Review Of Flannery O Connor s Rage Of Vision - 861 Words

Throughout Southern literature, the authors of Southern text use religion to convey emotion through grotesque-life changing events and concepts. An article titled â€Å"Flannery O’Connor’s Rage of Vision†, by Claire Katz discusses how O’Connor’s literature feature religion and Christianity to throughout the literature. The author states, â€Å"Since O’Connor had identified her theme as Christian, it is no surprise to find critics discussing this prototypical pattern in religious terms; the protagonist is humiliated in order to recognize his state of sin, and is thus open to grace and redemption.†(55) Therefore, this essay will examine and explain the abstract Christian components illustrated among multiple texts written by Flannery O’Connor and provide textual evidence to support the abstract findings from within the texts. The first point requiring examination is sin and how the text exhibits the concept of sin and how it effects the literature. The second point the essay will examine is the violence O’Connor uses to expose the main character’s sin in the literature and to change the character’s morals and personality through sadism. Lastly, the essay will examine salvation itself. In addition, how it is present throughout O’Connor’s literature. In â€Å"Good Country People† and â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find,† Flannery O’Connor continues to mention sin among the characters as she graphically mentions the grotesque, gruesome, and wicked nature of the characters in her literature. O’Connor

The Power Of Race By Kate Chopin - 1096 Words

The Power of Race The story, Desiree’s Baby by Kate Chopin takes places in the late 19th Century in Louisiana, where racial separation and inequality is very prevalent. The white landowners are often in a family whose name equates to high status. The African American’s are slaves to the landowners and are often whipped and beaten during their work. They hold no status and this is solely due to the fact of their race. In Kate Chopin’s Desiree’s Baby, it is evident that race and social identity is equated directly with character status in this time period, as shown through Armand’s changes in behavior when the baby is born, as well as Desiree’s fall of status with her new baby. Desiree was abandoned as a child but gains status when Monsieur Valmonde takes her from the pillar she was found sleeping at and takes her into the family. Chopin says, â€Å"For the girl grew up to be beautiful and gentle, affectionate and sincere— the idol of V almonde† (1). Her family is not the only ones to idolize the beautiful Desiree. Armand is struck but her beauty one day when passing by the same pillar eighteen years later and falls in loves. He falls in love â€Å"as if struck by a pistol shot† (1). This pillar symbolizes the two biggest transitions in Desiree’s life: her transition to the Valmonde family and her transition to life with Armand. Desiree and Armand marry and are blessed with a child. That is until the race of the child becomes a concern and Desiree’s obscure background comes intoShow MoreRelated Symbolism in Desirees Baby by Kate Chopin Essay944 Words   |  4 PagesSymbolism in Desirees Baby by Kate Chopin Desirees Baby is Kate Chopins most well-known short story and most anthologized piece of work. The story takes place in southern Louisiana and her writing reflects her Creole-French descent. Chopin begins the story with a descriptive quote, when she reached LAbri she shuddered at the first sight of it, as she always did. It was a sad looking place...Big solemn oaks grew close to it and their thick leaved, far-reaching branches shadowed it likeRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1540 Words   |  7 PagesIn Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, the main character, Mrs. Louise Mallard, is a woman with a heart problem that gets horrifying news that her husband has passed away in a train crash. When she starts thinking about her freedom, she gets excited; she is happy to start her new, free life. However, a few hours later her husband walks in the door and she finds out it was all a mistake. When she realizes her freedom is gone her heart stop and she then die s. In â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† Desiree is an orphanedRead MoreAn Analysis Of Kate Chopin s Desiree s Baby 1705 Words   |  7 PagesThe Outlook of Racism in the 19th Century Written prior to the Civil War and published in 1893, Kate Chopin’s work â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is a short story about miscegenation within a French family living in Louisiana in the late nineteenth century. Miscegenation is defined as the mixture of different racial groups, through marriage or cohabitation, between a white race and a member of another race. Chopin writes this piece of realistic fiction which exposes the issues of society that would not be facedRead MoreEssay about Feminism in The Awakening986 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel The Awakening, by Kate Chopin the critical approach feminism is a major aspect of the novel. According to dictionary.reference.com the word feminism means, â€Å"The doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.† The Awakening takes place during the late eighteen hundreds to early nineteen hundreds, in New Orleans. The novel is about Edna Pontellier and her family on a s ummer vacation. Edna, who is a wife and mother, is inferior to her husbandRead MoreAn Analysis Of Armand Aubigny s Desiree s Baby 1538 Words   |  7 PagesArmand Aubigny’s Pride in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† by Kate Chopin Through history, we have always yearned independence and equality as human beings. Undoubtedly, Kate Chopin is an extraordinary example She has landed a commendable place among American writers worthy of recognition. Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1850, Kate was raised by strong women who taught her the value of an education. Her family gave her a revolutionary vision and a feminist personality, but it was her talented and passionate skillsRead MoreAn Examination Of How Kate Chopin s Work1298 Words   |  6 PagesENGL 1102 – Comp/Lit Essay 2 (Mulry) Sellers, James R – 920022413 Due Date: April 20, 2015 An Examination of How Kate Chopin’s Works Taken Together Contribute to our Understanding of Her Time and the Place of Women in Society Looking at themes present in his short stories and novels, Kate Chopin presents examples of female strength and an assertive rebellion to the social norms during the late 1800s. By seeking to transparently and boldly portray the risquà © behavior of her lead characters, whichRead More Gender Roles in Chopins Desirees Baby and A Point at Issue1319 Words   |  6 Pageswomens struggle for equality and how they are looked upon as inferior. Kate Chopin exhibits her views about women in her stories. The relationship between men and women in Kate Chopins stories imply the attitudes that men and women portray. In many of Chopins works, the idea that womens actions are driven by the men in the story reveals that men are oppressive and dominant and women are vulnerable, gullable and sensitive. Chopin also shows that females, like Desiree and Eleanor, undergo a transformationRead MoreThe Awakening Historicism Analysis968 Words   |  4 PagesA New Historicism Analysis of The Awakening Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is a story written in the late 19th century about a woman named Edna becoming independent and finding herself in a time when women had little to no rights and people saw them as the property of their husband. This is a new historicism literary criticism, analyzing how what was going on in the time period influenced this novel. Racism, sexism, and feminism were all going on at this time and therefore influenced it greatly. DuringRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Desiree s Baby And Country Lovers By Nadine Gordimer1177 Words   |  5 Pagesliving in the United States because they are either black, natives or even women. In both short stories â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† by Kate Chopin and â€Å"Country Lovers† by Nadine Gordimer, the authors show us the awful consequences of institutional racism and sexism through the use of setting, characterization and simile. In the short story â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† and â€Å"Country Lovers†, Chopin and Gordimer communicate how racial issues are so common and accepted in their respective societies. Louisiana, one ofRead MoreBgfdbvfdgb1230 Words   |  5 PagesIn the short story, Desiree’s Baby, Kate Chopin there is a sense of karma and consequences that are used in the story wrote that. The story explores the problem of a man’s pride overcoming the love he has for his wife and race. In the short story, Desiree’s baby by Kate Chopin the character Armand Aubigny is racist, in denial and mean. In the story, Armand is a slave owner in Louisiana. In addition, the historical background puts race and heritage into the story as the key points to be seen and

Day of the Dead and Death Related Iconography free essay sample

Day of the Dead is a holiday that is very popular in Mexico. This day people make altars, offerings of flowers, and rituals. In the altar you usually find photos, food, cempasuchils flowers, bottles of tequila, mezcal, pulque or atole, and scarecrows. The most popular food is the bread of the dead and scarecrows candy. The children disquise of skeletons, devils, witches, Catrinas, mummies and little angels; to ask for their calaverita. Day of the Dead or all souls day is a day where the cementeries are full of much people. It is believed that the spirit of the dead visit their families on October 31 and leave on November 2. It might sound somewhat morbid, but the Mexicans react to death with mourning along with happiness and joy. They look at death with the same fear as any other culture, but there is a difference. They reflect their fear by mocking and living alongside death. We will write a custom essay sample on Day of the Dead and Death Related Iconography or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Living alongside death means that Mexicans have learned to accept it within their lives. Death is apparent in everyday life. It is in art and even in childrens toys. It is not respected as it is in other cultures. Children play funeral with toys that are made to represent coffins and undertakers. During the days of the dead, the family often takes the opportunity to visit the gravesite and pull weeds, clean any debris and decorate the graves of loved ones. Honouring dead loved ones and making peace with the eventuality of death by treating it familiarly, without fear and dread. The holiday is derived from the rituals of the pre-Hispanic people of Mexico. He intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed. Plans for the day are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. The meals are prepared for these picnics include tamales and pan de muerto (a special bread in the shape of a person). Many people believe that it is good luck to be the one who bites into the plastic toy skeleton hidden by the baker in each rounded loaf. Sweets are also included in the feast. These include, cookies, chocolate and sugar skulls. Friends and family members exchange gifts consisting of sugar skeletons or other items with a death related iconography. Often times, a gift is more prized if the skull or skeleton has ones own name written on it with icing. I had no idea what Dia de los Muertos was beforeparticipating in a class project that taught us about the Mexican holiday, which is observed Nov. 2 to honor dead loved ones. About most of the class was very interested in this topic which gave us a more of understanding about what the Hispanic people celebrate; however, this is only one celebration they celebrate but there are more.

Management System Helps the Organization in Multitude Activities

Question: How to Management System Helps the Organization in Multitude Activities? Answer: Introduction The organizational learning process is the system, which enables the knowledge of an organization to be retained and used in proper manner that enables the company to gain learns from the past experience that is gained. The current study focuses on various aspects of the knowledge and learning process of Toyota Company that has enabled them to one of the top automobile companies of the world. There are four principles of learning system that are used in the Toyota Company coupled with the work process. The managers of the company uses fine-tuning system to make sure that all the knowledge regarding the matter of operations are done successfully. The learning system also consists of different types of work experiment, which ensures that there is continuous forms of learning and also help to identify the areas that can be improved. The Toyota Company has initiated the platform for open discussion, which helps them to discuss the issues that are faced within the company. During the time of open discussion, it is possible for every people within the organization to make sure that they can raise the issues that are faced in the operations of the organization. It is also the duty of most of the managers of the organization to make sure that they arrange the session of open discussion, which also help them to improve the performance of the company. It is with the help of open discussion, which will also help the managers of a company, to better communicate with the workers. With the help of most of the consensus problem solving ability, it is possible to for the Toyota Company to raise the issues that are faced within the workplace. With the help of consensus solving ability, it is possible to arrange group discussions sessions, which help to deal with the issues that are faced by the Toyota Company (Dent and Whitehead 2013). It is also possible to get multiple solutions for issues, which increase the chance of the problem solving ability. The consensus problem solving ability also encourages the workers of the Toyota Company to take a part in the problem solving part of the company. It is important to ensure that both qualitative and quantitative forms of data are used in order to make use of the Knowledge System of the Toyota Company. With the help of qualitative data it is possible to get the statistics of the overall profit and loss of the Toyota Company. On the other hand, with the help of quantitative data, it is possible to evaluate the reason for the overall profit and loss of the company, which will help the company to realize the make plans for the future improvement. Proper collection of both quantitative and qualitative data is one of the main reasons for the improved Knowledge System of knowledge system. Validation of the data is an important part, which helps to ensure that the data that is collected about the Toyota Company is reliable and can be used as the purpose of reference. It is important to ensure that the data is collected from the reliable source and thereby it can be used for future reference. It is also important to ensure that the data that is collected can be used in the matters of accessing the position of the company. With the help of the approvals, it is possible for the Toyota Company to ensure that the data, which is collected, is of reliability and can be used for future reference. Without the proper approval from the management, it is possible to ensure that proper data are being used in the research work. The manager of the company also needs to ensure that they approve the valid and the reliable forms of data. It is the duty of the manager of the Toyota Company to ensure that they record and keep detailed notes of all the issues that are within the workplace of the organization. The problem recording system will also help the Toyota Company to make sure that they can help to deal with the issues that are raised faced by the company. The main purpose of the record system is to ensure that it is possible use data for future purpose. It is the duty of the managers to ensure that they extract the data from the proper sources that can help to deal with the issues that are faced by the company. The proper matter of data extraction can help to deal with the consequence of problem solving with the organization. All the project work within the workplace of Toyota needs to have proper use of the data that can help to deal with proper use of the Knowledge System. With proper Knowledge, it is possible to deal with the challenges in the workplace. This will increase the chance of the company to get success from the overall project work. One of the main reasons for the success of the Toyota Company is that they are able to make the proper use of the Knowledge System. It is never possible for the Toyota Company to make sure that they use the Knowledge System in proper manner. The application process of the Knowledge will help to ensure that the information within the Knowledge System of Toyota are utilized properly and that can be used by the company during the time of making project plan. With the help of the latest form of information storage system, it is possible to deal with the matter of knowledge storing system. The Toyota Company needs to store the data of knowledge system in proper manner, which will enable them to retrieve the data from database that is one the latest forms of information system technology. Revival of the information from the Knowledge system can help to deal with the issues of the Knowledge system. With the help of the of knowledge system it is possible to ensure that only the valid and the reliable information are stored within the database of the company. Toyota Company needs to apply the latest form of data storing technology to make sure that they data that is used within the Knowledge system can help to deal with the future issues that the company may face. Distribution of the Knowledge system and the relevant information will help the Toyota Company to raise the awareness about the information that is available to the company. It will also ensure that every stakeholders of the company is able to understand the importance of the project work that is undertaken. It is the important for the Knowledge system to ensure that all the relevant information is properly distributed among all the stakeholders of Toyota. The knowledge system can be a part of the standard procedure and practice that will help to ensure that all the relevant information are used in the operation management of Toyota. It is also with the help of the standard procedure that the Toyota Company can ensure that only valid information is used in the standard management practice. With the practice of the Knowledge system it is possible to encourage the workers to use the proper and reliable information for making plan of important projects of the company. The routine use of the knowledge system will ensure that the data within the latest forms of information technology can be used by the Toyota Company in the overall planning process. It is also possible to deal with the latest forms of technology that will help in the purpose of routine of the data system. It is the duty of the managers of Toyota Company to make sure that all the employees of the company have the ability to make use of the knowledge system is used properly. With routine use of the knowledge system, it is possible to ensure that the data are used in the proper manners and that can help to deal with the forms of information management. By facilitating the use of the knowledge system is one of the main parts that can be used by the company to make open discussions. Hence, it is possible for the employees of the company to express upon their opinion. It will also ensure that the information within the knowledge system is used in the proper manner and all the employees of the Toyota Company are well informed. The lack of awareness among the employees is regarded to be the main inhibitors to great use of the knowledge (Noruzy et al. 2013). The lack of coordination within the employees and managers of an organization is also regarded as the as a major inhibitors of knowledge. It is the duty of operational manager of Toyota to use the information system that can be done by holding regular meetings with the customers and also help the employees of the company to get proper information. The knowledge management system immensely helps to integrate as well as share the knowledge within any organization or other institution. This particular system is immensely focused on transforming the information into knowledge so that the organization can take benefit of it (Hislop 2013). The knowledge management system is used for enhancing the service quality, client satisfaction as well as staff performance. nowledge management system helps the organization in multitude activities, which are mentioned below Better and quicker decision making Better identification of relevant resources Reusing expertise, documents and ideas Avoidance of redundant effort Avoidance of repeating mistakes Communication of effective information Stimulation of innovation There are several major organizational areas where the knowledge system has failed to entry until today. The major reason for limiting knowledge system in these areas is the greater complexity and lack of relevance. It has been observed these areas are managerial support, security management etc (Borghoff and Pareschi 2013). The organization does not find any relevance of knowledge management in these areas, as the individuals are not aware of the entire information to develop effective knowledge. The knowledge system is a major tool for providing greater performance in several areas of organizational practice. The cost-benefit analysis, financial analysis, employee performance analysis as well as organizational effectiveness analysis are the most crucial areas, where the knowledge system could be most effective for the organization (Jones and Sallis 2013). There are multiple factors, which are highly influential in the context of defining success of the knowledge management system. In this context, these factors are mentioned below The managers need to broaden their level of support in implementing the knowledge system The technology must be integrated with the knowledge system. The initiation of technology itself is not the solution. The organization need to take any kind of decision regarding its business activities with the consent of associated stakeholders. The organization must initiate policy where the stakeholders would hold meeting. Every stakeholder would present the necessary information to the meeting. This meeting would be focused on providing opportunity to the stakeholders for brainstorming on the acquired information. The brainstorming process would create knowledge from the information, which thereby help to undertake necessary decision with the consent of every stakeholder. The undertaken decision would be then discussed with the top managers and executive officers to ensure that the decisions would be able to uphold the organizational values and goals. The decision would be implemented only after the top management of the organization provide approval. The personnel of the organizations must be aware of the intricacies of consensus planning so that they can implement this process in the ground level of the organization. In order to do that, they need to be trained in brainstorming process, data collection process as well as decision-making process. In order to implement the improvement plan the organization need to be focused on generating awareness within the organization. The employees are needed to know the process and the potential benefit of the improvement plan. The organization also needs to provide effective support and training so that the organization receives no resistance from the employees. Conclusion The well-developed learning process that is backed up by the efficient knowledge system has enabled the Toyota Company to be one of the most successful global brands. It is important for global brands to ensure that the organizational knowledge system is used properly that helps in the development of the overall organization and also improve upon the skills of the employees. Reference List: Hislop, D., 2013.Knowledge management in organizations: A critical introduction. Oxford University Press. Borghoff, U.M. and Pareschi, R. eds., 2013.Information technology for knowledge management. Springer Science Business Media. Jones, G. and Sallis, E., 2013.Knowledge management in education: Enhancing learning education. Routledge. Becerra-Fernandez, I. and Sabherwal, R., 2014.Knowledge management: Systems and processes. Routledge. Noruzy, A., Dalfard, V.M., Azhdari, B., Nazari-Shirkouhi, S. and Rezazadeh, A., 2013. Relations between transformational leadership, organizational learning, knowledge management, organizational innovation, and organizational performance: an empirical investigation of manufacturing firms.The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, pp.1-13. Dent, M. and Whitehead, S. eds., 2013.Managing professional identities: Knowledge, performativities and the'new'professional(Vol. 19). Routledge.

An Introduction to Poetry X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia Flashcard

An Introduction to Poetry: X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia

Anne Frank Research Paper Example

Anne Frank Research Paper Example Anne Frank Paper Anne Frank Paper Anne Franks Life Social Studies, Literature, Language Arts November 23, 2013 Introduction Born on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt, Germany, Annelies Marie Frank was a Holocaust victim and a famous diarist. Judging from her diary, she was a outgoing, spirited child that got in trouble frequently. Her father, Otto Frank, was a businessman while her mother, Edith, stayed home taking care of Anne and her older sister, Margot. Her sister, Margot, was three years older than her. Anne Franks family lived a tranquil life before the Nazis pervaded the land in World War II. After the Dutch surrendered to the Nazis, the Nazis demanded the Margot was to go to a work camp. The family then hid in the empty space of Otto Franks business company called the secret annex for two years in Amsterdam . 0n August 4, 1944, a German secret police officer accompanied by four Dutch Nazis stormed into the Secret Annex, arresting everyone that was hiding there. Anne Franks family was betrayed by an anonymous tip, still anonymous to this day. Anne and her sister was sent to a concentration camp, and died of typhus in the early springtime of March 1945. Anne Frank was only fifteen when she died, and Otto frank was the only survivor of his family. Anne Franks Diary On her thirteenth birthday, Anne Frank received a red diary as a present from her parents. A majority of her entries were addressed to an imaginary friend named Kitty. While her family spent two years hiding in the cramp and dark, Anne wrote her hopes and dreams onto the diary. Anne filled a notebook with quotes from her favorite authors, original stories and the beginnings of a novel about her time in the Secret Annex. After Anne and her sister passed away, Otto Frank, her father, read the diary that was kept safe by Miep Gies and made her diary into a book because it deeply inspired him. Her diary was the story of faith, hope, and love when all was in despair. It has now been translated to sixty-seven languages, and read by millions. Below is a quote that she has wrote in her diary. Its utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness; I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, ill destroy us too. I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more. Fun fact Through a 2009 effort by the Anne Frank Center USA, saplings from a chestnut tree that Anne Frank loved were planted at 11 sites nationwide. Anne and Margot called their father by his nickname Pim. You can visit the Franks hideaway, the Secret Annex, in Amsterdam today. One of

Generally Accepted Auditing Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Generally Accepted Auditing Standards - Essay Example the accumulation and evaluation of evidence regarding information to help determine and report on the degree of correspondence between information and established criteria (p. 4). Auditing requires that there must be verifiable information and certain standards by which the auditor can evaluate the information. The standards can vary depending on the nature of information. For instance, GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principle) is considered to be the criteria for auditing historical financial statements. Auditing requires evidence like written communication and oral testimony and auditors need to obtain sufficient quality of evidences. The final step in auditing is preparing the audit report (Arens, Elder and Beasley, 2006, p. 4). GAAS are auditing standards that suggest necessary qualifications and characteristics of auditors. The guidelines are 10 GAAP standards that have experienced minimal changes since these were first developed in 1947 (Arens, Elder and Beasley, 2006, p. 4). These GAAS standards remain the same through time and for all audits, even though auditing procedures may vary depending on the complexity of accounting systems. The 10 GAAS standards relate to the competence of auditor, his independence in both financial and managerial relations and the attitudes about professionalism (Louwers, Ramsay and Sinason, 2008. p. 39- 42). The GAAS elements also affect the standards at field that include detailed planning of the audit, risk assessment through internal control and collecting audit evidences. One of the major concerns of GAAS is regarding the standards in financial reporting and its contents. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, passed by George W Bush on July 2002, was intended to establish investor confidence by improving the quality of financial disclosures and audit reporting, to strengthen the independence of accounting firms and to increase the responsibilities of corporate officers (Hayes, Dassen and Schilder, 2005, p. 49). The

Kurdistan workers party Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Kurdistan workers party - Research Paper Example It is significant to note that the focal operation of the Kurdistan Worker Party is in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, and Turkey. Further, the PKK has strong financial support and huge propaganda operations in some European countries, and it mostly relies on violent and bloody crime for financing. The group started out in the beginning of the 1970’s in Ankara comprising mainly of students. By 19978, the PKK had begun establishing a strong base since it targeted people from the Kurdish group. Days later, the group was named the Kurdistan Workers Party. It believed in a Marxist-Leninism ideology and it frequently engaged in violent and bloody conflicts as a part of its political operation in Turkey. The PKK holds that it is its role and responsibility in changing the lives of the Kurdish race in Southern Turkey. Therefore, its focus is to represent their ambitions and thoughts. The Marxist-Leninism propels the group to launch irresponsible struggle against people it calls the bourge ois (Anil, 2010). The Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) has been linked to numerous attacks and bombings. For instance, PPK was accused of attacking and bombing of the Turkish embassy in Strasbourg. They collaborated with the ASALA (Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia), an Armenian radical group to launch the attack. In 1984, the organization took another structural formation. They changed into a paramilitary group. They used France as their base setting up training camps in different parts of France. All through to the late 1980’s, the organization became very dangerous as it continued to launch numerous terrorist activities. For instance, the extremist group attacked state institutions, military bases, and government agencies. Some of these were linked to the Anatolia project that was taking place in the Southern part of Turkey (Marcus, 2009). The organization further expanded their activities in multiple countries in the Middle East and Europe, especially France a nd Germany. This expansion made them to become less and less centralized and past containment. The radical grouped continued to inflict pain and suffering to the civilian through its attacks and bombings. For instance, the group is known to be responsible for the frequent attacks and bombings on civilian and military targets in countries such as Turkey, Iraq, Belgium, and France. In the mid 1990’s, Syria started from the radical group. This was because of a transformation of tactics in the PKK’s operations in that it had began using suicide attacks on innocent civilians. As an inevitable eventuality, it started losing the edge in its operations. Further, the group used women to launch these attacks something that Syria was not happy with. The groups’ founder Abdullah Ocalan, was captured in 1999 and was sentenced to death. However, this sentence was reduced to life imprisonment. Without its leader, the group somewhat lost direction and posed less security threat s to the people. This gave Turkish government initiative to bring down the group (Marcus, 2009). In 2004, the European Union named the group as a terrorist organization. The hit against the organization heightened later that year when the United States treasury froze resources of branches of the group claiming that it was propagating terrorism activities. The group retreated to the Iraqi mountains and formed base there, with

What Are The Problems Of Using Both Diesel Trains And Electric Trains, Essay

What Are The Problems Of Using Both Diesel Trains And Electric Trains, And Can These Problems Be Solved By Switching To Just One Or The Other - Essay Example But as, the world’s climate is changing, the technology regarding the trains is changing. Diesel fuel based trains are massively used in the world. On the electric trains have become the major sources of transportation (the Guardian, 2012). Some modals of electric trains are faster and consume a considerably low amount of energy as compared to the diesel as well as relative electric trains. In this paper, I will evaluate the problems of using both diesel trains and electric trains, and can these problems be solved by switching to just one or the other. Problems of Using diesel Trains As the diesel prices are raising, it became less feasible from economic point of view to utilize oil resources as the main source of energy. On the other hand, diesel fuel engines produce immense of green house emissions. The engine requires cooling, and thus the efficiency of a diesel fired engine is not more than 40% (the Guardian, 2012). The diesel power train engines require scheduled maintena nce. The maintenance cost remains to be high (Nearing, 2013). Problems with Electric Trains Consume a large amount of electricity energy. In case of electric failure, the train is unable to continue journey, as it requires constant supply. In case of thunder storm, the delicate electronics may no work properly. Sometimes, the hanging electric wires over the trains are considered to be less protective Comparison between Diesel and Electric Trains Electric trains are much efficient as compared to the diesel fired trains. On the other hand, the technological advancements in the electric trains made the electric power trains, the fastest trains. Electric trains convert electric energy to mechanical energy, the motors require less cooling as compared to the engines so less energy is wasted. At higher altitude diesel engines become less efficient due to the lack of oxygen but electric rains work properly in that situation. Electric trains are more environment friendly as compared to the d iesel trains. Electrical trains are equipped with backup systems in case if one motor fails, other motors support its weight. If electrical energy is from a renewable source, environmental impact of the transportation can be reduced. If electrical energy is generated from fossil fuel resources, electrical trains still generate 20-30% low green house emissions as compared to the diesel trains. Electrical trains are more economically feasible as compared to the diesel trains (Nearing, 2013). Solutions that can make diesel trains better In order to increase the efficient of the diesel trains, it is important to convert the heat energy from the exhaust to a useful form. One way of doing this, is to utilize the thermal energy recovery system. The heat recovery should be used to convert water into steam and then use steam to power the train. By doing this, the energy efficient can be increased to 80% or more. Instead of using the petroleum diesel, bio diesel can reduce the cost of the fue l and reduce the environmental impact of the diesel fired engines (Takeuchi, Goodman, & Sone, 2003). Solutions that can make electrical trains better The researches have researched much to make the electrical trains better and more secure but from general perspective, there is need to power the trains from more than one source, more than one sou

Construction Productivity Measurement Techniques

Construction Productivity Measurement Techniques The construction industry remains one of the few most labour intensive industries in the developed world. It is therefore imperative to understand the measure of construction labour productivity. Furthermore, recent institutional and industrial calls for an increase in productivity suggest a desperate need to get the measurement of productivity levels right. The research reported in this paper forms part of an ongoing Ph.D. study into the issue of construction labour productivity. An earlier study highlighted that less than 50% of the industry actually actively measure and monitor productivity levels, with a majority of those companies that claim to measure go about measuring on the basis of the intuition of key site management personnel. This may seem alarming, however, it was argued that productivity measurement techniques could be perceived as theoretical, arduous and expensive for construction companies to adopt. This paper reviews the methods of productivity measurement availabl e and describes two case studies conducted during this research, with a view of reporting the problems and issues faced when attempting to establish productivity levels at a project level. Lessons learnt are then drawn from the experience. INTRODUCTION The quest for productivity improvements in the UK construction industry has been an especially important agenda over the last decade (Latham, 1994; Egan, 1998). However, what is found baffling is the fact that the measure of productivity is often conflated with the measure of performance. One only needs to turn to the Construction Productivity Network (CPN) to seek an instance of such misapprehension. Indeed, the very name of the network is misleading since it deals with such far wider issues as risk management and knowledge management. Clearly, the network might be more suited to have adopted the term Construction Performance Network as compared to the use of the term productivity, which traditionally refers to the quantifiable ratio between inputs and outputs in physical terms. Indeed, the industrial Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) rightly recognise the clear distinction by acknowledging the measure of productivity as a subset of the wider measure of business performance. However, in the pursuit of convincing the industry to take on board improvement programmes and initiatives, recommendations have tended to represent simplistically improvements through headline measures such as reduction in construction time, defects, accidents etc., for instance, in the case of the Movement for Innovation (M4I) demonstration projects. Productivity, interestingly, was measured by the M4I by taking the median of the company value added in monetary terms per employee. This value added approach mirrors the value-added approach conventionally applied at the industrial (macroeconomic) level (see e.g. Jonsson, 1996). While it is understandable, from a marketing perspective, to report headline indicators per se, given the fact that embarking on any initiative undoubtedly needs corporate buy-in by senior managers, it is felt that capturing productivity measurements at the strategic level may be insufficient to guarantee that improvements actually occur at the operational level. Therefore, it is firmly believed that going back to the basics of measuring productivity at the project site level would be necessary in facilitating improvements. This is because the construction industry is largely project-based. Groà ¡k, for instance, issued a stern warning that there is an inherent failure to recognise that the site was the defining locus of production organisation (1994: 288) for construction. However, there lies a problem here. Apart from the formal measures propounded by such initiatives as the M4I stated above, many construction companies just do not have formal measures in place at the project level. For example, Chan and Kaka (2003), in a questionnaire survey to 400 UK contractors, found that of the 77 respondents, more than half of them do not monitor productivity levels at the project level. Furthermore, a third of those who claim to do so base their judgement of productivity on gut feeling and experience of dealing with contract schedules. Similar findings were noted in a large study commissioned by the Investors in People in the UK, which was aimed at examining productivity measurements inter alia across sectors including manufacturing, transport, service and construction. The Investors in People (2001) noted that while 22% of the respondents did not measure productivity levels at all, 36% and 22% of the respondents used formal and informal techniques to establish productivity levels respectively. Yet, past research have shown that the very process of formalising on-site productivity measurements itself delivers project improvements. For example, Winch and Carr (2001) notably identified a growing competitive spirit among the workforce as they progressed in their study investigating the benchmarking of on-site productivity, thus reinforcing an earlier comment made about the importance of measuring productivity levels at the project site level. Nonetheless, Chans and Kakas (2003) and the Investors in People (2001) reports beg the question as to why there is reluctance for formal productivity measurements, and which forms the premise of this paper. The chief aim of this paper is to explore the pertinent issues that would explain some of the reasons behind what we would call industrial inertia towards productivity measurement at the project level. In so doing, we would tackle it from both theoretical and practical perspectives. The next section briefly reviews the key textbook approaches to measuring on-site productivity and highlights the limitations in terms of reliability and relevance of these approaches that restrict industrial adoption. Thereafter, we will report on the relevant findings of two live projects observed as part of a wider study into understanding the concept of construction labour productivity, revealing some of the practical issues encountered when measuring on-site productivity. Conclusions are then draw n from both the review and the case studies that lead to the recommendations for future research that would hopefully encourage the industry to measure on-site productivity. PRODUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES Construction textbooks are awash with details of key productivity measurement techniques and it would be inappropriate to replicate the explanation of these techniques within the constraints of this paper. According to Noor (1998), productivity measurement techniques fall within a spectrum between two broad categories of observational methods, namely continuous observation (e.g. direct observation and work study) and intermittent observation (e.g. audio-visual methods, delay surveys and activity sampling). Noor recognised that while continuous observations such as direct observation and work study provide high levels of accuracy and detailed data for understanding productivity, these are often time-consuming, arduous and costly. Given the operational imperative of construction projects and the ever increasing time pressures exerted on project schedules, the cost of employing personnel to conduct such observations both in terms of the monetary cost of wages and the time value of observation that does not result in the physical growth of buildings (i.e. non value added) would deter companies from adopting such measurement techniques. Furthermore, the benefits of continuous observations are marred by the inexorable restriction of scope and thus, would make it difficult for large projects to pursue this approach. Where the use of technical equipment for audio-visual methods is concerned, Winch and Carr (2001) were especially cautious that the workers might feel that the surveillance was un necessarily intrusive. As such, they avoided the use of such methods to observe the workers and opted instead for direct observation where the researchers got to know the individual workers on a personal level. Therefore, while the absence of the workers uneasiness was achieved, the inability to observe the whole construction process became an evident trade-off. With respect to intermittent observations, Noor noted that these are prone to errors in determination since the data tends to be aggregated statistically through the observation of a representative sample. To add to this, Radosavljevic and Horner (2002) recently revisited formwork and masonry productivity data sets across eleven sites in the USA and the UK, only to confirm their suspicion that productivity is not normally distributed, thereby implying that some basic statistical diagnosticsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ may give misleading results and are not applicable (p. 3). Accordingly, this questions the dubious reliability of conventional productivity measurement techniques. Serendipitously, Radosavljevic and Horner made a brief comparison of the data with volatility studies in econometrics to reveal surprising similarity with Pareto distributions, which are typical of chaotic systems. They concluded therefore that using test statistics that rely on normality usually have been taken for grant ed, and consequently not much could have been done to achieve a better understanding of the ubiquitous complexity (p. 11) as they call for a paradigm shift to understand the complexities of construction labour productivity, possibly through chaos theory. However, it is felt that such complex methods of analysing productivity levels might further discourage companies to measure productivity since this would mean additional investment of statistical expertise. Another problem with many of the conventional productivity measurement techniques is the reductionistic approach in analysing work time (see e.g. Drewin, 1982). To put simply, much of the analysis of productivity data had been concerned with the binary relationship between productive (or value-adding) time and time loss. However, contenders such as Thomas et. al. (1990) challenged this underlying assumption the inverse relationship between productive and non-productive time, and that reducing time loss leads to productivity improvements as they claimed while these assumptions seem sensible and logical, they will be shown to be unsupportable for most construction operations (p. 712). In fact, a later study (Thomas, 1991) provided evidence that would cast doubts on the assumption of the binary relationship between productive and non-productive time, and hence on the productivity measurement techniques. A further limitation relates to the application of productivity measurement techniques in past research. A review of the literature revealed that measurement techniques were mainly concentrated, in past research, on a number of key construction operations: namely concrete works (Proverbs et. al., 1999; Winch and Carr, 2001), masonry projects (Thomas and Yiakoumis, 1987; Olomolaiye, 1990), structural steel (Thomas and Yiakoumis, 1987) and electrical works (Thomas, 2000). Evidently, with the exception of electrical works, much of the studies were concerned with the structural elements, i.e. elements that contribute to the structural frame of the building. This means there is an overwhelming lack of research aimed at studying such other aspects of the building process as architectural elements (e.g. plastering, internal fit-out, painting and decoration) or services installations (e.g. mechanical and sanitary installations). Indeed, the studies surrounding electrical works were related t o the effects of schedule acceleration, in part, due to the effects of productivity-related problems of the earlier structural phase of projects (see e.g. Noyce and Hanna, 1998; and Thomas, 2000). One of the possible reasons for this phenomenon is the lack of previous studies (unlike where areas such as bricklaying and concrete operations are concerned) or industrial productivity data for comparison. Notably, the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) in the US has been deeply keen in examining productivity issues ever since the late 1960s (Thomas et. al., 1990) and have been actively developing labour consumption curves (NECA, 1983) to inform the industry for possible applications on different project types (Thomas, 2000), offering perhaps an explanation as to why productivity on electrical projects are examined. Olomolaiye (1990) is one of the few who explains his decision to focus on bricklaying as he attributed his preference to the predominance of bricks as one of the main construction materials in the UK. He added a bulk of construction manpower still goes into bricklaying as it remains highly labour-intensive (p. 302). On the decision to focus on concrete operations, Winch and Carr (2001) cited Horners and Zakiehs (1996) claim that studies of estimating have shown that the largest items in the bill can be used to determine overall outputs very closely. Furthermore, they expounded that data on concrete deliveries by ready-mix trucks for any given period are easily obtained from site records, and because concrete is perishable, we can infer that deliveries on a day have been poured that day (p. 581). It is argued, however, that concentrating on the predominant or largest activity results in a reductionistic approach, which fails to take into account the entire construction process. Intere stingly, Kazaz and Ulubeyli (2004) in a recent study aimed at reconciling governmental statistics and real project data on productivity rates in Turkey elected to examine only 82 work items deemed to be used most in practice, thus affirming the researchers observation, although they acknowledged that these only constitute 6.11% of all possible work items. In this respect, conclusions made in past studies are limited in their scope in offering plausible recommendations for implementation for the improvement of construction labour productivity. The limitations of productivity measurement techniques discussed hitherto, to some extent, help to explain the low industrial uptake within construction. These encompass the issues of reliability and relevance of existing techniques that would inhibit the ability of companies to meaningfully analyse their project productivity so as to bring about improvements to the entire construction process. Furthermore, there are the investment constraints of time and expertise in implementing the existing productivity techniques. These emerging issues from the brief review explains some of the general difficulties claimed by the participants of the Investors in People (2001) study, particularly the difficulties in obtaining accurate information, the varied nature of individual job roles and the complex nature of productivity that is dependent on several intervening factors (p. 6). CASE STUDIES AND PRELIMINARY FINDINGS Having briefly discussed the theoretical issues surrounding existing productivity measurement techniques, this section now turns to the two projects, hereinafter known as projects A and B, observed during the course of the study. The purpose of the case studies is to explore the issues faced by practitioners when measuring project productivity. The two projects were selected because project participants had either attempted to measure productivity (project A) or claimed to have a formal method of measuring productivity in place (project B). Each case will begin with a brief synopsis of how the researchers got involved with the projects and an account of the observational process. This will then be followed by a succinct report of the key issues involved in the implementation of the productivity measurement techniques in the two projects. Project A: Multi-storey Car Park Background to project A Project A is the construction of a multi-storey car park for a Scottish airport. This was initially selected as a pilot study at the onset on the basis of convenience, access and geographic proximity as instructed in Yin (1994: 75). It is perhaps worthwhile, at this point, to provide an insight into how and why access was given to this project in the first place. A marketing flyer accompanied by a cover letter was sent to companies to seek collaboration and access to projects, people, data etc. at the start of the research. A positive response from the main contractor executing project A then resulted from this initial call for participation. The contractor was a fast growing company at that time that aimed both to penetrate the Scottish construction market and to succeed in gaining repeat business with British Airports Authority (B.A.A.). Because the company had not undertaken any on-site productivity measurement, they were therefore keen for the researchers to assist in the develop ment of on-site productivity measures. And so, access to the project was granted on a two-days-a-week basis and the project quantity surveyor of the company was involved with the researchers in developing the measurement technique. To overcome the problems discussed in the previous section regarding the isolation of construction activities in measuring productivity, a decision was made to measure productivity levels using the existing company worker timesheets. Timesheets were found to be extremely useful mainly because timesheets were used for the purpose of calculation of hourly wages and linking this to productivity measurement would probably show meaningfully the notion of a fair wage. Furthermore, measuring productivity on a daily basis was considered to be the most appropriate technique as corrective action could be taken as quickly as possible. For data collection purposes, foremen were instructed to complete time inputs and physical outputs for each worker under their charge within a set time sheet on a daily basis. Table 1 below shows a simplified example of a recording on the activity of pouring concrete by a gang of concrete labourers. Based on the data presented in table 1, a total of 66 man-hours w ere used to produce 232m3 of concrete, yielding a productivity rate of à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ » 3.5m3 of concrete per man-hour. Emerging issues A number of issues arose whilst attempting to measure on-site productivity levels for project A in this way. The desire for a speedy construction process meant that many proprietary systems, e.g. in the case of formwork, were used as part of the construction techniques. These were undertaken by specialist subcontractors (with whom access was not granted). What was observed was that the core labourers used by the main contractor were general operatives who were often mobile in terms of the task they did. So, for example, an operative could be involved in general housekeeping on day n, shifting what is known as tables (a proprietary form of the conventional birdcage scaffolding that is on wheels to support the formwork) on day n + 1, and putting stop ends along the perimeter of a plot prior to concreting to prevent the concrete from spilling over on day n +2 and so on. Perhaps the only stable groups of workers were those who were relatively more skilled, e.g. concretors and steelfixers , who tended to stick within the task of their trades. Even so, these workers moved to other projects in the vicinity when their tasks were not scheduled for project A. Therefore, while measuring productivity levels in this way appear to be more holistic and probably closer to reality than the methods highlighted in the previous section, the mammoth task of tracking workers posed an immense challenge. Moreover, although the data was collected at the gang level (through the foremen), the boundaries of the gang were found to be arbitrary because of the volatile movement of the workers. This resulted in high variability of the productivity data obtained, which supports Radosavljevics and Horners (2002) observations, but which implies that discerning the factors affecting productivity especially those related to the workforce issues was particularly problematic. Administering the measurement was also not without problems. To start with, foremen were not akin to filling out forms and throughout its implementation, the project quantity surveyor discovered that there was a need to constantly explain to the foremen the mechanisms of recording. Two reasons accounted for this. The first relates to the inevitable problem with determining output quantities given that construction operations are often associated with work-in-progress that can be difficult to ascertain. Rules of credit (see e.g. Thomas and Yiakoumis, 1987) may go some way to facilitate this process, although time and manpower is needed to maintain a database of such information for which the project quantity surveyor did not have. In fact, the project quantity surveyor resigned in the middle of the project and the measurement of productivity halted due to the absence of a willing successor. To exacerbate the problems of measurement, the project quantity surveyor had identified a compl ex list of more than 170 task descriptions, thus causing further confusion for the foremen in the recording process. This enormous list of task descriptions is believed to be due to the fact that many proprietary systems were used in the construction process. Still, as the predicted trend for the construction industry is towards greater outsourcing and use of innovative technology in the production of buildings (see e.g. CRISP, 2001), it would be sensible to take into account such complexities when measuring productivity. It is here that project B sheds some light. Project B: Headquarters of a Commercial Bank Background to project B Project B involves the construction of the headquarters of a commercial bank on a greenfield site just outside Edinburgh. Access was given to interview senior project managers and to conduct questionnaire surveys with the site operatives. During the interviews, the researchers were struck by the ability of the managers to report what they allege to be the precise number of man-hours expended on the project to date, a phenomenon that was non-existent in other projects observed during the study. Inquisitively, the researchers investigated how project participants captured this data through further probing during the interviews. According to the project managers, project B utilised what is known as The Last Planner system, a planning system that has gradually gained recognition and refinement since its inception in 1994. Much has been written about the system (see e.g. Ballard, 2000), although this is really related to planning and never intended to be used as a means of measuring on-site productivity. However, one of the KPIs resulting from this system, known as the Percent Plan Complete (PPC), was thought to be extremely valuable by the project participants for them to gain an informed view of the on-site productivity levels. Basically, the PPC refers to how much of the planned work on a weekly basis is actually completed. In a similar vein, this ostensibly is comparable to the earned value analysis used in project management (see Project Management Institute, 2000). Figure 1 above shows an extract from a weekly progress update, which enables project Bs participants to keep track of how productively the wo rk packages were performing to plan. To help improve the PPC, the progress meetings were used as a platform to understand what went wrong, i.e. what intervening events or factors resulted in a low PPC (e.g. weather, lack of materials etc.). Emerging issues While this paper is not aimed at analysing whether this system constitutes a credible means for measuring on-site productivity, it was felt that this system provided an effective way for managers to establish how progress was being made. Hence, this allowed project participants to get a feel of the productivity of the workers by complementing the measure of PPC with the number of man-hours expended. To show a simplistic example, using figure 1 above, let us assume that work package 1 utilises the same amount of man-hours throughout the project. Therefore, one can safely deduce that achieving 100% PPC in say week 13 and 76% PPC in week 14 would signify a dip in labour productivity. In other words, PPC can be viewed as an output in the productivity ratio and so alleviate the problems of complexities involved in construction operations and sub-contracted work packages experienced in project A above. Furthermore, such information should provide useful feedback to the workforce regarding their performance. Implementing this system for the project participants was also met with a number of challenges. For instance, the system is largely paper based and therefore archiving such information and managing it within a database would still require the deployment of manpower. Nonetheless, as compared with the attempts in project A, this is perceived to be relatively more straightforward. It would also be tempting to proclaim that running this system commenced from the first day of the project. In fact, the project managers had attempted to implement such a system on a previous project six years ago but faced immense resistance from the project workers as it was then thought to create a blame culture so that fault could be apportioned when things went wrong. Interestingly, another project observed, which involved the construction of an office block in central London and built by the same contractor running project B, had initially tried to adopt the system. However, it was abandoned as soon as it started on the same basis of resistance. Still, project B participants learnt from their previous experience from six years ago and thus, made a conscious effort to allay fears of a blame culture right from the very start of the project through constant reassurances given during early briefing sessions. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the paper raised the issue of the importance of, and lacklustre attitude of companies towards, measuring on-site productivity. Thereafter, a review of the limitations behind the key textbook approaches to measuring productivity was provided and these represent some of the problems, which contribute to the industrys reluctance to measuring productivity. We have then taken the reader on a journey through two projects observed and summarised here some of the practical issues faced in the implementation of an on-site productivity measurement system. These include the time and expertise needed in handling the complexities of productivity data and resistance from the workforce. In essence, the underlying theme throughout the experience is that a productivity measurement system has to be comprehensive enough to take into account the complexities of todays construction operations and ever increasing emphasis on sub-contract work packages as seen in project A; but simple enough to be effective as portrayed in The Last Planner system in project B. However, the reliability of using The Last Planner system to measure productivity was beyond the remit of this current study. Nonetheless, the experience of project participants in project B shows that it works in reality to help provide that informed view of on-site productivity levels needed to bring about improvements. Therefore, further work is required to establish the feasibility of using such a system in measuring productivity.

Canterbury Tales Essay - Anti-Feminist Rhetoric in The Wife Of Bath

Anti-Feminist Rhetoric in  The Wife Of Bath    In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath is a strong woman who loudly states her opinions about the antifeminist sentiments popular at the time. Chaucer, however, frequently discredits her arguments by making them unfounded and generally compromising her character. This brings into question Chaucer's political intent with the Wife of Bath. Is he supportive of her views, or is he making a mockery of woman who challenge the patriarchal society and its restriction and mistrust of women? The Wife's comedic character, frequent misquoting of authorities, marital infidelity, and her (as well as Chaucer's) own antifeminist sentiments weaken the argument that Chaucer supported of the Wife's opinions. Chaucer chooses to make a comedy of the Wife, putting into question the seriousness of her character. What opinion is the reader to make of a woman who rants about marriage and female domination when she is described as a clown prepared for battle in the General Prologue ? Her bright red stockings, bold scarlet face, shield-like hat and sharp spurs draw the picture of a silly, if not crazy, woman whose manner is larger than life. The Wife's comical 'larger than life' characteristics apply to her feminist beliefs as well. Equal coexistence is not enough; she says men "shall be bothe my dettour and my thral "-something likely unheard of when this piece was written. Much of what makes her comical is the plethora of sexual innuendoes dispersed throughout her dialogue. For instance, when she irrelevantly mentions in her tale the eager friars that have replaced the fairies of old: Wommen may go saufly up and down: In every bussh or under every tree, Ther is n... ... easily state Chaucer's support of the Wife's opinions, it is important to note the disabling of her arguments and credibility, as it brings into serious question Chaucer's intent with the Wife of Bath.    Footnotes: 458-60, 471-75 Wife's Prologue, 161 Wife's Tale, 884 Wife's Prologue, 585 M.H. Abrams, et al; ed., The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Sixth Edition, Volume I. W.W. Norton & Company, New York/London, 1993. Wife's Prologue, 149 Wife's Prologue, 186-9 463 Wife's Prologue, 4 General Prologue, 465-70 Wife's Prologue, 563 Wife's Prologue, 549-68 Wife's Prologue, 44-6 216-20 Wife's Prologue, 233-4 Wife's Prologue, 540-4 Works Cited: Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed Mack, Maynard et al. W. W. Norton and Co. New York, NY. 1992.

How Will Earning a Degree Change My Life

College- Is it worth it? In society today a college education isn’t an option, but rather a necessity. When thinking about college people usually think more about what they have to do to get through it when they should be thinking about what they want out of it and what they will gain from it. People often say that college isn’t worth the time and money, but getting a degree and brining the skills you gained to the real world will be very beneficial to you.Some people go to college for the title for being a college student for others it’s a way to leave home and become independent without completely losing the financial help of their parents. Most go because they have to, not because they want to. High school students are constantly being pressured not only by family members but also by guidance counselors to go to college because it’s the â€Å"right thing to do. † We all have an idea of what we want in life, but we end up doing the opposite and do ing what our â€Å"mentors† think is best for us, resulting in being miserable. The investment of time, money and energy is it really worth it?For some fields, a college degree is absolutely necessary. That doesn’t mean you will get a job right after graduation. Even if you do get a job, it is not usually what you have your degree in. College is a gamble most students will be in debt after graduating working any job just to pay those off. Some college graduates even end up back at home living with their parents due to the debt they are in. The competition for decent jobs is increasing. You can’t get a high paying job without at least a bachelor’s degree. Before jobs hired workers with only High school Diplomas but, now they require some college education.Every day the decision is being made to either construct a career or dropout. There are people out there who have never set foot in a college and are doing better than people with master’s degrees. But, those are the exceptions which are one out of a million even millions. So before you make this decision ask yourself; where do I see myself 5 or 10 years from today? Do I need higher education to where I want to be? The skills you gain while in college are skills you will need in the â€Å"real world. † Bills have to be paid, deadlines have to be met and you have to learn to manage time efficiently.It’s completely different from High school because not only are you dealing with school you’re also juggling your personal life and your financial state as well. College has its pros and cons like everything else in life. Your experience will be what you make. If you aren’t willing to put in your all into it, college isn’t for you. You may not get lucky and start your career right after graduating but with persistence and hard work in the long run a degree will help you get to where you want to go in life. Don’t think of as a waste of time a nd money think of it as exciting challenge that will help set up your future.

Dharma essays

Dharma essays Dharma is the world's most ancient culture and the religion of over one billion of the earth's inhabitants. It is often referred to as Hinduism, but more correctly know as the ancient vedic culture. The approximate meaning of Dharma is  ¡Natural Law. This term is not is open to alteration, just as the laws of gravity cannot be debated as it is an inherent law of nature regardless of whether one believes in the law of gravity or not, similarly the subtle laws of God transcend all worldly things. The Dharmic way of life has many facets. Dharma is a way of life that is deeply rooted in a sense of ethical concern. Among the many other virtues that Dharma seeks to instill in its followers is the principle of non-violence (ahimsa) towards all beings, and compassion for all life. This sense of love and compassion is directed toward animals and the Earth, as well as all of our fellow humans beings. As a result of these highly ethical standards, followers of Dharma are vegetarians and strongly pro-environment. The personal goal of every follower of Dharma is to live life in such a way that he or she harms none and benefits all whom he or she encounters. In addition, it is taught by Dharma that the spirit of service and selfless work for others (known as the principle of seva) bring one's consciousness closer to that of God. Consequently, it is quite common to witness Hindus engaging charitable activities. For the followers of Dharma, it is of paramount importance to study the anci ent Vedic scriptures (such as the famous Bhagavad Gita), temple worship (puja), ritual and personal purification (such as bathing in the ganges, the holy river). Yoga and Meditation are also essential aspects of Dharma- through these one can reach a higher state of consciousness. Being an Indian myself, I have been taught and experienced many of these teachings while growing up in Bombay. Most Indians are taught these principles when they are young so ...

Breif Biography of Elbridge Gerry

Breif Biography of Elbridge Gerry Free Online Research Papers Born on July 17, 1744 in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Elbridge Gerry was the third of twelve children. He grew up to study at Harvard to become a merchant and graduated in 1762. His father owned a ship-building business that Elbridge worked at. In 1786 he married Ann Thompson, the daughter of a wealthy New York merchant. She was 21 years his junior. Gerry opposed commerce taxes and was elected to the Massachusetts General Court on an anti-British campaign in May 1772. He was elected to the Massachusetts Legislature in 1773. In 1774 he was selected to attend the Provincial Congress. At the Continental Congress he did committee work on commercial and naval concerns. In 1798 he attended the Constitutional Convention, but he was opposed to the Federal Constitution. Though he had signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, Gerry was one of three to refuse to sign the Constitution. He represented Massachusetts in the first two Congresses as an Anti-Administration candidate, and after being elected into Congress, Gerry became a strong supporter of the new government and Alexander Hamilton’s reports on public credit. He also supported the Bank of the United States. In 1797 he was an envoy sent to France. After the other delegates of the envoy returned, Elbridge stayed in France, so he was accused of supporting the French. He served as governor of Massachusetts in 1780 and 1781. Gerry received a lot of criticism because he redistricted the state to the advantage of his own political party. In 1812 he was elected as Vice President under President Madison. On November 23, 1814, he died in Washington, D.C. Research Papers on Breif Biography of Elbridge GerryQuebec and CanadaAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Assess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeBringing Democracy to AfricaTwilight of the UAWNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationWhere Wild and West Meet19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug Use

About a memorable experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

About a memorable experience - Essay Example These make me overlook the negative side of life, with all the bad experiences it presents. They always remind me that the bad experiences never last, and it is always a matter of time before I smile again. Among all the good experiences I have had, there is only one, which will remain embedded in my mind forever. This is one bittersweet, but memorable experience that has in many ways, influenced my life, especially the way I perceive the world today and the things therein. It all started as a joke, and little did I know that this could culminate into a life-changing experience. On this warm summer afternoon, I asked my friends for their opinions about what we would do for my birthday, as the normal house parties had become monotonous, and I wanted a different experience. â€Å"How about this time round you be the one giving out gifts? Give gifts to people on your birthday!† one of my friends suggested. â€Å"That sounds great . . . but how?† I wondered. â€Å"The homeless!† another friend quickly suggested. The six of us agreed to make it our project, and we started counting down days. Each person would start keeping stuff, which we would take as our gifts. Each one of us would also save little money to buy food and other stuff. With only one and a half months remaining to my birthday, everyone was committed to playing their role. When it was only two weeks remaining, we identified the homeless people we would visit and set everyt hing in order. Finally, it was the eve of my birthday. I invited my friends to our house so we could set all the stuff in order in preparation for the next day. Both my friends’ parents and my parents were happy with our plan and offered us a little more money and stuff to add up. When morning came, we all were happy and anticipated for the unfolding of events in that day. My mum offered to drive us to the designated place. In an hour’s time, we arrived at our destination. We unpacked our luggage and went ahead to

The War Against The White American Man Research Paper

The War Against The White American Man - Research Paper Example Racism against white people is one of the critical areas of concern. The country has undergone tremendous changes for many years and there are prospects of continual growth in the coming years in regards to the strong economic backbone. Therefore, all people need to get it through there minds that there will always be people out there that do not have similar looks as they do, and do not have the same reasoning capacity the way they do, won't die the way they do, do not have dietary perspectives a theirs and would not raise there kids the way they do. This characterizes complexities of life. Everything on this planet has to come to terms with its surrounding. Thus people have to either learn to adapt or face the wrath of being rigid to change. Do know how dull life would be if everyone was the same color? If you are a believer in God or any other form of a supreme creator, then the decision to make everyone to look the same would not have been a problem (Strong, 2008). Existence of d ifferent races is just analogous to the difference in Everything that comprise our environment such as birds, plants, and natural features. Therefore, it is inconceivable for any reasonable being to escalate racism among the white American man since they society holds him as the instigator of racism. Just like it is easier for the minority to receive public recognition, the white American man requires similar recognition in order to curb racism propagated against the group (Wise, 2012). White men have been blamed by many nationalities for every ill thing that has been infused into the society (Flemming, 2003). Worse of it all, is that their own women are league with other races in blaming them. In regards to these racism actions, the white man has become an endangered human species because the world is embracing thugs, drug dealers and their form of life, while those things pioneered by the white boys or males is shunned away due to memories of the slavery (The Telegraph, 2011). As a white American husband to a black woman, I experience prejudice from the male black and other ethnic groups but not from my white counterparts. According to my own understanding, white people do not have any advantage against the Indian, Chinese, colored, or black community because we are human beings subject to feelings, need to belong to a family, love, feeling and much greater need to live life. There are several forms of bigotry in the society that has received much support due to the entertainment aspect associated with it. To begin with, my evaluation of the Japanese donning themselves with bushy wigs or beards, large fake nose embellished with speaking in loud, broken, and poor English is a direct demeaning activity to the white population. The white communities that take note of these practices are left in the dilemma whether to perceive it as offensive or as a form of amusement meant for entertainment purposes (Morgan, 2008). Nevertheless, the white person is not allowed to stereotypically dress like the Japanese people in yellowish skin, â€Å"slanted eyes,† geeky glasses, and buck teeth because the world would immediately recognize that as an unpleasant negative typecast. Similarly, the black community has received much recognition through their comedy routines where they openly say almost every thing they wish about the

Sandra Kendricks, Kickin It Apparel Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sandra Kendricks, Kickin It Apparel - Coursework Example Assume that she decides to pay herself a 15 percent commission instead of the monthly salary of $3,000. Recalculate her projected monthly income statement based on this scenario. 3. Sandra suspects that she might be underestimating the amount of time needed to manufacture a dress. Sandra estimates that, on average, each dress will require three hours of direct labor at a cost of $1 O/hour. Assume that in reality it takes five hours to manufacture a single dress. Recalculate the economics of one unit and projected monthly income statement based on this scenario. A way for Sandra to increase her profits is by increasing the sales price of her merchandise. Two additional ways to increase profits is by lowering the cost of materials and direct labor costs per unit. Sandra could pay the minimum salary of $7.25 an hour instead of $10.00 an hour for direct labor. Sandra and Kickin’ It are not the same entity. The company could make money, but this does not mean that Sandra is better off running the company than working elsewhere. If the sum of Sandra’s salary and the net profit of the business are less than what Sandra was making working full time Sandra is not better off as a manager of the business. Sandra could go back to work full-time and hire a manager that makes $1,500 a month instead of the $3,000 a month she allocated for her salary. This way Sandra would have a full time salary and the business would generated under the original scenario $4,320. The pricing strategy the Kickin’ It Apparel is using is a penetration strategy. The company just got its first order and the pricing strategy used was to set the sales price low in order to gain market share. The firm seeks to satisfy its first customer in order to gain penetration into the fashion industry. Once the first deal goes through the company expects to gain recurrent business from that strategy. Upon further researching the fashion industry my assessment is that the

How to Create a Smash Book Essay Example for Free

How to Create a Smash Book Essay How to create a smash book, not a scrapbook. A smash book is a place where you can place the little things in life’ ticket stubs, magazine clips, recipes, snapshots, love letters, design ideas, pictures, and notes to self. It is faster than scrap booking and is portable too. A smash book can be made from a ringed binder or a note book or you can buy a book from k and company at a craft store or online. They are personal on each page with picture design on each that makes it unique. Before creating your smash book, know the different styles of smash books. There are twelve: simple orange, cutesy, pretty pink, retro, and smart, couture, tasty, nostalgia, doodle red, mod, 360 folio, and eco green. The simple orange smash book pages are not like the others, there a lot more plain, and simple. You can do a lot more with the pages. You can chose your â€Å"theme† easier because of the graphic pages chosen for this book in particular. The Cutesy is as described, very cute looking pages. Each page is filled with cute simple little girly things. Such as flowers or pinks and innocent looking pictures. The pretty pink is very floral and girly almost like the cutesy but different in a way because it has a lot more flower prints in it. The retro blue is designed for a retro look. If you like typography you will love this one. If you can’t help to tap your foot to the beat you will love this one because that is what this smash book is all about. It has a sense of humor to it, and it is my personal favorite. The smart smash book is covered with school inspired images and graphics. In comes in a studious style. It is great for school related things. However, the couture smash book is fun, shiny and very fashion like, with lots of color. It is a lot of girl’s favorites. The Tasty smash book is covered with food inspired pages. Original illustrations and hand lettering design, you can make this in a snap. The nostalgia style is also filled with school filled original illustrations and hand lettering designs. However not as a clean slate of a look as the smart smash book. The Doodle red smash book is filled with an artsy enthusiasm. Mod smash book is a hip style. This smash book is covered with clean lines and patterns. The 360 folio is filled with pages for everyday of the year. Lastly, the Eco green smash book is filled with easy breezy graphics, and nature loving images. Nonetheless you can’t forget when you buy your book, you need to get things/accessories to decorate it. Next, you’ll need to have simple things to decorate your smash book, such as: decorative tape, chipboard pieces, letters, stickers, souvenirs, ribbon, sequins, pockets, envelopes, brads, scissors, glue, scrapbook paper, color pencils, and pens. None the less you will want to use 3d embellishments, alphabet stickers, glitter, stickers maybe by big ideas, paper studio, and k and company. Gemstone are great to use. Border punch, ink pad by color box, distressed ink, and stamp by stampabilities, and patterned paper. After you get the smash book accessories, decorate the cover- it is the best way to decorate the cover by putting your favorite saying on the front using chipboard pieces. You could put what your smash book â€Å"theme† is about if you have one. Or you can just decorate the front cover by doodling on it, if you desire just to do that instead. If you made your own smash book out of a three ring binder, add scrapbook paper to your book on every page. Make it creative. You don’t need to just have one color or design per page. Mix it up and use different sizes and different colors. Don’t worry about this if you bought your smash book though. Meanwhile, you will want to sort out all your stuff into desired categories. You might want to sort them out into categories such as: concerts, journals, notes, travel, friends, family, school, ideas, pictures, clips, whatever it may be, categorizing them will help you when smashing them in your book. Add photos to your page. Use decorative tape and then add your souvenirs. Pockets and envelopes are great for holding big things. Next you want to decorate the page. Don’t over decorate too much. Then it will look overwhelming. But if you under decorate it will look very boring. Very un-creative. Since smash products are the best thing when decorating your smash book; sometimes it’s all you need. Smash captions are ready to stick, all you have to do is write your caption in. Smash flag clips, clips to attach photos, notes and more. Smash pads allow you to voice your opinion or jot something down, then smash it in. Smash date stamp, is exactly what it says a date stamp but with sayings like â€Å"I’m a hot mess†, or â€Å"today is†, â€Å"I love this†! With the date next to it. Smash tape is tape with a design on it, so you can be creative. Smash tape can hold your photos in place or even a feather? Who knows? Next is smash pockets, which are great for holding the bigger things like brochures and things like that. Smash bands, hold your smash book together. And your pens even closer. Now take your desired category you want to smash, your glue and pen and smash it in. Use your date stamp and date it if you would like. Add a smash caption too, some smash tape to hold in a picture that is a memory you want to keep! Some stickers, and writings of your own even drawings will work too if your artistic. Remember, this smash book isn’t a scrapbook. It doesn’t have to be all clean and neat. It’s not just about the pictures. It about the thought, a jot a feather that’s caught, it’s the idea that matters! Everything you have been keeping in that junk drawer for years, let it come out. Have fun with it. Don’t let it hide, and smash it! . It is easy to take along, anywhere you go. It has to time limit. It doesn’t take hours. So smash away and have fun, just remember those steps . Just choose your smash book style, or create your own, have the simple things to create your own, get the smash accessories, sort out all your stuff into categories and then smash it in and decorate your page to your desire.

Captain Ahab Essay -- Literary Analysis, Moby Dick, Shakespeare

Captain Ahab sights Moby Dick from afar and continues his hot pursuit on the White Whale. For three days, a relentless chase occurs because of Ahab’s desire for revenge. The indomitable whale continually destroys boat after boat. During the latter days of the struggle, the whale finally attacks the Pequod, plunging the ship to the bottom pits of the ocean. Determined to reach his final goal, the captain makes a last ditch effort and launches his harpoon towards Moby Dick. Ironically, Ahab’s harpoon catches around his neck and strangles him to death. Obviously determined to avenge his leg, the Captain causes his own downfall through his own desire for retribution. In The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark, Shakespeare creates two characters, Hamlet and Laertes, who endure a series of events and unveil Shakespeare’s similar belief that revenge causes one to act blindly in anger. Through Shakespeare’s distinct language and diction, the characters’ mot ivational factors and personality traits, the write conveys his strong belief regarding the desire for vengeance. While the actual personality traits and each character’s motivations add more depth to Shakespeare’s overall belief, the language each character incorporates contributes more highly to the conviction – revenge causes one to act blindly in anger. By analyzing Hamlet’s use of language throughout the play, one can tell Hamlet is keen on avenging his father, but no heart or effort is put into the action. Speaking in disgust with himself, Hamlet says â€Å"That I, the son of a dear father murder'd, / Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, / Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words, â€Å" (2.2.584-586). Hamlet uses simile to compare himself to a coward and state that he has no... ...ooms Laertes as it did Hamlet, because it clouds his judgment. His rashness causes him to be easily played by Claudius. Regardless of the fact that Hamlet killed Polonius, Claudius never specified that it was an accident, which could have played a major role in Laertes’ decision to go along with the King’s plan. Hamlet and Laertes share much in common with Captain Ahab. All three characters share a similar passion and determination for achieving vengeance, which ultimately results in their own downfall. Plan after plan, harpoon after harpoon, only one goal resonates in their minds: to get revenge. Blinded by their desire for vengeance, all three characters act out of personality and cause harm to themselves and those around them. Thus, revealing Shakespeare’s strong notion that the desire for revenge causes one to act blindly, rather than with reason and logic.

Biofuel: Ethanol Alternative to Transportation Essay -- Politics Oil

Biofuel: Ethanol Alternative to Transportation For the past three decades Oil dominates the agenda of political discussion. With scares over price volatility, sizes of reserves, international imports and least of which are the environmental impacts due to carbon dioxide and other emissions. Various speculations and educated guesses place our total depletion of crude oil within the next 50 years and there is a general consensus between environmentalists that we steer toward a hydrogen transportation system given the projected work and nonexistent carbon dioxide emissions (Environmental Technologies class lecture, Santa Clara University). However many barriers stand in the way of attaining such a goal, most of which pertaining to the conservative nature of society. Society works in intermediary changes, a series of steps that blend rather than abandon one method of living for another. The option 22 states have chosen, is ethanol a combustive liquid fuel that could progressively move the United States toward a clean and su stainable environment and economy. Ethanol is an alcohol molecule consisting of two carbon molecules and six hydrogen molecules. Ethanol production in the United States results as a chemical byproduct from our most abundant food stock†¦ corn. Through four well known and commonly practiced chemical processes, Hydrolysis, Fermentation, Distillation and Dehydration. Hydrolysis is used to break down the corn into simple sugars which when added to yeast in the second processes of Fermentation produces ethanol and carbon dioxide (http://www.ott.doe.gov/biofuels/abc_biofuels.html). The final two processes of distillation and dehydration merely removes sediment and waters that result from production o... ...gy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. U.S. Department of Energy. http://www.eere.energy.gov/. 4/29/2004. 7)â€Å"Increasing America’s Use of Renewable and Alternative Energy.† U.S. Department of Energy. â€Å"Nature’s Power† Ch. 6 pp. 1-18. 8)National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition. Purchasing Guide for Flexible-Fuel Vehicles. www.E85Fuel.com. 9)Rezendes, Victor S. â€Å"Gasohol: Federal Agencies’ Use of Gasohol Limited by High Prices and Other Factors.† United States General Accounting Office. Gaithersburg, MD. December 1994. 10)Shapouri, Hosein; Duffield, James A.; Wang, Michael. â€Å"The Energy Balance of Corn Ethanol: An Update.† United States Printing Office. Washington, D.C. July 2002. 11)Shapouri, Hosein; Duffield, James A.; Wang, Michael. â€Å"USDA’s 1998 U.S. Ethanol Cost-of-Production Survey.† United States Printing Office. Washington D.C. January 2002.

What is “Small” Business?

In addition to how a business is organized legally, size is also a way to classifying businesses. A small business is generally defined as any independently owned business with fewer than 500 employees that is not dominant in its industry. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is responsible for issuing the specific criteria that render a business a small business. These criteria vary widely by industry. As recently as 2010, in an effort to make more businesses eligible for SBA loan assistance programs and to encourage economic growth and job creation, the SBA issued sweeping changes to the rules governing small businesses.For example, a car dealership is defined as a small business if it has 200 or fewer employees, whereas many manufacturing operations and other businesses can have up to 500 employees and still be considered small. Most experts use 500 or fewer employees as a general rule for defining small businesses. The definition of a small business is not limited to the numbe r of employees, however. The designation as a small business may be imposed based on overall annual sales. For example, hotels, which operate within the service industry, can earn $30 million annually and still be considered small businesses.Other services, such as industrial launderers, can earn $35. 5 million and still be considered small businesses. For example, a car dealership is defined as a small business if it has 200 or fewer employees, whereas many manufacturing operations and other businesses can have up to 500 employees and still be considered small. Most experts use 500 or fewer employees as a general rule for defining small businesses. The definition of a small business is not limited to the number of employees, however. The designation as a small business may be imposed based on overall annual sales.For example, hotels, which operate within the service industry, can earn $30 million annually and still be considered small businesses. Other services, such as industrial launderers, can earn $35. 5 million and still be considered small businesses. Why Is Small Business Important in the U. S. Economy? According to the SBA, small businesses are of critical importance to the U. S. economy in a number of ways, including the following:†¢Small businesses make up nearly 99. 7 percent of all employers in the United States.†¢Outside of farming, small businesses create more than 50 percent of the U. S. gross domestic product and employ more than 50 percent of U. S. private sector workers. †¢Small businesses tend to be highly innovative, thus accounting for nearly 14 times more patents than large corporations that produce patents. In other words, some of the greatest innovations have been started by small businesses. Consider that modern advances, such as the automatic transmission, FM radios, insulin, and penicillin all began with small businesses.†¢Small businesses tend to be spread out throughout the United States, bringing employment, p roducts, and services to nearly every community in the country. In other words, small businesses are not confined to large cities but also serve small towns and rural communities. †¢Small businesses account for nearly 97 percent of U. S. exports and provide 31 percent of the value of those exports. †¢Small businesses are often owned and operated by women and minorities, which has opened the door for many minority groups to participate and invest in the U. S. economy.Minorities and women own more than 4 million and nearly 6. 5 million small businesses, respectively. †¢Small businesses create more than 65 percent of all new jobs in the United States. Despite these tremendous advantages, there are also disadvantages to small business. These businesses, especially new ones, face the risk of failure due to capital limitations. In many cases, small businesses have limited scope and do not necessarily grow into large corporations. Similarly, their owners may achieve limited personal success and wealth and often do not have access to an endless source of capital.Like larger businesses, small businesses can be organized in a variety of ways. In choosing a business form, it is important to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the available forms. Limited Partnerships The limited partnership alters the structure of the general partnership by introducing a new class of partner, the limited partner. General partners manage and operate the limited partnership and are subject to unlimited personal liability for partnership obligations.Limited partners enjoy limited liability for partnership obligations but have no right to exert meaningful control over day-to-day operations of the business. Formation of a limited partnership requires the filing of a Certificate of Limited Partnership. While a limited partnership may be formed without a written limited partnership agreement,absence of a written agreement may support the inference that the partnership is, i n fact, a general partnership. Thus, imposing unlimited liability upon all partners. Limited Liability PartnershipsIn a general partnership, each partner incurs unlimited liability for partnership obligations. In multi-state partnerships with thousands of partners, there is a significant chance that partners might face financial ruin due to the conduct of a single partner with whom they have never worked and never met. The Limited Liability Partnership, or LLP, sometimes known as a Registered Limited Liability Partnership, or RLLP, was designed to rectify this problem. Although Limited Liability Partnerships are managed like general partnerships, there are different rules governing the liability of partners.Generally, limited liability partners incur unlimited liability for partnership contracts and debts and limited liability for torts committed by another partner. Most states recognizing the LLP require the partnership to maintain a specified amount of liability insurance to compe nsate victims of torts committed by a partner. Formation of an LLP requires the filing of an application or registration. While a written limited liability partnership agreement is not required by law, it is strongly suggested. Limited Liability CompaniesThe Limited Liability Company, or LLC, is perhaps the most advantageous form for most small businesses and for many larger businesses as well. The LLC combines the limited liability of a corporation with the flexible and informal management of a partnership. Federal law allows LLCs the option of taxation as a partnership or as a corporation. Depending upon state law, an LLC may exist in perpetuity, as do most corporations. A document, typically referred to as Articles of Organization, is filed to create a Limited Liability Company.A written operating agreement may be required depending on state law; where a written operating agreement is not required, statutes will generally establish the rights of members and the method by which th e LLC is to be operated and managed. The SBA offers various incentives and programs to help these small businesses thrive, including the following: †¢Financial assistance in the form of grants and low-interest loans help small ventures stay in business and expand—in fact, the SBA helps coordinate lenders and borrowers in an effort to facilitate the financing needs of small businesses.†¢The SBA disseminates information about national and international contract opportunities within and outside of the government and encourages small businesses to apply for these contracts. †¢Assistance is offered to those starting, planning, and growing small businesses, as are general legal information and compliance reports to owners, including specific counsel to small businesses owned by women and accounting and taxation training to help various types of small businesses succeed.†¢Small businesses and entrepreneurial ventures are vital to every industry sector in the U.S. and global economy. Small businesses tend to be more responsive to changing conditions than larger, less-flexible, organizations. They also create the most new jobs and products in today’s economy. More than 65 percent of all new jobs in the U. S. are created by small businesses. Developing and exploiting a sustainable competitive advantage is an important task for small businesses and entrepreneurial ventures, just like larger organizations. †¢Nearly 40 percent of all small businesses exist within the service industry, accounting for more than 2 million firms.Medical practices, accounting firms, engineering and legal offices, nursing and rehabilitation facilities, and other practices are most largely representative of small businesses in the United States. The second largest small business representation is retail which includes grocery stores, pharmacies, bookstores, jewelers, clothing stores, and more. of ways by facilitating lending, offering training, and so on. Th e SBA is responsible for classifying businesses by their size and their income. Small BusinessA business that is independently owned and operated for profit and is not dominant in its industry.Small businesses and entrepreneurial ventures are vital to every industry sector in the U. S. and global economy. Small businesses tend to be more responsive to changing conditions than larger, less-flexible, organizations. They also create the most new jobs and products in today’s economy. More than 65 percent of all new jobs in the U. S. are created by small businesses. Developing and exploiting a sustainable competitive advantage is an important task for small businesses and entrepreneurial ventures, just like larger organizations.Nearly 40 percent of all small businesses exist within the service industry,  accounting for more than 2 million firms. Medical practices, accounting firms, engineering and legal offices, nursing and rehabilitation facilities, and other practices are most largely representative of small businesses in the United States. The second largest small business representation is retail which includes grocery stores, pharmacies, bookstores, jewelers, clothing stores, and more. Small businesses and entrepreneurial ventures are vital to every industry sector in the U. S. and global economy. Small businesses tend to be more responsive to changing conditions than larger, less-flexible, organizations.They also create the most new jobs and products in today’s economy. More than 65 percent of all new jobs in the U. S. are created by small businesses. Developing and exploiting a sustainable competitive advantage is an important task for small businesses and entrepreneurial ventures, just like larger organizations. Nearly 40 percent of all small businesses exist within the service industry, accounting for more than 2 million firms. Medical practices, accounting firms, engineering and legal offices, nursing and rehabilitation facilities, and oth er practices are most largely representative of small businesses in the United States.The second largest small business representation is retail which includes grocery stores, pharmacies, bookstores, jewelers, clothing stores, and more. Small Business Administration (SBA)Helps small businesses in the United States in a variety of ways by facilitating lending, offering training, and so on. The SBA is responsible for classifying businesses by their size and their income. Small BusinessA business that is independently owned and operated for profit and is not dominant in its industry.