Businesslike Fashion Research Articles

Midday

Midday Vladislav Khodasevich Translated from the Russian by Alex Cigale Along the avenue, how quiet, lucid, slumbering!Taken up by the wind, the sand raced as a waveAnd, like a crumbling comb, splashed on the grass. . . .These days, it soothes me so to come hereAnd sit a long time in semi-forgetfulness.I love, almost without glancing, to listenTo the laughter and crying of children on the little pathBeyond the creek, their resonating playfulness. Wonderful!It is a rustle, just as eternal and truthfulAs the rustle of the rain, the waves of the wind. No one recognizes me. Here I am simplyA passerby, a local, a "sir"Wearing an anonymous brown coat and round hat,In no way distinct. Near me,A young lady has sat down with an open book. A boyWith a pail and toy shovel has cozied upAt my very feet. Knotting his brows,He busies himself in the sand, and I seem so hugeIn comparison by this proximityThat it makes me recallHow I myself sat on the pediment of the lion columnIn Venice. Above this minuscule life,Above his head, wearing a green peaked cap,I am magnified, like a heavy stone,Centuries old, that has outlived manyKingdoms and folks, betrayals and heroisms.And the boy, in businesslike fashion, is fillingHis little pail with sand and, turning it upside down,Pours it on my feet, on my shoes. . . . How wonderful! And with a light heart I recallHow hot that Venetian midday was,How above me the winged lion soaredImmobile with an open book in its paw,And how above the lion, growing rounder and pinker,A little cloud scudded. And higher, higher still—The deep and dense blue, and wheeling in it, [End Page 239] The invisible but fiery stars.This very moment they are flaming above the boulevard,Above the boy and above myself. Frantically,Their rays are battling the rays of the sun. . . . The windContinues rustling with its sand-strewing waves,Turning the pages of the young lady's book. And everythingI hear is transformed by some sort of miracle,And in to such full measure fills the heart,That I no longer need neither words nor thoughts,And I look, as though with an inverted gaze,Into myself.And so captivating to the soul are these living waters,That, Narcissus-like, I, from the earthly shoreVanish and fly there, where I am alone,In my private, primordial world,Face to face with myself, lost once upon a time––And rediscovered anew. . . . And barely perceptiblyI hear the young lady's voice: "Please, forgive me.What hour is it?" 1918 [End Page 240] Copyright © 2018 Vladislav Khodasevich

Globalization, Democracy and English Studies

Globalization has been seen by both its promoters and detractors primarily as an expansion of global capital and money and commodity markets across national and regional borders, driving both capitalized and capital poor economies towards consumer-oriented production whose backward and forward linkages are determined _ indeed manipulated _ by developed economies of the West. In the process, traditional modes of production of weaker economies are neglected, which, in the end, lose out to high value production processes and products backed up by sophisticated technology and financial instruments. The deceptive investment portfolios from the West, described rather quizzically as "footloose capital," gain control of weaker economies and threaten to withdraw in the event of a government taking measures to protect its domestic business. The promotion of supply side and transnational economies has the ultimate goal of a market-led integration of global society. As Jurgen Habermas points out, "a state enmeshed in the transnational economic system would abandon its citizens to the legally secured negative freedoms of global competition, while essentially confining itself to providing, in business-like fashion, infrastructures that promote entrepreneurial activity and make national economic conditions attractive from the point of view of profitability" (78,79-80). Those opposed to globalization see in the power of the runaway markets -- and the involvement of the United States in World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations with governments to pursue market-friendly policies _ the inevitability of the loss of autonomy of national states, and an erosion of their decision-making abilities. Indeed globalization's war cry now is "more market, less state interventions;" its aim is to see a free market society along with a minimal state. In countries that are variously described as third world, less developed or of weak economies, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and their less well-off but equally high-handed cousin, the Asian Development Bank, work as allies of the forces of hegemonic globalization.

Buying in a Businesslike Fashion— And Paying More?

The government, particularly the Department of Defense (DoD), is undergoing yet another wave of acquisition reforms, which are intended to bring commercial buying practices to DoD's purchasing operations. This research shows that, prior to these reforms, the DoD's buying practices were superior to commercial practices in terms of prices paid for a large number of electronic and engine parts. The research compares DoD and purchasing of more than 676,000 identical items costing more than $60 million with commercial purchasing of the identical items. It finds that the DoD's purchasing superiority holds even when purchasing costs are considered. The DoD achieved these results because it was already using commercial practices commonly followed by large firms: aggregating purchases, using cost data, and negotiating aggressively in markets with few suppliers. Some of the recent reforms will undermine the DoD's ability to exploit these common commercial practices and will raise the government's costs.

There's no business like snow business! Marketing skiing into the 21 st century

In maturing markets, European ski destina tions and tour operators are being forced to address both product and market issues in a more businesslike fashion. This paper begins by looking at tourism overall, and the place of the skiing market within the industry. A summary of the evolution of winter sports is followed by an examination of the world ski market with particular focus on the UK. An analysis of the consumer, the destinations they frequent, the operators who package skiing products, and the distribution structure of the industry, is succeeded by an evaluation of that part of the industry responsible for ski clotlrirrg and equipment. The author then looks at the impact of snowboarding, and contends that the growth and impulse for innovation in the winter sports business is coming from snow boarding rather than conventional skiing. Based on this critical artalysis of the industry, the author makes recommendations for successfully marketing the sport into the 21st century, suggesting that the European industry should consider emulating certain marketing strategies employed in North America. In particular, more effort is required to encourage the potential market to partici pate. Although attempts have been made to segment the skiing market, identifying and understanding potential markets has never been a priority. The author concludes that if more people are to be tempted on to the slopes, then marketing policies of both destinations and operators in Europe will have to be increasinly aggressive.

The Quality of Political Leadership: A Case Study of John Major

Perceptions of leadership quality depend upon personality traits. With John Major as a case study, we demonstrate that the most important personality attributes are those which contribute to the belief that a leader can govern in a business-like fashion. Changes in personality traits affect the rating of a leader and ratings affect a party's electoral support. Using this approach, perceptions of John Major's personality are changed continuously to illustrate the impact on voters. A Monte Carlo simulation is introduced to allow for the likelihood that not everyone would perceive a personality change. This approach is preferable to alternatives and can explain why, on occasion, there has been dispute over the importance of party leadership in British general elections.

The use of oral communication approaches to enhance the instruction environment for MIS classes

Computer technologists are often considered to be poor communicators. In all too many instances, the communication problems are escalated by the fact that computer professionals must often interact with end-users who have limited knowledge of computer jargon (Hughes C.T., J. Systems Mgmt 37, 15 (1986); Ref. [1]). What seems to be lacking is the ability to narrate technological notions in a concise, businesslike fashion, as some have suggested (Benjamin R.I., Dickinson Jr C. and Rochhart J.F., MIS Q. 177 (September 1985); Ref. [2] and Rockhart J.F. amd Flannery, Commun. ACM 776 (October 1983); Ref. [3]). In order to adequately respond to the challenge of being able to communicate effectively, a binding together of the technology and ability to express oneself must take place. Professors could help business students avoid this potential problem by integrating oral communication skills into a MIS course. Studies consistently document that oral communication skills are important for career success (Behnke R.R., Sawyer C.R. and King P.E., Commun. Educ. 36, 140 (April 1987); Ref. [4]). This paper describes cooperative efforts between instructors and students to enhance the communication skills of information systems majors.

WPPSS: Some Basic Lessons for Public Enterprise Managers

In the summer of 1983, the Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPSS) defaulted on $2.5 billion in municipal bonds—the largest default ever to hit the tax-free municipal bond market. Although many factors may have been involved in the WPPSS project collapse and default, the least understood and perhaps most important was inadequate management. A 1981 Washington State Senate Committee investigation of project cost increases and schedule delays concluded that mismanagement was primarily to blame. Why and how poor management helped lead to the WPPSS default suggests important lessons for managers in the private as well as public sectors. Although WPPSS, like other public enterprises, had the freedom and power to carry out business-like government activities, it was never managed in a business-like fashion. A recognition of this potential for failure is important for the development of good public enterprise managers, as well as for adequate state and local government public enterprise oversight mechanisms.

Dividing Labor for Production Control: Thomas Ince and the Rise of the Studio System

Thomas a classic case of a stage actor who, during a brief period of unemployment in 1910, turned to the fledgling movies as a source of income. Yet his long-term impact on filmmaking would be very great indeed. Working first for IMP and then Biograph, he returned to IMP when promised a chance to direct. He completed his first film in December 1910. soon tired of the one-reel format, however, and accepted a position in the fall of 1911 to direct for Kessel and Bauman's New York Motion Picture Company. He headed to Edendale, California, where a small group of people were already making films. The studio at that time a converted grocery store: one stage (without even a muslin overhang), a scene dock, a small lab and office, and a bungalow which served as a dressing room. wrote, directed, and cut his first film within one week.2 From these beginnings, by 1913 he had a fully developed continuity script procedure; by 1916 a one-half million dollar studio on 43 acres of land with concrete buildings. There were a 165-foot electrically lit building (which unique), eight stages 60 by 150 feet, an administration building for the executive and scenario departments, property, carpenter, plumbing, and costume rooms, a restaurant and commissary, 300 dressing rooms, a hothouse, and a natatorium-and 1,000 employees and a studio structure which essentially that associated with the big studio period of later years.3 Why? Previous historians have provided only partial answers. Lewis Jacobs attributes Ince's innovations to the need to standardize large-scale productions through formula pictures and publicity: Essentially a businessman, he [Ince] conducted himself and his film making in businesslike fashion .... Planning in advance meant better unity of structure, less chance of uneven quality, and economy of expression. Kalton Lahue, in Dreams for Sale, writes, Ince kept [his studio] functioning at peak efficiency by holding a tight rein on everything that done. Eric Rhode notes that was among the first film-makers to adapt his craft to the latest ideas in industrial management and to set up the assembly-line type of production.4

Selecting and Training Public Managers: Business Skills versus Public Administration

The doctrine that government is has been mainstream public administration for thirty years, serving as a guide to the selection and training of public managers and suggesting that a background in public affairs-not business administration-is the best preparation for public management. The business approach, as reflected in B-schools around the nation, tends to emphasize specific skills (such as accounting, finance, statistics, data processing, and management control) and a much more technical approach to administration than most P.A.'ers are comfortable with. P.A. schools, by contrast, have acquired a reputation for teaching attitudes-in particular, an awareness of the political process. 2 The emphasis on P.A. training for public management received a symbolic boost by President Carter's recent decision to exclude business majors from his Presidential Management Intern Program. Carter apparently forgot that the government is different ' doctrine extends to performance on the job as well as selection, for he proposed as part of his civil service reform that productive public servants be rewarded, in business-like fashion, with increased pay. An employee of the National Park Service rose at a presidential town meeting to remind him:

The Lake-Dwellings of Europe

IN this work on the lake-dwellings of Europe, Dr. Munro has carried out on a wider field the inquiry begun in 1882 in his book on those of Scotland. He has brought to his task qualities of a high order. He had a large share in the exploration of the lake-dwellings in his own country, and has recorded the results in a businesslike fashion. He has prepared himself for dealing with the lake-dwellers of the Continent by a painstaking examination of the evidence on the spot, and by visiting all the principal collections. He further has read the voluminous literature bearing on the subject scattered through various journals and periodicals, as well as that which lies ready to hand in separate books. The result of all this labour—and how great it has been only those can know who, like the writer, have gone over the ground—is this work “smelling of the oil” in every page, well illustrated with numerous cuts and with good indexes, and a systematic list of references. It is, indeed, to be looked upon as an encyclopaedia of matters relating to lake-dwellings, rather than as an ordinary book. It is little less than a miracle that the vast array of facts brought together should have been compressed into the narrow limits of six lectures. The Lake-Dwellings of Europe; being the Rhind Lectures in Archaeology for 1888. By Robert Munro (London: Cassell and Co., 1890.)

The Butterflies of Europe

FOR some years past the writer of this notice has, almost annually, formed one of the members of that large class of Englishmen who, each year, spend a few weeks in the Alpine and sub-Alpine districts of Europe for “relaxation.” The writer prefers to leave it to the taste and fancy of the individuals interested to define the meaning of the latter term. He has naturally met hosts of “foreigners” of different nationalities engaged in the same pursuit. Whatever may be the state of the weather or other conditions incidental to travelling of this kind, those voyageurs of Gallic origin succeed in amusing themselves after their own special fashion. The Teutonic element also succeeds, but in an entirely different manner. The Americans seem tolerably successful. They leave home to “do” Europe, and they “do” it, in their own businesslike fashion,—business and pleasure are carried out on the same principles. Then there comes the large class of our own countrymen and countrywomen. We must confess that, according to our observation, the majority of these do not bear the outward appearance of enjoyment (especially the male portion). There is something apparently wanting. They have left their business or profession behind them, and the void thus occasioned cannot be satisfactorily filled in. From these must, of course, be separated those who find enjoyment in the excitement of Alpine climbing, and some others. Amongst these others are those who may be seen with vasculum at back, or insect-net in hand (very frequently in ill-disguised clerical garb), enjoying themselves to an extent unknown to, and often not understandable by, their fellow-countrymen who have voluntarily placed themselves under the same conditions. Probably a still larger amount of Teutons may be observed provided in the same way. And only this year we found ourselves seated next to a New England divine and his wife, and overheard the latter read out to her husband an advertisement of a butterfly-book, with the remark, “That would just suit you.” The Butterflies of Europe. Described and Figured by Henry C. Lang., &c. Pp. 396, Super-Royal 8vo, with 77 Chromo-lithographic Plates. 1881–1884 in parts. (London: L. Reeve and Co., 1884.)