Krohn et al. (2011). The Cascading Effects of Adolescent Gang Research Paper

Krohn et al. (2011). The Cascading Effects of Adolescent Gang Incolvement across the Life Course - Research Paper Example What is specifically meant by adult life chances is a satisfactory family life and economic well-being at the age ranging from late 20s to early 30s. And what is meant by adult criminal behavior is persistent criminal behavior at the age of 31. What concept represents the independent variable(s) in this article and what is the conceptual definition of this concept discussed by the authors? The independent variable in this study is gang involvement in adolescence. Gang involvement is defined as a self report of being a member of any street gang or â€Å"posse† between the age of 14 to 31 and the level of gang involvement is measured in terms of the number of waves in which a particular individual was involved with a gang between the age of 14 to 31. What concept represents the dependent variable(s) in this article and what is the conceptual definition of this concept discussed by the authors? The dependent variables in this study are precocious transitions, economic hardship, f amily problems, street crime and arrest. The concept of precocious transitions is defined as to include any, some, or all of the behaviors- early nest leaving (no longer resides with parents by wave 9), dropping out from high school prior to graduation (not graduated by wave 10), cohabitation (not married yet living with a partner when the individual is between 20 and 22 years of age) and teenage parenthood (had a child before the age of 20). Economic hardship is defined as to include unemployment (at 29 years of age) and income pattern (at 29 years of age). The concept of family problems is defined as to include scores corresponding to arguing, lose tempers, and physical fights at wave 13. The concept of street crime relates to the individual scores corresponding to being involved at the age of 31, in any of the 13 different street crimes listed. The concept of arrest is defined as self-reported arrest during 13th or 14th wave. What are the null and research hypotheses related to t his research question? The null hypothesis for this study is that there is no relationship between gang involvement in adolescence and life chances and criminal behavior in adulthood. The research hypothesis is that it is involvement in a gang that impacts an individual male’s life chances and eventually leads to criminal behavior as he matures into adulthood. Sample, Research Design and Data Collection Describe the sample (who or what was used and how they were selected) used in this study. The sample used in this study was the data from Rochester Youth Development Study which was a multi-wave panel study on how delinquency and drug use developed among the youth. This (RYDS) study had collected 14 waves of data from 1000 adolescents as they grew from 14 to 31 years of age and the study by Krohn et al (2011) has used the same data by way of a longitudinal analysis of data gathered from males alone which was not done by the original study. What type of research design did the authors use in this study and how was it structured? The research design was based on the structural equation model that allows to have an approximate measurement of cause-effect relationships, all the same leaving enough space for taking into account the estimation error. The design was structured so as to measure both the observed and latent variables. The two-step process involved

JetBlue Airways Corporation Essay Example for Free

JetBlue Airways Corporation Essay JetBlue Airways Corporation was formed in August 1998 as a low-fare, low-cost but high service passenger airline serving select United States market. JetBlues operations strategy was designed to achieve a low cost, whilst offering customers a pleasing and differentiated flying experience. JetBlue has had a successful business model and strong financial results during that period, and performed well in comparison to other airline companies in the US during the period between 2000 and 2003. It had been the only other airline apart from Southwest airlines, to have been profitable during the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on World Trade Center, and at a time when the entire airline industry was experiencing losses. The core of JetBlues strategy was low operating cost achieved through a smaller and more productive workforce; utilizing aircraft efficiently; better use of technology to achieve lower distribution cost i.e. use of electronic ticket as against paper ticket; use of brand new single model planes that reduced maintenance costs and training costs at the same time. However, moving into the growth phase, JetBlue was contemplating expansion with the introduction of a new model of planes, i.e. Embraer E190, that are smaller than the A320s that they were using. These planes were to be utilized for penetrating mid-size cities and also during off-peak times on existing routes. The company defined these markets as destination with 100 to 600 local passengers per day each way, compared to the much larger markets that the company was serving with its A320s. This had potential implications for its low-cost strategy. Jetblues expansion required investments in areas other than just new aircraft. Owen needed to decide how to raise additional capital to fund the  companys growth. Investment bankers had presented two financing proposals; a new public equity offering and a private placement of convertible debentures. Own needed to decide which proposal, if any, to recommend to the board. QUESTION 1 PART A In early 2003, JetBlue continue to see opportunity to grow by adding both new market and new flight to existing destination. One of such new market where the company believed there was attractive opportunity was the mid-sized market segment which comprised of destinations with 100 600 local passengers per day each way. To accommodate this growth, the company is seeking to purchase 65 new Airbus A320, with an option to buy additional 50 new aircraft, and also committed to purchase 100 Embraer E190 aircraft, with the option to purchase 100 additional ones. Jetblue had embarked on a $6.8 billion plane acquisition program that would increase its aircraft fleet from 45 to 252, including existing aircraft purchase commitment. The company needs thus to think about a way to finance those acquisitions, as well as other needed investments such as spare parts, new engines, additional hangars and a flight training centre JOHN OWEN THE CFO OF JETBLUE IS TRYING TO DECIDE WHICH OF TWO FINANCING PROPOSALS (NEW PUBLIC EQUITY OFFERING AND A PRIVATE PLACEMENT OF CONVERTIBLE DEBENTURE) TO PURSUE. A straight equity issue will dilute his principal shareholders ownership, but favored a conservative capital structure that would help to ensure JetBlues financial flexibility, access to capital and a favorable lending rate. On the other hand, a convertible debt alternative seems less dilutive, and cheaper, but brings with it an increased risk of default and financial problems. PART B The financing decision taken by the CFO is important because of the positive impact it is expected to have on the current and future performance of the JetBlue. The considerations as regards impact of the financing decision are discussed; IMPACT ON CURRENT PERFORMANCE OF THE COMPANY It is expected that the new capital would ease Jetblues ability to finance its short term obligations as JetBlue does not have a line of credit, or short-term borrowing facility. Therefore, the company depends on its operating cash flow to finance its short-term obligations The new capital will be required to finance working capital requirement of Jetblue, Working capital is the short term resources that are used to manage the business on a daily basis. This is otherwise referred to as current asset. The financing decision which is aimed at securing the purchase of the new 100-seat Embraer E190 aircraft would allow JetBlue to enter smaller markets while maintaining low operating costs, and increase flight frequency on existing routes. The low fares offered by JetBlue would allow it to attract new passengers who might otherwise not fly. Earnings from this market segment is expected to contribute to the profitability and positive financial performance of the company IMPACT ON FUTURE PERFORMANCE OF THE COMPANY The additional capital is expected to strengthen the companys balance sheet at a time when JetBlue will be shouldering a significant amount of debt related to new aircraft deliveries. The decision on financing method would result in a strong capital structure for Jetblue which would ensure that the company would continue to grow while avoiding financial problems. The new cash inflow which is directed at ensuring JetBlue achieves its expansion activities. It is expected that the company will be in a position to purchase larger volumes of jet fuel and would thus have more leverage in procuring fuel than today. The company will thus suffer relatively less from fuel shortages and the negative impact a rise in fuel has an operating income QUESTION 2 PART A John Owen the CFO of JetBlue generally favored a conservative capital structure. A conservative funding strategy is when a firm finances both its seasonal and permanent requirement with long term debt. The criteria which John Owen used to evaluate his decision on the appropriate capital structure and mode of financing to support the expansion drive of the business are; FINANCIAL FLEXIBILITY: This refers to the firms ability to take advantage of unforeseen opportunities or their ability to deal with expected events depending on the firms financial policies and financial structure. A firm with a high debt obligation and weak solvency and liquidity is not financially flexible. FAVORABLE LENDING RATE: The lending rate to a business varies directly with the risk associated with any given financial structure which can be accessed by leverage analysis. It is expected that a higher leverage (as a result of accepting debt offering) tends to amplify a firms predictable business swings i.e. associated risk. This inclines to increase lending rate to the firm and ultimately result in an unfavorable lending rate. CONTROL: The financing scheme of a company can imply changes in control constrains on the firm, this can be indicated by percentage distribution of share ownership and structure of debt covenant. There is a high chance that the board of directors will not favor the equity offering as they were  sensitive about the dilution (i.e. control dilution) that an equity offering would cause to existing shareholders. INCOME: This compares financing tactics on the basis of their effect on value creation and distribution i.e. the impact on Earnings per share (EPS) and Return on equity (ROE). The debt option limited the ability of Jetblue to manage one of the airlines principal risk; rising fuel prices. As discussed above, the debt offering afforded Jetblue less financial flexibility. If fuel prices rose unexpectedly, operating income will decline thus hurting JetBlues ability to meet the additional debt service payments. PART B Other criteria John Owen could use to evaluate his decision on the appropriate capital structure and mode of financing are; Timing: This considers whether the current capital market environment is the right time to implement any alternative financial structure and what the implication for future financing will be if the proposed structure is adopted. Financial market condition often favour one or another kind of financing. Others: This is the consideration of the impact of the alternative financing choice on other issues and vice versa. An example is the ability to use collateral to reduce the costs and risk of debt financing and the effect of various financing tactics on the liquidity of investment. REASONS WHY JOHN OWEN SHOULD PROPOSE THE EQUITY FINANCING OPTION From the above analysis, it can be deduced that using equity financing option minimizes the companys weighted average cost of capital, thus maximizes the overall stock price of the company and the shareholders wealth. The NPV of the company is higher under the equity financing option JetBlue, as any airline company has a debt to equity ratio of 61.21% and incurs very high fixed costs as a result of high value operating property and equipment. An equity offering would increase the financial flexibility of the company. The company has a very high operating leverage as a result of variability in fuel price. This exposes the company to the risk of cash flow projections errors in case it does not meet the projected revenues figures. Any variation in the estimated revenues, might lead the company to a position where it could not meet its financial obligations related to debt. From this point of view, JetBlue needs to secure its cash flows. This can be achieved using equity financing. The lending rate to a business varies directly with the risk associated with any given financial structure which can be accessed by leverage analysis. Issuing equity will reduce the leverage of business and reduce lending rate. PART C Other financing option I would like to recommend to the board and John Owen are; JetBlue can consider some other alternatives as well. Indeed, the company can issue some preferred stock. This stock might be considered as equity in accounting, to strengthen the balance sheet of the company, but will at the same time accommodate the board members concern about dilution. Another alternative might be the issuance of simple corporate bonds. The coupon rate for those will however be higher than the 3.5% of the convertible bonds. This option will thus cost more for JetBlue than convertible bonds QUESTION 4 PART A Aviation fuel cost is the second largest operating cost in the airline industry after payroll, this has significant impact on operating and financing risks of a company. IMPACT ON OPERATING RISK: In 2002, JetBlues fuel cost amounted to $76 million or 14.4% of operating cost. In the event that fuel prices rises, there will be a significant drop in operating income and higher exposure to operating risk (risk created by operating leverage). Operating leverage is the magnification of the top half of the income statement, it measures how EBIT changes in response to changes  in sale, and the relevant cost is the fixed cost of operating the business. It is expected that as operating leverage increase due to jet fuel increase, the operating risk of the business likewise increases. IMPACT ON FINANCING RISK In the event that jet fuel rises, it is expected that operating profit will drop and operating leverage would increase. This will also hurt JetBlues ability to meet the additional debt service payment i.e. it may face risk of default or potential financial loss which is known as financial risk. Financing risk is the risk associated with financing and its created by financial leverage. Financial leverage is the magnification of the bottom half of the income statement, it measures how EPS (earnings per share) changes in response to changes in sale, and the relevant cost is the fixed cost of financing, in particular interest. PART B The operating and financing risk exposure of JetBlue through rising fuel price of JetBlue has being managed in the past through hedging 75% of its fuel using a combination of CALL OPTIONS, SWAPS AND COLLARS hedging instrument. PART C HEDGING: Fuel hedging is a contractual tool some large fuel consuming companies such as airlines (JetBlue) use to reduce their expose to volatile and potentially rising fuel cost. A fuel hedge contract allows a large fuel consuming company to lock in the cost of future fuel purchase, allowing an increasing number of airlines to avoid surprises from unforeseen cost fluctuations. The hedging could be done via a commodity swap or option. One of the basic reasons why a company enters into hedging contract is to mitigate their exposure to future fuel prices that may be higher than current prices and/or  to establish a known fuel cost for budgeting and predictability of earnings. PRINCIPAL WAYS JETBLUE HAS BEING USING HEDGING TO MANAGE FUEL PRICING RISK: Jetblue is a small airline which had less leverage in procuring large volume of jet fuel in order to mitigate risk of volatility or shortage of jet fuel. In order to mitigate fuel pricing risk, Jetblue used a combination of fuel call option, swaps and collars hedging instrument. From time to time Jetblue has simply bought call options which tend to be at least $5 per barrel. HOW THE HEDGING INSTRUMENT WORKS The hedging instrument mostly used by JetBlue is the call option. CALL OPTION: This is a financial contract between two parties, the buyer and the seller of this type of option. The buyer of the option has the right but not the obligation to buy an agreed quantity of a particular commodity (jet fuel) from the seller of the option at a certain time (the expiration date for European call option or at any time during the life of the option for American call option) for a certain price (the strike price). The seller is obligated to sell the commodity (jet fuel) or financial instrument should the buyer so decide. The buyer pays a fee called a premium for this right. In the case JetBlue, the premium it pays is at least $5 per barrel. SWAPS: Swaps are tailor made futures contract whereby an airline exchanges payment at a future date (which can be in jet aviation fuel and could be further into the future into the future than possible through commodity exchanges), based on the fuel or oil price. There could be an arrangement with a supplier such as Air BP. The airline would buy a swap for a period of say one year at a certain strike price for a specified amount of jet fuel per month. The average price for that month is then compared with the strike price, and if it exceeds it the counter-party would pay the airline the difference times the amount of fuel. However, if it were lower, then the airline would pay the difference. They lock in a given price, as with forward contacts. COLLARS: This is a combination of a call and a put option. The call protects the holder from adverse price increases above its strike price, at a cost of the option premium that would be paid in any event. The holder of this call also writes a put option that limits the advantage it can take of price reduction below its strike price. The total cost of taking the two options is the call option premium paid less the put option premium received. A collar limits the speculative risk to a small range of price moves and locks in the price that will be paid for fuel between two known values.

Adolescent Depression: Causes, Effects and Treatments

Adolescent Depression: Causes, Effects and Treatments Teenage Depression Urooba Fatima Depression is defined as a medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, unimportant and is often unable to live in a normal way (Merriam-Websters online Dictionary, n.d.). In 2004 alone, it was reported that 11.2 percent of teens suffered from depression (Depression in Children and Adolescents, n.d. para.1). Symptoms that adolescents tend to show when suffering from depression are difficulty with relationships, loss of interest in hobbies, persistent sadness, feeling of hopelessness and the feeling of guilt and/or worthlessness. There are many possible results that stem from depression, such as suicide, substance abuse and alcohol abuse. For various reasons, people fail to realize that majority of the youth in the U.S suffer from depression. People in todays society need to recognize the severity of depression and provide better treatments for their youth. In the past, people did not believe that children and adolescents could go through depression, but today teens show so many signs of depression that it is impossible to ignore. By the time 11 percent of adolescents turn 18 years old they have at least one depressive episode (Merikangas, n.d). One of the leading causes of disability in Americans is major depressive episode, according to the World Health Organization (Merikangas, n.d). The reason depression in adolescents has been ignored so long is that it can be very difficult to tell whether an adolescent is showing symptoms of depression or just going through a phase (Depression in Children and Adolescents, n.d). Before reaching adulthood about 20 to 30 percent of adolescent have one major depressive episode. 25 percent of adults who suffer from depression, started to show signs of depression in their adolescence (Schwarz, 2009). By 2020 depression will compete with heart disease as the â€Å"health disorder with the highest disea se burden in the world.†(Reuters, 2011) Depression in adolescents can be caused by many things but three of the main factors are genetic causes, biological causes, and environmental causes. Genetic factors are traits that you may inherit from your parents (Definition of Genetics, n.d.). Some examples of genetic causes are adolescents with a relative who is or has been depressed is more likely to get depressed. The most common types of depression that runs in the family are bipolar depression and severe major depression (Kim, n.d). However just because depression runs in one’s family does not mean that he/she` will suffer from depression. Depression can also arise in adolescents who do not have a family history of depression There has been a great deal of research that has been done to determine a biological cause, and after many years, researchers have concluded that depression may be caused by abnormal delivery of key neurotransmitters (chemical messengers to the brain)(National Institute of Mental Health, n.d). There are many neurotransmitters that can cause depression but one of the most essential neurotransmitters is serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical that helps deliver signals from one area of the brain to the other. Serotonin is also important for the well-being feelings, imbalances in the brain’s serotonin levels can cause depression (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d). Environmental causes are the influences that one may have from social and cultural that shape a person’s life.There are many environmental causes that may contribute to depression, such as the loss of a loved one, a traumatic event in one’s life, and big changes in one’s life (Healthline Editorial Team, 2012). Events such as these can cause a person to start feeling hopeless. However some research states that getting depressed because of traumatic or stressful event is because that person already has depression. According to Dr. Nassir Ghaemi most people never suffer from depression after a major life event (Ghaemi, 2012). Another environmental cause that can cause depression is bullying. Bullying is the ongoing physical or emotional victimization of one person from another person or a group of people (Bullying and Depression, n.d). Bullying can cause the victim to suffer from low self-esteem, and can also cause suicidal thoughts. People assume that only the child being bullied will suffer from depression in their life, but what they do not realize is that the bully is also at high risk of suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts (Klomek, Sourander, Gould, 2011). In the 1950’s and 1960’s doctors had started making a link between food and depression. Today we know that certain foods have a relation with depression (Laverie, 2010). Food additives are one of the many preservatives that contain synthetic chemicals, and research has proven that synthetic chemicals can cause many symptoms of depression to occur. Food additives are used to add flavor to foods, and to help make foods look more appealing. But the number one reason for using food additives is to help preserve food so that it can last longer (Bousch, n.d.). Research has proven that many food additives have a harmful effect for our health physically but also mentally. Just like food additives, industrial by-products have the same effect on ones mental health. Industrial by-products are products that are produced using machines in factories (Merriam-Webster’s online Dictionary, n.d.). Some examples of food additives that have been proven to have a negative effect on m ental health are foods that are identified as â€Å"sugar-free† or â€Å"diet† (Bousch, n.d) These foods all contain Aspartame, better known as artificial sweeteners. Aspartame can cause many diseases including depression. Another food additive to avoid is monosodium glutamate (MSG), an amino acid used in many frozen foods and chips. MSG can damage cells even to the point of death by over exciting them, and MSG can also affect neurological pathways. If many of these causes are not avoided, adolescents may suffer from depression which may have many consequences. Depression, if left untreated, has many effects. One of effect of depression is substance abuse. Substance abuse and mental disorders usually co-occur in adolescence. Adolescence suffering from depression are usually in search of a way of making themselves feel better, which usually leads them to drugs and alcohol. Teens who try to self medicate marijuana and other drugs end up making their depression worse (Adolescence Depression and Substance Abuse, n.d). Drug abuse and alcohol abuse can also cause suicide because it can impair one’s judgment and increasing their impulsivity, which can cause them to make decisions without thinking of the consequences (Suicide and Depression, n.d). Another effect depression can have on adolescents is a negative impact on school performance. Depression can cause lack of concentration which causes a disinterest in school. Also students tend to be more forgetful when suffering from depression, which causes them to forget about assignments, tests, and quizzes which can cause grades to go down. Another issue adolescents face in school is with insubordination. Depressed adolescents get into more fights and arguments with peers and teachers. School performance can also affect depression, for example doing poorly in school may have an effect on one’s self esteem. School also can be a trigger for stress, which is another cause of depression. Also, adolescents have trouble interacting with their peers which may discourage them from wanting to go to school (Depression, n.d). One of the biggest consequences of leaving depression untreated is suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents in the U.S. (Suicide Prevention, n.d). The number one cause for suicide is untreated depression (Caruso, n.d). There are many reasons why adolescents commit suicide but most of the time it’s because they think it’s the only solution to their problems and they are unable to see that they can turn their life around (Teenage Suicide, 1999). According to Center for Disease Control over 90 percent of the time someone commits suicide it is because they have a mental disorder that can be treated and if it were treated there would be a less number of suicides in the U.S (Suicide Prevention, n.d). Suicide shares many symptoms with depression but to a much more greater extent, for example extreme hopelessness, insomnia, heightened panic attacks, and irritability (Some Facts about Suicide and Depression, n.d). Depression, unlike many other diseases, is treatable. There are many different approaches to treating depression such as antidepressants, psychotherapy, and electroconvulsive shock therapy. Antidepressants are used to balance chemicals in your brain called neurotransmitters (Greenlaw, n.d). Antidepressants help improve your mood, your appetite, and your sleep (Greenlaw, n.d). Like all medications, antidepressants have negative side effects, for example sometimes antidepressants can make some people feel suicidal, also antidepressants can cause nausea, weight gain, headaches, sweating, and diarrhea(Smith, Robinson, Segal, Ramsey, 2014). Psychotherapy is a series of ways of treating mental health, emotional and some psychiatric disorders (Psychotherapies, n.d). Another word for psychotherapy is talk therapy, psychotherapy involves having people understand their mental disorder (Psychotherapies, n.d). Psychotherapy also teaches one how to deal with stress and unhealthy thoughts. There are many different types of psychotherapy, because everyone responds differently to treatments. Some people may have to meet with the therapist alone whereas some people prefer to be with a group of people (Psychotherapies, n.d). There aren’t many negative side effects of psychotherapy, but one negative in choosing this method treatment is not always being able to find fully qualified therapists who can treat depression this way (Jollant, n.d). Electroconvulsive therapy is when you pass electric currents through the brain to cause brain seizures (Mayo Clinic Staff). Electroconvulsive therapy can reverse certain symptoms of mental illnesses faster than other treatments (Mayo Clinic Staff, n.d). Electroconvulsive therapy is known to be the most effective treatment for severe depression (Szalavitz, 2012). One of the biggest negative effects of electroconvulsive therapy is memory loss (Side Effects and Risks, n.d). People may also suffer from cardiovascular complications, dental and oral trauma, and skin burns (Park, n.d). Islam is a holistic religion, meaning that it has an impact on every aspect of one’s life. Everyone must face some trials and tribulations in life, it doesn’t matter how religious one person may be they can still be tested, as stated in this ayah in the Quran: â€Å"Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: â€Å"We believe,† and will not be tested?† (Qur’an 29:2). Islam teaches its believers never to despair and always have hope in Allah (swt). no matter how hard the situation maybe at the moment that Allah (swt) will also provide that person with relief afterwards (Quran 94:5). Islam believes that shaytaan can make one feel like they’re being punished so one may tend to lose hope and forget that it may only be a test from Allah (swt) not a punishment. According to some, trials and tribulation can also strengthen one’s relationship with Allah (swt) (Bataski, 2011). When someone feels depressed or down at times Allah (swt) states in the quran to always turn to him because he is the only true source of light and guidance. People may go through difficult times in their lives but they should always know that Allah (swt) will always be there for them to turn to. Society needs to recognize the importance of depression and should be able to equip it’s youth with treatments. If many people understood the causes of depression then maybe people would not ignore their symptoms and would go and get treatment for themselves or their children. If depression stays ignored then and nothing is done to help todays youth then there will be a rise in the number of deaths by suicide.

Sojourn to Singapore Essay -- Personal Narrative Essays

Sojourn to Singapore "Eat the durians...eat it!" Although a jumbled cacophony of encouraging voices seemed to levitate the humid night air, all hesitancy was not dispersed as I carefully probed the pulpy tropical fruit with an expectant tongue. Proudly, (and much to the glee of my Asian companions who enjoyed the various facial contortions), I swallowed the remainder, washed down with three full bottles of water. Before the initial incision into the durian, I was engulfed by the painfully distinctive odor that only three days and half a bottle of Listerine could remedy. With my experiences in Singapore as a United States representative to the Asian-Pacific Youth Science Festival, however, I also was engulfed by the myriad of Asian cultures, whose unique facets of language, tradition, and daily life broadened my spectrum of global understanding. All delegates from each of the fourteen economies were combined into groups and assigned a topic of concern facing the scientific community-diseases, genetic engineering, globalization, and global warming. Although my fellow group members resided in China, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia, we all share... ...and possibly the world. We composed papers, visually presented our conclusions, and became brothers and sisters in striving to accomplish our task. Of course, our interaction provided inestimable amounts of enjoyment for everyone-the Asian delegates were thrilled by my 'American humor.' On the final night, Group 24 assembled under a shelter and everyone exchanged teary-eyed good-byes with low voices. Little did I expect the torrent of ice and freezing water that crashed over my head and shoulders merely seconds later, wrecking the silent awkwardness. We laughed, and then we were friends again.

King Richard III by William Shakespeare Essay

T he plays depict the collapse of English control over parts of France and the bitter and fierce internal struggles between the Houses of Lancaster and York in the fight to gain the crown of England. King Richard III is regarded (Hume 202) as a piece of prop aganda support ing the Tudor monarchs who succeeded Richard after he was killed in battle . This essay examine s how the theme of conscience is evidenced in Shakespeare’s play, and how the issues addressed are reflected in my daily life. (100 words) One prominent theme in the drama is the theme of conscience. Throughout the drama, Richard,  Duke of Gloucester, murders and betrays to gain the English crown. His conscience , however, is evident. In Act I scene iii, Margaret, an exiled former queen , has a special curse for Richard , who kille d her husband and her son (lines 224 – 9) : The worm of conscience still begnaw thy soul. Thy friends suspect for traitors while thou liv’st, And take deep traitors for thy dearest friends. No sleep close up that deadly eye of thine, Unless it be while some tormenting dream Affrights thee with a hell of ugly devils. Most of Margaret’s curses are fulfilled during the play. Richard struggles  with his heavy conscience. In Act IV scene I Lady An ne , his wife is distressed to learn that she is to be crowned his queen, and speaks of her unhappiness and his guilty conscience: For never yet one hour in his bed Have I enjoy’d the golden dew of sleep, But have been waked by his timorous dreams. Spec tacularly, in the scene before the battle at Bosworth, King Richard is visited by the ghosts of h i s victims . His soliloquy in Act V scene iii suggests that he is overcome by a ‘coward conscience’ (lines 191 – 6) : O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me! The lights burn blue. It is now dead midnight. Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh. 2 The theme is developed . Co nscience can be a manipulative tool used by cowards , Richard declares: Let not our babbling dreams affright our souls: Conscience is but a word that cowards use, Devised at first to keep the strong in awe: Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our law. I shall now consider how conscience relates to my daily life. It has often been remarked (e. g. G ui 203; Palfreyman 80) that Richard’s assertiveness, his strength and determination command a respect of their own, his crimes aside. Every day, I read in the papers that someone has exercised ruthless power over other people in some way, and so made ‘swords [their] law’ to wi n a contest, whether it be in the form of school bullying, or rise to political power as in this play. I am still unclear as to how far we should assert ourselves to gain things that we want at others’ expense like this. It frightens me that I can understa nd such tyrants and see them as essentially very human. Such things are an integral part of life and ourselves and will never go away. I believe, though, that  there is such a thing as conscience, yet whether it is only something we have been taught is har d to establish. It is possible to see Shakespeare’s play as an elaborate wish fulfillment or fantasy, therefore. In sum, Shakespeare directs us to focus , non – simplistically, on tyranny and ruthlessness in our midst. In a sense , the portrayal of Richard as a man with a conscience and, at the same time, with astute manipulative powers gives the drama unresolved humanistic problems. We may need to ask ourselves how far we can go to attain our ends while still sleeping at night.

Environmental Engineering Essay

It involves  waste water management  and  air pollution  control, recycling,  waste disposal, radiation protection, industrial hygiene, environmental sustainability, and  public health  issues as well as a knowledge of  environmental engineering law. It is a related study of environmental science. Main task of environmental engineers is to protect public health by protecting (from further degradation), preserving (the present condition of), and enhancing the environment. Some work of Environmental engineers: Conducts hazardous-waste management  studies to evaluate the significance of such hazards, advise on treatment and containment, and develop regulations to prevent mishaps. Design municipal water supply and  industrial wastewater treatment  systems. Address environmental issues such as the effects of  acid rain,  global warming,  ozone depletion, water pollution and air pollution from  automobile exhausts  and  industrial sources. Environmental science  is an interdisciplinary  academic field  that integrates physical and biological sciences, (including but not limited to  Ecology,  Physics,  Chemistry,  Biology,  Soil Science,  Geology,  Atmospheric Science  and  Geography) to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems. Environmental science provides an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary  approach to the study of environmental systems. Environmental science came alive as a substantive, active field of scientific investigation in the 1960s and 1970s driven by the ff. ssues: (a)  Ã‚   the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to analyze complex environmental problems. (b)  Ã‚   the arrival of substantive environmental laws requiring specific environmental protocols of investigation. (c)  Ã‚   the growing public awareness of a need for action in addressing environmental problems. Related areas of study: environmental studies   – incorporates more of the social sciences for understanding human relationships, perceptions and policies towards the environment. 2. environmental engineering focuses on design and technology for improving environmental quality. Components of Environmental Science: Ecology  is the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. Ecologists might investigate the relationship between a population of organisms and some physical characteristic of their environment, such as concentration of a chemical; or they might investigate the interaction between a two populations of different organisms through some symbiotic or competitive relationship. For example, an interdisciplinary analysis of an ecological system which is being impacted by one or more stressors might include several related environmental science fields. In an estuarine setting where a proposed industrial development could impact certain species by  water  and  air pollution,  biologists  would describe the flora and fauna,  chemists  would analyze the transport of water pollutants to the marsh,  physicists  would calculate  air pollution  emissions and  geologists  would assist in understanding the marsh soils and bay muds. . Atmospheric sciences  focuses on the Earth’s atmosphere, with an emphasis upon its interrelation to other systems. Atmospheric sciences can include studies of  meteorology,greenhouse gas  phenomena,  atmospheric dispersion modeling  of airborne contaminants,[3][4]  sound propagation phenomena related to  noise pollution, and even  light pollution. Taking the example of the  global warming  phenomena, physicists create  computer models  of atmospheric circulation and infra-red radiation transmission, chemists examine the inventory of atmospheric chemicals and their reactions, biologists analyze the plant and animal contributions to  carbon dioxide  fluxes, and specialists such as  meteorologists  and  oceanographers add additional breadth in understanding the atmospheric dynamics. 3. Environmental chemistry  is the study of chemical alterations in the environment. Principal areas of study include  soil contamination  and  water pollution. The topics of analysis include chemical degradation in the environment, multi-phase transport of chemicals (for example, evaporation of a  solvent  containing lake to yield solvent as an air pollutant), and chemical effects upon biota. As an example study, consider the case of a leaking  solvent  tank which has entered the habitat soil of an  endangered species  of amphibian. As a method to resolve or understand the extent of  soil contamination  and subsurface transport of solvent, a computer model would be implemented. Chemists would then characterize the molecular bonding of the solvent to the specific soil type, and biologists would study the impacts upon soil  arthropods, plants, and ultimately pond-dwelling organisms that are the food of the endangered amphibian. 4. Geosciences  include  environmental geology,  environmental soil science, volcanic phenomena and evolution of the Earth’s crust. In some classification systems this can also includehydrology, including  oceanography. As an example study of soils  erosion, calculations would be made of  surface runoff  by soil scientists. Fluvial geomorphologists would assist in examining  sediment transport  in overland flow. Physicists would contribute by assessing the changes in light transmission in the receiving waters. Biologists would analyze subsequent impacts to aquatic flora and fauna from increases in water turbidity. Ecology study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. – starts as early as 300 BC with the Greek named Theophastus, his interest with the interrelationship between organism and the living environment, become his as the Father of Botany. Environment refers to the sum of all the external forces and conditions acting on an organism or community of organism. – oekologie was coined by the german zoologist, Ernst Haeckel, comes from the greek word oikos, meaning home or a place to live in. defines as the relationship of animals both to the organic as well as the inorganic environment,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   – in the mid-1900’s two group of botanist, one from the Europe and America, become interested in the study of plants communities, the Europeans concentrated on the composition, structure and distribution of plant communities, on the other hand the Americans concentrate to the development of plant, eventually they become interested at the animals as well, and gave a greater emphasis on inter-relationship of animals and plants. This become the birth of ecology as the formal field of study. – British economist, Thomas Malthus, gave special attention to population in the early 19th century, his the first one o recognized the conflict between expanding population and earths capability to supply it. – scope of ecology, organism (eg. Proto-plasma, cell, tissue, organ, organ system), population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere. Organism: Levels of organization of life (inside the organism): Protoplasma – it makes up the living substance of the cell. Cell – basic unit of life Tissue-group of cell performing specific functions Organ- group of tissue carrying a particular functions Organ system – group of organ doing s specific function. Levels of organization of life (inside the organism): Population – group of organism of the same kind or species occupying a particular place at a particular time. Community – a group of populations occupying a given area. Ecosystem –   basic unit of ecology, refers to the interaction between the organism and environment. It includes population, communities, habitat (the place where the organism lives) and the environment. eg. forest, grassland, river, etc. ) Biosphere – world of life. It is the portion of the earth where in life on its any form existed. Components of ecosystem: Biotic – they are the living components of ecosystem consisting of plants, animals and bacteria. Abiotic – they are the non living component that consist of substrat um, light, rainfall, nutrients, soil, temperature, etc. Biotic Components: Green plants   Ã‚  Ã‚     known as the producers. They capture the energy coming from the sun and together with the CO2 in the air and H2O converts this into food energy. They are called autotrophs (self nourishing), they manufacture their own food through the process of photosynthesis. There are also microscopic green plant called phytoplanktons, they give the green color to the bodies of water such as lake and rivers    Animals Known as the consumers. Obtain other food sources to other plants and animals they are called heterotrophs. Three types of consumers: Herbivores – that eat plants only Carnivores – animals that eat other animals. Omnivores- eat both plants and animals. Bacteria and Fungi They are called decomposers. They eat the dead bodies of plants and animals, where they get their energy and convert it to other nutrients back into the environment. They are popular called the janitor of the nature. Abiotic Components: Soil   the upper layer of the earth’s crust affected by plants and animals serves as the habitat and pool of nutrients for many organism. Humus dark decaying organic substance found in the soil. Physical characteristic of soil: Color The color of the soils is influence by the element present in the soil. Soil color and element presesent: Grey (lacks of iron) Brown & red (rich in iron) Texture   the texture of the soil affects the amount of water and nutrients the soil can hold. Texture of the soil: Sandy (composed of coarse particles) Clay (consist of fine particles) Silt (composed of medium size particles. ) Loamy (mixture of clay, sand and silt) Moisture Water content of the soil. It is influence by factors such as: Texture Amount of rainfall Slope of the land Underlying rock type. pH The concentration of hydrogen ions on the soil. The soil which contain a large amount of lime is alkaline and with large amount of granite id acidic. pH value raging from 1-6 is acidic and 8-14 are basic while those with 7 reading is neutral type of soil. Structure Refers to the arrangement of it’s particle which build up larger amount of soil structure is called peds. The peds damage will result to the poor drainage of water to the soil. 2. Water Importance of water in ecosystem: It comprise of a large percentage of the tissues of all living organism. Required by plants to support their non woody tissues. Used by the plants as a vessel of nutrients from the soil. It is absorbed by the plant and release in the environment which produces the cooling effect. Plant adaptation to water: (Based on the tolerance of plant to water. ):   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   *   Hydropytes (Plants that grow in water and waterlogged soils)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   *   Halophytes (Plants that grow in saline environment. )   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   *   Xerophytes (Plants that grow in dry or arid condition. 3. Temperature Affects the plant and cooled blooded animals by controlling their metabolism. Affect the water loss of the organism. Most organism function at temperature between 0 degree to 50 degree centigrade.. 4. Wind An agent of pollination and seed dispersal. It also affects transpiration in the plants by causing faster evaporation with in their surroundings. Pathways of energy: Energy It is needed by the organism for growth, maintenance and repair and for life. Organism obtain their energy by two ways: Autotrophy (producing their own food) Heterotrophy (eating other organism) Food Chain Consist of the sequence of organism that eat other organism through which energy is transferred. Every food chain starts a producer and end with decomposers. Trophic levels of food chain: First trophic ( producers) Second trophic (herbivores called primary consumers) Third trophic (carnivore that eat hervobores) 4th trophic (carnivores that eat carnivores) In food chain the energy transferred from one trophic level to another is decreasing. Food web Consist of several interlocking food chain. It is a transfer of energy involving several pathways. Nutrients cycle: Classification of Nutrients: Macronutrients – those that are required by organism by large quantities. Ex. Oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen Micronutrient – are needed by the organism by smaller amounts. Ex. Sulfur, potassium, iron, and phosphorus. Water Cycles: Evaporation (from bodies of water) Respiration ( from animals) Transpiration (from the trees) Condensation   (accumulation of all the vapors, transpiration and respiration) Precipitation (for rain) Runoff (water run from the higher grounds) Carbon and Oxygen cycle: Carbon is mostly present in the environment by cabon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is present at: It could be found at dead organism. Volcano eruption. Respiration of animals. Oxygen is abundant in plants transpiration, it is release in the air as a waste product and absorbed by animals. Nitrogen Cycles: Nitrogen constitutes 78% of air in the atmosphere. Plants used it as a nitrates, and nitrogen converted it by two process: The action of lightning. Process of action by specialized organism such as legumes. Communities Community Group of different kinds of organism or species living together in a particular place. Worlds Major communities: 1. Dessert Biome Bushes and shrubs for vegetation Sandy, dry and loose type of soil. Less than 10 cm of rain fall in a year. Lizards, snakes, eagles, owls, toads, insects and small

[WATCH] What does it really mean to be wealthy

[WATCH] What does it really mean to be wealthy Lifestyle entrepreneur Erin Gavle seemingly had it all; excellent degree from a very well respected university and a high paying advertising job in Manhattan.   But she soon realized what she didn’t have was what mattered most – fulfillment. So she left it all behind, packed her belongings in a van, and lived out of it for six months in southern California, thinking about what she wanted to do with the balance of her life.She eventually decided to return to her Midwestern hometown and open a general store called El Dorado.  Erin sat down with Daily Fuel to talk about what her version of wealth truly is, and her insights are invaluable for anyone contemplating their next professionally satisfying move.Source: [DailyFuel]

5 Unique Questions to Ask in a Job Interview

5 Unique Questions to Ask in a Job Interview We all know the line we’re supposed to work into the â€Å"Do you have any questions for us?† section of the interview. Typically, we take a deep breath and ask our interviewer to talk us through a typical day in that particular office so that we can get a idea of the workplace culture. It’s a great question. But everyone is asking it, pretty much verbatim. Here are five alternative versions that will help distinguish you from your fellow interviewees, and will also be a refreshing way to get the same answers from your interviewer.1. â€Å"What do you feel prepared you most for this job?†It’s sort of a backwards way in, but you’ll find your interviewer will end up emphasizing the parts of her background that were most useful for acclimating to that particular environment. You’ll get a sense of the size and scope and daily feel of the company from which of her skills were the most appropriate preparation for the job.2. â€Å"What makes this [company] special?†No matter what kind of company it is, asking how it distinguishes itself from others in the field can be very revealing. If it’s all about hard numbers and results, that will tell you one thing. If it emphasizes personal relationships and loyalty, that’ll tell you something else.3. â€Å"Why are you excited about filling this position?†This might be the best way of discovering your boss’s goals and whether your vision of the job aligns with their vision of the job, or the particulars of what you’d be doing day to day.4. â€Å"How do your company’s values affect your work on any given day?†Probably best to do a bit of homework first and have a specific value in mind when you ask this one. One that company has been explicit about in its marketing materials or in the job listing. It’s a good way of showing off your thorough preparations for the interview, and also making sure the company is really do ing what they say they care most about.5. â€Å"How would you describe the leadership style here?†This is probably the best way of finding out if you’re going to be walking into a nest of micromanagers, without the stigma of actually asking that outright. And it’s a great way to see whether your working style will jive with your boss’s working style.

Writting paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Writting paper - Essay Example It was brimming with juicy mangoes, as tasty as the ice-cream! The monkey ate mangoes for the breakfast, for lunch and for dinner. They-were so tasty. It played by throwing mangoes into the sea. The sound of the ripples when it fell into the sea, the splash and the spray, delighted it. The stock of mangoes was plenty as God sent fresh mangoes to the tree everyday and it was a lovely sight to see the mangoes. A shark swimming and relaxing by the sea-shore liked this play of the monkey. It caught the mangoes, with its long mouth, and teeth wide open. It liked the generous monkey which threw mangoes into the sea, throughout the day. Soon, they became intimate friends. Next day, the monkey was on the back of the shark and the shark began to swim fast. Soon they were in the mid-sea. The monkey was afraid at the sight of the vastness of the sea and the big waves....it suddenly wished to return back to its mango tree but how could he do that? â€Å"In fact, I readied a basketful of mangoes for your king. I wished to take a bath, and the monkeys do not take their hearts to the bathroom and I kept my heart in the mango-basket. The basket remains hanging to a branch of the mango-tree. In hurry to jump on your back, I forgot the basket as well as my heart!† Now the shark swam with extra speed. Soon it reached the shore. Feeling safe, the monkey jumped to the tree. It quickly picked a raw mango and threw it with such great power that two long teeth of the shark were broken! ----My Patel friends live in the same community at Richmond, as we do! He invited me for the community dinner on the eve of the Holi festival, to celebrate which, the fire place was specially erected in the lawn of their residence. Patel tells me that the Holi festival that is celebrated in all parts of India, has mythological,cultural and social significance. The many legends related to Holi festival advise people to remain honest in their lives, reveal the importance of good

Theory Application and Evaluation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Theory Application and Evaluation - Case Study Example Jimmy is suffering from various ailments and perhaps unable to understand the complications of her disease. First of all, the nurse needs to develop a trusting relationship with her. A trusting relationship will help establish Jimmy’s faith in the system and create hope in her mind. According to Watson, a humanistic-altruistic system of values begins growing at an early age from parents and family members. This grows further through own life experiences and surroundings. It is an important quality and a basic foundational need for those who want to devote themselves to the nursing care. (Watson, 2007) A nursing person with an altruistic attitude is very much required while providing care to the patient such as Jimmy who is not only suffering from the intense pain due to Kaposi Sarcoma lesion in her leg but also suffering from pneumocystis pneumonia-causing her a lot of distress. A sense of faith and hope is largely inculcated by those who are in the close care of the patient most of the time. The patients see caretaker as a bridge between them and doctors. Doctors do provide the cure but it is the nurse that kindles hope and faith within the patient. In the absence of hope and faith, the cure is not likely to bring the desired results. Though Jimmy being an AIDS patient, the hopes of her getting fully cured are negligible but still, hope and faith created in her mind is a necessity and at times, it can do the miracles. And who else can create the hope and faith in Jimmy better than a nursing caretaker! (Watson 2007) Sensitivity is an important attribute as prescribed by Watson and also necessary for self-growth. It makes nurse authentic in her dealings and cares with the patient.

Reflection Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Reflection - Assignment Example The report I received from the grammar checking website for my final draft pinpointed 15 issues in my essay. The highlighted issues enabled me to rectify my grammatical errors and also to rephrase the sentences in more meaningful manner. Many at times, I wrote as the sequence formed in my mind whilst I read. However, in the proofreading process I omitted those lines and rewrote them in a more descriptive manner. The main aim was to communicate my perception to the reader or assessor. Adjective and adverb agreement, subject and verb agreement were unfamiliar terms to me. Therefore, I browsed for these to modify my content according to the reported criteria. Colloquial speech was also a new term, but as I looked for it I realized that there is a huge difference between spoken and written language. As, speech and written language style cannot the same. Therefore, to write any essay, analyses or review one needs to adapt formal and appropriate language style to communicate the aimed purpose. Moreover, punctuations seem insignificant yet they describe the tone of the written content. Like where to pause, where to consider the written text statement, claim or question. Thus, if attention towards punctuation is not given it produces content with no specific tone and leaves the reader in a confused state. Therefore, it is vital to use appropriate punctuations to make one’s content more meaningful and influential (Ariza,

BUS599 MoD 1 SLP Assign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

BUS599 MoD 1 SLP Assign - Essay Example ents are quite sensitive to its prices, but do not mind on issues ascribed to its performance; clients do not mind any variation caused on its performance, but mind its prices and clients prices as well as the performance of X7 is given equal priorities by its clients. This research will focus on an analysis of the financial years of the three products, basically taking into consideration; pricing, marketing strategies and allocation of resources thus creating an effective platform for development of appropriate operational strategies for the financial year 2016. Financial Year 2012: The respective prices of tablets X5, 6 and 7 during this financial year was; 285, 430 and 190 dollars. The products also experienced variations in cost allocation at rate of 34% for X5 and 33% each for X6 and X7. In summation, the company made sales amounting to 1,055,294,574 dollars after selling 3,102,177 units. The R&D, fixed and variable costs exhibited a sum of 784, 720, 740 dollars. The profit margins during this year was at 270, 573, 835 dollars, indicating a 26% increase of the total yearly revenue. Taking into consideration the profits accrued in 2011, the 2012 profit margin indicated a 10% increase. In relation to individual product market performance, product X5 sold more units as compared to product X6 and X7 by registering sales amounting to 1,647,592 units: This generated annual revenue of 469,563, 809 dollars with a product profit of $139, 504, 962, generating 30% of the overall annual revenue of the product. The product X7 indicated the lowest sa les during this year, after exhibiting sales amounting to 165, 586 units leading to reduced profit of 27% less as compared to the previous year, which was at 0%. Generally, the annual revenue generated from the three products during this year indicated an upward trend, despite the fact that product X 7 indicated decreased profit margins. Financial Year 2013: The Clipboard Tablet Company designated prices of the three products

Amazon Kindle And Its Innovativeness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Amazon Kindle And Its Innovativeness - Essay Example At the same time, institutional economics define innovation as an important economic activity for reducing transaction costs and thereby improving operational efficiency. According to Leger and Swaminathan (n.d), the evolutionary economics defines innovation entirely different from neoclassical theories and assumptions; and it illustrates innovation by reconciling the micro and macro evidence. In the context of international trade, â€Å"endowments and factor prices, market structure and competition, and demand pull factors† are the determinants of innovation. Sundbo (2003) reflects that innovation process is generally classified into three types such as product innovation, process innovation, and strategy innovation. Tidd, Bessant, and Pavitt (2005) state that under product innovation, an organisation tries to bring a new product or service to life with intent to meet customers’ changing requirements whereas the process innovation attempts to increase a firm’s bottom line profitability, managerial control over costs, productivity, and employee job satisfaction. In the view of O’Marah (2005), the process innovation also benefits customers by increasing efficiency in supply chain activities such as timely product or service delivery. Finally, strategy innovation is about restructuring the prevailing industry methods of creating customer value for the purpose of adding additional value to the company’s market stature and creating new markets and customer groups for wealth maximization.

IT project management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

IT project management - Assignment Example It is a field that gives and collects all the services and processes that have a relationship with computing of data. Projects are one of the best practical experiences that are meant to achieve goals for the technology. They are normally endeavors that are temporal by having the start and end date and at the end a goal is achieved. IT Project management is the key role and responsibility of project managers to use in order to achieve the desired goals. The projects need some methodologies and processes including the tools which assist in the planning, moderation, and execution of the projects. The managers in the projects are the ones who are in charge of the gathering and organization of the resources needed in the development of the project. They also direct the usage of the resources in order to achieve the best production and results of the project. The IT project managers only manage the project relying on the data management and the information that is collected. It is the duty of the IT managers to ensure that the highest productivity is achieved from the project (Kerznar 2002). Software management is another key in maintaining the IT Project because it has the ability and capability of giving accurate information on the data being collected. Data that is being collected goes through stages for the result of the project to become successful. It is the duty of the staff management in the project staff to learn to solve large problems that are very crucial in the IT management team. In the management of projects, finding the solutions is moving to another world whereby the software is treated as a service. This optimizes the requirements needed in the IT project as directed by the project manager. Most of the tools used in the IT project are web based making the information of the project not to be in one place. This makes the project to have several database points creating communication that is quick

BUS599 MoD 1 SLP Assign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

BUS599 MoD 1 SLP Assign - Essay Example ents are quite sensitive to its prices, but do not mind on issues ascribed to its performance; clients do not mind any variation caused on its performance, but mind its prices and clients prices as well as the performance of X7 is given equal priorities by its clients. This research will focus on an analysis of the financial years of the three products, basically taking into consideration; pricing, marketing strategies and allocation of resources thus creating an effective platform for development of appropriate operational strategies for the financial year 2016. Financial Year 2012: The respective prices of tablets X5, 6 and 7 during this financial year was; 285, 430 and 190 dollars. The products also experienced variations in cost allocation at rate of 34% for X5 and 33% each for X6 and X7. In summation, the company made sales amounting to 1,055,294,574 dollars after selling 3,102,177 units. The R&D, fixed and variable costs exhibited a sum of 784, 720, 740 dollars. The profit margins during this year was at 270, 573, 835 dollars, indicating a 26% increase of the total yearly revenue. Taking into consideration the profits accrued in 2011, the 2012 profit margin indicated a 10% increase. In relation to individual product market performance, product X5 sold more units as compared to product X6 and X7 by registering sales amounting to 1,647,592 units: This generated annual revenue of 469,563, 809 dollars with a product profit of $139, 504, 962, generating 30% of the overall annual revenue of the product. The product X7 indicated the lowest sa les during this year, after exhibiting sales amounting to 165, 586 units leading to reduced profit of 27% less as compared to the previous year, which was at 0%. Generally, the annual revenue generated from the three products during this year indicated an upward trend, despite the fact that product X 7 indicated decreased profit margins. Financial Year 2013: The Clipboard Tablet Company designated prices of the three products

IT project management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

IT project management - Assignment Example It is a field that gives and collects all the services and processes that have a relationship with computing of data. Projects are one of the best practical experiences that are meant to achieve goals for the technology. They are normally endeavors that are temporal by having the start and end date and at the end a goal is achieved. IT Project management is the key role and responsibility of project managers to use in order to achieve the desired goals. The projects need some methodologies and processes including the tools which assist in the planning, moderation, and execution of the projects. The managers in the projects are the ones who are in charge of the gathering and organization of the resources needed in the development of the project. They also direct the usage of the resources in order to achieve the best production and results of the project. The IT project managers only manage the project relying on the data management and the information that is collected. It is the duty of the IT managers to ensure that the highest productivity is achieved from the project (Kerznar 2002). Software management is another key in maintaining the IT Project because it has the ability and capability of giving accurate information on the data being collected. Data that is being collected goes through stages for the result of the project to become successful. It is the duty of the staff management in the project staff to learn to solve large problems that are very crucial in the IT management team. In the management of projects, finding the solutions is moving to another world whereby the software is treated as a service. This optimizes the requirements needed in the IT project as directed by the project manager. Most of the tools used in the IT project are web based making the information of the project not to be in one place. This makes the project to have several database points creating communication that is quick

How do I write a report Essay Example for Free

How do I write a report Essay Report writing differs from essay writing because it has a different purpose. Reports are common communication tools as they assist in the decision-making process. Written for a particular purpose, they usually outline a problem, provide the relevant facts and ideas related to the situation, and then recommend a course of action. Reports are highly structured so that information they contain can be easily understood. Headings within the report allow the reader to select the parts they wish to read. Headings also enable each section of the report to stand-alone. The structure of a report is enhanced through the use of subheadings, diagrams, tables, graphs, illustrations etc. Reports are highly structured so that information they contain can be easily understood. Headings within the report allow the reader to select the parts they wish to read. Headings also enable each section of the report to stand-alone. The structure of a report is enhanced through the use of subheadings, diagrams, tables, graphs, illustrations etc. As a student, you will be asked to write reports to show that you have investigated or researched a particular problem. Although each subject coordinator may have slightly different requirements and/or ways to structure reports, the following is an example of a basic report format. Remember to always check each Subject Outline for individual subject requirements. A 10-step plan of how to write a report (Sanders 2000, p. 200). 1. Consider the aim of the report and who will read it. 2. Plan your investigational approach. 3. Gather information. 4. Organise the information you have gathered. 5. Analyse the material. 6. Decide your conclusions. 7. Decide your recommendations. 8. Plan your writing. 9. Write your draft. 10. Edit and prepare the final copy. As presentation of your report is very important, you should: follow the guidelines recommended in your Subject Outline; check the accuracy of the support data and facts; check that your argument is logical and that the conclusion and recommendations flow logically from the data you have presented; explain terms which the reader may not know, or where clarity requires it; explain symbols, abbreviations, diagrams and statistics if necessary; label and number all diagrams; tables; graphs; illustrations etc. be consistent in the use of a numbering system; headings; font size and type; use a clear and concise style of writing; layout the report in a clear and uncluttered format; be meticulous with your use of references; check that your argument is logical and that the conclusion and recommendations flow logically from the data you have presented. Basic report format: Title Page Table of Contents Synopsis/Executive Summary This is tells your reader what the report is about as it describes the topics or issues discussed; indicates the depth of the discussion; as well as  providing a summary of the recommendations and reasons for them. It is usually one paragraph of approximately 120 words. Usually this is not included in your word count. If in doubt, check with your Subject Coordinator. 1. Introduction This tells your reader what you’re going to tell them in the body of your report. Your introduction gives the background to the report; why it is useful; what other objectives are; the purpose of the report; the limitations of the report 2. Heading This is where you begin the discussion, outlining relevant facts and events. This is the main body of the report, and is divided into sections (headings) and subheadings. 2.1 Subheading 2.2 Subheading 2.3 Subheading 3. Heading 3.1 Subheading 3.2 Subheading 3.3 Subheading 4. Conclusion This is where you give an overview of the material presented in the discussion and an interpretation of the relevant facts and events. 5. Recommendations These are drawn from your conclusions. Your recommendations outline the specific actions that are required. When detailing your recommendations you may also need to consider who will action them; how they will be measured; and the timeframe for the recommendations. The priority that you place on each recommendation may also be required. References A listing of all resources referred to in the report; assembled in author alphabetical order. These are not included in the word count. Refer to Topic 9 of this guide for more detail. Appendices The appendices include related materials, if appropriate. These are not included in the word count. These are optional for the reader, that is, the reader can choose whether they refer to them or not.

The Big Band Swing Era

The Big Band Swing Era It is said by historians, that they believe the Big Band Swing era dates back as early as the 1920s in early routes of jazz. It wasnt until the 1930s ranging into the 1950s, when the Big Band era became more known. Although it is called Big Band, its name can often be misleading. A Big Band consists of an orchestra with anywhere from six to as many as twenty-five musicians. Each band varies with the amount of musicians. The Big Band Swing era got its name based off of the smooth jazz beat and dance that is incorporated with it. The terms jazz band, jazz ensemble, stage band, jazz orchestra, society band and dance band can be used to describe a specific type of a big band. (Wikipedia: Big Band ) In 1932, a dance orientated band, Duke Ellington composed and recorded a song called It Dont mean a thing if it aint got that swing (The World Book Encyclopedia: J,K). The name of this song says a lot about how popular and important the Swing Era was too many people. This type of music was especially important during the time of World War II and leading America out of the Great Depression, by lifting morale. Today, The Big Band Swing Era is known for its unique components and style, which still holds a special place in hearts of millions of Americans. There are two famous Big Bands that stand out among several other Big Bands. They are the bands of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey, who also played with his brother Jimmy. Glenn Millers band, also known as orchestra, was distinctive in a way that he combined the sounds of the clarinet with four saxophones. Glenn Miller said, A band ought to have a sound all of its own. It ought to have a personality. (The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra) Glenn miller was an excellent trombonist and believed very strongly in the music he performed. During the time of 1926-1938, he played the trombone in several bands including the band of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. In 1935, he recorded for the first time under his own name. Some of his well known hits were Sunrise Serenade, Moonlight Serenade and Wishing (Will Make It So). On April 13, 1940, he played at Sunnybrook Ballroom located here in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. It wasnt until the year of 1942, when he entered the U.S Army. While in the Army, he disa ppeared during an air journey leaving his music behind. The band of Tommy Dorsey was also known as the Dorsey brothers. The Dorsey brothers played in bands together as early as in the 1920s. Tommy Dorsey played both the trumpet and trombone. Throughout the Swing era, Tommy Dorsey was ranked among the top two or three big bands. His orchestra had about fifteen top ten hits in the late 1930s. The Dorsey Brothers broke the charts with their recording of Coquette. Also, with their recording with Bing Crosby called Lets Do It (lets fall in love), broke into the top ten. By this time, they had one of the hottest bands in the country. In 1935, Jimmy left Tommy to go on and play music on his own. The Dorsey brothers both passed away in the late 50s. As well as Glenn Miller, the Dorsey Brothers also played at the Sunnybrook Ballroom. Instruments found in big bands were trumpets, saxophones, trombones, drums, pianos, acoustic bass, and guitars. Instruments varied depending on the bands instrumentation of choice. Composers, arrangers and band leaders would switch things up and use more or fewer players in each section. The sections consisted of brass, string, percussion and vocal. Music of the big band was written in strophic form with the same phrase and chord structure repeated several times. In big band music, we also see a chorus that follows the twelve bar blues form, or thirty-two-bar following a (AABA) song format. Solos were also a part of most big bands. Swing dancing itself was one of the main components of the swing era. The music was represented in the dance, as dance partners (male) would twirl their partners around. Swing dancing is a lively dance which takes up a lot of energy. During this time period, swing dancing released tensions of the depression and the world in war times. This dance is intended for all ages. Some types of dances incorporated with the swing era are; Fox trot, Jitterbug and the Charleston. Big Band Swing still exists today. In fact it is becoming popular again, much like it was in the 30s throughout into the 50s. Swing Kat Entertainment located at the Ballroom on High in Pottstown, offers lessons on dances that strived during the swing era. On occasion, they have live Big Bands that perform; mostly bands that replay such music, like that of the Dorsey Brothers and Glenn Miller along with several other composers and songs. Sunnybrook Ballroom, also located in Pottstown has events that get the community together to re- shape and make todays generation aware, as well as to be a part of the swing era. An organization called The Philadelphia Swing Dance Society holds swing dancing events at the Commodore Barry Club located in Philadelphia. Sometimes big band can be heard playing on the radio on wxpns station 88.5. Many people enjoy this type of music and swing dance thats involved. The younger population also participates in events and enjoy getting their swing on. Many people enjoy reliving the swing era and look forward to community gatherings. Much like during the swing era, many people would come from all over the nation to attend dances and live performances. On April 15th at the Sunnybrook Ballroom there was a swing dance event that marked the 66th anniversary of World War II. During this event the eighteen piece Swing Fever Dance Band performed its annual USO Canteen Show, featuring music of Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller and the Dorsey Brothers (Staff). On Saturday April 16, 2011, I attended a live performance of a Big Band called the Slicked up Nines and swing dance at Swing Kat Entertainment in Pottstown. This band consisted of nine musicians all being men. Each band member was playing a different instrument. I thought this was an awesome experience to hear the instrumentation and witness people swing dancing for the first time. I myself was sucked into the rhythm of the music and felt the dance floor come alive. Instruments that the Slicked up Nines played were the following; drums, saxophone, bass, trumpet, baritone, guitar, finger tambourines and a wood block. The musicians were very involved with the music as well as the crowd. Two musicians, who were playing the saxophone, would swing their instrument from side to side. The two instruments that I feel that bring the big band alive are the saxophone and bass. The saxophone gives the music its jazz routes and the base sets the pace and rhythm for swing dancing. I was familiar with all the instruments I saw, other than the finger tambourines and wood block. These instruments were not included in the research in which I performed. Along with hearing music from the swing era, I was also fortunate to experience a few songs based off of west coast swing. The only new instrument I saw with this type of swing was the electric guitar. This gave the music a nice touch. Some songs that the Slicked up Nines performed were slower songs that used less percussion and more bass. One song that stuck out to me the most had lyrics that were catchy. This song had the words chew tobacco as a chorus. Not all of the songs that were played had vocal sounds in them. This was a friendly environment which had all kinds of age groups present. Many people dressed up in clothing which was worn during the swing era, as well as girls/ladies wearing dresses and men wearing dress shirts and cackies. The dance floor came alive as the band and swing dancers got fully involved in the music. The dance floor was built, so that it would bounce as people would dance on it. I found this to be a really cool feature and felt like I was back in the time period of the big band swing era. At times the music would get really fast as the men would swirl their partners around. Here, everyone danced with everyone and it didnt matter who, or where you were from. At the end of each song, the gentlemen would dip their partner. I thought that this was an interesting feature to swing dancing. Another component that I found to be interesting was that the songs would end real suddenly. This is much different than most of the songs we find today. Types of dances that I saw were the Fox trot, Jitterbug and the Charleston. Out of these three dances, I found that the Fox trot seemed a little more relaxed then swinging around the dance floor. Overall this was a fun clean event for everyone. I especially enjoyed the live band performance. During intermission, while the band took a break there was another event that took place. This was called the birthday circle. The person running the event called anyone to the center of the dance floor with a birthday in April. After this, the people remaining in the room gathered around in a circle. Those who were in the center would pick a partner and would switch dance partners. Everyone who wanted to dance with those who shared a birthday in April had a chance too. This was really cool and fun to watch. Here I saw for myself that the big band swing still exists to a small extent, due to many age groups that find interest in it. For anyone looking for a different taste of music, I would recommend it for anyone. For me this was a fun experience and I feel that the more that people come familiar with the swing era, the more popular it will continue to be today. The swing era is something that will remain in peoples hearts for many more years to come.

The Positronic Man :: essays research papers

THE POSITRONIC MAN An extraordinary story about an extraordinary robot. In the twenty-first century the creation of the positronic brain leads to the development of robot labourers and revolutionises life on Earth. However, to the Martin family, their household robot NDR-113 is more than a tool, it is a trusted friend, a confidant, and a member of the family. Through some unknown manufacturing glitch, NDR-113 or known as Andrew has been blessed, with a capacity for love and a drive toward self-awareness and development that are almost...human. This story is set on an Earth, which is just starting to get used to the idea of robots. Even so, it is an earth that was not ready for Robot NDR-113. Andrew, with his ability to assimilate emotions, and an unexpected gift for fine arts, both astounded and worried people. In an attempt to become human, he develops several prosthetic devices, which prove a godsend to humans. Almost, however, is not enough. Andrew's dream is to become accepted as human. Facing human prejudice, the laws of robotics, and his own mechanical limitations, Andrew used science and law in his quest for the impossible, arriving at last at a terrifying choice: to make his dream a reality, he must pay the ultimate price. I must say that I didn't have very high expectations for this book because I am not a very big science fiction fan, but this book changed my mind. There are many reasons why this particular book changed my view on science fiction. One of the major reasons for my enjoyment of this book is the way in which it was written. Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg set this story up wonderfully. I personally liked the way the book is structured. The first chapter takes place at the end of the story so you start thinking about what is going to happen right from the start. Then, as you near then end of the story you return to where you began in the first chapter and finish the story with a thought provoking ending. Another major reason that I liked this particular story is because it touched on many ethical aspects, from different points of view. Such as, what it means to be human, how humans in general would be perceived by an intelligence that has no knowledge about the way we as human’s reason or think. The authors also showed how humans will react when they find out that they can create a being with the ability to not just think in a logical pattern but also be creative and intelligent well beyond their own abilities.

Blurred Boundaries in Susan Glaspells Trifles :: Trifles Essays

Blurred Boundaries in Trifles  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In her landmark feminist play, "Trifles," Susan Glaspell offers a peek at the complicated political and social systems that both silenced and divided women during their struggle for equality with men. In this simple but highly symbolic tale, a farmer's wife, Minnie Wright, is accused of strangling her husband to death. The county attorney, the sheriff, a local farmer, the sheriff's wife and the farmer's wife visit Minnie's farm house. As the men "look for clues," the women survey Minnie's domestic environment. While the men scoff at the women's interest in what they call "trifles," the women discover Minnie's strangled bird to realize that Minnie's husband had killed the bird and Minnie had, in turn, killed him. They bond in acknowledgment that women "all go through the same things--it's all just different kind of the same thing" (1076). As their horror builds and the women unravel the murder, they agree to cooperate with one another, conspiring to protect Minnie against the men by hiding the incriminating "evidence." Women's slow reluctance to cooperate across class even in the face of male oppression, as depicted in Glaspell's play, symbolizes the difficulty women had in creating a united "cross class sisterhood" when struggling for suffrage during the Gilded Age. This class conflict was exacerbated by the socio-economic dynamics of the day. Middle class women often employed working class women in their homes as servants. Employing women with hypothetically oppressive wages in their "private lives," while at the same time fighting for the economic freedom of all women in their "public lives" placed middle class women in a hypocritical bind. As historian Lois Banner reports, "In the 1900s and 1910s there was an outpouring of writings on the so-called servant problem--the shortage of women willing to work as cooks and maids. . . .It was not simply that they [servants] were expected to be paid long hours and were not well paid; they were subject to the whims and status anxieties of their mistresses " (52). The control that middle class women reportedly bestowed upon their domestic laborers extended into the larger picture; much of middle class club work focused on the "reform" of working class women. The imposition of middle class values onto working class and black women's lives alienated these women--making the feelings of sisterhood necessary for solidarity, nearly impossible. As historian Nancy Hewitt explains, "When 'true women' [i.

Cheesecake Factory Research Proposal Essay

People eating habits have changed over years triggered by changes in lifestyles. Snacks have become typical food for majority of the working people first because little time is spent to eat them and peoples tendency to like sweet things. Social occasions have also increased and nice food has been adopted as the food to serve. Cheesecake factory is a U. S company dealing with restaurant services. The company currently operates about 200 dinner units and it intends to double this. The company has registered increased sales since its establishment indicating good business. Market information is important for any company intending to enter new markets. Such information would reveal competitors’ information and other products in the market. The information would help establish customers’ preferences, the economic well being of people customer royalties and rate with which this can change. This data informs the entrant company to strategize on their marketing so that they would draw customers to themselves and retain them. Market research involves an organized process of gathering relevant market information and coming up with results that would inform decision-making. Market research has successfully contributed to new business and the existing ones in a move to expand their business (James, 2002). For Cheesecake factory to manage to penetrate in the markets they intend to enter, they need to carry out a market research survey to gather data on several products and customer preferences. The main objectives of the study are to identify peoples’ economic well being, to find out peoples eating habits, the preferred eating junctions. The study would the decision to enter the new markets or otherwise. Differences in preferences by gender and age would also be determined and help the company know what products to produce for which groups. These are the hypothesis of the survey. First null hypothesis is that the population of the market under consideration comprises mainly of youth, people less than 25 years and the older people above 54 years. Hypothesis two is that majority in the population under survey have an income of less than $75000 per month. Hypothesis three is that people do not participate much in social occasions like family get tog ethers and in other festive celebrations. The other hypothesis is that people avoid prefer sweet foods. Hypothesis five is that people have no preferred eating junction. The alterative hypotheses are indicted below: one, majority of the population is aged 25 –54 years. Two, most household incomes are at least $75000 per month. Three that people in these populations are favorites of participating in social ceremonies. Four, majority of people prefer sweet foods availed at restaurants. Fifth, that people prefer restaurants and other fast food junctions. This last hypothesis would provide date on specific junctions within the areas under study that would also indicate preferred competitors. The reasons for such preference would also be outlived In order to obtain data from all the age groups, quota sampling would be used. The study would require certain numbers of people from certain age groups to be defined by gender so that we obtain representative sample sizes for both sexes. Stratified sampling procedure would be employed to define the locations from which certain numbers of respondents are required. The population in this methodology is divided into strata each stratum representing a people with common characteristics. Such characteristics could be by income levels, which determine where a person chooses to stay. There are some areas for high-income people, middle-income people and low-income people, all of whose data we need. These methodologies will enable the study gather information from all groups. It also helps in avoiding bias that would result from collecting data from only one group. The various in the study will be classified with regard to whether they are demographic, economic, opinions or otherwise. Some economic variables are household income levels per month, occupation of the respondent, amount spent on food products per month. The occupation of the respondent would in this case be an independent variable while income levels would be dependent variable. Other variables are the frequency of a respondent to participate in social gatherings such as friends’ parties. These variables could partly be related with income levels and the classification with whether they are independent or not would depend on the test being performed. Other variables of interests, demographic are sex, age or the respondent marital status all of which are independents variables. The area of residence is also important. The family size of the respondent is also an important variable on independent one. Other important variables are preferred types of foods, eating junctions, reasons for preference of certain eating. Another important variable will be people’s choice of T. V channels and radio stations. Other media habits that should be studied are newspaper and magazines reading habits. These variables, independent, would help the company know in which media to post advertisement to effectively reach the potential customers. The analysis of the data would be aimed at identifying media habits. The analysis should show associations between various variables that interact and the strength of such association. The analysis should answer such questions as: do more ladies than gentlemen prefer certain food types? Is there association between one’s income level and frequency of participating in social gatherings? Does marital status influence one’s choice for place to live? The analysis should also indicate the preferences of the population within certain age groups. The proportion of the population outside the one targeted should be known. Several statistical tools would be used to these tests such as chi square test, T- test, and Wilcoxon test among others (Birn, 2004). The purpose of any research is to obtain data that will help in decision-making. The results obtained from the analysis would help the company determine whether to enter the market under study of not. If the results indicate that a population has higher percentage of the very young and the very old, such a market should be avoided. A market whose population has a higher number of low-income earners should also be avoided. If a company is to establish business in these markets, it should be advised to locate its business in areas where people of high income reside. The company should also be advised to engage in products that are most preferred people especially during functions. Associations between variables would help establish the factors that influence the decisions at the customer. If association is found to exist between gender and preferred food types the company would market different products to the different sexes. Upon finding the reasons why certain food junctions or restaurants are preferred, the company should aim to offer better services than the competitors. By finding out how much people spend on food, the company would know the prices it would fix to their products to enable them to get customers as well as estimate the duration within which it should expect returns on its investment. A lot more information can be fetched from the analysis of the data. This means that the Cheesecake Company would reap more benefits by carrying out a survey as above explained. The secondary sources would help establish the other costs that would be incurred like licensing fees and government regulations. Other factors that may affect the business are security and the ease of getting space. Research is therefore necessary for the success of the company in all markets under consideration.

Fairy tale Literature Essay

Literature (from Latin litterae (plural); letter) is the art of written work. The word literature literally means â€Å"things made from letters†. Literature is commonly classified as having two major forms—fiction & non-fiction—and two major techniques—poetry and prose. Literature may consist of texts based on factual information (journalistic or non-fiction), a category that may also include polemical works, biography, and reflective essays, or it may consist of texts based on imagination (such as fiction, poetry, or drama). Literature written in poetry emphasizes the aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language—such as sound, symbolism, and metre—to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, ordinary meanings, while literature written in prose applies ordinary grammatical structure and the natural flow of speech. Literature can also be classified according to historical periods, genres, and political influences. While the concept of genre has broadened over the centuries, in general, a genre consists of artistic works that fall within a certain central theme; examples of genre include romance, mystery, crime, fantasy, erotica, and adventure, among others. Types of Literature Here are some of the popular categories of books and stories in literature. An autobiography is the story of a person’s life written or told by that person. Bill Peet: An Autobiography A biography is the story of a person’s life written or told by another person. Eleanor, by Barbara Cooney A fable is a story that teaches a moral or a lesson. It often has animal characters. The Tortoise and the Hare Fantasy novels are often set in worlds much different from our own and usually include magic, sorcery and mythical creature. The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling A folktale is a story that has been passed down, usually orally, within a culture. It may be based on superstition and feature supernatural characters. Folktales include fairy tales, tall tales, trickster tales and other stories passed down over generations. Hansel and Gretel A legend is a story that has been handed down over generations and is believed to be based on history, though it typically mixes fact and fiction. The hero of a legend is usually a human. King Arthur and the Roundtable. A myth is a traditional story that a particular culture or group once accepted as sacred and true. It may center on a god or supernatural being and explain how something came to be, such as lightning or music or the world itself. The Greek story of the Titan Prometheus bringing fire to humankind Science fiction stories examine how science and technology affect the world. The books often involve fantasy inventions that may be reality in the future. The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula Le Guin 1. Narrator| The person telling the story (not always the same person as the author or writer)| 2. Setting| The place and time period in which the story takes place| 3. Characters| Protagonist – the main character; the â€Å"good guy†Antagonist – the one opposing the main character; the â€Å"bad guy†| 4. Plot| Plot Development:| Exposition – The situation at the beginning of the storyRising Action – Complications that occur after some sort of conflict is introducedClimax – The turning point in the storyResolution – The situation after the conflict is resolved| | Types of Conflict:| Character vs Self (internal dilemmas, psychological issues, etc.)Character vs Character (personal enemies, villains, criminals, etc. )Character vs Society (governments, cultural traditions, etc. )Character vs Nature (weather, natural disasters, animals, etc. )Character vs Supernature (gods, ghosts, zombies, etc. )Character vs Machine (technology, artificial intelligence, etc. )Character vs Destiny (one’s fate, whether real or imagined)| 5. Theme| The main idea or lesson in the story|