A study of the moral tone of Restoration comedy

The so called Restoration period in English literature stands as an age of comic production that ranks as one of the most brilliant in the history of the English stage, second perhaps only to the preceding Elizabethan period. Restoration comedy has been famed for its indecency and immorality, and critical Judgment has always been influenced by concern over the excesses which the playwrights introduced into their works. Morality is a relative term. What is sinful in one age is commonly accepted in another. Semantic differences may cause different moral connotations to be placed on certain words. Thus, in considering whether Restoration comedy was immoral, one must judge it to a large extent by the moral standards of the age and by the opinions of the playwrights themselves as to the degree of licentiousness appearing in their comedies. It was a common characteristic of nineteenth century critics to judge the Restoration by nineteenth century moral standards, and critics of the eighteenth and twentieth centuries have often permitted their critical estimates to be affected by their moral sensibilities. The essential question is, Did Restoration playgoers find the comedies immoral? The answer is yes. They expected to hear language that they considered bawdy and to observe scenes that they felt were indecent. It was, fashionable to flaunt recognized moral standards, and for many, who dared not indulge in the flagrant excesses of men such as Rochester or Buckingham, the theater offered the setting wherein fictionalized heroes could display the cleverness that was considered ideal. The comic writers catered to the public tastes. Yet there is far more to Restoration comedy than studied immorality. For the writers of the day had keen minds and sharp eyes, and their plays are filled with excellent satirical barbs directed against the foibles of the period. Although they shared the vices of the age, the playwrights did not hesitate to ridicule those vices. This paper attempts to measure to some degree the extent of immorality found in Restoration comedy and to set forth a brief description of the common characteristics of that comedy, to discuss the general status of the society supporting the stage, to examine the controversy which led to the moral reform of the theaters, and to witness the decline in the quality of dramatic production. The basic conclusions reached are these: 1. The comedies were deliberately immoral. 2. Their immorality is not so much a reflection on the playwrights themselves as a commentary on the social mores of genteel society during the Restoration, for the playwrights understood that society thoroughly and wrote to satisfy its whims. 3. The plays were successful, they are genuinely funny, and they are a real dramatic achievement. 4. Both the playwrights and their contemporary critics were unable to recognize the importance of judging their plays on artistic merits, but that it is on their artistry alone that the plays can be defended. 5. That the comedies present us with an excellent and accurate, satirical portrait of fashionable society after the Restoration

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): Management Structure and Performance

The REIT concept originates from the United States and invests in an income-producing real estate. Tax Return Act of 1986 allowed conversion of externally managed REITs to internal management structure to reduce conflict of interest and increase efficiency. Significant findings give merit to internally managed REITs showing they outperform externally managed REITs and have stronger corporate governance. However, REITs regimes in Asia Pacific region (Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia) are exclusive externally managed structure either by default or requirement highlighting some merits exist to the approach. With the rising number of REITs regimes, academic understanding of the effects of management structure and performance of REITs is required. This paper contributes to existing literature by exploring the impact of management structures on the performance of REITs regimes. This study adopts a systematic review of selected academic journal papers using Scopus. Empirical findings point to the benefits of internal managed REITs over externally managed REITs. Corporate governance proxies unique to external managed REIT such as; REIT organisations, remuneration, fees and related party transactions need improvement to boost performance. We find evidence that external managed REITs try to emulate internally managed REITs, increasing institutional investor carrying out more monitoring, employing less leverage and link compensation to performance to increase REITs value. As externally managed REITs become popular, similar results as internally managed REITs are obtainable and may be more applicable to REITs with smaller market capitalisation. To achieve this, high quality of corporate governance, skilled management team and transparency in fee structure become crucial

Use Of Multi Patient Simulations To Facilitate Transition Of New Graduate Nurses

Description of research project investigating the use of multi patient simulations to identify competencies, evaluate performance, and determine effect on self-confidence and preparedness for practice. Research Questions: What are the critical student behaviors identified by the Creighton Competency Evaluation Instrument (C CEI © ) that are needed to achieve competency in a senior level transition to practice nursing course? Does the use of a detailed evaluation tool in simulation experiences increase interrater objectivity and reliability in assessment of behaviors required of nursing students? In senior nursing student nurses preparing to graduate, what is the effect of the simulation lab on students’ perception of preparedness, and self confidence level about entering the practice setting in comparison to their feelings of preparedness and self confidence level at the start of the semester

A skilled manager, strategic to real estate financing

The manager’s skills is a critical factor that has immense influence on the organisation’s ability to source funding for real estate projects. The contemporary manager in the real estate sector needs managerial talents to be able to access financing for real estate projects, given the complexities of the prevailing global financial markets.  The aim of this paper is to identify the nature and type of skill-sets required by managers involved in sourcing funding for real estate projects. The methodology adopted is a desk review of relevant literature, systematic analysis of the manager and managerial skills sets. The study found that some of the skills required are innate but others need to be developed through training, education and experience.  The findings shows that the manager and his team should obtain a comprehensive mix of human, technical, conceptual, political and financial management skills to continually have access to funding for real estate projects. The study contributes to the field by presenting a novel blend of manager’s skills, fundamental to accessing funding for real estate projects. This study developed a skills funding matrix for accessing funding, which could act as a guide to decision makers on skills training needs and assessment for managers that are responsible for sourcing project funding for real estate firms.  Recommendations for the industry and academia are proffered

An investigation into solid waste problem in the Egyptian construction industry: A mini-review

Solid waste management (SWM) is one of the most critical global challenges nowadays. It has a severe negative effect on the triple bottom line of sustainability. Construction and demolition waste (CDW) contributes about 50% of the total global annual generated SW. In the particular case of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region including Egypt, the SW problem has become a major challenge, and the need to find sustainable solutions is overwhelming. However, the region faces several challenges that hinder the development of an effective and efficient SWM system. This has resulted in the predominance of unsustainable SWM practices such as indiscriminate disposals. The aim of this paper is to investigate the escalating problem of SW in the MENA region, while focusing on CDW in Egypt as a part of the total generated SW, by reviewing the most recent research papers, and technical and governmental reports on the SW problem. The main challenges towards effective and efficient SWM systems and recommendations for improvement are gathered in this study based on the explored literature. Findings from this study are expected to be beneficial to local and central governments, academics, construction industry practitioners, and policymakers contending with the problems of SW in the MENA region and especially CDW in Egypt

Very high Middle Miocene surface productivity on the U.S. mid-Atlantic shelf amid glacioeustatic sea level variability

The Miocene Climatic Optimum (MCO) provides important insights into how the climate system operates under elevated temperatures and atmospheric CO2 levels. Few western North Atlantic paleotemperature or paleoecological records exist from the MCO, despite their importance for understanding both regional and global climate dynamics. Here we present quantitative MCO paleoecological data from the western North Atlantic, specifically from the Baltimore Gas & Electric (BG&E) marine sediment core from southern Maryland, USA. We examine alkenones and planktic foraminifera and document the first sea surface temperature (SST) and productivity estimates for the MCO and the Middle Miocene Climate Transition (MMCT) from the continental shelf. Increased levels of planktic foraminifer species diversity and surface productivity accompany high sea level intervals of the MCO, indicating coastal upwelling. Cooling episodes correlate to unconformities in the BG&E core that reflect sea level lowstands; these and sedimentary cycles tie the record to eccentricity-paced Antarctic ice sheet growth and decay. This dynamic record not only captures the variability in SST, sea level and coastal productivity during the warm MCO and the transition to cooler global temperatures during the MMCT, but it also demonstrates the variability in local conditions within and between intervals of high sea level

Ethical Predisposition of Project Managers in the Delivery of Construction Projects in the NHS

The National Health Service (NHS) is a major client of the construction industry with cost of the healthcare estate estimated to be over £8 billion and capital investment of £2 billion in 2015/16. The aim is to investigate if project team members are ethically predisposed to make decisions based on rules or outcome and to examine its relationship with governance and project outcome. A two-stage approach was used based on survey and interviews with senior project managers. Out of 51 participants, formalism predominated regardless of age or gender with 45 formalists (‘rules followers’), and 4 utilitarians (‘outcome driven’ or ‘ends focused’). The NHS culture is rules and protocol-driven for patient safety and for its duty of accountability to the tax payer. Project governance was more effective as the corporate governance layer did not have sufficient knowledge about construction projects, risk mitigation, and are often perceived to be uninterested in project details. The findings suggest that NHS projects are managed by people with high ethical standards and the governance process whilst acknowledged to be important was sometimes perceived to be ineffective due to difficulties at the interface between corporate and project governance which needs to be addressed for project ‘success’. Keywords: ethical predisposition, governance structure, NHS, project outcome

STEPS: a knowledge management maturity roadmap for corporate sustainability

Purpose The paper focuses on the role of knowledge management in promoting corporate in the construction industry context. It proposes a maturity roadmap – STEPS to facilitate the implementation of a knowledge management strategy. Design/methodology/approach Two research methods were used. The first consisted of a postal questionnaire sent to the top 170 UK construction firms consisting of engineering design and construction contractor firms. The organisations were selected because they were considered the most influential organisations in the UK construction sector. The second research method involved 28 case study interviews with eight construction firms to investigate their approach to knowledge management and performance improvement. The results of the questionnaire survey and the case studies were used to develop the STEPS Maturity Roadmap. Findings The paper found that knowledge management is inextricably linked to corporate sustainability, but a methodical approach is required for successful knowledge management implementation. With this is mind, the STEPS Maturity Roadmap was developed to provide a structured approach to implementing and benchmarking knowledge management efforts. Practical implications This will allow companies to understand were they fall within the STEPS Maturity Roadmap and to devise a strategy to be developed to attain higher levels of knowledge management maturity. Originality/value This paper provides a mechanism for organisations to benchmark their knowledge management activities and to develo

β2 integrin LFA1 mediates airway damage following neutrophil trans-epithelial migration during RSV infection

RSV bronchiolitis is the most common cause of infant hospital admissions, but there is limited understanding of the mechanisms of disease and no specific anti-viral treatment. Using a novel in vitro primary trans-epithelial neutrophil migration model and innovative imaging methods, we show that RSV infection of nasal airway epithelium increased neutrophil trans-epithelial migration and adhesion to infected epithelial cells, which is associated with epithelial cell damage, reduced ciliary beat frequency, but also a reduction in infectious viral load. Following migration, RSV infection results in greater neutrophil activation, degranulation and release of neutrophil elastase into the airway surface media compared to neutrophils that migrated across mock-infected nasal epithelial cells. Blocking of the interaction between the ligand on neutrophils (the β2 integrin LFA-1) for intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) on epithelial cells reduced neutrophil adherence to RSV infected cells and epithelial cell damage to pre-infection levels, but did not reduce the numbers of neutrophils which migrated or prevent the reduction in infectious viral load. These findings have provided important insights into the contribution of neutrophils to airway damage and viral clearance, which are relevant to pathophysiology of RSV bronchiolitis. This model is a convenient, quantitative pre-clinical model that will further elucidate mechanisms that drive disease severity and has utility in anti-viral drug discovery