Abstract
The connection of the people to their land is the nature of an Appalachian soul; it is the galvanizing hum that motors generations through its tangled thicket and cold ridge. This paper examines how Kathryn Stripling Byer with gracious imagery, tells the story of a woman's Appalachia, her home.

From the Paper
"The unchanging spirit of the South, and the quirky restless soul of Appalachia, is epitomized by repetition. Children in the mountains - East Bend, High Point, Tuxedo, Flat Rock - know their ancestors, and their ancestors land, like it is their own. Stories in the south serve as a modern companion; for generations, in a seemingly endless circle, they have shaped the lives of the future with the lessons, values, and lives of the past. Byer, whose modern approach to the Appalachian spirit is all the more maudlin for its acknowledgement of change, speaks of the land and people like an eulogy, the sad, penultimate note before the end of the song."

Tags:home, south, black, shawl, harvest

Abstract
The paper examines the book "Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Exploiting College Athletes," where Walter Byers gives an overview of the corruption he witnessed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) while he was the executive director. The paper explains Byers' premise that the NCAA appears to protect college athletes and the integration of academics and athletics, but in actuality, these reforms are covered up by hypocrisy, exploitation and the mislabeling of athletes as amateurs. The paper looks at Byers' discussion of the current grant-in-aid system and how coaches control the financial opportunities available to athletes. The paper then outlines Byers' reforms and his competitive opportunity plan for athletes.

From the Paper
"The underlying theme in Byers' book is the premise that the NCAA appears to protect college athletes and the integration of academics and athletics, but in actuality, these reforms are covered up by hypocrisy and exploitation. The problems are rooted in the NCAA's focus on its multibillion-dollar industry, self-promoting coaches and their staff, and university presidents who hold their jobs for a short-period of time compared to tenured faculty. He admits that his leadership as executive director of the NCAA simply filled a void that was not being enforced by the integral regulations of the regional accreditation agencies and university presidents. Byers recommends a tougher system of serious federal regulations and programs that will increase job opportunities for athletes. He argues that university coaches and the interpretative process of the NCAA's archaic rules lock away the athlete's rights to gain economic freedom by a mislabeling them amateurs."

Tags:academics, grants, amateurs, coaches, greed, exploitation, integrity

Abstract
This paper discusses Carol Byerly's portrayal of the deadly 1918 strain of influenza in her book "Fever of War: The Influenza Epidemic in the U.S. Army During World War I". The paper discusses Byerly's assertion that the pandemic was initiated by the ecological environment in the trenches during the first world war. The paper also points out that Byerly's book looks at the impact the pandemic had on the medical profession as well as the enhancements in medicine that came a result of the pandemic. In addition, the paper looks at how Byerly's discusses the discrimination against blacks from becoming doctors at the time.

From the Paper
"The 1918 strain of the influenza virus caused one of the deadliest pandemics in the history of mankind. The powerful strain sickened one-quarter of the entire world's population including 25 million in the United States. By publishing this book, Carol Byerly became one of the first historians to report on the Influenza epidemic during America's First World War. Byerly's in depth study of credible, academic sources about the influenza epidemic adds to the already extensive history of World War I and gives excellent insight into a major catastrophe hardly mentioned in secondary source history books."

Tags:world war one, flu virus, army military troops warfare casualties

Abstract
This paper examines the topic of internal communication within an organization and shows that, while external communication such as advertisements and public relations, play an important role in an organization, internal communication is the glue that helps the company stay together and achieve its objectives. It provides a literature review of two different communication chapters from two different books, Chapter 9 "Internal Organizational Communication Systems" from the book, "Organizational Communication " by Gary Kreps and Chapter 2 "Formal and Informal Communication Networks" by Susan A. Hellweg from the book, "Organizational Communication" edited by Peggy Yuhas Byers. It attempts to identify and analyze each work for its strengths and weaknesses and discusses the importance of informal communication and the grapevine. The roles of organizational structure, the types of communication network, motivation, ethical responsibilities, and job stress are also explored.

From the Paper
"Kreps and Hellweg both identify two types of formal communications within organizations: vertical and horizontal communications. Both authors identified two further subdivisions within the vertical communication format: Downward communication and upward communication. To understand formal communication both strengths and weakness have to be understood. In downward communication, all information transfer is sent from the management to the workers. The employees lower down the hierarchal chain are constantly provided information with regards to what needs to get done, how it should get done and the time frame within which it has to get done. Little or no feedback is expected from the employee who receives the message. In reality, it is observed that very often the message can get complicated and distorted as the level of complexity of the job increase or the levels through which the information flows. Most organizations traditionally followed this form of communication."

Tags:internal, external, grapevine, motivation, network

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that understanding organizational behavior requires an examination of the decision-making processes and opportunities that organizations face. The writer explains that in part 3 of 'Management: Skills and Application', Rue and Byars point out the efficacy of strategic and operational planning on the decision-making process. The writer then relates that Pugh and Hickson present 'Writers on Organizations', which includes pertinent essays illustrating the theories of Herbert A. Simon, James G. March, Vivtor H. Vroom and Michel Crozier. The writer maintains that each theorist approaches organizational decision-making from a unique perspective, illuminating the complexities of the decision-making process. Moreover, the theorists introduced by Pugh and Hickson illuminate the core issues outlined in the Rue and Byers Management text.

From the Paper
"Nevertheless, Rue and Byars do note that management by objectives has recently been hailed as an effective means to motivate members of an organization to incorporate personal commitments into organizational ones. Humanizing organizations seems to be a current trend in management theory, evident in the essays by Pugh and Hickson. The Rue and Byars work is more of an overview of the organizational planning environment than it is an in-depth analysis of management theory. In Chapter 7, Rue and Byars offer three basic levels at which strategic planning takes place within most organizations: the corporate level, the business level, and the functional level. Corporate planning consists of the decisions that effect firms on a grand scale: the overarching goals and strategies organizations work with. Business goals more directly deal with the competitive market environment and include issues such as product differentiation or diversification. Finally, functional strategies affect the day-to-day operations of the organization at the office or plant level."

Tags:planning, goals, strategic, operational

Abstract
This paper discusses John Grisham's position that media violence creates violence in our society and focuses specifically on Grisham's comments about Oliver Stone's film, "Natural Born Killers". The author also discusses her own view that, while media violence does contribute to violence in society, there are many other factors that contribute to this violence.

From the Paper
"John Grisham is a popular novelist of our times so what he writes is usually well received. This is one reason why people quickly embraced and accepted his argument against violence that media projects and its impact on people. Grisham's essay "Unnatural Killers" first appeared in the journal that he publishes, The Oxford American. The essay was written to highlight the impact of media violence on actual behavior of people especially youth. It was a direct attack against Oliver Stone's movie, 'Natural Born Killers,' the movie that showed the casual side of violence and dealt light-heartedly with a serious issue. "

Tags:murder, mississippi, cotton-gin, manager, patsy, byers, killing, attempt, criminal, activities