Avoiding Groupthink Essay

The case study we are addressing this week involves how a team and Project Manager avoid Groupthink and its pitfalls. In order to understand what group think is you have to refer to Irving Janus who coined the phrase back in 1972. He related that Group Think is when a group makes a decision based on group pressure; it can lead to faulty decisions. Janus, 1972) Some of the symptoms that Irving Janus documented of group think are Illusion of invulnerability, Collective rationalization, Belief in inherent morality, Stereotyped views of out-groups, Direct pressure on dissenters, Self-censorship, Illusion of unanimity, and Self-appointed ‘mind guards’. (Janus, 1972) In our book, Making the Team: A Guide for Managers states that there are three (3) key symptoms that take root and they are Over Estimation of the Group, Closed Mindedness and Pressure towards Uniformity. These will be the 3 areas I am going to focus on. Over Estimation of the Group Now that we know what group think is we can move on to how a team and Project Manager might avoid the mistakes and downfalls of Group Think situations. (Thompson, 2008) When a team is falling into a group think methodology a Project Manager must be able to recognize the signs before any decisions are made and set in motion. If the group is making statements that start with we feel, we think, or we suspect it is a good indicator that they just don’t know or are just following along with the consensus of the group. Group think can cause problems when everyone goes with the flow especially on a wrong decision. In using group think methodology management has to weigh the pros and cons of the group’s decision from all sides. Sometimes a little more research prior to implementing a group think decisions should be done or a devil’s advocate should be assigned into the group think matrix in order to prevent team members from being led down a garden path. The one thing I have noticed when in a group think situation, the group always looks for someone to be the mouthpiece for the group, this person usually has strong leadership skills but can be short sited and very opinionated which rubs off on the group as a whole. Some team members tend to have difficulty explaining or relating what is on their mind in a group setting, they rather tell their ideas one on one because they are an introvert by nature! They would rather have the extrovert take charge and be the one who voices the opinions or decisions of the group. They tend to stay out of the lime light. Project Managers should encourage team members to bring out concerns or objections to issues that are being discussed and/or considered, he/she should not influence the team with his or her own preferences to the issue, he/she should play the devil’s advocate and guide conflict in a positive manner, the group should be allowed to be evaluated by other groups and critiqued in an unbiased manner, splitting the group into different sub groups to bring out and investigate different alternative solutions or methods that could be used, call meetings with the group to discuss and evaluate any decisions prior to instituting them and develop alternatives for each methodology prior to giving final approvals. (Thompson, 2008) A good Project Manager should keep his group focused on the project at hand, have weekly meetings to check progress of his team to ensure that discussions are being conducted that is giving the group the necessary conflict for them to evaluate potential risks and dangers involved with the decisions they are recommending. The Project Manager should make the team aware that they can bring up ideas or doubts about any issue without the fear of being ridiculed or rejected by other team members. The ultimate goal is for the Project Manager to make his team work as a team through having all members contributing their knowledge and skills in making the project a success.

“Devil in a Blue Dress” Film vs. Book Essay

When an individual reads a book and then sees the movie that is based on the book, there is bound to be many differences between the two. Sometimes there are elements that are present in the book that have a tendency to get lost in the production and directing of a movie. At other times, the movie adds elements that are not originally in the book. In Walter Mosley’s book, â€Å"Devil in a Blue Dress,† and the movie of the same name share some similar literary elements. However, there are several vital situations and parts of the book’s story that are not present in the film. Hence, the movie downplays a lot of the foul language as well as the racial slurs that were used in the era the book was set in. With a comparison of the two mediums, it will show the differences and similarities between the story elements of the book as well as the story elements of the movie. Both the book and the movie start with the same challenge for Easy Rawlins. Easy needs money to make mortgage payments for his most prized possession, his home. He had been laid off from his job at Champion Aircraft because he told his boss,†he would not stay and inspect the plane, he would like to be fully rested before inspecting the aircraft to ensure that it was assembled properly (Mosley pg73).† Unfortunately now his desire is to find a job so that he can make the mortgage payments. Two days later after being laid off, while at Joppy’s bar Easy ends up meeting a white man that comes in. The man’s name is Mr. Albright. Mr. Albright tells Easy that he needs someone to find a girl for him and he is offering to pay that person. Easy accepts the offer from Mr. Albright with the alternative challenge of surviving the white man’s system. Easy’s plan is to find the girl, Daphne Monet and collect the money from Mr. Albright. As the plot unfolds, his plan becomes more involved. In the book his plan includes having a romance with Daphne; however, in the movie his plan is more of a quest for truth and an attempt to clear his name with the police. The challenge is complicated and everyone is trying to get at Easy because of his knowledge or the lack of in regards to Daphne’s whereabouts. Easy’s self-realization in both the book and the movie is when Mouse saves Easy’s life, but then kills Joppy in an execution style. Easy is grateful to his friend, but does not know how to deal with such meaningless brutality. Easy’s new balance though comes when he his talking to Odell and asks him, â€Å"if a man knows that his friend  did something wrong but does not turn him into the police, is it wrong (263)?† Odell replies with, â€Å"All you got is your friends (263).† In the movie, the audience sees Easy go through the change; where as, in the book we know that he has two years salary buried in his back yard, which gives him the nest egg and security to try a new field of work. However, in both cases Easy changes and adjusts himself to become a private detective. The most obvious similarities between the book and the movie are the way that the story is told as well as the setting. The setting is in Los Angeles, California around the late 1940s. In the movie the director chooses costumes from that time period and uses antique cars to help create the illusion for the audience whereas in the book the reader only knows the setting by Easy’s description as he says, â€Å"I was used to white people by 1948 (45).† In the book the reader can only see things through Easy Rawlins’s eyes which are a subjective view through Easy’s narration. Also in both the book and the movie, the narrative point of view is in first person which is told by Easy Rawlins. As he narrates, Easy leads us along with him in search for answers to the mystery of Daphne Monet and we experience his confusion and inability to understand what is going on around him. However, there is a great deal of differences between the book and the movie. In the book we as the reader get a great sense of Easy’s motivations through his narration and we also get more of a story than we do in the movie. One of the most noticeable differences in the book and the movie is that everybody in the book is linked to each other whereas in the movie supposedly nobody knew anyone. For instance, in the book Joppy knew Albright; Albright knew Todd Carter; Todd Carter knew Richard McGee as well as Matthew Terrell whereas in the movie every character denied knowing each other except Albright and Joppy. Another noticeable difference is that in the book Frank Green, Daphne’s brother ends up murdered and in the movie he lives and they both end up moving. The third noticeable difference is a character name change from the book to the movie; Matthew Teran in the book is Matthew Terrell in the movie and he ends up being murdered in the book whereas at the end of the movie he’s running for mayor. A fourth noticeable  difference is the pier scene. In the book Albright and Easy meet at the Santa Monica pier and in the movie it is the Malibu pier. And the last most noticeable difference between the book and the movie is that Mouse knows Daphne Monet or shall we call her by her real name Ruby Hanks; however, in the movie the audience never finds that out. In the movie the only true thing you get to know about Daphne is that she is both black and white. Therefore, due to the many differences between the book and the movie it is confusing to the audience since it is almost like dealing with two different stories because of the plot inconsistencies. Even though, you have those noticeable differences that were mentioned in the above paragraph the biggest difference of them all between the movie and the book is the language. In the book there is a lot more foul language and racial slurs than there is in the movie. This kind of dramatic difference could be because in the book you have to use words and certain kind of language to set the mood as well as show and express how things were back then in the 1940 between the different races. Whereas in the movie actions and body language can expresses the mood a lot more than words. Also another reason possible for the lack of language could be that with a movie you have to focus on the audience appeal as well as movie ratings and peer acceptance. Therefore, if a director wants people to come see the movie, he or she must get a good rating and by doing that certain items such as language and sometimes violence must be taken into consideration. As for the category of detective stories, there are similar characteristics that are common from one movie to the next. The context of the detective story is one of a man on a quest for information and answers; therefore, usually following a trail of dead bodies, death threats, and beautiful women. This context is more evident in the book than in the movie. The typical tough guy talk, sex with the beautiful woman, lots of shooting and action, and danger are all present in both; however, the context is more dark and tough-guy like in the book. The movie’s context is more like a black man who has fallen into the job because of circumstances, but the book makes Easy’s private eye job as a kind of natural extension of who he is. In the book, Easy has seen killing, torture, and injustice in the war; we don’t get to see this in the movie. The context is still that he is a tough  guy, but with a different motivation. In conclusion, there are elements that are present in the book version that were lost in the production and directing of the movie; however, the movie did add some elements such as the goodbye scene between Daphne and Carter that was not in the book. In regards to Walter Mosley’s book, â€Å"Devil in a Blue Dress,† and the movie by the same name do share some similar literary elements, but there are several vital situations and parts of the book’s story that are not present in the film. Comparing and contrasting the story elements such as narrative point of view, setting, plot and the classical structure show that the screen writer for â€Å"Devil in a Blue Dress,† took many liberties with the movie version in respect to the plot, story, and ending. Although both mediums are enjoyable on their own, the audience and readers can see that the book and movie are very different.

Poverty is a State of Mind Essay

The mighty Great Britain is not what it used to be. Its glory days are long gone and the financial recession of 2008 struck Britain bad. There’s a gap between the wealthy and the poor, like there’s always been. And it has grown greatly over the years. It is especially visible in the division of the northern and southern parts of England. The southern parts of England have London as its centre, and are doing more than well, but the northern parts of England are suffering. They are unable to sustain themselves. Their employment has risen, and people are facing tougher and bigger challenges. But perhaps those challenges are not only a material challenge, but also an emotional challenge, as Bernard Hare argues in his radio essay â€Å"Poverty is a State of Mind† from the BBC network, 2012. But is his argument correct, when he says that poverty is mostly in your mind? In this essay I am going to analyse the radio essay † Poverty is a State of Mind† by Bern ard Hare. Part of my essay will focus on Hare’s use of his own experience, the way he uses contrasts and his use of pathos, logos and ethos. Bernard Hare is a social worker and writer. He was born in the town of Leeds in North England in 1958. He was the son of a coal miner and a shop worker. He was born into poverty because his family did not have a lot of money. But Hare never saw that, he argues that even though he grew up poor in Leeds, he had love, security and a good social environment. Because of that, he never felt he was alone nor did he feel poor in spirit, which Hare believes is how the poorest people, who have basically nothing, are feeling today. Things changed though, when the strike of the coal miners began. And everything good about Leeds that he had known shattered to pieces. When they protested against Margret Thatcher’s liberalization, Hare got caught in the middle, which led him to doing drugs and starting drinking. But later in his life when he came across some young kids who were doing exactly the same thing, he decided to suck it up and help the community, and starting writing to promote his cause. â€Å"Absolute poverty was back with a vengeance.†1 Here he points out that poverty can become an evil circle, where money is spent but not for the better. â€Å"You’ll never have any money if you drink and smoke [†¦] I was becoming aware that there might be a self-inflicted element to some people’s poverty†2 Here he comments on the fact, that he believes that the only way to escape poverty, is to do something about it yourself. But to do  so there needs to be an even playing field, where society does not favour the richer people. â€Å"Education is one way out of poverty, but the road is only worth taking when combined with social justice,†3 Since poverty and finding his place in society was a big part of Hare’s life, it is obvious that he uses parts of his life as examples, to get his message out. He uses examples from his life experience, so that he can come across as more reliable, when he argues his message. He makes it easier to persuade the reader – this is the rhetorical technique ethos. This comes across when he argues that people, who are born poor, find it hard to find their place in society â€Å"I had escaped poverty [†¦] A year later I was plunged right back into poverty again.†4 Hare uses a lot of contrasts in his essay, to show the difference between poverty in the olden days that he experienced as a child, and the poverty nowadays – here he uses the kids as an example. The poverty in his childhood was to him much happier than the poverty today. People cared for each other and looked out for each other, they trusted each other even though they had nothing and might gain more from stealing from amongst each other. They were happy neighbours in Leeds in the 60s. Today the poor feed themselves with drugs and misery – poverty is a fact in Britain. Today’s poor are a contrast to the 60’s poor – today they are all alone, back then they stood together. Hare underlines his message when he uses this contrast. The message; that even though his father was poor and beaten physically, he was rich and happy socially and mentally, whereas today the poor are both poor inside and out. When he underlines his messages with examples from his own life experiences, he gets a stronger appeal, which makes him seem like a more honest and trustworthy person. Hare also uses the rhetorical technique pathos by the use of adjectives, in this case to make the reader take a certain side. â€Å"Margret Thatcher was out to destroy the miners’ union†5 Here it is obvious that Margaret Thatcher is the bad guy who wants to destroy all the miners, and therefor he wants the reader to feel sorry for them. The central problem with Hareâ₠¬â„¢s essay and his statements, that poverty is only a state of mind, is that it is psychological. Poverty is big part of humanity, and being physically poor means that your possibilities are restricted. Those people who are stuck in poverty and can’t get out, it becomes difficult to reflect on the riches such as love and care. His point is good, when he claims that if you feel  and think you are rich, then you are, but he forgets that despite his family was very poor, they were not unemployed. To conclude it all – the 21st century seemed to be a lovely change, democracy was on its way forward and there was growth in the middleclass. But when the financial crisis boomed in 2008, those unprepared paid a great price. Poverty became reality – especially in the north where unemployment shattered over the people. The parliament from south did not have a solution, and if nothing is done to change that rise in poverty, both the physical but also mental poverty, perhaps Great Britain will lose its greatness.

POLicy ANALYSIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

POLicy ANALYSIS - Essay Example The policy makers therefore adopt different strategies for addressing the concerns of nurses as these approaches can be more beneficial and less costly for the nurses as well as the patients. The nurse workforce in a particular hospital is based on licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and licensed nurses and then there are nurses’ aides. Both the LPNs and RNs are licensed by the same State in which they reside and practice. It is the responsibility of the RNs to access the needs of the patients, administration treatments and medications and develop patient plans. The maintenance of the minimum nurse to patient ratio will be beneficial for the patients as well as the nurses. There is a need for the policymakers to realize not only the potential benefits associated with the ratio but also potential expenses associated with these benefits. Minimum nurse staffing ratio helps the hospital to improve as well as increase the quality of its operations. The patients are more satisfied by the working of the staff and there are enough nurses present in the hospital to deal with emergency cases which results in low mortality rates. Acquiring minimum nurse staffing ratio also allows the hospital to give their full attention to each and every patient and not neglect the needs of any of them. On the other hand not having adequate number of nurses will misbalance the effective working of the hospital and the lives of many patients will be at stake. Aiken, Clarke, Sloane, Sochalski, & Silber in their article empahsize upon the importance of staffing ratio on the health of patients. There is no doubt about the fact that the staffing ratios help to alleviate the shortage of nurses. It discusses the fact that the working conditions of the hospitals may affect the number nurses willing to work within an hospital. Therefore staffing ratios help in improving the quality of hospitals which affect the patients’ mortality rate and

Coursework portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Coursework portfolio - Essay Example The required skills for the aforementioned job position comprise brilliant communication skills, proficiency in Information Technology (IT) related skills and effective problem-solving as well as decision-making skills (Warwick District Council, n. d). The major duties for the job position of a sales presenter would comprise business development activities, meeting the customers, generating leads and making sales presentations. The required skills include outstanding communication abilities, tenacity, superior level of confidence and self-motivation (International Finance Corporation, n. d). Conversely, the main responsibilities as well as roles of a care assistant are to provide active support as well as deliberately working with the students and most importantly assisting the teaching staffs associated with Individual Care Plans. Moreover, the care assistants would also have to attend and enthusiastically contribute towards Individual Care Plan reviews in conjunction with maintaini ng any kind of related records. Working mutually with the coordinators of Learning Support along with the lecturing staffs and offering useful practical services to the students are also acknowledged to be the duties of a care assistant. In addition, the other important duties of a care assistant include periodic reporting to the Coordinators of Learning Support, Wellbeing Advisors and teachers along with other relevant external agencies. The skills which are required for this particular job position are high enthusiasm, optimism, self motivation and superb communication skills (Trussville City Schools, 2006). Suitability for Each Job On The Basis Of Seven CBI ‘Employability Skills’ Employability Skills Customer Service Advisor Sales Presenter Care Assistant Application of Numeracy I have completed my graduation course which included the subject of Mathematics and also pursued a financial accounting course which involved numerous calculations. Team Working I was a part of a dynamic team in a knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) organisation where I was required to work jointly with the team members and perform as a team during my one year of service. Self Management I experienced the value of self management quality while working in the KPO organisation. Business and Customer Awareness I am presently pursuing a business management course which principally focuses upon the awareness as well as the satisfaction of the customers in the business sector. Application of IT During my graduation, I also pursued a course in Advanced Diploma in Computer Hardware Engineering (ADCHE). The main subjects included Computer Basics, Microsoft Office, Internet, Software Installation and Networking. Problem Solving In one of my subjects in Graduation i.e. Business Regulatory Framework and Company Law (BRF & CL), I had to learn to analyse as well as to recognise the different problems which I had applied in the past while I was working in the KPO organisation. Communi cation & Literacy Though I had completed my graduation program from abroad, it was a remarkable experience for me to communicate with various people belonging to diverse

Explain why the historical cost principle is used to account for Essay

Explain why the historical cost principle is used to account for long-lived assets and how the cost basis is determined. Discuss - Essay Example The GAAP mainly relies on consistency of data conveyed by business financial records. Since historical methods does not depend on the speculated market prices, rather a real transaction that occurred, the cost is regarded as most reliable. For this reason, the historical cost principle is best used for reporting long-lived assets. It is the best method for reporting assets whose disposal may not be done in the near future. Examples of these assets include land, buildings, fixture, equipment and natural resources such as mineral deposits, oil wells and timber tracks. Under the historical cost principle, assets are recorded at acquisition cost as indicated on the balance sheet. In accounting for purchases of long-term assets, interest expense is subtracted from the original cost or cost of acquisition. The book value of long-term assets can be calculated by getting the accumulated depreciation subtracted from acquisition cost. To estimate an asset’s useful life, important variab les such as acquisition cost, depreciation expense per year and salvage value should be determined. The following methods are used to estimate asset’s useful life; straight-line depreciation method, production method and double (declining) methods. Useful life can then be calculated as follows: Asset impairment Asset impairment refers to an abrupt deterioration in the usefulness of a long-term asset often caused by damage effects on the asset, obsolescence due to the ever-changing technology or a change in the county’s laws prohibiting the use of an asset. It occurs when the future benefit of an asset known as market value is below the recorded book value (cost-accumulated depreciation). When impairment occurs, the current market value of the asset should be written down and a loss recognized. First, long-lived assets are selected for purposes of performing impairment testing as well as establishing the net book value. Secondly, determine the level of impairment by fin ding the total undiscounted cash flows expected from the selected assets. The net book and the undiscounted cash flow figures are then compared with intent of establishing which of the values have higher figures. If the net book value is higher than the undiscounted cash flow value, then the amount of variance is determined and recorded. Common Asset Depreciation Methods Depreciation refers to two main concepts; i. Diminished value of assets also called fair value This principle or concept has an impact on the balance sheet of a firm or a business entity. ii. Depreciation with corresponding principle, which is the allocation of the asset cost to periods upon which that particular asset is in use. This affects the net gain of reported assets. It is worth noting that when computing depreciation using a particular method, the cost of an asset is allocated to that period the use of an asset covers or is used. The expense is vital for purposes of financial reporting and taxation. In choo sing a suitable method of computing depreciation, value of assets, the type and periods upon which the asset is used is important. These computing methods are specified in laws and statutes or accounting standards that vary from one country to another. It is important to note that some depreciation computing methods exists, but the common methods include; fixed percentage depreciation method, straight-line computing method and declining balance. It is also

Compulsory civil admission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Compulsory civil admission - Essay Example New Mental Health Act will put the importance on better community treatment. This paper sketches some of the themes that emerge from Mental Health research, explains how such themes can update Mental Health legislation and some impediments to Mental Health plans. Through keen experiment of relevant British legislation, this study argues that mental health policy at a national level lacks a defined role which the new legislation may provide, thereby enhancing the profession's voice in overall mental health legislation enactment. Moreover, the inherent complexity of the relationship means that the modification of one point in either the mental health or legal system or policy has an enourmous impact on the criminal justice system as a whole. By abandoning its plans for a new Mental Health Act the government has limited its scope for innovation. As a result of the increasing points of contact in mental health policy and legislations processing, the systems have become particularly evide nt from the proposed NR (nearest relative) provisions. In spite of the obtainable debate about the mental illness and incapability in mental health legislation, there is surprisingly little systematic link between criminal justice and mental health issues dates back to common law and has long been a somewhat problematic relationship. The legal meaning of incapacity, though, remained in vague. There are some legal rulings on the moderation of those with illness under common law in near future. A person is not responsible for criminal conduct if at the time of such conduct as a result of mental disease or defect he lacks substantial capacity either to appropriate the criminality (wrong fullness) of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of law. "Health or safety" is interpreted in practice to include the mental health of the person, essentially embodying a "need for treatment" approach to commitment criteria (Code of Practice). The enactment of only legislative scheme administrating nonconsensual treatment of both 'phys ical' and 'mental' illnesses, founded on incapacity principles, has been unsettled in recent law reform debates in the UK. In 1995 recommendations from the Law Commission for a 'Mental Incapacity Act' were published (Law Commission, 1995).1 The legislation proposes a definition of incapacity as being 'unable by reason of mental disability to make or communicate a decision' (where mental disability includes 'any disability or disorder of mind or brain, permanent or temporary, resulting in an impairment or disturbance of mental functioning') (Lord Chancellor's Department, 1999: p. 8). The definition of incapacity includes the presence of mental disability (rather than mental disorder, as required by the Mental Health Act 1983) means those with transient states of impaired judgement caused by pain may be included. The propose of legislation that combines the strengths of both incapacity and civil obligation designs can be enthusiastically anticipated, based on the criteria for interfer ence in England and Wales found in the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Such legislation would diminish inexcusable legal discrimination against mentally disordered persons and pertain to reliable moral or ethical principles athwart the medical

Collaboration Systems at Isuzu Australia Limited Case Study

Collaboration Systems at Isuzu Australia Limited - Case Study Example The first step is to look at whether or not the company’s network can handle the increased bandwidth that will be used by the groupware itself; if not, additional steps will need to be taken in order to either upgrade the network that the company is on, or increase the amount of available bandwidth they have by obtaining a second account for company internet, increasing the plan that the company is on, or if the company is not obtaining their internet from a third party, reconfiguring the current network to increase available bandwidth.Once the bandwidth allocations of the network can handle the requirements of the groupware, the next step is to ensure that there is an intranet in place, or if not, to establish one. An intranet is a local or restricted communications network, especially a private network that is created using world wide web software. An intranet will allow for â€Å"a chance to streamline internal communication and collaboration† (Taylor, 1997); it is t hrough the use of the intranet that the groupware can be established across all different branches or locations.Though these are just two of the issues that may be faced with the companywide implementation of groupware, the issues themselves may be quickly resolved in order to ensure the modernization of a well-run company. Many people who use Sharepoint Servers use the terms â€Å"dashboard† and â€Å"scorecard† interchangeably, â€Å"but there is a significant difference between them† (Microsoft 2013)....Though these are just two of the issues that may be faced with the companywide implementation of groupware, the issues themselves may be quickly resolved in order to ensure the modernization of a well-run company. Explain the differences between dashboards and scorecards and propose ways Isuzu Australia Limited could use them Many people who use Sharepoint Servers use the terms â€Å"dashboard† and â€Å"scorecard† interchangeably, â€Å"but the re is a significant difference between them† (Microsoft, 2013). To best understand the differences between the two terms and how they could be best implemented at Isuzu Australia Limited, the terms themselves must be fully understood. A scorecard â€Å"is a type of report that displays a collection of key performance indicators (KPIs) together with performance targets for each KPI†¦it measures performance against goals† (Microsoft, 2013). A dashboard is â€Å"a container for a related group of scorecard and report views that are organized together in a SharePoint site† (Microsoft, 2013). In other words, a dashboard is made up of scorecards, and the scorecards themselves contain the information regarding the organization’s performance at a specific point in time. Isuzu Australia Limited could setup a SharePoint server in order to use the technology, allowing them to create scorecards that show them where they are from a business standpoint in terms of where they want to be. This can track any particular aspect of the business, from employee productivity, progress on a particular project, or even sales and revenue. This will allow Isuzu Australia Limited to be able to see at any given

Analysis data by SPSS software Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Analysis data by SPSS software - Essay Example Planning in work area based on fulfilling the needs of your customers, monitoring on an ongoing basis the needs of your customer and your success in meeting them, developing customer loyalty and advocacy rather than just keeping customers satisfied and having a clear understanding of how to keep your customers satisfied are other attributes which need to be factored in the company planning. In addition, being able to make or influence changes you believe to be to the benefit of staff work area, recognizing and rewarding staff excellence and initiative, being fully involved in the development of objectives and plans that relate to different jobs and actively encouraging and rewarding innovation in different work areas. The research paper was based on a manufacturing company which was dealing with kitchen and bathroom cabinetry. The company had the interest in determining staff satisfaction levels across its functional areas. The main purpose of the research findings on customer satisfaction was to enable the company position itself in the industry and to retain quality staff (in a field with few professional) for greater competitive advantage. Further, the survey had been occasioned by high staff turnovers leading to huge company losses. The mean, minimum response, maximum response and the standard deviation of the staff responses were determined (see table 2 above). Further, value 3 was considered as the average response and all values greater that 3 were admitted as above average performance while values lower than 3 were admitted as poor performance. Statements with a value less than 3 were to be considered as problematic areas which needed total consideration if the company is to do better. In terms of communication and feedback, it is evident that the mean difference of the responses; you receive regular feedback on the progress of your work area and you receive

Project Management Processes for a Project Essay Example for Free

Project Management Processes for a Project Essay In the pursuit to deliver exceptional product software for internal users of the company, the selection of an appropriate process methodology is imperative. One of the departments noticed that the input data in the company’s internal systems did not reflect the actual data in other department systems. A project team was developed to create a new upgraded system that will sustain data from both departments successfully and accurately. The project scope of the project was to focus on the characteristics of each department particulars and merge into a workable system. The project posed certain obstacles that made the decision to which methodology processes to implement an important one. Some of these obstacles were one of the department’s incoming data that did not take the same route compared to other departments to enter the main database. This posed a problem to making sure that the updated software was able to obtain and sustain the data correctly. In addition, the findings had concluded that this particular issue was one of the main reasons for the discrepancies in the old system. The actual discrepancies of data incoming into the old system automatically would cause misrepresentation across all departments that ended up causing quite of confusion. Therefore, the need to use the appropriate process is critical to ensure that the most difficult obstacles unknowns to most would need to be addressed effectively. The process chosen was from the Project Management Institute that uses the concept of Initiate- Plan – Execute – Control – Close to complete the project. The PMI process demonstrated all the areas of focus to better identify, resolve and complete the needed tasks successfully. The usage of the processes created an opportunity to interact with the team members more directly on specific areas that are yet defined. Due to the complex implementation of technology software that needed to communicate data from two different vantage points, the PMI processes methodology allowed for means to dissect certain components effectively. The first stage of the PMI processes to initiate is actually a way to develop a research agenda, in order, to detect any unforeseen issues or concerns. The research is an area that allows all team members to address certain concerns of the project. The IT department played a pivotal role in providing their vantage point of the technology side for a measure to meet in the final analysis. The research initiative provided an opportunity to see thru the different points of view from a technical aspect that could be misinterpreted thru a different means of project processes. The research format provides the initiation to deter any misconception previously connected to the IT department or other departments that could create road-blocks. The PMI process to beginning with the initiating of the project allows for the identification of all criteria’s leading up to subsequent phases. Therefore, the activity definition went hand in hand with the research portion of the project because it reinforces the identification of the desired deliverables to stakeholders. Thereafter the focus on planning allows for the findings from the research to be a smooth transition to designate on whom, what, and when to go further. The actual planning stage assists in being able to separate the tasks from the dependent tasks to ensure completion of the deliverables. The planning stages reinforce the documented data thru the initiation for any pitfalls in successfully implementing a major system upgrade that will support over 5,000 employees. The planning phase guarantees that the next phase of execution by the team members will be conducted in an orderly process due to the initiation on researching the project. Furthermore, the control phase will secure a means to not go over budget on a major and complex project due to initiation previously set in place. The close of the project will assist in the control phases due to the ability to pull all resources together in a timely matter and on target.

Manages debated and controversial topic in english

Manages debated and controversial topic in english The way in which our innate language abilities are able to influence how successfully we manage to use a language is a somewhat debated and controversial topic within the world of linguistics. Many believe that universal grammar has a very strong influence on how well an individual is able to structure sentences and use grammar while others disagree, at least with regard to how important it is in different situations. It is often argued that universal grammar has at least a moderate influence on first language acquisition, but the affect it has on second language acquisition is where the controversies lie, with many researchers having opposing opinions. Individuals who learn a foreign language frequently experience problems with using correct grammar, at least until they are very advanced in the acquisition process. A lot of the time, individuals learning a second language take a very long time to become as proficient as native speakers are, and they even often never reach the same l evel of proficiency as native speakers of the language. The significance of this is highly debated however, with a variety of causes being outlined as possible from many different studies. Time and time again, it has been shown that individuals who learn a second language often use grammar inappropriately, even when they may be at least moderately accustomed to the language and have been learning it for a reasonably long amount of time. For example, Lu (2001) found that Chinese learners speaking English often used the word â€Å"the† when it would be more correct to use â€Å"a†. This is a trend that has been found in many so-called L2 learners (i.e. people who are learning a second language). Interestingly however, such errors have also been found in the acquisition of English as a first language. A good example of this was in a study by Schaeffer and Mathewson in 2005. They found that children learning English as a first language make very similar errors to the errors individuals learning a second language make. They also state that children seem to start off by obeying what seem to be innate universal grammar principals, but as their learning develops, they eventually start to apply the rules of the language in the way adults do (through learning, conditioning and observation). The suggestion here therefore is that universal language is the cause of this incorrect grammar usage in both children learning to speak and in adults learning a second language, at least to some degree. This implies that universal grammar may indeed have a role in second language acquisition, since it seems that there are certain innate rules of language development that everyone follows right or wrong. Of course, many other studies imply that universal grammar influences the individual to speak properly rather than wrongly (albeit, at a different stage of the language acquisition process). It is argued that the input an individual receives when learning a language is not enough to allow them to successfully and properly use grammar, therefore meaning innate language abilities have a strong influence on language development, at least with regard to first language acquisition and likely with second acquisition too (White, 1985). A big question is raised from this theory of universal grammar being so integral to successful language development. When considering the idea that a large part of grammar ability may be innate, one must question how to differentiate between innate language abilities and learned language knowledge knowledge that (for L2 learners) was gained from the learning of their first language. To differentiate between innate and learned phenomena, there are two areas to be considered (White, 1990). Firstly, the input the individual receives for learning the language should be insufficient for the phenomenon to be present. Secondly, it should be different from phenomena learned as part of the first language. The fulfilment of both of these criteria could in theory mean an innate language ability is responsible for the production of the specific phenomenon in the L2 learning. Most studies into L2 language acquisition have been based around adult learners. Zdorenko and Paradis (2007) however carried out a study into second language learning in children. Within this study, they addressed numerous questions, taking into account how much first language background affects second language acquisition. Their conclusions were that the childrens first language influenced their acquisition early on in the learning process, but not later on, once the child had become more competent. They do not directly suggest that any part of the L2 learning however is innate, and instead suggest that article semantics could be responsible for the presence of certain phenomena. The idea that universal grammar may have a role in the development of first language acquisition is generally more accepted than the idea that it plays a role in second language acquisition. This largely could be to do with the fact that determining a role for innate language abilities at the stage of learning a second language is a lot more challenging, since with first language acquisition the only confounding factor that needs to be taken into account is the level of input the learner receives about the language. Flynn (1996) suggested a model for the role of universal grammar in L2 learners. The model has 3 possibilities: the no access hypothesis, the partial access hypothesis and the full access hypothesis. The no access hypothesis states that universal grammar simply is not accessible to L2 learners and all learning is simply due to input the learner gains. The partial access hypothesis claims that universal grammar is partially available to the L2 learner, but only those parameters that characterise first language phenomena are available. The full access hypothesis states that universal grammar is completely available to L2 learners and that any differences between first and second language acquisition can be accounted for via other ways. If any part of this model is correct, it seems unlikely that it is the full access hypothesis. As stated previously, much evidence exists suggesting L2 language acquisition is rarely ever as complete as first language acquisition. Or at least, it is a much slower process and it takes a long time for L2 learners to become as proficient in the language as native speakers. Hale (1996) suggests that universal grammar is very difficult to distinguish from first language acquisition in L2 learners, implying that the two are almost one of the same. Indeed, many researchers agree with the idea that universal language is something that goes hand-in-hand with first language acquisition, but not with second language acquisition. It seems that the matter of how involved universal language is in second language acquisition may never be resolved. On one hand, the presence of certain phenomena in L2 that are absent in the first language along with evidence that the phenomena have not been learned suggest that maybe innate language skill do have a role in L2 learning, however evidence from Zdorenko and Paradis (2007) along with other studies suggest that innate language abilities at least dont hold the most significant level of importance. If universal grammar does have a role in the learning of a second language, Flynns hypothesis of partial access would arguably seem most plausible. The fact that many individuals learning a second language never become fully competent at it suggests that full access is not possible, since this would therefore suggest no variation in the ability to speak a second language from the ability to speak a first language. No access however seems unlikely to, since the fact that there are similarities in the mistakes L2 learners and children learning a first language make implies that there is some innate mechanism governing language ability; a mechanism all individuals have that predisposes them to language and which diminishes as they age but never fades. This theory is further backed up by the fact that, within the Zdorenko and Paradis study, they found that the children had features of language acquisition in common with both first and second language acquisition, implying that maybe thei r innate language skills (due to their age) were having an affect (although this is not an idea that is pointed out within the study). The ‘critical period hypothesis is a well-known theory of language acquisition which states that children are much more primed for learning languages than adults. This hypothesis fits together very well with the partial access hypothesis. The critical period hypothesis is widely accepted by a large number of linguists. One of the best known examples here is that of Genie, a girl brought up in social isolation, who started to learn to talk at a late age (Curtiss, 1977). Although she was shown to not be mentally impaired, she was never able to learn to speak properly. It is most likely this was due to her age and her inability therefore to gain full access to her innate language abilities. Therefore, universal grammar seems to be something that very possibly does influence L2 learning and adult learners, but its effect diminishes with age, and therefore children can learn languages first, second and beyond more effectively than adults.

The Most Critical Talents a Teacher Must Possess :: Patience Creativity Adaptability Teaching Essays

The Most Critical Talents a Teacher Must Possess A.) In my opinion, the three most critical talents a teacher must possess are patience, creativity, and adaptability. Through the years I have grown to understand the saying, â€Å"Patience is a virtue.† I feel it is a gift to have the patience to work with a large group of children, whose needs and abilities range at different levels. Everyone becomes frustrated during his/her profession, but a teacher must have the ability to hide those frustrations so the happiness of every child will be ensured. Most people associate creativity directly to artists and musicians because of their natural born talent. Not all teachers can draw or sing, however their minds are creative. Teachers are given a curriculum full of skills and concepts that their students must master by years end. Therefore, it is the responsibility of an educator to engage the children in as many exciting and fun learning experiences as their imaginations can foster. Adaptability, the power to change easily to fit different conditions, is a critical talent that a teacher must possess in the classroom. If a lesson is unsuccessful and the students are confused on the skill that is being stressed, a teacher must adapt to the learning situation. By changing his/her approach to the material, students become enabled to better comprehend what is being taught. As a first year teacher, I feel I possess all three of these critical talents. B.) Though my experiences in the classroom are limited to my first year teaching and student teaching, I have always contemplated how I would use technology as a source of learning. My plan is to incorporate the use of technology through learning centers, since they will be a vital part of my classroom. A computer station will provide students exposure to programs that are age appropriate. These programs will focus on areas of mathematics and reading, both of which are crucial to a child’s education. Some programs I have implemented are Reader Rabbit’s Kindergarten, Dr. Seuss Kindergarten, and Math Circus. A listening center adds a real-life dimension to the stories because they make the books come alive for children. During my kindergarten practicum I incorporated a listening area that contained a listening post with headphones, a tape recorder, and sometimes a compact disc player. The area also contained tapes of books and the actual stories to which the students listened.

Wrestling Ring :: essays research papers

Around the Ring   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the beginning of time man has competed for supremacy, and in today’s time nothing has changed, just how the game is played. Professional Wrestling dates back to the early 1900’s and late 1800’s. The biggest wrestling corporation that many fans can relate to is the World Wrestling Federation. The WWF is a huge corporation but is only one of many and independent circuits across the nation are much smaller than the WWF. Explain and show just how wrestling as a sport from the early to mid 1900’s until present time has gone from wrestling to â€Å"wrasslin†, and from classic takedowns to phenomenal finishers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wrestling began to get big in the United states in early 1920’s, wrestling didn’t have that gigantic following, it was more of a regional market. Wrestling promoters kept their shows in the region mainly of where their wrestlers were located. Vince McMahon Sr. founded the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) and began to put shows together in the New York area around. This established wrestlers like â€Å"Classy† Freddie Blassie, â€Å"Gorgeous† George, Buddy Rogers, Bruno Sam Martini . These where the guys when wrestling was the real deal, when they could battle it out for the right to be called the best in the world, or in the northern region under the WWWF.. Madison Square garden was a common location for the WWWF to put on a show and because of this wrestling began to grow in popularity in the late 40’s early 50’s. Madison Square Garden at the time was one of the most played in venue’s, pro basketball, boxing, and yes, now wrestling. Wrestling was increasingly popular in New York during the time of Vince Sr. operating the company (Metzler 13). Wrestling gates (ticket prices) where increasingly higher than they had been five years before, and the fan base was continuing to grow, until the American public got a new hero. The cowboy hit the wrestling world very hard, taking its fans and turning them away from the wrestling world. Cowboy shows destroyed american wrestling in the eyes of the public on TV. Wrestling would continue to suffer until â€Å"Vince McMahon Jr. would buy the company from his father and turn it into a international phenomenon overnight† (BTM).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wrestling became a industry when Vince Jr. took over as the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) became the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the late 1970’s with Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Iron Sheik, â€Å"The Million Dollar Man† Ted Dibiase, Ricky â€Å"The Dragonâ€Å" Steamboat, and â€Å"Nature Boy† Ric Flair .

Essay --

Corporations are contributing to the â€Å"going green† epidemic. Going green means to pursue knowledge and practices that lead to more environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible decisions and lifestyles (Middletown Thrall Library, 2008). There are several pros and cons that organizations experience when deciding to develop â€Å"green† strategies, therefore the choice must be made carefully to decide whether or not it would be advantageous to their basis. One of the most obvious of reasons to become a â€Å"green† company is the cost benefit. The operating and material costs that are required for businesses are constantly increasing, therefore in order to become more cost efficient, and businesses are recycling more thus reducing productivity costs. With business being able to reduce waste and recycle more of their used goods, they can eliminate the costs it takes to eliminate those resources or to even store them. Eco-friendly policies also help to attract new talent. According to Lindsey Pollak, author of "Getting From College to Career, "students are looking to work for companies that care about the environment (Roff, 2007). Organizations can benefit from going green by reducing their energy bills as well. Energy bill reduction can come from utilizing high-efficiency bulbs in lighting. By installing lighting sensors, dimmers and a reflective roof, semiconductor maker Texas Instruments Inc. cut lighting energy at its of fice building in Richardson, Texas, by 80% (Roff, 2007). On the other hand, there are other disadvantages related to costs when a business decides to go green. For example, sometimes the costs to install and maintain â€Å"green† materials may not offset the savings in the long or short run. In the event that th... ...same point: when environmentally friendly practices complement the goal of achieving fiscal soundness and greater profits, companies are more than willing to go green (Gorbett, Salvaterra & Skiba, p.2 2005).† In my opinion, the factor that would have the greatest bearing on the company’s decision to go green is the cost savings because all other rationales would follow based on if the company felt that the savings would be costs effective in the long run. The organization would not attract any investors or many investors if they feel as thought their investments would be wasted on trying to incorporate a â€Å"green† working environment, then the company would experience a low consumer market as a result. They would be spending more of the investors money on trying to remain â€Å"green† and losing out on the innovative ideas that competitors would have the advantage over.

Dance With Wolf

There is a saying that the history Is written by the winner. The second one was, somewhat more personal thought. I was relating myself to John Dunbar, and the Sioux. I was too, a foreigner In foreign country. Alien from their culture and customs, I too had to adjust into their society, and become one of them. And that was not easy. Still today, many people from different background live together, but at the same time form their own community. Difference In culture, language, and customs creates confusion In one's realization of identity.Before moving on to the first question, I would like to discuss about â€Å"White Man's Burden†. White men thought they had a mission to converge all the â€Å"savages† to Christian beliefs, and to â€Å"civilize† them. As mentioned In another film we watched during the class, Pocahontas, that movie raises question on â€Å"who is savage? â€Å". A point would like to focus on before I begin my thoughts on the movie, I would lik e to view different points of views. The question of â€Å"virtuous† comes from what point you look at. Looking at different side, my enemy can become an angel to another person.The first question, which side is virtuous? Once, a famous comedian, George Carline said in his stand-up comedy show, â€Å"we are praying to the god to defeat our enemies, and they are praying to the god to defeat their enemies, so somebody's goanna get bucked, mint it? â€Å". Most people when they see this movie will think how cruel white men are. They ravaged lands that Indians lived in, butchered their buffalos, and killed Indians without questioning their human nature, or what kind of person they are. In the other hand, Indians, to the white man, are Just obstacles In the way to their plan.People usually call people in their way to the goal, enemies. The question of â€Å"who is righteous? † can be vague according to which side of point of view you look from. What was impressive of the movie was the scene of the childhood of Rise with Fist. She was born white, and their parents Just wanted to protect her. However, the Native Americans killed their parents, without questioning, In a brutal manner. Who is evil then? Her parents who failed in the task of protecting her family by threatening 1 OFF perhaps what the director wanted to show was the brutality of human being itself.I see form of art as â€Å"expression of human being†. Human being itself is so complex, that there are so many different types of people, characteristics, culture, and modes of behavior. I think what the director wanted to show was, how people think other people are identical to them. If they do not find similarity between them, they turn into hostile behaviors. Sioux did, at the first time with John Dunbar. So as John Dunbar, did not trust in them when they kept on trying to steal his horse. To Sioux, both white man and Pawned tribe are the same.They are both hazardous people who want t hem dead. To white Americans at the end of the movie, both Pawned, Sioux, are all the same. They are Just an obstacle to their moving frontier. When taken into more personal name, it makes us realize, disregarding what tribe we are from, we are all same. We laugh when it's fun; we cry to the death of close one, we feel friendship and comradeship when fighting shoulder to shoulder against creeping death. However, we can never deny what we come from. Perhaps this is why the resonating echo of Wind in his Hair sounded so sad.Dances With Wolves, I am Wind in His Hair. Do you see that I am your friend? Can you see that you will always be my friend? † Without answering to his roar, Dance With Wolves, or John Dunbar rides away to the piled snowy mountain. What this implies, no matter where we come from, we can be friends, but at the same time, it is so hard to stray apart from what you really are. The second point which I found interesting relates more to my personal experiences. I m oved abroad when I was 10 years old. It is an age hard to tell who really I am.I was arced into different culture when I was at school, and I was forced to Korean culture when I came home, back from the school. It is hard to deny what we are used to. The concept is so different, starting from living, eating, greeting, to the way of funeral. John Dunbar, when he was caught by his fellow soldiers towards the end of the movie, denied himself of being John Dunbar, declaring himself as â€Å"l am Dance With Wolves†. He totally seemed to become part of Sioux tribe. However, what was ironic was that the reason he went back to the camp at the first place was to find his urinal.Was Journal so important? Especially thinking about Indian culture where they don't have the concept of individual ownership? Furthermore, if John Dunbar decided to live with their tribe for the rest of his life, what importance of meaning that Journal could possibly hold? I think this part of irony shows how h ard it is to forget your own culture. This also relates to the conclusion of the first point of this essay. I spent most of my adolescent overseas. When I had about 17 to 18 years, I too was confused who I was. Am I Korean? Or am I biologically Korean with American Houghton?I still today, don't think myself as I am one-hundred percent Korean. John Dunbar probably had the same kind of confusion. After his attempt of killing himself, decision of Journey to find himself. He thought he had become part of the Sioux. He learned their language, became friend with them. He hated how white people acted in the war, and he was tired of it. That's why he decided to head west. However, indeed, he never became a true Indian, and he did not wanted to be a regular white man neither; the clash of his two identities must have been very hard on him.It was very interesting in the film how his agony of two clashing identity had effect on John Dunbar. I looked at the film on two different but similar top ics: nature of human being and individual's thought of his identity. I think, every human is same, but different. We all dream, and we all have different identity. Identity can be a key factor what describes oneself. John Dunbar identity is John Dunbar, Lieutenant of The United States' Union Army. He is an officer and the officer in charge of Fort Sedgwick. His identity is Dance With Wolves.He is a husband of Rise With Fist, and a part of Sioux member. He fought against Pawned to defend his tribe. He is an excellent marksman. He used his gun to save a Sioux girl's life from buffalo. He has a Sioux wife. Her name is Rise With Fist, blessed with a name Christine on her birth. Despite the fact that they were brought up in different culture, and different background, they became friends, enemies, husbands and wives. However, they did not truly become one. Which is I thought of as ironic message of the film. The United States is known to be a culture of â€Å"Melting Pot†.However, Native Americans are not part of this melting pot. The United States is also sarcastically said to be a â€Å"salad bowl of different ethnicities†. In the melting pot, all ingredients melt into one singular identity. However in a salad bowl, even though they are mixed together, each ingredient remains their identity. This might be the message what the director of the film Dances With Wolves wanted to say. Not sad, not frightening, nor ugly, Just a self-portrait of the world we live in, a world where we are so close but so far away from each other.

Principles for implementing duty of care in health, social care or children’s and young people settings Essay

Ci) Organisational requirements for dealing with complaints The setting should have Concerns and Complaints Policy in place. The main aim of it is to ensure that complaints procedure is properly and effectively implemented and that service users feel confident that their complaints and worries are listened to and acted upon promptly and fairly. When dealing with complaints the setting are to ensure that service users and their representatives, carers and visitors are aware of how to complain and that company provides easy to use opportunities for them to register complaints. A named person is responsible for administration of the procedure. Every written complaint is acknowledged within two working days investigations into written complaints are held within 28 days, all complaints are responded to in writing by the setting complaints are dealt with promptly, fairly and sensitively with due regard to the upset and worry that they cause to both staff and service users. The setting believes that complaints are best dealt with on a local level between the complainant and the home, but if either of the parties is not satisfied by a local process the case should be referred to the Care Quality Commission. Legal requirements for dealing with complaints Legal requirement for dealing with complaints is to follow Health and Social Care Act 2010 and National Minimum Standards – complaint policy. These standards require care home managers to have clear procedures that enable service users to make their views, concerns and worries known, and that reassure them that appropriate action will be taken. Policies and procedures for dealing with suspicion or evidence of physical, financial or material, psychological or sexual abuse, neglect, self harm or degrading behaviour should also be put in place. Standards require that every care home: have clear and effective complaints procedure, which includes the stage of, and time scales, for the process. Other legal requirements to take into consideration ‘Data Protection Act 1998’, any information must be stored as stated in the act and all members of staff must be familiar with this and follow the guidelines. Human Rights Act, GSC codes of Practice and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to empower and protect people who may lack capacity to make some decisions for themselves. Cii) Describe how best to respond to complaints from service users, other practitioners and the family of service users. Respond openly and appropriately to any comment or complaint made to you. If a complaint is made to you then you should ensure the individual making it understands how to use the complaints procedure, explain how it works and when they can expect to receive a response. Offer support in following the procedure to the individual making the complaint if appropriate. Advise your manager. Do not discourage individuals from making complaints or discuss complaints with colleagues or anyone other than your manager and do not promise to ‘sort it out’.

The Who Music Quiz

Short Disclaimer: You may or may not notice that I did not mention everything The Who have released, or all the people in their line-up at all times. Nor did I mention Tommy(the movie) or Quadrophenia (the movie). I wanted to focus on The Who's music in their prime years, rather than their various reunions and films. Band Members: Pete Townshend: Guitar, vocals Roger Daltrey: Vocals, harmonica John Entwistle: Bass, vocals, French horn Keith Moon (until 1978): Drums, vocals Kenney Jones (after 1978): Drums John Bundrick (after 1978): Keyboards Discography: 1964: Singles: I'm the Face 1965: Singles: I Can't Explain, My Generation 1965: The Who Sings My Generation 1966: Singles: Substitute, I'm a Boy, The Kids Are Alright, Happy Jack 1966: A Quick One 1967: Singles: Pictures of Lilly, I Can See For Miles 1967: The Who Sell Out 1968: Singles: I Can't Reach You, Dogs, Magic Bus. 1968: Magic Bus – The Who on Tour 1969: Singles: Pinball Wizard, I'm Free, The Acid Queen 1969: Tommy 1970: Singles: The Seeker, Summertime Blues 1970: Live at Leeds 1971: Singles: Behind Blue Eyes, Lets See Action 1971: Who's Next 1971: Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy 1972: Singles: Join Together, Relay 1973: Singles: 5:15, Love Reign O'Er Me 1973: Quadrophenia 1974: Single: The Rael Me 1974: Odds and Sods 1975: Singles: Squeeze Box, Slip Kid 1975: The Who by the Numbers 1978: Who Are You? 1979: The Kids Are Alright (Soundtrack) 1981: Face Dances 1982: It's Hard 1991: Thirty Years of Maximum R&B (Box Set) 1996: My Generation – The Very Best of the Who 1996: Live at the Isle of Wight 2000: BBC Sessions 2002: Ultimate Collection 2002: Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2004: Then and Now: 1964-2004 Few bands in rock history have had the talent, ability, energy, and impact as The Who did from the mid 60's to the late 70's. Starting as an offshoot of the British Invasion, the Who evolved to become one of the most powerful and one of the greatest rock n' roll bands of all time. Though by definition they weren't a super-group (the members were not already established as premier musicians before The Who took off), they arguably had the talent to be one. Destroying equipment, blowing up bass drums, Townshend's windmill, Daltrey's tough guy attitude and rock vocal power, and Entwistle's â€Å"eye of the hurricane† approach to the stage show and lead bass-playing are all defining parts of The Who that make them a legend in their time and into today. Pete Townshend was the artistic leader of the band, and he constantly moved them in new directions to reach areas no rock bands had been and few have been since. Aside from his artistic creativity, his guitar playing was very good. He is often overlooked because he did not do many solos or much flashy guitar work, but he fit the band perfectly. Not only was Townshend a capable guitarist, but his song writing ability is up there with the best. Townshend also sang background vocals and occasionally lead vocals, making him even more valuable to the band. Roger Daltrey, the singer of the group, started as a great singer with solid range and glimpses of power. His versatility allowed him to progress into a power-rock front man, and his amazing stage presence propelled The Who's live shows throughout their career. But the real focus of The Who is usually on the rhythm section (or in The Who's case, the lead instrumental section). John Entwistle was a pioneer in bass playing, as he was one of first players to show that bass could be the lead instrument in rock music. He immediately made his presence known in The Who with his heavy sound and distorted bass, like the fills in My Generation . Entwistle also added solid backup vocals, which gave The Who more dimensions in their vocal harmonies. And then ,of course, there is Keith Moon. Moon was a defining aspect of The Who, and a key part of why they were so different from almost all other bands. His attacking drum style, blazing speed, and constant fills would become a trademark of The Who, especially in their live show. Although Keith is usually noted for being a crazy man on the drums, he tends to show a significant amount of control on their studio albums. There are more fills than other drummers, but enough restraint so as not to ruin the trac k. Instrumentally, Entwistle and Moon led the band. Townshend was a good guitar player, but he usually found himself pounding out power-chords and solid riffs in the role of a rhythm player while John and Keith took the role as lead players. That is not to say that Pete never played lead or that he could not solo, however. Townshend and Entwistle first met each other in high school, and initially played in a Dixieland band together (John was on trumpet and Pete was on banjo) in 1962. In 1963, Entwistle left to play bass for the newly formed Detours, with singer Roger Daltrey already in place. Soon, Townshend joined them band on guitar. Not long after, there was a drumming void, and Keith Moon was added to the band. They changed their name to The Who in 1964. After struggling for a few months to progress, the band met an interested manager in Pete Meaden. Under his direction, the band became known as the High Numbers and began wearing suits and playing more of an R&B style. Their first single contained I'm the Face/Zoot Suit , but it faired poorly. Meaden was cut, and they reformed as The Who. I Can't Explain was the band's next single, and it did much better. After the band played a TV performance that featured Moon and Townshend destroying their instruments, The Who starting gaining popularity. The band's dynamics in this time period are very interesting. Each member had vastly different personalities, which often led to disputes and arguments, sometimes even violence onstage. Instead of keeping these altercations private, The Who made them well-known. They became notorious for their violent demeanour and aggressive stage act, but instead of having a negative effect on the band, the result was that their popularity continually grew. It is important here to stress the Who's significance to the Mod movement in London at the time. The hundred of mods in the audience became a medium through which The Who could let out their pent-up aggression. In these years, The Who soon became the Mod band, the voice of the rebellious teenagers, soon to represent what rock and roll would become: a defiant escape from the previous generation and a defiant statement against it. As I Can't Explain had jumped to the British Top Ten, the band was now ready to record an album. The Who Sings My Generation was built around the title track, also released as a single. The album showcases the raw style of the band early in their career. There is noticeable influence of R&B, blues, and Motown, added into the Who's style of power rock. Its lasting legacy to music is undoubtedly My Generation . This song displays the defiant attitude of the band and Townshend's infamous, â€Å"hope I die before I get old† line. The rebellious nature of the song even became somewhat of an influence on the future punk movement, which would start to see its true beginnings in just a couple years. Also seen here are instrumental statements of Entwistle and Moon. As mentioned before, Entwistle's fills are remarkable. The end of the song features Moon all over the drums, producing a wall of sound that no other drummer of the time could even hope to emulate. The song would also become a key part of their live show for the upcoming years. The single Substitute was released shortly after that album, and met more British success. The song itself is a solid pop tune with great drumming and good vocals. The Band again prepared for more studio work. The Who's next record would prove to be an interesting one, to say the least. Titled A Quick One (in Britain) or Happy Jack (in America), it would expand on the base of The Who to showcase a wide variety of music. The tracks range from the circus type music of Cobwebs and Strange (which features amazing drumming from Moon, it's somewhat of a mini drum solo) to the ten minute mini-opera of the title track, A Quick One . This is Townshend's first experiment with a lengthy piece that centered on a theme. The plot concerns a woman who cheats on her husband while he is away for a long time. Musically, the song moves through six movements that run together successfully. Also on the album were the strange Happy Jack and even stranger Boris the Spider , both of which are solid and are now well known tracks. The most important parts of this album were the fact that the band was certainly showing signs of evolution (which were necessary to further develop and survive as the 60's died out), and the mini-opera concept Townshend was starting to create. This idea would become more important on the band's next album, and eventually reach a climax on Tommy. Their next record, The Who Sell Out (1967), is debatably a concept album that centers on a mock radio broadcast program. Between nearly every song, there is a short mock radio jingle. The album even includes the band advertising certain products in song form, as the title would suggest. There are some rather obvious examples of this, such as Heinz Baked Beans , and other examples that can actually stand alone as solid songs, like Odorono . There is even some dabbing in psychedelia (after all, it was 1967) like on Armenia, City In the Sky . The Who take full advantage of the studio to produce this record, though the music itself still has a bit of the raw essence of the early Who. These early albums do not tend to present the loud raucous Who that their live show represented; instead, there is a strong sense of melody and control. Moon shows remarkable constraint (for him, at least) on songs like Tattoo . Sunrise, I Can't Reach You, and Our Love Was showed Townshend's softer side as a songwriter. I Can See For Miles was the only the album's top ten hit and the only track that got radio play and it features great singing from Roger and typical Keith Moon drumming. However, the real climax of the album is Rael , and religious conceptual experiment. The Who even develops some of the instrumental themes for Tommy on this song (mostly from songs like Sparks or The Underture ). They were now only a short step away from a full-blown concept album. The Who's live show was growing in popularity, size, volume, etc, as they became a bigger band over the last few years. Destroying their equipment was now a standard part of their nightly show. In fact, The Who destroyed so much equipment and gear, that they were actually in debt for a few years, despite the success of their albums and singles. Ironically, the band had stopped smashing their instruments by the time they had enough funds to actually afford doing it. In 1967, The Who performed at the Monterey Pop Festival in front of 200,000 people. Two years before the legendary Woodstock, a festival of this magnitude was a great tool to help launch the band into their upcoming power rock years. In 1968, The Who continued to release singles, including the ever-popular Magic Bus . To help keep momentum, they also released Magic Bus -The Who on Tour , a collection of some early singles and some album cuts not available previously. Through the rest of 1968, Townshend worked on what would be considered by many the band's artistic peak. He developed an interesting concept and a complex plot that moved through the life of a deaf, dumb, and blind boy who plays pinball. Tommy , released 1969, is a double-album and a conceptual masterpiece. The album is known for being the first very successful rock-opera (and one of the first in general). Tommy was met with great commercial success, especially in America. The plot, though confusing at times, is generally easy to follow. An interesting aspect of Tommy is in the religious themes it develops. By the end Tommy becomes such a powerful figure for fans seeking salvation (Sally Simpson ). Musically, the album is unquestionably strong. The Who were able to use great vocal harmonies and soft melodies in combination with their naturally loud and upfront style to produce an ideal mix of the two. Moon is excellent without being over-powering, and Townshend's song writing may have peaked here with impressive lyrics throughout the whole album. There are also instrumental movements like Sparks and The Underture , both of which relate to a strong musical theme. Combined with unbelievable songs like Amazing Journey, The Overture, Acid Queen, Pinball Wizard, Christmas, I'm Free, We're Not Gonna Take It , and a great album structure, Tommy is an album that by itself would have made The Who's career great. Tommy was the peak of the early Who, and soon the band would undergo changes that would dominate their style in the 70's. Touring to support the album, their live show grew in magnitude. Often they would play the entire album all the way through, each night reproducing the epic plot. 1969 also brought about another event that would have lasting effects on The Who: Woodstock. The legendary music festival was the basis for further evolution in the band's sound. The power of their live show was now all but unmatched, and it thrived off performances of epic songs such as the See me, Feel me climax. Roger Daltrey especially evolved during this time. In these years, he became Tommy to the audience, a sex symbol and a leader of the band on stage. Not to say that he was outshining the other members, however. In 1970, The Who decided to d0cument their astounding show with their release of Live at Leeds . The original LP featured rousing versions of Summertime Blues and Young Man Blues , along with a 15-minute version of My Generation that experiments with the Tommy themes. This album is regarded as one of the best live albums ever released, and it's no wonder why. It is still widely considered one of the best live performances ever recorded. A two-disc Deluxe Edition of the album is now available, which features Tommy performed almost in its entirety. Later that same year, The Who also played at the gigantic Isle of Wight Festival. With over 600,000 fans in attendance, The Who delivered a spectacular set. The material is similar to that of Live at Leeds , with new songs like Water, I Don't Even Know Myself, Spoonful/Twist and Shout , and an abridged version of Tommy . The show is now available on DVD as well as CD. The Who's momentum in 1970 to 1971 was also supplemented by the release of Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy , a collection of early singles, as well as the release of The Seeker as a new single. The new song gave audiences a feel for the type of sound that The Who would produce during the upcoming years. After the release of a record that stretched the idea of what was possible by four guys on a stage with just their instruments, The Who decided to use the studio to their full advantage on their next album. Synthesizers drive the album, and there use here was one of the first times a band used them so effectively. However, Pete was having difficulty with the album's concept. Townshend's original idea was a project titled Life house , which supposedly dealt with science fiction and a utopian society, but the idea was becoming increasingly complex and spiralled out of control. In response to the stress build up and complications, Townshend suffered a nervous breakdown. After his recovering, The Who picked up the pieces of Pete's failed work and came up with their 1971 release, Who's Next (this album is said jokingly by many to be the greatest failure in the history of rock music). The new album carried a much heavier sound than their previous studio work, and was very synthesizer-drive n. This is evident right from the start of the album. There are definite beginnings of The Who's â€Å"arena rock† era, which would last basically all of the 70's. Hard rock anthems like Baba O'Riley, Bargain, Behind Blue Eyes, and Won't Get Fooled Again all became very popular and received extensive play on FM radio. It also contains popular fan songs like My Wife and The Song is Over . Who's Next is usually thought of as the band's best album, and is probably their most popular. After more touring with the new material The Who were ready to go back into the studio. Determined to overcome his previous â€Å"failure† and do another Tommy so to speak, Townshend prepared to create another complex concept album. He moved through many possible ideas, each time getting involved in them for a period and then abandoning the concept. Eventually, Townshend settled on looking back at the time he knew best: the Mods. The double-album Quadrophenia was crafted together and released in 1973. The album's concept dealt with a youth, Jimmy, growing up in 60's and struggling to find himself in a mod society. Despite starting with a much stronger story than Tommy originally had, Quadrophenia's plot suffers from being underdeveloped. Townshend tried to incorporate four vastly different personalities into his central character, each of which reflected a member of the band, but this too was left underdeveloped and only weakened Quadrophenia as a thematic album. Ultimately, the record's attempted concept was too complex for the mass Who audience to understand. The album is also very studio heavy, meaning that its complexities (horn sections, various studio effects, overdubs, etc) made it very difficult for the band to replicate it live, unlike most of their earlier material. Despite these negative points about the album, the music overall is very well done. Standout tracks include The Real Me, The Punk and the Godfather, I've Had Enough, 5:15, and Love Reign O'Er Me. The Real Me features some amazing bass playing, even by Entwistle's standards, and Love Reign O'Er Me showcases Daltrey's undeniable power and the emotional climax of the album. Quadrophenia also features what may be Keith Moon's best studio drumming. However, the inability to reproduce the album's sound on a tour would prove costly for the group, and caused them to take a step back. After Quadrophenia , The Who began to drift apart slightly. Townshend and Entwistle were both interested in their own solo projects. Pete began to drink excessively, a habit that would plague him for the next several years. Moon was enjoying his rock star lifestyle of substance abuse and like Townshend, this would cause problems for him in the next few years. Regardless of this, Pete continued working on songs for The Who and for their next album. During their off year in 1974, The Who released Odds and Sods , another singles and album cuts collection spanning The Who's career to that point. The band goes back to the basics on The Who by the Numbers , released 1975. The complex arrangements of the last album were replaced by basically pure rock music. Townshend's lyrics were very emotional and personal. The album and its subsequent tour were both hits, but it did not stand up the level of their past four releases. The record's strongest tracks were Slip Kid and Squeeze Box , with a number of other expressive songs like They Are All in Love and How Many Friends . After the tour, The Who was exhausted and artistically worn-out and agreed to take an extended break. Very little would be heard from the band until they came back together in 1978 to work on their new album. The resulting record would be Who Are You , which was a relatively big success. However, the album is plagued with problems and inconsistencies. Alcoholism and substance abuse were taking their tolls on Townshend and Moon, and although their instrumental ability is still intact, there is the sense that the group is starting to fade. Moon especially during this time was very flakey. It was questionable whether he would turn up for sessions or not. Sometimes he would even forget parts of his drumming and have to relearn things in the studio. The album relied heavily on synthesizers and complex arrangements, and in some cases these are certainly overdone. The title track is the album's biggest accomplishment. The commercial success of the record may have triggered The Who's comeback, but it was not to be. On September 7, 1978, Keith Moon overdosed on a drug that was helping him get away from his alcoholism, and died. Losing a band member like Keith Moon almost immediately implies that the band would not continue. Moon was a defining aspect of The Who for nearly 14 years, and he was certainly not replaceable. Almost no drummers could bring to a band what he brought to The Who. However, the surviving members elected to continue playing. Later they would all agree that The Who in fact did end with Keith Moon's death. Kenney Jones, formerly of the Small Faces, was hired as Moon's replacement. Keyboardist John Bundrick was also added to the group, and they began working on new material and set up for a tour. They gained momentum through the release of The Kids Are Alright, a collection of video footage of the group's entire career. But their momentum and goodwill was crushed when they were informed about the deaths of 11 people after being trampled in a Cincinnati accident. Townshend fell deep into drug use now, and had an almost fatal encounter with heroin in 1981. Daltrey and Entwistle worked on their solo careers, but met limited success. The band reformed to release Face Dances (1981) and It's Hard (1982). Though with some standout material (namely Eminence Front ), the albums pale in comparison to The Who of ten years ago. Their 1982 Tour was supposedly a goodbye to fans, as they were basically packing it in. The remainder of the 80's saw numerous Who collections emerge, and finally in 1991 the band brought together a successful 4-disc box set. The three core members continued their solo careers, and have reunited a few times in the 90's for brief tours and various benefits. When it looked as though the group was gaining steam, John Entwistle died in June of 2002. The Who's lasting legacy to rock music is one of the greatest ever left. They did what no band had done and very few have done. Between the early mod Who, the guitar-smashing mid 60's Who, the concept/thematic album Who, and the unyielding arena-rock Who, few bands have changed as much as they did and covered so much area in music. Their legendary live show is still though off as one of the best rock has ever seen. With the super talented musicians they had, it is no wonder that The Who were able to produce so much good music and influence so many bands and artists of their time, and even now. Their music will indeed live on forever.

Unexpected Benefits

In the fourteenth century, the face of Europe was forever changed by a devastating event known as the Black Plague. This plague would rear its ugly head time and again throughout Europe in lesser outbreaks right up through the eighteenth century, when it finally disappeared from the continent for good. However, its initial appearance happened in the fourteenth century, and this debut performance was its most dramatic and destructive.Called the â€Å"great mortality† by contemporary writers1, for the great number of people killed in the outbreak, the term â€Å"black plague† or â€Å"black death† became more commonly used later on as more outbreaks hit the European continent. Carried by fleas on rats, the Black Plague is now commonly thought to be bubonic plague, a disease characterized by sub-dermal hemorrhages that blacken the skin; it is highly contagious and has a high mortality rate. It is thought that Black Plague first entered Europe from Asia, along the si lk roads that merchants used to travel between the continents for the purposes of trade. 4 1Boccaccio, Giovani.The Decameron. Signet Classics: New York. 2002 (reissue). 4Kelly, John. The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time. Harper Collins: New York. 2005. When the Black Plague first hit Europe, the conditions in Europe were ripe for a devastating outbreak. Warfare and a widespread famine that lasted nearly a century had weakened the population of Europe to the point that the people were extremely vulnerable to disease. Famine also hurt productivity by weakening workers, thus further reducing the output of food and other necessary goods; it was an ugly, self-perpetuating cycle.In a population already suffering and on the brink of disaster, the Black Plague, which first made its European appearance in 1347, was a final push toward a dramatic re-alignment of society. Over one-third of the population of Europe was killed by th e Black Plague (and over half the population in Britain). It wiped out entire families, and even entire communities. When it was over, the stunned and decimated population had to face a virtual rebuilding of their entire society from scratch.However, as devastating as the Black Plague was on the inhabitants of Europe, and as hard as things were on the survivors, the Black Plague did have some unexpected benefits for the survivors and their descendants, benefits that would improve the overall quality of life for everyone in Europe, peasants included, for generations to come. One of the most immediate benefits to survivors of the Black Plague was an increase in wages. Before the population was decimated by the Black Plague, Europe had been drastically overpopulated for its resources, resulting in widespread poverty, especially among the peasants.After the Black Plague, however, labor came at a premium, due to the reduction in the population. There were not nearly as many people availa ble to do much-needed work, and therefore those who were available to do it were more sought-after. As a result, wages increased, because employers were now competing for the smaller pool of workers, rather than workers competing for a smaller pool of jobs, as had been the case before. With higher wages, survivors were better able to provide for their families, and the standard of living for many families dramatically increased.In fact, some families fortunes increased so dramatically that they began to live as the nobility did, dressing in fine clothes, living in fine houses, and even employing servants of their own. In some European countries, the nobility were so threatened by the new upward mobility of the peasants that laws were enacted that regulated just what the peasant class could wear and where they could live, so as to prevent the peasant class from mingling with the nobility or trying to become part of the nobility2.In fact, increased opportunities for social advancement were another unexpected benefit of the Black Plague for survivors. Before the Black Plague, Europe was fairly 2Cantor, Norman. In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World it Made. Harper Perennial: New York. 2002. entrenched in the feudal system, whereby peasants worked the land for wealthy nobles, being allowed to take only a small portion of the harvest they worked to bring in for their own use, and being pretty much tied to the land of their patron for life.After the Black Plague, the surviving population realized it now had options. With so few peasants available to work the land, landlords began competing to attract tenants to their estates, a phenomenon that was new in Europe. Previous to the Black Plague, landlords had a self-propagating population of peasants on their land, generation upon generation of families that stayed on the same land, on the same estate, and worked under whatever conditions the landlord set, as there was nowhere else for them to go.Howev er, after the Black Plague, landlords offered incentives for peasants to come work their land, incentives ranging from actual wages to improved living conditions to increased freedoms. In fact, some historians believe that the conditions in Europe just after the end of the initial Black Plague laid the roots of what was to become capitalism centuries later. A reduction in the population also meant that there was an increase in the amount of fertile land available to the population.With entire families wiped out, sometimes noble or land-owning families, their land became available, land that had often been in the same family for centuries. This opening up of new land created opportunities not only for landlords to increase their holdings and attract new peasants to work for them, but also created opportunities for upwardly mobile peasants to become landowners in their own right. With land available for those who could afford to purchase it, many peasants found that their newfound inc rease in wages also bought them the opportunity to become settled on their own land, and, in effect, their own masters.The Black Plague also, in effect, put an end to the century-long famine in Europe. With fewer people to feed, there was more food available for those who were left. The opening up of new, tillable land on which to grow food, the demand for labor that produced more food, and the increase in wages that allowed a family to buy more food, all led to an increase in consumable food available for everyone. As a result of the Black Plague, the survivors became better nourished and healthier, and thus better able to work to produce more food, as well as better able to fight off new outbreaks of disease as they came.Even with an increase in wages and other benefits attracting most of the available workers after the Black Plague, there were still too few people around to work to do everything that needed to be done in the time in which it needed to be done. Therefore, out of n eed, a plethora of labor-saving devices began to be invented following the Black Plague. These devices helped to speed along necessary work, and reduced the number of people necessary to complete certain jobs. The spinning wheel is an excellent example of this.The spinning wheel was a post-Black Plague invention that dramatically reduced the time and effort involved in turning wool into thread. 3 With more thread able to be produced more quickly than by traditional methods, cloth was able to be weaved quicker and in greater quantities, thus creating an abundance of fabric available for sale and for personal use. Springs and gears were invented to control the hands of clocks. Horseshoes and spring carriages were invented that eased the burden of travel and increased its efficiency.Three-crop field rotation was invented, which increased farming efficiency by dropping the old idea of individual farming plots and introducing the idea of open-field communal farming. In addition, heavier plows with wheels and horizontal plowshares were invented, which saved much time and labor in the process of farming. Finally, the ultimate of all medieval inventions, the printing press, was invented post-Black Plague, an invention that saved an enormous amount of time and energy by ending the need of copying books by hand, thus making the written word more widely available to the general public.3 3Herlihy, David. The Black Death and the Transformation of the West. Harvard University Press: Cambridge. 1997. The effects of the Black Plague were felt in every facet of life, not just social and economic. The Black Plague utterly changed the face of life in Europe forever. The plague even affected the art of the times. Whereas before the Black Plague, religious themes were the most common topic of art, after the Black Plague, a more pessimistic feeling pervaded a society that was terrified of the plague returning.As a result, themes of death became dominant in the artwork for more than a century after the plague. The prestige and authority of the Church were also negatively affected by the Black Plague. Because the church was not able to cure victims of the plague, or even explain what was causing the plague, cynicism of the church grew among the populace. As a result, many sought out alternatives to the traditional church, particularly through smaller religious cults such as self-flagellants (who flogged themselves in atonement for the sins that supposedly brought on the plague).Others sought out secular solutions to ending the plague. Further, because so many monks died in the plague (from living in close quarters and from generously tending the sick), the church experienced an influx of new, less dedicated clergy, who were more opportunistic than the old guard, and contributed to an upcoming period of severe corruption within the Catholic church that eventually led to the Protestant Reformation. 2While the Black Plague was a devastating event for all of Europe , killing millions, it left behind conditions that lead to some positive changes in European society. While wiping out entire families and towns, the Black Plague nonetheless created a fertile ground for economic improvement and upward social mobility for the underclass in its wake. The Black Plague led to the downfall of the feudal system and created the conditions that later ushered in the Age of Enlightenment.It ushered in a new age of labor-saving inventions that changed the face of production in the world. Because it was such a powerful force on both society and the psyche, the Black Plague also ushered in an era of change in both art and religion, changes that eventually led to the Protestant Reformation, which in turn led to the founding of America by the Puritans. The Black Plague, though it destroyed, also provided the seeds of sowing something new and good. 2Cantor, Norman. In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World it Made.Harper Perennial: New York. 2002. B ibliography Boccaccio, Giovani. The Decameron. Signet Classics: New York. 2002 (reissue). Cantor, Norman. In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World it Made. Harper Perennial: New York. 2002. Herlihy, David. The Black Death and the Transformation of the West. Harvard University Press: Cambridge. 1997. Kelly, John. The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time. Harper Collins: New York. 2005.