Legal Issues of ICT Use in the Construction Industry

Legal Issues of ICT Use in the Construction Industry Abstract While in the 21st century the construction industry prefers to conduct business using the information and communication technologies (ICT), the presence of legal issues pertaining to this mannerism of business cannot be ignored. The aim of this project is to provide a better understanding of these legal issues which are associated with their use. The objectives entailed to achieve this aim are to determine the existing legal issues and to estimate the awareness about them in the industry. The aim and objectives have been addressed by conducting two types of field investigations namely, questionnaires and interviews with lawyers, architects and engineers with different backgrounds. The project concludes with the identification of the legal issues present in the industry and an attempted comparison between the legal scenario in the U.K. and India. 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background and Scope of the Research Almost a decade ago the information technology invaded our lives like never before. The advancement in information and communication technologies (ICT) and their utilisation has been tremendous with the recent years witnessing the development of several IT-based technologies such as e-commerce. Information technology solutions have paved a way to a new world of internet, business networking and e-banking, budding as a solution to reduce costs, change the sophisticated economic affairs to an easier, speedy, efficient, and time-saving method of transactions and exchange of information. Though the internet has emerged as a boon for the present pace of life yet at the same time it has also resulted in posing various threats to the consumers and other institutions for which it has till now proven to be the most beneficial. Various criminals have been able to pave their way to interfere with the internet accounts through various techniques like hacking the Domain Name Server (DNS), Internet Providers (IP) address, spoofing, phishing, internet phishing etc. and have been successful in gaining an unauthorised access to the users computer system thereby gaining enormous profits from the stolen data. These and other problems have forced the business community, the legal community and the law enforcers i.e. the government to look at the current legal scenario. These problems, therefore, need to be studied in detail by investigating legal issues pertaining to the construction industry. This study is an attempt at understanding the legalities which are related to the mannerism of conducting business while using ICT. As part of this study an effort will be directed towards comparing the legal stance of the United Kingdom and India. 1.2 Aim and Objectives The aim of this project is to provide a better understanding of the legal issues involved while using information and communication technologies (ICT) in the construction industry. To achieve this aim, the following objectives should be fulfilled during the course of this project:- To study the legal issues pertaining to e-commerce (for e.g. electronic contracts, digital signatures, etc.). To assess the importance of jurisdiction issues in cyberspace (for e.g. engaging in e-commerce on World Wide Web may expose the company to the risk of being sued in any state or foreign country; law applicable to contractual obligations, etc.) To study the various legal problems that can arise out of miscommunication between the client, consultants and contractors (court actions, out-of-court settlements of disputes, etc.) To study and compare the legal stance of India and the United Kingdom, in using the information and communication technologies in the construction industry. 1.3 Justification for the Research Computers and more importantly internet governs our lives to the kind of extent that we do not even realise its significance. Today companies, especially in the concerned area of construction, are conducting business by means of the latest advancements in information communication technologies. Bearing in mind the current flourishing e-commerce, it becomes quite easy to get embroiled in lawsuits. The reasons maybe several, for instance either there may be disputes between the client and the company; or there might be an issue with jurisdiction; or there may be concerns related to the security of level of exchange of information electronically. In most of the cases it can be assumed that there is a highlighted ignorance of the legal framework with respect to ICT, and this ignorance may be a deterrent in the popularity of conducting business in this manner. In lieu of these issues, I believe it becomes the need of the hour to undertake a study of this kind. 1.4 Methodology Outline Owing to the nature of the research project and its data, the research approach adopted is mostly quantitative. However, some aspects of qualitative research have also been incorporated. Source of information will be taken from journals and books. The method of collecting data for this research project has consisted of online questionnaires (surveys) and unstructured interviews. Case studies of previous lawsuits with respect to the topic have been studied. 1.5 Dissertation Contents The research project includes a detailed study into the methodology to be followed and also provides the justifications for the chosen methodology. The project also includes a literature review about the various legal issues which are related to the use of information communication technologies for conducting business in the construction industry. It sheds light on the some of the legal terms associated with the legal framework of e-business. The project report additionally contains with analysis and evaluation from the interviews conducted and the online questionnaire filled in by architects, engineers and lawyers. It supplies information on the â€Å"legal future† of using the various existing and upcoming information communication technologies in construction, providing an insight into the implications; the solutions available; the problems faced while conducting research; and manner in which ICT can be utilised for the growth of the construction industry worldwide. It concludes with summarisation of the research and recommendations and scope for further study on this research subject in the construction industry. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction The intentional use of information technology by cyber-terrorists or cyber-criminals for producing destructive and harmful effects to tangible and intangible property of others is addressed as ‘cyber crime. Cyber crime is clearly an international problem with absolutely no national boundaries; hacking attacks can be launched from any corner of the world without even an iota of fear of being traced or prosecuted easily. A cyber-terrorist can collapse the economic structure of a country from a place where that country might not even have arrangements such as an extradition treaty to deal with that criminal. The only safeguards can be better technology; to combat such technology which is already well-known to the hackers; and to evolve stricter and tighter laws which can be accepted universally. 2.1.1 An introduction to the construction industry A maxim in India states, to live a comfortable life all one needs is three basic essentials- food, clothes and a house. This has held true across all civilisations and centuries. Building a house was just a first step. The world has advanced much further constructing palaces, forts, dams, skyscrapers, factories, energy-efficient buildings and lots more. In a world of today, the 21st century, the construction industry is an important sector of a nations economy; providing employment to millions; employed by countries across the world as an economy regulator! In U.K. alone, construction industry had an output of  £102.4 billion at current prices (2004); 8% of Gross Domestic Product (G.D.P.). In the European Union the construction sector accounts for 9.9% of G.D.P. and 50% of Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF). Considering the scope and importance which the construction sector enjoys worldwide, it becomes quite easy to understand that this industry functions at an incredible level and involves working with many organisations. â€Å"The construction industry is frequently described as fragmented by its critics; however, disseminated would be a better description .For each construction project a whole new organization is created involving the client, designers, contractors, sub-contractors, material suppliers, plant hire companies, government, local authorities and agencies such as the environmental agency, Health and Safety Executive and many others. Each ‘new and ‘transient project organization is, in fact, a virtual organization or enterprise† (McCaffer, 2008). Communication, thus, becomes an important aspect of conducting a successful business in construction ensuring successful collaboration between the various components of the industry. 2.1.2 An introduction to e-business/e-commerce and e-construction With age time the concept and means of communication have also evolved. Earlier communication meant travelling to places near and far, then the concept of letters came and with the advent of telephone postage lost some of its significance. The world was however still is in store for more inventions and the 1940s took the world by storm as the computers were born. Computers and internet are a lethal combination, a form of communication which rules over our lives as much as eating food does. Every day, man makes new discoveries regarding these two, trying to find out how our day-to-day activities can be undertaken in an improved efficient manner. The term ‘electronic commerce (e-commerce) was coined by Lawrence Livermore in 1989. E-commerce is a consolidation of people, technology, materials and â€Å"the processes on an electronic network for commercial transactions† (Johnston et al, 1997, p 37). As specified by the European Commission (1997, cited in Bruin, 2002), electronic commerce is all about doing business electronically involving the electronic processing and transmission of data (which consists of data, text, sound and videos). It encompasses various activities consisting of electronic trading of goods and services, electronic share trading, on-line delivery of digital content, on-line sourcing, electronic fund transfers, direct consumer marketing, electronic bills of lading, commercial auctions, collaborative design and engineering, public procurement, and after-sales service (European Commission, 1997). To be speaking strictly its not really the electronic aspect of e-commerce but the digital part which imparts the revolutionary, efficient and versatile character to e-commerce (Johnston et al, 1997). E-commerce involves both the services; e.g. financial, information and legal services); and the products; e.g. consumer goods, specialised mechanical equipment. It also constitutes the combination of traditional activities such as education and healthcare and new activities such as virtual malls (European Commission, 1997). This is also agreed with by Johnston et al, 1997 who state that e-commerce supports the selling, buying and distribution of services and goods. Johnston et al (1997) while discussing the definition of electronic commerce noted that it involves the conduction of business electronically across the spectrum of inter-enterprise relationships. E-commerce has the advantages of being a paperless economy, engaging in outsourcing and entails the convergence of all information in a single form (Johnston et al, 1997). In this day and age e-business has emerged as a field of immense potential. The use of information and communication technologies to conduct business has gained momentum, and, like just about any other business the construction industry too has embraced the concept of e-business. â€Å"Strong information technology (IT) capabilities have been a competitive necessity in nearly every industry sector. The post-Latham (1994 and Egan (1998) era has seen many construction firms investing in technology tools to improve business performance, which subsequently led to an increase in technology investments in construction firms† (Ruikar et al., 2008, p 23). The use of information and communication technologies in construction, however, depends upon a number of factors such as the size of the construction firm, its position in the market, the markets that the company operates in etc. 2.1.3 Introduction to the legal problems in e-business Before jumpstarting onto the e-business wagon, a company should have some reasonably placed apprehensions. The question in front of the management of a company should be: whether conducting business using information and communication technologies is legally safe or not? Other questions should follow as well, such as: what is an e-contract? will the companys information be secure when shared through ICT? what are the liability issues? what are the jurisdiction issues? is a scanned document valid and legal? what is a digital signature, an e-signature? Questions such as above are justified because in actuality the companies are unaware of the legal risks involved while conducting e-business, hampering the chances of fruitful commerce. Sieber (2001) brings to light the need for new laws when he says that the increased significance of information and information technology is closely linked to increased potential dangers, and these dangers bring an increased necessity to reassess the existing information law regulations and to formulate new ones. Sieber (2001, p8) further makes this statement to back up the formulation of new information law regulations, â€Å"It must encourage- in the interest of communal justice (iustitia commutativa) and as a contribution to distributive justice (iustitia distributia)-the creation of new â€Å"information† values (e.g. by means of economic incentives in copyright law), ensure a just distribution of the newly created goods (e.g. through the regulation of rights to particular information), reduce the number of new risks stemming from information technology (in particular, by provisions in the area of liability, administrative law and criminal law)and ensure a just compensation in cases where harm is caused†. Exchange of information in construction and engineering based businesses is a universal occurrence but it is not accounted for by contractual practice. Insufficiently defined responsibilities, overlapping communication techniques and mistrust all hamper the fuller use of inter-enterprise ICT (Hassan et al). A major problem exists with the enforcement of electronic law. Particularly practical difficulties arise from the fact that data containing most of the information is available at the discretion of the recipient. As is the case electronic data is not actually visible and can be altered, deleted or hidden through manipulation of technology (Sieber, 2001). Data can also be encoded or encrypted by offenders to escape imprisonment. Several terrorist, bank robbers, paedophiles, etc have attempted to escape or have been able to escape by encrypting data. Encrypted data is data which has been converted into incomprehensible codes which can only be unlocked by using a key which only a holder of that matching key can reconvert them into plausible data. All in all there is clearly an urgent need to study and understand the legal issues involved while using information and communication technologies for conducting business. 2.2 Legal Aspects of using ICT When the concept of e-commerce as introduced it was greeted with hysteria which has now been replaced by a concern voiced by many over the impact of using ICT for business. The industry is now closely examining the after-effects of e-business business world (Ismail and Kamat, 2008). Hurtado and OConnor Jr (2009) deliberate on the contractual issues concerned with the use of construction Building Information Modeling. They explain that the legal community is struggling to help out in developing meaningful contract terms in relation to the use of BIM technology. In their paper for the Society of Construction Law, they have contemplated upon the issues to be considered when preparing contractual provisions, including the proposed use of the model; the mannerism of data transfer from one model into the other models; the deliverance schedule expected from the model; reliability of the modelled information; management of the modelling process; and usage of the model after the completion of construction. Some of the legal issues and terminology pertaining to the use of ICT for business purposes shall now be discussed. 2.2.1 Types of legal risks involved in e-business in construction Every new day is coloured with a new discovery; this holds as much truth for ICT as for any scientific discovery. The only drawback with ICT is that a new discovery brings along with it a new set of legal issues. These legal issues are a drawback because they take time for implementation and regulation; sometimes damage has already been done before any sufficient action can be taken. Ismail and Kamat (2008, p-212) correctly state, â€Å"The difference between the rates at which e-business technology develops to the rate at which legal framework and rules develop is substantial. Legal risks have not been studied in relation to construction e-business†. The legal risks discussed include risks posed by web-based agencies, risks related to jurisdiction; contract formation; authentication; electronic privacy and risks associated with intellectual property. These legal risks inflicting e-construction have been discussed as below: †¢ Insecurity regarding electronic privacy In the digital economy privacy claims have been of paramount concern. An issue forever causing concern amongst the construction and business community is the insecurity of their personal and private information which is exchanged and stored electronically. A popular, efficient and inexpensive means of information exchange and data transfer is the electronic mail systems, popularly known e-mails. While emails now incorporate information in various forms which includes photographs, typed memos, video clips, spreadsheets and bar codes; they are deemed to be as insecure as a postcard if they are not protected by encryption and elaborate password systems (Johnston et al, 1997). Construction companies involved in e-business will need to manage the risks associated with sharing private information; private information may refer to personal privacy concerns about their own firms (Ismail and Kamat, 2008, p214-215). â€Å"Online portals and marketplaces collect more information than is needed for legally authentically an e-contracting party† (Smith and Clarke, 2000). The information thus collected may be in the form of registration forms, cookies, etc. Though the question remains as to who owns this information, the risk associated is with the privacy being challenged. In case of hacking or a virus, the information may end up being passed onto a third party. †¢ Risk posed by the web-based agents Web-based agents are information brokers. A new brokerage model can substantially change the equilibrium and re-adjust the interests of existing stakeholders. Also, software agents pose the biggest and truly exclusive risk to the current legal system as pointed out by Ismail and Kamat (2008). Agents control decisions and they learn and act upon their perception of the environment to make the maximum goals of its user or programmer (Dzeng and Lin, 2004; Lee, 2004; Ren and Anumba, 2004). Agents act on behalf of their owners to promote the owners desires, unlike support software that supports the owner in making a decision but leave the decision for the owner to make (Schoop et al., 2003; Ren and Anumba, 2004). †¢ Risks related to electronic authentication When doing business via the electronic networks, it become increasingly difficult to establish the other partys trustworthiness without having physically met them, in other words doubts about authenticity are raised (Bruin, 2002). Smith Clarke (2000 cited in Ismail Kamat, 2008, p 216) debate authentication by stating, â€Å"The drive to authenticate e-business buyers and sellers and attribute contracting actions to the proper buyer and seller is in direct conflict with privacy laws†. Pacini et al (2002, quoted in Ismail and Kamat, 2008, p 216) support this statement when they say, â€Å"Attributing an electronic message for an offer or acceptance of an e-contract to the person who purports to send it is yet another risk†. The Uniform Electronic Transaction Act (UETA) addresses this risk from a legal perspective by making it necessary that certain authentication levels are acquired and thus proper authentication and attribution is ensured and a protection is provided to the e-business participants from the attack of hackers (Belgum, 1999; Moreau, 1999; Thelen Reid Priest LLP, 1999a; Pacini et al., 2002, cited in Ismail and Kamat, 2008). †¢ Risks inflicting electronic contracts Consider this scenario. Two parties engage in a negotiation for the purchase of cement for the construction of an institutional building. The seller offers it at say  £5 per kg and the buyer refuses and wants to buy it at say  £4 per kg and also wants the seller to bear the shipping cost. The seller agrees, transaction is completed, cement is shipped and the buyer transfers money into the sellers account. This sounds like a simple business contract; however, the difference here is that this contract has been formulated and fulfilled electronically (Johnston et al, 1997). In a commercial context, promises are exchanged in the form of an offer and an acceptance of the order. The offer and the acceptance supported with a valid consideration and mutual assent would, subject to certain limitations, constitute a valid contract. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) technology is an advanced form of cyber-contracting. EDI is conducted between trading partners who already have a negotiated agreement which rules the relationship. In this form of technology, the computers contact each other as well as negotiate (based on programmed instructions). If a reply which rejects the offer is received then a counter-offer is also made. This continues till an agreement is arrived at or one of the system stops the process (Johnston et al, 1997). However, in the e-business transactions, it is not an easy job to distinguish between the offer make and the acceptor. This is considered critical because a contract is considered to be invalid until an offer has been made and the acceptor has accepted the offer and communicated the same to the offer maker (Ismail and Kamat, 2008, p 213). Although the laws governing electronic contracts have improved significantly over the year, yet there is always scope for improvement because of the ever changing evolving nature of the communication technologies. Business risk and uncertainty are always on a high level in the electronic world. Legal difficulties in an e-contract arise when the parties expectations are not met with or when a transaction does not progress as planned. Bruin (2002, p 146) shed some light on TrustUK and explained that, â€Å"in July 1999, the Department of Trade and Industry published its Consumer White Paper Modern markets: Confident consumers..The White paper among other things contained plans for the approval of on-line codes of conduct by a new body provisionally called TrustUK†. Section 4 of TrustUK Code of Practice deals with the various aspects of e-contracts and its implications (liabilities included). †¢ Risks related to varying jurisdictions Jurisdiction is a legal term describing which law is in effect at a given period of time and which courts decisions will be legally binding. Jurisdiction issues arise when parties dispute over a contract and want to settle as to which jurisdiction will decide over the issue (Ismail and Kamat, 2008). The problem becomes more intimidating where the issue of e-commerce comes into picture. The internet simplifies the carrying out of business globally. But then different countries follow different laws, especially those with respect to construction and therefore, the risk of encountering lawsuits in foreign land increases. In an electronic contract it should be very clear as to what law applies to the contractual obligations, what court of law will be presiding over to judge any dispute arising from the contract (Bruin, 2002). As pointed out by Rowe (1998, cited in Ismail and Kamat, 2008) a dispute judged under varying set of regulations, laws and rules have as different judgement. â€Å"Although the laws regulating e-business vary, the general opinion of the courts implies that companies engaged in activities or online advertising may have to defend lawsuits in different jurisdictions if those activities violate the local laws†, Thelen Priest (1997 quoted in Ismail and Kamat, 2008, 213). The problem of jurisdiction exists becomes all the more relevant in the 21st century, now that there are so many countries existing worldwide and when global expansion has occurred in the business scenario with the arrival and explicit use of the information and communication technologies. However, there are quite a lot of countries which are at the moment unable to make any kind amendments in their legal framework on construction, especially where the amendments in law are concerned with e-construction. At the same time, it is good news that some governments are making changes to the construction law executed in their countries to make e-construction and e-business a more feasible and legally secure venture. However, the point to be noted here is that despite all the positive proceedings in the respective field, the possibility of two countries sharing the same law on e-commerce and that too in the construction sector are negligible. In a scenario where the choice of law is absent, legal uncertainty may arise regarding the application of law to an electronic contract (Bruin, 2002). This information clearly implies that risk attributed to varying jurisdiction remains. Bruin (2002, p42) clearly points out that in a specific case of â€Å"cross-border electronic consumer contracts, a court procedure may involve such difficulties that a contract term defining a foreign jurisdiction may de facto exclude or hinder the consumer to take legal action†. As a result the service provider also ends up providing an unfair contractual term. From the literature on jurisdiction which has been studied and mentioned here, it has been found that although there are quite a lot of provisions in legal frameworks of countries which address the jurisdiction issues, yet it would be beneficial to make changes and improvisations to these existing laws. 2 Brief description of some of the legal terms associated with the legal framework of e-business To understand the legalities involved in using information and communication technologies for business, one needs to be aware of some terms associated with the legal framework of e-business. In this section these common yet important terms shall be discussed briefly. Identification of the potential legal gaps and problems within the cluster projects issue 2, a report on the findings of Hassan et al, forms the main basis for defining these terms. The discussed terms are as follows:- †¢ Electronic / digital signatures Electronic and digital signatures allow the recipient of a piece of information to know when the information has arrived, who has sent it, and to check whether the information has been changed or tampered with since it was sent. Digital signatures are electronic codes specific to individual users, which can be used to identify the originator of a message or file, and to indicate approval of the transmitted information. There are different types of digital signatures available (i.e. public key infrastructure, asymmetric cryptography, account numbers and passwords), and the level of security that is required dictates the choice of method to be used. Digital signatures are easily to transport and all the more difficult to imitate by anyone else, and more importantly they can be automatically time-stamped. A digital signature is basically a unique ‘key that provides, if anything, stronger authentication than any written signature (Wacks, 2001). Asymmetric cryptosystem involves two keys, one public, the other private. Its main advantage is that if you are able to decrypt the message, you know that it could only have been created by the sender (Wacks, 2001) The Electronic Transaction Act 1999 (in Australia) gives legal recognition to the use of electronic signatures and one may find them useful in executing electronic contracts on your website. The risk of e-businesses dealing with parties which might misuse digital signatures is similar to the commercial risk of fraud that arises through forgery of signature on a paper contract. †¢ Here is an example which depicts the working of a digital signature. Assume that man named A has to the draft of a contract to his lawyer who at present is in another town. A wants to assure his lawyer that the information sent across has not been tampered with and it really is what he had sent. To ensure that, heres what A has do: †¢ Copy-and-paste the contract into an e-mail. †¢ Using specialised software, A obtains a message hash (mathematical summary) of the contract. †¢ A then uses a private key that he had previously obtained from a public-private key authority to encrypt the hash. †¢ This encrypted hash becomes As digital signature of the message. It is to be noted that the digital signature will be different each time a message has been sent. Now, how will As lawyer detect that this document is the same unchanged one that A had sent across to him? Heres what he will do: †¢ As lawyer makes a hash of the received email to ensure that the document is intact and has been sent by A only. †¢ As lawyer then makes use of As public key to decrypt the message hash or summary. †¢ The received email (document in this case) is considered authentic and valid if the hashes match. Thus we understand that using a digital signature is an easy and safe method to protect privacy of information. A digital signature consists of the concerned persons public key, his/her name and e-mail address, the expiry date of the public key, name of the company, serial number of the digital ID, and digital signature of the certification authority (Magalhaes, 2003). The fact that digital signature increase the security and ensure privacy is confirmed by Wacks (2001, p 80) when he states, â€Å"Blinding or blind and digital signature will significantly enhance the protection of privacy†. †¢ Digital notaries Digital notaries provide a time stamping service, thereby proving the existence of a piece of information at a particular time. These are often used in conjunction with an electronic / digital signature. Timestamping can ensure non-repudiation. Indeed, a digital signature is only legally binding if it was made when the users certificate was still valid, and a timestamp on a signature can prove this. Timestamping involves the following parties -client, timestamping authority (TSA) a verifier. Feather in 1999 expressed his opinion on digital notaries. He articulated that the purpose of a digital notary is to certify that a document as produced by a person is a true copy of that

Leadership capabilities: An analysis

Leadership capabilities: An analysis Leadership: ‘Leader a word which makes a normal human being into a famous personality (locally, nationally, internationally). Many authors express their views on leadership like. ‘A leader is one who selects, equips, trains, and influences one or more followers who have diverse gifts, abilities, and skills and focuses the follower to the organizations mission and objectives causing the follower(s) to willingly and enthusiastically expend spiritual, emotional, and physical energy in a concerted coordinated effort to achieve the organizational mission and objectives.(Bruce E.winston,2006:7). Here he says that leader, who selects an individual who had diverse abilities, tastes, culture and skills for particular task to be completed in a way that he trains, motivates and influences him with his skills. This type of leadership is seen in many personalities, An example is Sir Stuart Rose CEO of Marks and Spencer, who follows democratic type of leadership style in his decisions but makes autocratic style of leadership in terms of his short term achievements. He established good relations between employees and his other colleagues. ‘Effective leaders arent born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that the price well have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal (Vince Lombardi, American football coach). Sir Stuart Rose was first joined Marks Spencer in 1972 as a management trainee then he took many stages in profession in many companies and presently CEO of Marks Spencer. This is how to compare the definition of Vince with Rose career, that if he was born leader then he could have given the high position in any sector but day by day he had developed the companys fame by the time he was CEO, Marks Spencer was low in profits and was going private. Increasing profits introducing new thoug hts like plan A, for which he became the chairman of business in the community (BIC). Criterion of Leadership: Behavioural theory of leadership defines that successful leadership is rooted in definable, learnable behaviour; any one can become leaders or learn leadership qualities by teaching and observation. This behavioural theory is a good tool for many people, basing on this we in our group had discussed few criterions for leadership. Professional-friendly: In this criteria a leader should be professional-friendly in terms of task so that follower can achieve the task successfully, so that he can deal a task with them correctly and can give good guidance. Vision: Basically a good leader has to understand the culture and value of the organization, then he can work hard to communicate their vision over the organization at all levels. He should have clear-cut idea of understanding that their vision will be successful in any situation. Motivation: Every human in this world has different cultures in terms of behaviour, feelings and many more, so that their commitment to particular task is different at this instance motivation is a tool which can boost their activities (performance), and finally this can yield fruitful results in any task. Individual consideration (Responsibility): Leader should take the responsibility of particular task at any situation with out depending on his followers. Here is an example which gives an idea of having individual consideration of a lady. In 1989 Melissa, a fourth-grader in Nashville, Tennessee in USA, she was felt responsible about the pollution in her country and felt that what could be her countries position when she grows old, then she began writing letters to president and local politicians like mayor, congressmen and senators, she had no response from any one, but she was called up the local television channel and did an on-camera commentary. Melissa also started a club called Kids F.A.C.E (kids for a clean environment) which could help then in planting trees, picking up litter. Starting with just six members at her elementary school, kids F.A.C.E. grew to more than more than 5,00,000 members with 22 countries. Feeling responsible even at age 9 and became a leader this shows that age doesnt matter. Since she took responsibility of a task and led it for huge level at different countries. (James M. Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner, The truth about leadership 2010:2) Communication: The most important criteria for a leader, for giving a task to his followers he has to communicate in a proper way so that followers has to get the task which is to be done. It is also a way of ascendancy for his followers. Flexibility: When many issues hit at once, handle more than one problem at once, this is a perfect behaviour of a leader. For example Sir Stuart Rose was the chief executive officer of Marks and Spencer he had to deal with many sectors in a limited period of time, he made the organization (Marks and Spencer) better in terms of profits and fame, he made flexible. Teamwork: It is leaders responsibility to understand each and every one is from different culture and have different behaviour, human relationship and functions and bring them in and make a unity and perform teamwork. This is called as unity in diversity. Respect for others: Do not belittle (under estimate) the opinions and work of the other people regardless of their status (profession). Emotional Intelligence: ‘Abilities such as being able to motivate oneself and persist in the face of frustrations; to control impulse and delay gratification; to regulate ones moods and keep distress from swamping the ability to think ; to empathize and to hope.(Mullins 2010:144). Emotional intelligence is able to think and handle the situations in frustrations. A leader should have this criteria because to lead the team successfully. Feedback with my strengths and weakness: Every one has strengths and weakness at his style in any of his own talents. Here is 360 degree feed back from my friends in my style of leadership along with my strengths and weakness to improve my effectiveness of my leadership. Motivation is a driving tool in achieving goals, I do like motivating people because every human is unique and they do mistakes and dont get positive result at single attempt( this is not in every ones talent, I do take in few cases) rather than discouraging is it important to motivate or encourage them. Responsibility (individual consideration), emotional intelligence. Here is an example for my emotional intelligence and responsibility, in my group professor gave an topic on delegation, so we were discussed and chose a person from my group as leader but the person was unable to speak then I took the responsibility and spoke few points about it( in Allitt Malcolms class in S3 batch). Flexible with group, this factor makes good use of comfort with individuals when performing as group and can communicate as well for different task to be completed. Respect for others, this is an good point for expressing ones capability, There is a famous telugu saying that even a grass comes out by bursting the land, so every one has individual thoughts and ideas so that a leader has to respect others. From my feedback its a point that I lack team work capabilities at situational times for example, if any professor gives a task to be completed in few minutes then I do my work independently. They say I am not a good listener, when I am listening my mind wanders for unnecessary thoughts and put me out of the class or any subject which makes me lack of confidence and feel depressed which is also a negative skill given by my friends in my feedback. Day by day every human learns a bit compared with the past, me comparing with the past days I learnt much in my Master of business administration (MBA). Being involved in group activities, taking responsibility, I am doing my best to improve the skills to be a good leader or at least be a good learner Conclusion: Though I have many positive qualities like communication, responsibility, emotional intelligence, motivation and lack in some skills like teamwork, not good listener, feel depressed for which I have to improve. In the leading in changing world every thing is not constant we have to grow as the world tends to modern. Personal Narrative Essay Outline: Anonymity on the Internet Personal Narrative Essay Outline: Anonymity on the Internet The right to anonymity over the Internet must be guaranteed to people due to the Fourth Amendment and the Supreme Court, and only information which people explicitly agree to offer can be accessed. People must be guaranteed anonymity over the Internet so they can voice insights and opinions, a right given by the First Amendment, freely without fear of persecution or danger. My father was a vocal critic of Woodbridge Townships (where we used to live) to cut spending from its middle schools, thus vastly reducing the capabilities of sports and extracurricular activities he voiced his concerns about the well-being of the students on an Internet blog, which gathered the following of many town residents and parents after several blog posts, he found that the township was attempting to gain a subpoena against the blog website seeking to identify my father, who blogged under an unrevealing username my fathers lawyer friend informed if that if the township succeeded in gaining a subpoena, my father might be persecuted the township failed in gaining the subpoena due to a similar case ruled before, Manapalan v. Moskovitz Judge Flynn ruled that, I recognize there are First Amendment issues with the past administrationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦anyone has a right to make their feelings clearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and first of all the bloggerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ as a right not to be drawn into the litigation and forced to reveal identity or to impede on his or her First Amendment rights simply on a suspicion, however founded or unfounded. Had my fathers anonymity been breached, he might have suffered persecution for simply voicing his opinions: for this reason, anonymity must be guaranteed to Internet users to allow people to fully express their freedom of speech. Second body paragraph: Topic Sentence: If people are not guaranteed anonymity over the Internet, they can be severely blamed or persecuted for reasons they are not responsible for. Supporting evidence: -three years ago, when I was in eighth grade, I was unfairly blamed for posting something on the Internet my eighth grade history teacher had all of his students participate in an online class forum where everyone posts their ideas anonymously on sensitive topics such as abortion -I left my online account open at the library inadvertently and posted harmless jokes on the forum -my teacher somehow found out that the jokes were posted by me, probably by contacting the website administrator, and had the school administration suspend me for a day even though it was my fault for not signing off on my account, I was unjustly punished even though the jokes posted were detrimental to the learning process, it would have been better if Internet anonymity was upheld so that no one would have been punished unfairly Closing Statement: Granting Internet anonymity prevents people from being unjustly blamed or persecuted for actions they did not commit, even if the actions warranted probable cause as said in the Fourth Amendment. Internet anonymity allows people to establish their feelings on the Internet without creating unnecessary negative publicity, as can happen when peoples online identities are revealed. Virgil Griffith created the Wikipedia Scanner in 2007, a search tool that tracks Wikipedia entries back to their source IP addresses even though the Scanner can help prevent people from posting incorrect things, it can create unnecessary publicity for celebrities or government agencies posting entries for example, if a celebrity edits his or her own page on Wikipedia by adding a true fact that is at the same enhancing his or her image, the media will portray him or her in a negative light The right of the people to be anonymous over the Internet allows them to express their voice without creating publicity that they do not desire The right of anonymity over the Internet must be guaranteed and people should be allowed to access information only which others have explicitly agreed to. The Fourth Amendment and the rulings of the Supreme Court support Internet anonymity.

American Financial Crisis Essay -- Economics Economy

The US Financial System: A Crumbling Empire The financial system has been crucial to the role of free enterprise. â€Å"Financial markets have come to supply non-financial corporations with mechanisms for managing their risks and for comparing and evaluating diverse investment opportunities in a highly complex global economy† (Cindin, 2008). â€Å"However, despite the lifetimes it took to build our financial institutions, bad luck and careless risk management have jeopardized careers and mortgaged these institutions’ futures†(Wallace, 2008). The nation is currently attempting to deal with the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. It is now imperative that a way be found which will re-regulate finance without undermining finance’s needed innovative capacity. The origin of the financial crisis can be dated back to 2006. During that period in time, companies began buying trillions of dollars of complex financial products called ‘structured credit derivatives’. The value of these derivatives quickly escalated to over one-hundred trillion dollars due to the high demand from banks around the world. â€Å"These paper investments were supposedly backed by loans on houses, cars, businesses, and credit cards† (Francis, 2008). Nevertheless, several issues have erupted from the sale of these paper investments. The production and trading method for derivatives is unclear, and no one really knows what credit risk is transferred to whom. Basically, banks were fighting over assets with questionable values. Even though the sale of derivatives has disrupted our economy, it is not the primary reason for which the financial system is now in distress. The reckless selling of mortgage loans has lead to the eventual breakdown of our financial... ..., Jane & Francis, Theo. The Financial System Bailout: Deal or No Deal? (2008). Business Week. Retrieved November 2, 2008, from http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/sep2008/db20080925_596844.htm Solomon, Deborah & Crittenden, Michael & Paletta, Damian. US Bailout Plan Calms Markets, But Struggle Looms Over Details (2008). Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 2, 2008, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122191819568460053.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Stewart, Heather. IMF Says US Crisis is Largest Financial Shock Since Great Depression (2008). Guardian News. Retrieved November 2, 2008, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/apr/09/useconomy.subprimecrisis Wallace, Michael. Wall Street Talks: What the Bailout Means (2008). BusinessWeek. Retrieved November 2, 2008, from http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/sep2008/pi20080922_128934.htm

Willy Loman, Redefining the Tragic Hero in Arthur Millers Death of a S

Willy Loman, Redefining the Tragic Hero in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman      Ã‚  Ã‚   The events in the life of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman are no doubt tragic, yet whether or not he can be considered a tragic hero in a traditional sense is a topic requiring some discussion. Aristotle set the criteria for qualities a character must possess in order to be considered a tragic hero. In order to reach a conclusion on this matter, all six criteria must be examined to determine whether or not they are present in the character of Willy Loman. The first criterion for a tragic hero is hamartia, or a tragic flaw in the character's personality that brings about their downfall. Willy Loman definitely does possess a tragic flaw, and in his case it is pride. Loman cannot accept that he is a terrible salesman, a substandard provider, and suffering from mental illness. He borrows money every week from Charley, his neighbor, so that he can tell his family stories of his successful sales trips. While Willy definitely does possess a tragic flaw, another criterion required by Aristotle is peripeteia, a character's reversal near the end of the story for the purpose of self-reservation. Willy definitely does not meet this criterion. When Willy is terminated from his job late in the story, Charley offers him a job working for him, but feeling too much pride, Willy turns it down, saying he's already got a job. He turns down a chance to make a decent means to finish paying off his house and refrigerator, but turns it down because of his stubborn pride. A tragic hero must have a mix of both good and bad qualities, predominantly good, so that they are more of a character that readers could relate ... ...Sons in which the main characters are somewhat like tragic heroes but lack the high standing. They are all just common people, which might lead to the idea that Arthur Miller tried to create a mold for an American tragic hero. This however, is not a topic relevant to this assignment. So overall, Willy Loman is not a tragic hero, but just an unlucky man destined to be the Low Man. Sources Field, B.S.   "Death of a Salesman" Twentieth Century Literature.   January, 1972. 19-24.   Rpt. in World Literary Criticism.   Ed. Frank Magill.  Ã‚   "Arthur Miller" Detroit: Gale Research, 1992.   2366-2368. Hoeveler, D. J.   "Redefining the Tragic Hero Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman: Modern Critical Interpretations.   Ed. Harold Blum.   Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1988. 72-81. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Gerald Weales, ed. New York: Penguin, 1996

Chi Mei Optoelectronics Essay

1. What prompted CMO to diversify from its core petrochemical base? What were the risks involved? In the late 1980s, Ho started to think that the future for petrochemicals in Taiwan was not very bright. At that time, he made the first visit to the nascent Hsinchu Science-Based Park where he found that everybody was doing pretty well. Then he began to think diversifying into something. Ho’s good friend Wu had been the principal investigator on the first TFT-LCD research project at the Electronics Research Service Organization (ERSO), part of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). ITRI had been responsible for the original technology transfer of RCA’s CMOS semiconductor process from New Jersey to Taiwan. Under Wu, ITRI had begun an investigation of small TFT-LCDs in 1989 and had moved on to three- to six-inch technology in 1990. But unlike what happened with TSMC, the Taiwanese government suddenly cut the budget, leaving ITRI without enough capital to comple te the plant’s construction. Wu suggested to Ho and Shi that manufacturing color filter arrays for LCD flat panels would be a very good move for Chi Mei, but Shi disagreed. But in 1997, the petrochemical industry suffered a severe contraction due to the Asian economic crisis. They asked Mitsubishi who said color filter was good. So Dr. Wu stayed outside for almost one and a half years until the founder decided to approve the plan. In fact, Chi Mei had been tracking the TFT-LCD industry since 1996, as many of the key ingredients used in fabricating TFT-LCD panels were based on materials derived from petrochemicals and were therefore closely related to CMC’s core products. But Shi was skeptical of direct investment because he was not sure whether his company could get a grasp on the core technologies. Shi soon recognized TFT-LCD as a â€Å"once in 100-year opportunity for Taiwan.† But the TFT-LCD industry counted only Japan, Korea, and Taiwan as major producers, and most of the demand at the time was coming from Taiwanese notebook computer manufactures. Japanese manufacturers supplied most of the color filters which was a lucrative business. Ho explained that by moving to become a full-line TFT-LCD producer, the company would be able to address a much larger market. Another consideration in the decision to enter the TFT-LCD industry was that TFT process technologies were not entirely new territory for CMC. CMC already possessed many chemical processing and mechanical technologies. Although CMC  was privately held, profitability from its petrochemicals operations made it cash-rich, with almost all of its credit lines unused. But Ho and Wu realized the importance of being a public company in order to attract the right talent, and they were able to convince Shi. CMO’s 2006 Annual Report detailed a long line of fund-raising activities to finance what subsequently turned into a huge string of investments. The risks involved were relying on the technical, financial and merchandising resources of the original product line and the company need acquiring new lines and markets, skills, techniques and facilities. 2. How did CMO implement its strategy of being a leading LCD manufacturer? Ho realized that CMO need a different organizational structure with different resources, processes, and priorities, so he opted for a separate subsidiary, with an independent structure and compensation model as well. He redesigned the pay structure by enlarging the compensation differential across various rankings and put in a larger performance bonus component.   They all recognized the importance of attracting key talent and the value such talent placed on an autonomous unit structure with decentralized management and the flexibility to act quickly. From the start, CMO’s strategy was different from other Taiwanese panel makers. CMO licensed the basic technology from ERSO, and then modified the licensed TFT structured and developed a new structure in Fujitsu’s fab. Since this new TFT structure was their own design, they could modify the process by themselves as needed. CMO was able to take advantage of one of the industry downturn cycles to enter the industry. The pioneering Japanese manufacturers were thus able to extend their window of profitability by generating licensing income. So CMO was able to test out some new, experimental cell structure designs using Fujitsu’s equipment and develop its internal processed as it was building its own factory. CMO also agreed to work as a Fujitsu supplier for LCD panels. In essence, they exchanged their production capacity for Fujitsu’s technical support. One of the key philosophies that CMO has is that it doesn’t outright purchase a complete technology package. It tries to develop what it needs to and it may put in some basic technology or hire an outside consultant to develop its proprietary, internal technology. What that allows it to do is to understand that technology much better and it’s much quicker for it to improve the technology. In mid-1999, in addition to becoming a fo undry supplier to  Fujitsu, CMO licensed Fujitsu’s MVA technology, which enabled wide viewing angles for large-size TV panels. CMO’s R&D team subsequently achieved several breakthroughs while working with the original MVA technology, developing its own proprietary â€Å"Omniview Color,† which significantly reduced the color shift of skin tones when viewing the panel from wide angles. In 2002, along with other Taiwanese LCD peers, CMO licensed a set of common TFT-LCD patents from the ERSO unit of ITRI. As CMO developed its capabilities, it sometimes took some major technological risks. While Fab 1 was still under construction, Shi realized that the accelerating rate of competition in the LCD industry necessitated bold investment decisions, so he approved the construction of Fab 2, a Gen 4 facility. By this time, Ho and Wu had become convinced that the key to the market was going to be flat-panel televisions, which meant larger panel sizes than were used in notebook computers and computer monitors. At that time, Fujitsu VLSI was developing an experimental technology called one-drop fill, in which many, many micropipette dispensers would each place a single drop of liquid crystal material between the two pieces of glass before they were sandwiched. CMO had sent a senior R&D team to evaluate the ODF equipment. Implementing a completely new technology like this in production entailed enormous risks. Ultimately, CMO made the decision to make it work and CMO not only became an industry pioneer in suing ODF but also filed many ODF-related patents. 3. Why did CMO vertically integrate? Was this a sound move? Though Chi Mei had originally intended to make only color filters, it had quickly moved into making the TFT-LCD sandwich. From 2003 to 2004 alone, as many as 15 Gen 5 fabs came onstream across Asia, driving finished panel pricing down. In the early part of the decade, display drivers could make up 15%to 20% of the overall production cost of an LCD display. CMO relied exclusively on Texas Instruments for it supply. Strategically, CMO management felt that to be successful over the longer term, the IC design team needed to have exposure to a more balanced customer portfolio, instead of supplying CMO exclusively. Therefore, management decided to spin off the team into a separate entity, Himax, so that it could engage other customers without conflict. CMO was able to move into photomasks, polarizer films, and many other key components by simply leveraging its expertise in chemical manufacturing. With the Himax model as a successful first step in upstream  integration, over the years CMO formed a web of tightly linked subsidiaries across its supply chain. These efforts at vertical integration helped alleviate some of the concerns about the availability of critical components. All these efforts made CMO one of the most vertically integrated of Taiwan’s TFT-LCD manufacturers. CMO created an environment that people come to them, whether internally or externally. 4. How did CMO’s leadership and culture impact the company’s performance? Shi espoused three credos as his guiding principles: (1) business was a way to pursue fulfillment, (2) people-oriented management was important, and (3) harmonious relationships were valuable. These credos set a very powerful tone within the company. A highly decentralized decision-making model enhanced this management philosophy. This made the company a very attractive place to work, allowing it to draw personnel from many quarters of Taiwanese industry when new initiatives were launched. One of the strengths of Chi Mei’s culture is the entrepreneurship and flexibility. The power to attract talent would later turn out to be a key enabler, as the company expanded into areas that required specialized technical expertise. Chi Mei didn’t lure people away from other companies; it just built a good environment and set up â€Å"stages† for people to develop businesses. In fact, all CMO did was build a good environment and everything else followed.

Ray Bradbury Research Paper Essay

Ray Douglas Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois, on August 22, 1920. He is the son of Leonard Spaulding Bradbury and Esther Marie Moberg Bradbury. Ray attended Los Angeles High School. He was active in the drama club and planned to be an actor. Bradbury’s formal education ended with his high school graduation in 1938. However, he continued to educate himself by spending his nights in the library. One of Bradbury’s best-known works, Fahrenheit 451, was released in 1953. It is set in the future in which a totalitarian government has banned the written word. Today, Ray and Maggie Bradbury continue to live in Los Angeles. Ray Bradbury still writes daily and occasionally lectures. At an age when most men rest on their laurels, Bradbury remains a dynamic storyteller and contributor of â€Å"obvious answers to impossible futures.†(Jepsen and Johnson 4) Ray Bradbury’s writing style has always been known to be poetic without being pretentious; it communicates abstract ideas with layman terms and engages our senses. (Ray Bradbury Board) I enjoy Bradbury’s use of irony in stories, but especially in A Sound of Thunder when the killing of a butterfly changes all of civilization. The short story is about this wealthy man named Eckles who pays this time traveling company to take him back to prehistoric times, so he can hunt for a dinosaur. These dinosaurs have been selected because a previous survey indicated that they would die very soon anyway. Although this supposedly gets around the ripple effect, it quite obviously does not—a flaw in logic that Bradbury himself undoubtedly recognized. â€Å"A Sound of Thunder† is about a wealthy man who has purchased a spot in a hunting trip named Eckles. The time traveling company doesn’t want diseases brought to the past, so they will wear environmental suits and they will also be required to walk on an elevated platform. Bradbury provides an excellent description of the ripple effect, showing how one minor change can multiply over thousands of generations until it has the potential to change the world beyond recognition. Only marked dinosaurs are allowed to be killed. Surveys are conducted to see which dinosaurs should be marked and would die naturally anyway. Then, Eckles panics from seeing a tyrannosaurus appear, thus falling off the platform. The creature is dead, but the guide is still angry because Eckles could have changed the future. Before they traveled back in time, a heated election ends with a would-be dictator losing, but upon returning, there are few changes in the room, which the group notices as differences for reasons that Bradbury never explains. The most profound difference is that the election outcome is different. The alteration of history occurred because, when Eckles left the path, he inadvertently stepped on and killed a butterfly. (Don D’Ammassa 1) When reading A Sound of Thunder, I noticed parts when Bradbury used foreshadowing. One example of foreshadowing in Bradbury’s short story is Lesperance’s explanation to Eckles on the dangers of small changes in the past having catastrophic effects on the future foreshadow the changes that occur. The constant warnings to stay off the path indicate that Eckles will leave the path. Another archetype of foreshadowing is when Eckles says, â€Å"Does this safari guarantee I come back alive?† They reply, â€Å"We guarantee nothing!† This in my opinion gives me the idea that the safari must be quite dangerous and anyone doing such an activity needs a plethora of courage. There are many examples of foreshadowing in A Sound of Thunder. Ray Bradbury remains a dynamic storyteller and contributor of â€Å"obvious answers to impossible futures.†(Jepsen and Johnson 4) He writes stories in compelling ways that involve very complex ideas and he makes it simple to understand while still being in an intelligent way. One particular quote Bradbury has stated that I enjoy is, â€Å"Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a landmine. The landmine is me. After the explosion, I spent the rest of the day putting the pieces together.†(Ray Bradbury Quote 1) Bradbury’s use of irony is probably one of his most famous writing traits; along with his way of being poetic, without being pretentious. In conclusion, Ray Bradbury will go down in history as one of the most famed science fiction writers of all time; even though, he never considered himself a science fiction writer. How ironic? Sources Page D’Ammassa, Don â€Å"A Sound of Thunder Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: Facts on File, Inc., 2005 Chris Jepsen, and Richard Johnson. Facts about Ray Bradbury: www.spaceagecity.com/bradbury/bio.htm Ray Bradbury: Xplore Inc, 2012. http://www.brainyquote.com/quote/authors/r/ray_bradbury.html Ray Brabury Message Board: http://www.raybradbury.com/ubb/Forum1 /HTML/000463.html Bleiler, Richard Science Fiction Writers: 2nd ed. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons Mittnacht, Veronica 10 Things you didn’t know about Ray Bradbury: http://flavorwire.come/106189/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-ray-bradbury

Commonplace Books and Their Uses

Commonplace Books and Their Uses A commonplace book is a writers personal collection of quotations, observations, and topic ideas. Also known as topos koinos (Greek) and locus communis (Latin). Called florilegia (flowers of reading) in the Middle Ages, commonplace books were especially popular during the Renaissance and well into the 18th century. For some writers, blogs serve as contemporary versions of commonplace books. Examples and Observations It was none other than the foremost Humanist of his day, Erasmus, in his De copia of 1512, who set the mold for making commonplace books, in a passage advising how to store collections of illustrative examples in retrievable form. One should make oneself a notebook divided by place-headings, then subdivided into sections. The headings should relate to things of particular note in human affairs or to the main types and subdivisions of vices and virtues.-(Ann Moss, Commonplace Books. Encyclopedia of Rhetoric, ed. by T.O. Sloane. Oxford University Press, 2001)Cobbled together by literate people, commonplace books served as repositories for whatever someone thought fit to record: medical recipes, jokes, verse, prayers, mathematical tables, aphorisms, and especially passages from letters, poems, or books.(Arthur Krystal, Too True: The Art of the Aphorism. Except When I Write. Oxford University Press, 2011)Clarissa Harlowe. Have read 1/3 of. Long books, when read, are usually overpraised, because the reader wants to convince others and himself that he has not wasted his time.(E.M. Forster in 1926, excerpt from Commonplace Book, ed. by Philip Gardner. Stanford University Press, 1988) Reasons to Keep a Commonplace Book Professional writers still carry notebooks that resemble commonplace books. In keeping with this practice, we suggest that aspiring rhetors carry a notebook with them so that they can write down ideas that occur to them while they are engaged in doing other things. And when you are reading, or talking, or listening to others, you can use the notebook as a commonplace book, writing down comments or passages that you want to remember, copy, or imitate.(Sharon Crowley and Debra Hawhee, Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. Pearson, 2004)The commonplace book derived its name from the ideal of a common place where useful ideas or arguments might be gathered. . . .[T]here are still good reasons for writers to keep commonplace books the old-fashioned way. In copying by hand a masterful construction from another writer, we can inhabit the words, grasp their rhythms and, with some luck, learn a little something about how good writing is made. . . .Author Nicholson Baker writes of keepi ng a commonplace book that it makes me a happier person: My own bristling brain-urchins of worry melt in the strong solvent of other peoples grammar. Its a lovely passage, and I couldnt help entering it into my own commonplace book.(Danny Heitman, A Personal Trove of Prose. The Wall Street Journal, October 13-14, 2012) William H. Gass on Ben Jonsons Commonplace Book When Ben Jonson was a small boy, his tutor, William Camden, persuaded him of the virtue of keeping a commonplace book: pages where an ardent reader might copy down passages that especially pleased him, preserving sentences that seemed particularly apt or wise or rightly formed and that would, because they were written afresh in a new place, and in a context of favor, be better remembered, as if they were being set down at the same time in the memory of the mind. Here were more than turns of phrase that could brighten an otherwise-gloomy page. Here were statements that seemed so directly truthful they might straighten a warped soul on seeing them again, inscribed, as they were, in a childs wide round trusting hand, to be read and reread like the propositions of a primer, they were so bottomed and basic.(William H. Gass, A Defense of the Book. A Temple of Texts. Alfred A. Knopf, 2006) Commonplace Books and the Web John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Coleridge and Jonathan Swift all kept [commonplace] books, copying down proverbs, poems and other wisdom they encountered while reading. So did many women, often excluded from public discourse at the time. By appropriating others nuggets, writes cultural historian Robert Darnton, you made a book of your own, one stamped with your personality.In a recent Columbia University lecture, the writer Steven Johnson drew parallels between commonplace books and the web: blogging, Twitter and social bookmarking sites such as StumbleUpon are often held to have sparked a renaissance of the form. . . . As with commonplace books, this linking and sharing create not just a hodgepodge, but something coherent and original: When text is free to combine in new, surprising ways, new forms of value are created.(Oliver Burkeman, Make a Book of Your Own. The Guardian, May 29, 2010)