Tuesday, September 24, 2019

M10 clean energy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

M10 clean energy - Assignment Example Projects such as CCPI-1 and CCPI-2 have demonstrated significant mercury removal, reduced sulfur and nitrogen emission, byproduct utilization, carbon dioxide capture, and improved efficiency (Leonard, 2008). Clean coal technology has not yet resulted in what would be termed as clean energy because it still releases carbon dioxide among other harmful particulate matter into the environment. Like of other fossil fuels such as diesel, coal releases sulfur and nitrogen gases as well as release of chemicals such mercury during its mining into the environment (Leonard, 2008). Such chemicals have negative pollute the environment leading to detrimental effect on the living things. However, biodiesel produced from biological waste has limited negative impact on the environment because it produces relatively reduced greenhouse gases. In this case, biodiesel can be termed as a cleaner source of energy compared to coal energy. Our dependency on fossil fuels can be fast track through determination of the rate of developing and using alternative sources of energy such as biodiesel and solar energy. The use of renewable sources of energy can clearly depict our dependence on fossil fuels such as oil and

Monday, September 23, 2019

Learning from the Case of Joe Salatino Research Paper

Learning from the Case of Joe Salatino - Research Paper Example The customer attributes the salesperson’s hometown news fluency to internal factors, specifically to their similarity, competence, and caring, factors under the salesperson’s control, and not to external factors like just trying to make a random sale to a random target. Salatino could also explain how critical behaviors and expressions of rapport with the customer are during the fast and furious blue-light special sales. Saving money is certainly part of the equation, the most visible customer factor in the sales. But even in those fast and furious moments, when the customer is thrown off-balance by the pace of the special circumstance sale, the customer is caught off-guard, induced into a kind of trance state by the intensity of the moment, and more vulnerable to suggestion, if the salesperson makes use of that appropriately. In such a state, the customer makes the attribution that the salesperson is their guide, friend, and mentor, is highly competent and is making a massive effort on their behalf. The customer believes the salesperson is keeping in mind their needs, and watching their back. This is an internal attribution. An external attribution would be for the customer to draw a conclusion that they were just lucky to have good timing, by answering the phone in time for a special. But, with external attribution, the customer will not feel any reciprocal connection with the salesperson or the company, in the way they would if they attribute the circumstances of the sale to the salesperson’s competence and effort. The whirling blue light motivates the salesperson’s most intense and concentrated efforts to catch the customer’s attention, and lead them to perceive that there is a shopping emergency, that time is of the essence. But it is the attitude and behavior of the salesperson that leads to additional purchases and customer loyalty. Salatino could explain that internal attributions, when applied to a situation that has gone wrong, can solicit more punitive behavior, as a reaction (Slocum, 2009, p.84). Therefore, when circumstances turn negative, within the perception of the customer (for example, they were unable to successfully complete their preferred selection during a blue-light special, due to a credit card malfunction, or the phone connection was dropped), if the customer blames the salesperson and the company, a potential loyal customer may be eternally lost. However, if the customer has strong rapport with the salesperson, and positive antecedents (information, beliefs, motivation), an external attribution is more likely to be made, and the situation is more easily managed by the salesperson and the company, in a way that fosters customer loyalty. The customer will be more likely to notice that the company and salesperson have consistent supportive behavior, that these circumstances are distinct, and that their experience falls within the range of normal, given the circumstances. Since cus tomer loyalty translates into more money, it is a good idea to educate all salespeople about how these factors shape customer perception, and how these perceptions have monetary outcomes. Each salesperson who participates in the workshop should be assigned to shadow a top salesperson for 2 hours, so that they can see these concepts in application. Although salespeople are highly competitive, the result could mean increased sales

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Sociology - The Comparative Method Essay Example for Free

Sociology The Comparative Method Essay Sociologists have embraced what is known as the comparative method as the most efficient way to expose taken-for-granted truths or laws that people have adopted. But what is this comparative method and how does it work? Are there any advantages/disadvantages to exposing these false truths. What forms or variations of the comparative method exist? In the pages to follow I will attempt to give you some insight and understanding of what the comparative method is, and how it works. The comparative method, simply put, is the process of comparing two things (in our case societies, or the people that make up society) and seeing if the result of the comparison shows a difference between the two. The comparative method attempts to dereify (the process of exposing misinterpreted norms. Norms that society consider natural and inevitable characteristics of human existence) reified (the human created norms or truths) beliefs. Obviously there are various ways in which a nomi (a labeled, sometime constructed, norm or truth) can be exposed. Which form of the comparative method should one use however? The answer, whichever one applies to the truth in question. For example, you certainly would not do a cross-gender form of comparison if you wished to expose whether or not homosexuality has always been feared and looked down upon by most people throughout history. No, rather you would perform a historical comparison of two or more different societies to see if these beliefs always existed, or, whether or not this is a newly constructed belief. Lets look at little more closely at the above mentioned historical comparison and see how the comparative method works with a specific example. There is no question that in todays western society there is a lot of fear and trepidation towards people who are labeled homosexual. The question we will attempt to answer however is whether or not it has always been like this and is this a universal truth. In ancient Greek societies people had a very different opinion of men that slept with men. For example, it was considered quite an honor for a family with a young boy under the age of 10, to be given the privilege on an older man of high society taking their son into his house. The young boy would go and live with this older man. The older man would have sex with the young boy on a regular basis until the boy developed facial hair. It was not until then that the boy was considered a man. Society thought that an older mans, of great reputation, semen would help the boy develop into a fine young man. Once the boy developed the facial hair, the sex between the two would stop. The older mans job was finished. Obviously this would be considered an atrocious and disgusting act these days. The older man in this case would certainly go to jail for the crimes that he had committed. However, in Ancient Greece this was not only considered perfectly normal, but as I already stated, it was an honor and a gift that not every boy was lucky enough to be given. Therefore, we can conclude from this comparison that homophobia, as we know it, is not a natural truth, nor is it a universal belief. Rather it is a socially constructed belief that many people have taken for granted as an inevitable part of human existence. It is important at this point to clarify something however. It is said that the role of the sociologist is a descriptive one as opposed to a prescriptive one. That is to say that the sociologist should describe the various practices, customs and structures that exist in various societies rather than suggest to people which one is actually the correct belief or the real truth. Cross-gender comparisons is another commonly used comparison used to reveal socially constructed truths. In Carol Gilligans book In a different voice we find a fine example of a cross-g ender comparison. She states that most people believe that the majority of people, both men and women, view morale issues in the same way. However, through empirical data collection, Carol Gilligan concludes that this is not most often the case. Rather, she states that men tend to approach moral issues quite differently than women. Where as men view morale issues with a dont interfere with my rights view, women focus more on the responsibility end of the morale involved. Thus we can conclude, thanks to the comparative method, that the constructed truth that all people view morale issues the same is not a correct one. Another quick example of a cross-gender comparison would be that of the house-wife. Still today most men view the role of the married woman as one that involves being a house-wife, in the traditional sense of the term. However, women today certainly would not view themselves in the same manner. The data collected from a comparison such as this could help to dereify this socially constructed truth. Cross-class comparisons is also a comparison commonly used when attempting to expose constructed truths between two classes. i.e. lower-class, upper-class, middle-class. For an example I refer to my lecture notes. Our professor gave us a fine example of a cross-class comparison involving his own life. He was from a middle-class family and attended a public school where he got involved with various kids from the middle and lower class. He grew up in this type of environment and accepted it as the his life as the way society was. To him, there was not another lifestyle. This was life. Several events occurred and because of these events our professor was moved, by his parents, to a private school. This private school and the new society that accompanied it resulted in a form of culture shock for him. All of a sudden he was placed in a new world, a world that he never even knew existed. As you can see, our professor socially constructed the view that society was like the one that he lived in when he went to his public school, hung around with middle and lower-class friends, and did what middle and lower-class kids did. When he was afforded the chance to compare that type of lifestyle to one of the upper-class he dereified his constructed view and his eyes opened to a new reality and a new view of the way society was. Another major comparative form is that of the cross-generational. This one is fairly straight forward. The name basically says it all. In fact, its much like the historical comparison method but on a much smaller scale. I believe that in order for it to be termed cross-generational, the generations that are being analyzed have to be living at the same time. Otherwise it becomes a historical comparison. Karen Anderson gives an example of a cross-generational comparison in her book Sociology : A Critical Introduction (1996, pg. 12). Canadians pride themselves on their tolerance and lack of prejudice. But we do not need to look very far into our history to find examples of taken-for-granted understandings that have led to discriminatory and prejudicial treatment. Some segments of the population have been classified as undesirable and thus as unwanted or undeserving outsiders Anderson is pointing out that the constructed view in Canada is that we pride ourselves on the fact that we have very little prejudice in Canada. She goes on to point out that this is not at all the case. She gives the example of Canadas history of immigration. She discusses the fact that a lot of Chinese people were allowed to immigrate to Canada, much to the dismay of current residents and already established European immigrants, during the time when the transcontinental railroad was being built. Sir John A. Macdonald was the Prime Minister at this time and defended his reputation by telling the people of Canada, who were very disturbed by his actions, that the Chinese immigrants would live in Western Canada just temporarily. To reassure the people further Macdonald said no fear of a permanent degradation of the country by a mongrel race. This would be considered horrific these days. Most Canadians would not even realize that their country was very closed to the idea of the immigra tion of certain types of people. The social idea that Canada is, and always have been, a very tolerant country is exposed as a false, constructed truth through this cross-generational comparison. Finally we come to the last major comparative form. That of the cross-cultural. Cross-cultural comparison consists of comparing two societies or cultures in an attempt to reveal and expose some socially constructed truths in order to prove that they are not universal but rather they are relative to each society. There are literally thousands of differences between almost every culture that people would be surely shocked to learn of. For the next example I will show how the cross-cultural comparative method dereifies some of the constructed so-called universal-truths that people in our society may have. India differs in its customs considerably from that of Canada or Northern America. For example, in Western Civilization families sit together when they attend church, in India this is not acceptable at all. Men and women must sit on opposite sides of the church. Men and women in India for the most part will not eat together, whereas in Western civilization it is a common practice and is actually looked upon as a good time for a little family bonding. In India it is considered rude to eat with both hands at the table. The right had is solely used for eating and the left for drinking. Obviously we have a completely different practice in Western society. Another shock that a Westerner might face if he/she were to travel to India would be the fact that it is still considered a major social impropriety for a man to even touch a woman in public. In North America public displays of affection can been seen everywhere. . (Stott, John. Down To Earth. 1980. Pg. 12-15) These are all prime examples of Western universal truths that are exposed when compared to another culture. One of the major benefits for exposing these truths through the comparative method is the fact that dereifying accepted truths leads to a decrease in ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the act of interpreting all societies through ones own cultural lenses and believing that there idea of truths are the only correct ones. This could lead to the imposing of ones own beliefs onto other societies. In other words, comparing, exposing, and dereifying helps educate and eliminate ignorance when it comes to social truths. However, there is a danger to exposing social constructs. It could lead to one taking on the perceptive of a radical relativist (all truths are correct) or a nihilistic view (the belief that all truths are relative and therefore there are no truths). Obviously this is a very negative, and possibly a destructive, way of thinking. As you can see, the comparative method is an essential part of a sociologists practice. Without it there would be a lot of confusion and misunderstanding between people and societies. Hopefully I have shown by example the various forms of the comparative method and how each of them applies to society and how they attempt to expose falsities.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Sources of news in the Media

Sources of news in the Media The evolution of the news media has presented an interesting tale to be told over the last several hundred years, and the changes have become more abundant over the last two decades with the advent of new technology and ways of reporting. Getting news and special interest stories to the American public has always been the top priority of the news media, but over the last several years, the way of doing so has evolved tremendously. There are several ways of getting the news to the public, among them television, radio, internet, satellite radio, newspapers, magazines, and even cell phones. The news world is far different today than it was a century ago, and things are on their way to changing even more. People have interacted with the news since the beginning of news media. The printed word was the first incarnation of news media. Newspapers and different forms of propaganda were widespread ever since the written word came into existence. However, with the invention of the printing press (Kreis, 2000), the printed word became more and more commonplace. Before long, learning to read and write became a priority for the learning processes of children all over the world and education became a major part of a childs life. Once the printing press was commonplace, the act of publishing newspapers became an everyday occurrence. At first, reading newspapers and books was something reserved for the economically and social elite. However, with advances in education and more and more people in the states becoming literate, people began to read newspapers. With the freedom of the press instilled into the United States Bill of Rights, the press began covering subjects that was at one time off limits, such as religion, government, politics, and other sensitive material. Editorial pages began appearing and people began writing letters to the papers, voicing their opinions and trying to be heard. In the early 1900s, the invention of the radio became a major player in the world of news and the press. News reporters began covering stories and events, and for the first time, people were able to hear major history making news stories within 24 hours of the events actually happening, and sometimes even live in real time. One particular impact of radio was noticed in the audio recording provided by reporter Herbert Morrison at the scene of the Hindenburg disaster on May 6, 1937 (Widner, 2008). The day after the disaster in New Jersey, the recording of Mr. Morrison covering the explosion of the giant zeppelin was broadcast on NBC and several other major news networks. In those days, most of the large radio stations never broadcast recorded material and preferred to be all live, all the time when broadcasting the news. This was one of the few exceptions of that rule. Morrisons broadcast went down in history as one of the most famous ever recorded and has been referred to millions of times since. In the 1940s and 1950s, a new invention called television opened up the possibilities of better news coverage. The evening news became a staple in homes across America, especially once the country made its way into the 1960s, when most households in America had finally purchased a television set. People around America had a visual news source, and in addition to radio, newspapers, and such newspapers as Time and Life, America now had several great ways to keep up with news both locally and abroad. Aside from television going to colour, the news and the way people engaged it maintained its status quo for several years. The next big change came in 1980, when Atlanta businessman Ted Turner founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first ever twenty four hour cable news station. This dramatically changed the landscape of broadcast journalism, and forced the evening news programs to step up their efforts to keep viewers, especially since the American public no longer had to wait until six o clock at night to catch the latest news. This also hurt newspapers to a small extent, who had to look for other ways to entertain, as well as inform in the growing competitiveness of the news market. In the 1990s, the broadcast journalism market grew by leaps and bounds. Along with several new cable news channels such as MSNBC, Fox News Channel, and business networks such as CNBC, the American public was also introduced to a new medium: the internet. The internet made its major impact on journalism with a story involving President Bill Clinton. On January 17, 1998, internet writer Matt Drudge obtained the information that Newsweek was on the verge of reporting that the President Bill Clinton had had an extramarital affair with a White House intern but had scrapped the story (Whitworth, 2008). He posted it on the internet, and the next day supplied the womans name. That woman was Monica Lewinsky, and the story grew into quite possibly the biggest bombshell in Presidential history. This story also started a major trend of breaking news hitting the internet first before any other source and made way for internet journalism. After the Lewinsky scandal broke, it became commonplace for the internet to be the grounds on which to break sensational stories without risking the consequences of being wrong on national television. Over the next decade and up to present day, national news networks, newspapers, and several other news outlets used the internet more and more extensively in their research and work. The internet was also a place free of censorship, and reporters could get away with a lot more on their own personal web pages as opposed to working for a big corporate news outlet. Over the last several years, more and more people are getting into the journalism business, often putting their amateur skills to work on their own and not relying on an employer. In ways, this has both helped and hurt the media, but the final impact of this trend will not be seen for some time. News media has come a long way since the first newspapers were printed on the press over two hundred years ago. Now, nearly any American can access any news they want with a few mouse clicks and the push of a button. The radio, television, and the internet all now offer 24 hour, around the clock live news coverage and have made all media accessible to anyone. The convenience is there, but with so many sources, it now becomes an issue of credibility. How does one know that their source is correct and who to believe? Only through hard work, research, and a keen eye and ear can todays journalists and readers alike engage the news and get the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. That is the price of todays journalism environment. References Kreis, Steven, 2000. The Printing Press, The History Guide website, http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/press.html, retrieved July 27, 2008. Widner, James F., 2008. Hindenburg Disaster, http://www.otr.com/hindenburg.shtml, retrieved July 28, 2008. Hughes, Lain, 2004. The New Georgia Encyclopedia, http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2643, retrieved July 29, 2008. Whitworth, Damian. 2008. Oral History: The Monica Lewinsky Scandal Ten Years On. Times Online http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/relationships/article3185449.ece, retrieved July 28, 2008.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Provider of Online Academic Tutorials :: Business Plan

Section 1 Executive Summary: As the title suggests, this business is about providing tutorials to pupils and/ or students on any subject given in a course curricula. The key to operating the business is a customized server where client pupils/ students key in their questions/ assignments and sent out; and the server in turn, provides the answers/ solutions in interactive mode. The server is a storage bin and at the same time an â€Å"information refinery† where all school books and teacher lesson plans are put to order. The money part of this business is in subscription fees. The fees will vary from one tutorial program to another and on the need and time service of an online tutor. Section 2 Business Description: Mission Statement: â€Å" To be the best providers of Online Academic Tutorials† As students, we have been through all the struggles of having to manage time. We students do not only devote ourselves into our academics. We have other certain things to do like e.g. Extracurricular Activities, Leisure Time and etc. In fact, most students nowadays get so stressed out that they are not able to perform to their utmost capacity so we have thought of creating an Online Academic Tutorial. This would not occupy much of the student’s time since it enables students to focus on their vital topics/ areas they are concerned about and it would actually result in to making them more efficient and productive rather than studying the entire scope of the topic, which are advocated in tutorial centers. Proposed Legal Form; Partnership of three people for a start and as subscriber base reaches a critical mass will convert into a corporation. Our entry strategy will be person-to-person solicitation of accounts/ subscribers/ advertisers tie up with schools for group discount rates and as for product research and development, we will develop a product niche in so- called exact Sciences; Physics, Mathematics, Algebra, Calculus and Geometry. Section 3 Marketing Analysis: The trade of education services; Philippine education has been the object of several studies over the past decades. Most of these studies were focused on issues concerning access and equity, quality and excellence, relevance and responsiveness, financing, and governance.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Physical Science Lab - the motion of a marble :: essays research papers

Physical Science Lab - the motion of a marble Objective   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The goal of this experiment is to develop a theory, which allows us to understand the motion of a marble. Materials Wooden roller coaster, marble, ruler, timer, clamp, physics stand. Theory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this experiment, we are finding the Conservation of Energy. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. Energy is summed up into two different properties: Potential energy and Kinetic energy. The law of Energy states that:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Total Energy = Potential Energy + Kinetic Energy Or Em = Ep + Ek   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also, the equations for Potential energy and Kinetic energy are stated to get the Total Energy. They are respectively:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ep = mgh  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  and  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ek =  ½ (m)v2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Conservation of Energy states that energy is always constant. If potential energy increases then kinetic energy decreases and vice versa.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this experiment we positioned a marble ball on a wooden roller coaster positioned on a physics stand in the sixth hole. Throughout the experiment, we used an electronic timer to record the time of the marble where it passed through the light beam of its clamp. We positioned the clamp at a certain point on the roller coaster and measured the distance from the marble to the clamp; the height of the clamp; and finally the time the ball traveled through the clamp. After we recorded these different figures we calculated the speed of the marble from the given distance traveled and the time. We repeated the step 14 times, then proceeded to graph the speed and the height. Next, we took the measurements of position of the clamp, height, and speed and calculated the potential energy, the kinetic energy, and the total energy. Total energy calculated as mentioned before. Potential energy is taking the mass (m) which is 28.1g times gravity (g) which is 9.8 m/s2 times the he ight. Kinetic energy is one-half times the mass (m) times velocity (v2). Finally we graphed the calculated kinetic, potential, and total energies of this experiment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For this theoretical result, the motion or speed of the marble will have different calculations. Also, the potential energy and kinetic energy of the marble will produce a mirror effect between each other respectively. From the result of the experiment, as the height of the marble increases the speed of the marble decreases at a slow rate. Data   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  See attached documents. Calculation 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Speed of the Marble: Speed = distance traveled by marble / time from clamp A

Comprehensive Structure and Process of Human Resource Planning Essay

Table of Contents Term of Reference Executive Summary Company profile Recruitment „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nature of Recruitment „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Objectives of recruitment „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Job vacancies „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recruitment Methods Selection „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Selection Criteria „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Selection methods „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Evaluation of the selection process Retention „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nature of Retention „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Turnover analysis „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Retention strategies Reward „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nature of reward „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Objectives of the reward system „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reward determination „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Types of reward system „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Performance Management Training and Development „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nature of Training and development „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Objective of Training and Development „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Training and Development process „P  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The role of training and development Conclusion Reference and Bibliography Term of Reference The purpose of this report is to provide comprehensive structure and process of human resource planning to Widgets Unlimited's Director, which the content of this report will include the section of employing new staffs, and the section of developing original staffs. This report is provided by the senior manager of human resource management department to the managing director of Widgets Unlimited, which to provide new human resource strategy for the incoming year. This report includes academic study as well as empirical research on the market, which will provide the strategies on the academic foundation, but analyzing in practical ways. Executive Summary Human Resources Management (HRM) is that branch of management that deals with managing one of the resources of the organization-Human Resources. Institute of Personnel and Development defines human resource management as: "Recruiting and selecting people, training and developing them for their work, ensuring that payment and conditions of employment are appropriate, where necessary negotiating such terms of employment with trade unions, advising on healthy and appropriate working conditions, the organization of people at work, and the encouragement of relations between management and work people." This report is focus on explaining the process and steps of human resource planning, and analyzing the strength and weakness in each steps. This includes the recruitment and selection on the new employees, and further develops on retention of original staffs, rewards on t... ...l and continuously develop and train staffs skill and knowledge in order to maintain company ¡Ã‚ ¦s competitive advantages. In this report has emphasis on the important relationship with the size and budget of the company, which this consideration has to be included in analyzing the possibility of adopting the plan. It is important for the director to note that before accepting the plan, it will need further and deeper analysis on company ¡Ã‚ ¦s capital available and the external business environment. Overall, this report provides the guide line for the director to understand broadly process of human resource planning. Reference and Bibliography Bratton, J & Gold, J (1994) Human resource management : theory and practice. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire : Macmillan McKenna, E & Beech, N. (2002) Human Resource Management: a concise analysis. London: Person Education Limited Sturges, J & Guest, D. (1999) Shall I say or should I go? Warick: Association of Graduate Recruiters Thomason, G. (1988) A textbook of human resource management. London : Institute of Personnel Management Torrington, D & Laura, H & Taylor S. (2002) Human Resource Management. London: Prentice Hall