Mastaba, the Original Pyramids

A mastaba is a large rectangular structure that was used as a type of tomb, often for royalty, in Ancient Egypt. Mastabas were relatively low (especially when compared to pyramids), rectangular, flat-roofed, roughly bench shaped burial structures that were created and utilized for the pre-Dynastic pharaohs or nobility of Ancient Egypt. They had distinct sloping sides and were typically made of mud bricks or stones. The mastabas themselves served as visible monuments for the prominent Egyptian nobility that they housed, although the actual burial chambers for the mummified corpses were underground and were not visible to the public from the outside of the structure. Step Pyramid Technically, mastabas preceded the original pyramid. In fact, pyramids developed directly from mastabas, as the first pyramid was actually a type of step pyramid, which was constructed by stacking one mastaba directly on top of a slightly larger one. This process was repeated several times in order to create the initial pyramid. The original step pyramid was designed by Imhotepin the third millennium BC. The sloping sides of traditional pyramids were adopted directly from mastabas, although the flat roof typical of mastabas was replaced by a pointed roof in pyramids. The common flat-sided, pointed pyramid also developed directly from the mastabas. Such pyramids were created by modifying the step pyramid by filling in the uneven sides of the pyramids with stones and lime in order to create the flat, even outward appearance. This eliminated the stair-like appearance of step pyramids. Thus, the progression of pyramids went from the mastabas to the step pyramids to the bent pyramids (which was an in-between form of the step pyramid and the triangular shaped pyramids), and then finally the triangle shaped pyramids, like those seen at Giza. Usage Eventually, during the Old Kingdom in Egypt, Egyptian royalty such as kings stopped being buried in mastabas, and began being buried in more modern, and more aesthetically pleasing, pyramids. Egyptians of non-royal background continued to be buried in mastabas. From the Encyclopedia Britannica: â€Å"Old Kingdom mastabas were used chiefly for non-royal burials. In nonroyal tombs, a chapel was provided that included a formal tablet or stela on which the deceased was shown seated at a table of offerings. The earliest examples are simple and architecturally undemanding; later a suitable room, the tomb-chapel, was provided for the stela (now incorporated in a false door) in the tomb superstructure. Storage chambers were stocked with food and equipment, and walls were often decorated with scenes showing the deceased’s expected daily activities. What had earlier been a niche on the side grew into a chapel with an offering table and a false door through which the spirit of the deceased could leave and enter the burial chamber.†

The Effects of Discrimination and Racism in Skin...

Color discrimination is defined as a human being of the same race are treated differently based on their skin pigmentation, complexion, or skin tone. Your skin is made to bear the blame for the guilt, time, history, and death. There are numerous pigmentocracies throughout the world, and variability the light-skinned people in which are determined to have the highest social status. These are then followed by the brown-skinned, who occupy intermediate positions, and finally by the black-skinned who are at the bottom of the social hierarchy. This discrimination is found all over the world, especially in the Caribbean and Latin America in which it is most evident: (Lynn, 26). â€Å"The Ancient Egyptians, in their painted sculptures and wall†¦show more content†¦He always has been and will be a dictator from adolesence to old age. Growing up Castro had the advantages of ordering around slaves. â€Å"He knew the ultimate joys of childhood—he could do precisely what he wanted† (Quirk, 3). He played with the uneducated black children and spends his time with them in their huts eating their â€Å"staple† food. â€Å"Because of his fathers influence, he explained, â€Å"everyone lavished attention on me, flattered and treated me differently from the other children† (Quirk, 4). â€Å"In 1937 an African American Congressman Arthur Mitchell was refused admission to one of the best hotels in Havana. Public schools were open to all, but many whites sent their children to private schools that were largely or exclusively white† (Lynn, 34). The Cuban government encouraged â€Å"Whitening† and immigration from Europe in order to whiten the population. Cuba’s educational system consisted primarily of dreary public schools and â€Å"extravagant† private academies that were designated as Whites only. This all came to an end when the young lawyer, Fidel Castro led a small crowd of revolutionaries that toppled the United States government in 1959. After sweeping into power as a nationalist, Castro soon announced the Marxist character of the revolution. Castro had also announced an end to discrimination on the

Self Reliance Rhetorical Analysis Free Essays

â€Å"Self-Reliance† is a series of loosely related thoughts and extracts from lectures and journals that Ralph Wald Emerson has written in the past. Through the use of the classical argument, imagery, and many other rhetorical devices, Emerson makes such a convincing case that a person from almost any background would find it difficult to disagree with him. Emerson wrote this essay is to teach a lesson. We will write a custom essay sample on Self Reliance Rhetorical Analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now He argues to the reader to trust themselves and to not conform to the standards of others. Emerson tells his audience, â€Å"Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world. This means that you must first have approval and support of yourself, and then you will gain approval of the world. The purpose of this essay, pertaining to any audience, is to show that a person needs to find his own truth, and have confidence or â€Å"self-reliance† in themselves. The author adds pathos to his essay by evoking the personal prejudices and biases of the audience. Pathos stands out most in his essay, as it contains a lot of emotional conflicts that we all face at some point or other in our lives. â€Å"Self- Reliance† is sprinkled with memorable sayings known as aphorisms. These are brief statements that express a general principle or truth about life. â€Å"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of the little minds† is a very popular aphorism Emerson uses in his essay. He adds logos, or reason, to his essay by giving examples of arguments that people face with themselves and others, and rationally explaining how we should deal with these struggles. Emerson adds ethos to his essay by referencing to well known people in history. He states that Luther, Socrates, Galileo, Newton, Pythagoras, Copernicus, and Jesus were all great minds that were misunderstood. By referencing to these people, he established credibility, as his audience is most likely familiar with the struggles and triumphs of a few or more of these people in history. Emerson uses a unique style of diction in this essay. He uses words such as â€Å"thyself†, â€Å"bestowed†, and â€Å"arduous†. To us his word choice seems to be very formal. We may even call it archaic, or out dated. But we must keep in mind that he was a 1 9th century writer, and this choice of words was probably ore common at the time he wrote this essay. Emerson uses a multitude of tropes in his essay. For example, he uses the metaphors â€Å"envy is ignorance† and â€Å"imitation is suicide† to explain what every man feels at some point in his life. As stated earlier, Emerson uses multiple aphorisms in this essay. His aphorisms proclaim his radical ideas in clear, concise sentences. His idea about consistency, for example, is distilled into one easy-to-remember aphorism, and is thereby amortized. In his essay, the author also says that, For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure. This is personification. What Emerson is trying to say is that there is common belief that if you are a nonconformist, meaning you do not follow generally accepted beliefs, then everyone in the world will think badly of you. Emerson does not believe this to be so. Emerson uses symbols and imagery of nature to support his claim of individuality. The â€Å"over soul† is one key element that Emerson illustrates in his essay , meaning that a person should look deep inside his heart and find his own truth. How to cite Self Reliance Rhetorical Analysis, Papers

Catastrophes that Plagued the Characters in Romeo Essay Example For Students

Catastrophes that Plagued the Characters in Romeo Essay and JulietCatastrophes that Plagued Characters in Romeo and JulietMany characters in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet invite the catastrophesthey experience. These characters are Mercutio, Romeo, and Friar Laurence. Mercutiobecause he never thinks before he acts. He has a very big mouth and will say anything tocreate a joke. Romeo because of this fight with Tybalt. If this fight never occurred thenthe outcome of the story could have been better for Romeo and Juliet. Maybe therefamilies could have set aside their differences for there children and live the rest of therelives in harmony. Friar Lawrence because I do not think he thought about the plan tounite Romeo and Juliet long enough. He should have gotten a reliable messenger toinform Romeo of the situation. Romeos friend Mercutio was a very witty energetic man. If he held his tongueand thought about what he said before acting on them he would not have gotten into somany fights. His jokes were probably taken lightly be his friends Romeo and Benvoliobecause they were accustomed to hearing Mercutios voice constantly. Mercutio shouldnot have tried to tease Tybalt because of the rivalry between Tybalts family and Romeosfamily. While avenging Mercutio, Romeo should have thought about the consequences ofslaying Tybalt. On one hand he filled the urge to kill the man who had killed his friend. On the other hand he killed his wifes cousin. How can one justify killing a member oftheir wifes family? Another consequence he should have taken into consideration was thepunishment he was going to receive from Price Escalus. In act one scene one PrinceEscalus already warned everyone in Verona that if anyone was caught fighting again thewould pay for it with there lives. If Romeo had not gotten into the duel with TybaltRomeo would not have been banished from Verona. When Prince Escalus exiled Romeo,that was the point in the play which was the biggest catastrophe. This is because onceRomeo was exiled he could not see Juliet ever again and Juliet could never see Romeoagain. Friar Lawrence would have never had to devise a plan to put Juliet into a coma andRomeo would not have needed to take his own life thinking Juliet was dead. Friar Laurences plan to put Juliet into a coma until Romeo rescued her was notsafe nor smart. The only person that knew of the truth was Friar Laurence. First of all heshould have thought about some alternatives rather than to deliberately put Juliet into adeep sleep. If the poison was too strong it could have killed Juliet instantly. Anotherproblem about Friar Laurences plan was getting the information about it to Romeo. Heshould have found a better way to deliver the letter in time. In conclusion the person that I believe invited the worst catastrophe was Romeo. This is because when Romeo killed Tybalt everything in his life crumbled. He was exiledand could never see Juliet ever again. Mercutio should have kept his mouth shut when aserious conversation like the grudge between the two families was being discussed. FriarLaurence should have provided a better alternative plan to Juliet instead of the poison. Category: Shakespeare

Literary Analysis of No Name Woman free essay sample

A short literary analysis of Maxine Kingstons classic No Name Woman As part of the first generation of Chinese-Americans, Maxine Hong Kingston writes about her struggle to distinguish her cultural identity through an impartial analysis of her aunts denied existence. In No Name Woman, a chapter in her written memoirs, Kingston analyzes the possible reasons behind her disavowed aunts dishonorable pregnancy and her villages subsequent raid upon her household. And with a bold statement that shatters the family restriction to acknowledge the exiled aunt, Kingston states that, she] alone devote pages of paper to her [aunt] With this premeditated declaration, Kingston rebelliously breaks the familys cultural taboo to mention the exiled aunt. Because a strict Chinese culture fails to be practical in American society, Kingston defiantly acknowledges the existence of her aunts life because she understands that her lost Chinese values as imposed by her family parallels her aunts capital crime to her village. We will write a custom essay sample on Literary Analysis of No Name Woman or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This argument would prove that Kingston did not write this chapter in veneration of her aunt, but with the intention to provide insight to her understanding of herself as a Chinese-American woman. Providing proof that Kingston has no intention of venerating her aunt becomes necessary in order to further analyze her true intention behind her stated declaration. The phrase devote pages of paper is evidently used in reference to Kingstons chapter, No Name Woman, in which she states both the story of her aunt and her analysis of it in remembrance of the aunts existence. As well, Kingstons inclusion of the word alone emphasizes that only she has ever committed to her aunts remembrance. Yet to add further meaning to this line, the succeeding and concluding phrase of this sentence states, hough not origamied into houses and clothes. The idea of devoting through origami, an art form of paper folding, is used in Asian cultures as symbolical respect. This phrase therefore rebukes the presumption that Kingston is honoring her unknown aunt through her devotion of writing through understanding the cultural connotation affiliated with her declaration. Whereas Kingston fails to write in honor of her late aunt, Kingston tries to remain impartial of how her aunt arrived to becoming the mother of an illegitimate child. No matter the truth behind the situation, Kingston, like the illagers, understands that her [aunts] infidelity had already harmed the village, that waves of consequences would return unpredictably. Her aunt had broken the roundness of the village, the villagers way of life in which traditional discipline and control enforced the self-supporting village to maintain their balanced dependency. In return, Kingston states that, the villagers punished her [aunt] for acting as if she could have a private life, secret and apart from them. Kingston therefore fully understands that her aunt had attempted to distance herself away from the villagers ay of life possibly on her own will, and through doing so committed an act of treason punishable with severity by those who took offense from her actions. The villagers had punished the aunt because she had taken an unacceptable road that undermined their values Just as Kingstons search for her identity in America questions the Chinese culture imposed upon her. The role that culture plays on Chinese-Americans, when you try to understand what things in you are Chinese, how do you separate what is peculiar to childhood, to poverty, insanities, one family, your mother who marked your growing with stories, from what is Chinese? Through her rhetorical question, Kingston directly states the difficulties to identify and incorporate Chinese culture in American society. She finds herself sacrificing her ancestral culture in order to adapt to American values which remain practical and applicable here in America. In an example which Kingston adapted to that which is desired in American society, she conceded the fact that speaking in an inaudible voice, [she had] tried to turn [herself] American-feminine. Yet the Chinese cultural influence of the past still remained existent within Kingston as it was refreshed from time to time nd expressed in her recollection of the aunts story and the moral conclusions deduced through her mother. Dont humiliate us. You wouldnt like to be forgotten as if you had never been born. The villagers are watchful. Practically through her mothers indoctrination alone, Kingston was shaped throughout her childhood to respect honor, family, and the very Chinese culture itself. Kingstons mother had once told her, you must not tell anyone [about your aunt], and yet in direct defiance, Kingston then devote[s] pages of paper to her [aunt]. Her actions which defy her others strict order are purposely directed through her rebellious intention to do so. Kingston argues that the emigrant generation, which consisted of her mother, had taken their culture with them because those in the emigrant generations who could not reassert brute survival died young and far from home. Yet raising their progeny, they must teach them what they know and understand. Kingston therefore believes that they must try to confuse their offspring as well, who, I suppose, threaten them in similar ways always trying to get things straight, always trying to name the unspeakable. Kingston herself is breaking the roundness that is imbued upon Chinese culture, the balanced dependency that each generation is reliant upon, in order to follow cultural values which remain applicable on American soil. As Kingston alone asserted in her chapter, those of us in the first American generations have had to figure out how the invisible world the emigrants built around our childhoods fits in solid America. More analysis on SparkNotes: http://www. sparknotes. com/lit/womanwarrior/ sectionl . html (Maxine Hong Kingstons short story: No Name Woman in The Woman

Patient privacy, Confidentiality (HIPAA)

Patient privacy, Confidentiality (HIPAA) Violating laws meant to ensure that patients’ information is not disclosed to the wider public is a very serious matter. This is because patients’ health information is very delicate and should be handled with utmost discretion. Ethical values have been formulated to ensure that the patients’ interests are given consideration to avoid harming these patients in one way or another.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Patient privacy, Confidentiality (HIPAA) specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More When patient’s information is disclosed to an unauthorized third party, then the law comes in and legal action is taken against an offender. This paper discusses a recent administrative ethical issue with the aim of applying governing law to the issue. The article titled â€Å"Healthcare Provider to Pay $1.5M HIPAA Fine† (2012) gives a scenario of a potential violation of the Health Insurance Portabilit y and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) rule of security. This potential violation was noted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Associates Inc. (MEEI) reported a break in and loss of â€Å"an unencrypted laptop with electronic protected health information (ePHI) of MEEI patients and research subjects†. In other words, MEEI failed to comply with the privacy standards hence, put ePHI at stake (Healthcare Provider to Pay $1.5M HIPAA Fine, 2012). This kind of incidence may gravely impact on MEEI because the patients and research subjects may sue the institution if the information gets to them. This is because, according to the HIPAA security rule, MEEI breached the already laid down ethical and legal issues related to protection of health related information that could be used to harm the involved individuals. The population affected most by this violation of the law is the patients an d the research subjects, whose unencrypted information was contained in the stolen laptop. The intention of the thieves is not known and may have intended to harm one of the clients. In addition, clients would develop a negative attitude towards MEEI and it would run out of patients and research subjects. Information on these individuals is very important in public health practice and research because it is meant to help in identification, monitoring and response to particular morbidities, mortalities and disabilities in given populations (Thacker, 2003). The impact of this incidence on the patients and research subjects would mean that they would not be willing to participate in future researches by the institution due to fear of a recurrence of the same.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The solution of paying a fine of $1.5M came about after the office for Civil Righ ts (OCR) under the department of health and human services gave its stand on the whole issue after evaluating the report submitted by MEEEI about the theft. According to the OCR, MEEI did not comply with the ethical principle that advocates for protection of individuals’ privacy and respect for individuals’ dignity. This is because it failed to store patients’ and research subjects’ information in an encrypted version. The fact that the laptop contained patients’ and research subjects’ information that had not been discretely coded in a manner that could not be understood by unauthorized persons justifies this. Therefore, anyone accessing the stolen laptop was able to view this information thus publicly exposing the clinical details of the concerned individuals. According to the ethical principle on privacy, individual identifiable health information should be protected from unauthorized persons. In the case mentioned in the referred article , this does not seem to be the case since information had been stored in raw form. This shows that the ethical principle of privacy and confidentiality was not observed (U. S. Department of Health Human Services, 2012a). MEEI failed to ensure that security was well maintained in the organization in correspondence to HIPAA security rule. Therefore, there was a breach of this legal law that sets standards to govern the security of ePHI. MEEI failed to meet the requirements that seek to protect the privacy and security of identifiable health information. MEEI had deliberately ignored the essentials of HIPAA security rule because negligence was found to have occurred over a relatively long duration of time. This indicates a disregard for the law, which requires a very punitive action. The management responsibilities are vital in ensuring that the HIPAA privacy and security rule is attained and maintained. The management team at MEEI should have complied with the HIPAA privacy and secur ity rule with regard to certain elements that need to be kept in check. One responsibility is that the management ought to have made a thorough risk analysis of the confidentiality of the information contained in the laptop (a portable device).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Patient privacy, Confidentiality (HIPAA) specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to the HIPAA security law, the administration is meant to conduct risk analysis in the security management process. Risk analysis is related to disaster preparedness and mitigation hence the need to evaluate the possibility of putting ePHI at risk (U. S. Department of Health Human Services, 2012b). The security management process entails various steps and one step may affect subsequent steps. Due to the failure of performing a thorough risk analysis, MEEI was not able to implement effective security measures aimed at protecting its ePHI contained in portable de vices. Therefore, a second management role that streams down from the first role is implementation of effective security measures meant to safeguard created, maintained and transmitted ePHI stored in portable devices. One such measure is to store ePHI in files that are not easily recognizable and which require passwords for them to open. The third management responsibility that was overlooked is developing or delegating someone to develop and implement policies and procedures that restrict access to ePHI. These are meant to ensure that accessibility to ePHI is only permissible to authorized health personnel. One such policy would be to ensure that ePHI is ciphered in a way that is only understood by authorized health professionals, whose main aim is to promote justice and beneficence of the patients and research subjects. The final management responsibility with reference the case in question is the adoption and implementation of policies and procedures that govern security to ensur e timely response. These policies are meant to address any issue related to security through conducting periodic assessments of the security system in reference to the HIPAA security rule. Non-compliance to the privacy and security rule calls for legal action taken to administer and reinforce the standards under this rule. Therefore, violation of the HIPAA privacy and security rule as indicated by the Department of Health and Human Services OCR was resolved through payment of $1.5M by MEEI. In addition, the organization made a commitment to improve its policies and procedures to ensure that the HIPAA privacy and security rule is achieved and well maintained. In the current contemporary world where everything is electronic, information is stored in computers. However, protection of information is very important especially in the case of portable devices since they are likely to be used by various persons. In a health setting, privacy and confidentiality of patients’ informatio n is very important to avoid inflicting harm or injury on them. Therefore, abiding by the HIPAA privacy and security rule is not an option, but a mandatory requirement.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More References Healthcare Provider to Pay $1.5M HIPAA Fine. (2012, September 20). Campus Safety Magazine. Web. Thacker, S. B. (2003). HIPAA Privacy Rule and Public Health: Guidance from CDC and the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Web. U. S. Department of Health Human Services. (2012a). Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Web. U. S. Department of Health Human Services. (2012b). Summary of the HIPAA Security Rule. Web.

Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethics - Assignment Example The design is well thought of, appropriately organized and attractive enough for various viewers who are in the delicate situation of encountering some dilemma on the abovementioned health and ethical issues. The colors used (blue, orange, gray in a white background) is highly professional and apt. The writers and advocates of Planned Parenthood aimed â€Å"to provide comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care services in settings which preserve and protect the essential privacy and rights of each individual† (Planned Parenthood: Mission, 2010, par. 2). In this regard, this medium is effective in terms of stipulating critical information on controversial health issues (abortion, sexual orientation) without necessarily compromising confidentiality concerns. The page provides additional windows for locating a health center by providing one’s zip code or state. Teenagers, who could benefit most from learning through this site, are given opportunities to ask experts or to watch relevant videos on diverse topics. This is the most effective medium for adolescents who are afraid or embarrassed to ask adults on the subject of sex education. It also provided tools for both parents and educators faced with issues on human sexuality and the dilemma of searchin g for ways and means to share critical information to the children. The page design is holistic in its approach for information dissemination and provision for assistance. However, the site is rarely advertised and since the title is Planned Parenthood, adolescents might not tap or access the website without being given enough promotion. In this regard, the writers and advocates of the program can give flyers and brochures to schools and even in shopping malls where teenagers usually gather. It is necessary for both promoters and viewers of the site to be vigilant and concerned in strictly complying with ethical standards to monitor adherence to an ethical

A critucal revuew of the cause and effect of employee turnover in the Essay - 1

A critucal revuew of the cause and effect of employee turnover in the first six months of employment at ABC - Essay Example It is visibly evidenced that there is unconstructively relationship between the dependable variables of company performance and the Independent variables worker turnover, work stress, workload, family to work conflict, salary. The ABC study showed turn over effect on the functions of the operations. Turnover or inter-company mobility is a relocate of employees among the corporations and its environments such as other institutions or organizations. It can have both attractive and unattractive effects. Over the previous two decades of alertness of managerial matters, the issue of employee turnover still prevails in most of the corporation throughout the globe. This research study was done to assess the cause and effect of turnover in ABC Corporation. Even in the highly urbanized industrial countries, the rate of employee turnover is still very elevated. The area for the research study was ABC first six months employee turnover. The research study was implemented using quantitative technique for research. This was to assist in getting primary data. The questionnaire circulated among the employees of ABC was collected to know how much employee turnover affect the operation of the organization. The research was to provide causes and effects to assist the management in making wise de cision during employment practices. The research paper purpose was to handle the questions that is; what are the causes and effects of employee turnover on the performance of the ABC organization? Various investigations show that employee turnover unconstructively affect the overall competence of the organization. If appropriate action is implemented on employee workload, salary, work stress, job satisfaction, and work to family conflict, the turnover proportion alternatively declines and organization performance improves. A research article journal of applied psychology (2007) revealed that job satisfaction and affective

Hemingway's Personal Life and its Influence on his Short Story, Hills Research Paper

Hemingway's Personal Life and its Influence on his Short Story, Hills Like White Elephants - Research Paper Example ling to give them space and do not realize the damage they cause to their psyche due to over-protectiveness or outright suppression of their rights and individuality. Ernest Miller Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois and he was the second child of his parents Grace Hall and Clarence Edmonds Hemingway. After graduation, he shifted to Kansas City and joined as a cub reporter for the Star Newspaper. The ongoing World War excited him and he joined Red Cross as an ambulance driver. He was injured in the war and during the course of his recuperation, he met Agnes von Kurowsky. Hemingway took the relationship seriously but Agnes treated him as a kid. He returned to America to be honored as a war hero. With the termination of relationship with Agnes, Hemingway was heart-broken. In Chicago, when on freelance assignments, he met Hadley Richardson and they got married in 1921. Both of them moved to Paris, on the advice of a friend, to live in association with other writers. That move brought Hemingway to the limelight in the world of literature. In Paris he did some writing for the Toronto Star newspaper. Soon the marriage with Hadley ended, but Hemingway remarried Pauline Pfeiffer and they moved to Key West, Florida. His father committed suicide and his writing was interrupted. By then Hemingway had taken to heavy drinking. The marriage again was on the rocks and he went to Spain accompanied by his new love Martha Gellhorn. In 1940, he divorced Pauline. They jointly bought a house in Cuba and World War II broke out and Hemingway went to Europe to cover the war. Martha was already there to work. Their relationship however ended in 1945. He was in love again and he married Mary Welsh in the year 1946.They returned to Cuba and Hemingway was on his writing assignments again. The next phase in his life was full of tragedies. Ernest and Mary were enjoying a safari in Africa, and they were involved in a plane crash. The injuries were minor and the rescue

Analysis of Privacy Perception Among Open Plan Office Users

Analysis of Privacy Perception Among Open Plan Office Users CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION What is an Office? Offices are workspaces designed for regular use to achieve personal, group or organizational goals through the accomplishment of tasks. Sanders and McCormick, (2002) go on to state that these tasks can be grouped into cognitive, physical, social or procedural tasks. The office provides a location for contact and could also be a repository for tools, information and other resources required to meet business objectives. It is also a business resource, this a point most people fail to understand thus, the failure to properly design and evaluate work spaces. The work place or office is one of the places the modern man spends the bulk of his waking hours. Sanders and McCormick, (2002) say almost half of ones waking hours are spent in and around the office. This would provide explanation for research efforts into the design and utilization of offices. According to Myerson and Ross (2003) the office grew out of the factory and then followed the trend of bureaucratization of industry. Thus, offices have been viewed differently by users and companies. Some view it as an address, others as a necessary evil but to others it is considered to be an asset. Bjerrum and Bà ¸dker (2003) noted that the design of an office was mostly considered as a cost and done to support quiet work and also show peoples status. While the purpose of the â€Å"New office† is to be that of attracting and retaining staff as well as to revolutionalize corporate culture. Work places or offices have been described variously as; conventional, traditional, and closed or open plan offices. Some, group them as large or small, landscaped etc. (Sanders and McCormick, 2002). The general descriptions of workspaces fall under the categories of open plan and cellular offices and this is based on the architectural and functional features of the work spaces (Duffy, Laing and Crisp, 1992). Other descriptions and categorization of offices include the hive; which is suited to individual processes. The den; suited to group processes. The cell; designed for concentrated study while the club supports transactional knowledge (Sailer, Budgen, Lonsdale, Turner and Penn, 2009). There are other descriptions of office types for example, Myerson and Ross (2003) from an architectural point of view, showed that views of property and space as related to the office environment have been evolving and as such, they identify four thematic categories of offices namely: narrative which presents the â€Å"office as a brand experience.† Nodal where the â€Å"office as knowledge connector.† The neighborly theme sees the â€Å"office as a social landscape† and lastly nomadic â€Å"office as distributed work space† these grouping reflect more of necessity and corporate culture not necessarily a collection of generally practically replicable models. In another categorization of offices by Myerson and Ross (2006) is based on the fact that the offices evolved to suit knowledge workers, as such, the categories match each of the four â€Å"realms† of knowledge work namely: the academy â€Å"is likened to the corporate realm which is a more collegiate and collaborative approach to work†, guild â€Å"the professional realm in essence a professional cluster of peers sharing a skill or specialization†, agora â€Å"the public realm where the corporation is open to the city or the market place† and the lodge â€Å" the domestic or private realm more of the live and work setting†. In the general scheme of things offices are still broadly classified into open plan and private or cellular offices all other forms are variations of the two. Cellular Offices Also called closed offices, this type of offices are the traditional or conventional offices which are usually closed and private workspaces (Maher and von Hippel, 2005) i.e. they are designed with floor to ceiling walls, a door and dimensioned for a single user. This type of office is also called a cell-office and can be a shared room office, used by 2-3 persons (Danielsson, 2008). This has been the generally accepted, traditional or popular understanding of the place called an office. Open Plan Offices These are found to be a common workspace shared by a group of employees. The original concept of the open plan office has continued to evolve, but it is the absence of floor-to-ceiling walls that is said to be the primary characteristic of open-plan offices. The arrangements of office furniture, partitions, screens, office equipment, or plants mark out individual and functional work areas (Valesny and Farace, 1987). One of the strengths of the open plan office according to Bjerrum and Bà ¸dker (2003) is the openness and flexibility allowing one to move to where things are happening and allowing for â€Å"overhearing and over-seeing† (p. 207) thus enhancing peripheral participation. Other types of the open plan office include the bull pen office, action offices, landscaped offices (Sanders and McCormick, 2002). In the bull pen offices, the work desks are arranged in neat row as far as the eyes can see. In reality, most firms have a mix of office typologies ranging from cellular units designed for a single user to a small room office shared by a few people then the spaces shared with a large group with or without specifically assigned work places and with varying measures of visual and audio privacy. Recent Developments in Open Plan Offices It is safe to argue that, the open plan office has become increasingly popular (de Korte, Kuijt-Evers and Vink, 2007; Ding, 2008; Oldham and Brass, 1979; Pejtersen, Allermann, Kristensen and Poulsen, 2006 etc.) and several reasons could be advanced to explain the widespread adoption and use of the open plan offices and its variations. There is also a move to wards a reduction in open plan office workspaces especially in the United States of America due to the understanding that smaller workstations are cheaper to maintain (Dykes, 2011) this according to Veitch, Charles, Farley and Newsham (2007) is because there is a failure in understanding the full value of the physical office environment and related issues in open plan offices in particular. Advantages of open plan offices Searches through literature (Danielsson, 2008; Oldham and Brass, 1979; Pan and Micheal, 2007; Roper and Juneja, 2008; Valesny and Farace, 1987 etc.) present the following as reasons for the adoption of open plan offices. They include; Reduction in office space and cost decline: The price of real estate is predicated on the area rented and utilized. With organizations using rental spaces, it is cheaper to use the rented floor or floors as open plan offices. In most cases, the cost of partitioning is saved if an open plan set up is deployed fully or partly. Flexibility for organizational changes: The open plan office lends itself to easy restructuring of work areas. In most cases, it is easier to fit in one more members of staff (Sanders and McCormick, 2002). More efficient work flow and communication: Some jobs require continuous team work, face to face interaction and a relatively high level of routine procedures. For such work groups, the open plan office or variations thereof are usually recommended and deployed. The enhancement of some level of peripheral participation is one of the strengths of the open plan office. Possible enhancement of social facilitation: The enhancement of collaboration i.e. the fostering of a team spirit, where, work teams or task forces are close to one another and can quickly form a huddle to sort out problems without resorting to information technology provisions like the intercom, emails, phones, video conferencing or even the walk up to another office. Oldham and Brass, (1979) specifically examined interpersonal issues that included; intradepartmental and interdepartmental interaction, friendship opportunities, noting that supervisor and co worker feed back could be improved. Ease of supervision: There is an ease of supervision, in that, a look over the landscape of the office can give an idea as to who is present and what each member of staff is doing. Limitations of open plan offices. Regarding the limitations of open-plan office designs, Maher and von Hippel (2005) rightly point out the fact that in open plan office layouts â€Å"distractions and overstimulation are intrinsically linked to the design.† These issues have consistently been themain down sides of open plan offices and some of them include: Increased workplace noise (Pan and Michael, 2007). Increased disturbances and distractions. Increased feelings of crowding and loss of privacy. There is a reduction in autonomy and task identity and a reduction in supervisor and co worker feedback in certain cases (Oldham and Brass, 1979). One point of agreement in open plan office research is that there is a generally low level of perceived privacy in open plan offices, as interruptions and distractions of the visual and acoustic kind occur frequently in open plan offices. (Pejtersen et al. 2006; Roper and Juneja, 2008) Furthermore, researchers have observed that these negative outcomes resulting from the adoption of the open plan office design tends to result in dissatisfaction with work and the workplace thus, reducing functional efficiency, decreasing performance, especially, for non routine tasks and also, reduced feedback from supervisors due to some complexity with the freedom of communication (de Korte et al. 2007; Pejtersen et al. 2006; Sundstrom et al. 1982; Vischer, 2007 ). This understanding has led some organizations to begin returning to the traditional private offices i.e. with floor to ceiling partitions assigned to an individual (Roper and Juneja 2008). Evolving nature of office work Also worthy of note, is the evolution of work patterns. An increasingly large number of persons work mainly at or from home and visit the office sparingly. This has given rise to the several types of offices one of which is the flex-office, which is dimensioned for less than 70% of the total company staff to be in at the same time. Another design is the combi-office; where a member of staff is not assigned to a specific desk but sharing of common facilities provides the spatial definition of such an individuals work space i.e. the task and personnel at hand may determine the sitting arrangement of persons in the office (Danielsson, 2008). Thesis Overview The thesis is organized in to 5 chapters; Chapter one provides an introduction the concept of an office, its major types and variations. It then focuses on the open plan office and then highlights the strengths and limitations of the open plan office. Chapter two provides a literature review of the concept of privacy perception; it reviews the perceived benefits of privacy and then traces the expectation that privacy perception could be influenced by culture. Significant studies related to dissatisfaction with open plan offices are examined for possible links to culture. The discussion then moves to culture, its definition and then the attempts made in the classification of culture. The Hofstede paradigm is then discussed and some studies employing the paradigm are reviewed. The research motivation and hypotheses are presented. Chapter three discusses the methodology of the study, the survey method, issues noted and the challenge expected. The source and design of the questionnaire was presented and the analysis methods proposed. The statistical analysis tool was briefly introduced. Chapter four shows the procedure of the survey, documents the responses received, analyzed the data collected from the general information part of the questionnaire and then chronicles the statistical analysis of the second part of the questionnaire designed to elicit privacy perception in open plan office environments. Chapter five provides a discussion of the results obtained in chapter five and then presents the limitations of the current study while providing directions for further work. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW This part of the thesis discusses the links between privacy perceptions and culture. It also includes definitions and explanations of some related terms. Lastly, it includes a presentation of some ideas relevant to the work and results of related studies. The chapter concludes with the research question, research hypothesis and the motivation for the study. Privacy Perception In order to facilitate a better understanding, the term â€Å"privacy† is defined firstly then the concept called â€Å"perception. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary (2011), privacy is said to be â€Å"the quality or state of being apart from company or observation†. Wikipedia defines perception as â€Å"the process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information.† It goes on to say â€Å"what one perceives is a result of interplays between past experiences, including one’s culture, and the interpretation of the perceived.† Privacy is a very difficult concept or construct to define not to talk of evaluating, it has commanded interest from the fields of anthropology, architecture, cultural geography, environmental design, ethology, history, law, philosophy, and sociology, as well as branches psychology such as; clinical, counseling, developmental, educational, environmental and social psychology (Newell, 1995; 1998). Newell (1995) in her extensive review of the concept of privacy divided the perspectives of privacy into, people centered, place centered and the person-environment or the person-place interaction with the primary interest on the place, people or equally on the person and place and or with the interaction itself. Leino-Kilpi et al. (2001 p. 664) in another review of literature on privacy noted that perspectives applied to the analysis of the concepts of privacy to be: The units experiencing privacy. They go on to note â€Å"the unit experiencing privacy can be either an individual or a group, or both.† Desired – Achieved privacy. This is explained by the understanding that the concept of privacy is either seen as a subjective state or studied as an achieved state (Newell, 1998). Reactive – Proactive privacy. This is to say the control of communication and also the control of knowledge. Furthermore, they describe the dimensions of privacy to include: physical, psychological, social and informational thus, suggesting privacy dimensions to be made up of four quadrants of the diagram as shown in figure 2.1 below.. Source: Leino-Kilpi et al. (2001) It would be seen that in an open plan office all the dimensions of privacy as enumerated Figure 2.1 above are impinged upon; First, physical accessibility to the person is unrestricted. Secondly, the cognitive intrusions abound due to audio and visual distractions. Thirdly, it is more difficult to control social contacts for example, the choice of participants for interaction, the interaction frequency, length and content of the said interaction. Then finally, the ease with which certain private pieces of information about the person is easily accessible is a problem in open plan offices, after all, most open plan offices do not have a single route of access or a door to the work space. So, it is difficult to mark and protect ones territory and as such protect some form of private information from would be trespassers (Anjum, Paul and Ashcroft, 2004). In the light of these perspectives, one of the definitions of privacy suggested is that â€Å"privacy is a voluntary and temporary condition of separation from the public domain† (Newell, 1998, p. 357). Oldham, Kulick and Stepina (1991) highlighted the fact that individuals reacted negatively to environments characterized by few enclosures, closeness and high density because such environments exposed individuals to too many unwanted or uncontrolled intrusions. It is also agreed that, the perception of the work environment leads to satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the work and the work environment. Fischer, Tarquinio and Vischer (2004, p.132 ) posit that the there are three major categories of mediating influences on workplace satisfaction and these are, â€Å"individual differences like culture, age, professional or status, organizational context and environmental features.† All these issues could be further grouped into two; internal and external factors as relates to the individual. These two descriptions could be mapped to the two ingredients required for a need for privacy to exist i.e. a person or persons and a place. Sanders and McCormick (2002, p. 485) also point out that apart from the physical features of the built environment, â€Å"people are influenced by nonphysical features like social, cultural, technological, economic and political factors characteristic of the environment.† External Factors These are the place factors, usually described as the environmental or design issues which can lead to noise distractions, visual distractions, interruptions, crowding and accessibility issues (Ding, S. 2008). Due to the absence of internal walls, the low height of walls or partitions in open plan offices influences privacy; the more enclosures, the lower the people per given space and the higher the partitions, the higher the privacy perceived (Danielsson 2008; Oldham, G. R et al. 1991; Sundstrom, Herbert and Brown, 1982 etc.). Organizational context is also considered to be an external factor. This involves the type of industry involved by the organization. For example doctors consulting rooms should provide more audio privacy compared to an architectural firms offices or design studios. Internal Factors This grouping is based on the person factors or what goes on within the person, the suggestion that individual differences related to but not restricted to personality traits, gender, individual experience etc. affect ones perception of, and hence the evaluation of the work environment (external or place factors). Some studies have found that variations exist across gender in perception of privacy in the open plan office (Yildirim, Akalin-Baskaya and Celebi, 2007). Also, in a different cross cultural study of privacy, Newell (1998) found that privacy was more a condition of the person thus, the duration of the experience and the change on the person as a result of the experience leads to its suspected therapeutic effect. In general perceptions and attitudes to privacy, she found that gender also played a part especially within cultures. Maher and von Hippel (2005) and others before them showed that individual differences in the ability to handle overstimulation by the application stimulus screening and inhibitory abilities influenced the perceptions of the work environment. These inhibitory skills are cognitive in nature and such inhibitory skills are found to vary between individuals and even especially across cultures. For example, Hall (1966) points out that the Japanese are said to be content with paper walls as acoustic screens while the Dutch and Germans require thick walls and double doors to serve as acoustic screens. Benefits of Privacy in the work Environment Newell (1998, p. 359) relates the need for privacy to help in â€Å"maintaining healthy internal physiological and cognitive functioning subjectively described as ‘wellbeing’†. The study concluded that achieving the perceived privacy had some therapeutic effects. On the area of performance, especially for knowledge workers like engineers, accountants, software designers, decision makers etc., auditory and visual distraction have been found to be a cause of stress and even performance impairment (Roper and Juneja, 2008). Furthermore, Oommen, Knowles and Zhao (2008) point to the likelihood of aggression and increased instances of eye, nose and throat irritations while working in open plan environments. This in turn affects productivity. Culture Culture is said to be the way of life of a group of people. This, among other things covers their beliefs, values, norms and rituals. Specifically, Hofstede (2009 p. 1) points out that â€Å"culture is the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from the others and it manifests itself in the form of symbols, heroes, rituals and values.† Earlier, an American anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his books, talked about language and especially modes of communication as a point of differentiating cultures (Hall E.T 1966; 1976). He even considered language to be the core of culture while, Geert Hofstede considers language as a part of the rituals of a particular culture (Hofstede, 2010). This goes to point out some of the existing disagreements about what culture is and even how it comes about. Culture is thus, studied as a means of understanding or shedding light into the behavior or reactions of individuals or people groups. Edward Hall in his book; the hidden dimension writes that â€Å"people from different cultures inhabit different sensory worlds, so that experience, as it is perceived through one set of culturally patterned sensory screens is quite different from experience perceived through another.† (1966, p. 2). This highlights and explains the link between culture and perception generally and in spatial terms especially. Classifying Cultures There have been several descriptions and models of culture (Matsumoto and Yoo, 2006; Hall, 1966; 1970), for example, Hall (1966) alludes to contact and non-contact groups or cultures in relation to spatial meanings and preferences within people groups . This is related to the social dimension of privacy (Leino-Kilpi et al. 2001), but he especially specifies high and low context cultures according to their ways of communicating. For the high context (HC) culture or communication for that matter, much of the information is implicit while, in the low context (LC) culture, nearly everything is explicit. He also wrote about the concept of time among cultures (Hall, 1976). Where there are polychronic (P-time) and monochronic (M-Time) cultures; the M-time society or culture would prefer to do only one thing at a time when serious i.e. for such persons, time is linear and segmented with each activity scheduled while, the individuals in a P-time culture can juggle several activities, they emphasize the involvement of people and the completion of tasks rather than schedules. Edward T. Hall coined the term â€Å"Proxemics† which he describes as â€Å"interrelated observations and theories of mans use of space as a specialized elaboration of culture† Hall (1966 p. 1). In explaining his observations in proxemic behavior (Hall, 1963 p. 1003) he notes that â€Å"what is close to an American may be distant to an Arab.† Many other researchers and individuals apart from Edward Hall had worked on other frameworks and dimensions of culture. Matsumoto and Yoo, (2006) lists some of these frameworks which are interestingly identified by the names of the researchers that discovered them and this list which is not exhaustive, includes; Hofstedes (1980) with subsequent revisions and dimensions added; Schwartz (2004) who presented seven universal value orientations, Smith, Dugan and Trompenaars (1996) had two universal value orientations; House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman and Gupta (2003) came up with nine value orientations related to leadership; Inglehart (1997) had two attitude-belief-value orientations, Bond et al. (2004) is said to have reported two social axioms. All cited in Matsumoto and Yoo, (2006 p. 239). The listing above does not mention each of the dimensions. The dimensions of each framework listed are found in Table 2.1 below. Table 2.1 Six Theoretical Frameworks for Universal Dimensions of Cultural Variability Framework Dimensions Hofstede’s (2001) dimensions of  work-related values Individualism vs. collectivism Power distance Uncertainty avoidance Masculinity vs. femininity Long- vs. short-term orientation Schwartz’s (2004) dimensions of  values Embeddedness Hierarchy Intellectual autonomy Affective autonomy Egalitarianism Mastery Harmony Smith, Dugan, and Trompenaars’s  (1996) dimensions of values Egalitarian commitment vs. conservatism Utilitarian involvement vs. loyal involvement House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman, and  Gupta’s (2003) dimensions of  leadership values Performance orientation Assertiveness orientation Future orientation Human orientation Institutional collectivism Family collectivism Gender egalitarianism Power distance Uncertainty avoidance Inglehart’s (1997) dimensions of  attitudes, values, and beliefs Traditional vs. secular-rational orientation Survival vs. self-expression values Bond et al.’s (2004) dimensions  of social axioms (beliefs) Dynamic externality Societal cynicism Source: (Matsumoto, D and Yoo, S. H, 2006 p. 240) National versus Organizational culture As a society has a culture, so do organizations and such organizations employ staff who come from a particular culture(s). The organizations then require these individuals to work in offices. Apart from the culture description related to national boundaries, there is a culture that seems to characterize workplaces or organizations and this is called organizational or corporate culture. Barney (1986) notes that like culture itself, organizational culture has many competing definitions and then goes on to suggest that a generally acceptable definition of organizational culture to be â€Å"as a complex set of values, beliefs, assumptions, and symbols that define the way in which a firm conducts its business.† (p. 657). He goes on to point the pervasive nature of organizational culture in that, it helps to define the relationship of the firm to parties it comes in contact with through its business. This simply shows that culture within the work place especially geared towards profitability or the conferment of advantages could be termed organizational or corporate culture. Generally it will be assumed that the national culture will also play a part. Guidroz, Kotrba, and Denison (2009) from results of a study of multinational companies, claim that their study seems to point to organizational culture superseding national culture in diversity management practices. The issue in question in this thesis is not exactly a management matter but the individual perception of privacy in the open plan office environments and would suggest that both national and organizational cultures playing a part because according to (Brand, 2009) the design of the workspace or workplace communicates the corporate culture of the organization meaning, the adoption of the open plan environment can be tied to the organizations corporate culture. Hofstedes’ Cultural Dimensions This is a hugely popular cross-cultural model (Gerhart and Fang, 2005; Hofstede et al, 2010; Sivakumar, Nakata, 2001) currently in use, with its roots in industrial psychology (Meeuwesen, van den Brink-Muinen and Hofstede, 2009) is called the Hofstedes model of culture named after Geert Hofstede a Dutch emeritus Professor of organizational anthropology and international management in the Netherlands. Hofstedes work highlighted the fact that culture is manifested through symbols, heroes, rituals and values. But, Hofstede argues that values form the core of culture as represented by the Hofstede culture â€Å"Onion† in Figure 2.2. Figure 2.2 shows the onion structure graphically illustrating the manifestation of culture at different levels and even the interactions therein. As seen from Figure 2.2 above symbols, heroes and rituals are by themselves visible to all observers. It is the cultural meanings of the practices that are open to interpretation by the observer while, values are unseen or embedded within the person but they still subtly determine choices and much more (Hofstede et al., 2010). Hofstedes research studied value survey responses of similar respondents from different countries as to their approach, as related to four basic problems prevalent in most societies (Meeuwesen et. al, 2009) these included; Handling social inequalities in the society. The approach to dealing with uncertainty in general. The structure of the relationship between an individual and the group. The emotional role division between the male and females in a society. The initial data for Hofstedes culture study came about through an analysis of International Business Machine Company (IBM) staff surveys at a time, the company was called Hermes. He utilized the responses from routine staff surveys about values and related matters to provide ratings for countries on each of what he then called the four dimensions of culture. This was achieved by examining correlations between mean scores of questionnaire items at the level of countries. Other approaches, like analysis at the individual level did not provide much useful information (Hofstede, 2009). Later, certain studies showed the need for another dimension and this lead to the inclusion of a fifth dimension called, long term orientation. Each dimension of culture score for a country is calculated using a scale of roughly 0 to 100 for each dimension. A dimension of culture is an aspect of culture that can be measured relative to other cultures (Hofstede, 2009 p. 6) and the higher the score of a dimension, the more that dimension is exhibited in the society or nation in question while for lower scores the opposite pole of the dimension is more pronounced. Thus, the scores are therefore bipolar (Jones, 2007) In a 2010 book, Greet Hofstede, his son Gert Jan Hofstede and a research collaborator Micheal Minkov reviewed earlier works, alongside their recent studies and added a sixth dimension called indulgence versus restraint (IVR) to the previously known Hofstedes five dimensions of culture. The sixth dimension was largely as a result of the work of Micheal Minkov (Hofstede et al., 2010). The six dimensions of Hofstedes cultural model now include power distance (PDI), individualism (IDV), masculinity (MAS), uncertainty avoidance index (UAI), long term orientation (LTO), and the recently added indulgence (IVR). Power distance (PDI). This indicates the degree of inequality that exists and is accepted among the persons with and without power i.e. the leadership versus the followership respectively as normal and legitimate in any given society. If the power distance scores are high, it indicates a pyramidal or hierarchical system where the power is resident at the top while, lower scores indicate greater equality suggesting power is shared and spread within the group. Individualism (IDV). This is related to the se Analysis of Privacy Perception Among Open Plan Office Users Analysis of Privacy Perception Among Open Plan Office Users CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION What is an Office? Offices are workspaces designed for regular use to achieve personal, group or organizational goals through the accomplishment of tasks. Sanders and McCormick, (2002) go on to state that these tasks can be grouped into cognitive, physical, social or procedural tasks. The office provides a location for contact and could also be a repository for tools, information and other resources required to meet business objectives. It is also a business resource, this a point most people fail to understand thus, the failure to properly design and evaluate work spaces. The work place or office is one of the places the modern man spends the bulk of his waking hours. Sanders and McCormick, (2002) say almost half of ones waking hours are spent in and around the office. This would provide explanation for research efforts into the design and utilization of offices. According to Myerson and Ross (2003) the office grew out of the factory and then followed the trend of bureaucratization of industry. Thus, offices have been viewed differently by users and companies. Some view it as an address, others as a necessary evil but to others it is considered to be an asset. Bjerrum and Bà ¸dker (2003) noted that the design of an office was mostly considered as a cost and done to support quiet work and also show peoples status. While the purpose of the â€Å"New office† is to be that of attracting and retaining staff as well as to revolutionalize corporate culture. Work places or offices have been described variously as; conventional, traditional, and closed or open plan offices. Some, group them as large or small, landscaped etc. (Sanders and McCormick, 2002). The general descriptions of workspaces fall under the categories of open plan and cellular offices and this is based on the architectural and functional features of the work spaces (Duffy, Laing and Crisp, 1992). Other descriptions and categorization of offices include the hive; which is suited to individual processes. The den; suited to group processes. The cell; designed for concentrated study while the club supports transactional knowledge (Sailer, Budgen, Lonsdale, Turner and Penn, 2009). There are other descriptions of office types for example, Myerson and Ross (2003) from an architectural point of view, showed that views of property and space as related to the office environment have been evolving and as such, they identify four thematic categories of offices namely: narrative which presents the â€Å"office as a brand experience.† Nodal where the â€Å"office as knowledge connector.† The neighborly theme sees the â€Å"office as a social landscape† and lastly nomadic â€Å"office as distributed work space† these grouping reflect more of necessity and corporate culture not necessarily a collection of generally practically replicable models. In another categorization of offices by Myerson and Ross (2006) is based on the fact that the offices evolved to suit knowledge workers, as such, the categories match each of the four â€Å"realms† of knowledge work namely: the academy â€Å"is likened to the corporate realm which is a more collegiate and collaborative approach to work†, guild â€Å"the professional realm in essence a professional cluster of peers sharing a skill or specialization†, agora â€Å"the public realm where the corporation is open to the city or the market place† and the lodge â€Å" the domestic or private realm more of the live and work setting†. In the general scheme of things offices are still broadly classified into open plan and private or cellular offices all other forms are variations of the two. Cellular Offices Also called closed offices, this type of offices are the traditional or conventional offices which are usually closed and private workspaces (Maher and von Hippel, 2005) i.e. they are designed with floor to ceiling walls, a door and dimensioned for a single user. This type of office is also called a cell-office and can be a shared room office, used by 2-3 persons (Danielsson, 2008). This has been the generally accepted, traditional or popular understanding of the place called an office. Open Plan Offices These are found to be a common workspace shared by a group of employees. The original concept of the open plan office has continued to evolve, but it is the absence of floor-to-ceiling walls that is said to be the primary characteristic of open-plan offices. The arrangements of office furniture, partitions, screens, office equipment, or plants mark out individual and functional work areas (Valesny and Farace, 1987). One of the strengths of the open plan office according to Bjerrum and Bà ¸dker (2003) is the openness and flexibility allowing one to move to where things are happening and allowing for â€Å"overhearing and over-seeing† (p. 207) thus enhancing peripheral participation. Other types of the open plan office include the bull pen office, action offices, landscaped offices (Sanders and McCormick, 2002). In the bull pen offices, the work desks are arranged in neat row as far as the eyes can see. In reality, most firms have a mix of office typologies ranging from cellular units designed for a single user to a small room office shared by a few people then the spaces shared with a large group with or without specifically assigned work places and with varying measures of visual and audio privacy. Recent Developments in Open Plan Offices It is safe to argue that, the open plan office has become increasingly popular (de Korte, Kuijt-Evers and Vink, 2007; Ding, 2008; Oldham and Brass, 1979; Pejtersen, Allermann, Kristensen and Poulsen, 2006 etc.) and several reasons could be advanced to explain the widespread adoption and use of the open plan offices and its variations. There is also a move to wards a reduction in open plan office workspaces especially in the United States of America due to the understanding that smaller workstations are cheaper to maintain (Dykes, 2011) this according to Veitch, Charles, Farley and Newsham (2007) is because there is a failure in understanding the full value of the physical office environment and related issues in open plan offices in particular. Advantages of open plan offices Searches through literature (Danielsson, 2008; Oldham and Brass, 1979; Pan and Micheal, 2007; Roper and Juneja, 2008; Valesny and Farace, 1987 etc.) present the following as reasons for the adoption of open plan offices. They include; Reduction in office space and cost decline: The price of real estate is predicated on the area rented and utilized. With organizations using rental spaces, it is cheaper to use the rented floor or floors as open plan offices. In most cases, the cost of partitioning is saved if an open plan set up is deployed fully or partly. Flexibility for organizational changes: The open plan office lends itself to easy restructuring of work areas. In most cases, it is easier to fit in one more members of staff (Sanders and McCormick, 2002). More efficient work flow and communication: Some jobs require continuous team work, face to face interaction and a relatively high level of routine procedures. For such work groups, the open plan office or variations thereof are usually recommended and deployed. The enhancement of some level of peripheral participation is one of the strengths of the open plan office. Possible enhancement of social facilitation: The enhancement of collaboration i.e. the fostering of a team spirit, where, work teams or task forces are close to one another and can quickly form a huddle to sort out problems without resorting to information technology provisions like the intercom, emails, phones, video conferencing or even the walk up to another office. Oldham and Brass, (1979) specifically examined interpersonal issues that included; intradepartmental and interdepartmental interaction, friendship opportunities, noting that supervisor and co worker feed back could be improved. Ease of supervision: There is an ease of supervision, in that, a look over the landscape of the office can give an idea as to who is present and what each member of staff is doing. Limitations of open plan offices. Regarding the limitations of open-plan office designs, Maher and von Hippel (2005) rightly point out the fact that in open plan office layouts â€Å"distractions and overstimulation are intrinsically linked to the design.† These issues have consistently been themain down sides of open plan offices and some of them include: Increased workplace noise (Pan and Michael, 2007). Increased disturbances and distractions. Increased feelings of crowding and loss of privacy. There is a reduction in autonomy and task identity and a reduction in supervisor and co worker feedback in certain cases (Oldham and Brass, 1979). One point of agreement in open plan office research is that there is a generally low level of perceived privacy in open plan offices, as interruptions and distractions of the visual and acoustic kind occur frequently in open plan offices. (Pejtersen et al. 2006; Roper and Juneja, 2008) Furthermore, researchers have observed that these negative outcomes resulting from the adoption of the open plan office design tends to result in dissatisfaction with work and the workplace thus, reducing functional efficiency, decreasing performance, especially, for non routine tasks and also, reduced feedback from supervisors due to some complexity with the freedom of communication (de Korte et al. 2007; Pejtersen et al. 2006; Sundstrom et al. 1982; Vischer, 2007 ). This understanding has led some organizations to begin returning to the traditional private offices i.e. with floor to ceiling partitions assigned to an individual (Roper and Juneja 2008). Evolving nature of office work Also worthy of note, is the evolution of work patterns. An increasingly large number of persons work mainly at or from home and visit the office sparingly. This has given rise to the several types of offices one of which is the flex-office, which is dimensioned for less than 70% of the total company staff to be in at the same time. Another design is the combi-office; where a member of staff is not assigned to a specific desk but sharing of common facilities provides the spatial definition of such an individuals work space i.e. the task and personnel at hand may determine the sitting arrangement of persons in the office (Danielsson, 2008). Thesis Overview The thesis is organized in to 5 chapters; Chapter one provides an introduction the concept of an office, its major types and variations. It then focuses on the open plan office and then highlights the strengths and limitations of the open plan office. Chapter two provides a literature review of the concept of privacy perception; it reviews the perceived benefits of privacy and then traces the expectation that privacy perception could be influenced by culture. Significant studies related to dissatisfaction with open plan offices are examined for possible links to culture. The discussion then moves to culture, its definition and then the attempts made in the classification of culture. The Hofstede paradigm is then discussed and some studies employing the paradigm are reviewed. The research motivation and hypotheses are presented. Chapter three discusses the methodology of the study, the survey method, issues noted and the challenge expected. The source and design of the questionnaire was presented and the analysis methods proposed. The statistical analysis tool was briefly introduced. Chapter four shows the procedure of the survey, documents the responses received, analyzed the data collected from the general information part of the questionnaire and then chronicles the statistical analysis of the second part of the questionnaire designed to elicit privacy perception in open plan office environments. Chapter five provides a discussion of the results obtained in chapter five and then presents the limitations of the current study while providing directions for further work. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW This part of the thesis discusses the links between privacy perceptions and culture. It also includes definitions and explanations of some related terms. Lastly, it includes a presentation of some ideas relevant to the work and results of related studies. The chapter concludes with the research question, research hypothesis and the motivation for the study. Privacy Perception In order to facilitate a better understanding, the term â€Å"privacy† is defined firstly then the concept called â€Å"perception. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary (2011), privacy is said to be â€Å"the quality or state of being apart from company or observation†. Wikipedia defines perception as â€Å"the process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information.† It goes on to say â€Å"what one perceives is a result of interplays between past experiences, including one’s culture, and the interpretation of the perceived.† Privacy is a very difficult concept or construct to define not to talk of evaluating, it has commanded interest from the fields of anthropology, architecture, cultural geography, environmental design, ethology, history, law, philosophy, and sociology, as well as branches psychology such as; clinical, counseling, developmental, educational, environmental and social psychology (Newell, 1995; 1998). Newell (1995) in her extensive review of the concept of privacy divided the perspectives of privacy into, people centered, place centered and the person-environment or the person-place interaction with the primary interest on the place, people or equally on the person and place and or with the interaction itself. Leino-Kilpi et al. (2001 p. 664) in another review of literature on privacy noted that perspectives applied to the analysis of the concepts of privacy to be: The units experiencing privacy. They go on to note â€Å"the unit experiencing privacy can be either an individual or a group, or both.† Desired – Achieved privacy. This is explained by the understanding that the concept of privacy is either seen as a subjective state or studied as an achieved state (Newell, 1998). Reactive – Proactive privacy. This is to say the control of communication and also the control of knowledge. Furthermore, they describe the dimensions of privacy to include: physical, psychological, social and informational thus, suggesting privacy dimensions to be made up of four quadrants of the diagram as shown in figure 2.1 below.. Source: Leino-Kilpi et al. (2001) It would be seen that in an open plan office all the dimensions of privacy as enumerated Figure 2.1 above are impinged upon; First, physical accessibility to the person is unrestricted. Secondly, the cognitive intrusions abound due to audio and visual distractions. Thirdly, it is more difficult to control social contacts for example, the choice of participants for interaction, the interaction frequency, length and content of the said interaction. Then finally, the ease with which certain private pieces of information about the person is easily accessible is a problem in open plan offices, after all, most open plan offices do not have a single route of access or a door to the work space. So, it is difficult to mark and protect ones territory and as such protect some form of private information from would be trespassers (Anjum, Paul and Ashcroft, 2004). In the light of these perspectives, one of the definitions of privacy suggested is that â€Å"privacy is a voluntary and temporary condition of separation from the public domain† (Newell, 1998, p. 357). Oldham, Kulick and Stepina (1991) highlighted the fact that individuals reacted negatively to environments characterized by few enclosures, closeness and high density because such environments exposed individuals to too many unwanted or uncontrolled intrusions. It is also agreed that, the perception of the work environment leads to satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the work and the work environment. Fischer, Tarquinio and Vischer (2004, p.132 ) posit that the there are three major categories of mediating influences on workplace satisfaction and these are, â€Å"individual differences like culture, age, professional or status, organizational context and environmental features.† All these issues could be further grouped into two; internal and external factors as relates to the individual. These two descriptions could be mapped to the two ingredients required for a need for privacy to exist i.e. a person or persons and a place. Sanders and McCormick (2002, p. 485) also point out that apart from the physical features of the built environment, â€Å"people are influenced by nonphysical features like social, cultural, technological, economic and political factors characteristic of the environment.† External Factors These are the place factors, usually described as the environmental or design issues which can lead to noise distractions, visual distractions, interruptions, crowding and accessibility issues (Ding, S. 2008). Due to the absence of internal walls, the low height of walls or partitions in open plan offices influences privacy; the more enclosures, the lower the people per given space and the higher the partitions, the higher the privacy perceived (Danielsson 2008; Oldham, G. R et al. 1991; Sundstrom, Herbert and Brown, 1982 etc.). Organizational context is also considered to be an external factor. This involves the type of industry involved by the organization. For example doctors consulting rooms should provide more audio privacy compared to an architectural firms offices or design studios. Internal Factors This grouping is based on the person factors or what goes on within the person, the suggestion that individual differences related to but not restricted to personality traits, gender, individual experience etc. affect ones perception of, and hence the evaluation of the work environment (external or place factors). Some studies have found that variations exist across gender in perception of privacy in the open plan office (Yildirim, Akalin-Baskaya and Celebi, 2007). Also, in a different cross cultural study of privacy, Newell (1998) found that privacy was more a condition of the person thus, the duration of the experience and the change on the person as a result of the experience leads to its suspected therapeutic effect. In general perceptions and attitudes to privacy, she found that gender also played a part especially within cultures. Maher and von Hippel (2005) and others before them showed that individual differences in the ability to handle overstimulation by the application stimulus screening and inhibitory abilities influenced the perceptions of the work environment. These inhibitory skills are cognitive in nature and such inhibitory skills are found to vary between individuals and even especially across cultures. For example, Hall (1966) points out that the Japanese are said to be content with paper walls as acoustic screens while the Dutch and Germans require thick walls and double doors to serve as acoustic screens. Benefits of Privacy in the work Environment Newell (1998, p. 359) relates the need for privacy to help in â€Å"maintaining healthy internal physiological and cognitive functioning subjectively described as ‘wellbeing’†. The study concluded that achieving the perceived privacy had some therapeutic effects. On the area of performance, especially for knowledge workers like engineers, accountants, software designers, decision makers etc., auditory and visual distraction have been found to be a cause of stress and even performance impairment (Roper and Juneja, 2008). Furthermore, Oommen, Knowles and Zhao (2008) point to the likelihood of aggression and increased instances of eye, nose and throat irritations while working in open plan environments. This in turn affects productivity. Culture Culture is said to be the way of life of a group of people. This, among other things covers their beliefs, values, norms and rituals. Specifically, Hofstede (2009 p. 1) points out that â€Å"culture is the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from the others and it manifests itself in the form of symbols, heroes, rituals and values.† Earlier, an American anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his books, talked about language and especially modes of communication as a point of differentiating cultures (Hall E.T 1966; 1976). He even considered language to be the core of culture while, Geert Hofstede considers language as a part of the rituals of a particular culture (Hofstede, 2010). This goes to point out some of the existing disagreements about what culture is and even how it comes about. Culture is thus, studied as a means of understanding or shedding light into the behavior or reactions of individuals or people groups. Edward Hall in his book; the hidden dimension writes that â€Å"people from different cultures inhabit different sensory worlds, so that experience, as it is perceived through one set of culturally patterned sensory screens is quite different from experience perceived through another.† (1966, p. 2). This highlights and explains the link between culture and perception generally and in spatial terms especially. Classifying Cultures There have been several descriptions and models of culture (Matsumoto and Yoo, 2006; Hall, 1966; 1970), for example, Hall (1966) alludes to contact and non-contact groups or cultures in relation to spatial meanings and preferences within people groups . This is related to the social dimension of privacy (Leino-Kilpi et al. 2001), but he especially specifies high and low context cultures according to their ways of communicating. For the high context (HC) culture or communication for that matter, much of the information is implicit while, in the low context (LC) culture, nearly everything is explicit. He also wrote about the concept of time among cultures (Hall, 1976). Where there are polychronic (P-time) and monochronic (M-Time) cultures; the M-time society or culture would prefer to do only one thing at a time when serious i.e. for such persons, time is linear and segmented with each activity scheduled while, the individuals in a P-time culture can juggle several activities, they emphasize the involvement of people and the completion of tasks rather than schedules. Edward T. Hall coined the term â€Å"Proxemics† which he describes as â€Å"interrelated observations and theories of mans use of space as a specialized elaboration of culture† Hall (1966 p. 1). In explaining his observations in proxemic behavior (Hall, 1963 p. 1003) he notes that â€Å"what is close to an American may be distant to an Arab.† Many other researchers and individuals apart from Edward Hall had worked on other frameworks and dimensions of culture. Matsumoto and Yoo, (2006) lists some of these frameworks which are interestingly identified by the names of the researchers that discovered them and this list which is not exhaustive, includes; Hofstedes (1980) with subsequent revisions and dimensions added; Schwartz (2004) who presented seven universal value orientations, Smith, Dugan and Trompenaars (1996) had two universal value orientations; House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman and Gupta (2003) came up with nine value orientations related to leadership; Inglehart (1997) had two attitude-belief-value orientations, Bond et al. (2004) is said to have reported two social axioms. All cited in Matsumoto and Yoo, (2006 p. 239). The listing above does not mention each of the dimensions. The dimensions of each framework listed are found in Table 2.1 below. Table 2.1 Six Theoretical Frameworks for Universal Dimensions of Cultural Variability Framework Dimensions Hofstede’s (2001) dimensions of  work-related values Individualism vs. collectivism Power distance Uncertainty avoidance Masculinity vs. femininity Long- vs. short-term orientation Schwartz’s (2004) dimensions of  values Embeddedness Hierarchy Intellectual autonomy Affective autonomy Egalitarianism Mastery Harmony Smith, Dugan, and Trompenaars’s  (1996) dimensions of values Egalitarian commitment vs. conservatism Utilitarian involvement vs. loyal involvement House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman, and  Gupta’s (2003) dimensions of  leadership values Performance orientation Assertiveness orientation Future orientation Human orientation Institutional collectivism Family collectivism Gender egalitarianism Power distance Uncertainty avoidance Inglehart’s (1997) dimensions of  attitudes, values, and beliefs Traditional vs. secular-rational orientation Survival vs. self-expression values Bond et al.’s (2004) dimensions  of social axioms (beliefs) Dynamic externality Societal cynicism Source: (Matsumoto, D and Yoo, S. H, 2006 p. 240) National versus Organizational culture As a society has a culture, so do organizations and such organizations employ staff who come from a particular culture(s). The organizations then require these individuals to work in offices. Apart from the culture description related to national boundaries, there is a culture that seems to characterize workplaces or organizations and this is called organizational or corporate culture. Barney (1986) notes that like culture itself, organizational culture has many competing definitions and then goes on to suggest that a generally acceptable definition of organizational culture to be â€Å"as a complex set of values, beliefs, assumptions, and symbols that define the way in which a firm conducts its business.† (p. 657). He goes on to point the pervasive nature of organizational culture in that, it helps to define the relationship of the firm to parties it comes in contact with through its business. This simply shows that culture within the work place especially geared towards profitability or the conferment of advantages could be termed organizational or corporate culture. Generally it will be assumed that the national culture will also play a part. Guidroz, Kotrba, and Denison (2009) from results of a study of multinational companies, claim that their study seems to point to organizational culture superseding national culture in diversity management practices. The issue in question in this thesis is not exactly a management matter but the individual perception of privacy in the open plan office environments and would suggest that both national and organizational cultures playing a part because according to (Brand, 2009) the design of the workspace or workplace communicates the corporate culture of the organization meaning, the adoption of the open plan environment can be tied to the organizations corporate culture. Hofstedes’ Cultural Dimensions This is a hugely popular cross-cultural model (Gerhart and Fang, 2005; Hofstede et al, 2010; Sivakumar, Nakata, 2001) currently in use, with its roots in industrial psychology (Meeuwesen, van den Brink-Muinen and Hofstede, 2009) is called the Hofstedes model of culture named after Geert Hofstede a Dutch emeritus Professor of organizational anthropology and international management in the Netherlands. Hofstedes work highlighted the fact that culture is manifested through symbols, heroes, rituals and values. But, Hofstede argues that values form the core of culture as represented by the Hofstede culture â€Å"Onion† in Figure 2.2. Figure 2.2 shows the onion structure graphically illustrating the manifestation of culture at different levels and even the interactions therein. As seen from Figure 2.2 above symbols, heroes and rituals are by themselves visible to all observers. It is the cultural meanings of the practices that are open to interpretation by the observer while, values are unseen or embedded within the person but they still subtly determine choices and much more (Hofstede et al., 2010). Hofstedes research studied value survey responses of similar respondents from different countries as to their approach, as related to four basic problems prevalent in most societies (Meeuwesen et. al, 2009) these included; Handling social inequalities in the society. The approach to dealing with uncertainty in general. The structure of the relationship between an individual and the group. The emotional role division between the male and females in a society. The initial data for Hofstedes culture study came about through an analysis of International Business Machine Company (IBM) staff surveys at a time, the company was called Hermes. He utilized the responses from routine staff surveys about values and related matters to provide ratings for countries on each of what he then called the four dimensions of culture. This was achieved by examining correlations between mean scores of questionnaire items at the level of countries. Other approaches, like analysis at the individual level did not provide much useful information (Hofstede, 2009). Later, certain studies showed the need for another dimension and this lead to the inclusion of a fifth dimension called, long term orientation. Each dimension of culture score for a country is calculated using a scale of roughly 0 to 100 for each dimension. A dimension of culture is an aspect of culture that can be measured relative to other cultures (Hofstede, 2009 p. 6) and the higher the score of a dimension, the more that dimension is exhibited in the society or nation in question while for lower scores the opposite pole of the dimension is more pronounced. Thus, the scores are therefore bipolar (Jones, 2007) In a 2010 book, Greet Hofstede, his son Gert Jan Hofstede and a research collaborator Micheal Minkov reviewed earlier works, alongside their recent studies and added a sixth dimension called indulgence versus restraint (IVR) to the previously known Hofstedes five dimensions of culture. The sixth dimension was largely as a result of the work of Micheal Minkov (Hofstede et al., 2010). The six dimensions of Hofstedes cultural model now include power distance (PDI), individualism (IDV), masculinity (MAS), uncertainty avoidance index (UAI), long term orientation (LTO), and the recently added indulgence (IVR). Power distance (PDI). This indicates the degree of inequality that exists and is accepted among the persons with and without power i.e. the leadership versus the followership respectively as normal and legitimate in any given society. If the power distance scores are high, it indicates a pyramidal or hierarchical system where the power is resident at the top while, lower scores indicate greater equality suggesting power is shared and spread within the group. Individualism (IDV). This is related to the se

A Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology Essay -- Graduate Admi

A Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology    I intend to receive a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational psychology and I am interested in Central Michigan University because it offers applied practice through field experience and organizational internships. I have been told by many professionals that Central Michigan has excellent faculty and research facilities, as well as, provides a very thorough and effective foundation for work in the field. I intend to pursue a career in applied research and organizational consulting, therefore, these qualities are imperative to myself and my career.    Initially I plan to gain practical experience in the field through employment with a consulting firm. My long range objective is to acquire a teaching position with a college or university, while continuing research and consulting endeavors. It is my intention to contribute empirically based findings to the Industrial/Organizational psychology field through my research and practice. I also hope to be a strong influence and encouragement in students' lives through my contac...

Common Attributes of Peter Carey’s Short Stories Essay

An analysis of several of the stories in The Collected Stories of Peter Carey reveals numerous common attributes, leading to the aspects of entrapment and isolation appearing as common aspects of the stories. These come across in both the physical and mental form. Often the entire experience of entrapment and isolation is the result of the interaction of both forms. The quality of entrapment seen throughout Crabs, Peeling and A Fat Man in History relies on lies. In Crabs, the main character and his girlfriend become â€Å"stranded† at the drive in after their car parts have been stolen and the manager of the drive in tells them there is no way that they can leave, in effect lying to them. The same form of lying is adopted by Florence Nightingale in A Fat Man in History, as she makes them believe that they really can’t do anything to escape their place as the hated fat people in society except rebel against the government, suggesting all sorts of odd methods to do so such as ‘eating the statue’. The lying is slightly different in Peeling. The narrator has fallen into a trap of self-deception, unwilling to accept the harsh truth, preferring to take ‘slow pleasure’ in ‘superficial things’. This allows him a more pleasant state of mind, but at the same time entraps him in a world of lies which will undoubtedly cause some distress once he is forced to see the truth. For entrapment to be further entwined in these three Peter Carey stories, the use of blind acceptance is also employed. This means the characters need to believe that they are physically trapped. Those in Crabs are told they can’t get out of the drive in but aren’t physically trapped at first, yet they don’t try to rebel against the government by walking out of the drive in or attempting to escape in any way unless they have a functioning car. At some point they do become physically trapped as the government fence them in. The gang in A Fat Man in History just accept that they are obese and are hated by society, which may be true but they don’t want to do anything sensible to change this. Instead, they stay inside the house unless working or involved in some scheme to steal or gather supplies for a highly irrational rebellion. Finally, in Peeling the man is not physically trapped in his room, yet due to his unemployment he rarely leaves the house. The thick fog of the London day feeds the idea of the physical side of entrapment. The frame of mind shown by the narrator due to this feeling is one that might be adopted by a person with a terminal illness or a criminal on death row; it’s the attitude of someone who knows their life will be over soon. This mindset is one of everything must be superficial and savoured, that life shouldn’t be rushed and moments of seriousness can be left to rot. Love and inter-character relationships cause the characters of each story to become both isolated and entrapped within themselves. Peeling shows the reader the effect of love on the narrator, as he knows exactly what Nile is doing by listening only to her footprints, although they are both physically isolated the majority of the time. He isolates himself from her in his entrapped mindset, not wishing to discuss such deep, serious things as feelings for abortion babies and their souls, yet loves her, or at least lusts after her, enough to know her schedule, talk with her about the mundane going on in life and tell what she’d doing when she’s rearranging the dolls on the floor above. It’s only when the narrator is freed of his self-deception, which was causing his entrapment, by Nile’s babbling about abortion babies and their souls does he integrate himself with her. He is once again isolated by her transformations from woman to man to woman to doll. The fat men in A Fat Man in History all lust after â€Å"Florence Nightingale†. The simple fact they call her that despite her name being Nancy Bowlby suggests this much, with more evidence found when they all crowd into the room with expectation the night the rent is due and clamour to get her attention when she arrives. Furthermore, Finch admits to fantasising about her in one of her â€Å"secret visits† to his room, and the-man-who-won’t-give-his-name obviously feels something towards her as he sleeps with her. This love and adoration of Florence leads to a divide between all members of the gang, isolating them mentally. It also allows Florence to trap them as part of her social experiment. In Crabs, the main character borrows the car from his friend Frank. He is then targeted by the Karboys who steal parts of the loaned car, leaving Crabs unable to get himself and his girlfriend home. This incident, combined with the fact the car was loaned, leads to Crabs’ entrapment in the drive in, as he is determined to return the car with the right parts. It also isolates him as he waits for the correct car to come to steal the parts from, and he becomes more irritated and edgy as time goes by. The relationship between him and Frank is what causes his isolation from his girlfriend and others in the story. In all three Peter Carey stories studied from The Collected Works of Peter Carey, entrapment and isolation are common attributes of the characters. This comes across in many forms, both physical and mental, with these two features relating closely to each other. Entrapment and isolation closely linked as a character who feels trapped consequently feels isolated. The stories of Peter Carey are written using surrealism which has the ability to give the reader the impression that the characters are more isolated than they really are as their lives are not streamlined with reality. Carey uses these ideas to highlight their place in today’s society, suggesting that all humans feel entrapment and isolation regularly, however it is fully controllable through our state of minds and ideals, yet at the same time is unavoidable, as everyone has relationships with others that cause them to feel certain ways, whether it be a relationship of love or of respect.