CASE STUDY ANALYSIS Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ANALYSIS - Case Study Example 126). In this case study, they include the management of the Plasterboard Company as well as that of the company that has been sub contracted for transport. Apathetic stakeholders are the ones responsible for monitoring the activities that are being undertaken and in this case the NGO that is advocating for Plasterboard Company to change its operations or be denied the right to work in this area is in this category (Kogut, 2012, p. 56). The defenders in this situation are the people who work in the mines and who may lose their jobs in the event that the company cannot continue carrying out its activities in this area (Aartsengel and Kurtoglu, 2013, p. 41). An ethical dilemma is a complicated state of affairs that most often than not involves an actual mental conflict between moral imperatives whereby obeying one will mean another is disobeyed (Harman, 2006, p. 152). In relation to this case study, an ethical dilemma will arise if the quarry operations are closed. This is because the people who work at the quarry will no longer have a source of employment and this will make their lives considerably difficult. On the other hand, if the quarry remains open, there is the risk of accidents associated with the trucks that pass through the town and also the rocks after they have blown. The disturbance that is caused by the trucks and the vibrations which amount to pollution will also continue. Another ethical dilemma can be identified in the plant operations since if the plant is closed; there is the danger of two hundred people losing a source of livelihood which will be bad for the town’s economy. Keeping it open means that the dangers associated with it will continue to haunt the population of the town. There may be a danger of the chemicals spilling and contaminating the environment as well as the groundwater in the soil that is used in the town. The noise and vibrations from the plant is also a nuisance even

Purpose of theory Essay Example for Free

Purpose of theory Essay A theory can be explained as a given set of principles or statements used to give an explanation to an occurring phenomenon. Theories explain existing situations and can be used to develop solutions to identified problems within an organization especially when it has been tested for a number of times hence acceptable or producing evidence based results. A theory differs from a model in such a way that a model act as a representation of a given phenomena or the actual concept. A model can in this case be used to explain a given theory. Like a theory a model can be used to make predictions and to control a given situation. Scientific inquiry involves the use of systematic methods of collecting, analyzing and concluding data and in turn developing new inventions using scientifically gathered information or facts. The process involves the formulation of theories or hypothesis and effective experiments to test the formulated hypothesis. Naive inquiry on the other hand involves an informal collection, analysis and interpretation of data and does not necessarily include the application of critically thought ideas and skills. In this case a theory is explained using natural language. Scientific inquiry is likely to produce reliable and results or findings that can be used to find evidence based solutions to an existing problem. It makes use of collected evidence to test given ideas. Evidence based management requires the application of scientific inquiry as it involves the use of meta skills and critically thought approaches in the development of workable solutions (Judd, Kidder Smith, 1991). Tested theories act as evidence and produce explanations for existing phenomena that can be used to develop new inventions which may act as control measures or solutions Reference Judd, C. , Smith, E. , Kidder, L. (1991). Research Methods in Social Relations, 6th ed. , New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers. .

Reading Recovery Essay -- Research Papers Learning Education Papers

Reading Recovery The ability to read is vital to a child's success in school and throughout life. However, reading achievement in the U. S. is low. In fact, according to the most recent national assessment of educational progress, 44% of U.S. students read below the "basic" level, meaning they exhibit little or no mastery of the knowledge and skills necessary to perform work at grade level (Collins, 79). These statistics have driven school districts, parents, and students scrambling to find something to turn the tide of reading failure. They are searching for a solution that will have a lasting impact on a child's reading ability. Many have adopted the Reading Recovery Program as a viable solution to the problem. The issue to be addressed now is; Does this program provide an effective solution to the reading problem that is plaguing students of the US? I was particularly interested in this question because my eight year old daughter, Brooke, successfully completed the Reading Recovery program when she was in first grade. However, despite our efforts, her reading skills stagnated during second grade. By the beginning of third grade her teacher approached me to say something is wrong. The teacher pointed out that if Brooke successfully completed the Reading Recovery Program, then she should not be struggling like she is with reading. This was my catalyst to finding out about the effectiveness of the Reading Recovery Program. I wanted to find out if the program really produced long term results or if it was just a nice bit of one on one attention from a devoted teacher. To fairly analyze these questions, it is essential to take a glimpse into the reading problem that pervades across the US. As stated, ... ...Recovery Program is effective in raising potentially poor readers to grade level. Most of these children are able to maintain an average reading level as they progress through school. This program appears to be a viable solution. Bibliography Clay, Marie M. 1993. Reading Recovery. Reed Publishing Co. Auckland, New Zealand. Collins, James. "How Johnny Should Read." Time Magazine. October 27, 1997 Mc Guinness, Diane. "Why Our Children Can't Read." (photo copy with out the rest of the information). Personal interview: Brown, Wayne. Feb. 18, 1998 Personal interview: McMahan, Taffy. Feb. 20, 1997 Personal interview: Howard, Gwen. Feb. 20, 1997 Office of Research, Consumer Guide. December 1992. Number 3 Masters Program, Curriculum and Instruction. Reading Recovery, Illinois State University. Fax 309-438-8699

Europe in World History Essay

Early Modern Europe is the term used to refer to a part of the history of Europe which began in 1648 following the last days of the Treaty of Westphalia and Thirty Years War. The war started due to some religious reasons. On the other hand, during the course of war, the battle focused on a political struggle between the states surrounding the Holy Roman Empire (Eusanz Organization, 2002). What was involved initially was the Austrian Habsburgs because of religious reasons supporting the Catholic side. On the other hand, there was an intervention on the part of Sweden on the Protestant side. France, then, which was a Catholic monarchy, went against Austria for political reasons. However, in the Treaty of Westphalia, the priorities of the powers were not religious but purely political in nature. France or Austria were not able to put up with each other, so these two nations decided to keep a historically fragmented division of the HRE in a number of weak and small states (Eusanz Organization, 2002). The only way to create peace between these powers was a balance of power. All three powerful states in Europe have origins in the feudal system. Feudal aristocracies exercised political power. Modernization and the progressions involved with it gave birth to a class of merchants and craftsmen which became a part of the middle class. The members of the middle class became active in trade which led to surplus increase. The role that the middle class played was in each of the state. They were scattered along the areas of Amsterdam, London and Paris which were bases of economic growth. Of the three locations, Paris had experienced the least degree of modernization, and Amsterdam the most. By the 17th century, Amsterdam had replaced Antwerp as the leading commercial city of Europe, reflecting the leading role that the Dutch had taken in commerce, shipbuilding, fishing and overseas exploration. London, the major seaport serving England’s commerce, was also prominent because of extensive trading contacts with the Lowlands dating back to medieval times, whereas Paris had become significant primarily as the political center of France rather than for commercial reasons. All these explain how the history of Europe alone has changed the history of the world as a whole (Eusanz Organization, 2002). Europe’s role in world history has always been an issue to scholars and especially to historians who always claim to put Europe it a place where it should rightfully be. Another even in the history of Europe was its landmass. The landmass of Europe alone already has a major role in world history. The Afro-Eurasian landmass, coming from South East Asia to North Africa covered various civilizations for 5,000 years which were all home to either pastoral nomadism or agrarian empires. China, India, Kushan Empire, Parthian Empire and the Roman Empire all dominated Eurasia. There were a lot of re-configurations which led to the Roman Empire adapting Christianity, the expansion of Islam, collapse of Persia and China being conquered by the Tang Dynasty. The role of Europe in these developments was that it stood as a frontier society. Christianized and Romanized barbarians constituted Europe during these times. Europe was even quarantined due to the fact that it did not succumb to the major trends of Buddhism’s intellectual advances and Islamic civilization (except for Spain). Along with the transformation of the other neighboring nations came Europe being a new creation itself. When Charlemagne was crowned, it was the sign of European civilization, which mirrored the sign of Islamic civilization when Muhammed finally preached Islam. The history of Europe clearly shows that it constantly expanded all throughout the years. Expansion definitely succeeded when the North East and Spain was conquered. Byzantium Empire was destroyed and Ottoman invasion began. Europe was also successful at developing its culture without the influence of other external factors because it was able to get away with Mongol’s worst excesses. Europe, unlike other countries, was not a successful and rich civilization during these years when it comes to achievements. Then again, Europe was able to expand when Little Ice Age and the Black Death ended. In terms of market and trade, Europe got some resources from India and China. European countries wanted to get into Eurasia’s trading network. It can not be denied the Europe had a small population during those times. Then again, its power was still very enormous. It has a big impact on world history, let its cultural patterns alone when it comes to politics. Secular politics was very well understood by Europe. European civilization deviated from the norms established by Eurasia. These are just among the many proofs that Europe played an important role in world history just by standing on its own and not allowing itself to be influenced by other nations. These factors made Europe a significant head start over other nations in the world. In fact, a lot of societies in the world today have derived its systems, be it economic or political, from the civilization of Europe. These societies were quickly able to approach the time when the investment’s marginal returns justified the expenditure that was continuously expanding. It can not be denied that the complexity level in Europe was high and was once proved to be unsustainable, but this didn’t keep Europe from achieving all the things it has achieved. The history of Europe was not always smooth. At time, it was not topsy-turvy and people suffered a lot, too. Then again, such case is not unique to Europe. Other civilizations in the world had been through the same dilemma, and others, even worse, especially the major ones. However, the situations and the history of European civilization alone make it a unique country from all the others. Its history made its achievements different from the others. There had been wars, and it doesn’t matter who won or lost. After all, the people who say negative things about European civilization are the same people who are claiming the rich heritage Europe has to offer.

Human Rights Problem

On May 21, 1999, a local road construction company, Dumez Limited, attacked a group of peaceful protesters with clubs, daggers, axes, machetes, and other dangerous weapons. Tension began to arise when on April 26, 1999 the company began destroying newly planted crops of local farmers in the Ogoni kingdom of Gokana. They did so without paying adequate compensation for the crops or carrying out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the road project, as required by international environmental standards. On May 8, 1998, a Human Rights Defender, Olisa Agbakoba, was arrested at Murtala International Airport in Lagos. The arresting officers were members of the Security Force, an agency of the Nigerian government. No reason for his arrest was given. This arrest was preceded by an earlier encounter in March 1998 where he was attacked and arrested by members of the Nigerian Police when he tried to speak at a pro-democracy rally in Yaba, Lagos. On January 8th and March 23rd of 1998, Batom Mitee and Barileresi Mitee who are brothers of Ledum Mitee, President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), were arrested. No charges were ever given for their arrests. Batum Mitee was kept detained for several weeks without having access to his lawyers, his family, or a doctor. On January 18, 1998 he was brought before a judge who declared that the case was not within his competence because of its political character. Mitee was later transferred to a military hospital because of the beatings and ill treatment inflicted by the military. These incidents of brutality and harassment are just a few examples of the abuse by members of the police, security forces, and Nigerian government and how it remains to be a persistent human rights problem. There are numerous underlying factors that contribute to the problem of human rights in Nigeria. One the major factors is that of religion. Religious differences often correspond to regional and ethnic differences. For example, the northern region is overwhelmingly Muslim, as are the large Hausa and Fulani ethnic groups of that area. Many southern ethnic groups are predominantly Christian. About half the country†s population practice Islam and about 40% practice Christianity. Approximately 10% practice exclusively traditional indigenous religions or no religion at all. Many persons practice both elements of Christianity or Islam and elements of an indigenous traditional religion. Consequently, it is difficult to distinguish religious discrimination from ethnic and regional discrimination, which is pervasive. Although the government has never outlawed proselytizing, it continues to discourage and criticize it publicly because it believes that it stimulates religious tensions. Both Christian and Muslim organizations allege that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Immigration Department restricted the entry into the country of certain religious practitioners, particularly persons suspected of intending to proselytize. Consequently, Nigeria†s constitution prohibits state and local governments from adopting an official religion. Though Nigerian law prohibits religious discrimination, it is common for government officials to discriminate against persons who practice a religion different from their own, notably in hiring or awarding contracts. There have been documented reports of harassment of Christian missions by local government officials in predominantly Islamic regions. In April and again in August 1998, the local council of Lafia, in Nasarawa State, reportedly ordered the closure of a Protestant Christian mission church in connection with a dispute about the mission†s title to the land. In March 1998, State Security Service officers detained and interrogated the mission†s pastor. The mission sought to convert members of the generally Islamic Kambari ethnic group. The lack of concern for the environment and the people that it affects has also been a major concern in the struggle for human rights. Since 1958, oil companies such as Shell have exploited oil wealth in the region of the Ogoni people. As a consequence, they have suffered extreme economic deprivation and the environmental devastation of their land. Since Shell began drilling in Nigeria†s Niger Delta, it has spilled oil on farmland and in water sources, bulldozed across farms and flared gas just meters from Ogoni villages. The people of Ogoniland suffer extreme health problems from the air and water pollution. The Nigerian military has played a significant role in the continued persecution of the Ogoni. When the Ogoni began to demand environmental justice, villages were attacked, villagers were killed and their leader was executed by the judgment of a military court. Shell has even admitted to paying the military, which brutally silences voices crying for justice from the government of Nigeria and Shell, along with other multinational oil corporations. Shell is only one of many multinational oil corporations operating in Nigeria. Mobil, Chevron, and Texaco are also found in Nigeria, operating as partners of the Nigerian government, as required by Nigerian law. â€Å"Shell is certainly not the only Oil Corporation that abuses its money, power, and feeling of superiority over the people of Nigeria. † The country†s population of about 120 million is ethnically diverse, comprising more than 250 ethnic groups, many of which speak distinct primary languages and are concentrated geographically. There is no majority ethnic group. The three largest ethnic groups are the Hausa-Fulani of the north, Yoruba of the southwest, and Igbos of the southeast, who together make up about two-thirds of the population. The fourth largest group, the Ijaw, has a population of approximately 12 million. â€Å"Societal discrimination on the basis of ethnicity is widely practiced by members of all ethnic groups and is evident in private sector hiring patterns, de facto ethnic segregation of urban neighborhoods and a continuing paucity of marriage across major ethnic and regional lines. There is a long history of tension among diverse ethnic groups. Although the country†s successive constitutions all have prohibited ethnic discrimination by the State, northerners and particularly Hausas have long been predominant in the national government, including the military officer corps. Tradition continued to impose considerable pressure on individual government officials to favor their own ethnic groups and ethnic favoritism persisted. Resentment of northern domination of the Government aggravated by the suspension of federal decentralization under the Abacha regime and resentment of Igbo success in private commerce, have contributed to ethnic and regional tensions. Possibly the most controversial issue within Nigeria is that of the political structure of the government. Since Nigeria received its independence from Britain, in 1960, there has been conflict in regards to the military and authoritarian system of government that existed. The citizens of Nigeria have longed for a democratic system of government that included themselves as active proponents. Nigeria became a Republic in 1963 and Nnamdi Azikiwe was made the President of the Federal Republic. In January of 1966, some Igbo army officials staged a coup d†etat to overthrow the government, who were primarily Hausa, because they objected to the population census. They felt it over estimated that number of people in the northern region thereby giving them a larger representation in the federal parliament. They succeeded in killing many of the senior officers but Azikiwe was not harmed. As a result of the attempted coup, the government promised a progressive program, a return to civilian rule determined by elections, and vowed to stamp out corruption and violence. Though idealistic in theory, these promises were never realized. Instead, it became the common practice of the government to consider democracy, but continue to practice authoritarian rule. Nigeria would bear witness to numerous coup attempts over the next three decades, most involving the transition to democracy. It wasn†t until the death of Sani Abacha, possibly the most famous President of Nigeria, in June 1998 that civilian rule would be realized. A new transition program was established that would lead the country back to democracy by Abdulsalam Abubakar, the man chosen to replace Abacha. After a series of elections, Olusegun Obasanjo was declared the new and current, democratically elected president on May 29, 1999. At the end of May 1999, Nigeria completed its transition from authoritarian rule to a formal democracy. A number of Nigerian groups have managed to create strong institutional structures, with narrowly defined mandates and internal staff structures as well as program plans. While there are still growing pains within many of these groups, this type of planning process has resulted in â€Å"the Nigerian human rights community†s being far ahead of its anglophone neighbors in putting human rights institutions into place. † The Center for Advanced Social Sciences (CASS) was formed in 1992 and is based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. CASS is a think tank concerned with improving management and public policy in Africa. It has a Board of Trustees and is governed by an international Board of Directors. The Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), established in 1987, is one of Nigeria†s largest human rights organizations. The CLO is a non-governmental organization set up for the defense and expansion of human rights and civil liberties. It investigates human rights abuses and campaigns through litigation, publications, and communications with the government on behalf of people whose rights have been abused. Another human rights advocate is the Constitutional Rights Project (CRP) that was set up in 1990. Their aims are to ensure that Nigerian legislation conforms to international standards, monitor institutions whose activity impact on the rights of citizens, and to provide legal assistance to victims of human rights abuses. The cry for human rights reform in Nigeria hasn†t fallen on deaf ears from those of the international community. On November 12, 1998 the 53rd session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) met to discuss the situation of human rights in Nigeria. The General Assembly reaffirmed that Nigeria is a party to the International Covenant on Human Rights and thereby making it a Member State. All Member States have an obligation to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Nigerian government was â€Å"strongly encouraged† that the establishment and strengthening of national structures and institutions in the field of human rights are of the utmost importance for the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria. The sanctions imposed on Nigerian government by the European Union, the Commonwealth and the government of the United States of America were to be lifted in light of the progress made towards the restoration of democratic government and respect for human rights. The Nigerian government in its transition to democracy was applauded for its establishment of the Independent National Electoral Commission and the issuance of a detailed timetable for the election process. Overall, the UN General Assembly was satisfied with the progress of the Nigerian government in its transition to democracy. Nigeria has seen some very turbulent times in its history as it relates to democracy and human rights. Democracy consolidation, which appears to be the most immediate challenge for the human rights movement in post transition Nigeria, will require forward thinking and cohesive action on the part of the human rights community. It has been clearly demonstrated that in Africa relatively free and fair elections observed by international monitor and elaborate â€Å"handing over ceremonies† will not necessarily bring about genuine democracy and a human rights culture. Civil society organizations will have to work gradually to expand the democratic space and rebuild the institutions of civil society. The long years of military dictatorship have decimated these institutions and virtually erased the rule of law according to AFRONET Reports. Though politicians glibly vocalize democratic jargon, it is still evident that democratic values and attitudes are not yet commonplace in the political class. Also, among ordinary Nigerians, popular mentalities need to change; the people have become accustomed to not expecting anything but the worst from their leaders in terms of political leadership, economic management and respect for civil liberties and human dignity. The average Nigerian has been driven by economic hardship to adopt a survivalist mode of life in which he or she is preoccupied with access to the bare necessities of life and does not demand or expect accountability or respect for human rights from their leaders. The Nigerian government, though its history is not favorable, is making sincere efforts to overwrite its history. But unless the human rights community and the people they represent adopt a more positive attitude towards its government, change can not be realized.

The Antacid Rocket Experiment

The Antacid Rocket Experiment If your child has tried the Naked Egg Experiment, he has seen how the chemical reaction between calcium carbonate and vinegar can remove an eggshell. If he’s tried The Exploding Sandwich Bag Experiment, then he knows a little bit about acid-base reactions. Now he can harness that reaction create a flying object in this Antacid Rocket Experiment. With some open space outdoors and a little caution your child can send a homemade rocket into the air by the power of a fizzy reaction. Note: The Antacid Rocket Experiment used to be called the Film Canister Rockets, but with digital cameras taking over the market, it’s become harder and harder to find empty film canisters. If you can film canisters, that’s great, but this experiment recommends you use mini MM tubular containers or clean, empty glue stick containers instead. What Your Child Will Learn (or Practice): Scientific inquiryObserving chemical reactionsThe Scientific Method Materials Needed: Mini MMs tube, a clean used-up glue stick container or a film canisterHeavy paper/card stockTapeMarkersScissorsBaking sodaVinegarTissuesAntacid tablets (Alka-Seltzer or a generic brand)Soda (optional) Tissues are not a necessity for this experiment, but using tissue can help to delay the chemical reaction long enough to give your child some time to get out of the way. Make Baking Soda and Vinegar Rockets Have your child sketch out and decorate a small rocket on a piece of heavy paper. Ask her to cut out the rocket and set it to the side.Help your child cut the â€Å"hinge† holding the cover to the MMs tube so it comes on and off. This will be the bottom of the rocket.Give her another piece of heavy paper and have her roll it around the tube, making sure the bottom of the rocket is easily accessible. Then, have her tape it tightly in place. (She may need to cut the paper to make it fit better).Glue the rocket she drew and cut out to the front of the tube to make the whole thing look more like a real rocket.Move outside to a clear, open area and open the containerFill it one-quarter full with vinegar.Wrap 1 teaspoon of baking soda in small piece of tissue.Warning: You must act quickly in this step! Stuff the folded tissue in the tube, snap it shut and stand it up (with the lid down) on the ground. Move away!Watch the rocket pop right up into the air after the tissue dissolves in the vinegar. Make an Antacid Rocket Use the same rocket from the baking soda and vinegar experiment, making sure to clean it thoroughly first.Take off the cover and put an antacid tablet into the tube. You may have to break it into pieces to get it all to fit. You can use generic antacid tablets but Alka-Seltzer works better than generic brands.Add a teaspoon of water to the tube, snap on the cover and put the rocket - lid down - on the ground.Watch what happens once the water dissolves the antacid tablet. What’s Going On Both rockets are working under the same principle. A baking soda and vinegar mixture and the water and antacid combination create an acid-base chemical reaction that releases carbon dioxide gas. The gas fills the tube and the the air pressure builds to a point where it is too great to be contained. That’s when the lid pops off and the rocket flies up into the air. Extend the Learning Experiment with different types of paper and how much baking soda and vinegar you use. It may help make the rocket fly higher, faster, or even be coordinated to a countdown.Ask your child compare how the different rockets worked. Which worked better?Substitute soda for water in the antacid rocket and see if it works differently.

Free Essays on Wordsworth And Writing His Defense

worth's ability to create these poems depends upon actually possessing maternal instinct along with various other female qualities. This brings me to the topic of â€Å"Bodily existence.† Let me begin by explaining my perception of this phrase. When making a judgment, or determining an opinion, you must place your self in the subjects’ mind and consider the situation from their point of view. For example: You hear a story about a woman with cancer and her sixteen-year-old daughte... Free Essays on Wordsworth And Writing His Defense Free Essays on Wordsworth And Writing His Defense Wordsworth and Writing his Defense What is love? Is it a word, an emotion, a physical sensation maybe? Love ironically, if defined tends to lose it’s meaning. I searched everywhere for an acceptable definition, yet, only one seemed to serve any justice at all to the word; it was a quote from Francesco Petrarca: â€Å"To be able to say how much you love is to love but little.† Most consider â€Å"love† to be the emotional tie between people (and of course their animals), and the term is frequently tossed around with carelessness and lack of thought as to it’s meaning. The frequent misuse of the word causes it to often represent nothing more than an expression of deep like. William Wordsworth clearly expresses in his works that love is much more than a deep feeling of like; rather, it is an overwhelming force that mesmerizes every part of you, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Wordsworth found â€Å"love† in many things including: relationships and self-awareness, however, after reading Lyrical Ballads, I found that he appeared to be particularly interested in that of nature and maternal passion, especially for mothers who have been abandoned. Perhaps this theme recurs because he has taken nature to act as his surrogate mother. Wordsworth's gendered poetics clearly manifests itself in his poems The Idiot Boy, and The Thorn. Each poem depict the literal female body, as well as the emotional aspects of the mother, and illustrates that Wordsworth's ability to create these poems depends upon actually possessing maternal instinct along with various other female qualities. This brings me to the topic of â€Å"Bodily existence.† Let me begin by explaining my perception of this phrase. When making a judgment, or determining an opinion, you must place your self in the subjects’ mind and consider the situation from their point of view. For example: You hear a story about a woman with cancer and her sixteen-year-old daughte...

The Basics of Aramid Fiber, Polymer Reinforcing Fiber

The Basics of Aramid Fiber, Polymer Reinforcing Fiber Aramid fiber is the generic name of a group of synthetic fibers. The fibers offer a set of properties which make them particularly useful in armor, clothing and a wide range of other applications. The most commonly known commercial brand is Kevlarâ„ ¢, but there others such as Twaronâ„ ¢ and Nomexâ„ ¢ in the same broad family. History Aramids have evolved out of research which stretches back to nylon and polyester. The family is known as aromatic polyamides. Nomex was developed in the early 1960’s and its properties led to wide use in protective clothing, insulation and as a replacement for asbestos. Further research with this meta-aramid led to the fiber we now know as Kevlar. Kevlar and Twaron are para-aramids. Kevlar was developed and trademarked by DuPont and became commercially available in 1973. 2011 worldwide production of Aramids was well over 60,000 tons, and demand is growing steadily as production scales up, costs fall and applications broaden. Properties The chemical structure of the chain molecules is such that the bonds are aligned (for the most part) along the fiber axis, giving them outstanding strength, flexibility and abrasion tolerance. With outstanding resistance to heat and low flammability, they are unusual in that they do not melt – they merely start to degrade (at about 500 degrees Centigrade). They also have very low electrical conductivity making them ideal electrical insulators. With high resistance to organic solvents, the all-around ‘inert’ aspects of these materials offer outstanding versatility for a huge range of applications. The only blot on their horizons is that they are sensitive to UV, acids, and salts. They build static electricity too unless they are specially treated. The outstanding properties which these fibers enjoy provide advantages which make them ideal for a wide range of applications. However, with any composite material, it is important to take care in  handling  and processing. Using gloves, masks, etc. is advisable. Applications Kevlar’s original use was for car tire reinforcement, where the technology still dominates, but in transport, the fibers are used as a replacement for asbestos – for example in brake linings. Probably the most widely known application is in body armor, but other protective uses include fireproof suits for firefighters, helmets, and gloves. Their high strength/weight ratio makes them attractive for use as reinforcing (for example in composite materials particularly where flexing tolerance is important, such as aircraft wings). In construction, we have fiber-reinforced concrete and thermoplastic pipes. Corrosion is a major problem for expensive undersea pipelines in the oil industry, and thermoplastic pipe technology was developed to prolong pipeline life and reduce maintenance costs. Their low stretch properties (typically 3.5% at break), high strength and abrasion resistance make aramid fibers ideal for ropes and cables, and they are even used for mooring ships. In the sporting arena, bowstrings, tennis racquet strings, hockey sticks, skis and running shoes are some of the application areas for these outstanding fibers, with sailors enjoying the benefits of aramid-reinforced hulls, aramid lines and Kevlar wear-patches on their elbows, knees, and rears! Even in the music world aramid fibers are making themselves heard as instrument reeds and drumheads, with the sound being relayed through aramid-fiber loudspeaker cones. The Future New applications are being announced regularly, for example, a high-performance protective coating for harsh environments which embeds Kevlar fibers in an ester. This is ideal for coating new steel pipelines – for example in utilities where water pipes may bury underground and budgets do not permit the more expensive thermoplastic alternatives. With improved epoxies and other resins being introduced on a regular basis and given the continuous scaling up in worldwide production of aramids in many forms (fiber, pulp, powder, chopped fiber and woven mat) the increased use of the material is guaranteed both in its raw form and in composites.

Fiscal Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fiscal Policy - Essay Example However, fiscal policy is more effective in the short-run as in the long-run there is stabilizing economic forces that ensure the output moves back to its potential (Taylor, 2009). The fiscal policy involves increasing government spending or reducing taxes to stimulate aggregate demand or vice versa to reduce demand. Some countries focus on the supply-side of the economy to ensure a more permanent change. The paper will discuss the effects of fiscal policy on the economy. Taxation Expansionary fiscal policy involves cutting taxes and increasing government spending. Taxation is a source of revenue for the government to fund expenditure. If it decides to cut taxes, then it runs a budget deficit. A reduction in income tax leaves individuals with more disposable income to spend on consumption thus raising aggregate demand. As demand increases, the producers are forced to produce more and employ more factors of production. This leads to more output and employment and increased economic ac tivity (Sexton, 2008). However, income tax can only be adjusted annually on the budget hence it is difficult to apply this policy. It also depends on whether the households use extra income for consumption and not saving since savings is a withdrawal from the circular flow of income. The government can also increase transfers such as unemployment insurance, and in turn disposable income leading to more consumption (Riley, 2006). Lower taxes and increased transfers act as an incentive for workers to add more hours and increase productivity hence increased output and employment. Increasing taxes acts as a disincentive to work. If workers get less income by the end of the day compared to what they were getting, they would be dissatisfied and would not be willing to work extra hours. However, some would put more hours to cover the lost income but would lose their productivity due to low morale. There would also be low labour supply as not many individuals would be willing to work leadin g to low output in the economy (Taylor, 2009). Indirect taxes can also be used to discourage consumption especially of demerit goods. A government can impose duty on alcohol and cigarettes leading to lower demand for the items hence low output and employment. Tax incentives such as Subsidies to producers on the other hand lead to decline in cost of production hence reduced prices and consequently increased demand. Increased demand leads to production of more output hence increased economic activity (Creel & Sawyer, 2009). A decline in corporation tax attracts domestic and foreign investors’ hence increased fixed capital spending on technology, labour skills, infrastructure (Mankiw, 2008). Tax allowance on research and development encourages innovation and more business start-up thus increased employment and consequently increased aggregate demand. Government Spending Fiscal policy entails increasing government spending but a contractionary fiscal policy involves reducing gove rnment spending to curb excess demand. A government spends on infrastructure, and provision of essential services such as education and health. This adds directly to the aggregate demand of the economy hence stimulating economic activity. The government can finance its spending by borrowing from abroad or domestic market as raising taxes can lead to further weakening of the economy due to reduced demand. Improved infrastructure leads to more investments due to opening up of new markets and entry

Darwin, The Final Nail In the Coffin For Newtonian Religion Essay

Darwin, The Final Nail In the Coffin For Newtonian Religion - Essay Example eligion is likewise wrong in its assumption of passive matter needing the Will of God to set it in motion, that gravity is the ultimate proof of the supernatural act of God, and that the design of the solar system warrants a â€Å"providential God† (Olson, 2004, pp. 123-124). My argument, which favors Mechanism instead of Creation and Design, will further be supported by the weakness of William Paley’s watchmaker argument (Bendz, 1996). The publication of Charles Darwin’s writing The Origin of Species in 1859, wherein he proposed his Evolution Theory and evidences that support his findings, sparked the ancient debate between scientists and the religious (ONeil, 1996). Even before Darwin’s controversial publication, Boucher de Perthes has already put forth archaeologocal artifacts that support the Evolution Theory (ONeil, 1996). However, it was dismissed by scientists and the clergy as they go against what has generally been taught and believed—that God was responsible for all Creation (ONeil, 1996). Thus, Darwin had reopened the age-old debate between science and religion—something that was thought to be reconciled once upon a time through the practice of natural theology, wherein Sir Isaac Newton was a proponent and believer. Natural theology is the process of â€Å"moving from the observable and created to the unobservable and uncreated† as a way of establishing the existence of God (Hart, 2002). Until now, there is still a standing discussion among atheists and the religious, with the scientists being caught in the middle—as the religious aims to use scientific findings as a proof of the existence of God and the atheists, likewise, using science and logic to disprove the notion of a Deity. Scientists who have a firm belief in God have been torn between these two separate schools of thought. Hence, there is a need to look back and trace where the argument came from in order to come to a conclusion on whether science and religion can coalesce and form

Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 34

Journal - Assignment Example instance, in U.S.A Mendoza brings to light how the government passed laws that prohibit doctors from conducting partial birth abortion despite the dangers of dead fetus (Mendoza 625). Mendoza feels that more should be done to reduce miscarriages and abortion incidences and its consequences. She argues that doctors should be more learned in D &Es in removal of dead fetus from the womb without adding on their patients’ complications, which is through maiming respective organs or infections. In doing some research, seeking friends’ opinions and backing up her argument by citing information from CDC. Mendoza learns that more than 66,000 women in the US ought to encounter utter demoralizing and painful abortion experiences mostly between 13 to 20 weeks while other 4000 miscarry each year yet they do not get proper heath care and treatment (Mendoza 625). Mendoza has not deviated from original content where she talks about health and medicine as well as those we studied during last week. She backs up her argument from varied studies’ data like CDC, American Journal where she tells about complications and problems women go through on or before delivering. Hence she believes that women are at a greater risk of partial birth abortion (Mendoza 626). Therefore looking on how Mendoza has argued in this article, based on her personal experience and citing information from other sources she fits properly on other articles on health and medicine that I have read from the past few

Ford's future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Ford's future - Essay Example Its North American automotive business is hemorrhaging cash and market share† is the comment by Bryce G. Hoffman from Detroit News. The fall of the empire of Ford is evident from the fact that Fords domestic brands -- Ford, Lincoln and Mercury -- saw their combined share of the U.S. market fall 4.7 percent last year, from 18.3 percent in 2004 to 17.4 percent in 2005. A decade earlier, Fords market share stood at nearly 25.6 percent. Every percentage point of market share represents 170,000 vehicles. With this background this paper aims at analyzing the factors that led Ford to reach this no-alternative ‘Way forward’ position and the likely impact of the decision to cut jobs and close manufacturing facilities on the future of Ford. The financial results for the year 2006 would be the worst in the 103 years history of Ford. The old record net loss of $ 7.39 billion would be surpassed by the loss for the year 2006 as already the loss is mounted at $ 7 billion for the first three quarters of 2006 and for the fourth quarter more losses are expected by the analysts. The financial situation of Ford was worsened by the collapsing sales of its F series Pick up and truck based sport utility vehicles in which segments the company made huge losses. New product investments -- utilizing Fords global architectures and scale -- to deliver more new products faster, including more crossovers, hybrid vehicles, new small cars, increased spending on Fords truck leadership and new "white space" products. A lean and flexible manufacturing system combined with capacity matched to demand. Capacity will be reduced by 1.2 million units or 26 percent by 2008, representing the majority of actions within the plans 2006-2012 periods. In order to give life to the restructuring plan, Ford mortgaged nearly all of its domestic assets- its plants, office buildings, patents and trademarks — along with stakes in Ford Credit and Volvo, to raise $18 billion. Ford said its restructuring

Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Article Example different places or that are at different dedifferentiation stages are very distinguished in their cell motility (Yamazaki, Kurisu, and Takenawa, 2009). Rho motility is shown in single cancer cells, the amoeboid cells are round and their motility relies on the Rho/ROCK kinase. Mesenchymal motility cells are elongated and bipolar and these cells can also switch to amoeboid motility through treatment with protease inhibitors. Rho cell motility is regulated through the process of cytoskeletal restructuring and some studies have shown them to be deregulated in select tumors. Research has indicated that Rho signaling dictate the round morphology and the motility of the cells in 3D matrices. To fully comprehend and understand cell invasion research must continue to study how the Rho families of proteins are regulated in the cancer cell. In 3D substrates round cells have a higher concentration of RhoA. Several related Rho activated proteins are being shown to inhibit cancer cell growth. Nguyen, Quang-Dà ©, et al. "Commutators of PAR-1 Signaling in Cancer Cell Invasion Reveal an Essential Role of the Rho-Rho Kinase Axis and Tumor Microenvironment."  Oncogene  24.56 (2005): 8240-51.  OxResearch; ProQuest Central.  Web. 10 Dec. 2012. Yamazaki, D., S. Kurisu, and T. Takenawa. "Involvement of Rac and Rho Signaling in Cancer Cell Motility in 3D Substrates."Oncogene  28.13 (2009): 1570-83.  OxResearch; ProQuest Central.  Web. 10 Dec.

WEEK 3 DQ PART 3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

WEEK 3 DQ PART 3 - Assignment Example The offeror in this case who is the guardian must also have a serious intent to be bound by the offer. The child however has the option of changing the conditions of the contract when they turn eighteen (Mau, 2010). The child has a better position to win the case against his father. First, the father had an aim when making the offer. Secondly, the contract was negotiable and according to the child the terms agreed are not satisfactory therefore she can negotiate for change of terms of the contract (Mau, 2010). Chapter 7 requires managers to act ethically in good faith performance. Third parties are accountable for their actions in this chapter and are expected to act in the best interest of the persons they represent. Breach of contract is a legal offence which holds the party liable for the crime and is chargeable in court. What events result from a breach of contract? Do third parties have rights in a contract? (Rose,

Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Article Example different places or that are at different dedifferentiation stages are very distinguished in their cell motility (Yamazaki, Kurisu, and Takenawa, 2009). Rho motility is shown in single cancer cells, the amoeboid cells are round and their motility relies on the Rho/ROCK kinase. Mesenchymal motility cells are elongated and bipolar and these cells can also switch to amoeboid motility through treatment with protease inhibitors. Rho cell motility is regulated through the process of cytoskeletal restructuring and some studies have shown them to be deregulated in select tumors. Research has indicated that Rho signaling dictate the round morphology and the motility of the cells in 3D matrices. To fully comprehend and understand cell invasion research must continue to study how the Rho families of proteins are regulated in the cancer cell. In 3D substrates round cells have a higher concentration of RhoA. Several related Rho activated proteins are being shown to inhibit cancer cell growth. Nguyen, Quang-Dà ©, et al. "Commutators of PAR-1 Signaling in Cancer Cell Invasion Reveal an Essential Role of the Rho-Rho Kinase Axis and Tumor Microenvironment."  Oncogene  24.56 (2005): 8240-51.  OxResearch; ProQuest Central.  Web. 10 Dec. 2012. Yamazaki, D., S. Kurisu, and T. Takenawa. "Involvement of Rac and Rho Signaling in Cancer Cell Motility in 3D Substrates."Oncogene  28.13 (2009): 1570-83.  OxResearch; ProQuest Central.  Web. 10 Dec.

Universal Grammar in Second Language Acquisition Research Paper

Universal Grammar in Second Language Acquisition - Research Paper Example This paper is a reflective essay on Universal grammar in Second Language Acquisition. Universal Grammar is a concept appropriate to the linguistic competence issue, for instance, a notion concerning the grammatical representation nature. Although Universal Grammar affords constraints on potential grammars in the acquisition process, it is not an acquisition theory. This fact is often misconstrued, possibly owing to expressions like LAD (Language Acquisition Device) that numerous persons earlier equated with Universal Grammar. Nevertheless, it might be more correct to consider Universal Grammar as merely part of Language Acquisition Device or faculty of language. The Language Acquisition Device will as well have to encompass learning ideologies, triggering algorithms, and processing doctrines. In other terms, on top of a constraints theory on Inter-Language representation, a concept on means of acquiring that representation is needed; a developmental theory (whether it is in first Language or second Language acquisition) (Epstein, Flynn & Martohardjono, 1996). Although Universal Grammar adds to enlightenment on languages’ acquisition, this is in the manner of how learners happen to know properties, which go far past the input; how learners know that particular things are impossible, why parsing are of single sort instead of another. Universal Grammar claims that these properties about language do not require to be learned. What motivates for Universal Language? It is the assertion that, however, in the instance of L1 (first languages), there exists a rational language acquisition problem, an incongruity amid what enters (specifically, the primary dialectal data) as well as what gets out (a parsing). In other terms, the input establishes the output (Epstein, Flynn & Martohardjono, 1996). Supposing a rational problem of first languages acquisition, persons have inquired whether the case is the same for second languages. This inquiry remains dominant - do second language learners get insentient information (a psychological representation), which goes further than the second language input? If they do, can alternative causes of this information be eliminated, for instance, the first language? The solidest example for the function of Universal Grammar in Second Language Acquisition is that the second language elements cannot be acquired from input only or from input and non-domain-specific learning doctrines or from the first grammar only (Schwartz & Sprouse, 1996). Supposing that there exists indeed a rational problem of second language acquisition, investigators have enquired more Universal Grammar-specific enquiries. In the ‘80s, the Universal Grammar question seemed comparatively straight forward (as well as relatively universal): Is Universal Grammar available (or reachable) to second language learners? Do inter-language grammars show proof of being restrained by Universal Grammar principles? Several principles were explored, such as the ECP, Binding Principle A and Subjacency. The hypothesis was that if one can establish that certain Universal Grammar principle works or does not work, then this simplifies to other philosophies, hence to Universal Grammar

Skills for Success Essay Example for Free

Skills for Success Essay As years passed by, several events have transpired that have shaped the course of world history. Along with this, people and the society have also experienced an evolution wherein the ways and standards of living have been tremendously modified to suit the needs of the changing times. As a result, people have become more innovative and creative in dealing with changes. Because of this reaction, society was able to improve and enhance the manner people exist in their natural habitat. What is more interesting and beneficial effect of this development is the realization of people to further build up their capabilities and potentials to be better at what they do whether personally and professionally. Moreover, in order to thrive in this present social condition, one must possess the necessary skills in order to succeed. This trend is obviously manifested in the corporate world wherein sets of criteria are established to ensure that businesses profit and at the same time provide the high-quality products and services to customers. Due to the lucrative benefits and opportunities that the field of business offers, many are enticed to become a part of it making this field highly competitive. In order to excel at one’s chosen career in the corporate world, an individual must possessed fundamental skills that will help him/her to be successful. There are three things to consider when aspiring in being brilliant and outstanding in the global society. First, one must be motivated. Motivation is a vital factor in the accomplishment of one’s goals and objectives. Without this, the materialization phase of the plan will not take place. Based on my personal experiences, being motivated was the key in finishing my studies in high school. During that my phase of my life, I was faced with many temptations to stray away from my dreams. But since I was determined to be a â€Å"somebody† in the upcoming future, I productively finished my secondary education which also facilitated my success while I was in college. The second essential skill for success is the ability to easily adapt and be flexible. These two skills are interconnected because to be able to adapt to a new environment or condition, an individual must first have the capacity to be flexible which is exhibited by being open-minded and resilient. In every endeavor that people get into, they must always try to be flexible at all times so that the tasks at hand can be done without any setbacks which can minimize the time and effort put into the project or research. By doing this, the chance of forging healthy relationships with other people would be most likely which is needed in guaranteeing a spot in the corporate ladder. Furthermore, the third and last must-have skill would be critical thinking. This particular skill is essential in making significant decisions that can aid in progressing one’s career in the professional world and elevating one’s status in the society. If an individual possess this skill, he/she will definitely go along way in the corporate world because there is a saying â€Å"think first before you act. † Overall, the three mentioned skills will not be able to contribute to the success of an individual on their own. They must be combined together in order to get the best results. Motivation, flexibility and critical thinking are skills that complement one another. If one is missing, the likelihood of performing well in a global setting would be greatly reduced. So individuals should pursue trainings and education that will help them develop these skills. As mentioned, the real world is very aggressive so in order to get ahead of the pack, one should always strive to be the best in their respective fields. This can be achieved by constantly practicing these skills and continuously generating new positive skills that can be very beneficial for one’s career and personal life as well.

Skipping Christmas Essay -- essays research papers

Skipping Christmas starts out at the gate in an airport. Luther and Nora Krank are there with their daughter Blair, waiting for a flight to Miami that will eventually bring her to eastern Peru, where she is going with the Peace Corps. They all say their goodbyes and the parents leave. Nora is very upset, while Luther isn’t so much. On the way home they stop at a store for white chocolate and pistachios. Luther unwillingly goes in to get it and finds every little thing a hindrance. He is easily annoyed, and doesn’t get the white chocolate. Nora then has to go in the store to get it, and she does so with much annoyance. While Nora is in the store, Luther daydreams about not having to do the Christmas season. That night, Nora was restless. She was pacing and going from room to room. She finally lay back in bed, rolling and flinching and moving, trying to get the attention of Luther so she could talk about Blair’s safety again. Luther didn’t move, and when Nora was finally asleep, he snuck out of the room to the basement office to evaluate last Christmas’s spending. He found that $6,100 was spent on Christmas. With this new information, he took a trip down to the travel agency during work the next day. He made his choice the 10 day Island Princess cruise. That night, during dinner he attacked Nora with the idea. Using brochures and spreadsheets, he showed her the facts. She finally accepted to skip Christmas, as long as she could still donate $600 to charitable donations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Later, Nora received a call from the Card Store owner, and had to tell him she was not ordering cards, but did not tell him why. Luther, the same day, was writing a letter to his colleagues, telling them that he would not be participating in the normal Christmas rituals. The next day, the boy scouts came by, selling their Christmas trees. Luther had to tell them they were skipping Christmas, and a few minutes later they found a crowd congregated at their driveway, staring up at the house. That night, Luther went for a walk. He noticed his neighbors doing what the Kranks were avoiding, and he felt good about it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was lunchtime, and Nora was at lunch with two of her friends. The card man called her again, and she was forced to tell her friends about skipping Christmas, which meant everyone will know by dinner. During work, Luther wa... ...d Luther dangling painfully by his ankle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The medics came and got Luther down, and he explained to the entire watching neighborhood what they were doing. Vic Frohmeyer organized a party quickly and sent everyone to work. He sent the policeman to go get Blair, and the Kranks went inside to rest.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Enrique and Blair came into the airport and were found by the police officers, who raced them home. When they got home they were greeted by the whole neighborhood. They talked to everybody and her parents were very impressed with him. Enrique received a lot of reissued gifts from the neighbors and they then went to dinner. Afterwards, they sang a few carols before Enrique and Martin, the man Nora saw in the store, sang and played guitar to a few Peruvian Christmas carols.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the Peruvian songs continued, Luther snuck out to the Scheel’s house. He gave them his cruise vacation as a Christmas present. Bev had been given six month’s by her doctor. They were overwhelmed with joy when they were given this. As Luther walked back across the street, for the first time, he was filled with the joy of Christmas.

Times Have Changed Essay -- essays research papers

Times Have Changed Times have changed dramatically in the past thirty years. The style of living, the sizes of families, and education have all changed dramatically. During the fifties, sixties, and most of the early seventies teenagers were thinking about going off to war or starting a family. Very few teenagers coming out of high school were thinking about college. Slowly as times started to change, more and more people were going off to college. Today at the end of the nineties, very few people do not go off to college. Instead of high school students thinking about starting families or going off to war, they have a bigger decision to make. What college to attend. This decision will affect one's entire life; how they live, where they work, what size family they are going ...

Vampire Academy Chapter 18

EIGHTEEN I WOKE UP STARING AT the boring white ceiling of the clinic. A filtered light – soothing to Moroi patients – shone down on me. I felt strange, kind of disoriented, but I didn't hurt. â€Å"Rose.† The voice was like silk on my skin. Gentle. Rich. Turning my head, I met Dimitri's dark eyes. He sat in a chair beside the bed I lay on, his shoulder-length brown hair hanging forward and framing his face. â€Å"Hey,† I said, my voice coming out as a croak. â€Å"How do you feel?† â€Å"Weird. Kind of groggy.† â€Å"Dr. Olendzki gave you something for the pain – you seemed pretty bad when we brought you in.† â€Å"I don't remember that†¦How long have I been out?† â€Å"A few hours.† â€Å"Must have been strong. Must still be strong.† Some of the details came back. The bench. My ankle getting caught. I couldn't remember much after that. Feeling hot and cold and then hot again. Tentatively, I tried moving the toes on my healthy foot. â€Å"I don't hurt at all.† He shook his head. â€Å"No. Because you weren't seriously injured.† The sound of my ankle cracking came back to me. â€Å"Are you sure? I remember†¦the way it bent. No. Something must be broken.† I manage to sit up, so I could look at my ankle. â€Å"Or at least sprained.† He moved forward to stop me. â€Å"Be careful. Your ankle might be fine, but you're probably still a little out of it.† I carefully shifted to the edge of the bed and looked down. My jeans were rolled up. The ankle looked a little red, but I had no bruises or serious marks. â€Å"God, I got lucky. If I'd hurt it, it would have put me out of practice for a while.† Smiling, he returned to his chair. â€Å"I know. You kept telling me that while I was carrying you. You were very upset.† â€Å"You†¦you carried me here?† â€Å"After we broke the bench apart and freed your foot.† Man. I'd missed out on a lot. The only thing better than imagining Dimitri carrying me in his arms was imagining him shirtless while carrying me in his arms. Then the reality of the situation hit me. â€Å"I was taken down by a bench,† I groaned. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I survived the whole day guarding Lissa, and you guys said I did a good job. Then, I get back here and meet my downfall in the form of a bench.† Ugh. â€Å"Do you know how embarrassing it is? And all those guys saw, too.† â€Å"It wasn't your fault,† he said. â€Å"No one knew the bench was rotted. It looked fine.† â€Å"Still. I should have just stuck to the sidewalk like a normal person. The other novices are going to give me shit when I get back.† His lips held back a smile. â€Å"Maybe presents will cheer you up.† I sat up straighter. â€Å"Presents?† The smile escaped, and he handed me a small box with a piece of paper. â€Å"This is from Prince Victor.† Surprised that Victor would have given me anything, I read the note. It was just a few lines, hastily scrawled in pen. Rose – I'm very happy to see you didn't suffer any serious injuries from your fall. Truly, it is a miracle. You lead a charmed life, and Vasilisa is lucky to have you. â€Å"That's nice of him,† I said, opening the box. Then I saw what was inside. â€Å"Whoa. Very nice.† It was the rose necklace, the one Lissa had wanted to get me but couldn't afford. I held it up, looping its chain over my hand so the glittering, diamond-covered rose hung free. â€Å"This is pretty extreme for a get-well present,† I noted, recalling the price. â€Å"He actually bought it in honor of you doing so well on your first day as an official guardian. He saw you and Lissa looking at it.† â€Å"Wow.† It was all I could say. â€Å"I don't think I did that good of a job.† â€Å"I do.† Grinning, I placed the necklace back in the box and set it on a nearby table. â€Å"You did say ? ®presents,' right? Like more than one?† He laughed outright, and the sound wrapped around me like a caress. God, I loved the sound of his laugh. â€Å"This is from me.† He handed me a small, plain bag. Puzzled and excited, I opened it up. Lip gloss, the kind I liked. I'd complained to him a number of times how I was running out, but I'd never thought he was paying attention. â€Å"How'd you manage to buy this? I saw you the whole time at the mall.† â€Å"Guardian secrets.† â€Å"What's this for? For my first day?† â€Å"No,† he said simply. â€Å"Because I thought it would make you happy.† Without even thinking about it, I leaned forward and hugged him. â€Å"Thank you.† Judging from his stiff posture, I'd clearly caught him by surprise. And yeah†¦I'd actually caught myself by surprise, too. But he relaxed a few moments later, and when he reached around and rested his hands on my lower back, I thought I was going to die. â€Å"I'm glad you're better,† he said. His mouth sounded like it was almost in my hair, just above my ear. â€Å"When I saw you fall†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You thought, ? ®Wow, she's a loser.' â€Å" â€Å"That's not what I thought.† He pulled back slightly, so he could see me better, but we didn't say anything. His eyes were so dark and deep that I wanted to dive right in. Staring at them made me feel warm all over, like they had flames inside. Slowly, carefully, those long fingers of his reached out and traced the edge of my cheekbone, moving up the side of my face. At the first touch of his skin on mine, I shivered. He wound a lock of my hair around one finger, just like he had in the gym. Swallowing, I dragged my eyes up from his lips. I'd been contemplating what it'd be like to kiss him. The thought both excited and scared me, which was stupid. I'd kissed a lot of guys and never thought much about it. No reason another one – even an older one – should be that big of a deal. Yet the thought of him closing the distance and bringing his lips to mine made the world start spinning. A soft knock sounded at the door, and I hastily leaned back. Dr. Olendzki stuck her head in. â€Å"I thought I heard you talking. How do you feel?† She walked over and made me lie back down. Touching and bending my ankle, she assessed it for damage and finally shook her head when finished. â€Å"You're lucky. With all the noise you made coming in here, I thought your foot had been amputated. Must have just been shock.† She stepped back. â€Å"I'd feel better if you sat out from your normal trainings tomorrow, but otherwise, you're good to go.† I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't remember my hysteria – and was actually kind of embarrassed that I'd thrown such a fit – but I had been right about the problems this would have caused me if I'd broken or sprained it. I couldn't afford to lose any time here; I needed to take my trials and graduate in the spring. Dr. Olendzki gave me the okay to go and then left the room. Dimitri walked over to another chair and brought me my shoes and coat. Looking at him, I felt a warm flush sweep me as I recalled what had happened before the doctor had entered. He watched as I slipped one of the shoes on. â€Å"You have a guardian angel.† â€Å"I don't believe in angels,† I told him. â€Å"I believe in what I can do for myself.† â€Å"Well then, you have an amazing body.† I glanced up at him with a questioning look. â€Å"For healing, I mean. I heard about the accident†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He didn't specify which accident it was, but it could be only one. Talking about it normally bothered me, but with him, I felt I could say anything. â€Å"Everyone said I shouldn't have survived,† I explained. â€Å"Because of where I sat and the way the car hit the tree. Lissa was really the only one in a secure spot. She and I walked away with only a few scratches.† â€Å"And you don't believe in angels or miracles.† â€Å"Nope. I – â€Å" Truly, it is a miracle. You lead a charmed life†¦. And just like that, a million thoughts came slamming into my head. Maybe†¦maybe I had a guardian angel after all†¦ Dimitri immediately noticed the shift in my feelings. â€Å"What's wrong?† Reaching out with my mind, I tried to expand the bond and shake off the lingering effects of the pain medication. Some more of Lissa's feelings came through to me. Anxious. Upset. â€Å"Where's Lissa? Was she here?† â€Å"I don't know where she is. She wouldn't leave your side while I brought you in. She stayed right next the bed, right up until the doctor came in. You calmed down when she sat next to you.† I closed my eyes and felt like I might faint. I had calmed down when Lissa sat next to me because she'd taken the pain away. She'd healed me†¦ Just as she had the night of the accident. It all made sense now. I shouldn't have survived. Everyone had said so. Who knew what kind of injuries I'd actually suffered? Internal bleeding. Broken bones. It didn't matter because Lissa had fixed it, just like she'd fixed everything else. That was why she'd been leaning over me when I woke up. It was also probably why she'd passed out when they took her to the hospital. She'd been exhausted for days afterward. And that was when her depression had begun. It had seemed like a normal reaction after losing her family, but now I wondered if there was more to it, if healing me had played a role. Opening my mind again, I reached out to her, needing to find her. If she'd healed me, there was no telling what shape she could be in now. Her moods and magic were linked, and this had been a pretty intense show of magic. The drug was almost gone from my system, and like that, I snapped into her. It was almost easy now. A tidal wave of emotions hit me, worse than when her nightmares engulfed me. I'd never felt such intensity from her before. She sat in the chapel's attic, crying. She didn't entirely know why she was crying either. She felt happy and relieved that I'd been unharmed, that she'd been able to heal me. At the same time, she felt weak in both body and mind. She burned inside, like she'd lost part of herself. She worried I'd be mad because she'd used her powers. She dreaded going through another school day tomorrow, pretending she liked being with a crowd who had no other interests aside from spending their families' money and making fun of those less beautiful and less popular. She didn't want to go to the dance with Aaron and see him watch her so adoringly – and feel him touching her – when she felt only friendship for him. Most of these were all normal concerns, but they hit her hard, harder than they would an ordinary person, I thought. She couldn't sort through them or figure out how to fix them. â€Å"You okay?† She looked up and brushed the hair away from where it stuck to her wet cheeks. Christian stood in the entrance to the attic. She hadn't even heard him come up the stairs. She'd been too lost in her own grief. A flicker of both longing and anger sparked within her. â€Å"I'm fine,† she snapped. Sniffling, she tried to stop her tears, not wanting him to see her weak. Leaning against the wall, he crossed his arms and wore an unreadable expression. â€Å"Do†¦do you want to talk?† â€Å"Oh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She laughed harshly. â€Å"You want to talk now? After I tried so many times – â€Å" â€Å"I didn't want that! That was Rose – â€Å" He cut himself off and I flinched. I was totally busted. Lissa stood up and strode toward him. â€Å"What about Rose?† â€Å"Nothing.† His mask of indifference slipped back into place. â€Å"Forget it.† â€Å"What about Rose?† She stepped closer. Even through her anger, she still felt that inexplicable attraction to him. And then she understood. â€Å"She made you, didn't she? She told you to stop talking to me?† He stared stonily ahead. â€Å"It was probably for the best. I would have just messed things up for you. You wouldn't be where you are now.† â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† â€Å"What do you think it means? God. People live or die at your command now, Your Highness.† â€Å"You're being kind of melodramatic.† â€Å"Am I? All day, I hear people talking about what you're doing and what you're thinking and what you're wearing. Whether you'll approve. Who you like. Who you hate. They're your puppets.† â€Å"It's not like that. Besides, I had to do it. To get back at Mia†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Rolling his eyes, he looked away from her. â€Å"You don't even know what you're getting back at her for.† Lissa's anger flared. â€Å"She set up Jesse and Ralf to say those things about Rose! I couldn't let her get away with that.† â€Å"Rose is tough. She would have gotten over it.† â€Å"You didn't see her,† she replied obstinately. â€Å"She was crying.† â€Å"So? People cry. You're crying.† â€Å"Not Rose.† He turned back to her, a dark smile curling his lips. â€Å"I've never seen anything like you two. Always so worried about each other. I get her thing – some kind of weird guardian hang-up – but you're just the same.† â€Å"She's my friend.† â€Å"I guess it's that simple. I wouldn't know.† He sighed, momentarily thoughtful, then snapped back to sarcastic mode. â€Å"Anyway. Mia. So you got back at her over what she did to Rose. But you're missing the point. Why did she do it?† Lissa frowned. â€Å"Because she was jealous about me and Aaron – â€Å" â€Å"More to it than that, Princess. What did she have to be jealous about? She already had him. She didn't need to attack you to drive that home. She could have just made a big show of being all over him. Sort of like you are now,† he added wryly. â€Å"Okay. What else is there, then? Why did she want to ruin my life? I never did anything to her – before all this, I mean.† He leaned forward, crystal-blue eyes boring into hers. â€Å"You're right. You didn't – but your brother did.† Lissa pulled away from him. â€Å"You don't know anything about my brother.† â€Å"I know he screwed Mia over. Literally.† â€Å"Stop it, stop lying.† â€Å"I'm not. Swear to God or whoever else you want to believe in. I used to talk to Mia now and then, back when she was a freshman. She wasn't very popular, but she was smart. Still is. She used to work on a lot of committees with royals – dances and stuff. I don't know all of it. But she got to know your brother on one of those, and they sort of got together.† â€Å"They did not. I would have known. Andre would have told me.† â€Å"Nope. He didn't tell anyone. He told her not to either. He convinced her it should be some kind of romantic secret when really, he just didn't want any of his friends to find out he was getting naked with a non-royal freshman.† â€Å"If Mia told you that, she was making it up,† exclaimed Lissa. â€Å"Yeah, well, I don't think she was making it up when I saw her crying. He got tired of her after a few weeks and dumped her. Told her she was too young and that he couldn't really get serious with someone who wasn't from a good family. From what I understand, he wasn't even nice about it either – didn't even bother with the ? ®let's be friends' stuff.† Lissa pushed herself into Christian's face. â€Å"You didn't even know Andre! He would never have done that.† â€Å"You didn't know him. I'm sure he was nice to his baby sister; I'm sure he loved you. But in school, with his friends, he was just as much of a jerk as the rest of the royals. I saw him because I see everything. Easy when no one notices you.† She held back a sob, unsure whether to believe him or not. â€Å"So this is why Mia hates me?† â€Å"Yup. She hates you because of him. That, and because you're royal and she's insecure around all royals, which is why she worked so hard to claw up the ranks and be their friend. I think it's a coincidence that she ended up with your ex-boyfriend, but now that you're back, that probably made it worse. Between stealing him and spreading those stories about her parents, you guys really picked the best ways to make her suffer. Nice work.† The smallest pang of guilt lurched inside of her. â€Å"I still think you're lying.† â€Å"I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a liar. That's your department. And Rose's.† â€Å"We don't – â€Å" â€Å"Exaggerate stories about people's families? Say that you hate me? Pretend to be friends with people you think are stupid? Date a guy you don't like?† â€Å"I like him.† â€Å"Like or like?† â€Å"Oh, there's a difference?† â€Å"Yes. Like is when you date a big, blond moron and laugh at his stupid jokes.† Then, out of nowhere, he leaned forward and kissed her. It was hot and fast and furious, an outpouring of the rage and passion and longing that Christian always kept locked inside of him. Lissa had never been kissed like that, and I felt her respond to it, respond to him – how he made her feel so much more alive than Aaron or anyone else could. Christian pulled back from the kiss but still kept his face next to hers. â€Å"That's what you do with someone you like.† Lissa's heart pounded with both anger and desire. â€Å"Well, I don't like or like you. And I think you and Mia are both lying about Andre. Aaron would never make up anything like that.† â€Å"That's because Aaron doesn't say anything that requires words of more than one syllable.† She pulled away. â€Å"Get out. Get away from me.† He looked around comically. â€Å"You can't throw me out. We both signed the lease.† â€Å"Get. Out!† she yelled. â€Å"I hate you!† He bowed. â€Å"Anything you want, Your Highness.† With a final dark look, he left the attic. Lissa sank to her knees, letting out the tears she'd held back from him. I could barely make sense out of all the things hurting her. God only knew things upset me – like the Jesse incident – but they didn't attack me in the same way. They swirled within her, beating at her brain. The stories about Andre. Mia's hate. Christian's kiss. Healing me. This, I realized, was what real depression felt like. What madness felt like. Overcome, drowning in her own pain, Lissa made the only decision she could. The only thing she could do to channel all of these emotions. She opened up her purse and found the tiny razor blade she always carried†¦ Sickened, yet unable to break away, I felt as she cut her left arm, making perfectly even marks, watching as the blood flowed across her white skin. As always, she avoided veins, but her cuts were deeper this time. The cutting stung horribly, yet in doing it, she was able to focus on the physical pain, distract herself from the mental anguish so that she could feel like she was in control. Drops of blood splattered onto the dusty floor, and her world began spinning. Seeing her own blood intrigued her. She had taken blood from others her entire life. Me. The feeders. Now, here it was, leaking out. With a nervous giggle, she decided it was funny. Maybe by letting it out, she was giving it back to those she'd stolen it from. Or maybe she was wasting it, wasting the sacred Dragomir blood that everyone obsessed over. I'd forced my way into her head, and now I couldn't get out. Her emotions had ensnared me now – they were too strong and too powerful. But I had to escape – I knew it with every ounce of my being. I had to stop her. She was too weak from the healing to lose this much blood. It was time to tell someone. Breaking out at last, I found myself back in the clinic. Dimitri's hands were on me, gently shaking me as he said my name over and over in an effort to get my attention. Dr. Olendzki stood beside him, face dark and concerned. I stared at Dimitri, truly seeing how much he worried and cared about me. Christian had told me to get help, to go to someone I trusted about Lissa. I'd ignored the advice because I didn't trust anyone except her. But looking at Dimitri now, feeling that sense of understanding we shared, I knew that I did trust someone else. I felt my voice crack as I spoke. â€Å"I know where she is. Lissa. We have to help her.†

An Investigation Into Smes Survival and the Discrimination Between Fgsmes and All Other Smes

Introduction In a competitive global market, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an increasingly important role in a nation’s economy. Today they make a substantial contribution to job creation, innovation, as well as entrepreneurial skills. A report conducted by European Commision(2005) stated that in the enlarged European Union of 25 countries, 23 million SMEs provide about 75 million jobs and account for 99% of all enterprise. SMEs are also the vital attributes for lifting the productivity of economy. This is primarily because SMEs are been considered as having a key role to play in providing new products. Take UK for example, SMEs have become more and more dynamic. SMEs have enjoyed higher productivity growth than large firms since 1998, and the proportion of SME employers reporting that they have undertaken either product or service innovation in the past 12 months has increased from 32% in 2005 to 48% in 2006(BERR,2002). An important aspect of SMEs, especially for the young SMEs, is their survival rate, according to Haugh and McKee(2000), survival means continue to exist in the future. Although we have seen a large increase in new company formations and higher levels of their survival rates than the past, we cannot neglect the fact that the rate of failure of these SMEs is also very high. Some of the firms fail in their infancy stage and some fail within several years after start-up. Some statistics suggest that the failure rate of SMEs in their first five years is more than 50% (Reiss, 2006). There are many reasons that contribute to SMEs’ failure: insufficient capital, poor management skills, poor human resources, lack of innovations and so on. Factors that contribute to small business survival and non-survival In order to prosper, all SMEs need to ensure that they are alert both to opportunities for achieving success and threats to their survival. Only when the company are aware of and deal with these factors correctly, they can survive, grow and succeed. 1. Financial circumstances 1. 1 Access to Finance Obtaining the right finance is a pivotal factor to a new firm’s survival and high growth. For SMEs, there are various types of finance available, including bank loans, borrowing from family and friends, obtaining equity investment from business angels, venture capitals and so on. Obviously, different options have different profits and constraints. The advantage of loan finance is that it will not dilute ownership structure of the firm. However, excessive reliance on loan finance could be a financial threat to their firm’s solvency. Astebro and Bernhardt (2003) stated that there was a significant negative correlation between having a bank loan and the survival of the business. Since loan means a continuing obligations for the firm to repay the principal debt and associated interest on a predetermined timetable. This kind of loan covenants can place strain on a firm’s cash flow position, if a firm’s capital contains a high proportion of debt, then the firm has to generate more cash to cover the repayment obligations, however it may have greater threat to default due to a sudden interruption in income. 1. 2 Financial Health A critical reason for SMEs’ failure is that they cannot identify and react to threats to their financial healthy. For example, the substantial increases in overheads could be a threat to financial healthy since it is a signal of weak cost management. Significantly increasing overheads will reduce the available cash flows and profits, eventually reduce the probability of survival. According to Schaefer (2006), over-expansion is a leading cause of business failure. This often happens when business owners confuse success with how fast they can expand their business. A large amount of bankruptcy is due to rapidly expanding firms. Birley and Niktari (1995) found that, in the opinion of many accountants and bank managers, 70% of SMEs failures were caused by a very large extent to being under-capitalized, to short-term liquidity problems or insufficient working capital. So in order to survive, firms have to look out for financial threats to the firms’ solvency and maintain effective management control over their finances. 2. Human capital In most SMEs, power is centralized in the hands of the owner-managers and the owner-managers always play multiple roles in a company, including general manager, sales manager, production manager, financial manager and so on, so that characteristics of the owner-managers, such as education background, family business background, personal goals, previous work experience, strategic awareness have a significantly impact on firm’s activities and performance. Several studies indicate that in SMEs, the personality of the owner-managers is a critical determinant of corporate structure and strategy(Miller and Droge 1986; Miller and Toulouse 1986). Owner-managers who are inability to motivate staff, rarely listen to others’ advices, have little knowledge of marketing strategy, finance, and personnel management may act as a significant constraint to SMEs’ survival. On the other hand, owner-managers are not experts at everything, many owner-managers in small firms are lack of the leadership and management skills which are necessary for the firms’ survival and growth. Deakins and Freel (1998) found that one of the critical factors in the success of a SME was the ability to build an ‘entrepreneurial team’. The presence of a diversified management team may imply a greater variety of complementary skills: marketing skills, business skills, as well as technological skills, this is also crucial for SMEs in relation to the long term success of the firm. So building a entrepreneurial team will definitely increase SMEs’ viability. 3. Over-dependent Some firms do not have the appropriate strategy and become excessive reliance on a single customer or a small client base. The more a firm relies on a particular client, the more possibly it is damaged by factors out of its control than if it has a wide client base. Natwest (1997) stated that an important reason for SMEs failure is over-reliance on one or two customers and lack of sales. Failures often occur due to firms’ sole customer withdrawing its orders or going bankrupt. The same principles also apply to a firm’s supplier base. If there is a breakdown in the commercial relationship between the firm and its single supplier, the prodution of the firm will be damaged. As a result, if a young firm wants to survive, it should seek to cultivate a wide client (supplier) base instead of depending on a small number of regular clients (suppliers). However diversification strategy can realize this. Diversification across production and services can satisfy different types of customers and reduce the probability of over-dependent. 4. Training One of the factors that contribute to SMEs failure is low level of management performance and inefficient operation, which is a result of lack of training. It is generally acknowledged that the majority of the small-firm owners run their business just based on their own experience and common sense, without getting professional or other formal qualifications. Stanworth and Gray (1992) pointed out that minority of small-firm owners who participate in management training tend to have better educational qualifications, and their businesses have better survival and growth rates than other small firms. Also, Kitson and Wilkinson (1998) found a positive link between training and innovation and growth, as training was provided by 60% of innovating firms but only 41% of non-innovators, and 72% and 68% of medium and fast-growing firms, respectively, compared with 46% of stagnant and declining firms. Training could cover a wide range of areas including accessing to and managing finance, cost management, personnel management, marketing strategy, information use and retrieval, operation management and so on, which equip small-firm owners and employees with the skills necessary to survival and the further growth. So training is also an important factor that contributes to small firms’ survival which can be easily ignored. 5. Innovation In this era of knowledge economy, innovation become inextricably linked with a firm’s survival, successful entrepreneurship always relies heavily on innovation. It is extremely important for new small firms who still enter industries where economics of scale plays a critical role, by innovation small firms could compete on the basis of added value, therefore enhancing the likelihood of survival. On the other hand, innovation intrinsically linked with a company’s diversification strategy, through innovative activity, firms have the chance to produce new products and services so that they can attract more customers and increase their market share. Also, cost reduction can be achieved by innovation in operation processes, marketing and organizational forms. For example, in order to expand, some firms may choose a strategy called e-marketing to reduce cost, they may create a impressive and special site to grab people’s attention, on the website, a convenient online selling system is provided. Also, the firm may send their new products and services details to their target customers and potential customers, sometimes combining with even fun facts. So business innovation is especially important not only for large companies but also SMEs’ survival, lack of innovation could be a barrier to a small firm’s growth. Discrimination between fast growth firms and all other SMEs Different SME tends to have different growth rate, some of them grow rapidly and are recognized as FGSMEs(fast-growth small-to-medium enterprises). According to Caroline and Kosmas, FGSMEs are firms that achieve at least 20% annual compound sales growth over a 5-year period. Birch (1995) found that FGSMEs make up 3% of all small firms. Based on former research, there are many firm-based characteristics, which are concentrated on both customers and organizations aspects, such as satisfaction of customers, financial perspectives, staff retention, number and quality of successful innovations and so on, to discriminate between FGSMEs and all other SMEs. 1. Customer Focus FGSMEs are customer centric, regularly receiving feedback from clients and taking their requests and complaints seriously into consideration (Tan, 2007). They always try to retain clients through improving the quality of products and services or developing new products. According to the BSC, customer perspectives focus on traditional marketing issues such as market share, customer satisfaction and service quality ratings, customer loyalty, and customer perceived value (Kaplan & Norton, 2000). 2. Financial Perspectives FGSMEs tend to spend a lot of time and effort in analyzing the financial health of their firms. On the contrary, other SMEs always analyze cash flows on a regular basis, relying on occasional ‘back of the envelope’ calculations. Financial summaries provided by accountants are used for mandatory reporting purposes instead of financial management (Barnes et al. , 1998). 3. Internal Business Perspective Internal business performance indicators contains traditional operational terms such as tender success rate, data rejection percentages, time per customer (Kaplan & Norton, 2000), on-time delivery, the number of new products launched and product defects (Zaman, 2003). FGSMEs tend to manage and examine their business processes. For example, Liaise marketing (a supermarket broker) CEO, Tony Merlino stated that their firm measures manufacturer sales, market share and store visits to make sure that their sales team operates properly and efficiently. 4. Employee Focus Kaplan and Norton (2000) pointed that innovation, learning, and growth perspectives are closely linked to improve employee job satisfaction and commitment, and develop employees’ technical ability and innovation skills. According to the previous literature, FGSMEs seem to pay a lot of attention on employees. Nicholls-Nixon, 2005; Tan, 2007). So we can see that these fast-growth firms all have a strong emphasis on making their employees as part of the performance measurement system. Staff’s ideas and feelings are very important and cannot be ignored easily. Conclusion This study aims at identifying the factors that contribute to SMEs’ survival. Finding on the study sug gests that effective financial management, outstanding leadership and training play a critical role in SMEs’ survival, while excessive depend on one or two customers(suppliers) will be dangerous and may lead to a death. On the other hand, the study makes a distinction between FGSMEs and other SMEs based on four perspectives, finally draw the conclusion that FGSMEs tend to pay more attention on customers, financial management, internal business operation and employees. REFERENCE Astebro, T. and Bernhardt, I. 2009. â€Å"Dissecting Behaviours Associated with Business Failure: A Qualitative Study of SME Owners in Malaysia and Australia†. Journal of Asian social science 5 (9): 98–104. Barnes, L. , Coulton. T. Dickinson. S. Dransfield, J. Field, N. Fisher, et al. 1998. A New Approach to Performance Measurement for Small and Medium Enterprises†. Performance measurement – theory and practice, 1, 86-92. BERR. 2002. ENTERPRISE: UNLOCKING THE UK’S TALENT. [online]. [Accessed 9th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: < http://www. berr. gov. uk/files/file44992. pdf> Berry,M. 1998. â€Å"Strategic Planning in Small High Tech Companies†. Long Range Planning 31(3) : 455-466 Birch, D. 1995. Who's Creating Jobs? Cambridge: Cognetics, Inc. Birley, S. and Niktari, N. 1995. The Failure of Owner-Managed Businesses: The Diagnosis of Accountants and Bankers. London: Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Caroline, S. T. and Kosmas, X. S. 2005. Firm performance measurement in fast growth small-to-medium enterprises [online]. [Accessed 10th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: European Commision. 2005. The new SME definition User guide and model declaration [online]. [Accessed 10th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: Enterprise Britain: Growth, Innovation and Public Policy in the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Sector. 1994–1997. Cambridge: ESRC Centre for Business Research, pp. 16–27. Haugh. M and McKee. L. 2000. Survival, independence, control: uncovering the shared values in the SME. [online]. [Accessed 12th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: Kaplan, R. S. , and D. P. Norton. 2000. The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Kitson, M. and Wilkinson, F. 1998. â€Å"Employment structure, recruitment, labour turnover, training and labour force flexibility† in Cosh, A. and Hughes, A. (eds), Natwest. 1997. Natwest Quarterly Survey of Small Business in Britain. Small Business Research Trust Nicholls-Nixon, C. L. (2005). Rapid Growth and High Performance: The Entrepreneur's ‘Impossible Dream'? Academy of management executive, 19(1), 77-89. Noor, H. A. 2003. † Start-up financing, owner characteristics, and survival†. Journal of Economics and Business 55 (2003): 303–319. Stanworth, J. and Gray, C. 1992. â€Å"Entrepreneurship and education: action-based research and training policy implications in Britain†. International Small Business Journal 10(2), 11–23. Schaefer, P. 2006. The seven pitfalls of business failures and how to avoid them. Accessed 9th February 2010 Available from World Wide Web: www. usinessknowhow. com/startup/business-failure. html Tan, C. S. L. 2007. Sources of Competitive Advantage for Emerging Fast Growth Small-to-Medium Enterprises: The Role of Business Orientation, Marketing Capabilities, Customer Value and Firm Performance. RMIT University, Melbourne. Zaman, M. 2003. Balanced Score card Implementation in Australian Companies – an Exploratory Study of Current Corporate Practice and Strategic Intent. Paper presented at the Hawaii International Conference on Business.

Difference Between Criminal and Civil Cases

Difference Between Criminal and Civil Cases PA101: The Paralegal Professional Unit 8 Dianna Marsh 11/13/2012 In today's society there are rules and regulations in place that determine how citizens are to behave. When these rules are not upheld, a need to resolve or punish the offending parties exist. Whether the offense is criminal or civil, the case is settled in a court of law. Although there are similarities between civil and criminal cases, there are many differences in the way these cases are handled. Both criminal and civil cases starts with filing a complaint.The parties that file the complaint is called the plaintiff. In a civil case the plaintiff can be an individual, corporation or government agency. In a criminal case the plaintiff is always the state or federal government. One of the key differences between civil and criminal cases is the burden of proof. In a civil case the burden of proof depends on a preponderance of evidence. In legal terms, a preponderance of evidenc e means that a party has shown that its version of facts, causes, damages, or fault is  more likely than not  the correct version, as in personal injury and breach of contract suits.This standard is the easiest to meet and applies to all civil cases unless otherwise provided by law. (Preponderance of the Evidence, 2010) In a criminal case the Burden of Proof is the responsibility of the plaintiff. The plaintiff must prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. For example, in the case of the State v O. J. Simpson. The state of California was unable to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt, that is why OJ was found not guilty of the murders he was accused of. He was, however found guilty of wrongful death in a civil suit filed against him with the same evidence.It is the juries responsibility to review the evidence and reach a verdict in the case. In a criminal case, the jury must return a unanimous vote for conviction. This is determined by whether or not the evidence and testimony presen ted proves guilt beyond reasonable doubt. If unable to do this, a not guilty verdict is reached and the defendant is released. In a civil case only 51% or 9 of 12 jurors votes need to be obtained for a guilty verdict. Once the verdict is reached a sentence or punishment is handed down by the judge. There are differences in this too.In a criminal case the punishment can be as little as a fine or as large as capital punishment, but most normally receives imprisonment. In a civil case punishment is usually monetary. You cannot be sent to prison. There are many other difference, but these are only a few. These systems are in place because they deal with the civil rights of an individual, and the protection of those rights. References: Cheeseman, H. ; Goldman,T. (2010). The paralegal professional  (3rd  ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. www. courts. uslegal. com, Burden of Proof, Preponderance of the Evidence, 2010