Thursday, October 31, 2019

'Capitalism is a force of progress for business and society'. Discuss Essay

'Capitalism is a force of progress for business and society'. Discuss - Essay Example Progress, on the other hand, can be defined as a gradual shift from one state to another. This paper seeks to discuss capitalism as a force of progress for business and society. Capitalism as a Force of Progress for Business and Society In a capitalistic nation, a business and a society can be seen to relate in that both involve a group of people held by some common beliefs and objectives. The main principle applied in capitalism as an economic system is the principle of open competition. Capitalism treats all parties in an economy equally. As such, completion gets encouraged in the production of goods and delivery of services (Chang 2011, p.133). With capitalism, more choices get given for goods needed in an economy. This gives customers a large pool of products from which to choose their preferred taste. Capitalism makes it possible for these goods to come at the preferred prices of the customers. The same product may be produced at different levels of quality so as to be affordabl e to all classes of people in an economy. Competition has a wide range of benefits to the business sector. One such benefit is that it ensures a continuous production of standard goods as businesses try to compete with each other. In a competitive environment, businesses get to acquire the most competitive human labor available in the market. In order to impress businesses, individuals get required that they keep their skills up to date. Competition in a capitalistic society also entails competing for the available scarce resources (Hurrell 2007, p.348). This competition keeps businesses on their toes in terms of management and production. It is, therefore, necessary for the progress of such a society. In a capitalistic economy, the influence of the government on production gets highly minimized. This allows for all owners of the factors of production to compete fairly in the economy. Lack of government interference further ensures that potential investors get attracted to invest in such an economy. This is because they feel that they will have sole control of their production processes. When companies have less burdensome regulations from the government, they tend to perform better than when there is a lot of regulation from the government (Wade 2009, p.568). Capitalism in most cases works for the social good of the society. Although it may seem at the first instance that in capitalism everyone is greedy for money, an inner look of the matter may reveal otherwise. Every economic activity carried out in a capitalistic economy provides some benefits to another person different from the one producing it. Goods and services offered get produced by owners of the factors of production who later use the same income to pay for the factors of production such as labor and raw materials. These incomes, therefore, get rechanneled back to the economy. Capitalism brings equality in the society. No matter where a person may start in life, everyone has the opportunity to ach ieve what they wish. The basic principle used is that the harder one works the higher the reward one gets. Capitalism treats all individuals in a society equally providing them with equal opportunities to succeed. In a capitalistic society, all individuals get subjected to the same rules that govern the production activities in such a country. Capitalism further provides

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

American Government Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

American Government - Research Paper Example The last part undertakes the critical evaluation of the policies undertaken and suggests optimal policy ramifications. The launch pad for the flight of the worst recession in the past six decades around the globe was unleashed in the mid of 2007 and continued over almost two years. The entire global economy remained shivering owing to its evil affects. Moreover this recession jeopardized the roots of the formidable US economy. The dark sides began to erupt with global job crisis and crisis-induced credit crunch that lead to trade collapse. Again high rate of unemployment in the OECD countries devastated millions of the civilians of the poorer countries sweeping them deep down into acute poverty (Verick & Islam, 2010, p.v ). The absolute damage to the financial sector was prolific. The entire globe moved into a shock as the stock markets crashed and the giant financial institutions collapsed or went bankrupted. Even the governments in the wealthiest nations came up with rescue packages to save their financial systems from further worsening. It was soon felt that this global financial meltdown would affect the livelihoods of almost everyone around the world in an increasingly inter-connected world (Shah, 2010). The paper will highlight on various factors of global economic crisis of 2008-2009 with major focus on the US economy and how far the key actors of the American government are successful in curbing the evil effects of the crisis on the US economy. The world economic crisis of 2008- 2009 can be attributed mainly to the combination of world macroeconomic imbalances and serious weaknesses in the U.S. and the western financial structure. The US exports in 1975, exceeded the foreign imports by an amount of $12, 400 million. But that was the last trade surplus the United States saw in the 20th century. By 1987, the American trade deficit   swelled to $153,300 million. The deficit diminished a

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Analysing the concept of Employee Development

Analysing the concept of Employee Development Human resources are the most important resources in any organization. It can be said that the success of any organization relies upon the success and performance of its employees. Organizations need to remain competitive within their respective markets and therefore they need their employees to equally competitive. Change management demands that competent employees are hired in order to facilitate the process of adapting to foreseeable challenges in life. Like the many forms of employee training, employee development programs are designed to address issues that affect employees. These issues range from corporate values and organizational missions to understanding and achieving personal career goals. This reports defines employee development (ED), addresses the main differences between training and development, highlights the significance of this process on the individual and organizational levels, points out various approaches used in implementing such process and finally it discusse s the roles of both employers and employee in the success development (Roth well, 2010). Definition of Employee Development The concept of employee development is not a new one. It has existed since the 1920s and it has changed and evolved depending on the ups and downs of the job market. When unemployment rates are low, making more jobs available, and organizations try to focus on keeping their current employees, so programs are designed with that in mind. When the market is more unstable and rife with lay-offs and downsizing, organizations might focus on cross-training their employees or teaching them more marketable skills. More recently, employers have adapted in such a way that they no longer expect to keep a new employee until their retirement. Hence, many organizations are now focusing their employee development programs on how to achieve personal goals, how to better prepare for various technological advances, and how to be more productive, in an overall sense. In doing this, an organization creates a culture that embraces and encourages employee growth, development and success, which in turn cont ributes to the overall success of the organization (Sims, 2001). Employee development is therefore a system of providing opportunities for employees to reach their full potential through improving their skills, knowledge and other attributes and to become of greater value for the organization. Normally it incorporates new hire orientation, training, career Management, and Management Development (Cavanaugh Cavanaugh, 2008). Development is about preparing for change in the form of new jobs, new responsibilities, or new requirements. Differences between training and development Training and development are processes that attempt to provide an employee with information, skills, and an understanding of the organization and its goals. In addition, training and development are designed to help a person continue to make positive contributions in the form of good performance. The term training is often confused with the term development. Training is defined as any attempt to improve employee performance on a currently held job or one related to it (Cavanaugh Kail, 2008). The key difference between training and development is that employee development is not always directly tied to observable, behavioral change. It cultivates individuals so that their organization and work group collectively possess the competencies essential to meet present responsibilities and prepare for future ones (Taylor, 2002). As such, training is designed to address current performance problems, whereas development focuses on preparing employees for future assignments. Training is focus on current immediate skills and abilities enhancements that will affect have results in the employees job today. Training tends to be more focused on building skills and abilities for individuals current jobs and tends to have a more short-term focus. Development is preparing the employee for a future. This imparts employees with hope for a future with the company or industry. It has a wider focus, longer time frame, and broader scope than training (Hawley, 2004). Importance of employee Development Employee development is the most salient aspect of organizational management towards achieving set business objectives. Qualified and competent workforce ensures that company objectives are realized through greater job outcomes. Training of employees equips them with appropriate skills and competencies to perform their duties satisfactorily (Keeton Sheckley, 2001). This leads to quality job outcomes which meet the expectations of stakeholders and customers alike. Satisfied clients are hitherto retained. Employee training also facilitates the process of acquiring new job skills relevant for solving challenges at workplace by employees. Development of employee training programs by a company integrates a culture of responsibility and accountability amongst the workforce in line with expected standards of quality and performance. Employees are equally motivated to work on their assigned duties towards developing their careers. To this end, employee training motivates workers. Employee d evelopment plays a major role in the organizational strategy. Employees are competing more for power, status, managers time and opportunities for personal growth and development. Approaches to Employee Development The best approaches to employee development takes into account various techniques appropriate for the composition of the workforce, the objectives need to be accomplished, and to allow for individual differences in learning styles. These approaches fall into four broad categories and many organizations combine these approaches: formal education, assessment, job experiences, and interpersonal relationships (Society, 1996). Formal Education Another option is tuition reimbursement. Some organizations will reimburse their employees for attending courses or earning a particular degree. This frequently, though not always, involves distance education programs. Advantages and disadvantages of off-site versus on-site approaches can be differentiated as follows: Advantages Get to learn outside of the culture of the organization. Get fresh perspectives. Increases critical thinking skills. Disadvantages Information taught is not always directly applicable to the industry or company the employee is in. Assessment Information for assessment may come from the employees, their peers, managers and customers. Why would companies invest in assessment of employees? The most frequent uses of assessment are: to identify employees with managerial potential, to measure current managers strengths and weaknesses, and to identify managers with potential to move into higher-level executive positions (Roth well, 2010). Methods and sources of information used in developmental assessment include: performance appraisals, psychological tests, and ratings of behaviors and style of working with others. Tools used for assessment include: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, assessment centers, the Benchmarks assessment, performance appraisal, and 360-degree feedback (Taylor, 2002). Developing a planning Process Employee development should be one tool for implementing HR plans. Unfortunately, it rarely is because ED is seldom planned. Creating a planned employee development program usually consists of many steps: Identifying each work group in the organization: Clarifying the groups purpose, activities and responsibilities Planning changes to group purpose, activities and responsibilities so that they match the desired purpose, activities and responsibilities of the work group. Determining how many and what kind of people are presently available in the work group. Comparing desired human resources to available supplies. Establishing a long term action plans for each work groups in order to narrow gaps between desired and available HR supplies through planned ED. Identifying development needs Choosing a development goal Identifying the actions that need to be taken by the employee and the company to achieve the goal Determining how progress toward goal attainment will be measured Investing time and energy to achieve the goal Establishing a timetable for development Employee development is most likely to meet the organizations needs if it is part of a human resource system of career management. Basic career management system involves four steps: Self-assessment Reality check Goal setting Action planning At each step, both the employee and the organization have responsibilities.The system is most likely to be beneficial if it is linked to the organizations objectives and needs, has support from top management, and is created with employee participation (Cavanaugh Cavanaugh, 2008). Conclusion Maintaining human resources is a vital part of the overall management of organizations greatest resources, their human capital. This includes proper employee orientation, training and development. These will help the organization create a posture of learning and thus remain competitive in their respective markets (Society, 1996). Employees should be help accountable for the training and development that they receive and thus results should be measurable for it to be an overall success. Effective training and development is vital part of the overall management of human resources however, in recent budget constraints it is often the first place organizations look to cut. This should be reconsidered based upon the return that an organization receives from its investment in its employees (Sims, 2001). . Training and development are critical components to successfully managing the human capital of an organization. Ongoing training and development is an investment that can help firms stimulate employee growth and maximize the competitive advantages provided by lifelong learning (First College, 1996). There are many ways to begin, and it all doesnt have to be done at once or in any particular order.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Jane Eyre :: essays research papers

In the two stories, Jane Eyre and The Yellow Wallpaper, the main characters are faced with various encounters with authority. Jane and the Narrator are the central characters that are faced with these authority figures, and an external as well as an internal relationship is developed with the figures that have power over them. These two women also display a unique use of authority to benefit themselves at various points in the stories. Jane and the Narrator are first alike in the way that they outwardly express their feelings about the situations they are in by the use of actions and words. This open, verbal communication with these figures in their lives is a common trait between them, but what differs is that Jane's communication is positive (she gets her feelings in the open and is understood) and the Narrator never gets listened to. The second similarity between Jane and the Narrator is the inner attitude that they feel about the figures of authority. This attitude is present in both characters as the reader sees their inner thoughts and feelings as well as the words and actions that take place when the authority figures are not around. The last criterion that is common to both Jane and the Narrator is that each woman gains a power of authority near the end of their story. What differs between the two is how they go about possessing the authority, and how they use it when they finally have it. The end result is made up of similarities between the two women's characteristics, but differences in the way that they use those characteristics in their lives. The novel Jane Eyre is about a young girl who goes through her life struggling with various life issues. Jane encounters people that treat her with little respect, the feeling of being trapped in situations that she is not happy in, and learning how to grow up as a poor girl who has to make all of her own decisions without any help.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A significant starting point in the novel Jane Eyre is at her arrival at Thornfield, and her meeting with Mr. Rochester. At that estate Jane is employed as the governess of a small child named Adele. At this point in Jane’s life, she is learning what it is like to be a paid subordinate under a master. This proves to be a good learning experience for Jane, and as the character of Rochester goes on to shape her life as she stays there, Jane learns and grows along with her feelings.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

1. Is It Fine to Privatize Profits and Nationalize Losses, Is It Right for Organisational Development?

1. Is it fine to privatize profits and nationalize losses, is it right for organisational development? As the United States Of America had to suffer sub-prime crisis during 2007-2008. Many home-owners defaulted in their payments causing Freddie and Fannie to suffer multi-billion dollar losses. The share prices tumbled by more than 90% and the investors around the world felt that these two firms might not be able to live upto the guarantees which they have to provide to the public. It is somehow justified to â€Å"Privatize profits and nationalize losses† as the major companies(Freddie and Fannie) which required bailouts were US federal government entities and their guarantee was backed up by the federal government and in case of crisis the US government backed it with a gurarantee. Therefore the mortgage was a very safe option for the public. It is somehow argued that to privatize profits and nationalize losses is not good for the Organisational Development of the companies as this might set up a bad example for the future. It encourages weak leadership and poor management. The organisations should access the risk associated with their functioning and should adopt a proactive approach to counter such problems. The assured government bailout would affect the organisational working which would otherwise have been different. 2. Was this a result of failure of leadership of these firms ? The downfall of such huge companies is not just a failure of the financial system, but also a huge leadership failure. Excessive interest in personal financial goals as against the larger interest of the organization is one of the root cause of this meltdown. These days some managers are not that efficient and rely on reward and incentives. They believe that if they hire smart people, give huge incentives for personal results, the management of the firm would take care of itself. Under such circumstances, taking risks to achieve personal goals even if that puts others or organization in danger seems acceptable. These particular leadership failures have been a major cause of this full-scale meltdown of US financial So, proper approach and tackling problems in advance can avoid such kind of downfall of the companies. For eg. The subprime crises has never been thought off in indian market and the indian companies are not providing sub prime loans and have been only dealing with prime mortgage market so as to avoid future debacles which would prove fatal for the economy. The sub prime market of India is considerably small than the Prime mortgage market.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Implementation on teaching and learning approach

Nizwa College of Technology ( NCT ) follows a strategic program to accomplish its Vision and Mission as stated in NCT College Strategic Plan ( CSP ) . One of the ends of NCT is to offer high quality of instruction, larning and developing chances to all its pupils in line with the demands of the market [ Goal 2, NCT CSP ] . To guarantee that all the sub-goals [ Sub-Goal 2.a, 2.b, 2.c, 2.d ] pertaining to instruction and acquisition are achieved, the College through the Assistant Dean of Academics ( AD Academics ) encourages all academic staff to implement the ADRI [ QAM, p73 ] analysis in their instruction and larning map. The ADRI theoretical account for learning and acquisition is developed by AD Academics and is traveling to be presented in 13 June 2010 in the International Conference on Higher Education and Quality Assurance in Mazoon College, Muscat.DeploymentIn line with its aims, the first NCT Quality Assurance workshop for the College staff was conducted on 16th October 2008 w here one of the subjects discussed is ADRI theoretical account. In his presentation, AD Academics explained to the participants how to efficaciously utilize the ADRI theoretical account in the assorted procedures they are making in the behavior of their work. He specifically provided an ADRI theoretical account related to class bringing and other related activities. The AD Academics requested the academic staff to get down utilizing ADRI in their instruction and larning map. The execution of the ADRI analysis in NCT started in Semester 1, 2008-2009. To promote more staff to get down utilizing ADRI, the AD Academics launched the â€Å" Best ADRI † competition among the staff for A.Y. 2008-2009. A staff from IT has won the competition by coming up with the most elaborate ADRI for his class in IT Project. A 2nd ADRI presentation was conducted on 26th of May 2009 attended by about 110 NCT lectors. Harmonizing to NCT QAFU Portal, â€Å" the AD Academics emphasized in his presentation the importance of utilizing the theoretical account in placing programs for learning every academic twelvemonth, purely following the said program, analysing the consequences afterwards, and so supplying suggestions for betterment to be carried out in the succeeding academic twelvemonth. He expound on the usage of the ADRI theoretical account in learning by giving illustrations and activities a lector can supply in each phase of the ADRI theoretical account, from attack to betterment. He said that it is really of import for the college to hold a unvarying execution of the ADRI theoretical account, peculiarly in learning and acquisition, so that an institutional criterion can be followed in respects the quality confidence work in this country. † At the beginning, it was observed that merely 10 % of the academic staff is implementing ADRI analysis in instruction and acquisition and most of the staff have doubts on how to implement it decently. Likewise, many new staff has arrived in the College that needed orientation on ADRI so a 3rd presentation was given by the AD Academics on 8th February 2010 to familiarise new staff with how ADRI analysis could be implemented in their maps. Similarly, a new competition for â€Å" Best ADRI † for the current academic twelvemonth was initiated and the engagement is about 40 % . A study on ADRI Implementation in Teaching and Learning as shown in Appendix A was conducted in NCT to verify the consciousness of all academic staff. The study besides tries to get information from staff sing the importance of ADRI in their academic work and acquire feedback on the possibility of ADRI execution in other countries of work. Furthermore, the study tries to obtain feedback on jobs in ADRI execution and possible ways of bettering the usage of ADRI in NCT. The study was conducted in all academic sections of NCT including the Business ( Bus ) Department, English Language Center ( ELC ) , Engineering ( Engg ) Department and Information Technology ( IT ) Department. There are 47 % respondents or 73 out of 155 academic staff interrupt down into 18 respondents from Business, 10 from Engineering, 27 from ELC and 22 from IT section. The questionnaire has a sum of 22 inquiries which take the respondents feedback and perceptual experience on ADRI Awareness ( Aw ) , Acquisition ( Ac ) , Usefulness ( Us ) and Effectiveness ( Ef ) . Open-ended inquiries were besides included in the study to take the respondents sentiment and suggestions sing ADRI execution in instruction and acquisition.ConsequencesTable 1Percept of Staff on ADRI Implementation Harmonizing to Awareness, Acquisition, Usefulness and Effectiveness ( measured on a 5-point graduated table )The consequence on Table 1 shows that the respondents agree that there is an â€Å" mean † consciousness on ADRI in footings of the information posted on the NCT web site, as a clear tool for appraisal and in footings of relaxation in implementing ADRI independently. The respondents besides perceived â€Å" mean † acquisition in footings of similitude to utilize ADRI in their everyday work. Respondents besides perceived ADRI as â€Å" mean † in foot ings of utility in heightening the pupil ‘s acquisition, as a tool for professional growing and for informing the staff how good they teach. In footings of effectivity, the respondents perceived that ADRI as â€Å" mean † in supplying better planning to academic work, increasing pupil interaction and engagement, and in bettering pupil ‘s consciousness.Table 2Percentage of YES Responses to ADRI Awareness QuestionsSurvey ItemsBusinessELCEngineeringInformation technologyPercentageAw1a94 89 100 100 96Aw1b50 74 20 27 43Aw272 78 80 95 81Aw383 70 80 55 72Aw483 89 80 82 84 Based on table 2, it is clear that 96 % of the respondents are cognizant of ADRI and 43 % of the respondents have non used any self-assessment tool other than ADRI in their calling. 81 % of the respondents have used ADRI in their work but 72 % among them think that they still need aid in implementing it. Another 84 % agree that ADRI could be implemented in work other than learning.Table 3Percentage of YES Responses to ADRI Acquisition QuestionsSurvey ItemsBusinessELCEngineeringInformation technologyPercentageAc172 63 90 73 75Ac278 56 50 50 59Ac356 59 60 59 59 Harmonizing to Table 3, 75 % of the respondents agree that utilizing ADRI has increased their accomplishments and 59 % prefer utilizing ADRI to other self-assessment tools and would besides wish to implement ADRI every semester for learning and acquisition.Table 4Percentage of YES Responses to Usability QuestionsSurvey ItemsBusinessELCEngineeringInformation technologyPercentageUs156 59 50 64 57Us244 15 60 32 38Us367 56 90 73 72Us450 48 90 45 58 Table 4 shows that 57 % of the respondents think that ADRI helps in the immediate accommodation of learning pattern and 58 % agree that ADRI could be used to give justification of pupil results. Merely 38 % of the respondents agree that ADRI can be used to turn to all issues of instruction and larning although 72 % of them believe that it could be used to mensurate the booby traps and deficits in instruction and acquisition. Using the same study, feedback and suggestions were taken from the academic staff. Based on the feedbacks gathered, it is singular that utilizing ADRI made the academic staff aware of the importance of planning and good deployment attack in accomplishing the best consequences and covering more learning results. Harmonizing to the study, ADRI is the best tool for self-reflection and in happening out the countries that needs betterment and alteration. Furthermore, respondents agree that ADRI made the class bringing be aftering more effectual and helped a batch in bettering class stuffs, learning AIDSs and other teaching resources and methodological analysiss. They all agree that betterments from self-assessment utilizing ADRI has a great impact on the pupils ‘ category engagement and involvement in the category. Some of the notable and interesting positive responses from the study are as follows: â€Å" It made me more observant of what is go oning in the category and more sensitive to pupil ‘s demands † â€Å" We can measure ourselves in a better manner † â€Å" Better self-contemplation into manners of instruction, improved consciousness of the demand to better and modify certain countries † â€Å" No other better nutrient can replace ADRI in all our plants † â€Å" ADRI is passing the whole instruction procedure † â€Å" Any professional instructor unconsciously uses ADRI without believing about it † â€Å" ADRI is non a new tool, it is an in-built nature of the human existences † Most of the respondents feel that ADRI could be implemented efficaciously if the semester continuance is longer and some of them feel that ADRI becomes uneffective if academic staff is given different classs every semester because there will be no continuity and the betterments made based on the consequences can non be implemented. Some of the important negative responses from the study are as follows: â€Å" It requires more clip and paper work † â€Å" Since we are non certain about learning the same class once more, ‘Improvement ‘ portion of ADRI is less practical † â€Å" Analytic survey utilizing ADRI become less relevant for uninterrupted quality betterment which must be carried out the undermentioned semester or rhythm of learning and larning † â€Å" Deficit of clip † â€Å" It is acquiring progressively hard to make anything because of increased bureaucratism, lesson program composing, memos, meeting, test readying, pupil monitoring, etc. †ImprovementAlthough 81 % of the respondents have used ADRI in their work and hold on the effectivity of utilizing ADRI in learning and acquisition, there is still 72 % that suggests for more information and workshops for better apprehension and execution. Some of the respondents suggested that best ADRI illustrations might be selected and discussed during the workshops so that more staff and pupils could profit from the procedure. Some of the respondents besides suggested that academic staff be required to fix ADRI merely in one ( 1 ) class per semester and ADRI could be implemented in all classs when all the staff is already familiar in utilizing it. Based on the consequences gathered from the study, NCT through the AD of Academic Affairs is be aftering for more workshops sing ADRI execution on instruction and acquisition. The workshops will be by section so that more issues can be addressed. The best ADRI from the 2 competitions will be disseminated to all the staff so that that they will hold more information on how to fix ADRI and same ADRI samples will be discussed during departmental workshops. During the workshops, staff from each section could be grouped together and inquire to fix an ADRI based on a given instance scenario.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Diagnosing Children with ADHD essays

Diagnosing Children with ADHD essays There is considerable confusion as to exactly what ADHD is and how it should be treated. Part of the problem is that there is no definitive test to certify that a child has it. And because symptoms are usually fidgeting, loss of concentration, being disruptive and impulsive and making careless mistakes in schoolwork, to not finishing tasks, it's not always easy to distinguish between normal kid behavior and ADHD. I feel that parents are quick to medicate their children. They would rather give them a pill than take the time that is needed to redirect their attention and socialize them. There are some children whose impulsivity and aggressiveness can be extreme and cause them to fall hopelessly behind in school and to become social outcasts; a parent's decision to medicate can be a very hard one to make. On the other hand what about the parents of the countless of other kids who also may also carry the ADHD label but whose behavior is more uncertain? These parents face a lot of questions: Is their child's energy, dreaminess, or inattentiveness simple normal youthful behavior, or does it cross the line into an illness? And would putting the child on drugs be a help or hold them back in so many other ways? It is easier and cheaper for a doctor to simply prescribe a pill than to direct the child to costly therapists. The medications can cause serious side effects. The children taking them have been known to have suffered from insomnia, upset stomachs, appetite loss and even ticks. Most of these children often are vulnerable to having all of their initial symptoms resurface when the medication wares off. In some rare instances some children have experienced seizures and have had their growth affected by taking their ADHD medication over long periods of time. I have looked into other ways that might be more effective in helping children with ADHD. I feel these are much more effective if the parents take the time and try them rather ...