John Child, David Faulkner, and Robert Pitkethly
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199267101
- eISBN:
- 9780191716706
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199267101.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, International Business
The book addresses the different ways in which foreign companies acquire, integrate, and manage UK companies and their post-acquisition performance. It is based on research comprising case studies on ...
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The book addresses the different ways in which foreign companies acquire, integrate, and manage UK companies and their post-acquisition performance. It is based on research comprising case studies on forty company visits and interviews, and a survey questionnaire on post-acquisition management completed by over 200 companies. The first five chapters review post-acquisition performance and the changes in management practice introduced by acquirers of different nationality. The scale and scope of M&A is examined, followed by research into post-acquisition performance. The disappointing performance of acquisitions is noted, and knowledge about post-acquisition management reviewed. Chapter 4 discusses the debate over the relative significance of national management practices and international norms of practice. Chapter 5 compares management practices of the five countries from which the acquirers in this book originate. A further chapter describes the research scope and methods. Seven chapters then present the results of the study. They indicate that while considerable convergence in management practice is occurring, national management styles still exist among acquiring companies from the UK, USA, Japan, France, and Germany. Furthermore, although some policies are generally associated with better post-acquisition performance, no one national approach is more successful if it is implemented with confidence, determination, and consistency. Failure tends to follow from a lack of these qualities, rather than the ‘wrong’ management style. The book concludes with the findings of the research and relates them to the issues of theory and practical policy in the early chapters.Less
The book addresses the different ways in which foreign companies acquire, integrate, and manage UK companies and their post-acquisition performance. It is based on research comprising case studies on forty company visits and interviews, and a survey questionnaire on post-acquisition management completed by over 200 companies. The first five chapters review post-acquisition performance and the changes in management practice introduced by acquirers of different nationality. The scale and scope of M&A is examined, followed by research into post-acquisition performance. The disappointing performance of acquisitions is noted, and knowledge about post-acquisition management reviewed. Chapter 4 discusses the debate over the relative significance of national management practices and international norms of practice. Chapter 5 compares management practices of the five countries from which the acquirers in this book originate. A further chapter describes the research scope and methods. Seven chapters then present the results of the study. They indicate that while considerable convergence in management practice is occurring, national management styles still exist among acquiring companies from the UK, USA, Japan, France, and Germany. Furthermore, although some policies are generally associated with better post-acquisition performance, no one national approach is more successful if it is implemented with confidence, determination, and consistency. Failure tends to follow from a lack of these qualities, rather than the ‘wrong’ management style. The book concludes with the findings of the research and relates them to the issues of theory and practical policy in the early chapters.
Barry Stephenson
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199732753
- eISBN:
- 9780199777310
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199732753.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Religion and Society
Over the past few decades, heritage tourism, pilgrimage routes, and public festivity have emerged as important resources shaping identities and channeling cultural flows in our global world. This ...
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Over the past few decades, heritage tourism, pilgrimage routes, and public festivity have emerged as important resources shaping identities and channeling cultural flows in our global world. This field-based study of contemporary Luther and Reformation festivals and Protestant pilgrimage in Wittenberg, Germany, places the reader on the ground in Wittenberg’s festival and tourism scene. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wittenberg, city of Martin Luther, each year plays host to two large-scale, public Luther festivals and is also a destination of tourists and pilgrims in search of heritage, authenticity, and origins. Integrating historical context, an ethnographic approach, and ideas drawn from ritual studies and performance theory, this book offers rich, descriptive accounts and critical interpretations of the contemporary public performance of the Reformation. The book examines the multidimensionality of Wittenberg’s festivals, exploring the dynamics of diverse ritual and performative genres, including liturgy, processions, parades, street performance, civil religion, and carnival. The book also takes up the themes of Protestant pilgrimage and the sacralizing of space through architectural, visual, and performative means.Less
Over the past few decades, heritage tourism, pilgrimage routes, and public festivity have emerged as important resources shaping identities and channeling cultural flows in our global world. This field-based study of contemporary Luther and Reformation festivals and Protestant pilgrimage in Wittenberg, Germany, places the reader on the ground in Wittenberg’s festival and tourism scene. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wittenberg, city of Martin Luther, each year plays host to two large-scale, public Luther festivals and is also a destination of tourists and pilgrims in search of heritage, authenticity, and origins. Integrating historical context, an ethnographic approach, and ideas drawn from ritual studies and performance theory, this book offers rich, descriptive accounts and critical interpretations of the contemporary public performance of the Reformation. The book examines the multidimensionality of Wittenberg’s festivals, exploring the dynamics of diverse ritual and performative genres, including liturgy, processions, parades, street performance, civil religion, and carnival. The book also takes up the themes of Protestant pilgrimage and the sacralizing of space through architectural, visual, and performative means.
Maarten A. Hajer
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199281671
- eISBN:
- 9780191713132
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199281671.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Mediatic representation has become an integral part of politics and policy. The dominance of incident-oriented media formats has led students of politics and media to fear a trend of ‘dumbing down’: ...
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Mediatic representation has become an integral part of politics and policy. The dominance of incident-oriented media formats has led students of politics and media to fear a trend of ‘dumbing down’: the privileging of style over content. This book takes issue with the ‘dumbing down’ thesis both on theoretical and empirical grounds. In particular it investigates how an authoritative governance is possible in crisis-ridden circumstances in a mediatized environment. Maarten Hajer comes up with a communicative understanding of authority, creating a new basis for an authoritative governance in a world marked by political and institutional fragmentation. Extending his discourse-analytical framework, Hajer uses both discursive and dramaturgical methods to study policy makers in their struggle for authority. Three elaborate case studies provide a wealth of details of the dynamics of authority in today's mediatized polity and the peculiar role of crisis and incidents in this. The message of the book is that in the age of mediatization governance needs to be performed. Hajer illuminates contours of a new authoritative governance that encompass different elements than usually get represented in the media or indeed in textbooks on media studies, public policy, or governance. The book shows new ways to recombine traditional government of standing institutions to notions of network governance. The book thus provides new ideas about authoritative governance which is based on the need to actively create relations with a variety of publics.Less
Mediatic representation has become an integral part of politics and policy. The dominance of incident-oriented media formats has led students of politics and media to fear a trend of ‘dumbing down’: the privileging of style over content. This book takes issue with the ‘dumbing down’ thesis both on theoretical and empirical grounds. In particular it investigates how an authoritative governance is possible in crisis-ridden circumstances in a mediatized environment. Maarten Hajer comes up with a communicative understanding of authority, creating a new basis for an authoritative governance in a world marked by political and institutional fragmentation. Extending his discourse-analytical framework, Hajer uses both discursive and dramaturgical methods to study policy makers in their struggle for authority. Three elaborate case studies provide a wealth of details of the dynamics of authority in today's mediatized polity and the peculiar role of crisis and incidents in this. The message of the book is that in the age of mediatization governance needs to be performed. Hajer illuminates contours of a new authoritative governance that encompass different elements than usually get represented in the media or indeed in textbooks on media studies, public policy, or governance. The book shows new ways to recombine traditional government of standing institutions to notions of network governance. The book thus provides new ideas about authoritative governance which is based on the need to actively create relations with a variety of publics.
RAF ORLOWSKI
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197265055
- eISBN:
- 9780191754166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265055.003.0010
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
The performance of music in early modern French and Italian music rooms typically created an aural impression of ‘Intimacy’ and ‘Clarity’ whereby the individual instruments could clearly be perceived ...
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The performance of music in early modern French and Italian music rooms typically created an aural impression of ‘Intimacy’ and ‘Clarity’ whereby the individual instruments could clearly be perceived spatially. These qualities arise from the close proximity of the audience to the performers and the acoustic characteristics generated by the room geometry. Generally, the rooms were rectangular with high ceilings, between 4 and 8 metres, with volumes between 200 and 1000 cubic metres. Such rooms, when occupied, have moderate reverberance, which helps maintain the individuality of separate voices. The size and volume also give rise to short-delay reflections from the walls and ceiling, which enhance ‘Clarity’, ‘Intimacy’ and ‘Envelopment’. The acoustic characteristics of these rooms will be discussed in terms of current subjective and objective parameters developed for assessing concert venues.Less
The performance of music in early modern French and Italian music rooms typically created an aural impression of ‘Intimacy’ and ‘Clarity’ whereby the individual instruments could clearly be perceived spatially. These qualities arise from the close proximity of the audience to the performers and the acoustic characteristics generated by the room geometry. Generally, the rooms were rectangular with high ceilings, between 4 and 8 metres, with volumes between 200 and 1000 cubic metres. Such rooms, when occupied, have moderate reverberance, which helps maintain the individuality of separate voices. The size and volume also give rise to short-delay reflections from the walls and ceiling, which enhance ‘Clarity’, ‘Intimacy’ and ‘Envelopment’. The acoustic characteristics of these rooms will be discussed in terms of current subjective and objective parameters developed for assessing concert venues.
L. A. Swift
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199577842
- eISBN:
- 9780191722622
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577842.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Choral performance permeated Greek life on every level, from private weddings and funerals to large‐scale religious festivals, yet the relationship between these ritual choruses and the better known ...
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Choral performance permeated Greek life on every level, from private weddings and funerals to large‐scale religious festivals, yet the relationship between these ritual choruses and the better known choruses of tragedy has never been systematically examined. This book represents the first detailed study of the interaction between tragic and lyric choral song. It aims to enrich our understanding of the socio‐cultural position of both tragedy and lyric poetry, exploring the roles that these types of song played within the ritual life of the community. Thus through the connections between tragic and non‐tragic lyric, we not only gain insights into individual plays but also develop a broader understanding of the musical culture of the Greek polis. The first two chapters deal with methodological groundwork, exploring theoretical approaches to genre, and investigating lyric performance in fifth‐century Athens. The bulk of the book consists of detailed discussions of five lyric genres, with chapters on paian, epinikion, partheneia, hymenaios, and Thrēnos. Each chapter includes a discussion of the genre in question, an overview of its use in tragedy, and detailed case‐studies of two or three plays where the lyric references are particularly rich and complex. An appendix to the book contains a comprehensive list of generic interaction in Greek tragedy, with a brief guide to how these references can be identified.Less
Choral performance permeated Greek life on every level, from private weddings and funerals to large‐scale religious festivals, yet the relationship between these ritual choruses and the better known choruses of tragedy has never been systematically examined. This book represents the first detailed study of the interaction between tragic and lyric choral song. It aims to enrich our understanding of the socio‐cultural position of both tragedy and lyric poetry, exploring the roles that these types of song played within the ritual life of the community. Thus through the connections between tragic and non‐tragic lyric, we not only gain insights into individual plays but also develop a broader understanding of the musical culture of the Greek polis. The first two chapters deal with methodological groundwork, exploring theoretical approaches to genre, and investigating lyric performance in fifth‐century Athens. The bulk of the book consists of detailed discussions of five lyric genres, with chapters on paian, epinikion, partheneia, hymenaios, and Thrēnos. Each chapter includes a discussion of the genre in question, an overview of its use in tragedy, and detailed case‐studies of two or three plays where the lyric references are particularly rich and complex. An appendix to the book contains a comprehensive list of generic interaction in Greek tragedy, with a brief guide to how these references can be identified.
Heinrich Schenker
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195151510
- eISBN:
- 9780199871582
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195151510.003.0011
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition
This chapter contrasts the attitudes toward performance of late-romantic works of Schenker's own time with performance demands of older music and music by the great classical masters. Contrary to ...
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This chapter contrasts the attitudes toward performance of late-romantic works of Schenker's own time with performance demands of older music and music by the great classical masters. Contrary to general belief, it is shown shows that the greatest expressiveness and freedom are essential in the performance of older music in which, for example, passage work is an intrinsic part of the expressive content. The lost art of improvising and realizing a continuo bass is mentioned along with a discussion of characteristics of individual composers' works.Less
This chapter contrasts the attitudes toward performance of late-romantic works of Schenker's own time with performance demands of older music and music by the great classical masters. Contrary to general belief, it is shown shows that the greatest expressiveness and freedom are essential in the performance of older music in which, for example, passage work is an intrinsic part of the expressive content. The lost art of improvising and realizing a continuo bass is mentioned along with a discussion of characteristics of individual composers' works.
Paul Woodruff
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195332001
- eISBN:
- 9780199868186
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332001.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics
The Necessity of Theater examines the whole art of theater, which teaches us how best to watch and be watched, and is as necessary to human life as language. We practice the art of ...
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The Necessity of Theater examines the whole art of theater, which teaches us how best to watch and be watched, and is as necessary to human life as language. We practice the art of theater on the formal stage, but also in sports events, weddings, and ceremonies of all kinds. The book begins by defining the art in a broad way, so as to include as many kinds of theater as possible across world cultures. After defining theater, The Necessity of Theater examines in turn each of the main elements of its two main components: the art of watching and that of being watched. Performers practice the art of making their actions worth watching. This means that they should pay attention to such elements as action, choice, plot, character, mimesis, and the sacredness of performance space. All of these are covered in the book. Audiences practice the art of paying attention to the actions before them. To do that they need to know how to find events worth watching. A good audience is emotionally engaged through one of the many forms of empathy that are distinguished in this book, one of which leads to human wisdom. Plato's ancient attack on theater is right in that theater cannot teach us transcendent truths, but theater does each us about ourselves.Less
The Necessity of Theater examines the whole art of theater, which teaches us how best to watch and be watched, and is as necessary to human life as language. We practice the art of theater on the formal stage, but also in sports events, weddings, and ceremonies of all kinds. The book begins by defining the art in a broad way, so as to include as many kinds of theater as possible across world cultures. After defining theater, The Necessity of Theater examines in turn each of the main elements of its two main components: the art of watching and that of being watched. Performers practice the art of making their actions worth watching. This means that they should pay attention to such elements as action, choice, plot, character, mimesis, and the sacredness of performance space. All of these are covered in the book. Audiences practice the art of paying attention to the actions before them. To do that they need to know how to find events worth watching. A good audience is emotionally engaged through one of the many forms of empathy that are distinguished in this book, one of which leads to human wisdom. Plato's ancient attack on theater is right in that theater cannot teach us transcendent truths, but theater does each us about ourselves.
William S. Sax
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195139150
- eISBN:
- 9780199871650
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195139151.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
Explores the way personhood is constructed in public ritual performance. The performances are pandav lilas, ritual dramatizations of India's great epic, Mahabharata. They take place in the former ...
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Explores the way personhood is constructed in public ritual performance. The performances are pandav lilas, ritual dramatizations of India's great epic, Mahabharata. They take place in the former Hindu kingdom of Garhwal, located in the central Himalayas of North India. The book begins by summarizing the theoretical literature on personhood (or ”selfhood”) and performance and providing a brief summary of the epic. Next, it describes one particular performance in detail and then goes on to discuss questions of caste, gender, and locality – all in the context of an overarching discussion of the performative construction of the self. The last few chapters describe a fascinating valley in the Western part of Garhwal, where the villains of the Mahabharata are worshiped as local, divine kings. The major conclusion reached by the book is that public ritual performances are one of the chief arenas where ”persons” are constructed – in Garhwal as well as in other cultures.Less
Explores the way personhood is constructed in public ritual performance. The performances are pandav lilas, ritual dramatizations of India's great epic, Mahabharata. They take place in the former Hindu kingdom of Garhwal, located in the central Himalayas of North India. The book begins by summarizing the theoretical literature on personhood (or ”selfhood”) and performance and providing a brief summary of the epic. Next, it describes one particular performance in detail and then goes on to discuss questions of caste, gender, and locality – all in the context of an overarching discussion of the performative construction of the self. The last few chapters describe a fascinating valley in the Western part of Garhwal, where the villains of the Mahabharata are worshiped as local, divine kings. The major conclusion reached by the book is that public ritual performances are one of the chief arenas where ”persons” are constructed – in Garhwal as well as in other cultures.
L. Weiskrantz
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780198521921
- eISBN:
- 9780191706226
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198521921.003.0010
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience
The optic disc provides ready-made control for determining the limits of intra-ocular diffusion. As the size of the natural and absolutely blind area is fixed and known (5° × 7°), a target light that ...
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The optic disc provides ready-made control for determining the limits of intra-ocular diffusion. As the size of the natural and absolutely blind area is fixed and known (5° × 7°), a target light that cannot be detected on the disc sets the measurable limits to diffusion. The rationale of the experience was to compare detection of a small target (33′ diameter) when it fell on the objectively blind disc with detection at a number of neighbouring locations within the scotoma. The result was that he was at chance when the stimulus fell on the optic disc, but well above chance at other loci. With one exception, he always consistently and insistently reported that he was ‘just guessing’. The one exceptional region was relatively small; his report was that ‘I feel something coming in’ similar to his reports with some other abrupt-onset stimuli. It is interesting that he did not distinguish at all between his lack of experience when the target fell on the optic disc or when it fell in the scotoma in the ‘dead’ field. In all cases he felt or saw nothing and said he was ‘just guessing’. The test is a very stringent one for demonstrating the insufficiency of stray light as an explanation of D. B.'s ability to detect stimuli in his scotoma.Less
The optic disc provides ready-made control for determining the limits of intra-ocular diffusion. As the size of the natural and absolutely blind area is fixed and known (5° × 7°), a target light that cannot be detected on the disc sets the measurable limits to diffusion. The rationale of the experience was to compare detection of a small target (33′ diameter) when it fell on the objectively blind disc with detection at a number of neighbouring locations within the scotoma. The result was that he was at chance when the stimulus fell on the optic disc, but well above chance at other loci. With one exception, he always consistently and insistently reported that he was ‘just guessing’. The one exceptional region was relatively small; his report was that ‘I feel something coming in’ similar to his reports with some other abrupt-onset stimuli. It is interesting that he did not distinguish at all between his lack of experience when the target fell on the optic disc or when it fell in the scotoma in the ‘dead’ field. In all cases he felt or saw nothing and said he was ‘just guessing’. The test is a very stringent one for demonstrating the insufficiency of stray light as an explanation of D. B.'s ability to detect stimuli in his scotoma.
L. Weiskrantz
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780198521921
- eISBN:
- 9780191706226
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198521921.003.0014
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience
Given the good discrimination in the blind field, the question arises as to whether it is processed differently than discriminations in the intact field. One way of addressing the question was to ...
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Given the good discrimination in the blind field, the question arises as to whether it is processed differently than discriminations in the intact field. One way of addressing the question was to present stimuli to the two fields simultaneously and to ask D. B. to make a ‘ same-different’ judgment. Two types of stimuli were used: curved vs. straight triangles, and X vs. O. The tests with triangles were ambiguous, possibly because it was not an easy task even for the intact field. The results for X vs. O were clearer, especially when conditions were optimized by varying the size of the stimuli and their positions in the fields. But the cross-field comparison task was more tiring than a within-field task for the blind field alone. In any event, he showed unmistakable evidence of being able to do the matching task. His ability to perform discrimination within the blind field alone was better than across fields. With stimuli to the blind field alone, depending on the parameters, he might report seeing waves, but with the same parameters for the cross-field matching task, he reported seeing nothing in the blind field but something in the good field, even when he was performing at 99% accuracy. A question arises as to whether he carried out the cross-field test sequentially in each field independently, which might be pursued by the analysis of reaction times in the single vs. double field presentations.Less
Given the good discrimination in the blind field, the question arises as to whether it is processed differently than discriminations in the intact field. One way of addressing the question was to present stimuli to the two fields simultaneously and to ask D. B. to make a ‘ same-different’ judgment. Two types of stimuli were used: curved vs. straight triangles, and X vs. O. The tests with triangles were ambiguous, possibly because it was not an easy task even for the intact field. The results for X vs. O were clearer, especially when conditions were optimized by varying the size of the stimuli and their positions in the fields. But the cross-field comparison task was more tiring than a within-field task for the blind field alone. In any event, he showed unmistakable evidence of being able to do the matching task. His ability to perform discrimination within the blind field alone was better than across fields. With stimuli to the blind field alone, depending on the parameters, he might report seeing waves, but with the same parameters for the cross-field matching task, he reported seeing nothing in the blind field but something in the good field, even when he was performing at 99% accuracy. A question arises as to whether he carried out the cross-field test sequentially in each field independently, which might be pursued by the analysis of reaction times in the single vs. double field presentations.
Jonathan Wolff and Avner De-Shalit
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199278268
- eISBN:
- 9780191707902
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199278268.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This chapter argues that the idea of ‘capability’ is too vague; it is replaced with the concept of ‘genuine opportunities’ for secure functioning. An opportunity for a functioning is genuine to the ...
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This chapter argues that the idea of ‘capability’ is too vague; it is replaced with the concept of ‘genuine opportunities’ for secure functioning. An opportunity for a functioning is genuine to the extent that the agent is not required to sacrifice the security of other important functionings to secure this particular functioning. It is argued that only in such cases can people be held responsible for failing to make use of their opportunities. Therefore, the government should guarantee genuine opportunities for secure functionings. The case in which an individual has achieved a functioning level that is higher than could be reasonably expected is briefly addressed.Less
This chapter argues that the idea of ‘capability’ is too vague; it is replaced with the concept of ‘genuine opportunities’ for secure functioning. An opportunity for a functioning is genuine to the extent that the agent is not required to sacrifice the security of other important functionings to secure this particular functioning. It is argued that only in such cases can people be held responsible for failing to make use of their opportunities. Therefore, the government should guarantee genuine opportunities for secure functionings. The case in which an individual has achieved a functioning level that is higher than could be reasonably expected is briefly addressed.
Tito Boeri, Micael Castanheira, Riccardo Faini, Vincenzo Galasso, Giorgio Barba Navaretti, Carcillo Stéphane, Jonathan Haskel, Giuseppe Nicoletti, Enrico Perotti, Carlo Scarpa, Lidia Tsyganok, and Christian Wey
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199203628
- eISBN:
- 9780191708169
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199203628.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare
Theory is not ambiguous about the impact of competition on economic performance. Empirical evidence, however, suggests that competition raises productivity. Both policy-makers and the academic ...
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Theory is not ambiguous about the impact of competition on economic performance. Empirical evidence, however, suggests that competition raises productivity. Both policy-makers and the academic community agree that the benefits of competition outweigh any eventual costs. Competition boosts the incentives for innovation and raises productivity growth of firms via the process of entry and exit.Less
Theory is not ambiguous about the impact of competition on economic performance. Empirical evidence, however, suggests that competition raises productivity. Both policy-makers and the academic community agree that the benefits of competition outweigh any eventual costs. Competition boosts the incentives for innovation and raises productivity growth of firms via the process of entry and exit.
Asifa Hussain and William Miller
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199280711
- eISBN:
- 9780191604102
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199280711.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, UK Politics
‘Multicultural nationalism’ comes very close to being an oxymoron: devolution increased national self-consciousness and 9/11 added to the problems of multiculturalism everywhere, including Scotland. ...
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‘Multicultural nationalism’ comes very close to being an oxymoron: devolution increased national self-consciousness and 9/11 added to the problems of multiculturalism everywhere, including Scotland. But in practice, potential problems proved to be solutions. Since England has a key role in defining Scottish identity, Scottish nationalism stimulates Anglophobia but not Islamophobia, and Muslims can use Scottish nationalism as a tool of integration. 9/11 made life worse for Muslims in Scotland, but not as much as elsewhere. Thus, 9/11 and the ‘war on terror’ bound Muslims more closely to Scotland. Although both minorities criticized the governing performance of the new Scottish Parliament, both felt that its street-level impact has been more positive than negative. English immigrants feel that devolution has defused tensions, and Muslims self-consciously distinguish between the positive impact of devolution and the concurrent, negative impact of 9/11. Against the odds, multiculturalism and sub-state nationalism have not merely coexisted, but actually interacted positively within post-devolution Scotland.Less
‘Multicultural nationalism’ comes very close to being an oxymoron: devolution increased national self-consciousness and 9/11 added to the problems of multiculturalism everywhere, including Scotland. But in practice, potential problems proved to be solutions. Since England has a key role in defining Scottish identity, Scottish nationalism stimulates Anglophobia but not Islamophobia, and Muslims can use Scottish nationalism as a tool of integration. 9/11 made life worse for Muslims in Scotland, but not as much as elsewhere. Thus, 9/11 and the ‘war on terror’ bound Muslims more closely to Scotland. Although both minorities criticized the governing performance of the new Scottish Parliament, both felt that its street-level impact has been more positive than negative. English immigrants feel that devolution has defused tensions, and Muslims self-consciously distinguish between the positive impact of devolution and the concurrent, negative impact of 9/11. Against the odds, multiculturalism and sub-state nationalism have not merely coexisted, but actually interacted positively within post-devolution Scotland.
Mark Connelly
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199278602
- eISBN:
- 9780191707056
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199278602.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Military History
This book fully revises standard regimental history by establishing the framework and background to the regiment's role in the Great War. It tests the current theories about the British Army in the ...
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This book fully revises standard regimental history by establishing the framework and background to the regiment's role in the Great War. It tests the current theories about the British Army in the war and some of the conclusions of modern military historians. In recent years, a fascinating reassessment of the combat performance of the British Army in the Great War has stressed the fact that the British Army ascended a ‘learning curve’ during the conflict resulting in a modern military machine of awesome power. Research carried out thus far has been on a grand scale with very few examinations of smaller units. This study of the battalion of the Buffs has tested these theoretical ideas. The central questions addressed in this study are: the factors that dominated the officer-man relationship during the war; how identity and combat efficiency was maintained in the light of heavy casualties; the relative importance of individual characters to the efficiency of a battalion as opposed to the ‘managerial structures’ of the BEF; the importance of brigade and division to the performance of a battalion; the effective understanding and deployment of new weapons; the reactions of individual men to the trials of war; and the personal and private reactions of the soldiers' communities in Kent. This book adds a significant new chapter to our understanding of the British army on the Western Front, and the way its home community in East Kent reacted to experience. It reveals the way in which the regiment adjusted to the shock of modern warfare, and the bloody learning curve the Buffs ascended as they shared the British Expeditionary Force's march towards final victory.Less
This book fully revises standard regimental history by establishing the framework and background to the regiment's role in the Great War. It tests the current theories about the British Army in the war and some of the conclusions of modern military historians. In recent years, a fascinating reassessment of the combat performance of the British Army in the Great War has stressed the fact that the British Army ascended a ‘learning curve’ during the conflict resulting in a modern military machine of awesome power. Research carried out thus far has been on a grand scale with very few examinations of smaller units. This study of the battalion of the Buffs has tested these theoretical ideas. The central questions addressed in this study are: the factors that dominated the officer-man relationship during the war; how identity and combat efficiency was maintained in the light of heavy casualties; the relative importance of individual characters to the efficiency of a battalion as opposed to the ‘managerial structures’ of the BEF; the importance of brigade and division to the performance of a battalion; the effective understanding and deployment of new weapons; the reactions of individual men to the trials of war; and the personal and private reactions of the soldiers' communities in Kent. This book adds a significant new chapter to our understanding of the British army on the Western Front, and the way its home community in East Kent reacted to experience. It reveals the way in which the regiment adjusted to the shock of modern warfare, and the bloody learning curve the Buffs ascended as they shared the British Expeditionary Force's march towards final victory.
Lane Kenworthy
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199591527
- eISBN:
- 9780191731389
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199591527.003.0010
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
If we commit to improvement in the absolute living standards of the least well-off, must we sacrifice other desirable outcomes? The comparative empirical evidence suggests not.
If we commit to improvement in the absolute living standards of the least well-off, must we sacrifice other desirable outcomes? The comparative empirical evidence suggests not.
Stewart Gordon
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195177435
- eISBN:
- 9780199864690
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195177435.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Performing Practice/Studies
This book offers advice for all performers to achieve performance mastery. It defines performance in the broadest terms as being applicable to many life situations and challenges in many professions. ...
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This book offers advice for all performers to achieve performance mastery. It defines performance in the broadest terms as being applicable to many life situations and challenges in many professions. Through real life experiences and pre-performance exercises, the book offers highly practical advice on every aspect of performance. It analyzes motivation, assesses talent levels, sets performance goals, suggests levels of energy needed, and develops a performance philosophy. It deals with building technique, practice routines, the role of repetition and drill, changing bad habits, and developing a secure memory. It discusses performance anxiety or stage fright and how to deal with it. It explores psychological states during performance, evaluation after performance, audience reaction, and challenges faced during a lifetime of performance, including career planning, plateaus, and burnout. Finally, it relates performance to the development of a spiritual life.Less
This book offers advice for all performers to achieve performance mastery. It defines performance in the broadest terms as being applicable to many life situations and challenges in many professions. Through real life experiences and pre-performance exercises, the book offers highly practical advice on every aspect of performance. It analyzes motivation, assesses talent levels, sets performance goals, suggests levels of energy needed, and develops a performance philosophy. It deals with building technique, practice routines, the role of repetition and drill, changing bad habits, and developing a secure memory. It discusses performance anxiety or stage fright and how to deal with it. It explores psychological states during performance, evaluation after performance, audience reaction, and challenges faced during a lifetime of performance, including career planning, plateaus, and burnout. Finally, it relates performance to the development of a spiritual life.
Andrea Rotstein
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199286270
- eISBN:
- 9780191713330
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199286270.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This study of the genre of Greek iambic poetry, from the perspective provided by ancient testimonies, places research on iambos in the framework of a new methodological approach to ancient genres ...
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This study of the genre of Greek iambic poetry, from the perspective provided by ancient testimonies, places research on iambos in the framework of a new methodological approach to ancient genres based on the cognitive sciences, offering an unprecedented study of ancient theories of genres and the way they affected ancient scholarship. It examines the possibility of musical performance of iambic poetry as well as the various occasions of public performance, particularly at musical contests and rhapsodic recitals. The author argues that, from the Archaic to the Classical period, there was a shift from the notion of literary class depending primarily on rhythm and on its archetypical representative, Archilochus, towards iambos as a genre defined mainly by invective as its dominant feature.Less
This study of the genre of Greek iambic poetry, from the perspective provided by ancient testimonies, places research on iambos in the framework of a new methodological approach to ancient genres based on the cognitive sciences, offering an unprecedented study of ancient theories of genres and the way they affected ancient scholarship. It examines the possibility of musical performance of iambic poetry as well as the various occasions of public performance, particularly at musical contests and rhapsodic recitals. The author argues that, from the Archaic to the Classical period, there was a shift from the notion of literary class depending primarily on rhythm and on its archetypical representative, Archilochus, towards iambos as a genre defined mainly by invective as its dominant feature.
Michael Hawcroft
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199228836
- eISBN:
- 9780191711251
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199228836.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, World Literature
Molière wrote, directed, and starred in comedies for public and court audiences in 17th-century France. He is perennially successful, but perennially subject to critical controversy: do his plays aim ...
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Molière wrote, directed, and starred in comedies for public and court audiences in 17th-century France. He is perennially successful, but perennially subject to critical controversy: do his plays aim to do more than make audiences laugh? This book focuses on a group of characters in the plays, the interpretation of whose role lies at the heart of any answer to this question. For over a century critics have called them raisonneurs. They are characters who engage with some of Molière's most foolish protagonists, but they have been variously interpreted as either exponents of wisdom or as bores who are subject to ridicule. This book argues that new light can be shed on the words and actions of these characters, and on the tenor of the plays as a whole by detailed contextual analysis of the structures of dramaturgy and comedy in which they are deployed. They emerge neither as the mouthpieces of common sense nor as pompous fools, but as thoughtful, witty, and resourceful friends of the foolish protagonists whom Molière himself played. The book takes into account what is known of the performance styles of Molière's troupe of actors as well as engaging closely with the text of the plays and the critical debate to date. Some of Molière's most teasingly problematic plays are held up to fresh scrutiny, including L'Ecole des femmes, Le Tartuffe, Le Misanthrope, and Le Malade imaginaire.Less
Molière wrote, directed, and starred in comedies for public and court audiences in 17th-century France. He is perennially successful, but perennially subject to critical controversy: do his plays aim to do more than make audiences laugh? This book focuses on a group of characters in the plays, the interpretation of whose role lies at the heart of any answer to this question. For over a century critics have called them raisonneurs. They are characters who engage with some of Molière's most foolish protagonists, but they have been variously interpreted as either exponents of wisdom or as bores who are subject to ridicule. This book argues that new light can be shed on the words and actions of these characters, and on the tenor of the plays as a whole by detailed contextual analysis of the structures of dramaturgy and comedy in which they are deployed. They emerge neither as the mouthpieces of common sense nor as pompous fools, but as thoughtful, witty, and resourceful friends of the foolish protagonists whom Molière himself played. The book takes into account what is known of the performance styles of Molière's troupe of actors as well as engaging closely with the text of the plays and the critical debate to date. Some of Molière's most teasingly problematic plays are held up to fresh scrutiny, including L'Ecole des femmes, Le Tartuffe, Le Misanthrope, and Le Malade imaginaire.
Alok Kumar and Sushanta K. Chatterjee
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198082279
- eISBN:
- 9780199082063
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198082279.003.0016
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Protection of consumers’ interest is one of the key objectives of the Electricity Act, 2003 and it has been explicitly articulated in the preamble of the Act. The chapter explains in brief the ...
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Protection of consumers’ interest is one of the key objectives of the Electricity Act, 2003 and it has been explicitly articulated in the preamble of the Act. The chapter explains in brief the provisions of the Electricity Act and the policy regarding protection of consumers’ interest, for instance, universal service obligation, grievance handling mechanism, standards of performance, and consumer advocacy. Judicial pronouncements have also been relied upon to explain the context of some of these important provisions of the law and the policy.Less
Protection of consumers’ interest is one of the key objectives of the Electricity Act, 2003 and it has been explicitly articulated in the preamble of the Act. The chapter explains in brief the provisions of the Electricity Act and the policy regarding protection of consumers’ interest, for instance, universal service obligation, grievance handling mechanism, standards of performance, and consumer advocacy. Judicial pronouncements have also been relied upon to explain the context of some of these important provisions of the law and the policy.
DONALD A. MARCHAND, WILLIAM J. KETTINGER, and JOHN D. ROLLINS
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199252213
- eISBN:
- 9780191714276
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199252213.003.0010
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Information Technology
This chapter provides an overview of the key management conclusions that can be derived from this book. It presents the key directions which will be pursued further regarding management practices and ...
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This chapter provides an overview of the key management conclusions that can be derived from this book. It presents the key directions which will be pursued further regarding management practices and strategies to measure and manage IO to improve business performance in the future.Less
This chapter provides an overview of the key management conclusions that can be derived from this book. It presents the key directions which will be pursued further regarding management practices and strategies to measure and manage IO to improve business performance in the future.
