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The products of our engineering works are everywhere and the safety and satisfactory performance of these works is the result of the deliberate inclusion of experience based judgement. The starting point for many of these works is the recognition of what has been done in the past, both successfully and unsuccessfully. Often however, a geotechnical engineer must rely on theory and to some degree, experimentation, in particular when advancing new methods of design and construction. This can be daunting when one considers that the natural materials we work with are highly complex with large variability and in some cases, uncertainty in their properties and behaviour. Analysis and decision making based on these properties includes a mix of theoretical and empirical techniques, requiring significant engineering judgement. The experience gained and lessons learned by geotechnical practitioners in the early 1900s are as valuable today as they were at that time and this becomes the hypothesis upon which the Author has prepared this document. It is often that a problem encountered today, was encountered and very likely solved in the past and that its resolution at that time can be applied (at least in principle) to modern practice. Little in engineering happens by chance and many failures are the result of a poor decision based on poor information, an underestimation of natural forces and laws of physics, or perhaps, the overestimation of one’s experience and ability. Successes on the other hand are often a culmination of supplementing intuition with experienced based judgement. Once one understands and appreciates the importance of taking advantage of the past experience of others and using this experience as a guide forward, then improved judgement and capacity for professional practice will result.

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This study will furnish the reader with general and specific investment advice as taken from questionnaires sent to a group of men who specialize in giving investment and financial advice -- financial analysts.

During an audit, if an audit team does not have sufficient knowledge when auditing a complex issue they often call upon subject matter experts to provide advice. While these experts are the knowledge experts in their area, the quality of the advice depends upon their ability to fully understand and incorporate client specific facts. PCAOB inspection reports suggest that audit teams are neglecting to perform the required work to assess the quality of experts' recommendations. Additionally, the decision to use subject matter experts can be made during planning or when a complex issue surfaces during the audit. As such, auditors may or may not be a priori aware that an expert's use is planned before auditing a complex issue. In this dissertation, I examine how receiving advice of different levels of quality in terms of whether it incorporated all relevant client facts (lower or higher), and a priori awareness of the use of a subject matter expert (aware or unaware), can impact auditors' use of the advice and the resulting effort and judgment accuracy. I conducted a computerized experiment where professional auditors read a case study and made an initial judgment around a complex issue, received advice, and then made a final judgment. Based on advice-taking literature, I predict and find support that auditors who are a priori unaware of the use of a subject matter expert will employ lower effort in understanding the client facts and thus be less discerning and more accepting of the advice received. Being a priori unaware and receiving low quality advice can lead to lower judgment accuracy than receiving high quality advice with a priori unawareness. Auditors who are a priori aware are expected to, and found to employ greater effort, thus reducing the accuracy differences between receiving high and low quality advice. These findings can help improve the professions' understanding of auditors' advice taking behavior and the conditions under which expert advice is accepted without performing the required quality assessment. / Ph. D.

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The purpose of this essay is to provide detailed information and instruction on the fifteen orchestral excerpts for cello most requested at orchestral auditions. The chosen excerpts were selected by compiling a master list of orchestral excerpts from the audition lists of all the Symphony Orchestras in ICSOM, ordering the list by the frequency in which the excerpts appear on the lists. The essay prepares an applicant to perform these excerpts at an orchestral audition. In the audition, each excerpt demonstrates the applicant's ability in one main area so that upon completion of the audition process, the audition committee has a clear picture of all aspects of the applicants' playing. This essay describes each excerpt in terms of that main focus, as well as the technical and musical elements that must be considered as part of the preparation toward a polished performance.