePaul University Eastern Illinois University Illinois State University University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois at Chicago Loyola University Chicago Northern Illinois University Northwestern University Southern Illinois University at Carbondale Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Western Illinois University Indiana Ball State University Butler University University of Evansville Indiana State University Indiana University, Bloomington Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis University of Notre Dame Purdue University Valparaiso University Iowa Drake University University of Iowa Iowa State University University of Northern Iowa Kansas University of Kansas Kansas State University Wichita State University Kentucky Eastern Kentucky University University of Kentucky University of Louisville Morehead State University Murray State University Northern Kentucky University Western Kentucky University Louisiana University of Louisiana at Lafayette University of Louisiana at Monroe Louisiana State University Louisiana Tech University Grambling State University McNeese State University University of New Orleans Nicholls State University Northwestern State University Southeastern Louisiana University Southern University, Baton Rouge Tulane University Maine University of Maine Maryland Coppin State University Loyola University Maryland University of Maryland Eastern Shore University of Maryland, Baltimore County University of Maryland, College Park Morgan State University Mount St. Mary’s University Towson University U.S. Naval Academy Massachusetts Boston College Boston University Harvard University College of the Holy Cross University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Massachusetts, Lowell Northeastern University Michigan Central Michigan University University of Detroit Mercy Eastern Michigan University University of Michigan Michigan State University Oakland University Western Michigan University Minnesota University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Mississippi Alcorn State University Jackson State University University of Mississippi Mississippi State University Mississippi Valley State University The University of Southern Mississippi Missouri Missouri State University University of Missouri, Columbia University of Missouri-Kansas City Southeast Missouri State University Saint Louis University Montana University of Montana Montana State University-Bozeman Nebraska Creighton University University of Nebraska Omaha University of Nebraska, Lincoln Nevada University of Nevada, Las Vegas University of Nevada, Reno New Hampshire Dartmouth College University of New Hampshire New Jersey Fairleigh Dickinson University, Metropolitan Campus Monmouth University New Jersey Institute of Technology Princeton University Rider University Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick Seton Hall University Saint Peter’s University New Mexico University of New Mexico New Mexico State University New York University at Albany Binghamton University University at Buffalo, the State University of New York Canisius College Colgate University Columbia University-Barnard College Cornell University Fordham University Hofstra University Iona College Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus Manhattan College Marist College Niagara University Siena College St. Bonaventure University St. Francis College Brooklyn St. John’s University (New York) Stony Brook University Syracuse University U.S. Military Academy Wagner College North Carolina Appalachian State University Campbell University Davidson College Duke University East Carolina University Elon University Gardner-Webb University High Point University University of North Carolina-Asheville North Carolina AT State University North Carolina Central University North Carolina State University University of North Carolina Wilmington University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Wake Forest University Western Carolina University North Dakota University of North Dakota North Dakota State University Ohio University of Akron Bowling Green State University University of Cincinnati Cleveland State University University of Dayton Kent State University Miami University (Ohio) The Ohio State University Ohio University University of Toledo Wright State University Xavier University Youngstown State University Oklahoma University of Oklahoma Oklahoma State University Oral Roberts University The University of Tulsa Oregon University of Oregon Oregon State University University of Portland Portland State University Pennsylvania Bucknell University Drexel University Duquesne University La Salle University Lafayette College Lehigh University University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania State University University of Pittsburgh Robert Morris University Saint Francis University (Pennsylvania) Saint Joseph’s University Temple University Villanova University Rhode Island Brown University Bryant University Providence College University of Rhode Island South Carolina College of Charleston (South Carolina) Charleston Southern University The Citadel Clemson University Coastal Carolina University Furman University Presbyterian College University of South Carolina, Columbia South Carolina State University University of South Carolina Upstate Winthrop University Wofford College South Dakota University of South Dakota South Dakota State University Tennessee Austin Peay State University Belmont University East Tennessee State University Lipscomb University University of Memphis Middle Tennessee State University Tennessee State University Tennessee Technological University University of Tennessee at Chattanooga University of Tennessee, Knoxville University of Tennessee at Martin Vanderbilt University Texas Abilene Christian University Baylor University University of Houston Houston Baptist University University of the Incarnate Word Lamar University University of North Texas Prairie View AM University Rice University Sam Houston State University Southern Methodist University Stephen F. Austin State University Texas AM University, College Station Texas AM University-Corpus Christi Texas Christian University The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Texas Southern University Texas State University Texas Tech University University of Texas at Arlington University of Texas at Austin University of Texas at El Paso University of Texas at San Antonio Utah Brigham Young University Southern Utah University University of Utah Utah State University Utah Valley University Weber State University Vermont University of Vermont Virginia George Mason University Hampton University James Madison University Liberty University Longwood University Norfolk State University Old Dominion University Radford University University of Richmond University of Virginia Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Military Institute Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University College of William and Mary Washington Eastern Washington University Gonzaga University Seattle University University of Washington Washington State University West Virginia Marshall University West Virginia University Wisconsin Marquette University University of Wisconsin-Green Bay University of Wisconsin, Madison University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Wyoming University of Wyoming What's Next? Learn more about the differences between NCAA divisions. Also, you can get the complete lists of Division II and III schools by state . Want to improve your SAT score by 160points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

8 Simple Steps To Help You Find a Job in 30 Days

8 Simple Steps To Help You Find a Job in 30 Days You need a new job and you need one fast. Maybe you’ve just been laid off, or quit, or you’re just starting out, or you’re doing some secret  job hunting from a position in which you’re miserable. No matter your reasons, if you follow these steps, you’ll have a great shot at scoring a new job in 30 days. 1. Make a spreadsheet.Excel is your friend in the organization game. And organization is the key to getting a job fast. Keep track of company name, position title, a link to the job posting itself, application materials, due dates, plus the date you applied, follow-up dates, and notes. If you hate Excel, try JibberJobber or Fresh Transition instead. But do keep all your details organized and easily referenced- you’ll be glad you did.2. Do your homework.Be informed- very informed- about the industry you’re applying into. Research every company and every position. Research the people who might be interviewing you and supervising you. R esearch the top people and the company’s mission. The more you know and the more prepared you are, the better you’ll do. And the more you strategize and target your applications, the more efficient your search will be.3. Budget your time.Once you have a game plan and an organizational system, you’ll want to devote time every day to your job search for 30 days. You couldn’t possibly spend all day every day on it, but even just 30 minutes of concentrated work every day will move you that much closer to the finish line.4. Dig deep.What do you actually want in a job? What have you liked and disliked about your current and former positions? Why do you want a change? Think about your values and which kind of work environments suit you best. Try to aim for places that match up with your innate talents and tastes first. You’ll be a better fit right out of the gate.5. Get social.Your promo toolbox consists of your social media platforms. Get them all up to fighting speed. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn†¦ make sure you have these accounts and that they are active and up to date. Make sure you’re using them correctly and are working consistently toward building your personal online brand.6. Network.The one step you’d probably like to avoid is probably the most important. Sometimes all the difference is made in who you know and who knows you. Think of it as initiating mutually beneficial relationships. Keep in mind what you have to offer! It’s not just a one-way street.7. Follow up.Your interviewer will likely tell you that they will be in touch with you soon. Tell them immediately how much you appreciate their taking the time to interview you and mention that you are eagerly awaiting a response. Then follow up with the same. Send a handwritten thank you note- you’d be surprised at how effective this can be! Then follow up with a phone call if you haven’t heard back in two weeks. And don’t forg et to note when and how you’ve followed up on your spreadsheet.8. Be patient.Keep looking. Keep working at it. Don’t get discouraged after a few rejections. If you’re consistent and keep honing your tools, you’ll get there.That being said, once you’ve hit all of these checkpoints, you will need to develop your resume into an excellent promotional document. Take a look at these resume hacks that will help you  turn your resume into a top notch contender, for any job. Remember, your resume is a document that sells you and your qualifications to the employer. The more effort you put into it, the better off you’ll be.

Environment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Environment - Research Paper Example The issue does not just end here with the high temperature; the area receives thunderstorms and very heavy rainfall in the second half of the year which disrupts the lifestyle of the people, and the area goes through a period of drought in the spring season (Climas). In Figure 1, the image shows that the southwest has very high average annual temperatures because the area of Arizona is marked by red spots, indicating that it is the area which experiences the highest temperatures. Considering that area is already experiencing such harsh weather and worse conditions are predicted in the future, there is a high probability that the people will be reluctant to move in Phoenix. Recently, there was a forum named On Point with Tom Ashbrook which discussed the issue of the changing climate in the American Southwest. The implications presented regarding the changing weather in Southwest was that the year 2011 was when there was record number of bushfires which unfortunately were also the most dangerous ones in the history of the area. It was also the hottest and the driest year in the area in its history with temperatures soaring above the mid-40C mark and periods of severe droughts in the first half of the period. (Ashbrook) If our organization goes ahead with the project, it is likely that many of the subdivisions go unsold at least in the foreseeable future. This is because people are unwilling to move in a state which is experiencing such a harsh climate accompanied by water problems. The area has been stated by many experts as overgrown and the state authorities have been reluctant to issue more licenses for housing projects. Figure 2 shows this fact by the graph where the state authorities have reduced the authorization of construction of housing units since the past few years. This action has been taken from the observation that the population is already far greater than the water resources available in the area. (Ackerman, 2011) William deBuys has gone as far as stating that the droughts of Southwest will potentially be so devastating that it will create the greatest water crisis known to the humans (deBuys). The writer has stated that the people need to get ready for a period which he states as the â€Å"Age of Thirst† and that if appropriate steps are not taken swiftly such as improving the water supply system and constructing additional reservoirs, then the whole of the civilization in the area will disappear as a result of the shortage of water. The writer has also presented some suggestions in his book out of which one suggestion is that the population in the area needs to be shifted out gradually because according to the author, it seems unlikely that the area will be able to survive this century given it fast changing climate. (deBuys, A Great Aridness: Climate Change and the Future of the American Southwest, 2011) Many authors and analysts have stated the construction and settlement of Phoenix as one of the biggest mistakes ever simply because it is not sustainable. Author Andrew Ross in his book has said that other cities need to learn from the mistake made by the developers of Phoenix, which he has stated as a horrible mistake (Ross, 2011). Also, the author Simon Winchester said in an interview that the city was not really a nicely planned city because it was never a sustainable project considering that it does not

Impact of burnout in the nursing field Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Impact of burnout in the nursing field - Essay Example They render service that will determine the patient’s safety and wellbeing. Burnout experienced by nurses would threaten, not only the patient’s safety, but also decrease the quality of care rendered. There is an ongoing shortage of nurses in the United States that contributes to the incidence of nursing burnout and impacts the over-all health care delivery system. As the functionality of a reduced nursing staff will decline should the prevailing working conditions continue. The major shortage today is escalating just as when patients are needing more complex care and demand for services are seldom unmet (Joint Commission on Accrediation of Healthcare Organizations, 2002). The opportunities in employment for registered nurses have been projected to be higher than any other discipline. Yet, a major shortage is still seen in the near future. This is caused by the deficiency in the number of nursing faculty and colleges and universities that are unable to take advantage of the unusually high number of qualified applicants due to financial constraints. There is a need for the government to step in to review policies and increase public subsidies (Aiken, Cheung, & Olds, 2009). The Causes There are several causes that contribute to the incidence of nursing burnout. One is the current nursing shortage has a high impact on the nursing profession. The nursing profession has always been regarded as stress-filled having to deal with manual labor, human suffering, rotating work shifts and various interpersonal relationships (Jennings, 2008). As the nurse is always on the frontline of patient interaction, they are the direct recipient of stress from situations of death and illness. The present inability to produce sufficient amount of registered nurses due to the limitations in school admissions compounds the situation. The population of aging nurse practitioners is now slowly being led to nursing burnout to compensate the inadequate staffing in hospitals (Bar tels, 2001). Another cause for nursing burnout is the stress that is made complex by work, marriage and children. Work life is seldom independent from family life and this dependency is where conflict sometimes arises. This situation is predominantly felt by female nurses as they would have juggle the roles in their life like wife, daughter, mother and friend aside from being a nurse that should provide the best possible care for their patients. It’s Implication to the Nursing Field Due to the reduced number of nursing practitioners it is now a common practice to go on twelve hour shifts to allow them a 3-day work week thus giving more opportunity for work-life balance. Studies conducted by University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing claim that hospital nurses working on ten hour shifts or more are more prone to experience burnout and job dissatisfaction (Penn Nursing Science, 2012). There is an organizational need for nurses to go on overtime, rotating shifts or consecutive days lead to fatigue that eventually affects their job performance. The exhaustion and low energy that overwhelms the nurse that in turn affects the quality of care they render to the patients. The demand for acute care service is increasing in hospitals and thus need optimal nursing care. The reality of having fewer nurses to respond to this need is a precarious situation for patients and hospitals. The combination of very few nurses and nursing support personnel plus the paper work and other administrative duty

Anti Money Laundering Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Anti Money Laundering - Assignment Example I have now realized that money laundering is associated with unethical issues in the society and this is what has stimulated intensive research to look into the matter. Money laundering has been associated with criminal activities such as drug trafficking, terror activities and massive corruption .I think this is what has influenced massive research into the issue bringing about anti money laundering activities. The article, (Financial Action Task Force, 2005) clearly shows that anti money laundering activities are aimed at preventing issuance of money to finance these criminal activities. I have learnt that a study of the methods used and trends linked to money laundering is one of the crucial components of anti money laundering activities. Furthermore, this helps to know what the money transferred is used for. I think the financial sector is one of the main sector which helps in transfer of these large sums of money. As such, banking institutions should be required to know their customers well and the businesses they engage in to prevent such criminal activities from taking place. I have learnt that politically exposed persons are usually the most vulnerable people in the society associated with money laundering activities (Greenberg et.al, 2009). In my opinion, I think this is so because they handle large sums of money meant for the state and its citizens. However, most of these politically exposed persons use the money for their own selfish gains. Furthermore, they extort and accept bribes from citizens to enrich themselves. I tend to think that they thus use the domestic financial systems of the country to launder their stolen money. That is why they are mainly involved in financing drug trafficking activities which is a criminal offence (United States Department of State, 2012). Anti money laundering campaigns should therefore aim at identifying these people during their

Physical security and risk assessment of the alfred p.murrah building Term Paper

Physical security and risk assessment of the alfred p.murrah building - Term Paper Example A commission was formed to deal with rectifications of the existing principles that had been used to direct the construction of the Murray building. It was found that use of beam columns provided the highest degree of vulnerability in the event of explosion attacks thus the propping up of three edge bond with all having completely diverse technique. First there was the pre-Northridge moment-resisting bond was looked into. This majorly looked at three distinct areas that might create points of weakness. These are the preliminary error extent, beam susceptibility to succumb to pressure and finally the fracture strength that the fused parts contained was put into perspective. Second model put into question the independent manner of each element then later on putting together these elements to have them form one strong connection. These elements were the T-stub, panel zone and the shear tab. Those already built buildings that were constructed by method of riveting the joints, it was deci ded that an alternative better method be used. This method had to withstand earthquakes and the uneven constricting and none rigid nature in the joint section as well as the caternary action. The pre-Northridge moment-resisting frames degree of success was gauged by mean-centered deterministic technique as well as the likelihood technique according to Goldstein (2010). First a resolving reviewing of frames with complete and incomplete force wielded T-stub joint was put to test having in mind three beam spans from both bearings. Buildings that were initially built and had unsupported concrete mixture as well as unsupported brickwork infill plates were looked into. To achieve the need for comparative simple method for the preliminary vulnerability assessment, an energy-oriented nonlinear fixed pushdown analysis method was developed. This method offers a different procedure of

Emergency Communication - Public Information Officer Position Assignment

Emergency Communication - Public Information Officer Position - Assignment Example The subordinates should be well informed. There is a need for one to know oneself and seek improvement. Critical thinker: The PIO under his mandate should be able to plan, develop, organize and provide direction for a comprehensive policy on information. He should consult the incident commander in order to educate the rest of the staff and the media about the programs of the department, events, projects, plans and implements (Laft, 2011, p.90). He should evaluate public information and community outreach; should ensure the division meets the applicable laws and regulations; should provide highly responsible, operational assistance and complex administration. He/she fosters good working relationships with the other agencies and serves as the spokesperson of the department. This is because he/she responds to the requests of information from the public. Social and tact: The work may require one being tactful because it entails frequent public contact. He may also have independent judgment. Sometimes it may require one to have a wider knowledge of the department policies that relate to specific areas. Through interaction, he/she should be in a position to research, develop and implement program plans. One should receive inquiries and providing information to the public concerning a wide range of topics (Smoke, 2009, p.65). They include developing and sending out the press releases; this requires discretion and tactfulness in communication with the mass media. Readiness: Arriving properly and well equipped at the incident location and within the acceptable time limits is of utmost importance. He/she should check in according the guidelines set by the agency. The officer should determine the immediate staffing and the resources needed. Assessing the incident, its complexity and media interest is needed. He/she must gather additional supplies to support the efforts if need be. One more point here is

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 50

Philosophy - Essay Example Admetus accepted the offer of immortality thinking that by the time he is to leave the mortal world for the underworld, one of his old parents would happily sacrifice their life for their son. It was not a fool’s decision, it is only rational to think that way. The mistake he made was not getting anything in a contract with his parents. If it was his time to die, he must have had some form of legal paper showing that he has a substitute to offer in his place. He could have also made a deal with any person, who would be happy to die at a certainty time in future for a pot of gold. Despite the fact Ametus might seem like a fool to many, I would call him an impulsive being, not a fool. Plus he always has a way to get out of situations. No one is perfect in the world, Admetus’s foolishness (or impulsiveness) would have landed him in trouble many times, but he always had someone there to protect him – fools don’t have such powerful friends! Apollo is like a friend to Admetus, he does treat his friends well and in the end Apollo gets him out of trouble whenever he’s in one. When it was the time to win the heart of the beautiful Alcestis, Pelias’s daughter, the king of Lolcus, Apollo helped him yoke the lion and the bear to a chariot and then Admetus drove the chariot to show it to Pelias – fools can’t be that lucky. Admetus was impulsive and stubborn and that is why he refused to make a sacrifice to Artemis. This upset the goddess and she put snakes in the bridal chamber as a punishment. To Admetus’s aid, Apollo came forward again, he talked sense into him and told him that it’s better to make the sacrifice to the goddess. Admetus took heed to Apollo’s advice and made the sacrifice – fools don’t listen to reason, Admetus is no fool. Toward the end when it’s the time of death Fates have agreed to spare Admetus if he offers someone else. When Admetus asks his parents they refuse and