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1. Spoila and Its Import in the World of Arts

   Spoila, a Latin word for spoils, refer to repurposed construction stones for new ones, or decorative sculpture or cut stones from older buildings reused in new constructions or monuments (Borg, 2018). The use of spoila was commonplace during the medieval and ancient times since recycling was less costly than quarrying new stones (Kalakoski & Huuhka, 2018). This paper, therefore, discusses and examines spoila as applied in arts, using examples and discussing how the examples have been of significance to arts.

   Spoila, as Holtorf (2015) notes, are pieces of structures that are transplanted into different contexts and structures. There are two main reasons that have been cited to explain the occurrence of spoila and these have been seen to significantly influence the world of art. First, as people construct some new things, they require materials. If there are abandoned, unused, or undesirable older fragments or structures around, these fragments make for great quarries, offering constructors good lintels, thresholds, pre-cut slabs and so on (Kalakoski & Huuhka, 2018).  Such spoila, therefore, save builders the cost implications associated with cutting, sourcing, and transporting new construction materials (Taylor, 2015). A good example of this is seen in defensive walls that are usually thrown up somewhat faster during stress moments and often using whatever materials that would available conveniently during that moment in time. Also, it applies to other constructions of all kinds wherein people used pre-existent cut stones that were fairly better compared to what they could produce and, thus, made an exceedingly desirable contribution to their highly priced creations (Holtorf, 2015). The case of the massive ancient Miletus (Miletos) theater in Ionian Turkey is a great example of this. Originally, Miletus theater was a Hellenistic Greek theater that was cut into a slope and later expanded during the Roman years (Kinney, 2016). It is currently surmounted by some striking Byzantine fortification, with Roman theater’s seats’ top tiers vividly incorporated into the walls, owing to the fact that at some point in time, the Miletus inhabitants considered defence as of a greater priority than theater (Taylor, 2015). See figure 1 below.

   Fig. 1 (Kinney, 2016)

   Secondly, the visible and deliberate use of striking carvings in later constructions has also been seen as a significance of spoila to the world of arts. The underlying reason behind this is that materials can be recycled for aesthetic reasons, largely and simply because they look impressive or nice, for ideological reasons, to boost or aggrandize the new construction, denigrate the former ones to convey a different meaning from one construction to another, and even give a different interpretation of the material during that process (Holtorf, 2015). A good example of this practice is seen in the Athens’ “Little Metropolis,” a 12^th century Byzantine church, which was at first sight relatively conventional but constructed almost wholly of recycled/reused slabs from former buildings, some of them pagan and others Early Christian (Kinney, 2016). Its use of older materials was deliberate and careful and has consciously created an entirely new ensemble that cuts across time, “Christianizing” some Graeco-Roman materials at the same time subjugating and showing off the city’s long history (Borg, 2018). Another building that falls into this listing is the Castle of Knights at Bodrum (Turkey). See figures 2 and 3 below.

   Fig. 2 (Kinney, 2016)

   Fig. 3 (Borg, 2018)

   The construction of the Castle of Knights was informed by a desire to construct something that would be striking to people using former materials but would last longer (Kalakoski & Huuhka, 2018). The same has served as a reflection of human creativity and the effort of its constructors resounded throughout the ages.  

   In conclusion, it is admissible that writers, poets, artists, musicians, or even scholars construct their creations upon the works that were done before them, usually employing and reusing their source materials. In practical sense, spoila did something of that sort. They are to us tangible, thought-provoking, and instructive features of ancient sites, a hands-on display of the palimpsest that is human olden times.

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Assessing Risk and Reward

The Nissan Motor Company is one of the leading automobile makers in the world. The Japanese carmaker has primarily enjoyed a successful run, allowing it to enter various regional and international markets such as the United States. However, the changing business environment was not favorable to the company in 2019. Notably, the cooperation recorded losses amounting to 7.8%. The experience pushed the management into making tough decisions, requiring almost all of its North American workforce to go for unpaid leaves.

In late 2019, the company announced that the decline in sales necessitated a two-day unpaid leave for the North American workers. The stated days for the vacation were January 2 and 3^rd    (Chicago Tribune, 2019).  Notably, this move was a crucial decision for the company because of its conflicting impacts. Whereas on the positive side, it could help the firm minimize expenses, it threatened to affect the public perception of the company regarding employee welfare.

The rewards for the decision involved cutting expenses by not paying the workers on leave, which eventually would translate into reduced expenses. Another reward was that the decision could allow the company to optimize performance by evaluating employee performances then developing new milestones. However, on the low side, the company risked affecting its public image and brand name, especially in the North American market. As per Chakravorti (2010), the way an organization treats its employees influences the firm’s public perception. Thus, Nissan risked eliciting a negative public perception. With a distorted public image, the company could fail to revive its declining sales.

I would have advised the management of Nissan to utilize the Predictive Analytic perspective in determining the right decision to take. Ideally, the approach tries to predict what might happen in the future if particular decisions or actions are undertaken at the moment (Traymbak & Aggarwal, 2019). Looking at the situation at Nissan, the company needed to develop a goal such as increasing sales. After that, they would have made decisions aimed at realizing the set goal. In this regard, the predicted outcome could give the management an overview of whether more risks existed or significant rewards could be realized.

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