A Choice Considered

Melody Doyle has spent years following her father across the country as the transcontinental railroad is built. When she announces her desire to settle down in Cheyenne, her father presents her with an unconventional challenge: He will allow her to stay if she finds a husband before his departure. As word spreads and the men in town vie for her hand, she wonders if she could ever be happy with a husband chosen in such a way. Charles Decker, the heir to a banking dynasty, has been sent west to manage the bank started by his brother. His heart yearns for a simple life of teaching, but banking is the family business, and Charlie feels obligated to fall in line. When his friendship with Melody blossoms, he's drawn to this remarkable woman who defies conventions. Will he be able to come to terms with his growing feelings for her and confront the true desires of his own heart before it's too late? In this captivating series sequel, Tracie Peterson weaves a tale of sweeping romance, resilience, and self-discovery amid the evolving landscapes of the American West.

Within traditional decision theory, common decision principles -- e.g. the principle to maximize utility -- generally invoke idealization; they govern ideal agents in ideal circumstances. In Realistic Decision Theory, Paul Weirch adds practicality to decision theory by formulating principles applying to nonideal agents in nonideal circumstances, such as real people coping with complex decisions. Bridging the gap between normative demands and psychological resources, Realistic Decision Theory is essential reading for theorists seeking precise normative decision principles that acknowledge the limits and difficulties of human decision-making.

Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions—both big and small—have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented. As Americans, we assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression. In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice—the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish—becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice—from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs—has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse. By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counter intuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on those that are important and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.

The International Encyclopedia of Hospitality Management covers all of the relevant issues in the field of hospitality management from both a sectoral level: * Lodging * Restaurants * Clubs * Time-share * Conventions As well as a functional one: * Accounting & finance * Marketing * Human resources * Information technology * Facilities management Its unique user-friendly structure enables readers to find exactly the information they require at a glance; whether they require broad detail which takes a more cross-sectional view across each subject field, or more focussed information which looks closely at specific topics and issues within the hospitality industry today. Section Editors: Peter Harris - ACCOUNTING & FINANCE Oxford Brookes University, UK Zheng Gu - ACCOUNTING & FINANCE University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA Randall Upchurch - CLUB MANAGEMENT & TIMESHARE MANAGEMENT University of Central Florida, USA Patti Shock - EVENT MANAGEMENT University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA Deborah Breiter - EVENT MANAGEMENT University of Central Florida, USA David Stipanuk - FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Cornell University, USA Darren Lee-Ross - HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT James Cook University, Australia Gill Maxwell - HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT Caledonian Glasgow University, UK Dimitrios Buhalis - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY University of Surrey, UK Allan Stutts - LODGING MANAGEMENT American Intercontinental University, USA Stowe Shoemaker - MARKETING University of Houston, USA Linda Shea - MARKETING University of Massachusetts, USA Dennis Reynolds - RESTAURANTS & FOODSERVICE MANAGEMENT Washington State University, USA Arie Reichel - STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Ben-Gurion University, Israel

A globalization process epitomised by historically large cross-border population movements with rapidly improving networking and communication technologies, has resulted in the growth of ethnic diversity across newly industrialised economies. Instead of adapting to a dominant, host country culture, many ethnic minorities seek to preserve their identities, both as diasporic communities and within their adopted countries. For marketers it has been recognised as crucial to understand the unique needs of these individuals and to develop superior marketing strategies that meet their preferences. Ethnic Marketing shows the rich opportunities that ethnic minority communities have to offer, as well as offering instruction on the design and implementation of effective social and business marketing strategies. The text offers practical guidance on assessing the needs of individual ethnic communities and a guide to marketing to these communities within various countries. Since the publication of Pires' and Stanton's 2005 book there has been continuing changes in the political, social and economic environment in many countries which have growing ethnic minorities. Incorporating new research across disciplines on the marketing relevance of ethnic minorities, this book also integrates contributions and excerpts from in-depth interviews conducted with leading marketing experts, whose views and insights stimulate discussion and result in in an invaluable guide to best practice in ethnic marketing across the world, plus expert insights into the future of this dynamic area. This is an excellent resource for researchers and advanced marketing students taking both postgraduate and undergraduate courses in marketing management or strategy, as well as government, marketing practitioners and businesses seeking ways to reach ethnic communities.

Topics in Engineering Logic contains the lectures given at the Indian Statistical Institute in Calcutta, India, during the Spring of 1959. The lectures focus on a variety of topics related to engineering logic, including the use of the logical matrix as an auxiliary to the construction of various types of codes. Elementary logical circuits for synchronous systems are also considered, with emphasis on "two-wire" systems based on static flip-flops and having various phase structures. Comprised of seven chapters, this volume begins with an introduction to the logical matrix, a form of representation of logical functions that permits rapid and clear solution of varied problems in logical design. The discussion then turns to elementary logical circuits for synchronous systems and their physical properties, with particular reference to contacts, diodes, and transistors as well as phase structures and diode-gated flip-flops for single-phase and two-phase applications. Subsequent chapters deal with a graphical approach based on the logical matrix as a method for reducing the canonic form to the two-level minimal form; codes and matrices; operational circuits; and the question of increasing reliability through structural redundance. The book concludes with several typical logical design problems, including a drum-indexing circuit and a series-parallel decimal multiplier. This monograph will be of interest to engineers.

Any musician who composes or transcribes music or who plays accompaniment to a soloist will have a need to know what the chords are for the accompaniment. There are also occasions when the published chords to a piece are in error, and there is a need to know how to recognize and correct them. Simply put, the process of harmonizing chords to melody is all about identifying chord tones and intervals in a melody and determining the chords they imply. The decision to survey the literature on harmonizing chords was made because no single textbook on harmony could be found that extensively treated the subject. Of the scores of textbooks referenced herein, each one would touch upon or tell only part of the story. What was obviously needed was a book that gathered all the relevant materials in one place and outlined a practical procedure for harmonizing a melody. This document attempts to do this. The word harmonization as used here refers to the process of finding appropriate chords to accompany a melody. Hence, when we harmonize a melody, we create a chord accompaniment for it. The most beautiful melody may be ruined by a poor and inappropriate chord accompaniment, or a poor melody can be made interesting by an apt chord accompaniment. The intended purpose of this work is to provide suitable accompaniment chords only to a given melody in lead sheet format. The piece could then be performed by musicians playing the melody and chords together. This could be done either by two musicians, a soloist, and an accompanist or by a keyboard player who would play both melody and chords. It is not intended that a harmonizing bass line or other harmonizing voices be added to the given melody. It is also a primary purpose of this work to enable the transformation of raw melody into diatonic music by harmonizing only diatonic chords to it.