The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Essay Example For Students

The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Essay Mrs. Mary RowlandsonThe Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson is a personal account, written by Mary Rowlandson in 1682, of what life in captivity was like. Her narrative of her captivity by Indians became popular in both American and English literature. Mary Rowlandson basically lost everything by an Indian attack on her town Lancaster, Massachusetts in 1675; where she is then held prisoner and spends eleven weeks with the Wampanoag Indians as they travel to safety. What made this piece so popular in both England and America was not only because of the great narrative skill used be Mary Rowlandson, but also the intriguing personality shown by the complicated character who has a struggle in recognizing her identity. The reoccurring idea of food and the word remove, used as metaphors throughout the narrative, could be observed to lead to Mary Rowlandsons repression of anger, depression, and realization of change throughout her journey and more so at the en d of it. We will write a custom essay on The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The idea of food is constantly used throughout the Mary Rowlandsons narrative, because it was the only essential need that she was concerned everyday to survive. Before the captivity, Mary Rowlandson was an innocent housewife that knew nothing of what suffering was like. She has always had plenty of food, shelter, and clothing. As a reader, you can see how her views towards the Indians choice of food gradually changes throughout her journey, and how it is related to the change in her own self. After tragically losing all of her family and her home, she had to repress her feelings to move on with the Indians to survive. She described the Wampanoag Indians at Ravenous beasts when she was captivated, which shows the anger that she felt towards the Indians at that time. The Indians diet was really different from the whites. Rowlandson hardly ate a thing the first week she was held captive. She described the Indians food as filthy trash, and she could starve and die before she ate such th ings (306). As Rowlandsons hunger began to eat her up inside out, she had to repress her spoiled taste and anger in order to survive. During the seventh remove you can see her views of the Indians food change as she got two ears of Indian corn (307) and didnt want to give it up. When one Indian asked her can you eat horse liver? (307), Rowlandson replied that she would try if he would give a piece (307). As she ate it, she described the horse liver as a savory bit it was to me. She explain to herself that for to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet (307). You can see that Rowlandson has experienced a change in her view towards the Indians food. She began being disgusted with their food then gradually precious it. There were many times where Rowlandson felt like she could just lay down and die right there, but as the journey goes on she says I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord (308). Her desire to live was encouraged through her dependence on God, which in turn helped repress her true feelings of depression because of the sufferings she was enduring. As Rowlandsons travels goes on you could see that she has learned to accept the Indians culture. In the eight remove she says I boiled my peas and bear together, and invited my master and mistress to dinner,(309). That statement by Rowlandson does not seem like shes in captivity and that shes actually suffering. She also made clothes for the Indians, which they very much appreciated. Rowlandson realizes as she thinks to herself that throughout her time with the Indians not one of them offered the least imaginable miscarriage to me(310). She has fit herself into the Wampanoag Indian society by suppressing her true feelings of anger and depression towards the Indians in order to survive. During the eighteenth remove she stole a piece of horse feet from a child. Then she claims that the things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat(318). Rowlandson seems to be willing to do anything to fill her hunger, and she knew that she would have never done anything like that before her captivity. She had to restrain her true honorable self and past ideals in order survive. Rowlandson realized at the end of her captivity that amazingly all the time she was among them one man, woman, or child die with hunger(324). She realized that the Indians were not picky and spoiled, they were resourceful and ate whatever they could get their hands on to survive. Rowlandson knew that she had changed after learning this fact about food. Her views of life were different after her experience with the Indians. Rowlandson says, the Lord has showed me the vanity of these outward things(329). Therefore, the metaphor of food could be related to how Mary Rowlandsons identity has changed from what it was before the captivity. Although she does not truly admit her anger and depression throughout the journey, her language itself can hint to the reader that she had to repress these feeli ngs in order to survive. Throughout this narrative the word remove is used regularly. The word can be seen in a figurative and literal way, both having metaphoric meanings to them. Every time Rowlandson and the Indians move to a new destination from their original place, she titles it a remove. There are twenty removes in her narrative, which literally means that her and the Indians traveled to twenty different places. The irony of the word remove is that she is actually moving closer to home and freedom instead of being removed from it. She has also actually been removed from what she use to be, fitting into another world with a different culture. Rowlandson from the beginning has had to remove her self from the ideas and values she use to believe in and also things that has had great value to her such as her dead baby. Again, events like this could lead to much depression and anger. But, she removed herself from those feelings through the words of God. She states in the fourth rem ove that Thus saith the Lord, refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears, for thy work shall be rewarded, and they shall come again from the land of the enemy(305). Another way to describe the figurative meaning of the word remove can also be thought to mean the move of her spiritual life towards God. In each remove some incident she experiences was related to a passage in the bible. Mary Rowlandson learns something new in each remove by gathering proof that supports Gods words. Therefore, each remove could mean her own self moving one step closer to God, and being removed from her original state of innocence and not truly understanding the scripture. All this can come down to the theory that the last and only way Rowlandson could have the will to go on and survive was through repression of her feelings using the words of God as an excuse. Mary Rowlandson endures a great amount of pain throughout the whole story. She had many reasons to be angry, hurt, and depressed a s she lost everything in her life. Towards the end of the book she admits, when everybody is sleeping, my eyes are weeping(329). We can see the repression she experiences at the end when she cant even sleep because of all the sufferings she had experience. There she basically admits that she was not truly happy. This could have been the crucial point in the narrative where her feelings of being angry, hurt, and depressed throughout the whole journey have been build up so long and so much inside of her that she finally has a nervous break down. Therefore, Rowlandson is seen through the metaphoric ideas of food and the word remove to have not only repressed her feelings of anger and depression, but more importantly that at the end her ideals and identity have changed from before the captivity.

Understanding Cultural Materialism in Sociology

Understanding Cultural Materialism in Sociology Cultural materialism is a theoretical framework and research method for examining the relationships between the physical and economic aspects of production and built society, social organization and social relations, and the values, beliefs, and worldviews that predominate that society. It is rooted in Marxist theory  and is popular in anthropology, sociology, and the field of cultural studies. History and Overview The theoretical perspective and research methods of cultural materialism emerged in the late 1960s and were developed more fully during the 1980s. Cultural materialism was first introduced and popularized within the field of anthropology by Marvin Harris with his 1968 book  The Rise of Anthropological Theory. In this work, Harris built on Marxs theory of base and superstructure to craft a theory of how culture and cultural products fit into the greater social system. In Harriss adaptation of Marxs theory, the infrastructure of society (technology, economic production, the built environment, etc.) influences both the structure of society (social organization and relations) and the superstructure (the collection of ideas, values, beliefs, and worldviews). He argued that one must take this whole system into account if one wants to understand why cultures differ from place to place and group to group,  why certain cultural products like art and consumer goods (among others) are produ ced in a given place, and what their meaning is to those who use them. Later, Raymond Williams, a Welsh academic, further developed the theoretical paradigm and research method, and in doing so, helped create the field of cultural studies in the 1980s. Embracing the political nature of Marxs theory and his critical focus on power and the class structure, Williamss cultural materialism took aim at how culture and cultural products relate to a class-based system of domination and oppression. Williams built his theory of cultural materialism using already existing theoretical critiques of the relationship between culture and power, including the writings of Italian scholar Antonio Gramsci and the critical theory of the Frankfurt School. Williams asserted that culture itself is a productive process, meaning it is responsible for making intangible things that exist in society, like ideas, assumptions, and social relations. The theory of cultural materialism that he developed holds that culture as a productive process is part of the larger process of how a class system is made and remade, and it is connected to the class-based inequalities that pervade society. According to cultural materialism, culture and cultural products play these roles through the promotion and justification of certain values, assumptions, and worldviews within the mainstream and the marginalization of others that do not fit the mainstream mold (consider the way rap music has been routinely vilified as violent by mainstream critics, or how twerking is often framed as a sign that someone is sexually loose or morally deficient, while ballroom dance is held up as classy and refined). Many scholars who followed in Williams tradition expanded his theory of cultural materialism, which was focused on class inequalities, to include the consideration of racial inequalities and their connection to culture, as well as those of gender, sexuality, and nationality, among others. Cultural Materialism as a Research Method By using cultural materialism as a research method we can produce a critical understanding of the values, beliefs, and worldviews of a period through close study of cultural products, and we can discern how they connect to the greater social structure, social trends, and social problems. Per the framework that Williams laid out, to do so one must do three things: Consider the historical context in which the cultural product was made.Conduct a close analysis of the messages and meanings communicated by the product itself.Consider how the product fits within the greater social structure, its inequalities, and the political power and movements within it. Beyoncà ©s Formation video is a great example of how we can use cultural materialism to understand cultural products and society. When it debuted, many criticized it for its imagery that appears critical of police practices. The video features images of militarized police and ends with the iconic image of  Beyoncà © laying atop a sinking New Orleans Police Department car. Some read this as insulting to police, and even as a threat to police, echoing a common mainstream critique of rap music. But apply cultural materialism as a theoretical lens and a research method and one sees the video in a different light. Considered in a historical context of hundreds of years of systemic racism and inequality, and the recent pandemic of police killings of black people, one instead sees Formation as a celebration of blackness in response to the hate, abuse, and violence routinely heaped upon black people. One can also see it as a completely valid and appropriate critique of police practices that desperately need to be changed if equality is ever to be possible. Cultural materialism is an illuminating theory.

APA Thesis

APA Thesis APA Thesis APA ThesisIf you have an assignment to write an APA thesis, you should start with conducting a sufficient research. APA thesis writing is not easy, especially if you have no research skills while the assignment deadline is approaching very quickly. This article is written with the purpose to give you several tips on APA thesis formatting. APA Thesis TipsAPA thesis must be composed in Standard American English, and papers set up as 8 x 11 documents, double-spaced, in 12-point type legible font (such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Georgia), or in 10- or 11-point legible font (such as Verdana) with 1-inch margins. Thesis should to be formatted in APA style (see A Writers Reference, APA/CMS tab) and apastyle.org/ (This site is devoted to APA Style and includes free style tips and excerpts from the 5th edition of the APA Publication Manual). Some other helpful links are: APA Formatting and Style Guide (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/) and APA Overview and Works hop (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/664/01/) Sources are to be noted and documented in APA style only, using parenthetical references, and verified in an accurate Reference page. Do not use MLA or End Note style! Final thesis that is not correctly documented with an accurate Reference page, and with parenthetical references within the paper that connect to sources on the Reference page will receive a failing grade. Use only the third person (he/she/it and they) in all writing assignments for this class. Follow the specific Resource for all other class writing assignments. First voice (I/we) and second voice (you) is not used in academic writing. Exceptions are when first or second voice is part of a quote or necessary dialogue. This link may provide more information on the subject: Using Appropriate Language Use an appropriate formal style and voice for academic writing. Contractions (cant, isnt, wont, etc.) may work in less formal non-academic pieces, but are not acceptable in academic writing. This link may prove helpful: Using Appropriate Language (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/608/01/) Thesis writer should avoid most errors in grammar and mechanics (spelling, punctuation, etc.). It is suggested that writers review any grammar/correction/mechanics weaknesses in the text A Writers Reference and the accompanying exercise book before and during the proof-reading/editing of a thesis. A final essay with more than three errors on a page will be limited to a grade of C or less. Writers should proofread all writing carefully before turning in an assignment of any kind. Writers are encouraged to review all stages of the writing with computer spelling and grammar check. APA Thesis: Final NotesResearch and note-taking are integral absolutes of academic writing. No matter how knowledgeable you think you are about a subject, your thesis will benefit from your reading and applying information from other credible sources . This is a very important pre-writing/planning part of the Writing Process. Research and responsible documentation crediting the research in your thesis are essential to academic writing. You should not turn in a Final Copy of an Essay for any class unless you have applied research to the subject matter/contents, cited the research correctly (APA Style) in your thesis, and included a Reference page (APA Style) that lists all sources that were used (and cited) in the thesis.

Song's Copyright Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Song's Copyright - Assignment Example For musicians, copyrights are designed to protect their songs from unauthorized reproduction or copying of the work (Atkinson, 2011). Consumers can purchase songs for use in their homes only. When they want to use certain songs for public performance or advertising, they need to gain the rights to do so. To gain the rights, consumers can enter into rights-managed contracts, where they pay royalties based on the number of times they want to use a particular song or several songs. The payable royalty fee is also determined by the number of people who will hear it and the location in which will be played (Berne, 1975). Copyrights laws in Canada extend to both the nationals of Canada and foreign nationals. The foreign nationals are limited to the members of Berne conventional countries. Substantial amendments were made in Canada to the copyright Act in 2012. The amendments were aimed at modernization of the Canadian copyright law. The United states also have their copyrights laws which have several similarities and differences with the Canadian copyrights laws. Both countries confer protection to artistic work based on the concept of originality (Bogsch, 1986). The Canadian Act recognizes artistic works, musical, dramatic, and original literacy. The U.S Act protects and recognizes ‘works of authorship’ as a general name for artistic works. There are no requirements for registration of copyright in Canada. The registration confers particular presumptive benefits in the country. Lack of copyright registration in the U.S limits some available remedies. Canada prohibits the sale and use of technological designs to circumvent protection measures technological wise. In the U.S the law on technological designs is similar to the one in Canada (Buckingam, 1836). Internet service providers are protected by the Canadian copyrights Act. They are protected when they are

Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness Research Paper - 3

Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that globalization is the process of improving the interactivity of the social, political interdependence, cultural, financial economic and incorporation of markets that are triggered by the development of technologies in the communication and transport sector at the same time liberalizing trade. Globalization together with the unparalleled change in technology has led to a weakening of the borders from the States control. There is an increase in the volume of cigar and money at an alarming rate which kills the tobacco industry. Fake tobacco products are smuggled into the State by organized criminals. There are various networks of companies, people, and groups who evade taxes and royalties to bring in fake cigarettes which look similar to the genuine products. As a result, they trade like any other company’s products hence killing the revenue collected by the company. The products sold by these smugglers cost much lower than the genuine products. With gl obalization and technological change, the products can be designed in a way, that one cannot differentiate them genuine products. The taxes can be avoided easily with fake documentation which can pass for the real documents. Application of the industrial organization model and resource-based model by Marlboro firm to earn above average returns can be done in various ways. First, with the application of the industrial organization model, Marlboro firm can make use of alliances with other cigarettes manufactures to form an association like a cartel. Since the organized cooperate more with other close competitors in the tobacco industry, this will reduce the probability of the collaboration to lift the revenues of the firm. Moreover, the firm can also make good use of its resource-based model by differentiating their products and making it known to the customers about the genuine products and how to separate from the fake products. All it takes are the internal resources of the company to implement strategies that can easily reduce cases of smuggling. In addition, the government regulatory controls can be partnered with, by the company by having agents or inspectors who are able to draw a clear line between fake and genuine products.

Capital budgeting decisions made too early Essay Example for Free

Capital budgeting decisions made too early Essay Hughes Corporation employs a machine to manufacture its output. It has identified a replacement but wishes to carefully consider the effect on various aspects of the business if it continues to use the existing machine compared with the effect if it replaces it with the new machine. The importance of Capital Budgeting cannot be underemphasized as a replacement decision can impact Hughes Corporation for many years, and so it must be carefully planned. A bad decision can have a significant effect on the firm’s future operations. The timing of the decision is important as capital budgeting projects may take years to implement. Firms should plan accordingly, failing which they may find that the capital budgeting decision is timed too late, and prove to be costly with respect to competition. Capital budgeting decisions made too early can also cause problems because generally capital budgeting projects are large investments, thus early decisions may generate unnecessary costs for the firm. Hughes Corporation would like to assess whether it should replace the machine now with the new one or defer the decision. Requirement 2 The idea for a capital budgeting project, whether generated by customers, employees, suppliers, should be based on the requirements and experiences of the corporation, and of these groups. For example, a sales representative might often receive customer feedback that there is a need for the product to have particular characteristics that the firm’s existing product does not have. The sales representative may present this idea to management, who subsequently evaluates its viability by consulting with production personnel, engineers, and by carrying out a feasibility study. Once the idea is proven to be viable the financial manager conducts a capital budgeting analysis to ensure it will be beneficial to the firm with respect to its value. The corporation is satisfied with the output from its existing machine. However, its efficiency is comparatively less than a new machine and the operating and maintenance costs of the existing machine are also higher. Research conducted on internet sources revealed an article published in the Engineering Review (September 22, 1999) which explained the rationale behind the decision on replacing an asset. As pointed out in the article by Hartman, traditionally, a replacement analysis is undertaken, taking into account an optimal replacement schedule and building-in minimization of purchase, maintenance, operating costs and salvage value, over some time horizon. These costs are based on the asset utilization over its useful life (Hartman 1999). Requirement 3 In the case of this corporation, to determine the value of an asset, we should compute the present value of cash flows that the asset is expected to generate over its useful life. When the value of the asset is determined, we can determine if we should invest in the asset by comparing its computed value to the purchase cost of the asset. If this decision-making procedure is followed it will help ensure the firm will maximize its value—that is, if an asset has a value to the firm that is greater than its cost, the firm’s value would be increased if the firm purchases the asset (Besley 2007). Requirement 4 Besley continues to explain the techniques employed in assisting a decision to be reached by aggregating the cash-flows resulting from buying a replacement asset. However, as the cash-flows span over several years (over the asset’s useful life) the cash-flows should be discounted to arrive at their net present value.

Cloning Essay: Cloneco: Life is Our Business -- Argumentative Persuasi

Cloneco: Life is Our Business    On July 5, 1996, Scottish Scientists shocked the world by creating the first successful clone of a sheep.   With the dawn of this new biotechnology, people have begun to question the ethical ramifications of applying this technology to humans.   Many believe that cloning humans is morally wrong.   As a stockholder in Cloneco, I support their use of this scientific discovery.   However, my position to profit from the use of cloning is not the reason that I believe that there is nothing morally wrong with the practice of cloning.    Once Cloneco and other cloning research facilities have performed sufficient research on cloning, the practice of cloning will have many health benefits.   Currently, there are many genetic diseases for which there are no cures.   These include sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis and Alzheimer's disease.   Cloning technology could be used to find cures for these genetic diseases in addition to other non-genetic health problems such as heart disease, liver and kidney failure, leukemia and cancer.  Ã‚      Opponents of cloning argue that the technology will be used for the pursuit of unethical goals.   They believe that some people will use cloning as a means of becoming immortal by repeatedly cloning themselves or that people would try to replace others with clones.   Despite the fact that it is impossible to create a clone with the same memories as the original, research has proven that it is impossible to make an exact replica of a person even if the replica is physically identical to the original.   This is because the environment in which he is brought up largely affects a person's development.&... ....   This means that they can make the most knowledgeable decisions based on the immense amount of information that they have gathered through research and experience.   In addition, all Cloneco employees from administrative assistants to scientists undergo a rigorous selection process in which background checks comparable to those used by the government's alphabet soup agencies are made to ensure that they will make moral decisions and will not pursue personal interests while working for Cloneco.      Cloning will usher in a new era in human history as the traditional form of procreation that has stood constant for eras changes.   However, it is important to remember that the purpose of cloning is to create humans, not duplicates.   It is Cloneco's mission to ensure that cloning technology is used responsibly.   Their business is life.

Psychology Case Studies Essay

According to the diathesis-stress model there are many things that seem to be able to relate to the anxiety disorder that Winnie has. As for the biological factors some of the issues could have arise from Winnie spending her first three weeks of life in the neonatal intensive care unit where it would be impossible for her to bond with her mom and have the typical bonding experiences that occur with a newborn. Therefore Winnie would have a harder time with feeling security and could have some separation anxiety as part of her biological make up of not being with her parents during those first few weeks for bonding time. Biologically it could be suggested that since she was having a hard time breathing and having the â€Å"blue spells† that her mother talked about there could have also been some brain development or psychological damage from this. As for life experiences being factored into her issues with social anxiety there are many different experiences in her life that could be a part of this. One of these issues could have been the fact that she was not with her parents and in the intensive care unit. There are different studies and theories as to whether or not this would be considered a biological or a life experience factor in this case, for these purposes it is being left as a biological factor. When Winnie was very young and her mother had the two miscarriages and suffered depression and then suffered some side effects of the medications there would have been strain on Winnie as her mother would not have acted the same as she did prior to these instances. For a developing child at these ages there are many reasons to believe that this could cause permanent damages for the child’s confidence and ability to feel secure as this is the time when so many developments are taking place. Also the experience of Winnie’s friend moving away could have caused some of the social anxiety and some of the issues with her innate fear that something would happen to her mother when she was not around. These different factors could explain her social anxiety through the Diathesis-stress model. 2. The separation anxiety disorder can be explained through the behavioral perspective. The explanation would be that there are so many various factors that could affect a child which would have caused her to have these negative learned behaviors. When the mother was depressed and then agitated from the medications the child could have learned to stay quiet and to keep to herself in order to be able to manage her feelings and still have her mother be happy around her. Another explanation on this theory could have been that the mother might have rewarded the child for quiet play. When the child’s friend suddenly moved away the learned behavior might have been that someone can leave and never return. This would have taught the child to keep her mother close by in order to ensure that her mother would not be leaving and never coming back. Also when the mother gave her more attention for throwing a fit the first time then it would explain how she ended up throwing fits each day as she was hoping to be rewarded by getting that extra time with her mother. As for her overall separation anxiety and treatment for it, it could be suggested that the child be enrolled in some play therapy where she could discuss her real fears and the sources of her fears with the therapist in order to be able to reassure her that things were okay. Also there could be some indications that the child would also benefit from a very set and scheduled routine and some reassurance from her mother in the form of a reward of some sort. The reward would be to reinforce positive behaviors for instance if she was able to not throw a fit and if she were able to be okay when her mother left her then she would be able to manage her feelings in some positive manner (Cliff’s Notes Behavioral†¦). As for the cognitive perspective and the issue of Winnie’s separation anxiety, there are many factors that can be examined in order to explain the problems. The way that this perspective could be applied is through the ways that Winnie is interpreting and looking at things having to do with the separation of her mother. Since Winnie has spent her primary amount of time with her mother there is reason to believe that some of the problems could have to do with her father not being around her perception on what he is doing when he is not home since he is admittedly thinking about work much of the time when at home. Her perception might be that he is not really there for her and that he is not really able to be there for her on a regular basis. She might have a larger fear from some of the other issues occurring like that if her mother leaves she might not ever see her again after her perception that her friend left and she didn’t see her either. As for her fear of something happening to her mother while she is gone, there are many reasons to think that her mother could have a hard time without her. It could be questioned as to why she has this fear if something has happened to someone she knows or the content of the television programming that is being watched around her. Some of these things are because there seems to be a lot more to her perceptions and why she is so fearful of losing her mother. Some treatments that might be suggested in this case are family therapy. There could be a lot gained from Winnie understanding that both of her parents care about her well being and that both of them are dedicated to taking care of her. Some other treatment could be to monitor the family’s television and to not allow Winnie to be in the room when viewing any type of movie dealing with death and also there could be some benefits from Winnie spending some quality time with her father (Garvy and Spoor). The psychodynamic perspective for child development would suggest that the separation anxiety as coming from Winnie’s infancy and her being separated from her parents during her first crucial weeks of life. This perspective would suggest that Winnie was unable to be without her parents and had such a large fear of being away from them because she was unable to bond with them during the first few weeks of her life and she had to be alone during this time as well. Also the separation of Winnie from her young friend would suggest that there were more issues to this than originally thought as there were many times when Winnie would not have been able to process these thoughts. Also Winnie’s mother had commented that Winnie did not talk about this friend moving and not having this friend around. This is crucial as there are many reasons to believe that Winnie should have in some way expressed that she was upset about being separated from her friend and that she needed some reassurance which she did not get during this time as she had not asked for it. Through this perspective it is possible to conclude that Winnie would not have understood or known what to ask for in this situation (Van Morgan 2009).

Revenue and Production

BERGERAC CASE STUDY Summary The purpose of this report is to analyze the opportunity to produce plastic components for cartridge production and choose the best alternative. It is predicted that the annual demand growth is a triangular distribution with a minimum of 5%, most likely of 17% and a maximum of 25%. Due to the continuous growth in the demand, the alternatives cannot be compared using just the data for 2010. An analysis is carried out for the time period 2011 to 2015 and the present worth of the net income is considered as the criteria to select the alternative.The analysis basically can be divided into 5 steps: * Forecasting demand for next five years, * Estimating capacity required, * Developing production strategy, * Calculate the operating expenses for the alternatives, * Select the alternative based on the present worth of net income. From the estimated installed base of 7500 OmniVue instruments at the end of year 2010, the demand for the OmniVue instruments and cartrid ges are forecasted. There is a new product OmniVue mobile, ready to be launched in year 2013.It is assumed that the OmniVue mobile can be accounted for 30% of the demand for Instruments in year 2013, 50% in year 2014 and 60% in year 2015. The growth in demand for the OmniVue instrument is assumed to decrease after the release of OmniVue mobile. It is estimated that the production capacity of Bergerac to produce OmniVue instruments is approximately 2000 units per year with a production of 5 days per week. It is inferred that using level strategy, the probability that the demand is not met in the next five years is 5. 74%.There is no need to increase the capacity of the production line apart from changes required when the OmniVue mobile is released. There are various strategies which are compared in build option. For each production strategy, the optimum solution for the capacities in each year is found out. After finding the optimum solutions, the production strategies are compared w ith each other to find out the best solution for the build option. The production strategies that are analyzed are: * Level production strategy and Chase production strategy * Overtime is allowed / not allowedThe base values assumed to calculate the production costs for cartridges are included in Appendix F. Based on the production plan, the expenses incurred are calculated for both options. The expenses are calculated for the years 2011 to 2015. The expenses and revenue for cartridges and instruments are shown in Appendix H and Appendix I respectively. The income statement is prepared from the expenses calculated and the revenue (refer to Appendix J). The income tax rate for the company is estimated to be 39% from the income statements for years 2007 to 2009.The revenues and other expenses from operations other than OmniVue is estimated and added to the income statement. The net income is calculated. The cash flows for years 2011 to 2015 is also calculated. The net present worth is calculated for the net income and the cash flows. The objective used to optimize the solution is to maximize the mean of net present worth of the net income and cash flows. The four production strategies for the build option are optimized and the maximum net present worth for the options is forecasted. The best solution from the four strategies is chosen and compared to the net present worth of the buy option.Based on the analysis, build is a better option than buy option. The present worth of the net income is highest for level production, overtime allowed. But level production, overtime not allowed is very close to it and it does not affect the employee relationship. It is recommended to use level production strategy, no overtime (net present worth for net income is $59. 8 million). The current objective is to produce the plastic components for Bergerac with the lowest expenses, which can be achieved by building a unit for plastic component production in the plant itself.It is al so recommended to buy 5 machines instead of 4 machines in year 2010 based on the analysis. Dilemma for Ian Wyckoff Since 2008, Bergerac had been exploring the opportunity to begin its own production of cartridge components. Plastic suppliers like GenieTech and Elsinore faced difficulties in responding to demand spikes, leading to production delays. Such supplier unreliability made it challenging for Bergerac to optimize its cartridge production. Thus, the company had to carry more inventory of parts and finished goods than Wyckoff could have liked.The obvious appeal to fully control the supply of plastic lead to a strategy, the company has to decide whether to buy or build this capability. GenieTech owner was interested in retirement and was willing to sell the company for a purchase price of $5. 75 million. GenieTech has 8 molding presses each could produce 5 cartridges per cycle with a total capacity of 10,782,720 cartridges per year with 5 days production in a week. The other alt ernative is to build a unit with 4 molding presses which are more efficient than the presses at GenieTech.The total capacity of the unit will be 6,097,371cartridges per year with 5 days production in a week. It is required to predict the best long term decision among the buy and build options. Mr. McCarthy’s Analysis of Buy vs Build The analysis by Mr. McCarthy is a good basic analysis for comparing the alternatives, Buy vs Build. The main factor which Mr. McCarthy has not considered is the growing demand of the cartridges. The demand for cartridges is growing steadily and the Mr. McCarthy’s build option with 4 molding presses will not be able to satisfy the demand in the upcoming years (refer table 1). Additionally, Mr.McCarthy has not considered the possible revenue from the existing operations of GenieTech with other customers. The possible merger could also serve as a possibility for development in a new product line which would favor the growth of the company. So, Mr. McCarthy has not considered all the factors when comparing the two alternatives which means it is not ideal to accept this analysis. Financial analysis to choose between alternatives – Buy Vs Build using a 2011 to 2015 study period The analysis can be basically divided into 5 steps: First, the demand for the years 2011 to 2015 has to be forecasted.Second step is to estimate the capacity required to meet the demand in both buy and build options. The next step is to plan the production accordingly to meet the demand forecasted previously. The employee strike which is predicted to happen in the start of year 2013 should be accounted for when planning the production. The costs of operation and the revenues are then calculated which is used in the income statement. Final step is to compare the cash flows to determine the optimal solution that can be executed in the years 2011 to 2015.Estimated demand for OmniVue cartridges and the testing instruments for years 2011 – 2 015 The expected annual growth rate of demand is a triangular distribution with a minimum of 5%, a most likely of 17% and a maximum of 25%. From the estimated installed base of 7500 OmniVue instruments at the end of year 2010, the demand for the OmniVue instruments and cartridges are forecasted. There is a new product OmniVue mobile, ready to be launched in year 2013. It is assumed that the OmniVue mobile can be accounted for 30% of the demand for Instruments in year 2013, 50% in year 2014 and 60% in year 2015.The growth in demand for the OmniVue instrument is assumed to decrease after the release of OmniVue mobile. Table 1 – Demand for OmniVue Instruments and Cartridges forecasted for years 2011 – 2015 Capacity planning OmniVue instruments: It is predicted that the installed base at the end of year 2010 is 7500. Bergerac has manufactured 7500 units in the period mid-2006 to 2010. Hence, it is estimated that the production capacity of Bergerac to produce OmniVue instru ments is approximately 2000 units per year with a production of 5 days per week.Using the assumption for increase in demand for the instruments, the number of units to be produced using level production for years 2011 to 2015 is forecasted and it is seen that the probability that the demand is not met is 5. 74%. The maximum number of units to be produced is 2,588. It can be met if the production is increased to 7 days per week whenever required. Hence, it is assumed that there is no need to increase the capacity of the production line apart from changes required when the OmniVue mobile is released.Figure 1 – Level production – capacity required for years 2011 to 2015 OmniVue Cartridges: Build option: Figure X shows the demand for years 2011 to 2015 based on the estimated installed base of 7500 at the end of 2010 and the assumed growth rate. The minimum and maximum growth rates are 5% and 25% respectively. Figure 2 – Demand for cartridge The demand for the assume d growth rates is plotted. The 4 molding presses proposed by Mr. McCarthy will be sufficient to meet the demand if the growth rate is 5% every year, but will not be able to meet requirements if the demand grows by 25%.The capacity of the proposed 4 machines with 5 days/week and 7 days/week are plotted. The number of units to be produced with level production is plotted; the proposed 4 machines will be able to meet the demand with overtime (excess of 5 days/week). It is assumed that the OmniVue mobile is given preference in case of shortage of capacity. Optquest is used to estimate the right number of machines to be purchased and the expansion strategy in the future years so that the company profit is maximum. Buy option: The cartridge components are the only difference between the buy and build options.There is no increase in the capacity required because the current capacity of 8 machines will be able to satisfy the demand for the next 5 years. Figure 3 – Cartridge demand fo r year 2015 – peak demand Other product lines: It is assumed that the new product OmniVue mobile can be manufactured in the same production line with some modifications in the equipment. Overtime: It is assumed that overtime can be used for manufacturing when the 5 days/week is not enough to meet the demands. The overtime wages for the labor are twice the normal.The overtime wages are calculated from the utilization factor of the machines which is 5 days/week normal production (100% utilization). The overtime cannot exceed 40% because there are only 2 more days left in a week. It should be noted that there is only 3% change in the operational expenses for overtime (refer to Appendix E). Employee strike in 2013: It is predicted to be 50% probability that the employees will do strike for a period of 0. 5 to 3 months. So, it is assumed that the annual capacity is reduced to 75% if the strike duration is 3 months (refer Appendix D).Strategies can be formulated to tackle the strik e situation by producing more units in the previous year so that the demand can be met in the first 3 months of 2013. The maximum demand during the strike period is estimated to be a maximum of 1. 6 million cartridges and 277 instruments. It is assumed that the OmniVue mobile will be released after the strike is over. Production planning Cartridges: Buy option (GenieTech): The same number of units is produced every year which will be equal to the production capacity.The plastic components requirement for Bergerac is first satisfied and the remaining capacity is used for the other contracts of GenieTech. After the launch of OmniVue mobile, the production for OmniVue mobile is given preference. Overtime is used for production if the demand exceeds capacity which is unlikely to happen in the next 5 years. Since the production capacity of GenieTech has been always above the demand, the other strategies are not analyzed. Build option: There are various strategies which are compared in bu ild option.For each production strategy, the optimum solution for the capacities in each year is found out. After finding the optimum solutions, the production strategies are compared with each other to find out the best solution for the build option. There criteria used to find the optimum solution is the present worth. The production strategies that are analyzed are: * Level production strategy and Chase production strategy * Overtime is allowed / not allowed For level production strategy, the inventory holding cost is assumed to be $0. 2/unit for OmniVue and $0. /unit for OmniVue mobile. The alternatives are compared using net present worth forecast graphs. The level production plan and chase production plan are included in Appendix B and Appendix C respectively (Note: production plan for both the cartridges and the instrument are available in the same table). Instruments: The instruments are produced using level production strategy. The production is scheduled based on the deman d forecast for the years 2011 to 2015. OmniVue mobile is given more preference like the production strategy for cartridges.It is assumed that 2 foremen and 6 other labors are required for the production line. It is also assumed that OmniVue mobile instrument also can be manufactured in the same production line with some modification in the equipment. The production of instruments does not impact the analysis because the same cost is incurred in both options. Other products: The operations for other products are directly included in the income statement and it is not analyzed. Operational expenses and Income statement The base values assumed to calculate the production costs for cartridges are included in Appendix F.Based on the production plan, the expenses incurred are calculated for both options. The expenses are calculated for the years 2011 to 2015. The expenses and revenue for cartridges and instruments are shown in Appendix H and Appendix I respectively. The income statement i s prepared from the expenses calculated and the revenue (refer to Appendix J). In level production strategy, the expenses are incurred during a period different from the period in which the product is sold. But, it is expended only when the product is sold.For that purpose, the cost per unit is calculated and is used to calculate the cost of goods sold. For example, if in a year, 3000 goods are sold and 1000 are from previous year inventory, then the cost is calculated using previous year cost per unit for 1000 units and current year cost per unit for the remaining units. The income tax rate for the company is estimated to be 39% from the income statements for years 2007 to 2009. The revenues and other expenses from operations other than OmniVue is estimated and added to the income statement.The net income is calculated. Cash flows (refer Appendix K) Similar to the Income statement, the revenues, expenses and capital investment for each year is calculated from the data and the cash flows for the alternatives are calculated. In cash flow statement, the expenses are expended in the same year when it was spent. The income statement which was prepared previously has used accrual accounting. Depreciation is included in income statement. In cash flow, the capital investments are included instead of depreciation. Present worth analysisThe net present worth is calculated for the net income and the cash flows. The objective used to optimize the solution is to maximize the mean of net present worth of the net income and cash flows. The four production strategies for the build option are optimized and the maximum net present worth for the options is forecasted. The best solution from the four strategies is chosen and compared to the net present worth of the buy option. The overtime not allowed scenario is performed in Optquest by adding a constraint that the utilization in all years is less than or equal to 100%.Build option (refer Appendix M): Present worth of Net incom e: For chase production strategy, overtime allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $58. 770 million. 31002 For chase production strategy, overtime not allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $58. 486 million. 40101 For level production strategy, overtime allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $60. 786 million. 40000 For level production strategy, overtime not allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $59. 789 million. 50100 Present worth of Cash flow:For chase production strategy, overtime allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $53. 474 million. 31000 For chase production strategy, overtime not allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $52. 220 million. 40101 For level production strategy, overtime allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $50. 086 million30010. For level production strategy, overtime not allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $47. 742 million. 50100 Buy option (refer Appendix N): Present worth of Net income: $54. 204 millionPresent worth of Cash flow: $47. 647 million Based on the analysis, build is a better option than buy option. The present worth of the net income is highest for level production, overtime allowed. But level production, overtime not allowed is very close to the highest and it does not affect the employee relationship. It is recommended to use level production strategy, no overtime. There is an issue with inventory building in level production strategy. Also, by not choosing the buy option, Bergerac loses a chance to enter a new product line.But, the current objective is to produce the plastic components for Bergerac with the lowest expenses, which can be achieved by building a unit for plastic component production in the plant itself. It is also recommended to buy 5 machines instead of 4 machines in year 2010 based on the analysis. Appendices List of assumptions * The growth of demand is a triangular distribution with 5%, 17% and 25%. * The OmniVue mobile demand accounts for 30%, 50% and 60% in 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively. * It is predicted that there is a 50% chance of strike in 2013 for a time period of 0. to 3 months. * The OmniVue instruments and cartridges can be manufactured in the same production line with some changes in equipment. A $200,000 cost is added in year 2013 for these changes. * The base values considered for calculating production cost for cartridges and the instruments are available in the Appendix F and G respectively. The labor cost for instruments is assumed to be the same as that of cartridges. There will be no impact for assumptions related to instruments because the same cost is assumed in both options. * The labor growth of GenieTech is 2 to 5%.The material cost increases by 3 to 8%. * For overtime, the salary is 2 times the salary in normal production hours. The overtime salary is calculated from the utilization. * OmniVue mobile cartridge will be sold at $8 per unit. * Transportation cost of plastic components from GenieTech is $0. 1/unit. * The inventory holding cost for cartridges is $0. 2 for OmniVue and $0. 1 for OmniVue mobile. * The plastic components are sold to other customers from GenieTech at $1. 66/unit. * The labor and overhead for instrument production are assumed values. The revenue from other products is assumed to be $35 million. Gross margin for other products is 60%. * The R & D costs increase 7% every year. The R & D cost for GenieTech is 5% of Bergerac’s. * Sales and marketing cost is 25% of revenue. Profit sharing is 0. 1% of gross profit. * The General and administrative cost for HemaVue is $6 million and it increase 10% every year. * Interests are 5% of Income from operations. * In capital investments, installation and building cost has a $125,000 fixed cost and $75,000 variable cost per machine.

The Border States of the Civil War

The Border States of the Civil War Border states was the term applied to a set of states which fell along the border between North and South during the Civil War. They were distinctive not merely for their geographical placement, but also because they had remained loyal to the Union even though slavery was legal within their borders. Another characteristic of a border state would be that a considerable anti-slavery element was present within the state which meant that, while the economy of the state would not have been heavily tied to the institution of slavery, the population of the state could present thorny political problems for the Lincoln administration. The border states are generally considered to have been Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri. By some reckonings, Virginia was considered to have been a border state although it did eventually secede from the Union to become part of the Confederacy. However, part of Virginia split away during the war to become the new state of West Virginia, which could then be considered a fifth border state. Political Difficulties and the Border States The border states posed particular political problems for President Abraham Lincoln as he tried to guide the nation during the Civil War. He often felt the need to move with caution on the issue of slavery, so as not to offend the citizens of the border states and that tended to annoy Lincolns own supporters in the North. The situation greatly feared by Lincoln, of course, was that being too aggressive in dealing with the issue of slavery might lead the pro-slavery elements in the border states to rebel and join the Confederacy which could be disastrous. If the border states joined the other slave  states in rebelling against the Union, it would have given the rebel army more manpower as well as more industrial capacity. Furthermore, if the state of Maryland joined the Confederacy, the national capital, Washington, D.C., would be put in the untenable position of being surrounded by states in armed rebellion to the government. Lincoln’s political skills managed to keep the border states within the Union, but he was often criticized for actions he took that some in the North interpreted as appeasement of border state slave owners. In the summer of 1862, for instance, he was condemned by many in the North for telling a group of African American visitors to the White House about a plan to send free blacks to colonies in Africa. When prodded by Horace Greeley, the legendary editor of the New York Tribune, to move faster to free slaves 1862, Lincoln responded with a famous and deeply controversial letter. The most prominent example of Lincoln paying heed to the particular circumstances of the border states would be in the Emancipation Proclamation, which stated that slaves in states in rebellion would be freed. Its notable that the slaves in the border states, and thereby part of the Union, were not set free by the proclamation. The ostensible reason for Lincoln excluding the slaves in the border states from the Emancipation Proclamation was that the proclamation was a wartime executive action and thus only applied to the slave states in rebellion- but it also avoided the issue of freeing slaves in border states which could, perhaps, have led some of the states to rebel and join the Confederacy.

Warning from Our Writers Do Not Make These Mistakes in Writing

Warning from Our Writers Do Not Make These Mistakes in Writing This article is a continuation of  Top 10 Mistakes Made During Essay Writing (Part 1) 6. Thinking a Citation Speaks for Itself When the student does find an ideal source to pepper into their essay, they should not expect the source’s content itself to support a claim. Even if it is fairly obvious to the reader why the source was used in a certain case and how it evidences the paper’s thesis statement, it should be explained and made sense of for the reader’s sake. The writer should keep mindful to always contextualize a source, explaining why it is important and how it confirms the point being made. For example, if they are arguing Edgar Allen Poe’s use of an unreliable narrator in his â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† the writer will probably want to illustrate how the narrator was mentally ill. In this case, they may then use this passage from the text: â€Å"If still, you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. †¦ First of all, I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs. I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between the scantlings.† Using this passage, the student can’t expect it to speak for itself. They must explain that normal, healthy people, first of all, don’t kill people. Even more convincing, this narrator is insane but tries to convince the reader otherwise, that he of a normal mental condition. But he is most certainly not. There is no way possible he can be trusted as a narrator. Regardless of the source (or how its context is) being used, the writer must always explain its placement and inclusion and why it is important and pertinent in defending their argument. You should definitely find time to read these articles too: How to Write a Five-Paragraph Essay Essay Format Types of Essay Top Essay Writing Service Top 10 Essay Writing Mistakes 7. Not Using Linking and Transitional Words and Phrases An academic paper is deemed ineffective if it fails to communicate a message. When it comes to communication, keywords and phrases are used in an essay to indicate a change in the flow of the text; also, they are used to bridge certain thoughts and sentences and examples. Whenever the focus of an essay transitions from one evidencing point of an argument, or thought, to another, and a second, new point is being an examined, the reader needs to be informed right before as it happens. Without being so, they are prevented from successfully navigating through the story’s argument, and will not be successfully following each point being explained and examine, one by one. It is the student’s responsibility to have the reader to know exactly what they are attempting to convey and be able to follow their argument through to the end. To indicate a change in topic or point, a transitional word or phrase can be employed. Just like keywords in conversation, the purpose of these particular words is to communicate effectively and illustrate a transition in thought:  Firstly, first of all, secondly, thirdly, next, subsequently, lastly, conclusively, in conclusion, and finally. Linking words and phrases (like  on the contrary, however, as a result, in comparison, this suggests that, including, most importantly and although) bridge together certain items in a sentence or paragraph. Since the middle, body paragraphs in most academic essays are meant to defend a point, or an overall theme of the paper, to generally expand on each point, one at a time, linking words and phrases are generally used in a single paragraph to connect sentences and thoughts that validate a single point that is being examined in an essay. These types of words and phrases are generally used for when a writer needs to expand on just ONE point evidencing their thesis. When a writer fails to communicate these specific types of changes, explanations, transitions, they risk missing the opportunity to convey something important to their reader, and the objective of their assignment will be compromised, resulting in a bad grade. 8. Writing With Too Much Ego †¦ and Not to Simply Communicate a Thought Writing effectively at the college level is not about sounding smart on paper, writing intellectually – using big words, esoteric words, and phrases and references. It’s about using everyday language to make the case for something, and not using the BIG word, the small word, but the  RIGHT WORD. It is essential to produce an essay that is written in simple language and that conveys an intricate thought or span of thoughts. Think succinct, direct language like Hemingway, not flowery, literary prose with Fitzgerald. Whenever the writer scribbles with conviction, thereby choosing to discuss a passionate subject at length, they will, almost innately, make a good case for something. 9. Not Including a Title A good title, which the reader will come across first before reading an essay, is a must-have element to any writing assignment. Not only does a title help the reader to avoid a low grade on the assignment –  because it really is a requirement to most if not all writing assignments  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a title is another way of enticing the reader to consider something, a sort of appetizer to the entrà ©e. Also, since the reader first glances at the title before they read the essay itself entirely, it serves the very important function of letting the reader know what is to follow. Again, the better a reader has kept abreast of the argument being made, the more likely they are to be convinced of that argument. 10. Not Rereading the Essay for Flow and to Find Mistakes Long before a student even considers handing in their writing assignment for evaluation, they should reread their completed essay several times. They are looking to make sure that it is void of proofreading and grammar mistakes, and that a solid case has been made to defend their thesis, for whatever subject. It also is beneficial, before turning a written assignment into one’s professor, to have a friend or writing tutor, or even one’s professor, first reading and verbally evaluating the assignment. The pre-submission checklist can be found here

The Handmaid's tale is a story about power structures existing in life Essay

The Handmaid's tale is a story about power structures existing in life and relationships. Discuss - Essay Example The story was written in the 1980s in the wake of revived conservatism and religious awakening that superseded the turbulent 60s and 70s when the battle of the sexes was at its peak. The feminist movement had enabled women to take control of their lives and there was a shift in the balance of power between the sexes. Consequently there was concern about declining morality, sexual freedom and its implications and the plummeting birth-rate due to increased birth control, infertility due to pollution and other factors and the legalization of abortion. Religious conservatives raised their voices in protest and lots of people where brought under their sway. The Handmaid’s Tale was written by Atwood in order to explore the consequences of fanatical commitment to the intolerant principles espoused by religious extremists. The story is set in the future, where the United States is overrun by extremist Christian revolutionaries. What follows is a reign of terror, narrated by Offred, a lowly handmaid in the newly developed power structure. Handmaids exist for breeding purposes and their worth is measured by the viability of their ovaries. They are assigned to elite couples, in the upper echelons of power, who have been unable to conceive. Their menstrual cycles are closely monitored and at the right time, the handmaids must have sex, in a bizarre ritual where they lie between the legs of the wives’ who clasp their hands, while their husbands do what is necessary in order to procreate, in keeping with biblical precedent. Women have absolutely no freedom in the Republic of Gilead and lead severely restricted lives. In the course of her chilling narrative, Offred deviates from the present in order to talk about the past and in doing so helps the reader reconstruct the events that led up to the present state of affairs. She talks about her love affair with Luke and their marriage which was nullified by the new regime as it does not condone